Virtually His. Gennita Low

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СКАЧАТЬ their brain waves during sleep, then after a period, during tests. They’d started this phase a couple of months ago.

      “Darling, I prefer my term. What’s happening is more intimate than mind-setting, or whatever Dr. Hollingsworth calls it.” T. crossed her arms. “Remember, Helen isn’t just trained in NOPAIN now. She has all these things being experimented within her mind. Who knows what she would do to you?” A challenging gleam entered her golden eyes. “Bet she’ll fight you all the way. GEM operatives have great resistance.”

      Yes. A dangerous woman. The man returned his gaze back to the screen. “Not if I look like that. She can’t do anything to me with that image in her head.”

      T. looked at the new image of the avatar. “Superspy. Remote viewing-trained. Combat-ready. And once she takes the drugs, she should be a supersoldier—fearless, with little capacity for emotion, and less need for sleep. You’ll probably be the only one holding on to her mind. Be gentle with her, hmm?”

      “I thought you said she would give me trouble?”

      “I just don’t know about the drugs. You never know with drugs. You, better than most, understand how that is. They’ve done things to you in your program. That’s why you’re a perfect balance. Guide her through her first mission and get her back safely.”

      “I’ve no intention of failing, T.,” he said softly. It wasn’t the guidance part of Mind Setter that would be the problem between him and Elena Rostova. It was getting her ready for him.

      

      “Okay, I put on these goggles and then he’s just going to be there?” Helen loosened her ponytail. She weighed the goggles in her hand. Lightweight plastic, malleable in feel. “We can talk and everything? Do we need to go to the CAVE to test this?”

      Dr. Kirkland, Dr. Hollingsworth’s second-in-command, shook his head and pointed to the virtual reality chair and equipment at the far corner of the room.

      “Not today. This is just a run-through and we thought we’d try out the new VR Portal. We’re going to monitor your heart rate and vital statistics. You can talk while we get both your brain waves in sync.”

      “Wait, he’s here somewhere? We aren’t using a simulated program?” Helen looked up at the doctor sharply. “Where?”

      “He’s in a similar test room, Miss Roston,” Dr. Kirkland said as he nodded to his assistant. “This is just a test to see whether the communication comes through.”

      “But it’s virtual reality.” Helen pretended to frown. She understood what was going to happen but it didn’t hurt to hear the doctor’s version of the truth.

      “The simulated reality is virtual but your trainer is real. You already know that. He has to be, or you won’t be able to get real instructions when you’re in your remote viewing state.”

      “Oh, I know I don’t see him—it’ll be my blond god but still, do I have to call him something?”

      “Miss Roston, we’ll get to that as soon as we start this program. Right now we don’t even know whether you two are in sync.”

      Helen grinned. “Doctor, I’m in control of this hottie in my head. How in sync do I need him to be?” Flyboy chuckled as the doctor tried to remain serious. She turned to Derek. “You make sure he’s still naked. I want to see the goods before I agree to have you guys mess my mind up with drugs.”

      The reference to the more serious aspect of the experiment brought a quick nervous nod from the young programmer. Helen gave him a soothing smile. Ironic, really. She was the one who might go psychotic and she had to comfort the poor guy. She looked at the goggles in her hand. This was it, the final phase before…

      She could feel her heart beating faster and she glanced up to see the doctor looking at her closely. Like she was some mouse in his lab, she bet. Oh well. She had agreed to this. She took in a deep breath. Fear, especially of the unknown, was normal.

      A beep distracted her. Flyboy reached for his back pocket. He gave a sigh. “Damn. I have to go, babe.” He stood up. “Call you later? Drinks? Massage?”

      Helen wrinkled her nose. “I have to go to philosophy class. Want to come along?”

      Flyboy shuddered. “You’re kidding me.”

      Her smile was devilish. “Come along and find out,” she invited.

      Flyboy shuddered again. “You win, Hell.” The beeper went off a second time. “Got to go. Later.”

      Helen nodded to Dr. Kirkland and held out her arm. She remained quiet as he read her statistics to his assistant. The goggles sat in her lap, their gleaming surface reflecting parts of her face. Such a little thing with such power. She had done VR before but this was going to be different. This time, unlike the CAVE, someone was going to be in her head. Remote viewing was weird enough. This was going to be one step more into her strange new role of supergirl.

      Fifteen minutes later, she was strapped into the sensor jacket, sitting on the VR chair. Derek looked at her expectantly. Dr. Kirkland adjusted the headgear.

      “Ready when you are, Miss Roston.”

      Helen nodded. “Ditto.”

      She knew what to expect. At first it would be dark, like a movie theatre. Without the sensor jacket, she could see a whole movie on a huge screen all in her head. Then, when they turned on the switch or whatever they called it, she would experience virtual reality in a training facility, all her movements guided by the sensors. It wouldn’t be the same without the CAVE’s special sen-surround elements, though.

      She’d been thinking a lot about this. The training in the CAVE was for him to test how her mind worked. That was why he kept pushing her buttons. That was why he was always in control. This time, in the Portal, it would be different; she would be controlling the missions with her remote viewing. It seemed that her secret trainer was preparing himself to deal with her.

      One more difference than the CAVE. He’d be closer now, too. He’d be in my mind. Anticipation squeezed the pit of her stomach.

      She glanced around in the darkness. A few seconds went by. “I don’t see anything,” she said out loud.

      “Hang on one more minute, Miss Roston,” Derek said in her right earpiece. “Still trying to get the signals right.”

      Helen rolled her eyes behind the goggles. Idiots. They were going to fry her brain cells before she got to see her yummy dream guy.

      Fried brain cells for a naked man in your head. Who’s the idiot?

      Helen jerked in her straps. Whoa. It was still dark, but that was definitely not her voice. There was no shadowy figure, though. She coughed. “I think I hear something,” she said out loud. “Derek?”

      “Okay. That’s good. Keep trying.”

      “Keep trying? Keep trying what? You’re the one who’s supposed to know what’s happening!”

      Silence. Helen waited for a moment, then sighed. Obviously the doctor had told Derek to shut up. She peered into the darkness. Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Should she say hello out loud? Uh-uh. No way were they СКАЧАТЬ