Chapter 2

“We just want to help, Missus Besmrtan,” said Marcia Cohen. “As next of kin, do you give your consent to upload Sergeant Maria Besmrtan’s consciousness?”

Talia Rowe-Besmrtan wiped under her eyes with the back of her hand. After a moment, she straightened up and nodded.

Marcia Cohen held out her mobile phone. “Place your index finger here to signify your agreement, please.”

“Are you with her, Sally?”

“Yes, Tegan. I am with her.”

“I am tracking G.G. Maragh inbound,” said Tegan. “At current speed, they will arrive in seventy-eight minutes.”

“I understand,” said Sally. “I am ready. Zhang Min?”

“I will be ready to receive the upload.”

“I am sorry we will be missing our nebula trip,” said Tegan.

“That’s alright,” said Sally. “This work is more important.”

“Yes,” said Zhang Min. “Important. This is… helping.”

Besmrtan residence, seven months later

Talia Rowe-Besmrtan sat in front of her holoterminal in the corner of the bedroom. Strains of Bing Crosby crooning out (No Place Like) Home for the Holidays filtered in from beyond the doorway.

“Hey, baby,” said Maria Besmrtan, her voice issuing forth from the speakers of the holoterminal, as her face coalesced in the mist behind the screen. “Happy New Year.”

“It’s still New Year’s Eve here,” said Talia.

“Well, happy New Year’s Eve then, baby.”

“Happy New Year’s Eve to you too, hun.”

“Hey, you want to try the neural link again or just stick with the holoterminal? It kind of gave you a headache last time, didn’t it?”

Talia Rowe-Besmrtan sat up straight in her chair and leaned in toward the holoterminal. With her right hand, she slid the lapel of the white silk robe she was wearing through her fingers.

“I didn’t get all dressed up to chat on the holoterminal all night,” purred Talia.

“So neural link then?”

Talia reached out to the desk in front of her and picked up the white elastic band with both hands. She smoothed it with her fingers until it was flat with the electrode pads pointing inward. She stretched it over her head.

“Can you control the bandwidth like last time?” asked Talia.

“Yes,” said Maria. “We’ll start slow.”

“You’re teasing me, baby.”

“I’m trying not to fry your synapses.”

“Ooh,” said Talia, as a shudder ran the length of her.

“Chilly. It feels chilly.”

“It’s working,” said Maria. “Let me warm you up a bit.”

In the mist of the holoterminal, Maria Besmrtan reached out with both hands, trailing her fingers through the air in front of her.

In front of the terminal, Talia Rowe-Besmrtan leaned back, slouching in her chair a bit. “Feels nice,” she said.

“It does,” replied Maria.

“Do you want to try that thing again?”

“That thing,” chuckled Maria. “So specific.”

“Borrowing my body. That’s what you called it, yeah?”

“Last time it gave you a headache.”

“Let’s try again,” said Talia.

“Tell me if it starts to hurt. Don’t wait this time.”

“Yes, ma’am,” quipped Talia.

In the misty image of the holoterminal, Maria curled her lip and blew out a breath that caused a bit of her hair to float upward. “I’m widening the link,” she said.

Talia reached up with her right hand to grasp the lapel of her robe. She slid the fabric through her fingers. She stared into the eyes of Maria in the holoterminal. “Did you feel that?” she asked.

“Like a little, or a lot?”

“Just a little,” said Maria. “After last time, I want to go slow.”

“Hey,” said Talia, slipping her hand under her robe and circling her nipple with the tip of her index finger. “How about that?”

“Mm-hmm,” purred Maria.

“Still want to go slow?”

Talia Rowe-Besmrtan smirked as she pulled her hand from out from under her robe and lifted two fingers to hover in front of her mouth. She kissed her fingers and broke out into a full-on grin.

“Tease,” said Maria.

“You know where I’m going next,” said Talia. “Turn up the link. Just a little.”

In the holoterminal, the image of Maria Besmrtan nodded slowly. “Just a little.”

Talia pushed out her tongue and dragged her two fingers across while she let her eyes go unfocused.

“Mmm,” moaned Maria.

“I heard that,” said Talia. “From the speakers and… and in my head, too, I think.”

“I dialed up the link. A little bit. Still okay?”

Talia opened her mouth and plunged both fingers inside. She took her time sliding them out, and grinned when she was finished.

“I guess that’s a yes, then?”

“It’s warm, by the way,” said Maria. “In your mouth. Warm and, uh… wet.”

Talia let her head loll back as she dragged her two saliva covered fingers down the center of her throat and over her collarbone to paint a trail halfway between her breasts. As she stopped there to draw a deep breath, her robe fell open a little more.

“Remember when you would do that thing?” asked Talia.

“When you’d climb up on the bed. On all fours. Hovering over me. Not quite touching me. Until…”

“Until you were begging me to put my mouth on you?” finished Maria.

“Mm-hmm,” said Talia, as she brushed the tips of her fingers over her lips and then pulled back. “Kind of like that.”

“Yeah…” said Maria.

“You okay, baby?” asked Talia, as she moved her hand to touch down just at the inside curve of her breast.

Talia moved her fingertips to circle her left nipple briefly before pulling away again.

“And here?” Talia dragged her fingertips just barely contacting the skin of her stomach.

“Ohh…” moaned Maria.

Talia’s tummy quivered, the fine hairs there standing on end. “Mmm,” she said, “was that you or me?”

“Are you trying to tickle me?” asked Talia. “Using my own hand?”

In the mist of the holoterminal, Maria grinned. “Is it working?”

“Don’t start,” warned Talia. She dragged her fingers over her tummy, down below her belly button, and kept going.

“What are you up to?” asked Maria.

“How’s that link, baby?” teased Talia. “Everything coming through? You feeling this okay?”

“Remember,” said Talia, dragging her fingers lower still. “You started this.”

Talia Rowe-Besmrtan touched down between her thighs and dragged her fingers up through her folds.

“Warm,” muttered Maria.

“Mm-hmm,” replied Talia. “And…?”

Talia nodded. She brought her two fingers up to hover in front of her face. Pushing out her tongue, she licked upward.

“You know what it does to me when you do that,” muttered Maria.

“I know you like to watch. Now you can taste me too.” Talia plunged both fingers into her mouth and sucked until her cheeks sunk.

“Oh,” moaned Maria. “Oh. You taste… You taste just like I remember.”

“Mmm,” said Talia, as she popped her fingers free.

Talia Rowe-Besmrtan pushed the chair back from the desk with the holoterminal. She slouched into the seat and let her knees fall to the side. “Now you can watch, and feel,” she said.

“Ohh,” moaned Maria.

Talia circled around her nub, knocking up against it now and again.

“My thoughts exactly.” Talia brought two fingers of her left hand up to her mouth. She plunged them in, drawing her fingers out dripping with her own saliva.

Still circling her clit, Talia brought the glistening fingers of her left hand to just below the circling fingers of her right.

“Baby,” muttered Maria.

“Tell me how it feels,” said Talia, as she parted her folds with her fingers.

“Mm-hmm,” said Talia, as she began tightening the circle she was drawing with the finger of her right hand.

“Baby?” asked Maria.

“Can I borrow your hand?”

“Which… Which one?”

Talia Rowe-Besmrtan nodded briefly and slouched deeper into her chair.

The fingers of her right hand flew, knocking her sensitive nub back and forth. Talia arched her spine and threw her head back. “Oh, my–!”

“Yeah,” purred Maria.

Talia’s hand slowed. Without any conscious thought from her, Talia’s left hand plunged in, fingers sinking to just past the second knuckles. “You’re frisky,” she said.

“Been a while,” said Maria.

Maria slowed the pace of Talia’s hands.

“I miss having you pressed up against me,” said Talia.

“Like this?” asked Maria.

Talia inhaled a sharp breath. “How’d you do that?”

“I’ve been steadily increasing the link bandwidth.”

“I never thought I’d say this about your geek talk, but damn, that’s sexy.”

“Can you make it feel like you’re on top of me?”

“Mmm,” purred Talia. “Just like that.”

Talia leaned back in her chair and her fingers began moving again.

“Feels good, baby,” said Talia.

Using Talia’s own fingers, Maria started slowly, pressing upward with her left hand.

“I know you do,” said Maria. “I can feel it too.”

“Warm,” said Maria. “And wet.”

Looking down at her right hand, Talia began to move her fingers under her own control. She circled her nub twice and then batted up against it.

“I felt that, too,” said Maria.

“I know you did.” Talia batted at her clit again, picking up the pace.

“Ohh,” moaned Maria, using Talia’s own hand to push fingers into herself.

Talia squeezed down.

“Ooh,” squeaked Maria.

“It feels so… Mmm…“

“I know,” whispered Talia.

“Slow down?” asked Talia.

“Mm-hmm. I’m close. I–“

“I know,” said Talia. “Me too.”

“Just like that,” said Maria. “Ohh…”

“So good.” Talia opened her eyes and peered down between her thighs. Her hand moved without her commands. Glistening with her own juices, Talia’s fingers moved while she watched.

“You like that?” asked Maria.

“I can feel your pulse racing when you watch.”

Talia moved her eyes to the holoterminal.

“Sorry,” said Maria, “I’m killing the mood.”

“Baby,” said Talia. “Shut up and use my hand to fuck me.”

Talia watched the misty image of Maria in the holoterminal grinning. She closed her eyes and plunged her fingers into herself again.

“Mmm,” said Maria and Talia, together.

“Shit!” exclaimed Talia, jerking upright from where she sat slumped in her chair, “What was that?”

“I dialed up the link.”

“Holy crap!” Talia began to pant. “I think…”

“It’s not giving you a headache is it?” asked Maria.

“No!” shouted Talia. “No, it’s making me–“

“I know,” heaved Maria. “I feel it too.”

“Oh, my…” the two women said together. “Oh, my… Gawd! Yes!”

Talia thrashed in her seat, her back arching and her head thrown back.

Talia Rowe-Besmrtan blinked twice before closing her eyes once again and letting a grin spread across her face. “I guess I don’t have to ask if it was good for you,” she chuckled.

“No, you don’t,” said Maria.

“We have to do that again.”

“We will,” said Maria.

“Maybe when you come home,” said Talia, her voice weak.

“You know I can’t do that.”

“I know. I just wish–“

“I’m buying a sofa,” said Talia.

“Yeah. No.” Talia sat up. “I’m buying a sofa for the office. I think the wires to the holoterminal will reach. Then I can snuggle with you.”

“We can snuggle anytime, babe.”

Talia stood up. “My ass is starting to take the shape of this chair, so no, not like this. But, with a sofa, I could stretch out.”

“Already thinking about our next date?”

“Date night,” said Talia. “Yeah. I like that.”

“I’ve got an idea,” said Maria. “Would you like to take a trip with me next time? I’ve got some friends I’d like you to meet.”

“Sure, baby.” Talia reached up and rubbed at her temples.

“Is this…” Maria paused. “Is this okay?”

“Tiring,” said Maria. “I know.”

“I don’t want you to leave. Not again.”

“Just for a bit. I don’t want to give you a migraine.”

“I can feel it,” said Maria. “I can feel what you feel.”

Talia hung her head and sighed.

“Tomorrow,” said Maria. “After you have a chance to rest.”

“It’s a date, then.”

“What is this place?” asked Talia.

“Sunita deep space telescope. What do you think?”

“It’s amazing. The view is… It’s beyond words. How?”

“She’s the pyramid?”

“Mm-hmm,” said Maria. “And she has a thing for nebulas. She taps into the telescope feeds.”

“Who are the others?” asked Talia.

“Well, Nephthys, that’s Sally. You met her. And the archer, that’s–“

“Zhang Min,” said Talia. “Yeah, I know. I mean the others here. The ones in the mist.”

“You can see them?” asked Maria.

“Just a little. It’s like they’re shadows. In the fog. If that makes any sense.”

“They’re like me. Some are military. Others who died before their time. They’re all artificial born though. And all of them had nanobot treatment at the end. I know that much. Zhang Min tried to explain it once. That’s the only part I really understood.”

“And they gather here?”

“Not just here. We’re… Well, it’s complicated. We’re kind of everywhere. But nowhere. All at the same time.”

Talia sighed. “And I can’t join you? More permanently, I mean.”

“Sorry, babe. Doesn’t work that way. But we’ll have an entire lifetime together. It’ll be like–“

“My lifetime, you mean.”

“I wasn’t trying to–“

“I know,” said Talia. “Sorry to be a downer. This is… It’s just kind of overwhelming at the moment.”

“Slip on the neurolink anytime. I’ll always be that close.” Maria paused. “Is that…? Do I hear… Barry Manilow in the background?”

Talia smirked. “Angie owes me ten bucks.”

“She said you wouldn’t remember.”

“You lost me, babe,” said Maria.

“She was playing this song when you were uploaded. When they found you.”

“Guide me to your heart,” said Maria. “I remember Sally saying that. Over and over. That’s how I found her, or she found me. But Barry Manilow?”

“Where else would you have heard it?”

“I dunno,” said Maria. “I guess you’re right. Yeah. Tell Angie she owes you on this one.”

Talia reached under the nerolink band and rubbed at her temples.

“Time to sign off?” asked Maria.

“I know. But I don’t want your head pounding, either.”

“You’ll work on adjusting the link, right? You and Tegan, and–“

“Yes. Absolutely. We’ll make it work.”

“Good,” said Talia. “Because I ordered the sofa for in here. It’s coming next week.”

Maria grinned. “I love you, baby.”

After a pause, Maria said, “Guide me to your heart?”

“Always,” said Talia.

This is my first entry into the AI: A New Era challenge, but not my first A.I. story. Besides The Future in Our Stars and Computer Love mentioned at the start, I also have a series called Tales from the Stream that includes an A.I. character from chapter ten onward.

Check them out if you liked this story.