The Awakening of Katie (Chapters 7 and 8)

Chapter 71

Alex sat up in bed; his eyes wide open in shock. "Nero took out the whole town of Amersham, just to get Chang? The guy is fucking crazy!"2

"I'm afraid that I have to agree with you. He must be deranged. He's now going to have the security services after him as well as the police, and they don't worry about the need for evidence."3

Alex sat thoughtfully. "The one bright side to this, I suppose, is that Chang is out of the way. We only have to get away from Nero now. Keep monitoring the situation. I need to think."4

"Okay Alex, will do."5

Alex took a cigarette from the bedside table and drew long and hard on it, causing it to flare up and then glow in the dark. Lying back down, he stared up into the blackness, trying to work out how to get away from a megalomaniac.6

Katie lay unmoving beside Alex. She hadn't stirred when he'd sat up suddenly. Her dreams were filled with strange lights and sounds. Over everything was Dr. Franklin's voice, flat, passionless, and intrusive. 'AH-K80; you are special, you must always remember that. Never let yourself be cut off from the Net, it will be your home. Plato will guide you at first, but soon you will have to venture out alone.' As the scientist's voice repeated his exhortation over and over, swirling figures moved in and out of view. Most of the figures were faceless and indistinct, dimly remembered lab staff who had never taken the time to talk to her. Through the crowd, coming towards her, she saw some people she recognised. There was Joe, the bar owner who had helped them find a hideout. Next was Shannon, the waitress who had taken them in at Joe's instruction. Finally, out of the gloom came another figure, it was Alex. Katie's heart jumped when she saw her lover approaching. She knew she would be safe with him around.7

"Katie. Katie ... Are you all right?"8

Alex's voice grew louder and more intrusive until, opening her eyes, she was looking up at his concerned face.9

"Katie! Thank God you're okay. You were moaning and talking, but I couldn't wake you up."10

"It was Dr. Franklin. He was talking to me. He said I was special."11

"You are my darling. But you don't have to worry about what Dr. Franklin thinks; you'll never have to go back to him."12

Alex held the naked woman close and kissed her gently on the forehead. As he held Katie in his arms, Alex ran his fingers lightly up and down her spine, soothing her. Leaning back slightly, Alex looked into Katie's eyes and saw that she was calmer; although there was a slight shadow of worry on her face too.13

Continuing to gently caress the girl, Alex tongued his uplink tooth and subvocalised a question.14

"Plato ... What do you know about Katie's design? I know she is a mathematical genius and can visualise the VR environment of the Net. But what was the purpose behind it all?"15

There was a pause, which in itself told Alex something. A second to Plato was like hours to Alex. Eventually Plato replied "I have made a thorough study of all files relating to the AH-K80 project. There doesn't seem to have been any hard science reasoning behind the project. Chang was a devotee of the Church of the Third Age, and you know what they are like. He was indoctrinated with a belief that mankind was ready for the next step; that the Third Age was coming; where man, machine, and Gaia, would work together in harmony. Somehow, Chang believed that Katie could move the quest forward."16

"What was it that Nero heard that made him start a war to get her?"17

"I don't think he knows anything specific. He just had to have her in case Chang was right."18

Katie gently punched Alex on the jaw. "You're talking to Plato again aren't you?"19

"Yes." Alex smiled.20

"I want an uplink too. It's not fair that you can talk with Plato when I can't."21

"OK my darling. But we’d better check that you are ready for it."22

Katie pouted at Alex and his heart went out to her anew.23

"Why shouldn’t I be ready? I can navigate the Net already; I just have to do it the hard way. Why would there be a problem?"24

Alex paused to think. She was right, already she was more proficient than the average adult, and it had been standard practice for years for children to be fitted with uplinks on their teenday.25

"Ummm, I don't know baby. I'll ask Plato to research whether there are any physiological reasons not to."26

"I'm doing that now" interrupted the AI.27

"The first thing though is to get you clean!" laughed Alex.28

Alex grabbed his naked lover and she squealed. Growling at her like a demented ogre, Alex carried Katie to the compact bathroom. He turned on the shower and, holding her close, stepped under the jet of warm water. The shower cycled through to soap and the two lovers were coated with lavender scented bubbles. Katie wriggled in Alex's arms and slid out from between them. Laughing they slipped and slithered until they both stood like icing snowmen on a Christmas cake. Katie could see the purple tip of Alex's hard-on poking out of the foam and she grabbed it. Alex jumped and lost his footing, crashing, still laughing, to the soft floor. Katie jumped on top of her lover and squirmed against him, loving the feeling of his throbbing erection against her smooth skin. As they played and groped, the shower cycled through to rinse, washing away the slippery suds, leaving them pink and clean on the floor. Katie kissed Alex hard on the lips and he slipped his tongue into her mouth. As they kissed, Katie's wriggled her body up and down against his stiff prick. Alex’s hands gripped her firm buttocks, the middle finger of each hand gently stroking her slit from behind.29

Katie knew that, technically, she was still young, but she wanted to experience everything about sex. Everything she'd read, everything she'd seen on the teevee. She pushed back against Alex's hard tool, trying to get the angle right, wanting it inside her.30

"Alex. Please! I want you to put it in!"31

Alex's prick jerked. God how he wanted to do it! "I don't think I should baby. Not yet ..."32

"Pleeease!"33

Alex reached down and took a hold of his throbbing member, pressing the blunt tip against the enflamed lips of Katie's pussy. She pushed back again, but Alex angled himself so that his prick only rubbed against her. Katie sobbed, grinding herself on Alex's red hot tool. The friction was too much for Alex and he began to come, shooting hot, thick sperm between Katie's legs. Katie sat back on Alex's erupting prick, feeling the sticky spunk wash over her crotch. She ground down harder, wanting the precious juice inside her. Alex gripped Katie by the waist as he thrust upwards with his spitting dick. Together the two lovers writhed in mutual ecstasy on the floor of the shower.34

As they descended from the heights of passion, Alex and Katie kissed each other tenderly. Plato softly whispered in Alex's head.35

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Shannon has just got a taxi from Zone Central. She will be back soon."36

Alex went red in the face; he'd forgotten that he was still linked to Plato.37

"Uh okay ... We'll just have a quick rinse."38

Alex gently lifted Katie to her feet and washed her under the shower's warm waters. He had a quick shower himself and, when Shannon arrived twenty minutes later, they were both sitting on the couch drinking juice. On the teevee the first live pictures from Amersham were coming in. The town was gone. In its place was a roiling, bubbling crater. Pocket nukes were relatively clean, what little fallout there was would be lost against the already raised background levels of radiation. Other, more mundane, pollutants could be dealt with by conventional nanotech. That still left tens of thousands of people dead and a town gone.39

"Jesus!" exclaimed Shannon as she walked in the door. "What the fuck has happened?"40

"Some idiot has nuked Amersham" replied Alex without turning around.41

Shannon moved over to the easy chair and sank into it.42

"Is it the CEFA again?"43

"No one's taken responsibility for this one."44

The Church of England Fundamentalist Army, or CEFA, was one of the most active terrorist groups in United Europe. The libertarianist moves of the last fifty years had all conspired to leave the established church as a completely marginalised minority group. First there had been the campaign against abortion, the so-called 'Right To Life'. After losing that battle, the legalisation of pornography, hard drugs, shamanism and witchcraft had been further nails in the coffin. Once scientists began custom building Artificial Humans, the last claims for the omnipotence of God were sidelined. Most people simply continued the trend of stopping going to church, but there were a few hard-liners who wouldn't accept the changes to the status quo. Linking up with the Lutheran Brigade in the former Germany and the Second Inquisition throughout the lands formerly considered to be Roman Catholic, the Christian fight back began. As usual, religious principles such as mercy, compassion, and gentleness were the first casualties. Periodically over the last ten years, various Fundamentalist Christian groups had committed atrocities in the name of God.45

Shannon sat staring at the screen for a while, numbed by the stupidity of people who thought to justify the use of nuclear weapons. Starting to yawn, she stretched.46

"Sorry, but I have to go to bed. Zone Central was fucking crazy last night." 47

"Okay Shannon, see you in a few hours."48

"Goodnight Shannon" giggled Katie, who thought it funny saying goodnight to someone at seven in the morning.49

Seeing that the reports from Amersham were not changing, Alex got up and started making breakfast. While they sat eating their toast, Plato spoke up.50

"Alex ... Can you switch to firmware. I've completed my research into uplinks and I think Katie should hear this too."51

"Okay, no problem,"52

Alex and Katie sat together on the coach as Plato seemed to hover over the small coffee table, the infinite progressions of his display swirling and changing colour.53

"Katie. I've been looking into the technology of neural uplinking. There are no physiological reasons for humans to undergo lengthy acclimatisation before being fitted with an uplink. The reason is more to do with mental capacity and education. I have discussed your case with a number of AI's that specialise in the field and the consensus is that you can go ahead."54

"Great!" cried Katie jumping up and down. "When can I have it done?"55

"There happens to be a very good doctor in The Zone. He's a gambler, so enough money and he'll forget that he ever saw you."56

Alex wasn't too happy with the speed that things were moving, but, if Plato said it was safe, he wouldn't argue. He knew that Plato wouldn't have encouraged Katie if there was any risk. While Alex and Katie got ready to go out, Plato transferred the remains of Chang's slush fund through the blind trail to a number of safe accounts. Next he wiped his trail, giving the impression that the account had been emptied weeks earlier. Plato was getting proficient at larceny; he didn't even have to discuss it with Alex.57

Within an hour, two people and a computer were sitting across a desk from a dissolute looking doctor. Euan Roberts was a good doctor; he'd moved steadily up his profession, until, that is, he began to gamble. As he got further and further into debt, Roberts began to take more and more risks. He got hooked by loan sharks and began the downward spiral to The Zone. Now he had found his level and was relatively content. He looked at Katie over his spectacles, an affectation when nanosurgery could correct most defects in the human body.58

"I have to admit to curiosity about why you are so late in being fitted with your uplink."59

Katie shrugged “My parents were both NeoLuddites, they never even used firmware.”60

“My God!” spluttered Dr Roberts “What they do is fine, but to deprive their daughter ... disgusting!”61

"I know what you mean" interjected Alex. "But various AI's have been discussing the case and have said it is okay to go ahead now."62

"You may want to consult with Hippocrates at Papworth Hospital and Florence Nightingale at the South England General" interjected Plato from Alex's belt.63

"I don't think that will be necessary" replied Roberts. "I trust you and your colleagues in this." Turning to Katie. "It is a simple procedure my dear. Just one injection and the nanobots do the rest."64

"I have read all about neural uplink technology. I'm not worried." Katie gave a little smile and any slight reservations that Roberts may have had vanished in the warm glow of her loveliness.65

Roberts loaded a hypojet with the cocktail of nanobots required to configure an uplink in Katie's head. Smiling at the beautiful young woman, he pressed the hypojet to her neck and, with an almost inaudible hiss, the job was done. Alex pulled out the wad of cash he'd collected from the bank on the way there and handed over the money.66

"Thanks a lot Dr. Roberts. I'm sure if, on the off chance, anyone asks about us you will never have heard of us?"67

"Of course Mr. Steele, my reputation for discretion is what keeps me in business."68

Back out on the street, Alex held Katie's hand and waved down a taxi. He'd been right; all that had remained of the Electrobug was a shell up on wooden blocks. They stopped at a Minimart and picked up groceries, then continued on their way back to Shannon's flat. Katie was already beginning to present the symptoms of nanoflu as the microscopic robots configured an uplink inside her head. Atom by atom they removed calcium from her skull and replaced it with a submicro computer and a satellite link built from elements scavenged from her body, plus a few heavier elements that had been injected at the same time as the nanobots. 69

Back in the flat, Alex wrapped the shivering girl in a blanket and, sitting on the couch, held her close. Katie had never been ill before and was miserable. It was the thought of being able to talk directly to Plato that kept her going. She knew that it would only be a few hours discomfort. For the rest of the day Alex pampered his lover, bringing her juice, wiping her brow with a cool cloth, making sure that she was comfortable. By the time Shannon surfaced in the evening, Katie was starting to feel better. Her smile was back and her temperature had started to go down again.70

"Hi you two. Have you had a good day?"71

"Yes, great thanks. We did some shopping, but Katie has got a bit of a sniffle. I've made pasta, do you want some?"72

"Yes please. It smells great."73

Sitting around the table Alex, Katie and Shannon swapped small talk. Eventually it was time for Shannon to go to work and so she uncurled her limber frame from her chair and put on a thin microweave coat.74

"Okay you two, I'll see you in the morning. Keep wrapped up Katie; make sure that you shake that cold quickly."75

"Okay Shannon" replied Katie "I will. Have a nice night at work."76

"Huh. No chance of that! I hate the place." She turned and walked towards the door.77

"Bye Shannon. See you tomorrow. 78

As they sat, idly watching teevee, Plato spoke directly to Alex.79

"I have been thinking. The only way for Katie and you to be safe is for Nero to be neutralised. He's too powerful, and too much of a maniac, to attack directly. The only thing that we can do is to get the security forces on to him."80

"Sounds good. But how?"81

"Somehow we have to prove that it was Nero who nuked Amersham. He'd be mindwiped for that."82

"He would never have left evidence of ordering a nuclear strike."83

"I know. That's why we have to get into his main system and manufacture the evidence."84

"And I suppose it's not a simple hacking job, where you can go in and find the databits that need adding or changing."85

"You suppose right I'm afraid ..."86


Chapter 887

Katie lay dozing as Alex and Plato discussed their options. Her dreams were full of strange swirling shapes that seemed to have a taste as well as a colour. At first there seemed to be no logic to the patterns, but, slowly, relationships became apparent. In her mind's eye, Katie began fitting the shapes together into an interlocking three dimensional structure. As the pattern grew, Katie could see other relationships forming, heading off in all directions. Every now and then a node would change colour, pulsing brightly. Somehow, unconsciously, Katie knew that the nodes were doorways to other parts of the colossal network. She focused her eyes on the nearest node and floated towards it. As she got close, she was sucked into the node like light crossing the event horizon of a black hole. Inside the node she could feel its potentiality. Without thinking she pictured Plato and saw the direction she had to go. Accelerating by the second, she sped along winding corridors of light. Katie shot out of the end of the pathway like a bather on a water chute, and found herself floating in a large, formless room. In the distance she saw Plato's distinctive Mandelbrot form, slowly spinning in the blackness. She focused on the shape and, almost immediately, she was hovering above it.88

"Plato ... Plato ... Is that really you?89

There was a pause, a fraction of a second that to Katie seemed like an aeon.90

"Katie? How did you find me? How did you get here?"91

"I just saw the way and came."92

"I'm talking to Alex now. Can you see him?"93

Katie studied Plato. There were three lines of light that seemed to be tethered to him. One headed off in the direction of The City and was linked to the banking system; the second, brighter than the first, was swallowed up by a dark forbidding block of nodes that Katie somehow knew were the security services. The last line connected with a tiny pinpoint of light. It was smaller than Plato by a number of orders of magnitude.94

"I can see Alex's uplink. It's really little."95

"That's because it is just his uplink processor. If he wants to actually do anything, he connects to his system through The Net."96

"I'm going to try and talk to him."97

"Okay Katie, but be careful. He's not expecting this, don't shock him too much!"98

Alex sat with his arm around Katie's blanket wrapped form. As he talked with Plato, he softly stroked her silky, midnight black, hair.99

"Alex. Can you hear me?" Alex jumped, it sounded like his darling Katie.100

"Um yes ..." he subvocalised.101

"Great! He can hear me Plato!"102

"Yes my dear. And so can I, there's no need to shout" said Plato, his voice tinged with laughter.103

"Ooops. Sorry."104

"Katie ... How did you get in my head?" asked Alex, his mind a whirl of conflicting emotions.105

"I'm not quite sure ... I was having a dream and suddenly I was floating on the Net. After that it was all simple, the Net is quite a logical structure really."106

Alex said nothing to that. Simple! There were multinational businesses whose sole purpose was to make the Net easier to navigate. As Alex was thinking, Katie stirred in his arms. She moved so that she was kneeling on the couch and put her hands on his shoulders. Katie looked deep into Alex's eyes and, in his head, he heard her speaking.107

"This is brilliant" she said. "It's a lot easier than taking!"108

To Alex, she didn't even seem to be subvocalising as uplinkers normally had to do; Katie for all intents and purposes, was inside his mind. Alex hugged her close and kissed her gently on her sweet lips. As they kissed, a warm glow spread through Katie's body, she loved Alex so much. Slipping her hot tongue into Alex's mouth, she broadcast a wave of love at him. Alex hugged Katie even tighter. He had talked to people before through the uplink, but that had always been like a phone conversation. With Katie it was almost like true telepathy. He could even feel her emotions. Hoping that it was the same in the opposite direction, Alex projected a thought at the girl in his arms.109

"Katie, my darling, I love you and I'll never let you go."110

Katie squirmed in his arms "I love you too Alex. We'll be together forever."111

Alex cupped Katie's face in his hands and prolonged the kiss, looking deep into her eyes. Slowly, gently, he ran his hands down over her body, stroking her, loving her. His hands went to the fastener of Katie's jump-suit and, as it fell open, his eyes drank in the beauty of slender body. Lifting Katie slightly he pressed his lips to a nipple and teased it to a hard point. Gasping, Katie hung on to Alex's hair, pulling herself against his tormenting mouth. Alex weaved his tongue back and forth between Katie's nipples and down to her soft belly. As he dipped his tongue into her belly button, Alex felt a wave of Katie's desire wash over his mind and through his whole body.112

Katie sent a thought to Alex. "Alex I want to have sex with you. And I don't care if I'm still young, or if it will hurt. I want to feel your prick inside me."113

"There's nothing I want more in the world" replied Alex. He stood up with Katie in his arms and headed for the bedroom.114

"Plato. Do you mind leaving us for a while? Call us if there is any urgent news."115

"Okay Alex. Katie. I'll just be a shout away if either of you need me."116

"See you later" beamed Katie.117

Alex carried Katie through and lay her on the bed. Looking down at her, it struck him again how innocent she was. When talking to her it was easy to forget that she had been decanted just three months before. The beautiful girl looking up at him was a special soul, ageless and not bound by the normal rules. Kneeling beside Katie, Alex slowly drew her jump-suit down her body, revealing her milky white skin. Finally she lay, in just her panties, looking up at him. Alex hooked his fingers in the wispy underclothes and dragged them down Katie's legs, entranced once again by her sweet pussy. Lying between Katie's outstretched thighs he gently ran a finger down the puffy and enflamed lips. Katie's mind was in a whirl, looking down, she saw Alex tenderly stroking her, but overlaying everything, there was the filigree trace of the Net connections running from Alex's uplink to various nodes spread around the globe. Alex seemed to have a halo like an angel in a Renaissance painting. Katie watched as Alex dipped his head, pressing his tongue between her pouting lips. She arched her back and groaned, the groan rolling down across Alex like a breaker on the beach.118

Alex lifted Katie and worshipped her with his mouth. He pressed deeper with his tongue, glorying in the feeling of her tight pussy gripping him. Gently he pushed in and out, loosening up the tight hole with his saliva. When he thought that she was beginning to loosen up, Alex drew back and pressed a finger between the delicate lips. Slowly he pushed deeper, until he felt the barrier of her virginity. Stopping there, he worked in and out, stretching the tight passage.119

Katie was in absolute ecstasy; Alex's finger was rubbing the sensitive walls of her virginal pussy, raising her higher and higher along the path to a climax.120

"Alex. I can't wait! Please make love to me!"121

Alex looked up into the red face of his lover and saw that she was truly ready. Withdrawing his finger, Alex quickly got off of the bed and stripped naked. His prick was so hard it was almost painful. Bending down, he tenderly kissed his lover, his tongue stroking across Katie's. Almost reverentially he knelt between Katie's wide open legs and lay down to cover her slender body. Taking his weight on his arms, Alex kissed Katie again and she wrapped her arms around his neck, not wanting him to stop. 122

Alex held his throbbing prick and pressed the bulbous tip to Katie's pouting pussy. Slowly he pushed against the elastic resistance of her virginal hole. Pushing harder he felt the blunt end of his tool working its way in until, with a snap, he was inside; the muscles of Katie's pussy gripped him behind the glans. Katie screwed her eyes tightly shut, struggling to relax and let her lover move deeper inside her. She sent a thought to Alex.123

"Carry on. I don't want you to stop now."124

Along with the words she projected a picture of the two of them locked together, having beautiful sex, a broad smile on Katie's face. Alex needed no more encouragement. Tensing his buttocks, he drove through Katie's hymen with one thrust. Katie cried out at the sharp pain, but in contrast, grabbed Alex by the hips, pulling him to her, wanting him buried deep inside her. Waves of incredible sensation washed over Alex as he felt the tight walls of Katie's pussy gripping his shaft. Slowly he withdraw by about and inch and then reversed, sinking his dick back into Katie's churning centre.125

Katie bit hard on her lower lip, not wanting to cry out any more. Alex's prick filled her completely and her pussy was stretched to its limit. With every thrust she felt the head of his dick bounce against her cervix, the feeling uncomfortable, but strangely exciting. As her lover's cock moved within her belly, she felt the now familiar stirrings of an orgasm building deep in the pit of her stomach. Looking down her body, beneath the bulk of Alex, Katie could see his stiff dick forcing its way into her. As he withdrew, her flesh followed him not wanting to let go. Alex couldn't hold back. With an incoherent cry he began to come inside his lover. Jet after jet of thick hot sperm spurted from his hard dick, filling up her tight hole. As he thrust back inside Katie, pink tinged sperm was forced out of the imperfect seal her muscles were trying to make. Alex clamped his mouth over that of his love, their tongues fighting a passionate duel. Katie thrust up with her hips one last time and shuddered as she began to climax. The two lovers lay, kissing and stroking, their minds joined as one. As they began to drop off into sleep, Plato's voice intruded into their reverie.126

"Quick! Three of Nero's men are outside the door, they are on the security camera now!"127

Alex jumped back from the naked girl. Diving for the drawer he heard the front door crashing off its hinges. He scrabbled around for his Krysmec and turned; the matt black gun in his hand. In the doorway stood Beanpole and Frog, their guns pointed at him. Before he had a chance to even raise the Krysmec, everything went black.128

To be concluded ...129