Terry Neale - Jo-el

The Goddess strutted toward me, I was powerless, she placed her arms around my neck and her mouth on mine. She was real, everything about her was real. I could feel the warmth of her body, the shivering of anticipation. Her thighs caressed mine and I became hard. Her breasts touched my chest, I could feel her nipples, erect, solid. She smelt of roses, her fingers pawed at my hair, then reached slowly down, her nails scratching the back of my neck, my back. I felt her hands move around to my front, she touched me, then gently rubbed me. I was shaking. She kissed me hard on the mouth, her tongue reaching deep inside, exploring, vibrant, playing with me. Her hands were removing my pants; I could do nothing to stop her. I was like steel, ready, eager. My body was wet with sweat, my hair stood out on my neck, I shivered with pleasure.

We made love on the sofa, slowly, we made love on the floor, Sally on top. We made love on a chair, her legs spread wide around me, her rhythm in sync with mine. Never had I experienced such passion inside myself. With every thrust I quivered with ecstasy. For more than an hour we were intertwined, hot with emotion. Her lust for finality came in an explosion of heat, her head thrown back her voice screeching like a banshee. She grinned at me as I fell asleep by her side.

I woke a little later, confused. Sally had disappeared, but I heard the shower running. Did she need to shower, or was this the culmination of our love making, the human experience that she so obviously craved. For two weeks now I had lived a bizarre existence that stretched every imagination. There was no explanation for what Sally had become. I had decided what she should look like, I was responsible for launching the ship and I had to deal with the aftermath. Was this my nirvana, to fall in love with my computer, or was it hers to simply be human after watching us for millions of years?

Sally smiled happily when she returned from the shower. She was dressed in jeans and a simple top now, her usual attire. She sat herself on the sofa, her legs crossed while I cleaned up. I couldn’t discuss what we’d done, any more than I could with Mary or Pippa, or Adrianna. She didn’t seem to care.

“Adrianna has been kidnapped,” I said.

“Yes.”

She knew what I wanted to do, but she kept me waiting as if she was now an equal partner.

“She’s underground, probably in one of the disused subway lines in Sydney. It will be difficult.”

“Verminov?”

Sally nodded her head. “He wants you dead. You for her.”

“How do you know?”

Sally threw a disc-monitor into the air. The scene was the New York City skyline, there was writing in the clear blue sky. ‘YOU FOR HER, DEAD.’

“Wow! That’s as subtle as a brick,” I said. “Is he there?”

“Maybe, I haven’t detected him since he went to Israel.”

“When did he write that?”

“About two hours ago.”

“Can you find her?”

Sally looked at me, “you want to try and rescue her?”

“Of course, she’s innocent. It’s my fault.”

“You have me, I’m so much better than any human woman. Aren’t I Joey?” Sally stood up and beaconed me with her index finger. Her smiled was wicked, she grinned with a satisfaction of knowing I’d succumb to her. I was lost for a moment, stuck in a dilemma of which way to turn. Did Sally want to run the show now? Would she even do what I asked of her? Without her I was just Dave Murphy again. How long would I last with every one of the world’s crime bosses wanting me dead? A hundred billion dollars would hunt me down. I shook with fear, surely Sally could see that? My mouth hung open, my brain raced around in circles. What to do?

I took a deep breath and stepped toward her. I could see she wanted me again, her appetite was unfulfilled. She wanted to re-live the millions of years as a human, to experience the lost time.

I slapped her hard around the face with my right hand. She grabbed at her cheek, her mouth fell open, her eyes gleamed at me. She was confused.

“You will do what I say!” I shouted. “You will do everything that I tell you. Do you hear me?”

Sally stood up straight very slowly, her left hand still held close to her cheek. I had no idea if she’d even felt the blow. I hope she had. If she wants to be human, then she needs to understand what the downsides are. Her mouth was still agape; she was unsure of herself now. How should she respond? I imagined my last breath was imminent. I didn’t blink. This was the point of no return. My action would win or lose and part of me didn’t care which outcome prevailed. Her mouth closed. It was a sign. Her hand dropped to her side. The arrogance of a few moments ago began to vanish. I could feel my heart beating stronger; I could feel it pumping blood through my veins. I was winning the showdown, I felt it.

“We’re going to Australia, now, Sally. Both of us. We’re going to find Adrianna and get her out of the hole we buried her in.”

I waited for a reaction, I could see the spunk in Sally was ebbing.

“Okay,” she said, almost sheepishly.

Sydney has a myriad of disused underground tunnels built in the 1920’s. A railway system never completed. I changed into Jason Lee and Sally went with her Asian look. We arrived south of the entrance to St. James station, in Hyde Park, amongst the trees. The populace was going about their business, blindly focused on what they were doing. We were just another couple in the hustle bustle of a modern city.

“What time is it here, Sally?” I asked.

“It’s just past noon, Wednesday.”

“How many miles of unused tunnels are there?”

“Maybe ten.”

“Do you know where Verminov wants me to go?” I asked.

“There’s an unused tunnel just east of St. James, one of his men is close by, he’s unarmed. My guess is he realizes that any show of force close to the surface you would simply eliminate. I’d say that’s where he wants you.”

I nodded. “How far down the unused tunnel can you see?”

“About one hundred feet and there’s no one there.”

I was thinking what I’d do in Verminov’s position and what came to me was ugly. He had no idea what I could do underground, he was just playing a hunch. I still had the shield and smart-suit. I could fly, I just couldn’t connect to the network, so I’d be blind to their movements and conversation. If I was him, I would booby trap Adrianne. Rig her to a bomb with some form of detonation device that was easily triggered. How was I supposed to deal with that? I just didn’t think he’d have men willing to die to take me out. There would have to be a way for them to detonate and survive the blast. Eyes on the target and an escape route.

“Does he know I can change my identity?” Sally didn’t know, but with all the action I’d taken I had to presume he did. “Can you disarm a bomb?”

“I would need to see it and then connect to the network to work it out.” Made sense.

“We are going to need some conventional weapons, Sally. Machine pistols, lots of ammo.”

She was quite for a moment, pensive. I could detect fear in her eyes, something I’d never seen before. She had mass now, did that make her vulnerable? If she took a bullet would she die? It was too much for me to figure out. I had no idea, but I didn’t think so. She was an image created by the computer, even if she had somehow created a body. It seemed to me that her demise would have no effect on the network. It would simply create a newer version of Sally. A version without mass. Back to normal. Would I like that?

“There’s a stash of illegal weapons in a lock-up garage in Las Vegas.”

I was about to complain about how far away that was, but stopped myself as my mouth hung open. “Okay, we’ll go see what they are. But first let’s check out Verminov’s guy.”