The Annihilation Fountain issue #11 - Virtual Torture by Lili I. Waring

Virtual Torture
^{This story was first created 08 September 1993. It is now 07 November 1999.}

Paul tried to make his fear subside by silently cracking jokes. In an exaggerated voice with a detective slang tone he thought of all of the dime store paperback openings he had read as a kid: 'He awoke in a white room... Dazed! Confused! "Where am I ....?" the man asked himself.... Or, 'He awoke from the dream with a howl of absolute mortal terror, shocked to find his wife alive and well sleeping beside him - except for a transmitter now attached to her temple which led to one attached to his.' The only problem was that he WAS in a white room, and he was beginning to feel a bit dazed and confused. After realizing how distant the voice in his mind was becoming, he forced himself to acknowledge that he was scared near to death. He had been left waiting for over half and hour, the only sign that anyone knew he was still there was the "nurse" who had come in to take his temperature and pulse. Her chubby face purposely expressing nothing, but her interest in his statistics. Despite his efforts to lighten the weight of he air which hung heavily in his chest, she robotically did her job before leaving him again, alone.

Though he needed the money, he was beginning to wonder if he had made a grave mistake. This was, after all, the government - and the government, he knew, was the enemy. When he had initially seen the advertisement in the free press he thought getting money from the enemy was ideal. He could buy another block of thermo paper, get some infra paints and maybe, if he could sit thru two sessions, even get the listings from the Black Net. He was almost out of cigarettes and DMT, neither of which was acceptable. The thought of real butts and real drugs relaxed him enough to place his paranoia aside and regain the persona he knew and loved well. He was Paul Li - revolutionary cyber artist - master of the free visuals, and nothing - especially not that which he placed himself within - would dominate his fear centers unless he so chose. "Besides" he said aloud, "It IS the cosmic orgasm. What could there really be to fear?" He laughed to himself, then, "They better fear me when I shoot for the stars!"

Paul Li was in for the fuck of his life.

"Is everything in order?"

The pretty lady in the white latex nurses uniform looked to her supervisor with absolute adoration, "yes, Ma'am!"

"Good! Please let Mr. Li know that I will be in to see him in about five minutes. If he wants any water he is to have some now. Let him know that once we begin there will be no interruptions or breaks allowed. He may speak now, or ... " The supervisor paused to feel a smile play across her lips, "or forever maintain his peace." She laughed aloud as the nurse leaned forward and kissed her, gently, on the lips. Then apologizing, she reached into her pocked pulled out a seal bag of CB-2 and modified Shard."No need to apologize, not at all." The nurse nodded in an eerily robotic manner, her eyes aware yet devoid of true depth; the aquatic green reflecting no response except for that which was her love, and that which was her duty. She would have been quite pretty, probably was before she acquired that expression which must have been acquired at the beginning of the Millennial depression. Now though her body was very thin, while her cheeks were a bit swollen from food substitute pills - ever since the surplus markets had shut down, the Black Net began trading food substitutes, most of which were filled with imitation protein meal. The effects were more damaging to the aesthetic than the essence. "Rana?"

"Yes?" She smiled with adoration at her Supervisor.

"Be sure to bring a catheter and internal pulse unit, though keep both in their packaging. I don't want for, ah ..." The Supervisor paused to review the statistics once again. So many people had responded to her ad that it had become impossible for the staff to keep up with the roster, really. Three pages of names with five columns on each rolled down before the module clicked onto Paul's information, and the monitor went on showing her, secretly, into his room. "He we are! Mr Li!. Mr. Paul Li. We do not want for Mr. Li to become intimidated. Keep all apparatus fully covered and the priorities boxed. Do you have any questions?"

"No."

"Dismissed. Oh. Wait, wait ...." The Supervisor quickly added, "Rona, don't forget to take your supplements, you are going to be working late, and add multi energy to that."

The nurse thanked her Supervisor, concern lining her face as she reached into her apron pocket without feeling her pills and powder. Once safely within the reach of her fingers, she resumed her placid grace, and silently the latex nurse left the room.

Taking a deep breath to acknowledge a moment of solitude, the Supervisor asked the system to give full background on the subject. Paul Li's file appeared within a millisecond. In the monitor her reflection revealed how truly handsome of a woman she was, especially in the combination of leather and latex she donned in her attire - chosen especially for when she did these sessions by her mentor - one of an elite few doctors who had trained her for her specialized modification panels.

NAME: Paul Li

D.O.B. 29 May 53

S.S. AMERca2288417

Assoc. Scouts of the New Nation, Neurozines, ThermoKools, Artists
Freedom Group.

The computer asked her if any other information was necessary after his statistics were upgraded by Rona's entry of a few minutes earlier. "Negative. Ready to begin with the next hour span." She stood up, stretched and left the office to begin her session with Mr. Li. She laughed out loud how much he truly would be riding the free visuals, only the Master was entirely her.

End chapter 01/ 07 November 1999