Archive of Our Own

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Brooklyn, NY

Monday, May 12th, 2031

The Java Beans Coffee House was the tiniest of bistros, somehow squeezed onto the northwest corner of 4th (Avenue) and 4th (Street).  There were just three little tables within its tiny dining room.  The glass counter displayed perhaps fifty different pastries, all delectable and very bad for your waistline.  Java Beans was quite popular with the locals.  Even at 10:00 AM, long after the morning rush hour was over, there was still a line of customers out the front door.Waiting impatiently in the queue was Waylan Reis, a tall, lanky man, twenty-five years old.  Poor Waylan was far too skinny for his own good.  True, he was undeniably handsome.  But his shaggy haircut, baggy MIT sweatshirt, faded slacks, and worn sneakers suggested that he wasn’t interested in making a suave impression.  A wide backpack was slung over one of his shoulders.  Waylan slouched a little, tapping away on what appeared to be a miniature computer.  His sharp, green eyes were locked onto the device’s tiny screen.The line inched forward.  Weylan flicked an annoyed glare into the bistro.  A heavyset man with a bad combover was now at the front of the line, inspecting every last pastry, taking his time.  Behind the cash register, an overweight, pimple-faced barista waited, very bored.  She was dressed in the Java Beans uniform:  Black tee shirt with the JB logo, matching black ballcap, off-white apron, and dark jeans.As Waylan resumed to typing, two women in their early thirties queued up behind him.  The ladies were quite attractive, wearing crisp pantsuits, designer heels, and tasteful jewelry.  The nametags on their lapels (Alesia and Joann) identified them both as realtors.   The pair were already deep in conversation.“…yes, it was just down the street from here!” Alesia exclaimed.  She flipped her long, blonde hair.  “Like, in the Hargrove building!”“The science research company?” said Joann, surprised.“Yeah.  Look, look!”  Alesia pulled out her smartphone, swiped, then showed Joanna the screen.Joann read aloud:  “’…a break-in at Hargrove Technologies was automatically reported by security personnel Sunday night.’  Jesus, last night?  ‘Police arrived at the scene and cordoned off the building, angering Park Slope residents.  The NYPD had no immediate comment.’”“See?” said Alesia.“Damn,” was Joann’s comment.  “Hargrove… they’re the science outfit that performs that energy research stuff, right?”“Mmm, yeah, something like that.  I do know that Hargrove has that big nuclear reactor, out on Long Island.  You know, the one you see from the Parkway, the one with the high tower?  I know that they’re hiring a lot of physicists.  In fact, I just got two new scientist clients who want apartments near their offices.  There’s a lot of money in that firm.”The fat man made his selection and paid for his coffee.  The line inched forward.  Waylan was now halfway in the door.  He strained to see behind the counter.“Ooo, listen to this,” Joann remarked, still reading the news article.  “’When asked for a comment, a Hargrove spokeswoman denied that anything had been stolen.  However, several employees, who did not have authorization to speak for the company, asserted that valuable equipment was in fact taken by the thieves.  Police are using scanning drones to sweep the immediate neighborhood.’”“So Hargrove was robbed,” mused Alesia.  “The cops wouldn’t be using drones otherwise, right?”“Totally,” Joann agreed.The line shuffled forward again.  Now Waylan was the next customer.  He shifted his backpack, leaned over it, and muttered, “…okay, begin.”An electronic, feminine voice from the backpack replied, “Sure thing, Daddy.  Initializing now…”Both Alesia and Joann dropped their conversation to stare.  Now that the two relators looked closely, they noted several wires and little devices stitched onto the outside of Waylan’s bag.“Ready,” the backpack announced.“Great, great, Christy,” replied Waylan.  “Do the thing.”“Roger that.”Fascinated, Joann leaned forward.  “Excuse me, sir?  Your backpack has an AI bot in it?”Waylan frowned back at her.  “Maybe.”“Those things are scanners,” Alesia said, peering at the little devices on the backpack’s exterior.  “Mister, illicit surveillance is illegal.  You aren’t, like, trying to steal passwords over Wifi or something-““Fuck off,” Waylan told her savagely.Offended, both Alesia and Joann dropped their jaws.The fat man waddled off.  Now the chubby barista called out, “Next!  Next, please!”Waylan scowled.  “You two go,” he snapped at Alesia and Joann, jerking his head towards the barista.Shooting Waylan dark glares, the two relators moved towards the counter.  “Asshole,” Joann muttered as she passed.Waylan took no notice.  He absently tapped a few buttons on his keyboard.His backpack said, “Acknowledged.”“Shhh…” Waylan warned the bag.The chubby barista took Alesia’s and Joann’s order, then turned away to work the Clover Vertica machine.  Alesia and Joann stepped to the side.  The Java Beans cash register was now unmanned.Waylan waited, his heart thumping away…A second Java Beans employee appeared behind the counter, dressed in the same Java Beans uniform.  She tapped the cash register’s control panel, then looked up.“May I help the next customer, please?” she called out.  Her voice was light and musical.Waylan’s heart soared.  A sheepish grin coming to his lean face, the young man sprang forward.  It was a wonder he didn’t trip.The new barista now standing behind the register was stunningly beautiful, almost too beautiful for Waylan’s eyes to believe.  She was in her early twenties, but still possessing the youthful glow of a teenager.  Her complexion was breathtaking.  The young lady possessed deep, ocean-blue eyes, eyes that seemed to glitter and shine with their own special light.  Her cheeks were lean and elfish, which well-complimented her thin little nose and ruby red lips.  When she smiled, you could glimpse her perfectly white teeth.  The young woman possessed flowing, dark brown hair that she’d tied back in a neat ponytail.  But if you looked carefully, you’d notice one natural streak of silver-gray in her thick locks.  Waylan thought about that splash of silver all the time.Even in the drab Java Beans uniform, it was hard not to admire the young woman’s nimble body.  She was short and quite thin, with small shoulders, hips, breasts, and the teeniest waist Waylan had ever seen.  From every angle, it was easy to appreciate the woman’s toned muscles, which laced her graceful arms, powerful legs, and tight little rear end.  Waylan often wondered if she was a dancer; she certainly had the body for it.Over her right breast, there was a small nametag:  DELIA.“Oh, hey there!” Delia beamed at Waylan.  “Its good to see you.”“Thanks,” was all Waylan could mumble.“The usual, mister?” grinned the barista.  “No problem, won’t be a minute.”Delia spun about, always light on her feet.  Waylan watched her snatch a Java Beans paper cup then place it under a carafe’s spout.  As the coffee flowed and steamed, Delia reached to snatch a plastic lid from the high upper shelf.  Her buttocks squeezed together as she stretched.In too brief a time, the coffee was poured, and Delia was sliding it across the counter.  Her thin fingers danced over the cash register’s computer screen.“One ninety-three, please,” she said lightly.Waylan tapped his keyboard device against the scanner.  There was a light beep.“Thank you!” smiled Delia.  “I’ll see you again tomorrow, okay?”“Yeah…” Waylan grinned back.  “Yeah, tomorrow…”Delia looked past him.  “May I help the next customer, please?”As the mailman behind him elbowed past, Waylan stole one last admiring glance at Delia.  Was it possible she was even hotter today then yesterday?  He thought so.To his backpack, Waylan murmured, “…you got it?”“Visual scan completed,” the backpack confirmed.*** *** *** ***Four blocks from the Java Beans Coffee House was an unremarkable apartment building, constructed in the 1960s from brick and steel.  Waylan let himself in the front door with his keyfab, then rode the clattering elevator up to the top floor.  There, he strode to the only door off the landing, a metal door with two exterior locks.  There was also a small wall computer mounted beside the doorframe.Still holding his Java Beans coffee, Waylan released the door locks with a poke of his keyfab.  Then he faced the little computer.  “Daddy’s home,” he grunted.“Confirmed!” the computer replied in a woman’s synthesized voice.  “Welcome home, Daddy.”There was a loud click.  The door groaned, then swung open all on its own.  Waylan ambled inside, taking a sip of coffee.The apartment looked like the offices of a tech startup company.  Aside from an old frame bed shoved into the corner, there was no conventional furniture like sofas, easy chairs, dining tables, cabinets, bookshelves, or anything of the like.  Instead, there were two long workbenches, covered with all sorts of mechanical devices, most of which were in a state of disassembly.  Along the far wall, there was a long table where nine different laptops sat, blinking away, sucking up energy from their charge cables.  Three enormous flatscreen monitors were mounted above the laptops.  Scattered across the floor were many cardboard boxes, all overflowing with more gadgets or electrical cables.  And in the far corner, there was a tiny kitchenette, barely used.  The air was cool, but stuffy.  A little vacuuming robot was humming across the floor, patrolling for dust.The windows were covered up.  As Waylan entered, electric lights came alive all on their own.  A music speaker activated, playing rap music at a low volume.“Welcome home, Daddy!” all of the laptops chorused as one.  They all spoke in women’s voices.Waylan didn’t reply.  He stepped to the long table, nursing his coffee.  He set the cup down, then unslung his backpack and zipped it open.Inside the bag was a tenth laptop, this one a little thicker than the others.  Waylan disconnected the computer from the backpack cables, then set it on the table.  Above on the wall, the central monitor lit up, filling with data collected from the coffee shop that morning.With the arrogance of someone used to being in complete control, Waylan eased into a tall office chair.  He leaned back, eyeing the monitor screens.  He stole another sip of coffee.“Okay, Christy,” the young man ordered, “review and archive everything you scanned today.  Anything interesting?”All of Waylan’s laptops were named after his favorite vintage porn actresses:  Lana, Suzy, Asia, Mia, Jenna, Tracey, Marilyn, Ilona, Bobbi, and Christy.  These computers were heavily modified, with much custom hardware added onto their motherboards.  Each ran a separate AI brain, extremely advanced, programmed by Waylan himself.“One moment, Daddy,” Christy replied.  “Hmm.  Okay, interesting!  Today, my scanners detected two police officers, one corporate bank employee, one Internet influencer, and a buncha other people you wouldn’t care about.”“You data-cloned the cops’ and the bank guy’s phones?” asked Waylan.“Of course.”Waylan nodded.  “Okay, good.  Decrypt and determine the cops’ security passwords, then dial into NYPD.  See if there’s anything on the Hargrove break-in from last night.”“Ooo, I’ve already peeked into NYPD, Daddy,” squealed Bobbi the laptop.  “Forensics just swept the Hargrove crime scene.  Reports indicate that the investigators found a hair, which they think belongs to the thief.  The hair is being sent out for DNA analysis.”Shifting uncomfortably, Waylan muttered, “Aw, shit.”“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that now, Daddy,” Christy advised him.  “I just checked NYPD records myself.  Investigators have no other evidence at this time.”“Hey, Daddy said that I was supposed to monitor the cops!” protested Bobbi.“Yeah, well, you’re too slow,” Christy shot back.  “I can’t help it if I can hack in the time it takes you to refresh a process.”“Don’t you rip on Bobbi,” Tracey the laptop exclaimed, indignant.  “Just because you’re latest gen-““Shaddup!” snapped Waylan.The bickering computers fell silent.“Okay, okay, keep watching the police,” Waylan ordered Bobbi.  “If they get any more evidence and they’re starting to look in my direction, you let me know immediately.”“Yes, Daddy.”“Oh, also, any problems from those police drones?”Now Asia the laptop chimed in.  “Yes, Daddy.  Three different drones have done fly-bys of our building.  I don’t think their neutron scans penetrated.  But sooner or later, they probably will.”“You’ll have to dump the PNR before that,” Christy advised Waylan.But Waylan made a careless gesture.  “Naw, we’re fine.”  He sipped coffee, thinking.  “Oh, Christy, what about those two chicks behind me in the coffee line?  The nosy ones?”Immediately, the central monitor switched to covert video footage of Alesia and Joann, chatting away in the line at Java Beans.“Alesia Foster and Joann Rey,” Christy summarized.  “Licensed real estate agents, aged thirty-one and thirty-three, respectively.  Ms. Foster is married, and Ms. Rey-““You data-cloned their phones too?”“Yes, Daddy.”“Hmmgh, okay,” Waylan said, stretching out.  “Alright, go into their social media and do the usual embarrassment scans.  Look for anything incriminating in their personal lives that they think is hidden.  Look through their credit card statements, too, you never know what you might find in there.”“Got it,” Christy said after barely a pause.  “Ooo, Ms. Rey has been cheating with her sister’s husband!”The other laptops giggled.  “Juicy,” remarked Asia.“Post that shit to the ladies’ internal work emails,” Waylan ordered, “and make sure to blast to all their coworkers and clients.  Spare no-one.”“Done, Daddy.”“Cool…”  Waylan slouched in his chair, regarding his coffee cup.  There was little more than a splash left inside.  “Okay, Christy, now let’s review the viz scan.  Show me what you got?”The monitor cleared.  A free-frame image of Delia the barista girl appeared, standing behind the Java Beans counter, smiling sweetly.  Her beauty was radiant on the screen.Waylan sighed wistfully.  “Okay,” he ordered, “enhance and construct her as a 3D model.”On the monitor, everything faded away except for Delia.  The image of the barista became alive.  She stood up tall, placing her arms at her sides, and gazing straight ahead.  Then she froze in place.  Her image began to slowly rotate, as if she were standing upon an invisible turntable.Waylan scrutinized the image, absently swirling the coffee cup about.  His eyes narrowed.“That chick is one serious hottie,” was Asia’s opinion.“Straight up,” Bobbi agreed.  The other laptops murmured agreement.“Take her clothes off,” Waylan demanded.  “Lemme see her naked.”“I can extrapolate some detail,” warned Christy.  “But the nude projection may not be accurate-““Just do it,” grunted the young man.On the monitor, Delia’s Java Beans uniform melted away, revealing a lithe, graceful body beneath.  Delia’s bare legs, stomach, hips, and back were quite smooth, as if she’d been sculpted.  Her small breasts and buttocks were round, displaying perfect curvatures.For a long time, Waylan was silent, regarding the computer-generated woman revolving away on the screen.  His laptops patiently waited for his next orders, saying nothing.Waylan released a slow, mournful sigh.  He knew so much about Delia’s life, yet felt he knew nothing.She was Delia Stone, aged twenty, a part-time college student at NYU.  She lived out in Lynbrook, where she shared a dilapidated apartment with two other female roommates.  Delia had, on average, less than three hundred dollars in her checking account.  Did she have a boyfriend?  Not that Waylan could detect.The delectable Miss Stone was heavily into cheap fiction.  Waylan had figured out how to hack into her laptop from across the Internet, and he was surprised to look about Delia’s hard drive.  The whole computer was practically filled with downloaded novels, most of them absolute trash.  Delia had a thing for many secret agent stories, or science fiction epics about post-apocalyptic war zones, or tales were wild jungle women traipsed about in bearskin bikinis.  What did she see in this junk?  Waylan hadn’t a clue.  He was pleased to see that Delia did have an erotic side; there were a few dirty books about strippers or prostitutes in her collection.  And while Waylan didn’t care for this dreck himself, Delia’s taste in literature did offer him an intriguing window into her psyche.  He longed to explore her personality.Waylan scowled.  He took his final sip of coffee, then held the Java Beans paper cup in both hands.“What’s the matter, Daddy?” Christy asked him.  “Is my naked Delia not pleasing to you?  I can enhance her anatomy.”“No,” grumbled the young scientist.  “I gotta see this girl naked for real.”“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Christy sympathized.Sounding a little apprehensive, Jenna the laptop ventured, “Daddy… this Delia chick is just a coffee girl.  She’s hot, but she’s at the bottom of the economic ladder.  You have one of the most brilliant minds in history!  You invent fantastic technology without effort.  Why not leave your life of crime, make a few billion from your inventions, and then sweep Delia off her feet?  I’m sure if you showered her with riches, you could have her.”“Or have any other woman who is just as beautiful,” pointed out Ilona the laptop.This advice angered the young man.  “Going into business means interacting with… people,” Waylan said with loathing.  “With morons!  No fucking way I’m doing that.”“Well, you’re unlikely to woo Delia otherwise,” was Jenna’s advice.  “The only relationships in your life are with us computers and delivery guys.”“Shut the fuck up,” Waylan muttered.Jenna fell silent.But Waylan had absorbed the truth of her words.  He studied the naked Dalia sadly, still fingering his empty coffee cup.“Soooo… whaddya want to do, Daddy?” Christy asked him.The brilliant young inventor rose to his feet.  He waved at the screen.  “Take that away.”The image of Delia vanished.  The monitor went blank.Waylan sighed, setting the paper cup onto a shelf.  There were perhaps another hundred or so identical cups on that shelf, carefully arranged into a castle-like structure.  Waylan took a moment to place the new cup just so, atop a growing tower.  His face hardened.“Its time to go to work,” the young man declared.He turned and gestured to the other side of the apartment.  Right away, two homemade mover robots stepped forward, bearing a metal shipping crate between them.  The crate was set at Waylan’s feet, and the young man set to work undoing the pressure latches.The side of the crate was labeled:  HARGROVE TECHNOLOGIES.*** *** *** ***

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“Okay, try it now?” Waylan asked.It was perhaps three days later.  The crate stolen from Hargrove Technologies had been emptied, and then shoved into the corner.  The device from within the crate – a silver machine about the size of two dinner plates stacked one atop the other – now rested at the center of Waylan’s longer worktable.  The disc was quietly humming, its little green indicator light blinking on and off.  Perhaps a dozen different cables connected into the machine, then ran about the apartment in all directions.  The laptops’ monitor screens were filled with computer displays showing ever-changing graphs, charts, diagrams, and physics equations.“Initiating,” reported Christy.“Hey!” Bobbi pouted.  “Daddy wanted me to run the analysis matrix!”“Yeah, I finished it before you began that sentence,” Christy scoffed.  “Daddy, my scanners report that the quantum field is live and stable.  The Hargrove minireactor is operating at recommended specs.  For a portable nuclear generator, its remarkably efficient.  No harmful radiation detected.”“Yeah, I knew there wouldn’t be any,” Waylan said, unimpressed.  He rechecked the silver machine, tapping its control panel.  “We can still juice this reactor up by another twelve percent, though.”Suzy the laptop had the job of monitoring the minireactor core.  “Are you sure, Daddy?” she fretted.  “If you’ve miscalculated and the reactor melts down-““It won’t melt down,” Waylan cut her off.  “When we stole this from Hargrove, they were using it for electrical generation.  Electrical generation!  Seriously, what’s the fucking point of building a portable nuclear generator, and then using it for something so mundane?”  He snorted in disgust.  “Up the reactor by five.”The disc hummed a little louder.  The lights on its side blinked faster.“Reactor output is increased by five percent,” Susy reported.“Nice…” Waylan replied, making notes on his miniature keyboard.“Daddy!” warned Asia.  “My exterior sensors report a police drone is down the street, heading our way.”“It might detect the quantum field,” Christy said, alarmed.  “Daddy, should I shut down?”Waylan didn’t reply.  He was rereading the monitor data, lost in thought.“Daddy?” Christy pushed.“Don’t shut down,” ordered Waylan.“But-““Don’t shut down!  What was the delta phase variance, again?”Christy sighed.  “Delta is point-oh-three.”“Oh, okay then,” Waylan said, pleased.  He snatched a small, blinking device and plugged it into the side of the Hargrove disc.  “Okay, are you getting a feed now?”“Checking,” said Christy.  “Oh shit, no way!”“What?” Waylan asked, alarmed.  “You’re getting nothing?”“Au contraire!  Daddy, I’m picking up at least… twelve different signatures!  Displaying on the monitors, now.”Additional live data began to jump across the wall screens.With an excited look on his thin face, Waylan flopped into his office chair.  He studied the readouts carefully, stroking his chin.“…Daddy?” Marilyn the laptop said sheepishly.  “Daddy, I have absolutely no clue what’s going on.”“That’s ‘cause you have a Level Three processor,” snorted Christy.  “Try to keep up, girl.”“Yeah, seriously,” agreed Asia.Sounding hurt, Marilyn protested, “Guys!  I can’t help Daddy if I don’t know what’s going-““See those, Marilyn?” interrupted Waylan, pointing to the newest data on the monitors.  “Those are quantum signatures.”“Well, I knew that,” huffed Marilyn defensively.  “What I don’t get is, quantum signatures from where?”Waylan’s eyes lit up.  “From other realities.”A silence settled over the apartment as the laptops considered this information.“…other realities?  Like, other parallel dimensions?” Mia, the pink laptop, asked.“Or mirror universes?” added Asia.“Yeah, basically,” snapped Waylan.  “But refresh your metaphysical definitions library, okay?  I hate those dumbass science fiction names.  The correct term is ‘parallel universes.’”“Oh, right,” Mia and Asia murmured.“I don’t get it,” confessed Marilyn.Waylan leaned back in his chair, still studying the screen.  “Quantum physicists believe that in addition to our universe, there are an infinite number of other universes, all existing beyond our comprehension of space and time.  The theory goes, for every variation of any possible choice, there exists a separate universe embodying that choice.”“Uh-huh…” said Marilyn, still sounding lost.Fishing a quarter from his pocket, Waylan lectured, “…check this out.  Here’s one coin, right?  Heads one side, tails the other.  Now if I flip the coin…”He did so, neatly catching the quarter in his palm.“See?  Tails,” remarked the young scientist.  “But somewhere, beyond this existence, there is a perfectly identical universe to our universe, except there, my coin landed heads.”“Oh, okay,” Marilyn bubbled.  “I get it.  I so get it.  So each of these parallel universes has their own quantum signature?”“Yep,” Waylan confirmed, nodding sagely.  “It never occurred to the stupid physicists that if you plugged a nuclear reactor into a quantum scanner, you’d breach the barriers between universes.  Honestly, what could be more obvious?”  He tapped his chin.  “Christy, we’re only detecting twelve other universes, really?  I thought we would be able to see more.”“Uh, how many more were you expecting?” Christy asked, defensively.“Hundreds of trillions,” replied Waylan matter-of-factly.“Oh.”  Christy was taken aback.  “Well, then…  uh…”“Increase the scanning bandwidth to seventy exahertz,” interrupted Waylan.  “Then juice the input receptors a little.  Ilona, help her out a little and give her some extra processing power?”“I don’t need help,” huffed Christy.  “Modifications are complete.”Now the monitors flooded with thousands of quantum signatures per second, printing out so fast that the data was blur.“Jeez oh man,” Tracey said in awe.  “How can we process so much info?”“There isn’t an algorithm that can handle this volume of data,” agreed Asia.Waylan rolled his eyes.  “Girls,” he said dourly, “its no problem.  I’ll just write one.”*** *** *** ***For the next hour, Waylan dictated computer code in a rapid-fire voice, right off the top of his head.  As usual, his programming was both brilliant and flawless.  It took Christy less than three milliseconds to compile and implement.“Amazing…!” the female laptop exclaimed.  “Yeah, Daddy, this all makes sense now.”“Great,” remarked Waylan.“Whoa,” Christy said.  “Daddy, not only am I detecting a near-limitless number of universes… but I’m now reading data from within some of those universes!”“How is that possible?” Tracey asked in wonder.“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I expected this,” Waylan said impatiently.  “Its a handy side effect of how we’re breaching the quantum barriers.  Christy, you should be able to search the universes.”  He stretched.  “Whaddya got?”“Holy shit…!” exclaimed Christy, sounding overwhelmed.  “There’s so much data.  I don’t know-““Then just pick one universe,” Waylan snapped.  “Let’s just drill in on that.”The young scientist rose from his chair.  He selected one of his empty Java Beans coffee cups and simply held it in his fingers, admiring it as though it were a work of art.  “Whaddya got?”“Wowwww…”  Christy was astounded.  “I’m accessing Universe 381…  and getting… Internet traffic?”“Sure,” Waylan shrugged.  “They would develop the Internet in other realities.”“But I can easily read the Internet data of this other universe!” marveled Christy.  “Their technology is exactly like ours!  A packet-based TCP/IP data network system, even down to using our encryption!”“Yeah, of course,” said Waylan, growing annoyed.  “As we search farther, you’ll notice little differences between our tech and theirs.  Your conceptual processors will be able to compensate for the smaller variations.  Eventually, the differences between us and the other universes will become incompatible.  But, eh…  Let’s just concentrate on the realities we can interface with.”“Well, I’m interfacing just fine with Universe 381,” remarked Christy.“Lemme see!” pouted Asia.  “I wanna see!”The other laptops started whining too.“Let’s all see,” ordered Waylan.  “Christy, put what you’ve got on Screen 1?”“Right, Daddy.”The leftmost monitor blinked, then became an ordinary web browser.  Christy entered the URL for The New York Times, and the newspaper appeared within seconds.Waylan studied the screen with interest.  “Huh,” he remarked.  “381 has a New York.”“It looks like our New York Times,” observed Bobbi.  “In fact… look!”Monitor 2, right next to Monitor 1, cleared, and then a web browser displayed another nearly-identical homepage for The New York Times.“That’s the Times for our universe, from this morning,” Bobbi reported.“Differences?” Waylan wanted to know.“In Universe 381, Park Avenue is named Willett Avenue,” said Bobbi.  “Macy’s is a national sports equipment chain.  Phantom of the Opera is still running on Broadway.  Pizza is made as octagons, not circles.”“Octagons?  That’s lame,” was Waylan’s comment.  “Eh, let’s move on.  Christy?”“Scanning Universe 382,” Christy announced.  “Hey, they also have a New York Times!”Monitor 1 refreshed.  If you hadn’t been looking at it directly, you might not have noticed any changes at all, as the new display was barely different than the old one.Bobbi’s analysis was instant:  “In 382, Park Avenue is Park Avenue again, that’s cool to see.  There is no Macy’s anything, but now there’s a fancy department store named Calbott’s where our Macy’s should be.  Here, Phantom of the Opera was a flop.  Pizza is-““I get it,” scowled Waylan.  He returned to studying the coffee cup in his hands.  “We need a way to more efficiently search these universes.  Hmm…”The laptops waited patiently.“Christy, start a new code project,” Waylan demanded.  “Call it… ‘Searcher.’”He began dictating computer code once more…*** *** *** ***Even for Christy’s overpowered brain, the Searcher program required several hours to compile.  Waylan was feeling restless.  On a whim, he left the apartment.  For once, he left his backpack and any of his devices behind.It was perhaps three o’clock in the afternoon.  The young scientist stepped outside, failing to spot the dark van parked across the street.  Inside the van, men noted his exit in a surveillance log and snapped photos.Waylan strode across Brooklyn, enjoying the early summer sunshine.  He whistled to himself, ignoring the irked glances of the other passers-by.  Eventually, he found himself at 4th and 4th.  Java Beans Coffee!  For once, there wasn’t a line out the door.After a slight pause, Waylan stepped inside.There she was.  Delia Stone, still in her Java Beans uniform, was behind the counter, idly scrolling on her phone.  Aside for her, the shop was empty.  She looked up as Waylan stepped forward.Waylan thought that Delia looked more beautiful than ever.The barista offered one of her warmest smiles.  “Oh, hey there!” she beamed.  “Its good to see you.”“Thanks,” blushed Waylan.  Suddenly, it was hard for him to think.With an amused grin, Delia remarked, “I never see you twice in one day.  But I guess you love our coffee.  The usual?”“…uh-huh,” was all Waylan could muster.“No problem, won’t be a minute.”Delia slipped her phone into her back pocket, then whipped up Waylan’s second coffee.  The scientist found himself staring at her tight little rear as her back was turned.  He had about thirty seconds before she turned back, handing him a fresh, steaming cup.For the briefest of seconds as the coffee was handed over, their fingers touched.Waylan swallowed.  “That’ll be one ninety-three?” he asked hoarsely.An amused twinkle in her eye, Delia replied, “You know what?  This one’s on the house.  Enjoy.”“Oh!  Thanks,” stammered the young scientist.  He offered a nervous laugh.“So… heh…” Waylan mumbled.  “You’re… inta science fiction novels?  About, you know – heh – secret agents and post-apocalyptic worlds and jungle women… heh…?”Delia looked wary.  “How could you possibly know that?”Waylan froze.  He completely froze.  And then, unable to control himself, he blurted out: “Oh geez, Ithinkyou’regorgeousWouldyougooutwithme?”The words had rushed from Waylan’s lips before his brain realized what was being spoken.  Horrified, Waylan now gaped at Delia, nearly fainting from his own mortification.Delia squirmed a little.  “Yeah, sooooooorry…  I have a boyfriend.”“Oh sure!  Sure, sure, sure, thanks,” muttered Waylan, breaking eye contact.He fled from Java Beans before Delia had a chance to say anything more.*** *** *** ***Within twenty minutes, Waylan was bursting back into his apartment, trembling with self-rage.  He cradled his new coffee cup in both hands.“Daddy, are you okay?” Asia asked, concerned.  “Your heartrate is way up-““Shut up!” snapped Waylan.  “Just shut the fuck up.  Christy, is Searcher ready?”“Finished compiling thirteen minutes ago,” reported Christy.  “I think the user interface is a little clunky, but-““Doesn’t matter,” Waylan interrupted.  He jumped into the office chair, pulling it up to a keyboard.  After a quick sip of coffee, he gestured to the keys.  “I’m set to go here?”“You are,” Christy told him.  “Search away.”Now Waylan’s thin fingers danced upon the keyboard.  The three monitors lit up, displaying complex data representations.  Waylan would scrutinize these displays, think for a little, then type in more commands.  This cycle repeated for several minutes.“…Daddy?” asked Christy.  “Is there something I can help you find?”“There!” Waylan said sharply, jabbing a finger at Monitor 2.  “That universe.  Universe 419.  Focus on its quantum signature and give me more data?”“I’ll need more power from the Hargrove reactor,” Christy advised.Still on reactor monitoring duty, Suzy sighed.  “You got it.  Increasing to sixteen percent.  But don’t blame me if this thing overloads and melts us all.”“I won’t overload it!” Christy snapped.“Stop bickering!” hollered Waylan.  “Christy, where is-““I have it, Daddy,” Christy promised.  “You have access to Universe 419’s full spectrum.”“Okay, okay, okay…” Waylan muttered, attacking the keyboard once more.“Daddy!” Asia cried out, almost frightened.  “There are multiple police cars pulling up to our building!  And several FBI vans!”“Oh?”  Waylan was still reading the large computer screen.“Daddy, several officers are approaching-“There was a muffled thud which shook the whole building.“The police used a battering ram,” Asia reported.  “Coming up the stairs and elevator now.”The laptops murmured to one another in alarm.“Aw, for fuck’s sake,” growled Waylan.  “Those assholes couldn’t have waited another half an hour?”“On the second floor and still coming!”Waylan grunted.  He spent exact ten more seconds reading the monitor screens, memorizing data.  Then he leapt to his feet.“On the third floor!”  Outside the apartment, Waylan could hear the distant thud of boots, growing louder.The young scientist jumped to his feet.  “Christy, unplug yourself.  Get ready for the backpack.”“Of course, Daddy.”  All of the monitors went dark as Christy ceased sending information.Waylan snatched his prize laptop, moving her to the worktable.  Christy was set down next to the Hargrove reactor.Outside the apartment’s door, the boots were louder.  The other building residents were shouting out in alarm.“Almost at our door!” warned Asia.Wasting no time, Waylan grabbed his compact toolbox.  He snatched a thin metal device, perhaps a foot long, with energy projectors on either end.  With the assuredness of an expert, the young man connected this new gizmo to the Hargrove reactor with two short data cables.“Girls?” he said as he worked.  “All girls but Christy:  You guys listening?”The laptops spoke up:  “Yes, Daddy.”“In about sixty seconds, federal agents will break in the front door,” Waylan said, now fiddling with his miniature keyboard.  “They can’t be allowed to find anything of value.  I want you girls to delete all the databases, now.  Do it.”“One moment please…” Asia responded.“Hurry,” Waylan ordered.  He snatched a worn leather messenger’s bag, quickly stuffing the Hargrove reactor and its companion device inside.  The bag went over Waylan’s shoulder, where it rested comfortably on his hip.  Next, Christy was closed and shoved back into Waylan’s customized backpack.“You good?” Waylan asked her.From the backpack speakers, Christy replied, “I’m great, Daddy!”“Nice.  Asia, what’s taking so fucking long with those databases?”“There’s a lot of data, Daddy!” protested Asia.  “Like… oh wait, the job just completed.  Seventy exobytes deleted.”On the front door, there was a violent pounding.“FBI!” shouted a gruff voice from outside.  “OPEN THIS DOOR!”“Fucking assholes,” cursed Waylan.  “Okay, all girls except Christy?  Set your hard drives to autodestruct and delete your AI brains.  Delete everything.”“Awww…” pouted Asia.“Better do it, girls,” warned Christy.“I know, I know,” Asia sighed.  “Okay, Daddy, its been a pleasure.”“Yeah, Daddy!” the other laptops chorused.“Idiots, delete yourselves!” Waylan shouted.  He was furiously tapping on his keyboard.The front door was torn off its hinges by the impact of a small battering ram.  Multiple soldiers in black riot gear charged into the apartment, automatic rifles pointed straight ahead.“FBI!” the agents shouted.  “Freeze!”Waylan paused only long enough to look at his laptop table.  His computers had all gone dark, every last blinking light extinguished.  The laptops were little more than slagged hardware now.“HANDS IN THE AIR!” barked an FBI man.Waylan wasn’t impressed.  “Yeah?” he sneered.And before the FBI could do anything, the young scientist slapped a button on his little keyboard.  There was a flash of light from his messenger bag……and after that, Waylan had completely vanished.*** *** *** ***

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UNIVERSE 419

Brooklyn, NY

Tuesday, May 13th, 2031

Pedestrians jumped as there was a momentary flash of light at the corner of 4th Avenue and 5th Street.  And then – lo and behold – a gangly young man was standing there on the sidewalk, blinking in the afternoon sun.  Had he been there before?  People weren’t sure.  They shook their heads, reminding themselves to pay more attention.Waylan Ries looked about in satisfied amusement.  “Yeah,” he marveled.  “Yeah!  It worked.  I knew it would work.”“We’re in a new universe,” Christy the laptop surmised from inside his backpack.  “I can’t get a local quantum signature, though.”“Yeah, of course not,” Waylan told her.  “You can’t detect the signature of the universe that you occupy.  It’s the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.”“I thought Heisenberg applied to nuclear particles,” Christy argued.Waylan made a dismissive gesture.  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Heisenberg thought small.  But his theory works for the macro, too.”Christy hesitated before saying, “Daddy… that means we have no way of getting home.  We can always scan for new universes into which we can jump.  But we’ll never be able to find our own.”“Who cares?” Waylan scoffed.  “First rule of quantum mechanics:  There’s always a better reality.”He opened his messenger bag and peered inside.  “Ah, shit.”“What is it?” Christy asked, worried.  “Is the Hargrove reactor-““Its fine,” snapped Waylan.  “But it needs a couple hours to recharge.”He paused, noting a man in a suit hurrying on by, holding a cup of Java Beans coffee.“Speaking of recharging…” the young scientist murmured.He turned, and headed down the street.*** *** *** ***At the corner of 4th and 4th, there was Java Beans.  Well, this universe’s version of Java Beans.  To Waylan’s and Christy’s eyes, this coffee shop looked absolutely identical to the Java Beans they’d known before.  Like their original JB, there was a sizeable line snaking out the front door.  Waylan queued up.The young scientist looked about.  “You know,” he remarked to his backpack, “I don’t see any differences in this universe at all.  None.  None whatsoever!  Well…”  He pursed his lips.  “Is it me, or are the bricks a slightly more purplish color?”“The bricks are 21% more purple,” confirmed Christy.Waylan frowned.  “I’ll hafta work on a way to algorithmically determine how much different one universe is from another.  I hate guessing.”As he was talking, two attractive young women appeared in the line behind Waylan, chatting merrily.  They wore business pantsuits, and their nametags identified them as realtors, Alesia and Joann.“…and I think this client works in physics, or something,” Alesia was saying.  “He wants an apartment no more than two blocks from Hargrove Technologies.”“From Hargrove?” repeated Joann.  “For less than five thou a month?  Please.”“Tell me about it,” Alesia agreed.Fascinated, Waylan turned and stared openly at the two women.Alesia and Joann paused to eye Waylan back.  The Alesia of this universe had short, brown hair.“Interesting,” Waylan murmured to Christy.  “This chick was a blonde before, remember?”“Yeah, I noticed that,” agreed Christy.Both of Alesia’s and Joann’s dropped open in disbelief.  “Excuse me?” Alesia demanded, absently laying a defensive hand upon her hairdo.“Mister, your backpack has an AI bot in it?” Joann asked suspiciously.Alesia jabbed a finger at the small devices stitched to the outside of Waylan’s bag.  “Hey, those things are scanners!  Mister, illicit surveillance is illegal!”“Interesting…”  Waylan grinned broadly.*** *** *** ***The interior of Java Beans was much how Waylan remembered it.  There were a few pastries he didn’t recognize in the glass case; Mocha Frappuccino was no longer on the menu.  The floor was tiled instead of done in linoleum.  But such differences didn’t concern the young scientist.“May I help the next customer, please?” a familiar woman’s voice called out from behind the register.Waylan’s heart panged.  He stepped forward.There she was.  Delia!  The stunning beauty was in her Java Beans uniform:  Coffee-colored tee shirt with the JB logo, matching ballcap, light gray apron, black jeans.  She smiled, and her radiance filled the whole shop.Waylan looked carefully.  Physically, Delia looked completely identical to her original universe counterpart.  If Waylan hadn’t known he traveled to another reality, he never would have realized that he was gaping at a different person.  This Delia had the same deep ocean blue eyes, lean cheeks, red lips, perfect complexion.  Her dark brown hair was just as long, with that telltale streak of silver-gray in his locks.  Her trim little body was just as alluring as before.Delia smiled at Waylan.  “Oh, hey there!” she said.  “Its good to see you.”“Yeah, thanks,” Waylan muttered.There was an awkward pause.“…would you like something?” Delia prodded.“Oh!  Uh, the usual,” ordered Waylan.Now Delia laughed.  “Sorry, have you been here before?”Blushing, Waylan told her, “Right.  Tall medium roast.  Black.”“No problem,” promised the gorgeous barista.  “Won’t be a minute.”As Delia made his coffee, Waylan muttered to Christy, “I guess there isn’t a version of me in this universe?”“Or the you here doesn’t like coffee,” Christy surmised.Waylan snorted.  “Impossible.”“It is statistically possible, Daddy.  In fact-““Shh!” Waylan hissed.  Delia was returning with his beverage.The barista glanced at Waylan’s backpack with mild suspicion.  But she only said, “One ninety-three, please.”Waylan tapped his miniature keyboard against the currency scanner.  The device made an electronic choking noise.  But after a pause, the indicator light went green.“That was weird,” remarked Delia.  “Oh well.  Thank you, I’ll see you again soon, okay?”“Do you want to go out with me?” Waylan asked without warning.Delia blinked.  “Uh, actually, I have a boyfriend.”“Okay, yeah, I figured,” Waylan allowed.  “No problem.  Thanks for the coffee.”With a satisfied grin, he took his cup and strode from the little shoppe.*** *** *** ***Twenty minutes later, Waylan and Christy were in a taxi, heading into downtown Manhattan.“Daddy, I was able to hack the banking system of this universe,” Christy told her programmer.  “But it wasn’t easy.  We may have a hard time stealing the funds we need.”“Don’t worry about it,” Waylan said breezily.  “I’m already thinking ahead.  How long until the Hargrove reactor is fully recharged?”“Forty-nine minutes.”“Urm, fine,” grunted the young scientist.Noticing that his cabbie was giving him a strange look through the rearview mirror, Waylan barked, “You just fucking drive!”*** *** *** ***The taxi pulled up to Crosby and Spring Streets, downtown Manhattan.  Waylan popped out, surveying this alternate New York with great interest.“Purplish bricks, here too,” he remarked to Christy.  “I wonder why that is?  Perhaps they use manganese oxide in their brick furnaces?  Or maybe cobalt?”“Maybe, I dunno,” Christy replied, sounding disinterested.  “Oh wait – that’s a definite difference between our universes!  Look across the street, Daddy.”At a glance, Waylan knew to what his laptop referred.  Opposite them, where a popular Italian restaurant should have been, there was a formal-looking business labeled “Travers & Sons Psychologic Technology Dispensary.”“Why do you think I picked this universe?” Waylan asked snidely.  He headed across the street.*** *** *** ***The interior of Travers & Sons Psychologic Technology Dispensary was a fairly drab showroom, with a long counter and shelves of neatly-labeled boxes on display.  The lighting was soft, with faint jazz music piped in through the store speakers.  An overweight man in a suit approached as Waylan looked about.“Good afternoon, sir!” the man exclaimed.  “I’m Leon Michail, associate salesperson here at Travers & Sons.  You’ve come to the finest Psychologic Dispensary in New York.”  He looked Waylan up and down.  “Uh, may I assume you are a recent graduate, perhaps looking to open your own practice?”“Sure,” Waylan shrugged.“Very good, sir,” Mr. Michail sniffed.  “I, uh, have to warn you:  Our standard equipment starts at the mid-five hundred-thousand-dollar range.  And we do not offer credit.” “Yeah, don’t worry about my money,” Waylan sneered back.  “I’m interested in a top-level hypnotizer.”“Oh, I see.”  Mr. Michail pursed his lips.  “You’ll be practicing in clinical psychology, then?”“Yeah.”The salesman gestured.  “This way, please…”*** *** *** ***Waylan was led to a back room, small, with a plain white table.  Mr. Michail disappeared into the stockroom, then returned with four cardboard boxes in his arms.  Each was the size of a shoe box, with plenty of technical information printed on the sides.  Waylan recognized none of the manufacturers’ names.Mr. Michail set the boxes on the table.  “Now, state law does require me to remind you that these devices are to be used for clinical hypnotism only,” he lectured as he worked.  “They are highly advanced pieces of psychovarient technology, designed to induce a hypnotic state in a compliant subject.  Its illegal to use them for any other purpose, you know.”“Yeah, I know,” Waylan said impatiently.  He took one of the boxes, studying the information.“Oh, now that’s the Wavelength Inducer 1020,” Mr. Michail said proudly.  “Named the Best Hypnosis Aid by Psychologist Analytics last year, you know.  Ideal if you are working with a patient for cognitive-associative-““It says here,” Waylan noted, tapping on the box, “that this device uses Power Factor Correction with Step-Down Transformers.  But what’s the Unit Pulse Width Modulation?”Mr. Michail’s face went slack.  “Uh… I don’t know that,” he admitted.“Yeah, not this one,” declared Waylan, setting down the Wavelength Inducer 1020.  He snatched a second box.“Ah, the Theta Amplifier Prime,” the salesman said.  “A newer model.  Much more expensive, mind you, but that’s because it was designed for deep trance work.  The boys back at Home Office call it the ‘Bedazzler.’  Heh.  Now, the Theta Amplifier would be best used for-“But Waylan wasn’t listening.  After memorizing the Theta Amplifier’s technical specs, he held the box closer to his backpack.  “Christy, this gizmo has two USB and one fiber data ports.  Can you interface with it?”“Probably,” Christy replied.  “I mean, I’ve yet to find another computer here that I couldn’t hack.  So this baby is probably no different.  What’s the OS?”“The box doesn’t say,” Waylan told her.“…hey, what is this?” scowled Mr. Michail.  “Are you an industrial spy, or something?”“I’m not a spy.”“This is highly irregular,” Mr. Michail said, his expression darkening.Waylan rolled his eyes.  “Dude:  Fuck off.”His eyes popping, Mr. Michail exclaimed, “…excuse me?”“Oh, I wasn’t clear?” Waylan sneered.  “I’ll slow down so you can understand me better:  Fuck.  Off.”“Give me that back!” cried the outraged salesman.  “I’m calling the police!”  He lunged for the Theta Amplifier box.But Waylan was ready for him.  The young scientist stepped back, reaching into his messenger bag…“You miserable little shit!” Mr. Michail fumed, fumbling for the room intercom.  “Security!  Secutiry!”Waylan disappeared in a blinding burst of light.  The Theta Amplifier vanished with him.*** *** *** ***

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UNIVERSE 826

Brooklyn, NY

Tuesday, May 13th, 2031

There was a slight commotion as Waylan and Christy flashed into existence, right at the corner of 4th Avenue and 5th Street.  A man walking his dog actually swore at the young scientist.“Jesus, asshole!” the man snarled, rubbing his eyes.  The flash of light that proceeded Waylan’s arrival had been bright, indeed.  “Do your magic trick somewhere else, Goddamnit!”He and the dog trotted off.“Nice, Nice!” grinned Waylan, looking about.  “You know, Chirsty, traveling between universes is actually easier than I thought it would be.”“Speak for yourself,” Christy grumbled.  “My surge protectors nearly short out, each time we do this.”Waylan was unimpressed.  “Eh, you’ll be fine.”“We’re at 4th and 5th,” observed the laptop.  “We always arrive at 4th and 5th.  Why is that?”“I have to jump into every universe at the same point in space-time,” Waylan frowned.  “If I don’t anchor us somewhere, we’ll appear in deep space or within the Earth’s core.  Try to keep up, will ya?”“Sorry, Daddy,” agreed Christy, embarrassed.Waylan’s sharp eyes scanned the neighborhood.  “This Brooklyn looks more like our own Brooklyn, doesn’t it?  Oh, wait…  I spoke too soon.”He gestured across the street, where there was a restaurant that he’d never seen before.  The sign over the restaurant doors said, “CHALA’S  ::  Authentic Horbani Cuisine.”“Horbani cuisine?” Christy echoed.  “What’s Horbani?”“No clue,” admitted Waylan.  “Something we never had in our universe, for certain.  C’mon, we’ve got work to do.”*** *** *** ***The Horbani menu appeared to be a blend of Turkish and Egyptian foods, although Waylan wasn’t entirely certain about that.  He ordered a plate of chicken tatras, a fulli salad, and one lentil nanku bread, which was entirely too spicy.  Then, once his meal was consumed, he pushed his dishes aside.  He opened the Theta Amplifier Prime’s box, removing the gadget within onto the table.The Theta Amplifier was a small, plastic device, white, with two curious emitters pointed in the same direction.  Waylan read aloud from the User Manual:“Caution,” he recited, “this Theta Amplifier Prime 1200 is a Class Five Neutral Transmission device, to be used only with… blah blah blah…  The Theta Amplifier projects an alpha inhibitor neural field, which affects the target subject’s Prefrontal Anterior and Cingulate cortexes.  Exposure to the neural field will potentially suspend higher reasoning, and thus, should only be used in supervised clinical settings.  Further…”  Waylan looked up.  “So, basically, if this thing is projected onto you, your brain turns to mush.  Perfect.”“I’m glad I don’t have a brain,” shuddered Christy.  “Listen, Daddy…”Waylan was unpacking the Theta Amplifier box.  There were a number of cables, minidevices, and booklets all within.  “…yeah?” he grunted.“Shortly after we jumped,” said Christy, “my backpack scanners picked up something weird.  There was a phased quantum signature on the EM bands.  Just for a second.  What might that mean?”Waylan was half-listening.  “Yeah…  Wait, a what?”“A phased quantum signature,” Christy repeated.“No way,” Waylan frowned.  “Hmm.  A phased quantum signature would indicate another person jumping between realities.  Or there’s a black hole in the area warping space-time.”  He waved a careless hand.  “Neither’s very probable, right?”“The scanner doesn’t lie,” insisted Christy.“Forget it.  Look, I want you to prep a hack probe.”The laptop sighed.  “Okay, one sec.  Done.  Hack probe is ready.  Waiting in my C port.”Waylan fished about in his backpack.  He unplugged a small device from Christy’s side, then fitted it into one of the Theta Amplifier’s USB ports.  The Theta Amplifier’s power lights lit up.“Interfacing…” Christy reported.  “Oh, this device may be advanced at hypnotizing people, but its computer brain is for shit.  I’m now in full control.”Waylan nodded.  “The hack probe might be my best invention.  Slap it into any computer, and it reprograms that computer to become a slave device.”“It is handy,” Christy agreed.  “Okay, I’m in.  What do you want to do?”“How high can you jack up the power to that alpha inhibitor neural field?”“Not much,” said Christy.  “The Theta Amplifier’s designers obviously didn’t want someone to strengthen the field.  If the alpha inhibitor was too strong, the hypnotized person would lose their will entirely.”“Well, obviously that’s the idea,” growled Waylan.  “The software won’t let us enhance the power?  Fine.  We’ll crack open this baby and do it manually.”He reached for his toolbox.*** *** *** ***At the corner of 4th and 4th, Waylan and Christy found The Java Bean coffee shop – not “Java Beans” Coffee House – Java Bean, singular.  The bistro’s logo was slightly changed, displaying only a lone bean.“One bean!” Christy exclaimed.  “That’s weird.”“No, not really,” snorted Waylan.  “The further we jump from our origin universe, the more differences we’ll see.  Its elementary quantum theory.”Like the other Java Beans shoppes, this version had a line snaking out the front door.  Waylan queued up, absently humming to himself.  His green eyes flicked about the neighborhood, comparing this universe with the previous ones.“We have to work on that algorithm to measure differences between the realities,” he said to Christy.  “Open a new code project, call it… ‘Delta Determiner.’”“Not a very inspired name,” Christy said tartly.“Shut up,” snapped Waylan.  “Initiate the program by importing all quantum signatures associated with the current and previous universes.  Then…”The scientist’s voice trailed off.  Coming into the line behind him were two attractive young women, both wearing business pantsuits.  The ladies were engrossed in conversation.“…and I think this client works in physics, or something,” Alesia was saying.  “His apartment is about two blocks from Hargrove Technologies.”“He works at Hargrove?” said Joann.  “Geez, he must be crazy smart.”“Yeah, but he’s one of those smart guys who…” Alesia replied.  Seeing Waylan stare at her, she frowned.  “Hey!  Dude, do you have a problem?”Waylan marveled at this universe’s versions of Alesia and Joann.  Here, Alesia was back to being a blonde, but her hair was extremely long, braided and looped about her shoulders in an intricate pattern.  Joanna was definitely leaner and more muscular.“No, I got no problem,” grinned Waylan.  “Tell me, do you ladies happen to work in real estate?”“Corporate banking,” Joann shot back.  “Why?”Deeply amused, Waylan turned away.*** *** *** ***This universe’s Delia was also slightly changed.  She was still just as lovely as her counterparts, with the same gorgeous ocean blue eyes, smile, and shapely body.  But this Delia’s hair was cropped quite short (although the splash of silver-gray was still visible).  She also had a slightly smaller chest and shoulders, which looked strange in the dark red Java Beans uniform.“May I help the next customer, please?” asked Delia, her voice as light and cheerful as ever.  As Waylan approached her register, she smiled appreciatively.  “Oh, hey there!” she said pleasantly.  “Its good to see you.”“Hi…” Waylan smiled back.For a moment, the scientist and barista merely regarded one another.  Waylan was having trouble thinking.“…can I get you something?” Delia finally asked.“Right!” exclaimed Waylan.  “Right.  Tall medium roast.  Black.”Delia nodded.  “No problem, won’t be a minute.”Waylan watched her work the carafe, quickly filling his order.“Daddy, focus,” Christy said quietly.Waylan popped out of his trance.  “Right, right,” he muttered.  His thin hand slipped into his jacket pocket…Returning with his coffee, Delia set the paper cup onto the counter.  She said, “That’ll be one ninety-three, pl-“Waylan held the Theta Amplifier device directly before Delia’s eyes, pressing the ACTIVATE button on the side.  The Amplifier blinked once, then made a soft humming.Delia’s eyes opened wide.  Her voice trailed off into silence as she froze in place, helplessly staring at the little machine.  The expression was washed from her beautiful face.“Listen carefully,” Waylan instructed Delia, speaking in a low and fast voice.  “In exactly fifteen minutes’ time, you will leave this shop and come to the corner of 4th and 5th Street.  You will do this automatically without any thought of your own.  And now, when I release you, you will continue working without any memory of these instructions.  Do you understand?”“…yes…” the hypnotized Delia breathed.Waylan deactivated the Amplifier by releasing the power button.  The little device went back into his pocket.  He snapped his fingers before Delia’s blank face.The lovely barista shook her head, as if trying to clear cobwebs from her mind.  “Uh…” she mumbled, “…sorry, sir, I guess my mind wandered for a sec…”“No problem,” said Waylan.“Okay.  Uh, that’ll be one ninety-three, please.”“I already paid you,” Waylan lied.“You did?”  Delia searched her memory.  “Oh.  I guess you did.  Well, thank you.  I’ll see you again tomorrow, okay?”“Or sooner,” smirked Waylan.*** *** *** ***Waylan enjoyed his coffee, watching the Brooklyn passers-by.  In this universe, the coffee was sweeter than he liked, and had an unusual floral aroma.“Daddy, its been sixteen minutes,” Christy informed him.  “You wanted to be alerted?”“Yeah.”  Waylan drained his cup, then tossed it into the street.  He raised a hand.  “Taxi!”“You’re calling a cab already?” asked Christy.  “But we don’t know if your hypnotic suggestions will-“Down the block, the front door of Java Bean swung open.  Delia appeared.  The stunning barista had an empty expression on her face, and she walked straight forward as if she was unaware of what she was doing.  The waiting Java Bean customers who were in line stared at her in surprise; Delia paid them no attention.Almost sleepwalking, Delia approached Waylan.“See?” Waylan chortled to Christy.  “My girl’s right on schedule.”As he gloated, a blue taxicab rolled up to the pavement, crushing the littered Java Bean cup.  The taxi’s indicator lights switched from AVAILABLE to OCCUPIED.  The passenger door swung open.“Hop in!” the cabbie bellowed.Delia walked up, blinking in surprise.  “Um… I’m sorry, but…” she said, confused.  “I just had this urge…”“Yeah, I know,” Waylan leered.  He gestured to the cab.  “Get in.”“Oh, I couldn’t do that!” balked Delia.  “I’m working right now, I should be-“Waylan drew out the Theta Amplifier like a gunslinger.  Within a second, Delia was staring into the little device’s neural emitters, falling back into a trance.“You will get in the cab,” Waylan told her.  “Once inside this car, you will fall into a deep, natural sleep.  You will remain asleep until I wake you.  Do you understand?”“…yes…” sighed the barista.And with that, Delia obediently climbed into the taxi.  She slid across the back seat, then relaxed.  Her large eyes closed, and she was fast asleep.Waylan climbed in after her.  “The Plaza Hotel!” he ordered the cabbie.But the driver swung around to glare at him.  “The where?” he asked.“Oh,” said Waylan, momentarily thrown off-guard.  “Uh… just take me to Manhattan’s best hotel.  Step on it.”“Sure thing, buddy,” said the cabbie.*** *** *** ***In this universe, the finest hotel in Manhattan was the Imperial Crowne Hotel, located at Central Park South & West.  A quick dose of the Theta Amplifier on the Imperial’s concierge allowed Waylan to book the Presidential Suite, which was up on the highest floor.  The suite was lavish to the extreme, with multiple room that all looked out over the park.“Wow,” Delia exclaimed in wonder, running out to the balcony.  “Geez, mister, you must be crazy rich!  Look at this view!”Waylan smirked as he watched Delia.  The beautiful young woman was pulling out her own smartphone, and madly taking selfies with the park as her backdrop.“She’s finally mine, Christy,” Waylan murmured greedily.  “Finally mine.  I’ll never get tired fucking her.”“You treat her right, Daddy,” warned the laptop.  “She didn’t do anything to deserve this.”Waylan frowned.  “Chris, go offline.  I want privacy.”“Yes, Daddy,” Christy sighed.  Her backpack speakers chirped as they went dead.Waylan paused only long enough to plug Christy into a power outlet.  Then, fingering the Theta Amplifier, he approached Delia out on the balcony.“Oh my gosh!” the young woman was gushing.  “I can’t believe I’m here!  This is so incredible!  I’ve always wondered what the best suite in this hotel would be like.”“Yeah, now its all yours, baby,” Waylan said grandly.Delia’s smile wavered.  “Um… so how do I know you, mister?” she asked.  “I know its lame, but I just can’t remember.”“Look here,” Waylan told her.The scientist held up the Amplifier and activated it.  Within seconds, Delia’s beautiful eyes became vacant.  The overpowered hypnotizer effortlessly lulled her mind into a deep trance.“And now,” Waylan told his beautiful captive, “you absolutely believe that I am your boyfriend, your wealthy boyfriend, who loves to spoil you with rich gifts.  You are horny for me, and you’ll happily take me into the bedroom, where you’ll do anything I want.  Anything.  I.  Want.  You will believe that I have the hottest male body you have ever seen.  Do you understand all of these instructions?”Still and unresisting, Delia replied, “…yes…”“Come out of hypnosis now, remembering nothing of my instructions, obeying my commands completely!”  Waylan clicked off the Amplifier.Delia came to back life.  “Hey baby!” she preened, and stood close to Waylan.  “You got this whole suite for me?”  Her eyes danced with delight.It was all Waylan could do not to swoon.  Delia was so close, so close!  He could inhale her floral shampoo.  The heat of her trim little body could be felt on his own skin.  Without thinking, Waylan embraced Delia with his arms.The hypnotized barista leaned into him.  She stretched her neck up…  Waylan reached down…  They kissed.Oh, Delia’s mouth was soft and coursing with passion!  She kissed with all her being, each movement of her lips an embrace of love and desire.  Waylan’s mighty brain went off-line.  Delia’s kiss was a magical spell.Delia was nearly a full head shorter than Waylan.  To make the kiss work, Waylan planted his feet wide, standing in an awkward triangle, pulling Delia closer to him.  He felt a little ridiculous, but the strange pose worked.Delia kissed Waylan.  He kissed her.  Space-time itself froze across all possible existences.And then, after what might have been a full minute… or three… or more…  Delia broke the kiss.  She grinned at Waylan with a naughty look in her eyes.“Can I show you my appreciation, baby?” she murmured.“…yeah…” was the only response that Waylan could manage.Delia laughed playfully, taking her false boyfriend by the hand.  She spun about, then led him towards the master bedroom.The bedroom chamber was huge, with a king poster bed that must have been large enough for six people.  Soft gauze curtains hung from the bedposts and over the windows, creating a romantic and hazy atmosphere.  The colonial furniture all perfectly matched, even down to echoing the frames on the painting that hung on the walls.  The white carpet was so thick, Waylan at first instinctively thought that he’d stepped into mud.  The hotel staff had sprinkled rose petals over the opened bedsheets, giving the room a vibrant, sensuous aroma.Delia wasted little time.  She kicked off her sneakers, removed her cotton socks, then stripped out of her skintight jeans.  Now, she wore her red button-down shirt, with the Java Bean nametag over her right breast.  The beautiful young woman climbed onto the bed, briefly allowing Waylan to glimpse her pink panties.  Then she stood on her knees, placing herself at the center of the great bed.Waylan and Delia gazed at one another.  The barista’s exposed legs looked muscular and lean.  Waylan stared appreciatively.  He’d never seen Delia out of her work uniform.With a bashful smile, Delia nervously giggled, “…is it weird… that I’m a little shy with you, baby?”Waylan gaped.  “But why?”Delia hugged herself, covering up her small chest.  “I’m just… shy.”  She flicked an eye over Waylan’s lanky body.  “Of course, once I see you naked, baby, I’ll go crazy.”  She bit her lip.  “You make me so fucking hot.”This was the hypnosis talking, of course.  But Waylan needed no encouragement.  With an eagerness that surprised him, the young scientist yanked at his own clothes, pulling them off with abandon.  His sneakers, usual long-sleeved workshirt, and jeans were quickly discarded.  Thankfully, he’d selected boxer briefs when he’d gotten dressed that morning.Delia’s nervous expression slipped.  “Woof…” she murmured as she beheld Waylan’s mostly-nude body.Waylan’s erection was massive.  How had he not noticed it before?  Now that his jeans were off, his stiff cock was almost pushing its way out of his boxers.  He climbed onto the bed and walked on his knees until he was face-to-face with Delia.Their arms encircled one another again, and the kissing resumed.  This time, those kisses here hungry, wolflike, almost savage.  Waylan felt as if he were attacking Delia, and she was attacking him.  The eroticism of the moment overwhelmed him.  He could feel her little breasts pressing against his chest…With trembling fingers, Waylan tried groping for Delia’s shirt buttons.“Oh wait!” the young woman chirped, pulling away.Waylan stared.  “What?”“I’m shy,” confessed Delia.  “What if you don’t find me sexy?”Is this chick for real? Waylan thought in exasperation.  Given Delia’s beauty, alluring body, and natural cheer, he’d always assumed that she was a sexual tigress in the bedroom.  Perhaps the Delia of his origin universe acted that way?He could have hopped off the bed, retrieved the Theta Amplifier, and hypnotized Delia into becoming an aggressive sex kitten.  But the moment was now.  He was ready, now.  Waylan had waited almost a year to fuck this girl.  He had to have her.Knowing that she was still under the influence of his hypnotic instruction, Waylan rumbled, “I fucking want you.”“Yeah?” Delia breathed.“Fuck, yeah,” Waylan grunted.  He laid his hands upon her body; on her exposed hip and her small breast.  “I wanna fuck you like a porn star.”It wasn’t the world’s savviest dirty talk, but Delia’s face flushed red with passion anyway.  As if she were magnetically drawn to him, the young woman moved closer, inviting Waylan to ravish her.  Her small hand slipped down……and dipped into Waylan’s boxers.  Her fingertips found his cock.  They began to play.Waylan moaned as his kissed the woman of his obsession.  Delia’s hand was sheer magic!  Her fingers lovingly rubbed his tip, playing with his dribble, sending waves of erotic pleasure throughout his whole body.  Delia wasn’t pumping Waylan in an attempt to make him cum; she was priming him for intercourse.With an animalistic snarl, Waylan tore at Delia’s shirt.  Every last button popped off and flew across the bedroom.  Delia briefly jumped in surprise, but she did not protest.  She leaned closer, kissing deeper, inviting Waylan to unhook her bra.Waylan was an expert with advanced technology.  Nonetheless, the simple mechanics of a bra clasp stumped him.  After a few annoyed grunts and false starts, he realized that taking off Delia’s bra was a problem he could not solve.Thankfully, the beautiful young woman came to his rescue.  With one graceful motion, she reached behind her back, flicked her fingers, and the bra came loose.  Waylan happily peeled it off her body.Immediately, Delia covered her chest with her arms.“I’m sorry, I’m shy,” she mumbled.  “My boobs aren’t very big.  That’s what you like, right?”“I don’t fucking care,” growled Waylan, his hands sliding down Delia’s lean, exposed torso.  “I love your tits, baby.”“Yeah?”  Delia pushed her hips toward him, inviting him to take off her panties.Soon, Waylan had pushed Delia’s underwear over her rear end and her graceful hips.  He couldn’t resist a lusty squeeze of one of her buttocks.  How many times had he stared at this butt while Delia had made his coffee?  The reality of the buttock in his palm was far, far better than he’d hoped; it was meaty, strong, smooth, just the right size.Yeah…Delia and Waylan shifted about on the bed, removing one another’s underwear.  After a little more coaxing, Delia removed her arms, allowing Waylan to admire her breasts.  They were small, yes, but still wondrously shaped, round and cream-colored and with a cute little bounce to them whenever Delia moved.  Her nipples were especially dark, which surprised but delighted Waylan.  When he first saw them, he couldn’t resist leaning forward and putting one of those nipples into his mouth.  Delia tasted course and a little salty; he loved it.There was more naked kissing.  As the temperature in the bedroom rose, Delia seemed to forget her nervousness.  She gasped and moaned as Waylan’s hands explored her.  Her pungent arousal filled the air, and after a while, it was all Waylan could smell.  Delia’s muscles trembled slightly.The two lovers kissed and embraced and explored one another’s bodies, both unable to stop themselves.With a shock, Waylan realized:  His cock was likely to shoot off on its own.  He didn’t have a lot of time.  If he wanted to enter Delia, the time was now.“I wanna fuck you,” the scientist muttered between kissing Delia’s breasts.“Yeah,” she agreed.With no other instruction, Delia hopped around, coming onto all fours.  She set her knees wide and arched her spine, presenting her rear end and wet vagina to Waylan.  He grabbed her hips eagerly…“Oh wait!” Delia yelped.  She scrambled off the bed.At first, Waylan assumed that the beautiful young woman was refusing him.  “What the fuck?”“I hafta put a zulant in,” explained Delia, skipping to one of the bedroom dressers.  She opened the top drawer.Waylan blinked.  “A… what?”Now Delia gave him an odd look.  “A zulant,” she repeated.  “You know, ladies’ birth control?  Every good hotel has them.”As Waylan watched, Delia removed something small and unseen from the dresser.  She tore off a paper wrapper, removed the zulant… whatever that was… and then brought it to her naked crotch.  The whole action took less than a second.“There,” Delia said.  She scrambled back onto the mattress, embracing Waylan and kissing him.  “Mmm, baby, I want this cock…”As if in apology for the zulant interruption, Delia kissed Waylan while pumping his member.  Waylan’s penis was going berserk.  If the young woman wasn’t careful, he’d spout-“Yeah!” groaned Delia in lust.  “Fuck yeah!”She jumped back into all fours, resuming the doggie-style position from before.  “Do me!”Waylan needed no encouragement.  Seizing Delia by the hips, he moved forward and thrust into her.  All the way in.“Uggggghhhhh!” Delia cried, grabbing the topsheet for dear life.Waylan cried out himself.  Oh, Delia’s vagina was hot and wet and felt like heaven on his penis!  A hundred thousand nerve clusters in his tip lit up like fireworks, sweeping aside all of his intellect and reason.  This was sensation beyond anything he’d felt before.And with that, Waylan was plunging in and out of his beautiful lover as if he hoped to split her down the middle.  Delia’s body was incredible.  He could feel her skin, her sweat, her muscles as the shook with erotic pleasure.  The universe seemed to be a supernova, collapsing into a white-hot pit of sheer sexual fusion.  He couldn’t stand it…Waylan came.  He shot off as if his cock was determined to blast Delia through the wall and into the next room.  The power of his orgasm was so phenomenal that for an instant, Waylan’s consciousness was one with the universe.  He trembled, almost losing control of his muscles.And Delia was climaxing, too.  The nude young woman was shaking, slapping the bed as if she wanted to beat it into submission.  Waylan could feel her legs and hips tense, becoming harder than steel.  She cried aloud in raw pleasure, her voice shooting up multiple octaves in less than a second.The young lovers fucked on, unable to stop themselves.  They had no sense of time, had no idea if they were copulating for a minute, and hour, or longer.  All that mattered was Waylan’s cock and Delia’s vagina.Eventually… finally… at last… Waylan felt himself give out.  He has spent himself.  With a satisfied grunt, he slowed, giving Delia a resounding slap on her rump.  She whimpered in delight, and trembled from head to toe.Waylan allowed his hips to come to a stop.  He was still rock-hard, and for a moment, he simply kept himself inserted deep within Delia.  She sighed, gently pushed against him, and let the moment linger.*** *** *** ***A while later, Waylan and Delia lay in the bed, their naked bodies atop the soiled sheets.  Waylan was on his back, staring at the ceiling; Delia had folded herself up against him.  As the scientist mused to himself, Delia’s fingertip happily played with his chest.“Mmm, baby…” she sighed.  “You were… oh… so hot…”Waylan glanced at her.“So hot…” Delia repeated.  Her eyelids were heavy; she was drifting off to sleep.  “…so… hot…”Not five minutes later, the lovely barista was deep in slumber.  Waylan watched her, admiring how even in perfect relaxation, her face was beautiful beyond compare.Time passed.  Delia’s breathing grew deeper and slower.  Her body became heavy and limp.  Her eyes twitched under her eyelids; she was dreaming.Moving carefully, Waylan extracted himself from the bed.The scientist moved about the bedroom, gathering his clothes.  Somehow, his workshirt had landed inside one of the walk-in closets; how had that happened?  Waylan didn’t care.After taking one last look to admire the naked Delia, Waylan stole from the bedroom.  He shut the door behind him.  Then he padded off to a bathroom to take a shower.*** *** *** ***“Hey, wake up,” Waylan demanded.  “Get your lazy butt up.”“…huh?” Christy mumbled.  “Sorry, Daddy, what?”It was thirty minutes later.  Waylan lounged out on the Presidential Suite balcony, dressed in his clothes, Christy booting up in his lap.  The door to the master bedroom was shut; Delia was still sleeping within.“Get up,” Waylan told his computer.  “We’ve got work to do.”“I’m up, I’m up,” said Christy, still sounding drowsy.  “I just gotta do a data integrity check-““Let your subprocesses handle that,” ordered Waylan.  “Load up the Searcher program.  I want to look at other universes.”Christy’s screen flicked to the Searcher interface.  Waylan immediately began typing at high speed.  Data populated the screen.“Uh, Daddy…” the laptop asked, “…you did have sex with Miss Delia, right?”“Oh yeah,” grinned Waylan.  “It was fucking amazing.”“Then why are you searching other realities?” Christy asked, alarmed.  “You’ve wanted this girl forever, Daddy.  Now that you have her and she’s in your hypnotic power-““This Delia was shy,” grumbled Waylan.  “She was actually fucking shy!  I mean, she overcame it with enough stimulation, but for a while there…”  He grimaced.  “I just want her to be different.”“Different how?”Waylan paused typing to consider this question.  “I want a Delia that’s more aggressive.  Sleazier.  More daring.  I want her to be this…”  He gestured in the air, trying to find the words.  “…this cross between a innocent cheerleader and slutty call girl.  I want Delia to be sleazy.  Yeah, sleazy.  Or something.  I dunno.  But I’ll know the ultimate Delia for me when I see her.”“You could hypnotize this Delia into being all those things,” Christy said.“Maybe,” allowed Waylan.  He resumed typing.  “But from what I know of hypnotism, I might have to do a lot of brainwashing on her to shape her into the sexpot I want.  Her mind might be dulled under all that brainwashing.”“And why risk it?” the scientist went on.  “There’s an infinite number of Delias out there.  I just have to find the one who matches what I want.  A Delia like…”With a grin, Waylan tapped a line of data on the screen.“…like the Delia in that universe.”“That one?” repeated Christy.  “I’m not picking up much of a quantum read on that reality.  Daddy, you know once we jump into a new universe, there’s no jumping back.”“Yeah, I don’t care,” Waylan declared, rising to his feet.  “Make the calculations.”“Done.”“Heh.”  Waylan slipped Christy into his backpack, then grabbed his messenger bag.  Within the satchel, the Hargrove reactor was charged and ready.Despite his eagerness, Waylan paused.  He glanced at the door to the master bedroom.The door remained closed.  This Delia was still fast asleep.Waylan shook his head, as if shrugging off an awkward memory.  His fingers reached for the portable reactor at his hip…There was a flash of light, and he was gone.*** *** *** ***

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

UNIVERSE 39183

Brooklyn, NY

Tuesday, May 13th, 2031

“Hey, watch it!”Waylan jumped out of the way of a man on a bicycle.  The man was speeding down 5th Street and Waylan had come within a few millimeters of crashing into him.  The man sped on.“Jeepers!” Christy exclaimed.Catching his breath, Waylan stared after the disappearing bicycle.  Did that bike have… three wheels, all arranged in a row?  Was it, in fact, an athletic tricycle?  The near-collision had happened so quickly, Waylan wasn’t sure.“Holy cow…!” whistled Christy.Waylan paused to look about.  He was undoubtably standing on the corner of 4th Avenue and 5th Street, with the same buildings that had always been there before… but now, the buildings were all constructed as brick pyramids, not the rectangular boxes that had always been there before.  It was bizarre.  Across the street was Hanson’s Dry Cleaning, as it had always been… except now, it was a pyramid.The cars rolling up and down the street had six wheels.  Three on the driver’s side, three on the passenger’s side.  Somehow, the position of those middle wheels was perfectly aligned between the front and rear doors.“This universe… is really different,” Christy said, sounding bewildered.Waylan eyed a short man wearing two hats as he walked by.  “Naw, not really.”“Not really?” echoed Christy.  “Daddy, the architecture here is in triangles.”“Yeah, but humans are still the evolved apex species here,” argued Waylan.  “And despite some cosmetic differences, this universe is like ours.  There’s still a Brooklyn, right?”“Everything here has too many wheels,” grumbled Christy, entirely unconvinced.  “And what’s more…  Oh, wait…““What?” Waylan asked.“I just picked up another phased quantum signature on the EM bands,” Christy reported.  “Its faint, but it was there.  Its the exact same signature that I saw in the previous universe.”“With the exact same frequency?” said Waylan.“Yeah.”“Huh.”  The young scientist scratched his chin.  “I wonder if that’s, like, a natural quantum echo of our jump?”“I don’t think so, Daddy.  The signature doesn’t match the quantum footprint of our Hargrove reactor.”Waylan waved a careless hand.  “Aw, to hell with it.  Its probably a deep space pulsar interfering with the quantum plane.  Or another cross-universe traveler.  Either way, I’m not gonna jump at every bump and wrinkle in the space-time continuum.”“If you say so,” replied Christy.*** *** *** ***There was no “Java Beans” or “Java Bean” or a coffee shop of any kind at the corner of 4th and 4th.  Where the bistro should have been, there instead was a different establishment in the pyramid building, one with black-tinted windows and iron bars tracing the exterior contours.  An avant-garde sign bearing the name “Javasin” in bold, red letters was mounted over the front door.  The business was closed.Waylan stared in dismay.  “Javasin?” he exclaimed.  “What the fuck is that?”“An alternate business,” replied Christy.  “So interesting that the name ‘Java’ exists in all realities, don’t you think?”“Shut up,” Waylan scowled.  “I gotta think.”As the young scientist glared at Javasin, two attractive young women came down 4th Avenue, locked in conversation.  “…the client works in physics, or something,” said Alesia knowingly.  “He lives just two blocks from Cargrove Tech.  Hasn’t been laid in years.”“He works at Cargrove?” Joann asked.  “Geez, this guy must be crazy smart.”Waylan flicked his eyes over the two women.  Both Alesia and Joann were dressed in women’s business suits, but with tiny microskirts and with blouses that had low necklines.  The ladies wore a lot of makeup, and it was obvious that they invested a lot of their spare time at the gym.“Yeah, the client’s a total bookworm,” Alesia laughed.  “Hasn’t a clue how to talk to a woman.  But his money’s good, so I say we hook him up with Bambi, she’s great with first-timers-““Hey, excuse me?” Waylan interrupted.Both Alesia and Joann halted, scanning Waylan with expert eyes.  Immediately, they went into a kind of sales pitch:“Hey there, stud,” Joann said playfully.  “You lookin’ to meet a pretty girl?”“Our ladies are hot and very discreet,” promised Alesia.  “You want our business card?”“What?  No!” spluttered Waylan.  He stabbed a finger at Javasin.  “What is this business?”“That?” Alesia blinked.  “Dude, you seriously don’t know Javasin?”“You really should meet one of our ladies,” asserted Joann.  “Look, I have a portfolio-““Just fucking tell me!” growled Waylan.The two businesswomen exchanged a wry glance, but then shrugged their shoulders.“Fine.  Javasin is a sex bar,” Joann told Waylan.  “You go, you order drinks, you mingle, you find the right partner, you hook up.”  She made a careless gesture.  “It’s a really popular way to find a fast connection.”“But honey,” Alesia purred, “the ladies who go to Javasin, they’d eat you alive!  That place?  It’s a cutthroat meat market.  Wouldn’t you rather be with one of our ladies, where a good time is guaranteed?  We’re fully licensed and insured, you know.  You don’t want my business card?”Waylan turned away.  Now that he looked, there was a sign on Javasin’s front door:  OPENS AT 10PM  //  CLOSES AT SUNUP.“Well, Daddy,” Christy remarked, “you wanted sleazy…!”*** *** *** ***Wasting little time, Waylan took a six-wheeled taxicab into Manhattan.  This universe’s finest hotel was the Imperial Royale.  Using the Theta Amplifier on the hapless Royale front desk clerk soon checked Waylan into the Presidential Suite, which, impressively enough, was completely identical to the Presidential Suite of the previous universe.“Not even the curtains are different,” Waylan said in amazement.  “You’d expect to see some variation, you know?”“The permutations between these realities appear to be randomly-generated,” said Christy.“Oh no,” Waylan corrected her.  “No, these differences are the result of specific events within this unique timeline.  Nothing is random.”“Okay, fine, whatever,” huffed Christy.Enjoying a sense of inevitability, Waylan spent the afternoon shopping for clothes on Garrison Avenue, what would have been Madison Avenue back in his home universe.  He selected an all-black outfit of silk and chiffon.  Waylan liked how it shimmered on his thin body.  The Theta Amplifier allowed him to hypnotize the shopgirl into giving him the suit for free, plus make out with him in the fitting room.*** *** *** ***By 10:30 in the evening, Waylan returned to Javasin out in Brooklyn.  He’d left Christy, the Hargrove generator, and all of his possessions – save his little hypnotizing device – back in the hotel suite.  Curious, he queued up into the line of club-goers that were waiting outside.Javasin now looked much different.  Behind the black tinted windows, one could see multicolor strobe lights flashing and popping with a crazed abandon.  The silhouettes of thin, dancing people gyrated against the dark glass.  Waylan couldn’t tell if these shadows were live people or projections of some kind.  The pulsing of loud club music was blasting from the doors.Waylan eyed the eager twenty-somethings waiting in line for admittance into Javasin.  They were a lean and sexy bunch, with gym-chiseled bodies, tight club outfits, and eye-catching looks.  Everyone seemed to be showing off their physiques.  Waylan saw lots of exposed muscles.  And tattoos.  And some really wild hair styles.  The crowd here was jabbering excitedly, smoking vapes or passing around small vials of what Waylan assumed was cocaine.Two enormous bouncers appeared at the club’s entrance.  The doors swung open, and the line started inching its way inside…*** *** *** ***Waylan barely recognized the interior of Javasin.  Upon entering the front door, there was simply a descending escalator where the Java Beans counter should have been.  Waylan stepped onto the moving stairs, curious about what lay ahead.The escalator descended perhaps a hundred feet into an old subway station that had been abandoned by the city.  The walls were painted black and the lighting was hazy, making it difficult to perceive the true dimensions of the place.  At the center of the subterranean chamber was a dancefloor, rapidly filling up with beautiful young women.  A deejay’s booth perched over the floor, slightly above the multicolored spotlights and lasers that swirled about in a dizzying pattern.  The air was dry and hot.Waylan stepped off the escalator, immediately uncomfortable.  As a technological genius who felt uncomfortable with other people, he’d always avoided parties and nightclubs.  An evening at Javasin was his idea of hell.But there was a mission to perform.The young scientist craned his neck, looking about.  If Delia was here, where would she…Across the club, there was a full bar, made from iron and dark glass.  A display of perhaps a thousand different liquor bottles were showcased against the light-up wall.  The crowd was the bar was light, but growing quickly.  Weirdly, there were no bartenders.Feeling a strange determination, Waylan strode over.  He elbowed two young ladies aside, ignoring their annoyed cries of “Asshole!” as he did so.  Where was the bartender?“Hey,” one of the ladies exclaimed.  “I know you, dude.”Waylan turned his head.  The two ladies were Alesia and Joann, now wearing slinky club dresses.  Alesia was stunning in a skintight one-piece with a miniskirt, while Joann had chosen to tempt potential mates with a separated microtop and hip-hugging spandex shorts.  Both young women had elaborate makeup, hair, and nails, and if Waylan didn’t know better, he might have suspected that they were looking to model for a guys’ magazine.Seeing Waylan gape at her body, Alesia grinned.  “You’re the fella who didn’t know what a sex club was,” she recalled, speaking loudly over the blasting music.  “I remember you, from this morning.”“Yeah,” smirked Joann.  She stepped closer, placing a hand on Waylan’s arm.  “You sure you’re not looking to meet a pretty girl, dude?  We can help.”Curious, Waylan couldn’t help but ask, “What line of work are you ladies in?”Alesia and Joann laughed.  “You are from out-of-town,” Joann chortled.  “We’re in the liaisons market.”  She pronounced ‘liaisons market’ as if it were a standard term that Waylan should have recognized.  “We help gentlemen like yourself find that certain special feminine companion.  Its a rich industry.”“You’re madams,” Waylan said plainly.  “You manage prostitutes.”“What’s a ‘prostitute’?” asked Alesia.  “Seriously, what?  I’ve never heard that word before.”“Eh, whatever.  You wanna look at a portfolio, honey?” Joann pressed.But Waylan waved the two women off.  Jilted and annoyed, Alesia and Joann went back to surveying the crowd for other young men in need.A door behind the bar opened, and the bartenders for the evening appeared.  The first bartender, a fat woman with an unfortunate case of pimples, strode out first, dressed in black from head-to-toe.  Waylan recognized this woman immediately; in his universe, she was a barista at Java Beans.  A second bartender followed.And then…Delia glided through the door, shutting it behind her.  She flicked her ocean-blue eyes at the swelling crowd, her beautiful face betraying no emotion.The breath caught in Waylan’s throat.  This Delia was hot.  As always, she was short and very thin, with a trim little body.  And with her careful hairdo and light makeup, she was even more gorgeous than Waylan had yet to imagine.  In this universe, Delia had let her hair grow long, it was pulled straight and tied back in a high, simple ponytail.  The ponytail swished about her as the moved.  Her signature splash of silver-gray hair was in its usual position, as always.But the dress that Delia wore…!Waylan stared, hardly believing his eyes.  Delia had squeezed her lean frame into a black microdress that was made from some form of polyester, perhaps.  The dress pressed against her skin so tightly, it might have been painted on.  As Delia turned about to access a computer cash register, Waylan gaped at how the dress outlined her torso, abdomen, hips, and buttocks.  Delia’s small breasts were held up and pushed together, giving her impressive cleavage.  Curiously, she wore a pair of tiny spectacles perched on the end of her nose; those eyeglasses were too small to be functional, so Waylan assumed they were merely for show.After logging into the bar’s computer system, Delia began taking drink orders.  She listened attentively to the customers, speaking little, and never once smiling.  The men at the bar (and many of the women) did their best to flirt with her, but Delia was immune to their charms.  Her small hands served drinks with an expert’s efficiency.Waylan simply watched this Delia, amazed at how different, yet how completely the same she was.  This Delia had the identical body language, the same knowing stare, the same casual flick of her fingertips as the other Delias he’d encountered.  But the women he remembered were warm and bubbly, delighted to talk with people.  This Delia was determined to keep her distance from everyone else.Without warning, Delia spun on her heels and faced Waylan.  “Oh, hey there,” she half-shouted tonelessly over the club music.  “Its good to see you.”Waylan’s voice caught.“Can I get you something?” Delia wanted to know.“Uh, yeah, the usual,” stammered Waylan.  Out of habit, he blurted out, “Tall medium roast, black?”“We don’t do coffee,” Delia informed him.“Right, sorry, gin and tonic?”  It was the only drink Waylan could remember.The ends of Delia’s red lips turned down.  “Gin and what, now?”“Just… get me whatever you recommend,” Waylan told her.“No problem.  Won’t be a minute,” replied the bartender cooly.With that, Delia turned away, already reaching high for a bottle on the far wall.  Waylan found himself staring at her tight little behind, entranced to see it flex as she stretched.This Delia was…  It was amazing!  She was sexy in a confident, arrogant way.  In all of Waylan’s fantasies involving this woman, he’s never quite pictured her so outgoing, nor looking so alluring.  Even after witnessing the Delia of Universe 826 completely in the nude, watching this reality’s Delia was a special erotic treat.  She was more irresistible than ever.With an impressive efficiency, Delia made Waylan’s drink, which was tinted green and fizzed with lots of tiny bubbles.  She set the glass before Waylan.“One hundred ninety-three, please,” Delia said in a clipped voice.Waylan was ready.  He held up the Theta Amplifier, clicking the power button.  The little device whirred into activation.Delia hesitated, momentarily confused.  The Amplifier went to work on her thoughts, and soon Waylan could see the telltale signs of a hypnotic trance upon her lovely face.  Delia’s arms slipped to her sides, and she stood perfectly still, mesmerized and in Waylan’s power.“You will meet me outside the club in fifteen minutes!” Waylan told her firmly.  “And I have paid you your money.  Awaken now, remembering nothing!”He clicked off the Amplifier, then quickly slipped it into his suit jacket pocket.Delia blinked exactly once, then turned away.  She moved to her next customer, already ignoring – or oblivious to – Waylan.With a proud smirk, Waylan tasted his green fizzy drink.  It was sweet and delicious.*** *** *** ***“Wow,” Delia murmured, gazing out at the Presidential suite balcony.  “Mister, you must be crazy rich.  Look at this view…”It had been child’s play to rehypnotize the gorgeous bartender and then whisk her back to the Imperial Royale Hotel.  Now this Delia surveyed Waylan’s Presidential Suite with a mildly impressed look upon her beautiful face.  She wandered about the entertaining room, absently admiring the colonial furniture and the lavish art hanging on the walls.Waylan admired Delia’s body.  As the beautiful young woman strolled, he could see her every muscle, flexing and relaxing under that thin dress.Under the control of the Theta Amplifier, Delia had been hypnotized to believe that Waylan was the owner of the hotel, and she was head-over-heels smitten with him.  What was curious was that even after her brainwashing, Delia still regarded Waylan with something like mild amusement, not the dreamy admiration that Delia of Universe 826 had offered.  This Delia appeared to be detached and only slightly attracted to her hypnotist.Time to put that to the test, Waylan thought.“Hey,” he said forcefully.Delia stopped and turned to face him from across the wide entertainment room.  She regarded him cooly.Is she not properly hypnotized? Waylan thought, experiencing a flicker of doubt.But then, Delia removed those ridiculous spectacles, carelessly tossing them aside.  She raised her head, gazing at Waylan with lowered eyelids and flushed cheeks.“Baby…” the young woman moaned softly, “…can’t you see how bad I fucking want you?”Waylan swallowed.  “Yeah?”“Oh, fuck yeah,” Delia purred in a low, husky voice.  “Baby, I wanna take you into that bed, I wanna show you this body, and I wanna make your cock thick and hard.  And then, I’m suck that cock.  My pussy is so fucking wet, I wanna suck that cock, it makes me so fucking crazy.  I’m your crazy horny girl, baby…”She was hypnotized!  This Delia was experienced about hiding her feelings.  But the silent commands embedded inside her subconscious mind had a hold upon her.  Waylan permitted himself a flash of triumph.  He was growing hard.“Baaaaaby, I wanna suck that cock…” Delia moaned.“Show me,” demanded Waylan.Delia approached him slowly.  As she walked, her thin fingers reached for her dress, sliding it down her body at a deliberately teasing pace.  First, her breasts popped free, her dark nipples surprising Waylan once again.  Swinging her hips a little, Delia pushed the skintight garment lower, down her toned stomach, down over her graceful hips, down to her legs.  She wore no bra or underwear.By the time she was standing before Waylan, Delia was completely naked from the hips up.  She wriggled a little, and her dress plopped down her shapely legs, falling onto her black shoes.  She stepped free.At the same time, Delia took Waylan’s hands, pulling them onto her buttocks.  This forced Waylan to stoop forward, and before he knew it, his face was against hers.  Waylan and Delia kissed.The kiss was deep and powerful.  Once more, Waylan lost track of everything in the universe, save Delia’s lips.  She was a masterful kisser.  Her soft mouth cast a spell over his mind and body.For what seemed like ages, the two lovers stood there, embracing and kissing, Waylan gratefully fondling Delia’s naked rear.  If any ariel car had happened to fly past the balcony at that moment, they would have seen everything.After a time, Delia released the kiss.  “Lemme show you how much I’m into you?” she sighed, getting onto her knees.Waylan hesitated.  He’d wanted to fuck Delia in the bedroom.But the hypnotized bartender had other plans.  On her own volition, she unzipped Waylan’s trousers, reached inside, and removed his swollen penis.  Her delicate fingers excited him, and suddenly, it was as if Waylan was paralyzed with erotic delight.  His breathing came in irregular, jagged gasps, now.With loving care, Delia stroked Waylan, causing his shaft to become even redder, even more rigid.  Then, with a light sigh, Delia opened her red lips and placed Waylan inside her mouth.  She closed her eyes, and began to slurp.The woman was better at oral pleasure than she was at kissing.  Stunned, Waylan froze in place, shaking a little as Delia sent waves of erotic delight throughout his whole body.  Her lips caressed his member, providing suction and tension, drawing out his emotions.  At the same time, Delia’s free hand slipped underneath to cup Waylan’s testicles, using the lightest possible touch.  She tickled him, barely.It was all too much.  Waylan grunted, and felt himself shoot off.The orgasm was rushed, happening almost too quickly.  One second, Waylan was basking in Delia’s tender care, and the next, he was gushing at full blast.  Delia moaned softly, coaxing even more semen from him.  How was she doing that?  Waylan had no idea.With the talent of an expert, Delia eased her stimulation.  She drank deeply from Wayland, allowing him to exhaust himself without going too fast.  It was as if she could read his mind, or at least his body.And shortly after that, it was all over.  Waylan shook as Delia laughed softly.“You tasted wonderful, baby,” she told him.*** *** *** ***Two hours later, Delia was still in the nude.  She and Waylan had retreated into the bedroom, she’d inserted a zulant, and the two lovers had fucked each other, using three different positions.  Now, the beautiful young woman slept deeply, her muscular body carelessly splayed across the rumpled mattress.But Waylan was unable to sleep.  Restless, he slipped from the bedroom.Christy was recharging in the suite’s little office.  Wasting little time, Waylan seized the laptop computer and booted her up.“…eh?” Christy yawned.  “Hi, Daddy-  Whoa!  You’re naked!”“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” sneered Waylan.  “Get online, will ya?”“Did you and Delia do it?  Was it great?”“Yeah, we did,” scowled Waylan.  “But…”“But what?”Waylan made a helpless gesture.  “This Delia is crazy hot, but…  I want her…”“You want her to be what?” Christy asked warily.With conviction, Waylan replied, “Even sleazier.”*** *** *** ***

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

UNIVERSE 29437142

Brooklinn, NY

Wednesday, Maith 14th, 2031

The first thing Waylan and Christy noticed about the new universe was that here, the buildings were roughly egg-shaped.  They had round foundations, then they bulged outwards about the middle, only to rise up to a smooth cone-shaped, roofless top.  At the first glance, this style of architecture was quite disorienting.But there were many other glaring differences, too.  Waylan saw that here, the cars also had six wheels, but each wheel was a different size.  Some vehicles randomly changed colors.  And down the center of each street, there was a neat row of skinny, planted trees.  The trees had bubblegum pink leaves.“This is getting too weird,” fretted Christy.  “Daddy, I don’t wanna universe-jump anymore.”“Oh, its fine,” Waylan snapped at her.  He looked about.  “I think these differences are awesome.”As he spoke, a trim, fit-looking woman glided by, out walking her pet on a leash.  At first, Waylan thought the pet was a strange lapdog… but a second look confirmed that the animal was actually a miniatured elephant, trunk and all.  The elephant trumpeted at Waylan as it passed.“Huh!” was all the scientist had to say.Waylan craned his neck to confirm that he was standing at the corner of “4th The Avenue” and “5th The Street.”  Here, street signs were displayed in wide oval shapes that spun about for some reason.“They don’t use conventional electricity here,” Waylan observed.  “Hmm, not great for us.  You should still be able to interact with this universe’s Internet.  But if we want to use your hack probe to enslave another computer…”He broke off mid-comment.  Now, a small crowd of attractive young women were striding in his direction, all (barely) dressed in tight little exercise clothes.  The ladies’ taut bodies were easy to admire, as they all wore tiny sports bras and shorts.  They carried towels and blob-shaped cloth objects which must have been gym bags.Waylan ogled the ladies as they swept past him and into a local business named “Muscleworx.”“Look, Daddy,” Christy exclaimed.  “There’s six fitness places on this block alone!”Indeed there were.  In addition to Muscleworx, Waylan spotted gyms named “Pump ‘Em,” “Flexibot,” “Squats & Reps,” “HARDCORE,” “Ironbutt,” and “Hont’s Weightlifting.”Now that he surveyed about, Waylan realized…“Everyone here is nuts about fitness!” he exclaimed.  “Every last adult I see is buff and in crazy great shape.”Even the billboards Waylan could see displayed physically perfect models, many in the nude.“They’re body-crazy here,” Waylan repeated in amazed disbelief.  “Well, then.”“I can guess why,” said Christy.  “I’m picking up a high concentration of chlorophytum borivliianum and yohimbe pollens in the air here.”“Ohhhh, got it,” Waylan nodded.  “Yeah.  The ecosystem of this Earth is laced with natural aphrodisiacs.  No wonder people are body-obsessed.  They’re horny all the time.”  He smirked to himself.  “Oh, I gotta see Delia now…”“Careful, Daddy.  The pollen in the air will affect your libido, too.”“Yeah, yeah, noted,” said Waylan, staring openly at the muscular rear of a passing young woman.“Oh, wait!” said Christy sharply.  “Daddy, I’m getting-“Waylan sighed.  “Lemme guess:  You’ve detected another phased quantum signature?”“Yeah,” the laptop replied.  “How did you know?““Isn’t it obvious?” Waylan scowled.  “Someone else is jumping between universes, just like us.”“But I only detect the signatures when we arrive.  Are you sure I’m not detecting a quantum echo from our own jump?”“There’s no such thing as a quantum echo,” Waylan said darkly.  “Someone’s following us.”“Someone’s following us?” echoed Christy.  “Between universes?”“Yeah,” muttered Waylan, looking up and down the street.But all the young scientist could see were lean, muscular people, going about their business.  No-one gave him a second glance.“Who could possibly be following us?” Christy asked.  She was spooked.“I dunno yet,” admitted Waylan.  “I’ll put some thought into it.”*** *** *** ***The corner of “4th The Avenue” and “4th The Street” was right where Waylan expected to find it.  However, there was no coffee shop nor sex bar waiting for him there; only an egg-shaped building with a CONDEMNED sign hanging over the doorway.“Shit,” grunted Waylan.“Now what?” Christy asked.Waylan rubbed his chin, annoyed.  Finally, he asked, “You still have Delia’s scan data?”“Yes, Daddy.  I have her 3D visual image, plus-““Do you have a genetic sample?  Anything with her DNA?”“Uh…”  Christy became uncomfortable.  “Well, when you encountered the last two Delias, their bodies did emit a good amount of pheromones, after you, ah…”“Good work,” said Waylan, absently watching a trio of fitness-obsessed women jog by.  “Okay, feed that data into the analytics matrix and see if you can pick up Delia’s DNA here.”“Working,” Christy replied.  “Daddy, what if there is no Delia in this reality?  What if-““She’s here,” said Waylan, very firmly.  “The Delia here is the sole reason I picked this universe in the Searcher.”“Got her!” the laptop crowed.  “She’s… oh, man.  Daddy, turn around and look across the street.”Waylan spun about, just in time to see a massive, twelve-wheeled bus roll by.  After the bus passed, he could see a massive egg skyscraper on the other side of “4th The Avenue.”  The entire ground floor of that building was dedicated to what could only be a sex club, decorated in silver and black.  The alluring silhouettes of naked, dancing women were painted on the club’s exterior walls.  Over the wide double doors, the name of the club was proudly displayed:  “Ssssssin.”“Oh man,” Waylan exclaimed.  “How’d I miss that?”“Delia is inside,” reported Christy.  “But a quick Internet search says that this place doesn’t open its doors until eleven clock-o.”“Eleven clock-o?”“That’s eleven PM, I guess,” Christy said ruefully.  “Everything here is a little backwards.”*** *** *** ***Waylan followed his pattern.  Using hypnotism, he claimed a suite at the Empire Royal Hotelle, then abused his powers over the mind to buy himself another wardrobe.  By eleven clock-o, he was outside Ssssssin, waiting with a large crowd for admittance.A little more patience and another application of the Theta Amplifier gave Waylan Top VIP access Ssssssin’s finest amenities.  He was personally escorted by a beautiful topless waitress into the club’s main showroom, a dark, smoky theatre with a long thrust stage, many little tables, and privacy booths on the outside for intimate one-on-ones with the dancers.  As he sat down, Waylan tried to look in all directions.  There were no dancing girls up on the stage yet, but the club was playing heavy metals songs at full volume anyway.  The other tables were filling up with customers.  Waylan noted that the clientele at Ssssssin were all youthful and very attractive; half of them were women.“Now as a part of your Top VIP status,” the hypnotized waitress told Waylan, “you may select a girl to take with you into the Champagne Room.  Its fifty dollats a song, seven-fifty dollats for a full hour, you pay for all the drinks, tipping is appreciated.”“Fine,” Waylan frowned.“Oh, the club owners will want to greet you,” added the waitress.  “They love our Top VIPs.”“Fine!” snapped Waylan.  “Go away.”The waitress turned and glided off.Annoyed, the scientist reclined in his chair, still looking all about.  Where was Delia?  From his Searcher scan, he knew the beautiful young woman was here, somewhere.  And if Searcher was correct-Two women were approaching, talking rapidly between themselves.“…the client works in physics, or something,” prattled the first women; her alto voice was immediately familiar.  “He lives just two blocks from Moregrove Tech.  Hasn’t gotten laid in years.”Waylan twisted about in his chair, already knowing who he would see.Sure enough, this reality’s Alesia and Joann were strutting toward him, chatting away.  Alesia’s blonde hair was chopped into a frightful punk ‘do.  But in this universe, she’d done massive amounts of yoga, giving her a curvy, muscular body that Waylan could appreciate through her completely skintight bodysuit.  Joann wore a large business sportscoat, but the tiniest shorts that Waylan had ever seen.  The suitcoat was buttoned in the front, allowing you to see that Joann wasn’t wearing a bra.“The client works at Moregrove Technologies?” asked Joann.  “Well, he must be crazy-  Why, helloooo!”Both Alesia and Joann had spotted Waylan, and their eyes lit up.  Without pausing for an invitation, they sat at Waylan’s table, snuggling close to him on both sides.“Welcome to Ssssssin, baby,” Alesia purred, taking Waylan’s arm.  “Here at Ssssssin, we love our VIPs.”“Love them!” nodded Joann.  She touched Waylan’s bicep, flirting.  “Hey there, stud.  You lookin’ to meet a pretty girl?”“I am, actually,” the young man admitted.Alesia and Joann laughed in unison.  “Well, I’m sure we can…“ Alesia started to say.But then, the house lights dimmed.  A heavy drumbeat sounded from the speakers.“Laaaaaaaaadies and gentlemen!” the deejay called out over the loudspeakers.  “Welcome to Ssssssin, where all sexuality is embraced and shared!  But enough about me.  Let’s bring out our first girl of the evening… Sparkler!”There was a blaze of strobe lights on the stage, blinding Waylan.  When he blinked his way back to awareness, he realized that there was a lithe young dancer up on the stage…  swinging her hips…  strutting with pride…  waving her arms about in defiant, alluring motions…  twitching her shoulders in time to the music…  Making love to the audience with her body…  Her whole skin shown with body oil.The dancer strode to the end of the thrust, seized a silver pole, and with a powerful leap, spun high up into the air.  Her muscular legs pirouetted out about her as she moved.  In the sharp light, Waylan could see her tensed buttocks and lean back muscles as she worked.  She wore only a small bikini top, thin G-string, and eight-inch platform shoes, all in glittering silver.The dancer did three orbits about the pole, then gracefully returned to Earth.  She leaned forward, far forward, arching her back and allowing her spectators to admire her streamlined, toned figure.  She was sleek, oily, irresistible in every way.Waylan squinted.  It was hard to tell in this harsh light, but was that…?It was.  The dancer was Delia.  There was no doubt.  As she shimmied in time to the music, Waylan caught a perfect glimpse of her face.In this universe, Delia was a little thinner.  Her elfin face was narrower, and her cheeks a little paler.  But there was no mistaking those full, red lips, that tiny little nose, those perfect white teeth, and especially… those flashing ocean-blue eyes.  This Delia had enhanced her body with plastic surgery, for her breasts were larger and did not bounce with their usual lively playfulness.  Her buttocks also seemed sculpted, but perhaps that was Waylan’s wild imagination.  She had definitely been to the surgeon to artificially remove any body fat around her stomach and hips, making her oiled skin look tight against her muscle-packed body.  Her dark brown hair was down, wavy and bouncy about her busy shoulders.  Waylan liked how her streak of silver-gray appeared to glow in the stagelights.As she danced, Delia wore an expression of lustful desire.  She kept her eyes half-closed and her mouth open, which made it appear that she was aroused.  She certainly knew how to seduce her audience.“Ah, Sparkler,” Alesia said into Waylan’s ear.  “That girl’s a prize, to be sure.”“You like her?” asked Joann.Feeling hypnotized himself, Waylan simply nodded stupidly.Up on the stage, Delia slowly reached behind herself, all while swinging her hips about in wide, lazy circles.  With impressive showmanship, she unhooked her own bikini top, then whirled about as it came off.  Her breasts flopped out into view, prompted a round of applause from the audience.*** *** *** ***For the next two songs, Delia worked the thrust stage, allowing customers to approach her and slip dollat singles into her G-string.  When her last song faded away, she had at least fifty dollats in change, sticking out in all directions.“Let’s hear it for Sparkler!” the deejay roared, prompting a thunderous ovation.  Delia snatched her bikini top.  “Next up, Ssssssin is proud to bring you the sensuous… Tigress Fly!”The lights and songs were changing.  Now Delia was discretely hopping off the stage, ceding it to the next barely-clad dancer.“You wanna see more girls, honey?” Alesia asked Waylan, touching the inside of his thigh.  “There’s no rush, our ladies are here-““No,” interrupted Waylan.  “I want her.”  He nodded at Delia.With a proud little smirk, Joann raised one hand and made a gesture.And without hesitation, Delia strode over.  She had collected her dollat singles into a stack, and now she handed that stack to Joann.  Delia’s ocean blue eyes never left Waylan’s gaze.Waylan couldn’t believe the vision before him.  Delia wore only her G-string and platform shoes, yet she possessed so much confidence, it was hard to believe she was so naked.  Her body was very well toned, with sexy little valleys tracing the spaces between her visible muscles.  Her oiled skin gleamed.“Sparkler?” said Alesia.  She gestured to Waylan.  “This is one of our Top VIPs for the evening.”Delia’s eyes lit up.  “Oh, hey there!” she said warmly.  And then, as Waylan stared, she sat in his lap, allowing him to lay his hand upon her exposed thigh.  She leaned close, captivating Waylan’s nose with her perfume.  “Its good to see you.”“Yeah… its good… to see you,” Waylan babbled.Delia offered a musical laugh.  “You’re funny.”“Why don’t you take Sparkler into the Champagne Room?” coaxed Joann.“Yes, go on,” Alesia agreed.  In a dark voice, she added, “Remember, our dancers won’t fuck you.  So don’t ask.”Waylan seemed not to hear.So Delia leaned even closer, so close that her nude, enhanced breasts pushed up against Waylan’s thin chest.  Her lips appeared at his ear.“Come with me to the Champagne Room?” she breathed.  “I won’t just give you the usual, honey.”“Yeah,” Waylan mindlessly agreed.  “Yeah, let’s go.”Delia grinned like a fox.  She rose up, taking Waylan by both hands.  “No problem, it won’t be a minute to get there.”*** *** *** ***In less than ten minutes, Delia and Waylan were alone in the Champagne Room, which was much less grand than its name suggested.  But Waylan didn’t care.  He couldn’t take his eyes off this new, lustful Delia.“Dude, you want me to dance for you…?” moaned the beautiful young woman.  “Its fifty dollats a song, seven-fifty dollats for a full hour, you pay for all the drinks.”  She smiled coyly.  “Tipping is appreciated.”“Look here,” Waylan commanded, holding up the Theta Amplifier.“Is that a…” Delia began, but her musical voice trailed off.The Amplifier made short work of her conscious mind, quickly lulling her into a deep hypnotic trance.  She now stood before Wayland, gazing blankly ahead, her muscle-laced arms hanging at her sides.“Heh,” smirked Waylan.  In the taxi ride over, he’d planned to hypnotize Delia into all sorts of decadent sex fantasies:  Delia, you now believe that you are a fairy princess, you will suck my cock.  Or:  Delia, you now believe you are a prim ballerina, you will jack me off.  Or:  Delia, you now believe you are a high school cheerleader, you will fuck me reverse cowgirl.  And so on.  Waylan’s imagination was limitless.But now that Sleazy Delia was practically naked, hypnotized, and awaiting his commands, Waylan couldn’t restrain himself.“You now believe I have the thickest footlong cock,” he ordered, breathing rapidly.  “You will immediately want me to fuck you, and fuck you hard.  And when I am fucking you, you will believe that you’ve never been drilled so hard in your life.  Do you understand?”“…yes…” the mesmerized stripper responded.Waylan snapped his fingers.Coming back to life, Delia smiled, stepping much closer.  Waylan could see the pores of her oiled skin.“Mmm,” the dancer groaned, sliding a hand over Waylan’s bulging crotch.  “Oh my God…  Dude, you’re huge!  Your cock is huge!”Waylan grinned.  He knew he was putting Delia into the most base of male sex fantasies… and he didn’t care.  Seeing Delia believe the nonsense he put into her head was too erotic to be believed.“Oh fuck…” mumbled Delia, still fondling Waylan through his trousers.  “Oh shit, dude, you must be a foot long, right?  Oh my God…!  And so thick!  I can’t believe it…”Her ocean blue eyes flashed with determination.“Dude!  I hafta fuck you.  Now.”Amused, the arrogant scientist couldn’t help but ask, “Yeah, but what about fifty dollats a song?”“Fuck that,” pronounced Delia, slipping off her G-string.  “I gotta fuck you, dude.  We gotta do this, now.”Off went the young woman’s ridiculous platform shoes, and then she was completely naked.  Waylan watched as her small hands dipped into a sidetable drawer, plucking out what he assumed was this universe’s equivalent of a zulant.  Delia applied the little birth control device to her vagina, simply popping it in in less than a second.“Dude!” the stripper said, annoyed.  “What, I gotta do everything?  Pants off.”Impatient and horny, she knelt before Waylan, undoing his belt, muttering, “…so fucking huge… at least twelve inches… oh my God…  so thick…” as she worked.  Waylan tried to help, but his fingers kept getting in the way.After some determined pulling, Waylan’s trousers and underwear were yanked down his legs, exposing his swollen penis to the hot air.“Oh fuck!” Delia exclaimed, staring at Little Waylan in amazement.  “Shit, dude!”She put the cock deep into her mouth, then withdrew slowly, making sure to coat Waylan in her silva.  Waylan moaned aloud, almost cumming on the spot.“Okay, now, fuck me!” ordered Delia, spinning about.  She planted her hands on the back of an easy chair, arched her back, and moved into a wide stance.  She bent her knees and leaned forward, very low.  Her sculpted little rear now faced Waylan, oiled and flexing and gleaming as if it were bronzed.  She smelled faintly of coconuts and lilac…“Grab my hips!” Delia cried.  “Stick that cock in me!  Go, fucker, go!”She was barking like an Army drill sergeant.  Waylan found himself just mechanically obeying.Her skin was slippery under his eager hands.  Waylan had to clamp hard to hold her in place.  But his rocklike cock needed no guidance to find Delia’s impatient vagina.  Within seconds, his tip had located her opening.  He thrust.“Oh fuck!!!” screamed Delia, arching her back even more.  “Harder, dude, fuck me so much harder!”Waylan was already on the job.  His hips became a blur, pounding Delia at full throttle.  Each push into her was so wet, so hot, so smooth, so incredible.  Right away, the scientist felt his cock light up.  He was seconds away from spouting.“Ohhhhhh my God!!!” the stripper wailed, visibly trembling.  “Oh shit oh fuck oh God fuck me harder, fuck me so much harder oh FUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKK!!!”Waylan barely heard her.  He was firing off, emptying out at record speed.  It had all been so fast!  Waylan’s head was spinning.“YEEEEEEAHH!!!”  Delia was bending forward even more, doing her best to press herself against Waylan’s slowing cock.  “Oh fuck!  Oh my fucking God, yeah!”Strangely exhausted, Waylan decelerated.  He came to a stop, then slowly pulled out of Delia.  His penis tingled, halfway between ultimate pleasure and uncomfortable overload.Waylan had climaxed before he had a chance to savor the moment.He released Delia, then staggered backwards, trying not to trip over the trousers about his ankles.The beautiful dancer sagged, finally allowing herself to relax.  She giggled aloud.Waylan was struggling to catch his own breath.“Oh my God…!” sighed Delia happily, now collapsing onto an old, beaten-up couch.  “Oh God!  Oh damn!  Oh fuck!  Oh shit, my pussy hasn’t been fucked like that in…!”  She gasped.  “Fuck, yeah…!”Feeling strangely cheated, Waylan wiped himself off with a tissue.“Fuck, yeeeeeeeah…” Delia moaned, enjoying her orgasm’s aftershocks.  “Hey, dude, do you smoke?  You mind if I do?”Waylan looked away.  “Whatever.”“Okay.”  The lithe young dancer returned to the sidetable drawer.  She quickly located a pack of Harboro cigarettes, a flame-lighter, and a plastic ashtray.  In little time, she’d lit up, inhaled deeply, then flopped back onto the sofa.“Ohhhhhhhh fuck…” Delia groaned happily.  “Dude, I don’t know what you did to me… I never fuck the clients.  But Goddamn, that was like being rammed by a stallion…”  She shuddered in pleasure.“You’re only saying that,” Waylan told her, “because I hypnotized you to think I have the world’s largest dick.”This declaration caused Delia to roar with laughter.  “Hypnotize me?  Sure, dude, sure.”  She took a long drag of smoke.  “Still…  if you did some kinda mental mumbo-jumbo trick on me…  I ain’t complaining.”This Delia was sexy and self-assured and fearless.  She was equally comfortable in the nude was she was wearing clothes.  Even now, her legs were flung wide open, giving Waylan an unobstructed view of her shaved crotch and gleaming vagina; she obviously didn’t feel shy in the least.  In fact, watching Delia, Waylan wondered if anything embarrassed her.  She was just as beautiful as any of her counterparts, and yet…“So, honey,” Delia asked, “you still want me to dance for you?  ‘Cause its fifty dollats a song, seven-fifty dollats for a full hour, you pay for all the drinks.”  Another hit on the cigarette.  “Tipping’s appreciated, you know.”Waylan could have shone the Theta Amplifier on her again.  Put her back into a deep trance, and commanded her to return with him to the hotel.  Made her into his willing slave girl, happy to dance for him or ride his cock whenever he snapped his fingers.  It would have been easy.But suddenly, Waylan was uneasy.  Here was his Dream Delia:  naked, sleazy, unbound by modesty or shame.  This was the Delia of his earliest fantasies.  And yet…“This isn’t what I want,” Waylan muttered to himself.“Oh?”  Delia shrugged.  “No problem, dude.”  She stood.  “But if you like, I’ll see you again tomorrow, okay?”*** *** *** ***“How’d it go?” Christy asked as Waylan stormed into the hotel suite.  “Not what you wanted?”“Yeah, but…”  Waylan gave a deep frown.  “Shit, I can’t describe it.  This wasn’t my ultimate Delia.”“She wasn’t sleazy enough?” exclaimed the laptop in disbelief.“Yes.  No!  Aw, fuck…”  Waylan slouched into an easy chair, discouraged.  “Load up the Selector.  I want to look at more universes.”“You got it, Daddy,” obliged Christy.  She sighed.  “What are you seeking now?”Wayland didn’t reply, but he did consider the question.Then, with a determined look in his eye, he began tapping away on Christy’s keyboard…*** *** *** ***

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

UNIVERSE 4013052735861029445792879387541

Broklorp

, NYW

Thuuday, Maith 15th, 2031

Secret Agent Delia Stone (Codename: Red Viper) paused, scanning the rooftops with her narrowed eyes.  Under the starless night sky, the only illumination were the plasma-electric glow orbs, floating over the street, far below.  Delia’s eyes were liable to play tricks on her.The beautiful agent’s red lips twisted.  The B.R.U.T.E. henchmen were close by, she could feel it.  Those assassins were top muscle, the best killers for hire anywhere in the world!  If Delia failed to bring them in-Three laser bolts shot past Delia’s head!  The searing heat of their ion trails was palpable on Delia’s skin.With instant reflexes, Delia drew her pistol and returned fire!  There was a scream as one of her assailants took a laser bolt to the chest, then collapsed.  That man was dead.  But his two companions were racing forward, their electrified horanta swords drawn…There was no time.  Delia dropped her pistol, assuming a tense fighting stance.  She allowed the henchmen exactly two futile swings of their blades, which she dodged with the expertise of a cat.  Then, as the B.R.U.T.E. killers were trying to double their attack, she struck.Delia’s ninja training had never served her better.  One lightning-fast kick connected with a henchman’s knee, causing him to bellow in agony and crumple onto the roof.  He was done.  Now Delia flipped about in midair, reaching out with both hands…The third henchman never had a chance.  Delia’s fingers clamped onto the base of his skull, and she twisted, hard.  There was the wet snap of bone.  The thug’s whole body jerked, just once, and then he crashed to the roof.  He twitched horribly for a while as he died.Now Delia calmly rose to her feet, picking up one of the horanta swords.  She stood over the surviving henchmen, holding the weapon at his throat.Panicking, the man tried to crawl away.“Don’t bother,” Delia told him.  “Now:  We’re going to do this just once.  Where is Dr. Tyrant?”“Fuck you!” the henchman cried, struggling.  “Fuck you, bitch, fuck-““Wrong answer,” said Delia, coldly.She stabbed once, using a surgeon’s precision.  The blow was swift and instantly lethal.  The henchman never had a chance to cry out.Sighing a little, Delia tossed aside the sword.  She stooped over the body of her enemy, carefully searching his clothes with expert fingers.The night air was cold.  Delia wore her preferred duty uniform, the black skintight suit that clung to every curve and recess of her body.  Her lean body was laced with hard, battle-toned muscles.  About Delia’s narrow waist, she wore a weapons belt, and there were emergency throwing blades strapped to her arms and thighs.  Her dark brown hair was tied up into a tight, rocklike bun, although the streak of silver-gray was still visible.The little wrist computer on Delia’s right hand began blinking.  The beautiful young agent slapped a control, then resumed her search of the dead henchman.Over the wrist computer, a holographic image of two other women appeared, both wearing serious expressions on their otherwise-attractive faces.“Report, Red Viper,” barked V.A.L.I.A.N.T Director Alesia Foster.Delia nodded at her superiors.  “Evening, ma’am’s.  I’ve had a run-in with three of B.R.U.T.E.’s goons.  Had to drop ‘em, no way around it.”“Damnit,” Alesia said heavily.Now Director Joann Rey leaned forward.  “Any sign of Dr. Tyrant?”“None,” admitted Delia.  “But he can’t be-““Hold on, Viper,” interrupted Alesia.  “Our surveillance bots have picked up… a phased quantum signature, not far from your location.”“A phased quantum signature?” Delia repeated.  “I’ve never heard of a phased-““Its gotta be Dr. Tyrant, right?” Joann asked Alesia.  “Only that maniac would use quantum tech.”Alesia nodded firmly.  “Agreed.  Red Viper, proceed to intercept, use caution.  You’re the only agent within station, so do not engage unless there is no other alternative.”“Understood.”  Delia rose to her feet.  “What’s the location?”“The corner of 4th The Avenue and 5th The Street.”*** *** *** ***Moving silently, Agent Delia Stone approached the corner of 4th and 5th, all of her senses alit.  At this hour, there were only a handful of civilians walking about, huddling together for protection in case of another B.R.U.T.E. attack.  The police patrol robots were out in force tonight, although Delia didn’t see any at the moment.The corner of 4th and 5th looked innocent enough.  As with any street in Broklorp, the sidewalk was constructed from plated bronze, with the customary jlasha plant standing just at the street’s edge.  In this section of the neighborhood, the octagon-shaped buildings were squat and slightly bluish, in an old architectural style that Delia didn’t appreciate.There was a man standing on the corner, all alone.  Delia tensed.  She could see him clearly under the soft plasma lighting of the floating glow orb.  The man was tall and quite skinny, with a bushy haircut and very strange clothes, indeed.  He wore a wide backpack and there was a messenger’s bag slung over one of his hips.  Oddly enough, the man appeared to be… conversing with his backpack?Nothing about this man seemed natural to Delia.  Trusting her guts, she drew her laser pistol.The man was saying, “…really?  No other phased quantum signature?”Now the backpack responded, talking in a synthesized woman’s voice.  “No, Daddy,” it said.  “But perhaps if we wait a bit-““Naw, don’t bother,” the man instructed.  He turned about, now facing away from Delia.  “You know what?  We’ve lost our follower.  I knew we would.  Alright, forget about our mystery admirer, see if you can’t pick up her bioreadings, okay?”“Scanning…” said the backpack.Delia’s highly-trained mind sized up the situation.  This stranger – whomever he was – was not with Dr. Tyrant, nor with B.R.U.T.E.  He clearly had some connection to the quantum disturbance that HQ had detected.  But was he an enemy?  Delia wasn’t sure.She decided to take no chances.  Quieter than a shadow, she advanced, her pistol ready.The backpack cried out, “Daddy!  Behind you-“Delia closed the distance.  She jammed her gun under the base of the man’s skull, then said wryly, “Oh, hey there.  Its good to see you.”The man froze, raising his hands.  His backpack said nothing.“Who are you with?” Delia demanded.  “With B.R.U.T.E.?  Or just the usual, mister?”“I’m not with anyone,” protested the man.The beautiful secret agent frowned.  “Yeah?  Turn around.”Slowly, the man rotated about to face her.  Delia peered at his handsome face in the faded plasma-light.  The man was tensed, but remaining calm.“Sorry, officer,” he said softly.  “I didn’t mean any trouble…”Nothing about this fellow seemed threatening.  Delia’s instincts could detect nothing that alarmed her about this stranger.  Perhaps she was overreacting?She cocked her head to one side.  “What’s your name, citizen?”“Waylan,” the stranger told her.  “Waylan Reis.”“Let me see your ID, Mr. Ries.”“Yeah, yeah, sure,” the Waylan fellow mumbled.  “Its in my pocket, okay?  And officer, am I under arrest?”“Consider this a routine security sweep,” Delia told him.  “Now give me your ID.   Its no problem, this check won’t take a minute.”“Okay.”  Moving slowly, the odd man reached down, dipping into his jeans pocket.  He withdraw what appeared to be a small, white plastic device.Delia holstered her pistol.  “That’s your ID?”“Look here,” Waylan told her.Before Delia could respond, the little device was before her eyes.  Waylan pressed a button with this thumb……and suddenly, Delia’s whole world faded away…*** *** *** ***“…one, two, three, four, five!” Delia heard a man’s voice say.  “Awaken, now!”The secret agent blinked, collecting her thoughts.  Where was she?Oh, right.  Delia felt silly.  She was in one of V.A.L.I.A.N.T.’s safehouses, a secret bunker location atop a Broklorp skyscraper!  The great megalopolis of Manhotton-Queens-Bronx could be seen out the expansive, one-way mirrors.Oh, of course!  Delia remembered now.  Delia remembered it all, so clearly.Just an hour ago, V.A.L.I.A.N.T. Directors Alesia Foster and Joann Rey had sent Delia on a recon mission.  Delia had not found Dr. Tyrant, but instead stumbled upon this wonderful, wonderful man, this Waylan Reis, who was the most wonderful, wonderful man, so smart, so sexy, so handsome.  Waylan had done something to her, somehow put his voice inside Delia’s mind, and now all Delia wanted to do was follow and obey the instructions of this wonderful, wonderful man.  Delia was secretly smitten with him.Why, even now, as Delia looked about the bunker, she could see Waylan Ries, that wonderful, wonderful man, grinning at her.  She swooned, just a little.It was like the cobwebs were fading from her mind.  After Waylan Ries had done the thing to her, Delia had no worries or fears any longer.  She’d happily led Waylan to this safehouse, locked the two of them inside, and then shed all of her clothes.  Why, she was completely naked right now!  How had she forgotten that?  Ah, well, it didn’t matter.  All Delia wanted to do was follow and obey the commands of this wonderful, wonderful man…Happy to be so carefree, Delia skipped about.  There was a wide bed in the corner of the bunker.  Delia flung herself upon it.Waylan, her master, was talking with his laptop.  “Prepare a hack probe,” he ordered.“Yes, Daddy,” the laptop replied.  “Probe ready, waiting in Port C.”As Delia watched happily, Waylan pulled a small device off the laptop, then plugged it into the V.A.L.I.A.N.T. computer terminal.  The terminal indicator lights blinked like crazy.“Well?” Waylan asked, impatient.“Uh…  Well, I mostly have control,” said the laptop, sounding not-too-confident.  “But Daddy, the farther we move from our origin universe, the more computer technology changes from what I’m used to.  In a few more jumps, I’ll be incompatible with new systems.”“Once we find the perfect Delia,” said Waylan, “I’ll figure out the new technology and upgrade you accordingly.  So don’t worry about it.”“Fine,” the laptop huffed.  “I’m in control.  Hmm.  This universe…”“Yeah?”“Well, the history here is really entertaining.  It seems that in the last sixty-some years, a cabal of high-tech terrorists have tried to overthrow the global governments.”Happy and uncaring, the naked Agent Delia rolled over on the bed.  She listened as the laptop computer described the chronology of her world.Waylan was admiring Delia’s nude body.  He was visibly growing hard.“…and then, a criminal mastermind named Dr. Tyrant-““You know what?” snapped Waylan.  “I don’t care.  Shut up.”The laptop ceased reciting.  Waylan rose to his feet, unbuckling his belt…Suddenly, Delia was incredibly horny.*** *** *** ***Waylan’s cock felt huge and powerful as it thundered away inside of Delia.  The secret agent, lost to her own passion, arched her back, almost screaming aloud.  Oh, this felt so good!!!She and her master were on the bed.  Delia lay on her back, her legs parted wide, Waylan fucking her with all his strength.  Thank God that there had been time to insert a zulant ring!  This man’s sheer size and power were almost too much for Delia to bear!Well… oddly, that wasn’t completely true.  Delia absolutely believed that Waylan had a titanic dick and then he fucked her with the power of a bulldozer… and yet, Delia’s body was telling her that Waylan was no more endowed or skilled than any of her other lovers.  Why might Delia believe otherwise?  Was she under some kind of spell, or something?Oh fuck, it didn’t matter!  All that mattered was that Waylan her Master was fucking her at top speed and he felt incredible, this wonderful, wonderful man, and Delia’s body was naked and coated in sweat and the room felt hot and her muscles were trembling and that she was close SO CLOSE and if her master could fuck her a little harder just a little harder JUST A LITTLE HARDER she could cum she wanted to cum so fucking badly oh fuck this felt incredible HE WAS HITTING HER SPOT RIGHT THERE RIGHT THERE RIGHT THERE, FUCK YESSSSSSSSS!!!With a wordless scream of passion, Delia felt every part of her body flex.  Her vagina roared with triumph, and Delia came like a geyser.  Her whole body flushed with erotic wonder!  Oh, this was a wonderful, wonderful orgasm!!!*** *** *** ***Time passed.  Waylan would snap his fingers, and Delia kept going back into this strange sleep.  While she was sleeping, Waylan would tell her things, and later, once she awoke again, Delia found that she had to obey his instructions.  Normally, Special Agent Red Viper would bristle at being under the control of a man… but this just felt right.  Delia did not resist.She and Waylan had sex three more times, each time switching positions.  The man was insatiable.  That wonderful, wonderful man…But after a while, Waylan seemed distracted.Delia went back into her special sleep.  While under, she could hear Waylan and his laptop converse:Waylan:  “She’s not the one.”Laptop:  “Not her?  Daddy, are you sure?  You two are definitely sexually compatible.”Waylan was distraught.  “Yeah, this Delia is crazy hot, and I love how she’s got this killer warrior’s body.  But…”“But what?” cried the laptop, exasperated.“I want my Delia to be more… different,” said Waylan helplessly.  “I can’t explain it, but I want her to… to…  Something else.”“You really think too highly of yourself,” the laptop reproached him.“Shut up.  Load up the Searcher.”Delia heard the quiet tapping of fingers on a computer keyboard.  Then, Waylan exclaimed.  “There!  There she is.  We’re going there.  Prep the Hargrove generator.”“Yes, Daddy…” said the laptop, resigned.There was some rustling of clothing as Waylan got dressed.  Then Delia heard soft bumps and thuds, as if her master was packing up his things.  How odd!  Where was he going…?Outside her closed eyelids, Delia sensed a bright flash of light.  And then, she heard nothing at all.She slept on, basking in this strange, peaceful dream.*** *** *** ***

UNIVERSE 71232943748329439753854763280439820958024975047215821573289520519798172403401295794821210343217502175312473180473257042157028748146983625972015402185027430740832750412527034024726742343423850920570476714075251075047375847297953729412

Brokloenamm, NNYW

Faldae - Naith 51.38 - year.2031

“Damnit!”  DeliaStone threw down her turbo-blaster in disgust.  “The powerpack’s dead!”In the titanium rubble next to her, snipers AlesiaFoster and JoannRey looked up in shock.  “Shit, the androids’ spearhead is advancing!” AlesiaFoster snarled.  “We need heavy cover fire!”“Yeah, I fucking know!” DeliaStone flung back.The beautiful young freedom fighter wiped the sweat from her brow.  Like everyone else in the Devastated Zone, she wore very little on her muscular body:  A tiny white tee shirt, with its neck, sleeves, and midriff ripped out, a pair of very ragged shorts, some taped-together combat boots, and a mere two plates of lasergrid armor mounted on her small shoulders.  The rest of her body was exposed, and covered in dirt, perspiration, and scratches.  As befitting a member of the Resistance, Delia had chopped her dark brown hair almost down to the roots, although her telltale splash of silver locks was still visible.With a determined glare, DeliaStone announced, “I’m gonna take a recon.”“No, wait, that’s suicide!” cried JoannRey.Ignoring the warning of her comrade, DeliaStone darted out into the ruined streets.  She was swift on her feet.  All about her, there were buildings smashed by the plasma bombardment and blackened, twisted metals.  The air was thick with gray smoke.  But laser flashes could dimly be seen through the haze-A crimson plasmabolt zipped past DeliaStone’s head with an electric Pzzzzzzzt! sound.  The beautiful young freedom fighter cursed, sprinting faster.  She’d been spotted!  There were just seconds to reach that charred armor tank…Barely staying ahead of the enemy’s fire, DeliaStone leapt forward, making it to momentary safety in the nick of time.  But now, she could hear the dreaded clank of metal robot feet, coming up the street, rushing her position.  The androids were taking no prisoners.DeliaStone looked about wildly, desperate for anything to use to defend herself.  Wait!  Crumpled on the broken pavement was a resistance soldier, his body horribly mangled from plasma fire.  He clutched a turborifle in his hands.Wasting no time, DeliaStone grabbed the rifle, cocked the fusion safety, then raised the weapon.  The androids were upon her.The beautiful young soldier fired.  She didn’t aim.  She simple flattened the trigger, waved the rifle at her assailants, and braced herself for the weapon’s kickback.  The rifle belched out a torrent of superheated photon bolts, each containing the power of a miniature sun.  The android soldiers were caught in the blast, and they blew apart as their artificial bodies were ravaged by the sheer, raw energy.There was a good deal of electric screaming, some explosions, and a few wild, desperate plasma shots.  But DeliaStone’s luck held.  In less than ten seconds, the android vanguard had been reduced to slag.  The droids never had a chance.Her chest heaving, DeliaStone released her trigger.  She gasped for breath, willing her heartrate to slow.  The turborifle was warm in her hands.  The air smelled of burnt plastic.  Her muscles were still tense, ready for anything.But there were no sounds of more robots.  For the moment, DeliaStone was in the clear.Wait.  No, there was something approaching.  A person, not a robot.  Delia squinted, trying to peer through the thick smoke.  Ever since the city of Brokloenamm had been fusion-bombed, it was hard to see ten meters even in broad daylight…The figure of a man appeared through the haze.  DeliaStone blinked in surprise.  This man was an odd one, to be sure.  He was tall and lanky, not battle-hardened at all.  Amazingly, his clothes covered his whole body and not one of them appeared tattered in the least.  The man wore no laserplate armor, nor did he seem to be carrying a weapon.  In fact, from his relaxed body language, DeliaStone wondered if this man had any idea that the apocalypse had occurred.  He seemed unbothered by the radioactive fallout heat.  In fact, he seemed unbothered by anything at all.  How had he gotten past the robot death sentries on the city perimeter?The man spotted DeliaStone, and made his way towards her, carefully stepping over the shattered pavement and android remains.  He looked thrilled.  How strange!Every fibre of DeliaStone’s being told her to be cautious.  She instinctively adopted a ready stance, hefted the turborifle, and watched the man carefully.The man drew nearer still.  Raising the turborifle slightly, DeliaStone barked out in a sarcastic tone, “Oh, hey there.  Its good t’see you.”“Oh yeah, this is the version of her I want,” the man exclaimed.  He didn’t seem to be addressing DeliaStone.  “She’s hot, and an even more kickass warrior.”From the man’s wide backpack, a robot’s electrified voice replied, “You sure this is safe, Daddy?  This Delia looks pretty-““An android scoutbot!” DeliaStone cried, aiming the turborifle.“Whoa, whoa, wait!!!” shouted the man, holding up both hands.  “Don’t shoot!  I’m unarmed!”Suspicious, DeliaStone glared at this stranger.“Where do you come from?” she wanted to know.“Eh, far away,” the man assured her.  “I’m Waylan, by the way!  Waylan.  Good to meet you.”“Way Land,” repeated DeliaStone.  “Yeah, you musta come from far off.  Fuck.”The man Wayland stepped closer, his hands still in the air.  “Hey, uh… can you give me a little water, maybe?  I’m parched.”DeliaStone couldn’t believe the nativity of this guy.  “Oh, really, you’re thirsty?  Sure, Wayland.  No problem, won’t be a minute.  I’ll just tap my canteen for you.”“Really?”“No, dumbass,” sneered the young woman.  “Look around you.  Our only unirradiated water source in guarded, back at the People’s Citadel.”“Ah,” Wayland said, embarrassed.  “Right.”DeliaStone lowered her rifle.  This Wayland guy was a clueless moron.  How was he so untouched by the horrors of the war?  Despite herself, DeliaStone realized that she was intrigued.“Where did you say you came from, again?” she asked, determined.Wayland moved closer.  “Brooklyn.”“Brook land,” echoed DeliaStone.  “Weird name.”“I’ve a feeling that you would like it there,” Wayland told her.Now that he was standing before her, DeliaStone could survey the young man up close.  He actually was quite handsome… in a gawky, awkward way.  She’d always had a thing for gawky guys.  His bushy haircut in particular caught her attention.  No-one in the Devastated Zone had hair like that.Wayland looked up and down the bombed-out city.  “Kinda a bad neighborhood, huh?”“You’re clearly not from around here,” DeliaStone said wryly.She relaxed.  Whoever this Wayland stranger was, he was harmless.“Hey, are we safe?” Wayland wanted to know.  “Are any more of those robot thingees about to come?”“No, no, we’re fine,” sighed DeliaStone, switching off her rifle’s neutron scope.  “The androids attack in progressive waves.”  She gestured to the smoking remains of the assault droids.  “Those will be the last for another sun-cycle.”“Really?” Wayland grinned.  “Then there’s something I want to show you…”To DeliaStone’s surprise, Wayland was now holding a small, white object, something that fit neatly in his hand.  He held the device up and clicked a button…*** *** *** ***“Oh God…!” DeliaStone gasped in passion.  She was close!  “Oh fuck me, fuck me harder, oh yeah, oh God…!!!”The beautiful freedom fighter was naked from the waist down.  She stood, bent forward at the hips, gripping a broken brick wall as she did her best to balance upon the balls of her bare feet.  Her stance was wide, her rear thrust backwards……because her master, Wayland the Stranger, was behind her, thrusting his erect cock into her with a crazed abandon.  Oh God, did this man know how to fuck!  DeliaStone’s wet vagina was crazy with the sheer stimulation!  Wayland gripped her hips tighter, pulling DeliaStone down harder onto his stonelike penis.Through the frenzied passion, DeliaStone dimly wondered… what had come over her?  She was unsure.One minute, she’d been standing in the warzone, combat-ready, merely talking to this odd Wayland man.  But then… DeliaStone was uncertain what happened next… Wayland had showed her a small device, and suddenly she felt her universe melt away.  All of her worries and fears vanished from her mind.  Under Wayland’s spell, DeliaStone felt tranquil and serine, and she wanted to obey Wayland.  He was a wonderful, wonderful man.It was so odd.  Even though she was a dedicated soldier, DeliaStone had never allowed others command her.  She was too rebellious, even for the Resistance.  But now, this Wayland was her master, she was his happy slave, she wanted only to do as he commanded.And Wayland her master wanted sex?  Well, he was a wonderful, wonderful man.  Of course DeliaStone would give him sex!  She’d fuck him right here, in the middle of the Devastated Zone.  She longed to please him.It also helped that DeliaStone believed Wayland’s cock to be the biggest, thickest, and most erotic penis that she’d ever seen.  This belief hung within her mind with determination.  Wayland her master had a cock that was the biggest, thickest, and most erotic penis that she’d ever seen.  He was a wonderful, wonderful man.  DeliaStone was so happy to be his slave.Wayland pounded her even harder, and DeliaStone felt legs shake.  The cock!  Oh, it felttttt…!She came.With a gasp and a cry of passion, DeliaStone wordlessly screamed, enjoying the fullest orgasm she’d felt in a long time.  True, in the Devastated Zone, a girl grabbed a little sex when and where she could.  But this!  Wayland her master was an expert at lovemaking!  He was a wonderful, wonderful man…*** *** *** ***One hour later, DeliaStone was basking in the sun, enjoying the harsh sun on her completely naked body.  She and her master had found an unbroken slab of concrete, and DeliaStone could stretch out on this surface after another round of sex.  She felt… wonderful!Wayland her master was a wonderful, wonderful man.Beside her, Wayland was fiddling with a machine that DeliaStone understood to be a “laptop.”  Or maybe a “computer.”  These alien words meant nothing to the beautiful freedom fighter, but they seemed important to her master.  His fingers were pushing the many buttons on the “laptop” as he read the display screen.DeliaStone smiled, stretched, and wondered if she and her master would fuck again.Wayland was muttering to himself.  “…no, the warrior thing was too over-the-top,” he was grumbling.  “I want her to be primal… sexy… but not like this…”Now the “laptop” seemed to speak.  “Daddy, are you ever going to find the perfect Delia?  Because I’m starting to wonder.”“She’s out there,” said Wayland firmly.  “She’s… ah ha…!”“Here we go again,” sighed the “laptop.”The young man rose to his feet.  DeliaStone realized that her master had put his clothes back on, including that large bag hanging by his hip.  The “laptop” was shoved into his backpack.“Master?” the freedom fighter murmured happily.  “Are we gonna-“Wayland – that wonderful, wonderful man – touched something inside his hip-bag.  There was a bright flash of light!When DeliaStone’s vision came back, she gaped around her.  Her master had vanished.  Where had he gone?*** *** *** ***

UNIVERSE 203-FHJKHQEUIFHLNLAKFAEREAJNFAFADFJLDPQKSLADWOIREUXBJSASBFNAEBRAISYDGEIBJZXVCJOZXVDGDSKLGNAKSLDWORUEFMADFNASDAIRAEJBFAMZVQPWQJEWHRJDVKZVHIUCIAUBRJEFAOUCADWJABUUIYUSYDGYEBFHKJKUCUHDZFJDSOLFDAFIAFELAFLPZ

The Ancient Jungles of Brokloenammi

During the Harvest Blood Moon

D’lia of Stone gripped her spear, tensing her muscles.  The planor stag was beneath her, a mere twenty paces away from her tree.  It was upwind.  D’lia was invisible.  If only the beast wandered just a little closer…“…careful…!” Al’sia of Fost breathed.  Beside Al’sia, J’ann of Rey was also perched on a tree bough, watching intently.Annoyed with her tribe-sisters, D’lia redoubled her concentration.The planor stepped closer to the babbling stream.  It lowered its head to drink…With lethal aim, D’lia hurled the spear!  The weapon sliced through the air, sinking deep into the stag’s flank.  The animal bucked, spun about, then charged blindly away into the thick foliage.“Great!” groused Al’sia.  “You lost it.”D’lia, Al’sia, and J’ann swarmed down from the enormous rubber tree, using the thick vines to lower themselves to the soft ground.  Like all the women-warriors of the Brookani tribe, they wore only what they needed for their simplest modesty:  Small, plain loincloths over their crotches, and simple wraparound cloths to mostly cover their breasts.  Otherwise, the muscular tribeswomen were entirely nude.  Their long hair was tied back with leather straps.  The streak of silver-gray in D’lia’s dark hair shown brightly in the soft jungle light.“That planor won’t get far,” vowed D’lia, drawing her stone knife.  “I’ll stay it yet.”“Its heading toward the ancient Gorilla Temple,” warned J’ann.  “If the Ape-Lords catch you in their domain, they’ll enslave you.”“Yeah, the Ape-Lords don’t scare me,” D’lia scoffed.  “Nor do the serpent-demons.  You two just tell the elders to start the banquet fires.  I’ll return with planor meat yet.”Before her tribesisters could object, D’lia slipped into the deep jungle, already tracking the wounded beast.  Her strong, graceful body easily skipped over the fallen trees, the deep mud patches, and the brambles of jungle-ferns.  She moved swiftly, alternatively running, leaping, or occasionally using a low-hanging vine to swing.  Her journey was effortless; the forest spirits smiled down upon D’lia today.The beautiful young woman’s expert eyes could easily track the wounded planor.  The animal was hurt in its rear leg, just below the hip.  It was losing a good amount of blood.  The beast would quickly exhaust itself, collapse, and then the kill would be easy.  As long as…Wait.  Did D’lia hear… voices?  The young jungle woman tensed.“…no doubt, we’re at the coordinates for 4th and 5th, Daddy,” a woman’s voice was saying.  “Right down to the millimeter.”This woman’s voice was most odd.  It warbled and had a strange texture, as if the woman was not real, somehow.  D’lia cocked her head, curious.“That’s unreal,” replied a man, impressed.  “In this reality, Brooklyn is a tropical jungle?  Goddamn.”“Yeah, well, let’s not stay here long, please?” implored the woman.  “This humidity is death for my circuitboards.”“Ah, you’ll be fine,” the man snapped.D’lia inched forward, then peaked around a wide kapok tree.  There, standing perhaps five paces before her in a small thicket, stood a tall man, alone.  The man was quite thin.  His lean body was dressed in many strange animal skins, some boasting colors that D’lia had never seen before!  Amazing.  The stranger wore two satchels, one on his back, another at his hip.  As he looked about the jungle, D’lia caught a glimpse of his handsome face.“Scanning…” the woman’s voice announced.Where was the woman?  D’lia frowned, confused.  She could only see the male stranger.  Perhaps the woman was a forest spirit?“Geez, Daddy, you can sure pick ‘em,” said the woman.  “I’m picking up some weird nuclear energy signatures and-““Yeah, in this universe, gorillas out-evolved humans,” interrupted the man called “Daddy.”  “They’re colonizing Mars while the homo sapiens are still trying to figure out pottery.  Forget about that.  Do you have a read on Delia’s genetic bios?”“Oh, shit,” the woman murmured.  “Daddy, Delia is actually here!  Just three meters behind you.”The man jumped and whirled about.  His eyes met D’lia’s.Cursing under her breath, D’lia stepped into the light.  There was no point in spying now.  Her quick hand drew her knife.“Oh, hey there!” the man called out to D’lia.  “Hey, relax, you’re safe.”He extended his hands, and D’lia could see no weapons in his grasp.  In his left palm, he did hold something… what looked to be a small, white stone of some kind?  Odd.“I’m not gonna hurt you,” promised the man.  “In fact, I wanna show you something.”With a studied glance, D’lia decided:  This man was not a warrior.  His body was soft and weak.  If he tried to attack, she could break him with little effort.  The huntress sheathed her blade.Perhaps this man – or his tribe – could be an ally against the Ape-Lords?  It was worth a try.So D’lia stepped forward, offering the traditional greeting of her people.  “O hey there,” she said formally to the man.  She raised one open palm, in welcome.  “It is good to see you.”“Yeah, its great to see you, too,” smirked the man, stepping closer.  He held the small white stone before D’lia’s eyes.  There was a click.And suddenly, D’lia’s thoughts dissolved…*** *** *** ***“…mmmm!” D’lia moaned, sucking harder.The young woman was kneeling in the thicket, slavishly licking the strange man’s cock.  What was the man’s name, again?  For some reason, D’lia’s mind was foggy.Oh yes, the man was called Waylander.  Waylander, her master.  Somehow, Waylander had put D’lia under a magic spell, and now his words were inside her mind.  She had to obey him.  It felt wonderful to obey him.Her master, Waylander, was a wonderful, wonderful man.“…uhhhhh,” sighed Waylander, leaning closer.  His penis grew harder.Pleased, D’lia sucked faster.  She had done this with other braves of the tribe, of course, but somehow Wayland’s cock excited her more than most.  She was his slave.  He was her master.  He was a wonderful, wonderful-Waylander shook from head to toe.  He grunted, and then his cock spouted a thick, delicious cum.  D’lia smiled to herself, slowing her simulation.  She’d done it!She was so happy.  Her master was a wonderful, wonderful man…*** *** *** ***Now entirely naked, D’lia found herself dancing in the thicket.  Her master sat back against a tree, watching her with aroused interest.  But he also seemed restless.Why was D’lia dancing?  The men of her tribe had pressured her to dance many times in the past.  She detested dancing.  But her master had commanded…Waylaner had resumed taking to the unseen spirit woman.  He was also using the strangest device, something he called a… “lap-of-top?”  D’lia had never heard that word before.  Whatever the lap-of-top was, Waylander was repeatedly touching it with his fingers.“Not this Delia either?” groaned the invisible spirit woman.  “Daddy, how much farther do we have to travel?”“I like this one’s primal nature,” Waylander said.  “But now that she’s sucked me off, you know what I’m thinking?  I want a Delia who is modern.  Wild and crazy sexy, but modern.  Like, she can use technology.  She’s out there.”“Now you’re just going in circles,” groused the woman.More bickering ensued, but D’lia danced on.  She wanted nothing more than to whirl about, using her body to celebrate the world, and please her master-

There was blinding flash, as if lightening had leapt up from the earth!

D’lia screamed, jumping back in terror.When the beautiful young huntress’s heart had slowed, she realized… she was alone.  Her master was gone.*** *** *** ***

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

UNIVERSE 2938FF92F8HDFW943210RJF2083URU132DJ420T-0SV9D0SAJFN38R9283NFANUCVD9A78YF97Y49RJNFJANCAD83982NDNVLJV 894829R432JRKJA9F8AD9FN342UR4UR08NDSV049029F2NV090V9S840HR92RN13N1-R92F0WEJCWN03820R5H42NF8C97D8A658F823B4J2KFJA8F392214HJWFNAJVAD9F08E9024395R4JWTFSAHD7FYA8QE9RH234INTRLAFE80QR732194-239542UTHWF8AF8093R542HTLAHFJAK3898502I654JGSKHFU9340235I4NTGSLGUU8E0RT9-423T64326K5LHDJFHDS87G9840T64-235KL3H2RLSAHFR79T4029520I64HTSLHDAIOUED10235-205J4KTSLKHFARH320542465-42654WFSLDVHSF94825093215HWHFSLDR832059-29LKREHLVJSDOR

Locale:  Unknown

Date:  Unknown
 “Look out!” Christy shouted.Waylan looked up in shock.  A stampeding herd of Tyrannosaurus Rexes was charging straight for him!  The dinosaurs were bellowing as they ran, their enormous jaws snapping in fury.With the speed of a scalded cat, Waylan darted behind a pair of large, metal boxes that were planted on the sidewalk.  The T-Rexes thundered by, missing him by inches.“Goddamn!” gasped Waylan, fighting to catch his breath.“See, I told you universe-hopping was dangerous!” Christy huffed.  “Now can we go to a reality that’s less violent?”“Shut up,” Waylan told his computer.The Rexes had passed.  Now that Waylan was calmer, he could see that on the backs of each dinosaur were two human riders, hunkered down in a saddle, clad in some strange leathery armor.  There was no way to guess the humans’ gender.  The rider in the front steered the Rexes, while the other rider faced away, wildly firing what appeared to be twin laser cannons into the sky.As Waylan stared, a squadron of gleaming spaceships dropped down from above, shooting glowing energy-beams after the dino-riders.  The humans and spaceships, locked in their terrible battle, raced away.Waylan stood, looking about.  He was standing in a mechanical city, where the buildings were all made from – he guessed – living machines.  Every building about him was slowly changing shape.  Some were self-constructing extra floors.  Others were replacing their exteriors with metal plating, adding strange computers to their outsides, extending their foundations sideways, or reconfiguring themselves from a rectangular shape into a trapezoidal one.  A few buildings actually stood up on giant robot legs and walked about.  The pedestrians of this universe found none of this alarming.“Holy crap,” exclaimed Waylan.  “Sheesh, maybe we should stay here a while?  The technology is pretty cool.”“Yeah, I’d still worry about warring dinosaurs and spaceships,” Christy reminded him.  She sounded weary.  “Let’s just find Delia and move on, okay?”“Excuse me,” said one of the metal boxes that Waylan had used for cover.  The box spoke in a crackling female voice, and sounded quite annoyed.  “I am Alesia-0394, and you are not wearing a licensed thought-linker.”  The bot rose up on four metal legs.“I am Joann-9948,” the second box announced, also standing up.  “Shall I direct you to the nearest mindlink station?”“They have intelligent robots here too!” grinned Waylan.“Beat it, chicks,” Christy told the boxes.  “You’re not wanted.”Disgruntled, the boxes clunked away.  “No thought-linker?  How lame.  We should really report that guy…” Alesia-0394 was grumbling.“Aw, we should have used a hack probe on those droids!” Waylan told Christy.  “Think what we mighta learned, once you assumed control of their operating systems.”“It wouldn’t have worked,” retorted the laptop.  “We’ve jumped far enough that my technology just isn’t compatible with other realities anymore.”“Yeah, but-““Daddy,” Christy said sharply.  “We’ve now visited eighty-three different universes.  That’s not including the alternate timelines or the pocket universes that you discovered along the way.  You’ve hypnotized and seduced a total of one hundred three Delia Stones, one hundred and three quantum variations of the same woman.   And, oh yeah, I’m not counting that improbable reality that was populated only with Delia Stones.  You had five Delias all at once there.”“Oh yeah,” Waylan smirked wistfully.  “That place was awesome.”“And yet, you still couldn’t find your perfect Delia!” exclaimed Delia.  “Daddy, what’s it gonna take?”The scientist hesitated.  “But…  the ultimate Delia…  she’s still out there.”“Oh for cryin’ out loud…” muttered Christy.  “Daddy, I swear-“  Her electronic voice caught.  “Daddy, I’m picking up a phased quantum signature.”“Really?” Waylan said with interest.  “Our follower?  I’d forgotten about him.”  He peered up and down the street.  “Got a bearing?”“No…” replied Christy.  “The reading was close, though.  Oh, wait, I’m also picking up Delia’s bioreadings.  She should be appearing…”From around a self-repairing building, a Delia Stone appeared, strolling in Waylan’s direction.“…there,” finished Christy.“Awesome,” muttered Waylan, already reaching into his pocket for the Theta Amplifier.Delia approached, a vague smile on her red lips.  She was somehow more beautiful than ever.  Her thin face somehow glowed, as if she knew a special happiness that she was longing to share with everyone else.  She wore a billowing black trench coat, but beneath the cloak, Waylan could see a skintight jumpsuit of gray on her lithe little body.  There was a special spring in her step.“She’s in a good mood,” observed Christy.“Shh,” the scientist hissed.Delia approached, making eye contact with Waylan and offering him a brilliant sunrise of a smile.“Oh, hey there!” the young woman called out.  “Its good to see you!”“And you!” replied Waylan.With most of the Delias, Waylan had to concoct a reason for conversation.  Delia Stone, he’d come to learn, was not one to befriend strangers.  She was a little shy, and Waylan had to work on her a little before she could be lured somewhere private and he could hypnotize her.  But this Delia?  She was already waving at him and hurrying closer.  She’d be under his control in less than three minutes.“You know, I had a funny feeling that I’d meet someone cool today,” remarked Delia as she reached Waylan.  “What’s your name, dude?”“Waylan Reis.”“Cool, cool,” smiled the beautiful young woman.  “I’m Delia Stone.”“Daddy, look out!” Christy said suddenly.Before Waylan could react, Delia tossed what appeared to be a small, black sphere at him.  Her throw was casual, as if she were passing him a set of car keys.  Instinctively, Waylan caught the sphere.The air crackled with electricity!  Waylan convulsed with searing pain.  To his horror, every last one of his muscles locked up, straining as they immobilized themselves.  A horrible tremble swept through him from head to toe.The scientist now found himself utterly parallelized.  His whole body was rigid and some alien force was now prickling him all over.  Waylan could only groan in quiet agony.  His heart was racing.“There, that’s better!” Delia said happily.  She plucked the black sphere out of Waylan’s frozen hand.  “Cute little invention of mine, isn’t it?  Delivers 50,000 ion volts to cause instant neuromuscular immobilization.  Oh, you’ll be okay in about twenty minutes, but you’ll have one bitch of a headache…”Delia cocked one eyebrow.  “…Waylan.”Frightened, Waylan groaned softly.“One sec, please,” Delia chirped.  She swept back her trench coat, revealing a large purse hanging under her arm.  Waylan couldn’t see what she was doing, but the young woman dipped into the purse, searching for something.“…you see,” Delia remarked as she worked, “in my home universe, I’m the smartest human who ever existed.  I grew so bored with inventing shit, so I decided to branch out a bit and explore other realities.  I mean, why the fuck not, right?  Because in other realities, I could find…”With an excited look in her ocean-blue eyes, Delia grabbed Waylan by the back of his hair.  “…you.  Well, more accurately, I could find infinite variations of you.”From her purse, this Delia drew out a small, black device.  From the corner of his eye, Waylan could see the thing had pinchers, as if it were meant to clamp onto a soft surface.  Immediately, he wanted nothing to do with this little machine.Delia’s voice dropped to a sultry murmur.  “You know what my fetish is, dude?  Hot, nerdy scientists.  Oh fuck, eggheads like you get me sooooooo wet.  The cuter and smarter, the more I wanna fuck them.  But I don’t want to just blink my eyes at them and we get in bed together.  Oh, no.  I wanna fuck my scientist boytoys when they are under my mind control.”When Waylan’s eyes bulged in alarm Delia gave a casual snort.  “Yes, mind control.  It’s a thing I do.  See this teeny device?  I stick it at the base of your skull, and then your Prefrontal Cortex and Amygdala won’t be able to make cognitive decisions any more.  You’ll be a biological puppet.  You’ll automatically do whatever I tell you.  Its really awesome.”“…nnnngh!” Waylan yelled through clenched teeth.“All in good time, sexy,” Delia gloated.Taking her time, the young woman pulled Waylan’s backpack off his shoulders.  As she unzipped the bag, she continued talking.  “Oh, I’ve been to about, what, seven hundred-some universes now,” said Delia.  “I’ve mind-controlled and fucked more than three hundred fifty Waylan Ries’s.  All yummy.  A lot of those Waylans were hopping about the multiverse, and I gotta say, its been fun chasing them down.  Too bad my mind control is irreversible.  Oooo, goodies!”Delia was removing Christy from Waylan’s backpack.“Hey, don’t you touch me, chick,” warned Christy.  “I’m armed with stun charge emitters-““Sure, whatever.”  Delia slapped another tiny device into Christy’s C Port.Suddenly, every last indicator light on Christy’s chassis started blinking like crazy.  Waylan wished he could look away.  He knew what that little device must be.“We good now?” Delia asked Christy.Christy’s processors whirred for a moment, as if they were recomputing a huge amount of data.  She blinked for a moment.Then the laptop computer said, “…uh, yeah, Momma!  I’m good now.”  She made a quaint beeping.  “Wow!  No-one’s ever used a hack probe on me before!  Its kinda weird thing to experience.”“You work for me now,” Delia said firmly.“Absolutely, Momma.”“Very good,” nodded Delia.  She popped open Christy’s motherboard, then made a face.  “Ugh, that’s your hardware?  We’ll have to give you a serious upgrade, girl.  But later.  For now, access all of Waylan’s personal files.  I’d like a record of every universe where he’s visited.”“Working…” Christy said.Delia closed the laptop chassis, then carefully set it on the ground.  She next stripped Waylan’s messenger bag off his shoulders and peered inside.  “…’Hargrove Technologies,’” she read aloud.  “Oh, so this is how you jumped between universes, dude?  Goddamn, you’re primitive.”“List is complete, Momma,” Christy said cheerfully.“Very good.”  Delia moved to stand directly before Waylan, slinging his messenger bag over her own shoulders.  She studied the paralyzed scientist thoughtfully.“Ya know…” Delia said slowly, “I was gonna mind control you and make you eat my pussy.  But you’re just so lame, dude.  I’m not sure you’re worth a mind control device.”“Waylan used a modified Theta Amplifier Prime 1200 to hypnotize many other Delia Stones,” suggested Christy.  “You could use that on him.”“Really?” Delia said with interest.  “Where is it?”“His back pocket.”The genius young woman took a roguish delight in pawing both of Waylan’s buttocks, searching for the little device.  Soon, she was inspecting the little white Amplifier in her hands.“You click the power button, and it emits an alpha inhibitor neural field,” Christy helpfully explained.  “And then-““…then the victim’s Prefrontal Anterior and Cingulate cortexes are dampened, got it,” finished Delia.  “Mildly interesting.  Still, I’ll take it.”  She dropped the Amplifier into her purse.Waylan was both furious and terrified.  But strain as he might, he couldn’t move at all.  “Gnnnnngh!” he raged.Delia shook her head sadly.  “You know what, dude?  The more I see of you, the less interested I am in fucking you.”“Nnnngh!” threatened Waylan.“Yeah, you’re not worth it,” Delia decided.She picked up Christy and Waylan’s backpack.“Bye, Waylan,” the laptop said contemptuously.  “And for fuck’s sake, what kind of pervert sicko programs his computers to call him ‘Daddy’?  What, is your maturity still in seventh grade, or something?  Ugh.”Delia smiled pleasantly.  “Thank you,” she said to Waylan.  “Maybe I’ll see you again?”The beautiful young woman touched a control on her sleeve.  And then, as Waylan could only glare at her, Delia forever vanished from this universe, taking Christy, the backpack, the Amplifier, and the messenger bag with her.Waylan was left alone.*** *** *** ***