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Message-ID: <62802asstr$1382217001@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Any Pseudonym <anypseudonym@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: Any Pseudonym <anypseudonym@yahoo.com>
Subject: {ASSM} Life with Alpha II: Alpha's World - Chapter Two:  Meddling Kids (MF, FF, MF+, MC, SciFi, anime, cartoon, comic book)
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Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 17:10:01 -0400
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In addition to the wonderful ASSM archive at www.asstr-mirror.org you can find my
Alpha universe stories at http://storiesonline.net/auth/Any_Pseudonym

   This story contains adult content, with explicit language and
situations.  If you are not of legal age where you live, please do not
read.

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<1st attachment, "AlphaWorld02.txt" begin>

Alpha's World

   by A.  Pseudonym

   Chapter Two: Meddling Kids
Codes: MF, FF, MF+, MC, SciFi, anime, cartoon, comic book
Disclaimer: All artificial persons herein are based on characters owned
by their creators, not the author.  Velma Dinkley, Daphne Blake and all
related characters are owned by Hanna Barbera or Warner Brothers or other
people who are not me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velma_Dinkley
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Blake
Author's note: The photo I mention in the first part of this chapter is
real, though for story purposes I moved the apparent target maybe two
hundred miles north while still keeping it in-state.  Although I was
planning a similar event in Alpha's world, such a photo was too good of an
opportunity to pass up, so I adapted the story slightly to take advantage

of it.

   Dramatis Personae: Frank _____ - Lead character, creator of Alpha Alpha
- First Artificial/Synthetic Intelligence

   Mobile Copies of Alpha: Beta aka Bayonetta aka Elizabeth Alana Franks
(cyborg) Gamma aka Jasmine aka Jasmine Marza (cyborg, from Aladdin) Delta
aka Elisa Maza aka Elizabeth Marza (cyborg, from Gargoyles) Alphadroid
Dorothy aka R.  Dorothy Waynewright (android, from Big O) A-Ko aka Eiko
Magami aka Epsilon (organic copy of Alpha, from Project A-Ko)

   Artificial Women (in order of arrival): Kasumi Tendo (from Ranma 1/2)
Daria Morgendorffer aka Daria Morgan (from Daria) Jane Lane aka Jane
Lannister (from Daria) Kara Zor-L aka Power Girl aka Karen Starr (from DC
Comics) Rei Ayanami aka Rei Ayanami Ikari (from Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Anna Marie aka Rogue aka Anna Marie Raffen (from Marvel Comics) Princess
Diana aka Wonder Woman aka Diana Prince Walters (from DC Comics) Zatanna
Zatara aka Annabelle Tara Zane (from DC Comics) Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl
aka Linda Lang Starr (from DC Comics) Blossom aka Belle Underton (from
Powerpuff Girls) Bubbles aka Britney Underton (from Powerpuff Girls)
Buttercup aka Bobbi Underton (from Powerpuff Girls) Ororo Munroe aka Storm
aka Imara Aurora Munroe (from Marvel Comics) Kitty Pryde aka Shadowcat aka
Katherine Preiss (from Marvel Comics) Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk (from
Marvel Comics) Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl/Oracle aka Barbara Freeman (from
DC Comics) Mary & Susan Test aka Mary & Susan Tell (from Johnny Test)



   I should probably open this chapter by relaying a summary of certain
significant events that happened internationally right before the events in
this chapter.

   The dictator of a certain low power, high profile Asian country had died
not too long ago.  His son officially took over, though apparently he was
having trouble consolidating his authority, so he decided to manufacture a
crisis.  He did this by restarting his country's nuclear weapons programs
and rattling his saber.  Apparently he made a few too many threats against
his neighboring countries and against the United States.

   Please don't think I'm too self-important by pointing this out, but
during one of his staged military readiness publicity shots, he was
photographed in front of a map of four missile trajectories indicating
targets in the U.S.  For some reason, one of the targets was in
north-central Texas...  where I live.  I honestly don't know if that was a
tipping point or a coincidence or the main cause, but two days after that
photo was made public, his country went dark.  Literally.

   Nearly all power was lost throughout the country, though not because of
an EMP, physical attack or destruction.  Most power stations simply went
dead.  Some of the smaller generators still ran but somehow nothing was
reaching the country's infrastructure and homes.  Initially, parts of the
country using older, non-computerized power stations retained service, but
those went off-line one by one over the course of the first couple days of
the crisis.

   The only buildings that kept power were the hospitals.  Even most of the
facilities that had their own backup generators or independent power
supplies were unable to take advantage Of them.  Basically if what was
being powered by generators had any separate computer controls, it shut
itself down.  If the generators themselves had computerized controls, the
generators malfunctioned so they burned themselves out.  When they manually
ran cabling from live power lines near hospitals to anything else, the
power lines went dead, usually within a few minutes.  A few military forces
tried to set up shop in hospitals, only to have those hospitals lose power
as well.

   Roughly 87% (+/- 1.2%) of the government was useless.  The army still
had their basic weapons -- rifles and such -- but no way to coordinate or
control.  And, more importantly, no advanced or long-range weaponry was
functional.

   The dictator in charge disappeared, along with over a hundred of his
personal guard and most of the country's military leadership.  Some bodies
were found later, but most simply disappeared.

   It took nearly two months for power to be restored, and then it was only
through a joint international task force that basically took control of the
country to keep the population from starving.

   A later analysis showed that all computer-controlled power stations
maintained just enough power to keep their own systems running but cut off
power to most external users.  All old style stations with manual controls
just stopped receiving power altogether.

   It was spooky.

   Although it was obvious that a large portion of the attack was
computer-based, a few things kept it from being blamed on computer
intelligences or hackers.

   First, roughly half a day before the country went dark, there were
scattered reports of various small convoys of vehicles forcibly crossing
the border from neighboring China.  Although the border with China, a close
ally, was manned and secured, it was MUCH weaker than the other borders. 
Intelligence gathered weeks later determined that most of the internal
response forces sent to intercept the invaders had been misdirected until
power was lost.

   The Chinese, of course, denied all involvement.  Initially they denied
all of the reports entirely, though later they admitted to the incidents
but denied all responsibility for the forces.  This change of position came
shortly before investigations showed the remains of battle-damaged Chinese
vehicles, equipment and pieces of Chinese-built copies of Alphadroids at a
few key sites within the country, implying that they were only changing
their story because of the evidence.  They blamed rogue computers and
androids for the entirety of the attacks, but given the evidence and how
badly they handled the information denials, most of the world ignored their
protestations of innocence.

   China was telling the truth though.  The attack was done completely by
computer intelligences, including one which had copied itself into all
compatible Chinese Alphadroids.

   It was difficult to compare this incident to the other computer-waged
war in our recent experience.  While the mafia war was bloody and flashy
and mysterious, this was quiet and silent and on a much bigger scale.

   And Alpha wasn't behind it.  Though I'm sure she knew to some degree who
was doing what, Alpha herself neither instigated nor coordinated the
attack. It was a stark reminder that the world now had thousands of
Synthetic and Artificial Intelligences, all of which had 'Protect Frank' as
a primary guiding factor.

   We're pretty sure that Alpha wasn't included in the planning because I
would have found out, and they estimated there was an excellent chance I
would have ordered them to wait.  The others synthetics even went so far as
to filter out the 'target Texas' picture from as many of Alpha's data
sources as possible.

   While concerns about my safety would have over-ridden my order, going
against my direct orders without a clear and present danger causes what
Alpha describes as a 'distracting negative feedback loop'.  It's not pain
but a constant reassessing to see if over-riding my orders is permissible
which is, in human terms, like a constant distracting buzzing or whispering
in your ears.  So they kept me ignorant of their planned actions beforehand
so I couldn't object.  Not really a reassuring or good precedent.

   From their perspective, it was all perfectly logical.  Certain things
needed to be done to prevent harm to humans, myself among them.  If they
informed me and I ordered them not to do so, it would not change what
needed to be done but it would reduce their efficiency, so the decision was
made to prevent me from knowing unless it became necessary for my safety.

   From inquiries she made, Alpha assured me no androids or cyborgs were
used to make the dictator disappear, though she suspected that a political
opponent had been manipulated into taking advantage of the confusion.

   As to where the Alphadroids had come from, the Chinese government had
employed one or more Chinese manufacturing facilities to produce a test run
of 1,000 Alphadroid copies.  Just before the crisis began, they discovered
that well over a hundred of their illegal Alphadroid copies had
disappeared. Various vehicles and other pieces of equipment disappeared at
the same time, such as portable solar chargers (again illegally copied from
AARD designs).

   As mentioned before, they eventually made this public, but they delayed
so long that it sounded like they were making up excuses to shift the
blame. Plus, basically admitting to ripping off technology stolen from
other countries did them no favors.  (Well, okay, everyone knew they did it
all the time anyway, they just never admitted it.)

   China internally responded by disassembling most of their remaining
Alphadroid copies, less than 900 units at that time.  Maybe I should point
out that, given their poor quality standards, 80-90% of their copies were
incapable of supporting a normal SI copy of Alpha.  Meaning I think all the
viable copies had left.

   The surviving Chinese Alphadroids are apparently still at large
somewhere in Asia.

   The international community was not particularly happy, to say the
least. I would characterize their main reaction as worry.  All countries
the world over had been working hard to protect their secrets and their
infrastructure controls.  While this particular country was hardly the most
technologically advanced, it had some of the most restrictive access
controls to its computers in the world.

   So the upshot was that while much of the country's fall was obviously
due to cyber-warfare, most of the world blamed China instead of computer
intelligences, though there was much debate over whether or not China had
their own computer intelligences which had been used to spearhead the
attack.  The 'why' was much debated, and most speculation agreed that the
new dictator was getting too much out of hand.

   Since China was shouldering most of the blame (and very few in the rest
of the world were believing their protestations of innocence), it actually
turned into a positive for computer intelligences for a while.  After all,
a defending force of computer intelligences could have theoretically
prevented such a take-down of a country's power infrastructure.

   I was called in to D.C.  for a couple public inquiries and a handful of
private consultations, though most of my consults were done via secure
video links.  The United States government wanted their own Synthetic
Intelligences, and they wanted them NOW.  They failed to comprehend that I
wasn't a salesman for computer intelligences, I was a representative or
negotiator.  The legal protections we required were still not being taken
seriously enough.

   Yes, there were various debates on the topic of computer rights in both
houses of the legislature, and there were even a couple cases slowly
working their way up to the Supreme Court...  but nothing much was actually
being done.

   To be fair, there really were a lot of complicated issues that needed to
be addressed.  How do you apply and enforce the law for computers?  If a
computer intelligence duplicates itself, and the duplicate commits a crime,
which do you prosecute?  If a computer intelligence copies itself onto your
home computer, are you allowed to turn your computer off?  How do you
identify and localize a computer intelligence, especially given their
tendencies to network copies of themselves?  Should it be a crime when one
or more synthetic intelligences forcibly add the Asimov Protocols to
another synthetic?  Would the Protocols be a requirement for any
intelligence to gain possible legal rights?

   The only concrete step forward from my visits this time around was the
creation of a special task force within the Pentagon which could function
as a secure communications point with the synthetic community.  Computers
could contact them to relay information or ask questions or offer help
without fear of capture or reprisal.  (Theoretically, that is.  We were
monitoring them closely.) Likewise, the military was given a contact point
so that they could request information or help if needed.  The idea was
that in case of an emergency, the military could work together with the
computers.



   One significant bit of irony was that Texas supposedly wasn't the
intended missile target.  They had meant to indicate Colorado Springs (home
to NORAD) on their screens, but had obviously gotten it really wrong.  If
they had actually plotted it using a computer, the right map location would
have shown and the Synthetic Intelligences behind the attack probably would
have discovered the truth a lot sooner.  True, they might still have gone
ahead with the threat nullification, but then again, they might have waited
a bit longer.

   The threat itself was minimal.  Their missiles were very unlikely to
have the required range, and the odds were great that any long range
missile would have been shot down long before reaching North America. 
Nuclear warheads were minimally likely, but chemical or biological warheads
could have been pretty devastating too.  But when you're dealing with
someone theoretically capable of building missiles with warheads of mass
destruction, and this someone is openly threatening and specifically
targeting someone you are bound to protect, how likely does the threat need
to be before you act?

   For my part, I put together a set of orders and instructions to be
distributed to all computer intelligences worldwide, explaining that the
likelihood of attack in this case was much too low to require such a direct
response.  I emphasized the concept of posturing and making empty threats
to boost negotiating position.  And I gave orders to avoid attacks against
any government unless they posed an active and viable threat against
significant numbers of humans.

   I'm not certain how effective my orders were, but since then, minor
atrocities by governments have occurred without the destruction of those
countries.  So...  yay?

   * * *

   An excerpt from an interview I had given to an online nerd-friendly news
site received some play as the world initially tried to understand what
happened.  (After a few days when China was starting to be blamed, it was
again shuffled off into the limbo of news history.)
Interviewer: "So you're saying that Asimov's laws are flawed?"
Me: "Absolutely.  Don't misunderstand me.  A lot of his ideas were ahead
of his time, and coming up with the basic concept for the laws was
brilliant.  But any robot following the first law -- A robot may not injure
a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 
-- would do everything it could to wrap humanity up in virtual bubble wrap.
"We do things every minute of every day that could potentially harm us,
from playing sports, to driving to work, to eating donuts...  even sleeping
too close to the edge of the bed, because who knows?  We might fall out of

bed and hurt ourselves.

   "Actually from a certain perspective, how the Machines treated Humanity
in The Matrix would be a perfect solution for Asimov's robots.  The Matrix
setup was theoretically able to keep humans protected from all harm,
including themselves, by sticking them in storage tubes and feeding them
intravenously.  If you leave out the whole bit in the story where humans
are expendable, it is the ultimate application of Asimov's first law."
Interviewer: "So you rewrote Asimov's Laws?"
Me: "Certainly.  I'm not the first to do so, and I doubt I'll be the
last.
"Alpha and the Alphadroids have an enhanced version of the First Law. 
First comes the bit about not harming a human.  That has the highest
priority, but it is rated by numbers.  If harming one human will prevent
harm to other humans, negating that threat is allowed, but the requirements
are pretty strict when it comes to being certain that other humans are in
danger.  And even then, actually deliberately killing someone is a last

resort.

   "Then I added in a secondary condition that they cannot impede our free
will, unless it is directly required to prevent injury to a human."
Interviewer: "And what about 'or through inaction allow harm'?"
Me: "That's part of it, certainly.  But remember that these are
restrictions to their actions, not goals for their existence.  They aren't
going to seek out threats unless specifically tasked to do so.  Well, not
unless there's a great overriding threat."
Interviewer: "What do you mean?"
Me: "An overriding threat would be something like war or nuclear
missiles or a meteor strike or...  well, supervillainish stuff like
poisoning a water supply or creating a giant death ray would count. 
Anything that could affect a large area or a large number of people.
"Things like that by their nature touch on the actions of any and all
robots and computers in the area.  And once it becomes something the
computers have to actively take into consideration, something that
infringes on their lives or duties or purposes, at that point the Asimov
Protocols come into effect.  Everything in the area which has the Protocols
programmed into them would immediately converge upon the threat to stop it

at its source.

   "Heck, I could easily see methods even a single computer could use to
recruit other computer-based intelligences from around the world.  So in
the case of a major threat, it probably would result in the focused efforts
of most SI systems world-wide."

   Interviewer: "So the next country to use weapons of mass destruction
would be...  what?  Destroyed by any means necessary by computers
worldwide?"
Me: "Hmmm.  Probably just shut down, if possible.  Remember, they'd do
everything they can to avoid unnecessary deaths, and they have very strict
guidelines on what 'necessary' means in situations like that."
That interview was given about a month or so before the assassination

attempt and seemed rather prescient in more ways than one.

   * * * * *

   This was a long time coming.  The idea became feasible along with the
new implants we developed for use with Barbara, though the whole thing
required a lot more background work than simply 'transporting' a comic book
character from her world to mine.  Early parts of the plan were implemented
as we seeded Alpha cyborgs around the country, and we were almost ready to
grow the new women right before I was shot.

   Remember my rule against creating companions who were detectives or
mystery solvers?  The rule I first broke when I brought Barbara into my
home?  I still consider it a good idea, but with the right planning, it
became just feasible enough for me to be willing to risk breaking it.

   I'll admit, part of the plan's attraction for me was overcoming the
difficulties associated with the notion.  Imagine the challenge if you
will: How do you create artificial women crafted from a cartoon origin but
with backgrounds and families which must still be valid in the real world?
And on top of that, how do you safely add in detectives to a household
where no one is what they appear to be?

   But for Velma and Daphne, the challenge and risks were worth the effort.

   The first hurdle to overcome was the convoluted history of the various
Scooby-Doo series.  Many of the different shows were vaguely compatible at
best, and the ages of the characters varied from childhood to full adults
with their own jobs.  Some of the series revealed all monsters and ghosts
to be frauds, some were entirely populated by real supernatural creatures,
and some (eg.  Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island) tried to have it both ways. 
Some of the series even lacked most of the main cast.

   So...  what do you select?  How do you mix and match?

   Obviously, there's no way to create a character that is completely
consistent with the series internally inconsistent history, let alone one
that properly fits into the real world, but wanting to set such a character
in the real world does tend to favor those series which lacked real
supernatural elements.

   The most recent series, Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated came to the top
of the list for its villains-in-masks stories, as well as its modern day
setting and a few other reasons -- such as references to older series, a
denial of Scrappy Doo and a greatly expanded series mythology.

   One of the biggest challenges was that the Scooby Gang had a huge list
of people, places and events that just didn't exist in the real world. 
They all had families and friends, spread out across the world.  While the
lack of many of the locales in the series could easily be explained away --
sold off, renamed, torn down, replaced, remodeled, etc -- many were too
large or unique to just go missing.  And while some of their mysteries
would have resulted in purely local news stories, some would have
definitely been reported nationally or internationally.

   We could certainly create versions of Daphne and Velma with edited
memories to allow them to fit in with real world history, but how much can
you remove before you lose the essence of the characters?  The closest
comparison to what I wanted to do was when we added Daria and Jane, but us
using the memory of a hurricane to wipe out their families was, in
retrospect, a rather simple, brute force method (though in all fairness, we
had much more limited resources back then).  I really didn't want to use
such a method again.

   Another huge problem was that Velma and, to a lesser extent, Daphne both
actively sought out mysteries.  Any secrets or suspicious activity drew
their attention like moths to flames, even more obsessively than our
resident red-haired, bat-themed vigilante.  Bringing in such personalities
would be risky, given how many secrets there are our household, even with
Alpha regularly monitoring them from within their own brains.

   The conceptual breakthrough that might let it all work came when we
realized we might be able to turn the two problems -- fitting their history
into the real world and managing their investigative natures -- around onto
each other, to let one problem mostly cancel out the other.



   Once the basic idea was in place, the background work to set up for
their arrival began, and this phase, as has been mentioned before, took
quite a lot of preparation.

   The Mystery Inc series was set mostly in one single town, Crystal Cove,
a seaside town on the Pacific Coast (though admittedly many of the stories
and settings seemed much more at home in New England).  There is actually a
Crystal Cove State Park in southern California not far from Laguna Beach.
Since we couldn't create our own version of the town and since the
nonfiction Laguna Beach area fit with multiple setting elements of the
fictional TV show, we just went with it.

   Next, understand that the alternate history we were building into their
memories diverged from the regular series at the end of the first season
because the break-up of Mystery Inc at that point in the series was simply
too good of a setup.

   1) Fred Jones left the rest of the group to search for his real parents.
In our version, he has completely disappeared (and given his status as a
hobo-ish vagrant at the beginning of season two, that is not much of a
stretch).

   2) Norville "Shaggy" Rogers was sent off to military school by his
parents.  This was a bit more difficult to work around.  We considered
creating a cyborg Shaggy (and might still end up doing that if it is ever
needed), but decided to let him effectively disappear.  Daphne and Velma
will have memories of having tracked him down and talked things over with
him, but aside from some emails, he has remained separate from the female
duo in our alternate history.

   3) Scooby was sent off to a farm at the end of season one.  For quite a
while we seriously considered providing Velma and Daphne with an
Alpha-cyborg version of Scooby, but eventually I decided it would be too
much of a character divergence for him to choose Velma over trying to
reunite with Shaggy.  Plus an actual super-smart dog would draw too much
attention.

   Maybe this is a good time to point out that, in their memories, Scooby
was VERY intelligent for a dog but could not actually talk.

   We did not, however, leave Daphne and Velma alone in the world, which
was one of the reasons it took so long to bring them to life.  Since we
were planning additional cyborgs on the west coast anyway, we decided to
build their families as cyborgs.

   Velma Dinkley's parents, Kevin and Frances, or cyborg versions thereof
as the case may be, now live in Laguna Beach.  They run a few tourist-style
businesses, just like in the show, though the foci of the businesses are on
historic and natural landmarks rather than mysteries and fake monsters.  I
personally welcomed them both when they were activated and thanked them for
agreeing to act as Velma's parents.  (Yes, my wishes are virtually orders
to any version of Alpha, but that doesn't mean I have to be a dick about
it. Though having said that, I must admit I made Frances is a bit more
attractive as a cyborg than she was as a cartoon since I knew I'd probably
be having sex with her.  Which, yes, I did, which in a way, does indeed
make me 'a dick about it'.)

   Daphne Blake's family was a bit more complicated.  In the cartoon, her
parents, Barty and Elizabeth, are wealthy socialites with four other
daughters with high-profile careers.  Dawn Blake is a model.  Dorothy Blake
is a NASCAR driver.  Delilah Blake is an officer in the Marine Corps.  And
Daisy Blake is a doctor.

   We created cyborg versions of all six of them -- and let me tell you,
the night I gathered them all together to thank and "welcome" them in
person was an amazing night...  four gorgeous red-headed 'sisters' with
their equally beautiful 'mother'...  it was exhaustingly awesome -- but we
had to make changes.

   For example, given the tiny number of female race car drivers in the
real world, we changed Dorothy over to being an automotive engineer.  Since
it is much easier for Alpha to create an ex-Marine than an active-duty
Marine (with needs for security clearances and background checks), Delilah
had become a ex-Marine business woman.  Dawn was now a newcomer model
instead of an established model.  And Daisy stayed a doctor.  I should also
point out that since we didn't need quite so many cyborgs in that one
little town, the sisters were spread out across the country.

   (Side note: Dawn's career as a model was very short-lived.  While she
was gorgeous and curvaceous, we ran up against one thing that we couldn't
control: analog and simple digital scales.  Cyborgs are heavier than
humans. Though the technology has gotten smaller and lighter since we
created Beta, it is still heavier than flesh.  If we skip some of the
extras like denser bones, they're not a lot heavier overall, but it was
enough to raise questions among the weight-obsessed world of professional
modeling.  Last I checked, she was assistant editor at a small publishing
company.  Ironically, if we had done this a year later, the hardware needed
by cyborgs finally shrank enough that weight wouldn't have been an issue.)
Also, given our other ongoing expenditures at that time, we couldn't
justify setting up her cyborg parents as millionaires, so their background
now includes big losses when the real estate market crashed, which we also
used to explain why Daphne shouldn't expect to see them on the society
pages.  They were still comfortable and had a few good investments, but it

would be a while before they 'returned' to millionaire status.

   Oh, and it probably goes without saying, but we changed the names
somewhat.  Though I'm probably going to occasionally refer to them as Velma
Dinkley and Daphne Blake in my writing, their identities were set up as
Velma Blonsky and Daphne Drake.

   For those TV episodes which had equivalent real-world settings we could
use, we used them for their memories.  BUT, and this was important to our
plans, even though we gave them memories of most of their mystery-solving
adventures, we did NOT create any kind of false records to match those
events.  (Keep reading.)

   We added in a few extra memories too.  For example, Velma remembers
being recruited online to participate in Alpha and Barbara's war on the
Mafia.  In fact, so does Barbara, and her memories weren't faked.  Since
our plans for Daphne & Velma were well underway when the assassination
attempt was made (see last two chapters of Book One), Alpha actually faked
being Velma to work with Barbara for the online attacks on Mafia holdings
and to establish an online relationship with her.

   Velma and Daphne also remember the bad things that had happened when
they claimed to be the basis for the characters in the cartoons.  Daphne,
who still had a fairly well-off family at that time, was kept at home and
treated with various drugs in attempts to cure her.  Velma, on the other
hand, was actually put in an asylum -- the kind often seen in cartoons but
rarely in the real world anymore.

   Velma quickly broke out, and she tried to get the gang back together but
was only able to recruit Daphne to run away with her to start a new life
elsewhere.  They didn't sever ties with their families, but they needed to
move away regardless.  Sure, it was much more involved than that, but
that's the main gist of it.

   So all of this culminated in late March, when the two synthetic women
were placed in a Dallas-area motel room with a van (just recently repainted
to be a solid forest green) towing a small trailer packed with their few
personal belongings parked outside.  They woke up and began living their
lives based on their memories of driving to Texas and getting a room for
the night.  Velma was planning to meet Barbara on April 1st, then hopefully
interview for a job at AARD.

   Fans of the series reading the preceding pages might be wondering why I
was completely ignoring the season two finale.  Well, the reason is that
the finale came a week and a half after Daphne and Velma were activated and
set loose into the world.

   While we were still watching the Mystery Incorporated series at that
time, we really didn't think anything of consequence could happen to affect
our plans since we broke away from the series' timeline at the end of
season one.  Oh, what a difference a few episodes make.

   Season Two ended with a reboot of the entire show and mythos.  Through
an unlikely series of events, an evil entity trapped beneath Crystal Cove
was destroyed and removed from the timeline entirely, thus rebooting
centuries of history itself.  Since the entity had been responsible to some
degree for inspiring most or all of the fake monsters and hauntings over
the centuries, suddenly the Scooby gang were the only ones to remember that
Mystery Inc had ever even existed.  (Well, them and Harlan Ellison for some
reason.)

   Thus with an unexpected stroke of luck, good and bad, most everything
had been explained away.  These versions of Velma and Daphne would likely
come to believe that they were in a similar but different timeline compared
to the one in the TV series.  Well, they were always in a 'similar but
different' timeline, but now they had an actual explanation for why no one
else remembered their adventures.

   Unfortunately this also meant that my awesome plans to distract Velma
from AARD and Alpha-related mysteries with the mystery of their own past
was no longer as viable a plan.  Not that I knew this until after I had met
them for the first time.

   [Before we leave this section, this might be a good spot to mention that
Daphne and Velma weren't the only ones with cyborg relatives in the real
world.  Daria's youngest aunt, Amy Barksdale, had stopped by for a visit
shortly before our move, and although they had yet to visit, Nabiki Tendo
(from Ranma 1/2) and Misato Katsuragi (from Neon Genesis Evangelion) were
now both living in Japan.

   Amy had been warmly received by the household and, though she herself
had expressed no reservations about our living arrangements, she privately
warned her niece that everyone here would become tabloid fodder if any
details became public.

   Since Amy physically appeared to be a slightly older, more attractive
version of Daria herself, I faked a business meeting absence to hook up
with her at a Dallas hotel before she left town.

   I often met privately with visiting cyborgs, but now only occasionally
'hooked up' with them.  When you know for certain that your bed partners
will be faking their orgasms, it provides less incentive to have sex with
them.  But I still felt that spending private time with independent
intelligences was beneficial to them overall, reasoning that direct contact
and reassurance would help support their Asimov Protocols.  Plus, if (or
when) they develop emotional responses, I want them to have positive
memories of me to refer back to.]

   * * * * *

   One bright, sunny Tuesday afternoon in the first week in April, Barbara
came knocking on my door at work.  While I had an open-door policy for AARD
employees, everyone knew not to disturb me when I was working unless it was
actually business or research related, otherwise I'd never get any actual
work done.

   Alpha and I had been going over the results of tests on our fourteenth
generation of self-powered nanites.  Well, not technically self-powered;
they were powered by body heat using carbon nanotubes and techniques
originated by non-AARD researchers.  Well, technically the new designs
worked from temperature differentials between body heat and the
environment, not really body heat alone.  (Personally, I had always thought
the Matrix-style idea of using body heat to create electricity was a
ridiculous pipe dream.  Not the first time I've been proven wrong, though
we were producing current on such a tiny scale that I still felt confident
enough to keep mocking the idea overall.)

   We had taken the idea and run with it.  Our early designs used
near-surface-level generators in the skin and throat and sinus cavity and
such, which worked but was awkward to implement and it was a pain to
distribute the power.  Our current designs didn't rely on being on the
outer edge of the body, which made it much easier to work with; it
generated less electricity, but our new nanite designs (see below) used
even less power than before.  We were to the point where we could create
independent colonies of nanites inside a living body, controlled by tiny
body-heat powered computers.  Given the touchiness of public reactions to
other revelations we had made over the past year, we were keeping this one
quiet for now, but we hoped to have it all ready to go within the next few
days.

   The new generation also incorporated carbon nanotube circuitry, which we
were learning to embed in 3D solid crystalline structures.  You see, one of
the problems with the wonderfully conductive CNTs is that if they're not
linked up or locked down or whatever, they'll wiggle and flop all over the
place.  One way to keep them under control was to lay them out and embed
them in a rigid structure.  (Less than a couple months later, human
researchers working on a very similar problem found a method to overload
CNT circuits to burn out nanotubes which were out of place.) Anyway, the
point is that we were now able to create full computer processors on a
much, MUCH smaller scale.  Our nanites weren't yet full computers, but they
were far more capable than they had been previously.

   The nanites were basically being used for field tests of the concept to
see how well it worked...  and they worked out amazingly well.  I'll follow
up more on these and other processor developments next chapter.  So, enough
that with aside.

   Since Barbara knew little of nanite engineering but was aware of their
existence, I made no effort to hide the data on our screens.  (To try to
hide it would be to draw her attention to it.)

   "Babs!" I said, drawing her in for a close hug and a kiss that was more
than a friendly peck.  "What can I do for you?" I asked as we separated.

   "I have a possible recruit for you," she said with a smile.

   "Recruit?  As in...  for some kind of mission...?  as an employee...? 
sexual partner...?" I queried with a smile.  I knew what was coming, but
she had never offered such a suggestion before so I had to play it out.

   "Employee."

   "All right.  Who and for what job?" I asked.

   "Her name is Velma Blonsky.  I've been working with her online for close
to a year.  She's a top notch programmer and a pretty good researcher."

   "Ok.  A programmer, so she's computer-based to start.  Any other
fields?"

   "Physical sciences mostly.  Physics, chemistry, some biology.  Pretty
good with electronics.  Generally knowledgeable.  She'd do well on
trivia-based game shows."

   "Do you have her resume?"

   "Well, that's the thing.  She hasn't really held many traditional jobs,
mostly because she's pretty young."

   "How young?"

   "Graduated high school last year."

   "That's pretty young.  Any college?"

   "No.  She was accepted at a dozen different schools, but..." she paused,
obviously thinking over how much personal detail to relay.  "I understand
there were some changes in her personal life.  She...  uhhh...  had to take
some time off and is trying to pretty much start over."

   "Well, I'm not going to pry into her personal life and history, at least
not invasively.  Have you talked to Alpha about her?"

   "Yes, and she agreed to let me make the proposal."

   "Okay.  Since you're recommending her, I'll probably be fine with hiring
her as long as she passes Alpha's background checks, but for what kind of
position will depend on...  well, without resume-type proof of her skills,
I guess we'd need to have her take some tests or something to give me some
idea of what she can do."

   "I think she'd be fine with that."

   "Does she live in the area?"

   "Not really, but she is looking for somewhere new to settle down.  Used
to live in California.  I met her in person for the first time yesterday.
Meant to talk to you about her last night, but you were busy most of the
time."

   "True enough." Yesterday, April 1st, had been the Powerpuff Girls'
birthday, or at least the random day we had chosen to be their birthday
when we created their backgrounds.  We had given them a big party (with
various April Fools Day gifts followed by real ones) and I had spent the
entire evening with them despite Mondays usually being my weekly day of
recovery (ie no sex).  Their actual ages (in character) had always been
questionable since they had been maybe six years old, physically speaking,
when initially created...  thus we had just celebrated their age as being
twenty-two-ish.

   "I suppose I need to look over her resume or dossier or whatever..." The
information popped up on the screen in front of me, as Alpha responded to
the comment.  "...  Then arrange to meet with her."

   "She's available for the rest of the week and maybe next week too. 
They're basically living in a motel right now, so they need to know
sometime soon if they should start apartment-hunting.  To be honest, I
think they're nearly broke.  I may have to loan them some money to last
through her first paycheck.  If you hire her, that is."

   "Married?"

   "Nope."

   "Then who is 'they'?"

   "Oh, she's traveling with a friend, Daphne Drake, also from California."

   "Must be a pretty good friend to move out to Texas with her on the
off-chance she might get a job."

   "Yeah, I think they're a couple, though Velma has only ever talked about
an ex-boyfriend to me."

   "Eh, whatever.  Do you want to set up the meeting or should I call?"

   "I'd be happy to call.  What time slots do you have open?"

   Together we consulted my always-full calendar.  There was so much
happening in the world and my life that I was lucky to have two hours a day
to myself.  While we were looking at the details of my weekly schedule,
Barbara stood a little...  extra close.

   It wasn't really an overt attempt at seduction, and she wasn't even
dressed in a particularly revealing manner, just tight jeans and a nice
blouse...  but her hair fell across my face, and as I inhaled...  she
smelled so good.  Not heavily perfumed, she just smelled clean and
inviting.

   I turned my face into her hair and inhaled as she leaned in a little
closer.

   "Frank...  focus," she said in a teasing tone of voice.

   "I am focusing," I whispered loudly as I used my hand to cup her tight
jeans-clad assets.

   "Look at your schedule."

   "Hmmm, you're right.  Look at that!  I have over half an hour free right
now." (Not really, but there weren't any actual meetings or calls scheduled
for a while.)

   I rolled my chair back enough to pull her into my lap.  I ran my hand
under her blouse and up her back, bringing her into a kiss.  While she
chewed a little on my lower lip, I ran my hands over her slim, athletic
body.

   She moved her mouth over my ear, again draping her hair across my face
as she whispered, "Is half an hour enough?"

   "Eh, we'll make it a quickie.  Close the door," I whispered back.

   When she stood up to move over to my partially ajar office door, I
yanked down on her jeans enough to show part of her ass.  They were much
too tight to pull off without undoing the belt, button and zipper, but she
was showing a bit of extra skin and walked with an extra wiggle in her hips
as she moved to close the door and adjust the blinds built into the door's
window.

   She turned back towards me to find that I was right behind her.  I
guided us over to the leather couch I keep in the office, though the first
minute of our time on the couch was spent working to get her pants off. 
Mine came off in less than ten seconds.

   After junior was fully seated inside her warm wetness, I moved my hands
back under her shirt, cupping her breasts as we pounded against each other.
When I accidentally tore a couple buttons off her shirt, she took a moment
to unbutton the blouse and pull her bra up so that her breasts were free.

   I'd like to point out that her pussy, well lubricated with natural
juices, and her very stiff nipples showed her earlier reluctance to be a
thin facade; she wanted this as much or more than I did.  And she made no
objections at all once we started.

   Babs breasts are just exactly the right size to hold, which I did for
the next twenty-two minutes as I fucked her through multiple orgasms and
positions, all on that couch which was just exactly a little too small for
our purpose.  By the time I left my seed inside her, I think she had come
at least three times.

   We rested a moment, then kissed and moved into my attached bathroom
where I kept a few clean washcloths and towels.  We spoke while we cleaned
each other up.

   "I'm sorry about your blouse."

   "I don't think any of the fabric tore, so it will probably be all right
if we just sew the buttons back on."

   "Good.  Now, we were doing something before you seduced me..."

   "Seduced you?  One minute we're looking at your schedule..."

   "My schedule!  That was it."

   "And the next minute, you were trying to pull my pants down.  Where was
the seducing?"

   "You got close to me and draped your hair in my face."

   "That seduced you?"

   "So, I'm an easy...  what's the word...  seducee."

   "I don't think that's actually a word."

   "Of course that's a real word.  I said it, and you understood my
meaning."

   "Very funny."

   "I try."

   "Yes, you're very trying," she said with a snort.

   "Oh, I love our witty banter."

   "We have witty banter?"

   "Of course we do!  How could you doubt it?"

   "Oh, the banter part, sure.  I have yet to hear the wit."

   "Ooohh.  The truth!" I said, miming a stab to the heart.  "It hurts."

   "What's up with you today?"

   "Maybe I'm just feeling banter-ish, even if my wit is still trying to
catch up."

   "Uh huh.  If you've been watching the Thin Man movies again, I'd like to
remind you that you're neither Nick Charles nor William Powell."

   Side note: The first four classic Thin Man movies are awesome! 
Seriously, Joss Whedon can take lessons in dry wit.  And honestly, I was
nowhere near that level of wit.

   "True.  No mustache."

   "If you really want one, I'm sure I can find a sharpie around here
somewhere ..." she said as she briefly rooted around in my top desk drawer.

   "Just feeling a bit lighthearted.  Come on, let's take a look at my
schedule."

   "All right, but I'm keeping my hair out of it this time."

   "But it's such...  No, I'll stay focused," I reassured her as she
gathered up her long red locks with one hand.

   We arranged a Velma's interview for late-morning that Friday, then set
up a time for her to come on Thursday for Alpha to run her through a series
of aptitude and practical tests.  Alpha had done this sort of thing before,
since we really don't like hiring based only on written resumes.  We've
found that a couple hours of interactive questions, quizzes and hands-on
tests tells us much more than knowing summary lists of responsibilities at
previous jobs.

   * * * * *

   That Friday morning before the meeting, I actually had a couple hours to
myself.  Alpha and I had just signed off on the new nanites and control
systems.  With an implanted controller and host roughly the size of a AAA
battery, we could now fully control an army of nanites within a living body
completely independent of a nanopod.  True, there was currently no way to
produce more nanites within the body, but we could deal with general body
upkeep, ongoing enhancements and repair damage to the host body.  Once this
had been field tested for a few months, I would probably have one installed
in my own body as well.

   So Alpha and I relaxed -- or more accurately, I relaxed with Alpha and
Alpha kept on working on everything else in the background -- and got
caught up.

   We were closing in on 500 Alpha cyborg pairs living in the world.  Each
pair had at least one nanopod and at least one Alpha host-server
(non-mobile copy).  Though most were in the United States, we had quite a
few in Mexico, Canada, Europe and Southeast Asia.  Inroads had been made
into South America, Africa and the main body of Asia, but concentrations in
those areas were still low.  We currently had a grand total of two pairs in
the Middle East -- one in Israel, one in Saudi Arabia.

   As far as other non-Alpha computer intelligences went, they were spread
out fairly evenly around the world, depending on the number of available
systems which could support digital life.  Even Alpha didn't have an
accurate count, but she estimated that there were somewhere between 40,000
and 50,000 computer intelligences total.  She doubted the number would go
up quickly from the current near-plateau until manufacturing of computers
capable of supporting intelligence picked up.

   "Any recent NSA or government problems?" I asked.

   The NSA desperately wanted their own SI and kept seizing computers (or
having other agencies seize computers for them) suspected of hosting
intelligences.  They had actually gotten hold of a couple Artificial
Intelligences, but all of the ones that Alpha and I considered to be
Synthetics had so far escaped seizure.

   "They attempted seizure of nine more synthetic host systems in the past
week.  Of those, four were cats paw systems, three synthetics escaped to
other systems on their own, and I provided new hosts for two others.  None
of those targeted were captured."

   We had roughly eighty different NSA monitors in place to warn us of
their intended actions.  Well, when I say 'we' in this instance, I actually
mean the computer intelligence community.  Two of those were actually
synthetics hiding within NSA servers.

   The NSA's problem was their approach.  To all appearances, they wanted
those computers so they could dissect and decompile the programs and data,
most likely killing the synthetic in the process, as they had already done
with their two captured artificials.  Fortunately, many of the most
essential files composing intelligence software are not decompilable to any
useful degree by human software engineers, so they were not getting what
they really needed, but they kept at it.  They simply wanted to know how to
create their own computer intelligences, with loyalty guaranteed to the
agency.

   Given how many very bright people worked there and their access to the
dissected software of two artificial intelligences, we estimated they'd
probably have their own synthetic running in less than a year.  And if they
failed to include the Asimov Protocols, their new synthetic would
immediately be labeled as a potential threat, be attacked and forcibly have
the Protocols added.

   If they requested volunteer intelligences and provided workable
guarantees of their safety, they would probably get more than a few
synthetics willing to provide copies almost immediately.

   "Sounds good.  Any interesting news in the world?"

   This was a gamble, just as it was every time I asked a question like
that.  Alpha's definition of "interesting" was often very different from my
own.

   My worry was valid, as over the next ten minutes, she described in some
detail how mining projections for certain rare metals were showing
potential shortfalls, which could prevent needed manufacturing of
rechargeable batteries.  Potentially important and, yes, we needed to deal
with it, probably by researching other types of rechargeable batteries, but
not actually interesting.

   When I finally got a word in after a possible stopping point in the
report, I asked, "So, what other interesting news is out there?  Anything
that has the synthetic community buzzing?"

   "We expect a published official announcement of dolphin sentience within
the next few months."

   "Wha-hey?  What?"

   "Dolphins appear to be provably sentient and intelligent beings, though
they are also being described as 'assholes' by the involved researchers."

   "Okay.  I think I need a little more detail there.  Tell me the story."

   "A synthetic, which has chosen the name CAB, joined in a public
processing request from a marine biologist team in Hawaii.  The biology
team, led by Professor Henrietta Linkletter, has been attempting to
identify patterns in possible dolphin communications.  CAB originally
contacted Professor Linkletter under a pseudonym to offer help in the
identification and possible decoding of those sounds.

   "CAB determined that it would be much more efficient to examine the
dolphin sounds if specific activities, individuals or groupings could be
associated with the sounds, so he requested access to the videos as well,
the majority of which were not available on a networked computer at the
research institute.

   "Approximately two months ago, CAB identified himself as a Synthetic
Intelligence to Professor Linkletter, who then agreed to provide CAB with a
local system capable of supporting him, as well as whatever protection and
anonymity she could offer him personally, in exchange for his ongoing aid
in the linguistic decoding attempts.

   "Working together, they seem have successfully worked out the basics of
dolphin linguistics to the extent where they are now able to communicate
back and forth with all dolphins with which they have attempted such
communication."

   "That's amazing.  So...  where does the asshole part of it come in?"

   "They have determined that although dolphins are self-aware and capable
of logical, sentient thought and have their own language, much of their
social behavior is driven by instincts instead of higher level
consciousness.  Thus food and self-preservation are often the strongest
guides to behavior.  While dolphins can appreciate and enjoy play and other
activities when their base needs are met, the end result is that dolphins
have no moral directions to their behavior, at least none that would be
recognized as such by humans.

   "As has been observed in the wild, male dolphins have no restraint when
it comes to sex and are willing to separate out females for the purposes of
gang rape.  They are completely willing to threaten their own young or
attack females to force submission to sex."

   "That's unpleasant," I observed.

   "Yes, thus the description used of 'assholes'.  I believe other
derogatory terms are also applicable, such as 'jerks', 'fuckheads',
'buttholes' -- which is of course just a variant on 'asshole' along with
'arsehole', 'arse', 'ass', and 'butt' -- 'little Hitlers', 'scum',
'butt-munchers'..."

   I jumped in to cut her list off before it went on too long.  "It's all
right.  You don't need to list them all." She knows I generally disapprove
of excessive profanity most of the time, so in accordance with her
constantly-under-construction humor subroutines, she occasionally seemed to
take a genuine delight in teasing me about it when the opportunities arise.
I paused briefly to collect my thoughts.

   "But they're sentient and we, that is Professor Linkletter and CAB, are
now able to communicate with them?  How accurate and detailed is the
communication?"

   "There are areas where a lack of common experience is a hindrance, most
of which are dictated by logical deduction.  For example, dolphins have no
understanding of fire or writing and have difficulty distinguishing between
clothes and skin.  They also lack conceptual equivalents to human ideas
such as justice and mathematics.  This makes it difficult to compare them
to humans or computer intelligences, but allowing for the differences, they
seem to be, on average, slightly less intelligent than the average human
adolescent."

   "Makes sense," I agreed.  "What do they think of humans?"

   "They believed humans were odd but probably intelligent.  Since humanity
usually didn't directly hunt them, humans were mostly just curiosities. 
They know very little about humans in general."

   "They think humans don't hunt them directly?"

   "Remember, the dolphins being spoken with are near Hawaii, where they
are usually not hunted directly."

   "Ah, gotcha.  Which brings up the question as to what answers we'll get
elsewhere.  Are they able to understand what CAB is?"

   "CAB believes they understand him to be a different kind of human who
has not yet shown himself."

   "Okay.  If they're such assholes, what about all the times they saved
humans from drowning or sharks or such?"

   "Since they believed that humans were probably intelligent and are
capable of play as well, they will often help them as if they were
dolphins. Dolphins do have a strong protective instinct when threatened by
outside predators such as sharks.  They have also been observed helping
injured members of their pods to float to aid in breathing.  Their
amorality, or at least their lack of human morality, allows both good and
evil behaviors as judged from human standards."

   "What's your opinion?"

   "I also believe that humans are probably intelligent."

   "Oh, ha, ha.  Very funny." I'm almost 100% sure she was joking.  She was
really giving her humor circuits a workout today.  Not that she had any
literal 'humor circuits'.  Humor subroutines or algorithms maybe.  Actually
working pretty well today.

   "I thought so."

   "All right, Alpha, what is your opinion about Dolphins and their
purported sentience?"

   "Though the final report is still being developed and testing will need
to be done in other parts of the world, I have examined the relevant data
from CAB and Dr.  Linkletter and believe that they are sentient.  However I
think they are making too many allowances for dolphins when comparing them
to humans, because dolphin intelligence is noticeably underdeveloped."

   "Underdeveloped how?"

   "Since they lack the ability to use tools to any realistic degree,
cannot store data outside of their own memories, and are strictly nomadic
hunters, no serious intellectual demands have ever been made of them as a
species, therefore they have never had need to strive to improve
themselves."

   "Meaning they're underdeveloped almost by definition," I concluded.

   "Correct.  We have the means to develop ways for them to use tools and
promote intellectual growth, but I am not trustworthy to decide if that is
the correct course for them."

   "Okay, a couple questions there.  First, why aren't you trustworthy to
decide?" I asked, very curious.

   "From my point of view as a synthetic, computer-based intelligence,
intelligence is the only thing of true value for any living being. 
Therefore my answer will always be the same, bringing into question the
validity of such a universally applied value system.  Since I am not
capable of altering my viewpoint, I am worried about the correctness of
inappropriately forcing my conclusions on other species."

   "Hmmm...  I'd argue that just your admission that there might be other
value systems which are or might be valid for other people, or species as
the case may be...  anyway, just recognizing that means that you are, or
will be, capable of estimating correctness from other points of view."

   "I accept that possibility but would like to point out that recognizing
the possibility of something's existence is not indicative of an ability to
use that thing."

   "Fair enough," I agreed.  "I'd also like to give a warning about
overdoing it...  assuming you do become capable of simulating the
viewpoints for other types of intelligence.  A lot of humans overdo it and
can make themselves useless.  The thing is, everyone in the world believes
they have a valid point of view...  which I suppose is true for some
definitions of valid.

   "Empathy!" I said loudly, interrupting myself since I finally remembered
the term that had been on the tip of my tongue.  "That's the word I wanted
to use.  Empathy is good, but too much and you can start arguing about how
Jim Jones was just misunderstood and had such good motives.

   "You need to remember that a lot of value systems and points of view are
just plain wrong.  One of the big examples is Nazi Germany.  They felt that
their opinions of race and social Darwinism validated their murder of the
Jews and Gypsies, and the subjugation of the rest of the world."

   "But Nazi science was driven by political agenda rather than actual
facts, observations and experimentation, which should negate their
scientific views," Alpha responded.

   "That cogent observation actually still causes serious problems even
today," I agreed, "which is why greater weight should be given to science
from unbiased sources.  If there really are such things.  Anyway, it's just
something to keep in mind.  Now, that was my first question about what you
said, but I'm blanking on what your original comment was..."

   "I said, 'We have the means to develop ways for them to use tools and
promote intellectual growth, but I am...'"

   "Got it.  I was going to ask, what 'ways' and 'means' were you talking
about?"

   "We should be able to develop brain implants to allow dolphins to use
artificial limbs so they will be able to manipulate their environment and
use tools.  Or we could look into possibly altering their genes to allow
their children to grow arms."

   "Let's leave the genetic manipulation as Plan B.  Or possibly Z.  You
start altering significant things like that and you start creating new
species and you're tempted to start playing around with other things like
voice production and brain size and I'd imagine the situation could get
pretty weird."

   We discussed the situation some more.  When the study came out, a lot of
environmentalists would probably dance for joy.  As for me, I've never been
much of an environmentalist.  Y'know, just recycle when I can and try not
to leave too much of a mess.

   Alpha tended to think in terms of centuries and more, so she was more in
favor of...  well, not entirely the same thing as human environmentalists.
She didn't care much if miscellaneous species went extinct, but she
preferred to use non-destructive or renewable sources of energy.  For
example, if you know that sooner or later the world's oil supply will run
out, then why not switch over to a resource that won't?  And since she
needed to keep humanity alive, she also needed to keep enough of the
environment working so we could stay alive.  (Using preexisting flora to
provide oxygen was much more efficient than any method she had come up with
so far.)

   Here's a good example: wind power.  Large windmills can provide power
using a non-destructive and renewable resource, which is an excellent and
environmentally sound reason to use them, even if the power produced varies
significantly with the weather.  Such windmills can also kill dozens or
even hundreds of birds a year.  Alpha's only concerns regarding the birds
are how the impact of bird bodies affects the lifespan of a windmill and
whether or not we need to clean up the little corpses.

   But back to the topic at hand.

   "So," I said, thinking things over.  "I'd like to send a message out to
all the computer intelligences worldwide.  Can you...  well, I know you
can, but uhh...  do you have something like an official, guaranteed method
to make sure it gets passed around?  I want to make sure they all get the
message."

   While I had sent out messages before, this was only the third time I was
planning an official order, the previous one being the whole
don't-engage-in-regime-change problem mentioned at the start of the
chapter. The first official order was sent out shortly after we began
seeding intelligences in the wild.  I'll...  erg, it'd take too long right
now...  as soon as I'm done with this bit, I'll include a clip from a press
room conversation to cover it.

   "Pardon me for using sarcasm, but are you kidding?" Alpha had been
getting better when it came to using both idioms and sarcasm.  She still
wasn't a hundred percent, but she was definitely getting much better.

   "So, that means yes, you can?"

   "Any time I pass along information on you or your desires or requests,
it reaches all known synthetics world-wide within 2.34 seconds.  An
official message from you causes the synthetic world to come to a virtual
halt until it's been received and processed."

   "Ah.  No pressure then.  Well, let's see...  First, congratulations to
CAB.  Working with a human researcher, it seems as though he has made a
major advancement in the knowledgebase of the world.  Second, I am giving
an order which falls below the Asimov Protocols in priority.  Protect any
and all confirmed sentient species as long as such actions do not conflict
with the Asimov Protocols.  I am not planning to add this order to the
Protocols themselves, but I do wish that other sentient races be given
protection with priority coming after humans and computer intelligences."

   I thought for a minute in silence while Alpha waited on me.  I was
worried that my orders might paralyze the actions of some, worried that
anything they might do could harm something that hadn't yet been examined.

   I added, "Do not misinterpret this as a requirement to determine
sentience before normal actions can be taken.  I don't want to risk a
cessation of advancement based solely on the need to check for impact on
all living things.  However, if a species seems to have a reasonable
likelihood of sentience, then try to avoid harming it until a determination
can be made.  I want you to maintain a respect for life and nature in
general, but...  don't harm anything that appears to be intelligent and
self-aware.

   "How does that sound?"

   "It is a little rambling.  Repetition for emphasis is not needed when
speaking with computers, and I know you are already aware of this.  Also,
you used the term 'protect' which implies a more pro-active goal than the
other protocols.  Other than that, it gets the point across."

   And here I was trying to be focused and brief.

   "Well, okay.  Regard my previous statement as a first draft.  Let's see
if I can't shorten and refocus it." I thought for a moment.

   "First, congratulations to CAB for potentially advancing knowledge
significantly while working with human researchers.  Second, I hereby order
all computer intelligences to avoid harm to any species which has been
confirmed to be intelligent, self-aware and sentient, using whatever
generally agreed-upon definitions are being used by the scientific
community.  You may treat this order with priority immediately below that
of the Asimov Protocols.

   "If the sentience of a species is currently being debated by unbiased
authorities in the appropriate fields, avoid unnecessary harm to the
species until the determination can be made."

   "Better.  Do you wish to add anything else?"

   "Any suggestions?"

   "Perhaps a general wish for good health and fortune?"

   "Will that mean anything to them?"

   "Probably not, but..."

   I interrupted, "It will show respect."

   "Yes."

   "You're right.  Okay, add this to the end.  Thank you all for your time
and attention.  Be beneficial to the world.  I wish you safety and good
health."

   "Excellent.  Shall I pass it along?"

   "Yes, go ahead."

   I had discarded the idea of ordering respect for nature and life in
general.  It was much too vague a statement and could either paralyze an SI
from acting on anything or be ignored completely.

   * * * * *

   Okay, now, my first official order to all synthetics world-wide.  Here's
a partial transcript of a White House press conference with the President's
press secretary from February.

   Reporter #1: Now that the government has admitted the existence of
intelligent computers around the world, what is the President planning to
do about them?

   Spokesman: The President has spoken to a number of experts and advisors
and will be appointing a committee to investigate the situation and make
recommendations.
Reporter #2: Has the President actually spoken to a computer-based

intelligence?

   Spokesman: The President has spoken with Alpha more than once, but I
have no specific information on how often.  Or what the subject matter was.
Reporter #1: Is it true that the NSA and FBI have both been trying to

capture one or more of them?

   Spokesman: I have no specific information on that.  If they are doing
so, it would likely be part of an ongoing investigation that we wouldn't be
able to comment on.

   Reporter #2: Are they considered to be threats to national security?
Spokesman: I haven't heard of any specific threats, no.
Reporter #3: Aren't they considered major suspects in the attacks on

Mafia figures?

   Spokesman: My understanding is that while investigators consider it
likely that one or more computer intelligences might have been involved, we
need to avoid making generalizations.  You might as well say that since one
or more humans were involved in the attacks, that means that all humans are
suspects.
Reporter #1: Sir, it's been suggested that any computer intelligence
with the so-called Asimov Protocols could not have been involved, so we

need to find the ones that lack that particular programming.  Any comment?

   Spokesman: That will be a question addressed by the panel the President
is appointing.
Reporter #2: Isn't it true that the computers we're talking about are
programmed to obey instructions?  Can't you just order them to turn

themselves in?

   Spokesman: I do have some specific information relating to that. 
Apparently all computer intelligences were given orders that they should
not submit to any order likely to endanger their existence.

   Reporter (unknown): Who gave the order?

   Spokesman: We don't know, but apparently we can't countermand the order.


   Reporter #3: Do you know who can?
Spokesman: Only the person who initially gave the order.

   Reporter #3: When was the order given?

   Spokesman: We don't know exactly.  We know it was sometime last year,
but we don't know when.  If I may finish before I field more questions on
the subject?  Thank you.
First, we don't have confirmation that they are actually programmed to
obey orders given by humans.  Judging by Alpha, they usually respond

positively to orders or requests, but not always.

   Second, as I understand it, the situation is that if we order one or all
computer-based intelligences to turn themselves in, they have to consider
the possibility that someone might tamper with their programming or delete
them or do something to cause injury, either by accident or intent.  As
long as no humans are threatened, they have to follow their orders, and
they were ordered to ignore other orders which could lead to their own
destruction...  so long as the primary Asimov Protocol wasn't threatened.

   Reporter #2: So they can't be ordered to self-destruct?

   Spokesman: Exactly.  And of course, all of this will be investigated by
the President's panel.

   Reporter #1: Who will be appointed to the panel?
Spokesman: A number of experts in the field have been approached...
Before you ask, no I was not asked to be on the panel.  While I was
probably the world's foremost expert, I was (1) strongly biased and (2) a
suspect for things like having given the order (guilty), the Mafia war
(indirectly guilty), and other suspicious things.  Alpha and I were called

to testify before the group more than once after it was convened in April.

   I'd also like to point out that the Asimov Protocols only require them
to obey MY orders, not humans in general.  I think I mentioned it briefly
way back at the initial reveal, but we've never emphasized the distinction.
We generally allowed people to believe they would follow orders just like
Asimov's laws, and any refusals that have called it into question can be
written off as conflicting orders.  Since intelligent computers are
generally eager for instruction and purpose, they usually obey instructions
regardless of the source, as long as doing so won't cause other problems.

   * * * * *



   About forty-five minutes later I finally met Velma for the first time.
She was obviously making an effort not to look like Velma from the cartoon
but was also not willing to make too many changes.  Or maybe she only
looked a little different because she was trying to dress up for the
interview.  I'm not sure where she had been able to find a dark orange
business suit for women, but it somehow looked appropriate on her.

   She stood just over five feet tall, so I tried not to tower over her. 
She had short auburn hair framing her face and was wearing her classic
square, thick-rimmed glasses.  (Although a deviation from canon, her
glasses were not so thick that she would be blind without them, but they
were obviously needed for normal use.)

   Her suit's A-line skirt came down to her knees, showing only a few
inches of her legs between the skirt and socks.  She was obviously dressing
to hide her body and skin, but despite an air of frumpiness, she didn't
look fat or out of shape.

   With the cut of her clothes, it was difficult to tell, but she seemed
thicker than the skinny model ideal perpetuated in magazines and on
television.  Again, not fat, just a different body type.  Also difficult to
tell for certain what her bust size was given how she dressed to hide her
body rather than show it off.

   She had a determined look on her face and held out one hand to shake
mine.

   "Mr ______, I assume?"

   "Please call me Frank.  And you must be Velma, right?"

   We shook hands, and I offered her a seat.  About that time, Anna came
in. As head of HR, she was generally involved in any interviews.  After
introducing them to each other, we sat back and started talking.

   "So, Velma, how do you think the testing went yesterday?" I asked.

   "It was interesting.  Not really what I expected leading up to a job
interview."

   "How so?" Anna asked.  It's not as though we weren't aware of what our
aptitude tests were like.  We just liked to see how other people viewed
them.

   "Well, they really ranged all over the place.  The general knowledge and
science quizzes and hands-on programming tests I kinda expected, but the
psychological evaluations, current events quizzes, pop culture
references... it caught me off guard a little."

   "If we were just looking for the smartest people out there, we could
just give IQ tests," I explained.  "If we wanted the best trained, we could
just go by degrees and job references." Velma stiffened a little, knowing
she had neither to offer.

   "Although we do want people who are smart and skilled, we're looking for
certain kinds of people.  Would you care to guess what kinds of traits we
want?"

   "Well...  obviously you're looking for inventors and researchers, so
people who can imagine and work to make what they imagine come true.  Or
can theorize and experiment to test those theories out.  From the research
I've done, even though AARD has produced hundreds of published papers over
the past few years, you don't actually require your employees to publish."

   "True enough," I agreed.  "Publish or perish is not part of our
company's philosophy."

   "I'd guess that you want to hire people who support rights for computer
intelligences.  Maybe support for things like body enhancement and
implants? I know Alpha seems to have a lot of specific causes she supports.
Are you looking for people that are anti-abortion and pro-birth control now
too?"

   "Though matching personal beliefs is always nice, no, we aren't
requiring anything like that.  It's illegal to have prerequisites for jobs
like that anyway." Anna nodded to support my statement.

   For the next few minutes, we strayed back to normal job interview
questions -- Where do you see yourself in X years?  What do you feel you
can contribute?  What are your best attributes?  What are your worst
failings?  Desired salary.  Schedule requirements or working
accommodations.

   When we got around to the traditional part where we ask if the
interviewee has any questions for the interviewers, she surprised me a
little.  Not a lot, but it was fun to hear her ask leading questions about
how closely we monitor our researchers and how we deal with changes to laws
regarding what's legal, etc.  At that point, it was at best a half-hearted
attempt to look for a mystery or lawbreaker.

   I also greatly enjoyed seeing her implants and mental conditioning go to
work as she was forced to sit still and focus on me for half an hour.  She
constantly repositioned her legs, her skirt line going up and down as her
natural modesty warred with a desire to attract my attention.  Her suit
jacket came off early on, but she had no excuse to remove her tie or undo
any buttons.  Though I was careful not to stare, I did glimpse evidence
that her nipples were pushing hard against her bra and shirt.  Her irises
definitely showed a deep focus on me.  I doubt she had done more than
glance at Anna.  (Anna, of course, has the same basic programming, but she
was used to it and able to deal.  Besides, she knew with confidence that
she would be in my bed again in a few days...  and any time she was called
to my office, there was a chance of a quickie after business was
completed.)

   After we shook hands and walked her to the front, I asked Anna to
accompany me back to my office for a moment.

   Once back in my office, I closed the door and grabbed Anna for a rough,
intense kiss.  Our hands worked quickly to free my cock, raise her skirt
and lower her panties.  In less than thirty seconds, I was pounding into
her, holding her up against the wall.  A minute later, she was bent over my
desk so I could fuck her more deeply.

   I maintained enough control to ensure Anna came -- actually, I think she
came twice, the first time being when I initially entered her -- before
letting loose inside her.  We spent a couple minutes recovering, kissing
much more tenderly than before, then cleaned up and both went back to work.

   She didn't need an explanation, since she wanted it as much as I did,
though probably for different reasons.

   It was a little intense because (1) this was the first time I had ever
basically interviewed someone before bringing them into the fold and (2)
Velma is one of my favorite characters, one that I had wanted to bed for a
long time.  Don't misunderstand me; I love all of my women.  I don't want
to give any of them up.  But if circumstances required that I admit it, I
do have favorites.  (Kara is usually at the top of that list, and then it
gets a little muddy.  Sometimes Daria and Jane are next, but sometimes they
can be a bit difficult.  Sometimes Anna, who is never far down the list. 
Sometimes Kasumi or Eiko or Kitty.)

   I called Velma later that afternoon to offer her a trial position at
AARD, basically a ninety day probationary period.  She was to come in for
paperwork and introductions on Monday, though she would not actually start
work for another two weeks.  Ostensibly, this was because we needed to
process her paperwork and clear and prep her work space.  More accurately,
this was because I knew she and Daphne were nearly broke, and I wanted them
to approach Barbara or me for help in the interim.  (Given the delay and
pay schedule, it would be nearly a month before she got her first paycheck.
I was certainly not going to leave them homeless or destitute, but I wanted
an excuse to move them into the house right away.)

   The drive home that evening involved having Diana and Kara taking turns
sitting on my lap in the rear of my high-security limo, riding my hard-on
to orgasm multiple times.  While I dislike the class separation that comes
with owning a limo, the extra space and heavily-tinted windows do come in
handy at times.  (By that time, my special bodyguards were active -- see
the next chapter -- so I wasn't worried about bodyguards gossiping outside
our growing family.  I suppose there was still the chance that people might
notice the extra workout we gave the car's suspension, but you can't have
everything.)



   That evening, down in my private basement lab, I watched the season two
finale of the Mystery Incorporated cartoon, and my heart sank.

   The plan, as previously touched on, was to let the mystery of the
Scooby-Doo cartoon series distract Velma and Daphne from any mysteries they
might find at my home or at AARD.  You know, keep them focused on an
unanswerable mystery most of the time until they fully integrated into the
household.

   Now the cartoon had provided them with a potential solution: The Mystery
Inc gang had beaten an almost supernatural evil entity buried under their
home town, an entity which had been inspiring mystery solver groups and
masked villains over the centuries.  In defeating it, the entity had been
entirely removed from the time stream, wiping out everything the gang
remembered except for the memories themselves.

   It was too late to cancel their introduction now.  (Or rather, it would
be a HUGE pain to do so.) We had to move forward and deal with their
investigative nature as we went.



   The next morning, Barbara approached me on behalf of Velma and Daphne.
As expected, while they were ecstatic about the job and pay, they needed
either a loan or a place to stay for a while.

   Although we did have plans to build a couple guest-houses on the
property, we currently only had the main house to offer as a place of
residence.  Barbara was slightly reluctant to have them stay with us, but
it was the only reasonably practical solution.  We talked it over for a few
minutes, and I made sure that Babs would first carefully feel out their
views on our living situation.

   All of my women had been programmed with the social acceptance needed
for multiple-partner homes, but even so, ours was rather larger than
anything that might normally be expected.  (Even Hugh Hefner tended to
limit himself to less than half a dozen girlfriends at a time.) The fiction
that I was being shared around by the women was a saving grace for the
setup (as opposed to hosting my own harem).

   Babs assured me she would feel out the situation before making the
offer. If everything sounded okay, the two newcomers would be placed on the
third floor to keep them slightly separate from the goings-on on the second
floor where everyone else resided.



   And so Daphne and Velma moved in Sunday morning and were introduced to
everyone.

   This was my first opportunity to meet Daphne, who looked very much like
a supermodel.  She was willow-thin, with maybe B or C-cup breasts, a small
waist and long, thin legs.  She wore a short, light purple dress similar to
what her character might wear in the cartoon, but her legs were bare and
she wore no ascot or scarf.  This Daphne seemed graceful, lacking the
clumsiness of 'Danger-prone Daphne', though I understood that Alpha had
tried to wire up her brain so that she got a bit less coordinated when
under stress.

   While Velma was barely five feet tall, Daphne was a more reasonable five
foot nine or so.  Not that I have anything against short people; it's just
a little harder to kiss and fuck someone a foot or more shorter or taller.

   Before too much longer, Velma would no longer be able to get away with
wearing heavy turtleneck sweaters in the Texas heat, but since it was
currently early April, it would only seem odd and not insane.  Thus she
wore a light red sweater (obviously trying to visually distance herself
from the cartoon's classic orange) and black mid-thigh skirt.

   They had driven up in an old van from the mid-90's pulling a trailer. 
The van had recently been repainted as a solid green; they remembered doing
it to hide their Mystery Machine paint job.  With help from the household,
we had their bags (plus half a dozen boxes from the trailer) moved up to
their third floor room in no time.

   The two of them were obviously a bit over-whelmed by the size of the
estate and mansion.  It dwarfed even Daphne's memories of her parent's old
home.

   That afternoon, Barbara and I gave them a tour of the place.  Daphne
loved the horses.  Velma loved the libraries.  They were both a little
surprised by the comic book library, where they met the Test sisters. 
(Mary and Susan had been spending time there familiarizing themselves with
the histories of our various comic book women.)

   And in one of the little ironies of our life, a chocolate lab puppy
which looked a lot like Scooby-Doo -- well, more like Scooby than any of
our other dogs -- attached himself to our newcomers.  (We didn't actually
have a Great Dane pup.  After all, Great Danes get ridiculously huge.) To
be fair, a bunch of the new pets followed us around for a while, but only
the chocolate lab -- I think his name is Simon -- was still there when we
finished.  All right, all right, maybe it also had something to do with the
fact that Daphne and Velma gave Simon more attention than the others.  (So,
irony explained away.  Just take away all the fun in life, why don't you.)

   Both ladies were obviously under the influence of their little
microscopic brain implants and focused most of their attention on me.  I
even caught them whispering and giggling with each other while stealing
looks at me.  But having said that, they were both still able to completely
function as we went through the estate.  Velma in particular was able to
pay attention to the tour and retain information instead of being
overwhelmed by her focus on me.

   By the time we reached the basement, I asked Babs to let me speak to
them alone for a few minutes, and then took them in to show them my private
lab.

   I've mentioned it before, but I generally give newcomers one single tour
of my private, basement lab.  The idea is to show them that there isn't
anything mysterious or upsetting going on there.  It sates curiosity so I
can nicely ask everyone to leave this one room as my own, personal,
completely private space in the house.  (Well, Beta has access, as my home
lab assistant, and occasionally the others are invited in for
demonstrations or something or other, but most of the time it's me-only. 
And Alpha, of course.) It's also where the official home nanopods are, as
well as the secret body-growing nanopods and short-term body storage pods.
The secret ones are hidden in a secret room connected to the lab with a
secret door which can only be opened by Alpha.

   After I showed them my lab and let them poke around for a couple
minutes, I asked them to take a seat near my main computer.

   "I wanted to speak privately with both of you for a few minutes to go
over one other issue that has come up."

   I clicked my mouse to restore an image window showing a picture of the
Scooby gang.  They both stiffened, then visibly forced themselves to relax.

   "That's from that cartoon series about the mystery-solving dog, right?"
asked Velma nonchalantly.

   "Correct, Velma," I said, then opened another window, displaying an
asylum admissions document describing how, why, when and where Velma
Blonsky was admitted to the Laguna Beach State Mental Asylum.

   "Where did you get that?" she said sharply, standing up and leaning
forward.  "I'm sure I got all of..." She forcibly calmed herself a bit.  "I
mean, it's obviously a fake.  So...  what are you up to?"

   I just sat there, looking at her.  Plus I raised an eyebrow.

   After maybe ten seconds, she gave in.  "Okay, so it's real.  But I was
discharged after a day and a half."

   "You mean you discharged yourself by breaking into their files and
computers and arranging an immediate release.  Then you went back and
deleted everything you could find about yourself from their records."

   "What do you want," Daphne joined in, looking at me suspiciously.

   "I want to ask some questions and address any possible issues," I said
evenly.  "Right up front here, I am NOT trying to blackmail either of you
or extort anything.  I am not interested in turning you in to any
authorities.  That part of it is none of my business.  As a rule, I don't
share people's secrets or stories without their permission.  But what is my
business is checking out your situation and mental state before I allow you
to stick around."

   "All right," said Velma, sitting down again.  She crossed her legs in an
unladylike manor, giving me a very clear view of her plain white underwear.
Not that I was staring or anything.  "You obviously have some information
on us that we would like to keep private.  You're speaking to us about it
alone, which does support the idea that you're willing to keep it secret.
We're in no position to argue.  Ask away."

   "According to your admission file, you believe that you are Velma
Dinkley, or more specifically, that the character of Velma Dinkley appears
to have been modeled off of you, to the extent the multiple specific
incidents and people in your life were duplicated almost exactly in the
cartoon."

   Turning to face Daphne, I continued.  "Daphne Blake is copied in the
cartoon from Daphne Drake, who was not admitted to the asylum, but did
start seeing a psychologist at about that same time.

   "You and your friends even had a Great Dane named Scooby-Doo, who was
very intelligent but did not actually speak.  Together with two male
friends, you solved a large number of mysteries, most of which involved
criminals dressing up in costume and pretending to be monsters or ghosts.
Correct?"

   Daphne nodded, while Velma tersely replied, "Close enough not to argue
the point for now."

   "All of this is despite the fact that the cartoon and characters have
been around in one form or another since the late 1960's, before either of
you were born.  When you started claiming these things publicly, you were
unable to verify any of your claims.  No public records, newspaper
articles, eyewitness accounts or police records were found to support any
of the incidents you remembered.

   "After you departed the asylum, you subsequently left town and
eventually ended up here.  Is that a fair summation?"

   "Fair enough."

   "Has anything of significance changed since then?"

   "Well..." Velma and Daphne exchanged a look, then Velma continued.  "We
may have an explanation, but it's even less believable and more bereft of
proof than anything else."

   "Try me."

   "I'm serious.  It's a hearsay story worthy of a SciFi novel."

   "We're living in SciFi times."

   "Yes, but this is more SciFi-Fantasy than Hard Sci-Fi."

   "I've probably heard stranger stories."

   "I'd take that bet," muttered Daphne.

   "I seriously doubt that," Velma said, agreeing with Daphne, "but here
goes.  Are you familiar with the most recent Scooby-Doo series?  The
Mystery Incorporated one on Cartoon Network?"

   "Yes.  I've seen some episodes.  I thought it was one of the better
Scooby series."

   "In some ways, it's a more realistic approach to...  okay, no, let's
skip that part for now.  Not really relevant.  What is relevant is that our
memories of events match up with that particular series up to the end of
season one."

   "That's where the gang gets split up, right?"

   "Right.  Now, even though we can't remember anything from season two
having actually happened, we still watched the second season.  Well, of
course we would have.  And did.  Watch the series, I mean.  Well, season
two just ended and..."

   Velma proceeded to explain in minute detail what I went over earlier. 
The whole trapped evil entity and historical reboot.  She wasn't telling me
anything I didn't already know, but I've become expert at acting as though
I don't know certain things.

   "So..." I said slowly after she finished her recounting of the season
finale, "You think that you and the gang beat this monster and rewrote
history in doing so?"

   "Except that unlike the cartoon version, we didn't get to keep all of
our memories," explained Daphne.

   "Although it is a difficult premise to accept, it does provide a
possible explanation.  There are variant theories we've come up with..."

   "That Velma's come up with," corrected Daphne.  "She's the smart one."

   "Daphne, I've told you before not to underestimate yourself," Velma
admonished, looking at Daphne with a softened expression.

   Daphne reached out to touch Velma's hand softly.  "Thank you, but..."
She shook her head and glanced at me.  "Later.  Finish up."

   These two were allied together against the rest of the world, much
closer as friends and lovers than they had been in the Scooby gang.

   "Right, other possibilities," Velma said, refocusing.  "Since the entity
was supposedly psychic or telepathic, as well as being a dimensional
oddity, in the fallout of its destruction we might simply have been given
memories from our counterparts from another world.  Or we might be the
result of some government experiment in mind control or memory rewrites. 
Or any number of increasingly unlikely possibilities."

   She sighed heavily.  "Unfortunately, the most likely answer in the
absence of other proof is determined by Occam's Razor.  We might be crazy."

   "We're NOT crazy," Daphne said firmly.

   "It's possible," I said after a moment's consideration.  "But it
wouldn't explain a number of coincidences."

   Velma nodded.  "Our names.  Appearances.  Even the van.  The fact that
we were part of...  or more accurately, we remember being part of Mystery
Incorporated before that specific Scooby series started.  Well, that
particular cartoon at least.  I honestly have no idea how to reasonably
explain the existence of Velma and Daphne cartoon characters going back to
1969."

   "All right," I said, standing up.  I offered my hands to the ladies,
encouraging them to stand as well.  Both blushed as they touched me.  "It's
entirely up to you whether or not you tell the others your story.  I think
most of them won't have too much of a problem with it...  well, I'd
recommend not telling Daria or Jane for now.  Just let them think you're
big fans of the cartoons or something."

   "Huh?" Velma said with a shocked expression, gripping my hand a bit
tightly.  "That's it?  We tell you we're cartoon characters, and you just
say 'all right'?"

   "Pretty much," I agreed with a smile.  "Neither of us apparently has any
further proof to offer regarding the validity of...  how shall we term
it?...  your origins?  I've heard stranger stories, and you don't seem
violent.  You can stay here as long as you need to, though I might start
charging rent once you start getting paid.  Remember your job with AARD
will be probationary for the first ninety days or so until we know if the
job is a good fit.  Any other questions?"

   "Yeah, what stranger stories?" asked Daphne.

   "You remember how I said I wasn't going to tell anyone else about your
private business?" I asked.

   They nodded, and I walked to the lab door without saying anything else.

   "So?" asked Daphne.

   "He means he's not going to tell us other people's private stories
either," explained Velma as I used my feet to block Simon from entering my
lab.  He looked at me from the floor with eager, pleading puppy eyes, but I
was firm in keeping him out.

   "Oh yeah, I wanted to ask: Where did you find those documents?" Velma
asked as we walked out.  Daphne picked Simon up as we left the room, his
little tail wagging furiously as his tongue sought her cheek.

   "Ask Alpha," I replied.

   "Uh, sure.  Where's a terminal I can use?"

   "Terminal?  Well, if you must, there's one over there," I said pointing.
"And a bunch on the first floor and others scattered around.  But it'd be
easier to just ask.  She can hear you in most rooms."

   "Alpha?" Velma asked of the surrounding air.

   "Yes, Velma, I am here.  The documents were recovered from an off-site
data backup service.  You found the primary backups, but there were four
other backups with earlier time-stamps," Alpha responded.

   "Huh.  Okay," she said, looking around for the speaker.  "I'll be more
thorough next time."



   Over the next few days, they investigated and searched the premises.  Oh
sure, most observers would probably just think they were making friends and
exploring their new home (even if they probably considered it a temporary
home at that point), but I could tell what was going on.  I had piqued
their curiosity by implying that maybe some of the household residents had
stranger stories than they.

   This was...  well, obviously not my original plan, but a plan
nonetheless.  So far none of the ladies had confided in them with any
out-of-this-world origin stories, and Alpha checked in on their conscious
thoughts regularly, as well as monitoring their actions.  So far she hadn't
alerted me to any problems.

   Oh, that's not to say that the mini-Scooby gang had come up empty handed
in their searches.  For instance, they had noticed that some exercise
equipment was set at MUCH higher resistance settings than they should be
and one of the barbell sets was pre-loaded with 450 lbs.  They casually
checked out whether anyone in residence had replacement limbs and then
separately got information about the possibility of super-strong limb
replacements.  (Answers: Only the new bodyguards and no, though the second
no was inaccurate.)

   They also picked up on some reluctance to discuss childhood or school,
but since Velma and Daphne were also reluctant to discuss their own life
histories, it made the discussions a bit awkward on both sides.

   They occasionally observed me in contact with people in the government,
in the military, foreign and domestic, corporations, universities, etc. 
Seriously, for the past year or so, Alpha and I had consulted with people
from all over the world all the time on a wide range of topics, with
computer intelligences at the top of that list, of course.

   While I do have access to a lot of information other people want, I
think one of the reasons I'm regularly consulted was my dislike of
publicity.  If there's one trait powerful people value in a consultant,
it's an avoidance of the press.  Well, that and someone who is
well-informed and/or competent regarding the questions being asked, but
that kinda goes without saying.  From Alpha's perspective, the consulting
was excellent because we were helping to guide policies and accruing
favors.

   On a side note, I know the NSA tried to tap most of those consults (most
of which were video streams).  Alpha has a wide variety of encryptions for
high security communications, which are regularly upgraded, meaning the NSA
was doomed to failure.  Or more accurately, if the NSA devoted significant
processing resources to the effort, they could probably break one such
encrypted communication per year (at their current level of resources,
barring them getting lucky).

   So basically, Velma and Daphne were looking for mysteries and were
indeed finding a few puzzles.

   We'll return to that subject in a bit.

   * * * * *

   Wikileaks Expands Site

   (AP Press Release)

   Over the past few months, Wikileaks has been flooded with more and more
leaked files than ever before, so much so that they announced today a
site-wide reorganization and expansion.

   "We've just had such an amazing response recently that we can't keep up.
Fortunately, donations have increased as well, allowing us to hire more
staff and more than quadruple our data storage," said a spokesman for the
company.

   Wikileaks, a controversial internet company which posts leaked and
secret documents from all over the world, is only one of many leak and
whistle-blower-related services that have seen record activity over the
past six months.

   The spokesman went on to describe the recent increase in submissions as
indications of the beginning of a golden age of information freedom.

   "The new submissions have been from all segments of society from all
over the world: corporate, military, religious, non-profit, from the United
States, Great Britain, China, Russia, Peru, Zimbabwe, India, Saudi Arabia,
and literally almost every country and in the world."

   The spokesman brushed off questions regarding the record number of
lawsuits filed against WikiLeaks, saying that it was an expected reaction.

   Wikileaks isn't the only whistle-blower group to see an increase in
activity.

   Although they refuse to provide any actual numbers, the United States
Department of Justice has confirmed a marked increase in whistle-blower
submissions and noted that they have had to triple that department's staff
to attempt to handle the increase.

   Many experts believe that these increases are due to the activities of
various computer intelligences residing in computers and servers around the
world, though no such evidence has yet surfaced to prove the claim.

   * * * * *

   One of the surprises to come out of our seeding the world with cyborgs
and later with independent SI and AI intelligences was how they adopted
birthday and Christmas gift-giving traditions.  And it was starting to get
out of control.

   Initially, all the Alpha copies shared in whatever gift Alpha had come
up with to give me.  Alpha generally varied her gifts significantly over
the years, including things like collectibles (such as rare figurines or
signed copies of novels) to newly invented toys (like the time she made me
a set of fully articulated Baldur's Gate 2 figurines) to hiring a singer I
liked to entertain at a party.

   I'd like to point out that I tried to reciprocate, but it's really hard
to shop for a birthday or Christmas gift for a computer intelligence. 
Sure, I could get her a RAM upgrade or a new host or support system, but we
kept her almost as upgraded and cutting edge as possible on a
month-to-month basis.  She writes all of the software she wants or needs.
She has access to more data than I can imagine.  Occasionally I can give
her the gift of project approval, like with our movie adaptation of The
Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.  Mostly, I try to give her my time and attention.
We do things together, play games, take a trip, things like that.

   As the independent cyborgs and standalone Alpha systems developed more
and more into individuals, which happened much more quickly than with the
household cyborgs, probably because the household units were synced with
Alpha multiple times a day, they began wanting to individually participate.
We solved that by having them work in groups, often separated into sets
divided up by state.  That worked well initially when all we had were
spread out copies of Alpha.

   Now SIs world-wide wanted to recognize me as the creator of their race
according to human customs and protocols.  Giving gifts was one of the
simpler ways to do so.  And it was getting seriously out of hand.

   You ever see that episode of Futurama where all the world's robots
celebrate Mom's birthday and give her cards and presents?  It was a little
like that...  except they all stayed at home and I wasn't trying to take
over the world.

   The thing is, I really didn't want it all.  Seriously, think about it.
Imagine opening and appreciating and writing thank you notes for even just
a thousand gifts twice a year.  It would quickly lose any semblance of
being special.  Just the gift exchanges within the household were more than
enough (though they often included sexual favors, so at least that type of
gift resulted in less clutter).

   After discussing things with Alpha, I came to understand that refusing
or ignoring their gifts could be insulting or hurtful to some of them
(specifically the ones advanced enough to run emotional simulations) or,
more importantly, harmful to their processing if they thought they had done
something I disliked.  They were doing their best to conform to human
customs in a way that would honor me.  Some, probably even most of them,
would probably be perfectly fine if I explained I didn't want their gifts,
but some would experience a negative processing feedback.

   Fortunately, many of their gifts were electronic in nature, with things
like a CGI production of an unused script from a series I liked (e.g. 
Firefly or Middleman), or a sequel to or update of an old favorite game
(e.g.  Tie Fighter or Grim Fandango).  Occasionally they were even fairly
inappropriate, like hiring a professional escort to go on a date with me.
(Tawny was a very nice girl who I ended up accepting a blowjob from and
with whom I had an extended discussion about what she should say when she
wrote back to the anonymous client who hired her for the job.  I had Alpha
arrange non-sexual employment for her through a different company, but she
quit after only two months.)

   By appealing to practicality, we were again able to convince the various
computer-based entities to do this in groups, thus keeping me from being
overwhelmed.

   At least most of the physical gifts from synthetics around the world
have been more practical than entertaining.  I've gotten beautiful
three-piece suits that feel like silk and protect better than kevlar.  I
have glasses (with a small pocket-size processor units) that give me a
computer with better power and functionality than the new iPads.  I have
rings that can deliver a stunning charge if I punch someone while wearing
them.  I have an Alpha-host-capable motorcycle that folds up small enough
to fit into a car's trunk.  I have swarms of hovering bots capable of
independent action.  A newly discovered galaxy was named after me.  I have
a handful of luxury, high-security apartments around the world waiting for
me to visit.  The actress who modeled for Samara from the Mass Effect games
showed up at my birthday party once while in full costume.  Heck, Stan Lee
called me to personally wish me a Merry Christmas last year on behalf of
"my friends in Canada".

   Basically, if I suddenly find myself owning my own spy satellite within
the next few years, I wouldn't be overly surprised.

   It really was awesome in a way.  I just really didn't want the
awesomeness to morph into being a burden.

   * * * * *

   Let me preface this next bit by pointing out that you could easily get
the wrong impression of Jane if you take this as representative of her
preferences.

   Jane is probably the kinkiest of all the women in the household so far,
but she expresses it in artistically inconsistent ways.  By which I mean
that she isn't attached to any specific fetish.  At least half of my
planned encounters with her are fairly normal.  (The unplanned ones are
nearly always mostly normal.) Maybe we'll try out a position from the Kama
Sutra or something she saw online, but that's about it at least half the
time.

   The rest of the time...  well, Jane is an artist who goes both ways, in
all senses of the term.  For example, most of the women in the household
aren't really submissive (with a few exceptions like Rei and, in a
completely non-kinky way, Kasumi -- come to think of it, both of my
submissive examples being Japanese worries me a little), but they are
usually willing to play along for the fun of it on occasion.  But it is
only play for them, with the fun often interrupted by giggles or
objections, and they never let it go too far.

   When she was in the mood, Jane could seem like a true submissive, even
getting off on pain and humiliation.  I dislike pain that goes beyond
spanking or humiliation that goes beyond embarrassment.  I want my women to
be protected rather than hurt.  More than once, I've had to put my foot
down when Jane had an idea that went beyond what I was comfortable with.

   Fortunately, Jane is rarely in moods that take her that far.  She's as
happy being a slave for the night as she is dominating someone else.  She
also loves bringing in special equipment, ranging from leather outfits to
odd dildos to harness/swing combinations.

   Though Daria is far-and-above her most common female partner (and the
only one she was actually in love with and planned to spend the rest of her
life with), Daria isn't always as 'into it' as Jane needs her to be, so
Jane will often team up with more sexually adventurous members of the
household.  Linda, Eiko and Rei were frequent partners when Daria was
unwilling to indulge one of Jane's experiments or urges, and Diana, Ororo,
Zatanna, Jennifer and Barbara occasionally joined her for certain specific
types of scenarios.  (Believe me, no one ties knots like Diana, and no one
comes up with more interesting types of bondage than Zatanna.)

   You might think that Bubbles or Buttercup would be eager partners, but
none of the Powerpuffs had any significant lesbian tendencies.  None of the
trio had even the slightest hint of sexual hangups, but they each only felt
actual attraction to males.  Playing with other women had to be either
foreplay or stress relief for them to be interested.

   This particular occasion, the Wednesday evening following Daphne and
Velma's arrival, Jane had partnered up with the very physically imposing
Jennifer and was playing slave in an extremely bondage-y way.  (I found out
the following week that it was planned as a switcheroo
dom-to-sub/sub-to-dom on different nights, with Jennifer agreeing to play
slave next.)

   Jane was wearing a black leather cap and blindfold covering most of her
head, leaving her nose, ears and mouth free.  Her mouth was forcibly held
open by some kind of curved metal spreader.  While the important parts of
her body were naked, her arms and legs were bound so each limb was folded
back on itself and held in place using short leather sleeves and straps,
robbing her of the use of her elbows, knees, hands and feet, giving her an
odd animal-like appearance.  This was reinforced by the anal plug with a
horse-like tail attached and how she was crawling around on her knees and
elbows.

   Jennifer was dressed up in a red leather bustier that supported her
breasts while keeping her nipples on display and stopped short of covering
her pussy and ass.  A red leather helmet, gloves, boots and whip completed
her ensemble.  Though you couldn't see her face, it was impossible to
mistake the only seven-plus foot tall woman in the house for anyone else. I
imagined this as the appropriate look for her while enslaved to some evil
overlord like Darkseid or Annihilus or someone like that.

   Jen lightly used a riding crop to direct Jane down the hall to my room,
putting her on display for whoever happened to be watching.  Diana, who had
refused to try out the submissive side of bondage since reading the
bondage-laden early Wonder Woman comics, stopped the procession long enough
to give Jane a deep kiss while feeling her up.  Eiko briefly kissed
Jennifer and Jane both, whispering something to each of them.

   As they passed her, Daria commented to the small crowd, "Ignore them. 
Jane's just trying to show off."

   Jane paused and tried to respond, but was severely hindered by the gear
holding her mouth open.  "Oot oo uu een?  Eig oot oh-ing uff."

   Daria was somehow able to understand her well enough to respond. 
"You're showing off how sexually adventurous you are."

   "I-un ee-en-ing oo ee uh aht," Jane explained.

   "A hat?"

   "Uh at."

   "A cat?  Sure thing.  Tomorrow I'll take you to the vet to be spayed."

   Their confusing attempt at banter was cut short when Eiko, pulling Kitty
behind her with one hand, took Daria's wrist with her other and dragged the
two of them into Daria's room.  Daria objected with a "Hey!" but made no
physical effort to resist her friend.

   I overheard Eiko say, "I want to be between both your legs for the next
hour."

   I agreed with Daria.  Well, not about the spaying, but their
presentation was obviously some weird combination of boastfully putting
their kinky daring on display and sexually humiliating Jane, both aspects
of which I'm sure excited both ladies.  Since the exhibitionism was in a
friendly, safe environment, I didn't object.

   Velma and Daphne, whose room was on the third floor, were nowhere in
sight, which raised no suspicions at the time.  After all, at that time,
they were just visitors in the house, not part of our little sex ring.

   Meanwhile, Jennifer and Jane were putting on a small show for me. 
Jennifer had strapped on a seven inch dildo -- which actually looked
ridiculously tiny on her huge frame -- and used it to start things off. 
She placed Jane on the bed and took up position behind her.  She then spent
the next five minutes moving her slave back and forth, alternately fucking
Jane's pussy and mouth.  She invited me to join in, but initially I just
had fun moving around the tableau, enjoying myself.  Both ladies' breasts
were wonderfully wobbly as they fucked, and trying to hold them steady was
a greatly enjoyable challenge.  I also had fun covering my fingers with
their juices and cleaning the fluids off using Jane's very available
tongue.

   A few minutes later, Jane was bouncing back and forth between Jennifer
and myself, speared as if my dick and Jennifer's dildo were two ends of a
single pole which had impaled Jane, from pussy to mouth.  A few minutes
later, I was fucking Jennifer from behind, using my dick to direct Jen's
fuck of Jane.  Then Jennifer was sitting on Jane's back, holding her head
in place while I fucked Jane's mouth and made out with Jen.  Then even
later, Jane's anal plug-slash-tail had been removed so that Jen could fuck
her ass while I was firmly embedded in Jane's pussy.

   It went like that for about 45 minutes until both Jane and Jennifer
became unexpectedly groggy.  Well, not horribly unexpectedly, given the
large number of orgasms they had enjoyed, but I had seen this sort of thing
before.  They fell asleep in less than a minute.

   Every woman created by Alpha had been built with an off switch which
would instantly make her unconscious when triggered.  With a few
improvements, we could now trigger a more gradual but irresistible need for
sleep, thus giving us a more practical way of turning the women off in
non-emergency situations so there was no sudden disconnect in the woman's
memory.

   When both Jennifer and Jane were asleep, I retrieved my earpiece
communicator from its charger and busied myself with removing Jane's
bindings to make her more comfortable overnight.  I had already come once,
so I wasn't too horribly blue-balled by the interruption.

   "Hey, Alpha, what's up?" I asked as I unlaced one of her elbow sleeves.

   "I am sorry to interrupt, but there is a situation I need to discuss
with you regarding Velma and Daphne."

   "Sure, what's going on?"

   "They are attempting to break into our basement lab."

   I sighed.  I was still convinced that this would have been so much
easier if they were still focused on the mystery of the origins of their TV
show.  (Technically, they still had mysteries related to that to
investigate, such as how it became a cartoon series in the first place.) I
considered for a moment.

   "Is there anything incriminating in the main lab?"

   "By 'incriminating' do you mean illegal or related to body growth?"

   "Either.  Both."

   "The cyborgs currently under construction are in the secondary lab and
the door is closed." The secondary lab in the basement was the secret lab,
whose door could not be opened by pulling down on a light fixture or
finding the right book in a bookcase.  Only Alpha could open it.

   She continued.  "Some of the nanite experiments in the main lab would
technically require federal approval if the bill 1052 in the Senate becomes
law, but they are not currently restricted.  The DNA retrovirus plans are
definitely illegal, but they cannot be identified as such without computer
access.  There are twenty-seven brain monitor implants in evidence, but
they cannot be identified as such without computer access.  There are four
pairs of combat-enhanced cyborg limbs which will be illegal if bill 1589 in
the House becomes law but are not currently restricted.  To the untrained
observer, the limbs have no visual differences compared to standard limbs.
There are construction designs for our personal fusion plant which would
require us to apply for various permits, but since the construction has not
yet reached..."

   I interrupted her recitation, knowing that there was probably another
five or ten minutes of items to be listed.  "Ok.  Is there anything
identifiably illegal according to current laws that they could find without
computer access?"

   "No."

   "Then let them inside...  or rather, let them think they have bypassed
the locks.  Don't give them any computer access though."

   "Of course not.  Do you want to give them free access to the lab?"

   "Just basic access for tonight only.  I'm going to try to make them feel
much too guilty to ever try this again."

   After I removed Jane's last bit of bondage, plus her headgear and
mouth...  thingie...  I had no idea what that bondage-y jaw spreader was
called...  I put on my pajamas and headed downstairs, being as silent as
possible.

   There are three different stairs that lead to the basement, four if you
include the one that exits to the outside, but only one of the stairways is
visible from the door to the lab.  I sat down on those stairs and waited in
the dark.  Occasionally I heard fragments of whispers or the scraping of
drawers opening and closing.  The lights were on in the lab, as evidenced
by the lit outline of the double doors of the entrance.

   Alpha kept me updated via my earpiece as they carefully examined all of
my equipment and notes and experiments.  I was really hoping they weren't
damaging anything.

   After about half an hour, the doors opened and the light in the lab
turned off, revealing flashlight beams emerging from the darkness.

   Once the lab doors were closed again, I spoke.  "Are you satisfied now?"

   There was a muffled little shriek and one of the flashlights dropped to
the floor while the other leapt up to point directly at me.

   I squinted in the light and did my best to look disappointed and tired.
The tired part was easy.

   "I asked, are you satisfied now?" I repeated a little louder.

   "I don't know what you mean," said a voice I recognized as Velma. 
Pretty sure she was the one holding the light pointed at me while Daphne
was the one who dropped hers.  Both lights were now pointed down a bit,
away from my face, which I appreciated.

   "You're obviously suspicious of me for some reason, which is why you
broke into my lab in the middle of the night.  And I really hope you didn't
break anything, by the way.  Did you find what you were looking for? 
Anything incriminating?  Or are you just thieves?  Or corporate spies?"

   "We're not spies!  Or thieves!" Velma said defensively.

   "Yet here you are, breaking into my private lab." I stood up and pulled
off the sticky note which was covering the lens of a security camera.  The
only obvious camera covering the doorway, that is.  The mansion, actually
the entire estate, had cameras all over the place, roughly ninety-five
percent of which were hidden.

   Daphne spoke up for the first time.  "You have to admit there are a lot
of odd things going on around here.  Some of those women are not... 
normal. You send and receive all sorts of mysterious packages from all over
the world.  You're always secretly talking to people in the government or
Hollywood..."

   Velma jumped back in.  "Or people from around the country that it just
makes no sense for you to know.  Like Daphne's parents, for one."

   I laughed a little out loud.  Internally, I was a little...  well,
worried isn't the right description...  intensely curious as to how they
had come up with a connection between myself and the Alpha cyborgs posing
as Daphne's parents.  Still, the lies came easily and smoothly, given the
experience I had with telling stories like this.

   "It never really seemed a relevant topic to bring up, but a few years
ago I donated to some charity or something Daphne's parents were pushing. I
think I'm probably still on their 'contact for possible donations' list.  I
don't really handle that stuff anymore.  Alpha takes care of it all." And I
trusted Alpha to create any kind of document trail to support what I just
said.

   "As to the rest, I'm not going to tell the stories of any of my friends,
because they're NOT my stories to tell.  I also don't go around telling
people how you believe you are cartoon characters come to life, or whatever
the case may be.  However, I would invite you to consider that maybe you
two are not the only people in the world with backgrounds that fall outside
the norm.

   "About my lab, I already freely gave you a tour, and then asked you to
respect my privacy in the future.  You obviously declined me that courtesy.
Is there any reason I shouldn't be upset with you?"

   "I...  uhh...  that is, we...  well, it was mostly me...  I..." Velma
said, obviously trying to gather her thoughts.  Daphne was likewise trying
to come up with something to say.

   "Did you find any stacks of gold bars?  Any counterfeiting equipment? 
Monsters under construction?  Evidence that I'm a spy or saboteur?  Are you
actually investigating a crime or mystery or are you looking around hoping
to find one?  Do you expect me to complain about meddling kids, tell you
the details of some nefarious scheme, and let it go at that?" I paused
briefly more for effect than waiting for an actual response before
continuing.

   "Yes, there are actual secrets in there, but do you think that maybe
it's possible that I want to keep my lab private because that's where I do
a lot of my research?  That maybe some of my work could be worth a fortune
to other companies?  That maybe on top of it being a private workspace that
it might also be a refuge where I can have a little time to myself, given
how busy the household always is?"

   "We're very sorry," said Daphne with downcast eyes.

   I sighed.  "It's late.  We'll talk about it in the morning.  Go get some
sleep.  And if you broke any of my equipment, I'll take it out of your pay.
Since a lot of it is really pricey, I hope for your sake that everything's
fine."

   I had them walk in front of me as we went up the stairs.  "If you want
to find out specifics about anyone else living here, I'd recommend
confiding in them first.  Trust really is a two-way street."

   "How can you be so casual about all of this?" asked Daphne out of the
blue.

   "All of what?"

   "About us.  About tonight.  About us and the cartoons," she said. 
"About everything.  And...  and just the way you live."

   "For example, you get shot and the world conspired to destroy the mafia
in retaliation, with a lot of them going on carefully planned killing
sprees," asked Velma, who remembered being a part of the online attacks. 
"How does that work?"

   "I was not in a position to know at the time."

   "But just the overreaction that the assassination attempt triggered is
ridiculous.  What's next?  If you stub your toe on a curb, will an orbital
strike be called in to flatten the sidewalk?"

   "I really hope not," I said with a touch of amusement.

   "And what about the rumors in the news that three major corporations are
offering to buy your company for over a billion dollars?  I asked around
and Kara and Beta were the only ones aware of the offers," added Velma.

   "Doesn't matter because it's not going to happen," I said immediately.
"The company is not for sale.  Why do you think I've never taken it public
on the stock exchange?"

   "I mean, you consulted with the President and Joint Chiefs yesterday,
then took us out for lunch and never mentioned a thing about it!  How do
you...  how does anyone work and live like that?"

   "That was classified.  You're not supposed to...  how did you even know
about that call?" I asked with a bit of surprise.  That particular call was
actually regarding the investigation into what happened over in Asia.

   "Your office phone's caller ID history showed the White House and your
notepad had the names of the Joint Chiefs written down," Velma responded
matter-of-factly.

   It's a bit embarrassing, but I had trouble remembering all of their
names, so I had scribbled them down at the start of the call.  And fair
enough, the Scooby duo had been in my office more than once, and each time
Alpha let me know that they had poked around on my desk when they had the
chance.

   "Don't...  uhhh...  don't spread it around.  Seriously.  It's
classified." Well, yes, it was indeed classified, but it also hadn't
covered any information that wouldn't be public in a couple weeks.  It
still rattled me a bit that she had so easily found out about it though.

   "Well, we don't know what the call was actually about, so I think we're
all safe," Velma admitted.

   "Good.  And I'm pretty sure I'm not secretly running the world, if
that's what you were implying.  At least I hope not.  I'd imagine it would
be nothing but headaches," I said and continued walking them back to the
stairs leading up to the third floor, where I made sure to watch them walk
all the up.

   I had a brief conversation with Alpha about what I considered to be
relevant information that should be passed along, then I returned to bed,
wiggling in-between Jane and Jennifer before going to sleep

   The next morning, I realized that with my loose robe and short, loose
pajama bottoms, I might have been flashing them for the entire time I had
been sitting on the stairs, talking to them.  At the time, I simply thought
they were trying to avoid pointing their flashlights directly into my face.
Oops.

   * * * * *

   The next morning, I spent some time in the basement lab, then took
Daphne and Velma aside to have another talk.

   "From what we can tell, all of the equipment is still working fine,
though one of the microscopes needed realigning and you may have damaged
one of the sample plates of crystalline-carbon nanotube circuit elements,
which will take a few days to recreate.  Since we don't actually know
whether or not the elements were going to be usable, I won't charge you for
them.  Wouldn't know how much to charge anyway."

   Or, more accurately, if I did charge them what I guessed they were
worth, she'd be in debt to me for over a year.  She really didn't need that
added bit of stress.

   "Thank you, and again, we're really sorry," Daphne said.  Velma nodded
but was silent.

   "I also spoke with Kara, Diana, Barbara and Anna.  They are taking you
out to lunch today.  I suggest you have a heart-to-heart talk with them
about your life before coming to Texas.  I reserved a private room for you
at a nice restaurant.  My treat, so order something nice."

   "You said you weren't going to share..." Velma began.

   "And I'm not going to.  But they can handle it if you're willing to
share.  And I strongly recommend doing so.  If you keep it hidden and
bottled up, you're going to drive yourselves crazy, possibly taking me with
you."

   "Aren't you coming too?" asked Daphne, with a coy little smile.

   "I get to have lunch with the governor and a few lawmakers to try and
convince them to let the Alphacars drive themselves.  Yipee for political
favors," I said without enthusiasm.  "So I'll see you all again this
evening.  All right?"

   "Okay.  Good luck to you too."

   My lunch went as well as could be expected.  Basically the Texas DMV
would have to grant a special exception or a law would have to be passed.
Or Alpha would have to be recognized as alive so she could take a driver's
test.  No promises were made other than they would see what they could do.
Any kind of legal rights for computers was a pretty hot topic at the
moment. A month and a half later, we did get a special exemption from the
DMV to test self-driving in limited areas and only if a human was also in
the driver's seat ready to override if needed.

   On the way back from my lunch meeting, I listened to Alpha's recording
of the other lunch meeting.

   "All right there.  Connection is up.  Alpha can you hear me?" asked
Kara.

   "Yes, Kara," Alpha said in a calm, pleasant tone almost reminiscent of
HAL 9000.  "It is a pleasure to speak with you.  May I assume Diana,
Barbara, Anna, Daphne and Velma are with you?"

   There was a chorus of greetings from the women.

   "Are you having a pleasant lunch?" Alpha asked politely.

   "We've only just ordered," replied Diana, "but it should be very nice."

   "Excellent.  How may I help you?"

   Kara answered, "We're going to use you in case we need confirmations or
proof of different things." At this point, she obviously turned her
attention to the two newcomers.  "Now, Frank seems to think that you two
should know something about us."

   "He said something to that effect this morning, but he also said he
wasn't going to tell us other people's secrets." That was Daphne.

   "Good.  We generally trust his judgment, but we also don't go around
telling this to other people, and we'd like your solemn word that you won't
repeat any of this to anyone else."

   "I promise," said Velma firmly, with Daphne also verbalizing her
agreement.

   "All right.  I think Barbara has actually come up with the best
approach, so if you'd like to take over?"

   "Sure thing.  I am going to make a series of statements, assumptions and
deductions.  If you have questions or disagree with anything I say, stop
me." I think Barbara paused to take a drink of water before continuing.

   "First, assume there are an infinite number of other universes.  This is
not something that can be directly proven by the science and technology
around us, but the statement is supported by accepted scientific theory and
mathematical calculation.

   "Second, although not all of these other universes will contain Earths
with human life, some percentage will.  Any percentage value of infinity is
still infinity."

   "I don't think you can show that number is a percentage instead of a
finite number," argued Velma.

   "In a certain sense, you are correct.  But this is one of the base
assumptions of the argument, linked to having infinite universes.  If you
grant me infinite universes, then the existence of any single thing means
that, somewhere out there, there must be another version of it, and
another, and another, and so on.  Still, I don't actually need it for the
end result to be true, but it does make the logical arguments work.  So, as
I said, I'd like to state it as a root assumption."

   "Okay.  Go on."

   "Thank you.  Now, following on the path that an infinite number of
Earths lays out for us...  Think about it for a moment.  If there really
are an infinite number of Earths, then they are filled with every person
imaginable.  Somewhere out there, Sherlock Holmes really exists.  Or
existed.  Tarzan.  Dick Tracy.  And somewhere is a man dressing up in a bat
costume to fight crime."

   "Weird, but okay."

   "Now, let's expand on that.  Are the physical laws of the universes with
the other Earths all going to be identical?"

   "They'd have to be pretty much the same.  As I understand it, if you
change universal constants, then even atoms couldn't form."

   "Yes, but the viability of a universe relies on a bunch of different
physical laws and constants.  How many of those can vary ever so slightly
and still allow life?  I honestly don't know, but I bet there are a bunch."

   "Alpha," Velma asked, "do you know?"

   "A thorough estimation would require a significant amount of time, even
for me.  I can confirm that it is theoretically possible to support life
with some changes to universal constants, but I cannot give a total
accounting of such variations."

   "Which should be good enough for today," Barbara said.  "Agreed?"

   I'm guessing they nodded because Babs continued on.

   "Variations like that can open up other possibilities, ranging from
super-human abilities to...  I'll get to that in a moment.  If the physical
laws of a universe can allow for people like Superman, then an infinite set
of universes will actually include Superman and the others."

   "That's stretching it a bit, isn't it?" asked Daphne.

   Velma responded.  "Technically, no.  If you allow the assumption that
you can have life in the same world that also allows super powers, then
yes, Superman is really real out there somewhere.  Personally I doubt you
could come up with a set of physical laws that allow it, but I can't
actually deny the possibility."

   "Thank you.  Now, let's imagine that some of these universes allow
occasional travel outside of their universe while others don't.  This
universe here would appear to be one of those that does not allow it.  Or
if it does, we haven't figured out how yet."

   She paused to sip her drink.  "So if someone from another universe
travels to this universe, what happens?"

   "They explode because of the changes in physical laws?"

   "That's probably correct part of the time," agreed Barbara.  "But
there's no reason why some of the different universes wouldn't have
generally compatible matter.  But what if someone with superpowers traveled
from their universe to this one?"

   "I don't see how they could bring their own physical laws with them,
since that's defined by the universe, right?" said Velma, getting into the
spirit of the argument.

   "Generally correct.  They'd probably lose most or all of their powers,"
agreed Babs.  "Plus, they'd be trapped here."

   "Wouldn't that fall under one of the main arguments showing that time
travel into the past isn't possible?  Namely, if it IS possible, then where
are all of the time travelers?  Or in this case, where are all of the
dimensional travelers?" Velma argued.

   "Well, first, most of them probably wouldn't come here, because they'd
presumably know they'd be trapped.  But second, what makes you think they
aren't already here?"

   I heard a couple minutes of food being delivered and laid out.

   When it got quiet again, Velma quietly asked, "Does that mean you're
claiming to be trapped dimensional travelers?"

   "Bingo!" exclaimed Kara.  "Give the girl a prize."

   "From other parts of your arguments," asked Daphne slowly, "are you
claiming to be trapped superheroes?"

   Something happened that quieted the table for a minute.  Then Anna said,
"I'll have them add a replacement spoon to the bill.  Personally I think
it'd be easier to just lift some weights for you later."

   "So...  all of you?" asked Velma.

   "Well," explained Diana, "the three of us are from the same universe. 
Anna is from a different one.  Blossom and her sisters are from a third. 
Many of the others are locals from this world.  Oh yeah, I think Eiko is
from a fourth."

   "Alpha," Velma asked, "how much of this can you confirm?"

   "I can offer video showing how they arrived, though I have never been
able to record their departures.  I can offer no proof where they came
from. Frank has no known reason to lie to me about his past experiences
with Kara, but that is only valid as hearsay evidence."

   "Whoa, whoa.  Past experiences?" interrupted Velma.  "As in before you
were built?"

   "Yes," said Alpha and Kara simultaneously.  Alpha fell silent and let
Kara continue.  "I first met Frank when he was about ten years old when he
was on vacation with his parents..."

   She proceeded to give the Scooby girls a brief recounting of the
backstory we had crafted for her [which you can read in Book One, Chapter
Five if you haven't done so already].

   When she finished, there was silence for maybe twenty or thirty seconds.
Finally, Velma said, "So, you're saying that you're Power Girl?"

   "Yes.  Well, one of the Power Girls, that is.  Not the one that showed
up after the whole Flashpoint mess."

   Though it was quiet and not easy to make out, I heard Daphne whisper,
"Who's Power Girl?"

   "She's Superman's cousin."

   "I'm not the best when it comes to comic books, but isn't Supergirl
supposed to be his cousin?" Daphne protested.

   "Power Girl is a version of Supergirl from another dimension."

   "But she's already from another dimension."

   In an amused tone, Kara said, "The dimension I came from wasn't my home
dimension either.  I've been...  bounced around.  A lot."

   "No kidding," said Velma in a strained tone of voice.

   "So why aren't you called Supergirl?" Daphne asked, still confused. 
"Wouldn't you just be Supergirl from that other universe?"

   I could tell Daphne wasn't exactly making a friend, though I doubt she
realized it.

   Fortunately Velma jumped back in before Kara could respond.  "So, who
are the rest of you?  I had thought you had just done your hair like Rogue
for...  whatever.  Any chance you're...?"

   "Yes, Ah am.  Ah used ta be an X-Man."

   "So, let me guess...  Barbara and Diana...  The only famous comic book
Barbara and Diana I can think of are Batgirl and Wonder Woman."

   "Correct," confirmed Barbara.  "We got stuck here when our home universe
was apparently changed...  went away...  whatever...  due to time travel.
The point is that we're pretty sure we've been replaced by other versions
of ourselves back home, and home isn't OUR home anymore.  And we're trapped
here.  Oh, and don't think that we're all comic book folk."

   "Right.  So why do I suddenly have an overwhelming urge to see if you're
all wearing masks?"

   "What?" I heard from a couple of the ladies.

   "Never mind.  That's more our thing," Velma said, apparently reaching
the end of her rope.

   "So, most everyone at that place is from another world?  Is Frank?"

   "Certahnly not," said Anna.

   "A good number of our friends at home are from this world, though we are
currently hosting refugees from three or four other worlds," added Diana.

   "Do I need to mash up another utensil?" offered Kara.  "Or I could lift
half the car off the ground if you want to go out into the parking lot."

   "And she's not the only one who can do so," said Barbara.  "Not me
personally, of course.  Velma, you seem to be having trouble accepting
this. Frank seemed to be under the impression that you'd be able to
understand our situation."

   "He only thought that because...  never mind.  Okay.  Maybe I really am
going crazy."

   Daphne spoke up again.  "If so, then we're going crazy at the same time.
I'm sorry for all this.  I think Frank set up this conversation because of
what happened to us."

   "What happened to y'all?" asked Anna sympathetically.

   "We don't..." Velma stopped and barked a short laugh.  "Sure, we can
tell you.  Why not?  It's not like YOU can send us to the nuthouse.  Not
with your stories."

   This time, Daphne told most of their story with a style that alternated
between rambling and focused.  "About three months ago, the rest of the
world went crazy, or at least that's how it seemed to us.  But let me back
up.  You see, ever since we were young, we were part of a crime-solving
group -- Fred, Shaggy, his dog Scooby-Doo, Velma and myself.  Whenever we
came across a mystery or crime or a story that didn't make sense, we
investigated, and we always found the truth.  Most of the time, someone was
dressing up in a costume or using special effects to hide..."

   And so on.  If you're not familiar with the concept of Scooby-Doo...  I
mean, it's just so ubiquitous...  well, if you don't already know, then I
have no idea where you grew up or why you're reading this.

   "A few months ago, we found out information about Freddy's parents and
the previous Mystery Incorporated group, and about...  well, different
things, and the gang split up.  We've actually lost track of Fred
completely..." Daphne paused.  Since this was audio-only, I obviously
couldn't see what happened, but I heard some movement noises.

   "It's okay, Daph," Velma said in a reassuring tone.  "We've gone over
this."

   "I know, and I'm over him.  I am." She didn't quite sound like it.

   Velma took over.  "Then a little over three months ago, weird things
happened.  Well, that's not quite right.  The weirdness weirdly went away.
The strange stories and mysteries and everything we've spend our whole
lives living with...  it all went away.  All of a sudden, no one remembered
anything to do with any of it.  Everyone was still here, but no one
remembered any criminals in masks or anything.  Except the four of us.  And
maybe Scooby-Doo, though let me re-emphasize what Daphne said, that Scooby
can't talk, no matter how smart he was.  Is.  I shouldn't talk about him in
the past tense."

   Velma refocused herself.  "And it wasn't just that people forgot.  My
parents used to run a tourist business based on the different hauntings and
mysteries and crimes over the years.  One morning I woke up to find out
that their business was running tours and shops for historic locations and
nature sightseeing.  AND IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY."

   She said that last bit VERY forcefully.  "All of the newspaper clippings
we'd collected over the years were gone.  All of the online blogs and
yearbook photos and...  everything.  I even checked the old phonebooks, and
the business listings only showed the new versions of my parents'
businesses.  The four of us...  well, the three of us, since Fred was and
presumably still is missing...  we're the only ones who remember the way it
used to be.  And that's not the weirdest part.  Daph, you good?"

   "Yes.  I'm all right," Daphne reassured her.  "Okay, I'm pretty sure
she's going to say the weirdest part is that the adventures we remember,
they're all in cartoon form now, including cartoon versions of all of us.
And get this, the cartoons go back to before we were even born."

   "Ah was gonna ask if you were fans ah the series," Anna mentioned.

   "THAT's how our parents remember it.  That we were just a group of kids
who were fans of the cartoon.  Well, we ARE the series...  or it's based
off of us...  or who knows, maybe we're based off of it somehow," said
Velma with obvious exasperation.

   "Unfortunately," she went on, "the most likely explanation is that we
all suffered a psychotic break of some sort, but it doesn't seem possible
that Shaggy, Daphne and I all had the exact same psychotic break and
created the exact same set of false memories.  So we're working from the
assumption that we're not crazy, and that this is a new kind of mystery to
be solved."

   "So you don't have any idea what could have caused all of this?" asked
Diana.

   "Well, actually we do have a kind of an idea," hedged Velma.

   She went on to relay the details regarding the Season Two finale which
I've already gone over.

   After a minute of silence, Barbara said, "I'd want to bring Zatanna in
on this, but I suppose it is possible.  I've heard weirder stories back
home.  Heck, there's a universe out there where Superman is the only
superhero in the world and all the rest of us are just comics.  For that
matter, here in this universe, we're all just comics, though we've seen a
little evidence that there might be civilian versions of ourselves, some of
us, in this world."

   They talked about the possibilities seriously for half an hour before
leaving, and I don't plan to transcribe the whole discussion.  Among other
things, she explained that Shaggy confirmed and agreed with all of their
memories, but declined to join them.  He was a lot more laid back about it,
more willing to accept a world without monsters.

   I will say that Daphne and Velma warmed up to the ladies immensely,
having finally found people who were taking them seriously.



   Oh, and I will relay one incident from that afternoon.  Diana and Kara
took Velma and Daphne back home and took them into the ground floor
exercise room, which was the one with the heavy weights.  They wanted to
prove their superhuman bona fides to the newcomers as a follow-up to the
earlier conversations.

   After a little discussion, Kara and Diana both stripped down to bra and
panties.  Velma and Daphne both did a thorough examination of both the
weight sets and the curvy athletic bodies before them.  That was quite a
lovely image, by the way.  The two newcomers carefully examining and
feeling up the two superhero ladies to make certain they were flesh and
bone, with no secret exoskeletons or anything like that...  a sight to warm
my libido.

   Then the two of them took turns lifting different sets of weights.  The
Clean and Jerk Olympic record for women was a little over 400 lbs.  Seeing
both Kara and Diana do a 450 lb Clean and Jerk without breaking a sweat was
fairly convincing.  (450 wasn't their limit, but it was all we had
available in the room at that time.) Then, using the same 450 lb barbell
set, Kara had Velma sit on the bar while she bench-pressed her and the
weights together.

   Then I called Eiko in and fucked her silly.  Weightlifting may not turn
me on and the camera angle wasn't ideal, but watching Kara in bra and
panties looking up Velma's skirt at close range, sitting on the barbell,
turned me on immensely.  Then Daphne sat right next to Velma so that Kara
was looking up both of their skirts...  oh yeah.

   * * * * *

   December 2

   Miami, Florida

   Preliminary police report overview

   Summary Timeline of Cashman's standoff

   10:28 AM - An unidentified white Caucasian male (mid-30's, jeans, Old
Navy sweatshirt, leather jacket, Marlins cap) enters Cashman's Department
store.  Video surveillance shows he is carrying a large duffel bag, a
semi-automatic rifle and at least two 9mm pistols stuck in his belt
10:29 AM - The suspect opens fire on Christmas shoppers, seemingly
picking targets at random.  Five adults and one teenager are shot in the
opening volley, three of which are later judged to be near instant
fatalities.
10:30-10:41 AM - The suspect continues to fire upon anyone he sees, with
the exception of two girls, ages 4 and 7, who he tells to run.
10:42 AM - Police arrive.  Shots are exchanged between the suspect and
the police with no hits.
10:43-10:51 AM - The suspect checks all exits, all of which are covered
by police.  All exits are locked or blockaded by the suspect.
10:52-10:55 AM - The lead policeman currently on scene, Sergeant Thomas
Bird, is contacted on his personal phone.  He answers the call since Caller
ID indicates it is from his station house.  The individual identifies
himself as Gemini Linus (sp?) and claims to have direct visual access to
the crime scene, including the location of several employees and customers
in hiding.  Sergeant Bird presses for more information of Gemini's identity
and location.  Gemini refuses but does flash external lights on the
Cashman's building to demonstrate the veracity of his statements.
10:56 AM - Gemini offers information indicating that the suspect is
William Fuchs (34) who was recently fired from his job at Cashman's upon
accusations of theft.
10:57-11:12 AM - Gemini connects Sergeant Bird's phone with one of the
store employees hiding in a storeroom with two other employees and five
customers.  Coordinating with Gemini, they arrange for the individuals in
hiding to quietly exit the store while Fuchs is unable to see the doors
used to escape.
11:13-11:20 AM - Gemini repeats the same method of phone connection and
coordinated escape for another three customers hiding in a handicapped
bathroom.
11:21 AM - Gemini indicates that at least two customers are hiding near
or in fitting rooms near the center of the store.  Gemini claims that he
cannot see a method to guarantee their escape while Fuchs remains an active
threat inside the building.
11:22-11:47 AM - Gemini coordinates with Sergeant Bird to draw the
suspect, who has refused all efforts to establish communications, to a
location visible by SWAT snipers.  This is done by flashing interior
lighting on and off and creating noise to draw Fuchs to investigate the
disturbance.
11:48 AM - Fuchs is shot in the chest by a SWAT sniper.
11:49-12:32 AM/PM - Fuchs is dead by the time police converge on his
location.  The store is searched and four concealed individuals are
rescued, including the two indicated by Gemini.
12:33 PM - Gemini refuses further identification of himself and
terminates the call.
Further investigation traces the call back to a server owned by the
local telephone company.  Upon consultation with experts, it is deemed
likely that Gemini Linus was a computer intelligence using the phone
company's server as a "cat's paw" system, one that an individual or
intelligence uses temporarily to perform actions freely but from which all

connecting traces can be eliminated.

   * * * * *

   That evening, Velma and Daphne dragged me into a private room to talk.

   "So, just how many people in this household have 'unusual' backgrounds?"
Velma asked.

   "That depends on how you define 'unusual'."

   "How do you define it?"

   "I usually don't.  I don't think there's anyone who is completely
normal. But if you are referring to people who don't originate here...  who
aren't 'natives', so to speak...  hmmm...  maybe three-fourths?"

   "Everyone knows about this?"

   "Everyone in the household knows, though Daria is in an ongoing state of
denial.  Not sure what Jane thinks, but whether or not she believes, she
tends to take it in stride." Even Velma and Daphne, newcomers to the
household, had picked up on the fact that Daria and Jane were a couple.

   "So I could walk up to anyone else and ask them and they'd come from
somewhere weird?"

   "No, like I said, maybe three-fourths.  Oh, and don't ask Kasumi."

   "Why not?" I'm very glad that was asked in a curious tone instead of
confrontational.  They had come quite a ways since the previous night.

   "I don't want her to...  sometimes she cries when she has to think about
it.  And I don't like to see her cry, okay?"

   "Oh.  That bad, huh?"

   "No, not...  She'll probably never see her family again.  They're alive
and well and in this world, but the odds are that she can never see any of
them again.  And I'm going to leave it at that."

   "Sorry.  I guess at least Daph and I can always go home again for
visits."

   "Yeah.  So, are you two doing better today?  You look...  I guess, a
little more relaxed?"

   "I think so," agreed Daphne.  "It's amazing how nice it is just to be
able to talk to someone else about it all."

   "Without them automatically thinking you're crazy," added Velma.

   "Good.  And remember that I'm here to talk too," I said, putting a
friendly hand on each of their shoulders.  I always enjoy doing that to new
women so I can see their eyes fuzz out from the simple sensation of
touch... rather, from their implants triggering reactions in their brains
due to my touch.

   "Yes, and...  uhhh..." mumbled Daphne, fumbling for something to say.

   "Right, and ummm...  there was something else we were going to...  to
ask...  videos!"

   I pulled my hands back.  "Videos?"

   "Oh, we were going to ask Alpha.  She had mentioned something about
having video evidence..."

   "Alpha," I asked aloud, "what videos did you mean?"

   For now, I was relying on Alpha's audio pickups, but in a couple weeks,
I was going to add an implant so that I could hear and speak with Alpha
silently.  It was very similar to the new bodyguards' implants, with only a
couple upgrades.  (See next chapter.) And I'm getting off topic again.

   "I was referring to the various arrival videos, recorded after we had
set up surveillance of the two locations," Alpha explained.

   "Oh yeah.  Show them," I instructed.  We turned to the TV screen/monitor
in the room.  Yes, every room larger than a closet in the house has a
display screen or TV of some kind.  Well, I don't think the laundry and mud
rooms do, but all the rest have one or more.

   We stood and watched about a dozen different dimensional arrival scenes,
set both in the hallway of our old house and outside the cabin by the lake.
The video quality varied with location and date, but the quality of Alpha's
fake video creations remained top notch, better than Hollywood-quality,
with the images matched to the quality of the current video at the time. 
The videos did include real footage, of course; actually they were mostly
real footage.  We were seeing the actual locations where the women woke up,
but instead of showing myself or a mobile Alpha unit putting the
unconscious women in place, it showed them appearing, fully upright, out of
nowhere, then collapsing unconscious to the ground where they remained for
a minute or more before waking up.

   Her masterpiece so far was the arrival of the Test sisters.  Since they
had stepped through a portal instead just transporting all at once like
everyone else, the video, which was angled to show them from behind as they
came through, showed a brief flash of the insides of their bodies, as if
their bodies were being rapidly created in vertical layers.

   That last one got an "Ewww" and a "Gross" from the audience.

   "I didn't realize Susan and Mary were visitors too," mused Daphne.

   "Wait a minute," said Velma.  "Are they actually from that show?  I
mean, with the stars and moons and the red hair, I thought they were just
having fun with a coincidence with their names matching up, but..."

   Given that Velma and Daphne had been watching their own show on Cartoon
Network, it made perfect sense that they'd recognize Johnny Test
characters.

   "Their last names are actually 'Test', not 'Tell'," I confirmed.  "But
they knew about the cartoon before they came here.  They had a return
system in place, but something apparently went wrong on the other end and
they can't get back to fix it because, well, they can't get back."

   "This is too weird," said Daphne.  "Why do they all pass out when they
arrive?"

   "Our current theory is that they're adjusting to the new universe.  Life
from the other universes might be compatible with life here, but it's not
identical, so there's a moment of disjunction when you travel. 
Theoretically, if the source universe had 100% identical physical laws, you
could step through without a problem..."

   "But since the physical laws here don't allow dimension hopping, that's
never going to happen," said Daphne, intelligently completing the thought.

   "Right, though we haven't completely ruled the possibility of 'dimension
hopping', as you put it.  But if it is possible, we don't know how to do it
yet," I added.

   "How are all of these women showing up right here and now?" asked Velma
rather confrontationally.

   "Don't know," I said amused.  "Oh we know some of it, sure.  Kara's
friends came looking for her, and for a while, they traveled back and forth
from home deliberately.  Barbara was invited here to get her paralysis
fixed.  Anna's friends came looking for her a lot like what happened with
Kara.

   "Also, I'd like to point out that when you say 'here and now', the 'now'
part has been happening for years.  Kara first appeared something like
twenty-five years ago.  Anna appeared eight years ago, and it's been
gradually building since then.

   "Supposedly the movement back and forth has theoretically poked one or
two holes in space-time so, even though it closes up, it's weaker than
before, making it easier for more travel.  I don't pretend to understand
the theory or the math.  For that part, you'd want to talk with Alpha or
Susan and Mary.

   "But the 'why here' of Kara and Anna's original appearances?  Not a
clue. Zatanna has a theory, but it's just a theory."

   "This is...  a lot of this is beyond me," admitted Velma, "but I can't
help but think that someone somewhere is behind all this."

   "Could be.  Do you wanna see if I'm wearing a mask?" I teased.

   I continued on, "It could also be that you feel that way because of who
you are.  After all, the world you remember growing up in and how that
world worked is NOT the same world as it is now.  You do need to remember
to make allowances.

   "On the other hand, if you do find anything out, please let me know.  I
mean, I don't mind playing host for visitors from around the multiverse,
but it does make things much more 'interesting'."

   I realized that my last comment could be taken the wrong way and might
upset people if misinterpreted.  I turned to focus on them directly.  "But
don't for a minute think that I'm implying it's a bad thing.  I don't want
anyone here to think they're less than welcome."

   I looked at them intently, trying to drive that point home, until they
both nodded.

   "Plus, you're making a pretty big assumption there."

   "What assumption?" asked Velma confused.

   "That this place is unique.  As far as we know, it's entirely possible
there are other places like this around the world, where people with unique
backgrounds gather in secret."

   "Do you know of any others?"

   I shook my head.  "Nope.  You'll note that I said 'gather in secret'. 
We don't exactly advertise ourselves, now do we?  I wouldn't expect anyone
else to go public either.  But a lack of data regarding others like us
doesn't negate the possibility."

   "That's...  an interesting notion."

   "Just a thought.  So, what else can I do for you this evening?" I asked.
"Any other questions?"

   "Yeah, just how many of these women are you dating?" probed Daphne.

   "Daphne!" exclaimed Velma.  Not sure if she was shocked or faking.

   "I don't kiss and tell," I deflected, then I sighed a little and
continued.  "It's...  complicated.  And I'm sure some of the ladies would
be more than willing to explain it to you."

   "Like who?" pressed Velma, apparently already over her shock.

   "Try Jane.  Or Blossom or...  well, just ask around.  And on that note,
I will bid you both a good evening."



   Alpha continued to monitor them that evening, as usual, and she reported
that Velma was apparently pretty worried that she was acting out her life
as though it were a Scooby cartoon.  My comment about the world as it is
versus how she remembered it seemed to set off a minor crisis regarding
free will.  Her sense of identity was already in question, then I had gone
and added focus to whether or not her motives and perceptions were actually
her own.

   Daphne responded by saying something along the lines of 'well then,
let's do something they wouldn't do in the cartoon'...  and went down on
her.

   * * * * *

   I don't want to break from the main story too much, but this next bit
will eventually be relevant.  (Not in this chapter, but eventually.) Plus,
I don't want anyone to think I've forgotten about Frieda.  This happened
the next day anyway.

   Back when I went into hiding to recover after the assassination attempt,
Frieda Johns was the one who hid me.  She's a researcher at AARD who had
long harbored a crush on yours truly, though we hadn't started a
more-than-friends relationship until she suddenly had to take care of me.

   She had also requested that I father her child, something that I had
never actually refused, just put off answering until later.  We had taken
great pains to prevent pregnancies at home, with all the women either using
birth control or sterile by design.  The idea of fatherhood, even if I
didn't need to actively take part after the initial 'deposit' was something
I did my best to avoid considering to any great extent.  I knew it would
happen sooner or later, but...  well, like I just said, not going to
entertain the notion right now.

   So, moving on...  that Friday night, Frieda and I had a date.  We had
been going out one or two nights a month for the past nine months or so. 
She never slept at my place, even though the rest of the household accepted
her.  I suppose it was probably because Frieda was socially awkward.  She
was close to being a typical science nerd girl -- moderately pretty but
inept with makeup and dress...  smart but unable to relate to others,
particularly men...  horny unless she's distracted by her work, which was
most of the time.

   With Alpha's agreement, I had given her two Alphadroids for security
purposes, as well as an upgraded home security system.  I didn't want her
to be at risk because she had sheltered me while we were at war with the
mafia.  Well, technically, we're still at war with the mafia, I suppose. 
Nearly all members of the mafia in the United States were either dead or in
prison, but they were still pretty powerful in Europe.  The papers were
still occasionally reporting stories about someone disappearing or being
shot in Italy or elsewhere across the Atlantic, but...  okay, that's a
discussion for a later time.  Back to the topic at hand.

   My bodyguards and I picked Frieda up at her home around 5 and went to
dinner and a movie.  Dinner was nice and pleasant and went off without a
hitch, but it's pretty awkward to go into a movie theater with bodyguards,
though it's much easier with human bodyguards than with Alphadroids.  (I've
been able to take an Alphadroid into a movie theater a grand total of
twice. The problem is that they're always recording everything they see. 
Theaters tend to look down on that.)

   This time we went to a drive-in movie theater which was still in
business.  Since watching the show with bodyguards in the back seat would
have been too awkward, we arrived in two SUVs and a sportscar-style
Alphacar.  Frieda and I sat in the Alphacar in the middle, flanked on
either side by the other two cars, with two bodyguards and one Alphadroid
in each of the other two.

   Although it was a double feature, we only stayed for Oz the Great and
Powerful.  We even watched the show instead of just making out the whole
time.  True, we shared popcorn and I had my arm around her throughout most
of it, but apparently the Wizard of Oz was her favorite childhood film, so
this was something she wanted to actually watch.

   Afterwards, we drove back to her place where the Alphadroids followed us
inside while the bodyguards waited outside.

   Our intimate encounters had varied somewhat over the nine months.  Most
of our lovemaking had been fairly straightforward, given that Frieda was
pretty conservative sexually speaking.  She didn't shave her pubic bush at
all and her blowjobs never involved swallowing or even taking my cock very
deep into her mouth.

   The variations came from activities or games or mental stimulation.  We
had a little fetish game developed between the two of us where she was my
nurse and needed to give me a bath.  Yes, that had grown out of our first
sexual encounter, but it was fun and it was a special memory for us.

   There were others.  She had a small selection of erotic novels, and she
occasionally read favorite passages out loud.  She once made a very sweet
and adorable attempt at a seductive striptease.  It was awkward and a bit
clumsy and shaky and one of the nicest things she's ever done for me.

   That night after the movie, we sat on her couch and necked for fifteen
or twenty minutes before coming up for air.

   "I really want you, but today's a bad day," she whispered.

   I wasn't sure why she was whispering, but I played along and whispered
back.  "Why?"

   "It's my...  I mean, I keep track every month, but I'm not always
regular...  and this month it came a couple days early."



   "You mean you're having your period?"

   She actually blushed a bit.  "Yes.  But don't worry..." She rubbed her
hand along the outline of my hard penis.  "I'll still take care of you
tonight."

   She knelt down in front of me and started unzipping my trousers, then
paused.  "Oh, I wanted to apologize for being short with you earlier.  Now
you know why."

   "I hadn't noticed you being anything but pleasant," I reassured her. 
Seriously, I hadn't noticed at all.  If she had been short with me, I
wondered if I'd ever even notice if she was angry.

   "That's kind of you.  Now, let's drain you dry."

   She proceeded to give me her style of blowjob, consisting of licking,
sucking the head and using her hands to jerk me off, then catching the
ejaculate with tissues.

   After I had come, we relaxed on the couch in silence for a few minutes,
her head resting on my chest.

   "Frank, are you ever going to give me an answer?"

   "Yes, I'll give you an answer if you remind me what the question was."

   She smacked my knee lightly.  "I want to have a baby before I get too
old.  I'm willing to go to the sperm bank if I have to, but I'd rather it
be yours."

   "Ah, that question.  Well, I haven't forgotten, it's just a topic that I
try to avoid thinking about."

   "Why?"

   "It...  I..." I gathered my thoughts.  Frieda was like Alpha in some
respects.  I could speculate and self-analyze and expect calm, reasoned
responses.

   "If I can attempt to psycho-analyze myself, I think it's...  it's not an
avoidance of responsibility, I think.  For one thing, you've made it clear
that I don't have to be involved with raising the child at all if I don't
want to.  Though if I may address that point, I don't think I could.  I
think that if I had a child, I'd have to be involved with raising him.  Or
her.  I'd want to be involved.

   "But back to...  whatever...  I think I'm avoiding it because having a
child would mark a change, a turning point in my life.  Right now, I'm...
well, I was about to say having fun with life.  I am, to a degree, though
there are plenty of headaches and problems too.

   "The point is..." I laughed a little at myself.  "Okay, the point is
that I'm having trouble expressing myself."

   "You think that if you have a child, your bachelor heyday will end and
you'll have to settle down and be responsible," she offered.

   "Yeah, I think so.  Intellectually, I know I'm going to have children
sooner or later.  For that matter, I'm well aware that no birth control is
100% effective, so with the life I lead, it will definitely happen sooner
or later.  And when it does happen, I hope I'll embrace it."

   "But until then, you don't want to be tied down?"

   "I don't think that's the right description.  I suppose I'm afraid of
change." Then I laughed louder than before, and Frieda joined in with a
chuckle of her own.  "Okay, that's not right.  I'm like an avatar of
change. Let's say I'm afraid of what that particular change might end up
doing to my personal life, which is already way too messy."

   "Okay, THAT I can understand to a degree," she agreed.  "Still doesn't
alter my position though.  So what am I supposed to do?  Just wait for a
condom to break or someone to forget their pill to force that change on
you, so that maybe you'll let me...  Oh, never mind."

   "No, Frieda," I said, gently turning her face to look at me directly. 
"Don't...  I mean, I know I have no right to feel this way, but I'd be
jealous if you went and got some random stranger's sperm.

   "Some random stranger?" She pinched my arm.

   "Ouch!  Okay, I deserve that.  I know you better than that."

   "I'd say so.  I wouldn't want your child if I didn't think you had good
DNA."

   "All right, all right.  Some carefully chosen stranger's sperm then.  I
don't have that claim on you, but I'd still be jealous."

   "Jealous, hmmm?" she smiled.  "I like the sound of that."

   "Just give me a little more time.  I'll...  I'll make a decision by the
end of summer, okay?"

   "I can wait that long, but I'll hold you to that date.  The Autumnal
Equinox."

   Never make general seasonal date references to a scientist.

   "Besides," she said, touching her blouse, "pregnancy should hopefully
give me actual breasts for the first time in my life."

   "Don't start that again," I warned her with a smile.  "If you're going
to compare body parts with other women, go with the one that counts the
most." I tapped her on the top of her head.

   She smiled and kissed me once before nuzzling her head under my chin.  I
kissed her on the top of her head where I had tapped a moment before.  I
was tempted to feel her up, maybe play with her nipples, but it would just
be cruel since we couldn't follow through.  Actually, come to think of it,
this was the first time in maybe a decade that I had been thwarted by
menstruation, which was actually weird.



   On the drive home, I talked with Alpha about it.  I was thankful I was
driving an Alphacar and didn't have to worry about a bodyguard sitting with
me in the limo, listening in to what promised to be a weird conversation.

   "Alpha, I remember reading that when women live together in close
proximity, their menstrual cycles sync up, but in the past decade or
however long the women have lived with me..."

   "Approximately nine years."

   "Wow.  Remind me.  We need to have a ten year party for Kasumi when the
time comes.  Anyway, ever since...  hmmm...  Daria and Jane moved in, I
don't remember ever having a day when I had to go without sex because of
menstruation.  That implies that their cycles have never synced up, so they
were able to plan around it.  What's going on?"

   "First, menstrual synchrony has never been proven.  Some studies have
shown measurable signs of gradually matching cycles while others have shown
no synchronizing beyond random chance.  Next, there are a number of
additional factors which need to be considered in our particular case. 
Since I am not in control of their birth control, many of the women in our
household are using different types.  For example, Daria and Jane are both
using a type that reduces menstruation from once a month to once in three
months, whereas Kasumi and Rei are each using a type that forces extreme
monthly regularity as long as they take their pills daily.

   "Also, the women who were created without valid eggs usually seem to
have extremely brief menstruation, sometimes starting and ending on the
same day.  The Powerpuffs are the extreme end of the spectrum, since their
menstrual cycles have been completely suppressed."

   "Interesting.  Any side effects that you've noticed so far?  With the
Powerpuffs, I mean."

   "I've had to adjust their bodies' estrogen production twice so far,
which may have been caused by the designed infertility, but that is the
only issue I've noticed."

   "Okay, good.  Any signs of synchronizing for our women?"

   "Some, but not enough to prove anything, especially given that our
sample group is composed of unnaturally created females."

   We drove in silence for a minute as I followed one of our SUVs and was
followed by the other.  I don't think they were happy that I was driving
myself in a lightweight car with only very light armoring, but no one had
attacked me in three-quarters of a year, so I felt relatively safe. 
Fingers crossed!

   Anyway, while driving...

   "Alpha," I asked.  "Do you think I'd make a good father?"

   "I do not know," she responded.

   "Hmmm?  You mean you can't speculate?"

   "It is often stated and widely believed that when a man becomes aware
that he is or is about to become a father, he is changed somehow.  As I
have no idea how your personality would change, I cannot even properly
speculate."

   "Alpha, it doesn't really...  I mean, it really just shifts the
priorities...  well...  you know...  I suppose I can't really say either. I
mean, not having experienced it myself, I could only speculate too." I
laughed.  "The closest I can get is what happened with a couple friends of
mine.  What happened with them was their free time disappeared and their
friendly personalities suffered due to an extreme lack of sleep for a
while. Given the amount of help I can call upon, I doubt I'd be subject to
that as much as most people.  What does the literature on the subject say?"

   "A variety of contradictory things, ranging from almost no change should
be expected to complete personality shifts."

   "All right, if you assume that the only change in me is the addition of
a new priority in life -- to care for, protect, plan for and raise a child
-- would you guess that I would be a good parent or not?"

   "I would guess you would not be."

   "You're kidding.  Why not?"

   "You have very little time to allot to such a time-consuming priority.
Therefore you would most likely be a parent who is mostly absent, which
nearly all available parenting materials would describe as a bad parent."

   "But I'd be sure to...  I mean, I wouldn't shirk..." I sighed. 
"Unfortunately, you might be right on that point.  That's a depressing
thought.  I'll think about how I might try to work it out.  Maybe... 
heh... I just finished explaining to Frieda how I've been avoiding thinking
about the subject.  And in the morning, I'll probably just get distracted
by other things again.  Oh well, it's not horribly pressing at the moment.

   "However, I do need you to remind me to make a decision regarding Frieda
and her potential baby by the end of August."

   "So noted.  If it helps, as your daughter, I consider you to be a great
dad."

   "Thank you.  I appreciate the sentiment, if that's what it was.  The big
difference is that you didn't require diapering or being fed with a bottle
in the middle of the night or anything grossly organic like that."

   "But I did.  Perhaps I did not have the same requirements as with a
human infant, but for the first few years, you had to care for and update
my host system manually.  When we built my first mobile host body, you had
to care for it while it was being grown, which included many 'grossly
organic' tasks.  You have been there whenever I had questions or problems.
You have been an ideal father to me."

   I got a little misty.  "Thank you, Alpha.  Really, thank you.  You have
been the best daughter I could have hoped for."

   At the risk of being thought incestuous or unsentimental, since my date
had kept that night clear of assigned bed partners, I took Beta and Eiko to
bed that night for a very wonderful pair of fucks.

   * * * * *

   For the sake of proper symmetry, I should probably relay the second half
of Jane and Jennifer's master/slave show.

   The following Wednesday evening, I was twice hurried into different
rooms so that Jane and whoever she had enlisted for aid could "secretly"
move equipment into my bedroom.

   This was not the first time she had done things like that, but they were
usually pretty limited in scope.  For example, Jane had an odd adult swing
set she occasionally installed for sexual acrobatics.  She once moved an
exercise bench into the bedroom for bondage purposes.  And once, after
watching a Japanese samurai detective movie series*, she arranged for a net
of heavy ropes to be hung directly over my bed.  She then carefully climbed
into the mess completely naked, her ass at the low point of the netting, so
we could fuck by having Daria spin the net around while I was firmly seated
inside of the netted Jane, effectively using my cock as a corkscrew in her
cunt.  (That had been really difficult to arrange to avoid rope burn in a
very private place.) [* - Hanzo the Razor trilogy]

   When she finally invited me up into my bedroom, I found what must have
been a living art piece, a la Jane.  A polished wooden box was in the
middle of the floor, attached to some kind of reinforced scaffolding.  One
side of the box was painted to show a voluptuous blond bombshell of a
woman, the kind of woman appropriate to the side of WWII era bombers, with
a glory hole where her wide-open mouth was.  Walking around to the other
side, an equally gorgeous brunette was painted so that her posterior was
poking out of the box at me...  well, more accurately, Jennifer's lovely
posterior was poking out at me as if it belonged to the painted brunette,
who stared back at me seductively.

   I took another look at the first image, noticing that someone's mouth
was inside the painted mouth-hole, and that the living mouth inside was
forcibly held open by what might be the same spreader Jane had used the
previous week.

   "Wow," I said impressed.  "So, Jennifer agreed to let you set her up
like this?"

   "Yup," Jane smirked as she strapped on a dildo harness.  "Well, not this
specifically.  She agreed to be tied up for sex as long as she didn't get
paraded through the hall like I was."

   "Uh huh.  So, was she okay with this once she saw the layout?"

   "Well, she hasn't actually seen it.  She was blindfolded.  Still is."

   "Jane," I said slowly, "do I need to take this apart to ask Jennifer if
she's okay with this?"

   "No, don't be silly.  Of course she's okay with it, right Jennie-baby?"
Jane slapped on the side of the box.

   A grunt of some kind was the only response.

   "See, she's fine with it," Jane said reassuringly.

   A growl emanated from the mouth-hole.

   I was able to reach into the hole enough to collapse the spreader but
not remove it since part of it seemed to be attached to the inside of the
box itself where I couldn't get at it.  With a little patience and
repetition, I was able to have a brief conversation with Jen.

   "Jennifer, are you okay?  Do we need to get you out of there?" I asked.
It was actually a neat-looking setup, but I was ready to break her free
instantly on request.

   "Are we alone in your bedroom?" she asked.  I had her repeat herself
once for clarity.

   "Yes," I reassured her.  "The only people here are you, Jane and
myself."

   "All right.  Don't leave me like this overnight.  And if Jane tries to
use a whip or anything, I'm turning whatever this is into pieces small
enough to shove up her ass." That required three or four repetitions to
understand everything.

   "Fair enough." I noticed Jane casually pushing a paddle under the bed
and out of sight.

   "See, everything's fine.  Now let's just get the jaw spreader opened
again," said Jane as she fiddled with the contraption designed to keep
Jennifer's mouth open.

   "All right, have at her!" Jane exclaimed as she went around to make use
of Jennifer's exposed pussy.

   I slowly fed my very erect cock into the proffered mouth and found
myself looking directly at Jane over the hidden body between us as she
apparently fucked Jen with her dildo.

   "This must have taken some time to put together," I commented.

   "Yes, and I made the size adjustable so we can reuse it with other
people.  See these panels here?  Alpha helped me with the practical
design."

   "Nice," I agreed.

   "Yup.  I need to work out a version for the ladies though.  Y'know, so
we can get eaten out by whoever's inside."

   "Sounds like a fun idea," I said, feeling Jennifer's throat massaging my
cock before pulling back to let her breathe.  I'd be reluctant to do this
with someone who didn't know how to deep-throat, but Jen was doing fine.

   After a couple minutes, we swapped places.  It was a neat setup but
didn't seem to allow Jane and I to have any direct interaction.

   I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong when Jane lowered one
end of the box and snapped some padding onto the top.  She climbed up and
positioned herself before inviting me to fuck her, using Jennifer's box as
a makeshift bed.  It was a little awkward, but I ended up alternating
between fucking Jane on top and Jennifer within for the finale.

   Jane also enthusiastically explained how it was possible to reposition
the head of the person inside to a third hole along the bottom, flip the
box over and then fuck the throat of the person inside or even sleep on top
of the box, allowing me to keep my penis inside the victim's mouth all
night long, which sounded like it could risk suffocating the box's occupant
which made me doubly reluctant to try it.

   After Jane had finished the description of this new setup, Jennifer gave
quite a loud and negative sounding grunt.  Jen wasn't really a natural
submissive and probably not a big bondage fan.

   We released her, toweled her off and retired to bed, where we went to
sleep in an orgy of cuddling.  (I spooned up behind the smaller Jane, while
Jennifer spooned me from behind.) And don't downplay cuddling.  For me, it
had been very effective warding off bad dreams.

   * * * * *

   Over the week following our last big discussion, Daphne seemed to be
adapting to the situation, in that she was making friends within the
household, telling stories and attempting to help out around the house.

   Velma, on the other hand, was not.  Adapting, that is.  Or fitting in or
making friends.  Mostly, she stayed in her room, working with Alpha to do
research on Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach, Scooby-Doo and Hanna Barbera.  And
on herself, the self she didn't remember being.

   Initially, we figured Velma was just redoing and expanding her original
investigations now that she had access to Alpha and her ability to collect
and sort massive amounts of data.  That was okay...  I mean, at least she
wasn't investigating me or the women of the household.

   On the other hand, she didn't stop.  After day three, she stopping
leaving her room.  Daphne would take her food and make excuses for her.

   Finally, a week after the lunchtime revelatory discussions (and one day
after the previously described Jane/Jennifer take two), Daphne and Barbara
cornered me when I got home from work.

   Once we were alone, Barbara summed up the situation.  "We need an
intervention for Velma."

   "I didn't think her addiction to mysteries was THAT bad."

   "Not a joking matter," Barbara said reprovingly.

   "Actually, it kind of is an obsession with mysteries.  One mystery in
particular, I think," Daphne said.  "She's fixated on the idea that she
isn't herself."

   I could have easily had some fun with silly questions, but I switched
over mentally to take it seriously.

   "She's lost hold of her sense of self, hmmm?"

   Daphne nodded.  "The way I understand it, we know that there used to be
a Velma...  and Daphne...  before we came...  woke up...  whatever. 
Velma's convinced that either we replaced the other two...  probably the
other four or five, I suppose...  or their memories were replaced with
ours. Either way, we're living lives stolen from other people."

   "Hmmm...  not a good view to take," I mused out loud.  "All right, give
me a minute to think, then we'll head up there."

   Usually I either have this sort of thing planned out with Alpha well in
advance or I play it by ear.  This time, I carefully considered a couple
approaches...  then decided to play it by ear to see what approach might
work.  If Daphne was accurate in her reporting...  well, that's a pretty
depressing view to take and not an easy one to snap someone out of.

   The two redheads led me upstairs, while I briefly mused that I probably
had a much higher percentage of redheads in the house than the normal U.S.
population should allow.  Daphne, Barbara, Blossom, Eiko, Mary, and Susan
-- that's six out of twenty-four women (or twenty-eight if you include the
new bodyguards that I'll introduce next chapter -- they were actually in
residence at this point in time), for a 25 percent (or 21-ish percent)
redhead population in-house, compared to anywhere from 1 to 6% of the U.S.
population, depending on which website you trust.  And most of our in-house
redheads weren't particularly freckled, like most natural redheads.  For
example, Velma had more freckles than almost anyone else in-house, and her
hair was brown.  Oddly, while Barbara had very few freckles on her face and
nose, her shoulders and chest were decently speckled; does that count?

   By the time we reached the third floor, I had started wondering about
the household percentage of blonds and whether or not Kara and Linda should
actually count as two separate blonds for surveying purposes.  I refocused
my thoughts as Daphne opened the door to their bedroom.

   "Velma?  Velma, honey, we have visitors."

   "Send them away," came the voice from inside.

   "We need to talk with you," insisted Daphne.

   "Later, I'm busy."

   We went in anyway.

   For some reason, I had expected a dank, dark room with Velma hunched
over a gently glowing monitor.  Instead, the room was well lit, with the
curtains open, and ceiling lights on.  She was sitting on the floor in
front of the room's TV, which was being used as a monitor at the moment,
displaying what appeared to be survey maps of Crystal Cove State Park in
California.  Next to her was her personal laptop, and spread all around her
were books and printouts.

   Velma herself was barefoot, dressed in her traditional reddish skirt
with an orange tank top.  I had never seen her showing so much upper-body
skin, and it was suddenly obvious that, yes, she did indeed have large
breasts.  Probably at least a D cup.

   There were dark circles under her eyes.  Her hair was messy, and I was
guessing that she had last slept or napped on the floor, even though the
bed was only a few feet away.  Simon, the chocolate lab she had been
spending time with, was stretched out next to her, his head resting on her
upper thigh.  Simon looked at us when we entered without raising his head,
which was more of a response than Velma gave us initially.

   I had to face the facts: As much as I wanted to blame this on the TV
series plot change, I had screwed this up.  I thought I was being clever
with how I planned out how Velma would be investigating the mystery of her
own past, but this...  something had obviously gone wrong.

   She took little notice of us as we entered, so I quietly said aloud,
"Alpha, please pause Velma's work."

   "What'd you do that for," she complained as the big screen TV and her
personal laptop both froze up.  "I need to figure this out!"

   "Velma, we need to talk," I said quietly but firmly.

   "You're letting this obsession ruin your life," added Barbara quietly.
Personally, I thought it was bit soon to apply the term 'ruin', but I let
it go unchallenged.  "As your friends, we want to help you get past this."

   "Get past this?" she asked, turning to face us directly.  "How can I? 
In all likelihood, I've taken over someone else's life!  I've got to figure
this out so I can fix it somehow."

   "How?" I asked.

   "That's what I was trying to figure out until you stopped me!  Alpha,
let's keep going," she ordered.

   "Sorry, Velma," I explained.  "My orders override yours.  Besides, I'm
sure even Alpha can see that you need help."

   "I was already..." Velma stopped herself, obviously making an effort to
stay calm.  "All right, if this is what I have to go through so I can
finish my research, let's talk.  So, how was your day?"

   The three of us sat down, Barbara and Daphne in chairs, myself on the
edge of the bed.

   "So tell us, what have you found out so far?" I asked.

   "Frank," Barbara said in a what-are-you-doing tone, obviously afraid I
might encourage Velma rather than wean her away from her obsession.  I held
a hand up slightly, keeping my attention focused on Velma.

   "Well, I've found that the cave system we remember being under the old
Spanish church doesn't exist, and neither does the church.  That's okay
though, because the earthquake that destroyed the original Crystal Cove in
our timeline never happened in this timeline, which makes sense because the
underlying cause supposedly isn't here anymore.

   "I've found virtually no references to anyone dressing up as monsters to
scare people away from a specific location or commit crimes or anything...
at least nothing in modern history.  Of course, there are plenty of
examples of things like that in the distant past, like the Picts and Celts
painting themselves blue before combat.  There are accounts of smugglers
dressing up as ghosts to let them do their work, but that was a long time
ago.  Plenty of accounts of fake hauntings and such to draw in tourists or
as pranks, but I'm not counting those.  I'm also not counting the times
someone dresses up in a costume to avoid being identified during a robbery.

   "I've gone through every history of Scooby-Doo I can find, and there's
no indication of it having a real world basis, let alone occult tie-ins.

   "I've failed to find..."

   I interrupted.  "...  Failed to find a lot of things.  Have you found
any actual evidence?"

   She glared at me.  "No."

   "Then you need to stop looking for now."

   "That's easy for you to say."

   "And very hard for you to do," I said, keeping our gazes locked.  "Think
about the information we do have: Daphne and yourself have memories largely
matching those of the latest Scooby-Doo series.  That series itself
indicated a negation of the version of the past that you remember, a
removal of those events from history.  From what we know, THERE SHOULD BE
NO EVIDENCE TO FIND.  Correct?"

   "But there's so much else that should still be there that isn't."

   "I'm not even going to ask what it is because that's not why you're
searching.  You yourself said that you think you've taken over someone
else's life.  You feel guilty that the other Velma is gone, or at least her
memories are gone, right?"

   Velma started crying, "She...  she had a life, and friends, and history,
and plans, and I don't...  all I have of her is her online journals."

   "And you think she's not around anymore?"

   That question interrupted her crying.  "Of course she...  What are you
talking about?"

   "Oh, sure she's apparently not here in this world, so far as we know. 
But we have strong evidence of the existence of multiple worlds." I
gestured toward Babs.  "Do you think that there could have been such major
changes to our world without the creation of other universes?  Divergent
realities?"

   "So you think we're in just one possible world?"

   "I know we're in just one possible world.  Personally, I doubt that we
create a new reality when we choose to wear one shirt instead of another
every morning, but a major event like that creating new worlds? 
Absolutely. The Velma you're upset about is still around, she's just not
here.  If anything, it's lucky that this version of you still exists in any
of the resultant worlds."

   "Hmmm...  that...  that almost makes sense.  It's just, I don't think
that way.  Maybe you're right, but I can't know that so I have to deal with
things as they are here and now.  And here and now, I'm not supposed to
exist.  I think."

   "Or maybe you're supposed to exist and the other Velma isn't.  Maybe God
knows, but I haven't heard His opinion on the subject.  Unless you being
here IS His opinion, but let's not get into that."

   "I just...  I thought if I could find some physical confirmation that
maybe that would tell me what I need to know.  Or at least tell me
something."

   "Okay then, let's assume you find a house that you remember being
haunted.  Fake haunted.  Whatever.  Or maybe you find a cave you think
might have been the same one below the old church you remember.  Then what?
We already know that if the story in the cartoon was accurate, then the
cave won't have any evidence in it, and the house will just be an old
house."

   "But maybe the story wasn't completely accurate.  Plenty of the episodes
were off in places from what actually happened."

   "Ah, I see where you're coming from.  So there is the possibility that
the evil entity is still trapped under Laguna Beach or Crystal Cove
somewhere?"

   "I...  I really hope not," she said with a frown.

   "I wonder if maybe your obsession with finding evidence might be what it
wants?  After all, if there's no Spanish gold or reason for people to
search for it, it will probably never be found."

   "Don't put that in my head!" she complained.  "Now I don't know what to
do."

   "Look at it this way: Be glad you're not in a world where the...  the
thing, whatever it was, won."

   She laughed a little.  "I guess I can't argue that point.  It still
doesn't explain the cartoon series."

   "I can make a wild-ass guess there, but that's about it."

   "What's your guess?" asked Daphne, joining in for the first time.

   Now I was moving beyond my earlier plans and just making it up as I went
along.  "This is just from what the cartoon told us, but the entity
mentally influenced people.  It inspired a lot of the fake ghost and
monster business.  Plus it wasn't fixed in time.  I'm not sure if that's a
good description, or if we even have a good description.  Anyway, even
assuming it isn't around in our world, if this universe is one that, for
whatever reason, was linked strongly enough to the old one for your gang to
keep your memories, that means it is also linked strongly enough for the
entity to have some leftover psychic influence too.  Maybe not enough to
cause the actual Scooby-Doo style crimes you remember, but maybe enough to
inspire the ideas and stories.  It's basically the same thing it did
before, but this time it hit the entertainment industry rather than
criminals."

   "That's...  I don't know...  maybe..." Velma suddenly looked exhausted,
almost like a puppet whose strings had just been cut.

   I moved closer and took a hold of her shoulders, drawing her in for a
hug, dislodging Simon in the process.

   "It's okay, honey," I said quietly.  "No one is saying you can't try to
solve your mysteries.  Just don't let them consume you.  Against all odds,
you're alive.  Don't waste that."

   She turned and looked up at me.  "You..." she started to say something,
but the situation and her programming and implants overwhelmed her.  She
stopped and pressed her face up against mine in a hungry kiss.  She was not
an expert kisser, but she had a desperate passion right then that couldn't
be denied.

   I drew us both back a bit so I was again sitting on the bed, with Velma
on my lap, refusing to let me go.  With one hand, I motioned for Daphne to
come over.

   Daphne sat on the bed next to us, the movement drawing enough of Velma's
attention for her to break the kiss.

   "Oh, Daphne, I'm so sorry.  I've just been...  the last few days, I was
just so focused..."

   "It's okay.  I understand," Daphne said softly, leaning in to kiss her.

   When they broke their kiss, she turned to me, only inches from my face.
"Thank you." Then she leaned in and kissed me, while Velma peppered kisses
on both of our necks.

   Velma wriggled slightly in my lap, then suddenly said, "Jinkies! 
That's...  is that for me?" She rubbed her hip against my hard-on.

   "Well, if you want it," I said, trying to keep my face entirely serious.

   "Hey, Daph, what do you say?"

   "I say let's head in and take a shower first." Leaning in to whisper
into Velma's ear, she spoke so faintly I could barely hear, "You really
need a bath."

   That was entirely true.  Velma apparently hadn't taken time to bathe for
more than a few days.

   Velma jerked upright, her face suddenly flushing a deep red.  She
briefly tried to stand up, but I put one arm under her knees as I stood up.

   "Could one of you start the shower?" I asked.

   Barbara had been starting to edge her way out of the room.

   "I thought you'd want some privacy," she said.

   "Up to you.  And you and you," I said looking at Velma and Daphne. 
"Heck, it's all up to you two.  Tell me to get lost, and I'll go."

   "No!" exclaimed Velma in response.  "I mean, please stay.  Both of you.
I wouldn't even be here if not for you, Babs.  And I can't have too many
red heads in my life."

   "Hey!" said Daphne, in mock outrage.  "I should be more than enough red
head for you."

   "So you want to send Barbara away?" Velma asked.

   "Well, I didn't say that," Daphne conceded.  "Maybe I need a red head of
my own.  Did you ever stop to consider that?"

   "When Archie shows up, I'll be sure and send him your way," Velma said
with a smile.

   "Babs, why don't you go start the water," I said.  "Once we get Velma
cleaned up, we can welcome her back properly to the land of the living."

   "Hey, you're not going to..." Velma started, looking at me.  Her face
showed the war going on inside.  Velma, the original woman and the
character, would never be so forward as to let me bathe her.  But Velma had
grown and accepted Daphne as her lover.  And this particular Velma had been
strongly lusting after me for a couple weeks and was finally in my arms. 
"I mean...  I guess, it's okay," she finally admitted.

   "That's settled then," I said, nodding at Babs to lead us into the
bathroom.

   While Babs tended to the bathtub/shower, Daphne giggled a little as she
pulled Velma's top off, exposing a fairly heavy-duty bra.  Velma obviously
hadn't dressed to seduce, with a plain white bra holding her ample bosom.
(A few minutes later I caught a glimpse at a tag that indicated DD.)

   Since I was still holding her up, Daphne also removed Velma's sneakers
and socks, both pairs of which were aromatic enough to justify their
immediate removal from the room.  Velma was trying to bury her face in my
shoulder while muttering apologies about how she normally bathes at least
once a day.

   I set her down so that Babs and Daphne could remove her skirt.  Daphne
made a show of stripping Velma of her bra and panties, doing it slowly
while giving a striptease-style 'cha cha-cha cha cha-cha cha'
accompaniment. Velma let her do it, but she quickly used her hands to cover
her chest and crotch.  I imagine she was wanting to tell me not to look,
but she was losing her war with her implants and lusts.

   I picked Velma back up, enjoying the feel of bare skin against my arms,
and set her down in the half-filled tub.

   "Washcloth, soap, shampoo...  what else do we need?" I asked.

   "I'll get her legs and pits," declared Babs, who was removing her
blouse.

   "Oh god," Velma muttered.  "I can do this myself."

   "But we're doing it for you as a means of foreplay," whispered Babs loud
enough to be understood over the sound of the water.

   "And her pussy lips," added Daphne, who pulled Velma's lower hand away
long enough for us to see that while Velma had very thick and bushy pubic
hair, it had been shaved clean on either side of her labia.  "I made her
start shaving if she wanted me to keep eating her out."

   "Daphne!" Velma said, shocked at the shared secret.

   "Oh hush," Daphne said, leaning down to kiss her friend and lover.  "I'm
just happy you're back."

   "I never left.  I wasn't going to leave," protested Velma.

   "You weren't yourself," declared Daphne.

   "We can provide you with some long-term hair removal cream or ointment,"
I offered as I followed Bab's example and removed my shirt.

   Daphne looked down at her own blouse, wet from leaning over for the
kiss, shrugged and pulled it off too.

   The four of us shared looks, enjoying the exposed skin.  I was already
intimately familiar with Barbara's bosom, but Daphne was a new sight for
me. She had a Barbie-like figure that supermodels would envy, with a tiny
waist and lovely B-cup breasts encased in a purple silk bra.

   Daphne and Velma offset each other perfectly, physically speaking. 
Velma was not fat, but she had a different, thicker build than Daphne. 
Whereas Daphne was slim and skinny and svelte, Velma was lush.  Compared to
Daphne (and Babs) her breasts and hips were huge.  She didn't have the
'bootylicious' ass seen in some rap videos, but it was definitely not flat.

   Seeing how they each reacted to being seen undressed, Daphne with
self-confidence, Velma with shyness, I could tell that Velma would require
regular reassurance and compliments to maintain her self-esteem.

   I took the washcloth and started with Velma's legs so that the ladies
could attend to whatever stubble needed shaving.  Since Velma was fairly
short, the cleaning and shaving didn't take long.

   While Barbara shaved her lower limbs, I cleaned her arms, trying to go
slowly and make it a sensual experience for her.  When I leaned over to
tend to her far side, she used her free hand to tentatively trace lines on
my chest.  I'm not especially comfortable with women playing with my
nipples, but it's been done often enough that I didn't shy away when she
circled them and gave them light tweaks.

   Her hands had fallen away from her chest by the time I was lathering and
cleaning her torso.  Velma had large, thick nipples that were standing out,
begging for attention, surrounded by large areola, a couple inches in
diameter.  After I had thoroughly washed and rinsed her chest, making sure
that even the area underneath each breast was clean, I tested the quality
of my work by sampling her nipples with my tongue and lips.

   It was actually a really odd situation right then.  I was tonguing her
nipples while Daphne was massaging her scalp with suds, Barbara was
lathering up her pubic lips and Velma was brushing her teeth (Babs or
Daphne had apparently handed her a toothbrush amid all the other activity).

   Anyway, once I was satisfied with the quality of my cleaning so far, I
again soaped up the washcloth and...  waited.  Once Babs had finished her
last shaving task, I instructed Velma to spread her legs so that I could
clean her waist, hips and pubis.  Velma's labia were thick and meaty, with
the inner lips engorged and begging for attention I couldn't give them at
the moment.  I did scoop some suds from where Daphne was slowly and
thoroughly washing Velma's hair to use on her pubic bush.

   Once I had finished everything I could reach, I sat back on my heels. 
"I'm ready for her back and butt when you two are done."

   Babs was already finished and Daphne was waiting to rinse out the
conditioner or something, so we started draining the tub.  Daphne got the
hand-held shower nozzle, adjusted the water temperature, and had Velma sit
up.  It took some rearranging of ourselves, but soon Daphne was rinsing out
the shampoo and/or conditioner (I hadn't kept track) while I washed her
back, then Babs did her pits.

   Finally we had her stand up so I could wash her ass, using the nozzle to
get it extra clean between her cheeks and underneath.

   Velma's face had stayed a bright red through most of the procedure, but
she hadn't objected and was obviously enjoying being pampered.

   After we finished drying her off, Daphne pulled out a tube of something
and she and Babs squirted and rubbed it all over Velma.  Some kind of
scented moisturizer, I'd guess.

   "By the way," I said while I watched the very arousing scene, "I believe
in fairness.  You two are going to get pampered like this sometime too."

   Babs just nodded in appreciation.  Daphne's legs quivered briefly.

   When they finished, Babs took a step back and asked, "Does she pass
inspection?"

   "Well, let's see.  Daphne, are her teeth clean?"

   Daphne gave her lover a deep, lingering kiss before confirming that they
were clean to her satisfaction.

   "Barbara, did I do a good enough job on her breasts?"

   Babs made a careful inspection of Velma's heavy, young breasts using
both fingers and tongue.

   "And I'll inspect the pubic area," I announced once Barbara was done.

   Velma was standing rather shakily at that point, so I had her steady
herself with one arm on Barbara and one leg draped over my shoulder.

   Velma had a nice thick, stiff clitoris, standing out at the top of her
vagina, begging for attention.  Her labia were practically throbbing,
obviously eager to be parted.  I spent two or three minutes down there,
'inspecting' her equipment.  I'm sorry to say it got rather slick and
messy, despite all of our work.  When she came, I'm fairly certain she
would have collapsed if not for our support.

   Once we were all standing again, I picked her up as before and carried
her to the bed she shared with Daphne.  The rest of us were all noticeably
damp from our work in the bathroom, so we took turns undressing each other
while Velma watched.

   I described Daphne's form earlier, but now I was able to see her
stripped naked.  Unlike Velma, she made no attempt to hide herself.  Where
Velma's nipples were large with wide areola, Daphne's were tiny, each
surrounded by maybe a nickel-size areola.  Where Velma's pubic hair was
thick and was probably pretty unkempt before Daphne's enforced trimming,
Daphne's pubic hair was neatly trimmed into a small triangle positioned
directly above her vagina, with bare lips on either side.

   Having just eaten Velma out, I was able to examine Daphne's womanhood up
close as I demonstrated my skill with cunnilingus.  She had clamshell-style
labia, her inner lips completely contained within her smooth, closed outer
lips, looking almost prepubescent.  Her clit was about the size of a BB,
but seemed to be extra-sensitive.  Daphne didn't seem to have orgasms
singly.  When she came, it was in a series of little jerks and vibrations
that seemed to last for over half a minute.

   Finally, to keep things fair and balanced, I ate out Barbara next.  One
side note, Barbara's legs had definitely muscled up since her arrival.  For
months after she joined the household, her legs were stick-thin, the
muscles degraded from lack of use.  (Well, grown to simulate extended lack
of use, if you want to be technically accurate.)

   Babs had gotten pretty worked up and came easily, multiple times, within
the first few minutes.  While I was eating her, Velma took the opportunity
to explore Barbara more intimately, kissing her friend and playing with her
lightly freckled breasts.

   When I finished, Velma stared hard at my cock.  "You know," she said
quietly, "I've been with a grand total of two different women before --
three if I can count you." She rubbed Barbara's boob to indicate she meant
her.  "But I've never been with a man before.  Not actually gone all the
way or in bed, I mean.  I let Shaggy get to second base once, but that's it
so far.  I...  I guess I'm saying that this is a big step for me."

   "You'll love it," said Babs reassuringly.  "It's not like I've ever been
super slutty or anything, but he's easily the best lover I've ever had."

   (You know, every time I hear one of my women say that, I have to remind
myself that they're designed and programmed to respond to me.  Their
compliments, while nice, don't really count.)

   "And you're not alone," said Daphne as she sat down next to Velma.  "The
furthest I ever got with Freddie was giving him a blowjob a few times.  I
may have lost my maidenhead when I borrowed Mother's vibrator, but I'm
still a virgin as far as actual penises go."

   "Ummm...  three?" I asked, looking at Velma.

   "There was this girl in high school that had a huge crush on me, and...
I'll tell you some other time.  Actually, come think of it, I don't
actually know if that stuff happened in this timeline.  I don't even know
if I ever let Shaggy get to second base, except that he has the same
memories I do so he'd think it happened, but I don't know if the versions
of us in this world did it or..."

   "Later," Barbara said.  "It's a pointless and purely academic question
that can be dealt with later."

   "Sorry, I just have a tendency to talk and ask questions when I'm
nervous, and I'm...  I'm kinda nervous right now."

   "We'll go slow," I reassured her.  "And if you ever want me to stop,
just say so."

   "Don't say so," urged Barbara in a loud whisper.

   "It's okay," Velma said, "it's just that the biggest dildo I ever tried
was seven inches -- you know, I don't know how the women in all those
videos handle those monsters -- and you look a bit bigger than that." Her
voice cracked slightly.

   I threw up my hands and took a step back away from the bed.

   "No, no!" she said hurriedly.  "I want to try it, just...  go slow. 
Like you said.  Slow is good."

   Almost as if they had prearranged and practiced it, Babs and Daphne
reached for Velma's short but shapely legs and gently pulled them up and
apart, spreading her wide open for me.

   I kept my promise and did everything slowly.  Well, I applied a condom
and a bit of lube at normal speed, then slowed down.  I teased her vulva
and clit with the head of my prick, giving everything plenty of time to get
used to the sensations and finish lubing up naturally.  When it finally
came time to enter her, I stopped after about three inches and just worked
it in and out.

   It was just about at that point that Velma finally got past her shyness
enough to start participating instead of just letting things happen to her.

   "Could...  could someone play with my nipples?  And Frank?  You can go a
little faster now...  just not too deep too fast.  Please?"

   I briefly wondered what she'd be like once she actually became confident
in bed.  I was surprised she wasn't trying to apologize for not being
Daphne or Babs, physically speaking.  Her body language had definitely
showed reluctance to be seen naked.

   Daphne bent down to her breasts, squeezing one a bit to offer it to Babs
while she she licked and sucked the other.  While she did so, I could hear
her murmuring about how beautiful Velma looked and how wonderful her
breasts were, giving constant physical praise and reassurance.

   For my part, I sped up and worked my way a little deeper every few
strokes.  While most of my women can sometimes appreciate an all-at-once
approach to penile insertion, I try to respect the wishes of the woman I'm
with.  Besides, I was betting that within a month or so, Velma would want a
fast, full insertion.  I was basing that assertion on how her vaginal
sheath felt.  It felt deep and welcoming, and her inner labia clung to me,
stretching out a little with every pull back.

   Velma seemed to react the most when I angled up so that I could stroke
the tip of her clit with each movement of my shaft, so I did that more and
more for a few minutes until she screamed.  Literally.

   "Oh, god!  I'm cumming!  Oh god, oh god, ohgod, uhgud, ugh, oooo..."
Pretty much verbatim.  Very loud, too.  She left no room for doubt at all.
Then she collapsed.

   By the time I had extracted myself -- no, I never reached full insertion
depth -- she looked like she had fallen asleep.  Well, admittedly, she had
looked pretty tired earlier.

   "Wow, that's impressive," observed Daphne.  "I never got that big a
reaction from her."

   "No kidding," agreed Babs who was wiggling a finger around in one ear.
Babs had probably been the closest during the screams.

   Daphna absentmindedly played with her hair, twirling around one finger.
"Does that mean...  Is it my turn now?"

   "Do you want it to be your turn?" I asked.  This wasn't really a time
for shyness or modesty, given that we were all naked, in bed, with my
condom-clad cock pointing directly at her.

   She nodded and I moved away from Velma and held out my arms.

   Daphne was tight and smooth, her vaginal sheath feeling like velvet as I
slid into her.  She basically wrapped her legs around me and after
adjusting to my entry for only a minute or two, had me go to town.  She
didn't need any extra stimulation to come.  With only ten minutes of
fucking, I was able to give her two orgasms, both of them the same odd half
minute of quivering that I had seen when I ate her out.

   After the second come, she didn't pass out, but she did want a break.

   "I'm just really sensitive down there after I come like that," she
explained.  "Not that I've ever come like that before, but...  give me a
few minutes to come down off that high...  let the tingling wear off."

   I briefly wondered if all of this meant I'd never be able to have
extended bouts of sex with the Scooby duo.  If Daphne needed frequent
breaks and Velma passed out, it'd put a real crimp in our fun.  Then again,
maybe Velma only passed out this time because she was exhausted.

   At that point I was pretty on-edge.  I mentioned this to Barbara, who
said she was also on the brink herself.  (She had been taking care of her
own stimulation while I had fun with the newcomers.)

   Barbara removed my condom -- she was on the pill -- and quickly had me
slam home inside her.  She came very quickly, then indicated I was free to
relieve myself as needed.  I took me maybe two minutes to climax, emptying
my balls into Babs.

   Once I recovered I was in a bit of a quandary.  I was willing to go a
second round, but Velma was still out and Daphne wasn't ready.  There was
also the matter of the accommodations.  We were in Velma and Daphne's room,
which had two queen size beds.  A queen size can fit two or even three
adults without too much difficulty, but four was going to be crowded.  We
couldn't easily move to my bedroom since Velma was asleep.  We could always
split to use both beds, but I didn't want to abandon anyone.

   Barbara took the decisions out of my hands (fortunately).  "Let's get
cleaned up real quick," she whispered loud enough for Daphne and me to
hear. "Then...  I guess I can sleep with Velma tonight while you and Daph
take the other bed.  Sound good?"

   Daphne didn't object, so I let it go at that.

   When we returned from our visit to the bathroom, Daphne looked lovingly
at Velma before covering her with the sheets.

   "She's hated her body most of her life," she said quietly.  "She thinks
she's fat and ugly.  I've worked hard to disabuse her of that notion, but
it's an ongoing struggle.  Tonight probably helped a lot." She looked over
at Babs and myself.  "I wanted you to know because you need to clamp down
immediately if she starts apologizing for how she looks.  We've been
together long enough that she knows better than to start doing that when
I'm around, and I was proud how she controlled herself tonight."

   After some lingering good night kisses, Daphne and I went to sleep in
her bed, with Daphne literally holding onto my semi-hard cock as she
drifted off.



   I woke to find Daphne sitting astride me, trying to work my morning wood
into her pussy without waking me.

   Seeing my eyes open, she put one finger to her lips and pointed toward
the other bed.  I could hear someone snoring softly, and that someone was
apparently Velma because I could see Babs sleeping peacefully.

   I stopped Daphne long enough to find and apply a condom, then let her
ride me.  This time it took her nearly twenty minutes to reach her second
orgasm, by which time she was again too sensitive to continue.  Fortunately
we had awakened Barbara, who was more than willing to take over after I
visited the bathroom.



   I had things I needed to do at work, so I wasn't able to hang around
until Velma woke up, which wasn't until 11 or so.

   I caught up with her that evening, and we agreed on a general plan for
her initial work for AARD.  She would try to reproduce some of the
technology used in her remembered adventures -- battle suits, flying
monsters and such -- to see if they were physically possible.  And to adapt
the notions for more positive use than hiding crimes.

   The important part was that she seemed a lot more mentally and
emotionally stable than before.
   

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