The following story contains some explicit sexual material. 
Though not blatantly pornographic, reader discretion is advised.
Were this a movie, it would probably gain an R rating. 
This story was written as an exploration of character and while
it might be considered erotic, the intent was to delve into
the minds of the characters rather than to sexually arouse the
reader. If you are looking for that you should look elsewhere.
However, if you are offended by sexuality, you should look 
somewhere else as well.

This story is Copyright 1999, Krystoff Vagabond. It may be 
freely redistributed as long as it remains completely intact
and unmodified (including these headers). I welcome comments
and criticism. Please send any thoughts you have on the 
story to kvagabond@mailcity.com

				       -Krystoff

---------------------------------------------------



                         Virtually Lovers

                                               by K.Vagabond


     "Lights"
     The lights dimmed and Jarod sat alone in the dark. He
tapped a five digit access code onto the keypad under his
hand.
     "File: Sylvia - Sequence: One. Scenario: Alpha"
     There was an electronic hum as the holo-projectors
engaged and the memory drives spun up.
     "What level, please?" The digitized voice was female.
Soft, but cold at the same time. Reassuring and almost sexy,
but clearly inhuman.
     Jarod closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In a
moment the world would be at his disposal. With a word, he
could have almost anything. Almost. his realization of the
harsh reality of technological limitations quashed his
passing fancy of something more. "Aries" he whispered.
     When his eyes opened, he was engulfed in the familiar
blue glow. How many times had he run this sequence? Dozens?
Hundred? It didn't matter. Each time was as anticipated as
the first.
     His study dissolved away. Projector casings and
computer consoles were replaced with bookshelves and desks.
Prof. Richards stood in the front of the room.  His
classmates surrounding him. Jason, Thomas, Erica, Charlie.
Others. Some names long since forgotten. But not one. There
she sat. Directly in front of him. Sylvia Austin. The most
beautiful of all God's creatures. He sat behind her.
Awestruck. Unable to tear his gaze away from the tiny
fingers twirling that long golden hair.

                         *    *    *

     "Access: Charlie Page"
     The door slid open and Charlie entered the loft that
she and Jarod shared. It had been a long day and she wanted
nothing more than to slip out of her office clothes and into
a nice hot bath. Unfortunately, that was not to be. The
Ultrachem report was still incomplete and she was forced to
bring it home with her. She would probably be up all night
working on it. Relaxation would have to wait until the
weekend. Hopefully, at least Jarod would keep the trideo
turned down low so she could work in peace. She kicked off
her boots and threw her card key on the coffee table.
     "Jarod? I'm home." There was no answer. It was already
past 19:30. He couldn't still be at work. He must have gone
out. Wonderful. She might have the place quiet and to
herself after all. She reached in her purse and pulled out
the memdisk with the Ultrachem files on it. She looked at it
for a moment and discarded it on the table next to her card
key. She might not have enough time to soak in the tub, but
Ultrachem would at least have to wait until she had taken a
steam shower.

                         *    *    *

     "21-115: Introduction to the Fundamental Structures of
Non-Euclidean Geometry."
      Mr. Richard's recitation was the first place that
Jarod had ever met Sylvia. Well, not met her really. He
still vividly remembered seeing her that first time. He was
talking to Charlie and Jason. They had gotten to class early
and were discussing the classes they had earlier in the day.
It was second semester, sophomore year. He and Jason were
both in "Advanced Graphic Interface Design" and Charlie was
just coming out of "Twentieth Century Law" Charlie was going
over the lecture she had just heard on the Menendez defense
when *she* walked through the door.
     Her hair was like sunshine. Her eyes were large and
inviting. A deep ocean of blue that even the most
accomplished navigator would get lost in. Her smile was wide
and inviting. That was just her face. His eyes followed her
long neck down to her chest. She wore a tight, light blue
shirt. Black suspenders beautifully framed and accented what
were already perfect breasts, the suspenders were attached
to a short pleated skirt that only barely covered the
longest, most wonderfully toned legs that one could ever
imagine.
     She entered the room. And she sat in front of him.
     That's how it was. Three times a week. The sweetest
torture one could ask for.  And it was torture. Radiant
beauty. Luminescence. An arms reach away and it might as
well be a galaxy. A full semester. She was right there in
front of him. That long straight hair. That creamy neck.
Those perfect shoulders. But he couldn't touch her. Four
months of 21-115. Two more years of similar experiences and
now. 5 years later. He was still running simulations of the
same thing.

                         *    *    *

     "Oh God, yes!"
     This was exactly what Charlie needed. Every muscle in
her body tensed as the hot jets hit her back, her hands
tightly gripping the towel rack. Slowly she relaxed as she
became accustomed to the steamy hot water. She loosened her
hold on the bar. A slow deep sigh gently rolled off her
tongue and escaped her lips. Ultrachem was but a distant
memory now, the problem of another woman; a woman in some
other place. Nothing mattered at that moment save the tingly
sensation running down her spine. She shifted her face and
eased around so that the jets could hit her chest, moving
slowly to enjoy the pressure as it rolled across her side.
     She reached for the shelf and picked up to the small
green bottle. She squeezed a generous helping of the juniper
scented gel into her palm and began applying it to her
shoulders and neck then working the lather down across her
small breasts. "Heaven" she thought to herself, forgetting,
for the moment, the disappointment of not being able to soak
in a bubble bath. After the strenuous day she had had, this
felt like the most sensuous experience of her lifetime. She
reached again for the green bottle and applied more of the
shower gel to her pale skin.
     Charlie's mind began to wander as she titled her head
back and let the mist drench her face and soak her short
auburn hair. Her skin tingled from the soothing gel and the
hot water and her nipples began to harden from the gentle
rubbing motion of her fingers. How long had it been since
anyone had touched her like this. She couldn't remember the
last time she had even masturbated and actual sex seemed
more like a adolescent dream than an adult experience. "To
hell with Ultrachem, this is something I need," she thought
to herself as her hand reached for the warm spot between her
legs.

                         *    *    *

      "Pause Program."
     Just like that, Sylvia's fingers ceased twirling her
hair. She was frozen in time like a Greek statue. Jarod
looked around the room. Professor Richards was at the HUD
Board, laser pointer gripped in his hand. Petrified in the
middle of his explanation of a hyperdimensional cube.
Students around the room - Erica, Jason, Charlie, the others
- all similarly paralyzed as they punched notes into their
keypads or scribbled onto their tablets. He stood from his
chair and walked right through the wraith that was Sylvia to
face her from the other side. He savored the pose he had
caught her in. She was between notes. Still twirling her
hair with her left hand while she held her stylus to her
ruby red lips with her right, sucking gently on the head of
the small pen. As unattainable now as a ghost as she was an
actual being.
     There had to be something more.
     He walked around her. Not through her this time, but
around her, careful not to disrupt the projection of her
beauty. He took his seat and began punching an access code
on his keypad.
     "What program?" The computers voice again echoed
through the room. Just as impersonal as always.
     "File: Sylvia - Sequence: One. Scenario: Gamma"
     "What level, please?"
     "Capricorn," he shouted in return.
     And with that Prof. Richards and all of the students
faded from the room. All save Sylvia, of course.  She was
alive again. She put down her stylus and ran both of her
hands through the sunshine yellow locks on her head. Jarod
sighed audibly. She heard and turned to face him. Both
smiled. He half out of pride for what he had created and
half out of the realization of a long time dream. He was
acknowledged by this. . .  goddess. She because she was
programmed to.
     He waved his hand upward, motioning for her to stand.
She obediently rose from her chair like a puppet when her
strings had been tugged. After all, that's all she really
was. It didn't matter at this point though. Jarod twirled
his finger in a circle and like a puppy who had just learned
a new trick, Sylvia responded. The pleats of her skirt rose
into the air as she spun. She lifted her arms so that he
could get a glimpse of the perfect curvature of her tits.
After the second twirl she stopped so that she was again
facing him and her hair swung to the side. She giggled as
she brushed it from in front of her face.
     Jarod rubbed his chin with his fingers. He smirked as
he gazed at her. Her smiled broaden. She had been programmed
to live for his approval. She dropped her arms to her side
and repositioned her skirt then slid her hands up and down
her torso gently caressing her breasts and stomach. Jarod
crossed his legs as he felt his pants tighten.
     Sylvia tugged on her suspenders and pulled them off of
shoulders letting them fall down around her waist. Again she
rubbed her firm stomach. Jarod focused on her bare midriff
and the ring through her navel. Focused for a moment until
he noticed the ruby red fingernails tugging at the hem of
the half shirt and pulling it up.  Her breast were perfectly
round and firm. Her nipples large and erect. The orbs
bounced gently as they were freed from the baby blue
spandex. She pulled the shirt over her head and her hair
flowed out from under the fabric like a silken ocean wave
and landed gingerly over her shoulders and neck. She slowly
began to approach him.
     As she neared him he uncrossed his legs and unzipped
his pants. He breathed heavily in anticipation as she bent
down before his erection. He gripped the sides of his chair
waiting for the sweet warmth of her mouth. She bent ever
closer. A shiver went through his body. "God, please," he
whispered under his breath. Sylvia closed her painted lips
over the head of his cock and he watched as her immaterial
face passed right through him.
     "Dammit."
     Sylvia didn't notice, she continued mock sucking at
him, just as she was programmed to do. But he felt nothing.
     "Pause program. "
     And she froze there. Just as before. But this time half
naked. On her knees. He stood up and walked away from her.
Her pose was suddenly so unnatural. Hungrily, ravenously
gobbling at some unseen phallus. It was simply. . .
ridiculous.
     He couldn't be a part of this. He wasn't a part of
this. He could watch but not touch. Imagine, but not feel.
This was just. . . a fantasy.
     "End Program."
     The classroom faded and the study returned. He zipped
up his pants and walked back over to his console and began
feverishly tapping at the keys.

                         *    *    *

      "Unnnnnggghhhhh!!"
     Charlie bit into her bottom lip trying to suppress the
urge to scream. Any harder and she might have drawn blood.
Not that she realized that.  Her stomach, her back, her
entire body tightened as she ground three fingers into her
crotch.  Each touch from her fingers to her clit shot fire
through her veins and each blast of hot steam to her skin
sent electricity across her entire body. By this time she
had fallen back and was only standing by propping her
shoulders against the tiled wall. Her back was arched and
the rear jets shot steamy water directly at her ass. The
forceful mist rode up inside of her with her fingers and
provided yet more stimulation. She was moaning audibly;
gritting her teeth.
     Her other hand was on her chest; tugging and tweaking
her own small nipple. In her minds eye, she imagined a lover
biting at it. Pulling with his teeth as he pushed himself
deep inside of her. A perfect lover. Rubbing just the right
spots. Pushing all the right buttons. Holding her. Loving
her. Pleasing her. Knowing her like he was inside of her
head.  A part of her life. The best part.  She felt the urge
to scream and bit her lip. The anticipation. The moment. She
wanted it to last longer. Forever. It was too late. She
couldn't control herself any longer. Couldn't hold back her
body. Couldn't slow the motions of her fingers. The jets
kept pulsing. A million tiny fingers hitting her from every
direction. Massaging her neck. Caressing her breasts.
Rubbing her stomach. Seeking out and filling every curve,
every orifice, every crease, every inch of her body. There
was no holding back.
     She came.
     "Jarod!"
     And she screamed.

                         *    *    *

     "What Program?"
     It felt wrong. It really did. Jarod had run simulations
of his fantasies more times than he could count. He had
stolen the likenesses of hundreds of people and programmed
them to do his bidding. But never before had it bothered
him. Not before now.
     Why?
     Programming a holo-suite for sexual scenarios certainly
wasn't a crime. It was one of the systems major selling
points. Live out your every fantasy. Your *every* fantasy.
Every one did it. It was expected. Why shouldn't he? Why
should he feel guilty? Why should he feel anything but
pleasure? A pleasure long since denied. He'd run countless
simulations with Sylvia. Why should this one be any
different? Why should it feel like such a violation? It
shouldn't. It couldn't.
     "File: Sylvia - Sequence: One. Scenario: Epsilon."
     There was an electronic hum as the holo-projectors re-
engaged.
     "What level, please?"
     Jarod closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Nothing
was left but to say the word and the world would be at his
disposal. His creations actualized. His fantasies realized.
He opened his eyes and spoke the word. "Zulu."
     The room was filled with the blue glow and his
surroundings dissolved.  He again found himself in Professor
Richards' class room, but things were different this time.
The lights were dim and there were only two other figures
seated with him. Sylvia was in front of him just as always
and to his right was Charlie. Charlie, his best friend
throughout college. His roommate for the last two years
since.
     She was as real as he could make her.  From the short
bobbed hair cut to the wire rim glasses. From the white tank
top and suede leather jacket to tight knee length blue skirt
and go-go boots. He sighed as he realized what he was doing,
but he couldn't stop himself. All he could do was sit back
and watch.
     Sylvia put down her stylus and ran both of her hands
through the sunshine yellow locks on her head. A smirk
started to form across Jarod's face. She turned to face him.
Smiling as though she were pleased with his approval.
     He waved his hand upward, motioning for her to stand.
She obediently rose from her chair like a puppet when her
strings had been tugged. He twirled his finger in a circle
and like a puppy who had just learned a new trick, Sylvia
responded. The pleats of her skirt rose into the air as she
spun. She lifted her arms so that he could get a glimpse of
the perfect curvature of her tits. After the second twirl
she stopped so that she was again facing him and her hair
swung to the side. She giggled as she brushed it from in
front of her face.
     Jarod nodded his head in approval. This was what he had
wanted. This was the scenario that he had written. So far,
everything had gone as it always had, but it was soon to
diverge. He found himself becoming aroused, but not at the
vision of the goddess but in anticipation of what he knew
was to come. She dropped her arms to her side and
repositioned her skirt then slid her hands up and down her
torso gently caressing her breasts and tummy.
     She took two steps away from her seat and stood facing
the simulacrum of Charlie. Charlie looked up at her. Not
speaking, somewhat in shock, her slow steady breathing the
only sound in the room.
     Sylvia tugged on her suspenders and pulled them off of
shoulders letting them fall down around her waist. Again she
rubbed her firm tummy. Charlie focused on Sylvia's bare
midriff and the ring through her navel. Focused for a moment
until she noticed the ruby red fingernails tugging at the
hem of the half shirt and pulling it up.  Her breast were
perfectly round and firm like two ripe melons. Her nipples
large and erect. The orbs bounced gently as they were freed
from the baby blue spandex. She pulled the shirt over her
head and her hair flowed out from under the fabric like a
silken ocean wave and landed gingerly over her shoulders and
neck. She took another step towards Charlie and leaned over
her desk.
     Jarod unzipped his pants. He held his breath in
anticipation as Sylvia bent ever closer to Charlie.
Charlie's breathing quickened and deepened. She sank back
into her chair shying away from Sylvia's approach. Sylvia
reached out. Jarod's eyes focused on the long red-painted
fingernails and the delicate tips beneath them as they
stroked the rims of Charlie's glasses. His erection
hardened. Charlie closed her eyes as Sylvia slowly pulled
the glasses from her face.  Charlie's deep breaths became
rapid pants. She knew what was coming. She made no move to
stop it. Sylvia face came ever closer. Slowly. Fluidly.
Deliberately. Closer and closer until their lips touched.
Gently at first. Light kisses. Lips teasing like playful
children, but it soon deepened beyond that. Charlie couldn't
resist. Slowly her lips parted and allowed Sylvia's tongue
to probe inside.
     Jarod's lips parted slightly forming his mouth into a
small "O" as he began to gently stroke himself.

                         *    *    *

     "Jarod?"
     Why had she said that? They were friends. Just friends
and nothing more. That's what Charlie wanted to believe. How
could she ever allow herself to think of him in that way.
She couldn't. That was the answer. She simply couldn't.
     She was sitting on the bench in the steam shower. The
water was still showering down on her, rolling down her face
like tears. The steam was still running and forming beads of
sweat down her back. But the sensations. The wonderful
tingles brought on by hydrofingers caressing her every spot.
That was gone now. What was left was confusion.
     All this time, Jarod had never shown any interest in
her. She had none in him. How many nights had they sat up in
college talking about their relationships? How many times
had she cried on his shoulder about her problems with Jason?
How many times had he lamented to her over his unrequited
love for Sylvia Whateverhernamewas? They never wanted each
other. They were just friends.
     Charlie stood and turned off the steam shower, resting
her head against the tiled wall for a moment. "Why? Why
would I say that?" She whispered the words to herself, but
had no answer. "Why?" She spoke more forcefully now, as
though being curt wither herself my force an answer, but
again there was none.
     She was just lonely. That was it. It was a fleeting
fantasy brought on by a moment of loneliness. Weakness.
Jarod was her roommate. Her best friend since college. More
like a brother than a lover.  He was just someone that she
could talk to. Someone she could trust.
     She climbed out of the shower. She hadn't washed her
hair yet, but she just couldn't be in there any longer.
There was just something - not right about it. Something she
wanted to get away from. She pulled her long white towel off
of the rack and quickly began to dry herself, trying to rub
the memory away with the water.
     The memories. There were so many. Senior year. After
fighting for months she had finally broken up with Jason.
For good this time. She knew that. She couldn't take being
with him anymore. The lies. The cheating. All it had taken
was one phone call, and Jarod was right there in her dorm
room. He was comforting. He said he understood. He gave her
exactly what she needed. He held her and that made it a
little better.
     She cried herself to sleep in his arms that night. He
spent the night in her bed. Nothing more happened. She was
heart broken. Hurt. Vulnerable. And he was so compassionate.
She would have easily surrender her body to him that night
if he had simply tried. But he didn't. Because he cared for
her. Because he loved her.
     "Because I love him," she said to herself, slightly out
loud.
     It startled her. The shock of calling out his name in
an orgasmic fury was nothing compared to this. She loved
him. In all the time that they had known one another, that
had never occurred to her before. She loved him. She stood
there in the bathroom, naked and dripping, staring at her
reflection in the slowly defogging mirror.

                         *    *    *

     "Pause program!"
     The world froze.  Or, at the very least, every thing in
the room did. Sylvia. Charlie. Even Jarod. For a moment.
What was he doing? What the hell was he doing. He looked at
himself. Sitting there in his chair, his pants and his
boxers pulled down around his ankles. His hand covered in
cum, holding his own cock. The electronic ghosts of two
women he claimed to care about petrified in the throes of
passion on the other side of the room. What was he doing.
     Jarod released his grip on his softening dick and wiped
his hand on his T-shirt. He pulled it off and used it to
wipe up the rest of the mess he had made on his stomach and
the arms of the chair. He looked at it for a moment and
threw it aside by the desk, again turning his attention to
the frozen holograms.  He pulled up his pants and walked
over to the other side of the room, where the girls had been
paused in their lovemaking.
     Sylvia was on her knees. She had earlier discarded her
halter top and suspenders. Her hand was awkwardly rubbing
her crotch through her pleated skirt while her tongue
hungrily explored the folds between Charlie's legs. Charlie.
"My God," Jarod thought. "What have I done to her?"
Physically, it looked like Charlie, of course. The hair, the
eyes, the skin. Even the small mole under her right eye. But
It just wasn't her. It didn't feel like her.  She was
propped up on a table near the corner. She had pulled her
tank top up and was pinching her nipple. her long skirt was
hiked up around her waist as Sylvia buried her face into
Charlie's pussy. Her head was tilted back, her eyes closed
as she stood on the brink of orgasm. Frozen.
     "Close Replicant: Sylvia."
     There was a blink of light and Sylvia vanished. Erased
as though she had never been. No evidence save for the
fevered state she had brought Charlie to. He looked at
Charlie. She was amazing. He had never noticed before. The
long legs. The flat stomach. The small pert breasts. Her
smile was wide and her lips full. Her beautiful round face
perfectly framed by the short black hair. Her eyes. Her eyes
were closed.
     "Replicant: Charlie. Eye lids .795"
     Sylvia's eyes blinked open. It was eerie. She was still
standing perfectly motionless, exactly as she was when he
froze the program. Except for the eyes. Those beautiful,
green eyes. He had never seen them this closely before. She
always wore her glasses. But her eyes were so warm. So
innocent. How could he have violated her like this? How
could he have perverted her? He felt ashamed. Guilty. How
could he use her like this? Charlie was the one who brought
him dinner at two in the morning when he was working on his
integrated systems final project. Charlie was the one who
was there for him when he needed to obsess over Sylvia. She
was the one who tried to convince him to move on. She was
his best friend.
     He slowly reached out to the hologram. He touched her
cheek. Gently, slowly, being very careful not to pass
through the image. She didn't flinch.
     "Play Program."
     She came back to life exactly where she left off. Still
moaning and squirming from the unseen tongue manipulations
of Sylvia's tongue. Her breathing was sharp and shallow. She
closed her eyes again. She arched her back and threw her
head even further back. Her tiny voice chirping as she
quickly gasped for air.
     "Reset emotion track. Replicant: Charlie."
     She stopped, opened her eyes and stared quietly at him.
He could see something in those eyes. There was love there.
Not the love that Sylvia had. The love that he had
programmed in. There was something different. Something that
seemed so real. He leaned in close to her, and wished that
he could smell her hair.

                         *    *    *

     "Jarod!"
     Charlie stood there in the door way in utter shock. She
had spent some time in the bathroom composing herself trying
to decide what to do about the feelings that she couldn't
stop herself from having. She resolved to tell him, then to
keep it from him and then to tell him again. When she left
the bathroom her head was racing in chaos with the
possibilities. With the reactions she thought he might have
- some good, some bad - to what she would say to him. She
imagined the proper moment. Should she tell him as soon as
she saw him? Should she do it over a romantic dinner? When
she finally left the bathroom, she saw the blue light
leaking out from under the door to the study. She leaned
against the door and listened. She could hear Jarod
occasionally speaking commands to the computer. She could
hear the computer responding. She could hear movement and
mumbles. She knew that he must be working on yet another
simulation, but she couldn't make anything out. Her heart
was racing. She couldn't keep this to herself any longer.
She had to tell him. She opened the door slowly, both
anticipating and fearing his possible reaction, but she
never expected this.
     She stood there in the doorway, wrapped in her towel,
still somewhat damp, though she had ended her steam shower
quite some time ago. Jarod spun around when he heard her
call his name. Their eyes met. Jarod's heart dropped.
Charlie stood there. Trembling. Shivering, not from cold,
but from something else. He looked behind him, and she was
there as well. Only not in a towel. Instead she was dressed
in a blue skirt pulled up around her waist and still
clutching her white tank top near her neck, exposing her
breasts. The real Charlie's eyes began to well up with
tears.
     "Charlie!" Jarod called out to her while struggling to
zip up his pants; not knowing what he would say next; not
knowing how to explain, but knowing that he must.
     It was too late. Tears were pouring down her face. She
covered her mouth and ran from the room.
     Jarod turned again to face the hologram. This Charlie
stared at him. Confused. Her artificial intelligence not
knowing how to deal with the situation but realizing
something was wrong. Her mouth opened, but like Jarod a
moment before, she found no words to speak. He found two.
     "End Program."
