My Life As A Teenage Robot Porn Story: Reality Bytes Chapter 5

Reality Bytes

A My Life as a
Teenage Robot Fanfic

Chapter Five Thanks
For The Memories

Tuck struggled to keep his crimson mech upright.P Automobile-size boulders bounced off the
fuselage, sailing into the sky to be sucked into the black hole growing over
the mountain.P The mountains summit had
already been devoured by the abyss, along with the enemy fortress at the very
top.P A fortress that contained Brad and
Jennys only hopes of reconnecting their minds with their bodies, back in the
real world.

Tuck stared as more chunks of the sky started to flake away
and disappear into the hole.P Now what
are we supposed to do? he asked in a weak voice.

Hundred-foot trees shot into the sky, plucked up like
dandelions.P Brad watched virtual
Armageddon unfold before his eyes.P Any
chance of getting in touch with that Ozzie guy?P The operating system plumber dude?P Hes probably our only way out of here.

The mountain stream ripped away from the riverbed, and the
water flowed upwards into a waterspout, spiraling towards the holes gaping
maw.P Its worth a try, said Jenny,
trying to sound hopeful.P She shouted
into the air.P Ozzie!P Ozzie?

But this time, there was no response.P Another piece of sky ripped in two like an
old bedsheet, and was sucked into the growling, hissing void.

Maybe hes just busy? she suggested.

Maybe he got sucked into the black hole, shuddered
Brad.P

Suddenly, a new contact started beeping on the radar screen
in front of Tuck.

Its not an enemy robot, he said.P Its not even moving.P It just looks like some kind of plain old
radio beacon.

Unless anybody has any better ideas, said Jenny, I think
we should follow it.

Tuck struggled with his mechs controls, as the shrieking
winds made flying nearly impossible.P
After a few unsuccessful attempts, he landed the crimson mech, and just
ran the final half mile towards the beeping signal on his radar screen.P Even that was made difficult by the raging
reality-storm.

They homed in on the strange radar signal, hoping to see a
base, a fortification, any kind of building.P
But as they came over the final outcropping of rock, there was nothing
P nothing but a five-foot ledge jutting
out from the side of the mountain.P No,
wait there was something else.P A
narrow crack in the stone face, maybe two feet wide.

It didnt look like an exit portal, but they didnt have any
other ideas.P Tuck maneuvered his mech
as close as he could to the ledge, and cracked open the canopy.P Jenny and Brad braced themselves against the
inside of the cockpit, took a deep breath, and jumped as hard as they could
towards the mountain ledge.

The hurricane-force wind caught them as soon as they left
the cockpit, and started to pull them upwards.P
But Brad managed to get a hand on a piece of rock, and Jenny wrapped her
fingers around the lip of the crack.P
Together, they pulled themselves downwards, and swung their bodies into
the narrow fissure.

There was no time to rest things were only getting worse,
and the game world was dissolving away into a blizzard of pixels.P Brad felt his way ahead into the cold,
clammy darkness, and Jenny followed right behind him.P The wind died down, and soon, they were groping their way through
total inky blackness.

Jenny bumped her elbow against a chunk of rock in the dark,
and winced as a stab of pain shot up her arm.P
This so totally sucks, she moaned.P
I actually get to be a normal teenage girl for once, and all Ive done
is run for my life from video arcade rejects.P
Im cold, and Im sore, and I feel lousy.P What a gyp!

Look at it this way, said Brad, youve got to be alive
to feel cold and sore and lousy.

Youre not helping, she grumbled. Can you see anything at
all ahead of you?P Is it the way
out?P It actually feels like its
getting a little colder.

I think youre right.P
Hey I think were coming to the end of this passage!P I can see a light up ahead!

Good, Im starting to get a little claustrophobic.

The light was getting brighter, and they shuffled along a
bit faster.P Now they could actually see
the exit to the narrow mountain passage.P
But the outside didnt seem to have any form or features it was just a
uniform, bright white.P Jenny didnt
know what they would find, but anything was preferable to creeping around in a
tiny crack through millions of tons of mountain.

Brad and Jenny stumbled out of the mountain passage,
blinking their eyes from the sudden brightness.P She took a few steps forward, and heard her booted feet make a
familiar crunching sound with every step.

That sounds like snow, she said.

They shielded their eyes and looked around.P They were standing in about a foot of white,
powdery snow, with more drifting out of the sky.P They were in a small clearing, surrounded by snow-covered trees
and bushes on all sides.P Jenny looked
behind them and, to her surprise, the mountain passage that they just walked
out of actually, the entire mountain simply wasnt there.P As if it was never there in the first place.

How in the where did the mountain go? said Jenny,
mystified.

Brad looked as completely baffled as she was.P You know, nothing in here surprises me
anymore.P I guess that passage was a
one-way trip.

She groaned, and a white cloud of vapor hung in the air from
her breath.P Hey, thats cool!P She giggled, and exhaled again, making
clouds of vapor with her breath, watching the patterns of swirling flakes they
made.

Do you have any idea where we are, Brad?.

Well, it sure isnt the living room, he smirked.P But the sky seems to be in one piece.P And I dont see a giant sucking hole up
there.P Just clouds and snow flurries.

Is this part of the game?

Im not sure.P If it
is, Ive never seen it before, shrugged Brad.P
Kinda peaceful, actually.

Jenny slowly turned around, taking in their new
surroundings.P Snow-clad trees, with
brown and white bark, stretched as far as she could see in every
direction.P She didnt hear hisses, or
roars, or explosions all she could hear was the faint gurgling of a brook
winding its way through the distant woods.P
A brief wind whistled through the trees, just enough to stir powder into
the air, and raise goose bumps on the back of her neck.P Its its so beautiful.

She picked out a big, lazy snowflake, and stuck out her
tongue.P It landed, lingered for a split
second, and then dissolved into her mouth.

It tingles, she giggled.P
It actually tingles!P Then she
felt a mischievous urge, and reached down to scoop up a snowball.P The snow felt so different against her hand;
so cold, so crunchy.P Hey, Brad.

What is it, J oomph!P Jennys snowball caught him full in the face.

She doubled over, laughing.P
Thats for getting us stuck in here, genius!

Brad stumbled around, clutching at his eyes.P Jenny worried briefly, and ran over to check
on him just as Brad grabbed a low-hanging tree branch, and gave it a hard
shake.P A shower of white powder rained
down on Jenny, covering her hair, shoulders, and back.

She jumped into the air, and it was Brads turn to
laugh.P Virtual reality or not, nobody
gets the Bradster with an unprovoked snowball and just walks away!

Aieeee!P Thats
cold! she squealed.P She rubbed her
hands through her hair, pulling it free from her normal pigtails for the first
time in her life.P Snow flew off in
every direction.

Well, duh, its cold!P
Its frozen water.P Look, stop,
youre just getting it down your neck.P
Brad brushed the snow off of Jennys shoulders, and scooped some cool
slush from the neck of her halter top and he stopped, suddenly looking very
self-conscious.P Jenny noticed an
unusual awkwardness about him, and something else a flash of a blush on his
cheeks?

Umm youre shivering, Jenny, he stammered.P Weve got to find shelter somewhere and
warm up.P Youre ah youre not
exactly dressed for the weather.

That was true enough a halter top and short skirt werent
very practical in this environment.P
Jenny dusted the rest of the snow out of her hair, a little surprised
and a little amused at Brads discomfort.P
Then she pointed excitedly towards the sky.P Check it out!P Smoke!

A dark wisp of smoke twisted into the sky, only a short
distance away.P Brad grabbed Jenny by
the arm, and they ran through the woods as best they could, through a foot of
snow.P The running itself helped warm
them a bit, but the temperature, and the still-falling snow, started to sink
into their bodies.P They came out into
another small clearing, and found the source of the smoke.

A small, rustic log cabin sat in the middle of the clearing;
simple, humble, but to Brad and Jenny it looked like a five-star hotel.P The snow, which had been coming down in
flurries, started to pick up a bit, and they ran the rest of the way towards
the door of the cabin.

Hot dog!P Ozzie
m-must have p-put this cabin here for us! said Brad, through chattering
teeth.P Were home f-f-free!P He managed to open the sliding handle on the
cabin door with his shaking hands, and they hopped inside, shivering violently.

In a f-f-few seconds well be b-b-back in the living room,
and this will all be a f-f-fantastic, weird memory, smiled Jenny.P She raised her voice.P Ozzie!P
Ozzie, exit port please!

They looked around the inside of the log cabin.P There was an old couch and chair, a small
wooden table, other scattered furniture and equipment, and a fireplace
flickering with a dim flame.P Jenny
expected a unnatural green door to phase into existence at any moment.P Any moment now, a glimmer of green light
would flash into being, and the portal back home would appear.P Any moment, now.

Is something supposed to be happening? Brad finally asked.

The operating system always appeared when I called it
b-b-before, she said weakly.P You
d-d-dont suppose that it really was d-d-destroyed in the game P If the operating system cant help us,
then were were done for.P And we
cant wait forever if we stay much longer, it wont matter if Ozzie ever
finds us.

Its got to be out there somewhere.P Brad grabbed Jenny by the arms, and rubbed
them vigorously.P Look, Jen, if you
dont get warmed up soon, youll turn blue and white again.P Youre going to catch virtual
pneumonia.P Go sit by the fire.

Jenny had to agree that being cold sucked, so she sat
down a few feet in front of the fireplace, soaking in as much heat as she
could.P Brad found an old wool blanket
lying over the top of the old couch, and wrapped it around her shoulders.P In the corner of the cabin stood a small
pile of dry wood, ready for use.P He
tossed a few logs into the fire, and the dry bark instantly ignited.P In a few seconds, roaring flames filled the
cabin with a flickering light and a hearty warmth.

Brad rubbed his hands together.P Okay, we wont freeze to death.P
Thats a good thing.P He
sat down next to Jenny, and started taking off his shoes and socks.P The snow in my shoes soaked my feet, he
explained.P Brad stretched his bare feet
out towards the fireplace.P O-o-ohhh,
wow, that really feels good.

I wonder P Jenny
reached down to the tall blue boots on her legs, which were also soaked with
melted snow.P She gave one firm tug and,
to her amazement, it slid off.P She
tossed the boots by the side of the fireplace and stretched her human
legs out next to Brads, fascinated by the tiny, wiggling toes at the end of
her feet.

Ow!P O-o-ohhh
Ahh!P The heat from the fire felt like
thousands of stickpins poking at her, but it felt wonderful in a strange
way.P She closed her eyes and just
enjoyed the sensation of her frigid limbs soaking in the life-giving heat.

She turned to Brad with a puzzled look.P Ive got a really strange feeling in my
nose, Brad.P Of course, Ive never had a
nose before, so every feeling is a strange one.P Is that smell?

Brad sniffed the air.P
A pleasant smoky aroma hung in the air yet there was something
else.P I smell something too,
Jenny.P It smells like chocolate?

In another dark corner of the log cabin sat an old cast iron
stove.P Brad found a steel pot on top of
it that was warm to the touch.P On the
wall, a rough wooden shelf held a pair of tin cups.P He grabbed them, and rushed back to the fireplace.

Well, somebody made this, Jen.P Maybe theyll be able to help us?P But Jenny wasnt too hopeful.P Despite the fire and the pot, there was no
sign of life anywhere.

He poured a cup of hot, thick liquid into a cup, and placed
it in her hands.P The rich vapors from
the drink danced into her nostrils; she practically felt warmer just inhaling
its aroma.P She got brave enough to take
a sip.P As rich as the aroma was, it
tasted a hundred times better.P I can taste
this, beamed Jenny.P I can smell and
taste this drink!

Brad emptied his cup.P
Wow, this is hot cocoa.P Dont
know who made it, dont care.P Its
good.P It really hits the spot.P Brad poured another cup, with shaking hands.

Brad, for crying out loud, youre still freezing, said
Jenny.P The blankets big enough for
both of us.P Theres no sense in you
catching virtual pneumonia, either.

All right, he said, too cold to argue.P He knelt down in front of the crackling
fire, next to Jenny, and after a moments hesitation, they wrapped themselves
together in the blanket.

A few moments of silence passed as their bodies warmed up,
basking from the dancing flames in the fireplace, revived by the penetrating
warmth of the cocoa.P Jenny tried to
think of a solution to their larger problem how to get out of the virtual
reality world.P Everything she
remembered from her mothers experiments involved using the operating system to
make an exit portal.P Theyd never
imagined using the helmet in such a bizarre way, and she couldnt think of any
creative solutions at the moment.

Brad didnt seem to be his usual optimistic, carefree
self.P Hed never say so openly, but she
could tell that he thought they were goners.P
And she was starting to feel the same way.P They probably wouldnt die, but Brad would end up a vegetable,
and her mom would probably have to overhaul her electronic brain, or even
install a new one.P That would be as bad
as dying.

The future looked grim and beyond their control.P All she could do was focus on the present.

And despite everything, the present felt fantastic.

The feel of the fire, huddled next to Brad, the taste of the
chocolate, the smell of the smoke, was flooding her with sensations shed only
imagined could exist.P She wanted it to
go on for a while longer.P Half an hour
ago, this had all seemed like a nightmare.P
Now now it felt like everything shed ever wanted.

She glanced over at Brad, and noticed that hed been staring
at her then he snapped his eyes away.P
Brad had never seemed uncomfortable around her before.P Jenny started to figure things out.P The human body that the game created for
me must be pretty.P Brad thinks so, and
hes feeling guilty about it.P Jenny
giggled to herself.P She felt a little
flattered, even if Brad was only attracted to a phony computer image.P Its probably the best that I can ever
hope for.P He probably has his pick of
real girls to choose from.

Brad finally overcame his awkwardness, and spoke.P Jenny I just wanted to say Im
sorry.P Sorry for getting you stuck in
here with me in this stupid video world.P I thought the whole thing would be one big game.P I never imagined any of this would
happen.P I sure never wanted to get you
hurt.P I wanted to be a robot so bad I
guess I wasnt a very good one.P The
flickering light highlighted the pain on his face.

Brad, dont feel bad, she blurted.P Look, I was mad at you earlier, but I
know what it feels like to have crazy, impossible dreams.P And you did get to see what it felt like to
be a robot, and I finally got to have human sensations and feelings!P And all Ive ever wanted was to know how it
felt to P She couldnt finish her
sentence.

Youre my best, truest friend, Jenny thought to
herself, and it could never be anything more than that but in this world
anything seems possible

There was a sharp crack from the fire, and one of the
burning logs snapped in half.P A glowing
ember bounced out of the fireplace and landed against the tender sole of
Jennys foot.

She jumped with a squeal, and involuntarily lunged towards
Brad.P He caught her by reflex, and
suddenly their faces were mere inches apart, with shocked expressions on
each.P The fire, the sensations, and the
moment got the better of her.P To Brads
amazement and to hers Jenny planted a quick, clumsy kiss on his mouth,
bashing their noses and foreheads in the process.

Jenny pulled away, horrified, her face buried in her hands
in shame.P Im sorry Im sorry Im
sorry Im sorry!P Brad, Im so
sorry!P She rubbed her nose and head,
and tears welled up in her eyes.

Brad was stupefied it had all happened so fast.P Jenny?P
Uh wow.P What was that?

She jumped to her feet and ran to the couch, sobbing with
embarrassment.P I know, I know, it was
stupid.P Im sorry.P Its just that Ive never tasted or smelled
anything before, and Ive never been able to feel anything before.P And Ive always wanted to know what a kiss
feels like.P And in this body, it seemed
like my only chance, because if I ever get back in my ugly, freaky metal body,
itll never, ever happen.P But I guess
Im just a klutz no matter what I look like.P
Brad, Im so sorry.

Jenny cried into the arm of the couch.P Brad gritted his teeth, made a
decision.P If were going to die,
then I have to tell her.

He walked over towards the wood stove.P There was a small, crude washtub sitting
next to it, and hanging just above the tub was a dusty shaving mirror.P He grabbed it, and sat down on the couch,
next to his best friend.

He held the mirror up to Jennys face, trying to muster the
courage to speak.P Jenny, what do you
see?P Do you see a freak?

Jenny hadnt actually seen herself yet in human form.P Tears flowed from large, icy blue eyes, down
the soft curves of reddened cheeks covered by strands of long, wet blue
hair.P Still, its a lot prettier
than my usual hideous metal self.P
I guess Im beautiful, she moped.P
The game software did a really good job making up this phony body.

Brad set the mirror down, and looked into her eyes.P He was as nervous and uncomfortable as shed
ever seen him.P Jenny, why do you
suppose you look like this?P Why didnt
the game just make you look like your exo-skin?

She thought for a second.P
I cant really guess, she sniffled.

Back in the game world, the doctor had to give you some
kind of health transfusion from me.P It
was the only way to bring you back after the power outage.

Gee thanks.P
Sure, it was only game health, but she believed that Brad would have
given her half his blood if she needed it.

Brad took a deep, shaking breath, and went on.P Once, I had this P He stopped, cleared his throat, and tried
again.P Jenny, every now and then I
have this dream.P And uh
youre in it.

Jenny gulped.P You
have a dream about me?

Were hanging out, yknow, after school.P And your mother comes out of the house with
this big test tube.P And she says,
XJ-9!P Its time to take your
medicine!P He did a terrible imitation
of Mrs. Wakemans voice, making them both chuckle a bit.P I know, I know, weird.P Its a dream, okay?P All right.P
Then you take the test tube, and you drink it.

Brad tugged at his collar.P
As soon as you finish the medicine, your metal skin starts to peel
off, like a like a flower opening up.P
Then all of the sudden the ground is covered with these metal pieces,
and youre standing there as a human teenage girl with blue eyes, and blue
hair, and youre youre beautiful.P
And you look he gulped nervously and you look just like you do
right now, in front of me.P I think the
game must have gotten it from my mind somehow.

Jenny was too stunned to speak.P She felt a rapid pounding in her chest as Brad raised his hand to
her face, and carefully plucked a strand of hair away from her mouth.P Thats why Ive been acting a little spaced
out seeing you like this is sort of a dream come to life.P So stop running yourself down all the time. PBecause, Jenny, this is what you really look
like to me all the time.

Brad wiped a tear away from her cheek, and his hand
lingered, cradling her face.P With a
final summoning of courage, he plunged forward, and brought his lips to hers.

Mmmphhfff she recoiled a bit in surprise, but his
lips were soft, and his touch was gentle, and suddenly his other hand brushed
her hair back against her neck, caressing it.P
Her inhibitions shattered, she melted into his hands, and kissed him
back.P Her mind spun frantically out of
control as a flood of emotions washed over her, overwhelming her with wondrous
mix of joy and fear, anxiety and comfort, awkwardness and pleasure.P It was everything that she expected it to
be, and yet nothing like she expected it to be.

It might have lasted for five seconds or five minutes; she
had no idea.P She moaned softly and
drank in the smell of his cheek, and the texture of his mouth.P Then he pulled away, softly sucking her
lower lip for a split second, and sat upright, taking a deep, terrified
breath.P It took Jenny every ounce of
strength in her body to open her eyelids, and stare back at his stupid grin.

Uh see, I figured, he stammered, if you wanted to
remember a kiss, that first one was pretty lame.P So I uh thought er

Jenny tried to remember how to talk.P Umm yeah that one was definitely
better.P She could feel her face
blushing as brightly as the flames leaping from the logs in the fireplace.

They exchanged dumb stares for a few seconds, then she
leaned towards Brad, slid her arms around his neck, and laid her cheek against
his chest.P His vest scratched a bit,
but it was warm and comfortable, and she could feel his heart thundering away,
just like hers.P She pulled herself
closer to him on the couch.P Everything
about this instant in time felt good.P
It felt right.P Curled
up by the fire, the air scented with chocolate and pine, the taste of his lips
still lingering on hers, the feel of his fingers lightly stroking her hair.

Brad, she said through a dreamy haze, remember back in
the game, when I said I didnt even know what I wanted to feel?

Brad glanced down into her icy blue eyes.P Yeah, Jen?

I think I figured it out.P
She kissed him softly on the lips.P
Merry Christmas, Brad.P She
buried her face into his neck, tickling him with the tip of her nose.

Merry Christmas, Jen, he laughed, wriggling in
discomfort.P He slid his hand down to
her waist, and wondered about the possibilities then he smiled, closed his
eyes, and simply enjoyed the smell of her hair.P It was a perfect moment just as it was.P Well, if this is the last thing I ever remember, he
thought, then thats not too bad, is it?

Curled up together on the old couch, the only sound he could
hear was the odd crack from the logs in the fire, and the odd gust of wind
outside the cabin and something else.

A new sound, but a familiar one.P A hissing, growling sound.

Jenny heard it now too, and they exchanged a worried
look.P It didnt seem to be coming from
anywhere rather, it seemed to be coming from all around them.P It could only mean one thing.P Wherever they were, it was coming apart too,
just like the video game world.

Well, like you said, Brad, she sighed, it was fun while
it lasted.

Brad tried to sound optimistic.P Okay so I wind up in a coma.P
People wake up from comas all the time, Jenny.P Just last week, I read about this guy who woke up from a coma
er, after twenty years.

Jenny shook her head.P
Ill make a log entry to visit you when youre thirty-five.P Actually Ill probably be sitting in the
spare parts box in Moms basement.P Ill
get XJ-22 to say hi for me.

The hissing and growling grew louder, and now the walls of
the log cabin started to shake.P Dust
started to drift from the ceiling, and small items fell from shelves onto the
floor.PP The chair and the couch started
to vibrate.P Jenny and Brad clung to
each other, determined to enjoy their last few seconds of consciousness before
they disintegrated into ones and zeroes.P
The vibration and the noise, which seemed to come from everywhere, now
seemed to come from the wall of the cabin and the noise was getting rougher,
with a high-pitched whine tossed in.

Suddenly a blast of sawdust sprang from the wall, and the
noise exploded into a shriek that sounded like a gasoline motor.P Brad recognized it instantly as the
unmistakable sound of a chainsaw.P
And sure enough, a chainsaw blade was carving a hole in one of the walls
of the log cabin.P Brad began to wonder
if a guy in a hockey mask was going to barge through the wall.

But as the chunk of wall fell to the floor, two familiar
figures stepped into the log cabin.P Two
copies of Drew; one wearing a carpenters overalls, the other, a ball cap and a
plumbers work clothes.P The plumber
slung a plunger over his shoulder and spoke in a Bronx accent.P So, somebody here lookin for an exit
portal?

Jenny jumped over the couch in pure joy, and wrapped Ozzie
in a huge bear hug.P I dont believe
it!P We thought wed never see you
again!P I thought youd been destroyed in
the game!

Ozzie actually laughed.P
Ahhh, no piss-ant game program is gonna do anything to the ol Android
OS 2000!P It just took us a while to get
all da new connections all copasetic-like.

The carpenter cut another hole in the wall with his
chainsaw, so there were now two makeshift doors, each glowing with a faint,
green glow, seeming to stretch off to an infinitely distant point.P Okay, thats it.P The living room is just on the other side of those doors.

Brad danced around the cabin.P Yes!P See Jen, what did I
tell you?P Nothing to worry about.

Nothing to worry about?!?P Why you P She stopped
herself.P A million questions still
raced through her mind.P Ozzie, how did
you do this?P Where are we?P Are we still in the game?

Oh, da game world is toast.P Kaput.P Fuggetaboudit.P The software got all corrupted, and I
figured we was just gonna have to reboot and lose youse two.P Ozzie glanced over at the carpenter, who
gave him a nasty look.P Uh, of course,
dat wasnt an option.P So we built this place
for youse two da cabin, da woods, da whole shootin match.P Outside the game world.P Think of it as as an emergency shelter.

But a cabin in the woods?P
Why in the world did you build this?!?

A-hem.P The
carpenter interrupted her.P It might not
be a bad idea for you two to get out of here before something else
happens, dont you think?

Jenny still had questions, but the carpenter was right.P She chuckled at Brad.P Back to boring old reality, I guess.

They stood in front of the two glowing doors, and the
carpenter directed traffic.P Brad, you
take this one.P Jenny, this ones
yours.P Just remember to keep your arms
and hands inside the car at all times.P
Now get going!

They jumped into their respective doors, and vanished with a
flash.

The carpenter heaved a huge sigh of relief, and wiped his
forehead.P Well, theyre safe and sound
back in the living room by now.P Man, we
almost screwed up.P We almost screwed up
big time.

Ozzie seemed very nervous, and rubbed his hands
fretfully.P Youre ah youre not
gonna delete anyone, are ya, boss?P I
mean, none of us expected to see you down here.

The carpenter laughed.P
Like Im going to delete my own operating system.P Its not your fault I got them into this
mess in the first place.P Im just glad
that I could get in here and help set this place up as a shelter.

Ozzie scratched his head.P
Yeah, about that I really dont understand, boss.P Why did you get us to build a shack
in the middle of nowhere?

The carpenter sighed deeply, and walked around the log
cabin.P This is this was my
grandfathers old winter cottage.P It
looks just like I remember it.P
The family used to spend Christmas here every single year.P It was cold, and damp, and uncomfortable,
and I loved every single second of it.P
Grandpa used to take me fishing in the mornings.P Then Id spend all afternoon playing in the
snow, freezing my butt off, and come inside to a warm fire and a hot mug of cocoa

The carpenter reached for the steel pot, but it was
empty.P Jenny wanted to feel Christmas,
and this was the first thing that came to my mind.P I couldnt expect you to understand, Ozzie.P File it under human sentimentality.

He walked over and put a hand on Ozzies shoulder.P We should probably get out of here.P You have to finish cleaning the system
software, and I need to go wake myself up.P
They dissolved into translucent green photons, disappeared into the
floor, and then the cabin, and the world, faded into digital nothingness.

The first thing Brad felt was the dizziness.P Then came the headache.P Oh, momma, he moaned, it feels like
theres a steak knife buried in the back of my head.P His arms felt like wet noodles, and he struggled to raise them up
to take off the virtual reality helmet.P
Re-connecting to his physical body felt like climbing into a bathtub
full of needles.

So it really hurt when Tuck jumped into his lap and grabbed
him by the collar, shaking his head back and forth.P Youre alive!P Youre
alive!P Youre not a vegetable!

It felt like his head was in a blender.P T-T-Tuck!P
Make the hurting stop!

Tuck heard the sound of motors whirring back to life, as
Jennys pigtails pulled out of their connector and revolved back to
normal.P The test pattern in her eyes
was replaced by a pair of tired, black pupils.P
She didnt feel so hot either error messages popped up in her vision,
as her own Jenny OS re-connected to her electronic brain.P She felt dizzy, and shut her eyes.P Oh, great.P
Everythings upside-down!P I need
to recalibrate my vision sensors.

Tuck jumped from Brads lap to Jennys, and shook her by the
shoulders.P Jenny!P You did it!P
You saved Brads life!

Sure, Tuck, whatever, she moaned.P Just give me a second here, okay?P Lets see Ill just reset to factory
defaults for now.P Whirr.P Click.P
Yep, back in the same old metal body.

No problem guys you two just rest as long as you want,
Tuck grinned.P Ill just entertain
myself by trying out this wicked cool virtual reality helmet!!!P Finally!!!

But it was snatched out of his hands by a silver-green
tentacle that shot out from a lump on the floor.P It quickly flowed upwards into a pillar, and oozed and stretched
until Drew was standing once more in the living room, holding the helmet.P For crying out loud, have you even been paying
attention for the past two hours?

Yes, yes I have, he protested.P Brad had his turn, then Jenny had hers, and now its mine.

Tuck, just look at them.P
Drew clenched his teeth, still worried.P
Brad?P Jenny?P How do you feel?P You guys alright?

Brads managed to get his eyes half-opened.P Oh, I feel just fine.P And by fine, I mean I feel like a gorilla
is playing my skull like a bongo drum.

Jenny had the top of her head unhinged, fiddling with some
settings in her vision modules.P Im getting
there.P Just give me a few secs.

Thats not fair! Tuck whined.P I mean, I had to sit here and watch you guys have all the
fun!P And boy, he laughed, did
you guys ever have fun!

Jenny giggled to herself.P
You could say that uh-oh.

Jennys eyelids sprang open with a horrified
expression.P And she saw that Brad was
having the exact same thought.P We
forgot that Tuck was sitting here watching us on the television the whole time.P Uh what do you mean by that, Tuck?

Well, with the robots and the commandos and the fighting
and stuff!P I wanted to be a mech
commander for real!P You got to, Jenny,
and you dont even like video games!

Uh just what did you guys see after we went into the
mountain pass? asked Brad.

Nothing! Tuck pouted angrily.

The picture disappeared when the game software crashed,
explained Drew, and I uh entered sleep mode to give my operating system
more CPU power.P And it looks like it
worked.

So you dont remember any of what happened afterwards?
Jenny asked nervously.

Er nope, Drew answered quickly.P Im not even sure how long I was asleep.

You guys stayed in there for, like, twenty minutes.P Probably having all kinds of cool fun.P He folded his arms and plopped down by the
GameStation, sulking.

Brad and Jenny exchanged a quick look, fighting back snorts
of laughter.

That settles it, said Drew.P Johnny Zoom here wants to turn his brain into a fried egg with
this thing.P Im taking the helmet back
to Dr. Wakemans lab before I give anybody else a lobotomy for Christmas.P Brad, Jenny Im really sorry.P The next time I get a bright idea, Ill be
sure not to get any bright ideas.

Drew quickly slipped out the front door with the VR helmet,
looking uncomfortable.P Brad and Jenny
didnt even get a chance to say goodbye.

Okay, short stuff, mumbled Brad, run upstairs and get me
some of Dads headache medicine.P You
know, the bottle he grabs every time you bring a report card home.

Ha, ha.P Tuck
stomped his little feet upstairs, still upset about missing out on his helmet
time.

That just left Brad and Jenny to exchange awkward looks on
the living room sofa.

Ah heh-heh.P A
trickle of sweat rolled down Brads forehead.

Yeah right.P
Jennys cheeks started blushing again.P
Blue, this time.

Brad took a deep breath.P
Jen, I hope I didnt weird you out back there.P It was just well, it seemed like we were
going to you know not make it.P And
youre always so hard on yourself, and I just wanted you to know I just
wanted you to know that youre not a freak.P
Youre just a normal teenage girl.P
He chuckled.P Well, actually
robot or human, theres nothing just normal about you, Jen.

Thanks, Brad, she smiled.P
Look, it was all just a computer simulation, so nothing really
happened, I guess.P But it all felt
real.P It all felt so real.P And I still have all the feelings, or at
least the memories of them P She
giggled softly, reliving the moment in her mind.P Brad, Ill never forget our Christmas at the log cabin, as long
as I live.

Yeah, he grinned.P
It was pretty awesome.

A wicked smile grew on Jennys face.P So, do you have any other dreams
about me?

Brad coughed, and nearly spit his teeth out onto the
floor.P Jeez, Jenny!P He clutched his temples from a new stab of
headache pain, as Jenny rocked onto her back, laughing her circuits off.

Drew trudged out of the Wakeman house and back into the
cold, snowy evening.P He looked over
towards Brads living room window, and saw them laughing and hitting each other
with sofa pillows.P They deserve to
be alone right now.P Hed already
invaded their privacy enough this afternoon.

Of course hed seen everything in the log cabin after all,
it had all happened inside of his own mind.P
He would never mention it to them, ever.P They didnt know that he had been The Carpenter, and he would
never tell them.

Drew tilted his head back, and let a few snowflakes hit his
metal tongue.P Sensors measured the
atomic composition, temperature, molecular structure but there was no
taste.P No sensation, no chill running
down his spine.P That was gone
forever.P But at least he had memories
of taste, and smell, and feeling.P That
was more than Jenny had ever known

So he had found a way to share some of them with her.P His very fondest Christmas memories.P And now, she knew a bit of how Christmas
felt, and tasted, and smelled, and how it felt to share it with someone
special.P It was the best present she
could have ever gotten, and shed never know where it came from.P Shed think it was an accident.

A warm glow came from Brads living room, a warmth Drew knew
was not meant for him.P Jenny was still
laughing,P Good.P She deserved to be happy at Christmas.P I used to love Grandpas homemade
cocoa.P I hope you liked it too.P Merry Christmas, Jenny.

Drew turned around, and started the long walk back to his
house through the winter storm.P The
chill was nasty, but he didnt feel cold.P
He didnt feel anything.P His
metal footsteps crunched into the distance, and with a strong gust of wind, he
disappeared into the snow.

THE END