Immersion

This is a short sci-fi story I initially thought I would expand into a series.  But I think it stands well enough on its own and I've found I'm really much better at writing short stories than longer series.  Enjoy!


She was standing in the corner, trembling slightly.  Her skirt was held up around her waist and she could feel her panties pressing into the soft flesh of her thighs.  She could hear him moving behind her – footsteps that foreshadowed the spanking to come.  Goosebumps broke out on the bare skin of her bottom.  The paddle, he said he would use the…

Abruptly, the corner she was standing in disappeared.  Her form was in the center of the seemingly endless white room that was the nexus between Immersion and reality.

“Computer, I didn’t request to end the…” before she could finish, the voice of her secretary broke in.

“Brianna, you have a dinner meeting with your publisher this evening.  And an interview with that WorldTimes reporter.”

That broke her back into reality like the change in surroundings had not.  “What time is it?”

“I left you time to plenty of time to shower and change, but you’ll have to…”

Before she could finish the thought, Brianna had started the transfer.  The transfer took nearly five minutes, only the last of which she became aware of her actual body again.  Feeling returned to her extremities and she opened her eyes slowly.  Opening your eyes too quickly after Immersion could make a person queasy or even sick.  Using the handholds in the tank, she pushed her body upwards.  The viscous liquid she had been floating in came away from her skin without leaving a residue.  Still, she would take a shower to get rid of the feeling of it.

She padded to the shower without bothering to put on clothes or a towel.  After all, no one but her secretary would enter this chamber.  Her body was taller than her guise and more filled out.  Of course, in her current simulation she was playing a younger character so the difference was necessary.  Even when she was not playing a character, her guise was always shorter.

She stepped into her shower, absently turning the dial on.  Water shot out from all four walls so that she had only to move slightly to get clean everywhere.  A foamy soap spray followed, then another blast of pure water.  Warm air was the last part of the shower.  A slot opened, revealing a hairbrush.  She combed through her hair even as the air dried it.

She went from the shower not into the Immersion room, but into her office.  Her secretary had laid out her clothes there.  She pulled on the black dress first.  It was a simple thing, dressy enough for an interview without being flashy – the boatneck revealed just the right amount of collarbone, the long sleeves perfect for fall weather, the waist was tailored to fit perfectly, and the skirt was cut a bit fuller than was stylish this season, but so much more flattering to her figure.

She slid into flat shoes, much like ballet slippers.  As the shoes conformed to her feet, her secretary entered.  The woman took a long look at her before starting on her face with makeup.

“You always get such dark circles under your eyes when you Immerse.  You really shouldn’t, you know, before you have appointments like this.”

Brianna sighed, “I had to, and you know it.  The only way to make sure my characters are interacting properly is to test them.”

“But you might have done it this morning, giving your face a chance to recover.  Or yesterday.  That would have been even better.”

“I was busy yesterday, Sally.”

“Busy!  Phaw, you weren’t busy.  You were out shopping.”

“Aww,” but Brianna stopped making excuses and allowed Sally to finish her makeup.  Then she twirled about and smiled, “How do I look?”

Sally’s face softened and she smiled, “Like a fairy princess.”

“I’m supposed to look like a successful Immersion author, remember?”

Sally chuckled, “That too, my dear.  That too.”

*     *     *

Brianna entered the restaurant hopeful that this would be a good interview.  She hated giving interviews, but knew them to be necessary.  Her work already had a large following, but to push her newest series off the shelves, she needed an excellent interview.  Despite some success in the adult market with single storylines, she was extremely nervous about this series.  A series was a greater investment of time and money, for both her and the consumer.  The consumer needed to be confident that they would love the series.

The night did not start off well.  Concentrating on her smile – since Sally and others had always told her that was her best feature – she tripped just as she reached the table.  It was a decidedly ungraceful fall onto the table, even she could see that.  Water sloshed out of the glasses, both men had to stand up quickly to avoid being dampened.  Waiters descended upon the table to set things at rights.  By the time everything had been mopped up and the three of them had taken their seats, Brianna wished she could be back in her Immersion tank or even just back in her office…anywhere but here.

“Brianna, this is Mel Zercher.  He writes for the WorldTimes, as you know.”  Nathan introduced the writer.

Brianna managed to find her smile again and offer it to Mel.  “Pleased,” she murmured politely.

“As am I, Miss Sherard.  I’ve done reviews covering much of your work.  Mr. Gossman tells me this work is going to be very exciting.”

Brianna smiled.  A waiter returned to collect their drink orders, saving her from answering immediately.  After the man left, Nathan answered for her.

“This will be the first exclusively adult series commercially available.  As you know, there are several teen series available.  In fact, Brianna authored one of the most successful, based on an old comic book, actually.  You’re familiar with the Archie and Veronica Immersion Series?”

“But of course.  I haven’t written a review on that one – youth isn’t my normal topic – but my niece and nephew both insist on having every new x-pac available.  But this new one, have you decided on a title yet?”

Brianna looked over at Nathan.  The producer nodded, so Brianna replied, “We’re calling it Assville.”

“You’re really well versed in 20^th Century History, aren’t you Miss Sherard?”

Brianna smiled, blushing just a bit.  Some people would say her head was stuck in 20^th Century.  He made it sound so much more useful and reasonable.  “Yes.  My university degree is in 20^th Century History.”

“Is it?  Can we expect a faithful representation of that fictional neighborhood, then?”

“I’m afraid not.  With newsgroup characters, it is hard to track down the right people to credit for their creations.  The name itself passed into public domain many years ago…though of course it’s under copyright now.  The characters are all my personal creation.”

“And what sorts of characters should we expect to see?”

Brianna checked with Nathan again.  Another nod, so Brianna took a deep breath and plunged into description of her favorite characters.  “There is Mr. Meyers, a cranky older gentleman with a penchant for chasing miscreants out of his yard and into his office for a good spanking.  And the Three Brats, of course, Jessica, Ashley and Brittany – those three girls were given the most popular girl’s names from 1990, you see – eighteen-year olds who are constantly in and out of trouble, much to the amusement of the neighborhood.   Each of them has a family, naturally.  The parents have different ideas of justice.”  She paused, “I’ve an assortment of single adults as well, some of them have their own homes – the rest live in an apartment complex.  The apartment complex has a very strict couple as its supervisors – Mary and David – top names from 1950.

“Any spanking neighborhood would not be complete without three high schools – all girls, all boys, and mixed.  And a mixed university.  Only the all-girls high school has a complete cast of characters, but the others will be completed in the x-pacs.  Like any Immersion series, you’ll be able to watch – admittedly, few people do just that.  Or you can take the place of one of the characters in a written scene.  Freestyle play is also available, take your own guise or take that of one of the established characters and interact based on personality and AI scripting.”

“Any plans for a truly interactive version?  The Archie and Veronica series is open online, isn’t it?”

Nathan answered, “The Archie and Veronica series is online, yes.  Regarding the placement of Assville online, well, we’re still working out the details.  You can be sure that we are considering that possibility.  The opening pack will come with multiplayer capabilities, so you will be able to play with a few of your closest friends.”

“Or your more distant friends,” Brianna added slyly, “If you’d rather.”

Mel grinned at her before asking his next question, “How many storylines are included in the opening pack?”

Brianna looked at Nathan and he answered, “We’ll be including thirty complete storylines.  Additional storylines will be available in each x-pac.  We choose to include only thirty as a balance between getting a feel for all the characters and initial cost.  This allows customers to try the opening at lower cost, though we’re certain everyone will want to buy the x-pacs as well.  In fact, Brianna has already written the material for the first x-pac.  It will be released shortly after opening.”

Food arrived, allowing a break in the questioning.  Brianna was distracted, watching Mel to see if she could guess at his reaction to her.  She tried to judge her performance.  Initial setback aside, it was going fairly well.  Once their meal was cleared away and coffee served, Mel returned to his questions.

“Are you planning a Beta release?  Or a test-market release?”

Nathan fielded this question as well, “No.  Brianna has established a market with her single storyline Immersion stories.  And as you know, Outlandish Productions has stabilized the engines for Immersion series.  In fact, Outlandish is the largest producer of Immersion series in the League.”

“Of course.” Mel said smoothly, “Will we be seeing any of the characters from the single storylines again in the Assville series?”

“A few.  That’s the reason the all-girls school is fully characterized.  Most of my single storylines have been set in an all-girls school.  These characters only needed a little modification to fit into their new local.”

“Even with the stable engine, isn’t someone needed to test the interaction between characters in freestyle mode?”

“I have a team that does the initial testing, to catch any glaring personality problems.  Once the storyline is stable, as it is now, I run through a series of testing personally.”  Brianna said with a little smile, her thoughts going back to the last moments in the Immersion tank.

“You do your own testing?”

“Yes, I find it exhilarating.”

Mel’s eyes narrowed as he studied her face, “Is it healthy to spend that much time in the ‘tank?”

“I limit myself to thirty hours a week.”  Brianna took a sip of coffee so that she did not have to look at Mel or Nathan.  She could tell from Mel’s tone that he disapproved of her dedication, and she already knew that Nathan did not agree with the amount of time she spent Immersed.

Nathan smoothly moved the conversation to publication and release details, all information he could provide.  Brianna found her thoughts wondering back to the scenario she had been playing in.  Hours of playing and she only just now managed to get Mr. Meyers to threaten the paddle.  Perhaps his personality matrix was not quite cranky enough.  He was quick to give a spanking, but he always stopped far before she thought he ought to.  Of course, she knew that this sort of play was preferable to some people.

Mel was thanking her for the interview.  Brianna brought her mind back to the present with effort.  Nathan stood up and shook hands with the reporter.  Brianna might have stood as well, but Nathan rested a hand on her shoulder, effortlessly keeping her seated.  Mel bowed and gave her a flamboyant kiss on the hand, then he left the restaurant.

Nathan sat down again, “We need to talk, Brianna.”

“About what, Nathan?”  Brianna arranged her features into a look of innocence.  It was not nearly so easy to do this with her own body as it was to do in guise.

“You’re going over your limit, Brianna.”

Brianna shook her head, “You can check the tank, Nathan.  I’m not.”

“I did check the tank, Bri.  Then I talked to Sally.  You told her some story about double-checking your storylines with another person’s code.  You wanted to make sure the storyline wasn’t reacting to your personal code.  So she’s been logging on for you.  Between the two codes, you’re logging about sixty hours a week.

“Of course, after hearing Sally’s story, I got curious.  So I checked the tank for other codes, Bri.  There were at least three other codes on the tank.  Now, they were showing ten hours apiece…but you’re logging nearly three times your limit, Brianna.”

“Nathan, I’ve got to get this finished.”

“The release date isn’t that important, Brianna.  Besides, the storyline is finished.  The characters are fine.  Your first x-pac is completed as well.  You could take several months off and not affect the series.”

Brianna bit her lip and looked at the table.

“But you can’t, can you Bri?  Are you Immerse-addicted?”

“I’m not addicted, Nathan.  I just…”

“Are you sure?”

“You mean you didn’t check with my psychologist before embarking on this tirade, Nathan?  You know my profile as well as I do, I don’t have the sort of addictive personality that leads to Immerse-addiction.”

“So…” he left the question hanging.

“I like it,” Brianna whispered.

“Everyone likes Immersing, Bri, that’s what makes it such an excellent market.”  Nathan stopped talking, though his mouth kept working.  Finally, he said, “Oh.”

Brianna crossed her arms, “Don’t pretend like you didn’t know, Nathan.  Do you think I spent years developing this series simply because I saw a market for it?  There is a market for a series set in a lesbian world too, but you don’t see me writing that one, do you?”

“Calm down, Brianna.  People are starting to stare.”  He paused, taking a deep breath, “I think I know how to help, come on.”

Nathan keyed in his credit, paying for the meal.  Then he stood up and took Brianna’s hand.  They walked out of the restaurant and down the street like any other normal couple on a pleasant evening.  They paused in front of an apartment building and Nathan keyed open the door.  The elevator took them upstairs and into a beautifully decorated apartment

“You’ve got a nice apartment, Nathan.  But how is showing it to me going to help?”

Nathan said nothing.  He pulled her over to the sofa and sat down.  After considering her for a moment, he pulled her across his lap.  She said nothing, just tensed slightly in anticipation.  He pulled the bottom of her dress up, revealing her plain underwear.  Then he tugged the tight little panties down to her knees.  He rubbed his hand in small circles on her bottom.

“I’ve wanted to spank you so many times, Brianna.  Every time you spent too many hours in the ‘tank.  Every time you showed up late to an interview.  Every time you ‘forgot’ to call me back.”  He snorted, “But we talked so much about markets and adult interests.  I thought you simply wanted to break into the adult market and didn’t care what you had to write to do it.  I should have seen that your interest was real.  I should have noticed it in all the sly comments you’ve made.  But I was so convinced, and so wrong.  That changes now.”

Reality, it seemed, could be as good as fantasy…