Fantasy Journey to Year 1,000,000,000

"It is good to see you again, Michael."

"Jennifer?" said Taylor. "But... you're dead. You were vaporized."

"No," said Jennifer, shaking her head. "As I completed my transformation, I instinctively transported to a different place."

"Your... transformation?" She looked like Jennifer Hale. She had the same body, and the same face. But clearly, she was something else.

"The isotope worked well on Jennifer Hale," said Jennifer. "Her DNA was transformed. She became one of us. We acquired her loving feelings. I have disseminated them to the United. We find them fascinating."

"That's great," said Taylor. "Is there anything left of Jennifer, my Jennifer?"

"Your Jennifer?" Jennifer gave a grin. "I can see we chose wisely." She ran a hand across Taylor's chest. "It is a pity the isotope did not work on you. We would have made an interesting... combination." She looked up at him with dark eyes, and smiled as she saw the horror in his expression.

"In any event, I am here to further study the concept of physical love."

"Physical love?"

"The desire for sex," said Jennifer, smiling even broadly. "It is not only a powerful emotion, but one of the most powerful motivators of your species. We seek to understand all its aspects."

"No," said Taylor.

"Yes," said Jennifer. "Ensign Ryan Moore, step forward."

Ensign Moore stepped forward, with uncertainty on his face. "Me?" he said.

"Yes, you," Jennifer smiled. "You will now make love to me, and show me what feelings it engenders."

"No," said Moore, his face frowning as if it were a bad joke.

"You will make love to me, or I will give you the isotope," said Jennifer. "I must warn you, when the isotope is given dermally, it has an 83% failure rate."

"Failure rate?" said Moore.

"The bodies, Ensign. The ones that turned to liquid," said Taylor. He turned to Jennifer. "You can't expect him to do this."

Jennifer's face was one of cold determination. "I can, and I do. There is also a further requirement. You must impress us with your psychological and physical orgasm. You must have an orgasm, Ensign, and you must also bring me to orgasm. If you fail, we will give you the isotope."

"Captain?" said Moore.

"He won't do it, Jennifer," said Taylor. His tone hardened. "None of us will."

"Then I will now give him the isotope," said Jennifer, stepping forward and raising a hand.

"No, wait!" said Moore. "I'll... I'll try."

"Moore!" said Taylor sharply.

"At least this way I have a chance," said Moore.

Suddenly, a bed appeared in the center of the round chamber, covered by bright spotlights in the ceiling.

"Very well," said Jennifer. "You may begin by undressing."

"Here?" said Moore, aware of the crew's eyes on him. He looked into Jennifer's. They were as hard as stone.

"Now, Ensign."

As Moore started to lift his Survey Service dayshirt, he felt a chill go down his spine.

Gary Torrence heard a scream. At first, he thought it was Rudy Garrett's, but then he realized it was his own.

They had been tortured for what seemed to be a long period of time. Alex Stone didn't move a muscle, but he seemed to be able to inflict pain on any part of Torrence's body that he wished to--his arms, his legs, his chest, his stomach, even his head.

Stone and the United watched dispassionately as Torrence and Garrett screamed in pain.

"I have given you both pain in different intensities and different parts of your bodies. And yet I do not feel anything. Can you explain why?" Alex asked politely.

Torrence shook his head, glad to have a few seconds reprieve.

"Perhaps it is something in the facial expression. In your holographic entertainment, there is often an emphasis on the face of the person receiving pain."

Torrence felt another surge of pain, and he yelled out again. Stone studied his face closely. "No, I do not feel anything. Do any of you?" he asked, turning to his fellow United.

Torrence heard the telepathic voice of one of the United. "Perhaps we would feel something if we killed one of them."

"An excellent idea," said Alex. "But which one?"

"Does it matter?" said the voice in their heads.

"No." Alex looked at Torrence, and then Rudy Garrett. Rudy Garrett screamed and slumped forward.

"He is dead," said Alex. "Did any of you feel motivated by that?"

Torrence heard a chorus of no's.

"I did not either."

"Perhaps because he was killed too quickly," said one of the United. "Revive him and try it again."

Alex looked at Rudy Garret, and Rudy Garrett suddenly started breathing again. He opened his eyes. "What...?" he said, in a daze.

And then he started screaming again, a long, shrill scream, which suddenly cut off after about thirty seconds.

"That was slower," said Alex. "But I did not feel anything." He turned to Ensign Torrence. "Please explain. What are we doing wrong?"

"You bastards! You fucking bastards!" Torrence screamed.

"Revive him and let us try again," said one of the United.

Alex looked at Rudy's body and frowned for a long moment. "I cannot."

"You were too rough with him," said the voice of one of the United.

"It is not my fault," said Alex. "The crew of the Exeter were of much sturdier construction. They could be killed an average of 5.5 times before death become irrevocable."

"But it was a small sample size," said the United.

"Yes, it was," said Alex. "We must do more studies to observe pain and killing in all its forms."

The crew of the Judicator watched in horror as Ensign Ryan Moore made love to Jennifer, or the creature that looked like Jennifer.

They were on the giant bed, in the middle of the big round chamber, a spotlight on them as Ensign Moore pumped between her legs. Jennifer looked totally bored as Moore pumped frantically inside of her, trying to achieve orgasm. She looked around at the horrified faces of the crew as Moore continued to work her, in and out, in and out. She caught Taylor's gaze.

"Does this remind you of anything, Michael?" she asked. "Of me and Obongo?"

Taylor shook his head. He vividly remembered when Jennifer and Obongo had been stimulated to make love to each other. This was nothing like that. Jennifer looked totally uninterested, and Ryan Moore seemed more desperate than aroused.

Moore gritted his teeth and climaxed, filling Jennifer, or the creature shaped like Jennifer, with his essence.

That finally got her attention, and she looked up at him, even while he was still inside of her. "Pathetic," she said.

Moore looked down, and felt something entering his body. He pulled out of Jennifer, but it was too late. His body started to shake and shimmer. Steam started to come out of his skin. "Help!" he cried, as he started to melt. In moments, his body was a liquefied puddle at the base of the bed.

"Why did you do that?" Taylor cried.

"He was of no value to us," said Jennifer, sitting up. Her breasts were round and full. "His orgasmic potential was just 74% of the Exeter mean. Hardly exceptional, by any standard."

"So you just killed him?"

"We gave him the isotope. Had he survived, he would have become part of us," said Jennifer. She saw Taylor staring at her body. She caressed her breasts and smiled. "Would you like to give it a try, Captain? I know you have always wanted to."

Taylor was saved from responding by the sudden reappearance of Ensign Torrence. He collapsed to the ground, crying out in pain.

"Torrence!" said Taylor, running over to him. "Where is Crewman Garrett?"

Torrence looked up at Taylor, and slowly shook his head.

Taylor turned his fury on Jennifer. "You bitch! I'll kill you all!"

And then, unexpectedly, Jennifer laughed. "Captain! I should have been the one to be tasked to study anger. You would have made a unique subject." And then, in a flash, she vanished.

"This is what they have in store for us, Victor. Death by isotope, or death by torture."

"Or conversion to the United, for the lucky ones, I suppose," said Victor.

"I'm not laughing, Victor," said Taylor. "We have to figure a way out of here."

"Well, last time, as I recall, I was the one who figured the way out," said Victor.

"Yes," said Taylor. "You did. You convinced the Ascended that we were higher beings, not animals. Do you think you could do the same thing again?"

Victor scratched his head. "Oh, I don't know, Michael. The Ascended only had an eight million year evolutionary advantage over us. The United have a 500,000,000 year advantage. That's more than just a little step up."

"We have to try, Victor," said Taylor.

"I agree," said Victor. He concentrated for a moment. Then he said. "Hm."

"What?" said Taylor.

"I don't know," said Victor. "So far, the United have examined the motivations of pain, and sexual pleasure. What if we got them to examine some other motivations that are more benign?"

"Like what?"

"I have some ideas," said Victor.

And before Taylor could caution him, Victor stood up. "I want to speak to the United! I want to talk to a member of the United!"

A large squid appeared before him. "What do you wish to say?" it said, speaking in his head.

"That you're going about it the wrong way. There are important motivations you have not yet examined."

"What motivations?"

Victor felt the eyes of the crew on him. "Take me to a private place and we can talk about it."

"The love of science, yes," said the voice of the giant squid, in his head.

Victor had been taken to a different chamber, just him and a single squid.

"We have heard of it," said the squid. "We gave Doctor Bruce Anderson the isotope, but his body was not able to accept it. Would you like to sample the isotope, so you may share your relevant DNA on the subject?"

"No, no no no," said Victor, remembering what had happened to Bruce Anderson. He hadn't actually been there on the planetoid, but he had heard how Anderson's body had turned to liquid. "I just want to talk about it."

"Talk?" said the squid. "You wish to be an Encourager?"

"An Encourager?" said Victor. "Yes, that's what I want, to encourage you."

"You may proceed."

Victor opened his mouth to speak, but the United's giant eye made him a little self-conscious. It was so big, and just staring at him!

"What is wrong?"

"Take no offense, but your appearance... it's a little... distracting...."

"Would this appearance suit you better?"

And suddenly, Victor was looking at Elizabeth. Not the same Elizabeth he had just left in the main detention area, but a United who looked just like her, down to the bun on top of her head.

"Yes, that will do nicely, I think," said Victor.

"Then proceed," said Elizabeth.

Victor took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pressure he felt, and thought rapidly how to begin.

"What you say is very interesting on a theoretical basis, Professor Victor Berman," said the United which took the form of Doctor Elizabeth Shaw. "That by learning progressively more about the nature of reality around us, through science, that we will experience pleasure, and motivations."

"Yes, that's it exactly," said Victor.

"Unfortunately, that does not apply to the United," said Elizabeth. She stared at him with blank eyes.

"Why not?"

"We already know everything there is to know about the universe. We have not just researched it, we have screaned it."

"That word, screaned...."

"It means... there is no proper translation in your language. In a very general sense, it means an understanding."

"An understanding of what?"

"Of everything. How every atom in the galaxy functions," said Elizabeth.

"And you know all this?"

"Yes."

"You know the answer to every question in physics?"

"Yes."

"Chemistry."

"Yes."

"Biology."

"Yes," said Elizabeth, "As well as hundreds of other scientific fields you do not even know to name, because you cannot screan them."

"But there is always more to learn," said Victor.

"That is a perspective of an animal race that is half a billion evolutionary years behind us," said Elizabeth. "We have learned all there is to learn."

"Are you quite sure of that?"

"Yes."

Taylor watched as two more crewmembers, Haskil and Ramirez, were taken away for further studies of "the infliction of pain". Ramirez was screaming for help as he was transported, but Taylor was powerless to assist him.

And then, right after they disappeared, Jennifer reappeared. "We are ready to conduct additional studies on the nature of physical love."

"Well, we are not," said Doctor McCrae.

Jennifer went over to him. His eyebrows lifted as she caressed him. "Doctor William McCrae. You are on our list. But not at the top. Not yet." She turned. "We have selected Crewman Dennis Gannon."

"No... no, not me," said Crewman Gannon. He found himself floating, carried by an invisible force, until he was standing before Jennifer. One by one his articles of clothing disappeared. A moment later, Jennifer was nude as well, completely expressionless as she aimed her large ripe melons at Gannon.

"You will make love to me, Crewman Dennis Gannon. You will experience the male orgasm. You will also assist me in reaching the female orgasm. I wish to experience the classic female orgasm in all its splendors." She blinked exactly twice. "You may begin."

Gannon started shaking as he saw Jennifer standing there so resolute, so grim. He felt the eyes of the crew on him.

"You will begin now, or I will give you the isotope."

Gannon, biting his lip. His body trembling, he leaned forward and kissed Jennifer. Taylor saw her eyes shining, as she seemed to stare at Taylor every step of the way even as Gannon used Jennifer's body to arouse himself.

"Aaaah!" Crewman Gannon cried, as his penis erupted and he flooded into Jennifer's vagina. It had taken him some time to work himself up into the mood. Jennifer had a beautiful body; ripe, firm breasts, a dark pubic triangle, and a gorgeous slender body. But her face was made of stone. Gannon found he could only climax after he closed his eyes, and stopped thinking about the alien thing he was mating with.

The crew of the Judicator had watched in silence as he pumped furiously between her legs, gritting his teeth. The light of the molten core of Corta made their bodies look orange-yellow. They had watched as Gannon's yellow buttocks pumped in and out of Jennifer. But all the while, Jennifer had no eyes for Crewman Gannon.

She was staring straight at Taylor.

And smiling.

There was an alien gleam in her dark eyes, a gleam which made her smile appear predatory. She was demonstrating her power over him; it was as if she were violating Taylor, showing him how helpless he was as he watched one of his own crewmen being forced to make love to her.

As Taylor watched Gannon pump inside her helplessly, desperately, Jennifer raised her eyebrows mockingly at Taylor, as if to say, This could be you. He stared at her with gritted teeth.

And then Gannon stiffened and cried out as he released inside of her. He held still for a moment. Then he opened his eyes, and saw Jennifer staring into them. She said only a single word.

"Pathetic."

Gannon felt his body start to tremble. He was suddenly in incredible pain. And then he was screaming, and crying out... and then he was a puddle of liquid, at Jennifer's feet.

And then, at that moment Crewman Haskil returned, gasping in pain.

"Haskil!" said Taylor. "Where's Ramirez?"

Haskil shook his head tearfully.

"You bitch! You fucking bitch!" he yelled at Jennifer.

She smiled at him, and then vanished.

"Michael, I'm not really sure that things are what they appear to be," said Victor.

"Victor, we're five hundred million years in the future on a dying planet near to a molten core. We're being forced, one by one, to have sex with a creature which injects a compound into us which kills us after we complete the act. So tell me which of this is not what it appears to be? Because there's so much going on I'm having trouble keeping up."

Victor saw that Taylor was angry. He lowered his tone. "I'm talking about Jennifer," said Victor. "When she was having sex with Gannon, or rather, when Gannon was having sex with her, what was she doing, Michael?"

"Doing? I don't know. Taking notes, I suppose."

"No, be serious," said Victor. "She was staring at you, Michael. I saw it. We all did."

"I noticed that too," said Taylor. "But what does it mean?"

"Maybe she's not merely testing for physical love," said Victor. "Maybe she's really testing for something else."

"Kindness?" said Elizabeth.

"Yes," said Victor. "The desire to help others." He was again alone with "Elizabeth" in a private room.

"We do help others," said Elizabeth. "I am helping others, by experimenting with you. The one you know as Jennifer is-"

"No no no," said Victor. "That's not what I mean."

"What do you mean, Professor Berman?" Elizabeth asked.

Victor sighed. She looked and sounded so much like the real Elizabeth. Victor had to keep telling himself that she wasn't.

"You think you are helping members of the United with these experiments. But you aren't doing it out of kindness, or affection for the United."

"I am doing it... because it is required."

"Exactly," said Victor. "Kindness is something different."

"Different how?"

Victor smiled. "Kindness is helping someone when you do not have to."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "Why would you help someone you do not have to?"

"Because it feels good," said Victor. "It's called empathy. When someone else feels something, you feel it too."

"Is your race telepathic as well?" Elizabeth asked.

"In a sense, I suppose it is," said Victor. "We can sense when someone else feels pain, or unhappy. And when we do, we are motivated to help them."

Elizabeth's eyes glowed when he said the word "motivated". "Let us try this," said Elizabeth.

She stared at Victor.

He looked back at her questioningly.

"Ow!" said Victor, grabbing his shoulder as he felt a sharp pain.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes, yes it hurts!" Victor cried.

"Would you like my help to stop the pain?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, please!" Victor cried.

Suddenly, the pain was gone. Victor's heart was racing, and his body was sweating, but otherwise there was no sign of any trauma.

"What... why did you do that?" Victor asked.

"As an act of kindness. To make you feel better." Elizabeth paused, considering. "But I did not feel anything."

"Of course you didn't!" said Victor, wincing as he stretched his arm. "You were the one who caused the problem in the first place! That was no act of kindness! We have another word for that. We call it manipulation."

"Manipulation," said Elizabeth, savoring the word as she considered further. "That may be worthy of further study." She turned her head. "But first let us further explore the motivation called kindness."

Suddenly, they were somewhere else. In another chamber.

Alex Stone was standing in front of a row of United. Before him were Crewmen Haskil and Ramirez, on their knees, crying in pain. Elizabeth looked at Ramirez, and suddenly he gasped, went white, and dropped to the floor.

"What did you do?" Victor asked, running over to Ramirez. He felt for a pulse. There was none.

"An act of kindness," said Elizabeth, looking almost smug.

"Kindness?"

"He was in pain. I ended his suffering. This satisfied your requirements. I was not the one to cause his initial discomfort."

"Did you feel anything?" Alex Stone inquired.

Elizabeth looked up for a moment. "I think so. It was... fleeting, but I felt something. Satisfaction. A desire to help others in the same way."

The other United wiggled their tentacles and started to murmur.

"You didn't help him!" Victor cried out, clutching Ramirez's dead body.

"We will have to study this further," said one of the United.

"We will have to study every kind of kindness so we can properly screan it," said another.

"This isn't kindness. This is mur*er!" Victor shouted.

"Note the Encourager's strong emotional response. We should study that as well," said Elizabeth.

"This Encourager is useful," said Alex Stone. "We should give him the isotope, and sample his genetic diversity."

"Not yet," said Elizabeth. "Professor Victor Berman is simply a font of useful information. We must press him for more good ideas like this one."

"They are totally amoral creatures," said Victor, his voice in a whisper. "They have no understanding of kindness or compassion or feeling. I tried to teach them, but they are coming from such a radically different basis of understanding that they simply could not relate."

"Don't blame yourself, Victor. You tried," said Taylor.

"Because of me, Ramirez is dead," said Victor.

"Sooner or later, we're all going to be that way," said Taylor. So far a half a dozen of his crew had been killed, either through torture or application of the isotope. The remaining 54 crewmembers were a cowed, huddled mass, shrinking back whenever a United appeared, fearing they would be next to be called upon.

"Captain, you have to do something," said Elizabeth.

"I don't know what I can do," said Taylor.

She looked at him imploringly. Taylor never felt as powerless as he did in that moment.

And then Jennifer reappeared, sporting an evil grin.

"I have come for you, Ensign William Collins," said Jennifer.

"No," said Collins, shaking his head. The other crew shrunk away from him, as if he were suddenly radioactive. "Please, not me. There's been a mistake."

"No mistake," said Jennifer. "You must make love to me, Ensign William Collins." She stared intently at him. They watched as Collins was slowly dragged forward by an invisible force.

Elizabeth looked imploringly at Taylor. Taylor bit his lip, and jumped to his feet.

"No!" Taylor cried, interposing his body between them.

"No?" Jennifer inquired, as if the word were alien to her. She gave a smile that was both sexy and amused. "Captain, you do not have the power to say no to me." She put a gentle hand over her breast.

"Take me," said Taylor. The words simply came out of his mouth.

"What?"

"Take me. I'll make love to you. You can study my sexual desire." There was a challenging note in his voice, and his eyes.

Jennifer gave him an odd look. "Captain, I was saving you for the end."

"Well, you can move me up your list," said Taylor.

"Captain, your chances of surviving an application of the isotope are even less than your crew's. You have already absorbed a substantial dose. A second dose will surely be lethal."

"Then I'll have to give a good performance then, won't I?"

"No!" said Elizabeth, surging forward. Victor held her back.

"What am I witnessing here?" said Jennifer, looking from one to the other. "It is not physical love. It is something else. Another kind of motivation we missed?"

"You wouldn't understand it," said Taylor.

Jennifer considered for a long moment. Taylor didn't know which he feared more. That she might say no... or she might say yes. Finally she nodded. "All right, Captain. Show me the true nature of physical affection. But if you fail to impress me, I will have to give you the isotope."

"No, Michael, don't do it!" Elizabeth cried.

Taylor turned to her, and gave her an unreadable look. Then he walked up to Jennifer, so they were face to face. "I'm ready," he said quietly.

Suddenly, Taylor was completely nude. So was Jennifer. Elizabeth gasped.

Jennifer smiled as she saw his large, hairy chest and broad shoulders. Her smile grew broader as she looked between his legs and raised her eyebrows and gave him a mocking stare. "You've wanted this for a long time, haven't you?" She gave him that mocking look so common to her now.

Taylor didn't respond. If Jennifer was disappointed, she didn't show it. Without making a sound she lay down on the bed in the center of the chamber, under the bright spotlight. She lifted her knees and spread her legs.

Taylor looked down at her. Like the real Jennifer, the hair around her nether lips were shaved to make them stand out more. Jennifer's dark pubic bush was in stark contrast to the red, glistening lips just below them. Even now, under these strained circumstances, he found his penis getting hard just looking at it.

He had wanted Jennifer, badly, for more than a year, ever since the incident in the cave. Even before that. He had dreamed of a moment like this, when she would be nude, willing, and completely fuckable. He had repeatedly imagined what her breasts looked like under her tight Survey Service dayshirt, as he sneaked glances at the outlines of them hundreds of times. He had fantasized about seeing her vagina, of plunging into her, of making love to her. And now it was here, right in front of him, and all his for the taking. But not like this. Not like this!

"What are you waiting for, Michael? A formal invitation?"

Taylor saw the taunting look in her dark eyes, and realized that she had all the power here. As Taylor looked between her legs, at her slick nether lips, spread in a very open invitation, he also realized something else, that Jennifer's vagina was the beginning of his end.

Nevertheless, he moved forward, and gingerly lay on top of her. Jennifer's smile only grew broader as he got between her legs. He felt the warmth of her touch and flinched slightly. Jennifer noticed immediately, of course.

"Why the reluctance, Michael? This is what you've always wanted, isn't it? How many times have you fantasized about me? How many times have you flirted with me? How many times have you dreamed of being inside of me? Well, here it is, lover. Come and get it." Jennifer bent her knees even more as she smiled mockingly at him. She offered him her cunt, and he knew it.

Taylor looked at her face and gulped as he prepared himself for the inevitable. Jennifer restrained a mocking laugh. Taylor ignored her, looking down at her lower entrance, looking so perfect and penetrable. He had to do this. He was a Survey Service officer. It was his duty to protect his men. Taylor, grimacing, aimed himself at the narrow opening between Jennifer's thick, fleshy, nether lips. He heard Elizabeth yell one last "No, Michael!" as he swiftly moved forward, in one, smooth stroke, before he could change his mind, plunging his shaft into Jennifer's vagina. Jennifer felt warm and wet inside as he filled her, and yet, as he came face to face with her cold eyes, filled with malice, he felt a chill down his spine as she wrapped her arms around his back, trapping him in a not so sweet imprisonment.

"Finally! This has been a long time coming, hasn't it, Michael?" She asked, giving him an evil grin, as he started to pole in and out of her. "Tell me, Michael. Tell me this is what you've always wanted."

Taylor looked down at her body. Her breasts were the same as he remembered them, big, round melons with little sag. Her face was the same too, long, straight jet black hair, a modest nose, juicy red lips, and high cheekbones. Only her eyes were different, the same green eyes, but these were alien to him, and as cold as stone.

He had wanted Jennifer so badly, for so long; to see her nude, as he did now, to feel his penis thrusting inside of her, as it was now, to feel her breasts pressing against him, as they were now. And yet, to have her like this... when Jennifer was no longer... Jennifer.... He had gotten what he had always wanted, but too late, much too late!

"Does... does the real Jennifer feel like this?" He immediately regretted asking. But a part of him had to know.

"I am a perfect replica of Jennifer's body," said Jennifer, her eyes glittering. "In fact, you might say, a small part of me is still Jennifer." She smiled at his confusion.
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