The Split (11 page)

              As we fly through the desert I sit in the passenger seat of Derek’s powerful sports car, programming away at my laptop as we close in on our destination.

              “So you think you can hack into the nanobots without all of your equipment from the lab?”  Derek questions, the third time that he’s asked me this already.

              “Hopefully,” I admit.  “I mean, the hard part is getting them in there, controlling them is fairly easy, actually, because they are programmed to listen to the commands in my own brain.”

              “So why can’t you just tell them to shut down yourself?”  Derek asks.

              “In a effort to keep the nanobot program from corrupting, which was a huge hurdle for us in the lab, we started coding in a self preservation algorithm.”  I explain.  “In other words, once the program has entered its host, it’s going to do everything that it can to stay alive.”

              “Like artificial intelligence?”  Derek asks.

              “In a limited form, yes, although not enough for the program to become self aware.”  I say.  “It cannot take control of the host.”

              Derek flashes me a skeptical look and I immediately realize what I’ve said.

              “Looks like you should have kept things little more limited.”  Derek tells me.

              I nod.  “Yeah, we should have.”  In some ways I like this theory, that the terrible things I’ve been doing as Alison were actually products of intelligence within the program itself, and not a desperate explosion of my own pent up subconscious.

              I feel a tiny bit of guilt lifted up off of my shoulders, but only slightly.

              “So what do you need from this computer store?”  Derek asks.

              “Simple stuff, really.”  I say.  “Most of what I need is already right here as software on this computer.  Other than that, it’s just going to take a router, a large external hard drive and a few specialty cables that will hopefully be in stock.”

              “Sounds good.”  Derek says, nodding.  He looks over at me, the anger and disappointment finally fading from his eyes as I glance up from my computer screen and meet his gaze.  “You’re gonna be okay.”  He tells me.

              His assurance hits me right in the heart, warming me to the core in a time when I need it the most.  Unfortunately, all I can think to say in response is, “I’m sorry.”

              Derek nods in understanding, then pulls out his coin with on hand and shoves it into its special slot in the dashboard.  “Don’t mention it.”  He responds.

              I spot a small, desolate building coming into view in the distance.  It looks as though it was once a gas station, now converted into a small, strange computer workshop on the edge of the Las Vegas county line.  There’s nothing else for miles but open road and empty stretches of golden desert sand.

              “There it is!”  I shout excitedly.

              We pull into the dusty parking lot and jump out immediately, jogging over to the front doors and ripping them open.  A bell jingles loudly above my head as we step inside, apparently the only customers that have been on the premises in quite a while.

              “Hello?”  I call out, making my way deeper and deeper into the hallways cluttered with all kinds of strange, miscellaneous computer equipment.

              There’s a bit of shuffling from the back room and then suddenly a small, gray haired man emerges, pushing his thick rimmed glasses up onto his nose.

              “Crazy Larry?”  I ask.

              “Can I help you?”  Comes his response, slightly bewildered by my excitement at his odd little shop.

              “Yes.”  I smile.  “Handing him a list of parts that I’ll be needing.”

              Crazy Larry nods.  “I think we’ve got what you’re looking for.”

              Larry has generously allowed me to spend most of the day programming out back, in a small fenced off portion of the shop that sits outside, open to the warm desert air but shaded by a small roof above.  Out here, there are plenty of places to plug in and get to work, and after Derek greases him with a rather substantial hourly rate to let us toil here unhindered, Larry seems to be much more of a happy man than a crazy one.

              Despite working as fast as I can to hack into the nanobot program, it’s sunset by the time I start making real progress.  I created most of this code myself, from the ground up, so getting in there and messing around with it is as simple as I had expected, my only hindrance being the slightly dated amalgamation of equipment that I’m working with.  Still, it gets the job done, and soon enough I find myself booting up all the gear for my first trial run, just as the sun begins to blossom purple over the distant mountain ranges.

              “Derek!”  I shout, calling him over from his seat across the patio, where he’s been deep in thought as he watches me work.

              Derek stands up and walks over, curiously looking at the laptop screen before me, even though he has no idea what any of the scrolling lines of code mean.

              “I think I’m ready.”  I tell him.  “I think this is it.”

              Derek can tell that there’s something strange in the way that I say this.  “What is it?”  He asks, immediately cutting to the chase.  “What’s wrong?”

              “Nothing.”  I tell him, shaking my head and lying poorly despite my best efforts.

              “Something’s wrong, and I know it.”  Derek says, his intuition serving him well.  “Tell me what’s happening.”

              “Well,” I offer, cautiously.  “I’m about to confirm the edit that I’ve just finished on the nanobot script, but I’m not exactly sure what’s going to happen to me when I do it.”

              “What do you mean?  I thought you were just going to shut off all the little… robots.”  Derek questions.

              “I am.”  I explain.  “But they’re part of my cellular structure now, they’ll always be there.  My edit here will hopefully disable any of their shape changing functions, but there’s also the very strong chance that the nanobots will just shut off entirely.”

              “What do you mean shut off enitrely?”  Derek demands to know, his unease completely showing through now.  “Is that dangerous?”

              I hesitate for a moment, not wanting to tell him but quickly realizing that it’s the only fair thing to do.  “Meaning that when I press enter on this keyboard I could be killed instantly.”

              Derek closes his eyes, not wanting to deal with the severity of this situation but also realizing, to his credit, that there are really no other options.  If I don’t’ do this then I’ll cease to exist anyway, completely consumed by the personality of Alison Hyde.  “Mandi.”  Is all that Derek can manage to say, “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

              “I know.”  I tell him, “I’m so sorry, but this is the only way.”

              Derek takes me into his arms and holds me tight, his warmth coursing through me and putting me immediately at ease.  There’s a magic that moves between us, one that I first recognized that night we spent together at the diner, but I now know had been there all along since the very beginning.

              Our embrace seems to last a lifetime, but when Derek finally pulls away he stops and looks deep into my eyes, which are now beginning to fill with tears despite my best efforts.

              “I think…”  I stammer, the words within me bubbling ferociously to the surface of my soul, where they can no longer be contained.  “I think I love you.”

              Derek kisses me deeply, then pulls back.  “I love you, too.”  He says.  “I love you, Mandi.”

              The second that my name leaves Derek’s lips I can feel something surge within me, a strange and powerful sensation that covers my body in a trembling, quaking ache.

              “Oh fuck.”  I say aloud, my voice cracking as it morphs into that of Alison Hyde.  “She’s trying to stop me.”

              I suddenly find myself sinking deeper and deeper into the shell of my own body, unable to control the movements of the beautiful, flesh straightjacket that forms around my being.  I try to will the cells within me to stop and revert back to their original state, but it’s no use.  I’ve lost all control.

              I see Derek look down at the laptop that sits just beyond his grasp, immediately recognizing what he has to do, for better or worse.  Without hesitation, Derek reaches across me and goes for the space bar, but my own powerful hand reaches out abruptly to stop him.

              “Don’t even try it.”  Alison says.

              Suddenly, Alison’s hand is grabbing Derek by the throat, solidly clamped onto his neck with a tight, vice like grip.  Her arm is extending upward, stretching farther and farther as the swarming nanobots create an ever-lengthening limb.  Derek tries his best to claw Alison off of him, but it’s no use, the strength of her nanobot infused cells is too powerful.

              From deep within Alison Hyde’s mind I’m screaming for her to stop, but my monstrous creation is in no mood to listen.

              Derek’s face is becoming paler as he hangs from Alison’s grasp, struggling for air.

              “You’re very sexy.”  Alison says, looking sadly at Derek.  “And I like you a lot, but I feel like we’re outgrown each other.”

              Derek tries to respond, his feet kicking the air wildly just a few inches off of the ground, but he doesn’t have enough air in his lungs to form the words.

              “It’s not you.”  Alison explains.  “It’s me.  I just can’t be around someone who’s going to try and shut me down like this.  That goes for you
and
for Mandi.  I’m afraid this is the end of both of you.”

              From deep within Alison, I begin to cry, but no physical tears fall from my eyes.  I’m too far gone now, swallowed up by the ravishing body of Alison Hyde.

              The light of Derek’s soul has nearly gone out, but in his last moments I see a strange expression cross his face, as if remembering something incredibly important.  Moments later, I see his hand reach deep into his pocket, scrambling for something hidden deep within the fabric.  Derek pulls out his lucky coin.

              As soon as I realize what’s about to happen Alison does as well, but it’s already too late.  In a final moment of desperation, Derek throws the coin down at the laptop below him, striking the spacebar with incredible accuracy.

              Immediately, a series of coded lines begin to dance across the screen, scrolling at blinding speeds as the computer’s internal processor whirs to life.

              I’m suddenly hit with an intense pain, every nerve in my body flaring up at once.  Alison drops Derek and curls up into a ball, struggling to find any kind of solace from the searing discomfort.  Her senses are my senses, and together we writhe on the ground in agony.

              My thoughts are flooded with distant memories of my childhood and then my teenage years, all the way up until now, at this very moment.  It all happens in a flash but everything is there, from the beginning to the end, every choice that has lead me to this terrible place.

              Then, however, I remember Derek.

              Soon his gorgeous face is coming towards me through the haze in my brain, smiling sweetly as beams of light shine out from behind him with heavenly grace.  The pain immediately begins to fade, replaced by a soft, but pleasant ache.

              “I’m sorry.”  I tell him.

              Derek chuckles.  “You don’t need to be sorry.”

              “Am I dead?”  I ask.

              “Nope.”  Derek tells me.  “Alive and well.”  As he says this, the glowing white light around him suddenly dissipates into a purple, sunset laden sky behind. 

              I’m lying on my back, still on the patio behind Crazy Larry’s.

              “Whoa.”  I say, holding my hand up in front of my face.  I immediately recognize it as my own, not Alison’s or anyone else’s for that matter.  Hesitantly, I make my best attempt to alter it in some way, to stretch the flesh like taffy or add a sixth finger with my mind.  Nothing happens, and I breathe out a sigh of relief.

              I suddenly notice that Larry himself is standing over us with a stern look on his face.  “You need to leave.”  He commands angrily.  “Now.”

              It’s late as Derek and me cross back through the desert, not making the usual route from east to west, but instead heading due south as fast as we can.  Despite handling our biggest problem, Alison Hyde, we still have plenty of legal troubles to worry about.  Until we can get it all sorted, we’ll be headed south of the border, at which point Derek plans on hiring a lawyer who can take care of everything for us.  We could always turn ourselves in, but Allencorp is not a company that will have any kind of mercy on me, nor will the United States government when dealing with the potential exposure of military secrets.  This is what my life has somehow become.

              Of course, running doesn’t really help either of our cases, but then again we’ve been running since the beginning, caught up in misunderstanding after misunderstanding that has eventually snowballed into this.  It feels natural to just keep going; romantic even.

              “How do we know that she’s gone for good?”  Derek asks me.

              “I don’t know.”  I tell him.  “It’s hard to say, but I certainly don’t feel her, if that makes any sense.”

              Our headlights sweep across the desert highway as Derek turns down the car radio, a sign that our conversation is about to get heavy.

              “We’re a great team.” He says.

              I nod in agreement.

              “A team needs balance, life needs balance.”  He continues, almost to himself.  “It’s not just black and white like I thought that it was.”

              “I’m beginning to realize that too.”  I say, staring out the window as the highways center line whips past. “I mean, I think that abstinence was good for me, but it also created a monster.”

              “It did.”  Derek agrees.  “Don’t get me wrong, I think we should take it slow, maybe even stay in the program a while.  Little steps.”

              “Do they have sexaholic meetings in Mexico?”  I ask.

              Derek cracks a smile.  “I guess we’re gonna find out.”

              The two of us sit in silence for a moment, along with our own racing thoughts about whatever the future may hold.  I let my hand slip across the center console and grab a hold of his, which elicits that instant chemistry between us.

              “We still need to make sure she’s gone for good, though.”  Derek ads.

              At first I’m not completely sure what he’s getting at but, the second that I do, I’m filled with a surge of excitement and anxiety.  I accidentally squeeze his hand a little tighter for a moment, then loosen up again.

              “There’s really only one way to know for sure.”  I tell him.

              Derek nods.  “Then back to celibacy.”

              “Of course.”  I tell him.

              Almost immediately, Derek pulls over onto the side of the road and climbs out of the car, leaving the lights on and the engine running.  I step out with him, and then moments later we are meeting in front of the car before the wash of golden headlights.  Derek and me embrace each other feverishly, our lips locked in a passionate embrace.

              My heart rate elevated, my body trembling, I’m happy to find that there are no signs of Alison Hyde making any kind of appearance.  Of course, the reality of this heated sexual exchange between me and Derek has much more to do with the fact that we have yet to make love together without Alison interrupting, than a legitimate test of Ms. Hyde’s assumed demise.

              I don’t mind.  Whatever the reason, I want this man and I want him now.

              Without another human being for miles on this empty stretch of desert highway, I quickly tear off my shirt and watch gladly as Derek does the same.  His body is just as incredible as ever, perfect other than the large bandage across his right side.  I touch it gently with my hands and then work my way up to his toned, muscular chest.

              This is the first time that I’ve exposed my real self to Derek, the first time that I’ve truly revealed my skin to him without the glossy illusion of Alison between us.  It’s a daunting exercise for me, but as we look into one another’s eyes I find that there is nothing but trust.  Derek is admiring me, the real me, and regardless of how I feel about myself, I know that he thinks I’m perfect exactly the way that I am.

              Suddenly overwhelmed with passion, I drop to my knees and unbutton Derek’s pants, pulling them down and letting his massive erect cock spring forth.  If there was a time for Alison to show herself, it would be now, but nothing of the sort happens.  I’m completely me.

              Instead, I open wide and swallow Derek’s shaft deep into my hungry mouth.  The gorgeous man lets out a satisfied moan, leaning back and lifting his head skyward like a howling wolf of the desert.

              I move up and down, letting Derek’s shaft slip gracefully between my lips as I pleasure him.  With one hand I cradle his hanging balls, and with the other I reach up and take his hand in mine, grasping tightly.

              “You’re incredible.”  Derek moans.

              I push down farther and farther until hitting my gag reflex, which had previously been easy to overcome thanks to my nanobot cells.  Instead, I find myself stuck, and eventually I’m forced to come up for air in a frantic gasp.

              “Are you alright?”  Derek asks.

              “Yes.”  I assure him.  “I just need to do this.”

              “You don’t need to do anything.”  He tells me.

              I shake my head.  “I need to do this, Derek.”

              I center myself and then try again, this time relaxing my throat as much as possible as Derek’s cock slides deeper and deeper into me.  His length is incredible, and at first I retch a little as it hits the back of my throat.  Moments later, however, I somehow manage to relax enough that Derek’s massive dick slides all the way inside.  I proudly look up at him and give a playful wink, Derek’s shaft entirely consumed as my lips press lightly up against his rock hard abs.

              “Fuck.”  Is all that this amazing man can manage to get out, overwhelmed by my expert deep throating skills.  “That’s incredible, Mandi.”

              The sound of my own name sends a pleasant chill down my spine.  This is all that I had wanted all along.

              Moments later, I find Derek pulling me up to my feet with his muscular arms.  He kisses me deeply and then pushes me back against the hood of the car, where I lay happily as the beautiful man removes my tight jeans and tosses them to the side.  My panties come off next, and suddenly I find myself completely exposed to the warm desert air.

              Derek leans down and immediately gets to work licking my swollen clit, which sends all kinds of incredible volts of pleasure throughout my body.  I arch my back against the hood as Derek satisfies my senses, my hands finding their way around to the back of his head and pulling him even tighter against me.

              The man certainly knows how to use his tongue, finding no trouble at all with quickly bringing my body dangerously close to orgasm.  The feeling builds within me in wave after blissful wave, every one becoming more powerful than the last until finally I just can’t take it anymore and I force myself to push him back.

              “I want to cum.” I tell him.  “But I want to do it with you inside of me.”

              Derek smiles and pulls me down the hood slightly so that my cute little ass is hanging right off of the edge.  Next, he aligns his rock hard shaft with my aching slit, his head teasing against my entrance while I beg for him to push it in.

              “Fuck me!”  I demand.

              Derek stops for a moment.  “It’s nice to hear you say that in your own voice.”

              “Fuck.”  I start, reaching down and grapping him around the waist with one hand.  “Me.”  As I finish repeating the phrase, I pull Derek forward and his mammoth cock disappears completely inside of me, stretching my tightness to the brink.

              I let out a loud groan, not entirely prepared to take his substantial size within my pussy.  I’ve been doing plenty of fucking lately, but I immediately realize that it has all been within the body of someone else, and that my own pussy is still that of a woman who’s been saving herself for three years.

              As I look up at the stars above us, twinkling beautify across the open Nevada sky, I can’t think of a better moment to give myself away than this.

              Derek begins to pump in and out of me, slowly but firmly as I tremble at his skilled touch.  My legs are spread wide for him, held back as he slams into me at an ever-escalating speed.  Soon enough, Derek is hammering into me with everything he’s got, his hips rattling loudly against the hood of the car.

              Once again, I can feel the profound sensation of an impending orgasm blossoming deep within.  It grows quickly, spreading out across my body in a series of violent quakes until my entire being is convulsing.  There is too much pleasure locked up inside, bubbling over without any place left to go.

              “Oh my god.”  I start to mumble.  “Oh my god.”

              “I love you so much.”  Derek tells me, his eyes aflame with truth and passion.

              “I love you, too!”  I tell him, my legs suddenly kicking out straight.  “I’m cumming!”

              Derek doesn’t let up for a second as the orgasm surges through me like a lightning bolt, pounding away at my feminine frame with his muscular body.  All of the tension from the last few days is suddenly released within me, exploding across every ounce of my being with blinding love.

              I let out a blood-curdling howl that echos out across the desert landscape, cascading across the hills and valleys until it bounces back to us.  I’m outside of my body now, looking down at myself as I writhe and spasm on the hood of Derek’s red sportscar.

              This is the second time that this man’s sexual prowess has given me an out of body experience, but the first that I’ve been able to look down and truly see myself without an unfamiliar face staring back at me.  I can see tears of joy flowing down my cheeks in beautiful glistening streaks, truly happy within my own skin.

              I suddenly realize that Derek is cumming as well, buckling forward as he ejects several pumps of semen within me.  His eyes are clenched tight as he lets out a guttural cry of his own.

              The entire experience seems to defy time and space, stretching on and on for what feels like forever until suddenly I’m thrown back into reality, lying in exhaustion on the warm hood of the car with Derek on top of me, breathing hard.

              “That was amazing.”  I whisper into his ear.

              Derek and I sit at a crowded diner in San Diego, California, just a few miles from Mexico.  The food is surprisingly good, a mixture of down home American favorites with a south of the border flair.  I’m content, happy that Derek and me are on the cusp of starting a new life together, one filled with romance and adventure.

              I take a big bite of my jalapeño burger, the spicy flavors dancing playfully across my tongue.

              Since discovering that Alison Hyde is no longer lurking somewhere deep within my subconscious, everything seems to have a little more bite, including the food in front of me.

              “This is great!”  I tell Derek, who laughs out loud and reaches across the table to wipe a small splatter of catsup from my chin.

              “I can tell!”  He jokes.

              As I sit here chewing, I start to actually wonder if Alison is truly gone for good.  Sure, the nanobots within my body have been deprogrammed and rendered inoperable, but that’s not really what made Alison so powerful in the first place.  At the end of the day, it was my own insecurities that gave her the power that she had; two sides of the same unlucky coin.

              Alison Hyde may be gone physically, unable to manifest herself out here in the real world, but she will always be lurking somewhere within me.

              I suddenly notice that Derek is looking past me, over my shoulder towards the door of the restaurant.  He is frozen in a strange state of fear and confusion, his burger held with utter stillness halfway between his plate and his mouth.

              I turn in my chair to follow his gaze and then freeze as well, unable to process the sight that greets me, defying all sense and reason.

              There, in the doorway of the restaurant, stands Alison Hyde; not in any sort of metaphorical or whimsical way, but the woman herself in flesh and blood.

              Alison looks directly at me and our gazes immediately lock.

              “Is that…” Derek asks, trailing off as his brain answers his own utterly impossible question.

              “Oh my god.”  Is all that I can manage to respond.

              Alison begins to cross through the restaurant towards us, a fire in her eyes.