|
"Five Stars! This debut novel was completely enthralling. I read this book in one sitting, caught up in the experience, unable to put it down. Set in the not so distant future the adventure is vivid, sensual, believable -- a definite Keeper!" Sime-Gen Reviews
"Four Stars! Excellent." Romantic Times Magazine
5 stars! Reviewer's Choice "Virtual Heart by Karin Huxman is well-written and a pleasure to read. The lead characters in Virtual Heart are interesting, well-motivated, and people to care about. The writing is smooth and the pace keeps you moving and allows one to suspend disbelief effortlessly." Scribes World Reviews
“This story was very well executed and worked for me on several different levels, two of which were the creative world building and the way Ms. Huxman so seamlessly intertwined the worlds of science and paranormal supposition to co-exist believably on the same plane. I especially enjoyed the character interactions and development. Jake and Megan were a well-delineated h/h whose chemistry was off-the-page engaging, their story a fast-paced, gripping and sensual romance. A definite keeper and one-sitter.” Paranormal Romance Reviews
"Huxman juggles romance, science fiction and suspense in a entertaining plot that never slow for an instant." Inscriptions Magazine
"Debut author Karin Huxman takes readers on a vivid and memorable adventure with Virtual Heart. This book has it all - adventure, romance, and a sensory smorgasbord." Deb Stover, author of Another Dawn
"A perfect blend of Sci-Fi and Futuristic Romance! The characters are believable and unforgettable. Readers will be hard pressed to stop reading. A Keeper to be read over and over again!" Huntress Book Reviews
"Looking for something new and different in a romance? Then don't miss Karin Huxman's debut novel, Virtual Heart. This engrossing read skillfully blends intellect with emotion, psychic abilities with near-future virtual reality, and a satisfying romance with edge-of-your-seat adventure for a unique reading experience you won't soon forget. Virtual Heart is a virtual treasure!" Pam MCutcheon, award winning author
VIRTUAL HEART
By
Karin Huxman
ISBN 1-891020-96-x
(c) 1999 by Karin Huxman
Cover art by Eliza Black
New Concepts Publishing
4729 Humphreys Rd.
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com
The support and encouragement of a host of people went into the making of this book.
Many thanks to Pikes Peak Romance Writers, the No Names, and Vicki.
Jay, Stephen, Kristin and Katie - you are the best. With love.
Chapter One
The volcano rumbled in the hazy distance, just visible through the jungle growth. Sulfur, primitive and warning, tickled Megan Cooper's nose. Her nostrils quivered at the obnoxious smell, which mingled with the aroma of damp earth and lush greenery. The earth began to shake beneath her feet. Another earthquake -- precursor of eruption? She pressed through the clinging vines, hoping for a glimpse of the volcano as it exploded.
Again the ground shook beneath her, this time accompanied by a roar that caused her palms to sweat and her knees to shake. A musky, animal smell wafted towards her. Megan retreated back into the jungle. Witnessing a volcanic eruption suddenly seemed of less concern than hiding from the predator she'd just heard.
No use.
A huge, furry head, slavering jaws opened wide, aimed its six inch fangs at her as it crept from its hiding place. The feline smelled her fear, she knew it. Its rank breath overpowered everything else as it loomed over her.
Closer, lower -- in a second she would be its dinner.
"Closing virtuality." The excited voice of her assistant, Mark Newhouse, intruded as the scene melted around her, replaced by the plain gray walls of the Meta Room.
"That was even better than last time," Megan exclaimed as she removed her headgear and began stripping the gloves with their attached sensors from her hands. "I think we've got the olfactory scanners working right, finally. That sulfurous stink had just the right amount of heat attached to it. And you're going to love the saber-toothed tiger. He's gorgeous. Terrifying."
Mark entered through a door that led to the control room and helped Megan remove the jumpsuit with its attendant sensors.
"You keep telling me that, but when do I get my turn?"
One at a time, he checked each nerve sensor as Megan released it from its place on the skintight unitard she wore.
"Come on, Mark. Part of our agreement was that I would do all the test runs. It's my baby, and my responsibility. How were the power readings this time?"
As founder and chief developer of Virtual Delight, Megan Cooper kept a close hand in every detail of the operation. From the initial software design to the actual building of the Meta Room, where the computer linked with the sensors of the suited person inside and "morphed" computer images and sensor inputs into a virtual reality world, nothing happened without her knowledge.
The technology, part of the emerging "technology superhighway" of the previous century, was still considered cutting edge. If she could market the Virtual Delight experience competitively, it would pay for the other vital research the company subsidized.
"The power reading fluctuated each time the tiger roared. I still haven't narrowed down the cause. Could be something as simple as poorly seated sensors, a glitch in the programming, or the sunspot cycle." Mark shrugged and carefully hung the sensor filled helmet on the specially designed rack next to the jumpsuit. "Naturally I recorded the sequence. You want to discuss it over dinner?"
"Not tonight. I've already got plans." Megan had been gently deflecting Mark's invitations for several weeks now. Not that he wasn't a good looking, intelligent man. She just wasn't ready to mix what appeared to be a profitable business venture with pleasure.
She slipped the delicate looking SencSlippers from her feet and examined the contacts. The development of these slippers had been a major accomplishment. Though lightweight and comfortable, they held oodles of sensors for the important sensations of running and jumping, even leaping distances through the air that she planned to write into the final programs.
"Plans?" Mark's curiosity was natural. He and Megan had been friends since college days. It was only recently that he'd tried for a more romantic attachment.
"Yeah." Megan hesitated. She didn't want Mark to think she was conspiring with the "enemy." They were partners. "I'm having dinner with Jake Mason. I think he wants to pick my brain on developments here."
"Then why go? You don't need to suck up to our main competition, you know." Mark's deep voice disguised his irritation, but Megan wasn't fooled.
"So I can do to him what he wants to do to me, of course. You don't really think I'd fall for him, do you? I thought you knew me better than that," she said over her shoulder as she walked out of the Meta Room and headed for her office.
She was sweaty and felt grimy after a morning in the SencSuit. The worlds they created in the Meta Room always invigorated her. The melding of imagination and computer wizardry grew more spectacular by the day. For some reason, still unknown, Megan was always unaccountably exhausted afterwards, even though she was in great physical shape.
Mark followed her through her office. He stopped when she closed the door to the shower room. "The man is after more than our trade secrets, Megan," he shouted through the door.
The sound of running water effectively ended the conversation.
Somewhat restored by the shower, Megan was glad to see Mark had left by the time she returned to her office. Stretching in a clean jumpsuit, she glanced at the stack of letters and reports on her desk. Better to get some of this correspondence out of the way before her "date."
Her hand hesitated over the envelope with the bank's logo on it. Virtual Delight was stitched together with a combination of government and private grants and out-right loans from this and other financial institutes. The grant money was assured, but the loans kept her reaching to find a profitable mix of invention and fun.
She was close, so close to realizing that part of her dream. If they could just calibrate the sensors on the suit to consistently monitor body stress levels while in the Meta Room's virtual environment. Liability insurance would be a problem, too, until that was taken care of. Nothing chased away likely investors or customers like a potential lawsuit.
With a sigh, Megan dropped into the contour chair behind her glass and metal desk and opened the paper envelope. The bank manager's peculiar habit of utilizing paper correspondence when electronic mail was so much faster and economical amused her. She scanned the page. Just as she thought, another meeting to counter objections and encourage confidence from the investors.
"Mark," she said into her voice memo electronic assistant, "please have Jane and Sebastian arrange another meeting with Mr. Sheets at the bank."
Jane Moore and Sebastian Wic were their medical and bioengineering specialists. The "Ph.D." after their names always reassured people like Mr. Sheets.
Mark set-up and attended most of the meetings. He'd take care of this memo in the morning.
Megan frowned again. Mark's behavior had been getting stranger lately. She kept intercepting intense looks from him, and he was definitely distracted. Maybe she should give him a chance in the Meta Room with full virtuality soon. After all, he had just as much tied up in the venture as Megan. That would get him back in the groove.
Consigning that decision to a convenient mental shelf, she erased the entry and pushed the intercom to the Bio department. She'd take care of this herself. There was just enough time to set up this meeting before she must get ready for what she expected to being an intriguing evening.
A fiery sunset back-lit the granite top of Pikes Peak by the time Megan finally powered off her computer. Thankful that she'd had the foresight to bring evening clothes to work with her, she pulled the hanger out of the closet and started pulling on the sunshine yellow slip dress that hung there.
Anticipation warred with concern about this evening. Jake Mason, her date, was a competitor in the world of virtual reality. She had little doubt that he had more than dinner in mind. His reputation for getting what he wanted, with an uncanny knack for playing up his opponent's weaknesses and zeroing in without mercy, was well known in the business arena.
Had he picked Virtual Delight as his next conquest? Her company's finances were still private, but she'd heard he had innumerable contacts throughout the region. If he'd heard rumors that they were on shaky financial grounds...that could be the reason he had gone through a mutual friend to arrange dinner.
Not that she needed to be persuaded. Megan remembered glimpsing Jake at a Rotary function. One look had given rise to increased heart rate and a heat induced blush. He was drop dead gorgeous, if you liked the tall, dark, and handsome type. Even from across the banquet hall Megan had caught a hint of the drive that pushed the man. It was reflected in his deeply chiseled features and broad shoulders that fought the constricting confines of his dinner jacket. Just once, he caught her staring at him. A twinkle of blue eyes crossed the distance between them. His discrete nod acknowledged her presence before she pulled her gaze away from his.
The woman with him, a statuesque blond who made Megan feel like a skinny adolescent, commanded his attention for the rest of the evening. Even so, every now and again Megan felt a whisper of warmth across the back of her neck, and when she looked up, found him looking at her.
Admit it, she told herself, Jake Mason intrigues you. But don't let that get in the way of business.
As if she could. She laughed out loud. Virtual Delight was her life. No blue-eyed charmer had the power to take it from her. With a determined nod at her reflection in the mirror, she grabbed her evening bag and strode out the door.
Don't be deceived by her appearance, Jake reminded himself as he seated Megan Cooper at the table of the elegant restaurant. Just because her short black hair curled innocently around her face, and her figure seemed slight under the fresh color of her dress, didn't mean she was a push-over. The intelligent gleam of her steady blue eyes warned him not to underestimate her, in any arena.
Watch your step, and charm the dickens out of her.
The lady refused to be charmed. Instead she charmed him, allowing him the old-fashioned courtesy of choosing the entree and wine. She laughed at his stories as she effectively turned aside questions about her company. Then she deftly turned the questioning back on himself until Jake found the conversation taking an unforeseen intimate twist.
"So, you grew up in the mountains. What was it like? Still isolated and pristine?" Megan asked over coffee.
"My parents wouldn't allow us to become too isolated, though they always insured our privacy. But visitors and relatives arrived weekly."
"Your parents must be natural hosts if they entertained so frequently. You lived a young boy's greatest childhood, growing up on a ranch with horses and cows and the wilderness all around you." Megan's face relaxed into amusement.
Jake couldn't help smiling in reply. My lord, but she was gorgeous. Why hadn't he noticed before?
How would she feel about his family's history? He decided to probe and find out.
"Have you heard of the Mason Center? My folks set it up." That got her attention. The subtle change in her posture told him a great deal.
"Don't they do psychic research or something?" she asked. "I thought after all the press hysteria over the Turner Scandal they closed down."
The Turner Scandal. After twenty years Megan had brought it up like yesterday's news.
"Yes, my folks designed a lower profile program after that debacle. What's your interest? That happened years ago."
Loreen Turner had arrived at the Mason Center for Psychic Research when Jake was only ten, and just getting a handle on his own special gift. Loreen's much publicized intent was to show Kate and Eric Mason, Jake's parents, to be frauds. She had planned to open their research to the world and show them for the charlatans they must be. Instead, she left the Center under a cloud of censure from Kate and Eric. When Loreen Turner had showed up in California, she claimed the Center had tuned her into her own natural aura.
Even after all these years, Jake shuddered mentally at the thought of that woman.
She took to working with police departments in Northern California, claiming she could help them solve some of their nastier cases of child molestation. It turned out that she was the abuser of some ten children. Somehow she had convinced them to accuse their own parents and make her look like their savior. After that, Kate and Eric closed the doors of their research facility to everyone except those they invited.
The Turner Scandal pushed the work of the Mason Center back years. They continued, less publicly, to make progress on determining ways to measure psychic activity and help those who had it.
A sliver of information glanced through Jake's memory. His eyes widened. "You were born and raised in Sutter County, California. Don't tell me Loreen Turner..." The thought horrified him.
Megan reached out and touched his hand. "No. I can almost hear what you're thinking by the look on your face. I didn't know anyone she duped and hurt. Everyone knew about it though. The scandal was all over the television news. For a while it was all anyone talked about, even at school. My parents and our neighbors took an extreme dislike to strangers after that incident."
Relief washed over him. Not that he had anything to do with Loreen. In fact, he remembered extreme discomfort when in her presence. Even at a young age, his ability to sense the quality of honesty versus falsehood had been strong. Loreen Turner had practically oozed the latter, so much so that he became physically ill when he came within feet of her. It was the first time his parents had made him stay in Vale de Pax, where natural forces provided a psychic barrier.
Jake turned his attention back to the woman across from him. She refrained from questioning him about his own psychic talents, though he sensed her good manners were the only reasons she didn't ask.
Waves of interest and curiosity flowed from Megan. He could get lost in the gaze she turned on him. He'd never known a pair of blue eyes to contain so much heat. The yellow of her dress warmed her skin. For the first time, he noticed her smoothly muscled arms, tanned and deceptively fragile looking. He longed to stroke from her fingertips to her shoulders, certain the skin would feel as silky as it looked.
This would never do. Instead of pumping her for information, leading the conversation, Jake found that she had taken control. It didn't matter. Here was a woman he could talk to, who wasn't interested in his net worth but in him. Refreshing.
He hated to ruin the evening by subtly applying his gift of empathy.
Business is business, he reminded himself. He struggled to re-focus his charm and get back to work.
"You're home early," Jake's sister, Amanda, commented as Jake entered the apartment they shared. "Don't tell me the fabled Mason charm failed?"
Jake scratched his head and sent his sister a sheepish grin. "Went down in flames, Amanda. It was a humbling experience."
Amanda laughed out loud. "Tell me about this Megan Cooper. Is she really as smart and ambitious as I've heard?"
"She's the most intelligent woman I've ever met, present company excepted, of course. As for ambitious, I'm still not sure. She managed to turn the conversation in a different direction every time I asked about Virtual Delight. Not that she didn't seem eager to discuss it. From the gleam in her eyes I could see that the company is important to her. Finally I tried a little empathic probe, hoping to get a hint of the mind behind the face. I met with a roadblock Dad would be proud of."
"She's got some Talent?" Amanda's voice implied her surprise.
"Latent. She probably doesn't know what she's doing. It can be an instinctive protective response to mental tinkering."
"What will you do now?"
"That's a good question. The key to discovering the supposed breakthrough behind Virtual Delight's projected entry into the virtual reality market is Megan Cooper. I wonder if she realizes just how different our approaches are to the same end."
"You still haven't convinced me that your Dream Catcher and Virtual Delight would be competing for the same market share. Hers is based on a direct machine/computer/human interface to produce the alternate worlds. Yours is strictly based on awakening and amplifying latent telepathic qualities to produce the same fantasy effect," Amanda said.
"I know, I know. Dream Catcher hasn't proved its worth yet to any financial investors, either. Even in the twenty-first century, nobody wants to risk their money on something as un-quantifiable as telepathic ability." Jake wandered to the wet bar and poured a small quantity of brandy for himself and Amanda. "There's something more intriguing about Megan Cooper than her smarts and her company," Jake said, turning the focus of the conversation away from business.
Amanda laughed again. "I know that look in your eye. Good luck, Jake. From what you say, Megan Cooper will give you a run for the money, or whatever it is you're after."
In the subdued lighting of the after-hours computer room, Mark's fingers flew over the computer keypad. Every minute or so he glanced over his shoulder, convinced someone would catch him and make him stop.
Sweat dripped from his lank hair. His eyes stung at the forced concentration. Last century, Mark would have been called a "geek" or a "hacker." In this time and place his talents were recognized and prized. His mind could almost see the electrical impulses skittering across the hidden circuit boards as his fingers gave the computer instructions.
With meticulous care he then hid the instructions in a gobbledy-gook of programmer's malarkey that would take more than a little time to figure out. Sure, Megan was capable of decoding it, but she wouldn't be able to.
Not that he wanted to hurt her. That wasn't his purpose. He'd loved her from afar for years. He just wanted her to see him as more than a brotherly type of friend.
He'd been working out, too. No longer did he sport the skinny arms and chest of a desk jockey. Why didn't she see him?
One last entry and he'd be through. His fingers paused. He almost changed his mind. He didn't. With a determination born of desperation, Mark entered his personal code and it was done.
Tomorrow this time, Megan would be in danger, and he would get to save her. What else could a woman want?
As Megan cruised home in her surface skimmer she noticed Mark's old-fashioned automobile in the parking area outside the Virtual Delight building. Probably working late again, she thought, and dismissed him from her mind.
The last rosy blush of sunrise was just leaving the top of Pikes Peak when Megan suited up for her next sojourn in virtuality.
"I'm entering the 'guide' program this time," she told Mark as they did a last minute check of the Meta Room.
"What's the matter, that saber-tooth too real for you?" Mark grinned at her.
"As a matter of fact, yes. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up the last time we ran this program. I actually sensed it stalking me." Megan shivered as she remembered the primitive fear response.
"So this time you want a 'real man' to rescue you from the big, bad kitty cat?" Mark teased as he entered data into the terminal. "Kind of old-fashioned for a twenty-first century woman, don't you think?"
"In a way, but this market plan is supposed to reach more than just the teen-age jock with money to burn. Even modern women, maybe especially modern women, want to escape from the responsibilities of day to day life. Reading a book where the heroine is rescued by the tall, handsome stranger is a time-honored, pleasurable pastime," Megan responded, her voice thoughtful. "In this program, we can design the man of a woman's dreams and she can go home to her husband afterwards with no guilt or remorse from indulging in a real life adventure. Just a safe, no commitment, pretend one. One with a more physical zing than mere words provide."
"If you say so," Mark said. He held out the design menu for Megan to program her "guide." "Who will it be today, Indiana Jones or Captain James T. Kirk?"
In Megan's mind's eye neither classic hero presented himself. Instead she saw the steady blue eyes of Jake Mason, his quirky grin and the laugh lines around his mouth when he smiled. She gave herself a mental shake. Sure Jake Mason was good looking, but the way he'd turned on the charm last night in an obvious attempt to weasel information about Virtual Delight had left her cold. She'd managed to deflect his questioning, though his persistence surprised her.
Another consideration came to mind. If her meeting with the bank today didn't go well, she might be looking for new investors. It wouldn't do to show Jake a hint of weakness in any area. She had a feeling he could sense such things, and make the most of them.
"Hey, come back..." Mark's voice pulled her out of her reverie.
"Sorry, I was thinking about our meeting with Mr. Sheets at the bank this afternoon," Megan explained. She turned her attention back to the matter at hand. "Why don't you program my hero for me?"
Mark blushed. "I don't know what women look for in a man," he said. The intensity of his gaze belied his words.
He's looking for a particular response, Megan thought. I don't want to hurt his feelings.
Another moment of this and the discussion would cross the personal boundary she had set between them years ago. She tried for lighthearted to diffuse the situation.
"Well, give me your typical tall, dark, and handsome."
She grinned. It seemed like her subconscious wanted Jake, or someone similar in appearance, after all.
Mark moved away and centered his attention on the computer, his expression unreadable. By the time he turned back, his face was carefully neutral. She allowed one tiny, inward sigh of relief and entered the Meta Room.
"Systems status check." Mark's voice came through Megan's headset clear and strong once she had fastened the sensory helmet in place.
As they ran through the checklist, Megan ran her mind over what she expected during this test. It was just routine, though she'd never done it with a virtual companion before. Experience had shown her how real her programmed surroundings and animals appeared, so much so that her body responded physically to whatever her computer enhanced senses told it.
This program started like any good action-adventure story, with a woman trapped in a seemingly hopeless situation. The hero comes to her rescue just before tragedy occurs. In this case, Megan would be stalked by a saber-toothed tiger. She expected "Prince Charming" to show up as the cat attacked.
"Hey, your nervous system readings are starting to fluctuate. Are you all right in there?" Mark's worried voice steadied Megan. With him at the controls nothing could go wrong.
"Just thinking about that cat. We did run the simulation and it did dissipate before contact with the suit last time. I'm just wondering how it will feel to trust my life to an unknown, unreal quantity."
"All you have to do to end the program is say 'stop.' Your own fail-safe devise is programmed to end virtuality on that command no matter how softly spoken, and in twenty different languages."
"You're right. I don't know what's wrong with me this morning. I guess my meeting last night and the bank meeting this afternoon are making inroads on my self-confidence."
Mark didn't answer. Megan glanced up to the transparent glass of the control room. It became one-way opaque during her sessions. She wouldn't be able to see him, but Mark would see her the whole time. He was busy at the console and didn't glance her way. His whole attitude this morning struck her as slightly off-kilter, like he'd come to a decision. One he was nervous about.
"Prepare for virtual start-up," Mark said.
A shift of visual sensation, a not-unpleasant tingling over Megan's body where the sensory probes were attached, and the soft murmur reminiscent of ocean waves washing ashore confirmed that her adventure was imminent. A familiar rush of adrenaline pulsed through her. No matter how many times she'd stood in this spot, she still got the same expectant thrill as the first time she'd entered her own virtual dream.
The flat gray walls darkened as faint glowing grid marks appeared. Megan closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
A tremor shook her.
The volcano? It's too soon.
"No," Mark shouted. She heard unaccustomed panic in his voice.
Her eyes opened to total darkness, then a bright flash of light illuminated the room. A kaleidoscope of colors and images, tactile sensation and an overwhelming cacophony of eardrum blowing sound buffeted Megan all at once.
The room swirled around her. She heard Mark's voice rise over the chaos of noise. He called her name, once, twice. Megan felt herself fall, then a black hole rushed towards her where the floor should be. Like the familiar, terrifying nightmare she used to have of falling from a cliff, she couldn't stop, was afraid to stop. This was one nightmare that wouldn't end upon waking.
Every nerve ending Megan possessed screamed in an agony of pleasure and pain just before she lost consciousness.
|
