Chương 162: Chapter 161: The Surreal Dinner Date (02/09/2007 06:54 PM PST)

DATE: Friday, February 9, 2007 LOCATION: La Jolla, CA | The Sand Castle LOCAL TIME: 06: 54 PM PST STATUS: Active Sync I walked to the front door of the estate. In my right hand, I felt the cool, polished glass of a Pinot Noir bottle. In the back of my mind, I could still feel the heavy Kevlar of my plate carrier pressing against my chest in Morocco. The doorbell rang. Olga answered the door, the ocean wind catching her hair. She looked stunning, backlit by the fading California sunset.

A hesitant, beautiful smile touched her lips as she looked at me.

"You made it," she said softly.

"I told you I would," I replied. The LMD's vocal cords perfectly replicated the slight, affectionate rasp of my voice. I reached out and gently pulled her into a hug. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The sensory feedback was flawless.

The LMD's haptic sensors transmitted the exact pressure of her arms wrapping around me, the warmth of her cheek against my shoulder, and the faint scent of her perfume directly across the Aether conduits and into my biological brain in Morocco. It was a perfect simulation of love. And it was quietly terrifying. We sat at the dining table overlooking the dark expanse of the Pacific. I poured the wine, the LMD's micro-servos executing the fine-motor movement with absolute grace.

"How are things?" Olga asked, taking a sip, her eyes searching mine.

"Things are finally falling into place on my current project," I said, smiling warmly at her.

"I'm just cleaning up the last of a very old mess." < The DEVGRU assault team is assembling in Jalalabad, Chad, > JAY whispered beneath the sound of the ocean waves. I looked across the table at the woman I had memories of being married to with children in a different timeline. I was listening to her talk about her day, her dreams, and the life she was building here in San Diego.

At the exact same time, through the digital twin projected in my mind, I watched the thermal signatures of Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants moving through the concrete trap I had built for them on the other side of the planet. I reached across the table and took Olga's hand. The LMD's synthetic skin warmed against hers. We had broken up in an elevator almost six years ago. But it felt exactly like it had at Stanford, watching Olga discover the pirate ship in the Grotto all over again.

"It is so surreal seeing you again, Chad. I really miss this. I really miss you," Olga told me, looking into my eyes.

"It really is, Olga," I said softly, staring into her eyes as I silently authorized the execution orders in Pakistan.