AfterLife™

Chapter 9

Nestled in her ergonomic office chair, Stella activates the holographic screen. A dozen VR feeds spring to life in mid-air, each of which diplays a different world within the vast universe of AfterLife. They flash from one scene to the next until she finds her target.

When Stella spots the Viper, her veins burn with rage. Soon she will strike, coiling her body around her victim to squeeze the very life from her lungs.

But not yet. Not before the Viper finishes her final task.

She adjusts the zoom to home in on her enemy, struck once more by her natural beauty. Ebony waves frame her oval face and cascade down her back. That cute little black dress hugs her delicious curves in a way those designer business suits never have. And her eyes! They're the color of crisp autumn leaves.

Quite the femme fatale.

The Viper's small but full lips curl around the edge of a crystalline goblet as she takes the tiniest sip of wine and sets it back down. Delicate fingers stroke the stem of the glass. Up and down. Up and down. Out of frustration? Nerves? Desire?

It's hard to tell.

To cure her temporary insanity, Stella plunges her mind into a bucket of ice water. It isn't difficult. All she must do is replay those horrific videos of her brother's demise.

Unlike the other prisoners, Rainer never screamed. He clenched his square jaw so tight that a muscle jumped. When they jabbed the IV into his arm, he fought to stay awake. Groaning through clenched teeth, he never cried. Even though the pain would have been excruciating.

Rainer defied the Viper until the last.

But he could not change his fate. At the end, his eyelids fluttered shut for the last time as the coffin lid closed with a final slam.

That memory vanquishes all desire for the Viper, leaving only a cold hatred that burns like liquid nitrogen. "When I kill you, I'll do it slowly."

Stella licks her lips and tastes the salt.

In that cute little half-timbered tavern, Rainer approaches the Viper dressed in his military best. Although he should be primed to kill, they shake hands like two business partners. 

Her muscles tighten as though she's ready to pounce. They're standing so close. It's wrong. If she could find a way to hack Darkwebs, she'd tear the Viper away from him.

If you knew who she really was, you would kill her where she stands.

But you can't. Not yet. 

I still need her to set you free.

"You came back," says Rainer, eyes wide with astonishment. "I thought..."

"I found it." The Viper activates her holojector and shows him a miniature view of the recording she's taken at the warehouse. "Everything you said was true."

"Not here!"

Rainer sweeps his new cloak around the Viper to shield her from curious gazes. She draws away from him but obeys. He sits in the booth across from hers and orders a Cola-Weizen.

While they sit in awkward silence, the Viper once again strokes the stem of her wine glass. Her lips slightly part as she steals nervous glances at him. He breaks the tension with questions about her favorite books and movies. She asks him about his life before AfterLife. 

They speak about the past like two old school friends. 

"My mother?" Rainer chuckles. "She was a tax lawyer from Andalucía. My father? He was a top scientist from Westphalia. A real powerhouse before the Globotics Revolution."