The small group of Securitat officers strutted arrogantly past the line of civilians waiting at the checkpoint. They were clearly bored and it seemed only a matter of time before they directed their collective malice at some unfortunate victim. Their ranks were made up of members of the ruling elite and lower-class citizens persuaded to join the Securitat with the promise of a more elevated social status, a sort of halfway house between the common rabble and higher echelons of society. Their reward was an enhanced package of privileges, which included a larger monthly alcohol allocation and, more importantly, the right to engage in sexual intercourse with the partner of their choice. This ersatz elite were still barred from procreating and raising a family, a privilege reserved exclusively for the lucky few who passed Dildopia's rigorous genetic screening tests. Whatever their background, Securitat officers were loathed and feared by ordinary citizens, who went out of their way to avoid contact with them. The sinister uniforms they wore didn't help their cause. Taking styling cues from the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, their uniforms had been deliberately designed to look intimidating. Securitat officers wore black shirts and loose-fitting black combat trousers tucked inside their highly-polished leather boots. Their black berets were emblazoned with the Securitat emblem; a clenched iron fist clutching a lightning bolt on a blood red shield. This potent symbol was repeated on the armbands they wore. The Securitat team was led by a grizzled, hard-nosed veteran with a broken nose who looked like the kind of man who knew how to handle himself in a fight. Each officer was armed with a holstered firearm, heavy rubber baton, canisters of pepper spray and a scary looking electroshock weapon. They questioned everyone who passed through the security barricade and conducted intrusive interrogations on people they took a dislike to. Young women were often subjected to invasive body searches, which the Securitat officers laughingly used as a pretext to grope their breasts and buttocks. Ostensibly they were Dildopia's guardians, whose job was to check pedestrians and vehicles entering and leaving the city. They were tasked with the seizure of goods and materials not on the Central Committee's proscribed list and preventing undesirable persons, such as vagrants, northerners and other assorted social outcasts from gaining entrance to the city. Despite being early morning, their zealousness had caused long queues to form on either side of the checkpoint. Citizens held up by the security check waited with quiet resignation to pass through the barrier and be on their way. Fortunately for the Salvage and Reclamation team, the Securitat officers recognized their vehicle and let them through with a perfunctory wave. They were aware that the team's forays into the wilderness were sanctioned at the highest level and that their activities shouldn't be impeded.
'Jumped up little fuckers,' Will growled, as he engaged gear and accelerated away from the checkpoint.
'The nice Securitat officers are just doing their job,' Frank replied, his voice laced with sarcasm.
'That isn't a real job,' Will replied gruffly, 'dressing up in those stupid uniforms is just an excuse to push people around and pretend to be tough.'
Jake watched in the mirror as Dildopia's skyline slowly receding into the distance. Eventually all he could see was the towering edifice of Schlong Towers before that too disappeared from view. The three men visibly relaxed as they left the city behind and entered the wilderness zone. Frank and Will began to chat animatedly about the forthcoming local district elections, which they both agreed would most likely be rigged and thus not worth participating in. Jake didn't join the conversation, preferring to sit in silence and watch the passing scenery. Frank was aware his friend had been unusually withdrawn and introspective in recent weeks. He studied Jake intently after the discussion about the elections finally petered out.
'You're very quiet today,' he remarked.
'I've got a lot on my mind,' Jake answered, staring distractedly into the distance.
'Anything you want to talk about?'
Jake turned to look at Frank's weather-beaten face. He considered his friend's question for a moment before hesitantly replying, 'yes, as a matter of fact there is.'
'You can trust us to keep it to ourselves, whatever's bothering you,' Will chipped in, changing down a gear as they climbed a small rise.
For the first time that morning, Jake broke into a smile. He was suddenly reminded how lucky he was to have such good friends. Now was as good a time as any to tell them about his predicament.
'Remember how you keep badgering me about my weekly visits to the Community Research Centre?'
'Yes, of course' Frank replied cautiously.
'I'm going to tell you what I've been doing there.'
Jake decided to confide in his friends following Lila's shocking discovery about the deliberate contamination of the city's drinking water. Will and Frank fell silent, waiting expectantly to discover the reason for Jake's visits to the mysterious Community Research Centre.
He decided to start at the beginning and tell them everything.
'About three months ago, I was randomly selected to participate in a special research project.'
'What kind of project?'
'We were told it was something that would help alleviate sexual frustration experienced by citizens deemed unsuitable to procreate.'
'I bet you've been shagging inflatable rubber dolls!' Will sniggered, clearly amused by the thought of his friend having intercourse with inanimate female manikins then writing a report about it afterwards.
'Oh Jake! What have you got yourself into this time?' Frank chuckled.
'Something wet and sticky!' Will cackled, almost on the verge of hysterics. Jake's friends made several other ribald speculations about his role in the EROS project. Jake smiled and waited for the banter to finish before resuming his story.
'You weren't too far from the truth Will, but I'm not testing rubber sex dolls. It's much better than that. I'm testing a machine called EROS, which replicates the act of making love by projecting sexual fantasies into the minds of participants, making them believe they are engaged in sexual intercourse with their virtual partner.'
'Are you joking?' Frank gasped in astonishment.
'I'm absolutely serious.'
'Get out of here!' Will shouted, 'you're winding us up!'
'I knew it!' Frank declared, 'they've been pumping you full of mind-altering drugs and now you think you're testing some kind of sex machine!'
'I really am being serious and no, I'm not on drugs.'
'But why would anyone waste time and precious resources building a machine like that?' Frank asked in a puzzled voice.
'It was built in the last century. People used to invent all kinds of crazy gadgets back then,' Jake explained. 'The director of the EROS project found the machine abandoned somewhere and brought it back to Dildopia.'
'Alright then, if this machine exists, which I doubt, how does it work?' Will demanded.
'The first thing we had to do was choose a partner. I was paired with a woman called Lila but unfortunately, we weren't allowed to meet each other face to face. Instead we had to climb inside special relaxation pods connected to the EROS machine.'
'What happened then?' Frank asked incredulously.
'The EROS machine projected sex scenarios into our brains after we were induced into a dream state, enabling us to share the same virtual fantasy. Sensors and probes attached to our bodies simulated the sensation of having sex with each other.'
