“Standard Dolcett fare then,” Dr. Wills noted.
Cindy hung her head, ashamed but knowing she had to admit one more thing. “I feel so awful about this. There might be more.”
“More?” Liz was astonished. “How could there be more?”
“Dr. Wills, can the computer add more people? You know, like NPCs in games?”
The scientist nodded, although she kept her attention on the cookbook. “Absolutely. Some fantasies require it. Women who wish to be raped on stage in front of a large audience, for example.”
“Who the hell would want that?” Liz demanded.
“Myself, for one. That happens to be one of my fantasies,” Wills stated without a hint of embarrassment, still perusing. “I already ran it on myself several times to test the system. I tend toward rape and gang-bang fantasies, as well as being molested in public by strangers. So, Cindy, why do you ask?”
“It might not be just one girl. You need to check how much picnic fixings there are, and how many girls you could cook on the equipment you have.”
Liz stared at her in horror. “Why? This many people couldn’t possibly eat more than one person!”
She looked up at her friend and shook her head. “If there’s more than just enough for us, then you aren’t the whole picnic. You’re the ‘cooking party’ that arrives first to... um, tenderize the meat and get it on the fire. The rest will be arriving later. If it looks like you have enough potato salad and whatever for several dozen people, then you don’t have enough meat for them. In the fantasy, they grab some other girl and start tenderizing her as well. And it will be one of you guys, ‘cause it’s always someone I know.”
“Interesting,” the scientist commented, looking up finally. “That’s a little inconsistent, right? From all appearances, in your fantasy world the role of meat girl is officially sanctioned, judging from the USDA stamp on your breast. Yet they can just cook anyone?”
“It’s murder, of course. It’s just in my fantasy world, people seem to look the other way when it happens. Like it’s just expected that girls my age will occasionally get grabbed and eaten along the way. The cooks get away with lying and claiming it was voluntary or something.”
“Mm. Speaking of tenderizing, we probably need to get started on that,” she noted, then looked up at Rae and the guys, who had been checking the gear. “So, what’s the verdict?”
Jay answered, “I’m pretty sure we’re...