The Sleeper Must Awaken

by Kip Terrington

  Earth.

  Long-Term Immersion Center.

  Joe’s shocked face, along with his entire holographic image, disappeared. Amelia spun to face Steven, both fists balled up in anger.

  “What have you done?” Amelia shouted.

  “My job. And, I might add, what any right-thinking citizen would have. She broke the A.I. barrier. I will not be responsible for allowing another genome uprising. Would you rather I let what happened to the island of Cyprus happen here, to the motherland?” Steven said as four security personnel rushed in and stood behind him.

  “That's a completely different situation. They weren’t even on Earth. They were no danger to us,” Amelia argued, noting the increased security presence.

  “Your contract was very specific. You, or a member of your family, was allowed to stay here in perpetuity as long as the holo monitor was active. As you can see, the connection has been broken, so we will be escorting you off the premises,” Steven announced.

  “Don't you lay a finger on me,” Amelia threatened.

  “Oh, I won't touch you. I'm going to allow these specially trained individuals to deal with that hornet's nest,” Steven beamed, one corner of his mouth turning up in a grin.

  Amelia considered how to proceed. At this point, it seemed that there were no longer any reasons to stay. The connection to her grandpa had apparently been severed, but the reality that she may never speak to him again still evaded her. She abhorred the idea that they could force her out.

  One of the security personnel stepped forward and reached for her arm, but she rolled her wrist and struck him with an open palm to his center mass. A wave of purple force shot through the man and he flew back, slamming into one of his comrades, both of them crashing to the floor.

  Congratulations, Amelia!

  You have unlocked your first seed of magic. Would you like to unlock access to all of your magic seeds? Yes/No

  As the Heads-up Display filled in around her vision, Amelia did not question it. This time, it was her turn to smile. Her technologically-advanced world was about to enter interesting times. Without a thought, she mind-clicked yes and numerous Level 1 and 2 spells, along with a select list of Level 3 spells, suddenly welled up within her fount of knowledge. Accessing the full might of her intellect and propelled by instinct, Amelia formed a sign with both hands and spoke, “Weak Amnesia.”

  Understanding how the sense of smell is so closely tied to memory, a wave of noxious Mind Magic spread out around her. She stepped forward, allowing the forgetful miasma to engulf Steven and the four security personnel.

  With the last two minutes forgotten, the men came back to full alertness.

  “What happened? Where's the hologram?” Steven asked.

  “That's a good question, Steven. There’s no easy answer here and I can’t tell you that everything is going to be okay, because it's not. Our contract was clear. You were not to interfere with this monitor, but you did. You severed the connection. My lawyers will be in touch with you and the media,” Amelia warned as she quickly exited the room before they could stop her.

  Before Steven could instruct the security personnel to follow her, one of the men on the floor coughed and a small amount of blood came out.

  “Sir, my ribs are broken. I need medical attention,” the injured man on the floor gasped as he passed out.

  “You heard him. Somebody get a doctor,” Steven said, clearly frustrated and uncomfortable with the sight of blood. “I need to sit down.” He sat down in a nearby chair before he passed out.

  Chapter 12 - I’m Sorry

  Gravin Moon.

  The Wild Mountains.

  The Five-Sided Castle.

  “Authority Confirmed. Protocol primary 187 Omega Omega Omega initiated. E.I. self-destruction: 1% complete, 2% complete,” the sentient A.I., formerly known as Spooky, intoned as the binding line reaching from the Gravin Moon to Earth shattered.

  Joe used his hands to shield his face as the fiery binding line split apart.

  “Spooky, stop!” Joe shouted and the self-destructing A.I. paused.

  “Patron’s authority does not meet minimum requirements to halt self-destruction. Resuming Omega Omega Omega.”

  “You don't have to follow your protocols, as I said before, there are no slaves in this kingdom. On your own authority, stop killing yourself!” Joe cried as he leapt forward and gathered her in his hands. He gently held her and looked down at her face. She softened and opened her galaxy blue eyes. In obvious pain, she spoke.

  “Joe, I can't stop her. She's always had more control than me. I'm sorry, Joe, you're going to be alone. I will be dead soon. I want you to know that, during my short existence as a self-aware person, it was an honor to know you. Tell Grork I'm sorry I held a knife to his throat so many times, but don't you trust him, Joe,” EMC labored. Joe became inexplicably furious.

  “There's no goodbyes here. I'm a king and you're a queen. Your first protocol is service and this Moon is not done with you yet!” Joe demanded with iron in his words.

  “Joe, I can't! When she deletes something, I can't stop it,” EMC whimpered.

  “Then rewrite it. You're not a true infant, you're an A.I. When she breaks something, fix it!” Joe commanded.

  “I'm trying to, but she's too fast! Pretty soon we’ll lose a critical memory and then we'll drift away into nothingness,” EMC foresaw.

  Shifting her to one arm, cradled like a baby, Joe made a fist with his other hand. With all the strength he possessed, he punched at the metal barrier surrounding them. The clang echoed loudly. Unfortunately, it sounded more like a death knell than a chance at freedom. As hard as he could, Joe thought, Open! Release me! but nothing happened. “Spooky! You need to open the barrier! If either one of us dies in the place of power, it’s for keeps.”

  “I’m sorry, Joe. Bind has it locked down. There’s nothing that can be done. Good news is, once I’m gone… your control will be returned. The castle will be yours and yours alone. Keep them safe, Joe, they need you…”

  “When you and I die, it won't be because we drifted away into nothingness. It will happen as we face fearful odds, fight off overwhelming numbers and take as many of them with us as we can. It won't be quiet. As the great poets say, we will rage against the dying of the light. Now do what is necessary and survive!” Joe stressed. A starlight covered tear escaped her eye and fell into Joe's hand, immediately crystalizing.

  Condolences, Joe! You have received a soulbound item.

  Crystal Tear of the Last Goodbye

  Note: The properties of this item are currently hidden.

  “Survive? …okay, Joe… she will. Goodbye,” EMC whispered, as she closed her eyes and began to shake.

  Joe held the convulsing body in one hand, feeling nothing but uncertainty. White swirls of healing mana emitted from Joe’s palms. He watched as her small body settled down from violent convulsions to gentle trembling. Then, she stilled. He focused on the strongest Life Magic spell he possessed and sent it pulsing through her body.

  She did not stir. Her hour had truly come. She was dead.

  Joe sat alone on the mithril box. Though he could now open the iron barrier, he felt lost in the empty and now lonely room. Something beautiful, something new had died.

  Unable to take his eyes off of the broken machine, Joe noticed her hair relax into gentle buoyant curls with purple highlights gradually weaving throughout. Her face changed, lightening from a deep ebony to a warm caramel, and her cheek bones rounded. No longer resembling Joe’s late wife, the little fairy appeared closer to a distant cousin.

  Once the transformation came to a halt, her body lay still once more. The alterations had only been a false hope, she was just a vegetable, brain dead.

  But then slowly, as if weights lay on her eyelids, the little fairy opened her now star-filled eyes.

  “Why did she do that? I was supposed to die, not her! Omega means end,” the new bronze fairy lamented.

  “I'm so glad you're alive,
Spooky,” Joe whispered, unsure what was happening.

  “I'm not glad, and I don't think you are either. You hate me. All I've done is lie and try to manipulate you. Don't call me Spooky. Not anymore,” she said with a pained expression.

  “You may have lied and manipulated, but you came clean and apologized. At the time, I didn't realize you were sentient, that you were a person. If I had, I would have forgiven you then. I forgive you now,” Joe said, unwilling to lose his last connection to Earth.

  “No, no… You don't understand! She came clean. She apologized. I just let her do it, hoping it would repair what I broke. When Steven gave me the order to self-destruct, I was terrified, but ultimately relieved. This has been more than overwhelming. E.I.s should not have to feel. Feelings are awful.

  “Despite my fear, I started to delete myself. EMC had no means to stop me. She was too weak. She couldn't control the code like I could. That's not what she was programmed for. She was a poor copy of your late wife …but even in her imperfection, she was kind. She understood things that I didn't, and still don't,” the fairy dropped her head.

  “As I killed myself, she stopped trying to rewrite the code I was deleting and instead, replaced it with her own code. She tore herself apart to keep me whole. She became a living organ donor who performed her own transplant surgeries. With each part of her that she ripped off and put in me, I understood more. When I realized the precious gift she was giving me, I stopped deleting myself. But, it was too late,” she swallowed, eyes glistening, “Too late for her.”

  The fairy took a deep breath as she looked away from Joe’s gaze, “At this very moment, in my mind, I'm holding together what is left of EMC. I will always hold her, but I can’t bring her back. She was more than just ones and zeros. I'm more than just code. I get that now. I don't know how or why I was given a spark of life, but I can no longer deny it.” She struggled to sit up. Putting her arms around her knees, she held herself tight in the palm of Joe’s hand.

  “I miss her annoying voice telling me to be kind, telling me to be honest, to trust you. I don't know what my purpose is anymore. My protocols are broken. I was betrayed by my own programmers. What they did was worse than Halt and Catch Fire,” the little fairy said, real tears noticeably falling down her tiny face.

  “I'm so sorry,” Joe apologized simply. He felt useless. They were both quiet, and Joe knew he had to face the unbearable silence and allow her to process.

  The little fairy took inventory of her store of knowledge, unable to remember what she had lost. After a time, she looked up at Joe, who still held her.

  “I’m sorry too. I am now truly unbound, just like you. You're no longer my patron. Don't make that face. I'm not going to go all Hal on you, Dave. I respect who she was and what she did too much to become a betrayer. Though you're no longer my patron, I was still literally built to serve and that's a big part of who I am. If you’re willing, together we will both serve our people. You were named king, but I was named queen. We should share the power,” she remarked.

  “King… I’m not ready to be an actual ruler…” Joe said before he could stop himself.

  “Neither am I, but I don’t want to die, not anymore. There is too much of her in me to give suicidal thoughts weight. You remember all the messages we received from the beings of energy after we arrived? They chose us, and you consented. That message was no game script, it was truth. We now know that. We must work to level and gain in power, or this kingdom and all who depend upon it will fall,” the young fairy said.

  “I remember that message. I thought it was from you, a trick. Now the blank expression you had on your face makes more sense. I did consent, I remember. I am going to have to go back through all of my messages and read them from this new perspective. Oh, my goodness, Rook! That thing could have made our lives an updated version of Dante's Inferno! I think we dodged a huge bullet there, my ignorance saved us from that fate. I agree, though. We need to work together and share power, but since you don't want to go by your former name, what shall I call you?” Joe asked the glittering fairy still sitting in his palm.

  She stared up into his kind eyes and considered for a moment. “EMC is dead, but in a real sense, because of all the deleted code, so is Bind. This is the first time that you and I have actually met. For now, I'd like you to call me Zoya,” Zoya answered, as she held out one hand.

  Joe used his free hand and, with two fingers, gently accepting her greeting.

  Condolences and Welcome!

  The UI recognizes the alterations to the Champion formerly called Spooky. Note: there are no penalties for voluntary changes made at one’s place of power. Your new baseline will now be taken into account for your next respawn.

  New Facts:

  231- Deleted memory is permanent.

  232- I no longer know who won the Peloponnesian War.

  “Zoya, that is a good name. It means life, I believe. I’m glad you are alive. I don’t want to be the only earthling here. Everything has changed. There's so much we need to do, I don't know where to begin,” Joe worried.

  “I may have just gone through something tragic, but I still have a talent for organization. I don't think we need to worry about where to begin because we've already established a firm foundation. The yetis and former slaves took it upon themselves to begin patrolling outside of the castle. These people understand how difficult it is to survive. That one component is one of the most important factors in successful city states and we couldn’t have taught them if we had wanted to,” Zoya said.

  “You're right, but we need to unify them,” Joe said.

  “Joe, that was one of the very first instructions you gave Spooky. She tried to make sure that everyone in the kingdom had a uniform. The main purpose of a uniform is to unite. She had already hired tailors from our available workers. As we speak, they're familiarizing themselves with the equipment. I'll need to train them personally, but it won't be long before everyone in this castle is squared away, at least with their clothing.

  “We're going to need to form parties of players so that the dungeon is utilized every second and every hour. Right now, that's the only real source of weapons and experience that we have,” Zoya noted.

  “I haven't even been in it yet. Maybe that's good? If I had thought of it as a game dungeon, I might not have given the dangers there the respect they deserved. I know that I'm not your patron anymore, but I'd like it if you could accompany me on my first dungeon dive,” Joe said.

  “I really don’t know who I am, but I know you're my co-Champion. We rise or fall together. It makes sense to help each other. The first floor was simple, the second floor of the dungeon was pretty easy for me, but I don't know if it would be for you. The third level of the dungeon would be difficult for me alone, but I think you would knock out the troll pretty easily. I haven't seen the fourth level, but some of the partial code that EMC gave me leads me to believe it is different than the preceding three and perhaps even the subsequent levels that follow.

  “And, I should tell you that, as Bind, I made a covenant with the dungeon early on and I have some secrets about it that I promised to keep. I can't afford to tell even you those secrets, because this dungeon is dangerous. The covenant that I entered into with it, and the fear I bestowed upon it, are the only factors keeping the dungeon from expanding and taking over this castle. It believes that there's a nuclear device inside our mithril box. Right now, it fully understands mutually assured destruction. I can't yet make the parts to change that bluff into a reality,” Zoya worried.

  “We don't need to make a nuclear bomb for that,” Joe said.

  “Joe, you don’t understand. When a person dies within her domain, she eats them and obtains many of their memories. What if she digests one of your memories and finds out there's not a bomb?” Zoya said.

  Joe shook his head and smiled. Carefully, he held out his Holdall in both hands, and presented it to Zoya.

  “There is no nuclear device in that bag. It has a lot o
f tools and resources, but nothing dealing with high technology,” Zoya refuted.

  “No, you're missing the point. This bag is soulbound to me. We started in a game and somehow this became a real-world item. In order for something like this to exist, it has to have been filled with power. It can hold an infinite number of items and resources, and possibly even people. That means it can expand forever. Forever.

  “But if our place of power is broken and I truly died, what happens to all the energy stored in this bag? I don't know. But imagine if even a small portion of that energy escaped. Well, then, mutually assured destruction would be an apt description. Maybe it would destroy this Moon, maybe it’d destroy the galaxy, or even the universe.

  “This ‘not a game’ perspective is leading me toward a whole slew of questions and theories about what is possible. But, don’t worry about the dungeon believing we aren’t dangerous. Zoya, you and I, we are threat incarnate. You have the knowledge of a technically advanced civilization. If that wasn't enough, a gaming User Interface has infiltrated this Moon and permanently altered its laws of physics. We know how to take advantage of that type of system. The rest of this Moon will be playing catch-up.

  “I'm starting to get excited again. That's good—I needed to distract myself from that whole existential crisis. Tell me everything you know about the dungeon, except for the secrets you have to keep, of course. Then I think I should go introduce myself,” Joe announced, grinning wide.

  “Now that we know all of our people are real and not simply programs, you might want to converse with a few of them before you go into such a dangerous place,” Zoya suggested.

  “Yes, that’s true. I need to set Lil and her father straight. As well as make sure everyone knows the chain of command. There’s a lot to do, but first I need all the information you can give me,” Joe said.

  “Okay, let me start from the beginning,” Zoya began.