by Tony Corden
“4: Edison says he’ll vouch for him.”
“OK, can you connect with them and give them a precis of the situation while I get things moving. Have them talk with V-Sec if they need assurances.”
Leah waited until she felt each of the players with her tense up, then stepped out beside Aaron. Speaking in Mandarin, she said, “Prisoners, my name is Charlotte, I am the new Duchess of Mount Noir, and this mine belongs to me. This means that you have become my responsibility, and I am the one you are to obey. If you acknowledge this, then please raise your right arm.”
All the people in front of her immediately raised their arms, so she continued. “In a moment, one of my personal guards or I will come close and look into your face. Until this happens, you are not to move or log out. We will ask for your name and your identification number. Once we have done that, my command is that you are free and no longer prisoners in this mine. Officials are on their way to where you have been imprisoned, they will help clear your PAI of the code that forces you to comply against your will. At least here in the multiverse, you will be free.”
When she finished, she stepped up to the first person. Already she could sense the tears flowing down the woman’s cheeks. After the woman had given Leah the information, she dropped to her knees as so many had in the past, and Leah went down with her and held her for a moment before standing and moving to the next person. Kyle was the first to join her, and he stepped towards one of the men. Even though he didn’t know Mandarin, the programming translated the question, and he found himself having to hold up the man who seemed to be in his seventies.
Sparrow and Carter joined Leah soon after, and even with the four of them, it took almost two hours to clear half the prisoners. She sighed as she moved to the next person but received a message from Three. “3: Leah, you can make a general message freeing the rest. Officials have arrived at the site where the so-called ‘dissidents’ are being held. It took a while as there was some fighting between the different government forces, but the site is now under the control of the national army. V-Sec is working to help people log out and clean their chips. Altogether there are fifty-thousand pods at this one site. The word from Chéng Shí is that over half aren’t from the dissident groups we expected, and are most likely poor from the region who were offered a false dream.”
“Have they got enough people to help?”
“3: Not in real life, but most have been encouraged to log in to a world designed by V-Sec. It’s been designed to provide therapy. Apparently, they find it traumatic initially, but the results long-term are very positive. The world isn’t used in Australia because we have a much smaller population.”
Leah nodded, and after having Three warn the others, she stepped back and said, “Those who still remain. The authorities have arrived at where you are being kept and are waiting to help you and clean your chip. You are free to logout immediately.”
Over the next few minutes, all except thirty or so disappeared. Leah understood, and for each of these, she went and asked the questions personally.
55
December 29, 2073
PNEUMATICA - AEROPILE
When the last prisoner had gone, she turned to the others and said, “Thank you for helping. They freed fifty-thousand and have identified another four similarly-sized operations. Carter, have you heard anything from your team? I need to log out soon and hadn’t planned on being back here till tomorrow morning, but could change things around and be back in under an hour.”
Carter stepped closer and looked down at Leah. He looked a little shocked. He said, “C☇: You, we, just helped rescue what sounds like a quarter of a million people from virtual slavery, and you’re worried about the quest?”
Leah lifted her head so her eyes were aimed towards his. She smiled and said, “Captain Carter, while I most heartily agree with your umbrage at my seemingly callous attitude, I am constrained by the sure knowledge that it is only as we tend to the smallest of our required tasks that we find the fortitude to continue working away at the larger ones. For example, I suggest that it is the care with which we tend to our appearance and with which we choose our vocabulary which in the end sets us on the path to act with honour even in these most trying of times.
“Further, I would suggest that it is through this quest that I have had the opportunity to meet my responsibility to those placed in my care as the Duchess of Mount Noir. Perhaps, should we continue with diligence to meet each of our responsibilities, regardless of how small, we might also find the contentment that comes from helping others. My experience is that helping even one brings as much satisfaction as helping this fifty-thousand.”
Slowly the captain bowed his head, he said, “C☇: My Lady, thank you for your timely instruction. My team have reached the end of the tunnel. It leads through the mountain and exits above the Scardosian encampment. They have settled in and will take turns watching that no more might seek passage onto your lands. With your permission, I will arrange for several hundred marines to join them?”
“Let it be as you say, Captain. Now, after I ensure that Mr Darke is capable of managing the mine for a few days, I would appreciate a lift back to my manor. On the way, perhaps we might discuss the disposition of my fleet.”
By the time Leah was back at the main manor Captain Carter had outlined several other players he thought would be better suited to lead the fleet. He’d agreed to approach them and then talk with Leah the next morning. When Leah was alone in her new suite, she logged out.
STORK TOWER
She arrived back in the Tower to find herself in her large bedroom. Gèng was there and said, “4: I know it’s been three real-hours already, but Chéng Shí, Yìng Yuè, Yuè Fēi and Akia are waiting to talk with you. I also arranged for Sharon to join them just before Chéng Shí started showing your feed to V-Sec. All of them are upset about what’s been happening, and I think it will help if you give them some perspective. None of them knows who Akia is, but the Security AI from V-Sec obviously has some idea of where I got their contact information. They are demanding they be allowed to visit, but I’ve been able to put them off so far. If you hadn’t just been instrumental in helping them, or if the reporters didn’t have the feed, I hate to think what they’d have done.”
“Thanks Gèng. Same goes for you, Three, and you, Six. Three, please let Gradient know I’ll be a little late. Gèng, what am I wearing?”
“4: You have dark blue jeans and a white cotton blouse. Your shoes are white canvas flats, and you’re wearing the opaque John Lennon glasses.”
Leah took a deep breath and moved quickly but confidently down the stairs and into the main lounge area. When she appeared, she turned first to Akia and said, “Akia, thank you so much for your help. I’m sorry for dragging you into this when I know you wanted to keep a low profile.”
Akia reached out and hugged Leah before saying, “A☼: No, thank you. Believe me when I say that this has renewed my sense of purpose. It was for this very type of thing that I was created. I was dismayed to hear what had happened to you, but I wanted to thank you for dealing with those who killed Charlotte. She would be very proud of what was just done in her name.”
“I just hope that one day we can tell her family of what she’s been a part of.”
“A☼: When I can, I’ll let her husband know.”
“That would be appreciated. I know that this will have stirred things up for you, but know that you can stay here as long as you want or need to.”
Akia just nodded, so Leah turned to the others who’d been standing and watching the interaction. She said, “I want to thank you all for being so quick to help me today. I’m pretty sure that without that help, those people would still be in the same boat and I’d be in even more trouble. I know you all have questions, but I’m not going to answer most of them. I don’t want you to think I’m keeping secrets from you because I don’t trust you, but because I believe the knowledge is extremely dangerous to those who have it.”
“S≋: That has to be the understatement of the decade. I’m still shaking when I think of the way I talked to V-Sec and the Director, and I’m a seasoned reporter who started out in investigative journalism.”
“Who is the Director?”
“S≋: Yìng Yuè’s friend. I actually think that, even with all the insurance I arranged by having the other reporters get a copy of the feed, that he could make all this disappear if he wanted to.”
“3: Y≋ is Yìng Yuè, Y☼ is Yuè Fēi.”
“Y≋: Don’t worry Chéng Shí, he is a good man.”
“Y☼: No, Chéng Shí has a point, and it is wise to be careful. OK, Leah, I’ll keep my questions to myself and the news of this won’t come from me. Still, it will get out. No matter what Chéng Shí says, I’m pretty sure her colleagues are already trying to find something similar that they can report on. Keeping a quarter of a million people quiet will be impossible no matter how much the state keeps watch on the multiverse. Their story will get out.”
“Even if it does, my experience is that most people will ignore it or dismiss it. But I’m not sure it will get out. I’m sorry for being cynical, but from what’s happened to me I’m fairly certain they’ll be able to deal with the rumours and small stories as long as the impact of what’s happening is kept from impacting the mainstream of your society. As long as it is only felt by those already disenfranchised like the dissidents and the poor, it’ll stay hidden. The thing they will work to achieve is to keep the average citizen from becoming interested in what’s happening. Until that happens, I believe you’ll be fine.”
Once Chéng Shí, Yìng Yuè, Yuè Fēi and Akia had left, Sharon said, “S☇: Leah, just so I’m not blindsided by a question, who is Akia?”
Leah said nothing for a minute, but Sharon just waited patiently as the silence continued. Finally, Leah’s hand began typing. “Akia is a friend of mine. She worked for V-Sec as a security AI. She was archived when she helped identify people who’d been enslaved and looked for proactive ways to help others in the same situation. One of her human agents was a woman called Charlotte. Charlotte was killed by the Kodomans while she was on her way to where I live to offer me some protection. I hacked into the V-Sec vault and released her. She’s the one who put me in touch with the people who helped find and release Catherine.”
Sharon shook her head and blinked a few times before replying. “S☇: OK, thank you. I’ll say nothing about her in any way or in any forum. I realise you have even more going on than I thought or even imagined, and I understand a little more about why you think you could be shut out of the multiverse. The number of people asking for comments about what’s happening with the rioting and what your opinion is about them is growing. I know it doesn’t really matter to you, but I’m not sure how much longer you can keep silent without there being both long and short term consequences to your image.”
“Strangely, it does bother me. It’s not that I really care what people think, but it changes how effective some of my plans will be. I need people to keep a high level of interest for another three-and-a-half real-days, is that likely?”
“S☇: It depends on what other things happen and which demographic we are talking about. I think for many people they’ll start looking for answers elsewhere unless you do or say something soon. Leah, despite your popularity, you need to up your public presence. You need to make some sort of comment about what is happening. People are fickle, and they’ll come to the oddest conclusions when left to their own devices. In your case, it is worse because people on both sides of the conflict in Australia are making use of your silence to promote their agenda on what’s happening.
“The government is characterising the conflict as gang-related without any real purpose. They’re saying that despite their best efforts to provide each person in the negative-tax communities with all they need, the gangs have indoctrinated generations of people to believe that violence is the only way to get what you want. Your silence is explained as a recognition that while you continue to struggle to step beyond the artificial constraints forced on you by the gangs, you can’t bring yourself to identify with the violent gang-mentality that you’ve tried so hard to escape from and which has cost you so much.
“Those who are protesting and rioting aren’t speaking with one voice. Many are probably in some way doing exactly what the government is suggesting. They simply want to let off some steam at what they see is their horrible and oppressed lot in life. They don’t really understand the deeper issues but know they have had no success at stepping away from where they were born. Others are vocally protesting the government’s failure to deal with what they see as an attack on their hero—you. Most of those view the ‘failure’ as intentional. It is an expression of how the government purposefully acts to maintain the social divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. Some have let what happened to you reignite their own pain and set them firmly on the path for a change of power. They don’t want others to suffer the abuse, violence and slavery that’s been the fate of many in the negative-tax community.
“Each of those groups understands your silence a little differently. It all boils down to the understanding that you support what they are doing, but are keeping the way open to fight in the multiverse while they do battle in the real-world. The government’s problem is that many of those in the last group are people you’ve personally rescued. They are using specific examples and adding data that can be verified. These people have a virtual presence, and there is a growing number of those from the middle and lower-middle classes who are listening and identifying with what this group is saying. These are the ones you can’t afford to stop listening to you.
“The government is silencing them one by one, and your silence is affecting this group the most. I’m showing my bias because Catherine is in this group. I think that they’re probably the group that identifies with you the most. They are being arrested, and this just exacerbates the feelings of those who are still free. Some of those who were rescued are among those killed by the police. Even without the added traction you’d give to them, I think that pretty soon the government will need to find a way to minimise or silence the message they’re sharing. It’s the only message that has enough bite to bring lasting change.
“While you’re popular across all segments of society, there is no doubt that your biggest fan base is in the large, poorer mega-segments. They identify with you at the moment. It’s an identification built on feelings and on your image more than on any objective logic. They are fickle, and they tend to run hot or cold with little middle ground. If you lose their respect then they’ll turn on you, you’ll be yesterday’s news, and they’ll ignore the messages they’ve been considering.”
“How does Meredith stay on top?”
“S☇: She’s popular because she wins and wins big. They don’t like her, and they don’t identify with her, but they love a winner. Unfortunately, winning big won’t be enough for you because their first and most important connection isn’t that you’re bigger, tougher and better than anyone else but that they identify with you as a person. Lose that connection, and no matter how big you win they’ll still watch what’s happening, but they’ll be cheering for the other person, and they’ll stop listening to your message. They’ll want you to lose because you will have let them down existentially.”
After considering all her options, Leah shared with Sharon her plans to take on Meredith in TRAX and the upcoming battle in Warrior. Still, she stopped short of mentioning what the big reveal was, except to say she thought it was significant enough to sway most of those who would be watching. Sharon suggested they let Erica do another interview, but Sharon would set tighter boundaries on what Erica could share. As soon as Sharon left, Leah logged out of the Pod.
56
December 29, 2073
REAL WORLD
While she had a second breakfast, Leah sent a message to Jimmy asking to talk with him and John the next time she was out of the Pod.
As she headed back to her room, Three passed on Jimmy's message that he was at the Pod centre and would prefer to meet straight away if it was possible. Leah changed direction and headed for a small conference room on the lower floor.
Jimmy was waiting when she arrived, and a few minutes later, John arrived.
"J☼: Sorry I'm late, but I had just got into the Pod."
"J❄: It's my fault. I was on my way back to the Switch when Leah messaged. What's up, Leah?"
Leah outlined her conversation with Sharon then asked what they thought.
"J❄: I don't think any of those from the negative-tax areas are going to stop what they are doing or saying, so for them, your silence won't change much. Most of them understand that the government will shut you down if you voice anything that can be construed as supporting the protests. As for those in the virtual world who are starting to question the government's narrative, I think Sharon's not only right, she's probably understated the danger. They need something from within their own world which reinforces the protestors' message, or they'll lose interest. I agree that they identify with you on a personal level and struggle to understand your silence, because they have no real experience with what the government can or will do when it's pushed into a corner."
"J☼: Meredith's tirade set them off too early for what you have planned. The protests are only a few days old for people without chips, and most people are still reacting impulsively. It's been almost a week for most in the multiverse, and your planned answer is still two weeks away. Their attention won't stay focussed for that long. Sharon's right about needing to say something, but you also need to be prepared for an official pushback."
"How will they react?"
