by Tony Corden
Contestants who came in the top three on any given day were eligible to compete the following day at the same level. Otherwise, they dropped a tier for each day they didn’t play. World rankings were based on the highest result in any thirty-day period. Once each real-month, the top twenty racers in each class competed for a grand prize. The world charged fees to enter each race as well as for adding improvements to vehicles. Spectators paid to watch races and some even bought yearly subscriptions to view the top tier races from exclusive boxes and vantage points on the race track. From the fees, the owners of TRAX paid out prize money to winners of each race. With prize money of over half-a-million virtual credits awarded for each tier one race, the competition was fierce. In some classes, the prize was ten times that.
Leah asked Gèng to search for a site where she could learn the basics of driving and motorbike riding. It wasn’t something she’d ever done, but she wanted to experience it before trying her hand at a Tier Twelve race. She wasn’t keen on paying for each time she played even though she knew she had enough money. It was just that it seemed almost frivolous to her. Still, if she won, then the prize money would more than cover it.
Leah had just finished reading Gèng’s analysis on driver sites when Three passed on a request from Major White for an urgent meeting. She said, “Three, please contact either Gianna or Maeja at Ascendent. They are my personal concierges there—Gèng will have the contact details. Please ask them to arrange a suitable location for a meeting between Major White and myself. I wish it to have the highest security possible. I’ll see him after I’ve been to Cosmos Online. Also, ask them to arrange a time with Ivan, Noah and Yuè Fēi. It isn’t urgent but sometime in the next twenty-four hours would be best. Oh, invite, Thad and Amy to that meeting as well.”
“3: Catherine Thang will be arriving in two virtual minutes.”
Leah acknowledged the reminder by standing and making her way toward the entry dais. As she walked from the Tower and across the open space, she missed the feeling of the breeze, the sound of the water and the smell of the fresh grass and flowers. Of all these, she could have felt the breeze, but her tactile senses were maxed out, keeping her aware of her environment.
She saw Catherine arrive and waved as she approached. As Catherine stepped off the podium, Leah stepped in and gave her a hug, then said, “Thank you so much for coming. I’ve been thinking of you, and I was going to say something about how I hope you’ve found some peace or something like that, but if you’re like me, then the memories are still too close and too vivid.”
Catherine closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She said, “Only those who were slaves really understand the sheer horror and terror of losing control but still being aware of everything that happens.”
As Leah led the way to the gazebo, she said, “I wasn’t a slave for long but what I did experience haunts me. If I’m honest, I’m glad to be back in the pod because it’s the dreams that terrify me the most. I’m actually afraid to close my eyes in the real world even though I can’t see anything. I simply don’t want to sleep.”
“That’s what drives most of us back into the multiverse. The opportunity for a deep and dreamless sleep. I want to thank you for the Pod access. That, and the counselling, made a big difference. Without these, I would probably have taken a different route. Most of the people I talk with say the same. Some of those who’ve refused any help have already taken that route.”
Leah typed a message to Gèng but asked Three to let Catherine hear. “Excuse me, Gèng, if you have a few moments could you come and meet with Catherine and I?”
Gèng’s voice was shared with Catherine, “4: I’ll be there in a moment.”
Gèng appeared just as Leah and Catherine sat. She was carrying a tray with drinks and some snacks. Leah said, “Catherine, this is the AI who was uploaded into my first PAI chip. Her name is Gèng.”
“3: T is for Catherine Thang.”
“T: Hello, Gèng. I wish my AI had been able to stop me from being enslaved.”
“4: That had nothing to do with me really. When I was uploaded, the process modified some parameters that weren’t supposed to be changed. If that hadn’t happened, then Leah and I would have been in the same situation you and your AI were in. I assume Leah wanted to discuss the rate of suicide among those who’ve been released. Some people blame the AI, but I know from the few moments of slavery I lived through that I was absolutely helpless. My whole purpose for existing had been ripped away, and I could do nothing.”
“Do you think any of the AI might need help?”
“T: You mean like counselling?”
“Yes. It may simply mean a guided rebuild to purge some of the damaged memories or adaptive procedures.”
“4: I’ll talk with Dr Roberts about it and see if some of those who’ve been rescued might agree to me talking with their AI. It’s an interesting hypothesis. If we as AI who have a purpose are frustrated or hindered from achieving that purpose, can that cause long-term damage to our development even when the problem is rectified? Leave it with me.”
“Thank you, Gèng. Have you any statistics of those who were rescued and their progress?”
“4: Over eighty per cent took up the government’s offer of counselling and over half of those have returned to the multiverse in one way or another. Five of these have taken their lives, none of them re-entered the multiverse. In three of those situations the damage or hurt done to their extended family seems to have been the biggest burden. Of the eighteen per cent who declined the offer, twelve have taken their lives.”
“Catherine, would it help if the offer came from someone other than the government or the multiverse officials?”
“T: Probably. I was reluctant at first because of who offered it but in the end decided it might be helpful.”
“Gèng, could you ask Leon to set aside the funds and talk with Dr Roberts to find a suitable way to make the offer?”
“4: No problem, I’ll do that while we talk.”
“Thank you. Now, Catherine, I wanted to discuss your offer of help. War has been declared in Dunyanin but I want to go further and wage it across the multiverse. I suspect those of you who were slaves know who the slavers were. The Emersons controlled you and many were enslaved by the Kodomans. Even though this is known by the authorities, there has been nothing officially done to curtail their actions. In every case, they’ve had other people primed to take the fall, and they’ve come out of the situation clean and free.
“Having said that, in Pneumatica, the Emerson empire is no more. Thad Emerson, John’s son, is my boyfriend and he’d been enslaved by his parents though he didn’t know it. He’s put everything they owned in the game at my disposal. I want to know who else owns slaves in Pneumatica and I want them ruined. Everything they own, their titles, their land, I want it taken from them or destroyed. I want their avatars hunted down and killed, time and again until they stop playing. I want them so harassed that they complain about the victimisation.
“In Cosmos Online, I want Mahigan to lose her spaceships. I want ships to attack her mines and take them over. In Dunyanin I want Merideath’s clan decimated. Wherever these people play, I want them to start losing. Meredith plays TRAX and I want her off the leader board. Gèng and I have discussed this and she is willing to liaise with you and any others who want to join this war. If you come across people you think are enslaved then have your AI contact Gèng, and she’ll arrange for people to investigate. You offered to help, but if this is too much then don’t hesitate to refuse.”
Catherine smiled and said, “T: No hesitation. There are a few personal worlds and sites that have been set up for those who were rescued. We’ve discussed doing something like this but held back. Part of the reason is we know it isn’t sustainable long term. Eventually, the worlds would bow to pressure and work with people like Meredith to shut us down or worse, ban us completely.”
“I understand that, but I have other things in play. I don’t exp
ect to win with such small numbers. Still, I want them so busy putting out fires and trying to defend themselves in-game that they aren’t preparing for the other things I have planned. I need a week.”
“T: Then starting now, you will have a week. If it’s mayhem you want, then mayhem you will get.”
Leah smiled and said, “I want more than mayhem. I want war.”
After discussing the plan for several more minutes, Catherine left, and Gèng disappeared. Leah headed into the Tower and up to the portal to Cosmos Online.
52
December 26 2073 - 3
COSMOS ONLINE
The area of the Tower which had been set up to enter the various games had been expanded to account for the multiple avatars Leah had in Cosmos Online. One opened into an empty fighter in the Epsilon Serpentis system, one to a hotel in the Hydra system somewhere in Anguidian space. The final one had been in the Control Room on the system she and Wisp had renamed Seraph, but Wisp had arranged for it to be transferred to the main bedroom in a villa Leah had purchased on the station she was a part-owner of. When Leah arrived, she found that the wardrobe in her room now held the inner part of her mechanised armour, the personal spacesuit she’d been wearing on the Betrayal, and the new armour from the Seraph range that Gèng had designed.
Sliding into the Seraph Armour, she sent a message telling Wisp she’d arrived and got the reply asking Leah to meet Wisp on the avenue outside her mansion. Wisp planned to be there within a few minutes. As Leah walked out of the large home she’d chosen, she concentrated on the image displayed on the left part of her body and recognised the mansion Thad had chosen. To her right was one Amy had picked. Wisp had taken the one opposite. Leah could feel the energy shield above her but nothing beyond that.
Leah asked Three where either of the two inhabited planets, Tsolar or Tsovinar were and if they would normally be visible from where she was. Both should have been visible, but the SNAIL protocol Leah had designed hadn’t been programmed to deal with such vast distances. Leah asked Three to talk with the Gèng and the SNAIL Calibration AI and see if they had any workarounds. Before she could do anything else, she felt Wisp approaching.
“W: Wow, Leah, the suit looks fantastic. Thad and Amy are on their way. With that suit, have you got something in mind to do?”
“Not really, I just want to spend time with my friends. We can chat and walk, claim a spaceship, explore one of the levels here on the station, or visit one of the planets. I’m open to almost anything. I put the suit on because Gèng made it for me and I sort of miss having her in my head all the time. I mean, I can still talk with her whenever I want but not for the everyday and ordinary things like before. How much time do you have?”
“W: Me? I have the next three real-hours free. Marianne said she’d like a few minutes if we’re free. I think she likes the personal touch and with you being out of contact, Amy and I have been her sounding board. I think she just wants to touch base. How about you and time?”
“I’ve planned to spend two hours here, then I have to get back into Dunyanin. Three’s been keeping me up to date with announcements on the war, and I suspect I’ll be pulled into it sooner rather than later. I want to see if I can finish the quests on Mt Siddetli first.”
“W: What do you mean, ‘pulled into it’?”
“I imagine there are hundreds, if not thousands, of players already heading to Mt Siddetli looking for me. I’ve decided that if it’s a war they want then that’s what they’ll get. I’d like to get at least another quest done before I’m found, but when I am, then I plan to go on the offensive rather than hide.”
“W: Why?”
“All sorts of plans and then more plans within those plans. It all boils down to me going hunting for Merideath and her ilk. I’ve already started to put things in motion so she can’t move anywhere in her favourite games without being attacked. If nothing else, I plan to annoy the heck out of her, so she doesn’t see everything headed her way.”
“Are you surprised neither she nor Nathan have been vocal since your disappearance and return?”
“A little, but then I realised they’ve completely distanced themselves from everything that’s been going on. Reporters aren’t asking for any comment because that would imply a connection. Sharon said that one of her friends did an interview with John Emerson and was handed a long list of topics not to be discussed. My name was at the top. I imagine Nathan and Meredith have been doing the same thing. Once I go on the offensive, they’ll have to say something. When they do, then I need to be ready for the next step.”
“What’s the next step?”
“War.”
Wisp was thinking of a reply when Leah felt Thad and Kate approaching from her left and Amy from her right. Lifting her hands, she waved in both directions after greeting them all, she said, “Do you guys mind if we drop in and see Marianne first? She wants to catch up, and I’d like to get that out of the way.”
Everyone agreed, and Leah reached for Thad’s hand as they headed for the station’s main administration area. Tens of thousands of people wandered the streets, but the city still looked underpopulated. Here and there, Leah could see the occasional Vinarian. She couldn’t tell if they were players or NPCs. They were basically elven in shape with a mixture of flesh and scales. They wore minimal clothing, but the scales gave the appearance of armour. They came in all shades of blue, green, bronze, silver and gold. Wisp saw Leah’s interest and explained the different colours, then said, “W: Their legs can actually morph in water to help them swim. The more senior ones can change what type of tail they have. The younger ones are born with tails like fish, and when they get older can form legs or fins like dolphins, some create a jet-like movement of water similar to what squid use. I even saw one whose whole bottom half was elongated like a huge eel.”
“Have you been down to the planet?”
“W: Not yet, I’d like to, but they say it takes a few hours to finish the orientation. Players aren’t required to do the orientation but those who don’t just seem to swim in circles all day. It makes it hard to go on any quests.”
“A: Why don’t we all give it a go after we see Marianne? It’ll be fun, and we all need some downtime.”
Everyone agreed, and they just chatted generally until they arrived at the offices where Marianne managed the system from. Wisp had sent word ahead, and when they arrived, Marianne was waiting. After greeting everyone and spending time sharing her horror at what had happened to Leah, they all took a seat in one of the conference rooms.
After Marianne made sure Kate knew the discussion was confidential, she said, “M: Leah, please don’t take this the wrong way but your abduction came at the worst possible time. I know that sounds terrible, but it isn’t meant that way. What happened to you was evil, but it also ruined the launch of this system. We had twelve hours where we blew all the previous releases out of the water. Seraph as a system was the brightest thing in the multiverse. That interest should have lasted at least a week before slowing down or being eclipsed by something newer. When news of your abduction hit the multiverse interest in Seraph died almost instantly.
“Nothing I’ve said means we aren’t a success, we are. We’re still breaking records but not like we would have. Shares in Cosmos Online are up, but they haven’t soared like predicted. Everyone involved will still make millions, if not billions off the system, but it’ll be a much longer journey. I want to start advertising more aggressively but everyone I talk with say that the best way to market this is to use the Atherleah brand. I know you don’t want that, but I’m all out of ideas.”
“T: Will the interest soar when the portal opens?”
“M: Absolutely, but I’d like to have that happen when we begin to take a dip in interest, not straight away. I know you planned to have that open before now, but honestly, I’m glad for the interval. By the way, how long before your team thinks the next station will be claimed?”
“A: It could be today, or it could be a month
from now. The people working to claim it are long term players, but they aren’t Atherleah and Wisp. I’ve seen the challenges to claim this system, and I think I’d still be stuck outside.”
Leah had been listening, but her mind had also been thinking through the options. The others all talked around her for the next five minutes or so until Thad noticed Leah wasn’t really paying attention. He tried not to look at her and didn’t speak aloud, but by mouthing words and using his eyes, he eventually got everyone to go silent. Leah didn’t notice as the other five slowly turned to watch her.
Finally, after three minutes of silence, Leah realised she hadn’t been paying attention and that Three hadn’t printed anything out on her finger for some time. Almost embarrassed, she said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. Where were we?”
“K: Where were you?”
“Just day-dreaming through the options.”
“T: And?”
“And, what?”
“T: And what crazy scheme have you come up with?”
“It isn’t crazy. It’s just a bit out of left-field and sort of came from some other things I have going on.”
“W: Like war?”
“Yes, something like that.”
“A: What do you mean, war?”
“W: Leah’s declaring war on Meredith and Nathan. She said she was going hunting.”
“A: About time. I’m in. When, where, and how?”
“W: We hadn’t finished saying, but I imagine it’ll be in Dunyanin, in Cosmos Online and wherever Meredith feels comfortable and successful.”
