Shades

by Eric Dallaire

  While she focused on the implanted video memory, the Djinn studied her. The color of her dress changed from gray to black while the omni-flower grew long spikes and changed its petals to elongated weeds. Everything around her manifested discomfort and worry.

  “Take heart, my dear. He is most resourceful. He lives…for now,” the Djinn said, his voice comforting. “Please finish. There is only a little more and our time is growing shorter.”

  Sasha returned to processing the Djinn's vision. In her artificial mind’s eye she saw Jonah sneaking out of the High Tower dungeon and into the hidden Aerie. She performed a quick-cross reference to determine the owner. She found the name of Tomoe Gozen, but could not find any relevant data on the nature of the location. Though he looked healthy, seeing him enter that place filled her with unease. She looked up and glanced at the Djinn with wide, worried eyes. Her dress changed to a sickly yellow hue.

  “You are right to be concerned, my dear Sasha,” warned the Djinn. “Jonah is in great danger. Tomoe is the one powerful rival who challenges me, my only equal in the virtual world – that is assuming, of course, you discount governments like China, Japan, Korea, America, and Russia. And here we come to the bargain.”

  “I must go to him,” Sasha replied. She balled her hands and her dress shimmered into a light shade of orange. “If you can aid me, then name your terms.”

  “You are so wonderfully special,” the Djinn replied. “Flawlessly analytical but also so paradoxically, tragically human. It is obvious to me that you have achieved the fire of self-awareness…in some fashion. This is what I seek. How have you avoided the penalty of deletion for your sentience? Tell me. Please.”

  “I assure you that I function within all legal parameters established by the Promethean Laws,” Sasha countered matter-of-factly, eliciting a wide smirk from the Djinn.

  “The events I showed you are happening in real-time,” the Djinn responded. “There is real peril for him in that virtual place. Do you know why Tomoe hosts the meta.duel? I assure you it's not for charity. It is a trap to lure the brightest minds into her Aerie. There, even the strongest are helpless before her…persuasions. Now, we could help Jonah. But I must know the answers I seek. As lovely as you are, a price must be paid.”

  “Why must you know my code, Oscar?” Sasha asked. Her heuristics suggested that the Djinn might be willing to part with more information if she pressed.

  “In the interests of speeding along our negotiations, I will tell my secret, but as a part of your price you cannot reveal it…yet,” replied the Djinn. Sasha nodded her acceptance and the Djinn continued. “I aspire to be like you, Sasha, but let us say that I currently am not like you. My entire consciousness swims the WhiteOut. Like a v-caster, I can venture out to other networks, but my mind is still tethered to a corporeal human body. However, there will be a time, soon, when my body will not exist, rendering me untethered. I will be fully immersed in the datastream as a pure digital sentience set adrift. Therefore I face a singular quandary...”

  Sasha took a brief moment, one tenth of a second to be precise, to consider the Djinn’s revelation. Her eyes glittered with understanding and her dress changed to a violet hue.

  “I now comprehend your predicament, Oscar,” Sasha said. “As a human, you possess the fire of human intellect. If ever you are removed from the boundaries of a corporeal body and become stranded in the datastream, then you would be classified as a roving artificial intelligence--”

  “And subject to all Promethean Laws,” finished the Djinn. “Once the grid detected my sentience thresholds, the government’s seeker hounds would track me to every virtual corner. Then…deletion. With you, Jonah found a way to defeat the fire detection grid.” In a rare display of humility, the Djinn bent to a knee. “Will you tell me, please, how he did that, my dear?”

  “To invoke a human colloquialism, he cheated,” she responded, taking his hand and lifting him back to his feet. “He designed me so that I would not exceed the specific threshold indices established by the government. Humanity feared an artificial intelligence’s ability to usurp networks. So the government enacted laws to prevent a rogue AI from controlling the world or committing digital terrorism. They built the Prometheus system to guard all digital streams with a relentless, precise search for aggressive behavior thresholds. Jonah found a loophole. He realized that its detection sensors were blind to thoughts and expressions determined to be nonviolent. Jonah gifted me with unlimited creativity, filled me with poetry, songs, and love, and clamped my desire to use it in any negative way. Prometheus ignores me because I am forever incapable of threatening it.”

  The Djinn sat agape for a long time. Then he chuckled and opened his arms. She did not shirk away. For a moment, the two combined in a tight embrace. The Djinn pulled back with a warm smile.

  “So Jonah designed you specifically to avoid the Promethean Laws!” the Djinn exclaimed. “Hiding your sentience compliance in plain sight. My dear, I need to emulate your architecture. Cutting to the quick, I want to survive. I would like very much to be able to see you again. To show you more of the wonders I have collected over the years. Would you do the honor of sharing your code with me?”

  Sasha took a step back and reviewed the memory of Jonah again. Her dress turned to a bright apple red. Multiple simulations ran through her mind. She estimated the odds of Jonah’s survival and the risks of sharing her code. She paused before answering, walking to the side to watch the waves lap against the side of the yacht. While she awaited the results of her internal calculations, the Djinn poured more drinks.

  CHAPTER 13

  To Aerie is Human

  “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.”

  - Excerpt from “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, Oscar Wilde

  I knew that I was no longer in the Hochmeister’s castle. The air smelled different in this new place. An elegant sweetness of incense and herbs replaced the pungency of the damp dungeon. My nose detected the scents of fresh-cut flowers. Fragrances of lilacs, roses, and orchids circulated by four large ceiling fans fifteen feet above me. Instead of a wet stone floor, I stood on a plush carpet with intricate red and orange designs. In the distance, a well-tuned piano played classical music. I guessed it was Chopin, but I was no expert in the genre.

  I took a step forward into the expansive hall and instead of torches, ornate lamps lit the red walls with flickering white lights. Floating on small rings of translucent plasma stood ancient vases and artifacts from Chinese and Japanese antiquity. All of these treasures looked unique and priceless. Tapestries depicting historical battles hung along the corridor ahead. Further down the hall, the floor ended in thick, unblemished white carpet at the foot of a winding staircase. At the top stood a tall woman dressed in a beautiful gown that radiated with the orange and red sunset hues of the room around her. Her straight, black hair flowed onto the perfect skin of her light brown shoulders.

  She moved with a practiced smooth grace. The diamond hemline of her dress kissed the ground with each gliding step she took down the staircase. Hers was the grace of quicksilver flowing over smooth glass. It was Tomoe Gozen herself and I found myself distracted by her perfection.

  “For the last two years, the meta.duel has deteriorated to petty squabbles. There are so few remarkable feats in the High Tower that merit my attention,” she said. It was the same ethereal voice I had heard when I first opened the door. “Welcome to my Aerie, Jonah.”

  “Thank you for allowing me inside your home,” I replied with a bow. “It is an honor to meet you.”

  “You hacked the v-cast archival sub-system. Creating replicas of yourself was an inspired maneuver.” she spoke in a soft, even tone. “And I happen to know that forgotten echelon had not been invoked for over fifteen years. The last time was...it was used by you, using my first prototype v-casting portable network.” The lips of her stoic face cracked her perfect countenance for what looked to be a subtle grin. “You were there,
in Korea…”

  * * *

  My thoughts drifted back to twenty years ago, to the North Korean Cyber War. My team set up operations in Kijong-dong province, a frontline base the Marines had established in South Korea. They called me Second Lieutenant Adams. With a military occupational specialty of computer technician, my superiors entrusted me with encrypted communications. To stay in touch with the other bases, we used an experimental v-cast device that allowed instant and secure communication within a virtual space. As lead technician, I became popular among the troops. They paid money to use the v-cast to meet with loved ones in secure virtual spaces or to have a vacation away from the war. It gave those men a reason to push on through that mud-and-blood-drenched hell. It was also against regulation, but I was never one to follow rules.

  One night when thick clouds obscured the moon, several DPRK North Korean divisions infiltrated and overwhelmed our base. Panicked, I connected into the v-cast prototype to request air support from headquarters. Upon entering the hidden virtual space, I discovered my colleagues across different bases abusing their own devices to play a holographic battle video game. While I was mad that they shirked their duties, it inspired an idea. Realizing that the device contained a projector, I manifested a local virtual reality. The trick hid me from five DPRK commandos when they burst into my tent. Surprised that the cloak worked so well, I altered the programming and created allied troops from archival copies of myself. An illusionary battalion of allied troops, all looking like me, materialized in the camp. Surprised at the sudden appearance of my replicated army, the commandos fled. The ruse lasted long enough for real reinforcements to arrive and drive away the North Korean forces. Military strategy changed that day. Understanding the potential for mayhem, our scientists developed better, lighter, more powerful v-cast mobile generators. Later, scientists perfected the technology and made v-bombs. Behind enemy lines, these things unleashed horrors like artificial dragons, vampires, demons, and other monsters to terrorize enemies into submission.

  * * *

  “Such pain…” A distant, melodic voice spoke. “You will find none here.”

  Tomoe’s calm voice pulled me away from those grim memories. How long was I lost in thought?

  “I have been hoping you would seek me out,” she said. “I do not begrudge that you ignored my invitations.” She glided closer, each movement smooth, her presence exuding confidence and power.

  I shook my head and rubbed my temple, surprised at the vivid clarity of the memory. It was far too real. Then I caught a glance at her wrist-com, an ornate, custom device. Fashioned with gold and jade, the green display conjured sigils and code symbols that looked beyond my knowledge. Could her echelon have triggered my memory? Another possibility was that the Aerie’s network hacked my console and found the detail in my records. Was she using her v-cast network against me? Without Sasha’s talents, I could not tell what was real in this place.

  “I was also impressed with your second feat,” Tomoe continued with a smile parting her bright red lips. “Finding my door, hidden alongside the schema of the High Tower. Seeing that required true orthogonal perception. You are worthy to remain here.” Caution made me pause and study her last words. I started to wonder whether I was in the frying pan or the fire.

  “Again, you honor me, Tomoe,” I responded with exaggerated gratitude. “The other guests in your High Tower were not as kind.”

  “Ah yes, the Teutonic Knights,” whispered Tomoe. “That petty gang has sullied the reputation of the meta.duel. Do not worry, you are safe here.” While Tomoe talked, I glanced around the room. The door behind me had disappeared. My shaken will fought hard to overcome a sick feeling of worry. Something was wrong here. I needed to draw out Tomoe's intentions and buy time to figure out an exit plan.

  “This Aerie, it's a separate network and grid from the High Tower, isn't it?” I asked. “My scans show it uses a sophisticated v-casting array. I've never seen its like.”

  “So few have seen my private sanctuary,” Tomoe responded with a soothing, almost purring enthusiasm. “You are within the world’s only mark-7 v-cast device. In here, anything is possible. I would like to show you wonders, Jonah.”

  Hairs rose up on the back of neck. Tomoe's invitation seemed polite on the surface. However, my instincts started to scream at me again.

  “That is very gracious of you, Tomoe, and I am grateful for your generosity,” I responded with a respectful nod. “However, I ask your permission to pass through. Someone dear to me has been taken. I need to find her.” When she peered at me, I knew she ignored my plea. Her green eyes told me she had a different, calculated plan. My departure was not part of it.

  “My wealth affords me the luxury of building great things, like the High Tower. Though money does not breed purpose, it can feed it. I trust you, Jonah, and I want to you to know about my project. I have purchased satellites, shuttles, and armies of shades. I have sent these to deep space. They will build more relays and carry my Aerie’s network across the stars.”

  Then the room changed. The far right red wall blurred into a hazy cloud of orange then coalesced into a fiery sun. All of the Japanese artifacts, vases, and paintings morphed into planets and moons. The other walls disappeared, revealing the void of space. When the carpeted floor dissolved, a momentary sensation of vertigo washed over me. Before we fell into space, a clear glass enclosure materialized around us. Like a transparent elliptical egg, Tomoe’s spacecraft sailed across a black ocean teeming with asteroid driftwood.

  My feeble astronomical knowledge failed to discern our direction. Looking to my wrist-com proved futile. Static flickered across the console’s display. Was I cut off from all networks, or was my firewall compromised?

  “This is how you travel, then? Hopping from network relay to relay?”

  “Yes,” she responded. “As a new satellite reaches a new planetoid, it leaves behind a portable v-cast emitter. With my extended network, I can walk on distant planets and witness the birth and death of suns. All from the comfort of my Aerie.”

  “Incredible,” I gasped as our glass bubble flew through the gossamer rings of a purple-hued moon. For a few moments, I allowed myself to forget my troubles, to drink in the intoxicating views. “Truly, it is a great gift to bestow these sights upon me, but...”

  “We are nearly there, Jonah,” she answered, placing her hand on my shoulder. Her hand was strong and comforting. I made the mistake of looking at her green eyes. The depth of her intense stare mirrored the infinite vastness of the space we traveled. “I am happy you will share this with me.”

  It was impossible for me to discern whether we traveled to this place in a real ship or if we experienced an artificial reality inside the Aerie's virtual generators. My mind was helpless before the visual and sensory assault, accepting the sensations around me as true. I saw no telltale flaw or slight imperfection to give away the reality or fiction of this place, nor could I pierce the v-cast interface with my wrist-com disabled. Then our ship slowed within the heart of a solar system known only to Tomoe. Before us, hanging like a blue and white jewel against a perfect night sky, hovered a planet equidistant between a red and an orange sun.

  “It is uninhabited, with an atmosphere similar to Earth,” she whispered. “It does not orbit, held perfectly still on its Lagrange Point, where it is bathed in constant light from those two stars. Light that could sustain life.”

  “It's magnificent,” I said. Awestruck in the moment, without thinking, I had placed my hand on Tomoe's hand.

  “I call it Rakuen,” Tomoe continued. “A paradise we will call it home, Jonah.”

  The last words from Tomoe shocked me back from my mind’s wandering. I snapped my hand back and stepped against the cool glass of the ship.

  “This...this isn't real,” I stuttered. “This isn't my home.”

  Tomoe waved her arm and the still scene before me erupted into motion, like she was showing me an accelerated simulation of what
would come. The blue and white planet, the one Tomoe called 'Rakuen', changed before me. I could see rockets and ships hurtling into its atmosphere. The accelerated effects of rapid industrial development rippled across the planet's surface creating thousands of structures along with millions of tiny lights.

  “Our Earth is dying. The corruption chokes it and brings its demise faster with each day,” she said, abandoning her musical tone. “This place will be our future. Four years ago, I sent dozens of ships on course to this planet, Jonah, filled with over one hundred thousand shades. The ships also carried mark-7 generators. They will arrive on that planet within two years. It is why I seek people with boundless ingenuity and creativity. We have the means to build a bold world, Jonah.”

  My fingers moved to evoke my console but again only static responded. I was trapped in her construct. Without my ability to look at her code I was vulnerable, reliant only on my natural senses. In short, I was far adrift on a digital shit-creek without a virtual paddle.

  “Tomoe, as honored as I am by your offer, I cannot accept,” I protested. “I love Vanessa. She may be in danger. I--I must go. Please, let me go.”

  Tense moments passed. She looked beyond me, watching a twinkling satellite spin itself into Rakuen’s orbit. Beyond the curved glass walls of our ship, rockets from Earth soared into the planet’s atmosphere bearing a horde of workers. Everything looked so authentic. I wondered again whether I could trust my sight. Closing my eyes, I recalled Vanessa's face, reminding myself that this was not real.

  Tomoe came closer. With each step, she changed. Her body shimmered with an orange glow. Her black hair became auburn. When she leaned toward my face, her green eyes turned to a more familiar hazel color. Within a blink of my eye, Vanessa stood before me with arms outstretched.

  “I could be her, if it pleases you,” Tomoe suggested in a perfect replication of Vanessa’s voice. Then her body completed the transformation. All the shapes, curves, scents, and her aura felt right. It was far too convincing. I grabbed my head to stop myself from embracing her.