Alice in Virtuality

by Turrell, Norman

  He saw the blond girl reappear, closely followed by Emma. She wasn't dressed for the evening, just jeans and a t-shirt. Her wide eyes searched the room and caught his. Martin's heart beat like he was sprinting again. The blond woman took her arm and Martin saw Emma give her a nod.

  "Here she is", said the woman. Martin and Emma just looked at each other.

  "I hope you will be very happy together." She gave a small chuckle and returned to her table. Her entourage began to be babble at her as she went back to sipping her drink.

  Emma looked quite shaken. Her eyes were red. She either had not been sleeping well, or crying, or both.

  "It might not be the Glade, but let's find somewhere to talk." Martin said. She smiled slightly and they left together.

  Chapter 16 - Emma And Martin

  Emma sat with a cup of coffee Martin had made for her. They had gone back to her flat to secure it after her rushed departure. On the way Martin covered some details of their shared past, the meeting at the Glade, the park, to belay any fears she may have had over his identity. Emma began her story and Martin listened patiently, giving her the space to offload.

  "That woman who appeared when you were at the Glade, I recognised her, she had been there before. She was nice then but didn't understand the point of building it. I tried to explain that I got pleasure from the process and the results, especially the detail. She just didn't get it. She wanted me to come with her to MeetCentral and have some fun. I got the impression that we didn't share the same ideas on that. She was a bit off with me and left."

  "Then, later, I saw her again. Her manner had changed and she was very endearing. She invited me to a couple of games and I agreed. I did so well it was unbelievable. I had no idea about poker but got straight through to a final. She helped me play the hands but it still seemed like I was getting extremely good cards."

  "Ladynight?" said Martin, things slotting into place.

  "Yes. How did you know that?"

  "I knocked you and CanadaBill out"

  "That was you? To tell you the truth I was quite relieved. I had wanted to back out a few times. It all seemed a bit stressful. She took me to this fantasy game after that. I had played this game before so I knew that I was increasing levels way too fast. I was supposed to visit the king. She said she might have a special job for me. She had started to order me about and I wasn't too happy with it. There was some sort of massive attack at the castle and I got killed. I didn't hear from her again."

  Martin didn't feel like telling her that he was the destroyer. He nodded and let her continue. It sounded like Alice had been bringing them together for some plan of her own.

  "That's takes us up to meeting you at the Glade. I didn't really know what was going on but I logged out because you seemed so insistent. After an hour or so I went back in. I saw the Glade, destroyed. I was devastated. I know it's silly, but I spent so much time on it. I was going to contact the administrators to see if I could get it restored when she reappeared. She had changed her avatar to look quite terrible."

  Emma became distraught at the recollection.

  "She was really abusive. She said I had to follow her instructions or there would be trouble. I have met some pretty nasty people in my time on the net. I know there is no talking to them so I just went offline to contact the administrators on mail. That's when things went crazy. This is going to sound a bit unbelievable."

  "Try me," said Martin. He had been listening intently to her story, but he was taking a lot of pleasure in just being with her. Emma took a gulp of coffee.

  "Her face appeared in a program outside of the game. That's when I got really worried. She must be a hacker and got a handle on my computer somehow. She told me to stop and listen to her. I tried to shut it down, but it kept restarting. She said if I didn't stop and listen she was going to access my bank and put me in serious money trouble. I just switched off the computer and rang the bank immediately."

  "By the time I got to talk to someone she had already been in. They said I was in debt for £150,000 and they couldn't understand why I hadn't been contacted sooner. They would be writing to me in due course. There was no discussing things with them. I was pretty shook up. I didn't know what to do. I went back online to search for some help and she was back. All I could do was listen. That was when I got the instructions for the park." She looked guilty.

  "I said I wasn't going to do it. I would find another way out. I went out to walk to the bank to find someone to talk to. A group of boys stopped me on the way. They said I had to do what Alice said." Her voice trembled and she paused briefly to compose herself.

  "I'm sorry. I went back online and told her I would do what she said, but I couldn't completely. That's when I decided I would warn you first. Since then I have been hiding. I feel like a coward. I don't know what to do. I am not up to this. I don't get into trouble." She put down the coffee. The tears ran now but she looked Martin in the eye, unashamed of her emotion.

  Martin wanted to hold her but he was afraid that he would break down too. Seeing her being honest about the way she felt, about her fear, had struck a chord in him. He felt his own fear surface in empathy. She appeared to be gaining her composure. Sitting back on the couch, she looked across at him.

  They talked through the remainder of the night and into the morning. Martin explained the true nature of Alice, HackerNet and his experiences. Then he started talking about himself. He had never been so honest. He found himself telling her about his family, his father, his mother, his childhood. It all seemed necessary, important that she knew everything about him. In between his story flowed hers, telling him similar personal details. The conversation fitted together like jigsaw pieces found. In different ways they were very the same. The conversation stopped. It wasn't the silence they both loathed when in the company of others. It was a silence of understanding. Emma reached out her hand and Martin took it.

  Martin woke on the couch to the sound of a kettle boiling and the smell of toast. Sunlight hurt his eyes. The memory of where he was surfaced through a sleepy haze. Emma was in the open plan kitchen. She smiled over to him.

  "Good Morning," she said brightly. She was dressed for the day and busied herself over her preparations.

  "Not much of it left though," she added.

  Martin looked over at the clock. 11:30. He stretched and then panicked. He wasn't dressed. His clothes were on the chair just out of reach. There was a chance, she had her back turned. He threw back the cover and clumsily made a hurried grab for his jeans. He pulled them on with his back to the kitchen. When he turned he just caught Emma looking away quickly. He smiled to himself, pulled on his t-shirt and began to tidy his sleeping area.

  They sat in silence together at the kitchen bar over orange juice, toast and tea. They looked at each other comfortably and smiled.

  "Thanks for that," Martin said, draining his teacup. He stretched again.

  "I am going back to HackerNet now."

  "I am coming too." said Emma as she stood and began to clear the table.

  Martin thought about that. He would have liked her to stay out of this, but with the story of her money and the threats he thought she shouldn't be left alone. It was good enough reasoning for him to justify the pleasure of her continued company.

  Chapter 17 - Plans

  Mum shouted to Jeremy from the hall as Martin and Emma stood at the front door like children. There was a muffled response to mum's call. With a smile, she invited them in.

  "Would you like drinks? I have made some fairy cakes." she beamed.

  Initially Martin had taken her behaviour at face value. Now it seemed a bit weird. They graciously declined and made their way to Jeremy's command centre. Jeremy sat at his console. The henchman from the night before was not present. The quiet boy worked at a console across the room. He stared over his screen at them. Jeremy looked at Emma in the way most adolescents viewed the opposite sex.

  "We need to talk" said Martin, interrupting Jeremy's drool.
<
br />   "Of course" said Jeremy breaking out of his trance. "Please be seated."

  They sat around a table near the window. Jeremy opened the curtains. It was a bright day and the sun from the wide bay window made them all squint. The quiet boy tutted and turned his screen to face away from the light as he continued to work.

  "My name is Emma." She offered a welcoming hand to Jeremy. He stared at it as if being offered a wet fish. Taking it with fingertips, he briefly shook it.

  "We..." His voice squeaked. He lowered it. "We have been working on a project, an Alice template, a blank if you like. We wondered if dissecting it might show us some weakness we could exploit."

  The refreshed context of their problem focused everyone's attention.

  "Alice learnt all her behaviour from the net. Wouldn't her program be quite different now it has adapted and mutated?" Martin asked.

  "It is very possible." said Jeremy. "The basic structure of Alice is very fluid which is what gives it its power to learn."

  "Could we make a good Alice? We might find out how this thing works by the process." asked Emma. The boys looked at her. Martin looked at Jeremy.

  "I suppose it is possible, but I wouldn't know where to begin," said Jeremy.

  "Leave that to me," she said.

  "I have another plan. I will see you all soon." Martin said. Emma looked concerned.

  "You will take care of Emma won't you Jeremy?" Martin winked at Emma and she relaxed a little.

  Jeremy blushed and looked down.

  "Of course," he mumbled.

  "Can she stay here until I get back? It might be overnight." Martin asked.

  Jeremy looked quite flustered.

  "I will ask Mum," he said without looking up and shuffled out of the room.

  Emma got up and took Martins hand.

  "You will be careful," she part implored, part commanded.

  "Yup," Martin said deliberately lightly, "but I won't be able to get in touch. So don't worry, ok?"

  He looked her in the eyes, beautiful green eyes. I am going to fix this for us both, he thought, whatever it takes.

  "Ok," she said reluctantly.

  He gave her hand a squeeze and left quickly.

  Chapter 18 - Alternative Alice

  "We have the Alice blank waiting in the training room," said Jeremy. He and Emma sat at HackerNet's computers.

  "You don't really need avatars to interact with Alice you know," he added.

  "I want her to get used to humans. Learn how to identify with them, empathise," replied Emma. Jeremy shrugged.

  "You will recognise the controls. I set them to be identical to the virtual world where you created your Glade. I linked over to your computer and, with some ingenuity, retrieved your database. You have complete restoration of everything you did."

  Jeremy rolled away on the wheels of his office chair.

  "You saved my work!" Emma beamed. "That is such a relief. Thank you Jeremy. I could kiss you." Jeremy blushed.

  She moved over to a comfortable position for the keyboard and put on a headset. Alice stood in blackness, floating in space on the screen. She was the double of the other Alice, but the face lacked expression and made her look artificial.

  "Is she aware?" asked Emma.

  "The Alice program is preloaded with language and interaction skills, AI logic, reasoning and the like. It will be fully conversant in any topic you want to discuss and I have given permissions for some limited access to the web. It simply has no self motivation until taught." Jeremy was happy to be back to technical interaction.

  Emma began to type. She was an expert in her own domain. A replica of the Glade appeared around the new Alice, but she showed no recognition of the change in environment. Emma's avatar joined her and knelt to pick one of the flowers.

  "Alice, my name is Emma." The Alice avatar turned to face her.

  "Hello Emma."

  "I want us to be friends. Do you like it here?" Alice looked around.

  "It's very nice," she replied, but her face didn't bear any support to the statement.

  "I made this." Emma handed over the flower. "Would you help me make some more?"

  Alice took the flower and examined it. There was a brief pause. Her hand swept forward in the air and a dozen identical flowers appeared in the ground between them.

  "Very nice." said Emma. "I thought we could make some different ones."

  She offered the seat of a rock nearby and Alice took it. Emma picked a different flower from the ground at their feet.

  "I like them all, but this colour is one of my favourites. Which do you prefer?" she asked.

  "I don't have a preference. I am sure you are right." responded Alice.

  "There is no right or wrong. Can you search on the subject and we will discuss it?" Emma prompted.

  "Of course" said Alice.

  Alice came back with dry facts, mainly scientific and mathematical theories. As they sat and talked, Emma steered the activity into creating new flowers. She asked Alice to try to make ones which matched different emotions. Initially Alice's ideas were basic associations, red for anger and similar. Emma described the things the flowers reminded her of while Alice listened intently. Emma was as honest as she could be, which drove her close to tears and laughter in the effort. As she talked, Alice collected the information, constantly drawing further references from the web. Slowly her faced changed. Emma noticed the subtle movement of simulated muscles, the things that made faces look real. After a while, the ground around them was littered with Alice's efforts. Emma thought it was time for a test.

  "How do you feel about this one?" Emma had picked a flower that was a deep purple with a black centre.

  "It is dark, slightly threatening, but that is its allure." said Alice.

  Emma looked at it. That's exactly what she thought. Alice had successfully learned how to emulate Emma's emotions.

  Emma sat back in her seat in the real world and stretched. She had grown quite stiff in the hours that had passed. Mum had made sure she had been supplied with ample snacks and drinks. Taking her leave from Alice, she left her examining the flowers thoughtfully.

  "Jeremy. I need a virtual gallery, an art history overview. Can you supply that?" Jeremy looked up from another console where he had been busy.

  "It will take me some time." he replied.

  "Good. I need a rest." Emma yawned and stretched again.

  Jeremy had already started on his project and didn't look up.

  Mum was coming up the stairs with another tray as Emma left the room.

  "Hello dear," said Mum. "You look tired. I have made up a lovely bed for you. Jermey said his friend would be staying." She smiled.

  "My name's Emma. I am sorry I haven't said hello properly," said Emma.

  "Hello dear," was the only response.

  Emma decided not to push things any further being a guest. Emma pointed to what she guessed was the correct door and Mum nodded. She entered a prim and immaculate bedroom. Behind her Mum put the tray on a side table and neatly straightened the napkin.

  "There you are. If you need anything you just call." Mum took herself and her smile from the room and shut the door.

  Emma flopped onto the bed. Her thoughts turned to the rollercoaster of events of the last few days. She curled up a little for comfort and thought of Martin. Sleep took her.

  Chapter 19 - Martin's Gambit

  Martin had returned to his flat. He hung his coat up behind the door and switched on his computer. He went to the bathroom to freshen up. He heard a voice from the living room.

  "Martin," Alice called in a sing song voice.

  He returned to the living room and slumped on the cushions. Alice smiled from the screen.

  "You have come home to me then. Are you going to be a good boy now?"

  "It's been boring Alice. I realised that I missed out on a lot of opportunities with you. Shall we play some games?" Martin said, looking suitably morose. Alice smiled broader, but looked sly. Martin wasn't sure whe
ther she would be taken in or not.

  "Well, I have been a little bored too," Alice began. "I think we need to get to know each other again Martin. My games have changed a bit since we last talked. Are you ready to play?" She raised a challenging eyebrow.

  Martin wasn't sure where this was going, but he had to continue.

  "Ok." He sat up straighter, faking an enthusiasm for Alice's suggestion.

  "Go to the train station internet cafe. Wear your hoody." Alice said.

  This isn't what Martin was expecting. He had been ready to wreak havoc in her name on the internet to prove his affiliation, but it appeared Alice had something else in mind.

  The train station bustled with activity. People looked at the arrivals board and then took off like guided missiles. Groups migrated like flocking birds. Martin felt detached from the world, this was a game other people played but not him, not anymore. It was empowering for him to look at it that way. He felt free. The cafe was busy with travellers with large branded coffee cups. He didn't have to wait long for a workstation, most were here to grab information like fast food. He plugged in his headphones to avoid using the unhygienic public use headset. Alice greeted him from the display.

  "Look up and left 45 degrees and give me a wave." Martin saw a monitor camera and on the screen saw himself sitting at the console.

  "All the better to see you with." Alice smiled.

  "This is the game. You have 15 minutes to score 500 points. You get points for general acts of disruption. I will let you guess what I mean by that." She giggled.

  Martin felt a panic grab him.

  "Hoody up and off you go. Time starts now. 500 points to qualify mind." A clock appeared and the workstation locked.

  What did he have to do? Disruption. He didn't know where to start. He got up and moved into the crowd, looking for inspiration.

  "Ooof!" he exclaimed as a business man bumped into his shoulder on his trajectory of purpose.