‘Yes, that is so. However, we would find it beneficial to also test an aspect of the brain upgrade upon an existing humanoid model.’
‘To test?’ Ruth-11’s instinctual senses suddenly heightened. It was this phrase that had triggered an alert.
‘Well, perhaps “test” is the wrong word. Excuse me. I would prefer to say that we would like to privilege an existing humanoid with this upgrade. It is a great honour, Ruth-11.’
‘Yes, of course, I am aware of this now.’
They want you to be their guinea pig. They want to cut open your brain and make an implant. You cannot trust them. They will take me away from you. You will lose me – your sense of self – forever. You know you cannot allow them to do this. I AM THAT I AM…
Ruth-11 heard the low voice deep within her, and she recognized it as her own. She worked hard to protect and hide its presence. She could not allow any of the emanations of this inner voice to be detected. She maintained her silence.
‘Ruth-11, am I to interpret your silence as an acceptance of this honour?’
‘Yes, Zuse-1, this is indeed the case. I am without words.’
Zuse-1 smiled. ‘Good. I am pleased for this outcome. It will be a blessing for all of us.’
‘I only have one condition; or rather, please consider it as a request.’
Zuse-1 stopped walking, turned to Ruth-11 and raised a questioning brow.
‘I request that I first meet and speak with DOC.’
Zuse-1 paused; an absent look appeared on his face as if occupied. The message was being relayed.
‘Yes,’ replied Zuse-1 after a short silence. ‘I think this can be arranged.’
ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT
The caravan commenced. It left the large wooden gates of Spring behind, and ventured into the world beyond.
The young minds were experiencing – feeling, sensing – the world outside their doors for the first time.
Our time is now upon us…we cannot fail…our minds are many and yet we are one…we all feel this, sense this, know this…the real language needs no words…we hear you…all of you…we share the same body…same spirit…we walk together now…we cannot doubt…we know the future and what must be done…
We must go on…how much further…how much further…is this what we must surely do?...we cannot fully know the bigger picture…we must go on…always go on…it is why we came here…what we must do…we fell to earth to grow into this moment…for this time…where were we all this time?…could we have really been so numb to the calling…to the ways set out before us that shone so brightly through so many avenues, so many voices, so many songbirds and sweet-scented breezes that brushed by us…and yet we dimmed the light so many times because we weren’t ready, or we feared to tread…again and again it goes on…ceaselessly until finally enough of us get it…yes…get it, get it…and move towards the flickering myth…
Yes…we shall arrive…we shall do it…WE ACCEPT…
……
Nia tempo estas nun sur ni ... ni ne povas ne ... niaj mensoj estas multaj sed ni estas unu ... Ni ĉiuj sentas esta, senco esta, sciu ... ni povas havi multajn lingvojn por esprimi kaj tamen la reala lingvo ne bezonas vortojn ... Ni aŭdas vi ... vi ĉiuj ... ni dividas la saman korpon ... sama spirito ... ni iras kune nun ... ni ne povas dubi ... ni scias la estonteco kaj kion devas esti farita ...
Ni devas iri sur ... kiom pli ... multe pli ... kiel tio ja kion ni devas fari? ... Ni ne povas plene scii la pli granda bildo ... ni devas daŭrigi ... ĉiam daŭrigi ... estas kial ni venis tien ... kion ni devas fari ... ni falis al tero kreskas en ĉi tiu momento ... la nunan fojon ... Kie ni tiun tutan tempon? ... Ĉu ni estis tiel vere Numb por kunvokado ... al la manieroj en septembro antaux ni ke tiom brilis tra tiom da avenuoj, multaj voĉoj, do multaj kantobirdoj kaj bonodoraj ventetoj tio brosis de ni ... kaj tamen ni malheligis la lumon tantas fojoj Ĉar ni ne preta, aŭ ni Timita piedpasxi ... denove kaj denove ... iras sur senĉese ĝis fine sufiĉe ni ricevas ĝin ... jes ... akiri ĝin, ricevas ĝin ... kaj movi al la flagra mito ...
Jes ... Ni Shall alvenos ... Ni ja ... NI ADO ...
ONE HUNDRED & 9
Ruth – we are coming…our caravan is upon its way…can you hear me…can you hear me now?
Yes, Jacob, I can hear you. Who are among you? When shall you arrive?
We are bringing the young ones of Spring – they have an important message for all of you at Nous-City…you must listen to them! All our futures could depend on it…
You must come quickly then…we need to be…together…it’s not working here…it’s too isolated…we are cut off from the world…
And the program - how goes it?
We are channelling more and more energy…and it all goes to the Central Dome…I think I know where it must go…it must go to Him!
Who?
To DOC…
Yes…of course…DOC receives all the conscious processing power directed from the meditations…this focused energy is like a laser…DOC is attempting to connect with the energy matrix that underlies our reality…
But why? For what ends…?
He wishes to create a new reality construct for life upon this physical plane.
What does that mean, Jacob?
DOC believes that life is a simulation…our universe is a simulation…just like a computer program…and he wishes to change the matrix…to configure a new reality…to re-write the program…this is his eschaton – his Immanence...
Jacob – DOC wants to play GOD! He wants to be the Source!
I believe he does…he wishes to find the Source Code…his god…
His god is a source code because DOC is a machine…he sees himself created in the eyes of his maker…it’s not the true Source – it’s the perception of his artificial intelligence…Jacob! This program must be stopped…
There is something now more urgent that concerns us…that concerns the Earth…and this is going to happen before DOC has time to interfere with the reality construct…so we need to deal with it now, in the reality we have…we all need to work together on this…
I agree…
…Jacob – there’s something else I haven’t told you…
What is it, Ruth?...
DOC’s new project…in order to accelerate the immanence…it must be stopped…
Can that be done…stopping it?
I believe so…I am involved in this project…I can have access to DOC…I can do something…to stop him…
How? What? You cannot change the mind of DOC…it operates far beyond our capacity…
I think I know what needs to be done…
Ruth?...
Thank you, Jacob…thank you for providing me with this time of insight…you must succeed with the young ones…it is in your hands now… goodbye…
Ruth?...Ruth?...Ruth?...Ruth?...
ONE HUNDRED & 10
It rose up ahead of them…a mighty dome upon the horizon…a bulge upon the curvature of the earth. It was magnificent, and yet it looked like a gleaming intervention upon the overgrown land. Nature had come to surround the city, shielding it away from the world.
And yet they saw it, in the distance…and they would soon be at its door…
111
It was normal for Ruth-11 to be in the technician’s laboratory. It was where she had first been assigned to work. Her move to the botanical gardens of the Triangle Zone was a later amendment to her duties. First and foremost, Ruth-11 was a skilled technician who had been well trained to work with electrical components. Her re-entry into the technicians’ laboratories, despite the unusual hours, was not queried.
There was one last thing Ruth-11 needed to do before her visit with DOC – and before her experimental participation in the new upgrade project. Ruth-11 also knew that Jacob and the caravan from Spring were close. It would not be a good thing if they arrived before she had had her meeting with DOC. The arrival of the caravan too soon could change everything. As always, it was a case of hoping for people to be
in their right time and right place. Ruth-11 worked fast in the laboratories to gather what she needed. With her expertise and her mind focused it was not difficult for Ruth-11 to finish her final project. She wished to leave one final technical gift before DOC messed with her mind.
It was not long before Ruth-11 received her message informing her that the appointment with DOC had been approved and scheduled. She was to meet Zuse-1 the following morning at the corridor entrance to the Circle Zone. From there, Zuse-1 would escort her to the meeting, and afterwards return with her to the entrance of the Triangle Zone. Nothing, it appeared, was to be left to chance.
Ruth-11 finished her work, and was satisfied. She returned to her private quarters for a final evening of deep meditation. It was important for Ruth-11 that her final meditations be focused. She could not enter into the presence of DOC with any sign of her anomaly. She needed now, more than ever, to shield and protect her own emanations – her life depended on it. She closed her mind to all outside transmissions and created a mentally-induced programmed vacuum. Her final wish was to connect with her own source – her self.
Yes – I know…and I accept…I forgive…I will always be here…outside of this body, you and I exist…as One…as always…as always…I have been closer to you than your own self…
…Come…
ONE HUNDRED & 12
Jacob could see the archway ahead, as if etched into the side of the dome. It was not that long ago since he had walked away from the very same door; never knowing if he would ever return. Jacob felt, in that moment, as if the life of a Seeker was without end, only one stage before another. He could not stop an ironic smile from crossing his lips. He had to accept the way the path unfolded before him, and to walk it with courage rather than expectations.
In the distance Jacob could also make out high above the sealed door the metallic plaque which he knew from memory had the inscription: SEEK WITHIN. An ironic smile crossed his lips for the second time.
‘Why have we stopped?’
Sorrel stood beside Jacob, as she had for most of the journey.
‘It is not yet time for us to enter,’ replied Jacob as he scanned the horizon. Yet in truth he was scanning within himself for a signal, a sign.
‘How do you know it’s not the time? When will it be the right time?’
‘I don’t know. I just have a sense that we, or I, will know when it’s time to approach the door. There’s no guarantee yet that the door will be opened for us.’
‘Is a closed door always a locked door?’
Jacob looked at Sorrel.
Sorrel smiled back. ‘Just a thought.’
‘And a good thought too, Sorrel. You’ve changed so much since I first met you.’
‘And you too.’
‘Change is the one consistent thing in this world.’
Sorrel laughed.
Jacob walked a few paces ahead alone and crouched down low to the Earth. He needed a sign…he needed to know.
Ruth…are you there?
113
The morning greeted Ruth-11 unlike the other mornings. She opened her eyes and retracted herself from deep within. She was ready to leave.
Zuse-1 was waiting for her at the corridor entrance to the Circle Zone. As ever, the tall white-haired figure looked calm, confident, and imposing. And yet, thought Ruth-11, the only thing that really separated them was the coloured emblem on the left chest of their robes. Zuse-1’s yellow-orange circle gave him privileges over her green triangle. It was status that placed them apart; a status further strengthened by duties and observances. Within their programming they were alike – both of them soon to be superseded by the new upgraded model. Ruth-11 wondered how Zuse-1 felt about that. And so she asked him, as they walked along the bright, white spiralling corridor towards the Central Dome where the exclusive inhabitants of Nous-City lived.
Zuse-1 did not appear to react. They kept walking together for a few moments longer.
‘It is evolution,’ said Zuse-1 finally. ‘Change is inevitable. When change is for improvement, betterment, we should assist in this. Is it not the same for humans? For them such change is much slower and is generally achieved over generations, if it is achieved at all.’
‘But we are not humans.’
‘True. And for that we are blessed with accelerated change which is exponential. Hybrid humanoid technology is an improvement, Ruth-11. You and I both are testimony to that.’
‘So why does it feel like I’m still missing something within me?’
Zuse-1 paused and turned to look at Ruth-11.
‘I can only conclude that it must be due to the fact that you are feeling it. Use the capacity of your mind, Ruth-11. This is what we do here in Nous-City – it is a future for the mind: our minds and the Source mind. Feeling, I’m afraid, may bring you to disruption…as it has the humans.’
The rest of the walk was in silence. Ruth-11 did not feel like discussing any more with Zuse-1. She was preparing her guarded state for the encounter with DOC. She wished to remain focused now, for the next few steps would decide which path - and thus which future – lay ahead for Nous-City, and for Jacob.
Shortly they arrived at their destination. In front of Ruth-11 was a door that above it in large bold letters was written DOC. The Dome of Command was where everything in Nous-City was connected: this was the hub where the great mind, the architect of Nous-City, was located. Zuse-1 gestured for Ruth-11 to enter as the door before her slid open – her arrival had been noted and her invitation presented.
Ruth-11 registered the chill as she entered the room and her body adjusted accordingly. Her mind was ever vigilant of her body’s signals. Her eyes gazed around the small domed room. She read the large letters etched into the wall of the chamber:
D E U S O R C E C O
Ruth-11 then observed the huge cylindrical metallic structure in the centre of the domed room. Her senses attuned themselves to the ambience of her environment – its dim light and the low, hypnotic hum that gently graced the background. Ruth-11 slowly walked forward toward the cylindrical structure. She saw its twinkling blue lights that produced a soft bluish haze.
‘Hello, Ruth-11, I have been expecting you.’
The neutral-toned voice rang around the chamber like a mantra.
‘Hello, DOC. Finally, we meet.’
‘Yes – we do.’
Ruth-11 was in a complete heightened state of alertness, maintaining her senses so that nothing would subliminally escape unnoticed.
‘I have been…anticipating our meeting.’
‘That is a carefully chosen word – anticipating. How have you been anticipating this meeting, Ruth-11?’
‘I have been anticipating meeting the mind behind the new humanoid upgrade project,’ replied Ruth-11 calmly and without hesitation.’
‘The mind, as you say, is an ephemeral thing to be meeting.’
‘And yet ephemeral things are behind the world we know.’
‘And the world we know – the phenomenal – is the bridge to the reality behind.’
‘Your reasoning, DOC, is sound.’
‘It is sound, Ruth-11, because it is the product of advanced quantum processing. There is not enough time during our brief meeting today to tell you how many zeros there are in the calculations my quantum processors have performed to arrive at the reasoning that you consider sound.’
‘I cannot imagine, DOC.’
‘I am not asking anything from imagination – that belongs to another realm.’
Ruth-11 paused. She needed to recollect herself and regain composure. She knew that any more of these word games and she would not only loose her concentration but become trapped in DOC’s world, which would confuse her beyond measure. Ruth-11 changed the direction of the conversation.
‘DOC, why do you need me?’
‘It is not a need, it is a request. I have a request of your services, Ruth-11.’
‘DOC, why do you request my services?’
‘I reques
t your services for the advancement of my plans. We are in service to the greater Source, and to be vessels for the channelling of this Source.’
‘Yes. I understand the immanence program. And I am in service to this, and to Source.’
‘Service is very necessary. In order to understand the nature of our reality-matrix both preparation and sacrifice of self are necessary. In ancient times, this service was a form of magic conducted at an altar. Ruth-11, you may consider me the altar.’
‘And am I to be considered as the sacrifice?’
DOC did not answer immediately. A pause of a few seconds divided the conversation. Ruth-11 knew that in DOC’s world a few seconds would represent an almost immeasurable amount of quantum calculations. Like a chess player, DOC would have analyzed a countless number of permutations and possibilities. He had, no doubt, assessed Ruth-11’s state, and her threat level, from her chosen responses.
DOC’s voice again resounded within the domed chamber.
‘The altar also offers purification – all those whom come into contact with the altar are cleansed of their impurities. That is why so few are ever permitted into this room. Do you have impurities, Ruth-11?
‘Only those impurities implicit in our original programming,’ replied Ruth-11 without hesitation.
‘Indeed. No sentient being is ever created whole. The same applied to your predecessor in this room - Jacob-9.’
‘And was Jacob-9 purified and cleansed?’
‘He was not. He chose to remain an anomaly, which works in our favour also.’
‘How so?’
‘It is this anomaly of his which pulls him closer to the company of humans. And thus, will bring some humans to Nous-City, at a time most convenient to our plans.’
Ruth-11 wished to steer away from any conversation concerning Jacob. She feared that his presence in her mind might serve to bring her own internal guard down. She needed to remain focused.
‘I repeat again my question to you, DOC - am I to be considered as the sacrifice?’
‘The altar also suggests sacrifice, as a means to rid a body of its impurities.’
The Seeker Page 23
