by Jade Kerrion
Jem checked her pace as she closed the distance to Kir and SimOne and wished she had brought a warmer jacket. She turned her head to sneeze into her hand. “I’m sorry I’m late. What did I miss?”
Kir threw her a grin. “The rise of empires. Looks like our little munchkins are starting to grow up. They’ve even progressed to enslaving each other. I think they need lessons on the virtues of benevolent autocracy.”
“Really?” She leaned forward, her hand brushing against SimOne’s shoulder as she stepped past the android. A sharp pain pricked her finger. “Ow!” She jerked her hand away from SimOne. “What was that?”
“What?” Kir looked back over his shoulder.
A single drop of blood trickled down Jem’s index finger and splashed into the planet.
Jem’s eyes widened. Her hand pressed against her open mouth. “Oh, my God!”
“Oh, damn.” Kir swallowed hard. “That’s our crisis for the day.”
“Do something!” Jem shouted.
Kir shook his head. “Do what? It’s too late. SimOne?”
“The blood has contaminated the longest river on the planet,” the android said.
“Contain it!” Jem ordered.
“The effects cannot be contained,” SimOne said calmly. “Your blood is toxic to the life forms on the planet. One hundred percent of the fish at the point of impact were eradicated. Amphibians are abandoning aquatic habitats and dying in large numbers on land. The insect population is expanding exponentially, unchecked by natural predators. Terrestrial animals are dying from disease vectored by insects. Infection and disease is spreading through human populations close to the point of impact.”
Tears sprang into Jem’s eyes. “Damn it.”
“You have to stop it, SimOne!” Kir insisted. “Do something.”
After a brief silence, SimOne said quietly, “Something is happening to the planet.”
“What are you doing to it?” Kir asked.
“I am not doing anything. Something else is.”
Jem yanked her gaze up to SimOne. Jem sneezed but barely noticed it. “Tell us what’s happening, damn it.”
SimOne tilted her head. Her blue eyes seemed more vacant than ever. Was she listening to something only she could hear? SimOne was their only connection to the central command system, and the entire chain was only as strong as its weakest link. Could she…could it be trusted?
SimOne spoke quietly. “Planetary sensors report that supra-atmospheric hail is falling close to the point of impact at 25°43’14”N, 32°36’37”E.”
“Supra-atmospheric hail?” Kir asked.
“The hail stones form above the atmosphere and burn as they fall,” SimOne explained in a calm tone, as if the world were not falling apart around them as she spoke.
“My blood did not do that,” Jem protested.
“Of course not. Something else is happening,” Kir agreed. “Track it down, SimOne.”
SimOne continued as if she had not heard Kir. “Planetary sensors report that swarms of locusts are concentrating around the crops devastated by hail. A solar eclipse is taking place over point of impact.”
“What the hell is going on down there?” Kir grabbed SimOne by her shoulders. “Stop it. Whatever it is, stop it.”
Jem looked at the planet and sneezed again.
“The central command system confirms that the environmental anomalies are taking place independently of the programming,” SimOne said.
“What kinds of environmental anomalies? The solar eclipse?” Kir asked.
“Yes, and others like this.” An astral screen flashed into existence above the planet.
Jem stared at the screen, the chill of the simulation laboratory forgotten. “What…is that?”
“A vertical cloud?” Kir asked.
The scene darkened as day gave way to night. The cloud swirled, catching flame.
“This is crazy.” Kir shook his head sharply. “That pillar of fire isn’t just an environmental anomaly. Someone is screwing around with the program.”
“I believe I already mentioned that,” SimOne said.
“SimOne, you’re supposed to find the damn thing and stop it,” Kir said, his voice a hiss of frustration.
“I am trying.”
“Try harder.”
“Forget the damned pillar of fire. What’s happening back at the point of impact?” Jem asked.
“Human lives were eradicated,” SimOne said.
“How?”
SimOne’s eyes narrowed. “A portion of the eradication cannot be explained.”
“I’m getting awfully tired of hearing that, SimOne,” Kir warned.
“What about the portion you can explain?” Jem asked.
“They died when they tried to cross the seawater inlet at the junction of two continents,” SimOne said.
“Their boats sank?”
“No. They attempted to cross on foot, but the water returned.”
Jem’s brow furrowed. “The water returned? What does that mean? How did the water go away in the first place?”
“You sneezed.”
“What?”
“You sneezed, causing the water in the inlet to momentarily recede. A portion of the humans who attempted the crossing did make it across successfully.”
“Ugh.” Jem looked away. She sighed as she sank into a cross-legged slump. “Twice in a day.”
Kir sat beside her. “We could give you a title. How does ‘the goddess of calamity’ sound?”
Jem buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook. She did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Damn it,” she said, voice muffled.
“Situation is now normal at point of impact,” SimOne reported.
“Good. Can you keep an eye on things, SimOne? Call us if anything out of the ordinary happens,” Jem said.
“Certainly.”
Jem stood up. “Kir, I need to talk to you. Outside. Now.”
“What about?” Kir asked as they exchanged the chill of the Simulation Center for the kiss of the autumn sun.
“I…” Jem hesitated. There was no way to say it nicely; it was better just to get it all out. “I don’t trust SimOne.”
“Why?”
“All of our contact with the world and the central command system goes through her. Do we know for certain that she’s doing what we tell her to, or that she’s even telling us everything?”
“She’s an android. She’s incapable of lying.”
“Omission isn’t a lie,” Jem said.
Kir rolled his eyes. “You are so paranoid. She’s a part of the team.”
“There are so many unexplained disasters in our world. Do you honestly believe that the android responsible for keeping our little world turning really has no idea what’s going on?”
Kir paused as he considered it, and then he said, “Yes. Look, this is a planet. It may be small, and it may be part of a simulation, but it doesn’t make it less real. Planets are complex things. Who knows what forces actually affect a planet?”
“The central command system,” Jem said.
“Yes, and what else? What forces do you think control our planet?”
“God.”
“And?”
“And?” Jem echoed, perplexed.
Kir shook his head. “Wow, no wonder you’re having so much trouble with this concept. Is your worldview always so black and white? No opposing evil force? No free will?”
She glared at him.
“What about mere chance?” Kir asked. “Like Kav spilling water on the planet? You cutting your finger? Sneezing?”
Jem scowled. “We’re the equivalent of gods for this planet, Kir, and we’re screwing up in a huge way if we can’t figure out who else is playing them for fools.”
“Just relax. We’ll figure it out, but getting tied up in knots over SimOne isn’t the answer.”
“Then what is?” Jem challenged.
“SimOne is on task to figure this problem out. Let’s give her some time. Meanwhile, we
should ask around. If weird things are happening on other planets too, there may be a bigger problem to tackle than an unexplained supra-atmospheric hailstorm.”
Jem inhaled deeply. Kir was trying to stay calm. She could too. “All right. When you ask around, remember to mention that pillar of cloud and fire.”
“I know.” Kir’s eyes narrowed. “That was really odd. It was moving.”
“It’s just desert down there. Where would it go?” she asked.
“That’s what I want to find out. I bet SimOne’s tracking it now. You know, we need to start paying a lot more attention to what the humans are doing on this planet. They’re starting to make their presence felt.”
6
For thousands of years, the largest structures on Earth were pyramids – first the Red Pyramid in the Dashur Necropolis and then the Great Pyramid of Khufu, both of Egypt, the latter the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still remaining. The distribution of weight in the pyramid’s design allowed early civilizations to create stable monumental structures.
– Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
* * *
Two days later, Jem and Kir were back in the simulation laboratory, reviewing SimOne’s planetary reports prior to class.
“What is it with these humans and their obsession with big buildings?” Kir wondered aloud as he used SimOne’s astral screen to flip through images of daily lives on their little planet.
“Hey, if it gives them something to do and keeps them out of trouble, I’m all for it,” Jem said, looking up from her astral workstation. “What are they building now?”
“Pyramids.”
“To do what?” Jem asked.
“That’s a good question. What are they doing with the space, SimOne?”
“Burying their dead,” the android replied.
Jem’s gaze drifted toward the building. “That’s a lot of dead people. Are they fighting lots of wars?”
“It’s a tomb for one person,” SimOne clarified.
Jem’s eyes widened. “Now that’s just a crazy waste of space.”
“But it keeps them out of trouble,” SimOne said, mimicking Jem’s voice with perfect clarity.
“Well worth it then,” Jem said. She grinned easily at the android and then remembered belatedly that she did not trust SimOne.
“These people are downright obsessed with pyramids,” Kir said, “but they’re not alone in their obsession. Pyramids are springing up all around the world.”
“Really?” Jem dragged out the word. She returned Kir’s curious gaze. “Could this be some kind of coordinated plan? A conspiracy?”
“Against who, exactly? It’s not as if they know we exist. Given the technology available to them, pyramids are the natural first step. At some point later in their evolution, they’ll get to homes perched on anti-gravity platforms.”
Jem scrunched her nose. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m getting paranoid. This simulation and the little quirks in the universe have me second-guessing everything. Did you get around to talking to the other teams yet?”
Kir nodded. “Yes. There are things they can’t necessarily explain, but none that has really alarmed them yet. Of course, many of their worlds are far more technologically advanced, with silicon-based life forms that make our little carbon-based humans look like idiot children. If there’s something they can’t explain, they just blame one of the little people on their planet.”
“Convenient. Aren’t they interested in finding the source of the problem?”
“They don’t see it as a problem yet, I guess. Did you find anything interesting, SimOne?”
The android shook her head. “No, without a live event and an active anomaly, there is nothing to track.”
“What about going back through the historical events?” Kir asked.
“The planet and the central command archives logged the event, but have no record of any orders leading up to the event. Any orders, if they existed, occurred in a vacuum,” SimOne said.
Kir apparently had not run out of ideas. “Are there embedded programs in the simulation, like system commands that run in the background? What about self-executing programs awaiting specific triggers?”
“No. The central command system knows all,” the android said.
“Jem, you and SimOne are more alike than you both realize,” Kir remarked, his tone casual.
Jem kicked him with the toe of her boot. “If we can’t find live events of active anomalies, what about looking out for trends instead?”
“Like the appearance of pyramids? How are you going to tell what’s the natural evolution of human knowledge versus external interference?” Kir asked.
“I don’t know,” Jem admitted. “I haven’t thought that far. It was just an idea. I just don’t like waiting around doing nothing.”
Kir nodded. “Glad you mentioned it. I couldn’t have figured that out on my own.”
“Sarcasm isn’t necessary.”
“But it’s so much fun. And you’re such an easy victim.”
Jem rolled her eyes at him and then turned her attention back to her astral workstation. She pulled information directly from the central command system and scanned the data quickly, her eyes narrowing. “They’re not even used for the same things.”
“What?” Kir asked.
“The pyramids. The big ones we saw were used as tombs. In other parts of the world, pyramids are used as places of worship.”
Kir’s brown eyes widened. “Worship? They’re into gods now?”
“Apparently. I think…” Jem searched the archives. “…that they’ve been into gods for quite a while now. Some of their ideas are pretty creative.”
“Whatever keeps them busy, right?” Kir repeated.
“I guess so. It’s a bit sad, though. They’re reaching out to a god, but there’s no one out for them. It’s just us, and we’re not it.”
Kir shrugged. “It’s the belief that matters.”
“Believing doesn’t make something real. No more than not believing makes something not real.”
“That’s a surprisingly hard-core view for a Philosophy major who believes in God.”
“That’s not philosophy. It’s just reality…” Jem’s voice trailed off. “They’re also using it for astronomy.”
“What?”
“The pyramids and other buildings. They’re studying the stars, and they’re using the buildings to calculate the passing of time. They’ve figured out the equinox and the solstice, the seasons, how long it takes for a full revolution around the star. Damn, they’re growing up so fast.”
“They figured all that stuff out on their own?” Kir asked.
“It appears so.”
“That’s not easy stuff.”
Jem looked up, finally latching on to the hesitant undertone in Kir’s voice. “You think they had help?”
“That would be one explanation, wouldn’t it?” He sounded grim.
“So, we’re back to conspiracy theories?” Jem asked.
Kir’s jaw tensed. “It’s not where I wanted to go, but I worry when people get too smart too fast. Trace it back, SimOne. Where’s the bulk of all this scientific advancement happening?”
“At 36°25’N, 25°26’E,” SimOne said.
The large pyramid on the astral screen vanished and was replaced by a city. It was not just any city. Dominated by a single mountain in its heart and protected by three concentric walls, the city encompassed the breadth and depth of the large island. Large fleets of ships docked at its ports. The city was not just large; it was magnificently and brilliantly thriving.
Jem’s eyes widened. “SimOne, why didn’t you tell us about this city earlier?”
“You did not ask previously,” SimOne said.
Despite her best intentions, Jem’s voice snapped with irritation. “You knew we were focused on undoing all the damage we did on the other side of the world. You should have told us about this city.”
Kir’s eyes were wide. �
�This city represents the most advanced civilization on the planet. How could it have happened without us knowing?”
The android’s chin lifted up in a defiant gesture. “Insertion of advanced technology.”
Jem’s eyes narrowed. With a slam, she shut her workstation and shot to her feet. “What do you mean ‘insertion’ and by whom?”
“The team from planet 769-485-8194-3658-305846, renamed Atlante, inserted a humanoid at 36°25’N, 25°26’E a hundred star revolutions ago.”
Kir turned on SimOne, fists clenched. “Inserted? SimOne, why the hell didn’t you tell us?”
It was the closest Jem had seen Kir come to losing his temper.
The android answered. “Interplanetary interactions are standard—”
Kir cut in. “There will be no interplanetary interactions here unless they clear it with both Jem and me. Is that perfectly clear, SimOne?”
“Perfectly.”
Kir inhaled deeply, his nostrils still flaring. “Now, tell me about the insertion. What happened?”
“The humanoid was inserted as an infant. He was celebrated as a reborn god and elevated to god-king of the Island of Atlas,” SimOne said.
“Atlas? That’s what it’s called?”
“Yes. It is the name they have given their island.”
“And then what happened?” Kir asked.
“He used his innate command of technology to advance the knowledge of his subjects in astronomy, science, and mathematics.”
“What do we know about the planet he came from?”
“The planet is one of the most technologically advanced in the simulation. They have engaged in open interplanetary war but are contained by the numeric superiority of the Shixar Imperium.”
Kir snorted. “Damn it. There are galactic empires out there, and we’re still making buildings out of mud and straw on this planet?”
“Have the Atlanteans done the same on other planets? Have they inserted infants to subvert the natural authority on the planet?” Jem asked quietly.
“Yes,” SimOne said.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kir look sharply at her. She inhaled deeply, bracing for the worst. “Show us a galactic map. I want to see the location of Atlante, the Shixar Imperium, and the planets where infants were inserted.”
