Another student was complaining, “If it weren't for those three, more of our programs would've survived. I call foul!”
Daniel wasn't complaining. He tuned out the class, thinking hard about ways to counter their ingenious strategy.
Wil “Sybernetic” Corrigan, Billy “Goofer” Carlton, and Nate “Sly” Ellings were troublemakers for sure, but they were smart. These were not mere bullies. Although Billy and Nate followed Wil's lead, they seemed to keep to themselves outside of Mr. Robathan's class. This was their turf as far as they were concerned. And in the turf of coding competitions, there were no limitations and no rules. If a program is bound by the rules of a system, then that program is expected to push the limits at every opportunity. They had beaten Daniel's code. Maybe they had cheated, or maybe not. Sometimes life worked that way, Daniel admitted. But he wouldn't complain—he would adapt to the unpredictable.
Mr. Robathan said, “Class, I never said it was against the rules to team up.” He watched the creatures on his screen, noting how fast they were multiplying. “However, gentlemen?” he said, addressing Wil, Billy, and Nate, who returned his gaze. “I'm not sure how you disguised your lifeforms, but you can rest assured it will not work a second time.”
He paused the simulation and said, “You'll all have another chance to compete on Monday. As for the no-shows today? Finish your programs this weekend. We're all going to be a part of it on Monday the 13th. So don't procrastinate, okay? Let's see what you've learned from this experience.”
Some nodded while others grunted a non-committal as the bell rang.
*
Emma met Daniel outside the door as students were pouring out of the class. “Nice job! You would’ve won if those guys hadn’t cheated.”
Daniel replied, “You mean we would have won.”
Emma sighed. “I'm not much help. In fairness, maybe I should do my own—”
“What?” Daniel shouted. “No!” He said, then quickly regained his composure. “I mean, I want to partner with you.”
“Oh, Daniel, I don't have a clue how your program works. It doesn't look anything like Mr. Robathan's example.”
Daniel was thoughtful for a moment, then said, “Right. It was a good start but I began making changes straightaway. I can teach you.”
Emma replied, “It looks like you’re already done. What can I possibly contribute now?”
She had a point, but Daniel wanted nothing more than to spend more time with her, and this was turning into a fantastic opportunity. “Doesn’t matter—Mr. Robathan won’t care. We’ll just tell him we combined our work, so we’re working together now.”
Emma smiled, “Okay, Daniel, as long as you don’t mind.”
She had no idea!
“Can you help with test runs? How about after school today?”
Emma said, “Oh. Well, I hate staying late on a Fridays, but if we’re going to work—”
Daniel said impulsively, “Café Français?”
“At the mall?” she said, surprised.
“Sure. Padds work fine since we're only tweaking them, not writing new code. I don't want to mess with the code anyway, just give them a few . . . pointers.”
“Daniel, you really are taking this seriously, aren't you?”
Just then, three of Emma's friends appeared out of nowhere and began dragging her away in a bevy of conversation. She looked back and said, “Okay!” before rounding a corner.
Daniel gave a little wave and said, “See ya,” but she was already gone.
*
Daniel was ecstatic. As far as he was concerned, it would be their first date. His first date. He didn’t care whether they got anything done. Nothing whatsoever! If she showed up, even with her friends . . . . On second thought, it might be better without the entourage. He loved it how Emma gave him so much personal attention when it was just the two of them.
Wesley appeared at the classroom door, leaning his skinny body against the door frame, and observed Daniel staring down the hall, lost in thought. Wesley's features made it seem that his body had not caught up with his face, with large eyes, large ears, large nose, and a wide smile to complete the look.
“What gives, Danny? Cone of frost get you?” Wesley had a low voice and spoke with quick syllables, so he was usually hard to understand. The bass tone multiplied the impression that his body wasn't keeping up with his head. He was one of the first boys Daniel knew who’d lost his child voice early.
Daniel gave him an annoyed frown, subconsciously asking, “Huh?”
Wesley laughed, then said, “You sucker. I heard all that. You realize she’s just using you.”
Daniel looked at him sideways, smile forming at his lips. “You’ve got it all wrong, lad. It is I who is using her.” Then he whispered, “Or is it she? No, it's her.”
“So that’s how it is, is it?”
Daniel replied, playing along with Wesley’s usual tirade of inferences and sarcasm, “Indeed, my friend. She is being used in a most selfish manner.”
Wesley’s crooked smile was beginning to form.
Daniel let out a quick breath, “Seriously, it’s due Monday, we’re just going to turn it in together, that’s all.”
A brief pause.
Daniel slugged his friend on the shoulder. “Knock it off!”
Wesley stared at him like a robot.
“Dang it, Wesley. I hate that.”
More staring.
Daniel thought of something, then said, “Jealous?”
It worked. Weird Wesley snapped out of it but didn't sound confident. “No?”
“Yes you are. If you didn’t think of everyone as a possible robot in our midst, you wouldn’t be so weird and out of the game.”
Wesley simply said, “I’m not weird. And I've got game.”
“Pfft, sure, if you're talking about Armageddon.”
“Ouch! Oh, just, ouch! You're killing me, man.”
Daniel let that go. He stared at the ceiling. “Oh, man. She's just so—”
“What?”
Daniel looked squarely at him but didn't reply.
“She's so what?”
“Amazing,” he whispered.
Chapter 4
Daniel climbed into the cockpit of a video game, swiped his game card, and tapped the credit-hungry button for five minutes of game time. The Virtual Amusement Park was a new addition to the shopping mall in Daniel's hometown. It was a large mall with three stories, shaped like a “U”, and featured the best food court in the country—according to the sign out front. Daniel wasn't sure about the food claim but he did enjoy the retro arcade.
He spent many hours on the cushioned benches that circled the shooting-water cannons at the central promenade. He found the display relaxing, despite the hubbub of people who crowded the place. He came here often to do his homework, finding the sound of people shopping and kids playing strangely calming. He could also spend a lot of time reading without interruption unless an acquaintance strolled by.
Daniel loved science fiction. Before discovering computers and robotics, he had wanted to be a writer. He had read so many books that he considered himself an expert of the genre, sure to whiz through English courses in college. But, he just wasn't sure how to finagle an academic institution to award him a degree in science fiction literature. Daniel carried a padd full of books with him everywhere, so he was never bored. Wherever he went on any particular day, he always had something to read.
Daniel first noticed how dark it was inside the cockpit of the virtual reality game. Were it not for the dim red lights on either side of the cramped compartment, it would have been pitch black inside. This was his first time playing this game but he had watched others.
The game did not use a helmet or head-mounted display or even a controller. This game seemed to be full-body immersive, from what he could tell at a glance. Daniel stepped into a foot harness highlighted on the floor. He discovered that the boots were suspended, as his foot pushed the first one down when he put
his weight into it. Inside the boot-like harnesses was a soft gel lining that held each foot in place, and the slightest movement of either foot would trigger the boots into moving.
“Whoa, full-feedback muscle enhancement!” A broad smile crossed his face as he realized what this meant: he was going to walk in this game.
All four walls, plus the floor and ceiling, came to life at once. He appeared to be in a blue pre-game zone. A voice said, “Please attach the belt to your waist,” while a yellow light shone from behind. He turned and looked, and there, attached to an elastic cord, was a nylon belt with a small black cube where the buckle should be. He pulled the Velcro a couple times while resizing it to his waist. He felt the belt vibrate.
“Good,” the voice said. “Now please take the hand controls.”
There were no gloves. Instead were two small conical handgrips firmly attached to spring mounts on either side of the front wall, moving on gimbaled joints that allowed 360 degrees of movement—he could move each handle forward, backward, left, right, up, and down.
“Good,” the voice affirmed. “Now let's get you acquainted with the targeting system.”
Daniel found himself admiring the game before he had even started playing. He marched in place a few times to get a better feel for the boots, and experimented with the hand controls. He twisted his torso, leaning to the left and to the right, and bent down, and the attached belt would relay his body's orientation and movements to the game. The scene shifted around him based on how he moved. Since it was full immersion, the result was very realistic. He was suddenly aware of beautiful, melodic music rising in volume. It sounded crisp and clear for such a small, enclosed space.
Daniel felt energized and powerful in the rigging—like wearing a suit of armor, a great positive feeling to contrast his usual insecurities. He imagined ancient warriors on the battlefield feeling some of the same adrenalin he now felt.
Now if only he could get the game to start! “Hey,” he said, “let's get going!”
The female voice spoke eloquently, “Please focus on the central square to establish your visual calibration.”
“What?” Daniel asked, skeptically. Then he saw it—a bright red cube appeared a dozen paces in front of him, and then it divided into nine smaller cubes, each about a foot across.
The voice said, “When you focus on the central cube, your depth perception will be calibrated. Please say Ready to proceed.”
Daniel focused his eyes on what he thought was the middle one and said, “Ready.”
Slowly, the grid of cubes moved toward him and began spinning around him like a whirlwind while breaking up into smaller and smaller geometric shapes. Daniel gasped, and almost lost his balance. He squeezed his eyes shut, then carefully reopened them. In front of him, a couple feet away, stood a woman. She looked so absolutely real that he gasped with surprise. She had long blonde hair and bright blue-green eyes. She was about his height, as nearly as he could tell, and wore a black body suit the color and texture of carbon fiber.
The woman smiled and said, “How may I help you?”
This is amazing!
He hesitated a moment, then said, “Hello?”
The woman replied, “Hello. How may I help you?”
“Yes!” Daniel said.
“Say again?” the woman said.
“No, uh, never mind,” Daniel said.
“I don't understand,” the woman replied.
“Ah-ha!” he said. “So you really can't have a real conversation, can you?” She had him going there for a while.
The woman said, “You've never played before, have you? Do you want to start a new game?”
“Yes!” Daniel said, embarrassed by his voice cracking. “I mean, of course I do.”
“Okay, then. Enjoy your game,” the woman said, then disappeared.
Daniel suddenly realized something—he didn't have a clue what this game was about. He'd just assumed it was some sort of combat simulation, but there was no artwork on the outside, and what was it called?
Hmph, oh well, it seems pretty cool so far.
A solid iron door appeared in front of Daniel, bearing a huge brass doorknob that beckoned him. Around the door, there appeared a massive castle wall stretching off to the left and right for apparent miles. He turned the knob, heard a loud clank, and the door whined open. He peered into the opening, stepped through, and appeared in an outdoor blacksmith's shop with a roof overhead.
“Well come, brave warrior!” A booming voice declared. A huge swarthy man was standing in the middle of the shop. He first noticed the fire pit in the center of the room, filled with hot red coals. There was a table covered with assorted weapons and armor in various stages of completion. There was a sharpening wheel with what appeared to be bicycle pedals and a seat. On the other side was a huge anvil with clamps of various sizes.
Daniel had a hard time getting used to the boots. He found that the game moved each time he took a step forward or backward, and he could even sidestep left or right. It was fantastic since he was able to walk in place, but it was hard to get used to. He ended up sort of scooting his feet to move in the game. This was the first time he was the character, not an avatar. Nothing to control—he was it.
The blacksmith continued, “Looks like you could use a little help!” Without waiting for Daniel to reply, he said, “We have the finest weapons in 'awl Helgar. But first, ye must choose yer clauss and geld.” The blacksmith was huge and tanned, with scorched features and scars on his arms. He gestured toward the back wall, where several kinds of armor hung on racks. Daniel examined each one, then paused at the last—an amazing set of scaled armor that looked strong and light. He touched it.
“Nay, ye canna be a dragon re'der, lad! Choose again, and be quick about it!”
Daniel suddenly realized that he could move his head around the entire scene and he couldn't see the corners of the small game compartment, as the walls were seamless screens. He could look up, down, left, or right, in any other direction, and if he twisted his body in any way, the scene would move with him. The only thing about the game that threw off his sense of awe were the hand controllers. But he found that he didn't need to hold them constantly.
Maybe they're used when I pick up a weapon?
This was an older game, he reminded himself. It wasn't as easy to use as a home motion system but the wraparound scene and boots were unmatched in any home system.
Daniel frowned, suddenly back from his thoughts. So, that's dragon rider armor? He turned to the other three suits. He passed by the heavy plate and chain armor sets and examined the hardened leather suit. As soon as he touched it, his appearance changed. He looked down at his feet. He was wearing hand-crafted leather boots, and rawhide tight-fitting pants. He noticed his arms, covered with dark-green leather sleeve and dark brown gloves.
“That's better,” the man said, beaming, “much better, lad!”
He couldn't possibly know my age, could he? Daniel thought, curious.
The blacksmith then turned and pointed, his huge, gnarled face smiling, to the wall beyond, filled with mounted weapons.
Daniel was awed by the selection. He had no idea what to choose. There were long swords, short swords, two-handed swords, halberds, maces, battle axes, war hammers, pikes, daggers, crossbows, longbows, and more items he could not identify.
“Can I pick more than one?” Daniel asked.
The blacksmith stood in the middle of the room, unresponsive. Daniel figured he was not intelligent. He was an NPC—a non-player character—who could only respond to specific questions.
“Oh, well,” Daniel said, and touched a beautiful jeweled sword. It appeared in his right hand, the hand he had used to touch it. The sword remained on the wall as well.
Ah, so it's just a template, not a real object.
Daniel experimented with the sword, swinging, parrying, and piercing in mock battle. As he held it with both hands, it transferred—to his surprise—to his left hand. So, he could use two wea
pons!
“Ye have chosen well,” the blacksmith boomed. “Now, how about a wee shield?” He beckoned Daniel to a table covered with shields.
“Awesome,” Daniel whispered. He took a few steps toward the wall of shields to examine them. They ranged in size from small round bucklers to large heavy iron-laced wooden shields. He decided they probably would all protect him the same, just a matter of preference. He chose a bright, shiny, medium shield. It instantly appeared on his right arm. He loved the feeling of wielding such weapons.
“I bid ye fare well,” the blacksmith said, and went back to hammering.
The blacksmith hall disappeared, and Daniel found himself inside a small room of solid stone bricks—bare of any accoutrements—with a single iron door set into one wall. A small glowing red sphere appeared in the top right corner of the room. Daniel reached up and—his shield disappearing beyond a certain point—touched the sphere. The sphere enlarged and came down in front of him. It spoke in a chilling, distant female voice.
“Your journeys begin here. On your left, the blue sphere will hold your possessions.” A blue sphere appeared to his left at the edge of his peripheral vision. He reached with his left hand and—his sword momentarily disappearing—touched it, and it opened to reveal three small gold coins.
“The green sphere will map your progress.” A shiny green sphere appeared below the blue sphere. Daniel touched it. The blue sphere shrunk back, and the green sphere opened to reveal a map of an unknown land.
“Finally, the red sphere will summon me. I am here to help you as your guide. If you have a question, you may ask. Most importantly, you should summon me when you want to leave.”
The voice continued, “By what name shall you be known here?”
Daniel thought for a moment, then said, “Drake.”
“Welcome to the land of Helgar, Drake! I wish you farewell in your adventure. Remember, I'm here if you need me.” The red sphere shrunk and moved below the blue sphere on his left. All three spheres glowed and pulsated. They were beautiful.
Daniel heard the sound of wind blowing beyond the door in front of him. He was also aware of the weight of his sword and shield, as the hand controls gave him feedback in the form of apparent weight as he held them in front of himself. It felt like he really was holding a sword and shield, and they appeared where he pointed them. He tapped the iron door with his sword, and it sounded as he expected it should—with a loud clang. The realism reminded him that he was right handed, and should hold the sword as such. He tried to hold the shield under his arm, but discovered that he couldn't, so he let go of the shield, and it dropped to the ground with a clang. He bent over, moved the sword to his right hand, and picked up the shield with his left. Now he was ready!
Solid State Rhyme: A Novelette (Mandate) Page 3
