by Paul Anlee
Casa DonTon provided the perfect platform. The portal’s data paths were routed close to the virus-infected hardware substrate on which the Alternus inworld simulation ran but were not affected by it. And while DonTon’s instantiated Full population was relatively small, its participants were sufficiently shallow and silly. He wouldn’t be overly taxed by the sim itself, and he’d have ample opportunity to probe Alternus’ supervisory defenses while keeping up the pretense of social niceties. It was a delectable plan, if he did say so himself. Whoever designed the Alternus inworld would never expect an invasion coming from such a self-absorbed and non-threatening neighbor as Casa DonTon.
The clattering peach bowls that jerked the Shard’s attention back to the dining room, also drew his attention to the dazed Footman.
My, my, what have we here? How interesting. My lattice probing at the edges of the Alternus sim portal seems to have had an unexpected effect on the wait staff Partial, Timothy.
Trillian reviewed what he knew about the knowledge-belief space of Partials for a clue as to how a cursory probe into Alternus might have disrupted the Footman.
* * *
The Supervisor program discreetly pinged the waiting Partial: Unregistered Instantiation. Reporting anomaly now. Please wait.
That doesn’t sound very reassuring—Timothy noted. .
He straightened his posture and addressed Lady Chattingbaron. “Troubles appear to have originated in the hardware matrix as a result of anomalous sunspot activity, my Lady,” he lied. “Everything is fine now.” He calmly resumed serving dessert.
“Unregistered Instantiation?” Me? That’s not possible.
The Footman maintained his usual serene external demeanor, while his mind reeled. He was a Partial, he was sure of it. An Unregistered Instantiation would be a Full persona with no real body, a mind existing in the inworld without an associated physical trueself registered outworld.
The Supervisor must be mistaken—he thought. Partials can’t become fully instantiated with independent personas unless they have been selected by the committee as candidates for embodiment outworld. I haven’t been selected.
Timothy blinked rapidly. How such knowledge had appeared in his mind, he had no idea. It seemed as if the information spontaneously emerged in his consciousness of its own accord. How odd!
He scanned the room nervously. His mind, his whole persona, felt richer and deeper than it had moments earlier. Once the Supervisor isolates my knowledge-belief space and sees that I’ve gone from Partial to Full, they’ll scrub it. I don’t want to be scrubbed!
What are my options? There’s no point in hiding. I can’t very well throw myself at the mercy of the Supervisor and hope for the best. Should I wait here to be erased, or take over one of the Family’s outworld bodies?
Timothy’s hand paused mid-air, a scoop of ice cream hovering above Lady Mirabel’s bowl. He was having thoughts. I’m having independent thoughts. I’m thinking. And I lied! To Lady Chattingbaron, no less! How is that possible?
For the first time in his long existence as a DonTon server, Timothy was thinking outside his simple, inworld programming. His hand remained frozen as he considered the ramifications. Thinking for myself? Astounding!
The artfully-formed ball of ice cream he held in mid-air, however, did not remain frozen. It dripped. Once. Twice. Its center of gravity slipped perilously close to the edge of the spoon.
With an elegant swoop of the wrist, Timothy prevented the escape and delivered the creamy globe neatly atop the waiting peaches.
The house guests had already resumed their conversations and noticed neither the slip nor sleight of hand. Even the eagle-eyed Head Butler, busily pouring steaming coffee and tea, gave no indication he’d seen anything amiss.
Timothy finished dessert service and took his place in front of the polished oak sideboard. He kept his movements measured and his face neutral. He was sure the Securitors would intervene and take him away at any moment. I’ve got it! I could steal an automobile and escape to London. No one would find me in those crowds.
What am I thinking? Nobody can evade an omnipotent inworld Supervisor and ruthless Securitor agents. It’s hopeless. I might as well face my fate with the dignity the Family deserves.
Crestfallen but ever professional, Timothy hid his misery. My experience of consciousness is going to be the shortest independent life the Realm has ever recorded.
With dessert course ingested and a promising evening ahead, the Family and guests stood. “Shall we retire to the Library for a brandy?” Lord Chattingbaron asked his male guests.
The ladies exchanged coquettish smiles, knowing one drink would lead to a second, and the second to a third, along with a cigar or two while the female coterie sipped sherry and played cards in the sitting room. Both groups looked forward to the dances and games that would follow, once dinner had a chance to settle and the two groups were brought back together in the Grand Salon.
As the others filed out of the room, Mr. Trillian lingered behind to examine an unremarkable painting displayed on the wall facing his chair. The painting happened to be hanging beside the same closet door that had drawn his interest over dinner.
The Head Butler caught Timothy’s attention, and raised his bushy eyebrows meaningfully toward the dawdling guest. Satisfied that Timothy would see to Mr. Trillian, he took his leave.
“A stirring rendition of Lord Chattingbaron’s Great Grandfather at the hunt,” Timothy expounded as he approached Mr. Trillian. Within two steps of the guest, the bees resumed their buzzing. This time, the Footman’s hand was free and he brushed the air near his right ear.
Trillian caught the motion out of the corner of his eye and turned to face the Footman. “Are you sure the self-diagnostic was correct?”
Timothy shook his head to clear the sound; the action served only to make the room swim unsteadily. “Quite sure,” he confirmed, and rested his hand against the wall. “But, perhaps I should sit a moment.”
He dropped into the chair beside the closet door. “I’m sure it will pass.” He waved his hand, dismissing the guest’s extended hand. “No, that’s okay. I’ll be fine. Thank you for your concern.”
Trillian turned back to the closet door.
The buzzing noise in Timothy’s head grew. Unseen swarms circled him, and the room swam in and out of focus. He squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to regain his equilibrium. The soft creak of the closet door pierced the droning buzz, and a wave of hot air washed over him. The dense, complex odors of a large, industrial city assaulted the confused Footman.
Fighting a nauseating dizziness, Timothy opened his eyes and pushed to his feet. He steadied his balance with a hand to the wall and looked into the closet.
The dark, confined space he expected to see was not there. Instead of a few tidy shelves of cleaning supplies, two brooms, and a dustpan, the closet opened onto a city, the likes of which Timothy could not have imagined.
Impossibly tall buildings lined a broad, busy street filled with more people than he had ever seen at one time.
The people were dressed oddly. Some men wore business suits, identifiable as such despite their strange cut and the absence of proper headwear. And the women! Timothy was shocked by their immodest garb. Why, he could see the bare knees and thighs of those who wore dresses or short skirts! The majority of people sported embarrassingly inappropriate casual attire. Men and women clad in skin-tight blue pants. Trades people, perhaps? Had they not been situated in the middle of a bustling city, he would have thought them farmers.
While the vestments were odd, the automobiles absolutely astonished him. He had never seen such sleek machinery, not in all his days. And there were so many of them. The collective noise that emanated as drivers impatiently roared engines and honked horns was an affront to the senses. Even worse, the language the drivers shouted at any pedestrian or vehicle that dared impede their progress was an insult to his sensibilities.
Timothy didn’t
recognize Mr. Trillian right away; the guest’s clothing had changed to match the style of the better-accoutered businessmen on the sidewalk around him. But that was definitely him. He stood well into the impossibly expanded closet, blending into that magnificent and frightful city. While Timothy tried to make sense of the scene, Mr. Trillian stretched out his arms, laughed, and twirled around, taking in his new surroundings.
Timothy stood on wobbly legs in the open doorframe and watched him, too flabbergasted to move.
Shard Trillian glanced back over his shoulder and noticed the stunned Footman standing at the door. He dropped his arms, amused by the anomaly. From the city side in which the Shard stood, the doorway opened into an opulently-furnished dining room from another era. Few of the frenetic passersby spared a second glance at the formally-dressed servant frozen in the open portal. After all, this was New York.
The Shard made a sweeping motion with one hand. “Would you mind closing that, please?” he requested, pointing to the door.
It was clear he expected programmed obedience from the servant. He turned without a second glance and set off down the sidewalk, disappearing into an ocean of bobbing heads.
Timothy teetered indecisively. A gasp from the dining room reminded him where he was.
Lady Chattingbaron paused at the main entrance, a hand delicately covering her gaping mouth. Behind her, Timothy glimpsed a hovering matte-black, spherical Securitor. She hadn’t sensed it yet; her full attention was locked on the impossible scene in the closet.
“Timothy…,” she began. The Securitor projected a greenish beam that encapsulated and silenced her. The menacing sphere pushed past her paralyzed virtual-body and floated into the room.
Timothy bolted over the closet threshold and into the strange world, slamming the door shut behind him.
The new city was much bigger than the London he knew, in fact, bigger than any city he knew. Maybe he could hide from the Securitors here. He ran down the sidewalk in the opposite direction from Mr. Trillian, bouncing off irritated virtual New Yorkers of 2040. A stream of profanity, fluttering pages, and angry gestures followed the Footman’s clumsy flight.
Back in Casa DonTon’s family dining room, the Securitor ripped the closet door from its hinges. Inside, it found a few shelves, two brooms, a dustpan, and some polishing cloths. The city was gone.
Anomaly has escaped—the Securitor reported. Its smooth voice was devoid of anger and frustration. It scanned the virtual room for any trace of Timothy. Finding none, it left.
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Books by Paul Anlee
The Deplosion series:
The Reality Thief
Buy on Amazon at:
https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Thief-Deplosion-Book-ebook/dp/B06XSML7V5
The Reality Incursion
Buy on Amazon at:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074FH1J44
The Reality Rebellions
Buy on Amazon at:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078Q84W9G
The Reality Assertion
(coming in 2018)
Other Publications
Friends in Foreign Places Omnibus Edition
(contains the Paul Anlee short story: Illegal Alien)
Buy on Amazon at:
https://www.amazon.com/Omnibus-Friends-Places-Complete-Anthology-ebook/dp/B01LBDPVC6
Now available in Spanish, too.
Buy on Amazon at:
https://www.amazon.com/Amigos-Lugares-Extranjeros-Friends-Place-Spanish-ebook/dp/B076Q49BNR
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Points to Ponder
Book Club & Study Questions
The Deplosion series is not intended to be just a story. In addition to providing a thrilling read, it is meant to be a vehicle for discussing a variety of deep philosophical, religious, scientific, and social issues. Following are some questions to help stimulate further thought. Additional discussion can be found on the Paul Anlee Facebook page and science and philosophy blog (www.paulanlee.com).
1) Sharon Leigh used a genetically-engineered virus to grow a semiconductor lattice in her brain. That lattice made her smarter than any human alive but it also led to her accidental death. If such a treatment were offered to you, would you take it? What about an implanted device that gave you internet connection? What about the DirectVR briefly described in Chapter 11 that allows you to more fully experience movies, as if you were dreaming?
2) The dendy lattices were developed using synthetic biology. The “ceraffices” described in Alumston are all grown buildings, with the basic structure a genetically-engineered tree. What kinds of limitations, if any, should we place on such research and technology?
3) Two different “origin stories” are presented, one in the Prologue (natural evolution of the universe) and one at the start of Chapter 2 (Alum and Yov’s Creation). Which resonated more with you? Which seemed more reasonable to you? After reading Darian’s lecture at the Philosopher’s Café, did you change your mind about these?
4) The idea of preserving a brain-dead mother’s life so she can bring a baby to term is a controversial one, both from an ethical and legal perspective. Should the mother’s wishes (say, to be removed from life support) supersede that of her unborn baby? How does this issue relate to the controversy around abortion?
5) When Darya needed to escape the Lysrandia inworld, her acolytes sacrificed three of themselves so she could get away. She left without much argument, seeing the rationality of preserving herself as leader of the rebellion. Compare and contrast human and Cybrid ethical reasoning in similar situations. For example, movies often portray a moment when a hero needs to choose between saving a loved one and a city of thousands or millions. Such choices cause some people great anguish. How would a Cybrid evaluate such a dilemma? Is one approach “better” than the other?
6) Teenaged Darian dismisses the notion of God, the Creator, on what he sees as rational grounds, then provides an evolutionary argument for why faith is so powerful in humans. Are these two notions at odds with each other? Can a rational person dismiss God yet find reasons for faith? Is religious faith something that can even be discussed rationally and logically, or does it belong to the realm of spirit, emotion, and feelings only?
7) Darya is first introduced as if she were human, and only later revealed to be a machine. Does the notion of an electronic brain thinking of itself as a person, with feelings and self-awareness, seem conceivable? Is there an ineffable “something” about being a biological human that cannot be implemented in computational machinery? What does it mean, then, to be human? How much of our bodies or brains can we lose and maintain our humanity? How much can we enhance or replace with synthetic devices?
8) Almost everything in Darian’s Philosopher’s Café lecture was scientific fact. To the best of my knowledge, everything up to the first mention of “resonance” between virtual particles is factual. That’s where I slip into speculation, which may or may not prove to be correct some day. How much of what came before or after that point, did you find believable?
9) Darya reveals that Alum’s true intention with the Deplosion machinery is to re-create the universe according to His own version of Heaven. His Heaven would be perfect; there would be no uncertainty in it, no struggle, no pain. Why would anyone oppose such a thing?
10) One of the major differences between our universe and Alum’s Heaven is that the natural universe is filled with uncertainty and risk. Do you think the universe is deterministic or probabilistic? That is, do you think it’s possible (even hypothetically for an omniscient being) to know everything about the universe at any time and to predict what will happen next? Which kind of universe would you prefer to live in? If you were God, which kind of universe would you create?
11) In justifying her decision to
hack her fellow Cybrids’ belief systems, Darya says, “Rights are a luxury the universe can’t afford right now, and free will is just an illusion based on complex decision trees with non-controlled inputs and experiences.” Do you believe there is a rational basis for a “rights-based” society? Do you think “free will” is an illusion as she described?
12) Alternus is modeled on the real Earth of the near future; it faces many similar problems to those we face today. Are we smart enough to make good choices for the future of humanity and the planet? Why do you think I made “growth” such a major factor in the discussion? At one point, one of the Davos delegates—a Cybrid—decries the need for humans in the universe, and the need for Cybrids to serve and support them. Do you agree with Darya’s response, and the role of “sloppy evolution” as a factor in favor of the importance of biological beings?
13) Larry states that Darian, Greg, and Kathy are arrogant and filled with hubris to think they have a right to the God-like power of changing the laws of nature. Is this adequate reason for him to kill Darian and take the RAF generator? Did the Reality Assertion Field push past the limits to places where science should not dare to go? Do you think there should be such limits to research? Why or why not? Discuss specific examples
.
Further Reading
This series contains a lot of real science and speculates heavily on possible advances in several fields. If you’re interested in learning more about some of the areas discussed in this book, I suggest the following:
Lawrence Krauss, A Universe From Nothing.
An excellent review of cosmology and the possible origins of the universe.
Andrew Thomas, Hidden In Plain Sight.
A great series of five books covering everything from gravity, relativity, quantum mechanics, time, space, and the particles that comprise all matter.
