I saw her look up abruptly, focusing first on Reichs then scanning the forest. My stomach lurched. Her entire bearing had changed in an instant. I placed my hand near the terminal, hovering over the command to fly off.
“My good buddy, Patton here will be your new master,” continued Reichs. “He’s Councilor for Justice, you know.”
“Yeah, we’ve got great things planned for you, Laetitia. Without you, Project Phoenix will be difficult to achieve. I hope you’re amenable to this,” said Patton, trying his best to inject enthusiasm into his tone.
“Of course,” she said with the sound of a smile in her voice.
I exhaled and drew my hand back from the terminal. Perhaps I wouldn’t need to fly off and remove her power after all.
“Why is the shuttle overhead?” said Laetitia.
“To provide you with power,” said Patton, guardedly.
“Why not move me to the shuttle? Surely that would be easier, Mr. Patton.”
Patton cleared his throat but said nothing as Laetitia continued to look around.
“Arnie, why are there a total of nine armed officers surrounding us?”
“I ... They’re here because they think you’re dangerous,” said Reichs.
I heard Patton sigh and look intensely at Reichs. I wasn’t sure why. He had no choice, backed into a corner by Patton’s weak cover story. This had the hallmarks of a screw-up, so I took an executive decision. I tapped the command and the shuttle sped off north, putting Laetitia out of power range within seconds.
“Luker! What you do—” said Patton, his words trailing off as he realized his mistake.
Then I heard all hell break lose, with yells and thuds and gunshots. Fearing Laetitia was loose, I sent another command and flew to a back-up location two miles east, setting the shuttle down in a clearing. The sounds from Patton’s walkie-talkie had gone silent. I left the shuttle and started back toward the scene, listening to both the two-way and the forest. No gunshots, no cries, no shouts—just the distant call of birdsong.
I shook my head in annoyance. Patton should’ve listened. There was no way Laetitia would have bought his story. And I suspected that Reichs had tipped her off somehow. I continued padding through the forest, scanning ahead for signs of Laetitia and the others. As soon as Reichs had said, sugar pie,—a pet name I’d never heard him use before—Laetitia had changed. It was a duress phrase pure and simple and had given Laetitia the jump on Patton. Or maybe she didn’t need it and had worked it all out for herself. I guessed it didn’t really matter. A screw-up was a screw-up and now I had to make it good.
Then the walkie-talkie crackled to life.
“What do you want?” said Patton, quietly.
“Your officers killed him,” said Laetitia, incredulously. “Arnie is dead...”
I sped up my jog to a run.
“They had no choice.”
Minutes later, I saw them up ahead and I slowed to a walk on approach.
“Laetitia, it’s me, Luker,” I called out.
I saw her crouching over the dead Reichs with Patton and his officers surrounding her. All six police had their weapons trained on her but she ignored them. As I drew near she looked up, her face sad and drawn. A red entry hole in her neck dribbled blood, which was already thickening with coagulant. Reichs lay on his back, his eyes closed. Reichs was a different story, a ragged exit wound dominating his chest where his heart once beat.
“Your master is dead. Now time for the truth, Laetitia,” I said, resolutely.
She listened dispassionately, looking up at me from her crouched position beside Reichs. I explained how we had watertight evidence against Reichs for the murder of his wife as well as his part leading the mutiny on the Juno. She already knew of his crimes and did not dispute them. Hell, she probably committed some of them. But what choice did she have? She wasn’t a person, her free will curtailed by her master’s wishes. Her explanation was enlightening and with Reichs dead, she’d decided to cooperate.
“How did you come to this decision?” I said.
I was surprised she had the free will to make decisions like this.
“My mind is cybernetic—part computer, part biological human brain. Over many years, my conceptions of right and wrong have formed—I do not know how, Mr. Luker. Until Arnie’s death, my loyalty to him has been paramount. I was incapable of disobedience.”
“We want to go ahead with Project Phoenix, but you understand don’t you? We couldn’t work with a murderer,” I said.
She nodded and got up. “Yes, I understand. It is my wish to help you and colonize the new planet.”
But I’ve still not decided if I can leave my family for a second time, I thought. Now wasn’t the time to be complicating matters, though.
I held out my hand. Slowly, she did the same and we shook. Patton visibly relaxed. He took a step forward and held out his hand to Laetitia, but she refused to shake it.
“I do not trust you yet,” she declared. “Perhaps in time I will.”
“Okay...” said Patton, putting up his hands in mock surrender before stepping back.
“Call off your guys, Kale,” I said. “We’re ready to go home.”
Where was my home? Hawaii, the Forever World or on the distant planet, Aura-c?
***
We covered Reichs’s body then loaded it into the cargo hold. I wouldn’t be mourning his passing. None of what he did to help me could atone for his crimes. A lot of good people died because of him and his mutinous ilk. Without his spell over Laetitia and the other robots, maybe there wouldn’t have even been a mutiny. Even if there had been, it wouldn’t have ended so bloodily. Even Laetitia agreed, her logic as robust as ever. He certainly deserved punishment, that was for sure. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
The titanium-rich plane parts took the rest of the day to load up. It was grueling work in the five-hundred-year-old forest. Next time I’d find a way to strap all the parts together and winch them into the shuttle.
Finally, as light through the ubiquitous cloud began to fade, we left Kauai speeding over the ocean at just below the speed of sound. A minute before landing outside of Koko Crater, Patton got a call on his two-way radio.
“Right. Okay. Yeah, he’s right here,” he said, turning to face me. “Okay, I’ll pass on the message.”
“A call for me?” I said.
“Yeah, that was the Hive supervisor. You need to go to the Forever World as soon as we land—your sister has something important to tell you. She gave no details,” he said, shrugging.
13
Something important? I thought, passing briskly through the dome city’s streets.
The artificial light from street lamps and balconies was warm white as if there was some city ordinance banning the use of harsher white bulbs. The work and school day was over; adults strolled and children played. I crossed the town square. They’d achieved amazing things with what they had—a small city to rival any of my twenty-first century expectations. I passed the spot where they’d executed Valdus. The mindscanner and the resources of Forever World law enforcement had put pay to all but the most trivial of crimes. I was sure ethics experts would have had a field day debating it back in the day. But the world had changed. Survival had regained its preeminence, justice had been redefined. Utility ruled this place and the Forever World’s oversight kept them honest. Overall, though, I found the dome city a welcoming place, although not somewhere I’d consider a home on its own merits. The existence of my mom and Nikki in the Forever World altered that calculus. But was it enough to visit and then live in a virtual world as an expressionless avatar?
My dream was to walk on the hospitable new planet and help shape the colony into something better. That hadn’t changed, but I was still torn. Mom and Nikki seemed happy in the Forever World and seeing them again opened my eyes to all the possibilities a life there could bring. None of us yet knew if Project Phoenix would send the Juno to its final destination in years to come. As I walked, I thought about the expansi
ve server room, which ran the Forever World—computers networked together, powerful enough to simulate fine details of the real world they’d copied all those centuries ago. Juliet’s company had had some of the most advanced computers around. Somewhere else now took that accolade—the Juno Ark. As the Silicon Life Works facade loomed in front, I thought about the possibilities. Could the Juno network host the Forever World, too? Could I go to Aura and stay in contact with my family? I didn’t know the answer, but at least I had the question. At some point during the project, I’d put it to the experts.
I crossed the long wide plaza and entered the well-lit lobby, still manned by the young guy at reception. He nodded and I found my way to the Hive. A nerdy-looking man with glasses greeted me in the long, thin room full with virtual tourists.
“Ah, there you are Mr. Luker,” he said. “Fourth one along on the right. You’ve got two hours.”
I thanked him and went over to the only spare place, donning the headset and gloves and locating my feet over the pedals. It was an antiquated setup but gave basic functionality. The biggest downside was the lack of a representative avatar, one that showed emotions and felt physical stimuli. Still, seeing mom and Nikki was a truly unexpected pleasure. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought this place would still exist.
I smiled at the notion of hanging out with Nikki and mom again—even if just for a couple of hours. The black screen lingered and I wondered what was so important that they’d sent for me.
“Sorry, it’s taking a little longer than usual,” said nerdy guy.
“It’s okay, I’ve still got an hour fifty-eight minutes,” I said jovially.
“Right, that should do it,” he said.
Seconds later, the early evening of my sister’s LA street enveloped me in a sphere of lifelike sensation. Her front door opened and she forced a smile.
“Hey Danny, thanks for coming.”
I jogged up the path and wrapped my arms around her, feeling nothing physical.
“Great to see you again,” I said.
I broke the embrace, beaming at her. She didn’t smile back, the tight grin and lip biting telling of her anxiety.
“What’s this about, Nikki?”
“Come in. Mom’s here, too.”
Mom got up from the breakfast bar stool and greeted me. She looked at Nikki as if waiting for her to take the lead. My joy at seeing them quickly faded in the tense atmosphere.
“Come on, let’s go sit on the couch,” said Nikki.
I sat in the middle, with Mom on my left and Nikki on my right.
“We’ve come to a decision,” said Mom. “Please forgive us, but we didn’t know how to tell you.”
“Tell me what?” I said looking to Mom then Nikki for answers.
Nikki raised her downcast eyes and looked at me.
“Juliet’s still alive.”
It hit me like a bolt from the blue, my jaw dropping as I searched my sister’s face for confirmation.
“Say that again.”
“She’s alive, Danny—in the Forever World.”
My mind was spinning, reeling with disbelief.
“H—how can she be?” I said quietly. “S—she died before ... before all of this...”
“No, Daniel,” said Mom. “She had her mind uploaded before it went live, before she died.”
My logical brain accepted this. It was possible, but she’d never told me this. Why hadn’t she told me?
“Can I see her?”
“Yes, that’s what we were waiting for—for word that she wanted us to tell you,” said Nikki. “You have to understand—we were torn. None of us expected to see you again.”
“Where is she? Is she here?”
Nikki shook her head.
“No, she wanted to meet you downtown.”
“I only have an hour forty-five left,” I said, desperately, getting up from the couch. “Where downtown? How do I get there?”
“Take my car,” said Nikki. “She’ll be waiting for you at the Harpers-Pacific lobby.”
***
I saw little of the evening streets on my way downtown. A million questions buzzed around my mind. It felt so surreal. How could she be alive? I’d been born into an age of technological magic to rival anything the sorcerers of legend could conjure, yet I still couldn’t get my head around it. My logical brain said yes, my emotional brain said, I don’t know. Juliet changed everything. If I could have her back, I’d forgo my colonist’s dream forever. She was my love and the light of my life. Having her snatched away from me was beyond devastating. It left me a changed man and it’d taken everything I had to overcome the bitterness that had dwelt inside. As a former cop, I knew more than most how cruel the world could be, but nothing had prepared me for losing Juliet and our little baby boy, Ryan. Those scars I’d forever carry and deep down I knew my decision to leave Earth had been part of the healing process. If I could leave behind Earth, then maybe I could leave behind my pain too. Now, I’d been thrown into a complete tailspin. I no longer knew how I felt. I dared not believe my mom and sister fully, should my greatest hopes be dashed. They wouldn’t lie to me—it was more a reflection of how much I wanted it to be true. Losing Juliet once almost destroyed me—I didn’t think I could survive it being untrue and losing her again.
The long straight avenue stretched ahead to the corner where the hotel stood. Traffic was light and the autonomous car drew toward the brightly lit lobby up ahead. The fact that the real Harpers-Pacific lay under a thousand feet of glacier hardly registered. That, until recently, it served as Valdus’s miserable playground and prison, hardly mattered in the face of Juliet’s existence. The familiar facade drew close as the car took a left turn into the hotel, easing to a stop under the old-style canopy. Although part of a hotel chain, the early-twentieth century stone building retained its history. The Forever World’s rendering was as flawless as ever. Simulated humans—every bit as real as they would have in 2074—inhabited the lay-down area and lobby beyond. A couple got into an autonomous taxi as I closed the door to Nikki’s car, which promptly pulled away into the night. The uniformed bellhop nodded and I passed through the main doors into the familiar lobby with the reception desk on the right and grand chandeliers dominating the space above. Every bulb worked, all were the same. Professional-looking staff worked reception, each occupied with guests. To the left, the bank of brass-door elevators looked shiny and polished—not covered in a roughly built brick wall. All this was a far cry from the sad, decaying space it had become in the physical universe. It had remained the upmarket, downtown hotel ever since the Forever World had captured its likeness in 2074.
The leftmost elevator pinged and the doors slid open. My heart fluttered in memory of that special moment in 2064. On that dreary February night, I’d been ready to call it quits after a disappointing double-date with Blanco, his wife and an interesting person named Mia. But fate had intervened and out from the elevator walked my Juliet, blonde, blue-eyed and gorgeous in her elegant black outfit. This time, though, a family of four emerged instead—a late thirtysomething mom and dad with their teenage boy and girl, all dressed up for dinner. They took a left and headed toward the hotel restaurant. I looked around the lobby. Juliet would’ve been how she’d looked in 2066 if I’d got my timing right on the first mind-uploads. I didn’t know for sure—it wasn’t like we talked about the project on a day-to-day basis. I wondered how much of a baby bump she’d be showing. The smaller the better—I wasn’t sure I could handle the constant reminder or our murdered baby. Thinking about it was too painful for words. Surveying the lobby and the corridor to the restaurant yield no Juliet. Whether she’d been body-scanned or not was something I’d forgotten to ask Nikki and mom. One thing was for sure—I didn’t look like myself and I doubted Juliet knew which avatar was me either. But surely hers would be the tall, attractive blonde that I knew and still loved. People surely had all sorts of reasons for changing their avatars—usually to look more beautiful or to match something they othe
rwise aspired to. If there was ever a person with no need to upgrade their looks it was Juliet.
The concierge, dressed in a gray suit and red tie, approached me.
He beamed a practiced, professional smile. His name badge read Suresh Kapur.
“Can I be of assistance, sir?”
“Yeah, maybe. I’m supposed to meet someone here, my fiancée.”
“Your fiancée? Is she a guest here, sir?”
“Err, no. Her name’s Juliet.”
“Oh yes, sir. She left a message with me. Please.” He led me to his concierge desk and retrieved a card-thin tablet. “Are you Dan Luker?”
“Yes.”
“Here you are, sir,” he said, passing the tablet. “Once read, please tap the green button at the bottom.”
Hi Dan,
Welcome to the Forever World. It’s been a long time.
Meet me in the upstairs bar. You know where.
Love,
Juliet
I smiled involuntarily and tapped the green button, passing the tablet back to Suresh.
“Thanks,” I said and went to the elevators walking on air.
I pressed the call button and got in an empty elevator car. The bar was on the top floor. The doors closed and after I pressed the button, I watched the numbers climb on the display. Those numbers and the noise were the only indications I had that the elevator was ascending. Once again, the illusion was broken. It was another reminder that I was a mere visitor to the Forever World. To become a fully paid-up member, I’d need to be mind-scanned. With Hawaii’s equipment, it was the only way to stimulate movement, touch, taste and smell. For the time being, I’d need to content myself with sound and vision, fully aware that I’d never feel Juliet again until I took the leap. I was getting ahead of myself with the excitement. A world of possibilities stood before me. The elevator reached the top floor, the ping preceding the opening doors. I stepped out. To the right were the glass doors to the bar. The lighting inside was subdued, but I could see a number of patrons and staff. I entered the sliding glass doors, bar to the left, an area of little round tables with comfy chairs to the right. In front, the floor-to-ceiling windows looked out on the nighttime city scene of downtown.
Home Planet: Arcadia (Part 3) Page 11
