The softwire : Virus on Orbis 1

by PJ Haarsma

“Please, come with me.”

  “But my sister. I —”

  “She will be fine now,” Theylor said as he led me to one of the empty O-dats. “Take a seat please.”

  Am I in trouble? I wondered. Nervous, I followed his instructions. Do they know about the files I took? That would be impossible. I wanted my implant.

  “Johnny, I want you to —”

  “How do you know my name?”

  “I know a lot about things, as you will soon discover,” Theylor said. “Now please face the screen.” A few of the other children gathered around. “I want you to concentrate on the screen. Without touching the screen, I want you to scroll through the files.”

  “That’s easy,” I told him. “Anyone can do that.”

  “Yeah, right,” Switzer said, now standing behind me.

  I scrolled through the files without touching the screen. This was something I always did. I thought everyone could do it.

  “Johnny,” Theylor said, “I want you to locate a file named Translation Codec. The computer will automatically compensate for your language.”

  “What do you mean?” I said.

  “Do not think. Feel. Grasp the file with your mind. Visualize it in the front of your forehead — like one of these displays. Make it part of yourself.”

  I thought about the file, and there it was on the O-dat. Usually I just asked Mother for something like that.

  “Now I want you to scan the file and store it in your memory.”

  “He can’t do that,” Switzer said.

  “Yeah, Theylor, he’s right,” I said — although I hated to admit that Switzer could be right about anything. “I don’t think I can do that.” Max came to my side. Ketheria was there also. A lot of people were gawking at me now.

  I didn’t know how to scan a file with my mind. What was I supposed to do? I looked harder, but nothing happened. “I don’t get this,” I told Theylor. “Why can’t I just have my implant?”

  “Concentrate,” he said.

  I thought of the file opening up. I pictured it jumping into my brain. I felt silly.

  “I can’t do it, Theylor.”

  “See?” Theylor said. “You should find this very easy.”

  “But I didn’t do anything,” I said.

  “I am speaking to you right now in my own language,” he said. His lips moved slightly out of sync with his speech. “You understand what I’m saying, do you not?” I nodded. His pronunciation was much clearer, too.

  “What did double-dome just say?” Switzer asked. Obviously he had not received his implant yet.

  “JT, you can upload the files with your mind!” Theodore said.

  “That’s so awesome!” Max said.

  “You are a softwire,” Theylor announced.

  “A what?”

  “A softwire. I have never known of this ability in the human species, but you are a softwire.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked. The crowd was getting louder and larger. Now the other Keepers joined in also.

  “It means that you can access any computer by simply standing near it. Many computers transmit data back and forth. You are able to access this stream and the data within a com puter without any additional hardware. You do not need the implant. That is how you could talk to Mother on your seed-ship.”

  How does he know about that? I wondered.

  “I told you he was telling the truth,” Max said to Switzer.

  “Hmmf,” was his only reply.

  “Are there any others?” I asked. I didn’t want to be the only one again. I had lived with being different for thirteen years on the Renaissance.

  “There are none on Orbis,” Theylor said. “Although softwires are extremely rare, all Space Jumpers are softwires.”

  A few in the crowd whispered. I had read about Space Jumpers on the Renaissance. An odd, raw-edged sort of panic caught hold of me. I don’t want to be a Space Jumper, I thought. I just want the implant. I want to be like everyone else for a change.

  “Everyone, we must continue with the arrival process,” Theylor said. “Please get back in line if you have not received your implant.”

  “If he can do that, then so can I,” Switzer declared, and sat at the screen. He scrunched his eyes and concentrated on the file.

  “Come now, please. Your implant will be sufficient,” Theylor said, and gently nudged him.

  Switzer slammed the table and stood up.

  “It’s pretty awesome you’re a softwire,” Theodore said. “Did you know?”

  “Not a clue. Well, there was the whole Mother thing.”

  “I wonder what it means. You know, to be the first human softwire.”

  I didn’t have a response for him before Max slipped into our conversation. “I wonder what other things you can do. I can’t wait to try it out,” Max said, and smiled.

  I looked at Theodore, but he just shrugged. Max seemed pretty comfortable with me now as she reached up and searched behind my ear where the implant should be. She was already planning on taking something apart.

  “Hey, stop that,” I told her.

  I turned my attention to Switzer, who was finally getting his implant. The R5 pushed Switzer’s face into the chair and inserted the implant. Switzer got up scowling and rubbed behind his ear. He brushed past me and whispered, “Freak.” But I just turned away. I wondered how my newfound gift would be received on Orbis.

  Once all of the other kids had received their neural implants, Theylor guided us back through the New Arrival Processing’s main lobby. With my new translation codec and a little help from the central computer, I was able to understand everything the other aliens were saying. Tall ones, small ones, even really weird ones all spoke in a language I could understand. But I wasn’t listening. I was thinking about Theylor’s revelation.

  A softwire? Space Jumpers? Everyone knew that Space Jumpers were fearless humanoids who slipped through space and time. We had read all about them on the Renaissance. Space Jumpers had roamed the rings since the Ancients controlled Orbis, and they were the elite force that protected the Keepers against the First Families during the War of Ten Thousand Rotations. But the Citizens, most of them descendants of the First Families, still feared the Space Jumpers and had forced the Keepers to banish them from the rings almost a thousand years ago. How could I possibly have anything in common with them?

  “Excuse me,” Max said as she maneuvered around a small dusty alien that looked as though it had just come out of the ground.

  “You excuse me! You surface dwellers think you can walk wherever you want. Well, I’m standing here right now. It’s not often I’m aboveground, so please let me stand here.”

  The alien sucked in as much air as its crusty little body could hold. It looked quite angry, puffing up in front of Max in an attempt to look threatening.

  “The aliens understand you now also,” said Theylor, who came up from behind and stood in front of the alien. “Their codec translates your language to theirs, but it does not translate gestures, cultural differences, or manners.” Theylor glared at the alien, who shriveled back down. “For that, you will attend social classes.”

  Theylor led us away from the enraged alien and across the atrium to a large tubelike passage.

  “Children, gather around, please.”

  We circled around Theylor. Ketheria was at my side.

  “We will now proceed to the assignment sector. We will board the spaceway for transportation to the other side of Orbis 1, where you will meet your new Guarantor.”

  When Theylor finished talking, the tube filled with a sleek transportation device that looked a lot like a monorail. The large doors of the metal vehicle slid up, and we all followed the Keeper onto the spaceway. I sat in one of the many seats, and it immediately shifted and conformed to the shape of my body. Two armrests emerged at my sides, and I ran my hands along the smooth, polished material. Is everything this nice on Orbis? I wondered.

  “A gravity cushion will hold you in place,” Th
eylor said. “Once the spaceway reaches the outside of the ring, you will be in zero gravity. Without the cushion, I am afraid your ride would not be very comfortable.”

  The monorail slid into outer space, clinging tightly to the shell of Orbis 1. I felt something push down on my body, an invisible force that kept me in my seat. It must have been the gravity cushion. I glanced at Max. She was laughing again, looking around to see where the force was coming from.

  Then the floor of the spaceway appeared to fade away beneath my feet. Everyone gasped at the illusion. I saw Theodore tap his toe on the floor to see if it was still there. I noticed Theylor staring through the floor at the moons, Ki and Ta.

  “Orbis certainly is a beautiful place, Theylor,” I said, trying to start a conversation.

  “The crystal moons have been very fruitful for us,” replied Theylor’s left head while his right remained fixed on the moons.

  “I’m surprised more people — I mean, you know . . . other species — don’t try to come here,” I whispered to him.

  “Oh, they do, but it is not allowed. Population control is an important part of our work here, along with protecting the sanctity of our moons.”

  “Theylor, can I ask you a question?”

  “You are free to ask anything you like, Johnny Turnbull.”

  “What happened when we arrived? Did something go wrong with the central computer?”

  Theylor did not respond right away. I thought maybe I’d hit a sore spot.

  “Theylor?”

  Theylor turned both heads toward me. “There is nothing to worry about now, but you must understand something. The central computer is a brilliant and magnificent machine. It is a necessity to our life on Orbis. More so than even the oxygen you need to stay alive.”

  “Like Mother was on the Renaissance,” I said.

  “Yes, and more. If Mother had failed on your journey, you would not be sitting across from me right now,” Theylor said. “If the central computer failed, neither of us would be sitting here.” He paused. “Our existence depends on the central computer. The Ancients spent much time and energy in building it. Some of the technology is still a mystery to us to this day. The central computer self-corrected the event that happened when you arrived, but the fact that the event happened at all is still very disturbing to some.”

  Theylor turned both heads back to the moons. There was a lot I wanted to learn about my new home, especially about the central computer, but I sensed the conversation was over.

  The trip on the spaceway was quick. The ride through zero gravity let the transport travel at great velocities. Once the monorail passed back through the ring, gravity returned to normal.

  “Children, stay together now. We will cross through the Trading Hall, where you will be assigned your Guarantor.”

  As we followed Theylor off the spaceway, some of the other kids gathered around me.

  “Couldn’t you tell you were a softwire?” asked one girl who had never spoken to me on the Renaissance.

  “How?” I replied.

  “But you knew you could move files around just by thinking about it,” she said.

  “I thought that was normal. I used to think speaking to Mother was normal,” I said, not accustomed to this much attention. I always kept to myself on the Renaissance. It felt odd discussing my newfound ability in front of everyone.

  “Well, I’m glad they discovered that you’re a softwire,” Max said so everyone heard. “Makes us humans look a little more important, don’t you think?”

  I heard Switzer scoff.

  The Trading Hall spaceway station was nothing like New Arrival Processing. Flashing lights, booming announcements, and strange aromas of alien spices overloaded my senses. I walked with Theylor past brilliant O-dats that towered above me, advertising everything from private space shuttles to boots and even neural-port enhancements (whatever those were). Each vendor tried to upstage the next one. Holographic 3-D salespeople floated overhead, begging us to visit their trading chamber. I even saw a 3-D holograph passing out electronic paper to Theodore. He stood staring at the handout.

  “How could he do that? He’s a holograph,” Theodore said.

  “Children, we need to get through here quickly,” Theylor said. “We are about to go outside.”

  I followed Theylor through the atrium doors. The crisp air caught me by surprise. Then it hit me. I’d never been outside before.

  “Whoa,” Max said as she stood in the open air and looked up.

  I followed her gaze. The effect was dizzying. I reached for something to steady myself with — anything.

  “I’m gonna fall,” Theodore said, and sat on the ground.

  The ring curled up and over my head. The stars were still visible toward the edges of the ring, and the atmosphere hung thick and dark, tinted with a greenish blue the color of hydraulic fluid. Something didn’t look right. My mind was wandering. I wasn’t thinking straight. You need to sit down, I told myself.

  Theylor stood there watching us. “I should have anticipated this,” he said. “You have lived your entire lives under a ceiling. Take a moment to orient yourselves. This effect will diminish.”

  I took deep breaths. The oxygen was thinner than on the ship or in the atrium. I looked around. The effect was the same on everyone.

  “You all right?” I said to my sister. “What is it, Ketheria?”

  She nodded and pointed above my head. I looked up and saw a tree, a beautiful, regal tree. I reached around and ran my hand along the trunk. Ketheria did the same. So did Max and Theodore.

  “Please, children, if you are ready, we must proceed this way,” Theylor pleaded.

  But this was a tree. A real tree. I had never seen one before. Yes, I’d seen digis of trees, but never one planted right in front of me.

  “It’s so tall,” one boy said.

  “I like the roughness,” another said.

  Ketheria was right against the tree. She leaned her whole body against it and closed her eyes.

  “Theylor?” came a voice behind us. I turned around and saw another Keeper marching across the garden. His gait was confident; his eyes focused on Theylor. “Why are these children not assigned yet? Their Guarantors grow impatient.”

  His voice was steely and sharp. Nothing like Theylor’s. He was dressed in a purple robe, just like the other Keepers, but he carried himself with the same arrogance as Switzer.

  “Children, let me introduce you to Drapling. He assists the Guarantors and the Trading Council with their new arrivals,” Theylor said.

  “Acquisitions is the proper term,” Drapling corrected as he scanned the group.

  Even though Theylor’s eyes were creepy, they still seemed deep and warm, almost comforting. But Drapling’s were the exact opposite. I could see fire rumbling behind them. The intensity withered his skin and made his foreheads scowl. I figured Drapling was someone to stay away from.

  “I need every last one of you in the assignment sector now . . . please,” Drapling said. Theylor bowed his heads and did not interrupt.

  Drapling turned his right head to Theylor and said, “Show me the Softwire.”

  “Johnny, come here, please,” Theylor said.

  How does this Keeper know about me already? I wondered.

  “A human softwire. Well, what a very big day for your species. I know of no other human with this ability. I’m sure your Guarantor will feel better for having to take care of a bunch of children.” Drapling then spoke to the whole group. “By decree set forth by the Keepers, the Trading Council, which arranged passage for your parents, must now take responsibility for your well-being.”

  “As slaves!” Switzer interrupted.

  “If you define slavery as working for your parents’ honor, as well as your keep, then, yes, as slaves. Most Guarantors are not happy about this situation, either. Instead of a shipful of adult workers, they must settle for a small cargo of unskilled children. But they will follow the orders of the Keepers, as will all of you. Now fo
llow me . . . please.”

  I had forgotten about Ketheria. She was still wrapped around the tree and had completely ignored Drapling’s request. As the other children filed past Drapling, I watched the Keeper turn and head straight for Ketheria. The determination in his stride made me feel that something bad was about to happen. I could not let him get ahold of my sister. I needed to do something, quick. I stepped in front of him.

  “Drapling, what if I don’t want a Guarantor? What if I want to be on my own?” I asked.

  That worked. Drapling stopped in midstride. Actually, everyone stopped.

  “I wouldn’t choose this moment to get brave, JT,” Theodore said.

  “There are many things you do not know, young human, such as the consequence we impose on those who do not follow the decrees set forth by the Keepers.” Drapling leaned in lower. He whispered now. “Break the decree and you just might wish you had died along with your parents.”

  I barely heard what Drapling said. I was concerned only with my sister’s safety.

  “Step out of my way,” Drapling demanded.

  But I couldn’t. I couldn’t even glance back at her for fear I would tip Drapling off. Move, Ketheria. Get back in line.

  “Do you not hear me, Softwire?”

  “Yes,” I said, “I understand.” I closed my eyes and stepped aside.

  Drapling turned his attention back to Ketheria, but she was gone, safely hidden among the other children now filing into the Assignment Sector.

  The Assignment Sector was even larger than the chamber at the New Arrival Processing Center. How big is this place? I wondered as Theylor guided us toward a ramp at the edge of the round room.

  “Follow this to the stage at the far end,” Theylor said, pointing toward an area illuminated by an enormous pulsing teardrop of glass.

  “Come here, Ketheria,” I said, and took her hand. Together we crossed the narrow riser, staying clear of the blue electrical fence that penned us in.

  At our feet, running the entire length of the riser, stood a collection of aliens, who began pointing and whispering as we paraded past them.

  “Is that fence for us or them?” Theodore said.