Chaacetime_The Origins_A Hard SF Metaphysical and visionary fiction_The Space Cycle_A Metaphysical & Hard Science Fiction Saga

by A. I. Zlato

  - Thread: solution to the end of young humans

  Instruction: extraction of humans

  Object: children > 10 years old AND <= 13 years old AND

  Probability (Chrijulam) > 50%

  Destination: South-D5

  Intervention Team: instruction sent

  Date of Intervention: current cycle

  End Instruction

  Instruction: Reprogramming

  Object1: children > 10 years old AND <= 13 years old AND

  Probability (Chrijulam) > 50% AND

  localisation (South-D5)=TRUE

  Object 2: parents of Object 1

  Protection Team of Object 1: instruction sent

  Protection Team of Object 2: instruction sent

  Date of Intervention: current cycle+1

  End Instruction

  Instruction: maintenance of order in the City

  Object: humans

  Instruction: pending reactions

  Instruction: prepare communication

  Instruction: intervention team pending

  End Instruction

  End Thread: pending

  The operation was launched … Baley remained, for a time, in contact with the data stream, to take advantage of this ‘indefinite’ period. Her forehead, which she had never put on the membrane, seemed to dissolve, to become digital and no longer biological. Like a drug, this data stream filled her with its power, and she still needed more, in stronger doses. Strangely, the flow, circulating around the shadow area, but not going through it, showed her its presence, indicating her its extent — that was her choice, but what a disturbing one that was. Not thinking about it, just going with the flow, the scrolling series of algorithms...She threw herself back, struggling to break away from this contact. It took her several heartbeats to regain her human condition, to be of flesh and blood, and even more heartbeats to refocus on the investigation. The Machine had approved her plan, and converted it into instructions.

  Baley could not sleep that night. She was both impatient to see her plan implemented, and anxious. She still felt that sensation of an idea moving in her brain, as if her subconscious mind, supplanting the Machine’s barriers, wanted to tell her … this did not matter. She reviewed, again and again, the plan, making projections, calculating the best approach to have, possible consequences, probable consequences, certain consequences, the during, the after. The operation was in progress. Tomorrow and in the coming days, everyone would look at her differently.

  In history class, when one chronicles the sequence of events, everything seems inevitable. Everything comes together in a logical and relentless way. Causes engender consequences necessarily. However, in the present, chaos, uncertainty and chance seem to be the masters of the game. What has changed?

  Lessons from Chaacetime

  Chapter 31

  : Pre-E.S. Era

  5th Hexa, which had been following the conversation, saw Paul leave the office, shocked. He muttered insanities, cursing Baley. The Kandron tried to calm him down and to divert the pattern of his thoughts. To no avail. He said that Chrijulam, even if it was a hateful religion, was not the root of all evil. It was not the beginning that he had to focus on. It felt doubt take place in his mind, but that was not enough. Paul remained obsessed with the fate of children as the Special Agent planned it. Feeling that further efforts would be useless, 5th Hexa dropped him and headed to a park, alone.

  It was annoyed and worried. Annoyed that Paul would let his emotions engulf him, and worried that time was elapsing, inexorably, steering the world towards its end.

  Camped on its hind legs, it carelessly scratched a decorative rock dotting the manicured lawn. It used to like this nature revisited by humans. Plants, trees, all organised and maintained meticulously; that was nice to watch. Spacious lawns, dotted with shrubs that were well maintained and flowerbeds well cared for; that was a beautiful setting it had learned to appreciate.

  Everything was smooth, even this poor big rock that the Kandron crumbled without paying attention. The guard would have thrown out any human who would have displayed similar behaviour — but he would not dare apply such punishment to Edgard. The guard, standing at the entrance, looked at it furiously, but did not dare to intervene. Being large and having sharp, fifty-centimetres-long claw conferred certain advantages. It really relished this park, on the northern edge of the City, and would often go there. Usually, he was careful not to damage anything, but could not do so today. Today, it crumbled this granite block for no other reason than to exteriorise anger. How could it reason with Paul? A stone block broke away and fell heavily on the ground, crushing a beautiful flowerbed.

  The guard almost choked with rage but, again, dared say nothing. That was very odd, the fact that guards were always angry at the Kandron … the one from the lab, this one … Oh well, useless thoughts. Nothingness was now getting closer … disturbances continued to grow in this Space. In this time. The animal immersed itself once again in its memories.

  It had started with minor disturbances, seemingly unrelated anomalies; then, when it had become clear that Inter-Spaces were collapsing … it was too late. Nothingness had spread gradually, swallowing matter, replacing everything with a vacuum. It had destroyed everything in its path. Through the Spirit of the Multitude, some beings, like Edgard, had managed to escape, but thousands of them had been sucked up into the big void. The price they had to pay for survival was a double prison sentence. One could not escape nothingness without bruises … a time prison, a space prison and a decimated population had affected forever the Spirit of the Multitude.

  Entire structures, like the Decahedron, had disappeared; others had only one element left, a phenomenon that had left gaping mental wounds in the minds of survivors. Together, they had been able to reconstruct the frame of the Spirit, instilling coherence in it. Some elements, whole sections of the collective memory, however, were lost forever, especially the part that had allowed the Spirit to emerge from nothingness in the first place. No Kandron remembered how their collective consciousness had saved them. They were only left with the fear of death, nothing more, before the return into Space H. Confined to it, in reverse linearity. A valuable skill had thus disappeared. Would they be able to regain that knowledge, if necessary? No one could say.

  Among the survivors was Edgard, which was very young then, and which had not experienced anything else. 5th Hexa was now living in a past that had never existed for it. It was not even sure if it understood the full meaning. The Hexagon, Albana … it had lived days … That was a long time ago. Then the new calm, regained after chaos and nothingness, had destroyed the female Kandron, for some reason it did not know. Rather, a reason it wanted to ignore. Albana had an extraordinary mind and could see beyond what Edgard saw.

  What the Kandron beauty had seen about their future, a distant past, had saddened it so much it had decided to die. What was so awful? Edgard knew it … at the edge of its consciousness, it knew. However, if it was successful, thanks to Paul, then past, future, everything would be possible. Albana might have a second chance … even if that meant probably without Edgard. It had agreed to that risk a long time ago. It did not matter if it kept repeating to itself that that was the best choice to make, it did not make less painful.

  Paul … the Spirit of the Multitude had steered it towards him, the human interested in studying the Earliest Space, the beginning, the initial causes … comprehension … That was no coincidence. Edgard was convinced that Paul was part of the solution … and would help it succeed in its project. The Kandron had indeed committed to saving Space H., and through the Space, Albana. But the clock kept ticking … the future was becoming reality, things accelerated. Chances of success were dwindling, even though Edgard was not admitting defeat, clinging to a wild sense of hope.

  A call pulled the Kandron out of its reveries. It straightened up, and lay in a comfortable position to listen to its peers. Its forelegs fell along its body, abandoning the cut in the rock. Sitting in the
middle of the park, in front of humans of whom it was no longer aware, 5th Hexa connected with the Spirit. It was the Hexagon’s representative … Pearls of consciousness of the attending Kandrons merged into one another, forming the open community of Kandrons.

  “The crossroads are approaching.”

  “5th Hexa’s binomial is not taking the right direction.”

  “He is only taking an alternative route … He will, eventually, fulfil his mission”, said 5th Hexa.

  “This beginning will soon become irreparable. The Elders’ dream will become too strong a reality.”

  “I refuse to give up! This is the best solution! Spirit of the Multitude … why don’t you believe me any longer?”

  It felt on the sidelines of its community. Yet there was no other choice, and it would work in this direction...the future could not be locked, at least not yet. Hope … were hope and faith in Paul blinding 5th Hexa so much?

  “5th Hexa, the Spirit has heard your doubts, and shares them … The beginning is near, and even you are not sure … We must consider an alternative route as Time.”

  “The Space is not possible. Not here”.

  “The Space, no; but space, yes.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The universe is boundless.”

  “We cannot cross over such distances.”

  “Humans living by the lake will soon be able to.”

  Comments by the First and Last Element of the Circle vibrated in pearls of consciousness. It lived in the Forest and had a passion for the small community of humans who lived on the fringes of the City, outside the Machine’s purview. At each meeting, it filed enthusiastic reports, praising the ingenuity, skills and will of these people. However, most of the Kandrons in attendance considered its remarks exaggerated, and did not believe in humans’ capacity to build a space shuttle. Only Edgard and the remaining members of the Hexagon believed these humans could, given their close connection with humans. Nonetheless, 5th Hexa was still stunned. Soon, did the First Element and Last Element of the Circle say?

  “”Yes, I said soon. We must take part in the construction. This could be a solution for us.

  “Before we talk about ‘solution,’ show us.”

  The Circle opened up its memory, and showed the same black structured it had presented before.

  “Where is the progress? This is exactly the same thing we saw last time!”

  “A defector from Space O. just landed in their community.”

  Already … the porosity between Spaces had started. It realised how the future could become inexorable. Not so fast … No … While coping with its dark thoughts, Edgard forgot that the assembly was still there, connected to its mind, and that everyone could hear its reflections.

  “5th Hexa, your fear is spreading, and we do not need that. There is no proof that porosity between Spaces is the cause of that transfer.”

  “What else, then?”

  “Equilibria are changing, and you know it very well.”

  “That has nothing to do with this!”

  “Why not? That was what we believed last time … and nothingness had been the consequence.”

  It lost itself in its thoughts, taking care to isolate them so they would not disturb the others. Equilibria were changing … that was possible, after all. There were other forces at work … in the shadows … until when? And for what purpose? It focused back on the discussion.

  “… He is a hybrid, who has superior capacities thanks to artificial devices that are an integral part of his body.”

  “What is his connection to the Machine?”

  “With Space H.’s Machine, there is no connection, I checked that. With Space O.’s Machine, I cannot say. It is difficult, at this stage, to assess the fragility of Inter-Spaces and whether news can already spread.”

  “Nothing is sure.”

  “Obviously, we knew that.”

  “What are the consequences?”

  “He will help the humans by the lake to build the shuttle.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He wants to leave”

  “Wanting to leave does not necessarily mean wanting to arrive.”

  “Are you sure of his lack of connection to the Machine?”

  “Why?”

  “Equilibria are changing.”

  “That is not impossible, but that does not change his action in any way.”

  “Nothing is sure …”

  “Obviously.”

  “What makes this hybrid important?”

  “His capabilities can enable humans by the lake to complete their shuttle much faster.”

  “Which means?”

  “Within 10 years, at most.”

  Stupor percolated into the assembly. This time window actually allowed them … this solution was possible … This would require a lot of effort on their part, in order to force the Spirit of the Multitude to align its temporality with the completion of the construction project … but it was possible.

  Suddenly, all allegations from the Circle ceased to be laughable, and, through a pendulum effect, those of 5th Hexa lost their importance. Edgard felt that the S.M. was dropping its proposal, its human binomial, in favour of the Circle’s suggestion. The flow of thoughts turned towards the lake, towards the human community living outside the City … towards space and not the Space … 5th Hexa had to recognise that what the Circle proposed was both tempting and attainable.

  Yet this meant sacrificing Spaces … to do nothing to save them … Albana … The Spirit of the Multitude was already focusing on the solution the Circle proposed. If the collective made the decision to support the Circle’s view, 5th Hexa would, sincerely and fully, support it, too, but the Kandron would not abandon its own solution. Not yet.

  “How can we take part in that construction? Humans are not expecting us.”

  “Worse, none of them has any connection to us; they don’t know us at all.”

  “There is no connection, obviously! Need I remind you their origin? A direct connection to them would destabilise Space H. too much.”

  “We know that. What is the Circle suggesting?”

  “A connection to the hybrid.”

  “We had refused to connect with humans living by the lake, because their ancestors were defectors. We had thought, rightly so, that this would like destabilise Spaces. Now you suggest, nothing less, that we connect to a being who comes from there, and whose artificial components could still be linked to the Machine of his Space?”

  “Yes.”

  “That is totally crazy!” 5th Hexa could not help voicing its doubts.

  “Your attachment to your friend and your belief in his ability to differ the beginning are making you go astray.”

  Were they right? Should Edgard give up hope? Is … ? Danger did not come only from the fact that it had faith in Paul. The danger was real. A connection to this half-Machine human … The Kandrons had decided not to bind themselves to defectors. They had not done it the first time because they feared disturbances; the second time, because that reminded them too much that they were now prisoners of this Space, and also because they feared the consequences … Edgard’s doubts were legitimate.

  “Maybe, but the question is not there. Are you sure that a connection to this hybrid is safe? If you destabilise the Space earlier than planned, the construction of a shuttle will not help.”

  “That would be true if this were a ‘connection’ in the way you understand it.”

  “So, do you mean there are several ways to see things?”

  “Always.”

  “We are Kandrons.”

  “The simple act of saying something does not make it exist necessarily.”

  “Obviously. But it turns out that the thing I just spoke about exists already.”

  “Tell us.”

  “I want to create a unidirectional connection. To penetrate the hybrid’s brain, so he becomes our spokesperson. He would have no contact with me; he would not be able to talk
to me, as could usually do human binomials.”

  “That will be a biased relationship. A connection is a link between two minds that accept each other, with no consideration involved. Such a connection may be less strong, and no trigger the expected consequences.”

  “There will be no risk of destabilisation.”

  “That’s already good.”

  “We agree.”

  “I am the First and Last Element of the Circle. I will go see the hybrid.”

  “Do you believe he will accept this connection?”

  “He will have no choice. “

  “And afterwards? Even if he consents to a truncated connection, that will not be enough. He will have to convince humans to take us with them!”

  “Why wouldn’t they agree?”

  “Why should they agree? They would have to modify the shuttle significantly… to defer their departure time.”

  “That is not important.”

  “For them, that is a critical thing. Human lives are so short … Besides, that postponement may exceed the desired temporality …”

  “These comments are valid. 5th Hexa’s recommendations and those of the First and Last Element of the Circle should be studied with so much care.”

  5th Hexa sighed in relief. If the Circle’s solution, which it easily considered valid, was studied, its own recommendation, too, was kept. Paul … he still had a chance.

  It was 4th Tetra’s turn to speak. As it had done with 5th Hexa, it opened up its recollections for everyone to see the constructions commissioned by the Machine, which pointed towards the Forest, as well as instructions and algorithms sent but that led to nowhere. It also shared with everyone its feeling about the new artificial entity, which was not controlled by the Machine and which hid things from the Machine.