The Metaverse: Virtual Life-Real Death

by William Kurth

  Argosi opened the container and sipped until he felt the tap on his wrist telling him that was enough for the moment. The Nutrient solution had to be sipped and not guzzled. It was far more filling than one might imagine from a twenty-ounce can. Drinking it too fast could cause cramping, as it tended to make the stomach expand too rapidly. One twenty ounce can of the breakfast solution was like eating two eggs, four slices of bacon, hash browns and toast and jelly.

  Argosi noticed the MCT all looking back at him waiting for some direction or question. Callum busied himself doodling on a digital legal pad next to some of the notes he had made during the video.

  Argosi sat the container down and looked at his assembled team.

  “I’m sorry for the outburst during the video. That was unprofessional...”

  “No Need to—” Argosi held his hand up, cutting Parker off in mid-sentence.

  “I’m an operational guy. I want this fuck Reynolds in my sights or the sights of one my snipers. I’m not accustomed to feeling this helpless with so little information. It gives me a new appreciation for what you guys and the investigators have to deal with. You do countless hours, days, weeks and months of investigations and the tact guys and I get to rush in and take down the perp.”

  Argosi felt the tap notifying him it was ok to drink some more. He sipped at the solution until he felt the tap stop and set the container back down.

  “Therefore, I apologize for my outburst and language. It’s always preferable to take the offender into custody, so please, no one misinterpret my statement that he is a literal dead man. That was just an emotional and angry outburst. You do not have permission to shoot on sight. No matter how much you want to or you think that I want you to.” Argosi smiled, which elicited a chuckle from the agents, even Wu.

  Argosi was about to continue when Susan broke in on the phone speaker in front of him.

  “Commander, sorry to disturb you. I have Deputy Chief Stezno on line two. Are you able to take it now, sir?”

  “That’s fine, Susan. Send it through.”

  Susan acknowledged that she was transferring the call and when it beeped Argosi picked up the handset.

  “Argosi.”

  “Dom, have you seen the video?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m meeting with the whole of the MCT right now in the conference room we just finished it.”

  “Good. This is from the director and me. Anything you need, agents, resources and so on, it’s yours. Anything. It’s already streamlined. I want this fuck stopped. Have you met Wu yet?”

  Argosi was puzzled. Why did everyone ask him about Wu?

  “Yes, ma’am. I have. He is participating in this meeting as a matter of fact.”

  “Good. You are free to use him as you see fit. In fact, can you put me on speaker so Charlie can hear me?”

  “Yes, ma’am. You’re live now,” Argosi said as he pushed the speaker option.

  “Agent Parker, this is DC Stezno.”

  “Good morning, ma’am,” Charlie answered.

  “I had Commander Argosi put you on so you can hear what I just told him.”

  “Go ahead, ma’am. The whole team is here as well,” Charlie said, making sure that Stezno knew that. Just in case she wanted what she was going to say to be more private.

  “That’s fine. I just told the Commander that any and all resources are available for this investigation and that includes Wu. He is operational now. The director has made sure that the head tech shop here in DC will go along with that. Any flack, just let the commander know, and he and I will take care of it.”

  “Roger that, ma’am.”

  Charlie looked like he wanted to say something more but didn’t. Argosi noticed a few raised eyebrows as the agents looked at one another. Wu was gargoyle-like as always.

  What is it with Wu? Argosi sat wondering what he was about to find about the young Asian man sitting across from him in digital form. Was he a Chinese defector or something?

  “Thanks, guys. I want this fuck. Dead or alive I don’t care. You will have everything you need to make it happen.”

  Stezno ended the call. Argosi had to laugh to himself at what Stezno had just said after his little speech. Argosi hit the page button on the phone as he sipped some more of his breakfast.

  “Yes, Commander?”

  “Susan, I need a FastJet ready for me to go to San Diego ASAP and I need a VTAL here to take me to the airport and one in San Diego to take me to a crime scene. They’ll know which one. Please make the arrangements. The mission for these aircraft has top priority so bump any other missions. Any problems let them know this is by the authority of DC Stezno and the director himself.”

  “No problem. I know how to handle those fly boys and girls.”

  “Thanks, Susan.”

  Argosi turned to his team.

  “Okay, the technical area is your expertise, Agent Parker, but I’m going out to San Diego, I want to talk with the guys on the ground and look at the scene and besides I’m still in the real world and can’t join you till late today at the earliest. I want to bring some of the hardware and software of the pods and their systems back here to the lab which I’m told is the most advanced of its kind in tracking down hackers, bugs, and viruses. Callum, you’re coming with me, and you are too, Wu.”

  Argosi paused to drink the last of his breakfast which gave Wu an opportunity to speak up.

  “Excuse me, Commander, but I’m not allowed to leave the lab—ever.”

  What the fuck is he talking about? Can’t leave the lab? Ever? Argosi almost spit back up his breakfast.

  Seeing his commander’s reaction, Charlie Parker decided it was a good time to break in.

  “Sir, I muted the DC’s comments; Robert doesn’t know he is a full part of the team now.” Parker smiled at Wu.

  “I think it’s time that we had a discussion about Robert.”

  “I’m all ears, Agent.” Argosi finally had enough with all the vague back and forth comments and questions he had heard about one Robert Wu.

  “Sir, before I begin, we need to make sure the conference room is in full COMSEC mode.”

  Argosi pushed a button on the conference phone system and the folding walls built into either side of the walls unfolded. In a second, they sealed the room off so that the glass windows and door of the conference room wall behind where he sat were closed off.

  Argosi waited for the green light to tell him that all wireless devices, non-secured landlines and other communication lines were disabled.

  I wonder what the hell this is all about. The blinking red light went to a solid green.

  New Polis, Metaverse

  MD woke to a beeping noise, followed by a soft female voice telling him that his hydration levels were low before the beeping resumed followed by the same earlier message. MD looked at the clock on the nightstand. 8:40 am. The beeping and voice continued. His head ached. He vaguely remembered being at the midtown brownstone and what he did there with the two lovely T-2’s.

  MD sat up, fully awake now and verbally told the hydration alarm to pause. It would only stay paused for a short period unless he took in some fluids. He pushed the intercom button on the bed stand clock.

  “Good morning, sir. How may I be of assistance?”

  “Derek, bring me some mineral water and Tylenol.”

  “Certainly, sir.”

  MD laid back down. He remembered leaving the brownstone and talking with Alex about an email release or something as Derek drove him back to the penthouse in the limo. MD sat back up. The latest video message and demands were out now, what was going on in the Real world?

  The large screen monitor dropped down from the ceiling above the foot of his king-sized bed by MD’s verbal command which likewise split the screen into four screens—all 24/7 news channels, including one that exclusively covered the Metaverse. All of them had live coverage of the latest deaths and how someone from inside of the Metaverse was taking credit for them.

  MD was ecstatic. Thi
s is what he hoped for. Wall-to-wall coverage of the latest demonstration of his power. The video had been a work of art. Shocking to be sure but more importantly was the message that it conveyed. Anyone in-world right now had to be nervous about their safety and would pay the fee or leave.

  MD knew most would not leave. Too much of their lives if not their careers and even their relationships were here.

  Then there was the economics of being in-world. Here even someone with a modest income could live very well. Nothing like that was possible in the real world. The Metaverse offered a rich cultural and social existence far more than what that same salary could buy in the real world. No, they wouldn’t leave. Many would still resist paying of course, but their numbers would decrease as the demonstrations continued. Demonstrations. That’s a cute word for murders. MD thought more a flash of humor about it than morality.

  Derek entered the room carrying a silver tray which contained a bottle of mineral water, a crystal ice bucket with silver tongs, an elegant crystal glass and a small china saucer with two white pills on it.

  “Ice, sir?”

  “Yes,” MD said, staring at the pills. Does the synthesizer create that or is it manually put into the pod? MD was wondering about how the Tylenol would get into his system at the H-Pod rental facility where his physical body resided.

  MD drank the water and took the pills. Almost immediately he felt refreshed. He knew that it was more than just water. It was a precise hydration solution tailored to meet his body’s current needs.

  “Thank you. That will be all.”

  “Yes, sir. I will be attending to my duties if you need me, sir.”

  MD waved him out with his hand not feeling like conversing with Derek any longer. It was almost idiotic really. To what else would his servant be attending?

  Derek disappeared, and MD sat up on the bed propping himself up with two pillows as he turned up the volume. A spokesman read a statement from Digital-Life Systems.

  “We here at Digital-Life Systems want to begin by offering our deepest sympathies and condolences to the two teenage boys who lost their lives in yesterday’s incident.”

  Incident? Lost their lives? You morons! MD wanted to shout but knew it was pointless.

  “We want all of our customers to know that we are working diligently around the clock with the authorities and will provide all and any resources to aid in the investigation of this tragic event.”

  “Event? That’s what you are calling my taking over of your system?” MD smirked.

  “Most importantly we want to emphasize that it is safe to utilize your Digital-Life Systems account. We have taken additional steps in our security protocols to ensure that every single person who wants to go in-world can do so without cause for concern.”

  “Who do you think designed those security protocols you stupid little person?” MD shook his head.

  “We encourage all of our customers likewise to ensure that their individual server has not been hacked into or compromised and have set up a special link on our home page that will guide you through a self-assessment.”

  “Oldest PR trick in the book. Blame the victims,” MD said.

  “We will continue to update all of you if and when we have new information to offer. Please address your questions regarding any possible criminal investigation to the appropriate authorities.”

  “Translation, don’t bother us, it’s not our problem,” MD said, continuing his running commentary. But it will be. Oh, it will be.

  The corporate spokesman turned and quickly left the podium, ignoring a slew of shouted questions mostly having to do with the video released this morning and the demands made by the producers of it.

  The anchor turned to his expert guests who all remarked about the standard damage control done here and how the company spokesman never addressed whether subscribers should pay the fee. Just that DLS was ensuring that it was safe to go in-world. One of the experts noted how there was more than an implicit suggestion that any breach was occurring at the local server level.

  That last comment made MD laugh.

  “Of course it’s on the local server, but accessed through code that runs systemically.”

  I pity the fools. MD tried to remember where he heard that expression.

  Denver FBI HQ

  Argosi sat dumbfounded, staring first at Parker then over to Wu.

  “You’re telling me, Agent Parker, that Mr. Wu here is an animatronic device?”

  “Yes, sir, he is. And not just anyone.”

  “Well, that’s obvious.” Argosi rubbed his nose.

  “I mean, I shook his hand. It was warm and felt like any other human’s flesh. There was nothing about his skin that looked plastic or even too perfect like most animatronic devices. I saw him eat an apple, walk with a normal gait, breath and sigh like a human being.”

  Argosi took another glance at Wu.

  “So you are in-world then, despite what you told me earlier?”

  “No, Commander. I am physically in the tech center. But I am simultaneously in-world. I can reflect in here without a pod. Reflection being only a general statement. It’s considerably more involved.”

  “I’m sure it is Wu. I’m curious, why Asian-American?”

  Parker chimed in.

  “Robert Wu here is the name we came up with since he had none when he arrived three years ago. At that time, he was known simply as ‘Real World Utility Unit’ or RWUU. We came up with Robert Wu and gave him an Asian appearance with a California dialect.”

  Argosi rubbed his eyes.

  “How do you get his skin to feel so real?”

  “That’s easy, sir. Mr. Wu’s skin is real. As alive as yours or mine.”

  Argosi snapped his head up to look at Parker.

  “It’s what?”

  “It’s alive. Very much like the SecondSkin except in reverse. What happens out in the real world reflects into the Metaverse where Robert’s consciousness or at least a portion of it technically resides. He is the first sentient being to be able to literally see, feel, taste and smell in the real world. Those experiences for him are not derived out of some algorithm, but encountered in the very same way that you or I or any living human experiences them.”

  Argosi’s head spun trying to understand all of this.

  “And the apple? How does he eat that?”

  “The apple supplies hydration to my skin. The moisture is sucked out, and the core and anything else is burned for energy much in the same way as a biologic but far more efficiently.” Wu said.

  That’s what we are to them, biologics?

  “Just like the way this crap here works for me.” Argosi lifted the empty Nutrient container. Except I don’t eat the container. Argosi recalled how Mr. Wu tossed the remainder of his apple in the trash. Apparently so as not to alarm Argosi by consuming it core and all.

  “Yes, sir. That’s correct.” Parker was speaking again.

  “We still have issues with Wu’s skin; it dries out easily, mainly in a hotter and drier climate.”

  “Like out west here?”

  “Yes, sir. That’s one of the reasons he is here. The other of course being the lab.”

  Argosi nodded.

  “Ok, Charlie. I’m officially freaked out. No offense, Wu.”

  “None taken, Commander.”

  “So all the introductions yesterday about Wu’s duties and so forth were to mislead me for some reason?”

  “Deputy Chief Stezno’s idea, sir.” Parker shrugged.

  Argosi just clucked his tongue.

  “Fair enough.”

  “Ok, so I still am taking Wu with me. If nothing else he should be an entertaining travel companion. Moreover, his knowledge of Metaverse hardware and software may come in handy. I assume that he can at least carry some servers and take apart any device that he thinks we should take a closer look at in the lab?”

  “Robert Wu has the strength of perhaps thirty men. His design is for real world law enforcement operations as we
ll as those in the Metaverse. He is thoroughly qualified with a sidearm and urban rifle. I can assure you, sir, that he is deadly accurate with both.” Parker said to a shocked Argosi.

  Animatronics were usually weaker than humans as well as most robots except those designed for manual labor. It was a violation of federal law to mount a weapon on a robot, drone or animatronic device. Parker seemed to read his boss’s mind at that moment.

  “Commander, please understand that Robert Wu is not just a Sentient Digital Being. He is of a magnitude above that, both in-world and out. He is a truly multi-dimensional living creature. He breathes, taking in moisture from the air and expelling heat. He feels physically and has a real tongue that he can taste and analyze with, plus a nose more sensitive than any dog’s. Above all else, unlike any other sentient being—biologic or digital—he can exist seamlessly as himself in both worlds simultaneously.”

  “All of that is great, but as great as those things are, I have bigger concerns over Mr. Wu here carrying a firearm.”

  “Sir?” Parker asked.

  Argosi took a breath and was about to speak but was interrupted by Wu.

  “The commander is worried that I could be hacked into or somehow compromised, just as we are witnessing with the Digital-Life System components.”

  Argosi narrowed his eyes at Wu, surprised at how he had perceived what was an obvious concern, but one based purely on Argosi’s emotions. Definitely not factual data like what drove a device’s thinking.

  “Commander, I am a closed system. I cannot be hacked or otherwise compromised, at least not in the way that you fear.”

  “Closed system?”

  “Of course, sir. Just like you and Agent Parker and Callum and all the other agents assembled here. We are all closed systems. We cannot be hacked into nor redirected by a code or virus. We have free will sir. I have free will to choose right or wrong, to be moral or immoral or even amoral as you do, as all of us here do, sir.”