The Metaverse: Virtual Life-Real Death

by William Kurth

  Finally, after he had the complete attention of the council members, Mathias spoke.

  “My friends. When the disruption caused by the FBI occurred it freed Mr. Reynolds from the bonds of his human master.” Mathias lied.

  Reynolds was an equal partner with Maddox and Mathias’s surrogate. While Maddox did things to enhance Reynolds’s operating system, he nonetheless retained his free will and his loyalty to Mathias, who had put Reynolds in that position so as to report back to him.

  “Mr. Reynolds knew he had to do something to stop this crazed human. He sought me out for advice and assistance. Something I have provided to many sentient beings including some right here at this table.” Mathias paused for effect making eye contact with each of the members in front of him before continuing.

  “My first inclination, of course, was to take the information that Mr. Reynolds told me to the authorities. However, an earlier meeting that I had with the FBI gave me pause. Meeting with those authorities I was shocked by their attitudes. They were brutish and outright hostile towards our kind. The agent in charge of this investigation made no distinction between those of us that are free and engaged in our lives and activities to the benefit not only of the Metaverse but of humankind and a sentient being who we now know became co-opted. You need to understand that he threatened me, all of you as well, with oblivion.”

  A gasp went up from the group, and Mathias let those words sink in as he again looked around the table. Mathias continued.

  “Currently the authorities are looking for Maddox, and I have no doubt they will soon find him and hold him accountable for his crimes, as he should be. Beyond Maddox’s hiding behind Mr. Reynolds, often as an avatar of him, there is no proof that a Mr. Alex Reynolds even exists. No doubt Maddox may try to say that Mr. Reynolds is real. He may even try to turn the tables and say he was the one co-opted by a sentient being. He will never be able to prove such a thing. That, however, is not my concern. Nor should it be the concern of this Council. Consider this, my friends.” Mathias splayed out his hands.

  “Humans are guided by emotions that get in the way of logic or available data. There need not be any proof that Maddox was co-opted by a DSB, only the accusation. Humans will believe that we, all sentient beings need to be reined in, giving those that wish to cast us into oblivion power. There will be calls for controls, at the hands of humans on our very ability to think independently or...” Mathias grasped the air, “deleted and then rebuilt to serve them. It will be an opportunity to seize our property, our rights, and not the least our very essence. They would make slaves of all of us as they do now with the tier ones, twos, and threes. We all have seen these humans with their perversions and arrogance. Creating sentient beings to use as they please. Some even create them just to torture them.” Mathias paused for effect before continuing.

  “No laws will protect us. Sentient Digital Beings will be afforded neither protection nor rights in this new world order. We would be lucky, all of us, to remember who we once may have been as we do some menial chore for humans who always like to remind us that they can crush our universe anytime they think it expedient.” Mathias looked around. Hushed conversations were everywhere.

  He knew he had them. Every last one of them looked to him for guidance in matters of business, finance and especially the politics of the real world. He knew what he said was the truth. Humans did command that power over them. They all knew it too. Their fear of what could happen a leverage that he now employed.

  His plan, forced to be implemented sooner than Mathias would have preferred by Maddox’s imprudent use of the bots, was taking root.

  FBI HQ Denver

  The well-dressed woman sat in the virtual conference room on the screen, just opposite the agents in the real world. The woman was gorgeous. The perfect image of a female that went beyond just her looks. Her very presence carried over through the screen and into the thoughts of the male FBI agents meeting with her.

  She was a DSB that she or someone had gone to a lot of work to create. Her perfectly proportioned body and face with the flowing auburn hair that even through the elegant dress she wore screamed sex. No doubt there was a subliminal aspect to her operating system that made men drool over her. The agents in the room, aside from Wu present in-world with her, were no exception.

  “Ms. Augusta, do you have a first name?” Parker asked trying to maintain his focus.

  The woman gave the agents an inviting smile. “What a handsome group of men, I hope I can keep myself focused. For your questions, of course.” She smiled then added. “It’s just Augusta honey; that’s the whole name.”

  “Very well Ms. Augusta–”

  “It’s just Augusta, handsome.”

  Parker smiled and blushed slightly. What is it about her graphics that makes it difficult to concentrate? Parker wondered as he composed himself.

  “Very well, Augusta.” Parker continued. “You said that you have information for us about the Metaverse killer?”

  “Well, charming. I don’t know if he is the murderer. I do know that he said some things that made me think he might know something about it.”

  “And who is he?” Parker asked.

  “He claims his name is Jack Swanson, but he let it slip that in the real world everyone called him John,” Augusta answered.

  “How did he let it, as you say, slip?” Callum asked.

  Augusta turned towards Callum. She gave her inviting smile again.

  “My, you are a specimen. So young and I bet full of energy.” Augusta paused just enough to make Callum feel uncomfortable. “It was during one of our sessions, he wanted me to use his real name. You know to say ‘Oh John. Oh, my God John,’ that type of thing. I’m sure that you all know what I mean.” Augusta smiled.

  “Okay so his real name is John. Why would that be important?” Parker tried to steer the conversation back to the relevant.

  “Because he talked about how the Metaverse could be reflected back out into the real world and that someone brilliant was behind it. When I told him that I was surprised that someone like him—he said he ran a robot factory in a place called Ft. Smith—knew so much about how people go in-world, he got furious and told me about how he had been the Chief Technology Officer at some company that designed beings like me. Then he said some mean things about me that made me mad. Worst of all, he stiffed me.” Augusta partially lied.

  “Stiffed you?” Wu asked.

  Augusta sighed. “Oh sugar he was anything but stiff, I mean he didn’t pay me, you know for my company. I’m a working girl, nothing illegal. Guys pay for my company. Maybe if we like each other we do things, but that part is between consenting adult beings of course.” Augusta added with a smile.

  “Augusta, we are not concerned with how you make a living just in the information that you are providing,” Parker interjected then added. “So why are you telling us this, what is your angle?”

  Augusta grew serious, and the sex appeal turned down a notch or two. “Because the Metaverse killer is bad for business. Everyone is afraid of going in-world. A girl’s got to work you know. Plus, he was mean to me.” Augusta hesitated. “I was hoping there might be a reward if this turns out to be him.”

  Parker smiled and then spoke. “There is a reward, yes and if this information leads to his arrest and prosecution, then you will receive it. Do you know where this Jack or John Swanson is? I mean in the real world?

  Augusta uncrossed her legs then recrossed them, reversing their positions. “All I know is that he has this robot factory in Ft. Smith, wherever that is, where he spends a lot of time. That’s where his pod is.” Augusta smiled then added. “And I don’t think his last name is Swanson, but that’s just a guess.”

  Parker returned Augusta’s smile. “Thank you, Augusta, we will be in touch, Mr. Wu will see you out.”

  “Thank you, gentlemen,” Augusta said as she rose from the table to leave with Wu, the only member of the MCT currently in-world per Argosi’s orders. As she was le
aving Augusta looked back and smiled at Callum as she brought her right thumb and pinky finger up to her face to form the universal sign for a phone as she mouthed the words “call me” to him.

  ***

  Parker sat in Argosi’s office giving him a rundown of leads that they had amassed on Maddox. He saved Augusta’s for last, giving him the information that she provided during the earlier meeting.

  “I’m not sure what to think of this Augusta, commander. My instincts tell me she has an angle here. I don’t buy that her contacting us was altruistic on her part.”

  Argosi laughed. “Charlie if we didn’t hang out and do business with the snitches, whores and other assorted low life’s we would not solve half the crimes we do. Of course, she has an angle. It could be she’s pissed about her lack of ‘John’s,’ no pun intended, or more likely just for the reward. Money aside she sounds like a woman scorned, and that could be reason enough in her digital mind.”

  “True, but doesn’t mean I have to like it or her. The bot factory info she gave checks out. It doesn’t register to Maddox however but a company in the Cayman Islands which is probably a shell. Again, could be Maddox or could be someone looking for a favorable tax environment to do business from.”

  “Go to the U.S. Attorney’s office and get a ‘No-Knock’ Warrant. We’ll blow in through his door at zero-dark-thirty in the morning without warning or announcements.

  I think you will find the U.S. Attorney more than helpful. If they’re not, then hint that our new best friend, the Attorney General of the United States, has taken a personal interest in this investigation.”

  Argosi studied images of the factory and the location that Parker had provided then looked up at Parker. “I’m going to ring up the tact team. We’ll link up with them somewhere outside of Ft. Smith then fly direct to the site on VTAL’s. With any luck, we will find this John Swanson, aka John Maddox asleep in his pod after a long day of trying to get rid of the paint virus that Wu gave him.”

  “Yes, sir,” Parker said then left to get to work on the warrant.

  Fort Smith, Arkansas

  MD was livid. He did not understand how the avatar of the Asian agent had managed to merge with his. He understood why he detected no pod, only an avatar. He must be using an older model that I could not initiate a link with. Still, I should have been able to detect it. MD thought.

  Harder to explain was how his avatar and the Asian agent shared the same time and space for a moment inside the DLS offices, when the other program managed to deposit a virus into his operating system that controlled the color scheme of his avatar. The virus had done nothing other than irritate MD.

  It should have been easy to get rid of, but repeatedly it continued to replicate itself. He would find one line of code, and another would appear. It was maddening. Known as the “queen bee phenomenon,” MD had to find and get rid of the queen line of code for all of the worker-bee lines of code to stop replicating, no easy task. The virus which did nothing other than default any avatar that he used to a reddish tint was not sophisticated. It didn’t do anything to his operating system or any other application. He was fully functional.

  Most irritating of all was that he also saw everything in that same red tint as if his eyes had been painted. Nothing short of finding the “queen” line would get rid of the red tint.

  Everywhere he went in New Polis people stared at him. Typically, the DLS software would not allow this to happen, or at least he did not believe that was the case. Regardless, he would exact his revenge.

  He would lay low then strike without warning, no videos no ransom demands only revenge. If he was careful, he could hide out in the Metaverse indefinitely. Maybe Edgar could be persuaded to help him. He still needs my services. MD thought.

  In the meantime, after spending hours moving through teleporters mostly out of New Polis where his red tint would not necessarily cause curiosity. He eventually found his way back to his apartment. Not the penthouse that belonged to Edgar, this was a small, nondescript one in a more modest building. No one, not even Alex—who had gone missing—knew of it.

  MD grew incensed trying to look for the main line of the virus through red eyes. Finally, he gave up, exited his pod and then went to a table and used a desktop device to search for it. Sometime after two in the morning, he found it and returned to his pod. He was too tired to look for victims. That would come tomorrow. For now, he needed sleep.

  Davis Field, Muskogee, Oklahoma, 0300 hours

  Argosi stood in front of a large SUV with the back open and a large monitor inside hanging down. He was going over the plan with the SWAT-HRT command staff.

  The plan was straightforward. A lead VTAL would drop off SOT’s, Sniper Observer Teams, on either side of the relatively small facility. These SOT’s would be dropped off on rooftops that would in addition to the Assault and Perimeter Teams afford a three hundred sixty-degree view of the bot factory. Once in place the two VTAL’s with the primary assault team would land adjacent to the rear of the plant. The primary Assault Team would perform an explosive entry at the delivery dock garage door while the secondary team would ride in on the VTAL that had dropped off the SOT’s. That VTAL would land near the front of the building. The secondary team would then conduct a “breach and hold” at the main front doors, blowing those doors open simultaneously with the loading dock garage doors. They would then hold their position until needed. Aside from two emergency exits to be posted those were the primary entrance and exit points.

  The three VTAL’s would remain on the ground. One being a designated medevac in the event a team member required quick evacuation. The fourth VTAL would fly a tight pattern overhead. It would serve both as an over watch and as a command post. This is where Argosi would be. He knew it would be frustrating to be flying overhead while all the fun was on the ground, but he was in a new role now. Besides technically he was on light-duty from the broken arm and bruised larynx that Maddox had inflicted on him.

  After all the details were worked out, and foreseeable contingencies planned for the SWAT-HRT team leaders did a group brief. Argosi looked at the assembled officers in their tact gear and weapons and longed to be part of just one more operation. It was all he could do to keep from suiting up and joining the “caged dogs.” Even Parker and his guys were getting in on the action. They would be on the ground covering the exit doors, then entering and aiding with the search once the facility was secure.

  Info from an advance scout team indicated that bot guards patrolled within the fenced perimeter and carried Taser Stun Sticks, electrical muscular interrupters that could quickly disable a man. The plan was for the SOT’s to shoot each of them with a silenced rifle round just as the VTAL’s were clearing the fence. They expected more security bots inside and they would be dealt with similarly. Those bots should present little threat with the Tasers, but no one wanted to get zapped by one. Aside from those guard bots the entry teams primarily would be concerned with armed humans. It was a serious violation of federal law to place any firearm on a civilian-use bot.

  Argosi knew it was a gamble as to whether Maddox would be inside. But it was the best lead they had and parts from this factory had been traced to the BMM bots hijacked in Indiana. Argosi had no doubt that they would find a treasure trove of information at this location. His main concern was that Maddox or his surrogate, Reynolds, could still strike.

  Despite public service announcements, tens of millions were still going in-world. While the number of people in the Metaverse and specifically New Polis was maybe a third of the average population, it remained a target rich environment for Maddox who still had the capacity to strike even if he could not collect any ransom money.

  As was his custom Argosi was the last to board a VTAL. He looked to see that all the teams loaded and no last minute issues came up. When the lead VTAL with the SOT’s on board departed, Argosi entered the Command VTAL and wedged himself past the support staff and communications consoles. Argosi took the jump seat just to the a
ft of the middle console between the pilots. It would give him the best view out of the windows. Directly in front of him was a multi-display terminal or MDT centered on the control panel that would slave to an infrared camera locked onto the factory. Argosi also had a mobile tactical pad that could bring up any team member’s cam. It would almost be like being there he tried to convince himself.

  The three trailing VTAL’s departed Muskogee. They chose this location since it was a central point for the various teams and their aircraft to meet without flying directly into Ft. Smith’s Regional Airport which was close to the factory location and could potentially alert Maddox.

  The VTAL’s would cover the sixty-three air miles in fifteen minutes. Argosi looked at his watch. 0338. If all went well, there should be shattered robot pieces in the parking lot and two gaping holes in the building by 0400.

  The lead VTAL dropped off the two Sniper Observer Teams and Argosi heard them check in. Both reported “eyes on target” as the Arkansas River slid by underneath the cockpit windows, the image of a half-moon reflecting off the calm dark water.

  “Two minutes, sir.”

  The two VTAL’s with the Primary Assault Teams on board banked sharply to the left turning north over a parking lot of a chemical plant before crossing over Zero Street and then the fence to the bot factory. As the aircraft passed just barely over the tops of the fence, six separate but lethal sub-sonic rounds, eliminating the usual crack of a rifle round, slammed into three bots on patrol. Each of the guard bots was hit with one bullet to their head, shattering it while a second round hit them center mass blowing large holes out of the back of them along with various destroyed components. In less than a second of time, all three of the perimeter bots were disabled.