The Goddess Quest

by Lawrence Ambrose

  "I just encountered his body and bike by chance," Alex said. She had to try. "I didn't kill him."

  "So you helped yourself to his wallet, bike, clothing, and pack and drove away? What innocent person wouldn't do that?"

  Alex smiled at her snarky tone. "An innocent person on the run from the law and a psycho-killer?"

  "Who would that be?"

  "The Highwayman. AKA Henna Flowers."

  "We know you had some form of run-in with her. But Henna Flowers didn't kill the police and paramedics and one motorist in Santa Fe County. We know that. Our forensics tells us that a large male, likely augmented, did that. Also, Miss Flowers didn't shoot the highway patrol officer at the rest area. The police camera shows that was a male as well – a male who happens to fit your description exactly."

  Alex took a moment to ponder that before asking, "What makes you think this person was augmented?"

  "Our analysis of the killer's athletic performance. And we will be performing the necessary tests to determine if you're augmented soon enough."

  Alex decided to keep her mouth shut until she had time to think things through.

  They slowed. The grumble of machinery. They backed up. The deep thud of something locking into place. The doors opened from the inside. A semi-circle of weapon-toting individuals in Gestapo-black uniforms and boots greeted them in what appeared to be a parking bay. Everyone wore visors. Alex wondered if there was a security reason or they were just shy.

  They placed Alex in an electric cart and drove down a long, winding hallway. Alex thought they were traveling downward, but orientation in the nondescript corridors was hard to achieve.

  They rolled her into a windowless room featuring dull-green metallic walls, floor, and ceiling. A table composed of the same material sat in the center of the room, manacles attached to its legs. Objects that Alex guessed were cameras adorned the upper walls on all sides. An interrogation room with an edge.

  They hooked one of her arms and ankles to the table's manacles. The government agents left the room. Alone with her thoughts, Alex couldn't help being a little impressed and fascinated by the operation. And curious: what were they planning to do to her? Torture wouldn't work, but then they wouldn't know that. They also wouldn't know that in a few days her avatar would check out of this world and reset. She wasn't sure how exactly that would work, since in Reality One, governments and other fact-collecting agencies maintained permanent records, which would contradict her ability to return here as Dionysus after the private quest expired in eleven days. She assumed the GM would "sanitize" all relevant records. Or they might sub another identity as the actor in everything she did that affected the Verse. She'd find out soon enough.

  Tatiya returned to the room sans her battle getup.

  "Can I get you something?" she asked. "Something to drink? Food?"

  "Nope."

  "I hope you won't hold my little deception against me."

  "How does that work, exactly? You drive around the country pretending to be paleontologists?"

  "That's a cover, yes. Though I actually am a scientist. Just an exobiologist, not a paleontologist. I study life that may not originate on this world."

  Alex stared at her. She had to remind herself to close her mouth. Sims studying avatars? Alien beings? Alex was having trouble wrapping her head around it all. What kind of games were the Gamemasters playing?

  "You look surprised." The woman smiled, for a moment resembling the innocent paleontologist from their first meeting. "Didn't you tell me you came from another world?"

  "Yes, but I didn't know someone here was actually studying that. Or programmed to study it."

  "So you are from another world?"

  "The real world, yes."

  "Did you kill the police, ambulance drivers, and one civilian on Highway 30 in Santa Fe County?"

  "Nope."

  "Rick Drager?"

  "No. I'm completely innocent of all criminal charges. By the way, is Tatiya your real name?"

  "Yes. But you can call me Agent Wilson." She leaned back in her chair, studying Alex for a few seconds. "It would take some time to build a case for the Highway 30 murders. The case for the murder of Rick Drager has mostly built itself. That alone should earn you twenty-five years to life in a federal prison."

  Alex held her tongue. She was sensing something interesting under the threatening verbiage – an unstated "but."

  "However," said Tatiya, "with your full cooperation, we might decide not to prosecute you for the Highway 30 killings. We might even decide to reduce your sentence for Rick Drager and recommend a more pleasant prison venue than the standard prison fare."

  Alex felt a faint glow of hope. "What kind of cooperation?"

  "We want to know everything you know." Tatiya leaned forward, eyes lit with eagerness, bracing her hands on the table as if to restrain herself. "Everything about your world. About where others of your kind might be. We want to study you physically."

  Alex's hope burned a bit brighter. "Haven't you already done this? Questioned and studied avatars with powers? What you call 'augmented'?"

  "The Constitution protects Augmented Americans, unless they've committed a crime or failed to register."

  "Failing to register is a crime. A felony, isn't it?'

  "Yes. The current penalties for failing to register are six months in prison and/or a $15,000 fine."

  "So when they commit a crime or fail to register, you have an excuse for questioning them. So what do they say?"

  "Almost all of them plead the Fifth, as is their right. A few are more cooperative, particularly if they face greater criminal penalties. Most simply claim to be augments. A small percentage claim, as you do, to come from a 'real world' and that this one is a simulation. They've spoken of getting 'awards' from solving game puzzles. We have performed physical exams and tests on a number of them without conclusive results. They have demonstrated unusual and dangerous abilities, but our best scientists have been unable to detect anything within any augmented individual, whether they claim to be from another world or not, that explains their powers."

  Alex remembered reading, with some amusement, about the sims performing experiments on 'augmented' avatars and expressing amazed disbelief when they could find no explanation.

  "Yes, I know about your augmented tests. What makes you think it would be any different with me?"

  "Because you're the first one who has committed serious crimes. Serious enough that you might have some incentive to truly cooperate."

  Alex was starting to sniff the faint possibility of salvation. "How do you even know I am augmented?"

  "We don't. And if you aren't, all offers are off the table." Tatiya regarded her for a moment. "Do you possess any unusual powers?"

  Alex wasn't sure if it would be smart to admit that. Aside from withdrawing their "offers," what would they do to her? Would she have a better chance of escape?

  "What if I said no, I'm not augmented?" Alex asked.

  "You will undergo rigorous testing, regardless. If you test negative, we will remand you to the Justice Department. But if you're thinking you can fool us, you're wrong. As I said, the testing is rigorous. But if you're honest with us now, that would count in your favor."

  "Okay." Alex was inclined to believe they would discover her enhanced strength, at least. "They're nothing spectacular. I'm stronger and I don't need food or water to survive. I also don't have to piss or shit. Not the most impressive superpower, but hey, the extra time adds up."

  "How much stronger are you?" She gave her a slim smile. "Not strong enough to break those chains."

  "Clearly, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. No, a mere 3 times normal strength."

  "Does that include being three times less vulnerable to injury or three times faster recovery? Three times stronger immune system?"

  Alex gave her an appreciative smile and shrugged. "From what I can tell, the programmers basically treated 3x strength as meaning operating in 1/3 gravity. I
doubt they extended the 3-factor to healing or the immune system. The 1/3 gravity premise allows me with reasonable logical consistency to jump higher and run faster."

  "Good. Thank you." She stood up. "I'll arrange for a test session in our lab immediately."

  "Are you a head honcho here?"

  "I'm the lead scientist at this facility. If you're asking can I finalize a deal –people above me would need to sign off on that. I can only bring them an offer and an assessment."

  AN HOUR later, Alex found herself in a vacant gymnasium populated by weight-machines and a basketball court encircled by a track. Cameras, speakers, and hubs resembling gun turrets perched on the ceiling and twenty-foot high walls. They'd wheeled her in and departed. Her hand and leg cuffs unlocked. She shrugged them off and stood up.

  "Please sprint briefly," Tatiya's voice projected into the room in stereo.

  Alex sprinted off down the track. Her avatar had no need to stretch. She'd done enough running in the 3x state to know how to optimally combine the vertical with the horizontal – leaning forward to transfer more force forward with each stride. Otherwise, as she'd learned in her initial runs, she ended up airborne too much of the time. Now she blew around the track like a Greyhound.

  "Good," said Tatiya. "Could you jump as high as you can a few times?"

  Alex took a running start and sprang upward. She wasn't sure how the programmers had calculated her avatar's base default leap, but she estimated she got maybe four feet off the ground. Michael Jordan or Mac McClung territory but short of superhuman.

  Next, the exobiologist had her try bench-pressing, where she maxed out at 480 – indicating the default strength they'd somewhat arbitrarily assigned to her avatar of 160. Her non-zeroed-out avatar, after years of virtual training, could bench mid-three hundreds – even without strength awards. So again, nothing superhuman, but in combination perhaps enough to convince the charming agent from DARE.

  "Thank you," she said. "Now, if you would lower yourself into the steel chamber at the far end of the gym, we can complete your testing."

  Alex walked up to the shiny steel chamber, which bore an unpleasant resemblance to a coffin. She noted a multitude of apertures and panels inside.

  "I think I'll pass," she said.

  "Passing is not an option. We will incapacitate you forcibly and place you in the chamber, if necessary."

  Alex heard the uncompromising hardness in her voice and believed her.

  "What will happen in there?" she asked.

  "You will be further tested. You won't be harmed. If we wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."

  True, Alex thought. But why did she believe that something highly unpleasant waited for her in that coffin? She had to remind herself that "she" wasn't really here, that she could check out or mute pain at will.

  "Okay," she said.

  Alex climbed into the chamber and stretched out. A metal lid slid smoothly into place, sealing her in darkness. She fought a tide of panic. I am not really here, I am not really here. The lid descended slowly. Alex pushed against it with all her strength, to no effect. Jesus, were they intending to crush her? Was this some type of medieval torture?

  The lid stopped just as it started to press down on her forehead. Then the chamber began to heat up. First, minor discomfort, then an intense combination of claustrophobia and a sense of imminent incineration. Mute pain. That took care of the heat. The claustrophobia remained. I am not here. It's an illusion.

  So tempting to check out. Being buried alive was perhaps her worst nightmare, followed closely by being burned alive. No way could they know that. Perhaps those terrors were universal? Or maybe torture wasn't the main point of this? Maybe it was about pushing her into revealing what she could do?

  The chamber, which resembled a coffin more with each passing moment, started filling with water. Oh, right. Her third greatest fear – drowning.

  That's it. I'm outta here.

  Alex awoke bathed in a pinkish glow. While the glow dimmed, her besieged brain realized what that meant: her AFIRM had been edging toward the Red Zone of mandatory recall, based on her vitals. She'd beaten the automatic termination of her VR session by mere seconds.

  "Okay," she exhaled. "I'm okay. Those fucking sons of bitches."

  Alex breathed in an out for a while, bathing in the safe and succoring vibes of her bedroom. She didn't blame herself for checking out, but it rankled that she'd permitted them to get into her head. With the right mindset, she could easily withstand any tortuous circumstances in Verse. Setting her jaw, she replaced her REM helmet and reinitiated her session. She had this.

  The steel chamber's lid was sliding open when she rejoined her avatar. Alex sat up in her soaked clothing and climbed out brushing water from her eyes. The room was silent, as if waiting for her to speak.

  "Nice sauna," she said. "You could sell a lot of these in the open market. 'Spa in a box.' People would gobble them up."

  "Your testing is complete," said Tatiya, a puzzled note breaking through her neutral tone. "Please place the manacles back on your wrists and ankles."

  Alex didn't see any advantage in resistance at this point. She retrieved the cuffs from the gym floor and locked them in their original positions. A door opened and agents in full black combat regalia buzzed in on electric carts. They hoisted Alex onto one back seat and set out down the hall back to the interrogation room.

  Tatiya was waiting with coffee, bottled water, and a plate of fruit, rolls, crackers, and cheese – and a manila folder set out in front of her. When Alex declined refreshment, the DARE scientist poured herself a cup of coffee.

  "Did I pass?" Alex asked.

  "Your vertical leap and bench press were exceptional but within human capability, but you were timed running at 62.28 KPH – 38.7 MPH – which is ten miles per hour faster than any human has ever been known to run. So, yes, you passed. You're an augment."

  "What about your Iron Maiden? How did I do there?"

  Tatiya met his gaze, a shimmer of regret in her eyes. "I apologize for that. It was necessary to determine if you were holding out on any other powers."

  "That's what I figured."

  "So this is where we are now."

  Tatiya slid the manila folder across the table to Alex. Alex opened the folder.

  The prisoner, Alex A. Milner, agrees to the following terms:

  1) Full and free sharing of all knowledge concerning extraterrestrial beings and their place of origin.

  2) Full cooperation with physical testing

  3) No escape attempts

  4) Confinement for up to twenty years with the possibility of early release subject to fulfillment of stipulated conditions.

  5) No attempts to harm others, including fellow inmates

  In return for meeting these conditions, the United States Government, represented by the Secretary of the Department of Augmented Regulation and Enforcement, Elizabeth Maxine Learner, offers confinement in a high-security facility that will provide the following:

  1) Monitored internet access

  2) Two hours daily of outdoor recreation

  3) A private suite

  4) Educational opportunities, up to and including full doctorate degrees

  5) Access to most entertainment and news venues

  6) Paid compensation for certain activities and accumulating savings

  7) Free medical care, including counseling/therapy

  8) Supervised and private visitations

  9) No prison record upon release

  The signatures below constitute full agreement to the above terms.

  Elizabeth Maxine Learner Date: 6/12/2224

  ______________________

  Elizabeth Maxine Learner

  Secretary, Department of Augmented Regulation and Enforcement

  ______________________

  Alex Anderson Milner

  Social Security Number: 009-85-0022

  Prisoner

  Alex indulged in a few moments of dark contemplati
on. If she weren't in a special contest that included a cleansing of her crimes in less than two weeks, she'd be banned through the binding of law from the Parallel Worlds for twenty years. For her, that would've meant effectively banning her for life. She fought down a shudder.

  Luckily, that was just a nightmarish dream. In reality, the only draconian penalty she faced was losing her chance to be a virtual god. She raised her eyes to meet Tatiya's cool gaze.

  "Wow," said Alex. "A college education and everything! Sounds like paradise on Earth."

  "It seems to me to be an incredibly generous offer," said the DARE scientist. "Considering you're a cold-blooded murderer."

  Alex closed the folder and slid it back to her. "Right now, the police are holding an actual cold-blooded murderer who gets off on killing people. And she's 'augmented.' She was flying away before I shot her down. You might want to bring her here for some tests."

  "Yet the evidence in this case appears to point firmly at you."

  "Then you need to work on your forensic skills. I killed the bus driver and forced her at gunpoint to put on her clothes? The highway patrol officer videorecorded me miles away from that rest area at the time when that murder was happening?"

  "The same officer you executed on the highway minutes later? That's definitely on the police video. Also witnessed by several people on the bus."

  Her voice, filled with cold conviction, matched her icy stare. Alex couldn't help be impressed by the sim's programmed outrage. Alex was almost starting to feel like an actual mass-murderer.

  "That doesn't change the fact that I can't be in two places at once."

  "We don't know where you were before the patrol officer encountered you on the highway."

  Alex laid her hands out on the table. It no longer made sense to her to be coy with Tatiya or the authorities on her virtual crimes. She was bound for the duration of the contest regardless. With one possible exception that she could see.

  "Look, Agent Wilson. Tatiya. I'm going to tell you what's happening. Full disclosure. I'm competing in a contest, as I told you. The last challenge was locating and neutralizing the Highwayman. At least, that's how I interpreted the clues I was given. Piecing those clues together, I ended up on Highway 30, parked in a van during a sudden thunderstorm. A female hitchhiker showed up and asked for sanctuary from the rain. We talked. I had my suspicions she was my target, but I wasn't sure. She walked away – but left a token of her appreciation in the back of my van. Her backpack, brimming with human body parts."