Of Minds and Masters

by Paul Ormond

  “Would you look at that, everybody? Mitch Mythic is a natural. Let’s hope that this video goes as viral as his #epiccrotchshot video, right Mitch?” Robert said as he looked Mitch in the eye again. “Let’s try out a couple of movements, Mitch. Follow along as I show you how to get yourself in motion.” Robert pushed up and he raised himself higher into the air.

  “Follow me up here, Mitch,” Robert said as he beckoned for Mitch to follow.

  Mitch reluctantly raised himself up to Robert’s level. “Wow, you really figured this thing out quickly,” Robert said with a grin.

  “Let’s see if you can keep up with me as I move around the dome.” Robert quickly took off across the open space and Mitch pretended not to understand for a moment.

  “Like this, Mitch,” Robert shouted as he pushed off with his feet. Mitch Began to awkwardly mimic Robert movements as he followed after him.

  Robert made a large swoop of the dome and Mitch pretended to struggle to keep up. H could see people in other incubators looking upward and pointing as he moved over them. Robert came to a stop in the middle of the dome. As Mitch neared him, Robert raised his hand and a glowing orb encased his fist. He threw a ball of light directly at Mitch. Mitch instinctively brought up his shield and deflected the shot. He was about to return fire, but he caught himself as he realized that he was falling into a trap.

  “That was incredible, Mitch,” Robert shouted at him as he pushed towards him. “You really are a natural with this stuff,” he said as they lowered down into incubator W again.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, what you just witnessed was a demonstration of the inReal sport and a taste of the new game that we have invented called ‘inReal ball.’ Over the next few days we will be playing this game in the main dome and I’d like all of you to come and watch. I’d also like to invite Mitch Mythic to join our contest as a participant. He will join a team of our trained security officers in an actual game of ‘InReal ball.’ What do you think, Mitch? Are you ready for this kind of a challenge?” Robert said as he once again looked directly into Mitch’s eyes.

  “Uh, I guess,” Mitch said.

  “That sounds like a yes to me,” Robert said. “Everybody give it up for Mitch Mythic.” There was more applause from everybody and Mitch tried to smile.

  “The first game is tomorrow night and I think all of you will want to attend. You’re in for a treat. The game is kind of a mix between football and hockey, so I think Mitch will feel right at home. Won’t you, Mitch?” Robert said as he looked over at Mitch.

  “Uh, do I get a chance to practice?” Mitch asked.

  “Practice? That’s funny. Everybody, #Epiccrotchshot boy here is asking me if he can practice.” Robert shouted out. “You’ll get plenty of practice, Mitch. But it looks like you’ve got it all figured out already,” Robert said with a laugh and everybody in incubator “W” laughed along with him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Incubator W was filled with the stench of rehydrated food. The Martian meals pack that MindHIve had developed for future expeditions to the red planet had been repurposed as lunch for the starving masses of the convention. Mitch Mythic looked down at the bulging silver bag that sat before him. “Meat sauce,” was written in black stencil across the bag and at the top left corner was an arrow pointing at a broken black line. Mitch tore at the line and the bag opened easily. He spilled the contents of the bag into a bowl that had been provided for him in his orientation package. There was an other worldly look to the food that stared back at Mitch as he sat perched in the ergonomic chair that he had positioned in the “food consumption” setting, or so it was written on the untouch panel embedded in the right armrest. Mitch wasn’t hungry at all. His anxiety was eating at his stomach and he was doing everything that he could to maintain his composure. He had no idea how he was still sitting there in incubator W with a bowl of space sauce looking back at him. A few hours had passed since Robert Chapman had blown in and made his proposals to SoHee and Mitch. Why hadn’t they come and arrested him already, Mitch wondered to himself as he stirred the tepid concoction.

  SoHee stood in front of her bacteria colony and puzzled over what she should do. She hadn’t opened the container since the InReal had been placed inside. She didn’t want anything interfering with the sample. It had already been stressed by the travel and now that it had been exposed to inReal, there was no telling what would happen to it. It all seemed like a stupid stunt to her. She just hoped that her research wouldn’t be wasted. She needed to find a laser-scope to see if any damage had been done. She gathered up the box and her MindHIve backpack she had been given and started to go.

  Mitch saw her leaving and he got up and followed after her. He didn’t want to be in that space anymore and the smell of the meat sauce was making him queasy.

  “Where are you going?” Mitch said as he caught up to SoHee.

  “What do you want? Aren't you enjoying your Martian meat product?” SoHee said.

  “I thought Miss Science would be a lot nicer,” Mitch said.

  “I don’t like that man,” SoHee said.

  “Yeah, I don’t know. He’s kind of big deal, but he must be hiding something,” Mitch said as he tried to keep pace with SoHee who happened to be walking exceptionally fast for someone so short.

  “So how is your food blogging coming along, #epiccrotchshot boy?” SoHee asked.

  “Well, I know that my first post won’t be praising the food at this convention. Did you smell that meat sauce? It smelled like it came directly from a Martian’s butt,” Mitch said as he dodged past people. SoHee was deftly moving through the crowd of people who were all using inReal as they moved about the mezzanine located before the main entrance of the dome. Mitch almost had to jog to keep up with her and he had to constantly dodge back and forth to avoid people who stared intently at the opaque screens in front of them.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” he asked as she zipped ahead of him.

  “I need to find a Laser-scope,” SoHee said over her shoulder. “Where are you going?”

  “Well, I guess I’m following you. Is that all right? And what the hell is a laser-scope?” he asked.

  “A laser-scope is a microscope that can examine living cells. You can follow me if you want, but don’t you think you should be getting ready? You’ve got a big game tomorrow.” SoHee said as she pointed to one of the massive screens located above the door. Mitch’s face was plastered across the screen and the hashtag #epiccrotchshot was written in bold letters below the image.

  “Come see #epiccrotchchot boy play in the first ever game of inReal ball tomorrow night at 7pm,” an announcer said. The screen then cut to a video of the mindHive security team preparing for the match. They were hitting and kicking a large ball of light inside the main dome. They made faces at the camera and battled against each other. Robert Chapman could be seen among the players. He stepped away from the group and approached the screen.

  “Get ready to witness the future everybody. This game will be an epic display of the inReal tech,” Robert said as he held the ball of light in his hand. He turned to his side and raised his arm. A transparent inReal extension appeared over his arm. It looked somewhat like a paddle and it covered his whole arm. Robert maneuvered it back and forth in front of him. After a bit of posturing he pulled up a ball of light and smacked it with with his paddle. It shot across the dome and into a glowing cube. The entire dome lit up with lights and explosions. Robert cheered loudly and he was joined by the other players who all looked into the camera and made aggressive faces.

  Mitch looked on in horror and dismay as he saw the video begin to loop again. He looked over and saw SoHee disappearing into the tunnel that led to left of the dome. He began to jog after her. He heard a few people yell his name as he moved through the crowd. He didn’t bother looking over. He just wanted to get out of there. He wasn’t sure why he was following that girl, but he was happy to talk to somebody that didn’t seem completely nuts.

  “Y
ou’re still following me?” She said as he caught up with her in the hallway.

  “Well, I figured you needed a bit of protection considering you are carrying precious cargo,” Mitch said as he tried to catch his breath.

  “Oh, I feel much safer already. Scientists and computer nerds are known to attack at random. I’m glad you are here to keep me safe,” she said.

  “Ha, well maybe you can protect me with your goo. I’ll probably need a bodyguard now that I’m major famous,” Mitch snapped back.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” SoHee responded.

  “You speak English really well,” Mitch said.

  “So do you,” she said.

  “Fair enough. You talk pretty tough for a scientist, though. I thought smart Asian girls were supposed to be quiet and shy,” Mitch said.

  “Oh, so sorry. Do I not fit into your stereotypical view? Let me see if I can adjust myself for you,” SoHee said with a bit of malice.

  “Sorry, that’s not what I meant …” he said, but she cut him off.

  “If it’s not what you meant then why did you say it?” she snapped back.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t mean to make you angry,” Mitch said while getting embarrassed.

  “Well, if you aren’t trying to make me angry, what are you trying to do?” She asked him.

  Mitch was about to answer, but they were entering into the next dome and a throng of people were scanning their passes. Above the entrance was an electronic screen and it said: “Earth Sciences.” They scanned their passes and entered into the dome.

  Mitch looked around in awe at what he saw. There were massive booths everywhere and an inReal orb swirled over the room. It displayed all types of scientific information and simulations of different environments. People were able to enter the orb using inReal and there were crowds of people that had lined up to enter the simulated environment. Mitch could see people floating through the orb interacting with panels and data. On the ground it seemed like every facet of the scientific community was well-represented at the convention. There were displays of every kind setup in the same terraced manner as the incubator dome. Everybody was using inReal as they walked around and gawked at the spectacle. There seemed to be laboratories along the walls of the dome and people could be seen moving about through large portal-like windows that honeycombed their way to the ceiling. If SoHee wanted to find a laser-scope then she seemed to be in the right place.

  SoHee continued her rapid pace. She was determined to get a closer look at her colony. She needed to know if everything was alright. She had brought along a smaller microscope of her own, but she needed a laser-scope so she could see the bacteria at a molecular level without damaging the colony. Mitch struggled to keep pace with her as she deftly swooped around clumps of people.

  “Do you think that stuff could do anything to your goo?” Mitch asked her out of curiosity.

  “I have no idea what will happen, because I don’t know what this inReal stuff actually is,” she said. “The goo, as you are calling it, is capable of consuming any type of material and in doing so, it assumes the properties of the material in some way or another, essentially mimicking the world around it. So it’s possible that it could be inundated with the characteristics of inReal, but it is also possible that the inReal could cause the cells to mutate in any number of directions,” SoHee said.

  “Mutant goo, huh, that sounds pretty cool,” Mitch said.

  “If that’s what you think is cool, then I suggest you reassess your worldview. Genetic mutations are no joke and they can have a profound effect on the world even though we are hardly able to detect them with our limited senses. Just think about all of the people that have been affected by cancer if you think that mutations are cool,” she said sharply.

  “I guess I never thought about it that way,” Mitch said.

  “I guess you should then,” SoHee said as she made her way towards one of the portals along the edge of the dome.

  Through the round opening of the portal Mitch could see several work stations and groups of people were assembling and adjusting all types of instruments. Everyone had their inReal engaged and they appeared to be running diagnostics tests and creating inReal access for different types of inventions. A robot jumped off of a desk right in front of Mitch and began to dance around on the ground. Beside the desk a chubby looking engineer seemed to be controlling the actions of the robot using inReal. The robot mirrored his motions and they both performed a goofy dance. Other people laughed and clapped. All around the laboratory people were talking excitedly as they found new ways to utilize inReal.

  SoHee didn’t seem interested in the commotion at all as they walked past the work stations. Her sole focus was to locate a working laser-scope. She needed to see if there were any changes at the molecular level of the bacteria. Although the colony had proven to be somewhat resilient during SoHee’s research, she had noticed some atrophy during prolonged periods of storage. It was possible that all of the stress of travel coupled with the introduction of inReal to the colony could cause the bacteria to collapse.

  “What are you looking for in here?” Mitch asked her.

  “I told you already, I need a laser-scope. It’s the only way I can get a good look at what is happening inside the cells of the bacteria without damaging the colony,” SoHee said as she scanned around.

  “Why don’t you just ask somebody, instead of running around?” Mitch said as he looked about. The guy with the dancing robot didn’t seem very busy at the moment so Mitch approached him.

  “Have you seen a laser-scope around here?” He asked.

  “You know what, I haven’t, but you’d think they’d have one in this place,” the Robot guy replied. “There is a directory on the inReal panel and I think we can search there.” He pulled up his inReal panel and typed ‘laser-scope’ into the search panel. As quickly as he typed several entries appeared and he clicked on an image. “Ah here we go. It says there is a laser-scope located on level 3 section 46. Wow it even gives directions, cool,” he said as he looked back at Mitch.

  “Thanks man, I guess I could have done it myself,” Mitch said.

  “What do you need it for?” Robot guy asked.

  “She needs it for her …” Mitch stopped talking as he looked around. SoHee was nowhere to be found. “Thanks man, I gotta go.” Mitch rushed out of the room just in time to see SoHee making her way up the stairs to level 2. He caught up to her just before she hit the stair case leading to level 3.

  “You sure are in hurry. You don’t even wait for me?” Mitch said as they mounted the stairs.

  “I’m not particularly concerned with you at the moment,” she said.

  “Well, I’m the only person that seems to be trying to help you out so maybe try and be a little nicer,” Mitch said.

  “Why exactly are you helping me anyway? Do you think that I’m going to fall in love with you or something? Did somebody tell you that Asian girls are easily impressed by western charm?” SoHee asked.

  “Uhm, no, I was just trying to …” He tried to stammer out a response, but SoHee cut him off.

  “Don’t worry #epiccrotchshot boy, I’m only teasing you,” SoHee said as she looked at him sideways through her large black glasses. Mitch made a face of despair and groaned to himself but decided to keep his mouth shut. He had never been taken apart by a girl like that before. He walked along beside in her shock. After a few moments she stopped and looked up.

  “46,” she said and motioned upward with her eyes.

  “Huh?” Mitch said and looked up. The number “46” glowed brightly above another round portal entrance. They both made their way inside and SoHee immediately spotted what she was looking for. A long cylindrical looking apparatus sat on a table next to a monitor and several dials. SoHee made a beeline for the apparatus, but she was immediately cut off by a young man and woman that were both wearing blue mindHIve shirts.

  “Hold on a second. Where are you two going?” The woman asked. “This are
a is restricted. Only people with the right access have permission to enter here.”

  “How do you know if you have permission?” Mitch asked.

  “Well, you need to scan your passes before you enter any laboratory. This place isn’t a free for all,” the man said.

  “I have a pass,” SoHee said and pulled out her pass. She quickly scanned her pass and the pass immediately changed color and allowed her access.

  “Let me see your ID,” the woman asked. SoHee handed her ID over and the woman looked her up and down for a moment. “Hey you’re that girl, aren’t you?” she said. “Well, you check out. You’ve got access. Is that the stuff there?”

  “Perhaps,” SoHee said.

  “And you’re #epiccrotchshot boy?” the young man said. “You have no idea how many times I’ve seen that video. I just laughed and laughed”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Mitch said as he looked away.

  “Well, go on in, but be careful. There is some really expensive stuff in there” the girl said. “What are you trying to do anyway?”

  SoHee didn’t reply. She made a direct line to the laser-scope and immediately started to press buttons on several panels. Mitch watched in awe as she quickly fired up the machine and started to punch in commands on a screen. After a few moments she stood up and carefully approached her box. She paused for a moment and took a big breath. Mitch heard her mutter something to herself in Korean and it sounded kind of like a prayer. SoHee undid the latches on the box. As she opened the lid she felt a shock of electricity ripple through her body and she stepped back in horror as an intense green light burst out of the box. She backed up right into Mitch and they both stood and watched as a strange green sphere emerged from the case. It rose up above the box and hovered in midair. As terrifying as it was, the green glowing mass seemed somewhat inert as it floated before them. The source of the glow appeared to be a small bright orb at the centre of the glowing sphere.

  “What is that thing? Is that your goo?” Mitch asked.