by Ryan Burnett
“Understood. Sir.”
I noted the distinct emphasis he placed on each syllable. He was not happy, whether it was about needing to remain in Arc or about the program I could not be sure but that was alright. I demanded obedience. Happiness was optional. I motioned my arm towards a wall and heard the distinctive sound of one of the chains clanking free and it was not long before the program manifested itself and flew towards me. It appeared as a large eagle with multifaceted insectoid eyes, talons that seemed slick as if they housed some form of poison gland, and a forked serpentine tongue that flicked out at irregular intervals to taste the air and caress its own beak. It circled briefly around my throne twice before swiftly flying directly into the fire. Untouched by the flames I soon saw it settle on the shoulder of the Minotaur Jack. “Upload complete” said a feminine voice from the far wall.
“Good. We have wasted too much time already talking. You know the extraction protocols and how to contact me once the mission is complete.” With that I severed the connection without a word of goodbye or good luck. The time for sentiments had long sense passed.
Mentally I scrolled through the datalogs until I found the video. Research Project – 2402- “Dominance Program”. The flames showed within them three white mice skittered around each other in a cage sniffing and feeding from various feeding trays and water bottles at random. Perfectly normal animal behavior. There was a time lapse and it showed the mice again this time with tiny glows at the base of their neck: rudimentary VRN modules that had been developed for the sole purpose of experimental animal testing. The data that such modules had gathered had been invaluable even though the manufacture and use of such things carried even heavier criminal sanctions than the Damocles Kill Switch and other such programs. Once again the mice behavior appeared no different. However on the third time lapse it was unclear as to what had happened. Two of the mice were dead their chests torn open by tiny claws. The third was covered in small wounds from head to tail and his fur was soaked in the blood of the other two. He had pushed their bodies to the far side of the cage and stacked them on top of each other and had made a large effort to move what feeding trays and water bottles he could to the opposite side of the cage. It was there that he stayed with all the food and water feeding as normal. Displaying no signs of gluttony or gorging himself but his eyes kept flickering to the far side of the cage as if he expected the bodies of the other two mice to arise at any time and make a bid for the abundance of sustenance the lone surviving rat now had.
Another time lapse occurred and now it showed a white coated scientist taking the two mouse bodies out of the cage and attempting to remove the third mouse only to be bitten on his first attempt at handling the survivor. Further attempts him trying to remove the mouse different ways each being met with bites scratches and miniature violence before the scientist finally gave up trying to handle the small creature. With that I cut the video feed. It had seemed so easy manipulating frontal lobe structures, hypothalamus outputs, serotonin and testosterone levels. We had the science to make it all work but somehow it had gotten out of control. Alex had made it go out of control. He had somehow spread his own wildness, his own lack of regard for rules and structures to our science and now the whole city would pay the price.
It was too much to hope that this was a random coincidence and not the work of whoever had Alex now. Just as it was too much to hope that the attack at the club was an unrelated incident. It was humbling to know that part of the reason this technology was developed in the first place was for Alex’s benefit. If only he had my drive and my will to succeed but as was always the problem there was simply too much of his mother in him. The emptiness of my throne room seemed saddening all of a sudden and for a while I brooded and listened to the sound of the now pictureless flames. Mentally I activated the beacon that would scramble the helicopter to my location and then I willed my mind to return to the physical world.
I had not bothered to pack anything. I kept no keep sakes or anything of value in my dwelling place. A new wardrobe and any other amenities I needed would already be waiting for me or could be easily procured once we had reached the remote research bunker. I was not surprised that I felt no remorse or misgivings about leaving Arc city. I had no true attachment to it and in a way its own corruption had caused this incident. It had been a violent powder keg before perhaps the Dominance Program wouldn’t even make a difference. With that thought I chuckled a bit to myself. My first outward display of mirth since hearing the news this morning. With nothing but the clothes on my back I sat on my sofa with the TV off and waited for the sound of the approaching transports. I almost felt guilty for abandoning Jack in this mess. His chance of survival was minimal but if anyone could do it, it was he. I refused to let the thoughts take root. His mistakes had led him to this point. He would either overcome or provide an useful example to his future replacement. Although no single one of my operatives were ready for the designation of Jack yet. They had their uses yet but it was one thing to be able to accomplish a specific set of tasks or instructions and quite another to be trusted to handle any emergency that may arise. One had to be as varied and resourceful as the world against you pitted yourself. That quality was rare to find in a man. Rare enough that I couldn’t help but finding a part of me wishing for the Jack’s success not merely because of the immense personal benefit to myself but to restore my faith in the usefulness of the rest of humanity. That part of me was small but it was gratifying to know it existed. That knowledge kept my conscious clear as the helicopter touched down on the landing pad and security personal came to escort me to my seat. The helicopter was immense. The handcrafted upholstered leather seats seemed out of place when considering the exterior ugliness of the craft but as long as I was inside it I felt no need to complain. As we rose up I took one last look at the skyline. From this height Arc city seemed far less busy and infinitely more peaceful. It was fitting that I left now so I could enjoy this image. I knew it was merely a matter of time before so many had their illusion of serenity shattered forever.
Chapter 9
12:26:39
Angela
As the monorail pulled into the station outside the University station I was grateful for the lack of people in my compartment. It had allowed me an extra fifteen minutes of resting on the way over here which was sorely needed. Ever since I had been a young girl I simply couldn’t relax when there were too many other people around. I never carried a lot of cash or wore any jewelry that was particularly flashy or valuable but the edge of alertness my agoraphobia gave me was almost a personality quirk I was glad I had. At least as long as it was something that I could keep under control.
The more alert I was the more I saw, the more I saw the more images my brain would collected, The more images I had the more meaningful my VRN data would be in the long run. A part of me had to wonder though how much of that line of thinking was justification for my fears. Not all my actions stemmed from my beliefs, or the Photographist movement or a blind devotion to art. It was more of the fact that I couldn’t let go of my awareness in a public place unless exhaustion and sleep deprivation already had me ensnared in a web of half functioning and distorted reality. I was a private person and as much as I would like to I knew I could only willingly be at ease when I was in the security of my own home.
Sleeping on the public transit is something I usually wasn’t capable of nowadays, however the small amount of sleep and few minutes of rest I had grabbed this morning left me feeling partially rejuvenated.
When the train came to a complete stop and the doors to the cart I was in finally opened I walked briskly out into the air with a sense of purpose. My grey pantsuit and black belt with a sleek
and shiny black buckle made me feel like an attractive and professional individual. I enjoyed the feeling falling into my role and walking briskly to the edge of campus.
I stopped dead in my tracks when I arrived at building 2402. Instead of the usual building with the beautiful tan
and cream walls that were so aesthetically pleasing and the tinted windows that lent the whole structure an ambience of importance and privacy there was a blackened
and burnt out shell that reeked of chemicals and smoke. The windows had been busted out and black glass was littered along the approaching steps and in the shrubs that encircled the building. The building had been marked off by security tape. Even the security booth directly outside the building had been reduced to a charred husk. I saw my research group
had gathered in a small circle outside the building and were staring up at the ruin where we once had labored together. I steered my walk towards them my eyes locked on the building in a trance like stare almost as if I were in a state of shock.
“Angela! We're so glad you're here! We didn't know if anyone had stayed late to work after hours or anything. They hadn’t mentioned any casualties in the news but you never know? You know? Anyways I am so happy you're safe!” said Tyra as she wrapped me in a hug before I had a chance to respond.
Tyra had one of the most naturally caring and bubbly personalities that I have ever worked with. What had endeared me to her though was that as opposed to many self-proclaimed extroverts I had met that acted this way her happiness always seemed sincere, as if she felt every positive emotion directly from the bottom core of her soul. It was a surprisingly pleasant bonus that her research was always impeccable as well. I knew whenever we worked together she would follow instructions flawlessly and pay special attention to make sure that any work we did
followed every aspect of professional convention and ethics. It was amazing how many
people had no scruples when it came to labeling and manipulating data to cover a personal mistake or results that didn’t conform to the desired outcome.
I liked her but had never been particularly warm too her but after our first day of working as partners she had gone out of her way to spend time with me …and even though she had seemed slightly intrusive at first it had not taken us long to become friends. She had tan skin, black hair, and today she was wearing a gray pantsuit on similar to mine however her outfit had an added
flare of style and glamor because of the large designer sunglasses with the chroma-lenses that she
insisted on wearing everywhere she went. I looked back at her smiling face and couldn’t help but be distracting by the softly shifting prismatic rainbow drifting across that gaudy little fashion statement.
Of the other researchers there the only other one I recognized was Tommy. Tommy wasn't quite a loner but he was quirky enough that I got the feeling he didn't have many friends besides Tyra and I. Tyra and Tommy were friends because she could be friends with just about anyone and me and him were friends because we shared a love for vintage comic books of all things. It was a hobby that he was utterly devoted to but sadly it gave him little common ground with most of the other students whose interests lay mostly with Arc’s night life or in the digital scenarios and arts being created through VRN software.
Such a simple medium as paper held very little appeal to most in this preset day and age. The digital scans were easy enough to get your hands on but the printed originals were exceedingly rare and could be worth a fortune depending on the issue. It was only by sheer chance that I had cultivated a love for comics thanks to my father. When he had passed away he left me a large collection which I knew that I could sell tomorrow and leave the world of the university behind me. I could start a new life in Paris or Rome and buy all the expensive clothes I would need to fit in with the local circle of privileged princesses. Even if I wanted such a life though I could never imagine parting with my father's inheritance. Occasionally I would go visit the vault in which the valuable first editions were stored and to this day simply looking at the covers reminds me of the way my father smelled… a subtle mixture of mint tea and scotch with the faintest hints of bubblegum.
My friendship with Tommy had started after he had realized that one of the temps had forgotten to correctly categorize the data we had collected the night before throwing off all of our results for the morning tests and diagnostics. He had said something along the lines of “Those temps don't respect us because they see us as a bunch of un-intimidating egghead scientist. They think ‘what's the worst that can happen if we make a few nerds angry?’ Obviously they've never heard of Bruce Banner.” I couldn't help but giggle at the Incredible Hulk reference and the adorable way he compared his doughy frame to the muscular anti-hero capable of destroying planets with the force of his rage. That giggle alone seemed to have made his entire year and we had been
close ever since.
Now he approached Tyra and I and said “I saw the news reports, but when I came here I had expected more than just some caution tape. Where is our professor? And why is there no campus
security around to tell us what happened or to at least block off the area? I mean honestly I was wondering if the police were even going to be letting people onto the campus. I tried to call you and also professor Engle but I haven’t been able to get any service around here. Are you getting any type of connection Angela?” I looked at my own phone only to see “No Connection Found” displayed across the screen. With a shrug and a shake of my head I put it away and tried to use my VRN to interface. I got the same result. I shook my head at Tommy and then directed my gaze back to the lab building.
Building 2402 was one of the most remote labs from the main cluster of structures on campus that were centered around the student union. For this reason there were additional security stations and a pretty active campus security presence for the comfort and protection
of the female students and faculty who had to be around the building after dark. I had been so focused on getting here on time that I didn’t noticed that I hadn't seen a single officer car or on foot security patrolling around the area. You would think a newsworthy spectacle like this would make this place the center of campus security activity for the next few days at least. I took a second look at the security guard booth outside building 2402 and this time my
eye noticed what looked suspiciously like two rounded silver puckerings of bullet holes along the far wall. It was hard to be certain though. The fire had charred it all black and everything inside had a sort of warped and melted look to it.
“Want to go by the auxiliary security station between here and the student union and see if we can get some more info?” I asked Tommy and Tyra, the cogs in my brain slowly turning as I puzzled over whether there was something more going on here
.
“Shouldn't one of us stay here in case professor Engle shows up?” replied Tyra, casting a worried look back at the grim remains of our workplace. I gestured at the wreckage of 2402 “It's not like we are going to miss any work if she does. The rest of the students saw us I am sure we can get
in touch with someone in case she arrives while we are gone. Besides it is already 20 minutes past our usual start time, odds are we will run into him at the station or on the way.”
Tyra and Tommy shrugged their agreement and together the three of us started our walk across campus.
I couldn't tell if it was because the site of the fire set my nerves on edge but the campus seemed different. More quiet and peaceful than normal but it was not a tranquil peace, and the quiet that of someone who had been shocked into silence. Oddly enough not even the song birds were chirping less nor were the sounds of the other miscellaneous wild life present. It was as if nature had been somehow muted in the wake of the arson.
Tyra began to chatter to fill the silence that weighed on all of us. Sometimes that aspect of her personality annoyed me a little bit but today I was actually grateful to hear the sound of her voice. “So Tommy you were saying earlier that it wasn't an accident it was an
act of arson?” Tyra said as we briskly walked the familiar pathways of campus.
“Yeah that is what the news said. I mean it is kinda the only explanation that made sense. That building was totally torched and I don't know about the
other floors but all we ever worked on was VRN pathway mapping, data crunching, and mapping stimulus pathways on volunteers. Nothing I ever handled was anywhere near dangerous or volatile. Spreadsheets can’t “accidently” burn down a building. Somebody had to really be trying to do that kind of damage.” Tommy replied.
“It is so crazy though! Who would want to do such a thing? It’s pretty sad when you think about it! I thought we were doing some really great work y'know? I can't
believe all that is “whoosh” down the drain. Hopefully the VirtuWorld sponsor guys had our data backed up in a remote location right? Protecting their investment and all that?” Tyra quipped back barely taking a breath between sentences.
“I would assume so. They came to check our data a lot.” I added trying to break out of my introverted shell and join the conversation a little bit. “They certainly have the money for it. Backup servers wouldn’t even be a drop in the bucket to them. I wouldn’t worry too much.” I finished, feeling more at ease speaking my thoughts aloud instead of just rolling them around in my head.
Tommy picked up where I left off “Yeah I wonder who could have done it? My money is on a rival company. Corporate espionage. You see it all the time with Stark Industries in the old Iron Man comics. Nobody right now has anything that can even come close to VRN technology; the last thing another corporation would want is VirtuWorld getting any further ahead of the
