by Tony Corden
“I can’t. I promised Spectator the feed first.”
“Erica and I need to see it. She can’t show it, but she can comment on it.”
Leah agreed and after a few more minutes discussing the different possible reactions Sharon left with a copy of the feed, still shaking her head.
Next to arrive was Jesse Hood. He greeted Leah then said, “I’ll be quick. I discovered this morning that an unscheduled and unapproved update was made to two cells in our Alien Survival Scenario, your’s and your mother’s. The update got through the security because it was an official beta update we called the ‘Supermax’. The number of predators allowed was raised to the maximum setting, which is more than double what it has been. It also increases their speed significantly. We never installed the ‘Supermax’ option because it proved to be unstable in the long-term. Another part of the ‘Supermax’ option was allowing people to only have one life. I can’t remove the update at this stage without resetting the two cells.
“I’ve put the security officer who updated the cells on administrative leave, but I cannot see a way to safely restore the settings. My development team have been quietly briefed and have been looking for a work-around.”
Leah’s shoulders dropped, and she closed her eyes. She was tired and didn’t know what to do. Gèng appeared and sat beside her. Putting an arm around Leah, Gèng said, “Leah, remember what Amy told you. You’ve dealt with these situations before. You need to compartmentalise. Put all the hurt and all the uncertainty away behind your game face and leave them for now. You know what needs to be done, so take a deep breath and think of how to do it. Don’t give up.”
Leah nodded and slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Jesse. He was staring at Gèng with a bemused look on his face. Leah said, “Jesse, ignore who said it and think about what was said. How long do I have before the cell becomes unstable and reboots?”
Blinking his eyes rapidly a few times to refocus his thoughts, Jesse said, “Sorry, um, what was the question?”
“How long do I have before the cell becomes unstable and reboots?”
“Less than twenty-four virtual hours.”
“So, in that time, I have to reach my mother and reset her AI without either her or me dying?”
“I know you have been moving at an unbelievable speed, but I don’t think it is possible in the ‘Supermax’ scenario. None of our beta players managed to survive for even one hour, and they spent weeks preparing for the experience.”
Leah said, “Could you give a list of the changes to Gèng for her to look at?”
“I could.”
Turning to Gèng, Leah said, “Can you run the changes through the simulation and see if you think it is possible?”
Gèng nodded, then said, “I have just received them. I’ll need a few minutes.”
Leah nodded and said, “While Gèng checks that, can you tell me what possible changes you might be able to make to the ‘Supermax Scenario’, no matter how insignificant?”
“There are none. It was a set piece we were planning to offer as the Ultimate Alien Survival for those who completed the one you are doing now. Instead of simply changing the parameters, we ended up re-evolving the entire world.”
“What do you mean re-evolving?”
“It’s the way we’ve pioneered to develop the alien scenarios. We start with some basic parameters such as gravity and atmospheric composition, which we input into a rudimentary ecosystem. The ecosystem has a variety of basic models of the organisms we want to develop. This includes plants, insects, birds, reptiles and the like. We then use an algorithm we developed called Fuzzy Mutations. It applies an assortment of supposedly random changes to see if any of the plants or creatures created seem better adapted to the environment than the creatures we initially designed. If one combination brings even a marginal improvement, the algorithm applies that and begins again. Each of the three AI tasked with administering the algorithm and evaluating the various combinations have two of the latest third generation four-dimensional matrix-processors with the newest divergent-capable cores.
“There are thousands of genes in each plant or creature that can be manipulated. They work through the combinations allowing upwards of ten mutations to happen at a time. Some of the changes which get through the process are ones we would never have tried ourselves because they seem obviously negative. Each time a change is accepted the AI then adds the changes to the overall scenario and starts again. Survival took us eight years to develop, but we’ve modified the algorithm based on our findings and hope the newer Ultimate Survival will be ready in two years.”
As Jesse finished talking, Gèng appeared and sat down next to Leah. She said, “It is doable, but you’ll need several times in the scenario to work up to it. You have the speed and reactions, but your recognition of the visible clues is about three metres short of where it needs to be. Using the feed from the last few days, I updated the scenario and believe that with practice, you will be able to survive. You need to enter Survival in the next hour if you want the full nine hours. I suggest you ask for specific data on the relative positions between you and your mother. My calculations are only correct to within three kilometres at this time.”
Leah nodded and stood to end the meeting. She said, “Thank you for the heads up. I’ve another short meeting, then I’ll spend some time in the simulator Gèng has devised. If you could give her our positions that would be great.”
Gèng said, “Leah, while you talk with your next appointment, would you mind if I pick Jesse’s brain about several parts of the scenario which have been eluding me?”
“That’s fine with me.”
Turning to Jesse, who had come to his feet, Leah said, “Would you mind going with Gèng to discuss the simulation while I meet with someone?”
Jesse shook his head slowly and said, “Not at all, it will be my pleasure.”
As Jesse turned to follow Gèng he saw another Gèng meeting several people at the podium. He said, “So, Gèng, how can I help?”
Leah used one section of her awareness to listen to the discussion between Gèng and Jesse, another to inform John and her father what was happening. She also turned to greet Stephen, and with him a woman who he introduced as his newest junior partner, Camille Amiot.
After everyone was seated, Stephen said, “Leah, thank you for agreeing to meet us. Your gameplay today was amazing. Thousands of players will have learned not to attack Atherleah.”
Leah smiled and said, “I think you are right, but I’m a little confused. How did you get to see the feed?”
Stephen smiled and said, “Some lawyers from Dunyanin showed up. It was one of the things they showed Camille and I. Apparently, your solution was unexpected and it put the developers responsible for the Annihilation scenarios in a bit of a spin. They came to visit because the Dunyanin Head of Integration has been reviewing the actions of the Overwatch AI responsible for Vatan. During the last week, it has made subtle changes across the continent concerning both history and lore to facilitate your acceptance as Empress not only in the groups who heard the bell but in all NPC groups throughout Vatan. Apparently, the next time you visit Dunyanin, you will discover that there is an ancient foretelling among the Günahkâr of a broken warrior who will save the Günahkâr and lead them to martial glory.
“Similar stories are being proactively introduced across the continent. The lawyers showed me evidence that this is a logical and natural consequence of the changes made when you rang the Bell of Ascension. The changes were raised at a recent meeting of Department Heads and although nothing was said at the meeting, the minutes were reviewed by one of their Legal Department’s Oversight AI who flagged the comment. Apparently, after a series of high-level meetings and discussions, the flag ended up on the desk of their Chief Counsel. They’ve determined that these changes, on top of your involvement in Merkize, the issuing of your coins, and the Lanetli scenario may have given you what could be construed as an unfair playing advantage.
Leah spent about ten minutes discussing the issue with Stephen and Camille. When all three were satisfied with the next few steps that needed to be taken, Stephen and Camille left with Gèng to show Camille her new office just as Jesse returned with Gèng from their discussions.
Jesse said, “Gèng showed me the simulation you work through. It is amazingly accurate, but I doubt you will get the practice you need. I am concerned about your mother and want to go to the authorities.”
Leah nodded but said, “I understand, but I’d like a chance. Give me an hour of real time. If you still believe I have no chance of getting close to her, then do whatever you believe you need to do to help my mother. I believe the bomb will be detonated if you do something, but you have to live with your conscience, not mine.”
Jesse nodded and said, “One hour it is.”
Then he logged out.
Leah asked Gèng, “Can I extend the time in the Pod to four hours?”
“It is certainly possible. As long as you don’t spend more than three hours in a single world, the Safety Oversight AI will first issue me with a cautionary notice. Because of your normal habits, the issue will stop there. Such notices are standard, and they are disregarded and archived after one month of full compliance. I think Dr Roberts will be less happy though with the amount of time you are spending in cyberspace. We’ve been mapping the growth in your neural connections, and each time you spend time in cyberspace, new changes are introduced.
“One of Ellen’s hypotheses is that connections formed as a result of interactions in cyberspace are fragile and may become degenerative at an early age. She’s basing this on some similarities between the newer neurones formed and those discovered in some recent work on early-onset degenerative neurone disorders. I am less concerned because there are many differences between your neurones and those in the research. Nevertheless, I believe you should be aware of the danger.”
“Thank you, but with Mum’s life on the line, I’ll risk it. Give me fifteen real-time minutes in the simulation. If I’m not quite ready, then I’ll do another fifteen before heading to Survival. That will give me half an hour to convince both Jesse and myself that it is possible.”
SURVIVAL SIMULATION - CYBERSPACE
Gèng nodded and transferred Leah straight to the simulation. After a walk through the introductory section, which highlighted the changes Jesse mentioned, as well as several new discoveries, Leah stepped through into the full simulation. After dying fifteen times in the first ten cyber-minutes, Leah said, “Gèng, pause the simulation.”
As everything stopped moving, Leah said, “It’s too much to absorb all of a sudden. How about you start with the situation we had yesterday and introduce the frequency and speed of attacks slowly over three or four hours? When you see I have one thing learned then take it up a notch. I also noticed that the trees were further apart?”
“Yes, Jesse said the ‘Supermax Scenario’ increased the distance in the canopy and added an extra fifty per cent of smaller vines and shrubs to the undergrowth.”
As Gèng finished speaking, she started the simulation. Leah found the gradual increase suited her learning style. Unfortunately, she plateaued after five hours and again began to die regularly. After the eighth death in half an hour, she paused the scenario and asked Gèng to walk her through each of the situations and point out what Leah missed or failed to notice. Leah then redid each of those situations until she could survive each one. Leah again began to improve, but this time she had Gèng pause after each death or injury and point out her errors.
STORK TOWER
After the full nine hours in cyberspace, Leah stopped for a break. She still hadn’t reached the speed and accuracy necessary to survive the newer scenario and was becoming frustrated. She made her way to the meditation pool and tried to calm her thoughts. It took her almost ten minutes to calm her mind, but Leah knew she wasn’t ready to continue until she was completely calm. She just hoped Jesse wouldn’t do anything rash.
When she had finally calmed herself, she set her problems in front of her and tried to look at them dispassionately. She considered what changes, if any, she could make. Finally, still feeling discouraged, she stood up. Gèng appeared and said, “I’ve moved the cyber area to this level to save some time.”
Leah nodded and had taken three steps down the corridor when she suddenly stopped. She turned to Gèng and said, “Contact Jesse, see if he can change the player settings. I know he can’t give me greater speed or strength, but see if there is a way you can help guide me like you did when we rescued Mum in the real world. You know what is coming a split second before it arrives; otherwise, you couldn’t apply it. See if there is any way you can help me see the dangers sooner.”
SURVIVAL SIMULATION - CYBERSPACE
Leah walked the rest of the way in silence, then stepped into the scenario and began again. Her new found peace helped her concentration, and she slowly began to show some progress. Gèng had placed a progress bar at the top of Leah’s vision, and Leah was consistently succeeding at ninety-two per cent the expected speed and skill level needed to survive the ‘Supermax’ scenario. She was diving under an attacking scaled flying reptile which one of the players had named fire-lizards because they reminded her of the reptiles from McCaffrey’s series on Pern when Gèng sounded a soft tone and paused the scenario.
Gèng said, “Jesse says the player settings don’t give much leeway and any changes might ring an alarm and somehow reset the scenario. He was, however, able to change one of the PAI settings. This option gives the PAI an ability to change the colour or sound of given objects. Apparently, some types of agnosia can be countered by changing the way sensory information is represented. With this, we think I can highlight dangers or clues as they enter your vision and also amplify the small telltale sounds which presage an attack.”
It took half an hour for Leah to become familiar with Gèng’s additional clues, but once she was used to the new system, her success rate climbed steadily as she and Gèng worked to modify the clues to help Leah make the best decisions. Different colours were used to specify the type of attack and shades of colour were used to highlight the degree of danger. Leah finished the last hour inside the simulation without dying once.
Gèng had received the location of Leah’s mum, and John had messaged Leah saying her mum would only enter the Pod as Leah approached her position. Lin was fifteen kilometres from her crash site and resting in one of the overnight plant shelters some fifty-seven kilometres from Leah. Leah spent five minutes calming herself in the garden before stepping to the Survival portal for what she hoped was the last time. Taking a deep breath, Leah stepped through into the scenario.
73
Chapter 73
December 18, 2073 - Evening - Part 3
SURVIVAL
Leah arrived to find herself lying inside the plant she’d found to shelter her the night before. Usually, she had a few minutes to get her bearings, but as the plant opened she had to throw herself into a forward roll to avoid the attack of a Bellamoth—this was another creature named by one of the players after a fictional character. It was similar to a moth and had a wingspan of five feet. It also had a set of four-inch fangs which it drove into a victim before draining them of blood. In addition, it had two sets of sharp claws, and the dust from its wings was hallucinogenic if breathed in. Leah held her breath as sh
e rolled under the moth, then turning as she came to her feet she brought the metal spar around to break one of the wings. Usually, Leah would finish the creature off, but today she wasn’t given the opportunity as a second Bellamoth attacked from her right.
Leah was better prepared this time and brought the spar around over her head and brought it crashing down, driving the moth into the branch at her feet. She took several steps backwards to evade the cloud of dust, then getting her bearing she took off down the branch at a run.
Before she reached the trunk, she had to evade the strike of a Milliconda. Whoever named this creature had been accurate, she thought. The beast was snake-like and grew to be over twenty metres in length. Each of its scales had a small claw-shaped appendage which the Milliconda used too grip onto both foliage and prey. They often hung under branches, then as something ran or walked along the branch they would suddenly swing part of the body over the victim and crush them before tearing them into smaller sections to swallow. Leah used the spar to fend off the strike and then applied the changing momentum of the spar when it hit the creature to give herself enough height to clear the beast.
Leah then took two steps and launched herself across the face of the tree trunk to land on a branch two metres lower down. She raced along this, jogging somewhat erratically to evade several species of poisonous moss. Gèng highlighted the faint glint of a Deathdrape which caused Leah to jump to the next tree further out than she would have wished and brought her slamming into the branch on the next tree at chest height. With the spar in her right hand, she dug the blade of a knife she held in her left into the tree to anchor herself on the branch. She took several deep breaths to calm her spasming diaphragm before pulling herself onto the branch and setting out again.
Leah made it to the next tree before she was attacked by a swinging vine which sensed her body heat and contracted towards her. Leah turned and swept her spar through the vine, cutting it off above her head. She had to quickly move past the damaged vine as its sap was not only poisonous but also highly corrosive. As soon as possible, Leah slowed and wiped her blade clean, but noticed several new small pits had already been cut into the blade.
