by E M G Wixley
“The prisoner's abilities are outstanding, but I think they are too fragile to upload to their new bodies. We have the other one perhaps if we could infect him we could transfer his mind before he reached the point of death. I’ve studied their drawings, and the type of knowledge they possess could be a great asset towards establishing our dominance in space. Just one cyborg of this superiority could transform the possibilities of travelling vast distances.” He handed Theodore a sheet of paper on which were the designs for a spacecraft not envisaged before. “What if they know how to make a short cut through time and space. Maybe we’ll also be able to escape this sick planet.”
“I love a person who’s as ruthless about domination as myself.” A crooked smile spread wide on Theodore's broad face. “You birdie are the same as me, but you hide behind a pretence. We both desire the inevitable human evolution towards a technological, artificially intelligent world despite the ethical boundaries we must cross.”
“The unstoppable move of progress always destroys as well as creates,” Birdie said in agreement.
“We need the most robust of human souls to put into our machines,” Theodore mused allowed. “We’ll liquidate the mistakes, they’re specialised in the wrong way, and they seem hellbent on causing trouble. We will focus our energies on our new project.”
The bug zoomed in on the only crouching figure in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. A man with straw-coloured hair and with his head bowed abruptly looked up. His face was set in angry contempt and written in his eyes was an undefeated terror. He was ready to pounce on anyone who got too close.
Dante could feel the blood drain from his head. It was Jonah, his daughter’s friend. He had stepped into a nightmare for which he had no control. He gawped at the screen in silent pain.
“The problem we had with the others was that they were unwilling to take on their new role,” Theodore uttered. “You’ve already said this one is resistant.”
“Now we’re aware of the problem, we may apply some persuasion, Sir,” Birdie said as if relieved it wasn’t himself behind bars. “First we will infect the new one with the blood from the convicts and see how that progresses. That will give us time to find his Achilles heel. To see if we can make the idea work. If it does, we’ll look for volunteers.”
“Meanwhile, upload the brains of the two traffickers and see what information we can squeeze out. If they die in the process, it’s no real loss.”
A shrill alarm sounded throughout the building. The bug swung around to the monitor in Theodore’s room. The cages were empty. As Dante rushed to the door of his office he heard, Theodore comment, “quick we must stop them. They are in communication with each other and have acquired control of the security system.”
With his hand on the handle, Dante turned to the screen and saw once again he was linked directly with the shadowy intelligence within the Supercomputer. He took a sharp intake of breath. “What’s happening?” he blurted out.
An image flashed up in front of him of a group of people moving noiselessly with purpose, pushing any obstacles human or otherwise out of the way. “Before darkness closes over, they will vanish amongst the tall buildings. They have turned against their creator and act like one,” the sinister voice boomed.
Dante gawped and amongst them all he spotted the gauzy pink dress of the ballerina, she turned to face him, her eyes fastened into his and her mouth stretched into an unnatural red-lipped grin. Dante felt the blade fall, slicing away his past predictable and comfortable life leaving him floundering in the knowledge of an uncertain future. To protect his family, he would keep his world and the access he had to the brain of the supercomputer to himself while searching for a way to sabotage the plans of Birdie and the child murderer.
His phone buzzed, and in a daze, he held it to his ear. “Dad it’s me, Irvin. Why is Felicity’s friend in my computer game? You know the virtual reality game you gave me for Christmas. He’s being held prisoner and is in a shocking state.”
“Irvin, it’s not him; it’s someone who looks like him,” Dante’s heart thumped as though he’d been caught in the act of a crime. “Stay away from that game. Don’t play it anymore, please I beg you. I will explain when I see you. It’s too dangerous.”
“Just sort it, dad, you’ve caused this family enough trouble.”
Sun Split Colours
Chapter Thirteen
Irvin answered the ringing of the doorbell to his new flat and squinted into the sunlit corridor beyond. The indentation marks across his forehead, the shadows under his eyes and his unkempt appearance indicated to Felicity that he’d become hooked on his new drug of choice, the virtual reality game and headset he’d acquired at Christmas. It was stifling him as a person while stimulating his senses and helping him slow down time so he could live in the moment.
“Hi sis,” he said drowsily. “You said you need money. Here take this card.” He put his hand in his back pocket and pulled out a rectangle of plastic which he handed to his sister. “The numbers very simple,” he said leaning forward and whispering into her ear. He then pushed up against the door as if trying to force her out.
“I hope you don’t mind me coming in,” Felicity said shoving the door back. “I need serious help – not just money.”
She entered the sumptuous surroundings littered with a layer of fast food cartons. The room was stifling, and the smell of wood smoke hung in the air from the burner. Holly was standing in front of a monitor removing her mask. She gawped at Felicity blushing and pouting as though she’d been caught in the middle of a misdemeanour.
“Hi there, I’m Holly,” she said smiling weakly.
Irvin swiped their discarded items off the sofa onto the floor and dumped a pile of fabric onto an armchair. Felicity sunk into the rich leather and noticed the aroma of musty clothes. “Have you seen our channel – we’ve gone viral and have gained millions of subscribers.” He perched next to Felicity and placed a tablet on her lap. “Look under ‘sun split colours’. We’re on our way.”
“Irvin, you need to feel the real things in life,” Felicity moaned. When she’d stepped out of her home that morning, she couldn’t help but rejoice as the brightness chased away her gloom. The sun flooded the City for the first time in days. Enlivened people walked past with their heads raised and smiles on their faces. She had received the occasional nod in greeting from her usually dismal neighbours. In the parks, snowdrops bowed their heads at the base of trees, and there were signs that the crocuses weren’t far behind. It was a brief reprieve. Soon she detected the low rumbling of anxiety reminding her that she was on a mission. Jonah was missing, and she needed to find him before he was lost to her forever.
“Watch the video,” Irvin said licking his dry lips.
Felicity's eyes lingered on his face. He looked sweaty and sick. “The birds are singing today, and the air is crisp.”
Irvin gazed at her perplexed. “Just watch sis. This is important,” he said raising his eyebrows with indifference. Holly squeezed in on the other side of Irvin. He reached over and clasped her white hand.
A horrified wonder rushed into Felicity as engrossed she watched their explorations in the abandoned fairground. It was disconcerting watching the ethereal girl floating in and out of the scenes, her stricken face, dark eyes and her arms stretching out pleading for help. Then the eerie sounds, flashing lights and the organ music which chased them away at the end.
“That’s amazing,” she said forcing a smile onto her face. “I can see why you’ve got so many hits. Great production and the music and special effects are perfect.”
“It’s real – I promise you there is no trickery.” Irvin turned to face Holly for confirmation. Her head was bowed, and she was playing with her fingers. She nodded.
“We didn’t change anything,” she said smiling nervously at Felicity.
Her face was sweet, young and dimpled and she looked incapable of lying. Felicity returned a warm smile. There was a pause. She listened to the mu
rmur of the machine they were so immersed in and thought of how her father had spent most of their childhood loving the sensory feedback from his computers more than that of his children. She worried that Irvin was being nourished by the same beast and worshipping at the same alter.
“I believe you,” she said reluctantly. “I’m just concerned that you’ll end up like dad, smothering reality.”
“There’s more,” Irvin said ignoring her response. “The girl. Do you recognise her?” He leaned in front of Felicity and swiped the dot forwards on the line and paused on a clear image of the ghost. “Look closely.”
A thorny memory embedded itself in the forefront of Felicity’s mind. The happy family photo of her sister before she was taken, which her mother kept on the living room wall. “Elley?”
“Yes. We’ve checked all the images it’s her. She is calling for help. Elley is in the game, in the virtual world and if I put out my hand, I can touch her.”
“Ask her where her body is and how she died,” Felicity said annoyed.
“We can’t ask her such direct questions she is still only about seven years old. We’re trying to untangle a net, solve a puzzle.”
“More like a terrible labyrinth where you follow all the combinations only to end up lost.”
“She has angels with her – like guardians – tiny,” Holly added. “We heard them say that on the moment of death somewhere in the world you are reborn, but this didn’t happen for Elley. She is locked in, on the wrong level. A family member from the living would need to decipher the code.”
The train was leaving the station, and Felicity knew she’d been left behind. It was already too late they were mad. Her tongue was straining, wanting to revolt against her better judgement. She needed to let go of her calm and scream at them for being so foolish and deluded. “How far have you got with this game?”
“We’re climbing the levels,” Irvin said jigging his crossed leg as if the very thought of the machine was pulling him back to play. “There’s an arc, multicoloured and multilayered like a rainbow. We must pick out items from the virtual store and bury them at the end of the rainbow.”
“Perhaps you should go outside into the natural world that’s more likely where the answers lie,” Felicity said sarcastically. She saw a wealth of anger flash into Irvin’s face. “You sound like dad. Has he influenced you that much?”
“Yeh, I do think dad has something. Think of all the precision. The rules to this world are rigid and mathematical, just like those of a computer. Perhaps the programme operator designed everything from the beginning from the big bang and let the programme evolve. Or maybe the scene builds as we pass through. The people you see every day and don’t interact with might not be real, a way of filling things out and cutting corners. The whole backdrop to our lives could be fake, props if you like.”
“With all programs, there are flaws in the system. Usually, these glitches are fixed before anyone notices, but we’ve been experiencing more significant more apparent problems in our everyday lives which aren’t so easy to disguise. There might be multiple simulations where they try out different possibilities. At least when you witness horrific disasters on the news, there’s a chance there was no real suffering involved. A simulated person rather than one with a soul. An elaborate game.”
“That is absurd. I’m real. If you cut me, I bleed and how do you explain love – that’s not mathematical? I know who killed Elley and her life and death were true,” Felicity blurted out. “It was not loving arms which held her before she died it was evil, the work of a tangible monster. And her spirit is here surrounding us like the air and in my mind since the day she disappeared. Theodore killed her. How do you explain that kind of malevolence?” She lifted her face up and gazed directly at her brother. A lump blocked her throat, and a torrent of tears washed down her face. It was hard hearing her own words ejecting the truth.
“Some of our viewers believe God is the programmer and we’re designed to worship him or at least obey his rules,” Holly interjected.
“Think about it,” Irvin continued. “Seven days in the week, seven deadly sins and seven gifts of the holy spirit.” Irvin lit a cigarette and flashed a boyish grin as smoke rose between them. He scrolled down to a specific comment and read aloud. “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between the Earth and me.” At the same time, he wrapped his arm around Felicity’s shoulder and held her tight. “It’s okay sis, we all have our different ways of dealing with stuff.”
“A detective working on the case told us to speak to Theodore. When we left his home, a car pulled up. They drugged Jonah and bundled him into their vehicle. It all happened in an instant,” she sobbed. “I must find him quick. I always have to do everything alone. While you’re indulging in your illusions, I have to deal with the real world.”
“We are still able to separate the two worlds, but the public wants us to pursue this. It takes much work keeping them updated. Our subscribers believe the story and are hooked into helping us find the clues. And you’re correct – there is no love in computers. Perhaps that will prove to be the biggest mystery of all.”
“So that makes it alright to throw me against the rocks and ignore me when I need help. My money has gone. Our family is broken and divided, and my best friend is missing.”
Holly rushed around and grasped Felicity’s hand in hers. “Of course, we will help you. We’ve been on our journey. There have been other strange things happening in the real world for us too. I can’t go back to my home town because I’m being held responsible for the death of two brothers who died mysteriously. It’s weird – a glitch.”
Felicity gulped the air and calmed. “I’ve been self-absorbed.”
“We will stick together on this,” Irving said his face creasing and appearing beyond his years. “This runs much deeper than any of us know. We must stick together.”
“Does dad know Elley is in his game?”
“No, it would seem that despite human involvement the machines have evolved into teaching themselves and into following their own course.”
“We are receiving clues from our subscribers,” Holly added. “One has suggested that we take items or pictures which represent the seven gifts of the holy spirit and plant them at the base of the rainbow at the ‘Seven Sisters’ waterfall in Norway. They are sure if we do that Elley will return.”
“Sis, I know it’s a big ask, but we agreed to follow up any information our followers suggest – we’re an interactive sight and a live feed from the Norwegian fjords would be something quite different. We just need somewhere to stay.”
Felicity scrutinised her brothers face in shocked amazement. Irvin evaded her searching eyes by lowering his gaze and waited for her response.
“I obviously can’t take you there without finding Jonah.”
“I will find Jonah for you,” Irvin said noting in his mind that he must put more pressure on his father. “I promise, and then we’ll all go to Norway.”
Rescue
Chapter Fourteen
Dante had spent the two restless weeks after the mass exodus of the facility puzzling over how to respond. He’d guessed what ‘the time of the black sun’ meant, and because of this, it was vital to keep his knowledge about the Program Operators and designers a secret. If the world understood the fragility of their reality, that they were nothing more than pawns in a game, then the operators would pull the plug. The cruelty of the ultimate rulers was established, and there was nothing which could protect them from their barbarism. Impenetrable barriers were placed around his space in the vast universal machine, leaving him with the only direct access to the controller's consciousness.
Impulsive acts were unusual for Dante, so he surprised himself when in the silent hours before dawn he entered the warehouse. As he crept down the dark stairwell towards the basement, he was acutely aware of his lack of planning. He’d not thought anything through. However, he’d managed to retrieve the door codes
from the supercomputer, and in his pocket, he held a knife in case he came across any resistance. His primary motivation was to heal the rift between himself and his daughter, but it was satisfying knowing his priority to rescue a human being still far outweighed any of the other countless decisions he urgently needed to make.
The air shuddered with the screams of a man, “open the fucking door!” Time for Dante slowed as it always does when gripped by fear. He was on the last step and could see down a passage lit with neon light. A man in a white coat had flipped a hatch in the door and was passing through a plate. It clattered angrily to the ground, and Dante pressed himself against the wall hoping not to be seen.
“Well stuff you,” the white-coated figure said and turned to walk away. “Hey, professor are you lost?” Without waiting for a reply, he continued. “This isn’t your normal domain,” the tall skinny man said grinning broadly. “Theodore likes to keep this place all to himself.”
“He’s away at the moment representing the facility. Explaining the mass escape, promoting our endeavours and the excellent work you all do. He asked me to look in at the remaining patients.” Dante approached cautiously.
They confronted each other. The taller man looked down his nose at Dante. “It was a terrible thing. There are rumours that we could be relocated or worse the program could shut down, and we all lose our jobs. I couldn't leave – I’m a Londoner born and bred.”
Dante fixed his eyes on the door where he could hear weeping. “How many are left?” he asked as the man manoeuvred between him and the door.
“Only the one. There were two more, but their brains exploded,” he said glibly as a crooked grin spread across his thin face. “I wouldn’t go in there if I was you. The man is strong and ill-natured. Poor sod has lost his memory and doesn’t know who he is.”
“How much would it cost for you to lose your memory,” Dante bravely asked reaching to the inside pocket of his jacket. “To forget I was here.” He took out a wad of money.
