Simulation Game

by E M G Wixley

  “You see in my job I’m mostly required to keep secrets and I get paid very well for this,” the man said.

  Dante held out all the notes he had. “Would that be enough considering you might soon be unemployed.”

  “Taking everything into account I suppose it would but don’t be too long my memory could return.” He snatched his remuneration and rushed off in the direction of the stairs.

  Dante shoved his right hand into his pocket and felt for the knife as he wondered what would meet his eyes when he opened the door. Warily he pressed the combination into the keypad.

  The man was lying on a bed bundled under a rough wool blanket. Dante was stunned by the bareness of the room. There was nothing to stimulate the soul or the mind. The man shouted muffled insults and then threw the blanket off his back, sprung up and glowered directly at Dante. “Get out you murdering scum!” stony bullets of spit shot in Dante’s direction causing him to cringe back to the door.

  Curses continued to fire from Jonah’s foaming mouth. He raged thumping the bed. His mad eyes were pained and confused. It was both a sad and ghastly sightseeing someone young and so utterly broken. “Do you remember me?” Dante said slipping onto the floor to indicate he was not a threat. He sat cross-legged, shivering. “My daughter Felicity. She is your friend, and I’ve come to help you escape captivity.”

  A strange grin pushed its way over Jonah’s face, and he smoothed his matted straw-coloured hair as if he was attempting to make himself presentable. Tears started in his now gentle eyes. “You mean we’re leaving?”

  “Yes, we’ll go to my house.” Dante smiled. “You’ll be safe, but we must go fast.”

  “You know we won’t get far,” he said in a low, choked voice. “You didn’t disable the cameras.”

  Dante’s eyes panned the room, but he knew the microscopic eyes would be cleverly concealed. How could I forget something so obvious? Why did they add ageing to the Game? “I’m hoping nobody is watching,” was all he could think of in reply.

  The dawn sky was a rosy grey by the time they reached Dante’s red sports car. “I hope you don’t mind, but I enjoy driving the old-fashioned way,” he said to Jonah as he opened the door wondering if the large man would be able to squeeze inside. Not responding Jonah climbed in and sat cramped with his knees almost against his chest. They sped away with a roar shooting down the empty streets of the old dockland area.

  Dante slowed as in front of them a self-drive taxi pulled into the curb. A young woman who even from a distance clearly possessed heart-stopping beauty stepped inside. Not wanting to draw attention Dante followed at a cautious speed. The realisation that his poorly conceived actions could have got them both imprisoned played on his mind. He was keenly aware of his lack of control over events and more conscious than ever of the need to avoid snares.

  “I hope you’re keeping your eyes open,” he said to Jonah as his paranoia and panic rushed around his brain. “My thinking isn’t as sharp as it used to be. I should have considered the cameras.” The slowness of his driving allowed him to delve deeper into the archives of his mind for anything else he may have not considered. Is it wise to take him home, to my wife? We could all be destroyed.

  “Drones are chasing down the car in front,” Jonah said matter-of-factly.

  Dante’s senses woke up to the buzzing and his eyes focused on a sparkling black cloud of bugs. Together they stared ahead scrutinising the deadly, unstoppable killing machines as they locked onto their target. “She must be a criminal,” he said knowing it was probably one of the escapee cyborgs.

  “They will destroy her,” Jonah said placing his long fingers on the dashboard. He leaned forward to take a better look. “That could be us.”

  Dante’s hair stood on end, and he was aware of electrical energy filling the air. It crackled through the windscreen. A horizontal fog of charged particles was heading for the drones. An immortal strength forced them off course. Sparks spat out, and they popped and fell to the ground. The vehicle in front stopped abruptly. Dante hit the brakes. The door flew open, and the young woman stepped out with ease and grace. Her eyes focussed on Jonah and a smile fixed on her face. He bowed his head to release himself from her gaze. Calmly she strode down a side street and out of view.

  The traffic thickened as they entered a more populated area. People with a purpose swarmed in all directions.

  “How did you do that?” Dante asked.

  “It felt like I was tuning into the murmurs and vibrations of the universe,” he said laughing. “The real answer is I don’t know. They kept me drugged, and the fog is only beginning to clear. But I do believe the mind exists outside of time and space. Right now, I would like to know who I am. Do I know you?”

  “Yes. We met once at Christmas. You’re a friend of my daughter.”

  A disturbance ahead interrupted their conversation. A man was running through the crowd at a tremendous speed. There was no time to avoid the thunderous motion, and the early morning workers stumbled and crashed into each other as they were pushed to the side. His pace increased beyond the bursting point of human lungs. Unexpectedly he fell onto his knees. People froze, and their heads all turned in the same direction, but nobody intervened as a cloud of bugs flooded over the figure. The police arrived and pushed the crowds back, and the audience turned their backs on the trouble and rushed away from the scene. As Dante’s car crawled by, they saw circular blades whizzing around, cutting through synthetic skin, organic and biomechatronic body parts.

  Dante put his foot down and hastily wove in and out of the traffic until the details of the events faded into the distance.

  The Grandure of Earth’s Demise

  Chapter Fifteen

  Birdie was seated next to Theodore in the opulent hall. It was their turn in front of the inquisition. He looked around the room anxiously while his boss, head bowed, examined his notes. In front of him and raised above them on a platform was a long table and seven sumptuous upright chairs. There was not a speck of dust to be seen. He gazed up at the ornate ceiling with its beautiful filigree plasterwork. In the middle of the central rose was the group's symbol, a diamond shape with seven coloured facets. Outside a storm raged, thunder clapped rattling the single glazed windows which reminded him of the simplicity of the past. With their magnificent wealth they’ve neglected to change the glass, he thought.

  A latch clicked, and he turned towards the open door. The seven leaders of the Monolithic Helix Foundation, as they called themselves, strolled in all straight-backed and respectably dressed in the same black suits except for an older man in a wheelchair. On the pocket of each was the motif of the diamond. Birdie followed their movements as they made their way to the platform while their aids seated themselves on benches behind the accused.

  The chairman seated himself in the middle, a messiah of multinational industry, banking, oil and a private army, Sebastian Maynard. He sipped from his glass of water, tested his microphone, smiled and commented to the rest of the group. Birdie shifted uneasily in his chair; nothing was comfortable. He was an imposter surrounded by whispering voices.

  When they settled Sebastian Maynard, the chairman directed his gaze towards Birdie. His fishy grey irises swam in cold watery pools set in a bland, thin-skinned face. “Please relax,” he said smiling. “This isn’t a trial; this is a discussion to find the best way forward.” His face revealed little, but Birdie knew beneath the mask was a cruel, greedy narcissist only too happy to exploit the world's resources and ruin human lives.

  “There’s no need for introductions,” Sebastian said into the microphone. “We all know each other here.” His cold eyes danced around the faces in the room. “As usual secrecy is the priority and anyone leaking information will be severely punished.” He glanced down and began picking dirt from under his nails. “We have much to get through this morning. Firstly, we need to address the problem of the escapees. Theodore, the cyborgs, have access to the supercomputer, which means we have a serious problem on our h
ands.”

  “It’s being addressed sir as we speak. They are being tracked by drones and destroyed.”

  “A failure of grand proportions. There are others with emerging knowledge and abilities which rival any of the people on your team. They’re waiting in the wings if you can’t deliver.”

  “I can assure you nobody, but yourselves and ourselves have access to the supercomputer.”

  “In your earlier document, you describe how these cyborgs have cybernetic eyes, enhanced hearing, carbon fibre skeletons, with arms and legs with power far beyond any elite athlete,” a rotund man with a bulbous nose sitting on the right of Sebastian stated. “They have also demonstrated telepathy amongst each other. I would say, that out of our control they’re a massive threat.”

  “The best way to deal with this is to hack their systems,” Craig Westmount the man scrunched up in the wheelchair uttered. “Attack from within – blind them – deafen them. We don’t want to attract attention with visible destruction on the streets and prod the common man out of his apathy.”

  Oh, for men and women of true valour. Not these flaccid cowards, Birdie pondered and blushed at the knowledge of his own internal betrayal. What role was there for women? Other groups were represented. On the top table, there was a Chinese man, a Russian and a man from African descent. He glanced over his shoulder and saw many ethnic groups but not a single female. He turned to Theodore and saw the nervous twitch in his eye and remembered the hackers intruding on the supercomputer. He made a note to himself to speak with Dante about investigating and making arrests.

  “Our man who is mostly responsible for the design of the supercomputer, Dante Devon and his assistant James Falcon seated here at my side,” he flashed a grin at Birdie, “are geniuses in their field. I’m sure they will be able to solve any problems.”

  “How is proper gander going and control over the media?” Sebastian said turning towards the young Chinese man.”

  “We all agreed it’s best to keep a blindfold over the eyes of the people. Nobody wants to see the end coming. We feed those in positions of power and influence stories and convince them it’s the truth. I’ve been weaving a tangled web for years, and I doubt anyone could see through the veil.”

  “Global warming is telling its own story,” the African man interrupted. “Terrorism is raging through the continent. Soon they will get their hands on the same technology. The whole of mankind will soon be sucked into the craters of hell.”

  A hand raised in the audience. “What is it, Strummer?” Sebastian asked in his measured way.

  “As one of the psychologists on the team, I would like to suggest that although extremists and radicals are a problem, a rot which needs to be cut out or protected against. This isn’t so much of a concern. There is good news. The general population have short attention spans, and once a natural, or unnatural disaster has sunk into the background, they are happy to go on with their everyday lives. With all the distractions of drugs, crime, religion, entertainment there’s little time or inclination to focus on what's hitting them around the head. Plus, our office has done an excellent job of discrediting the conspiracy theorists and minority activists.” Laughter exploded in the room. “We just need to prescribe more ‘happy pills.”

  “Yes, we’ve all noticed what a good job you’re doing. Please keep up the intensity. Distraction is what’s needed.” The chairman flashed a broad smile around the room. “On a serious note, it’s vital we steer clear of accusations and remain the unseen machine which governs what occurs on this planet.”

  “Theodore, we’ve read your latest paper and have taken your proposals into consideration. Originally we planned to colonise other planets with the cyborgs and for them to make the new world habitable for human occupation. Now you say you’ve made a new discovery, a bacterium which alters DNA and enhances brain capacity far beyond Earthbound knowledge. To the point that one of your volunteers was able to design anti-gravity spaceships which used alternate ways and more efficient methods of navigating space. It would cut out the corners.”

  Theodore nodded his head. “That’s correct, sir. Unfortunately, much of this information is beyond my personal understanding. The ship appeared to have warp drive – the ability to travel faster than the speed of light. Convicts with no prior scientific training were able to design a Dyson sphere with what looked like a completely new approach. Exciting indeed. Therefore we suggest we upload these minds to the cyborg bodies which are attached to the supercomputer.”

  “You and your team have done great work. I suppose we all understand that stage one was an experiment to see if these revolutionary ideas could be created. This time I suggest we carefully pick our subjects. They must be volunteers, put through rigorous psychological training. Great minds whose bodies may have sadly succumbed to disease. Weak in body and strong in mind. That could be one for you, Strummer,” Sebastian said looking directly at the small man sitting in the middle of the room.

  “Hopefully, we also might benefit from the advancement of science and be a part of the escape to a new planet home sooner than we thought. Time is running out, and a short-cut to other worlds and eternal existence is of the highest priority.”

  “Lastly I would like to announce a move to a research facility hidden under the mountains of Scotland,” he said directing his gaze towards Theodore. “We have been working on it for several years. It is already a complete and efficient underground city with everything you would need to work happily and in secret. I will give you the details over lunch and discuss funding for our new project. We shall encourage people to zoom in on area 51, while we continue in plain sight.”

  Running out of Time

  Chapter Sixteen

  Thanks, dad for finding Jonah and realising how important that was to me. I’m sorry – I’ve been in a bad place lately, but all’s good now. Could we meet up and talk sometime. We’re going to Norway to Jonah’s home to help trigger his memory.

  “Just had a message from Felicity,” Dante called to Josie. “Everything’s fine, and we’re friends again.”

  “That’s marvellous,” she replied as she boxed up items from the kitchen units. “It makes me so happy. I’ve been worried sick.”

  Dante searched through every cupboard and drawer making sure he’d gathered together any forgotten and essential documents and memory sticks. He stood wavering before the open safe aware of the fear gnawing at his gut. He was doubting his choice of returning to work knowing Theodore would have discovered Jonah missing and his part in aiding his escape. His boss had given zero information away in his phone call, there was nothing sinister to indicate ill-intent. It had all been politeness, pleasantries and discussions about his place and role in the new facility. So far, he’d followed the plan to move to their new base in Scotland without question proceeding with the long-established habit of travelling with the team.

  “Perhaps in our new home we could have less of your gadgets crowding out space,” Josie said.

  He turned to face his wife and smiled weakly. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, she was enjoying the new adventure and happy he’d made up with Felicity.

  He carried a box of computer parts to the boot of the car. An early morning mist sluggishly coiled around the base of the ornamental pines. He breathed in the sweet lemony smell and glanced towards their glass fortress. “I doubt we’ll find another home like this one,” he muttered.

  He studied the figure of his wife as proudly Josie placed her new shiny walking boots firmly onto the gravel, lifted a suitcase and crunched her way in his direction. “No, but we might find something even better. I’m looking forward to a country lifestyle.”

  Dante had forgotten how beautiful his wife was with her plump rosy cheeks and the mist clinging to her long hair. He’d neglected to do and say so much over the years. Putting his family second had been a massive mistake. Now there were too many words needing to be said and as his lips parted his throat tightened. “You’ve always been there for me and the
kids, despite everything,” was all he could manage to say.

  Josie threw her arms around his waist and gazed up at him, “there’s time to begin again,” she said.

  He heaved a sigh and kissed her face. She appeared young as she always did in his eyes.

  With regret came a surge of adrenaline. Dante was balancing precariously on the edge of a precipice and was losing his footing. There was a trap waiting but was it for him? Theodore still needed him to install the supercomputer in its new home plus he was the only one with access to vital levels. In a fraction, he decided not to wait until he was pushed. They would go into hiding, and he would explain to his wife slowly as they headed for the channel tunnel, turn going on the run into an adventure.

  The urge to clean up and blow the whistle on Theodore was too great. He wanted to inform the media and already had information secured with his solicitor. They need him far more than he needed them. From now on I will focus on loving my wife, he thought.

  He went giddy as he remembered his children. The monster will take his revenge out on them, instead. I must play it carefully, get Theodore locked up before he decides to confront the problem of me and my knowledge. He accepted there were numerous concerns and issues to be resolved, but he was adamant that they must flee. After all, he’d grown used to the shadow of anxiety following him on every journey.

  “Come on. We’re nearly out of time,” Josie smiled warmly. “I’ll drive first if you like.” As always, the generous woman was trying to alleviate his stress.

  “I’ll lock up,” he said and drifted back towards the house. As he raised the key towards the lock, a myriad of elusive elements of past family life flashed through his head, the laughter, games and tears.

  Unexpectedly shards of light cut through the gloom of the house, lights flashed on, and the alarm sounded. “Somethings gone wrong with the electrics,” he called out. “I’ll be with you in minutes.” He stepped back into the building. His phone rang, and he placed it to his ear as he rushed over to the control panel in the boot room.