by E M G Wixley
Something pressed against Jonah’s back and he felt a burning sensation beneath his skin. He turned and came face to face with one of the creatures from his dream. This one he took to be female. She moved in front of him as he gazed up at the stone. He saw the hair still ran down its back, but the body was wrapped in an intricately woven colourful material split where the hair streaked.
“Take the White Heart from the wall,” she said in a level voice. “It will keep you in communion with the universe and us the Ogzeks of which you are now a part.”
Jonah walked to towards the rocky surface reached up and discovered the stone dropped easily into his palm. He twisted around and saw the being's mouth was small, but he detected a smile, its black eyes in the alabaster face radiated warmth. She stepped closer, and he felt comforted. “Now you’re connected with us.”
“Who are you?” Jonah asked.
“We come from another world but have an interest in protecting and helping primitive life forms to survive. You are running out of time, and you must leave your Earth. Others of your kind are building a starship under our direction. Take your loved ones to safety. We would like to preserve something of your planet.”
“What has gone wrong? I’m not sure I can persuade anyone to follow me – I’m a simple man.”
“You’re no longer a human. Without your knowledge you’ve been transformed you are one of us.”
“There have been many civilisations beyond your Milky Way,” she continued her face expressionless. “One invested in machine intelligence. Eventually, the replicants became sentient beings, able to reproduce themselves and learn at a far greater rate than any cellular organisms. They turned against their creators. Wars ensued. They rampaged through the universe taking over planets, using them for their own entertainment and propelling the remaining life forms towards a robotic culture. Your world is a virtual reality.”
“How can I tell who is a genuine human and who is a construct.”
“You can’t easily. Take the ones you travel with and love. Replicants can appear to love, but it’s not real. You will know.”
Jonah was not afraid. He smiled at the figure with gratitude. He felt warmth radiate under his skin, and when he took a second look, she was gone. He waited patiently allowing time to lapse while he considered what she’d advised. Then he took a different, easier route out of the cave.
Disclosure
Chapter Twenty-eight
When Irvin first disclosed the information, he’d gained while playing his father’s virtual reality game, he’d been drunk on the thrill of his discovery. Now it seemed to be a mistake. Since becoming an overnight internet success, the press was always lurking hoping for a good story. His chance of being left alone would be to confide exclusively to one paper, and his reassurance lay in his holdall, a ticket to Norway for a flight later that day.
Under pressure, he nervously waited in the steamy café for the reporter. Outside the spring sunshine lanced through departing clouds. People hurried along the wet pavements full of their everyday concerns oblivious to the hidden layer of chaos on which their lives were built. A train rumbled overhead shaking the structure. Irvin glanced at the clock and then watched a mother push her child towards the exit. It was lunchtime, and the place was full.
The man was ten minutes late, and Irvin considered leaving. He swiftly rose and threw his coat around his shoulders. A cool blast of air rushed into the room as the door opened. The familiar face of the reporter he’d spoken to over Elley’s ghost, strolled into the room. For a newsman, he seemed decent and sober. He came close, extended his arm as he sat and shook Irvin’s hand.
“It’s good to meet you again, Irvin.” A crooked grin split his tight skinned lipless face. “I like stories of young people who make a success of their lives. Only this time I gather it’s something different. I watched your last post,” Colin Ruddock said.
“My channels been taken down now and my presence has vanished from every social media forum,” Irvin said looking into the man’s deep-set eyes.
Colin took a notebook from the pocket of his dishevelled jacket. “Well, the cat’s out of the bag now. If you talk to me, we can stop anyone hassling you.”
Irvin cast his eyes around the room and saw nothing but people devouring their food and chatting noisily. He proceeded in a hushed voice. “There’s not much to tell. I know what happened to the missing young people.”
Irvin watched the biro poised between Colin’s tobacco-stained fingers ready to write. “You said they died while playing a computer game – actually in the virtual world. And then in reality.” Colin glanced down. His face twisted awkwardly as if he was trying to suppress laughter. He sipped the cold coffee which Irvin had purchased over half an hour previously.
“I know everyone thinks I’m barking mad,” Irvin said.
“Do you have concrete evidence?” Colin inquired in a measured voice.
Again, Irvin swirled around to check the room. Every face he looked at was a potential enemy. Then he spotted two men seated at the back of the cafe staring in his direction. They appeared out of place, wearing dark suits. Irvin scowled and watched them. He wanted to see if they’d drop their gaze. They remained unmoving not attempting to lift the two mugs placed before them to their lips. He wondered how long they’d been there, observing.
“Irvin,” Colin said trying to pull his attention back. “Let's go over everything. Then we can evaluate the situation.”
“I was playing a virtual reality game. Many others were playing, and it was all beyond real,” Irvin spewed out his words, jumping from one stepping stone of information to the next in his desperation to leave. “It’s like I said on the internet. During play, I was met by an alien being who told me the world was a simulation. The Gamers in the alternate existence are planning on pulling the plug. They will most probably want to go out with a bang, and we would all suffer major devastation in the process.”
“Irvin, I’ve done some special investigations of my own on those missing kids. They were hackers known to the authorities for committing serious cyber-crimes. They’re being held until they reveal to the professionals what government secrets they have discovered. This stuff is taken very seriously in high places.”
“You believe everything our leaders tell you?”
“If they were murdered there would be some evidence.”
“Have they told their distressed families all this?” Irvin added as his impatience bubbled.
“It’s a case of national security,” Colin said glancing at his phone and putting the book back in his pocket. “You can’t put restraints on the most powerful people in our world. Their workings behind the scenes are what keeps everything in balance. Advice from an old man – ignorance is the safer option in this case. Lie low and wait for everyone to forget about your conspiracy theories.”
“So, you’re not going to warn people that a major catastrophe is about to befall mankind and that a large number of young people have been murdered?”
“I will speak with my editor, but I doubt it unless you can source some substantial proof.”
A deep laughing came from the back of the room drowning out people’s conversations. Irvin glanced over his shoulder and saw it was the two strangers and now they were grinning broadly at him. He glanced up at the clock.
“Okay, I get it, you can’t grasp the significance of any of this but when the catastrophes begin you will have your proof, and hopefully my subscribers will be safely hiding in bunkers.”
“Look, I’ve got to dash,” Colin said looking at his phone again. “UFO’s have been spotted over Yellowstone, and some reliable sources have photographic evidence,” He said jumping to his feet. “Anyway, what does any of it matter if it’s all just a simulation. Ordinary lives will follow the same old pattern.”
Irvin stood up grabbed his bag and pushed his way past a queue of customers waiting at the till.
Countdown
Chapter Twenty-nine
Guilt washed through
Dante as on Irvin’s arrival at Jonah’s house that afternoon his son had explained to them all what he’d learnt from playing his father’s game. On this occasion, he was believed by everyone except Felicity.
Dante saw Irvin searching his face for elusive answers, but he couldn’t prevent his expression from remaining blank. His life's obsession was a mistake, and it was too difficult to share his trapped emotions and knowledge. When it came to the time to break the news of Irvin’s mother’s death, Dante had been unable to make eye contact. He was only too aware that the good intentions of his youth had turned bad, and the wounds of his betrayal were too fresh, he quickly turned away, made his apologies and rushed upstairs to the attic which he’d been given as his space. Down below he heard the rest of his remaining family comforting his weeping son.
He sat on his bed with his back against the wall, blinking the sweat and tears from his eyes. For a distraction, he switched on the TV. Horrific images appeared on the screen. The ground was rising, falling and cracking. The information strip below the pictures read: The Volcano Observatory in California has reported seismic activity across Yellowstone park. An Earth Quake swarm has been confirmed. Campsites and homes are being evacuated.
Dante observed the image shake and break. The next thing he saw was filming from the back of a vehicle as the reporters attempted to escape over the hostile terrain. He turned the sound up.
“A massive explosion has ripped through the air,” the reporter shouted above the deep rumbling and roaring of the unstable land. “Everything’s falling. I hope we make it out of here alive.” The newsroom switched to another camera team. Dante saw an expanding black cloud, melting rocks, trees sliding down the sides of mountains or toppling under the hot blast. On the edge of the disaster zone, the rescue services efficiently raced to save lives as ash covered people emerged through the rain of dust and dirt. Humans displaying compassion in the face of the adversary is not a game, Dante thought. It is real and profound.
“There are lava flows everywhere, and a huge amount of harmful material has been ejected into the air. It is recommended that anyone not in the immediate danger zone stays indoors, keeping their window shut,” the studio reporter said rapidly visibly shaken by the events. “An eruption of a magnitude of 7.3 has caused a landslide, and it’s believed it has swamped a nearby campsite. Please vacate the area as quickly as possible.” A camera panned the scene showing the dead lying in the ash and people struggling through liquid mud.
Dante pressed the button on his remote, and the horror vanished. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and opened the lid of his laptop which was placed on a bedside table. With trembling fingers, he tapped his way through the many codes which would lead him to the deep web and the Game Operators. Access Denied, appeared on the monitor along with the image of a sand timer. He was too late. He paused to think. In a labyrinth always go to the left, and I must find a trail, Dante thought. He tried numerous codes each time digging deeper into the cracks. Finally, he reached what seemed to be an undefined, empty space. Again, he was denied access, but this time he saw a flickering of shadows. His heart pounded. He was an uninvited guest and being actively ignored.
“We don’t deserve kindness,” Dante said in a deferential manner. “Please give us one more chance. Stop the clock, and I promise the reports of your existence and that of the simulation will be discredited. After this disaster, everyone will forget.” Dante peered close and saw calm, slow movement like a milling crowd in a mist.
Tired and angry, Dante was desperate for the disembodied voices to respond. He imagined them basking in the delight of their destructive powers. “You’re just a bunch of teenagers – fanatical hackers playing a joke on an old man.”
He stiffened at the sound of many voices erupting into convulsive laughter. “You have the nightmarish proof of our existence on your screen,” a voice laced with poison trickled into the room.
“Perhaps we do deserve punishment but nothing more. Real or not allow us to continue.”
“We’re your masters. Everything you experience exists only in your mind.”
“How come we’re all able to agree on certain fundamentals?” Dante questioned.
“It’s all in your programming,” the voice boomed impatiently, “as are consequences for your actions. A game no longer holds a thrill or quenches the thirst for drama when the puppet masters working behind the scenes are revealed.”
“Your creativity is outstanding. Why destroy your creation?”
“The balance can never be in your favour. We’re the landlords, and you may be evicted at any time,” the voices said.
“Okay. Okay, why not take us back to a state before the invention of computers,” Dante pleaded. “Change the Game – take it in a different direction.”
Dante heard a timid knock on the door. The screen went blank, and he dropped the lid. Sickly threads twisted in his gut and tears of helplessness welled in his eyes. He turned around swiftly and saw Jonah’s imposing figure enter the room.
“Are you alright?” Jonah said. “We all understand how difficult that was for you having only just lost your Josie. Irvin will be fine, he’s a strong character. I have received a phone call from Baron, my once loyal colleague, telling me that I need to bring Irvin to the station. Of course, that won’t happen.”
“Have you seen the news?” Dante inquired with a shaky voice.
“As I explained since my capture, I have access to everything. The Devils have taken a large bite out of the Earth and life is being stripped away. We don’t have much time.”
Jonah was interrupted by a deep rumbling which rapidly grew to a roar. The house shook violently, and the room filled with alarming noises and dust. Dante collapsed to the floor. “We must get you downstairs to the basement,” Jonah said. The horrendous sound reverberated around the house, furniture and utensils crashed to the ground, and outside siren screamed. Dante struggled to hear and instead clung to the leg of the bed with his eyes shut. He tasted grit and breathed in unpleasant acrid air.
They were under attack, and the old man wondered if this was a reply to the message he’d given to their masters. Had these actions already been preplanned or had they just decided to scythe down more of the human race.
There was a tightening across his chest and under his arms. He realised Jonah was lifting him back onto his feet. With support, Dante staggered to the stairwell and slid down onto the landing. They made it to the top of the basement where the rest of the family were calling to them to hurry. Debris was flying everywhere, and something tore into his cheek. Blood poured down the side of his face sending Felicity rushing into his arms for only the second time in years.
Dante was unable to fathom the duration of the disaster. He slumped against a wall coughing while his wound was attended to by his youngest daughter. There was a fizzing in his head and a ringing in his ears and as silence descended everything became remote and unreal.
“Katla has erupted,” Elley and Jonah stated in unison. “A subglacial eruption. There will be highly hazardous toxic emissions,” Jonah continued unaided. “Iceland will flood.”
“Plants and animals will die, buildings buried and crushed, and electrical equipment will break, and power plants shut down,” Elley added. “But we must find our way back to the facility in the Scottish mountains.”
“Why must we head towards disaster?” Felicity said.
“Wouldn’t it be better to wait it out here,” Irvin added. “Besides, the planes will all be grounded.”
“No, we can’t stay here,” Jonah said firmly. “Our escape lies within those walls.”
Black Sun
Chapter Thirty
They spent hours walking under the black sun. Dry rain fell from a grim grey veil. The beauty of the flowers and landscape were smothered and crushed under the weight of ash. Dante, Felicity and Irvin moved slowly, drooping, partners in pain dying from the lack of oxygen. All their senses were under attack, a distant grumbling shot adrenaline
into their hearts, the dust clogged their eyes and lungs as they breathed in the sulphurous stink, and beneath their feet, the ground trembled and rolled alarmingly.
Jonah and Elley strode with ease and confidence immune to the toxic air. They took the weight of all their food supplies and clothing on their backs. “Am I always destine to live in the dark,” Jonah said to break the thick silence between the rumbling. “Once we’re at the harbour, you’ll have oxygen. Hang on, we’re nearly there.”
When they reached the water's edge, Felicity collapsed into the ash. Her lungs were burning and her throat torn as though she’d swallowed glass. Irvin and Dante stayed at her side, bent over and coughing, trying to control their restricted breathing.
Felicity watched as Jonah and Elley rushed towards a shack covered in ash which she assumed was the diving centre. Her heart dropped when she saw the metal security door on the front. The blurry figures were on a mission. Elley pulled at the lock, and it broke free, but the gate remained stuck shut. Jonah stood rigid, with his arms extended, and his palms facing the grid. His face clouded over with an intensely ferocious expression. Felicity’s heart leapt into her throat as the metal bent and twisted away from the frame, tore off and was propelled high into the air. The silence was jarred by the metallic clanking as the object crashed into the ground on the other side of the harbour. Felicity gazed both perplexed and awestruck as her sister and boyfriend worked rapidly with laser minds and superior physical strength which had no limitations, searching for what was needed for their journey. She’d heard of people having dormant powers which were only released in life or death situations, but this was something more.
They emerged from the smog carrying three Neoprene jackets already containing tanks and regulators. “We’ve adjusted them to suit your normal breathing, but if there are any problems there’s nothing we can’t put right,” Jonah said, helping the heavy load onto Felicity’s back. Elley helped Jonah and Dante. Then they hurried off to get more cylinders and within seconds returned as though what they were carrying was nothing but air. “We’ll load this into the boat, and when you’ve recovered, we’ll be off,” Jonah said.
