Simulation Game

by E M G Wixley

  Jonah saw there was something different but recognisable about Dante. Age had previously jumbled the pieces of his mind and body, he was sometimes forgetful, confused facts and his back was slightly bent. Now the mosaic of the man was reformed to produce a perfect picture. Jonah wondered if Felicity had noticed and whether Dante had learnt to block out the intrusive probing minds.

  He glanced over at Felicity and saw tears standing in her eyes. He thought of the suicide wood and couldn’t bear her pain. These people were his family now, and they needed his protection.

  Jonah’s meditations were interrupted as Dante leaned forwards and whispered. “Jonah, we must stop the clock, or we’re all dead.”

  “Well that sounds improbable,” he said but was intrigued, and an idea sparked in his mind. He remembered the White Heart stone. If he made direct contact with the Ogzeks, perhaps they would be able to help. What if they could cloak the planet prevent whatever forces the Gamers used from reaching Earth.

  “Think fast, please,” Dante pleaded. “I’ve raked through a whole world of knowledge.”

  Jonah shot a glance towards Felicity hoping she hadn’t picked up on her father’s words. She was distant and downcast, silently retreating away from them all. Having Irvin and Elley at her side had given her a boost and purpose.

  “What if we could preserve the world as it is, so rather than being snuffed out it is given a chance to recover. The simulation aspects might be gone, but the primitive planet would survive with a chance of regeneration perhaps as it should have been. There’s a chance that any human players left will be able to build from the rubble.”

  “Perhaps there is something to be gained from all this,” Dante forced his mouth into a smile. “You have my interest. How do you propose to do this in a limited time?”

  “Just leave it to me – I can only try out my idea. If it works and Irvin and Elley don’t or can’t return there’s at least hope, they’ll survive.”

  “I have faith in you.” Dante turned and pulled Felicity roughly into an embrace. “There is hope for your brother and sister.”

  “Dante, you attend that meeting and urge them to leave as soon as possible. Tell our fellow travellers the truth if you think they’ll believe you.”

  Dante slid off the side of the bed took hold of Felicity’s hand and walked briskly towards the door. When they’d gone Jonah rushed to his room.

  Jonah pulled aside the bedsheets, lifted his pillow and grabbed his backpack. Rummaging down to the bottom he felt for the curious stone. The alien object was warm and pulsating to the touch yet when he pulled it out and held it in his palm for closer examination it was hard and sparkled with rainbow coloured lights.

  “White Heart, I’m appealing for help,” Jonah said in a measured voice. “On behalf of us on Earth, I would like to make a request.” The heartbeat grew stronger, and he heard a tiny sound, a sigh, the release of air when one decides to relax. A holographic image appeared standing in the small space of the room he shared with Felicity.

  “I stand before you in the form you would find most acceptable.” The voice was feminine, calm and soft. Jonah gazed at the figure, its stature was tall and elegant, its forehead was open and wide, it had large liquorice coloured eyes, a small nose and mouth. An ample robe swathed her body down to the ground. Circling around her thick mane of hair were small winged beings, bright-eyed and chattering they fluttered in increasing and decreasing circles.

  “I expect you are seeking reassurance as your time is near.” Jonah couldn’t see her mouth move, but he heard the words, and they appeared before him like dripping silver. “It would be natural for you to speculate on our realm and your destination. You must be brave like the first explorers on Earth.”

  “Our home is in the sweet spot of a hugely diverse universe. We live within strong arms which protect us from the terror and cruelty your experiencing. The roots of our history and vast knowledge bind our soil keeping it pure for fruition. We use technology only for our benefit to shelter us so we can live in the green. Our paradise is protected by strict rules.”

  “When you enter the spaceship, we will uplift you from your planet,” she continued in her graceful manner. Jonah was transfixed listening only vaguely aware of why he’d initiated the dialogue. “We will welcome you all like the trees embrace the wind and help you start again, but your human element means you won’t be able to reside with us forever.”

  “What will become of us?”

  “We will aid your recovery on another habitable planet. Humans are full of jealousy and are fear driven; our ambitions are motivated by a different force. We visited Earth before and found humans slow to progress, primitive, bound by your instincts and susceptibilities. You were easy fodder to the Gamers, machine predators who dominate the weak of the universe.”

  “So why do you choose to help us now?”

  “You have now progressed sufficiently to be able to adapt to change, and the machines have turned their backs on you. Your father sourced our DNA which we hoped one day you would advance enough to discover. In a limited way, we have remained connected, and where we can, we will rescue a species in distress.”

  “This robot race who used us as a form of entertainment isn’t going to just end their simulation game, they intend to destroy everything first and exit with a flourish.”

  “That is their way.”

  Jonah dropped his gaze and noticed a puddle of silver had formed on the floor from the continuously dripping words.

  “We have loved ones who are unable to journey with us, and this is what is truly preventing us from leaving. Is there any way the Earth could be preserved in its current state so those people have a chance of survival to regenerate and do as they will? There is only a couple of days left before they destroy everything, and we are not yet ready to leave.”

  “For a time, we could encase your planet in a protective shield, but you would need to have broken through your atmosphere first.”

  “We would be happy to do some kind of exchange of favours. It would mean everything.”

  Jonah heard a roar of laughter and looked around for the source. “That is human talk – that’s not how we do things. You will have your shield but must leave before it shuts.”

  “Thank you for showing mercy,” Jonah said. “I will keep the White Heart with me and keep you informed.” The image flickered out, the tiny beings and the patch of silver vanished. Jonah stuffed the stone into his overall pocket and race towards the meeting.

  Brain Child

  Chapter Forty

  Jonah went in search of Dante and Felicity and spotted Craig standing in the doorway of the meeting hall. When he saw Jonah, he greeted him with a broad smile. “Great news. Dante convinced us all that we must depart imminently, and we leave tomorrow. Everything for our departure must be prepared tonight.”

  “Are they in the hall?” Jonah asked.

  “Dante mumbled something about making adjustments on the supercomputer – to make it ready for our journey. Try room 100 in the basement,” Craig called as he hurried away.

  Jonah darted off, took the lift down as far as it would go and ran through a passage which led into the core of the mountain. As he approached the door, he smelt burning and heard a disturbance. On entering he saw Dante. His face was flushed, eyes wild and he was swinging a metal bar at the glass protection of one of the four cabinets which housed the supercomputer. Another door already lay in pieces on the floor. Energised by a considerable rage, Dante continued to attack the machine. Glass exploded. Jonah crunched over the shards and reached out to the older man, placing his hand gently on his back.

  “Don’t try and stop me,” Dante shouted as he dropped the pole and started to rip out components and wires. “I have an appetite for annihilation. We’ve been on the offensive, but we should have attacked and prevented this machine genocide. I must erase my creation,” he said frantically tugging at a circuit board. “Things were better before Brain Child was brought into existence.<
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  “You should be pleased and preparing to leave,” Jonah said bemusedly. “The board and the colonisers are convinced by your arguments and the need to depart urgently.”

  “I rested a moment too long. Perhaps I could have prevented disaster,” Dante muttered and then rotated to face Jonah. “Don’t you think it strange that in their desire to create Armageddon they neglected to wipe out our satellites. Perhaps they need our computers to play the end game,” he said glaring at Jonah with a manic expression. “By destroying this computer, I’m defending us. Come on help me.”

  Jonah was seized by a desire to join in but stopped as an uneasy thought crossed his mind. “We can’t, it’s alive.”

  “Let's see it bleed then,” Dante said triumphantly. Retrieving his weapon from the ground.

  “It’s connected to our minds and gives us access to instant information,” Jonah suggested.

  “We won’t be here to benefit, and its occupation has caused unendurable pain.”

  “Have we not learnt that our existence is infinitely complex. Perhaps Brain Child is also attached to universal consciousness. You said it has developed a life of its own.”

  Dante turned from his creation; his usual composure restored. “I suppose that’s the truth. I could be destroying the innocent.”

  “Come on there is too much to do to get distracted.”

  “Don’t tell anyone. It would be impossible for one person to kill this thing anyway. It was just a symbolic gesture.”

  “Where’s Felicity?” Jonah said alarmed.

  “I thought she’d gone to find you,” Dante said. “She’s been extremely silent. Melancholy I would say, but I didn’t want to intrude as grief is often a private thing. See how all this clouds the mind and keeps us away from what is important.” His face dropped remorsefully.

  “You start packing, and I’ll look for her; she can’t have gone far. No more taking your anger out on what might be our umbilical cord.” Jonah didn’t wait for a reply he swung around and headed back to their room to get a coat. As he hurried, he focused his mind onto Felicity’s location and was instantly able to pinpoint her position.

  Within minutes he was above ground crossing the blood-stained hall and out into the darkness with a gun waving in one hand and a torch in the other. I mustn’t be complacent, or I will lose her, and there will be nobody left to love me – run, run, Jonah's inner voice ordered preventing him from freezing and howling.

  He saw a silhouette crossing the perimeter boundary. Jonah shone his beam of light onto the figure in the pool of darkness marching into the unknown with a furious determination.

  “Stop we need to talk,” he shouted. He could have easily caught up with her, but he knew it was a potentially combustible situation. Something was genuinely upsetting Felicity for her to leave without a word.

  He watched as Felicity pulled the mask off her face. “Go away, I don’t want to talk,” she called in a scratchy tear-drenched voice. “You and my father are nothing more than components steel, silicon chips and wires. I’m going to find my real family.” He could see her cold accusing eyes staring in his direction, her arm was outstretched with her palm facing him warning him to keep back. Her body language was on the defensive, and he knew not to approach.

  “While you and my father were so busy with all your important stuff, I was free to roam and explore. The internal walls and doors have crumbled. I’ve visited the labs where they make the made to measure parts, the operating theatres and the ovens where they burn the redundant bodies.” Jonah was shocked and gaped at her white face wet with tears. “You, my father and Elley had to die to become what you are today. What do I mourn?”

  “I just want to say goodbye,” he said pitifully. “I wouldn’t force you to leave with us meer machines.” He lingered and paced deep in thought understanding her rapid change of mood. “I only found out what happened over time and research – it wasn’t my choice or Elley’s.”

  Felicity’s words were poignantly true, and he had an urge to escape. “They kept my brain. It’s encased in a mesh of manufactured neurons. Every memory, emotion and experience I ever had was reinstated. We are partly machine – the bits which fail.” Jonah said in his defence as the fear of rejection struck. “We’re organic where it matters.”

  “You have a heart?” she hissed with rage.

  Jonah focused on his life-giving heart and noticed the beating was almost imperceptible. “I still eat and drink, and you’re still etched on my heart – You’re a part of me. My personality and emotions are the same.” He was desperate to convince her as he’d never considered their love was at risk.

  “If that heart dies the machine one will take over – am I a part of that?” She bent over coughing and pulling at the air as she struggled to breathe.

  “Put your mask back on!” he shouted with concern and advanced.

  “The alien DNA you share what effect does that have?” she added not willing to let go. “I saw you all slaughter the intruders. How will you react to me if I do something you disagree with?”

  “How can you doubt me – you know you’re safe.”

  “I don’t want a new life – I want the old one back. You and dad are on a mission there’s no space left for me. It’s always the same; I’m never allowed to get my thoughts across.”

  “So, it’s not just me you’re frightened of the unknown. We can’t reverse time, and it is all chaos and confusion but it’s vital to stay on task, but things will settle down.” He was confused by her unpredictability and the way she was jumping from one thought to another.

  “If you need to find fault with someone and place blame, then I am probably your best choice, but I’d like to go back to being a team.”

  Every one of his girlfriend’s emotions was spilling out in a torrent of tears, rage and vulnerability. Jonah was about to turn back to give her space to think when her coughing turned into choking. Sprinting ahead he managed to catch Felicity before she collapsed into the thick dust. Cradling her in his arms, he kissed her icy face with his soft lips and replaced her mask.

  “It’s no good you will never give me flowers or take me out to dinner.” A muffled moan came from behind the visor. Her eyelids fluttered against the dust, and he saw more tears rolling onto her cheeks.

  “I forgot to mention I love you,” he said. “I’m glad we came here together. If we are united, we can extract the good from all this garbage. Please take the risk with me,” he said lowering Felicity back onto her feet. He smiled down at her hopefully.

  Felicity remained guarded, constrained. “This is my nightmare. You can’t help.”

  “What do you mean? I will do anything to put things right.”

  “I’m pregnant – how will we manage that in space?”

  There was a long pause as Jonah digested what he thought he’d heard. “This can’t be happening,” he mumbled. “How can that be?”

  “You said all the important parts were organic,” she mumbled.

  “I’ve never been so happy in my entire life,” he said beaming. Jonah pulled her into his body and clutched her tight. Their eyes met as she gazed up and she struggled to produce a small smile.

  Cutting it Fine

  Chapter Forty-one

  Felicity stopped at the top of the steps and took a deep breath. “I will miss the smell of home – I will just miss Earth.” She gazed up at Jonah who was unable to wipe the fixed smile from his face. Unlike most of the more apprehensive human colonisers, he was drunk on the thrill of exploration and the thought of having a child.

  “You won’t miss the everyday struggle to find food and fuel or the perishing cold.” He grasped her arm and led her into the ship. “Come on people are waiting to board.”

  They entered a vast circular room with white comfortable individual seats with their own tables and entertainment systems easily pulled into place hung within reach. A cyborg assistant informed them that they could choose where to sit by the window or in an alcove. The emphasis was
on normalising the situation, keeping people calm as though they were taking a luxury flight to a holiday destination. A cry disrupted the serenity as a woman far below refused to climb the steps. “I’m not going!” she screamed. Felicity listened to her husband or friend trying anxiously to persuade her to board.

  “We have no time to argue – continue onto the ship,” a voice commanded.

  “How is this craft powered?” Felicity asked as she strapped herself in the manner instructed on a large screen in front.

  “Conventional rockets with onboard fuel are too dangerous and inefficient for space travel,” Jonah said confidently. “This one uses ‘quantised inertia’. They convert Unruh radiation - quantum particles into thrust. If you imagine the power of rippling waves over an ocean – it’s that energy which will give the ship its upward thrust.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any easier.” Felicity heard the doors shut and shivered.

  “It’s far safer than conventional flight.”

  Everyone was seated holding themselves rigidly their faces set hard and grim, all locked into silent distress. Felicity linked her arm through Jonah’s as the mountain above their heads separated. “This is the end and the beginning,” she whispered as all known possibilities and outcomes flashed through her mind. “So sorry Irvin and Elley. I pray our beautiful simulated world is not switched off. Whatever happens, I’ll come back, please don’t die.” With her face wet and streaming with tears, she leaned into Jonah, clung tightly to his arm and buried her head in his space-suit.

  Engines switched on. There was a strange pressure building in her head and chest. Her ears rang, and gums bled. She peered up and exchanged wide-eyed adrenaline glances with another human and then resumed her hiding position. The peculiar sounds vibrated through the ship as its body shook.