The Relics- The Keystone Trilogy - Part 1

by Michael K. Damron

  “Wait, what? After all those years not being with your twin sister and your parents and you would go back to living in virtual?”

  “You don’t get it. Nobody in the outside world understands.”

  “I’d like to understand,” said Jack. “I’m only ignorant to the idea because it’s just not talked about anywhere. I’ve tried to get answers before from my parents, teachers, and media when I was younger, but none of them had much to say about it. Hao told me a little bit, but he wasn’t supposed to. He said it would get him into big trouble to say anything about the inner workings of Sanctuary.”

  “Have you ever even been inside a virtual world?” said Ferra.

  “Yes, of course. I mean, I’ve played video games in different virtual worlds and took virtual trips around the globe. But no one’s allowed to go inside the VRs siblings are placed into. I guess that’s why I don’t know what makes it different from the real world or other VRs I’ve been in.”

  Ferra contemplated what to say for a moment, knowing she had never told anyone else but Garnet about her life in Sanctuary and the turmoil she went through when being pulled out of that virtual realm.

  “. . . Do you sincerely want to know what it was like in there?”

  “Yes,” said Jack. “I’ve always been curious.”

  Ferra placed her hand on Jack’s forehead to form a strong cognitive link so he could visualize the memories and experiences she wanted to share.

  This is where my first memory of life began, in Sanctuary. As a young girl, I grew up in a provincial village with a cohort of other children. We were all one big family. There was school, chores, play, socializing, and many other semblances of what we would soon learn to be part of a different kind of life experienced outside the reality we were living in. It was confusing at first, then devastating to find out we were forcibly removed from our parents and placed in a virtual world. We had no clue what the outer world was really like. The older siblings, who had been placed in Sanctuary as young children or teenagers, tried to explain how it was. They claimed Sanctuary was a better place to be, that overpopulation and epidemic disease made the outer world unlivable. But for a short time, we felt like prisoners in a virtual penitentiary.

  The negative feelings soon drifted away when we were essentially given keys to the kingdom upon finishing our education. One thing we could do, which we were told that people in the outer world couldn’t, was physically change any aspect about ourselves and the virtual world we inhabited. The provincial village we all grew up in was simply a holding area to teach us basic principles and fulfill the human need of belonging to a tribe. The facade constructed around me and my fellow siblings was lifted when our primary education ended. The virtual world was much larger and grand than we could have ever imagined. We went from being people who occupied a finite village to world builders who occupied an infinite realm. We were gifted the ability to form anything we wanted in a certain amount of digital space given to each sibling after their initial education. Within that space, the limits of what you could create was only restricted by your imagination. I built the perfect life for myself in Sanctuary—we all did. For example, I didn’t like the sound of the voice I had grown up with, so I changed it. My skin color was soon altered to light blue and other features changed to become a representation of something I believed to be truly beautiful. We were all beautiful in our own chosen way. Anyone could be any color they wanted from the visual spectrum, any size and shape, have human or animalistic features, and choose to live in anything from mansions to hammocks to a hole in a hillside. We made the plants in our space whatever color and shape we wanted. There were those who chose to live in fantasy environments, futuristic, medieval, ancient Egyptian, whatever they desired. When everyone has everything they could ever need, hatred and jealousy don’t have a chance to permeate into the culture. There wasn’t a strong emphasis on religion or belief in a better afterlife; we had already, in our opinion, created for ourselves the vision of our own personal heaven. It was the perfect existence where our only job was to coexist, help one another, and find purpose through experiences and creating things. We could warp to our spaces anytime we wanted while also being able to warp anywhere in the more expansive areas of Sanctuary. There were mountains, waterfalls, beaches, deserts, recreation and play of all kinds, friendly animals and other creatures, and many other things both easily imagined and nearly unimaginable.

  We would sometimes talk about the outer world when a fellow sibling would swirl out of Sanctuary, meaning their physical body had died. And those who knew them would celebrate the life they shared with their friend. Many among us would commonly refer to the world where our physical bodies resided as TR, or “True Reality.” But the word “true” didn’t seem right to me. The only place I had ever known and felt alive was Sanctuary. It was my everything—the only reality I needed.

  My final memory in Sanctuary is of me walking along a path with a friend. I could immediately feel that, deep down, something wasn’t right. My body began to glitch unlike anything I had ever seen before. In an instant, I was ripped from Sanctuary and awakened in the real world to a light so intense I could barely open my eyes. Through fuzzy vision, I viewed the abhorrent form of my “true” body. The people in the room tried to explain what was going on, but I entered into an immediate panic attack. The existence I created for myself, everything I had ever known, was taken from me in a flash. It took me quite a while before I was willing to listen to what the monsters who ripped me from Sanctuary had to say. They told me it was an honor to come back to the real world, to be the first sibling allowed to do so in the entire history of the Sanctuary program. It was hell for me. John was there, telling me that my very special genes were the reason I was awakened—that I had a special destiny to fulfill.

  I never knew what it really meant to feel things, to taste, to smell, to use all my senses. Experiencing those things happened soon after I came out of VR. Besides the blinding light, I remember it being dreadfully cold when I first woke up. I had never felt the sensation of hot or cold before, nor what it was like to truly touch something. I remember holding my bony frame as I shivered under the blanket they draped over me for warmth, feeling my real skin for the first time. My muscles had atrophied significantly in the twenty-three years I was in Sanctuary. I would soon undergo physical therapy to learn how to walk. But first, I needed to learn how to eat. Hunger was another sensation I had been able to live without until that point. Unbeknownst to me, my body was being nourished with a feeding tube while I was in Sanctuary with a fluid containing everything it needed to survive. Once in the real world, I needed to have my esophagus stretched and trained so I could put down more than just a pittance of water. For months, life was painful. I needed to gain weight, but food was strange to me. We didn’t have to eat in VR, so I never came into contact with food. I had to pace myself, at first. Too much solid food and my body would forcibly purge it out. After a while, I was able to keep everything down. It was later when I found out why I was so cold after coming out of VR; all siblings’ rooms are kept chilled. We’re injected with a kind of biological antifreeze that runs through our bloodstream, allowing us to be kept at a frigid temperature so our bodies require an even smaller amount of calories than normal while in its coma-like state. That’s one of the dirty secrets these VR companies for siblings don’t want people to know. The parents we don’t remember are forced to pay extra taxes so we can be kept on ice while the AEB subsidizes the corporations’ cooling bills to keep profits at a maximum. Even in a seemingly utopian world, it’s all about keeping the stock price high. My kidneys had a difficult time filtering out the antifreeze substance from my blood to such a degree that I also required several treatments of dialysis.

  Knowing what I went through, I don’t think the initial process of entering Sanctuary was supposed to be easily reversible. I now occupy a body I don’t recognize or identify with. I’ve been wanting to go back to the virtual world from the time I was ripped
out, although I don’t know if it’s possible to do so. I’d give anything to step back into my old life—my version of paradise. Instead, I’m forced to be a prisoner with the title of “Searcher” and do the bidding of John or whoever else is in charge. Soon after being told my twin sister was already in the Searcher program, I met her for the first time. I remember how happy she looked to see me, hugging my neck and showing me more affection than I received from any other person in the real world up to that point. It was a shock for both of us to meet and more shocking to learn that Garnet’s parents could never know about their other daughter coming out of Sanctuary. Garnet was devastated; I was relieved. Since then, I’ve tried to remain quiet and not call unwanted attention to myself. Unlike everyone else, I don’t have online privileges or even a personal screen. I’m only given a screen when going out on missions. It doesn’t upset me, though, since I don’t know how to comfortably operate them in the first place. I find solace in keeping the hope alive that it may be possible for me to reenter Sanctuary one day and pick up where I left off.

  Ferra released her hand from Jack’s forehead, severing the stream of memories he was receiving from her. He wiped away the tears shed from witnessing the events that led to Ferra standing before him.

  “I . . . I never would have guessed,” said Jack.

  “People don’t know what they don’t know,” she responded. “Your friend probably knows what it’s really like for siblings in Sanctuary. And if he says he’d like to live out the rest of his life in there, you shouldn’t think the idea is crazy. I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

  Jack sat in silence for a moment, joining Ferra in watching Garnet for any signs of movement or status change. Still, she remained motionless, with the only signs of life coming from the beeping of medical machines.

  “You should get some sleep,” said Ferra. “Thanks for coming to see how Garnet’s doing. I’ll let her know you stopped by if she wakes up.”

  “Thanks. Don’t you need to rest? You’ve had a rough day too. Are you doing all right?”

  “Nah, I haven’t slept well from the moment I came out of Sanctuary. It’s easier for sleep to find me if I don’t try and seek it out. And I’m fine; my injuries aren’t too bad. I was hit by a bolt or two from the blast and now I have some kick-ass scars to show for it.”

  “Ha, I’m glad you’ve found a unique way to embrace it. Anyway, I think I’ll head back to my room. See you tomorrow.”

  As Jack walked away, Ferra’s voice echoed through his head once more.

  It should go without saying, but everything I told you is not to be shared with anyone else. It stays between me, you, and Garnet.

  Of course, said Jack. I hope your sister recovers soon.

  The morning came faster than Jack would have liked after such a late night. He was still contemplating the spectacle he saw unfold between John and Rakiten, in addition to the knowledge he received from Ferra about Sanctuary and how she had no choice in joining the Searchers. What he witnessed became part of the mysterious puzzle comprising the Searcher division, which only added to the uncertainty about its benevolence.

  Once everyone had gathered on the first floor, it wasn’t long before John asked for help in developing a new strategy for artifact hunting.

  “Richard and I are still determining the best sites to excavate next,” said John. “And I’d like to source all of your brains to help out. We’re trying to predict which sites would have the greatest potential to have artifacts with ancient writings on them. Finding exos, warp crystals, and morphacite is always a good thing, but we’re specifically looking for more historical documentation and text involving the relics. Any ideas?”

  “Wait a second,” said Alexie. “Will you be giving us an update on how Garnet’s doing? Ferra’s not here right now, so I’m guessing not too well.”

  “Right, of course,” said John. “The on-site doctor and medical staff were able to get her vitals to stabilize. And until we go out in the field, I told Ferra she could stay close to her sister’s side as her recovery continued.”

  “It’s good to hear she’s stable,” said Butch.

  “Most definitely,” said John. “Now, does anyone have any thoughts on new locations or places where we could discover ancient writings that might talk about the exos and other relics?”

  “How about a place where those kind of things would normally be kept,” said Alexie, “like an old library?”

  “Yes, or any place that someone would store old texts or tomes for safekeeping,” said Marcel.

  “Very good,” said John.

  “And maybe we could search for them in an area that’s not completely abandoned,” said Jack. “It’s likely that a storehouse of ancient manuscripts would be located close to where civilization still exists, instead of the desolate locations we’ve been traveling to.”

  “These are all great insights,” said John. “I’ll send some of our AEB agents around the locations we decide on so they can gather intel from the local citizens as to where the oldest writings in the area may be located. Richard and I will spend the rest of the day locating the sites we’ll all be visiting tomorrow. I’m asking all of you to train, meditate, and prepare for what’s to come.”

  As John and Richard walked toward the elevator together to plot the coming missions, Jack called out to further inquire about the situation with his mother.

  “John!”

  He gave his head a slight turn but continued walking, making it seem as though he didn’t hear Jack.

  John, I’m trying to ask you something.

  “Jack, I thought you were smart enough to know that cognitive linking without your boss’s consent is off limits for everyone, including you.”

  “I needed to get your attention.”

  “Richard and I have to get busy finding the new sites for—”

  “It’s about my mother. Have you heard anything from your agents yet about her possible whereabouts?” said Jack.

  “I’m sorry, but nothing yet. It’s not the worst news you could get, so try not to be discouraged,” said John.

  “Discouraged? It’s absolutely ridiculous. I can’t believe she’s still missing—maybe even killed! There’s a possibility I’ve lost both parents for reasons that originated with this division and the ever-mysterious Archon.”

  Alexie and Butch, who were chatting in the corner, saw that Jack was beginning to become hostile and walked toward him to try and help calm him down. All others in the room stood in their place, watching the argument unfold from a distance.

  “The Archon,” began John, “is not to be talked about in any sort of way.”

  “Then what about the founder’s little helper, Rakiten?” said Jack. “Is talking about him off limits as well?”

  “You’re overstepping your boundaries, Jack. Your father, James, had a healthy respect for Rakiten and our founder. I expect the same from you, even in times of uncertainty and tension.”

  John continued with Richard into the elevator as Jack kept a consistent, piercing gaze on him the whole time.

  “Jack, what the hell?” said Alexie, grabbing his arm to break his line of sight. “I know you’re upset, but you shouldn’t push to get on John’s bad side. Marcel is practically salivating in the corner after witnessing what just went down between you and John.”

  “Sorry, I’ve just been dealing with a lot lately,” said Jack. He looked deep in her eyes before telepathically saying, I saw Rakiten threaten John last night. It got heated. We need to meet up later so I can tell you more.

  Alexie nodded her head, signifying she understood there was more to the story.

  “I’m going to head to the screens on the second floor with access to the world outside the borders of this place. I want to look again and see if there’s any trace of activity from my mom since the last time I tried.”

  “Good luck,” said Alexie, giving his arm a squeeze before he went on his search.

  As Jack entered the room, he saw Bridgett already
occupying one of the screens.

  “That was some performance downstairs,” she said.

  “Yeah, I may have gotten a little hotheaded. Sorry you had to see that.”

  “Don’t apologize,” said Bridgett. “There’s not much else in the way of entertainment around here. Although, you may want to think about upping your meditation time to help exercise some of your demons.”

  “Geez, I don’t even know how many days it’s been since I’ve had a really good meditation session. Maybe that’s my problem.”

  “Ha! Life as a Searcher is so full of problems that a lack of quiet time is probably the least of them,” she said.

  Jack scoured the various social websites his mom regularly visited, just as he had done before. Still, there was no sign of activity since her disappearance. On the off chance she would one day be able to see any of the messages he left for her, he wrote her a note on every website he could. Bridgett had left the room by the time Jack was done with his writing. Again, he wanted to see if any of his old college friends were logged on and able to talk. Although he didn’t have luck connecting with Cong or Robbin, he was pleasantly surprised to find Hao active online.

  “My goodness, Hao, I haven’t seen you in I don’t even know how long!” Jack said in a video chat window.

  “It’s good to see you, friend,” he somberly replied. “And thank you for the message you sent me last time. Sorry I didn’t write back.”

  “Oh yeah, no worries. So have you found time to do anything cool and artsy lately?”

  “No, I’m afraid not,” said Hao. “There’s just been so many responsibilities and important things to do at the company. Lots of pressure from the family and stuff. Gets me feeling really down about everything. I wish we were all back together again at the university.”

  “I’m sorry, man. A creative guy like you shouldn’t have to deal with the corporate world. I miss all the old times too.”