The virtuality theory, p.23
The Virtuality Theory, page 23
part #2 of Will Save Series
I chuckle nervously.
“Never better. You?”
“I’m good, thanks for asking.”
Kara groans. I have no trouble picturing her rolling her eyes as Kidd and I exchange small talk.
“What happened?” she asks.
“I’m not sure,” I admit. I tell them what happened, but neither Kidd nor Kara can explain why the termination bracelet failed to expulse me from the VT.
“Where am I?”
“You’re in the alien invasion simulation,” says Kidd.
That explains the creature I saw. It wasn’t a monster; it was an alien. It also proves the floating sphere I saw was, indeed, a spaceship. Things are starting to make sense, but there’s still much I don’t understand.
“How did I get here?”
“I don’t know,” admits Kidd. “It’s possible Avalon’s hacking corrupted the termination bracelet’s programming, causing it to malfunction, but it’s far more probable she purposefully sent you to Torn City.”
Torn City. That must be what the metropolis was called before the aliens destroyed it. It seems fitting given what happened.
“Why would she do that?”
“Who knows?” says Kidd.
There’s a moment of silence before I move on to the next issue.
“Am I stuck here?”
“Hard to say. Avalon is after your powers. If she’s responsible for sending you here, it’s safe to assume she won’t allow you to leave until you give her what she wants.”
“What if she didn’t send me here?”
“Then activating the termination bracelet should, in theory, cause you to wake.”
That’s good enough for me. I’m about to press the button when Kara’s voice erupts from nothingness.
“Wait!”
I freeze, my index hovering less than a centimetre from the termination bracelet.
“What’s wrong?”
No one speaks for a few seconds then I hear Kara and Kidd arguing. They’re speaking in hushed tones, but I can still understand them.
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea,” says Kidd.
“He deserves to know,” retorts Kara.
“What?” I ask. “What do I deserve to know?”
Someone sighs. I think it’s Kidd.
“You can’t activate the termination bracelet,” he says.
“Why not?”
“Because if you do,” says Kara, “my father will die.”
“Jonn?” In all the confusion, I’d forgotten all about him. Is he alive? Is his consciousness trapped inside the Virtuality Trainer? What happened to him?
“The Jonn you encountered in the superhero simulation wasn’t real,” says Kidd. “He was created by Avalon to trick Kara into remaining in the simulation. She also used him as bait to lure you and Kara to Villain City. It was all just a trick.”
That explains why Jonn didn’t have a termination bracelet. It also explains his odd behaviour. He wasn’t just pretending to be evil. He was evil. But he wasn’t himself, he wasn’t real.
“Where’s the real Jonn?”
“He’s in the alien invasion simulation. He’s been there the entire time.”
Kidd claimed the same thing before I entered the Virtuality Trainer, but when Kara told me her father had been with her all along, I assumed Kidd was mistaken. He wasn’t.
I can’t believe it. Avalon played us, and we fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Because of it, Kara almost died. But now she’s safe, and that’s all that matters.
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“You did what you thought was best,” says Kidd. “I can’t fault you for that.”
“There’s something I don’t understand,” I admit. “You can see everything that’s happening, right?”
“Correct. I restored the video feed shortly after you entered the Virtuality Trainer.”
“Then why did you wait until now to contact me? Why not tell us the Jonn we were chasing wasn’t real?”
“I tried, but Avalon’s reprogramming kept me from establishing a communication.”
“We’re talking now. What changed?”
Kidd sighs.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you ever since I realized you were chasing a fake Jonn, but it took hours for me to establish a connection. By then it was already too late.”
“Hours? How’s that possible? We were in the super simulation for days.”
“Time moves faster in-simulation,” reminds Kidd. “What felt like days to you was mere hours in the real world.”
Right. I keep forgetting about that.
“What’s the plan?” I ask. “You have a plan, right?”
“We do, but we should hurry.”
“Why?”
“I had to hack the Virtuality Trainer to contact you. The program is designed to fight off such intrusions. We only have a short window before the connection is severed.”
I’m not surprised. When Avalon is involved, everything that can go wrong does go wrong.
“How long do we have?”
“It’s hard to say. A few minutes. Maybe less.”
“Great,” I grumble, but now isn’t the time to complain. We must plan Jonn’s rescue before it’s too late.
“Jonn didn’t activate his termination bracelet,” explains Kidd. “Given what Kara told me, it’s safe to assume Avalon tricked him into believing Kara is also trapped in the alien invasion simulation. You must find him, explain the situation, and convince him to activate his termination bracelet.”
It sounds simple enough. Of course, things are never as simple as they seem.
“Where is he?” I ask.
“We don’t know,” admits Kidd.
“How do I find him?”
“Unknown.”
“Is there anything you can tell me?”
“No.”
Great. I have to navigate a ravaged landscape in search of a man who may or may not still be alive and convince him to abandon his daughter. What could possibly go wrong? Speaking of things going wrong…
“I’m going with you,” announces Kara.
I nearly choke.
“Excuse me?”
“Jonn is my father. I can’t just sit back while you put your life on the line to save him.”
“There’s no point in the both of us risking our lives.”
“Will’s right,” says Kidd. “You’ve already spent far too much time in-simulation. Re-entering the VT now would be suicide.”
“But—”
“No!” snaps Kidd. “You’re not going back in, and that’s final.”
There’s a moment of silence before Kara speaks.
“Fine. But I’m going back in the second I’m strong enough.”
“Deal,” says Kidd, though I suspect he’s only playing along. At least, I hope he is. I already have one friend to save. The last thing I need is another person to worry about.
“Let’s say I succeed. I find Jonn and convince him to activate his termination bracelet. Then what? Will my termination bracelet even work?”
“I don’t know,” admits Kidd. “But if you manage to rescue Jonn, Avalon will lose all leverage. She will have no reason to keep you trapped.”
I was hoping for something a little more definite, but it will have to do.
“Is there anything else I should know?”
“There is,” says Kidd. “I discovered something while hacking the system.”
“What is it?”
“In order to reprogram the simulations, Avalon first had to gain access to the system. She created a virus that ate away at the firewall, thus giving her complete access to the root program.”
“So?”
“The virus is still active. It ate away at the firewall until none of it remained. Then it started consuming the program itself, causing it to become corrupted. Once the corruption reaches a certain level, the root program—the program that controls everything else inside the VT—will crash.”
That doesn’t sound good. Not for me. Not for Jonn. Not for anyone.
“What will happen if the base program crashes?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t think of a single plausible outcome where you and Jonn survive.”
Gulp.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Yes,” says Kidd. “As the program grows more corrupted, glitches will begin to occur. It’s possible you will see physical representations of the virus. If that happens, you must destroy them. The more you destroy, the weaker the virus will get. If you weaken it enough, the virus will die, and the program will become stable once more.”
“What do these physical representations look like?” I ask, thinking of the glowing, bug-like creature I encountered in the halls of SmokeScreen’s tower. I tell Kidd what I saw, and he confirms my suspicions.
“That’s it. That’s the virus.”
“How am I supposed to kill the bugs?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
Great. Not only must I find Jonn, but I must somehow destroy digital bugs whenever they appear. What a treat.
“Are you sure—” I begin, but Kidd cuts me off.
“We’re almost out of time.”
Perfect. Just what I need.
“How long do we have?”
“Less than a minute.”
“Can I have a moment with Kara?”
“Yes, but there’s something you should know first.”
Something else? Why not. Pile it on. It’s not like things can get any worse, right?
Wrong!
“Do you remember what Avalon told you about the virtuality theory?”
I sigh.
“She was right, wasn’t she? If we die in-simulation, our body dies for real, and our consciousness remains trapped inside the VT.”
There’s a moment of silence.
“That’s right,” says Kidd. He sounds tired. I can’t blame him. I’m exhausted, and I’ve been unconscious for the past few hours. I can only imagine how he feels.
“Is there anything else?” I ask, praying there isn’t.
“No,” says Kidd. “That’s all.”
“Finally some good news,” I joke, but neither of us is in the mood to laugh.
“Good luck,” says Kidd.
“Thanks.”
The echo of footsteps fills the air as Kidd gives Kara and me some much-needed privacy.
“Kara?”
“I’m here.” She sounds so close, yet she’s so far.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
“What is it?”
I hesitate, but only for a moment.
“I love you.”
Silence follows my revelation. I’m not surprised, though I’m quite nervous. And my anxiety only increases as the seconds tick by and no reply is voiced. Finally, I can’t take it anymore.
“Kara?”
No answer.
“Kara? Are you there?”
Silence.
“Dammit!” The communication was severed. Did she hear me? Does she know I love her? It doesn’t matter. I’ll worry about that later. For now, I must focus on my mission.
Find Jonn. Explain the situation. Terminate the simulation. It sounds simple, but I know it will be anything but. Not only must I keep an eye out for bugs, but I must also avoid running into those vicious-looking aliens. Speaking of aliens…
A low growl fills the air.
Memory 55
T he alien is so close I can feel its presence behind me. The sound of its low, rumbling breath is reminiscent of a big cat. The click of its claws hitting the concrete floor sends chills down my spine. There’s also a faint whistling sound, though I can’t figure out what’s producing it.
Fear tells me to run. Logic dictates I stay. Which should I heed?
I turn. Slowly as to not excite the alien, but fast enough to keep the suspense from killing me. Within seconds, it appears before me in all its hideous glory.
The beast is massive. Far larger than I originally assumed. Its body is the size of an adult rhinoceros and bears the same hard, ashy dermis. Rippling muscles riddle its frame. Powerful legs tipped with razor-sharp claws stand beneath it. Behind, a whip-like tail slices through the air, producing a high-pitched whistle. What I initially mistook for dreadlocks are, in fact, tentacles. They protrude from the creature’s neck, wriggling and twisting through the air as though trying to determine the right course to take. I find this puzzling until I focus on the alien’s head and realize it has no eyes.
It’s blind.
This is the only piece of good news I’ve gotten all day—or however long it’s been since I entered the Virtuality Trainer. Now that I know the vicious predator is unable to see, escape may yet be a viable option.
I take a careful step back, but the faint rustling of my shoe hitting the concrete floor makes the beast roar. The lower half of its jaw splits in half, Predator-style, and opens up, revealing rows of sharp teeth. The smell of its fetid breath nearly causes me to gag. The creature must have an incredible sense of hearing for it to hear my attempted retreat.
I’m crippled with indecision. Should I stay still and hope the alien goes away or should I flee, hopefully putting enough distance between me and the beast to keep it from hearing me? Staying put seems like the least hazardous course of action until I realize I’m screwed either way.
My only shot at survival is to make a run for the nearby staircase. If I reach it in time, I may well be able to lose the alien. If not, well at least I’ll have given it my best shot.
I take a deep breath. The creature must sense what I’m getting ready to do, because it sidesteps, blocking my intended route. I may still be able to reach the stairwell, but it seems unlikely. The most logical course of action now resides in fleeing the way I came. With any luck, I can lose the alien in what remains of Torn City.
I count down from three.
Three. I inhale deeply, mentally preparing myself for the sprint that lies ahead.
Two. I ready my muscles.
One. I glance at the alien. It remains still, seemingly staring at me with its inexistent eyes.
Go!
I pump my legs for all they’ve got. They propel me forward with surprising ease. I’ve never been so grateful for my virtual training. I owe my physical fitness to Jonn’s combat training and the Virtuality Trainer’s real-life muscle growth feature. Without them, I would have no chance of outrunning the alien.
As it turns out, even Usain Bolt would have failed to outdistance the creature. Not only is it incredibly fast, but its reflexes are awe-inspiring. Its whip-like tail cracks through the air, the tip nearly slicing my nose off as I dart toward the exit.
I push myself harder than I ever have before. My blood pumps. My muscles explode with adrenaline. My vision blurs with tears as a result of the air hitting my eyeballs.
The clicking of the alien’s claws and the whistling of its tail tells me it’s in hot pursuit. I reach the outside world first, but with mere metres to spare. I dive out of the way just in time to avoid being sliced to ribbons.
I slam into a pile of rubble. My skin peels back, and blood springs from the wound, but a minor scrape is nothing compared to what will happen if I don’t find a way to outdistance my pursuer.
I leap to my feet and scan my surroundings, but all I see are piles of rubble and the occasional shrub. The safest venue is the building I just left. One glance at the alien tells me it’s having trouble slowing down. It may be fast, but it doesn’t handle sharp turns very well. That’s good.
I dive into the building and make a run for the stairwell. I reach it just as the creature re-enters the structure. I hesitate for a moment before choosing to go down. Given the beast’s massive frame, it should be far more difficult for it to safely navigate down a flight of stairs than it is for me.
I reach the landing in two bounds. Using the wall for support, I propel myself in the opposite direction and fly down a second set of stairs. I do this two more times before reaching the ground floor.
I pause long enough to note the long corridor that stretches before me. I don’t know where it leads, but I don’t have a choice. I start running. I glance back every so often, but there’s no sign of the alien. It’s not until I reach an intersection that I finally hear it.
The powerful roar fills the air. Its intensity is such that I fear it will bring the entire building down upon us. No such thing happens, but the feral outburst causes my heart rate to quicken. My legs momentarily cease to function, and I skid to a halt. By the time I recover, the beast is nearly upon me.
Outrunning it isn’t an option, but logic is. I dive into the intersecting corridor just as the alien reaches me. It flies past, unable to stop. Not taking the time to see where its skid ends, I start running again. I turn each time I encounter an intersection, knowing the frequent change in direction is all that stands between me and death.
It takes a while, but I eventually lose the alien. But even better is the discovery that I have reached the end of the maze of tunnels that makes up the building’s base. With one final glance behind me, I emerge from the torn structure.
The sun momentarily blinds me, but it doesn’t take long for my eyes to adjust. When they do, I’m met with a most unappealing of sights.
An alien stands before me, growling. I can’t tell if it’s the same one that’s been chasing me or a different one. It doesn’t matter because there’s no way I can outrun it. I’m trapped.
Memory 56
T he alien stands before me, staring at me with its inexistent eyes. Its tentacles vibrate softly as they undulate. Its tail slices through the air. Its jaws open and close, revealing countless teeth. Its knife-like claws dig into the rubble. So many ways to kill me, yet only one can be used. Which will it choose?
The beast takes a slow step forward. I shuffle backward, only to trip and fall. I’m on the ground now, defenceless and out of options. It’s only a matter of time before I die. Once the deed is done, my consciousness will forever be trapped within the Virtuality Trainer. Soon after, Jonn’s body will give out, and he will join me in virtual hell.
Should I activate my termination bracelet? Doing so will doom Jonn, but is his life worth risking mine? What will happen to Kara if Jonn and I die? Who will take care of her? Who will love her?
