by Gadi Migdal
“You could prevent all these deaths by giving me the information.”
“You will only use it to create more tools of corruption and more suffering amongst your inhabitants. The answer is no sir.”
“Is that your final answer?” Thomas asked quietly. His fingertips disappeared and slender black tubes aimed at Munar.
“Yes, sir.”
“Last time, scum, will you change your answer?” Munar heard Thomas’ voice thundering over the sound of his own racing heartbeat.
“No, sir.”
Munar closed his eyes and awaited death. “Goodbye Mom,” he whispered.
Laughter made him open his eyes. Thomas laughed loudly and happily, without bothering to look at Munar. “Do you play chess, scum?” He asked as he lowered his hand.
“Of course, sir.”
“Great, this will be fun.” Thomas stretched and turned towards the exit. “Get out of here ‘non-human’. Go back to your precious community and tell them never to dare try to set conditions for me or blackmail me again.”
The brain nodded politely. Scanning the room with his gaze, he smiled sadly at Munar and disappeared.
Thomas stopped at the door and turned to look at the pile charred ash. “Make sure this dirt gets cleared away, this is the control room, not a garbage dump,” he said to Munar.
The moment Thomas left the room, the other children hurried to Munar. “Are you okay?” asked Lucy.
He nodded quietly, still shaking. She squeezed him tight. “Too bad about Tristian, he was nice, but did you notice the most important part of the conversation?”
“That humanity is facing some existential threat?” wondered Clifford.
“No,” Lucy shrugged her shoulders. “Who cares what happens in other worlds?”
“That no traders have come here for forty years?” guessed Norris.
“No, we manage just fine without them.”
“That the rest of the worlds have been following every step we make for two thousand years?” tried Neria.
“No.”
“That Thomas doesn’t care about his people?” asked Munar in a shaking voice.
“No,” Lucy shook her head. “We already knew that.”
They looked at her in curious silence.
Lucy laughed. “Only I noticed that Thomas’ real name is Ludwig?”
They laughed aloud as they gathered up the remains of Tristian.
Chapter 30
Heroism
The word haunted her. Heroes. The Whole was amused by her response to Andre’s casual remark and offered her comforting warmth. It didn’t help. Why had Andre used that word?
She examined the meaning of the word. Heroism means courage in situations of danger and a willingness to sacrifice oneself. Where was the courage in their actions? Where was the danger? Where did Andre see the possibility for self-sacrifice?
She was disturbed by the question. Furthermore, it seemed that the others agreed with Andre’s statement, which only further confused her.
“Bud, do you see yourself as a hero?” she asked her when they were touring the gardens together.
“Hero, Your Honor? I have no idea what that means. That’s a meaningless human concept.”
Nola sighed. “With everything that has happened in the last few months, why is that particular little word bothering me so much?”
Bud shrugged and didn’t answer.
Two days later, after another dog made it clear, firmly and courteously, that they were forbidden from landing, Nola decided to ask Andre.
“Andre, a few days ago, why did you quote that line about heroes?”
Andre looked surprised for a moment and then remembered what she was talking about. “I was just joking about what Tom said, that we are the last hope for humankind.”
“I understand, but why did you use the word ‘heroes’?
“It was just an old quote, Commander,” said Andre, baffled. “We are going on a mission into the unknown, a mission to save all humans from a tragedy. One could say that it is a heroic journey.”
“He’s right,” Ella interrupted. “All of us are afraid of what we might discover. All of us are worried about the consequences of this situation in our lives and the lives of those close to us. All of us understand the gravity of the situation, and we are all willing to do whatever it takes in order to fix it.”
Nola looked at Ella. “Interesting. I must admit that I find this kind of glorified adjectives jarring.”
“It’s just a manner of speech, Commander. None of us really thinks that we are heroes. This mission is necessary, and we are happy to take part in it. That doesn’t change the fact that we are worried about the future. It was only after we visited Prague III that we began to understand the importance of this mission.”
Nola considered this and didn’t utter a word.
“Commander Nola, you knew about the existence of the Whole before we set off. Weren’t you concerned before going on this journey?” asked Maya.
“Not really. The alternatives were to either be executed by my cluster or provoke violent riots in the city.”
She saw the expressions of surprise on their faces and smiled. “It’s a long story. In any case I will be the first to admit that this mission took me by surprise, though I was never afraid of it. On the contrary, a space mission sounded to me like an amazing opportunity. Not like a threat.”
“And now? Now that you know the importance of the mission, don’t you feel any fear at all?” Maya insisted.
“Of course. I am afraid that we’ll fail, and that humanity will continue to degenerate and die out. I am afraid that someone, who I didn’t appreciate enough during her lifetime, sacrificed her life for nothing, just so that I could go on this mission. I am afraid that I won’t see my parents or brother ever again. I am full of fear.”
“I meant whether you are afraid of the journeying into the unknown,” Maya explained.
Nola pondered that, and the answer surprised her. “No, Maya. This journey was planned by the Whole over a long time. I have no fear about that.”
“You never have any doubts concerning the decisions of the Whole?”
“On the contrary, Maya. I have doubts about the Whole all the time, just not about this mission.”
“That must be nice for you, Commander. I wish I was as certain and calm as you are regarding our journey. I am very afraid of the future,” Maya admitted.
“There are advantages to being part of the Whole, I experience its self-confidence,” Nola mused aloud.
“Commander, do you trust every instruction or command that the Whole gives you?” asked Tom.
Nola looked at him in surprise. “No, Tom. But I have not yet encountered a directive that I’ve refused to carry out.”
“But are you even able to refuse a command from the Whole, Commander?”
“I don’t know, Tom. I think that if I have to, I could refuse, but the need has never arisen.”
Tom smiled with evident distress. “I am sorry if I’m being hard on you. But as you may recall, I have a personal interest in this subject. Does the implant inside your head, the implant that turns you into a member of the Whole, not prevent the possibility of refusing? Why do you think that you can refuse the Whole’s command? As far as I understand, no other member of the Whole can do that.”
The answer became clear in Nola’s mind. “Tom, I managed a cluster for twenty-two years. The Whole needs humans. If the Whole forces them to become a part of it, it will lose the uniqueness that they offer it: the ability to think independently and to offer it further insights. So, to answer your question — yes, I am convinced that I could disagree with the Whole if the need to do so should arise.”
He smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Commander. It was important for me to hear that.”
Guy nodded “After w
hat I’ve learned in the last few months, I’m surprised there is any need for coordinators. I would expect that an entity such as the Whole would know how to manage on its own.”
“The coordinators are an important part of the Whole. We look after the ongoing affairs so that the Whole can concentrate on long term planning.”
“Is it not possible to replace the coordinators with brains?”
The idea surprised her. “Artificial intelligences on Neifar? That would be a first. In any case, the Whole wouldn’t agree to accept or work with brains.” That was the truth, the answer did not come from her. “The Whole needs direct contact with humans.”
“Would not agree? How long has the Whole existed?”
“A thousand years, Guy. They were already around during the signing of the Covenant.”
“The Whole already existed a thousand years ago?” Guy was amazed.
“Yes, Guy. The Whole was born the moment that the first cluster was established. Its awareness and intelligence have been constantly growing ever since.”
“And we learned in school that the Covenant was signed alongside stupid cluster members who didn’t understand how humans were exploiting them,” said Ella.
Nola smiled, “Our ancestors did indeed create the cluster members, but they were never stupid.”
“I wonder if that’s the reason that the members of the first cluster insisted on a human living with them and accompanying the egg-layer,” Ella mused aloud.
“Yes,” said Nola. “They insisted on human coordinators for an important reason. The Whole wanted constant contact with humans.”
“And because of that the Covenant was written and signed, declaring that every egg-layer, from the day of her birth, would be accompanied by a human female that would be responsible for coordinating the cluster’s activities and would ensure a high yield for the city.”
“Quite right, Ella.”
“But why? Why does the Whole need contact with humans?” asked Guy.
“In order to gain more intelligence and more ways of thinking that the Whole on its own may lack,” answered Nola firmly.
“That’s a strange reason, after all, it’s already comprised of five billion cluster members, why would it need more perspectives?” asked Guy.
Nola shrugged. “The Whole is very different from people, Guy. Its way of thinking is different.”
“Very different. It would probably be weird and scary to live in a cluster without any other humans,” noted Tom.
Nola smiled at him understandingly. “Not at all. Coordinators enjoy a full and calm life. When I lived in a cluster, I didn’t miss the presence of people. They taught us that it was because of the implant. Now, I realize that it is probably thanks to the Whole. It looks out for our wellbeing and peace of mind.”
“But it’s like living in a prison,” noted Maya. “In a regular cluster are there also so many guards like on the Singa?” she asked.
“Yes, all the clusters are built like that. Security and cluster defense are a top priority.”
“Defense against whom, Commander?”
“Against anybody who does not belong to the cluster. The guards mainly keep out pests. No eagle-spider can come into the cluster, for example.”
Maya trembled slightly. “Very good. Repulsive creatures. I hate them.”
Ella looked at her reproachfully. “There is nothing wrong with eagle-spiders, Maya. They are a useful creature and important to Neifar’s natural ecosystem.”
“Nonsense. Repulsive animals. When I was ten years old, an eagle-spider attacked my dog. I will never forget or forgive those animals.”
Ella looked impatient. “The eagle-spiders belong on Neifar way more than your imported dog. After all, that’s the advantage of Neifar, the oxygen concentration we have enables insects to grow to abnormal dimensions.”
“I don’t care. Eagle-spiders are a disgusting animal.”
“How do the guards prevent eagle-spiders from entering the cluster?” asked Guy before Ella could answer Maya.
Nola shrugged her shoulders, “the guards are simply a living barrier. All the top ten floors are inhabited by entrance guards. It’s a special kind of guard, bigger and stronger than the others, they spend their whole lives there. Whoever enters the cluster must pass by 100 thousand guards. If a living creature that is not allowed in tries to enter the cluster, whether on purpose or by accident, he won’t survive the encounter with them.”
Everyone was silent for a moment, imagining guards two meters tall with enormous power and four strong arms breaking the body of some unlucky winged insect.
“And what happens if some unknown human tries to enter the cluster?” Andre wondered.
“The same thing. In the eyes of the guards, anyone or anything without permission, is forbidden. The result would be similar.”
Maya scrunched up her face dramatically. “Good reason not to go near there.”
“I saw in pictures that there are enormous mazes in the clusters. Do the guards defend all of the passages?” asked Andre.
“Yes. Any foreign element, walking or flying, won’t be able to come into a cluster and survive for more than a few seconds.”
“That is to say, every time that you left the cluster, you had to pass by thousands of guards?” Guy wondered.
“Actually no, Guy. Most of the time I would pass through their levels in one of the elevators that serves the workers. Those are run on pheromones so any foreign element couldn’t activate them.”
“Elevators? For some reason I thought that you walked around a lot,” Andre was surprised.
“Definitely. The average worker walks an average of thirty kilometers a day. The diameter of the cluster’s opening is about fifty kilometers, and the diameter of an underground cluster garden can exceed 100 kilometers. The work in the gardens requires a lot of legwork, and every garden needs many workers. The depth of my cluster was about 150 levels, and the height of each level was over twenty meters. The elevators get a lot of use. They save precious time.”
“Your cluster? Are there deeper clusters?” asked Maya.
“Definitely. There are clusters that are much bigger, whose depth may be more than 400 levels.”
“With your permission, let’s go back to the previous topic, Commander. Did I understand you to say that there are several types of guards?”
“Yes. On the Singa we only have deputies and regular garden guards. We don’t have any need for entrance guards or waste guards.”
“Waste guards?”
Nola laughed at the sight of Ella’s curiosity. “I will try to explain. Every cluster has an entrance garden. It’s a natural garden, several kilometers wide that surrounds the entrance. They don’t grow edible crops there. Just grass and short flowers. Humans think that it’s meant for decoration, but the cluster doesn’t need decorative gardens, it’s intended for security purposes. Nobody can sneak into the entrance without being seen long before. The cluster’s waste pile is at the edge of the garden. That’s waste that’s not suitable for compost or reusing. That waste can attract pests. That’s why there are waste guards. They live inside the waste pile, awaiting any intruder that dares to try to come in.”
“And what do they look like?” asked Ella.
“Like they sound.”
“They sound scary and highly unpleasant,” said Maya.
“Exactly,” Nola replied.
“I wouldn’t want to live around creatures like that.”
“You lived around them all your life,” noted Ella. “Every cluster has those, and the city is surrounded by clusters. What other kinds of guards are there, Commander?”
“There are the deputies, of course. You already met General Bud, but beneath each general is a set of deputies. They aren’t as smart as her, but they are still much sharper than the rest of the cluster members. Their mai
n role is to ensure that order is maintained and to monitor the cameras in the cluster.”
“There are cameras in the cluster?”
“Of course. Thousands of them. The city provides them, but the deputies know how to install and operate them by themselves.”
“That is to say, all of the cluster members are being watched? You too?” asked Andre, shocked.
“Certainly. The cameras are an important tool for cluster safety. They serve to locate pests, fires and issues.”
“It sounds like you never had a moment of privacy. There’s no way you enjoyed that,” insisted Andre.
Nola shrugged. “There weren’t any cameras in my living quarters, and I had enough privacy whenever I wanted it. But I never felt uncomfortable in the cluster.”
“Commander, weren’t you afraid to live amongst those huge inhuman animals?” asked Andre.
The answer was immediately clear to her. “As I said, I am actually one of them. Don’t let my external appearance fool you. I am a member of the Whole as much as I am a human, maybe even more. I lived most of my life in a cluster. I’m not afraid of them. On the contrary, I respect and appreciate them.”
She was suddenly quiet, stunned by herself. Those were her words, not the Whole’s. Did she really see herself more as a Whole member than human?
She smiled at Andre with a surprised expression. “I am a Whole member.”
Andre looked at her sadly. “I am happy to hear you say that.”
“You don’t look happy, Andre.”
He sighed and spoke slowly, considering every word before saying it. “Indeed, Commander, the last few weeks have been confusing for me. We only just learned of the existence of the Whole, and the fact that it is an intelligent entity. That scared me. I wondered if we sent the city girls to manage clusters or to serve a large, mysterious entity.”
He was quiet and scanned the other city people. “I am pretty sure that all of us here experienced the same feelings since the general told us the truth. That’s why I was happy to hear that you yourself feel like a member of the Whole and not just a human. It was a relief to hear you say that. And I must add something else. You really are a hero, Commander, even if the word makes you uncomfortable. The coordinators are the heroes of Neifar.”