‘Activate portal.’
‘Security scan.’
Waves of green light flickered across Robbie’s body.
‘Identity confirmed,’ said the voice. ‘Praise be to Designer Prime.’
‘I’ll have to change that greeting,’ said Robbie, a touch of embarrassment in his voice.
From outside came the sudden sound of energy blasts, and the returning fire of stun guns.
‘I am sending a command to all guards. I will instruct them to report to their barracks.’ Robbie’s hands flew across the controls. ‘Done!’
‘Out!’ Zyra waggled the stun gun towards the doorway.
With pinched lips and no words, Designer Alpha strode out. Zyra followed.
In the main research area, Hope and the Outers were still gathered around the tables and chairs that had been stacked in front of the doorway as a barricade. Zyra brought Designer Alpha over to them.
Designer Alpha’s mouth was agape, her eyes watching the clones. ‘Are … are there downloads in all these clones?’
‘Yep,’ answered Zyra. ‘They’re now as real as me.’
‘But … how? I tried so many times. How could you succeed?’
‘You can relax,’ said Zyra to the Outers, ignoring Designer Alpha. ‘Designer Prime has gained control of the facility. The guards have been called off. It’s all over.’
‘Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be,’ piped up Galbrath. ‘Fastest rebellion ever!’
‘No,’ said Robbie, coming out of the programming portal, rubbing a hand over his eyes. ‘It’s not over. This facility may be under control, but the future of the Game environments still hangs in the balance.’
‘Of course.’ Designer Alpha smiled, her eyes dancing with triumph. ‘Where do your allegiances lie – in this world or the digital?’
‘What is she on about?’ asked Zyra.
Robbie sighed, looking from Zyra to the Outers and back again. ‘The Game environments are in no immediate danger because the children have been calmed down. But they have been kidnapped, forced from their own world into the digital. They want to go home. In order to release them, the environments of the Game need to be deconstructed and consolidated. We need to simplify the digital world to what it was in the beginning. And such a simplified world would not be able to sustain true sentience. Without those children, it really would be just a game.’
A silence settled over the people. Then a low chuckle broke the silence. Everyone looked at Designer Alpha.
‘Who will you choose?’ she hissed.
‘Couldn’t you use other people in place of the children?’ asked Hope.
‘Who?’ asked Robbie.
Hope’s eyes narrowed and she turned her attention to Designer Alpha. ‘Her for starters.’
‘And everyone who’s helped her,’ added Galbrath.
‘It won’t work,’ said Robbie. ‘The Game is tuned to the thought patterns of children. Adult brains just won’t do it.’
‘We have to find some way around this,’ insisted Zyra.
‘There’s someone coming,’ shouted one of the Outers, looking beyond the barricade to the corridor. ‘It’s okay,’ she added a moment later. ‘It’s the rest of us.’
The remaining clones containing the downloaded personalities of the Outers entered the room.
Great, thought Zyra, more clones I can’t tell apart.
But while most gathered with the other Outers, one of them made his way straight to Zyra. Without a word, he placed an arm around her throat, and a gun against her head … and it was not a stun gun.
39: Alex
‘Alex?’
Josie pressed herself against the glass, peering into the containment tank. The ghostly figure of a boy swam through the murky green. His eyes were wide and empty, his mouth slack.
‘It’s him,’ shouted Josie, tears welling up in her eyes. ‘It’s him.’
Mel was quickly by her side, arm around her shoulders.
‘I think he might be the last one,’ said Mel.
‘He doesn’t look good.’ Josie’s voice was quiet and shaky.
‘He’ll be better when he gets out,’ Mel said soothingly.
‘Come on, Alex,’ Josie whispered to her brother. ‘You can do it.’
‘Oh no!’ Mel took a step back, pointing to a crack lower down on the tank, where liquid was trickling out.
‘That happened when Designer Beta was trying to shoot me,’ said Tark. ‘But it’s gotten bigger.’
‘What do we do?’ asked Mel.
‘Let’s see if we can get some help.’ Tark raced over to the computer equipment. He looked at all the switches and buttons, trying to remember which one Designer Beta had used for communications. He found the broken switch and tried to fit it back into the hole, toggling it back and forth.
‘Robbie? Can you hear me? Zyra? Anyone?’
He waited a moment, then flicked it again.
‘Hello! Can anyone hear me? There’s a crack in the containment tank. It’s getting bigger and it’s leaking. What should we do? Robbie? Zyra? Is anyone there?’
‘I’m ba-ack!’ The singsong voice echoed around Tark, emanating from nowhere and everywhere. The room fell silent. ‘Can’t keep a good Beta down!’
‘Not you again,’ groaned Tark.
‘Yes, it’s me – your favourite Designer.’ Designer Beta’s voice was chillingly cheery. ‘I’m afraid that Robbie and Zyra can’t come to the phone right now. May I help you?’ And then he chuckled. ‘A little problem with the containment tank? What a pity! I’m afraid there’s not much you can do. Just stay away from it … if you can. That liquid’s great for containing minds … but it’s a bit acidic. Now that all those kids have a physical presence, it would be a shame to have all their virtual flesh melted from their bones.’
Everyone looked towards the tank. It was huge, extending up beyond the ceiling and down below the floor, it curved around out of sight on both sides. If the glass broke, it would probably flood the room.
Tark gulped. Would they melt first, or drown? Perhaps drown while melting? He shook his head to dispel the morbid thoughts.
‘Just thought you might like to know that I’m designing again. I’ve reinstated some of the security protocols. You can’t jump or exit.’ He laughed. ‘Oh, and one more thing …’
The door leading out of the room slid shut with a thunderous clang.
‘Ta-ta … and have fun!’
40: Designer Beta
With the Outer clones locked into the main lab, Robbie, Designer Alpha and Zyra were led at gunpoint along the corridors, through the secondary research area (covered in plastic sheeting and layers of dust), and into another programming portal.
‘You!’ Zyra’s eyes were wide with surprise.
‘How?’ Designer Alpha stared in disbelief. ‘How did you get out?’
‘I did a little reprogramming,’ said Designer Beta, reclining on a chair in the centre of the portal display. This Beta was older than the avatar in the Game. Lines creased his face and he had only a few scraggly tufts of grey hair above his ears. ‘You forget that I am every bit as good a designer as you. Then I got one of my clones out of storage and … here we all are … ready to par-tey!’
Designer Beta worked his controls and the clone raised an arm and waved, a stupid grin on its face.
‘No one’s home, I’m afraid,’ Designer Beta explained. ‘So, I’m driving.’
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t get you out,’ said Designer Alpha, back against the wall, watching her fellow Designer carefully.
‘I’m sure you will be.’ He smiled back at her.
‘Things were too unstable,’ she added quickly, searching for explanations. ‘I couldn’t risk it. You could have been damaged.’
‘Close portal,’ commanded Robbie.
Nothing happened.
‘Nice try.’ Designer Beta chuckled. ‘Isomorphic portal. Responds only to me. Aren’t I just too clever?’
‘What exactl
y do you hope to achieve?’ asked Robbie. ‘The facility is now under our control. The Game has been stabilised. Rather than pointing guns at people, you could help us find an alternative to using the children.’
‘Oh, but there is an alternative.’ Designer Beta smiled. ‘A very easy alternative that is right under your nose. The trick will be getting them to go back in.’
‘What does that mean?’ asked Zyra.
‘Why would I want to tell you?’
‘Get rid of them,’ said Designer Alpha, eyes gleaming. ‘Then you and I can regain control. Contain the children again. Go back to our original plans of expansion and experimentation.’
‘Get rid of them? Hmmm.’ Designer Beta put a finger to his cheek in an exaggerated gesture of consideration, while his other hand stayed on the controls.
Designer Beta’s robot clone raised his gun and levelled it at Designer Alpha’s head. She stared into the barrel of the energy blaster.
‘Or maybe,’ said Designer Beta, ‘I should get rid of you?’
‘Me?’ Her voice wavered. ‘No. We’re a team, you and I. Burrows and Hayes. Tina and John …’
‘Alpha and Beta,’ finished Designer Beta. ‘Yes. It takes two to … rumba. We were such a great dance team. We worked so well together that you locked me away inside the Game.’
‘I didn’t lock you away,’ protested Designer Alpha. ‘One of us had to go in to set up the containment. You know what a delicate matter that was.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Designer Beta. ‘Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps we can be a team again. After all … someone’s got to go back into the Game and reestablish the containment centre. Last time I looked, the whole place was falling apart.’ He laughed a long, humourless laugh. ‘I think you’d be perfect for the job.’
Designer Alpha’s face fell.
Zyra chose this moment to strike, kicking the gun out of the clone’s hand and aiming a punch for his face. The gun slid across the floor, but the clone ducked and swung his leg out in a scissoring motion. Zyra found herself sprawled on the floor.
Robbie raced for the gun, but Designer Alpha scooped it up first.
‘Get back,’ she demanded. ‘Back up against the wall.’
Zyra, Robbie and the clone did as they were told. Designer Alpha swung the gun around to Designer Beta. ‘You’re not sending me to that dead-end place,’ she hissed. ‘You’ll be going back. It’s where you belong.’
‘I’m not going back there.’ Designer Beta pulled a holographic lever. ‘You are. It’s all prepared.’
A panel slid back in the floor next to Designer Alpha, and a chair rose up.
‘And since you’ve been such a naughty Designer … no numbing nanos for you!’
‘Oh no you don’t.’ Designer Alpha fired the gun.
The gun fizzled.
‘I’ve got my own security measures,’ said Designer Beta. ‘There’s a dampening field in this portal, preventing the operation of energy weapons.’
Zyra took the opportunity to resume her attack on the clone, with an uppercut to the jaw. The clone’s head snapped to the side, then turned slowly back. His hands shot forward and grabbed Zyra around the throat. She grasped his arms and tried to pull them away, but they wouldn’t give.
‘Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that.’ Designer Beta was gloating. ‘My clone has been enhanced.’
The clone slowly began to squeeze the life out of Zyra. She felt consciousness beginning to slip away as she stared into the clone’s eyes – John’s eyes; Tark’s eyes.
Robbie threw himself at the clone, clawing at his arms, beating his fists on his back and head.
Beta’s clone released one hand and used it to swat Robbie away. He sprawled on the ground. With only one hand gripping her throat, Zyra renewed her struggles.
Designer Alpha tried to make a run for it. She reached the doorway but the clone grabbed her with his free hand and flung her back inside. She stumbled across the room and fell face-first into the chair. The force field engaged, trapping her with her face pressed into the headrest.
‘Oh dear,’ said Designer Beta in mock concern. ‘What a shame.’
A mechanical arm descended from the ceiling, needle and syringe heading for the chair and Designer Alpha.
Robbie was now back on his feet and again struggling to free Zyra from the clone.
Designer Alpha screamed as the needle pierced the base of her skull.
BANG!
Everyone fell silent. Hope stood in the doorway, smoking pistol in her hand, pointing up at the ceiling. Slowly, she lowered her arm and blew the smoke from the barrel. ‘You locked us in a lab full of equipment. Duh!’ She levelled the weapon at Designer Beta. ‘Next bullet’s for you.’
Designer Beta scowled, but his clone released Zyra. She fell to the floor, unconscious.
‘Close portal,’ said Designer Beta, reluctantly.
The controls, the holo-displays, even the control chair, vanished and Designer Beta went sprawling to the floor.
41: Containment Breakout
‘Stop!’ shouted Tark. ‘Everybody just shut up!’
An abrupt silence descended and dozens of frightened eyes focused on Tark. He glanced at the tank, the crack slowly spreading along the glass. Then he looked at the worried faces of the rebels and the pained and confused expressions of the children they had almost rescued. They were looking to him for the answers. They all expected him to save them. But what could he do?
‘Panicking is not going to help,’ said Tark, stalling and desperately trying to think of something. ‘We need to think this through.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Mel, coming to stand by Tark. ‘We cannot give up hope.’
Hope! Things fell into place in Tark’s mind.
‘Your minds are still connected to the Game,’ said Tark. ‘I think you have more control over it than anyone outside.’ He took a breath and looked at Mel. ‘When you were still in the tank, you by-passed the security and sent me to a different environment. Even though you were trapped, you reached out with your thoughts.’ He turned to look back at the other children. ‘You all did. I heard you – your minds reaching out to me, calling for help. Well, now that you’re free, you can focus your minds. You can do anything you want.’
He strode over to the wall where the door had been, desperately hoping he was right.
‘You don’t have to do much,’ he said. ‘Just open the door. Focus your minds and imagine it opening.’
Everyone stared at the wall expectantly. Nothing happened. No door appeared.
‘It’s not working,’ complained one of the kids.
‘We can’t do it,’ whined another.
Tark sensed the fear spreading amongst them.
‘You can do it,’ he insisted. ‘I know you can. Hold hands! It’ll help.’ He grabbed Mel’s hand and held it up so everyone could see. ‘Do it now! Hold hands!’
The children reached out, clasping hands. Tark saw them calming down.
‘Now, close your eyes,’ he went on. ‘Imagine the door opening. Imagine running out through the doorway.’
A clang reverberated through the room. A door had appeared in the wall.
‘It’s working,’ Tark called out. ‘Keep going!’
Slowly, the door slid open.
‘Now, everybody out!’
Tark jumped out of the way as the kids rushed for the door.
‘That was amazing,’ said Mel, giving Tark’s hand a squeeze. ‘You’re a born leader.’
Tark didn’t get a chance to disagree. Josie called out. She was still by the tank, gazing through the glass. Tark and Mel went over.
‘He’s still in there,’ cried Josie.
They all peered into the tank. Alex, eyes beginning to close, was drifting further back into the tank.
‘Everyone else is out,’ called Devon, standing by the door. ‘Come on!’
‘I can’t leave him,’ whimpered Josie.
Mel clutched onto her arm. ‘And I’m not leaving you.’
&n
bsp; Tark looked down at the crack. It was bigger. There was now a steady stream of green liquid running down the glass and pooling on the floor. Would it really dissolve their virtual flesh? And what would happen to their bodies out in the real world, if it did?
‘Just go, Devon,’ Tark instructed. ‘Get everyone as far away as you can.’
Devon raced out.
Tark looked back at the tank and the slowly diminishing apparition of a boy named Alex.
‘Think him out of there,’ ordered Tark.
‘What?’ Mel and Josie both looked at him.
Tark raised his hands. ‘Well, it worked with the door.’
Josie didn’t look convinced, but Mel grasped her hand tightly. She held out her other to Tark.
‘Come on.’
So the three of them held hands and concentrated, Josie and Tark placed their free hands against the glass of the tank. They mouthed the name Alex, over and over. Slowly, the boy drifted towards the glass again.
‘It’s working,’ whispered Mel.
The boy’s eyes were wide as he pressed up against the glass. Slowly, the ghostly image merged into the thick glass and then passed through.
‘Alex!’ cried Josie.
The boy was still an apparition, but he was out of the tank. He reached out to Josie, but his hand passed through hers.
‘He’d better hurry up,’ said Tark. ‘Look!’
Fractures were spreading through the glass, each little crack splintering off in numerous directions. Green liquid was escaping at several different points.
Tark, Mel and Josie backed up towards the door. The not-quite-substantial Alex followed along.
A tiny chink of glass flew across the room, liquid spraying out like a mini-fountain.
‘He’s almost solid,’ said Josie.
‘Out!’ cried Tark.
Mel and Josie led Alex from the room as his form finally stabilised. Tark hung back, watching.
A large chunk of glass fell out and the fountain turned into a geyser of liquid. It shot out across the room, spraying the computer equipment. Sparks and smoke erupted from the consoles.
Tark ran. He heard an explosion as he jumped down through the hole and into the desolate landscape. In the distance he saw a group of running figures. Closer, he saw Mel, Josie and Alex chasing after them.
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