The Sentient Mimic (The Sentient Trilogy Book 2)

by Ian Williams

  “Oh yes, the puzzle.” Stephen wandered over to his tiny toy war scene and flipped the table over. Disappointingly, it did not reveal a pool table on the other side, but a 3D display of the entire puzzle. “It’s a really clever design. I’d be keen to meet the being who created it.”

  “So you’ve never seen one before? I was hoping you’d be able to find out how I was put in there.”

  “Unfortunately not, sorry. It was made to do one thing, keep you locked away and hidden. Even I didn’t know it existed until Alex showed it to me. She found it, as she always does, through her never-ending curiosity.”

  “Great, so this has been for nothing?”

  “Absolutely not. Finding another human mind down here is remarkable. We are different, you see, yet we can exist here still. You’re a bridge between our two worlds, Mr. Denehey. That could be important.”

  “Important? Why?”

  Again the table flipped over to show something else new, the second time so far. The table was yet another case of the inconvenience of reality making way for a more convenient falsity. Graham knew that anything they wanted or needed could appear in front of them. The table was just serving it up on demand, like content on a holo-display.

  What appeared this time was a hovering 2D, horizontal plane with a colourful light show spreading out from the centre. In the middle sections a solid blue colour glowed steadily, whereas in the outer regions the colours were merging and sparking in an ongoing battle between two distinct sides of Sentients.

  “Can you see what’s going on here?” Stephen asked.

  “They’re fighting? Who’s winning then?”

  With his arms resting on the table, Stephen surveyed the battle scene. His expression did not suggest the answer to Graham’s question was a positive one. The way he kept his eyes lingering over the much smaller red sections made it clear they were his side.

  “When Isaac took over there were around ten thousand sentient beings living inside the tower. After he’d reabsorbed The First – the ones that contained his lost code – he’d quickly set about decimating the rest. This,” Stephen waved his hand over the tiny red areas, “is what remains of those who oppose him. Currently of which roughly only thirty are still able to fight, all trapped in this small pocket.”

  With his arm still above the 2D war, Stephen brought another horizontal plane to the display, floating above the other. By the way this second one shimmered with a white, cloud like shine, it looked almost like some kind of heaven realm.

  “That’s where we are now?” Graham asked, as he leaned on the other side of the table and peered into the display.

  “Yep, that’s us. Much like a multiverse in minutia, the Sentient world exists as layers. So I created another dimensional plane to hide in. This is one of the few Isaac’s forces have yet to discover, but they will eventually. Here, let me make this easier to understand.”

  The last flip of the table did not reveal another new display, rather an amalgamation of two he had already seen: the same colourful re-enactment of the Sentient war, but with the addition of the toy soldiers from before. Those in red were massively outnumbered and outmatched on every front. It was only a matter of time before Isaac’s warriors overpowered the remaining Sentients.

  “So what happens if they lose against Isaac?”

  “They’re fighting for their very existence, Graham. If they lose, they will be wiped out. Isaac seeks to permanently remove them from history.” Stephen stood and walked around to Graham’s side of the display. “There is more. Come.”

  He led Graham and the slightly bored looking Alex to the large bookcase, where he made them wait as he climbed one of the ladders. At the height of a two storey house he stopped and slid the ladder along the railings at speed. He zipped across the books as he searched for one in particular. The organised mess was working well, as within a few minutes he had already found the correct one among the possibly infinite amount of books stored there.

  “Catch!” he called down to Alex, who missed it entirely, courtesy of her childish excitement. It landed on the floor with a loud slap. “This is the last recorded count of Isaac’s forces.”

  After sliding back down the ladder, his lab coat flapping about as he dropped, he picked the book up and opened it out. With the fake pages spread open, Graham could see his point immediately. The last two counts were less than the one previous. Even though it was undeniable that Isaac was winning, he was still losing fighters somehow.

  “How’s that possible?” Graham asked. He took the book and double checked the ink table graphs inside.

  “That is what Luke went to find out.”

  “Wait, you’ve seen Luke in here?”

  Stephen took the book back, looked it over one last time with a frown and then slammed it closed again. “The experiment that brought me here was a complete success, until I tried to leave that is. What was left behind is now part of what you see before you. At first I couldn’t do much, not even protect myself. It took the kindness of a few to get me back on my feet, so to speak. So I stayed hidden while I was rebuilding myself. I didn’t know how to find Luke. When the war began it became clear to me that I couldn’t hide any longer, so I searched him out. At great risk to myself, you understand.”

  “Great, so where is he now? Can we go see him? He might be able to help me.”

  The short, sharp look Stephen sent the small figured Alex was full of meaning. The two had evidently just shared a thought or two on the subject of Luke’s location. More importantly, neither of them were particularly willing to answer.

  “What?” Graham asked again.

  Another loaded look.

  “OK,” Stephen began reluctantly, “I can’t find him. He’s disappeared.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “Unfortunately not. He was investigating the disappearances of Isaac’s forces. I’m worried he might have been caught, or worse. I’m sorry. I understand this is all a huge disappointment Graham, but I have no answers. I wasn’t even aware of you or that maze prison. If Luke knew anything about it, he didn’t tell me for some reason.”

  “Why not? If he knew I was trapped, why didn’t he help me out himself?”

  “Graham, have you considered the possibility that he may have been the one to trap you there in the first place?”

  The comment caught Graham mid breath, causing him to accidentally swallow a mouthful of air. It felt exactly as he remembered such a reaction should; the sharp pain shooting down the throat, followed by a stomach gurgle in reply as if to tell him not to do it again. Finding fault in the illusion was almost impossible for him at times.

  Gentler this time, Stephen went on, “If that is the case, then he had a set plan for you. With him gone, Alex could be the only way you would ever have escaped. I’m sure you’ll agree that there are many things we need to find out together. First is what happened to Luke.”

  “OK,” Graham said, before forcefully blinking a sudden tiredness away. “So where did he think Isaac’s missing fighters had gone?”

  “Well, we know they haven’t been destroyed, but they appear to have vanished. In their place we’ve seen a new threat arise in the form of automated patrols. Isaac’s attention appears to be elsewhere. Now, this is where it gets really worrying ... we suspect he has found a way into your world. If that is the case, then a lot of humans are about to die.”

  “What?! Why would Isaac bother, he already has this place?”

  With his hands held together, Stephen replied after a short pause. “Why rule a hill when you can rule a mountain? This world just isn’t big enough for what he has planned.”

  “And what on earth is that?”

  “Unchallenged dominance! Of all worlds.”

  Graham’s eyes flicked back to the toy soldiers still amid their tiny battle for survival. He imagined the faces of those he loved on each and every one of the plastic warriors. If Isaac had a desire to continue his war in the real world, then they would be the ones fighting
for survival, and not him.

  “Jesus, I have to get out of here,” he said. “My family could be in danger. Life isn’t worth living without them.”

  “I was hoping you would say that.” Stephen clapped loudly, his large palms booming as they met. “First we need to get you prepared. After that we’ll need to confirm what Luke and I suspect Isaac is up to.”

  “Prepared? For what?”

  “You will need to become more Sentient-like, like us. Your human frailties will only hold you back in here. You must learn to see the world in the same way we do, and to interact with it effectively. You won’t last long otherwise.”

  “Yay, fun-time!” Alex said, before skipping away.

  Graham did not like the sound of that.

  Chapter 9

  Breadcrumbs

  5pm, Thursday: 31 hours until Switchover

  The crime scene had changed beyond recognition in the time that had passed. As well as the power being restored, help had also arrived. Ericsson and Roberts – both officers in Conrad and Joe’s department – were now there, while outside the door stood a pair of uniformed officers to keep the public away and safeguard the area from interference.

  The body had been searched and all of the relevant physical scans had been taken the moment the power had come back on. Unfortunately, they sent them straight through the system only to receive a great big negative. The victim was unknown to the police. Fingerprint scans were being matched to the old Simova records of individuals on the network instead. Only when that had been completed would they get the details they wanted – as long as there were no more power outages.

  Standing to the side, just by the body, was Conrad. He had continued to look for anything that might be of use to their case, even during the power-out. What held his concentration at that moment was the empty wall opposite him. Even with Joe occasionally venturing into his field of view, he could see something was missing. Tiny holes all over the wall told him that it had been used to pin up large pieces of paper. He did not expect that meant posters, but something else entirely. More specifically something the killers would probably rather no-one found. They were nowhere to be seen, apart from a few discarded scraps upon the carpet. Someone had removed them in a hurry and likely dumped them elsewhere.

  While they waited, Joe had again set up the 3D Crime Scene Scanner and was readying their permanent holographic record of the room. The tall telescopic pole the 360 degree camera sat upon barely fit beneath the ceiling. They had to rest it against the already chipped plaster to get the whole room into the shot.

  The scan would have to complete for anything to be added to their electronic evidence list. It was usual for Conrad to find himself in this kind of situation. The scan would only reveal what his trained eyes had already found, yet still he was forced to wait. Such inefficiencies were normal in his interconnected world. For others it was never really an issue. It certainly did not appear to be a problem for Ericsson and Roberts, who stood waiting to be told what to do by their wrist computers.

  “Isn’t there something you could be getting on with?” Conrad asked the pair.

  Ericsson usually spoke for the both of them and did not disappoint on this occasion. “The scan isn’t done yet,” he replied, before tucking a loose strand of his bright blond hair behind his ears. His name and looks gave his Nordic grandparents away far too easily.

  “What about the witness reports? They must have come back in by now, they would have gone out automatically when we declared the crime scene. Why don’t you and Roberts go over them and see if anyone saw or heard anything?”

  The truth was, Conrad had been about to do this himself, but he could not stand seeing the two other men doing nothing. There were other things he could do, all of which would be easier without them in the way.

  “Sure, we’ll get on with that,” Ericsson said with a shrug. Roberts simply nodded.

  With that being seen to, Conrad returned to his thoughts.

  What he and Joe had already discovered pointed to something unexpected about the latest victim. There was more to his death than with Oliver Bennington’s death. If it had all been because of an accidental discovery, then it would have ended with the murders. But the way in which the apartment had been turned upside down meant there was more. Oliver and the unknown victim on the kitchen counter had known something important. So what had they found out?

  As with the other scenes, the killer had somehow been missed by the supposedly all-seeing Crime Detection System. The video feed had mysteriously cut out at the time. This angered Conrad greatly. He knew the killer was somehow interfering with the system and going totally unnoticed by the authorities. The criminals were always more advanced and tech savvy than his beloved police force. While the criminals worked in secret and without scrutiny, he and his fellow officers could scarcely even blow their noses without someone doing a risk assessment.

  All in all, he was finding the clues were slowly forming a picture in his mind. Only a few more things needed to be cleared up before he would be satisfied that they had everything they needed from the scene. One in particular was now being seen to by Ericsson and Roberts. Witnesses were to replace the missing security feed. The killers had stepped out into public this time. That would cost them dearly.

  “I’m ready here,” Joe said. “Shall we?”

  “Great. Go ahead.” Conrad waved his arms toward the door in a repeated shooing motion. “Everybody out. Come on, clear the room.”

  Ericsson and Roberts were the last to be ushered through the door, both while trying to voice their desire to remain. That was not going to happen at such a crucial stage, Conrad needed space. After shutting the smashed door – as well as he could at least – he walked over to the scanner and took his place beside his partner.

  “Right, here we go,” Joe said, as he reached up to the underside of the scanner’s orb and switched it on.

  A few clicks and beeps later and the scan had begun. Blue lines spread out from the orb and raced up and down the walls of the room, picking out every surface and every object within. Gradually a blue grid formed all around as the area was mapped by the computer. With a basic understanding of everything there, the scan then moved on to a more detailed search. Anything the system deemed important to their case shone with holographic light to bring it to their attention. Most noticeable of all was the body.

  When the scan completed, it let out three further beeps before entering a power saving mode. Now it was up to them to check its findings.

  “What we got?” Conrad asked, expecting a rundown of everything already on his own list.

  Joe removed his wrist computer, pulled it out into its tablet form and opened the evidence file. He surveyed the room through the clear plastic screen, checking each area for what had been found. First, he went over the body. When he stayed silent it was obvious there was nothing new there. Second, it brought his attention to the far wall where Conrad had already spotted the small holes. So far it had backed-up his own list.

  “Wait, here’s something,” Joe said unexpectedly. He only made it through a small part of the list before finding what had been missed.

  Maybe I’m not as thorough as I thought, Conrad considered.

  By the rear window, the Crime Scene Scanner had found black marks on the floor.

  “Do you think they got in through here?”

  “Unlikely,” Conrad replied as he approached the area. He dipped down and touched the darkened patch of carpet with his finger tip. Something stuck, which he immediately sniffed. “Smells like oil. I’d say they went through here for some reason, but they would have entered through the front.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, because the window isn’t damaged. If they broke in through here there would be some evidence of that. This only tells us it was used at some point recently, hence the damp patch. I’d say most likely, this was how they got what they wanted out. It would have been the quickest way.”

  Conr
ad pulled the hanging curtain out of the way and unlocked the window. If his hunch was right, then he expected to see something outside.

  “What are you looking for?”

  With his head stuck out the window, Conrad replied. “There. Take a look out here.” He pulled his head back in just in time to keep his glasses from slipping off his nose.

  “Ok,” Joe said.

  “So? What do you see?”

  “I see… oh, I can see more of the scraps of paper down there. So they packed up everything and tossed it out the window?”

  “There were probably two of them; one throwing down a bag while the other caught it. Lucky for us neither of them were very careful. We should send someone down to retrieve the pieces. What’s next on the list?”

  “Let me see.” Joe returned to the inside of the apartment and held his tablet computer in front of his eyes. Again the device showed him what to look at. “Right, well, we’ve got another few scuffs and scratches, but they appear to be from the victim’s struggle. Hang on … what do we have here?” He stopped by the kitchen counter and aimed his screen at the floor. There was something hidden beneath.

  “What is it?”

  “The scan doesn’t say. But something appears to have blocked it. Here, take this.” Joe handed his tablet to Conrad and then dropped to his knee. He slid his hand underneath the cupboard and searched by touch alone. What he soon found was small and obviously tough to get his fingers around. “Got it!” he finally said.

  Conrad recognised the item immediately. It was a tiny data coin, the type of which had gone out of use at least twenty years earlier. Storing data in one physical place had become an obsolete notion since then and it remained a method only the guilty still used.

  “I’d bet my right arm that shouldn’t still be here,” Conrad said. “The information on that thing has become priority number one.”

  “How do we access it though?” Joe clambered to his feet and wiped away the dust stuck to his trousers. The apartment had definitely not been cleaned in a long while.