by Tony Corden
It took several minutes, but the top and sides of the box were easy to remove and inside was a sleek metallic container, four metres by two metres by two metres. At the midpoint of each side was a blood red circular logo which looked like a spiral, in the centre of which was a black circle. Underneath the model, ‘Mark 4.5’ was engraved. The container lay with the longest part parallel to the ground.
Alice walked to one of the ends and beckoned Leah to follow her. When they arrived, Alice showed Leah the control panel and said, “This panel is attuned to the owner, or to the designated wearer, of the suit. As this is a new suit, you should confirm ownership and your right to wear it. If you ever defeat someone and claim a suit like this, then you must come to the panel and verify your ownership. Now place your hand on the panel.”
Leah placed her hand on the panel and went through an initialising procedure similar to that she'd experienced claiming the frigate and corvette. Alice indicated a second panel that had appeared. “This is the panel you use to unpack and prepare the suit. Each suit conforms to the wearer. Now place your palm on the panel and stand still while it measures your vital statistics.”
Leah did this, and after several minutes a chime sounded, and the whole end which faced Leah began to swing open. Alice said, “That process will be instantaneous in future unless a different person has been given access to the suit. Inside this first section is an inner suit. The inner suit is power assisted and can be worn without the external mechanised suit. It is armoured, vacuum ready and powered to allow for an extended period of combat. It is designed to increase your strength by a factor of four. It is adjusted to your body, so I suggest you remove the suit you're wearing and put on the inner suit. It should be tight against your skin, and some people carry a small spray canister of lubricant to help them slide in.”
Alice had a can of lubricant and helped Leah slide her legs and arms into the suit. It automatically closed. Leah was standing and waiting for the next instruction when Alice said, “Amazing, you are the first student ever, here in the private sector, or when I was in the Marines, who has not tried to move until instructed. Now be careful, the suit will amplify all your movements, so start small.”
Leah decided to raise herself onto her toes, and she found that her movement when amplified caused her to rise above the surface of the floor by half a foot. For the next thirty minutes she practised walking, running, jumping and punching, she did push-ups, chin-ups and star-jumps. Finally, Alice said, “That is good enough for now. You probably need another few hours, but you have the idea. Now come to the open end of the case.”
Leah shuffled forward, and Alice continued, “This lever here will only unlock the second section if it is pulled down by someone wearing the correct inner suit. Now grip the lever and pull it out from the case and then down the full 180 degrees until it is again flat against the case.”
Leah did as she was told and then the top opened in the middle. Each section slid into recessed cavities at the sides of the case. An entryway opened in front of Leah. Alice said, “This is the entry panel to the suit. You walk in the door, and you'll be inside the control module. It will change shape so that it becomes taller than you by about ten centimetres. The width will also be resized to match the distance between your outstretched arms when they are perpendicular to your body, again with an extra ten centimetres. The depth of the room resizes to be four times the depth of your body, chest to back. Once you are inside, a harness will extend from the walls and anchor you. Then the cavity will fill with a superconductive movement-resistive gel. Once that happens, the legs and arms attach automatically, and the suit will unfold into an upright position. Now step inside and stand still with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your arms down by your sides. The process is automatic.”
Leah did as she was told and found that she could see the whole room. When the Suit stood up, she was elevated at least two meters above the floor. She remained still. Alice’s voice came clearly over the speakers. “Good! Any movement you now make is mirrored and amplified by the suit. If you bend forward slightly, the torso will swivel forward. If you begin to bend down to pick something up, then the suit AI will move the arms, legs, and torso to multiply and mirror your movement. It takes a lot of practice to make the micro movements necessary for quick and efficient action. Now very carefully, slowly take a single step forward.”
Leah took a small step forward, and the suit moved two metres. Alice directed Leah in small movements for about twenty minutes before helping her shut the suit down and repack it in the case. Finally, Leah was back in her usual armour, standing beside the suit’s case. Alice said, “Well done Atherleah. You have the basics of using the suit. We don’t train for the full functions in here because you could potentially destroy the station. You need several hours or days, depending on your ability and perseverance, in the simulator. It will train you to run, jump, shoot, fight, and duck. I have booked you in for the next two hours and will review your performance to see if you need more time. Well done, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.”
Leah spent the next two hours practising in the simulator. From what she could tell the suit really was capable of destroying the station single-handedly. When she was done, she hurried back to her room and logged out to the Tower and then to her room at the complex. After a shower and dressing in her jeans and a button shirt, she headed to the kitchen for a snack and to wait for Jimmy and the bosses.
Jimmy had arranged for the various bosses to arrive at ten that morning. Two others would be from the Switch as its population and area were large enough that Jimmy couldn’t hold onto more than a third easily. In reality, Leah knew that the other two were tied to Jimmy in some way. She had seen enough to know that although the gangs themselves exhibited patterns of rivalry, and even violence at times, that they operated with some type of overarching coordination. She assumed, with some justification, that Jimmy pulled all the strings and the inter-gang rivalry helped with control. Between eight and ten other bosses had been invited from the surrounding areas. Leah had never met any of them although she knew the identifying marks of all the gangs. For example, if you ever saw someone with a safety pin used as an earring then they belonged to a gang from the Vale called the Memorials. The members of Jimmy’s gang were easy to spot as they carried fighting sticks and had a blue cloth tied somewhere on their body, wrist, neck, or ankle. Leah had the cloth but never wore it openly.
Jimmy and John had commandeered one of the offices and several people from the Switch had arrived to act as service waiters. Jimmy was sitting out the front under a small veranda, waiting to greet people when they arrived. John had arranged car-parking away from the buildings. He had over a dozen people walking the compound looking for trouble. Two people were acting as car-park attendants, but their chief job was to check the cars for electronics and weapons. Leah went over to talk to Jimmy.
“So Jimmy, are all the bosses on board?”
“Mostly! The boss from Booval wants to provide second-hand Pods. She’s always been cheap. Can we compromise on that?”
“Sure Jimmy, she can provide a second-hand Pod, and I’ll set it up here. But I won’t match it or provide anything else. I’m not going to help people for nothing Jimmy.”
“I don’t think you know what compromise means. Please remember these people do not have a sense of humour. Also, I imagine some of them will bring a sampling of kids from those you rescued. They’ll want to say thank you and then squeeze you for more. I suggest you be polite and don’t lose your temper.”
“When was the last time I lost my temper?”
“Last April, you broke that boy’s arm and leg.”
“That wasn’t temper Jimmy, that was controlled. He was caught looking through windows at girls getting changed.”
“Boys will be boys.”
“The girls were twelve years old, Jimmy. And don’t give me that ‘boys will be boys’ crap. You agreed with me. I’m surprised he’
s still around.”
“You’re right, and I do agree with you. He is still around, but I will tell you a secret. ‘He now only has one testicle’. But my point is, don’t let them see you get angry. Be cool.”
“I will be. Believe it or not, there have been a couple of times dealing with people in the virtual world when I’ve thought to myself; now how would Jimmy deal with this? I’ve been watching and learning for ten years.”
“Good! Now game face on, and be polite, the first guests are here.”
Leah looked up, and a car was coming toward the gate. John stopped it and checked who was inside, he ran a mirror underneath and then let them in. After it parked, four people emerged. Leah could tell it was a boss, a bodyguard and two young people. She assumed they were two of the people from the Kolelick Mine. The rest of the guests arrived in short order, and soon the group moved inside and stood in the office reception area, almost filling it. With the young people, there were just too many people. Jimmy looked at Leah as if it was her problem to solve.
Leah raised her voice and said, “Welcome everyone to the Pod facility owned and operated by Guàn Enterprises. I know that Mr Loo and his associates have various matters to discuss so I will take the opportunity to show the other visitors around the facilities. If each of the leadership group would follow Mr Loo. Security personnel are welcome to accompany their primary, or come on the tour. The rest of you, we will start the tour under the large tree which I am pointing at. Please follow me.”
As she walked out, she sub-vocalised to Gèng and said, “Please remind my parents the meeting is about to start and they should be in it. Also, let John know we need several people in the main building to keep watch just in case anyone decides to wander.”
Once everyone was clustered under the tree, she sat down and indicated they should do the same. She said, “You are all here because at one stage in your life you wanted to be, or do, more than what was offered in the places you lived. I understand that. I wanted, and I still do want, more than is offered in the Switch. However, your dreams were crushed by the system, by the Government, and by scum who preyed on you. Again, I understand, they tried the same thing with me. Never before, or since, have I felt so violated, abused, or demeaned, and I was lucky, I was able to elude them. Most of you couldn’t, and you suffered stuff that people just don’t understand. Your family probably doesn’t understand, the bosses don’t understand and to be honest I probably don’t understand. The others around you, they do understand.
“I don’t know what the bosses have told you about what’s being offered, but it comes down to this. They think you are ready to go back into the virtual world. They expect you to study and I imagine they also, to some extent, want to use you. They want you to make them money or they want to achieve some influence over you. I mention this because you need to be honest with yourselves, and with the bosses, and to some extent with me. If you are not ready to enter the virtual world, then don’t. Whatever nightmares you have now, they will not be solved by sucking it up and going back in, unless you are ready and prepared.
“The Community College courses are of good quality and with hard work can be passed. The games, when played without coercion are enjoyable, almost addictive, and they are good ways to earn an income. If you have this chance, then any money you earn helps to pay the costs here. If you earn nothing, you pay nothing, and you can still attend college. If you pass, that is good, if you fail then you are out of here. Either way you will have no debt, no debt to me or to the bosses. Forty percent of what you earn helps pay for stuff, half to the boss and a half to me. If you earn enough to pay off your debt, then you'll only be asked to pay for living expenses. Total to be paid off is close to $250,000.
“If you are chosen to stay here then there will be no gangs, no gang influence, no stealing, no violence, no prejudice. Finally, your AIs! I expect most of you struggled with the nascent AI. If you return, then I and my AI will spend some time working with each of you to develop your AI to be both helpful and useful. I am not going to answer questions yet but we will walk around the compound. I’ll show you the facilities, and then we will return here. If you take anything, wander off, or if you act offensively to me, another visitor or my staff then I will bar you from ever using this facility. Now follow me.”
Leah led them around the buildings, explaining where the gardens would be and what might be expected as far as helping. She took them inside and showed them the new pods and the rooms which had been prepared. Leah explained that each boss would provide another Pod and would have the option of choosing someone to live at the facility and that others would be chosen by committee. She warned them that an older couple would manage the facility, and that the couple had the right of veto on anyone coming, even someone chosen by a boss. Finally, they returned to the tree, she sat down and looked around. She said, “Any questions?”
“How did you escape?”
“Luck. I had acquired some better security. It detected their attempt to control me. Without that, I would have been in the same position as you.”
“What type of AI do you have?”
“I had a Nascent AI uploaded into a free chip.”
“What if I don’t get accepted?”
“I don’t know. You’ve seen I have more rooms than Pods. I’d be prepared to get more Pods but it’s expensive. I don’t think this is a once only chance. There is always next time.”
“How much money have you made?”
“Enough to buy ten pods.”
“Why did they do it?”
“Who?”
“The people who trapped me?”
“They are immoral people who think that the world belongs to them. They think people are just resources to be used. They are scum who have everything and want more. To be honest, though, I have no idea why. I just know they need to be stopped.”
“Will they get away with it?”
“Maybe, possibly, even probably. But let that go. I don’t mean you should ignore them, or somehow forget them, what I mean is you need to stop letting them control you. Don’t let them control your mood, your happiness, your future, your family, or any other part of your lives. You, we, need to deny them power over us. They are not worthy to mould your future. Your family is, your friends might be, your abilities and dreams should. God, if you believe, is. But those people, they are not worthy.”
Leah continued to answer questions until John interrupted to say, “Sorry Leah but the ‘Leadership Group’ wants to discuss things with you. I will take these others to get started on some snacks and drinks.”
As she walked back to the offices she noticed that John had set up a target and had several bows placed under a table ready to check her skills. She entered the offices and after knocking entered the room and went to sit next to her parents. Jimmy said, “We’ve had a good and fruitful discussion. There are a few points where we haven’t quite reached an agreement. I’ll let the various ‘leaders’ raise their questions or concerns.”
An older, rather corpulent man, leant forward and said, “You are too young to have a seat on the committee.”
Leah just sat there in silence. After a moment he said, “Well, what do you have to say?”
“I’m sorry sir, I don’t know your name but you didn’t ask a question. You said I was too young. I am too polite to tell you that you are too old, that it’s my money and facilities you want, or that you need me far more than I need you. So I refrained from speaking. Mr Loo is always telling me I need to learn when not to speak.”
The man glared at Leah while several of the others had a chuckle. One of the women said, “What do you get out of this?”
“Nothing! But my parents raised me to do what is right if I can. This seems right.”
“Why do we have to agree to let them off without debt?”
“Because if you don’t then you are making them your slaves instead of someone else’s. I know people should pay for what they get, and I hate the idea of a free handou
t, but the reality is you will only change the current situation by setting people free. The government controls us by regulating every aspect of our lives. If you can’t set these people, some of the best you have, free; then you end up just being another master. I hope that they will pay you back out of gratitude, by their choice, and through their decisions. But you can’t force that, or it won’t be real, it won’t actually change anything.”
“Why new Pods?”
“Security, safety and economics. Security, I am not very trusting at the moment. Safety, I don’t know how to fix the Pods, and all the AI are nascent. Economics, I am in this for the long haul, these should last fifteen to twenty years.”
“Why does Jimmy get to sit on each committee?”
“He is the boss of this area. I am beholden to him. He set this up. It's really a simple matter of influence and power, and at the moment, he has both.”
The questions continued for another twenty minutes and then the bosses finally agreed to the agreement as prepared. Everyone signed the papers as did Leah. Jimmy said, “Thank you all for coming and for agreeing. As soon as you either have the money or can arrange a Pod delivery, then we can start helping these kids get back into the virtual world. Let’s go eat.”
Leah stood at the door and shook hands. The last person was the old man who had started the questions. He shook her hand and said, “I apologise for my comment. You showed that you deserve a place at the table by the way you answered the questions. I want to thank you for what you did. My oldest granddaughter was missing for three years, and now I have her back. If you ever need anything, you call me. My name is Peter, Peter Johnson and I’m from Basin Pocket.”
The rest of the visit went well, but Leah was pleased when everyone, including Jimmy, had finally gone. She sat with her parents and discussed the morning. Finally she excused herself and entered the Pod saying to Gèng she needed two hours of NREM3 sleep but first, she needed to visit ‘Dark Moon Duel’ to check on her purchases for the tournament she'd agreed to enter.