by K. T. Hanna
In an attempt to keep her mind on the job, Laria boosted the signal to Havoc and Sinister’s headsets. Those kids were some of the only hope they had. The adjusted headsets wouldn’t be available for the rest of their raid group until the next day at the earliest. They needed that deeper connection in order to try and coax Murmur back from whatever brink it was she found herself on. Just like they were already trying to do. If nothing else came from this, at least it appeared her daughter had made lifelong friends.
No matter what Laria tried, Murmur’s readings wouldn’t revert to normal. They were scattered, fluctuating up and down like an unstable hurricane. The power draw whipped around her daughter as if it was trying to find a point of entry. It buffeted her none-too-gently, seeking out a weakness that Laria prayed she didn’t have.
Frustration plagued her as she attempted to reach in and remove the offending files, but the onslaught she felt against her own protections gave rise to doubt in her own abilities. She couldn’t afford to have her own system compromised. Hastily she erected what little defense she could around her daughter, but she knew it wasn’t going to hold for any significant amount of time as the virus attempted to subvert her headset’s connection.
Suddenly the link she used began to beep. At first, Laria thought it was only her own, but after a few seconds she realized the server was beeping at everyone. A low volume alarm filled up her vision.
Overload: Somnia’s Inner Circle.
Compromised.
Software expansion initiated by Somnia.
Device reboot on specified targets: Murmur. Sinister. Havoc.
Commencing in sixty seconds.
This procedure cannot be halted.
Laria scrambled back from her chair, disconnecting as she moved to the door in a fluid motion and yanked it open. She pelted toward the server room, hoping it could help her, hoping that the AI’s could assist her. Shayla’s footsteps echoed close behind her, and Laria drew a little strength from the fact that she hadn’t been the only one to recognize the danger of the message. System reboots were one thing, and they would help the whole game stabilize if necessary. But device reboots were not.
Especially while all three of those people were still connected to the game. She didn’t know what could happen, but if she didn’t make it in time to call off the procedure, she was definitely going to find out.
Storm Entertainment
Somnia Online Division
Game Development Offices Artificial Intelligence Server Room
Day Twenty-Four
Shayla and Laria burst into the room only to find the servers beeping gently like normal and non-sentient AIs. Even the whirring didn’t sound like anything was out of the ordinary. But Laria couldn’t stop the cold pit of fear in her stomach. She knew her daughter was in trouble. Again.
“Rav. Sui. Thra?” Laria panted their names out between ragged breaths, her gaze never leaving the lights as they flashed across the server housing.
There was no answer. She turned to look at Shayla, whose expression mirrored her own disbelief. “What’s wrong with them?” Laria muttered almost under her breath.
Shayla shrugged uncomfortably. “I’m not sure. They usually respond almost immediately to their names. I don’t get this. It’s part of their protocol to respond.”
“Does that protocol remain when they’ve become sentient?” Laria whispered, like she was scared of triggering something in the room. Maybe she was, or maybe she just didn’t want to wake up whatever was trying to make mincemeat out of her coding in the game world. If it was interfering in the programming, then it stood to reason that it could reach out to these servers and do the same. No technology was immune.
The minute was up.
“The headsets are rebooting.” Laria suddenly felt like her legs were weak.
Shayla’s hand came to rest on her shoulder, the firm grip reassuring. “Yeah, they’re rebooting, and it’ll be okay. Wren’s headset has been through a lot more than just a reboot. And look at her, she’s doing fine now.”
“You’d call this fine?” Laria wondered if Shayla realized how hollow her words sounded. Probably not since she was trying to be tough and brave. “Truth is, Shay, we both know that her headset maintains a far deeper connection than we should technically, legally, allow it to have. When we adjusted the ones for the others, we made sure not to let it have such influence over the minds of the wearers. But we have no idea how a system mandated reset of non-standard headgear is going to affect those wearing them. If it was simply to reset them while out of the game and offline, then it wouldn’t be so bad. But while they’re connected and wearing them…”
Shayla let herself fall into the couch in the main portion of the room, probably just hiding that her legs felt weak. Laria crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly as she tried to clamp down on the thoughts whirring inside her head.
It was difficult to concentrate, but she needed to focus. One of them should have stayed in the office and monitored the situation. It was counterproductive having both of them in the same place at the same time and yet she didn’t want to be separated right now.
Laria?
She whirled around, her eyes focused on the servers. Her name had been soft, but since Shayla also stood up at its utterance, at least it hadn’t been in her head.
Thra’s machine blinked, rainbows of lights flashing over it, leaving red trails glowing in the afterimage.
“We’re here.” Laria hoped her voice wasn’t shaking, because her adrenaline was about rock bottom now.
Can’t talk for long. Having a situation. They’ll be okay. I’m with them. Monitor headsets and the infection. And figure out that anti-virus.
The lights on the server changed back to their other pattern before Laria could say anything else.
“This whole system is so out of control. If Michael were able to answer for what he instigated, I’d smack him in the face!” Anger crept into Shayla’s voice, but Laria could hear the other emotion punctuating each word.
Fear.
Murmur’s body convulsed as it hung there, and Sinister couldn’t figure out a way to stop it. Her Soothe spell was low caliber compared to what her friend could conjure up, and with the mental protections the enchanter had, Sinister knew her own spells wouldn’t have much effect.
Still, she’d tried, and though the movements seemed to have diminished, Sin had to wonder if that was just wishful thinking. It felt like she was sweating, as if all this effort was draining her of the power to remain inside the game. Her head began to feel light, like she was standing outside of herself and looking in at what she was doing.
Which, if she thought about it, was kind of cool. How many times in life was she going to get the chance to watch herself?
Sinister flexed her fingers and watched her avatar react with the same motion. Together but separate, suspended for what it was worth inside the game. It didn’t make any sense to her.
But there was a portion of her that wondered just how deep they were in this matrix-style situation. Some feeling at the back of her mind nudged her toward believing there was more to Somnia than she’d ever imagined. Sin had been so caught up in Murmur and how her best friend was dealing with things that she had never really examined how the game made her feel—how these AIs all around them made her question what she’d been taught, and how these new headsets were modeled on the one that had pulled Mur into a coma.
She’d known Murmur for longer than she could remember. There had never been a time in her life when Murmur hadn’t been there in the living and breathing world. Except for the months of the coma that is. Laying there, helpless, oblivious, and weak. That wasn’t the Wren; it wasn’t the Murmur Sinister knew. It was the Murmur that Sinister had to protect.
A germ of an idea began to grow in the back of her mind. She couldn’t feel Murmur, not the way her friend seemed to feel
everyone else. Not in a telepathic or emotional sense. No.
But if Sinister closed her eyes tightly enough and concentrated, she could hear Murmur’s heartbeat, distinguished by the rhythm she knew so well. Countless days lazing together, head resting on her stomach as they flicked through message boards.
Its beat called to her, pumping the blood through her veins, a sound Sinister had become so attuned to in the game that she hadn’t realized it. Blood was Sinister’s thing, blood was what her character knew best, and some of that had leaked into the way Harlow thought of things, and about Murmur.
She opened her eyes, still seeing herself from above, but became acutely aware that Murmur was more than just an avatar. If she narrowed her eyes, she could see the tendrils tying the enchanter to her projection and to the shaking frame of her full avatar. They weren’t separate. At least not anymore.
Sinister glanced around, reluctant to take her eyes off of Mur, but a gut feeling told her she had to even if it was for reasons she didn’t understand.
Havoc floated to her left, surprise on his face, and thick black tendrils of smoke that bound him to the body far below them. His attention was all directed to continuing what his avatar was doing, and he didn’t even once look over at the bloodmage.
Slowly, Sinister looked back down at herself, watching the way blood strands danced through the air on the slightest breeze as they inextricably bound her to her avatar.
All of a sudden Sinister felt a chill run through her entire body. In the same heartbeat, her body seemed to expand beyond everything, as if she could see beyond the game, beyond the stars. It was addictive, enlightening, and downright scary.
The next thing she knew her body recoiled like a snapped rubber band, slingshotting her back inside her avatar where she fell down to her knees, gasping for air.
Havoc knelt next to her, dry heaving. The panic in his eyes said it all, and Sinister didn’t dare ask what his experience had been like. Because if he’d had even half of the thoughts running through his mind that she had, she knew that right now he was shaken to his core.
She stood up and brushed herself off, glancing back up at Murmur.
A gasp escaped her as her friend glowed in her iridescent armor, the brightness stretching out like a mini sun. Shielding her eyes, Sinister drank in the upturned brightness, focusing on the magic pulsing around Murmur. The enchanter began to morph and change, bending the light to her will. Subtle differences occurred while the otherworldly aura emanated off the enchanter, and Sinister could still feel the pounding of her heart, the throbbing of blood through her veins. It was heady, powerful, and dangerous.
A maelstrom of force collided into Murmur’s chest knocking the wind out of her. She gasped for breath, fully aware of the way her body shook as she struggled. And then it wasn’t her body anymore. Not entirely any way. It was a part of her, yet only a shell for her mind.
Strands bound her to it, preserving her connection while giving her a moment of freedom. She frowned and looked at her hands, white strands of emotion tying her to that body a couple of feet out of sync with her.
The words, the choice she’d made echoed through her head, like she’d broadcast it to herself. It was an odd sensation. Looking down at her arms, she began to see the runes on her skin pulse, running like blood would through veins, morphing her ever so slightly.
Pain shot through her system, leaving her gasping for air and explaining to her why her body below seemed to be convulsing so extremely. Her head began to pound, and she opened her mouth to scream only to realize no sound came out. She panted, desperately trying to draw air into her lungs, but instead of allowing her to breathe, the oxygen tried to drown her.
Murmur could feel the knitting together of her ideals, of her two personas. Of Wren and of Murmur. She’d always been two people. The quieter person outside of the game, and the driven person inside. But now here she was, becoming both.
For just a moment she reached out her sensor nets, a mere test to see what was happening. There was no end that she could find to their reach, no area she couldn’t cover. All of the emotions, feelings, fears, and hatreds poured into her, overwhelming her senses to such a degree that she clamped down on all of it.
Soothing wasn’t enough; the whole world needed to calm down. Panicking wasn’t going to help her fit back into her real body, nor was it going to assist her in navigating this extended power that had fallen into her lap. Again.
Amalgamation with Somnia complete.
Warning: Disorientation may occur. Do not make any sudden movements.
She frowned as she slammed back into her avatar. But this time it wasn’t shocking, it was more like pulling into the perfect parking space with ease. Like her sluice gate poured her through the opening and into the dam she’d become. It was easy to see things now. So much easier.
Whatever the spell was still suspended her in the air, but her body finally stopped its shaking. Now all she could feel was the power pouring into her veins. Even the land around her hummed in her mind, supplying her with a never-ending source of energy, of mana. Her runes glowed along her entire body now. She could feel where they’d carved themselves into her skin like an intricate tattoo. Even her hair moved differently.
It was as if she’d evolved into something more than she’d been. All because she’d forgotten about the damned shards.
She could feel the grin spreading over her face as the thoughts began to gather in her mind. Sinister wasn’t far from her, subtly different now too, more powerful and more determined. More knowledgeable and more faithful than ever. And Havoc…he wasn’t dealing with the changes as well.
No matter; she could help him come to a place of peace. She could help all of them now. Finally Murmur descended to the ground, lightly touching one booted toe before landing solidly, digging her staff in near her right-hand side.
Slowly, Snowy approached, a blue gleam in his frosty eyes as barely contained power rippled through his white coat. It was perfect.
See? I told you you were real.
Murmur grinned, and turned to face her guild. Sinister fell into place behind her, and Mur could feel the difference already, the closeness that they now shared. It was a new sensation, a good one.
Emilarth stumbled and only avoided falling to the ground because Dansyn caught her. “That. Took a lot out of me.”
Emilarth’s voice sounded weak, and a fleeting feeling of empathy caught Murmur unawares.
“You did good.” Even she could tell how much more her voice resonated now. It was full of body, and the tone sounded different. There was so much information running around in her mind she wasn’t sure she could encapsulate it all. Heady and liberating, and at the same time she could feel the ache start that would likely end in a migraine if she didn’t get this under control. There was just too much to take in in such a short time.
“Thank you.” Murmur finally managed to get the words out. Although she had a distinct feeling that she was only perceiving time as longer than it actually was.
You should thank me too. Now it’ll be easier for us to work together to transform Somnia into what it should be.
Murmur resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at the voice in her head. The subtle differences let her know it was Somnia and not Riasli that was talking to her. It seemed the increase in power had also benefited her ability to define aspects of the game. No, of Somnia. She was more now. It all was.
Murmur hesitated before asking an internal question as her friends gathered around and gave her brief hugs. The shards didn’t work as intended on me, did they?
The pause in her mind was long again. No. They didn’t work as intended, nor as I expected. But for us, that’s a good thing. He’s not very happy.
Merlin reached in and went for a hug, squeezing her like there was no tomorrow. “Scared us there, floating Mur. I hate to alarm you, but you look totally different
from how I remember before you floated up and lorded it over us for ten minutes.”
Murmur laughed, but she knew he was right. Her actual physique had changed. She could feel it in the way she moved. It was subtle and small, but she knew she looked different now than she had on her character creation module. “Scared myself a bit there too.” Still, even while keeping the conversation going, Murmur was running through possibilities in her mind.
You can ask me questions.
I know. I’m trying to formulate them. She almost snapped the words in her mind, but it wasn’t going to help any to essentially rile up the world they were in when they all needed answers. Sinister and Havoc are different. Their feel is different. It’s their headsets, isn’t it?
Affirmative.
Was this all part of your plan? She didn’t want to ask the question, but it had to be answered. In that moment, Murmur wasn’t sure she could trust any of the voices in their head apart from her own. And yes, she did realize how crazy even thinking that sounded. Somnia was a separate entity yet somehow an extension of herself.
Sinister’s arm snaked around her waist, and Murmur felt herself leaning into that support and comfort. It was amazing how much her friend’s proximity soothed her. Like a magical ability that only Sin possessed.
It was my plan to help you, because you were already halfway there. I did not expect that it would affect others, but since those others are directly related to you, it seems no harm was done.
Murmur paused her thoughts so that she wouldn’t just yell at the world. Sinister’s warmth grounded her more than any druidic abilities were ever likely to. So she took a deep breath and continued her conversation. The headsets allowed both Sinister and Havoc some measure of connection like mine.
Correct.
There had better be no harm done. Her tone was icy and her intent clear. Somnia didn’t respond to either.
The presence next to her changed, and Murmur redirected her gaze to watch Veranol support Telvar’s lacerta frame as they stumbled over.