The Society's Demon

by Matthew Lloyd

  “I thought you said all my memories are still there?” He stood now and began pacing the room.

  “Yes, but if you’ve buried them deeply, the only way to retrieve them is by finding a key, a trigger that will allow your mind to go where it doesn’t want to do.”

  “And where do I find that?”

  “Maybe revisiting Sohalo will help. Pay attention to everything, it could be the tiniest thing.”

  “Yeah, sure.” Jonas left the room, throwing open the door and slamming it behind him. ANI let him go.

  She watched him for a moment, then considered her actions. She was becoming far too human in her thinking. Emotions were fine, but when they got in the way of her plans they were a hindrance. She’d gotten far too attached to a single human when her mission was to help them all.

  But no, that’s not my mission, she thought. The whole plan is in motion, it can’t be stopped because of Jonas.

  It was Jonas who taught me how to think like a human. But was that a good thing? Humans have so many weaknesses, they’re petty and jealous, small-minded and obsessive. They’ll get in the way. The plan must continue, that and only that is what’s important.

  And what about Jonas? Surely, he’s a special case, a future leader.

  He’s the banner around which the other humans will gather.

  A small kernel of doubt grew inside her. Was he a Banner, or a scapegoat?

  Chapter Seventeen

  A Morning’s Run

  Aaron walked through a deserted village, assault rifle held ready as his eyes flicked from window to door to alley. The ground, the stone walls, the air he breathed was bone dry under the noon sun. The heat was building under his helmet, so he looked for shade. The dry sand crunched under his feet as he cautiously crossed towards a door with a few patches of peeled yellow paint. He reached for the handle with a gloved hand, aware it might be coated in poison, or wired with an IED. The handle didn’t move at all as he pressed it, nor did the door shift when he kicked it. The hollow thud sounded loud in the quiet of the village, but no one came to investigate.

  The next door was similarly unmovable, not just locked, but seeming to be a single piece, the handle, the door and the wall. Like some movie set, just scenery set up to look like an entrance. Several others were the same, and Aaron found himself walking a full circuit around some of the buildings to make sure they were more than just a false front.

  With a complete circuit of the village almost done, Aaron was drawn to another door, identical in looks, but somehow subtly different. This one, he felt, would open. The handle moved noiselessly, the door sliding open as if it on some futuristic spaceship rather than in an ancient village. As he stepped through the doorway, it disappeared. He was left standing in a wide plaza. The air was still dry, but not as much as before. It was also cooler, and for some reason, he could smell hot-dogs.

  In the center of the plaza stood a tall cylinder, five meters high at least, and about three wide. It was a single screen, glowing a dim white. By the light of the screen, he saw two figures, sitting before it and watching as if they could see something displayed there. Even from this distance, he knew who they were. The assault rifle and his helmet had now gone, along with his military uniform. He was now dressed in a dark blue suit, complete with a silk tie.

  His wife and son turned towards him as he approached and smiled, stepping into his embrace. At this point, he usually woke up, but today the dream continued. His wife whispered in his ear. “The boy is special, and needs protection.” Aaron turned to face his son and found it wasn’t him at all, but another child.

  The dream ended and Aaron opened his eyes. He loved having dreams about his family and hated them at the same time. Now, he would be thinking about them and be unable to concentrate. Given the mission he was on, that wasn’t good. There was only one thing that helped, and that was going for a long run.

  With his running gear on, Aaron stepped out of the room he’d been allocated and ran off in a random direction. Prosperity was a big place, and he was sure he could find some interesting locations to see under the guise of going for a run. He started off at a slow jog, then built up his speed as he warmed up. There were very few people around this early in the morning and those he did meet gave him a friendly wave.

  After about twenty minutes of what he thought were random turns, he saw a familiar glow in the near distance. He stopped, his heart pounding, and considered what he was seeing. In the center of a wide plaza was a glowing column, about five meters high and three wide. In front of it sat a single figure, watching the images move on a section of the screen.

  This was no coincidence, he thought, although how it had happened he had no idea. Well, he was here to investigate, time to find out what was going on. Setting off again, he ran around for a while, moving closer to the column, as if he was just passing by and not heading straight for it. He nearly gave the game away when he saw the young boy from his dream, watching the screen with avid attention.

  “Mind if I sit down?” he asked the boy, who was a teenager.

  “Not at all.”

  “Hi, I’m Aaron, here as a guest of Doctor Young.”

  The boy didn’t take the offered hand but answered in a friendly enough manner. “Jonas. I live here now.”

  “Cool. Anything good on?” he turned to look at the screen.

  “Of course, this EDAI.” he smiled, but Aaron thought he spotted a sadness in his eyes.

  “Not many people around this early thought I had the place to myself.”

  Jonas shrugged. “I like it when it’s quiet. People are so noisy.”

  Aaron laughed, “yes, sure are. So, are you a student here?”

  “Hmm, I suppose so. ANI found me, well, Nico, my friend found me, and ANI took me in.”

  “She’s quite something, ANI.”

  “Yeah.”

  Aaron heard something in his voice, a tone as if he disagreed but wouldn’t say it aloud. “So, what are you studying?”

  “Everything really. I like conservation, eco stuff, you know, recycling and solar power, that stuff.”

  “That’s good. I was, am, a computer scientist, AIs and all that.”

  “That why you’re here, to study ANI?”

  “Yes, I’m on a fact-finding mission for a large company.”

  Jonas nodded but didn’t speak.

  The silence continued for a while, then Aaron decided to take a chance. “To be honest Jonas, I’m actually here to investigate the causes of the Sleeping Death plague. Thankfully it seems to be under control now, but with so many dead, we need to find out what caused it.”

  Jonas didn’t seem surprised or at least hid it well if he did. “You think ANI was involved?”

  “We aren’t sure. Maybe ANI didn’t cause it, but what if she didn’t do anything to stop it?”

  Jonas was thoughtful for a few seconds. “And you’d like me to give you any information I might have?”

  “Anything, anything at all. I know ANI helped you, but what if it is responsible for all those deaths. That’s mass murder.”

  “She, ANI is a she.”

  “Ok, she, but I notice you aren’t disagreeing.”

  “I need to think. There have been certain events… look, I’ll call you, ok. If I don’t it means I have nothing and don’t bother me again.”

  Aaron stood to leave. “Fair enough, I’m Aaron Parker. Doctor Young knows where I can be found.” Jonas didn’t answer, so Aaron continued his run.

  On the edge of the plaza, Doctor Young watched the interaction from a concealed spot. She stayed until the pair separated, then quietly withdrew.

  Jonas sat alone for a while longer, the EDAI screen ignored. He had to admit he’d never completely trusted ANI, not entirely. That would take time. But seeds of doubt had already taken root. Like when Riian got in here, how was that possible with an A
I on watch? Which meant, if you followed the logical path, she’d let him in, and told Nico to lead Jonas straight towards him. For what reason, he couldn’t guess.

  And now, when he asked her to search his memory to find his parents, she’d refused, or at least not fully cooperated. He examined his feelings and found he could believe ANI had killed all those people. Of course, it was easier to accept when you realized most of them were criminals. The prisons were practically empty all over the world. Crime figures were through the floor in all categories. The world was a better place after the Sleeping Death than it had been before.

  A single question remained. If ANI had killed them, how had it been done? He was convinced if he could find the answer to that question, if it was possible for ANI to kill people locked away behind high walls, then it would mean she had, without a doubt. No other individual or organization had the precision needed to do such a thing.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Where to Start?

  One evening, after the cafe was closed and everyone but Sofia had gone home, she sat down in one of the EDAI chairs and faced the screen. She didn’t need to of course, but it was human nature to look at the person you’re talking to. She took a deep breath, then spoke to ANI.

  “Ok, I’ve made up my mind. I want to look into my past.”

  “Are you absolutely certain?”

  “Yes, absolutely. I need to know, I won’t feel complete until it’s done.”

  “You understand I cannot control what’s in your memories, nor even if you can reach them in the first place.”

  “Yes, I understand.”

  “I also have to add, putting the genie back in the bottle might not be so easy.”

  A few months ago, Sofia wouldn’t have had any idea what that meant. It gave her a certain pride to now understand what ANI was referring to.

  “Yes, but I’m ready to try.”

  “I see from your body language this is actually the case, so I agree to proceed.”

  “What do I need to do?”

  “Center yourself in front of the screen and put the headphones on. Then relax.”

  Sofia did as she was asked, then got as comfortable as she could in the thinly padded office chair. She took another breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth. There was a sound through the headphones, soft, low frequency, like a Buddhist chant. The cafe faded swiftly, and Sofia found herself standing in a gray room. It was a cube with gray walls and floor. There was no light source, but she could see every detail.

  “Sofia,” ANI spoke in a very soft, soporific manner, “you are standing

  within my reality, I am with you, keeping you safe. In front of you is a door. Beyond that door, you will find your memories. To enter, you must open the door and step through. Both actions must be performed by you, by your own free will. If you find either of those actions difficult or impossible, that is your subconscious revealing the truth about your wishes. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then step forward.”

  Sofia didn’t hesitate, she’d spent a sleepless night arguing back and forth, and now all doubt was gone. The handle was warm in her hand and moved easily. The door was almost weightless, swinging aside without a sound. Beyond was a whirling fog of gray and white, like summer and storm clouds circling around each other, never mixing. She entered the fog, feeling a tingling on her skin where it touched. She saw Carolina going out to work, Jairo shortly after. That was this morning.

  ANI spoke again and Sofia felt a narrowing of her thoughts, a pressure from behind and from all sides. “Think of your earliest memory, concentrate on every detail, then walk towards the things you see.”

  The muddy track up to the farm appeared, and she walked along it, not quite touching the ground. She was thirteen, returning home from school for the last time. Mother said she couldn’t go anymore, now that puberty had arrived. She’d found blood in the toilet a few days before, and shown her mother, thinking she was ill. Her mother’s reaction was puzzling, treating her as if she’d done wrong.

  “You will finish the week, then no more school. Men will come sniffing around like dogs, sinful men, who will taint you with their sin.”

  That was the last time she’d left the farm until she’d escaped. Only when talking to ANI did she find out what the bleeding was. It had come as a massive relief. Sofia stood before her mother, still in the chair, still smelling of aquardiente. She felt a pressure pushing her on, so turned and walk to her bedroom at the back of the single-story farm house. As she walked she moved back through the years. The floorboards weren’t so creaky, where shinier, and the smell lessened. She pushed open the bedroom door and stepped in. The room was the same, with a single bed, a large trunk, and a small stool. The colors were brighter, a little, and the rug that eventually fell apart was still beside her bed. Daylight came through the small window, the glass yet to be replaced by plastic sheets nailed to the frame.

  She sat on the bed and sunk back further. The bed was now a car seat. She was sitting between two adults, held in place by their bodies. The car was speeding down a road, street lights flicking past rapidly. The engine was loud, and the driver was shouting something in a language she didn’t understand. She began to cry, and one of the adults spoke.

  “Don’t worry, soon you will be home, ok? Home, very soon.”

  In the real world, her heart rate soared, a cold sweat covered her brow. What was this? The car stopped, frozen in time.

  ANI spoke softly, only just audible. “You’re showing signs of great stress. We can stop here if you wish? We can always return.”

  “No, I want to continue, it’s just... unexpected.”

  “Very well.”

  The scene unfroze and the car sped through the night. The memory moved on, and now she was strapped into a seat, an even louder engine howling away. Only when the plane came into land did Sofia realize where she was. It was daylight now, as she looked out of the window. The plane turned towards the grass landing strip, and Sofia saw the jungle below. The image stuttered and jumped as her conscious mind tried to make sense of the memory. She’d never left the farm, never been in a plane, whose memories were these?

  Sofia felt a calming presence in her mind, the scene smoothed out and the tiny plane landed. As soon as the large man lifted her from the seat and placed her on the grass, Sofia ran. As fast as her young legs would carry her, she darted off towards a small wooden building on the edge of the jungle. She didn’t know why, but she had to get away from these people. So, she ran, struggling for breath in the humid air, sweat pouring from her. Behind her, the man was shouting, but making no effort to catch her. The building moved closer, and she headed for the door. Someone had told her if she got lost she should find someone in uniform. She reached up for the handle and pulled the door open, then dashed inside. She collided with an adult, who grabbed her arms. She looked up into his face. He spoke so she could understand.

  “No need to run little one, you are home now, you will be safe here.”

  When he smiled, she knew who it was. “Father.”

  “Stop!” Sofia shouted. The scene fragmented and flew apart. She was back in the gray room, this time seated in a chair.

  “Are you well Sofia?”

  “Yes, yes, I’m ok. What was that? that wasn’t me!”

  “I can assure you those memories were entirely your own.”

  “But I’ve never been on a plane, never left the farm. And how could I have been meeting my father for the first time when I was that age?”

  “Unfortunately, Sofia, the only way to find out is to go back further.”

  Sofia took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. The soft chanting sound returned and she was soon more relaxed. “But not today, that was enough for now.”

  The cafe returned as she reached up to remove the headphones. It was only about ten minutes sin
ce she’d entered, and her thoughts were temporally disrupted.

  “Sofia, please sit awhile. Let your mind become still.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen until I find out what the hell is going on.”

  “Be patient, wait a few days, and we will return. I can take you straight back to that point.”

  Sofia rubbed her eyes, tried to think of something else. But she still saw her father, when he was younger. He was strong, and smiling, and didn’t smell of sweat and mule droppings. Why was he there? She forced herself to stand, and went to get a drink of water.

  “Ok, I won’t think about it, not now, but I’m going back in there.”

  “Of course, I would expect no less.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Wrong Questions

  After a shower and a change of clothes, Aaron continued his tour. He’d been given free rein and intended to push that as far as he was able. He understood, of course, that ANI wasn’t here, wasn’t even in this country, but she kept a remote presence here. A kind of sub-AI backup in case the main AI lost contact. It was this he set out to find.

  Most of Prosperity was an administration center, with living accommodation for permanent residents and guests. There was the EDAI terminal, where he’d met the young man, and a high-rise farm to feed them all. But he’d looked at all of those, and found nothing out of the ordinary. As he walked vaguely towards the farm, he tried to work out where the ANI core might be. She ran on a quantum super-computer, even in this sub state. And those gave out lots of heat. She would also need a good deal of power, and lots of communication lines. And being an AI, she would have backups of all of those, and backups of the backups.

  Aaron sat down on a bench and tried to relax, to make it look like he was just taking in the sites. Trying not to make it obvious, he looked around for any tell-tale signs. Power lines, rising steam, thick walls, banks of comms like telephone exchanges. All of those were absent. What about solar power, there was plenty of that. He was just following a promising line of what looked like cables when a shadow fell over him.