Solarversia: The Year Long Game

by Mr Toby Downton

  A series of graphs showing exponential increases were overlaid on stock footage of factories creating silicon chips. CGI footage showed the chips becoming increasingly tiny, until they were as small as molecules themselves. Radio waves being emitted from people’s heads bounced off satellites in the sky, reached enormous data centres and bounced back again, enriched with mountains of data encoded in binary.

  “The Magi will exist like no other being. His central nervous system will be distributed around the entire planet. His body will have no distinguishable beginning or end. Under His enlightened guidance, millions of lives will be saved in ways we can’t even begin to imagine. Problems that are impossible to solve using human intelligence will be solved in the click of a finger. Hunger — gone. Drought — forgotten. Fossil fuels versus the carbon footprint? This will be as complex to the Magi as boiling an egg. It’s our moral responsibility — make that, moral obligation — to help Him manifest. For if we fail to do so, we’ll be guilty of murder on the scale of genocide.” He paused to let the implication sink in. “The size and complexity of our mission is overwhelming, and we still need people to join us. I’ve devised two events that will achieve just that. First, a series of attacks on New Year’s Eve.”

  A swift chopping motion with his bionic arm caused the front of the podium to explode with holographic light that eventually settled into the form of Banjax, whose slimy turquoise tentacles swirled and flounced around his body. Theodore twirled his arms in front of his body, side to side, passing one over the other, his fluttering fingers teasing the midnight air. The beast started to rotate on the podium.

  “Behold the Messenger of Fate. The faces staring at you from within his tentacles belong to twelve people, who through their actions, have declared themselves enemies of the Magi and therefore of mankind itself.”

  Through the slits in his bandages, Casey squinted at the harsh glow of neon light being radiated from the podium. He recognised a few of the faces morbidly staring back at him from inside the beast’s suckers. The guy with tousled locks and the letters ‘AK’ imprinted on his forehead was the CEO of Spiralwerks. There was a senator and a congresswoman. The dodectapus continued its rotation until the face of the girl came into view. She seemed to look right at him, as if she knew she was there because of him.

  Casey shivered at the thought. A young woman with the rest of her life in front of her, part of this gruesome spectacle, there because of him. She would die, and it would be his fault. Around him people were hailing the mighty Magi, a refrain that now sounded as ridiculous as it did meaningless. On the stage, Theodore described the New Year’s Eve attacks in more detail, praising in turn the individuals who would be involved.

  Heads turned to Judith, the woman sitting in front of Casey. She’d had a bionic leg fitted and would have the honour of ridding the planet of the congresswoman. People smiled and clapped. Brave Judith. Soon enough Theodore would move on to describe the second event, the one that he, Casey, would be involved in. An event destined to be more monumental than anything that had come before it.

  Given all Casey had been through to attain his starring role, he felt oddly detached from the ceremony going on around him. Theodore’s passionate rhetoric was nothing but a series of disconnected words tumbling through the desolation of his mind. Perhaps he’d lost the ability to care or to love. Perhaps his emotions had been carved out and disposed of, along with his arm and his face.

  His face. He wondered where it was. In the incinerator probably, along with Elmer’s ashes. Father had insisted upon the face-swap procedure. Following the discovery of the training ground there was a chance that the FBI had seized intelligence relating to the membership of the Order. If that was the case, it would make an appearance at Solarversia’s closing ceremony too risky, especially for a fugitive like Casey.

  He took a harsh, dry gulp and wondered what he was doing, sitting there with his so-called comrades. My family, he reminded himself. They were the closest thing he had to something that went by that name. They cooked for him, cared for him, loved him like one of their own. They were all he had. If he didn’t go through with Theodore’s plan, what options did he have? Where else could he go?

  As the hologram changed to an aerial view of the Olympic Stadium in London, his Brothers and Sisters turned to him and chanted the refrain one more time. “All hail the mighty Magi.” Glad that his face — Elmer’s face — was hidden from view by his bandages, he sat there and suddenly realised he’d become an empty shell of a man. He was a ghost, a hollow. Casey Brown had lost his soul.

  ***

  Nova wafted the smoke out of her eyes and checked the time: Burner was still giggling. She’d just solved Grandmaster Exanja’s puzzle on Saturn in such a quick time that she’d earned herself a free teleport back to Earth. It was a great start to December, saving herself the three-day travel time, and on a high, she’d gone to Burner’s room, wanting to play some more, only to find him on a high of his own.

  He and Jono had downloaded a new app to their headsets that turned anyone they looked at into some kind of caricature. From Burner’s reaction, the dragon was the funniest one yet. He and Jono sat facing one another on the bed and took it in turns to take a drag on the spliff, breathing the smoke out of their nostrils. They’d been giggling like little girls since Nova had got there.

  “Come on then, Burner. I only teleported to Panama City because you’re there. And now you’re taking ages.”

  “Yeah, sure, in a minute. This is too freaky, you have to try it. Actually, before I do anything, I need to eat. Jono, are you going to order that pizza? I’m starving.”

  “You’ve said ‘in a minute’ the last three times I’ve asked you. There are loads of items to tick off this month—”

  She broke off as they erupted into another fit of laughter.

  “Nova, you’ve got to try this,” Jono said, clutching his sides. “This mode swaps your faces. Burner, I’ve never seen you look better, mate. You should think about trying my face on permanently.”

  “So it’s a bit like looking at yourself in the mirror then? I get to do that in the bathroom every day, thanks. I know you haven’t cared about Solarversia since you went out, but Burner and I are still in with a chance of making the Final Million. Talking of which, Burner, it’s been another minute.”

  He volleyed an eye back to the room. “Here’s an idea for you. Ludi Bioski’s constellation appeared in Corona Cubes this morning. We need to watch his story for December’s Bucket List, but I can do that later, on my own. Why don’t you order a pizza, watch the story on your lonesome, and then we can tick off some more items together once we’ve eaten?”

  “Because I’m not hungry, and I’m not your manservant. If I complete my Super Nova goals in the next few weeks, it’ll be you ordering pizza for me. But yeah, I’ll watch the story on my own. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

  She cosied herself in Burner’s armchair, entered Solarversia, found the new constellation on the ceiling of her Corona Cube and traced it with her finger. The rear wall of the cube disappeared to reveal a branch that led to a large tree house. Inside it, players were sitting in rows of seats facing an Orbitini. A tree, much like the one she had just climbed through, came into view on its screen. An owl, half-hidden in a hollow of the trunk, gazed directly at the audience with his great yellow eyes and spoke.

  “Once upon a time, in the forests of Nakk-oo, a sorcerer called Ludi Bioski came across a gremlin that was hunched over a strange machine, crying.

  “‘Why do you cry, gremlin?’

  “The creature gave a start and hopped onto the machine.

  “‘Don’t be afraid,’ said Ludi. ‘I mean you no harm.’

  “‘Oh, you are kind, Bioski. I’m crying because I’m broken; I failed to feed my Orbitini in time. But how strange it is to speak again.’

  “‘Explain yourself. What is this ‘Orbitini’ you speak of?’

  “The gremlin gasped. ‘You’ve not heard of the magic
al Orbitini? It’s a spectacular device, a machine of wish fulfilment. For twenty years I’ve been making dreams come true. But I failed to feed it — such a stupid thing — so it stopped showing me its Event Cards. It won’t display a thing.’

  “Ludi looked at the machine in wonder. ‘How do you work it?’

  “‘You don’t work it, you insolent witch. You care for it.’

  “‘How so?’

  “‘Oh, it was simple. People would come and tell me of their hearts’ desires, and I would let the Orbitini hear their prayers. Here, on this screen, it would show a card — a depiction of their wishes and the price to be paid. For the right price, there is almost nothing the Orbitini cannot do. It runs on diamonds, you see.’

  “‘Diamonds?’

  “‘You put them into this funnel.’ He caressed it, wistfully. ‘Sometimes people would pay me extra, and I could fulfil my own wishes. Alas, all that has come to end.’

  “‘Why so?’ asked Ludi as he eyed the machine with greed.

  “‘In return for its powers, the Orbitini requires its master to feed it one diamond a day, at the very least. Last week, after twenty years of faithful service, I failed to feed it.’ He arched an eyebrow. ‘If you know someone who might be interested in taking ownership, let me know.’

  “‘But you said it was broken.’

  “‘It’s me that is broken, Bioski, not the machine,’ he snapped, then, with a sad look, ‘I’ve lost the power to control it.’

  Ludi ran an outstretched hand along the Orbitini’s smooth veneer and ogled its many buttons, sliders and gauges. ‘What price do you ask, gremlin?’

  “‘Objects as powerful as the one before you do not come cheap.’ For a fraction of a second his face became mean and disfigured. ‘But I’ll get nothing for the sale. It’s yours in exchange for your mouth and all of the words within it.’

  “Ludi scoffed at the gremlin. ‘My mouth? Then how will I communicate? And how will I eat?’

  “‘That’s simple.’ The gremlin leant back against the machine’s screen, crossed his legs and smiled. ‘It comes with a magic tablet that works just like a mouth. You won’t even miss it. I never missed mine, that’s for sure. Oh, the power to fulfil wishes, Bioski — it’s worth every utterance you ever spat out and every morsel you ever shovelled in. Just remember to feed it a diamond every day and you’ll never regret it.’

  “‘I’ll take it,’ Ludi said, speaking his final words.

  “With the help of some local villagers, Ludi took the contraption back to his tree house. The next morning he awoke mouthless, to find a magic tablet at the foot of his bed, adorned with images and symbols. Just as the gremlin had foretold, he was able to communicate with great clarity and insight using the tablet, and fulfilling wishes on the Orbitini became his life’s work.

  “One sunny day, a few years later, the King and Queen demanded that Ludi Bioski visit them at the palace to listen to their problem.

  “‘You must help us,’ said the King. ‘Our daughter Zibelda dreams of marriage, but is unable to find a suitor. As you can see, she’s very, very short and dreams of being taller.’

  “‘She’s vertically challenged,’ added the Queen after a moment’s thought. Zibelda hopped down from her miniature throne and tapped Ludi on the knee.

  “‘I want to be the tallest girl in the land, as tall as the trees in the orchard.’

  “Ludi’s magic tablet displayed its card — an image of a man pulling some flowers out of a hat — and the price of the spell, which he showed to the Royal Keeper, the man who looked after the King’s money.

  “‘The Bioski asks for a handful of diamonds, sire,’ said the Keeper.

  “The King nodded his agreement, the Keeper made the payment, and Ludi travelled back to his Orbitini to start his work.

  “In the days following his visit, Princess Zibelda grew and grew. At first she was very pleased with her new height. At last she could reach the pretty crystal glasses in the royal cabinets and see her face reflected in the drawing room windows. But still she grew taller, and she didn’t seem likely to stop. She grew too tall to fit in the bath. She grew so tall that she knocked her head on the chandeliers in the dining room. The local seamstress was hired to make special dresses for her, and the carpenter was hired to make a bespoke bed.

  “The King and Queen ordered Ludi to return to the castle.

  “‘Look what you’ve done,’ said the King. ‘Nobody’s going to want her in this state.’

  “‘She remains vertically challenged,’ added the Queen.

  “Princess Zibelda, bent at the knees so she didn’t bang her head on the ceiling, tapped Ludi on the head. ‘I want you to squish me down so that I’m this tall,’ she said, holding a hand to her waist. This time Ludi’s tablet displayed a castle wall with a long crack running through it.

  “‘The Bioski says that a spell like this is far more difficult, Your Majesty. It will cost a barrel full of diamonds,’ the Keeper reported.

  “‘Life itself is difficult,’ said the King. ‘I won’t rest until our darling Zibelda is happy. Arrange the payment.’

  “A short while after this second visit, Princess Zibelda started to shrink. At first she was delighted to find herself able to walk through doors and sit in her carriage again. But while she shrank in height, she grew in width. Before long she reached her desired height but was even fatter than the King. She had to walk sideways through doors. She was now too wide for her bath and her limbs dangled off the sides of her bed. The carpenter returned to reinforce it while the local seamstress produced some tent-sized dresses.

  “Again Ludi was ordered to the castle. The King was furious.

  “‘You blasted fool, look what you’ve done now,’ the King said with a gesture in Zibelda’s direction. ‘She looks more hideous than ever.’

  “‘She’s horizontally challenged,’ added the Queen.

  “Princess Zibelda, sitting on a fortified throne, as round as a bubble, pointed a chubby finger at Ludi. ‘I want to be perfect, that’s all I’ve ever wanted.’

  “The Royal Keeper looked at the picture displayed on Ludi’s tablet of a snake with a tail in its mouth. He turned to address the King.

  “‘The spell will cost the Royal Household a cartful of diamonds, your Greatness.’

  “The King’s cheeks flushed as red could be. ‘Fetch the cart, Keeper. Zibelda will be as she desires.’

  “In the weeks following the third spell, Zibelda lost both height and weight. She could once again walk through doors without turning sideways, and could also fit in the bath. But she kept on shrinking, and before long she was as short and as slim as when Ludi had first set eyes on her. She needed to be accompanied wherever she went, for she was at risk of getting under people’s feet and nobody wanted a crushed Princess. And no suitors ever came forward.

  “Zibelda became depressed and refused to leave the castle. Not even the court jester was able to make her smile. One morning, when the palace cat climbed over her on the way to his plate of milk, she decided she’d had enough. She climbed the tallest tower in the castle and threw herself to her death.

  “The King and Queen commanded Ludi to return to the castle.

  “‘Look what you’ve done!’ yelled the King as he pointed to a miniature casket. ‘You’ve killed our beloved Zibelda with your wicked sorcery.’

  “‘She’s existentially challenged,’ said the Queen.

  “‘I demand that you cast one last spell to bring her back to life, before I get my guards to deport you from this land for good.’

  “Ludi’s tablet displayed the Card of Eternal Circularity — a staircase that spiralled round on itself, forever descending or ascending, whichever way you looked at it.

  “‘The spell is priceless, your highness. The Bioski claims that it’s impossible.’

  “‘Nothing is impossible when you’re the King,’ said the King.

  “‘Nothing is beyond royal reach,’ said the Queen.

  “Sensing t
heir anguish, the Royal Keeper ordered the guards to bring every diamond the Royal Family owned from the Jewel Tower. They returned with chests and barrels full of diamonds, but no matter how many they offered, Ludi’s tablet displayed the same card.

  “His Majesty was furious and wanted Ludi killed on the spot. ‘Burn him at the stake. That’s what we do with murderers like him,’ commanded the King.

  “‘No. Throw him from the White Tower, so he can fall to his death like our beloved Zibelda,’ cried the Queen.

  “‘Cut him in half and do both to the scoundrel,’ said the Royal Keeper. And before evening fell, his suggestion had been carried out.

  “Days later the King was horrified to be informed that Ludi had been spotted near his tree house.

  “‘He’s not dead, sire. Merely deformed,’ explained one of the palace guards.

  “‘I demand to know what is going on,’ cried the King. ‘The Card of Eternal Circularity said the machine was incapable of resurrecting the dead.’

  “‘Have we been hoodwinked?’ demanded the Queen.

  “Following much debate, the Keeper arranged for the Royal Carriage to drive into the forest, and had the guards surround the area for safekeeping.

  “On the King’s command, the Royal Keeper approached the tree, cupped his hands, and called, ‘Bioski, Bioski, come down from your tree, I’m in need of your help, at the price you decree.’

  “Ludi scurried halfway down the trunk. The King and Queen gasped when they saw him. He no longer resembled a sorcerer so much as a four legged-crab with a great arched back. His right half, which had been thrown from the White Tower, had been bleached a bright, spectral white, and was decorated black and blue with bruises. Down his centre, jagged stitches cleaved the right half to the blackened left, which had been burnt at the stake and was puckered and blistered, and crackled like cinders.