by Tony Corden
"Is that it? Did we get away clean?"
"Much more has happened, but I don't believe anything concrete will lead anyone to suspect your involvement. Surveillance on your network is significantly higher than average, but that is not unique. The Australian Area Network is under heavy surveillance because of Akia's perceived bias."
"Why are you using the Pod Speaker?"
"You locked me out. I was able to use the Pod to initiate NREM3, but I'm unable to retrieve any data from the time you were in the Vault. I should have automatically resumed responsibility for your virtual integration when you left the Vault, but I was unable to connect with the autonomous sub-routine. You have restricted access to all data related to the experience."
"How did I do that?"
"I was not aware it was possible, but I have researched the issue while you were in deep sleep and there have been cases where people are unable to experience the full virtual experience because they are either cyberphobic or cyberodiumic. In these cases, their subconscious fear or hatred prevents an AI from initiating a meaningful connection."
"I neither fear nor hate you."
"Did something happen that you do not want me to know?"
"No. But there was something I didn't understand that I want no one to know about until I've considered it in far more detail. My reaction was strong. It wasn't fear or hatred, but confusion. I did not stop to consider that you might be excluded. In fact, I need you to know what I experienced."
Inside her head, Leah heard, "I have been granted access."
There was a pause, and then, "You were right to prevent any possibility of the information being known. When you arrived, you were unable to communicate and even a cursory review of the literature to investigate your observation may have set off alarms. I have moved and encrypted all the data which involves your rescue of Akia to a new data module located in one of your vertebrae. It is locked and requires your express permission to be accessed. I have scrubbed the previous location of what you saw. Do you want me to erase the details from my memory?"
"No. I trust you implicitly and I need help to understand. But not now, now I need to get to Dunyanin as normal. I don't want anyone to flag my behaviour as unusual."
Leah went for an early lunch, and then after helping to clean up, she headed back to the Pod.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
December 13, 2073 - Part 3
When Leah arrive in Dunyanin, she was sitting on a branch high in the forest canopy. She sat still for a few minutes, letting her senses become attuned again to the sounds of the forest. Rather than change back into a tamarin to climb down, she teleported to the forest floor and resumed her journey. She wanted to find either a pocket of civilisation to begin her search or a place where she could prepare a new supply of potions. Keeping an eye out for either, she slowly made her way east.
Leah continued to update her map and forage as she went along, and though she encountered various predators, her vigilance paid off and she had been ready for each attack. She'd been slowly working her way east for just over two hours when she noticed an increasing number of thick brambles. She stopped and then Misted a little higher to see if she could make out what was ahead. Maybe fifty paces ahead of her the brambles appeared to have merged together into a solid barrier. She marked her observations on the map and then moved even more cautiously toward what she decided was purposefully designed to be a barrier.
When she was five paces from it, she stopped and again examined the thick bushes. They didn't have any flowers but there were occasional berries—each was the size and colour of a black plum though the skin had seeds on the outer surface like a strawberry. The tiny seeds on each berry were all the same colour and but the colour varied from berry to berry. The most predominant seed colours were deep red and dark blue, though she could see small clusters of fruit with seeds which were different shades of green, yellow and orange.
Leah tried to identify it but couldn't. Gèng explained that she had no access to information which was specific to the Dark Elves or had yet to be discovered or commented on by players. Leah was about to reach in and take one of the berries when she remembered how angry she became growing up when someone would harvest from her family garden without permission. Once, when she was eight, someone had stolen three pumpkins that had been almost ready to pick. She'd been so angry at the theft that she'd snuck out every night for two weeks to protect the next ones. Then she'd complained every meal for a week about having to eat her least favourite vegetable as ever since she'd been a toddler she'd disliked pumpkins.
She moved back twenty or so paces and then began to move more north-northeast in order to work her way around the patch. Over the next half an hour, she kept twenty or so paces from the patch and thought she was almost past the bramble patch because her direction was again almost due east. She was also convinced the patch had been purposefully cultivated because her map showed it to be an almost perfect circle. As she continued east, she had to continually suppress the desire to return and find out why the brambles were there.
A league past the brambles, Leah came to a small creek. It was the only part of the forest she'd seen which permitted sunlight to show through the canopy and even then it was only an occasional glimpse as the wind moved the canopy overhead. As she was checking the creek for danger she noticed a faint sparkle in the water as one of the stones on the riverbed reflected the dappled sunlight. She made a note of where the stone was and then double checked the creek for trouble. Not seeing any she waded into the thigh-deep water rather than Misting across as she'd planned. The water temperature was colder than she'd expected but she steeled herself and quickly ducked under the water and retrieved the stone.
As soon as she was on the bank, she began shivering and quickly unequipped her armour to change into some dry warm clothing. She wrung out the wet clothes and put them back in her bag. When she was warmer she took a closer look at the rock. There was a small crystal embedded in it, as well as flecks of black and gold. She used her mining skill and it had several sections which glowed green. Even though it was only the size of two fists, she equipped her mining pick and carefully chipped away at the indicated areas. The crystal dropped free and Leah identified it as a diamond, but the green still showed on the rock. She continued to chip away until the remaining rock split in two and released a black crystal the size and shape of her thumb.
Darkness Diamond (Uncut/Empty)
"Gèng what is a Darkness Diamond?"
"Darkness Diamonds are used primarily by Dark Elf mages to collect and store excess Mana. They are very rare and require a Grand Master Miner to gather and a Grand Master Jeweller to cut. There are Darkness Diamond mines on four of the continents and each one is in Dark Elf territory. They are sometimes found near the more common 'normal' diamonds."
Leah suddenly sat up and said, "I forgot, I have a map of goblin mines and the ones I took from the Bukalemun."
Leah took the maps from her bag, one at a time, and looked for her position. None had enough detail for her to be certain, but the ancient map of Vatan did show a river boundary for the Dark Elf territory. When she cross-referenced this with the Goblin mines she could see at least three mines that were in the region of the Dark Forest. None looked close to where she thought she was. The map of Vatan noted major cities and she found one labelled 'Yilanlar'. If her calculations were correct, then it was more north-east than east and it was probably eighty leagues from where she was. A trade route or trail was shown to Yilinlar from a western city labelled Batislar.
"Gèng, is there a dark elf city called Batislar?"
"There is nothing on the current maps though much of the northern section of the Dark Forest is still unexplored."
Between her location and Batislar there looked to be a mountain range, although the map showed it to be completely surrounded by the Dark Forest. Leah decided to follow the creek upstream. This would take her north and closer to the two cities and the trail between them. She could also l
ook for things to mine. The rest of the day passed with Leah moving steadily north. She found several more diamonds, a few nuggets of gold but no more Darkness Diamonds. She was also attacked by different predators but nothing caught her by surprise. Once more she found a high tree, and this time she Misted to a safer branch and logged out.
Leah logged out and headed to the kitchen. She was surprised and pleased to see her dad sitting there and having some lunch with Conner. She hugged him and said, “You’ve been busy.”
“I have. When I’m not looking into the Runes of Power I’ve been learning Krav Maga and how to use a staff.”
Leah wanted to ask if he had found anything but didn’t want him to ask a similar question, so she turned to Conner and said, “How about you, Conner? How is the stick fighting coming along?”
“I’m getting better. I’m also studying. I’ve realised how far behind I am, and I think mum would want me to stop wasting time. I miss her being here. When will she be home?”
Leah looked at her dad, and he raised an eyebrow to show that he wanted the answer as well. Leah said to Gèng, “Can you check with John if it’s OK to let Conner and Dad know when we are heading to get mum?”
Leah stared at Conner and Michael while she waited. After almost a minute, Gèng said, “He’d rather you didn’t. The only people who know the timing are those who are going, and he has them all isolated except for you. He also says you need to see Aker about the fitting.”
Leah said, “I’m sorry. I want to share but I can’t. I trust you both but I can’t.”
Conner’s face slumped, and her dad’s face tightened as he stared hard at her. She didn’t flinch and met his eyes without challenge but with determination. After about ten seconds he gave a small nod and said, “Fair enough. I want you to promise me that you will be sensible and let John and the others take the lead.”
Leah slowly shook her head and said, “I promise I will be sensible, but I can’t do the other. John told you they need me and it’s not as the backup.”
Once more she met his gaze, although this time he didn’t nod. “I don’t like it, but I promised, and John says he needs you. Can you please explain?”
“I could, but it’s not something anyone else needs to know just yet. If I can, I’ll tell you after mum is home safely.”
This time, Michael nodded. As quickly as she could Leah finished eating and headed for a fitting with Aker.
Aker made Leah try everything on, though this time she’d arranged a screen for Leah and made her try it without any other clothing and explaining that the inner wicking layer was designed to be most useful when worn against the skin. Aker made a few small adjustments and then said, “It will be ready in a couple of hours. All I need to do is to check with John what level of binding you want. These materials are made not to tear or fray but where they join the seal can be made in several ways. I’ve prepared it for the strongest seal, as that is what John wanted. But it’s more expensive, and it takes longer.”
“The strongest seal please.”
“OK. It will be ready by nine tonight.”
“What about the weapons?”
“I decided to make them out of a smart material, it can be coded to your bio-data and has a flexible self-adaptive layer so you can attach it wherever you want. I talked with John and we were able to source some in the city and he sent someone to pick it up. As soon as it arrives I will form the sheathes and then cover the outward-facing surface with the light-absorbent low-resistance cloth.”
Leah headed for the Pod and said, “Can you let John know about Aker’s questions and tell him I’m heading to the Annoyance? I want to download whatever the message is before we arrive in at Epsilon Serpentis. I might not have time later when mum is home.”
As soon as she was in her room, Leah got into the Pod and headed for the Cosmos Online portals.
As she arrived on the bridge of the Annoyance, Gèng said, “John apologises for not being here, but he has some things to organise. I’ve also received a message from Amy saying that Thad’s been asking where you are and what you’re doing. Apparently, he has also decided to take a break from playing in Dunyanin and Cosmos Online. He said he wants to spend some time playing something new. He wouldn’t tell James or Amy, but he asked Zack what he knew about the steampunk genre. Amy thinks he has been told to play in Pneumatica.”
Leah sat in silence. After ten minutes she moved to the floor, closed her eyes, and began her breathing exercises. Finally, after not moving for half an hour she said, “That is for tomorrow. This is for today.”
She reviewed the data, the Arabic names, the star systems and the codes. When everything was clear in her head she moved to the Captain’s cabin, and for the second time she entered the complex series of chess moves and stepped into the black room, but this time she wasn’t tentative. She walked towards the glowing boot prints on the floor while the voice said, “Full download of information for processing and transfer will take seven hours and fifty-two minutes. If insufficient time remains for a continuous download, then the information will be deleted. If you agree to the terms of the download, then stand in the designated position.”
Leah placed a foot on each boot print and stared at the screen. The door, which had closed behind her, disappeared. The screen flashed several times rapidly, and then the voice said, “Target identity unknown.”
Without warning the floor at her feet suddenly flowed up her body hardening, as it went and locking her in place. Leah remained calm and didn’t move. The casing expanded around her chest so she could breathe. The voice repeated the statement, “Target identity unknown. Advise. Reconfigure or delete?”
A different voice said, “So, they chose someone new. They test me. That’s surprising. Not the test, of course, that is expected. But someone new, that is truly surprising. They don’t let many know their secrets. I wonder who you are. What is your name?”
Leah wasn’t sure what to do and finally applied one of her grandfather’s sayings: “If you have nothing to say, then say nothing.”
“No? Well not to worry. I will discover it in time. I always do. Reconfigure.”
The first voice said, “Reconfiguring.” The light flashed rapidly for twenty seconds, and then the voice continued, “Processing has commenced. Download will commence in ninety seconds.”
The roof above Leah’s head flowed down and covered her head entirely before retreating from her mouth and nostrils. Small hooks extended and Leah’s upper and lower eyelids were pulled back so she could neither close her eyes nor blink. Two small tubes extended from the covering and squirted a substance into her eyes. It stung momentarily but her vision cleared, the pain from the hooks disappeared, and her eyes didn’t dry out. The material under her nose expanded and small holes appeared under each nostril. She felt the shell around her fingers expand and contract several times. Around her ears, the material bulged, and the next sound she heard was broadcast directly from speakers near each ear.
“Download will begin in sixty seconds.”
Leah subvocalised, “Gèng, what is happening?”
“I suspect the download will be via your sensory system. The combination of tactile sensations, images, sounds, and smells which I would usually filter will be uploaded directly to the chip’s memory. Any overflow will be saved in the Pod. I sense four distinct data streams. They are currently being encoded. The human brain is capable of combining multiple sensory experiences into a single memory. You will receive four encrypted messages and combine them for later separation. I suspect the protocols for separation are not included in the communication.”
“Can you split the sensory streams and store them separately?”
“Normally I could. However, while I am still in control of most functions it appears your decision to accept the download terms includes the removal of my control to data allocation. Once the download begins, neither I nor this room can interfere. Your mind will combine them and store them in a set location. Currently, this is
the chip and then the Pod.”
“Download will begin in thirty seconds.”
“Can you catalogue it or replicate it?”
“The terms of the download have removed my ability to monitor what you ‘see’, ‘hear’, ‘smell’ or ‘feel’, nor may I record the individual streams of sensory input.”
“Can you give me control of allocating storage location? If I can keep them separate, we may have a better chance of decrypting them. I’ll assign the packets to designated new nodules.”
“I would need to increase the rate at which you process the sensory input. If I assign a different conscious decision to each destination, it is possible. You will have to allocate each package of data consciously—I cannot automate it. Additionally...”
“Download begins in ten seconds.”
“No time, do it.”
“Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, two, one.”
Gèng increased Leah’s temporal awareness and her sensitivity to each of the four senses. With the increase in subjective time awareness Gèng had time to say, “I have assigned them. If it is tactile think ‘green’, if visual think ‘blue’, if olfactory think ‘red’, and if audible think ‘yellow’.”
“Begin.”
A picture of an old man and his wife appeared on the screen. They were surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Everything was in black and white except for one child, who was in full colour. At the same time pressure was applied to the fingers on Leah’s left and right fingers in a sequence, RRL LRLRLR LRR LL LRLL LRLL LL LR RR LLL. While this was happening Leah could smell coffee, freshly roasted. And a voice in her ear sang, “Oh, Papa Papa Hobo. Could you slip me a ride?”
Leah isolated the four items and assigned each one a colour.
A train whistle sounded a series of notes, D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D, C#, B, A, G, F#, E, D. There was an impressionist’s painting—it was night time, and the swirling sky was blue and white. It was filled with bright yellow and white stars. The colours were all blue, white, yellow and dark except for a building in the town which was painted in vivid orange. A sharp smell of citrus filled her nose. Her fingers were squeezed together, first her right little finger and her left thumb, then her left little finger and her left ring finger, then …