by S. J. Ryan
“Will there be danger?”
“No, but there will be a slight delay.”
“To whom are you speaking with?” Carrot asked. “I hear another voice, a man's voice. But I'm not hearing him with my ears. It's as if he is speaking inside my head. What is this – “
“Carrot, don't pull away! It's very important that you stay still!”
“Sorry. I will not be frightened. I will not be frightened. You said this will not harm me, and I will trust you.”
"Just relax and breathe. Breathe naturally."
"She is fully connected,” Ivan said. “What would you like me to show her?"
“I hear the voice again,” she said. “Who is he?”
“He is . . . Ivan.”
“Why can't I see him? Is he a ghost, or a spirit familiar?”
“Well . . . actually, let's go with that for right now.” To Ivan, he said, “How about . . . Seattle. Make a sim of the living room in the apartment where Dad and I lived, and put us both – her and me – inside it. Bring it up slow. Let's see how she reacts, so be ready to turn it off.”
Matt shut his own eyes. The faint outlines of the apartment walls and furniture filled the darkness, gradually becoming brighter and more solid. With Ivan redirecting haptic sensory input as well, Matt felt himself sitting on the couch. Carrot was sitting in front of him. He removed his virtual fingers from her virtual face, and she opened her virtual eyes, which immediately darted to and fro.
“Where are we?” she gushed.
“We're still in my room, but it's kind of like . . . like . . . . “
“Like a vision?”
“I guess we'll go with that too. And it's all right now if you move. Very carefully. Ivan should be redirecting your brain's commands to your virtual body so that you'll be moving inside the simulation instead of the real world, but let's see.”
She slowly twisted her head. Then she raised an arm and flexed fingers. Then she walked about and twirled.
“It's all so real.” She sniffed. “Except, I can't smell anything.”
“Yeah, your enhanced olfactory regions are probably a little tricky for Ivan.”
“Olfactory regions . . . by that you mean, the part of my brain that involves my sense of smell.”
Matt smiled. “You figured that out? You're pretty smart, aren't you?”
“My preliminary mapping of her brain indicates that she is very intelligent relative to a typical human,” Ivan said. “Would you like an evaluation of her raw intelligence compared to yours?”
“NO,” Matt said.
Carrot raised her head and searched the ceiling. “Where is that voice coming from?” But then, for the first time, she noticed the view out the deck windows. She walked over and stared. “Is this Seattle?”
“Yes, where I used to live.”
“That tower – it must be two hundred meters tall!”
“That's the Space Needle.”
She peered through the side window in the kitchen. “Those buildings, they are almost as tall!”
“Yes, there are a lot of skyscrapers in Seattle. Basically, they're preserved as historical relics from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. You're not allowed to build that high within city limits anymore.” He realized he was talking as if it were still 2158.
She murmured, “Rome is nothing next to this.”
"Seattle is actually small for a city on Earth."
"Are the stories in the books true, then? Earth is a planet in space, is it not, around another sun? How far is it from Ne'arth?"
"Nineteen light years. Uh, a light year is how far a beam of light can travel in a year. Another way of putting it is, the distance from Earth is about two hundred trillion kilometers."
"What's a trillion?"
"Uh, you know what a million is?"
"A thousand of a thousand."
"Well, a trillion is a million of a million."
“No wonder it took you so long to come here. It is so far, I would not think it would be possible to cross such a distance at all.”
“I can show you how it was done,” Matt said. “But right now, would you like to look around the city?”
“We can do that?”
“Yes, but you have to understand, we're not really in Seattle. This is what's called a VR – virtual reality – simulation. Kind of like an illusion, but it's very realistic. This is what Seattle was like when I left it about eight hundred and fifty Ne'arth years ago.”
“I want to see all of the city if I can.”
So he led her outside onto the deck, and took her hand, and together they jumped and floated down to the street. Ivan's simulation was generated from telemetry Matt had experienced in the city, and so they saw things as they were on the day before they had left. The same street performers, the same girls fighting with swords while in power armor, the same –
“WHAT is that huge creature?”
“It's called an elephant. I think they have them on Ne'arth too.”
“What is it doing with that box?”
“It's a camera. It's used to take pictures.”
And then he had to explain what he meant by that. Indeed, he had to explain a lot of things: electricity, cars, the blimp, and giant mechanical flowers.
“The streets, they're so wide and clean. The people, the way they are dressed! Matt, I see so much wealth! How can one city be so wealthy?”
“It's not just one city. All of Earth was like this back then. The whole Solar – well, there was no more poverty anywhere.”
“No more poverty. You mean, no one ever went hungry?”
“We all had enough to eat and wear, and everyone had a nice home by your standards, too.”
“How is that possible?”
“We had a lot of machines. Some of them were robots, which were built to do tasks, so that we didn't need humans to do physical labor. Other machines could make almost anything you wanted just by asking. They were called printers, because they could print material objects just like a printing press on your world can print books. Well, not 'just like,' but you get what I mean.”
She shook her head. “I'm not sure I understand at all. These . . . printers. They could even print food and clothing and buildings?”
“Yes, everything. Even – “ He was going to say, 'even people,' but decided perhaps that was a little too much to learn on her first lesson.
“That elephant seems very intelligent for an animal.”
“They are, especially with neural imp – “ Explaining what a neural implant was might wait for another day, too, he thought.
“But why would you let such tremendous beasts loose upon your streets?”
“It's more fun that way.”
“I don't understand.”
“Well, I guess you wouldn't. You see, Ne'arth society is like Earth society was for thousands of years, in a state of what we call an Economy of Scarcity. That's when you have to struggle to survive, and work to have food and everything.”
“Yes, which I thought was inescapable.”
“Well, it's not. So once we had enough science and technology to make computers, robots, and printers, it was easy enough to provide for the basic needs of everyone, and we decided that no one had to work anymore unless you wanted to. And since we don't have to work, we spend a lot of our effort just having fun. And, uh, self-improvement too. But mainly fun.”
“But if the street performers don't need to work, why are they asking for money?”
“It's not really money . . . well, I guess it is in a way. It's called 'woo,' which is for 'woohoo coins.' Basically, everyone gets an allotment of a hundred woo a day, which you can give to other people if they do something you like. It's a way of keeping track of public approval, and the coins can be turned in for things that have to be rationed, like visits to parks or seats at live concerts or ownership of art originals or real estate with nice views – or requisitioning resources for really big projects, like interstellar colonization. But as far as food,
clothing, shelter, medical service and other things that can be printed or done by robots – those things are free. Well, they're rationed too, but at a level much higher than subsistence. Even much higher than what the patricians of Rome would consider as wealthy.”
She hung her head. “You must think me a fool.”
“No, what do you mean?”
“When I told you of how crowded Britan is becoming, and how the people might starve.”
“That is a serious concern, Carrot. Unless your world's science and technology stay ahead of population growth, Britan and all of Ne'arth could face famine and a lot of other problems caused by overpopulation. Even Earth had to restrict its population, though there was still lots of room in the Solar System when I left.”
“I would like you to explain what a solar system is – and all that you mean by technology, and robots, and printers, and all the other words I don't understand. But, could we go back to Rome now? This is so . . . overwhelming.”
“It will take a moment to disconnect. Just hold still. Ivan?”
“I will commence disconnection procedure – “
“Wait,” Carrot said. “Before we go, may I see Ivan? I mean, if that's possible.”
“Ivan isn't really – wait. Ivan – that factory default avatar you showed me, can you bring that into the simulation?”
There was a shimmering, and then there was Ivan's avatar standing on the street between them.
Carrot, whose avatar was slightly taller than Ivan's, circled about him and inspected.
“So, as I understand, he's not really a ghost or spirit, but something else again.”
"He's an artificial person who lives inside my head."
Her expression went blank.
Matt added, "Physically speaking, he's like a cross between a spider and a jelly fish, that merges with my brain . . . . "
Her expression was melting into horror.
"Is he – is he inside me now as well? Is that why you're touching my head?"
"He's perfectly harmless. He's my friend. He's our friend. That's why he has this avatar, to show you that he's really a person. And he is, you can talk to him just like a person if you want.”
She calmed, and faced Ivan and said slowly, "Hello, Ivan."
Matt said aloud, "Go ahead, talk to her."
Ivan looked at her and said, "Hello, Carrot. It is nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too," she said in a flat voice.
Matt sensed that she wasn't entirely convinced of her own words. “Maybe we should leave now."
They disconnected. Matt withdrew his hands from Carrot's face and opened his eyes. The astonishment on her face in the simulation matched that in reality.
She opened her eyes widely and looked about. "Are we back in your room, or is this more of the vision?"
"It's real." Well, Matt thought, as far as I will ever know. "How do you feel?"
She drew a deep breath. A smile finally flickered, and spread broadly. "It was like a dream, only I saw everything so clearly!"
He realized he was holding her hands. He withdrew his arms to his sides. She stood up.
"That was enough for now," she said, brushing wrinkles from her dress. "It is so much to absorb! But I do want to go again. Perhaps tomorrow night?"
"Sure." He followed her to the door. "Any time you want."
"I want you to show me everything. What the rest of your world is like especially. It seems so wonderful. Tell me, though, you can't possibly prefer this place, so when are you planning to go back to Earth?"
"I – I can't go back."
"You are marooned here?"
"Probably, and it's not just that. The Seattle I showed you – it doesn't exist any more."
"It was destroyed?"
"No, but it's probably changed so much, so much time has passed – well, it's hard to explain."
"I want you to explain it to me, and everything else about you and your world and how you traveled here – and everything! And Matt, I'm so sorry that you can't go home. If that is the world you came from, you must hate it here. Well, I will go now, I have so much to think about – and thank you for such a wonderful experience!"
She hugged him, and then she flitted lightly through the curtain to the hallway, as if dancing.
I don't totally hate it here, he thought, as he pondered how curious it was that a body so strong should feel so soft. He smiled as he felt the aftershocks of the hug reverberate.
"I have completed a primary scan of the architecture of her brain," Ivan said. “Her olfactory sensory processing regions are similar to those found in reconstructions of Cro Mag – "
"You're ruining the moment.”
33.
On a morning a few days later, Carrot was scrubbing the kitchen floor when she noticed that Nilla, Gwinol's younger sister, was watching her from the table with head propped on hands, smiling.
"Aren't you ever going to tell us?" Nilla asked.
At the sink, the other women continued to keep their backs turned, but the pots had ceased to clatter.
"Tell you what?" Carrot asked.
"About him."
"Him?"
"Matt."
Has everyone always been on a first name basis with him except me? "It's not what you think."
"You're in his room every night."
"We're only talking." Or dreaming, or VR simulating as he called it. "It's not what you think."
"And I wasn't thinking that!" Nilla giggled. "First, all you did was talk and talk. Now you're so silent there's not a rattle. I think you Britanians have the oddest courtship rituals!"
"It's not a courtship ritual."
How to explain that they were talking and moving inside a computer-generated dream? Carrot barely understood the process herself.
Nilla giggled again, and elaborately pranced away while humming lightly. The women at the sink resumed clattering.
Carrot finished the floor, went to her room, and closed the curtain. Lighting a candle despite the ample daylight, she took paper and pen and wrote upon the tiny bedside table.
'Dearest Uncle Ral,' she inscribed with careful curls, dotted i's, and crossed t's, 'the weather here in Rome is quite pleasant and the people are most interesting . . . . ' She prattled on for several pages, mentioning nothing about the Wizard and instead blandly discussing incidents and observations so trivial that she would not have brought them up in casual conversation. '. . . With deepest affection, I remain your loving niece, Carrot.'
She re-read the letter twice, once for the open message and once for the one that was hidden.
She folded the sheets into the envelope, blew out the candle, and poured wax and stamped upon it the seal of the House of Archimedes. That, she suspected, would all but ensure that the letter would be opened and read, but then most likely they – whoever they were – would also be more meticulous about delivering it.
Kneeling, she reached under her bed and dragged out bags, rags, and a satchel. She reached into a bag and scooped out a handful of mint-proof haddies. She assembled them into a stack, then wrapped the stack in a rag. She placed the rag-wrapped stack within the satchel. She did this with all the haddies in all the bags and then pushed the empty bags and unused rags back under the bed.
She changed into street clothes, and with envelope, satchel, and personal money pouch she headed across the courtyard to the street door.
"Carrot!"
The shout had come from the roof. Matt was waving next to a device that appeared to be a tiny windmill.
"Going out?" he asked. "Can I join you?"
She considered refusing his company, but knew that would not only hurt his feelings, it would also arouse suspicion. She forced a smile. "I am only about on errands."
"No problem."
While he clattered down the steps, Carrot felt as if the letter were burning in her hand. Could Ivan, the little man who lived inside Matt's head, see through the envelope? The secret writing that a Roman censor would no
t even notice, would it take even a minute for Little Ivan to unravel?
Of all times!
Matt hurried across the courtyard, nearly tripping over his robe. He stood in front of her and caught his breath and smiled, so broadly that Carrot genuinely smiled back despite her unease.
"That looks kind of cumbersome," he said. "I could carry it for you."
"Just some fabrics and crafts I'm sending to my uncle in Londa. Not heavy at all." She held the satchel at eye level at the end of her straightened arm. Given the actual weight, it was a strain even for her. She worried that if Matt did take it, he would know at once that it was full of metal, and if he allowed it to fall he would hear the clink of the coins, and the servants would know and then Archimedes would know, and her plan for Britan would be ended before it began.
"I wasn't thinking about the weight. It looks like your hands are full."
She followed his gaze toward her other hand, which was holding the envelope behind her body in the hopes that would prevent Ivan from scanning.
“Oh that? Just a letter to my Uncle Ral.” She clamped down on her fidgeting and scolded, Carrot, see if you can be more obvious!
"I don't think anyone pays attention to that sign."
He was gesturing to the sign next to the street door, which read in large capitals: SERVANTS SHALL SEEK THE PERMISSION OF THE MASTER OR HEAD SERVANT BEFORE LEAVING THE PREMISES.
"I have been informed it's there by law for all households within the limits of Rome. But yes, I don't know of anyone here who pays attention to it. Well, I'd best be off.”
She stepped onto the street and mulled at the paving bricks, aware that he was following. Any other time, she thought. But she would make the best of it. And what did they teach in the Leaf? To avoid suspicion, don't just act casual. Be casual.
As Matt walked alongside, she asked, "So . . . what does Archimedes have you doing now?"
"Setting up a weather station. He wants to chart wind direction and speed, in the hopes of learning how to better predict the weather."
"You can predict the weather days in advance, because you can see above the clouds.”
"I'm not ready to tell Archimedes about Herman yet."
"Have you told him anything?"
"About what?"