by Bob Blink
"You might be right, but let's give them a little more time. Once the rest of our list is dealt with, there will be time enough to see about them. I assume you are keeping an eye on them? Have they made any friends of note?"
"Nesbitt has linked up with a woman from food services, and it looks like the Indian guy might be trying to do the same with a woman named Sarah from Facilities. There are also a couple of other casual drinking acquaintances, but no one that we need to worry about. They seem to have realized they are here for the duration and won't be merged back into their Simselves."
"Okay," Glenn agreed, satisfied. "See if we have anyone in our inner group who knows any of the people they associate with. Maybe we can find out what they are thinking."
"Anything else?" Joe asked.
"Yeah. Bring Gunner with you tomorrow. I want to talk with him about the power switching matter. And, have a look and see what you can find out about the cops in Chicago that might have been involved in the Rossetti matter. See who was assigned afterwards and what they are doing. That still bothers me, and knowing who's involved might help us avert problems when we go back. The cops in Washington appear to have dropped the matter, and I'd like to think the same has happened in Chicago. Only Rossetti's men saw much, but he has a lot of pull in that town."
"Got it," Joe agreed. He wished he could be the one leading a team after the gangster, certain the outcome would be different under his guidance, but refrained from saying anything. Glenn could be sensitive about such things sometimes.
Chapter 23
Los Angeles
"Okay, we're all here," a tired looking Lt. Rodriguez said as he slid into his seat after closing the conference room door behind him when he'd come into the room where the others were waiting. "Now please tell us what this is about. It had better be important."
It was just after 9 PM West Coast time, and all of them would have rather been elsewhere, but Rao had called each and told them it was imperative that they gather together at the police station for an unplanned meeting. In addition to Rodriguez, Sammi was present, as was Don Russell. Sensing that something important might be about to happen, she'd called detective John Morrison in Chicago, despite the late hour there. She'd also called Sgt. Lee in DC. Both were conferenced in, and appeared as holographic images of themselves. Lee was obviously at home, and was wearing a robe suggesting he'd been dragged out of bed. Morrison was wearing a rumpled suit and looked as if he'd had a particularly long day.
"I don't know," Rao admitted lamely, "But I am thinking that it must be for a good reason."
"Damn it man," you are the one who called us together," Morrison yelled over the net. "What do you mean you don't know why we are here?"
Rao shrugged uncomfortably. The thought that the meeting was necessary had appeared in his head, much as other information, such as the names of Director Walker and his cohorts. He assumed that his real world self had placed the thought there, and it would soon be followed up with whatever information the other Rao wished to have communicated to this group. That had not happened, and it made him distinctly ill at ease.
Don, who had become used to the way the Indian thought, voiced what the other wasn't saying.
"I think Rao is saying he was directed by the Rao in the Facility to pull us together," he said.
"That is indeed what I am meaning," Rao agreed.
But he remained uneasy. Why didn't he have any idea why they had been assembled? Could something have happened to his other self, and if so, what did that mean for them? It didn't help that Rao had been having a bit of an identity crisis of his own of late. Rao was very uncertain what his particular role in events was to be, and how his future was expected to play out. When he arrived in the Simulation, he had been an important figure, a bearer of important news, and possessed knowledge the others were ignorant of. Now, after the many days he had spent 'living' here, his primary goal had been achieved, and there was a core group fully aware of the problem, even if they had little idea of how to deal with the situation. Unfortunately he had no more idea than they did about how to proceed. He had no more awareness of events as they were transpiring in the real world than anyone else. He was also not a policeman, and not trained to engage the interlopers who were making the trips inside to kill selected residents of this digital environment.
All of that was a major concern, but he was also disturbed about the realization he wasn't going back to merge with his real world self, his mission accomplished. Like the others in this Simulation, he was here for the duration. Unless someone grew a clone and transferred his memories into it, which wasn't going to happen, or he was killed, then he faced a long existence as long as the Simulation was running. Unlike most of the Simulation residents, he was aware of the true situation, and he didn't know if he would be subject to the fading of his memories as the years passed. Maybe the experiences in the Simulation, but he doubted the basic set of memories he'd brought into the Simulation would be affected. They were part of his basic memory kernel.
More than this, he was very aware there were now three distinct versions of himself. In addition to this version, there was his original self now hiding out in Washington, and the real-world version at the Facility. Assuming they somehow triumphed over Director Walker and the time came for people to be extracted back into the world, which version of him would be chosen? Would it be the basic version from which he and the real world Rao had been formed? If so, would he be left to languish in the Simulation until it was powered off, an inglorious end to his existence? A part of him feared that he had already served his primary purpose, and there was little point to his existence. He couldn't go back to San Francisco and his work there. The other Rao's kernel still existed there and would conflict with any attempts for him to relocate. More than the others, he felt there was no real place for him in this world, and no way to get to the outside world either, although in its current form, he didn't know what he would do there either.
"That's fine," Lt. Rodriguez said, "but what are we to do then? I take it you haven't gotten any information routed into you that would help explain what we are doing here?"
Rao was about to shake his head, hating that he didn't know why they had been gathered together, and even more not knowing when or even if he'd suddenly get that information. His action was interrupted when the communicator on the conference table activated and the switchboard indicated a call was coming through for the Lieutenant.
"Odd," the Lieutenant said. "Who would expect me here? I was scheduled to go off duty several hours ago." He also would have expected a call on his personal communicator rather than the one tied to the conference room.
He activated the device, and watched as a hologram filled the space above the communicator. He was shocked to see another Rao forming in the room to join them. He looked over to Rao, but his eyes were wide with surprise. He didn't know what was happening either. For a moment the Lieutenant thought it might be the Rao from Washington, but this one didn't show the scar that marked that individual. Even so, he glanced over at Sgt. Lee, but apparently he'd had the same idea and was speaking with someone to check. After a moment he looked at Rodriguez and shook his head. So it wasn't him.
"Greetings," the holographic Rao said. "I felt it important that we communicate directly, at least this once. I am doubting that the opportunity will present itself again, but there is too much you need to know, and it is my thinking that having my other self simply relay to you wouldn't have the impact."
"Who are you? Where are you?" Don asked.
The apparition grinned.
"I am in the Facility at a place known here as the Resort. I assume that Rao has told you about it. It is where Director Walker and his team initiate their visitations into the Simulation. I am sorry about the hour, but this is the only time we believed that we could have any success accessing the equipment and entering the Simulation unobserved. Even so, the use of the equipment will probably be noted, although we have someone here who might be able to
hide our actions."
Their Rao was still staring at the holographic image of himself, and muttered softly in Hindi, "Wah, Kya Baat Hai," which none of them understood, but it was obvious he was stunned to be communicating directly with the self that had basically brought him into being.
"You are in the Simulation somewhere?" Sammi asked.
The hologram nodded.
"I am at the moment in the Boston node. I have a friend here from the old days, and am using his communicator to interface with you. As you know, I couldn't appear there because a version exists there. San Francisco and Washington are also precluded for similar reasons. I didn't want to appear in Chicago because Walker retains a strong interest in activities there as he considers how to overcome the failure to eliminate Rossetti."
The hologram examined each of them, as if to fix their images into its mind.
"As you might expect, there are more killings anticipated. I cannot say how many, but we have intelligence that suggests there is a list and another action is being planned for the near future. We also have hints that something larger is in the planning stages, but as yet haven't been able to find out what. Our group is small, slowly growing, but as a result we have little insight into what the Director is attempting. He is also suspicious. Actually it is his right hand man, Joe Thomas, who shows the most suspicion. He is watching not only Dale and I, but a number of the people that are normal long-term residents of the Facility. I fear some of them might become targets at some point. We have also learned through one of our people that the Director is making guns, which is very worrisome. Such weapons were deliberately not a part of the Facility when it was planned."
"How have you learned all of this?" Rao asked wonderingly.
"We have a slowly growing net of contacts and informants," the hologram explained. "One of our friends stumbled onto the manufacture of gunpowder. We haven't yet learned where they are making the weapons or exactly what kinds are being produced. You can imagine the care we must be taking before we can reveal ourselves to anyone. Should we be discovered, we would be at a loss to protect ourselves. The environment here is closed, and we cannot leave the caverns."
"Do you think you are in any danger?" Lt. Rodriguez asked.
"If we are discovered, I am certain of it. We know that our predecessor died unexpectedly. If the Director were to learn what we are doing, all of us would be at risk. Sadly, the same is true of you. Should he learn that there are those inside the Simulation with the knowledge you possess I am certain he would spare no effort to eliminate you. You must take care, but I believe you already must sense the problem in defending against this enemy."
"Is there any indication they have any hint we exist?" Sammi asked.
"The Director has shown interest in both Washington and Chicago, and the police there, but has no reason to focus on the Los Angeles node."
The hologram's eyes sought out Detective John Morrison.
"I cannot say for certain, but I believe he must be aware that you were assigned to interface with Mr. Rossetti. You should be alert to anything unusual around you, and take special care when contacting your friends here in Los Angeles."
"What about you?" the Los Angeles Rao asked. "How do you protect yourselves?"
"We are seeking out places to hide, and what weapons we can find. They are mostly close range weapons; knives, clubs, and a few stunners. Unfortunately, we are inexperienced with weapons and fighting. If the Director is truly arming his men here in the Facility, we will be badly outmatched. Stealth is our greatest weapon."
"At least we can now communicate," Don said. "That should help all of us."
"Sadly, as I said earlier, this is a one-time opportunity. I can send you information via your Rao, but getting info to me will be more difficult. I believe Rao should be the interface, and for now he will have to write notes when I link with him. Those I can read, but communication will be slow. I believe there is a way to link in for more expedient passage of information, but when Walker's people assembled my memories, they missed a crucial section having to do with my previous time here. If I had those memories, I would know far more about the system than I do. We will have to make do until I figure out a better solution."
The conversation continued for almost half an hour longer, but finally it was time to go. The hologram was clearly showing nervousness about the chances of being discovered after so long.
"We are trapped in a closed environment with a band of dangerous animals," he said. "None of us have the kind of experience as all of you in terms of dealing with violent criminals. We are needing your help. Please consider any suggestions you can relay to us."
With that he nodded and broke the link. As the hologram faded, Sammi spoke.
"He needs our help?" Sammi asked incredulously, a bit taken aback. "I thought we were needing his help!"
Chapter 24
Sequoia Facility
Rao opened his eyes as the images from the Simulation faded away and he felt his awareness returning to his physical body. For a brief moment he felt a wave of disorientation, and then the soft padding of the support couch against his back brought him back to the present. The transparent cover from the chamber was already opening to the side to allow him to sit up and slide off the couch when he felt ready. He had never used one of the couches before and was surprised at how easy it had been to terminate the session when he wished. Even though he had lived in the Simulation for centuries before being extracted and cloned into his current body, the sense of being part of the digital environment in this manner was a unique experience for him. He had known the entire time he was 'visiting' the environment, whereas during the years he'd been a part of it, he had been totally unaware of his situation.
"That was most interesting," Rao said as he looked around the room with its soft, muted lighting. The three people who had helped him with this unprecedented incursion into the Director's domain watched him carefully as he slowly slid to his feet.
"Did you meet with them?" Jessica asked softly. Her eyes shifted from Rao's to the two men who stood behind him.
Ray Burke, Cindy's friend from Security, had been key to making this happen. Like Cindy, he'd become one of the first members of the small band of rebels that sought to understand what the Director was up to, and hoped to find a way to bring his actions to an end. One of Ray's close friends, a drinking buddy for many years, was an engineer named Greg Harper who maintained the hardware essential for keeping the Resort functional. He had casually mentioned his uncertainty surrounding the use of some of the equipment by the Director and a number of his close associates of late, along with the fact they were going to a special Simulation location not available to anyone else. Greg didn't know the purpose of the new destination, but was aware that it had been added when the outsider programmers had been brought in. Carefully, Ray had probed Greg's feelings, and after a few weeks, with the approval of Rao and the other key members of the group, had brought Greg into their confidence. It had been Greg who suggested that he might be able to arrange for a couple of the group to use the Resort to contact those inside the Simulation. Sometimes schedules shifted and a couple of units were unexpectedly idle for a night. They couldn't plan far in advance of any action, but instead would have to be ready to react to any opportunity that presented itself.
Rao smiled, now fully back within himself.
"It went very well. Better than I could have hoped. I was able to talk directly with the team in Los Angeles, as well as a couple of policemen from Chicago and Washington. We will see if they can help us."
Rao had been a little unnerved to see the version of himself that he had inserted into the Simulation some days earlier. It was a little eerie to be speaking with an entity that was you, that you had in fact created, but at the same time was a fully independent being. He sensed an uncertainty in his recently created Simself, and realized he needed to consider that when he passed information to that Rao. No longer could he think of the being as a simple file in a comp
uter. The short visit into the digital world had changed his perception of the situation.
Rao looked around the room. There were three more of the travel couches, but these were all powered down. Rao had made his journey into the digital world alone while the other three had stood guard and monitored his progress and well-being. Greg had made the modifications necessary to allow the equipment to access the link into the ring Simulation, and was now busy removing all signs of the change. When he finished that, he would power down the unit that Rao had used.
Husky, in his late forties, with short graying hair and a curly beard showing the same signs of age, Greg's dark brown eyes moved over the readings as he carefully selected a sequence of controls that would return the unit to an idle status while wiping all signs of use from the unit's records. He'd indicated during their planning sessions that he could erase most of the records that tracked the use of the equipment, but there was a small risk of its use being discovered if one of the other engineers, there were three that worked at the Resort in addition to himself, made a careful search of the archived records in the Resort's main computer center. This meant Greg was at some risk of being discovered, since his access codes would reveal he'd been a participant in the unauthorized use of the unit. Such a detailed search would also reveal that the couch had been used to visit the special location not available to anyone outside of the Director, which would mean Walker would be informed of their transgression.
Rao hadn't wanted to go forward with the plan, fearful that if Greg were discovered, the entire group might be exposed as well, but their helplessness and need for a more coordinated effort, along with Greg's insistence once he learned about the killings within the Simulation, had finally decided for him.