RAINBOW RUN

by John F. Carr

  Boget answered the door, apparently surprised at the sight of an unexpected visitor. He scrutinized me before asking, "Are you sure you've come to the right dwell?"

  "I have, if you are Boget."

  I knew he was Boget but I didn’t want to reveal that I had seen Clandine’s pixcube of him. "My name is Rathe. I've come to you for advice."

  He frowned. "Have you mistaken me for a Listener?"

  "No. I’ve been to a Listener." I thought I should reveal that just in case there was some kind of conspiracy or association involving both Lyonella and Boget. "I came to you because you are the overseer of the Simulike Palace. Two people in the urbode where I used to dwell said that you were a rainbow who took an interest in grays, that you expanded the Simulike Palace facilities and made sure that all grays had access."

  "It is my goal to ensure that the Simulike experience is available to all," he said.

  "That’s my problem. I was enjoying my first Simulike experience when I was arrested by the VIS. They are not following me now and I don’t think they’ll find my visiting you a suspicious act."

  He continued looking at me with a puzzled expression, but not saying anything.

  "May I come inside and tell you the details. I think you’re my best hope for a solution to my problems."

  Boget invited me in with some reluctance. I think the VIS arrest statement piqued his curiosity as I had hoped it would.

  I had never been in a rainbow’s dwell before. It was at least three times as spacious as Lyonella’s dwell.

  Boget, now playing the role of concerned host, offered me a seat and a drink of punch. I accepted both. The seat was comfortable; the punch tasted better than the holiday punch being served in the public places.

  I told Boget about awakening as a nu-blanc in the Rainbow Room and escaping death by solving the equation and getting help from a gray.

  Boget stopped my narration by asking, "You solved the equation?"

  "Yes. If I had a wristlock of my own I could go back there and start my own advancement. But I’d rather play the Game. I tried it once and discovered that I’m good at it. I want your advice on how I can get a valid wristlock."

  "What's wrong with the one you have? Is it a fake?"

  "No. It belongs to someone the VIS wants to investigate for possible illegal activities."

  "How did you get it?"

  "From arogue gray who helped me escape from the Color Wheel. Heprovided me with this wristlock as a favor to me, or so I thought. However, when I went to the Simulike Palace, my session was interrupted by the VIS who arrested me, thinking I was a suspected criminal."

  "Was that just before the last Transit?"

  "Yes, it was."

  "So that was you… You actually escaped from the VIS? How?"

  "I haven't really gotten away. One VIS officer took custody of me, hoping I can lead her to the gray whose wristlock I'm wearing. I don't have the resources to do that and I'm afraid when she realizes that I can’t help her, she will send me to the Blanc Reeducation Center. I don't want to be reconditioned and brainwiped. It represents death to the person that I currently am."

  "Rathe, you seem to be an unusually capable person, solving equations, showing Game skills, and, above all, surviving. Most blancs get reconditioned just a few shifts after they arrive. I see why the gray befriended you; he probably hoped to make use of your abilities. The VIS officer wants to use you, too. What has she promised you?"

  "A wristlock, if all goes the way she wants it to, but I'm concerned that it won't work out and I'll lose my identity."

  "I've noticed that you haven't given me any names. Why is that?"

  "I don't want to be the cause of trouble for anyone who helps me."

  "You're loyal in addition to being capable and talented. I may be able to help you if you're willing to wear a white wristlock and work in the Simulike Palace for a while."

  "I could do that. I was fascinated by the Simulike experience."

  "I have a new version of the Simulike machine here in one of the rooms. You can have a Simulike experience here if you want and you'll be in no danger of VIS interruptions—they’ve got their hands full with the holiday crowds. I'd like your feedback on whether or not you consider the new machine an improvement. I can't get much done today because of the holiday. If you are willing to stay here until tomorrow I can check on a few things and I may be able to help you."

  There was no way for me to refuse the invitation without making Boget suspicious. I accepted.

  He showed me to a room which contained a Simulike machine. "This model has a redesigned headband and no wristlock is required; the on button is centered on the headband. There is food and drink in the storage unit. The lav is on your right. I think that's everything you'll need today. In the morning I'll see what I can do about getting you a new wristlock. I have to leave now; I have a party to attend."

  I thanked Boget and he left. I didn't know if I could trust him or not but I had no other choice than to stay and find out. With his help, I might get a wristlock and find myself free of Clandine and her conspiracy theories. But if Clandine was right in her suspicions, I was dealing with a conspirator who might want to prevent me from reporting anything to a VIS officer.

  After some reflection, I decided not to worry about things I couldn't change and try the Simulike machine. The golden headband went on easily. I lay down, pressed the button—a curtain came down in my mind.

  When it rose, I was one of a small group sitting on cushions before a tall, brown-skinned man with gray curly hair, dressed in a plain brown robe, who said, "I am the path guide. Are you here because you suspect there are pitfalls in the two common paths of convention and rebellion?"

  Several people answered yes.

  The path guide said, "All paths have their dangers. The major hazard on the conventional path is mindless conformity to standards and ideas that may be obsolete or flawed. The principal peril of the rebellious path is unthinking rejection of almost all that is customary and traditional without seeking satisfactory alternatives. Between these two extremes there are many paths suitable for individuals who are willing to examine their lives, think for themselves and take responsibility for their individual actions. Each of you will enter the evaluation chamber where the mind scanners will gather data on your past, your present and your potential future. You will then enter a counterfeit future based on your individual reality. What you learn there will help you find your own path."

  The mind scanning was painless. I wondered if the technology would find the memories I had lost when I had been brainwiped, before I had become Rathe.

  When my evaluation was finished I walked out of the evaluation chamber and into a projected future that seemed as real to me as yesterday. The setting was a wide walkway with tents on both sides.

  I was walking along when I was hailed by a man dressed in fitted black and white clothes and wearing a tall black hat who was standing in front of a tent. "I am the Magician," he said. "I've got tricks, treats, and treasures. Sign on as my associate and I will explain everything to you. There's some of the magician in you. Share that part of you with me and I can give you the new ideas you need."

  The Magician reminded me of Errox. He seemed capable but not quite trustworthy. An apparent movement in the tent caught my eye. I got a quick glimpse of a woman who might be Lyonella. She was wearing an abbreviated magician's assistant costume and around her neck there was a custodial collar. I rushed into the tent and found a two-dimensional picture of a woman. Her face was turned away. I couldn't tell whether or not it was Lyonella. A flickering light had led me to believe I had seen movement.

  "It's all an illusion, just a game," said the Magician. "With my help you can be a major player. Give me your abilities, your energy, and your integrity—I can make you a winner."

  When I looked back into the tent, it appeared to be furnished in elaborate splendor.

  The Magician said, "Whatever you desire I can provide if you swear alle
giance to me."

  "I understand your offer. Perhaps I'll see you later." I was certain that he represented Errox, the first person I'd associated with in this world. My mind leaped to the conclusion that Lyonella was in the tent because I wanted to see her. I wondered if she was represented in two dimensions because she was missing something that would have made her more real or if I lacked a complete image of her in my mind.

  My next stop along the midway was a tent covered with symbols that were unknown to me. Inside sat a short dark woman with an oval face and tall conical hat that ended in a point. She looked up from the book she was studying and said, "Your past has been erased and your future has not yet been written. You will be part of the great change that is to come if you pass through the chaos undiminished."

  "Tell me about the chaos, so that I can deal with it as it comes."

  She turned several pages in the book, put her finger on a passage and read, "The illusions of the present are decaying. The corruption of the world wardens escalates. The old ways were means to obscure the truth, but the truth will not be squelched. The great change is almost upon us and it behooves us to be ready—even if we are not completely sure where the boundaries are."

  I thanked her for the information, mentally noting that she, like Clandine, seemed to think that there were ominous forces at work that must be challenged and defeated. I walked past her tent, wondering how much of this simulation was fantasy and how much reality.

  I stopped at a bubbling fountain and drank some water, splashing some in my face in an effort to refresh myself for the next encounter. Next I came to an ornate, luxurious tent where a blonde woman and a black-haired man, both wearing purple robes, sat on decorated chairs. They appeared not to notice me and went on talking to each other.

  She asked, "What good is power if you don't exploit it?"

  "I don't mind your minor amusements as long as they don't threaten the plan," he replied. "I do think that your petty power plays tend to distract you from our main objectives."

  "You mean your objectives. Although our interests are compatible they are not identical."

  I listened for a few more minutes but learned very little. Their argument was circular with each more interested in proving the other at fault than in attempting to reach an agreement on anything. I backed away from their bickering.

  The two people were evidently in positions of power which they squandered and misapplied because of their pettiness. I couldn't relate their images to anyone I'd met. Perhaps they were in my future. I hoped that whatever relationship I might have with them would be minimal since they both seemed egotistical, arrogant, and prone to ignorant action.

  In backing away I stumbled over an almost overgrown path that led me through green foliage, across a footbridge and into the edge of a glen. I heard voices and then saw the people. I realized that I was witnessing an interrogation. A man with light hair and pink face, dressed in a multicolored robe, was being questioned by a team of plainly dressed men and women.

  A woman with hair the color of rust asked, "There are thousands of gods and goddesses that people have created and believed in. Why are there none in the religion you have created?"

  The pink-faced man replied, "No one can prove or disprove the existence of any deity. I was protecting my followers from faith in myths, legends and wishful thinking."

  The woman countered with, "I think—and other members of this panel may agree with me—that you created another god-free religion because you wanted to be the supreme authority. Your explanation of protecting followers from faith conflicts with your endorsement of reincarnation. The evidence supporting reincarnation is largely anecdotal."

  Sweating, the pink-faced man replied, "A belief in reincarnation is logical. Nature recycles everything. Why shouldn't someone accept the idea that the essence of life is neither created nor destroyed but used again and again? Besides, reincarnation fits in with the culture we were creating. It gave the people at the bottom of the social order hope that things would be better in the next life."

  "You've confirmed our worst suspicions with your own words," the rust-haired woman replied. "Instead of helping people deal with their existence in the here and now, you had them invest their hopes in a religion structured to keep them content in a life of dubious quality. Is there anything you wish to say before the panel passes judgment?"

  The pink-faced man said, "I did it for the preservation of the culture."

  A man on the panel said, "In so doing you promoted the inequities of the culture to the detriment of your individual followers. I judge you guilty of spiritual chicanery."

  The other member of the panel agreed. The rust-haired woman said to the pink-faced man, "There is a monastery where all the monks take a vow of silence and spend their time working in the fields or mediating quietly in their cells. You can spend the rest of your days there or you can visit the suicide booth and hope for reincarnation."

  The pink-faced man was led away. He didn't look back at the panel members. I replayed the words of the trial in my mind to be sure of what I had heard. I had accepted reincarnation as a fact, but now I realized that there was no proof of it or of any of the teachings of True Faith Forever. I had believed something on the basis of someone else's alleged faith—now that belief seemed to be two logical steps away from any verifiable reality.

  Maybe reincarnation was a fallacy. I wondered what percentage of the information I believed was wrong. Was this a major element of my future—finding confusion to replace illusion?

  I wandered through the greenery, making my own path toward a small structure I could see. The small structure was an onion-shaped dwell made out of wood. Sitting on the deck in front of it were two people who hadn't noticed my approach. The woman had golden skin, almond eyes, black hair and an athletic figure. The man was darkly tanned with a widow's peak of dark-brown hair. As I got closer to them I felt a sense of peace and contentment that was new to me.

  They greeted me as if I were a welcome guest and offered me a drink of water. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was. I wondered about the peace I felt and asked, "Is this clearing a special place that makes people feel good just to be in it?"

  She answered, "It's not the place, it's us." He said, "You feel the power of the love we share."

  "I like the feeling. I want something like you have for myself. How can I achieve it?"

  "It takes two people willing to commit to a life together, two people who strive to treat each other well and deal with each other on a continuing, loving basis," she answered.

  "Will I find this in my life?" I asked.

  He replied, "You've already taken the first step—recognizing that you want it. There are no guarantees but you are now more apt to find and create it since you know what you're looking for."

  She said, "I hope you will be as fortunate as we are."

  I was startled by the sudden appearance of an androgynous person dressed in a long black robe. The face was translucent skin stretched tightly over a fleshless skull. The hair was sparse and transparent.

  "Don't mind me," the apparition said, "I'm just passing through on my way to aid in the final change of those whose time is short."

  "Who are you?"

  The almost lipless mouth opened wide as the apparition said, "I am Death, a milestone in the existence of all. I represent change in all its aspects. You will all see me again eventually because the death rate is one hundred percent. Life feeds on death. Death is not the opposite of life; it is the opposite of birth, a marker of passage. I go now for an appointment with one who thinks I can be delayed indefinitely because he has position and power. All the colors of the rainbow cannot cancel the grayness I bring."

  Death walked on. I asked the man and woman if they could confirm what Death said about the death rate being one hundred percent because I thought rainbows had eternal life. They directed me to the Sage for answers.

  I found the Sage, a small man with bright dark eyes who reminded me of Kahalyton,
at a bend in the path. I asked him, "Does Death speak the truth?"

  "Yes. There is no reason for Death to lie."

  "Can you help me understand?"

  "Close your eyes and I'll give you a vision."

  I closed my eyes. I saw someone wearing a rainbow wristlock, someone who looked familiar but not identifiable. As I watched the rainbow wristlock grew larger until it encompassed all that I knew existed. The rainbow turned upside down and took the world with it. I felt like I'd been picked up and dumped on my head.

  I opened my eyes and found myself in Boget's dwell, still connected to the Simulike machine.

  I felt weak. I got up and helped myself to food and drink. Boget had asked me to tell him about my experience with the new version of the Simulike machine. I went to the door but it wouldn't open. I was locked in. I lay back down. I had a lot to think about.

  THIRTEEN

  In the morning Boget unlocked the door to the room where I’d spent the night. He invited me to join him for first meal whenever I was ready. After my morning cleansing rituals, I sat down across from him, more interested in what he had to say than in the food.

  Boget said, "I’d like to hear about your Simulike experience, if you're awake enough to recount it."

  I was wide awake. I wanted to know if Boget was going to get me a wristlock but he wanted to hear about my Simulike adventure.

  He was the host and the one with the power in this relationship. I played the good guest, swallowed the last of the food cube I was eating, took a long drink of water, and gave him a detailed summary of my Simulike encounters with others.

  When I was done, he asked me, "Did the people you saw there remind you of specific people in your life?"

  "Some did and some didn't. I got the feeling that the ones I didn't recognize are people I'll meet in the near future."

  I didn't give him any names. If he was part of the conspiracy that Clandine believed existed, I didn’t want to reveal anything that might lead him to believe I was working against him.