by A I Zlato
She would make sure Mossa was banned; that he could never come into contact with the Machine; that he lost the kandrons’ trust... She would take his place in the community, and would use all of his knowledge to improve the shuttle. She was going to go into space, while he would remain there and lament his miserable life. She felt that Phalomera approved of the plan, although she did not connect to it. Iris stopped on that idea. What was happening to her? A few weeks ago, she languished in the same room, desperate to see her life all mapped out. Now she had become convinced that she wanted to leave the planet. This idea would have seemed improbable the day before. There was no trace of the teenager she had been.
In the morning, she jumped out of bed, full of energy. She should have been tired, given the long hours spent walking and not sleeping. Yet she was not. Rage and determination had lit a fire inside her, giving her new vitality. She quietly left the room and walked to the hall. She tiptoed by his father, who was still asleep on the couch, as if he had returned home a few hours earlier. The argument with her mother must have been severe for him to be chased out of the conjugal bed.
“Poor man,” she thought, then left.
Once outside, she looked up to find a patch of sky between the buildings. Dawn colors spread in the atmosphere; the sun’s rays would soon be visible, provided she got away from the Tower. Sunlight never reached the floor there, and only grazed the upper floors of buildings, leaving the streets in the dark. On the contrary, everything was so different in the forest. Leaves filtered light without stopping. The array of leaves and moss reflected diffuse and soothing light.
“Damn Tower!”
Iris sent a message to Eric, asking him to join her in the periphery. She would not go to school that day — or on the following days. She had much more important things to do. While joining the rail that would steer her from there, she hoped that Eric would not hold grudges, given the distance she had kept from him recently, and he would come. Eric meant a lot to her. She dared admit to herself that she had fallen in love with him. He was the only boy who really understood her, and who shared her rebellion and her yearning for another existence. Above all, he felt, as she did, the phalomera’s presence in the forest. He often took her hand, and hugged her. He even told her that she was pretty. She, who was so ugly, too big, not feminine enough. He found her beautiful as she was. She wondered if one day they would kiss. If one day... He was so handsome. Not a conventional handsomeness as Fighter, who was muscular and well built; no, he had a much stronger spell. She loved to snuggle against him. She kept thinking about him during the trip, impatient and worried at the same time.
Upon arriving, her heart leapt in her chest when she saw him. He had received her message, and was waiting. She rushed into his arms, and found a relative calm in the warmth of his embrace. She even dared to stretch her face to his, hoping for a kiss. Her heart almost burst when he ran his hand through her hair and placed his lips on hers. She took advantage of this magic moment; the whole world disappeared as she passed her arms around Eric’s neck. Nothing else mattered. When he released his lips from hers, she put her head on his chest and breathed in his scent. Eric had come, and they loved each other. Everything would be fine.
Some tingling in the neck brought Iris back to reality. Still huddled against Eric, she wanted to tell him the latest events, and the reason for this morning’s message. She raised her head and was about to speak when she was struck down by a lightning migraine. She had almost forgotten... Mossa... he had introduced a subroutine in her chip so she could not recount some memories.
“Damn him!”
She had to find a way to bypass the damn lines of code.
“Iris, what’s up?” Eric asked, anxious to see her writhing.
“I have something important to tell you, but my chip is blocking me. I’ll find a way to override this pain.”
“You want to go to the forest? Your chip will be disconnected there, and you’ll be able to speak freely.”
“It is not the Machine that is preventing me from speaking. It’s... something else. Just give me a moment; I’ll find a way.”
“I don’t want to see you suffer. Is it really so important?”
“Yes.”
Seeing her determination, he remained silent. He held her in his arms to show her she was not alone. She knew that he knew the pain intensity from having experienced it. She had to succeed.
Thanks to the knowledge that the hybrid had unwittingly sent her, Iris, notwithstanding the pain, sought the relevant lines of code. For the first time in her life, she ascended to the chip’s algorithms. In principle, this access should not be possible. Chip-enabled humans were not aware of these programs, and could not identify them, precisely to prevent them from making changes. She was now able. Walking through the programs governing the data outputs, she quickly identified Mossa’s code. On an ego trip, he could not help but leave his digital signature, making the code’s location very easy. She suppressed in seconds the relevant part of the program.
Returning to her body, Iris saw herself lying on the floor, with Eric staring at her, worried. He told her she had lost consciousness for several minutes, while she had felt she was making changes into her chip in the blink of an eye. She assured him that she was now perfectly fine, and began her story.
“Last night, I went back to the Unique Forest.”
“All alone???”
“Yes and no. I am never alone. You know Phalomera... I went looking for Mossa. Don’t ask me why, but I was convinced that this was what I had to do. Phalomera also helped. It provided me with night vision as the chip usually does.”
“The phalomera took over? But how?”
“I have no idea. It was some kind of organic link; it is difficult to explain. Anyway, I walked for hours, and I ended up crossing the forest. I thought, at first, that I was facing the city, but not in the same, usual place; in fact, not at all. I actually crossed the forest, and I landed on the other side. There I found a group of people completely independent of the Machine.”
She told him about the discovery of Egeon’s community, all the way to Mossa’s intervention on her chip.
“He wanted to send me some information in order to manipulate me, she continued, but things did not go as he had planned. In fact, he ‘spilled’ all of his memory into my chip. Now I have access to all his knowledge, and I used it to change the program that kept me from talking to you.”
“What about this manipulation thing?”
“He wanted to use me to access the Machine. He thinks it can help him to return home.”
“And that’s true?”
“Perhaps. Anyway, I will not let him do this. Let me continue my story. Egeon’s community is really making a shuttle to go into space and settle on a new planet, like Mossa had told me.”
“I believed you; it’s just...”
“I understand, Eric. Don’t worry about it. If I were you, I would have problems believing. So here it is: they are building a shuttle. They welcomed Mossa into their community and offered to take him along. In exchange, he only had to help them in the construction process, thanks to his technical knowledge. But then, he isn’t playing a fair game. He doesn’t give a damn about the shuttle, and leaves serious errors in the design. He manipulates everyone, even Eutrope, the kandron.”
“And... can he manipulate you with the reprogramming he made?”
“No, don’t worry; this is not an interactive connection. What he had wanted to do did not work. He had just given me all of his memory. I can see what he saw, from his point of view, but I am still me. That’s why I hate him so much.”
“And... what are you going to do?”
“I want to go back to Egeon and tell him who Mossa really is. I also want to contact the kandrons to reveal Mossa’s fraud. I want this hybrid banned from that community, which opened up its arms to welcome him, and which he sincerely despises.”
“But why? Why do you care?”
“I am convinced tha
t the shuttle project is important; it must succeed.”
“Where did you get that certainty?”
“Phalomera. And there’s more. I not only want to reveal Mossa’s initiatives, but I want to replace him and work more on the shuttle project. And I want to leave this planet. My place is in the shuttle.”
“What?”
“I want a different life. This is the perfect opportunity! To live away from the city means to live away from the Machine.”
“But you... we could very well live among them without boarding the shuttle?”
“What about after? We just see them all leave, and then we stay as hermits in the forest? The shuttle is the unexpected; the unexpected that I always hoped for!”
“What about me?”
“I’d love you to be by my side.”
“I don’t know, Iris; this is so... sudden... so many...”
“I know I’m asking a lot. This is no longer about a small rebellion of children playing to scare each other out, and who shortly separate themselves from the Machine’s data flow. This is about a choice; no way back.”
“You’re... different.”
“My double memory has changed my perception of things, opened my mind and made me aware of what I wanted to do in life. It’s true... but deep down, I remain the same. I love you, Eric; you know that.”
“I love you too. And you know it very well.”
“So?”
“I will follow wherever you go on this planet.”
“And even beyond?”
“Even farther, even if I don’t know what it is exactly... space. Really? Is it possible?”
“Yes, I think it is. Will you come with me?”
“I just told you; I will follow you, no matter what.”
A smile lit up Iris’s face. She pulled away from Eric and took his hand. They left together toward the Unique Forest. They crossed the meadow easily, and she felt just a little pressure in her head when the chip became inactive. She was free now.
She used Mossa’s memory to find her way in the forest, and took the shortest route. Even with this valuable information, Eric and she took two hours to walk to the shores of the lake. They roamed the forest in silence, focusing on the presence, and bathing in the latter’s energy. Between the leaves, the sky took on colors of green water of the ocean, illuminated by the sun. The phalomera comforted Iris in her decisions. The shuttle project should succeed.
They stopped near the lake; Eric had never seen a lake before, and Iris had only seen it at night. They stayed a few moments in front of this clear expanse, the surface of which glittered in the sunlight, like a crystal. Waves lapped on the shore at a regular pace in tune with their heartbeats. The smell of the lake filled their nostrils.
They quickly heard a clamor. Their intrusion had not gone unnoticed, and a dozen people surrounded them in minutes. A woman named Sylvia knew Iris and asked a boy to run and notify Egeon. Pending his arrival, the group stood around them in hostile silence.
Egeon came running with Mossa behind him.
“What are you doing here? And who is he — this one?” Egeon asked.
“His name is Eric; he is... my fiancé. I have something important to say to you and Galatea in private,” said Iris, sending an explicit gaze at Mossa.
“As if I had nothing else to do than listen to you!” Egeon replied.
“I can assure you that it is important for you, for the shuttle, for the project.”
“Who told you about...? Mossa! How could you...?”
The hybrid stepped back, impressed by Egeon’s ire.
Some people stood before him as if to protect him.
“That’s it! Take your prophet out of my sight before I end up killing someone. You! Get me Galatea. As quick as I can inhale and exhale! Iris and Eric, you follow me!”
Egeon walked to a house remote from others. A steep and stony path allowed them to access it. Once inside, Egeon paced himself around, fuming. Galatea, breathless after her run, arrived on the scene.
“What’s happening, Egeon? Hey! Hello, Iris, and... nice to meet, Mister...?”
“Eric,” the young man replied, extending his hand.
“Hello, Galatea! I took the liberty of coming back here with Eric, because I learned something about you in connection with Mossa. When you gave permission to Mossa to modify my chip so that the Machine could not access my memories, Mossa also conveyed some extra information to me. He wanted to manipulate me so he could, through me, have access to the Machine. He thinks indeed that the Machine can help him get back home. Instead of transferring to me only what he had decided, he poured all of his memory into me.”
“You’ve become Mossa?” Egeon queried.
“No. I just have access to his memories, but I am still me. Looking through his memory, I saw the way you have welcomed and integrated him into your community. He wanted you to believe that he had renounced going home, and that he was going to help you sincerely in the construction of your shuttle. This is not what he has done. Of course, he has given you valuable information, to earn your trust, but he did not disclose everything. He had seen significant defects in the shuttle design, which could lead to significant disaster... maybe even the destruction of the shuttle.”
“The bastard! I was right to be wary of him! I will shove him into the forest or better, into the lake!!” Egeon was irate.
“Calm down...” said Galatea. “Are you sure of this, Iris? If you have indeed looked into his memories, you certainly have also seen that a number of us consider him to be the Prophet; the one who will lead us to our salvation... An announcement like this will cause chaos.”
“I’m not happy to tell you this, but I have to. Until recently, he fascinated me; I dreamed about seeing him, talking to him... That’s the reason why I came to your community the last time. Seeing the world through his eyes, seeing the way he considers me a half-person, not a hybrid, some kind of stupid and easily-manipulated human... that makes me mad. I’m telling you all this to warn you, of course, but also for revenge. He does not deserve to have a place on the shuttle. I do. I have access to all his knowledge... I can help you.”
“Here we are... you supposedly want to simply help us, but in reality, all you want is to leave... This is not a game, little girl. Life on a shuttle is both dangerous and boring — dangerous because many unexpected things could happen... death can occur at any time; boring because there is nothing else to do but survive, and ensure that children follow the training program. This is not a romantic adventure, of which you would be the heroine. People who will board the shuttle will not see the new planet; they will die in this metal box,” Egeon murmured.
“I understood you very well. You, however, do not understand me. I kept my personality, but I have gained the knowledge of a hybrid, whose intellectual capabilities are enhanced by the electronic components well beyond what you can imagine. I saw Space O. I opened my mind up to the possibilities offered by the hybridization process while remaining completely independent. With my dual memory, I am no longer really part of Space H., and I never would belong to Space O. I am... something else.”
“You want to help us with your new knowledge, and in exchange, you want a seat in the shuttle... but why do you want to leave?”
“Since I acquired this double memory, I am convinced that this is my place. For a long time, I have felt inadequate in this world. My parents are from the First Circle; their life is the Machine. I cannot bring myself to see my life determined in advance by it, having only the illusion of free will. While seeking ways to face that life, I met Eric and his group of friends, regularly walking away from the city to the edge of the Unique Forest. I discovered what independence meant — the lack of contact with the Machine; the freedom to think without pain-induced control. Eric and I went into the Unique Forest later than the others, and we felt a presence. This energy from the forest is Phalomera, which connects the trees to another location. Thanks to Mossa’s memory, I now know that the body of wat
er, which I thought I had seen in the sky, when I was in the forest with Eric is real. It is the Unique Ocean... it is Space O. It was as if I was a connection between these two spaces... But something tells me in my heart that my place is in the shuttle. I have to leave the world of spaces. Because it is based on the concept of Equilibrium, on the Machine, and that humanity can have no future in such a world.”
Egeon muttered something incomprehensible and then fell silent. Eric looked at Iris, both admiring and frightened by how her mind had developed.
“Do you realize, little girl, that what you just said is, at best, meaningless? You are a connection between two spaces? And soon you’re gonna tell me that you are the true Prophet?” Egeon uttered.
“No, no, I did not say that. I am not a Messiah or... whatever. I wanted to tell you about the presence of the forest so as to explain why I think my place is in the shuttle.”
“Your explanation was more than doubtful.”
“I understand that it might seem absurd; even I have trouble believing it. Nonetheless, I am convinced that I could do much better than Mossa. I have knowledge, and above all, I am sincere.”
“I cannot deny that I always had doubts about Mossa... Let’s say what you just told us about him is true; that he was not candid with us. What is there to tell me that you are?”