Virtual Mode

by Piers Anthony

  They crested the hill and started down the other side. The plants shifted from blue to purple, and the outcrops to pink, as the Modes shifted. The sky was turning deep green.

  Suddenly the two of them were falling. Darius felt a moment of panic. Then his feet struck steeply sloping pink sand. He tried to stand, but could not, so he tried to sit, and it made little difference; he continued sliding down. Provos was beside him, doing her best to maintain a decorous attitude despite being out of control. They were rapidly descending into a huge pit.

  Another drop, and another rescue by a steep slope. Then they landed in a pile of pink sand. They climbed out of it and surveyed their situation.

  This was evidently an artificial excavation of enormous scope. On three sides it rose so steeply that climbing it was out of the question; they had been fortunate that it had even slowed their fall. The fourth side was flat: a terrace, narrowing into a level road leading out between the towering pink sides.

  So why hadn't Provos warned him of this? Because they had stepped into it in a new Mode. Because it was artificial, there was no natural warning, nothing they could see ahead. This ground had once been whole, and now it was hollow, and they had stepped from the ground of one Mode into the emptiness of the next. He had known that she could not anticipate such a thing, yet had somehow depended on it, thinking their periodic descriptions of past and future events would suffice. Only when they remained for a time in a single Mode would that system work well.

  Who had dug this monstrous hole? Probably some civilization similar to the one Colene shared. She had told him how they mined deep in the ground, sometimes leaving just such pits as this. So maybe he was getting close to her Mode. That was encouraging.

  But not identical, because this was not her village with its paved streets and angular houses. So it was best to get on by this pit before those who dug it arrived. Trying to go back was hopeless; they couldn't even stand on that slope, and could never climb to the top.

  Provos evidently agreed. They dusted themselves off and started walking across the level base.

  Suddenly there was a giant thing bearing down on them. It resembled one of the traveling machines Colene had described, but was much larger and fiercer.

  Both of them stepped hastily back across the boundary. The machine vanished. At least it was easy to avoid, with the Modes.

  Darius got out his mirror tube and poked it across the boundary. The machine had passed beyond them, and was now stopping beside another machine, one with a giant set of jaws on the end of a long neck.

  They stepped across again. Now he saw that the jawed machine was gouging great mouthfuls of orange sand from the base of the pit, and spitting them into the back of the traveling machine. So that was how the pit was made. The machines must have been working at it for a long time, evidently wanting the pretty sand.

  They crossed another boundary. The sand brightened a trace, now possessing more of a yellow component. The pit seemed larger, and there were several dark blue machines eating at the edge of it. All the machines of this section of the Virtual Mode were hungry for this sand!

  It seemed that all they needed to do was keep walking across the pit until they reached the far side. Then—Then what? The far side looked as forbidding as the near side. They would not be able to climb out of it either.

  They would have to walk down the road, which surely led out. It was not going in the direction Darius wanted, but once they were free of the pit they could recover their course.

  Darius turned to follow the road, and Provos went with him. Now they were remaining longer in one Mode, because the road slanted slowly across it.

  A green machine came charging out of the pit. They stepped hastily into the next Mode, and the vehicle vanished. But there was a gray machine coming from the opposite direction. If they ducked back, they could get run over by the first. So they ran on across and jumped into the next Mode before the gray machine reached them.

  Here there were yellow machines. These were smaller, though still formidable, and looked like huge insects with antennae. The antennae rotated, seeming to orient on the two living folk. Then two machines started toward them.

  They ran on across, to the edge of the road where the next boundary would take them away. But something alarming happened.

  They bounced off the boundary.

  Darius stared at Provos. She seemed as dismayed as he. This had never happened before.

  The machines were closing in on them. As one, Darius and Provos turned and ran back the way they had come, barely crossing the prior boundary before the machines arrived.

  Another gray machine was coming. This one slowed, seeming to see them. It too had antennae.

  "I don't like this," Darius muttered. "These things are aware of us!"

  Provos agreed. But it wasn't safe to cross this Mode in front of the machine; it was too big and fast. They had to duck back into the Mode they had just left.

  The two yellow machines were waiting. As soon as the two living folk reappeared in this Mode, the machines resumed motion, closing in.

  Provos was becoming increasingly agitated. Darius knew that meant that she was starting to tune in to future trouble here. They had to get away!

  Their best chance seemed to be to cross rapidly through the Mode of the gray machines, so as to be out of this squeeze. He grabbed Provos' arm and pointed. But she demurred. She pointed down this Mode, at right angles.

  If she was tuning in, she knew what she was doing. He nodded agreement, and they ran in that direction.

  The yellow machines accelerated, quickly overtaking them. But they ran straight ahead, while the road curved, and the mechanical devices couldn't follow well. There was a ditch which was treacherous for wheels on frames to navigate. They had to swerve aside, and the two living folk got clear.

  But other machines were now approaching from the opposite direction. One of them had large wheels that could handle the terrain.

  Provos ran on, though she was now breathing hard and holding her side. She was an old woman, and evidently not in condition for such activity. But she must remember something to make this effort worthwhile.

  Darius drew close to her, matched her steps, and put his right arm around her midsection. He drew her in close and lifted, taking some of her weight off her feet. This might have seemed unduly familiar, but she would remember that he had done this without familiar intent.

  So it seemed. She put her left arm around him and leaned into him. Now they ran as one, with his legs assuming much of the burden. He was used to walking and running, and could handle this for a short distance.

  A building came into sight. It was large, with several metal lacework towers rising from its top. It crossed their path, and they were headed straight for it.

  But if the machines were chasing them now, what would happen when they reached that building? Surely there were many more machines in there!

  The machines cut them off. Now Provos urged him to the left, across the boundary. The yellow machines vanished.

  The ground was now flat, without the ditches that limited the machines, and the gray machines were lurking. They were clustered in the vicinity the two living folk had left, but quickly reoriented and renewed the pursuit.

  Provos kept running. As the gray machines caught up, she drew the two of them back to the Mode of the yellow machines.

  They were now beyond the machines that had cut them off, and close to the building. This was not the kind of structure that creatures of flesh lived in; it was formed of a metal lattice, with spaced supports. He could see through the gaps into its center, where machines and parts of machines seemed to be clustered. Perhaps this was where the machines were bred, birthed, and trained.

  Provos drew free of him, squatted, and picked up a handful of orange sand. She stuffed it in whatever pockets she possessed. Darius, bemused, did the same. He had to trust her memory of the immediate future, as she had to trust his memory of the past. Then she put her hands on
the edges of the lattice, and started climbing. Darius did the same, moving to her right to climb, though the point of this exercise baffled him. The machines would only trap them on the building.

  Indeed, yellow machines were moving inside the building, on a platform that was rising by itself. The machines would reach the top before the people did.

  Darius tried to find better climbing by moving to his right, but his shoulder banged into the impenetrable wall that was the next Mode. He didn't know what to make of that; surely the machines had not found a way to block it off to travelers!

  Provos lost a handhold on her left and hung for a moment in doubt. He quickly steadied her with his left arm. Then she gestured with her left hand, and he saw it pass right through the metal of the wall. No wonder she had missed her hold! The building did not exist in the next Mode, though they could see it clearly from this one. On the ground it didn't matter if they strayed across a boundary, but here it could be fatal.

  This minor misadventure had cost them time, and the platform with the machines was passing them. They would surely be made captive or worse when they reached the roof.

  Provos held on firmly with one hand, and with the other dug into a pocket. She brought out some sand and hurled it at the side of the platform, where toothed wheels turned. So Darius did the same. Was this a form of magic, a ritual throwing of sand? If so, it was useless, for this was obviously a nonmagical Mode. But he reminded himself again that she could remember the future, so should know what she was doing to make it memorable. He heaved another handful of sand into the works.

  There was an unkind sound. The platform shuddered and slowed. Sparks flew out.

  Now it was making sense. The gears did not like sand. They climbed onto the top of the building, and walked across the metal roof. They remained carefully in their three-paces-wide channel, because the Mode on one side was an impenetrable wall, and on the other was a drop-off. It was a big building, and a fall from it would be devastating.

  Provos went to the tower that was in their channel. But it was near the boundary. In fact, half of it was across the boundary; they had to pass it to the right, lest they fall.

  But she did not try to pass it. Instead she started climbing it, though she was evidently tired. Her backpack surely weighed her down, with all the running and climbing. Yet the tower went nowhere except up. What was her urgency?

  "This thing is only half anchored!" he warned. "It will fall over with your weight!" But then he realized that this was not the case. The tower was quite firmly anchored, in this Mode. The fact that they could not touch its other side did not mean that it lacked that support. They could climb it, until it narrowed into nothing. Then what?

  The yellow machines were getting their platform un-jammed. Soon they would be here.

  Darius shrugged and started up the tower after her. He hoped she was remembering something that he was unable to foresee, because otherwise they were doomed.

  They climbed high on the narrowing tower. Now there was scarcely room for them, even in tandem, because of the half that didn't exist for them. A stiffening breeze tugged at them, making Darius even less comfortable about the height. What could possibly be the point of this?

  Meanwhile the machines reached the roof and clustered around the base of the tower. It seemed that they could not climb it, but surely they had ways to get at those who did. Probably the only thing that had saved the two living folk so far had been the machines' desire to capture them alive. Maybe the machines, like the dragons, were interested in learning how to cross Modes, and thought that firm persuasion would elicit the secret from the travelers.

  Provos stopped. He looked up and saw that she was struggling to get something from her pack. But she was now so tired that she couldn't twist around without being in danger of falling.

  "I'll do it!" he said. "What do you want?"

  She made a gesture of throwing.

  "Sand," he said. He dug into a pocket and threw some sand down on the machines.

  She shook her head no.

  "Throw something else? But all we have is our supplies, and we need those."

  She nodded yes.

  Darius gazed down at the machines. Now they were bringing something with a portable platform. They would be getting up here soon.

  He sighed. He drew out a package of bread. He opened it and tore off one chunk with his teeth. He wanted to eat it, but this mouthful was for another purpose. What a waste! He threw it in the direction the woman had indicated.

  The chunk flew out and down. It bounced against the invisible wall of the next Mode.

  Provos signaled for him to throw again, higher.

  He tore off another chunk, and threw it in a higher arc.

  It disappeared.

  "Yes!" Provos cried.

  It took Darius a moment to realize the significance of what had happened. That last chunk had passed above the blank wall and entered the next Mode!

  The woman made another gesture of throwing. He worked it out. They had been unable to enter that Mode because there was no deep pit there. They could not step into solid rock. But if they got above the level of the ground, they could jump onto it!

  Provided they knew the exact level. Too low, and they would strike the barrier and drop way down. Too high, and they would make it, but hurt themselves landing.

  He ripped off more bread and began throwing in earnest. He found the level, about a body length below him. But it was also a body length away from him. How could they reach it?

  The rope! If they could tie it to the tower above, they might be able to swing across on it. He could push Provos so that she would go far enough, and then she could let go on the other Mode.

  He reached over his shoulder and plunged his hand into his pack. He found the rope and brought it out. It was fine thin cord, light but strong, with plenty of length. But how was he to tie it to the tower above them? There really wasn't room for him to climb up past Provos, and if he did, it would take time, and the machines' capture-platform was now in place and rising toward them. There wasn't enough time!

  He gazed up. At the top, the tower had a crosspiece with hooked ends. That should be ideal to tie the rope to, had he the time and position to do it.

  Provos looked down. She extended one hand. She wanted the rope?

  He passed up one end. She worked the rope around her upper body and through part of the tower, tying herself to it. Then she leaned back, freeing both hands while her body was held by the rope. She formed a double loop in the cord, with an intricate knot. She fished a solid little package out of her pack and tightened the loops around it. Then she untied herself and passed the end of the rope down to him.

  Darius realized that she had effectively weighted the end of the rope. Now he knew what to do. He held on firmly to the tower with his left hand, leaned out, and hurled the end straight up as hard as he could. He let the cord play out, holding tightly on to the other end.

  It sailed up beyond the crosspiece, and down again, missing. He borrowed from Provos' technique, tying himself to the tower so as to free both hands. Then he hauled up the rope, leaned way out, and threw it with a more looping motion. This time his aim was good, but not his power; it passed just under the crosspiece.

  He tried a third time, and a fourth, while the machine platform slowly came up at him. The fourth time did it: the rope passed over and swung down beyond. The weighted end came down and he caught it. He drew on the two ends, working the rope out to the edge of the crosspiece, where it was caught by the hook. Now they were ready to swing, and none too soon, because the machine platform was uncomfortably close.

  Provos took the rope again. She removed the package and returned it to her pack. Then she formed a harness with the two ends, and put her legs through it. She certainly knew how to do things with that rope! In a moment she was dangling free of the tower, seated in the harness.

  Darius climbed up, glad to get his feet farther away from the machines. He gave her a push to start
her swinging. She swung out toward the invisible wall, then back past the tower, and disappeared.

  Darius stared, then realized that this was not disaster. She had passed into the Mode of the gray machines. There was no building or tower there, but she was anchored by the rope to this yellow-machine Mode. He could see the rope above, angling down and disappearing about halfway down.

  Sure enough, in a moment she reappeared. First her bent knees and feet showed, then the rest of her. She swung past him, and he put out his hand and shoved her farther in the direction she was going. She went farther toward the wall Mode, but did not disappear.

  In a moment she was passing him again, the other way. He gave her knees a shove, but it wasn't straight, and it started her turning. That couldn't be helped.

  He looked down. The machines had stopped advancing. Their platform was still. Their feelers seemed to be focused on the vanished woman. They didn't know what was happening. Well, he would be surprised too, if a machine came through his home region, climbed a tower, dangled from it, and started swinging in and out of existence.

  Provos reappeared. He gave her another good shove. She swung far out—and half of her disappeared. Her feet remained in view, evidently snagging on the wall.

  Then she was coming back. "I gone!" she exclaimed. She remembered what was about to happen.

  Pleased, he gave her another shove back, and another forward when she reappeared. This time she lifted her legs and disappeared entirely, and the rope went slack without returning. She must have put her feet down on the ground, stopping her swing.

  Then the rope swung back to him, the harness empty. He caught it and worked his way into the harness.

  Now the machines resumed activity, evidently catching on that the prey was escaping. The platform rose again.

  Darius shoved off from the tower. He did not swing out far enough. He swiped at the tower, trying to increase his motion, and set himself spinning.