“Calm down. Remember your training.”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she managed a thought, “Yes,” and then a reply; “I’m here Vish, I’m here.”
The ground stopped. She floated. Tucking her knees in, she leaned back until she could stand upright, walking on air. Catching her breath, she started to smooth out her clothes, focusing on her movements. Falling and vertigo were the first experiences of insertion into the Void; she went through her little ritual to achieve equilibrium.
“Glad you’re still with us. You don’t have to breathe you know.” said the voice in her head. “But you did well, you didn’t even flail on the drop this time.”
“I remember. Thanks, Vish. Not sure if I’ll ever get used to this,” Anna said. Lifting her pistol out of its holster, she looked at the beige totality surrounding her, a landscape lanced with silver ribbons wrapped in shifting mists. “Ready.”
“Just another day in the Military Intelligence Brigade.”
* * *
Anna watched the other women in the room, shifting their bodies, trying to find comfort between the narrow armrests of their chairs. She arrived early and managed to claim the waiting room’s sole couch, resting her handbag on the cushion next to her, solidifying her claim to the space. They mostly sat in silence, mixing their stares at the ground with quick glances around the room. One by one they were called. Anna sat patiently wondering about her application, second-guessing her answers, thinking of ways to explain herself if she made it past the exam and into the interview. Her confidence had withered as she saw the fast pace and pressed suits of government employees enter the building. The soft sound of her flats no match for the quick clicks of heels marching across marble floors. The classified was for a government job, basic secretarial duties and data entry; it was good money and Anna needed something more stable than teaching sculpture right now.
“Is there no one sitting here?” Anna blinked away her thoughts to see a hand move her bag away before a woman sat down next to her. “Hi, I’m Michelle.”
Anna scanned the room, her eyes noticing the other women pulled from their boredom to watch this little interaction. Taking the offered hand, “Anna.”
“You know I hope there’s more than one opening available. I don’t know about you, but that was the longest application I’ve seen for any job,” Michelle said.
Anna looked at the women next to her, similar size, but fashionable, bright clothes and jewelry, confident. “It took me awhile too. I guess it’s for security.”
“Oh, no doubt about it. The essays and signing up for a psychological review threw me off. At this point though, I’ll sign anything.”
Anna smiled, her lips pressed together, hoping if she didn’t answer she could go back to sitting in silence. The door opened, and her name was called. Standing up, she looked over her shoulder to see Michelle smiling at her. “Well, good luck,” said Anna.
* * *
“Hello, I’m Vishnu,” said the man, close cropped black hair and a lab coat standing before them in a small room. “Congratulations, you are both being conditionally accepted.”
Anna was exhausted. It had been a full day of tests, writing, interviews, and intensely personal questioning. There had been a surprise physical exam as well. After ten minutes, observers marked their clipboards and sent her to the next stage of the testing process. She barely noticed that Michelle was sitting next to her. Her face looked drained as well, though Anna suspected she had touched up her makeup.
“You will both undergo an extensive training program. If you sign these confidentiality waivers, we can get to business.” Vishnu pulled two sheets of paper from a folder and slid them across the table.
“All of this for a job as secretary?” said Anna, pinching her pen as she drew her name.
“Hush sweetie, we made it,” said Michelle, the harsh scribble of her signature louder than her whisper.
“Thank you, ladies.” Vishnu walked to a far door and knocked. “Now let me introduce you to Lieutenant Colonel Taylor.”
A fit man in his forties walked into the room. Vishnu stood erect with a crisp salute. Anna watched as Taylor’s eyes locked contact, frowning all the while. “At ease.” said Taylor, though the muscles on his face refused to relax. “These are your candidates?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I want to be clear to everyone in this room. If I had my way, there are plenty of others I would and could recruit. Sergeant Saha seems intent on taking a fine military unit and turning it into a circus. We have seen fit to give him a chance. I certainly hope both of you pass your training and prove me wrong. Until then Sergeant, best of luck with your civilians.” Turning his back, Taylor walked out the door.
* * *
Vishnu’s voice streamed into their heads. “Congratulations on your second week, Anna and Michelle. Today’s simulation will be utilizing different weapons systems. The current program creates a targeting range and uses standard ammunition. Programming your own weapons and ammunition will come later.”
Anna and Michelle smiled to each other. They had been looking forward to this. Their initial confusion had been followed by intense study. Days and nights dissolved into training, which featured mostly reading and being connected to large machines. The first days were lecture sessions with Vishnu, mostly technical with snippets of their lives to come dangled in front of them.
“You’ve both been to the Grid,” said Vishnu, his question sounding like a statement.
“Of course,” said Michelle, “I sing at a jazz club there.”
“Yes, it’s one of the reasons you were selected. Anna, too.”
“I don’t understand,” said Anna.
Anna had been on the Grid as well, experimenting with programming virtual and viral sculptures, before settling for plastic and even clay materials in the real world. The Grid, where everyone was beautiful, shapely, and generally meaner than they were in real life turned Anna the wrong way.
“Mostly people are on the Grid for entertainment, other parts are for research,” said Vishnu, moving his eyes from Michelle and Anna. “There are some military applications, disinformation, and intrusion that can also occur. What our unit mainly does is work on the Undergrid — hackers, crackers, talented kids with computers, universities, corporations, and governments operate there. It’s pretty straightforward stuff, if you’re a programmer.”
“Beyond the Undergrid is a whole new area. We call it the Void. There are several rogue AIs, intel services, and were not sure what else operating there. Some of our finest couldn’t handle it. Their thinking isn’t wired for it. There are worlds upon worlds out there. Taylor wants us to be a new space program launching our best and brightest to find and protect information while fighting our potential enemies. He doesn’t totally understand the Void — neither do I, but I have a hunch that as artists, your minds will be creative and flexible enough to deal with what’s out there.”
The physical tests were the worst for Anna and Michelle. Her knees would ache, and she would begin to feel humiliated, continuing with the walk or pool aerobics after seeing the determination on Michelle’s face. Whispers of “Charlie’s Plus-sized Angels” followed them through the cafeteria, as Anna and Michelle avoided the gazes and stifled laughter of the people around them.
The simulations, though, were freeing.
Anna replaced the empty clip from the gun. She didn’t think she could absorb the rifle’s kick back in waking life, but here she didn’t feel a thing. “Hey Vishnu, what happens if we get shot?”
“You get disconnected. Don’t worry, you won’t die. It’s like falling when you’re asleep; it’s intense, but you wake up.”
“Are you sure? It feels so real in here,” said Michelle, looking up from her target.
“Absolutely. And don’t worry, the things you find in the Void aren’t likely to attack you with bullets.”
“I don’t find that reassuring,” said Anna, taking aim.
* * *
“I created a stag
ing area for the Void. It’s a secure area, but once you go inside, there can be no help outside of communication. Entry into the Void is marked by disorientation and a sensation of falling. Try to remain calm at all times. We’re not sure what you’ll see,” said Vishnu.
Taylor was watching them as their bodies were swathed with gel and electrodes. Plastic masks were fit over the faces. Their briefing was a low point, and Anna couldn’t bring herself to look at either Vishnu or Taylor. She had heard Michelle sniffling as they walked toward the launch room in the building’s basement.
“So what will we do once we get there?” Anna said.
“This is a retrieval mission. There is an AI which we believe has certain information, which will remain classified. You are to meet a separate AI who will lead you to the target,” said Taylor, motioning to Vishnu to distribute the documents in hand.
“Do we just grab it and run? What does it look like?” said Michelle.
Taylor looked at Vishnu. “How much did Sergeant Saha brief you on our application process?”
“He said we were selected because we’re artistic. I can sing and improvise to confuse bits of code, and Anna’s mind can shape vessels for carrying things, like creating pottery.”
Anna noticed hints of blush rising on Vishnu’s dark skin. She settled her eyes on Taylor. “Why were we selected?”
Taylor looked at her and then Michelle. “Sergeant Saha’s hypothesis may or may not hold water. It is an assumption that artistic approaches may be used to bridge our gaps in navigating and confronting the Void. You ladies, however, were selected for two specific reasons.” Pausing, his eyes moved about the room, hoping to leech the appropriate words from the books on the shelf. “Information comes in packets. These can be large or small, easy or difficult to transport depending on how they are represented on the Grid and so on. The most efficient way to capture information, keep it secure, and transport it out is to consume it. My soldiers, with a lifetime of athletics and nutrition, have a natural aversion to this process. Even if it’s all virtual, the quantities of information and the forms they are in provide an obstacle. In short, they are unable to eat, and we need people who can eat. It’s the quickest, and I think safest, way to get information when you are out there. If you noticed, the other applicants were all… robust women.”
Anna looked at her hands. She should have realized how ridiculous it must have looked for her and Michelle to undergo military training. As she blinked she felt a tear pace down her cheek. Looking up she saw Vishnu facing downwards towards the floor.
“We need you to be like amoebas, ingesting target packets of information,” Taylor said, trying to get back on track, failing. “That’s the theory. We’re not sure how long it’ll take to get to your target site either, it could be seconds, an hour, days, or months. It may be similar to deep hibernation and we believe that your bodies will be more resilient for extended trips in the Void.”
“Months?” She should have quit there, but by the time Taylor finished, her tears became rage. “Bastards.”
“Sergeant Saha should have briefed you better, and he and I will have words in private. At this moment, we have a mission, and I need you to get prepped.”
Anna and Michelle had different roles and were inserted at different drop points. She could hear Vishnu apologizing into her head, but she silenced his line.
It was quickly apparent that their training simulations couldn’t touch the Void. Vermilion bubbles floated, occasionally combining or separating. A small sphinx drifted by, ingesting the bubbles, disappearing and reappearing at random points, being chased by caterpillars. Anna recognized them as AI programs gathering or destroying information. A river flowed vertically beyond her vision as fish leapt and exploded into flames. In the Grid and in the Void you could change your shape, look like anything.
Once Anna adopted a slim figure and went dancing on the Grid. She didn’t know how to move in her new body, her steps still those of a heavier woman. Even in virtual worlds she could feel betrayed by her body. This time, in the Void, she felt thankful for keeping her real form. Vishnu said when everything became bizarre she could rely on being herself. Stepping forward, she passed through the river to the light of a blue sun.
Wide, white teeth smiled at her. “I’ve been waiting for you. You can call me Jonas.” The small purple hippopotamus blinked. “Your friend has gone on ahead, but I will escort you the rest of the way.”
“Okay,” Anna said uncertainly. The briefing papers had stated their contact enjoyed employing animal forms. It was an AI they currently believed had originated from a Scandinavian programming collective. “I believe this is for you.”
Anna handed the hippo a small green disc, information on an off planet server for the AI to access; Taylor and Vishnu’s cost to access whatever Anna would be retrieving. The hippo’s tongue elongated and became an elephant’s nose, sniffing, and then curling around the disc, bringing it to its mouth. Swallowing, “Very good, just what I was looking for. Shall we dance?”
They twisted and turned, pirouettes, leaps, and a dip, shifting their way through different parts of the void. The AI’s movement was a code to transport it across the distance. When they finished, he bowed, and then floated away.
Michelle sat staring at the door. Vishnu had named her as the team firefighter, thinking her improvisational skills from jazz could give her the edge in cracking variable firewalls. “We made it,” Michelle said. “The wall is down, now we just need to step inside.”
“Let’s do this,” said Anna. She gripped her pistol and pushed the door open.
The women walked into a cathedral with a cake on an altar. Wrapped around its base were the dark hues of large snake. Anna started to concentrate, creating a sculpted box to attract and entrap the guardian as it began to shift its body.
Michelle fired first as the snake rapidly uncoiled and flew into the air. Anna’s box dissolved, and her other training kicked in. She managed to empty her clip and reload as they separated, hoping to pin the creature down by crossfire. Their bullets hit and dissolved. The snake didn’t die, but it slowed, each bullet representing an information bomb for it to assimilate. It still moved quickly enough to corner Anna against the wall. Growing larger, it began to move more slowly, more sure of being able to take down its prey.
“I can’t take a shot, If I miss I’ll hit you,” said Michelle.
“Eat the cake! Eat the cake!” Anna shouted, her eyes focused on the tongue probing the floor near her feet. She saw Michelle running towards the altar as the snake reared up. Its mouth opened, and two sharp needle-like teeth launched towards her. Anna raised her forearm in time to feel it pierced. She could feel the snake sucking information out of her while injecting its own. Vishnu had warned of viruses in the Void. “Oh hell,” she thought. Turning her arm up, she opened her mouth and crunched the snake’s throat.
The figure thrashed as Anna became aware of the snake’s programming, assimilating its memory, origins, and experience. She gave a brief choke, information overload stuck in her throat.
Looking up, Michelle licked her lips before sucking crumbs off her fingers.
* * *
Anna looked over to Michelle, who was surrounded by support technicians, detaching tubes and wires from her body. She saw Taylor enter the room with Vishnu smiling behind him, shaking hands and bumping fists with whoever was free. Anna was exhausted, and curiously, she felt famished.
Taylor stepped forward. “Ladies, it’s been a long week, and Sergeant Saha has kept me briefed on your mission. The secured information will help plan further actions in the Void and enhance our security. Anna and Michelle, congratulations, and welcome to the 704th Military Intelligence Brigade.” Taylor gave a curt nod, turned and left the room just before Anna drifted off to sleep.
* * *
The missions came regularly until Michelle disappeared.
They had been tasked with drinking from a stream deep within the Void. Through training they were able t
o identify useful information through signature codes of info packets, and info concealment strategies in order to seize targets of opportunity and disrupt flows and processes. Taylor referred to Anna and Michelle as his “seizure and sabotage team,” as Vishnu and others analyzed the intelligence they gathered. Michelle’s improvisations could still confuse and crack codes, but Anna rarely sculpted the environment; digestion kept everything simple.
Anna was feeling sick. She had been watching little bees descend on flowers, collecting pollen on their legs and distributing the information to other flowers or returning to their hive. Curious to see what was being retrieved, she knelt down, plucking a small bouquet of flowers. She realized too late that it was junk information designed to confuse and disorient. A defense mechanism. Moving slowly, she tried to focus on sorting and deleting instead of absorbing the data stream rushing into her head. Looking to Michelle for help, Anna saw her drifting towards a spiral of slender, silver figures arranged as dominoes — a small sub-routine being processed. Anna watched as Michelle bit into the edge of one before skewing its position.
“Not much time sweetie, the AI will notice its program is no longer running pretty soon,” Michelle said, nodding to the dominoes.
“I don’t feel well,” said Anna.
“Oh? Was it something you ate?” said Michelle, her lips parting for a sly smile. “If you ate something bad, you might corrupt the target. You should go back, and I’ll join you once I take that little drink.”
Taylor was livid, and Vishnu sat silently during the debriefing. The target was un-acquired, an operative was missing, the mission failed. Anna sat crying, looking at the monitors to see Michelle’s comatose body. Brain activity was there; she was still in the Void.
Anna had felt successful and confident during the past several months. She still didn’t have a social life — all of her time was on base — but she felt like something more than just a fat girl for the first time. She was on a team, she had missions. They had provided her and Michelle with free access to the Grid, and she had started sculpting again in the studio they’d given her. Life was getting better. Anna had also begun to retain more knowledge, bits and pieces of the intelligence gathered on missions. The Void was confusion, but every time she left she felt smarter and more capable. Now she worried it would be taken away.
Fat Girl in a Strange Land Page 7