Autumn Edwards watched as her daughter ran out of the poorly-made cottage. She had a hard time believing this whole situation wasn't Infinite Diffusion’s fault. The sorry excuse for a company could have provided them with better accommodations. Humans stopped programming by hand for a reason. The Zix were simply better at it.
Her daughter ran in the tall grass chasing her Zix. Azerail suddenly stopped, arms jutting forward as she lumbered around with long strides. Raccoon circled her jumping when she got a little too close.
Jennifer Edwards, gently took Autumn’s hand pulling her into a private conversation. Jennifer’s Zix appeared on the arm of the couch next to her.
“What did they do to our baby?” Autumn asked.
Jennifer squeezed Autumn’s waist as they both leaned back on the couch.
“First Izekiel and now this?” Autumn asked.
Jennifer shook her head. “That's not fair, the developers didn't have anything to do with Izekiel. You know Az, she likes to do things her way.”
“She recreated her night terror, Jen!” Autumn said.
Infinite Diffusion had been working on an experimental feature that would create a secondary virtual brain for the player. It would allow them to experience the life of their character as if it were their own. As an avid role-player, Azerail was intrigued and that’s where the problems started.
Izekiel was a recurring figment from Azerail’s Nightmares. In an attempt to confront it, she had spent weeks randomly generating characters until she was finally satisfied with one that looked exactly like the ghost from her dreams.
Dark Offerings was still new when Azerail created the character. Autumn thought nothing of the situation since Azerail’s friend Darryl played the game with her.
Through some convoluted game exploit, Azerail was able to access the second brain. She then found a way to draw on the personalities of other players. Without thinking about the consequences she took only the nastier aspects and built the scariest representation of Izekiel she could create.
The results were too real and caused Azerail to have a major breakdown.
Autumn, Jennifer, and Darryl convinced Az to delete the character. However, she refused to quit playing completely. She stood steadfast even in the wake of her best friend's refusal to continue playing the game on the Hexed side with her.
“You didn’t see it, Jen. In the test, she kicked us all out,” Autumn said.
Jennifer gave Autumn’s hand a squeeze. “Kicked you out?”
“Yes, we were forced into a privacy bubble, while Az controlled our bodies. All we could do was watch,” Autumn said.
Jennifer nodded. “Like in the video? Wait. Didn’t you watch the whole thing?”
“I didn’t have time,” Autumn replied.
“Busy with the project?” Jennifer asked.
Autumn sighed. “Yeah.”
“How did the test go?” Jennifer asked.
Autumn shook her head. “There’s too much noise, the build failed, there wasn't enough bandwidth, and the quantum repeaters wouldn't turn on.”
“So nothing is working?” Jennifer said.
There were some aspects of the transfer that were functioning. “We completed the construction of the new data center.”
“The engineers finally did it?” Jennifer asked.
Autumn and her teams were dead set on recreating the technology. “It wouldn't boot up though.”
The quantum computers from a smart city were on par with what the Architects had done and the younger members of the team were ecstatic about it.
Autumn, on the other hand, wasn't as impressed. She'd lived in a time when quantum computers were much smaller and faster than what they were creating. She was very young at the time so she wasn't that attached to the old days. Stripping the planet's tech in exchange for living longer was worth it in her opinion.
Jennifer was Autumn's polar opposite when it came to her opinion on the Architect's exit from the planet. She didn't want them to leave at all and thought taking the planet's technology was unjust. Jennifer was over twenty years older than Autumn so she had more context on the situation.
“Shame about the other stuff, stupid technicalities. I’m sure you’ll get it,” Jennifer said.
What was really a shame was that Jennifer wouldn't participate in Autumn’s project. She was a brilliant quantum physicist.
Autumn didn't know why she wouldn’t help other than she said she swore some kind of oath to the Architects before they left.
People like Jennifer were called the Penurious.
There were several other Penurious out there. In one case the government tried to force one to share their knowledge. It didn't go well, for the government. The people rose up forcing them to back down.
After losing three billion people to nuclear warfare in the Final War, all major governments lost their power. The people were much more connected and the ones that didn't join the newly restructured Central government rose and then fell. Eventually, all remaining countries became a part of it.
The war brought innovation. The simple language models the people used were migrated to quantum computers and were found to be much more helpful that way. Within years they found ways to quarantine the toxic land.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
AI still wasn't sentient back then but they used it to create a true Resource Based Economy. Their high-speed rail and planes were slow but fast enough to distribute food and supplies to where people needed it.
A point of unanimous agreement among the masses was their appreciation toward the Architects for their role in cleaning up the large swaths of land left uninhabitable by the nuclear devastation.
“Zix and I have been talking,” Jennifer said.
Autumn leaned her head on Jennifer's shoulder. “What about?”
“The timeline for smart city duplication,” she replied.
Autumn sat up and stared into the eyes of her love. “Are you going to help us finally?”
“Small communities like where Alexandria and Kevin came from feel left behind. They have the supplies they need but don't have the comforts and feeling of inclusion that we have. Did you know they call the Architects the Abandoners?” Jennifer asked.
Autumn covered her mouth with a gasp. “I didn't know that.”
“They are rejecting all Architect-based technology,” she said.
That explained why Kevin and his mom didn’t have augments. Autumn and her family had visited several tribes who had refused implants but a religion here in North America, that also refused them was unheard of. “Are they violent or dangerous in any way?”
“She didn't say but she did mention she had to leave in secret,” Jennifer said.
Which meant they were likely practicing in secret. “Azerail and Kevin seem to like each other. Despite their differences.”
“Everything probably seems weird to him. Most people don't get implants this late in life,” Jennifer said.
Something Autumn’s Zix said had sparked an idea. “I think Azerail is hiding something.”
“Wait, Az? She’s an open book,” Jennifer said.
Autumn shook her head and placed a hand on her chin. It took her a moment but she remembered the suspicious conversation in question. “I think it has something to do with Kevin. He said something about seeing higher resolution textures than these.” Autumn gestured at her environment.
Unless Kevin was over thirty years old there was no way he could have seen better textures than what was shown in this game.
Jennifer’s hands were a blur as she interacted with her interface. “Zix is gathering a compilation of their conversations.”
“She was also pulled into privacy mode in the car on the way home,” Autumn said.
Autumn had tried to call her but she was unavailable during the ride.
“Okay, Zix found two strange instances in their conversations. Here's the first one,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer's Zix launched itself into the air where it hovered for a few seconds until its body pulled in on itself as if it were being sucked into a black hole. A shining blue light was all that remained.
The light flattened into a circle and turned upward. Above it, a 3D image of Azerail walked into view. She was in a large hallway, but Autumn couldn't tell where until she passed a planter. That style was built into their building's walls so that's where she had to be.
“It's this way,” Azerail said.
As she walked the hologram expanded to include Kevin. He had two suitcases one in his hand and the other rolling alongside him as he pulled it.
“Do you play video games?” Azerail asked.
Kevin caught up to her. “Doesn't everyone.”
Azerail laughed. “There’s some really great AR/VR games for the specs. Have you ever tried VR?”
“Only the older ones, like on the @*#$&,” he said.
The last part of his sentence was distorted making it unintelligible.
“What was that?” Autumn asked.
Jennifer tapped the air. “Quantum encryption, unless we find its tangled pair we’ll never know what he said.”
Which meant that we’d never find it.
“What older game systems could he be talking about? And who could have encrypted it?” Autumn asked.
We stared at the miniature versions of the kids. Then Jennifer reversed the footage playing a few more times until she zoomed in on Kevin's face as he said it. His mouth even blurred while he spoke.
She shook her head. “Let's move on to the second one.” Jennifer’s hand flew through the air and the Azerail and Kevin hologram disappeared. Another image took its place. A taxi pulled up at a curb. Azerail and Kevin stepped inside. The doors closed immediately and the windows darkened.
“Go inside the car Zix,” Jennifer said.
The point of view pushed into the car and a cylindrical blob of darkness filled the scene.
Autumn leaned in to see if she could hear anything being said. “That’s the car ride after their visit to the mall. Did Azerail initiate the privacy?”
Jennifer and Autumn shifted through their interfaces until both of them arrived at the log.
“Jakson!” they chorused.
A second later the record disappeared.
“That little shit!” Jennifer said.
Jakson was a kid Azerail had met when they laid over in Massachusetts for a night. It took all of two hours for Azerail and him to become quick friends. He was only ten at the time but impressed everyone with his intelligence and quick wit.
Azerail didn't have many friends but they'd made it work. It was an unlikely pairing: Azerail embraced specs tech, while Jakson reviled it. So much so that he refused to increase his nano count to regrow a missing arm.
Autumn didn't understand how someone so smart could reject technology so fervently and yet delve into its inner workings with such passion.
“Are these two instances connected in some way,” Autumn asked.
“Well,” Jennifer said, then entangled herself in Autumn's welcome embrace. “If it has to do with old technology then you know Jackson is going to be all over it.”
Autumn nodded. “Should we talk to Kevin's mom about it? Or better yet Jakson’s Dad?”
“It’s just kids playing with their video games. What harm could come of it?” Jennifer said then her gaze drifted across the virtual landscape she was in.
Autumn raised an eyebrow.
“You know, on second thought maybe we should have a conversation with them,” she corrected herself.
“Uhh yeah,” Autumn said and leaned her head against Jennifer's shoulder.
They sat there watching Azerail chase her Zix around for a while before Jennifer detached herself.
“What is it?” Autumn asked.
Jennifer closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. She opened her eyes and said, “Do you want to know what Doctor Stevens said?”
Autumn glanced at her hands. She closed them and met Jennifer's gaze. “What did he say?”
“That she's in a coma and shouldn't even be able to interact in the game. Her brain activity doesn't make sense for how interactive she is in here,” Jennifer said.
They stared at each other for a moment before Jennifer continued, “He thinks her implant is masking the readings somehow.”
“As long as she is here and able to interact with us we know she is okay though right?” Autumn asked.
Jennifer shook her head. “He said we should watch her closely. That he's seen something like this before.”
“W-what happened to the other patient?” Autumn asked.
Jennifer's eyes dropped. “Her signal degraded to the point where she couldn’t interact in the game anymore. She became brain dead.”
Autumn covered her mouth with her hands.
“The other girl died, Autumn,” Jennifer said.
Autumn and Jennifer collapsed in on each other. The very definition of ugly crying plastered on their faces
***