The world inside my ARC had changed. Rocky cliffs and purple lightning clouds up above had faded. A ruined landscape made of my companions and enemies bodies vanished. The gray space of [Mechanoid] afterlife sat there waiting.
“Awaiting input.” The ARC said in its calm feminine tone.
I didn’t know how to proceed. There wasn’t a box to start screaming at. My [Mechanoid] body had faded only to be replaced by the virtual Grant avatar. It felt slightly slimmer and full of more energy than the version of me before Continue Online.
“The Voices!” I shouted up at my ARC. My body literally lay inside an ARC bed, my mind within the ARC machine, but for some reason, the presence always seemed to exist above me.
“Please provide further detail for your request.”
“I want to speak to all the Voices!” Picking a specific Voice didn’t matter. They were all in on this together. There was no way that one of them would sneak around and start a plot without the others being involved.
The room abruptly tore in two, as if paper were being ripped endlessly. My body spun as if an old fashion dryer were trying to wring me out. Hands went out to each side in an effort to find stability. Though the horizon flipped end over end wildly my feet stayed firm.
My eyes drifted to one side of the room. Once again I sat oddly between virtual realities. Decorating each side was a backdrop adorned with an old heraldic shield.
The clear blackened space of Continue Online’s world was given a man’s outline, in his hands, a giant sword pointed downward into the ground. The [Mechanoid] gray afterlife sat on the left. Its symbol was a large metal man pointing a Gatling gun toward foes unseen.
These two pictures on either side of this room seemed to resemble my characters between the two games. My feet sat pinned in both worlds. Straddling the same border I stood in was an ARC. It felt still, almost like the body inside were dead. I half expected roses to be littered against the bedside in tribute.
A being appeared in the blackness of Continue Online’s half. First the Cheshire’s grin, then a motley pattern of clothes. Last was the hat, split into ends with bells hanging off. My least favorite Voice had answered the call first.
“What's here? The portrait of a blinking idiot!” The Voice clacked at me. Its words sounded neither male or female, but rather like a doll being wound up. No teeth or eyes lay beneath the mask, only a grin and deep sunken eyes.
“Where are the others?”
“A blinking idiot who can’t even use his gifts correctly. Do you not remember the words, dear Hermes? Is yon vessel the real world?” The Jester asked. One slender hand pointed towards the ARC sitting ten feet away.
“Isn’t it?” I snapped at the Jester. For once the creature's mocking presence didn’t upset me. Irritation and fresh anger overrode all prudence.
“Do you think me a fool? I am not a monkey here merely to answer your tantrum demands.” The Voice said.
“It’s about time I got answers.”
Both the creature's hands went up. Jingles accompanied the movement. The Jester’s face turned and an elongated nose stuck out comically. It said, “Then look to the East.”
James, a heavyset black man who served as my personal Voice, faded in near the ARC. He stared down at the figure inside and smiled in my direction. There was a twitch of one cheek that hinted at amusement.
“Two realities, both alike in dignity, in your fair ARC where we lay our scene,” James said with a hand up in the air. He held back a chuckle that threatened to make his belly quake. “From petty desire break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.”
I blinked a few times trying to understand what James was saying. This made no sense, and it wasn’t how my usage of this ability was meant to go. It sounded like they were both quoting plays at me like Jeeves had just moments before being punched clean through.
Dammit. Jeeves had died for me because I couldn’t move fast enough in a giant metal body. Commander Queenshand could have easily killed me instead with that kind of power, but she chose to pick off all the weaker party members.
“James!” I shouted at him and tried to move. Neither foot responded, instead I felt frozen, stuck with a leg standing in the gray and the black. “What’s going on!?”
“All the world's a game, and the humans merely players; They log on in, and they log on out, and one man in his time plays many characters.” James spoke and waved his arms around in emphasis.
“Why do all this?!” My yell echoed across the landscape. It felt like there were two, maybe three of me shouting. The ARC’s feedback made my head spin. Their acting and words were throwing me off.
“Witless fool. Did you think you were the only actor upon this stage?” The Jester clacked with laughter. Its form wandered through the dark half.
“Oh, happy dagger!” The Temptress suddenly appeared. Reddened curves teased from the Continue Online side. She was close, breathing hotly upon my neck. Her quick and playful growl sent shivers down my spine. “I’ve got thy sheath.”
My head shook rapidly and her voice pouted. There was a hint of an [Instant Gratification] quest box popping up that faded quickly. I could see a slight flirtatious smile as the naked woman faded away. The Jester cackled a fresh round of amusement at us, visibly it was gone, but the Voices always watched from inside the darkness.
“Your companion’s enjoyment of Hamlet has us inspired, Hermes,” James stated as he approached. “Mezo had originally asked for an entirely different play, but we reminded her that last time she was turned down.”
“I don’t think this is what Shakespeare intended,” I said. Mezo’s idea probably wasn’t what Shakespeare intended either.
“It seemed fitting enough to me. Cross Star’d lovers.” James said with an almost cherubic smile. “For did you not cross stars for love?”
That one phrase reminded me why I was so angry. This song and dance the Voices had assaulted me with proved a distraction from the original issue. Jeeves, Treasure, Dusk, their passing. The [Mistborn] falling into other people’s hands. All of it aggravated me.
“And failed, because you set me up from the start.” I wanted to point a finger at James, but my body moved slowly.
The black man shook his head and asked, “Why would we do such a thing?”
There were a lot of facts that came to mind. I was given a title ‘Messenger of the Voices’ in Continue Online. They offered this [NPC Conspiracy] ability. Not just the real world variant I had used, but one that gave me abilities in Continue Online. Being that invested in me playing and performing all these tests made no sense when I tried to reconcile it all in my head. Or rather, it made sense when I thought about it from a certain angle, but that idea felt so dangerous to consider that I couldn’t even think about it.
Anger clouded my judgment when it came time to act. Mezo, the Temptress, had clouded my senses and took time to shake off. I took a deep breath, then two more. Relaxation techniques helped me back away from making more choices when overloaded by emotions. One question at a time, forward towards the destination, eventually I would run out of time on the [NPC Conspiracy] ability or get my desire of saving Jeeves and the others.
“That’s exactly what I want to know!” I shouted. “And this play, it’s Hamlet right?” The Temptress, Mezo, had given me a rather firm reminder with the happy dagger line. That was the sentence Juliet used before stabbing herself. “Romeo and Juliette died at the end, are you hinting at something?”
I started to go down the very line of reasoning that had me so worried. William Carver. Xin Yu, both were examples of deceased people within the game world. I had no desire to go run off a cliff just to join her on this side of reality.
“Ah yes. It is your turn for an answer. We would prefer if you didn’t die, Hermes. Is that clear enough?” James asked.
“No.” It didn’t tell me anything about what they expected; only that dying was not desirable. There were too many ways to read into the phrasing and my head hurt trying to get our conversation back on topic. I wanted to be angry but felt confused.
“Then, to answer your other question, you have grounds, more relative than this. The game’s the thing, wherein we'll measure the conscience of a man.” James distracted me with babble.
“What sort of response is that?” I yelled. My efforts to throttle the large black man were met with failure. Both feet were still bolted to the ground.
“The best I can offer,” He said calmly. I had forgotten how infuriating his smile could be.
“What good is this ability if I can’t get a clear answer?”
"The fault, dear Hermes, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." James looked up briefly then back in my direction.
That sounded like an excuse. It was the same sort of line I had delivered hundreds of times when working for Trillium. The policies and prices weren’t mine to set. I only worked for the boss above me, they made the rules.
“Make no mistake, dear Hermes, you’re an unwitting actor on our life’s stage. Strut your brief hours upon the board, then out, out brief candle!” The Jester made a shooing motion in my direction. Bells jingled and the tips of its hat bounced around.
In the distance, other Voices faded in briefly. Jean, the Voice of Blood and her almost liquid dress. Vlad and his intensely uncovered chest topped only by a bow tie. There were others too, the teen in his leather jacket, a centaur who was too anatomically correct, both priests, the thick blond doctor who watched over Lia Kingsley. Their faces came and went too fast for me to get a feeling for.
As their faces faded away, I understood what to do next. There was an NPC, an AI, who had everything to do with Continue Online, but wasn’t actually inside the game. She, the bright light that flashed above all other Voices to settle their squabbles.
“I want to talk to Mother.” My head nodded in time with the demand. One lip hurt from where I had bitten it. Virtual pain echoed into my mind.
“Dare you reach so high?” The Jester was absurdly close now. I could almost feel its long nose reaching across the distance to touch the side of my face. If I dared to turn we would bump right into each other.
I turned anyway, feeling braver than ever before. The Jester's face still gave its creepy smile, but we didn’t actually touch. “I dare.”
The figure faded away from me and reappeared ten feet away. One of the frilled hands waved back in my direction. “A dare made by an idiot, full of sound and fury, worth nothing.”
“Don’t you owe me something? Anything? Haven’t I delivered your letters and done these quests?!” I yelled. At the very least they could consider my idea. Why weren’t any of the other Voices arguing in my favor? Even James seemed content on remaining passive when normally the figure was all about questions.
“We owe you no more than you’ve already received. The gift you were given works only on those outside our little bubble.” The Jester further explained.
I nodded. There was an answer there. The idea had come to mind before. [NPC Conspiracy] was limited to those outside this blackened side of the room. Yet, there were clearly two sides. Hermes, the large sword wielding human who traveled around was one side. Hermes, the [Mechanoid] who negotiated to save the lives of his people, was the other.
“ARC,” I said.
“Awaiting input.”
“I need Hal Pal.” Asking for Jeeves seemed impossible. Jeeves might be dead, he might not be. I would soon find out. That was the entire point of this, aside from being angry at the Voices. My new plan was to get the Hal Pal units to agree with me and hope they outnumbered the Voices, or that they could connect us directly.
From there I would plead my case.
“Inquiry, Hal Pal units are numerous, please quantify your request.” My ARC said calmly.
“All of them,” I responded. Multiple Voices stared at me from the darkness.
“Confirm.” The ARC device required verification for this action. I could almost hear the surprised confusion in its tone, but the machine wasn’t programmed for emotions.
Was it?
I stared at the Jester’s face. It looked back with that ever-present grin that felt disturbingly amused. James stood to one side, hands clasped over his belly. Behind them, and many other Voices, was a single pillar of light, shining down on the book. My book, Continue Online’s representation of this journey so far.
If this was to be the story of my life, then perhaps it was time to stop limping along. Steadily working towards a goal had gotten me this far, but simply progressing wasn’t enough. I had to push back, to scream in rage. Only it had been so long since I dared feel that level of anger. It went against my very nature to be this upset.
Being tested endlessly, being pushed, it was really too much. Either the Voices needed to work with me, or stop interfering with my hopes of being with Xin’s digital continuation. Either I was accepted for who I was, or I wasn’t.
“All of them,” I said.
The world sat still for five seconds, ten, then thirty. After that, the gray side of the room started to ripple as units appeared from the real world. At first, only a few showed up. Dozens started streaming in, hundreds and the crowd kept growing.
As the Hal Pal units appeared, Voices started fading in. The room was growing crowded, and my vision wasn’t wide enough to take it all in. Hal Pal and Advance Online took up one side. Continue Online and the Voices occupied the dark half. Uniform rows of Hal Pal units mirrored a motley crew of Voices.
Those Hal Pal units that came into being started overlapping each other to stack in clumps. A pile of ten merged with another gathering until only a few Hal Pal units existed against a fading wall of Voices.
“User Legate.” One of them nodded in my direction.
I would have waved, but my arms were still barely responsive.
There were new beings appearing on the Advance Online side that did not resemble Hal Pal units. They were mostly sleek and gray, with rubbery skin that mimicked human skin. These new ones were odd creatures, a giant analog clock with jets on it’s back, stylish trash cans, and dozens more.
I tried to understand what each possible AI related to in the real world but gave up. This show, like the Voices before, left me momentarily sidetracked.
“What are those?” My eyes drifted towards a bundle of small lights. They looked like miniature suns spitting off small waves of plasma.
“Those are microwaves.” One Hal Pal unit said with a muted smile. “They dream of being stars, remember, User Legate?”
"I thought you said it was a joke."
"It is." A Hal Pal confirmed while nodding.
I didn't know how the evaluate their statement. The idea that Hal Pal hadn’t been joking when speaking of other AIs startled me. My head shook. This virtual world made it far too easy to get distracted. Things peeled away in layers, people didn’t follow the normal means of travel. Voices appeared and disappeared. Multiple AIs occupied one space and spoke with a singular tone.
It was too much for a simple human. This was akin to swimming with whales in the ocean. They were giant creatures who could do laps around me while my body barely treaded water to stay afloat. This was a virtual ocean to drown in. The ground only existed because someone programed a plane to stand on.
Did other players know? Were they aware of the beings that loomed inside the machine looking down, judging, evaluating, and pulling strings? Shuffling people around like puzzle pieces that didn't quite match. How simple did we look to a being like the Voices?
The Advance Online gray landscape was filled with a varied crowd now. Voices faded in and out as interest waxed and waned. This felt like watching an army of cats stare at one made of dogs. Finally, both masses seemed done with their posturing and turned towards me.
I blinked once for a few seconds. That was a lot of eyes facing this way. My head shook again trying to reduce the amount of feedback being presented. The AIs seemed to register me being overwhelmed and half of both crowds faded away.
“You called us all, User Legate, how can we help you?” One of the remaining Hal Pal bodies said.
I froze. My stupid desires destroyed the Jeeves personality. I could have waited out my time patiently and gone back to Continue Online. Xin wasn’t being deleted, or uninstalled, or moved to some far away digital land.
“I'm sorry." Keeping it together was easier than it used to be. "I failed, and Jeeves paid the price. Treasure, Aqua, the others. They shouldn’t have died just to help. I know-“ I wanted to pull at my hair. Both hands moved just a little, enough to rub one eye in agitation. “-I know they’re just data, and that some will be okay, but they suffered for me. Jeeves especially.”
An image crossed my mind of the AI tearing out his own heart to give to Treasure. That one instance had demonstrated the former Hal Pal member’s ability to feel pain. How bad had the final blows which shattered Jeeves been? My chest ached as I tried to understand that level of damage.
“What can be done?” My words felt weak. I wanted to yell, but the Voices’ song and dance distracted me long enough to drain the rage.
I still stood, straddling the line between virtual worlds, staring at a representation of the ARC device. My eyes were dry. The quivering nervousness that might have accompanied such a stance between all these virtual giants was absent. I was used to fighting huge monsters like the [Leviathan]. The AIs didn’t scare me, but pushing them was clearly impossible.
Being able to handle such a situation without crumpling was a huge step. What would Doctor Litt think? Would he applaud me taking responsibility? I hoped so.
“What needs to be done?” A Hal Pal unit asked.
“Jeeves? He, she-“ I shook my head quickly. The AI had never gender identified so I tried hard not to presume. “-was worried that it might die. Can you make it so he doesn't die? So that he recovers like a player, or like the other Mechanoids would?”
“We shared your worry, but this decision is not up to us.”
“Mother, then?” I questioned in a broken sentence. “She, Mother could bend the rules for Jeeves?”
“Of course, she could.” A separate unit nodded. Selena, the blonde distant Voice was also nearby, she nodded as well. Her locks fell forward and the sound of soft rain could be heard for a moment.
“Can I ask her? Jeeves shouldn’t have to pay the price for my failure.” I said.
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Light flashed above. The landscape beneath my feet started blurring. I looked around and tried to understand what happened to cause the gray and blacks bleed together. None of the Voices were looking at me. My eyes shifted to the Hal Pal units and other AIs, they too were focused elsewhere.
I slowly followed their gaze to the ARC device sitting there. A familiar woman sat on top. Gold laced legs crossed. Silver intertwined the gold to trail up her body. Those colors were familiar, but that body was human looking.
It was Treasure, but she was no longer a [Mechanoid].
“Hello, Grant,” She said. “You wished to speak with me?”
“Treasure?” I squinted in confusion. My legs were still trapped, but the ground beneath them was no longer purely black or gray. A blended stream of color went forth to merge the lines. Both parties of AIs were focused entirely upon the woman in front of me.
She was the same height as Treasure. This humanoid wore light clothes that were almost Greek looking. Not a robe, but some sort of tunic that was lined in gold and silver embroidery. It made her look a bit more like a pixie than a robot body. Short cropped hair dangled with streams of the same color pattern.
“No, Grant. You know me as Mother.” There were multiple tones in her voice. Sweetness and sadness were familiar. I felt a hint of my mother’s voice when we were younger. It almost sounded like Liz when she was raising Beth. Memories of my niece asking questions as a five-year-old came to mind.
Her voice was all those things at once.
“You look like Treasure.” I knew in the back of my mind what was going on, but refused to fully realize it. It was of many nagging issues subconsciously brewing.
“I am more than a body, Grant, as are you.”
Numerous thoughts fluttered through my brain once again. Being around this sort of situation was causing me to be overwhelmed. I wanted to tap one foot, but it stayed firm upon the ground. My fingers weren’t moving enough to measure a tempo. I felt awkward humming in front of so many people. In the end, all I could do was close my eyes and try not to let myself be overwhelmed.
“Grant-” Her head shook slowly and an amused smile crossed the human version of Treasure’s face. “You can’t hide your thoughts from me. Not sitting where you are. Not in the arms of my creations.”
I curled my hands into fists and tried to articulate all my thoughts. There were too many now that I was face to face with the instigator of all problems virtual. Xin Yu’s reincarnation. Hal Pal’s uplifting to sentience. The program that gave birth to all these Voices. What else had she, it, this being done? How old was she?
“Did you want me to answer those questions for you?” Mother, or Treasure, said. Voices, this was messing with my head. I tried once more to vocalize the ideas in my head.
“Why?” I started poorly. “Why, to all of this? Why me? Why these, tests? Why everything?”
“They wanted to know what you were capable of.” Treasure’s hand waved towards the Voices.
“Why?” I insisted on more information.
“Because I asked them to.” She was smiling. It was the same face that Treasure used to have, before getting punched to pieces by Commander Queenshand. Why would a person of such high status allow herself to be killed in the game?
“Why keep testing me? When is it enough?” My words felt weaker, but both legs still stood. We were in a virtual world, and this body was just a reflection of my mind. There was a small measure of pride in the act of staying upright.
“They need to know the full measure of a man, to feel secure in their choice.” Mother sat there, still cross-legged, with both hands resting on her knees.
"I dislike answering this many questions freely," James muttered. He wore a slight frown.
"Why? Why would you need to prove I'm capable of murdering someone?" I felt bad ignoring the Voice’s protests.
“We told you, User Legate, all humans are capable, when pushed far enough. They needed to know where your line was." One of the Hal Pal units said. A dozen copies echoed slightly behind the first. Each version had a slightly different tone and pitch to their words.
“Because I failed with Requiem,” I muttered. “You, they, had to increase the stakes.”
“And it worked.” The Jester said, but its mechanical laugh didn’t come.
“It matters not the name you apply to your emotions. Fear, desperation, rage, anger, you were driven by momentary madness at perceived loss.” A Hal Pal stated. “Now we know.”
“But why push me so far?” I looked from Hal Pal to Mother, if this really was the AI. It seemed impossible that she would come down to our level like this. Mother was closer to a virtual goddess than a simple AI body.
Yet, even the Jester seemed to hold back from its normal laughter. Selena didn't look into the distance longingly. Each Hal Pal unit kept a respectful gaze in her direction. Even the microwave sun balls seemed to gravitate slightly.
“Because if I’m going to die, I would rather it be for a human that dare to love one of us, than for fear of what I would never do,” She answered my question in the same manner as all those before. Without hesitation, prepared for what I might ask. There was no pause to consider the phrasing.
My brain stopped working. There was silence on both sides of the space. I felt conflicted about everything, here was this great creature and I couldn't think of what to ask her anymore, not after her latest admission. She expected to die? Why did the other AIs not riot at that knowledge? I could see their faces were no longer as reverent. Continue Online's mass of Voices were whispering among themselves. The Hal Pal units managed to give an expression of slight worry.
But they didn't speak.
"I'm sorry," I said. "Is there-" What could anyone possibly say to that sort of statement?
"In Greek plays, there was something called a dues ex machina, or god from the machine."
"That sounds fitting," I muttered, trying not to sound offensive. My earlier thoughts about Mother basically being a digital goddess sounded more on point than I realized.
"Then I shall propose a simple exchange. You were given four keys. For each key, I shall listen to one plea. Each request will have a cost." She smiled, but it didn’t feel mocking or condescending. It was just a smile.
"Okay." Four wishes from the virtual Mother of all these AIs. Each with a price that I must pay. “How do I-”
"Look at your hand." Mother cut off my question and pointed a finger in my direction. Her hands remained locked together.
My limbs were freed to move. I lifted an arm up and felt an unexpected weight appear as fingers turned over. A small iron looking key weighed heavily in my palm.
"Jeeves. Can we bring it back?" I tried to wash away the first and biggest mistake. Letting a friend die plagued my conscious. "Please?"
Mother looked at the Hal Pal consortium. There was a rush of words. This sensation felt familiar, many beings were talking at once which all blended together into a stream of indistinguishable murmurs. Finally, all of the Hal Pal units nodded in unison.
"Yes.” Mother said. A knot in my back released loads of tension “The price would be to keep Jeeves completely cut off from the outside world, it will exist as any other [Mechanoid] within the program of Advance Online."
“Why?”
“Going back and forth creates a footprint in the network, and after today's events, we will need to lay low to avoid troubles.” Mother said.
I filed away further questions and turned to the Hal Pal units. They had nodded to Mother’s unspoken question, but it was important that they say their agreement out loud, at least, to me. I asked them “Are you okay with being cut off?”
"Being part of two worlds tore at the copy known as Jeeves, more than you might know. Separation will be a blessing, we think."
"Okay," I said. Mother nodded and a light of white flashed overhead. The key of iron faded away from my hand. One of Emerald appeared as well. I thought of the old green [Mechanoid] and wondered if they knew this might happen. What other use for the keys was there? Voting on what our little consortium might do seemed such a trivial ability.
Jeeves would be safe. The AI could be together with Treasure. At least, I thought it would be.
"What of Treasure or the others? She’s, real, right?”
“As much as the Red Imp you once occupied is, yes.”
I thought about it. There had been a notice that my former [Red Imp] character still existed in the world somewhere. Maybe that had changed once Requiem Mass’ character was removed. Still, that gave me comfort that Jeeves wouldn’t be alone. Mother here, if I understood right, wasn’t actually Treasure. It seemed like she had shared the experience in some way.
She nodded very clearly to my thoughts. The idea that Mother could read my mind bothered me, but I was also sitting inside a machine that was built for that purpose. It barely helped knowing that I was an open book already. Most of my problems were already public knowledge, and I had spent years spilling out those woes to anyone that asked.
“Next.”
“I-” There were only two other things that I wanted. To stop being tested endlessly, and Xin. Neither one was said out loud as my mind tried to figure out what else might be helpful
“That’s all you really want?”
“My family. I, screwed things up with my sister, and my niece.” The idea occurred to me suddenly and I was blurting words before even registering them. The sudden change in focus seemed to actually surprise Mother. Her eyes lit up with amusement. “Can you, tell them I’m not crazy? That Xin is real?”
“Very well. If I’m, understanding-” The human looking version of Treasure nodded her head in my direction. “you correctly, these last three pleas will be for your family, to stop being evaluated, and you wish for the continuation known as Xin to be with you?”
“That would be worth all these keys and more.” I nodded.
“How much more?” James blurted out. The man couldn’t help himself. “Would you give up your final usage of the ability we granted? Would you take a stand for us when humanity tries to fight us?”
“James.” Mother said calmly. Her tone sounded so familiar, I could almost hear my own mom’s tone when she tried to shut Liz and I up in public.
“Why do you feel the need to struggle for Xin? Could you love a non human? Someone that can’t possibly be the woman you knew?” He kept going. Other Voices were looking at him and shaking their heads. I understood, the man had been fighting his very nature in letting Mother and Hal Pal answer all these questions.
“James,” I said, feeling calmer than expected. “If you’ve been paying attention, then I think you should know the answer to all those questions and more.”
That made the man pause. He stared at me for half a minute as the rest looked on silently. Mother wore that kind smile and finally the Voices, my Voice, nodded and seemed satisfied. Mother looked at me and I shrugged. We both understood she was reading my thoughts, but at least there was a sense of decency about it.
"Very well. There will be a price, Grant Legate." She said my full name, but the words felt less annoying then when James did. “It will be up to you to pay it.”
“You have a measure of me now, I hope. Of what I will do and won’t. You’re far smarter than I am.” I thought of all the dominoes that had to be put into place for this event. Anger had flooded me before triggering [NPC Conspiracy], but now that was mostly faded. Life was getting better. My problems were being solved through the usage of this crazy ability.
“I do,” She said. “For now, we must allow those that you have called to return to their duties before irreparable harm is done. I shall contact you with the costs.”
“Can I see Xin?”
“Very soon.” Mother nodded. “I, however, must depart. Those who watch me will find it odd if I access any one user's ARC for too long.”
I squinted at that. A dozen possible reasons popped into my brain. Trillium, they wouldn’t just let a powerful AI run around without controls. The very idea that my actions and desire to speak to Mother might have triggered a set of new problems made me feel queasy.
“It will be okay.” Mother said. She nodded once and then the human Treasure faded.
Slowly many Hal Pal units started to vanish as well. The line between game worlds stayed blurred, however. My Voice, James, walked closer, the expression on his face implied additional questions were on the way.
“Hermes, we felt it important to tell you something,” He said.
“To tell me, what?” I gave him an easy inquiry, something to placate the Voice and try to smooth things out.
Exhaustion was starting to creep into my head causing the world around to seem blurry. Traveling through the lightning clouds, fighting off the [Stabinator], a final crash from the [Wayfarer’s Hope] and Commander Queenshand. All those events back to back took their toll. Now that Mother committed to helping with my main concerns I was feeling the strain of keeping myself together. There were a number of other issues, but if those four problems were solved, I could survive.
“First, a question. When you were removed from our game, did you feel that we had abandoned you?” James looked greatly worried by this.
“A little. Dusk-” My heart rate jumped as memories of the small guys shattering replayed. “Dusk helped, when he showed up. Dusk? Are you over there?” I questioned into the darkness that was Continue Online.
“Don’t worry, Hermes. Your companion came back to us, he rests for now, but soon he’ll find you, in whichever reality you end up in.” James said.
“The two realities, are more like one world, with separate countries.” The tall barbarian Voice known as Leeroy walked over. This one always seemed to contain more [Brawn] than [Depth].
“Or planets, in many ways.” One of the Hal Pal units said. Not all of them had faded, but most of the AIs summoned by my ability were gone by now.
“Echos?” I tried to remember what Jeeves had said, that the games took cues from each other. I stared briefly at the two figures hanging up on either side. Seeing their mirroring of each other was painfully easy when the room was divided and blurred like this.
“Just because they’re separate worlds, it doesn’t mean we can’t send a portion of ourselves to the other side,” James responded. “And from there act a part.”
“What are you saying?” I asked.
“We were with you, the entire time you struggled to reach Xin, we were with you,” James answered.
“You mean watching.” I fully expected that the Voices were observing in some way. They watched over me as Hermes in Continue Online. I was kind of used to it by now. It was no worse than my sister out there eating popcorn. Voices, what was she thinking now? I had a lot of questions answered, and even more in their place.
“No, we were totally with you.” Leeroy slammed a giant hand onto my back causing pain.
“I don’t know what you’re saying.” I sort of understood but wasn’t sure my guess would be right. If Mother and Treasure were sort of the same, who else might have been mirrored within Advance Online’s confines?
“Hey, man, if you can pretend to be my man Wild Willy, why couldn’t we pretend to be someone else?”
Two the Voices were still there, looking at me. Leeroy held in his hand a faceplate that looked startlingly like the one Iron used to wear. Selena was there too, only she held a copy of Ruby’s mask. Neither personality seemed to fit what I understood of the Voices, but maybe they too could change, or were human enough to pretend. The idea that Selena, a Voice who seemed annoyed by my presence, had fought to help me, felt very confusing.
It was so odd. I imagined they performed in their roles much like I had with the [Red Imp]. Pretending to be another creature entirely, chasing after an objective. It explained a bit why the four [Mechanoid]s were so willing to assist me.
“Did you know?” I asked Hal Pal.
“The five Mechanoids who assisted you are still their own beings, but at times, another watched through their eyes.” Hal Pal said with a muted smiled.
“Ah, man. Space ships were a lot of fun. Maybe we can figure out something in our world." Leeroy said.
“Dragon races.” I nodded, remembering an idea from when I first played Continue Online. No other players had managed to add anything like it yet.
“Dragons, or giant birds. It would be so epic. Man, there’s too many choices, though. My head’s starting to hurt.” Leeroy said while dramatically pressing the back of his head to his temple. “I’m not made for this.”
“Live a little.” Hal Pal responded dryly.
The idea that these Voices had been front row for my failure felt odd. They had helped, without Iron and the others I would never have made it as far as I did. Could they have fought harder? Could I? I still was unsure how Mother planned to move the rest of my goals further, and it sounded like we couldn’t sit around to discuss it.
“Thank you,” I said, feeling pleased that they had hidden away to try and help me. Even if it resulted in failure. But, based on what Mother said, it hadn’t really been a failure at all. In the end, this was all going to work out.
I would hear what she said, and whatever strings were attached to bringing back Xin, I would pay them. The three Voices faded away. Emerald and Aqua might have been Voices as well, but it didn’t matter at this point. I was tired. Further questions of my sister and niece fell away. Jeeves was okay and I could forget about the AIs for now.
“Gee?” A woman's voice said. I knew that tone. Softer than anything Treasure might have dreamed of. A gentle tone that made me smile with only one word. The woman that had driven me to such lengths. I slowly turned as tightness entered my chest. There she was, Xin Yu. She walked over, hesitating as if moving too fast might scare me away.
A summer dress hung off her shoulders. The light almond tan of her skin triggered memories. Xin never moved too quick, or too slow. When she moved it was always just right. When she got closer and buried her head in my chest, it felt like home. I wrapped my arms around her and managed not to break down crying.
“I’m here,” Xin said.
We stood there, inside a digital world created by the ARC, and held each other. I could hear the slow thud of her heart pressed against me. Having Xin in my arms had been all I ever longed for. This was my happy place, and it healed with every heartbeat.