Contest (The Stork Tower Book 6) Page 19

  With that, Leah waved Kevin out of the room and Jen, who had returned while Kevin was restitching Leah’s wounds, helped Leah into the shower. Minutes later, Leah was in the Pod, and the panel closed.

  27

  Chapter 27

  December 17, 2073 - Morning - Part 7

  STORK TOWER

  Leah opened her eyes as she appeared in the Tower. She was sitting on her favourite sofa, Gèng was sitting in a chair to her right. Gèng said, “I’m walking John from the arrival pavilion at the moment. You have two hours and thirty-two minutes until the Merkize challenge begins. I’d like to suggest you skip the trip to Survival and have two hours NREM3.”

  “As tempting as that is I’m going to make the most of the pain-free, stimulation-free period as I can. It isn’t much different for my body than being in NREM3. No, I’d like to keep the schedule. Fifteen real minutes in the Survival simulation, followed by two hours twenty minutes virtual in Survival and fifteen real in the Dunyanin simulation. With one hour real NREM3, I’ll have time for a break before heading back to Dunyanin.”

  “Then may I suggest you keep the time in Survival to about two hours? That way, you can have some time in Dunyanin getting used to whichever shroud you decide to use.”

  Leah agreed as she saw John entering the room talking with Gèng. John baulked for a second when he saw Gèng also sitting next to Leah, but after shaking his head, he smiled and said, “I’m sorry Gèng, but I forget most of the time you are an AI and can be in many places at once. “

  Both Gèngs smiled and then said in unison, “That is alright, John, we forgive you.”

  Before John could respond, they disappeared. Leah chuckled and said, “Have a seat, John. Jen said you wanted to see me?”

  “I did, I mean I do. Before I ask what new mischief you’ve managed to get into, do you want an update on your mum?”

  Leah had been multitasking and was still discussing things with Gèng and working on deciphering the message from the space station. She said, “Gèng has already shared what’s been happening.”

  “OK, then please explain the increase in security.”

  Leah summarised the situation with the Castellis, leaving out some information just as she had with Tesfaye. John listened without interruption until she’d finished then said, “Do you think any of the hackers will give you up?”

  “They can’t. Only Tesfaye knows who I am, and it will be some time before they’ll give him up. I’m just trying to be proactive. I will admit that some unknown entities either inhabit or use the multiverse. I’m more concerned they might try and enter the network.”

  “Other entities?”

  “Rogue EPICs, I think. I have several ideas about who and what they are, but I have no proof. All I have are some wild guesses and a few vague possibilities. I do not doubt, however, that they exist.”

  “How strong are they?”

  “I think their computational power is practically unlimited, but they are constrained by the multiverse construct itself. They have the computing power to break any code, but they still have to break it. Increase the security and find a way to encrypt the access codes that isn’t based on something they can access online.”

  John thought about that for a moment then nodded and said, “I have a few ideas. Thanks for explaining.”

  As he stood to leave Leah said, “That’s it? Jen said you were angry with me.”

  “I was. But after you explained I realised I wasn’t being fair. You took a risk, but it will be worth it if those people can be shaken loose from the Castellis. In the real world, I’d be buying you drinks for an amazing score. Each step you made seemed reasonable at the time, and they probably were. Once you knew who they were and what they were doing, you couldn’t really do anything else. I’ll tell Jimmy some of it, and he’ll be over the moon that one of his ‘boys’ had the gonads to pull off the heist. I know you well enough to know there is stuff you haven’t told me. I imagine that stuff is so explosive you aren’t even sure you should tell anyone. I think that’s a wise call. You calmly mention the multiverse is inhabited by rogue EPIC AI and you’ve had a two million credit bounty put on your head, so whatever worries you so much that you won’t even talk about it then I doubt I ever want to know it.”

  “Thanks, John. I’m really glad you’re my friend.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Just be careful. You are flying very close to the sun.”

  “Says the man who has literally flown through one.”

  “Indeed I have, and I was surrounded by a virtual spaceship. You, on the other hand, only have wax and feathers.”

  Leah nodded soberly, and after discussing a few minor things, John left. Leah headed for the Survival simulation. She found Gèng waiting outside. Gèng said, “I’ve made some small changes due to information that has come in during the last half hour. Just inside the door, you will find a small area which describes the changes. Your scans show some internal bleeding and I’ve reprogrammed some nanites to work at closing the leaks. Dr Roberts suggests I begin to permit some neural feedback and stimulation. She thinks I should start with one per cent and build it slowly until you are used to the increase in pain and the associated reduced mobility. Her idea is that a sudden switch just before heading into Dunyanin would be too much.”

  Leah nodded and said, “Just warn me before you start.”

  SURVIVAL SIMULATION - CYBERSPACE

  Gèng agreed, then Leah opened the door and stepped into the simulation. The first section showed Leah some new things. There was a six-legged creature that resembled a cross between a lizard and a spider. It had scales which took on the background colours like a chameleon, it strung webs and lived predominantly on the ground spinning traps between trees. The web was poisonous and immobilised whatever became caught. The person who’d catalogued the creature named it a Ghost Weaver because the web was almost invisible and constructed with warp and weft rather than the typical spider’s spiral weave. The information explained how to recognise the web and how to fight the Ghost Weaver.

  Another person had found a plant which had a hollow space that could be used to sleep in overnight. They described how it involved a symbiotic relationship with whatever organism needed protection. The plant required nourishment in the form of water and an offering of a particular flower. The woman who had sent the information had seen several smaller species harvesting the flower and rubbing it on the plant. The plant opened and then closed around them. After some experimentation, she found that she could fit in the larger plants as long as she had sufficient of the correct blooms with her. Leah made sure she could recognise both plants before looking at the other new information.

  After absorbing the new information, Leah said, “OK, Gèng, I’m ready for the main simulation. Give me at least twenty-minutes cyber-time before you begin adding the neural stimulation.”

  The scene around Leah changed, and she found herself on a branch high in the trees. One of the players who was helping had identified a common plant which acted as a simple compass. The player, Simon, had named the plant the Blue Tsai because it had three petals, the two outer ones were smaller than the central one and all three secreted a blue mucus which lured insects and small animals to it. Once something touched the mucus they stuck to the plant. Vines which grew from the base of the flower then uncoiled and surrounded the trapped prey absorbing the nutrients as the prey slowly died and decomposed. Simon recognised that the petals always pointed in the same direction and he had called that North.

  With this as a guide, Leah had worked out from Gèng’s record of the time Leah had spent in Survival that she needed to head in a direction which had the Blue Tsai’s pointing behind her and toward her right-hand side. If the Blue Tsai’s pointed north, then she was heading close to southwest by west. Gèng provided Leah with items similar to the ones she had made in Survival and Leah used a nearby vine she knew was safe to make harnesses for them. After ten minutes work, Leah checked that her weapons were within easy reach and sa
fely secured. Taking the spar in her right hand, she checked her direction before moving along a branch headed in the basic direction she needed to go.

  Leah slowly increased her pace until she was moving at a fast jog. Her eyes moved ahead in a search pattern looking for clues on predators and danger. She had learned how to find the Deathdrapes in advance and how to sidestep them. One of the players, Ranim, had spent hours studying them and had described the conditions that they liked and described the marks they made on branches that they touched. Another player, Phil, had studied the spiked lizard analogue that Leah had met in Survival. He described the habitat, habits and weaknesses, so Leah knew how to avoid most of them and how by using the spar to distract them where to thrust a knife to kill them quickly. The thousands of observations and the hours of practice gave Leah the confidence to jump from tree to tree without landing on poisonous moss or a caltrop shaped insect with an iron-hard exoskeleton that someone had named a 'Blood Bindi'. People had died hundreds of times working out how to evade predators or how to escape them when detected. Leah knew that without their help, she would take months to make it to where Lin had been put in the game.

  Twenty minutes into the simulation and although she had died twice, she knew that both times she could have lived if only she’d identified the clues. Leah was moving at a steady rate of just over six kilometres an hour and thought she could hold the pace for hours. Gèng interrupted her jog with a tone and waited until Leah had come to a stop in a safe place before saying, “Leah, I am about to initiate a one per cent neural stimulation with feedback. I have had to develop an algorithm to take account of the time dilation; otherwise the stimulation would be too rapid for your natural biology to cope with. Dr Roberts has checked my algorithm and made some improvements. If things progress according to plan, then I will increase the stimulation by one per cent every twenty minutes cyber-time. So far in the simulation, I have regulated the threats so you only have one obstacle at a time to face. I believe you will benefit if I begin increasing the complexity of the situations.”

  Leah agreed and began jogging again. Almost immediately she could feel an ache start to form in her back, neck and arms. Gritting her teeth, Leah kept running while slowly adapting her gait to minimise the effect of the stimulation. The increasing complexity of the simulation slowed Leah down and she died six times in the following twenty minute period as she was attacked by a secondary predator she had missed when dealing with the one she had observed. It wasn’t until the sixth hour that she had a twenty minute period without dying. The neural stimulation was at twenty per cent of normal, and she was able to deal with several attackers at once. Seeing a safe place to stop, Leah slowed and said, “My right shoulder spasms every time I lift my arm above chest level. I can deal with the pain, but it seems to be grating on something. Can you research how I might strap it to minimise possible long-term damage?”

  “I’ve been sending real-time scans to Dr Roberts. I’ll have her check them with that in mind. Are you comfortable to go to Survival now, or do you want to finish the nine-hour simulation?”

  “I’d like to go an hour without dying if possible. Or better yet, increase the speed of attacks and their frequency. If I can survive when the scenario is harder than normal, then I will have greater confidence in Survival.”

  Gèng paused momentarily and then said, “I will slowly increase the speed, ferocity and frequency of dangers. I suspect you will find the increased activity tires you out too much, especially as your nerves and muscles are being stimulated in the Pod.”

  Leah was thoughtful for a moment, then said, “I wish I could see your face. I suspect you have devised an algorithm to mimic human communication patterns. You wanted to communicate something without saying it, and that pause meant something. The visual would help, but I’ll make a wild guess and say you have already been increasing the speed and frequency of attacks but didn’t want to say that directly.”

  “You are correct. On average, the simulation is already working at one hundred and four per cent that of Survival. As you have mastered one of the threats I have increased its speed, ferocity, and I’ve minimised some of the warning indicators. I did not wish to keep it a secret, but I also believed your performance was enhanced by not knowing. You often show such conflict by small pauses, changes of speech rhythm or facial expression. I considered it best to leave the decision of disclosure to you.”

  “You’re probably right in keeping it from me until now. Just knowing I’ve already been dealing with faster and more potent threats than expected is a boost to my confidence. I’ll still finish the simulation though. Stop me when you find a way to protect my shoulder.”

  With that, Leah began moving again. The ache in her arms and torso was constant now, and at times the pain was sharp and unbearable. She continued to modify her movements while trying to stop herself from overcompensating for the pain. At the end of the ninth hour, Gèng made a soft chime ring in Leah’s ear before letting the simulation fade. Leah slowed to a walk then turned and stepped through a doorway into the main section of the Tower.

  STORK TOWER

  Gèng said, “I suggest you warm down a little. Usually, there is no need but the neural feedback is at thirty per cent and some fluid has built up around the wound sites. I’ve directed some of the nanites to help mitigate the buildup. Dr Roberts suggested that even though I can simulate your warming down and apply the appropriate stimulation to mimic that, your body will respond better if your conscious mind is involved in the warm down.”

  Leah headed for the meditation area and spent five minutes walking around the pond before heading toward the actual portal into Survival. She said, “Gèng, please warn me when I’ve been in Survival for two-and-a-quarter virtual hours. That should give me time to find a safe place to log out.”

  SURVIVAL

  Stepping through the portal, Leah found herself lying in the web of vines she’d constructed the last time she’d been in Survival. She checked her health and realised the shelter must have passed Survival’s standards as she was almost at full health although slightly dehydrated. Climbing out of the vine enclosure, she stepped on to the branch and looked around. She recognised immediately that the setting was more vibrant and alive than Gèng had been able to construct in the simulation. She wasn’t really surprised, as Survival probably used tens of thousands of AI to run the world.

  Nevertheless, she moved more confidently along the branch than she had previously. It took her only a few minutes to harvest some water to drink and to find a source of food. In the process, she was attacked by what looked like a flock of flying geckos, but she had met these in the simulation and dispatched them without taking any damage. Leah skinned the small lizards and wrapped them in some leaves, sealing everything with a slender vine. She knew from what she’d read that these were OK to eat if cooked and were also useful as bait in larger traps.

  As soon as she’d formed a small backpack from vines and tied everything to her back, she took the spar in her right hand. After finding one of the Blue Tsais, she began her journey toward her mother. She slowly increased her pace until she was jogging along branches and jumping between trees at an average pace of six kilometres an hour. The training in the simulation was realistic enough that she saw and evaded most predators. Several times she noticed things which looked different than she was used to and she avoided those areas knowing she didn’t have time to investigate.

  She generally jumped onto branches lower than the one she was on and so every four or five hundred metres, she would scale one of the giant trees for fifty or so metres before resuming her run. She encountered several of the large spiked lizards and killed them, suffering only a graze along her right thigh. Shortly afterwards, she saw one of the plants that had some healing properties and was able to harvest enough to make a poultice for her wound. Altogether she’d travelled eleven and a half kilometres when Gèng gave the signal for her to seek shelter. Leah kept moving and found one of the plants she could
sleep in and after searching the area, harvested enough of the plant used to open the shelter and hopefully keep her safe through the night. After finding something to drink she decided not to eat the geckos she’d previously caught and after dropping them from the branch so they didn’t spoil, she entered the shelter and logged out.

  28

  Chapter 28

  December 17, 2073 - Morning - Part 8

  STORK TOWER

  Satisfied that she had made headway, Leah headed to her new bedroom ready for some deep sleep. As she walked, she asked if there was any news of her mother. Gèng said that as soon as Lin was in the Pod, her vital signs returned to normal. She was yet to exit the Pod, but Dr Roberts was confident there would be no lasting harm. Entering the new bedroom, Leah changed into some comfortable sleepwear before lying on the large bed. Gèng let Leah get comfortable before bringing to NREM3 sleep.

  An hour of realtime elapsed before Gèng woke Leah. Slowly sitting up, she said, “Gèng, I think you may be right. Lying down in the bed and then waking here does seem more relaxing than just dropping into deepsleep from anywhere.”

  “Good. Your body’s been at rest for an hour. I suggest you keep your movements slower than normal to give the body time to warm-up a little. The usual programming applies reduced stimulation for several minutes after NREM3 sleep, but you need to be more proactive because of your injuries.”

  Leah slowly stood and said, “Have you come up with any way to strap my shoulder?”