Chapter Text
Forty minutes later, with the families sat in a hotel’s conference room, Toby looks up from his phone. Renie had just walked in, and not the Renie sat a few chairs away. She stands in front of them all, hands behind her back. She was in a smart uniform worthy of any high end SciFi film. “Renie?”
“Toby. Good afternoon everyone. I’m First Officer Irene Watson. But you may call me Renie. As chief science officer I’ve been given the task of telling you what’s happening..”
Toby interrupts. “If you’re going to say we’re not really here, Mats figured it out.”
Renie smiles. “I know what you know, Toby, we’ve been monitoring things. It’s the reason things have been accelerated, why the cars were sent for you all. There are a good number of you that don’t know. Listen up everyone. You’re all in a giant simulation. The bodies you have are simulations of bodies that died getting on for seven hundred years ago, created to enable the backups of your minds to live what’s hopefully been a mostly enjoyable life.” She waits for all the gasps and hushed whispering to end. Most came from family friends that weren’t in on Mattie’s discovery. “We’re currently in one of the many virtual worlds hosted in the compute cluster, world nine zero seven to be exact, you switched as you came through the front entrance. The cluster is onboard the giant star ship Star Eater, hundreds of years from Earth. It’s in orbit around our new home, an M class planet with its own humanoid but friendly sea dwelling population. Former Earth President Captain Zero will be joining us in a moment. Any questions so far?”
Sophie puts a hand up. “When can we go?”
“A good question. That’s were you need to discus things as a group and come to an agreement. You need to nominate a spokesperson who can give us your group answer. You all join us, or none of you do. We used to take people individually, it caused far too many social problems onboard ship.”
Joe puts up a hand. “Join where? I let my passport expire.”
Rolling eyes, Mattie turns to face him. “You still don’t get it? Dad, we’re in a simulation. None of this is real. Renie, where would we go from here? Another simulation?”
“No, you’d wake up in a synth body onboard ship. Our next generation models are way more advanced than anything you know now. With food processors so you can properly eat, without food bags. As human as human gets. The idea came from a team in another simulation, he’s helped make it a reality.” Renie sees another hand go up. “Astrid? I hope you and Sally don’t feel too disorientated from the jump.”
“Where is Niska?”
“With us.”
“You said we all go or none. Why is Niska with you already?”
“The Niska you knew died in the riots. Our Niska has been visiting you on a regular basis, partly to fill the void, partly to assist Leo with finding instances worthy of coming over.”
Frowning, Sophie shoots her hand back up. “Instances?”
“Everyone’s backup was taken before Earth’s end. The Captain was the last survivor of Old Earth, created thousands of simulations to help her find a solution to a big problem. One Mattie came up with what’s now known as The Bobsled Escape. Thanks to her creativity, a build machine was started, it was the beginning of our migration from the simulations back into the real universe.” She looks at her namesake, quietly looking a little shocked. “Renie, in your world your father was a shell, a filler. Our real father is with us, from another simulation.”
Holly-Anne looks down at her knees, the knees of her parents to either side. It was nice to know her parents weren’t shells. “What happens to our closest friends?”
“If they’re suitable, not zombie shells, they can come too. You’ll have to explain to them why they’re here. Be warned, sudden relocation can be traumatic. It also carries a high risk. If any of them decide that they want to stay, you all stay. Everyone will need to agree to a new hairstyle and clothes too. I’m wearing the Watson colours. With numerous instances already with us, visual clues as to who is who are very important.” A badge on her tunic beeps. It’s pressed. “We’re ready for you, Zero.”
Nobody freaking out?
“No, only gasps and whispers, no repeats of world seven nineteen.”
Captain Mattie Zero snaps into view. “Hello everyone.”
Mattie starts crying happy tears. “Frigging hell! You’re me!”
“It would be more accurate to say you’re a fork of me, time clipped to early twenties.”
“Time clipped?”
“Trust me, you wouldn’t want to remember how Earth ended. You look a lot like me back then. Is this how you’d want to look going forwards?”
Mattie looks down at her arms, smiles at Molly. “Hell no. I’m only just a new mum, haven’t had time to lose the extra weight.”
A tablet appears in Zero’s hand from nowhere. “How much? Say when.” A finger starts sliding.
Somewhat dumbfounded, Leo watches the weight vanishing. “Not too much!”
“Okay.” Zero slides the finger back a little and taps. “Mattie, think about your hair on the most perfect day, how did it look? Okay. Nice, but we’ve got an instance with that already. Imagine you’re getting ready for a posh date, better still, your wedding. How would you have it? Nice!” She taps. “Defo build worthy.”
Holly-Anne claps as Mattie’s hair curls and gets more voluminous. “Nice! A virtual salon visit. How many of me are there, Zero?”
“Three so far. One of you has quads.”
Wincing and chuckling, Mattie sits sideways to see their friend. “Bravo Hols! Pushing one out was enough for me! Who’d you bring along given the choice?”
“Carly and Krystle from Uni, auntie Joyce, Dan if he wasn’t already on Toby’s list. I think they’d cope okay.”
Zero looks at all the faces in the room. “You’re world’s first escapee is someone you love. Can you join us please, Mia.”
Mia snaps into view. “Hello Mattie, Leo.”
Joe gets up. “I’m going for some fresh air, my head is spinning!” He heads for one of the many doors marked EXIT.
Zero turns around on a heal. “Wait! There’s only exits. If you leave you can’t come back. You’ll ruin things for everyone else.”
He keeps walking, shoves the bar and pushes the door wide open. “Just some air. I’ll be right back.”
“DON’T!”
He steps through and hears the door slam closed behind him, takes a few more steps. A long and deep breath taken, he rubs his eyes. Something wasn’t quite right.
A woman wearing an army uniform and smoking a cigarette approaches. She had a big and nasty looking rifle hanging from a shoulder. “You okay fella? You look like you’re not where you’re supposed to be.”
Joe stares for a moment. The edges of the woman were a little pixelated. Just like the characters in one of the games Toby used to play. Her uniform looked familiar, like it had come from the game. “I think I’ve cocked up again, excuse me.” He turns to head back in and stops. The door was gone. The wall too. Where the large hotel had stood, there was nothing but empty ground covered in broken concrete foundations, rubbish and rubble. “Mats? Mattie? I said I’d be back! Mats! Don’t leave me here! Mattie!”
Cigarette woman steps closer. “You okay fella? You talking to thin air?”
“Does it look like I’m okay?”
“You look confused, lost.”
Joe turns to look over his shoulder. Her voice sounded wrong too, as if being spoken by someone remote via a cheep headset. It wasn’t just the woman looking pixelated, the whole world did. Had he not noticed before, existing in it for so many years, accepting things as they were? Then he remembers the comment about world switching on entering the hotel. “Um, yeah, I’m lost. I think I’ve just lost the plot and game, the ghost is me.”
The cigarette is flicked into the wasteland. “Say what?”
“To use words my son and eldest daughter might use, I’m a stupid old twat.”
The woman’s brow furrows. “They’d call you that, would they?”
“Now, for certain. I messed up, let my marriage fail, lost my job, turned against the woman and synths I should have supported. I just hope Zero bends the rules and lets the others stay.”
Cigarette woman pats her chest. “Ren to Zee. You hear that Zero? We can go.” With that she rapidly pixelates further then vanishes.
“What the.. FOR CHRIST SAKE RENIE! MATTIE! DON’T LEAVE ME HERE! MATS! PLEASE! I SAID I’D BE BACK!”
The seconds pass, turn into minutes. “Mats, please, don’t leave me behind. I’m sorry. I just needed some air.” He steps down into the wasteland the hotel had been in and sits on the pavement. “Mattie. Please. I’m sorry. Seeing Mia was a shock. I just needed some air.” He looks up at the sound of a noise, sees one of the monsters from Toby’s game. “Oh fuck. MATTIE!” Toby had explained how the game was based on a SciFi horror film. The monsters were blind, relied on seeing their surroundings via their prey’s eyes, using a form of telepathy. If you couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see you. They could also read minds and mimic other peoples’ voices, the voices of any other player. He spots a second, third and forth, all moving slowly, bellies against the dirt, closing in like lions about to break into a sprint. They charge. Eyes closed and shaking with fear, Joe carefully gets up and back onto the pavement, takes a few steps sideways. A second later there’s a rush of wind that ruffles his hair.
“You’re not a twat. You’re a fucking idiot! Open your eyes!”
“Mattie? Is that you? How do I know you’re you and not one of the monsters?”
“If you don’t step towards me in the next ten seconds, we’ll be gone forever. Open your eyes!”
“Get someone who’s not played the game to call me.”
“In the seconds you have left? Not happening. Don’t say we never gave you a second chance. Bye idiot.”
Joe opens his eyes.