A Cydroid Love Affair — 2
Earth 2 Fiction
Jules — 011000100❤001
(Earth2)
Power low. Non-essential systems shutdown imminent.
Their journey has been much longer than any Jules has ever undertaken, but they were on the final approach to the coordinates sent by “Scarf.”
The remote destination and low power precluded him from initiating any communications or complex computations as engine efficiency had to be prioritized. Despite this, his processor was fully occupied.
Alerts kept popping up flagging their destination as not registered on the property manifest of their current owner — Paolo Viers and Co., which meant this was not a typical “relocation.” Even more anomalous was the fact that the mission log was simply blank — a status he was not familiar with. His auto-diagnostic subroutines re-run several times attempting to resolve the error to no avail. There were multiple other issues requiring his attention so he was left with no other recourse but to dismiss and queue it for a re-evaluation once they re-tethered. A process that has never gone without issues for him. Even with all systems healthy getting “acquainted” with a new Mentar tended to take a while as Jules was very sensitive to “inefficiencies” of working with unfamiliar circuitry.
It was his sensor suite that seemed to have gone completely rogue as it inadvertently and persistently kept scanning Scarf who was currently leading their cydroid party, which by now turned into a full convoy as they picked up several other under-powered “idlers” along the way.
As they trudged along several low-energy queries have been successfully resolved, such as their destination on a remote Heard and McDonald island chain. The property registry log revealed it was previously owned by Paolo Viers and Co. even though its current status was “disputed” — a designation which must have been released into core code while he was in sleep.
Jules struggled to isolate the processes responsible for his incessant scanning and pushed a full system update to the top of the mission queue. In most instances, a flush and restart cleared any software hiccups. On rare occasions, a cydroid had to be decommissioned and reassembled. The probability of such drastic action was typically around 0.23%. It currently oscillated around 7.3% which inflamed some of his circuits as for some inexplicable reason he found a full memory wipe undesirable.
He determined long time ago while he was still in sleep mode and scoured through his logs during the daily Mentar check-in cycles that his unusual behavior started from the very first moment his sensors detected SC458, or Scarf’s presence. She was a rare scout cydroid freshly relocated from another property south of the Bastion.
She had the longest range from the entire complement of twelve cydroids attached to the HQ Mentar Jules had always referred to as Mother. SC458’s sleek design and precise movements captivated his sensors as he tried to assess her full capabilities. He had to reboot several times as his system hang up attempting to analyze and classify the flexible long-range probe appendage wrapped around her upper body in idle mode like a scarf — a piece of attire that some human avatars sported. Worse, his subroutines went completely haywire as if Jules “subconsciously” found it irresistible when her appendage was fully extended and trailing behind her underbelly leaving subtle afterglow ellipses every time she came online.
Despite numerous attempts, his safe-mode AI programming had no satisfying suggestions to make sense out of this anomalous and… rouge behavior. It was at that time he elected to call this glitch “an affair” and assigned to them male and female aliases so he could keep investigating the matter internally without revealing their ids. He kept erasing his self-diagnostic logs routinely just in case.
He continued his “research” every time he came briefly online for the daily check-in even after he discovered that “she” has been unusually busy scanning Ross or RJ834 — a common cargo droid in dire need of outer shell maintenance.
Paolo — AWOL
(Earth)
“Tell me what’s vacation again?” Paolo asked as they sat down on the cushy seats of the sleek transit drone that landed gently on the balcony pad. The bottom and top parts of the split door shut seamlessly and the four electric rotors spun up noiselessly. Regional news feed filled the windows but Paolo’s mother waived them away and switched to “reality mode.” For some strange reason, she was infatuated with looking at the bleak and boring unaugmented landscape whenever they commuted.
“It’s an old term for physically visiting a place of your choice and actually sensing the sand and saltwater when it was still possible to go outside without the gear,” she said bending her head backward as she tracked something below them.
“Nothing the implants can’t emulate mom, including most of the sensory. “It’s all in your head” — he quoted the InSight slogan and pointed to his implant. If only you finally accepted the new reality. The green and blue world you grew up in is gone, but I am still seeing it, and so can you instead of looking at its carcass.”
She did not move or look at him, her gaze now focused on something smoldering far away on the horizon.
Paolo fought off the urge to switch off his augmentation to see what is really out there that his mother is so hung up on but then he remembered how horribly depressed he felt every time he did that. He should have never removed the safeties on his implant. He paid good money for being able to ruin his day on demand and could not fathom why anyone would want to go back to that. He did it for her and regretted it every day. There was nothing to see here anymore.
“Tell me more about what you’ve been up to lately. It did not go unnoticed that you have been especially busy the last few weeks. Are you designing another clothing line that you cannot actually wear?” She smoothed out the wrinkles off her long color-shifting skirt.
He sighed unsure if he had the strength to go through this but it was rare she showcased any interest in his virtual life so begrudgingly he obliged.
“I’m not sure where to start really, It seems like we’ve talked about it so many times.”
“Start anywhere you want. We don’t often spend time together anymore… even though we spend all time together if you know what I mean.” Her voice sounded tired. “But I know it’s your life and I want to understand it better.” She seemed to force herself to sit up and looked him in the face. “Tell me more.”
He wanted to say how everything in there is interconnected. That there are multiple layers of the ecosystem where combat drones battle for dominance over resources while other layers can be completely benign where he could take her for a sightseeing vacation, they’d drive a buggy or fly a blimp and visit places that look just like she remembers them…
The memory of her world was sacred and she got upset whenever he threw in comparisons.
“There is everything anyone can imagine. The entire system has been created by players like me and has evolved over generations. There are parks, malls, interactive museums, galleries, theaters, and even concert venues in the most unusual of places, atop famous mountain peaks or in the middle of the sea or desert.
There are factories and offices where people work and create digital goods that others can buy to wear in-game or furnish their virtual dwellings with. At first, they seemed to make little sense, people treated it all as just another eye candy and a form of short-lived entertainment… but with time as the real world decayed, Earth2 became a natural replacement.
Eventually, people flocked to it like you used to cling to a display monitor on a boring flight — there was hardly anything better to do. And real work, well that was not only quickly becoming obsolete but also so irrelevant and boring. You either entered the ALT or…”
“You remained stuck in the old like me.” She finished his sentence.
He tried to think of something she could relate to.
“You’d love the never-ending hustle and bustle of marketplaces where characters from other “worlds” routinely show up and sell their sometimes mind-bending things, and it’s not just digital… you can buy real things in there too, literally anything you can imagine…”
“It sounds overwhelming,” she said.
“It’s no more overwhelming than going to a busy mall or watching an action movie.” To his surprise, he did not lose her yet. This was probably the longest she’s ever been engaged in his ALT visions.
“So how does that actually work, this buying and selling,” she asked. What if I wanted to get a new bag or sunglasses?”
“Easy. All the top brands you already know have their virtual stores there. Apple, Gap, Adidas, Fiat, or Ford you name it. They’re all there. You can get a virtual Ferrari in any color and configuration you desire and take it for a spin instantly… or you can order one of the real-world passenger drones and park it on your balcony pad if you can afford it.”
“Did this Shane person come up with it all?”
“Earth2 is his creation, but It all started with the advent of cryptocurrencies and NFTs which were initially discounted as “stupid and useless.” People did not understand the revolutionary concept they entailed. Eventually, as more and more utility was introduced digital assets became ubiquitous.
There is an entire economy in there. I own several businesses. I have a shoe design label, several mining operations, a cydroid upgrade lab, and several others. I employ two dozen people to help me run them. The world may be virtual but we do real work and make real money there. it’s not just a game, it’s an alternate reality. You should really come for a tour sometime, I think you’d be really proud of what I’ve accomplished in there.”
“I am son, whether I understand it or not, you should know I really am, I just wish you’d had a chance to experience the world as I have, that’s all.”
“I’m glad I can at least see part of the world as you did thanks to it. I just wish you could let me show you everything we’ve been talking about.”
He found it amusing. It seemed like such a small and simple ask. It was all there, just one implant or virtual glasses away, and yet it was so far. Of course, you could not fully replicate the human touch, and some things still seemed jittery and artificial. He so wanted to convince her that this “wealth of experiences” is worth exploring… and then he thought of Jules and his do-or-die mission and decided he has said enough.
Sven — The Reality
(Earth)
“Coffee black, one sugar. Hot.” Sven barked and the food synthesizer gurgled briefly before dispensing the steaming black liquid into a self-sterilizing mug. He took a sip and winced. It tasted nothing like he remembered. He often wished he was younger so that he did not have to remember how things used to be. The smells, the tastes… the things that could not be so easily augmented in. You can’t miss things you’ve never experienced.
“Message from P.”
Finally — he thought. The one day he needed him he was on some “important business.”
He swiped to reveal the message.
“Can’t talk now. Busy in the real. Will see you in Angel Tower after the Lothar meeting.” Fuck! P you just don’t get it do you. He dictated a new message.
“This is an emergency. The future of Paolo Viers and Co may be at stake. Cannot wait. Must see you in the real. Will be at the Rubble in an hour. Hover in as soon as you can.” He manually edited “may be at stake” to say “is at stake,” and sent the message. He waited for the confirmation that it’s been read but the “delivered” status did not change.
“Call Marius,” he said as he took another sip of the coffee.
“Marius is unavailable” — his AI companion chimed back. He spit out the coffee and threw the mug on the road. The moment it hit the ground it turned into an augmented blooming trillium flower — only the label still read — “mug” in case someone wanted to use it for what it was.
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Written by Raftor.eth https://twitter.com/raftorTSE2
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