The Encounter—According to Ivan
I peer over the eastern ridge to view a company of English soldiers approaching our position. Most are on foot. Their wounded are lying or sitting on the backs of their remaining horses. Many are missing helmets and shields. My ally’s intel has proved to be accurate. Sir Valence and his men are in flight. Battle worn and weary from their failed invasion into the neighboring shire, they must cross at the ford if they are to return home to safety.
I press my lips to the charm around my neck. This has always brought me luck if not even a bit of magic. I feel energized as a surge of strength comes over me.
The English army is formidable, but their weakened state provides an opportunity. Sir Valence, their commander, must not leave Scotland alive. He represents my greatest obstacle to securing Scottish freedom.
My men are making silent jubilation at the news of his approach. Heavy rains of the last few weeks has raised the river to its banks. Though the ford is passable, the waters are deep. Crossing it will be slow. We will be waiting for them on the other side.
My men maintain the high ground as the enemy enters the marshy valley. My archers are in the trees. The enemy troops wade through the ford, waist deep in water.
I give the command. The faint swoosh of arrows flying all around can be heard amidst the screams. Many of their men are falling. But Sir Valence is almost to the other side. I must not let my greatest foe escape. Water runs out of his armor as he steps out of the river onto the grassy bank. His survival would foil all that I have hoped to achieve.
I jump out of hiding with three of my men. Valence draws his sword with haste. My sword clangs against his armor, but no harm comes to him. My men and I repeatedly strike him in search of a weak chink in his armor. Then I feel his sword pierce my side. It cuts through my leather vest like paper. I buckle over and begin falling to the ground. Before reaching it, another cold blow slashes my neck. Darkness closes in around me.
◾◾◾
Have I died? What is happening? The darkness begins to gray as diffuse light gradually increases all around. I feel no pain and can still move my limbs. Pulling off my helmet, I find myself in a small room with computer screens on the wall in front of me and a VR headset in my hands. No longer in blood-stained leather, my skin-tight localized pressure suit relaxes, releasing the force of my wounds.
As my senses return, I remember that my name is Ivan, not Sir Robert. I have no army to command. I am laying on the floor of my tiny one-room cube apartment. I had been plugged in for hours and had totally forgotten the world I live in. Perhaps this is a defense mechanism that allows me to escape my bleak existence. Or as my brother, Jackson, would say, “You have a severe gaming addiction.”
What do you expect? My life sucks. No job. No girl. No money. It isn’t what I deserve. This is not my fault. I have made every effort and failed.
Eight years ago the world was at my feet. After working my butt off to get the grades in high school, I am admitted into NW Technical University. Only those with the best test scores and a high GPA had any chance of getting in. This came at no small expense either. My father sold off much of his retirement savings to allow my brother and I to go to college. Five years of late nights and no social life allowed me to hit the mark and graduate as a mechanical engineer.
Jobs have been scarce my whole life. Most manual or repetitive jobs have been replaced by mechanized drones, automated assistants, or other AI systems. Cars, buses, and trucks all drive themselves, of course. My dad had always said, “You’ve got to be smarter than the machine.” Engineering seemed like a smart enough career.
During my senior year, universities were scrambling to update their courses to account for new software tools available. Standard computer aided design (CAD) of old was tedious and required detailed knowledge of the product being designed. Now, an AI-driven automated design assistant (ADA) will make most engineering tasks quite easy. Being able to teach and guide an ADA became a hot skill to have.
Though the job market was tight, I landed a position at AutoTechnica. My first year was spent helping to train an ADA. Many other fresh graduates were employed for this purpose. Before long, the ADAs were generating new designs, drawings, and build instructions, all with minimal input from a human engineer. We were no longer needed. The ADA could do 95% of an engineer’s tasks, so AutoTechnica needed fewer engineers. Sucks to be you, kid. You got to be smarter than the machine.
The government has been providing most people with basic needs for years, even before I went to college. The Universal Basic Stipend was established to reduce crime and homelessness. This was a government payment, barely enough to buy food and a bed in a commercial shelter. As more people became dependent on the Universal Basic Stipend (UBS), taxation on large corporations swelled. I used to mock the millions who were economically worthless; now I am one of them.
Vote buying began in secret. Shelter residents were offered money to vote for the man. These vote buying schemes became more elaborate over time. Eventually so many politicians depended on purchased votes that voting by proxy was made legal. Corporations employ proxitutes (as many now call them) to vote the corporate lineup. The proxitutes earn more than they would earn on the government stipend. This allows for some simple luxuries like gaming systems and a small private room in an apartment complex. So here I am, selling my vote along with the rest of the heroin-addicted masses.
It’s the corporations’ fault for the loss of jobs and personal income. So maybe it’s only fair that they pay out to buy the votes. Even if it is very un-American. But what can I do? Corporate control of the government means that corporate taxation went away. The UBS has all but disappeared. Now taxes are bore by those left working and those receiving proxy money.
I feel like a failure. Guilt for vote selling and the evil that it enables just makes me hate myself. What value does my life have? Would the world be any worse off without me? All my proxy earnings go to my apartment and gaming system lease. I can’t afford to go anywhere. It wouldn’t be safe anyway, not in this part of the city. I cannot live without my VR gear. I would go insane in a day. No purpose, no job, no life.
My family knows what’s happened to me. They just don’t quite get it. My father is the successful Dr. Kyle Danning, a black hole physicist. He says I just need to start over and try something new.
My younger brother, Jackson, has offered to let me live with him. But that would be even more depressing. I would then be a drain on him as well. He already supports six other people on his sweet programmer’s salary. This leaves him nearly as poor as I, but at least he has purpose.
Gaming is my only solace. In a virtual world, all the heartaches of reality melt away. Many turn to drugs, but that is a fast track to even more misery. When I get lonely, I might send emails to family and friends. I could meet my brother for a virtual chat in a comfy lakeside cabin, but Jackson will only want to talk about real life—what a drag! I am content to leave the world altogether. Virtual realms, virtual people, choosing a life of dignity and importance. If it’s real to me, it’s real enough.
To keep it real I must always be on the lookout for that new gaming experience. The better the simulation, the more it costs. But there is always a sweet holiday special or coupon code to pick up that essential access to a hot new simulation. Sometimes though, it’s an old gem rediscovered that can be your salvation. So many games and simulations are made that never get discovered by the masses. They are stuck in endless lists of available titles that no one ever mentions. Low popularity means low price, so it’s worth a look when funds are scarce.
It was just one of these that draws my attention when I read a short blurb about a simulation called Infinite Regression. The description says, “This is a simulation to escape the plight of reality.” One user comment proclaims, “It is a simple sim but allowed me to sit back and forget the world.” That is just what I need to get out of my current bout of depression and into a better reality.
◾◾◾
No sooner than hitting the “buy and start now” button, my small room begins to melt away. Here I am in a comfortable house seemingly dated from the turn of the century. Flames cover a small pile of wood in a corner fireplace. I can feel the warmth emanating into the room. I look out the window into the open country. A lovely view of trees, fields, and wildflowers, just the sort of place my brother would want to meet for a virtual chat. But nobody else is here.
The start of a new game generally comes with an intro or some instructions. A menu normally appears if I tap the side of my headset, but this feature is absent. I am just here. There seems to be nothing to do. But before jetting and accepting that I have just been scammed, I start poking around, looking for clues as to what this is all about.
The room I am in appears to be a library. Two walls are filled with books. The built-in wooden shelves are engraved with an intricate ivy facade along its borders. These are darkly stained and varnished. The books are mostly aging hardbacks, many with gold trimmings. Some are classics that I have read. Pulling one of the volumes out, I thumb through the pages. It seems to all be intact, matching the original work.
I am beginning to doubt that this is anything more than just a reading room. The door that leads out of the room is locked. There is nothing more of this place to explore unless I want to read. No thanks. I sit down and take off my VR headset in disgust.
◾◾◾
Back in my dingy cube, I tap my wall display to view an incoming message. “You have an oversized delivery in the lobby, locker 4.”
Oh, crap. If a package is too large, the delivery drones won’t take it up to your room because the hallways are too narrow for the drone to safely navigate. So I have to leave my room, go down the elevator, and enter a public lobby to retrieve my package. And that’s to say nothing about carrying it back to my room. But what could it be? If the drone can’t carry it, will I have room for it in my tiny cube?
I always hate going out. Rarely is there more than a person or two outside their rooms at any given time. But the thought of being seen, or—gasp—being spoken to, just terrifies me. I am white as a ghost and always look like I just woke from a coma. And I am not half as scary as most of the people in my building.
After checking my online orders, I cannot find anything large enough to possibly require an oversized delivery. Unless they stacked up my grocery orders again, which would really tick me off. I don’t have room for two weeks’ worth of food in my cube. And why wouldn’t they send it in multiple smaller packages?
Okay, here it goes. After patting down my short blond hair, I set out. I don’t even bother changing out of my pressure suit. It’s a bit embarrassing to strut around in skin tight attire, even if it does show off my muscles. But half the people you see in the building will be wearing them. They are a real pain to put on or take off. Some people even sleep in them. However, you will smell it if they do.
Out in the hallway, it is clear with no one in sight. Whew, maybe I will get lucky and avoid seeing anyone the whole way. The white hallway is lined with doors, one every eight feet on each side. It’s quiet in the hall except for the screams, sobs, thumps, groans, and many distressed voices muffled through the thin walls. This hallway gives the sickening impression of walking the corridors of an asylum for the criminally insane.
The elevator door opens; it’s empty. Lucky again. Of course, I would have waited for an empty one if anyone was in it. Without even looking, I press the button at the bottom. My eyes are still blurry from hours of immersion. When it seems that the elevator has been going down for too long, I take another look at the control panel. It must have been replaced recently; it is brand new. The bottom button, which I had pushed, didn’t say, “Lobby,” it says, “Basement.” I didn’t even know that our building had a basement.
After what seems like far too long for only one additional floor of descent, the doors finally open. As soon as I see the surrounding room, I frantically push the “Close Doors” button. But nothing happens. The control panel has gone dark as if it has lost power. To my horror, I have no escape. I am now facing a wide private room where a large number of people are gathered. It appears to be some kind of party. Everyone is all dressed up in jeans and tee shirts and in real life too. I haven’t been to anything so formal in years, not even virtually. The place is gaudily decorated and loaded with food, drinks, and music. Then someone calls out to me by name. I freeze. I don’t know anyone in my building.
“Ivan!” I hear again. Reluctantly, I proceed toward the voice at a nearby table who is beckoning me.
A cheerful young woman with long blond hair and skin as pale and white as mine is sitting at the table. I think that I recognize her from my job at AutoTechnica; we had never actually met. I had only seen her in passing and did not even know her name.
How on Earth does she remember my name or even recognize me in my current state? I now cut my own hair, and I shave only about once every other week. I do this so my hair will not interfere with my headset, not to manage my looks. I really hope that I don’t smell badly.
She doesn't act shocked or put off by my appearance at all. In fact, she seems genuinely excited to see me. Immediately, she begins blabbering as if we are old friends. She tells me, “I am now the editor at Motif Press.” Then she proceeds to tell me about some of the new games she’s played, sims she’s been to, and something about a book.
The conversation is only mildly interesting, but it gives me an opportunity to find out what is going on. So I ask her, “What is this party all about?
She stares at me with her mouth hanging open. Raising her voice, she turns my question back at me. “Why are YOU here? This is the grand release of my client’s new book. You’re here because you have an invitation aren’t you? The invitation was delivered with your copy of the book. You have read the book, haven’t you?”
I don’t know what to say and begin stumbling over my words. So I explain, “I do not know about any book or have an invitation. I only arrived here because I accidentally pushed the wrong button in the elevator. What is the name of your book?”
Her face is reddening and her voice is cracking as she yells, “It’s not my book. Haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve said? It is my client’s book. My name is Jessica, in case you don’t remember that either. I can help you, but not without the book. If you didn’t want to read the book, you shouldn’t have come to the party! That’s the deal. You get out of here, and don’t even think of coming back to this party until you’ve read it! Leo, please escort this party crasher out of here.”
A muscular dark-skinned man in a tux steps forward and grabs my arm. I am six feet tall, but he’s even taller. He pulls me to my feet. Without contest, I walk with him to the elevator. He gets in the elevator with me and presses the button for the fourteenth floor. How does he know what floor I live on? I just stand on the opposite side of the elevator staring at him in shock.
He speaks kindly to me, “Jessica can help you, if you find the book. It will explain everything. Bring your invitation next time, or I won’t let you in. You cannot stop the evil without Jessica’s help. She is an AI, just like the evil that seeks to destroy your world. Don’t delay though; time is of the essence.” He tells me this without expression, as if he just told me the time of day.
When the elevator door opens, I run out as fast as I can. After making sure I am not being followed, I run the rest of the way to my room and lock the door behind me. My heart is pounding.
I grab the headset lying on my bed and begin to put it on. Maybe I can just forget this whole thing. But my headset doesn't seem to fit. I set it back down and feel my head. I am already wearing one. What? I take it off, nothing much changes except that the headset I thought was mine has disappeared from beside me. My actual headset is right here in my hands. The message on my wall console is now gone.
What has happened to me? Did I hallucinate the whole thing? Am I going crazy? It all seemed so real but so unbelievable. Could this have all been part of the game? How could so many elements of my real life be incorporated if it was only part of a game? I have forgotten the real world in sims quite often, but this is different. This time, I am still trying to figure out whether it is real after the fact. What if I’m still in it? I reach up and feel my head again. No headset. Whew.
I check the door stats on my room monitor. No automated deliveries for twenty-two hours. The door has not opened in eighty-four hours. I have not gone anywhere.
I pace around my tiny cube. The more I try to make sense of things, the more confused I get. I can’t get her out of my mind. She was really quite beautiful, but quite insane. Was this all just an elaborate hoax? Or is an evil AI out to get me? Had a benevolent AI hacked into my console to warn me?
The game has no intro or instructions. So I search for “Infinite Regression Game” to see what I can find. One review talks about a cozy reading room for enjoying your favorite books and literature. Another mentions meeting friends in this room and the door being the exit. Why had the door been locked for me? Someone said they found a book of puzzles, and by solving them, it opened up more rooms to a larger house. Other than that, it’s just a boring chat room. Nothing was mentioned about the default menu being absent. No one explains being tricked with a virtual headset or mimicry of their real home. How could it do that? The headset does have a camera that allows you to see through it in augmented reality sims. But that wouldn’t have allowed me to see the whole building while having never left my own room.
Okay. Perhaps I really do need help. I may be spending too much time plugged in. I just don’t spend enough time in reality to know the difference. I am not going to go walking the streets or visiting people in real life, though. I could meet up with my dad or my brother for a virtual chat. That’s a step. Usually we only talk through email or text message. I don’t dare tell my dad about this whole hallucination. That will only lead to a lecture about wasting my life in sims. Should I talk to Jackson or Caleb about it?
Caleb is my brother’s best friend, but we have become friends as well. I have met most of my real life friends through Jackson. Caleb sometimes joins me for a game or sim. His time spent in the same sort of games might give him a fairer perspective of my problem. I will give it some time, if this is still bothering me, then I will send him an invite to meet up for a chat.
