Journey Through the Maze

Alpha woke up hungry, in a strange environment. He had no recollection of how he came to be there. Behind him was a blank wall. Ahead were three passageways separated by high fences. He started down the one in the middle. As he walked along, there were gaps in the fence to the left and right, with other passages leading off. He kept following straight along the original passage, following it through twists and turns, until he came to a T junction. Turning to the left, he followed the new passageway past more gaps in the fence, finally ending up at a dead end.

He was in a maze. He had already seen more than a dozen choices of directions, and he would have to explore more, if not all of them to find the way out.

He spent a few hours lost in the maze, before he finally arrived at an exit point. In front of it was a station with food and water. Alpha knew he should try to exit the maze, but he was overcome by his immediate needs. He drank thirstily and ate all the food before turning towards the exit.

The next day he awoke at the start of the maze again. He could not remember all the turns he had taken, but he did recall that he had selected the middle path. Rather than try yesterday’s hit-and-miss approach, he managed with some difficulty to climb up the fence. He could see the layout of the maze and the exit in the distance. He mapped out the first few turns in his head, and once he had followed them, he climbed the fence again for a new perspective. It was still a long journey, and the climbing was not easy, but it seemed less stressful as he always had an idea where he was going.

When he reached the refreshment station, he stopped and gorged himself. It seemed that this was the only place he could get food and water. Alpha had to take in as much fuel as he could before heading to the exit.

The next day, the maze had changed. The fences were topped with an overhang that prevented him reaching the top. After failing in a few places, he had to abandon that approach. He returned to the start point and set off down the middle path, turning right whenever the opportunity presented itself. It took a while, but he made it to the refreshment station without further incident.

On the fourth day, there was a buzzing noise every few minutes. After a while, the buzzing became more frequent. By the time he reached the refreshment station the noise was almost continuous. There was still plenty of water at the refreshment station, but significantly less food than the previous days. Maybe the buzzer was an indication of time passing. Perhaps he needed to complete the maze faster to get all the food.

The following day, the buzzing noise was back, and Alpha made an effort to complete the maze faster. To his relief, there was more food at the end today. He was beginning to remember parts of the maze based on long straight stretches and frequent turns, but there were no landmarks he could use to assist his navigation. He would have to create his own landmarks to make the journey shorter.

On the sixth day, he deliberately damaged the fence at some corners. He identified turns that ended up taking him around in a circle and returning him to the previous path. He could skip those tomorrow. By now, it was clear that this maze was a permanent part of his life, and defeating it to get to the food was his only goal.

The next day, he found himself at the start of a different maze. There were only two passageways leading away from the start point. He stood there depressed and defeated. All his progress was lost. If the maze could change at any time, he would never truly beat it. Was it really worth trying when the rules kept changing, and the maze was harder each time? The energy drained from his body. He lay down and slept instead of wandering the maze.

The next day, something was very different. Alpha was at the start of the new maze again, but there was a small amount of food and water there. He eagerly consumed it all, ravenous after his breakdown the previous day. Once he had eaten, he became aware of a high-pitched sound. As he moved through the maze, again using the “turn right at every opportunity” technique, he realized it was a female voice, distressed and calling for help. This time, there was no buzzing noise. He tried to call out, but no sound came out. He had no voice.

It took three more days before he reached the female. It turned out that he had to start on the left passageway instead of the right one. He had been very lucky in the first maze, picking the right direction on his first guess. He finally saw the female at the refreshment station, but she didn’t see him. Her eyes were covered in some sort of bandage. When he rushed to her, she screamed and fled in horror, slamming into the fence as she ran. Her vision was not working. Alpha didn’t follow her; that would only panic her further. He hadn’t previously investigated why his voice wasn’t working, but seeing her bandage suggested a horrible possibility. Fearing the worst, he felt his throat. It had been surgically opened, and some kind of box inserted into it. They had both been deliberately disadvantaged. Why was this happening to them? Who was doing it?

The next day, the game had changed again. At the start of the maze was another male. The new male tried to talk to him, but Alpha just grabbed him and dragged him through the maze. When the new male saw the female, he called out, and she ran towards his voice. Alpha felt the satisfaction of beating the maze, he had the food and water, but the female was for the other male, not for him. Darwin dictated that his lack of voice made him a less viable mate. He felt like a third wheel and shuffled away.

The thirteenth day, the other male was there again at the start of the maze. Eagerly he asked Alpha to lead him through the maze again. Of course, Alpha did that. His only sustenance was at the end of the maze. And he had no desire to cause more distress to the female. When they saw the female, the new male called out again, and she turned towards them. Instead of going to her, the other male gently pushed Alpha forward. Alpha moved slowly towards her, afraid he would spook her again. The other male kept calling out encouragement as the two of them approached each other. Eventually, she reached out for him, then pulled him into an embrace. Alpha breathed deeply with relief, the tension draining from his limbs. The acknowledgement of the female settled his mind. This was survivable.

The other male came to join them. He said quietly “They took her eyesight and your voice. The two of you should stay together.” He paused and added “They took something from me too.” With shock, Alpha realized that the other male was the third wheel, and he had given up his chance so that the two of them could meet.

There was plenty of food and water at the refreshment station this time. They enjoyed it together, a small family group in a hostile environment, all helping each other and sharing information. None of them had any memories of what happened after they ate the food each day, until they reawakened at the start of the maze again. Without further discussion, they all accepted that they would never be able to go out through the exit point.

* * *

Results of the maze experiment:

* The subjects are able to problem-solve and adapt to changing conditions.

* They learn from previous experience.

* Their communication appears to be based on vision and vocalization only, and the removal of either impedes their efficacy.

* Removal of external sex organs does not affect their ability to communicate, or their intelligence or motivation. These organs appear to be primitive in their capabilities, perhaps for reproduction only.

* They are social by nature and capable of working together towards a common goal.

Recommendation 1: Use these earth creatures in future experiments.

Recommendation 2: Put them in a cage together for now. The female and intact male may be able to breed.

Recommendation 3: In case breeding is successful, do not remove external sex organs from future subjects.