Raine VS The End of the World (41 page)

WAIT. Hold on just a second.

I roll my eyes. “I don’t think that’s what Lao Tzu meant. You’re talking about knowledge, not wisdom. Your words seem a roundabout way of telling us to treat the rest of our lives as homework. There’s gotta be more to it than that. What of love, and of comfort? If there’s something specific we need to learn, we can always run information modules or hypothetical scenarios.”

“Raine, sweetie, we’re talking about the type of wisdom virtual experiences can’t impart. I for one can’t afford to slack off. The rabbit hole goes down deep: every pre-conceived notion you hold may one day become an obstacle on the path of truth, and that’s okay. There is no progress without imagination, no action that does not first manifest on the mental plane. One cannot advance without gaining footing first, but the real trick lies in maintaining clarity of mind, so as to know when to let go to reach that next fractal. It’s just how it is. Life itself is the ultimate homework.”

“Is that your new philosophy?” asks Gerrit.

“There’s nothing new about it. Quoth Huxley, ‘facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.’ Wisdom may be the path to Enlightenment, but knowledge is power, and power is a whole lot more tangible. True wisdom is proper use of knowledge. Failure to act upon one’s convictions is a betrayal of principles. There’s why moral relativism has to go: those that know and do nothing only support the status quo. It’s my hope that it won’t always be this way, but in this age it’s kill or be killed, kiddos, in the
Metaverse
, and in real life.”

Her words are inspiring, if a little cold and unwelcome.

My heavy eyelids droop at the melodic tune. I know that when I open them again, I’ll be someplace else and all this will likely fade away. But as long as they’re kept closed, I can treasure the immortal day when no evil can touch us.

See you soon, spacetime dreamers.

▬

Raine awoke to the sound of soft raindrops on a windowsill. Only, this time they weren’t black pixels, but real, actual raindrops. No: they were virtual raindrops. As expected, the once-vivid dream’s specifics grew vague and vanished, leaving only the faintest warmth in her heart.

She noticed that she was tucked into a comfortable country bed in a very welcoming guest room. A futuristic gaming console with four controller ports and a spiral logo sat in the corner below a small flat-screen TV, and a plate of milk and cookies beckoned from the bedside table. A cool-looking interplanetary shoot-em-up game was magically playing itself. The jewel case read:
Ikaruga
.

Delighted, Raine drank some milk and gazed out the window – just above the horizon, the sun parted a flurry of fluffy nimbus clouds, as if it wanted to catch a glimpse of Super BlastBoy’s trellised garden.

She next heard shouting and turned her head at an angle to see her host arguing with Lily by the rose bed. Raine creaked her window open a hair to listen in on their conversation.

“Yes, I know it was a last-minute change in plan. But we can’t delay any longer! You must begin now and you know it! I thought you’d be on this when the debug was complete.”

“Lily, it’s not that simple. I may possess the skeleton key, but who knows what kind of obstacles I’ll encounter once I actually get into the mainframe? It’s quite a tall order. I need updated intel. I need time to study the maps again.”

“You said getting the direct line would solve everything!”

“I snuck a peek after putting Raine to bed. It was terrifying! Bloody terrifying in there. Certain death is not an easy thing to face!”

“Don’t talk to me about certain death, BB. I’ve seen too much of it lately.”

“Yes, yes, sorry. It must be hard for you, but Lacie’s passing was a big blow to the Queen.”

“Not so loud; she needs her rest.”

“Of course.”

“Look, Tony, the backdoor paths are getting more complex by the minute. Even the half-functioning Guggell’s clogging every loose end they have. Lorrie has seen into the future. Now that she knows the plan… there could be changes, even as we speak. She’s using Gerrit as bait, for chrissakes.”

“Lily, this is why I didn’t want to do this! It’s pointless! You don’t need to play chess with her! Find some other way to steal the fuel cells. Work on constructing a new power converter. Go home if you must, but start again. There will be no other chance for the world if you’re not there to make it!”

“I must do this my way!” Lily hissed. “It will take a decade to build that power converter from scratch, and Lorelei must be stopped. I can’t go on unless I purge her, don’t you understand?”

“Why, Lily?”

“Because maybe she’s right – that I was never meant to do this. Maybe it isn’t even supposed to happen. Or maybe it happens on its own in another universe without my involvement at all. Maybe life is… maybe it shouldn’t be my responsibility.”

“That isn’t the Lily I know!
You
taught me that we are
all
responsible. Such ifs and buts are meaningless without proper action!”

“Rich. This coming from the ancient program too scared of a stupid mainframe to leave his own dumpy cottage.”

“Now you’re resorting to personal attacks! The
nerve
.”

Lily kicked a stone across the garden. It rebounded off an apple tree and smashed one of Tony’s lawn gnomes. The quiet fury of SBB’s voice came out like sandpaper rubbing against stone.

“Why did you do that?”

“I didn’t mean to, Tony.”

He looked at the gnome sadly. With a wave of his hand it pieced itself back together, but the crack where Lily’s stone hit remained. Lifting his fingers, he levitated the fallen apples into a nearby basket.

“Such anger.”

“I like to think of it as more of a righteous fury.”

“Disgusting is what it is. A waste of energy.”

“This world isn’t even real!”

“Well, your attitude is, young lady! Are you planting seeds of hope in that head of yours, or despair? Each seed contains the potential to produce countless more. This world is my home. It may not be the one you come from, but it has a soul; t’was built over years by the minds and hearts of your kind, and the complex algorithms and careful tending of mine, and for that, I believe it deserves a little respect.”

They both fell silent. Lily hung her head.

“I’m sorry. There, is that better?”

Tony took a deep breath. When he exhaled, Raine felt the ground shake gently, and a wave of good vibes passed over her.

They took a seat on a small cob bench. Lily was the first to speak.

“Listen, I’ll handle security for Raine ‘til we reach the final exit node and enter the sprawl. You just worry about getting our team in. My best ‘bots are patched. As we speak, they’re awaiting your orders.”

Lily handed him a slick pair of red and blue 3D glasses.

“Encoded Channeler. A closed connection only the EDC, and you and I, can use. I’m to keep radio silence until we’re inside, but at the very least, you can touch base with my surface crew. Please, take it.”

Tony inspected the visor wordlessly.

“You can sit here in angst as flesh-and-blood people are dying out there, or you can be a real hero for once.”

“Miss Lily, I want to do it! I just need more time! If I fail, you don’t stand a chance!”

“Listen to the time-traveler. When I say we’re out of time, you had better bet your digital butt we’re completely out of goddamn time. I’m giving you one hour.”

The time traveler stormed into the house and marched across the floor to Raine’s room, where she shook the girl, pretending to sleep, out of bed and saw her dressed, and her things gathered in no time. Chance spun into existence in a ribbon of colors – all along, he was playing the game while invisible – and followed.

Lily led her outside the house and towards the same flying ship Raine saw earlier, which was parked behind a bush down the path.

The girl whirled around and waved bye to her favorite game hero.

“Thank you for everything!”

“I’ll see you shortly, Raine. Take care of yourself,” he replied with an enthusiastic bow. Tony strolled back into his cabin, head held high.

“Ugh! I tell you, personality programming was the death of artificial intelligence,” Lily murmured as she gripped Raine’s wrist.

“No offense,” she said to Chance.

The Rainbow Cat mewed sarcastically in response.

Now that SBB was out of view, Lily no longer felt the need to storm away furiously. She simply pressed a button on her communicator and summoned the shuttle over.

“So, did you sleep well last night?”

“Yeah, very well,” Raine mumbled.

She was beginning to get quite agitated and a little frightened. Her newly acquired knowledge with regards to Lily filled her with utmost sympathy for her cause. But the situation was intimidating, to say the least. And she was still missing huge chunks of the puzzle.

“It’s about time you showed up,” Raine scoffed. The words escaped her mouth without any thought going into them. “I was starting to think that you’d used me to thrash that Stopwatch and then abandoned me completely.”

Lily held Raine by the shoulders.

“I am truly sorry this has been so difficult for you, Raine. I really am. But very soon I will be ready to tell you everything.”

“I have so many questions.”

“They can wait till we’re out. We could be in for a bumpy ride.”

Raine couldn’t stop herself. “Who am I, Lillian? What’s the deal with my parents?”

No answer.

“Don’t you turn away from me! What’s my role in all this? And what about Gerrit?”

Lily shook her head sadly.

“Look, I promise you, dear, we’ll have this conversation. Right now the clock is ticking and there’s stuff that needs to get done. Just follow my lead and we’ll bounce this bizarro wonderland.”

“It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” - Jiddu Krishnamurti

“Wakey, wakey.”

Gerrit opened his eyes. They were worn, but it felt like he was just getting used to them.

They were the only part of his body he was able to move. He looked around in abject terror. Before him loomed a full-length mirror. He was in a posh dressing room, sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a tuxedo and a large, ugly helmet. From behind, the sultry voice struck again, emerging from the shadows along with a faint trail of smoke.

“Welcome to Earth. I’m sure you don’t remember it. At least not yet. Those rebels really did a number on your brain.”

She walked up to the liquor cabinet before Gerrit, heels clacking the floor with each loud step. The woman looked to be in her early thirties, clad in a very elegant ballroom gown. Her touch on his arm sent shivers down the boy’s spine,
and it’s no wonder
, he thought as she downed a glass of brandy.
I’m chilled to the bone. My skin’s pale as death
.

Gerrit strained his arm and leg muscles again and again. They failed to respond. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t feel or control any part of his body except for his eyes and eyelids. His breathing seemed to regulate itself, as if it were a function being run by an external source.

“Hello, Gerrit. I am Lorelei, the One True Queen, founder and chief programmer of
Endless Metaverse
. I am also known as the esteemed World Leader. In the event that I choose to return your speaking faculties, you may address me as My Queen, Your Grace, or Your Majesty upon first daily contact, and ‘ma’am’ anytime after that.”

Rage overtook Gerrit. His anger boiled up so suddenly that his chills turned to cold sweat. He began to feel serious pain in his head. It was throbbing uncontrollably.

“In finding you, we paid a hefty price. My sister has passed out of time. You’re probably wondering, ‘why’? What could this highly attractive woman possibly want from little old me? I’m just another player in a bug-infested virtual world. In reality, the truth is simpler than it seems. People make compromises in order to save their loved ones. They get distracted. They do stupid things. They leave themselves vulnerable. Some call it courage. I deem it weakness. You, my friend, were once a pure soul. Only, now you have been conditioned so fully to accept weakness that you can no longer remember your true self. Like the rest of us, Gerrit, you are but a highly evolved animal. And like me, though you are mortal, you too can be invincible if you pursue your own desires to the very end. Because your boyish gallantry has so tickled my fancy, I offer nothing less than to show you how to remember this true self.”

She snapped her fingers; an android servant approached from a dark corner. Gerrit watched helplessly as his chair was wheeled about, following the laughing Queen down the dim hallway.

A familiar tune came to the boy, and though he could not for the life of him recall the name of the song or its artist, he clung to its haunting lyrics.

And did you exchange
A walk-on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?

Paintings lined the wide corridor, which opened up to a large foyer. Gerrit became quickly aware that he was thousands of feet above the ground, sitting in a high tower overlooking a congested city spread far as the eye could see.

The place was definitely one of those he’d seen in his dreams. He drank it in.

After more sightseeing, Gerrit was parked atop a large, enclosed viewing balcony with a translucent floor and ceiling. The Queen studied his eyes in wild anticipation, until at her behest the droid placed telescopic goggles over them.

His gaze darted around the metropolis, stained by the setting sun. It looked absolutely nothing like Clyde Castle Town, or Circuitron, or the Chip Kingdom, or anything else in
Endless Metaverse
. This was an odd vista, a mixture of imagination and decay. The topmost tiers showcased a slick fortress populated by flying automobiles. There were many more sections, each encased within massive rings of stone and metal; lumbering machines on faraway foothills repaired damage to the outermost gate. A line that resembled an ant colony supply train ran for miles outside the metropolis and disappeared into a canyon.

A closer look revealed that tens of thousands – no, hundreds of thousands – of workers with helmets were moving the gigantic stones over to the fortress. Many more were stationed along ports by the coast, and at camps bordering the city. Others manned innumerable anti-aircraft turrets within the walls. Their movements seemed stiff, unnatural, as if they were being remotely controlled.

“Sector One is NERV’s Central Dogma, so to speak, though I’m sure you’re not caught up on the classics. All land within the peninsula falls under the immediate province,” she told him. “
Neo Eden
proper houses approximately eighty million.”

Gerrit then peeked directly underneath at the innermost ring, immediately surrounding the monolith. Past the large pyramidal base stretched a number of lush mansions, homes, and dormitories, with residents few and far between. There seemed to be an epic music festival underway. Hundred-foot statues of the Queen dotted every intersection.

The main ring immediately following that one consisted of what looked like a piecemeal network of malls and posh clothing shops. A third ring contained a smattering of towering housing complexes and recreational facilities. The protracted fourth ring functioned as a busy hub for flying craft and a large industrial district, and the fifth ring, which continued along the coastline and proved much larger than all the others put together, was a complete wasteland. The streets were run-down with filth and decay, and as in the topmost level, some folk wore no headgear. Urchins and the elderly were laid on sidewalks – indeed, many appeared to be dead – and others still peddled meager wares or begged. From strange buildings dotting the coast and in rigs beyond, smoke escaped towering chimneys to stain the sky.

Much of this outland consisted of cracked, eroded soil and makeshift shanties scattered amongst the ancient ruins of what must have been a once-beautiful city. Only a handful of scattered fertile plots of land appeared able to sustain anything resembling life. Most strikingly, billboards everywhere advertised free trials of
Endless Metaverse
(“The
Metaverse
cares” was a popular slogan), with lifetime membership undoubtedly synonymous with lifetime servitude.

“Welcome to
Neo Eden
, my unmatched pleasure dome,” Queen Lorelei beamed with pride. “How do you like it?”

I don’t,
he wanted to say.
Not one bit.

Gerrit suddenly looked up at Queen Lorelei’s reflection in the window. Through the fading light, he was struck by the clarity of his own image. The boy felt a terrifying chill run down his spine. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, but the very recognition of the truth shook him. The contraptions the men wore down below were identical to the one sitting on his head.

“There’s a party I’ve called in honor of your arrival, Gerrit. I’d like you to meet some of my closest people.”

They entered a glass elevator and descended rapidly.

In quiet agony, Gerrit searched the streets. And then he saw, in the second ring down, a gang of young men beating up an unfortunate elderly fellow in headgear. Expressionless, he stood against a wall as the hooligans assaulted him. He didn’t react. He seemed incapable of it. After being knocked down, the old man would methodically stand back up again, only to be kicked back to the concrete. Before long he was bleeding. People walked by without as much as a reaction.

Gerrit couldn’t look away. It was too unthinkable, too horrible. He was relieved beyond explanation when the doors opened, the goggles were pulled from his eyes, and he was wheeled out to face the impeccably dressed nobles of
Neo Eden
.

They spoke to him in a rabble of gestures and giggles. Some placed their faces in his and laughed staring into his eyes. He knew how he must’ve looked, a helpless thing, pale, timid, skinny, his heavy crown held into place by some latch coming up from the back of his chair.

Feeling far weaker than he had ever imagined himself to be, Gerrit was humbled. He closed his eyes, but that just made the talking and jeering more intense. The only way out was through, and his guide was taking her time.

“Where is Lady Claire?” she asked of a servant.

“Unknown, ma’am.”

“That impertinent weasel.”

Queen Lorelei laughed heartily as she strode far along before Gerrit. Her closest lackeys soon fell in step. She continued to the luxurious chaise longue at the back of the room, atop a dais like all of her personal seats. The crowd of hundreds made way for her entourage, and after what seemed like an eternity, Gerrit found himself onstage alongside Queen Lorelei, parked at the right-hand of her seat.

She assumed the microphone to complete silence.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Today, as you all know, is a momentous occasion. The rumors are true. I have chosen to adopt this boy, this poor misguided soul, the primary leader of a terrorist insurgency enveloping the ever-troubled
Avidya
server. You may recognize him from last season’s iteration of
The
Metaverse’s Dynamic Duelists.
Once upon a time, he called himself, and I quote, ‘NinjaMageKnight99’-”

She took a premeditated pause to welcome the anticipated laughter that arose from the crowd. They all began their chortles at the same time, sustained as long as she held her silence, forcing it; perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of conditioning, or both, Gerrit couldn’t tell. He was mortified at her message.

Me, be adopted by the creator of
Endless Metaverse
?
And how is it that they seem to recognize me? This has to be a sick nightmare. I almost wish you were right, Raine, and that the entire universe ended up being your dream. It might have been better that way.

After what seemed like an eternity, she silenced them with a small wave of her hand.

“This lamb was once astray. Now he has found himself in good keeping. We will nourish him, take him as our own, show him how we do things here. When General Lacie returns, we shall rejoice once more!”

Applause filled the air. She surveyed the room like a shepherd looking over a flock, her sharp eyes cutting through the crowd’s eerie façade and eating everyone up.

“Now carry on with the celebration,” she commanded, and crossed her legs. “We party until morning.”

The feelings Gerrit experienced that night were horrifying and grotesque. These people seemed to have everything they wanted, but they were nothing like those in
Endless Metaverse
. They were lavish, fickle, uncouth, and completely into themselves. Indeed, they seemed to desire nothing more than attention, and to please their Queen by any means necessary. Gerrit closed his eyes to shut out the spectacle, but found to his horror that if he held them closed for longer than a few seconds, the
M-Gear
would sustain a small, painful electrical shock that made him feel as if his brain were melting.

Thusly, he alternated between staring at the extravagant chandelier, fashioned from pure ivory, and observing the behaviors of the partygoers as they laughed, danced, flirted, touched, drank, ingested unknown substances, and generally made fools out of themselves, all to entertain their host, who simply lounged on her chaise and suckled down delicious-looking grapes, shooting Gerrit looks of absolute satisfaction.

Words etched into the marble above the entrance arch read:
“Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur.”
The boy concentrated on it to try and make sense of the odd language, which seemed at the edge of his understanding, but nothing came to light.

By four in the morning, the energy in the room had died down significantly. The DJ had collapsed onto his turntable. Droids dragged passed-out patrons to their quarters. This was done so casually, Gerrit reasoned, that it must have been a normal occurrence. Queen Lorelei had gotten quite drunk and retired to her private room with a few hand-picked men and women.

After being given several hours to sleep, Gerrit was taken up there himself.

When he saw her next, the Queen lay on the triple-layered feather mattress set upon her marble-carved four-poster bed, wearing nothing but a nightgown, legs peeking out seductively from underneath a large blanket. She munched on some kiwis.

Over the course of the early morning, Queen Lorelei chronicled to Gerrit in great detail how
Endless Metaverse
came into being, and how Lily failed to comprehend the futility of her misguided quest. He felt some of the hazy images from his dreams resolve themselves, and knew that much of what she was saying rang true with what little he could piece together. Chunks of his visions seemed to be missing, a problem the Queen said time would remedy.

She told him how she hadn’t the heart to inform the nobles that her sister was murdered in cold blood, or that their national security was at risk all because of one girl’s stupid vendetta. Lorelei finished her oral account just in time for a light breakfast.