Picnic at Bunhill Fields

So Catherine's report outlines the basic contours of the history that's running on the computers up at Brougham Castle. Operation GRAIL TABLE has been running for about 2 months and in that time they've simulated roughly 38 years of human history from 1973. So time runs at a rate of about 8 simulated months per day. By the time you guys get up to Cumbria, the internal clock in the simulation will be situated, oh, right around the year 2020. :wink:

The last time Catherine was in, as she mentioned, she was an auto mechanic in Danbury, Connecticut. The system doesn't populate the simulation with exact duplicates of all 8 billion humans alive in the future; that would be well beyond the capabilities of even SANDMAN's computers. Instead it uses esmology, demographics, and statistics to create simulated options for human lifetimes providing a representative spread across the world. A software module can be appended to the simulation to make sure multiple people who go into the simulation together end up close to each other personally or geographically—co-workers, friends, family, etc. This might be advantageous for a group that wants to aid each other while inside the simulation. Or you can just accept the whims of the computer and get thrown to the four winds.

As far as the specifics of the future history are concerned, Catherine and other psychonauts have returned with lots of information but the basics are the following:

• It's a multipolar world system with the Americas/Canada/ANZAC, Soviet Union/Europe/Britain, China/Japan/India, and Iran/Iraq/Syria/Saudi Arabia as the four major political blocs. Regional alliances rule the day.

• The world's conflicts have moved out of a territorial/resource-based warfare model and into information warfare. No one has been simulated into a future Project SANDMAN but it seems clear to GRAIL TABLE's observers that memetics have emerged as a primary front on a constantly churning cultural/economic/quasi-spiritual plane of conflict.

• Computer technology has basically taken over the world, with each bloc having its own closed network of computer-television appliances in homes, workplaces, and social gathering spots that provide two-way surveillance and monitoring of citizens, all while providing propaganda and entertainment. Yes, even in the "free world" of the Americas-Oceania bloc.

• Resource depletion is well underway; those computers and entertainment centers require a lot of rare earth metals. Likewise, famines are devastatingly common in all the blocs but the American-Oceania bloc due to a combination of pollution and the greenhouse effect. What the American-Oceania bloc possesses in foodstuffs and raw materials, it lacks in central economic control. The other three blocs use some form of central planning which mitigates the worst of the resource depletion.

• Finally, is there any hard and fast evidence of History B/Anunnaki tampering in this simulated history? Nothing overt yet, but given current 1973 trends in the Warsaw Pact and Middle East? One has to imagine that at the very least all four blocs are using pilfered Anunnaki source code tech to control their citizenries.

(Rather than try to type out more of the entire 300-page summary report of observations that David provides you, if you have specific questions about the simulated future, ask them here and I'll answer them.)

David, a bit cattily, "Were we surprised that Britain willingly joined the Warsaw Pact in 1985 after a miners' and wider workers' revolt against an oppressive US-aligned Tory government resulted in Queen Elizabeth being executed in Trafalgar Square? Er, well, yes and no." :smile:

Charley pipes up. "This is all truly fascinating! I'm curious, though, is anyone working on a program that would reveal the best-case scenario for human-kind and what steps would need to happen to secure that future?"

David nods—again, he seems well-versed in Charley's level of computer programming knowledge and treats her as a colleague—"Well, that would certainly be the next step. We can only build into the initial iteration of the simulation our own present-day conditions, and the algorithms that we've developed that represent what we believe are the primary change agents in geopolitics and social history. The second order project would be to find how this inevitable decline can be arrested. But in order to do that, we need the kind of data that comes from entering the simulation and witnessing and probing those future conditions. There's still no substitute for the leaps in deduction and intuition that the human brain can perform."

"If it seems like the present conditions are inevitably set up to lead to decline and collapse... well, we've run dozens of pure computer simulations before the addition of the sensory deprivation technology/sonic meditation allowing human subjects to enter the simulation... and 99.8% of them ended in some kind of total societal collapse between the years 2020 and 2050." David purses his lips, and Catherine seems a little shaken as well. "It's sobering," David says. Both David and Catherine can't look at Charley; after all, this is the world that her generation and future generations will inherit. It obviously bothers both of them deeply.

Charley blinks at the thought of witnessing the decline and collapse of human civilization and replies, "How soon can we leave? I must look over your equipment before any simulation starts. "

Jocasta is poring over this stuff and has many questions about data modeling, human behavior predictive models, the psychological nature of the time distortion/identity loss that comes from using the simulation (and whether it can be enhanced/reduced with drugs), potential risks, the report-back process, etc. She's also extremely eager to take it for a ride, but she's trying (and probably not doing a great job) of keeping a lid on it because she wants to ask the rest of the team about whether they think it's a good idea.

Essentially: she wants to know from Archie if he think's it smart for what are basically some high-ranking, high-value agents to be test subjects; from Charley if she thinks the tech is sound/safe and the science makes sense; and from Roger if he thinks David is trustworthy.

(She's also mildly attracted to David--it's like he's going through a Rolodex of her personal obsessions--but [a] she thinks there's probably something between him and Sophie that she doesn't wanna fuck around with, [b] she's certain she's conflating her strong desire to be in the simulation with her personal feelings, and [c] she's worried that he's, uh, insane. BUT STILL.)

In the conversation over lunch, Archie says, not making fun, but not taking it entirely seriously either, "Well, I'm very sorry to hear about the fate of your Queen Elizabeth. Can you tell me who will be president of the United States in the year two-thousand-and-whatever?" (taking for granted that there will still be a United States and it will still have a president) But his interest in this and other details of the simulated future world is only hypothetical, as if he was asking somebody to describe the plot of an interesting novel or roleplaying game. He's too polite to say it but he doesn't believe GRAIL TABLE could predict specific future events any more than a few months out. Archie believes in esmology but has a practitioner's respect for how hard it is, and thus thinks there are hard limits to what it can and can't do. He's also a bit skeptical/naive about computers.

Once we actually have reports and data in front of us, Archie is probably more impressed and more convinced. He'll then have more technical questions, similar to Jocasta's maybe, about what is and isn't modeled, how human behavior is quantified, etc. He doesn't focus yet on questions about identity loss or what the experiment will do to us, because he's still not taking it entirely seriously - he's probably taken part in RAND-style simulation games and scenarios, or is at least aware of them, and is picturing this as an elaborate version of that.

What Archie does try to get at with his questions is how dependent the modeling is on esmology and specifically on Anunnaki programming. He might ask a seemingly naive question like, "But what does the model do about human qualities that can't easily be quantified, like love, or creativity, or faith?" But he's not really asking that: he's probing Wolf (Psychology roll?) to try and figure out if / how much esmology has corrupted Wolf's humanity. Because Archie knows what esmology does to your sense of human individuality and free will - he feels it happening in himself - and Wolf's dismissal of the Torah and his former faith as "lies" rang an alarm bell for him.

If a moment presents itself for Jo to talk to Archie privately, or at least out of Wolf's earshot, she'll share her assessment that he's a true believer to the point of mania about GRAIL TABLE.

Roger is simply watching the people, not the science. He's not saying much, but he's watching. How are David and Catherine's moral senses doing? Are they still empathetic for the human condition, or just moving pawns on a chessboard? Does the simulation's verisimilitude cause them a proper amount of horror, or are they cynical, or worse, enjoying some groups' downfalls? (P.S. that's all Bill's language. Roger'd say something about "realness" and sympathy, not half as complex.) How they answer Archie will be interesting, but he'll lob a few more grounded questions of his own, if Archie doesn't cover the bases. Basically, Roger isn't going to play, and try to talk Jo out of it, if the scientists are treating humans, even fake ones, as just rats in a maze. He'll probably ask Catherine questions about what it felt like to be this mechanic. Oh, and of course, how they treat his race will be telling.

(Mostly subconsciously, but even a little consciously, Roger is pretty freaked by the idea of someone else overwriting his personality. Especially with all the work he does to maintain it with the loa running around in there. Sure, he willing gives up his body to other personalities on a regular basis... but consent, and long relationships built up by trust (or deals) underlay those. Not just some electronic helmet gizmo.)

David to Archie first: "Well, one of the reasons why we're so aware of memetics being a huge part of this future in the simulation is that three of the past four Presidents of the U.S.—yes, there still is a USA, although now it is more formally a de facto leader of the Americas-Oceania bloc—three of the past four Presidents as of 2017 have been entertainers. Two movie actors and a professional athlete: a gridiron footballer, I believe."

"As for the variables you're talking about, Mr. Ransom—love, faith, emotion, personal identity—this is precisely why it was so important for us to research and develop a way for human beings to interface directly with the simulation. You see, the interface, thanks to the research into mysticism I've done and the work with hypnotism and neurobiology that we've done with Catherine's help, allows the "big" data of the simulation to filter down to the fractal level. A computer can predict big trends at the global level, and esmological data and models can get that down to the "tribal" level, let's say: groups of 150 to 200 people or so. But only the intuitive leaps of the human mind can interpolate that down to the individual level. So for instance, a subject, let's say Jocasta here, plugs into the simulation. The computer generates an identity for her, and the data about that identity—nothing more than pure text, really—is fed into her brain. Her brain takes that data and, as if she is in a dream, fills in the blanks, creating her corner of the simulation. Every time she encounters a new person, a new "scene," the simulation spits out likely elements to populate it and her brain interprets that into a narrative."

(That's a good answer, from Archie's point of view. And even though he was joking about the Queen and the president, an entertainer as president is probably very believable to him.)

(By 1973, Archie and his friends could even have some entertainers in mind...)

David: "As for why we're asking SANDMAN agents to be experimental subjects, well, obviously the security clearance for GRAIL TABLE is fairly tight. And I assumed that Sophie's team in San Francisco was experienced with psychotronics and esmology and computers and all the bleeding-edge research being done in the Bay Area..."

Catherine, almost interrupting David: "And the fact is, Mr. Ransom, we needed a more diverse cadre of subjects to make sure our methods and results weren't too hidebound or insular. Since the simulation is essentially at the individual level a consensual hallucination, to get three Americans like yourselves of such diverse backgrounds, and Sophie of course, was a coup. It would help expand the range of reactions to testing and prodding the simulated future. This is why I believe that the four of you should go in together using the software module David mentioned earlier." You all notice they don't mention Charley going into the sim. "As in a dream, you four will have the bonds that being members of the same SANDMAN team have forged between you, at a subconscious level, and that will be helpful to bringing back more useful data."

"2020 will be a pivotal year," David continues. "In all our past simulations the Collapse begins at or about that date."

(Archie appears satisfied with Wolf's answers for now, though he'll have thoughts to share with the others when we get a chance to talk privately. Will leave the question of Charley's participation until Mel is around, but does Sophie seem onboard with being an Esmonaut?)

Charley’s brow is furrowed as she asks. “Will I be a back-up psychonaut or part of another simulation?”

David says, "Well, Charley, I'm glad you asked. During each session in the simulation, it's required that someone keep an eye on those inside. We call this role 'the Controller.' They monitor the feedback from the psychonauts and the readouts of the direction the simulation narrative is taking on the individual level. They can also override the simulation, inserting subtle changes or adjustments to the narrative to ease the process for the psychonauts. Basically the Controller is a human element to make sure the simulation maintains internal consistency and the psychonauts don't end up getting ejected from the sim due to a lack of believability. Usually, this is me."

"Given what SANDMAN and Sophie have told us about your skills with computer and machine empathy, there's no better individual in this group to take over as Controller than you, Charley. Usually I need to look at readouts on screens, analyze the narrative, consult with others, and then make changes through keyboard input. By the point I've inserted narrative elements, the need for intervention might be obviated already... or have gotten worse. Of course, the Controller does have the ability to "pause" the simulation, but this often creates hiccups in the psychonauts' perception of the simulated reality that can break down suspension of disbelief. But your abilities could remove all those physical necessities... increasing our reaction time and making the simulation more believable and thus more resilient. Would you consider taking on the Controller role this weekend, Charley?"

"Also, given your machine empathy, I am guessing that your experience of the simulation will be fully immersive... a 'god's-eye view' of the participants, if you will."

"This would also allow me," David says, "to enter the simulation with the URIEL team. I haven't been in since, oh, about 1991 in sim years, and I'm excited to see where the world is right now from within." At that both Sophie and Catherine do a tiny double-take. It appears Sophie's just surprised that David wants to go in with her, and Catherine is surprised that David wants to go in at all.

(Asking for diverse volunteers scored a point or two, although whether for humane intentions or just more effective maze-making still not quite clear.)

Roger tries to remember what the science-y term is, oh yeah. “Hey doc— are you familiar with the experimental Cheval program? Is there any risk to a subject of it?”

Catherine takes this question, as the resident medical doctor/neurobiologist. She nods at Roger, "I'm glad you asked, Mr. Martin. The SANDMAN files on your channeling abilities weren't all too detailed, but I am guessing that the exercise and training which your mind has undertaken since youth in storing these... cultural subroutines will make you an exceptionally adept psychonaut in the simulation. It seems to me from my literature review that being able to, let's say, "change tracks" cognitively and personality-wise using autohypnosis and ritual will let you enter and exit the simulation without the usual dazedness we find occurs with those of us on the GRAIL TABLE team. Whether that translates to, say, increased reaction time within the sim, I suppose we'll need to wait and see. We're planning a "toe dip" session on Friday when we arrive at the castle, where we can take some initial readings and see how each of you respond to entering. If we see any readings outside of normal, of course, we can leave you out of the rest of the weekend's explorations."

For a bit Roger isn’t sure she’s speaking English, and takes a pause to work out “psychonaut”. But he nods, reserving judgment. And memorizing the PhD-speak for any future encounters with that class.

“Have you had any troubles yourself, doc? Was it horrible seeing that future?”

David will take this one. "It's... deeply uncanny, I will say that. I grew up reading all sorts of science fiction, about what the future would look like, and I can say I had to dispense with a lot of optimistic ideas when I saw how deeply doomed the predictions seemed to indicate we are. But as Charley said, that's why we began GRAIL TABLE. We don't think it's inevitable. It doesn't have to be. We just need to figure out what needs to happen to stop it and get SANDMAN to put their weight behind those global solutions."

“Did it change any of your sympathies towards people today?”

David takes this seriously, pauses, and looks into Roger's eyes. "When I saw the response to The Limits to Growth last year, when I saw how virulently people in the West responded to the idea of arresting their own insane quest for constant growth and economic exploitation, it really opened my eyes as to how difficult it is going to be to get people in the West to stop the endless extraction of resources from the developing world." David looks off towards the cemetery, to the Blake cenotaph, and says, "You know, William Blake was a seer, and he saw all this. He saw the dark, Satanic mills, spewing poisons into the air... children's innocence ripped from them, exploitation of all kinds. The simulation has shown some... distressing tendencies among the people, not just of the West, to completely forget about exploitation and abuse if it can't be seen first-hand. The one thing that shocked me in the simulation was how easily mass media could be used to create that kind of obfuscation. I was always of the opinion that more communication would mean more openness and more empathy... well, I won't say much more for fear of affecting your perception of the sim, but we don't project that that will be the case in the future. At all."

Jocasta is letting everyone else ask questions for the moment (I imagine at first she was completely dominating the conversation but now jet lag may be setting in), but she's writing furiously in her notepad, making a few sketches, and generally constructing a miniature of Charley's Pepe Silvia board

Waiting for a break in the conversation Charley says, “Provided the diagnostic testing checks out, having me act as the controller seems logical.”

Jocasta, nervously smoking, pipes up first. "Dav...Dr. Wolf seems very convinced that this is legitimately useful and even groundbreaking. Convinced maybe to an extreme degree; he strikes me as practically fanatic about it. But, well, we've all seen things a lot more unlikely than this, right? I have to be honest: the idea, however risky, is powerfully appealing to me," she admits. "I'm not even so much interested in the results, as I'm dubious from a psychological perspective that this model can provide any really micro-predictive accuracy and I'm not sure what we would do about it if we did. We have enough on our plates without trying to change the future. But as an experience? It sounds like it would be mind-altering in the best way, a truly transcendent human experience. Everything we talked about in the Guard."

She pauses, thoughtful as if deciding whether to admit a terrible secret. "I want this. I...I may even need it. I see the logic of putting people with SANDMAN training through the process, and I trust Charley completely to run the simulation," she finally says. "But there's something in me that doesn't trust it. And, you know," she continues, looking a bit abashed particularly at Archie and Sophie, "that may just be...me. I have some issues that might be clouding my judgment. It seems like a risk worth taking, but...well, I don't want to lose any of your confidences, as an effective agent, but I just don't know if I'm thinking straight about this. It seems like such an incredible opportunity that I can't really make out the angles."

"What do you all think?"

Archie seems to be taking it fairly lightly. "It's very interesting work. I won't claim to understand the computer side of things but the modeling they're doing here - the social science, mass psychology, and esmology - is extremely impressive. For that reason alone, I'm curious to take it for a spin."

"But I wouldn't make it out to be more than it is. It's going to be like play acting, a kind of role-play game to help Wolf kick the tires on his simulation. Nobody's going to lose their grip on reality. And you don't have to worry for one second about our confidence in you, Jocasta."

Now Archie looks a little more serious. "But you're right that Dr. Wolf is something of a true believer. If there's anyone here I'm worried for, it's him. He might be too close to his work. It's not... good for you to think too hard about esmology. To imagine human beings as cogs in a machine, bees in a hive. That's how they saw us, once. But we showed them that human beings are more than that, that we can't be reduced to holes in a punch card. We showed them that in Oakland back in March. We show them that every day. Maybe we can show Wolf that too."

Roger is really impressed by Archie. “So we go, we play along, maybe teach these folks a thing. I’m down for that. And Jo, if the first hit Friday is bad, we get the hell out. Go tour some distilleries or something.”

(I should say that Archie's pep talk is at some level a bit of a show, a bit of whistling past the graveyard for himself, a bit for Charley's benefit too. He's got another piece about not taking Wolf's pessimism to heart, of course we're going to be living on the moon by 2020, but I'll let others speak up first.)

Sophie: "All right. I suppose it's only fair to inform you all that David and I were romantically involved at university. More than a dalliance, less than an engagement, let's say." Sophie bums a cigarette from Jocasta; she's been doing that a lot lately. "I... I almost feel like a different person than I was back then. Regardless, when I was recruited into MI6, David went off to pursue another degree, of course. We split up. But he's always been... idealistic. It doesn't seem like learning about the secret war between us and the Red Kings has changed that very much. His concern is still with humanity and its perceived failings."

"Archie is of course correct. Esmology can have a slow, eroding effect on one's view of humanity if one isn't careful. And the straitlaced rationalist David that I knew at Cambridge doing research on medieval mystics and chant seems... absolutely ludicrous, to be quite honest. He has changed. URIEL being here, with our well-known-within-SANDMAN experience with, let's say, 'true believers,' seems almost like.... a cry for help from him. Like he needs us to keep an eye on him."

"I'm fairly enthused to see what he's been working on, but I'm also wary. Damn it, I wish Mitch were here. I'd love to see what his vision tells us about the GRAIL TABLE team and their equipment. Taint-wise. But that will need to fall to Charley, I think. I agree with everyone, Charley included: Charley should do a complete diagnostic on the entire system before we agree to go in. But I will go in. I owe it to you, and honestly to David."

Archie: "Charley, how do you feel about sitting outside, operating the simulation? I don't like leaving you out but I do like knowing you're safe."

Charley: “Well Dad, if everything checks out and I’m certain I can keep things running safely, it would be for the best.”