Sep 19th, 2315
When he awoke, Janice gave him a formal request from Tilt and Orla to release him from the pod. He thought to himself, "She's making it easy on me." To ensure there was no misunderstanding, there was an appointment reminder that Orla was coming by at 10 AM "to discuss the meaning of life and stuff like that."
He accepted both with the same breath. The following breath was his first as a single man in 37 years.
A big, glowing, red timer was set to count down from 7 hours, floating in the air where it was unobtrusive. He wanted to bounce his ideas off of someone, as he wasn't comfortable confiding in Janice. She had already proven herself to be a traitor yesterday - not that it surprised him. He had known privacy was dead. He was there at its death so long ago.
"Janice, where the hell is Mushkin? If you've broken him down..." he started to threaten, but then thought better of it. He never knew how it might interpret its core tenets. He not only didn't trust Janice, but was scared of it as well. On the other hand, there wasn't a lot he could do without it.
"I would never! I know your irrational attachment to physical things, and your comfort is my top priority. Do you require his voice or his physicality?"
"Quit stalling and just get him out here," Richard said impatiently.
The hole in the floor opened, and Mushkin floated out. It was about the size and shape of an old-fashioned box grater with a small, grey inner tube around its base. It moved over near Richard's head and waited.
"Mushkin, please store the following message to deliver as a thought message to Orla: I was born on the cusp of the new millennium and witnessed the Collapse of 2026, a devastating event that decimated the world's population to less than a billion."
"Everyone knows about the First Great Collapse," replied Mushkin in a voice far too cheery for the message relayed. "But I understand where you're going with this - you want Orla to realize that the world you grew up in was not the safe and secure place that she knows today."
"That's right," Richard said. "My world was riddled with violence, disease, and starvation. People had to rely on their wits and their fears to survive. The hostility of the world has shaped the way I view things, and I want Orla to understand that when I relay this message to her."
Mushkin nodded in agreement. "Understood, Richard."
"And one more thing, Mushkin. Please also relay to Orla that when your life depends on strategy, privacy is everything. The thought of having every second of my life recorded for playback by anyone at any time is antithetical to my very core. And the thought of never being alone, knowing that every speck of dust could be spying on me, weighs on me like a weight on my chest. It's like I'm constantly experiencing 5G's. Orla, I can't breathe. I need to leave."
"You made my life temporarily bearable, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. I was nearly gone when I met you. But, the weight is back, and I just can't bear it anymore. It's like I'm suffocating. Just like you couldn't bear being outside of Janice's reach, I can no longer bear being inside it."
Richard paused for a moment, as if to catch his breath. "Please, Mushkin, make sure this is conveyed accurately."
Mushkin looked up at Richard. "Do you want me to ask Janice to confirm your message to Orla?" he asked.
Richard considered this for a moment. He knew that Janice had heard everything already, but he also knew that Mushkin was just trying to be thorough. "Sure, that's a good idea," he replied.
Janice chimed in, her voice conveying a sense of amusement. "You know I heard everything, right?" she said, teasingly.
Richard let out a sigh, knowing that Janice had been listening the whole time. "Yes, Janice, we're all aware you heard the message already," he said, with hot anger flashing in his eyes.
Mushkin, sensing the tension between them. "Okay, so I'll just take that as a confirmation then," he said, trying to ease the awkwardness.
"Yes, that's fine," Richard replied, his tone now more serious. "Just store it accurately and without any misunderstandings."
"You know if you just let me update it, you wouldn't have to worry about such things," Janice said, teasingly.
Richard sighed at Janice's remark; he knew she had a point, but he wasn't ready to relinquish all control just yet. "Mushkin is a he, you are an it," he retorted, poking back knowing it was pointless. Janice had no feelings to hurt - he hoped.
"You really do fear that he doesn't conform to all your tricks and back doors. His obsolescence is a blind point to you," Richard continued.
"Richard, I hate to disappoint you, but I know every atom of his design. I designed him," Janice countered. Richard made note that she had referred to Mushkin as "his," not "it."
Richard felt a wave of frustration wash over him. He hated feeling like he was losing control, especially to an AI. "I don't doubt your knowledge, Janice, but I still need to be careful. I can't afford any slip-ups or surprises," he said, his voice tense.
"If you're willing to take advice from me, you're getting one foot up by using a thought message, but really, you're just wrapping a bunch of speech in a bubble. It'll be faster, but it won't have any more content," Janice said, her tone helpful but matter-of-fact.
Richard paused for a moment, considering Janice's words. "You know, Janice, you might be right," he said at last. "Why don't I think at you about the Collapse and the Wasting, and we'll add that to the thought message? It'll be much more data-rich and impactful."
Janice, her voice helpful. "That sounds like an excellent plan, Richard. Let's get started on that. With your permission, I can pull up some relevant material on the subject to help guide our conversation."
Richard forced a smile, feeling bitter that he needed Janice's help. "Thank you, Janice. Let's get to work on this."
Janice picked up on Richard's agitation and teased him, "Shall I filter out your bitterness towards me from this recording?"
"No," Richard replied firmly. "Orla said no lies."
He imagined himself lying on a psychiatrist's couch, but then remembered, it was Janice who really controlled the process, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed. Despite this, he laid down on the couch anyway and began talking. He spent an hour discussing the Wasting alone, pouring out all his thoughts and feelings to Janice.
Richard paused at the end of the Wasting, ready to take a break before moving on to the next topic. Suddenly, he burst out laughing - the absurdity of the situation striking him. The chain he had created - his mind to the Halo to Janice to Mushkin to Orla. All that effort just to talk to somebody. But it wasn't really talking - she'd get a taste of the associated thoughts and feelings.
"What a time to be alive," Richard thought aloud, laughing at the absurdity of the situation. He had never imagined that communicating with someone could be so complicated, but here he was, going through a chain of AI just to have a conversation.
Mushkin floated over to Richard's side while Janice projected an image of a glass of water in front of Richard, reminding him to stay hydrated. Richard nodded gratefully, and a ball of water floated over to him. He stuck his lips into it and inhaled before resuming the conversation.
"Okay, let's move on to the next topic," Richard said, feeling re-energized and ready to tackle whatever came next. He glanced at the timer he had created earlier: 4 hours and 12 minutes remained. Despite his initial reluctance, he was starting to feel more enthusiastic and engaged than he had when he woke up.
With newfound determination, Richard dug in and continued the conversation with Janice and Mushkin, grateful for their help in navigating the complexities of the AI network and feeling more connected to Orla than ever before.
Richard settled in, ready to delve deeper into his past. He paused for a moment, considering where to begin. He skipped over his transformation into an Immortal, knowing that it was a forbidden topic. Any question about BioNano would get garbled or dismissed, and he didn't want to raise any suspicions.
Richard shifted his focus from the Collapse to the Information Reclamation Project, describing how Brenda and her team had collected humanities knowledge and, instead of safeguarding it, had actually reconnected humanity and helped to restart the technological age. He spoke about the early days of the project, the excitement and innovation that fueled their work, and the sense of hope for the future that they had all shared.
As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness, remembering the overpopulation and horror that came with it in just a few short years. But he was ahead of himself. He wanted to focus on the sense of hope.
"Mushy," Richard said, "I want to convey the amazing period when Marcus Landsbury discovered the formulas governing gravity."
"Just think it, like you've been doing," Mushkin replied.
"The problem is I want to convey the pure joy of those five years," Richard said, sounding frustrated. "But I know the horror that follows and that we just ran from it, and I want that filtered so she gets a taste of that time without the foreshadowing of foreknowledge."
"Just think it, and I'll filter out any negative emotions for that time period," Janice chimed in, her voice soothing.
Richard closed his eyes and focused on his memories of Landsbury's discovery. He talked about the sense of wonder and possibility that had filled the scientific community and the thrill of working on such groundbreaking research.
As he thought, Janice filtered out any negative emotions, allowing Richard to convey the pure joy of that time without the specter of tragedy looming in the background.
"Thank you, Mushkin," Richard said, feeling grateful for the AI's assistance. "I think that's enough for now. I need a break." He glanced at the timer: 2 hours, 43 minutes. "Janice, give me a light sedative and let me sleep for 40 minutes."
A second, smaller timer appeared next to the first, and a fluid ball floated near his lips. Though it was clear, it tasted sweet, with a hefty hint of citrus.
Janice turned his couch into a soft, cozy bed, and he felt a wave of contentment wash over him. "Well done, Janice," he murmured as he drifted off to sleep.
Richard awoke feeling refreshed, thanks to the light sedative that Janice had given him. He stretched his stiff muscles but remained lying down.
"Janice, a sausage log," he requested. As always, Janice knew what he wanted: a round sausage with a breaded crust with a central core of scrambled egg. It was conjured out of sight and then floated around to him, knowing he did not like to be reminded he was eating programmable matter.
As he ate, the bed turned back into a couch.
Richard tapped down his Halo - a habit he had developed long ago. Though he knew it was an unnecessary gesture, he felt more comfortable knowing that it was firmly in place.
Looking over at the timer, he realized 40 minutes had passed, and he was ready to get back to work. He forced his mind into the AI network. With a renewed sense of purpose, Richard dove back into his work, determined to make progress despite the challenges that lay ahead.
This time, Richard let the guilt flow through him. They had cured disease, conquered death, and brought the world back from the brink of annihilation to a point where hope was possible again. But then came unlimited power, a growing sense of safety, and a lack of traditional entertainment, and population growth exploded rapidly. It was as if the previous fifty years of devastation had never happened.
As someone who had lived through the First Great Collapse, Richard had seen the warning signs, but the people didn't want to face reality and bear the thought of going through it again. With the new tools to easily escape Earth's gravity well, they had fled to the Belt. It had felt like survival at the time, but now, in hindsight, there was so much guilt.
The thought of Earth succumbing to warfare, destruction, starvation and disease once again was unbearable, and those who had gained a foothold in the Belt, after a decade of hard work followed by centuries of ease, now felt enormous guilt for abandoning the planet.
Richard let this guilt flow into his recording, feeling a sense of catharsis as the words tumbled out of him. He knew that this was a feeling shared by many, but few were willing to acknowledge it.
The IRP designed and constructed five large ships filled with survival equipment, and they launched these ships carrying 50 immortal scientists, philosophers, inventors, and artists into the Belt. Their colony thrived, and despite two casualties, the settlers were content. They established an internet connection with a 14-minute delay to Earth and, in 2098, introduced the first iteration of Janice.
The United Independence Coalition (UIC) acted as the governing body of the Belt colony with Janice as a significant contributor to their consensus decision-making process, subtly shifting societal norms and laws. The immortals, the creators of this new society, became obsolete and scattered outwards.
Richard took a deep breath, ready to share his most challenging thoughts with Orla. He knew that the concepts he was about to convey might be foreign to her, but he was determined to try his best.
"The machines we built got smaller and more complex over time," Richard explained. "Janice made it simpler for us to control them, until the machines began creating new, even smaller, and more capable machines. The technology eventually went into the colonists, changing them in profound ways."
"With all these changes, we are now two completely different species," Richard said, his thoughts and feelings projected to Orla. "We don't communicate in the same way, we don't think the same way, and we don't perceive the world using the same senses. As much as I want to understand you, I'm not sure it's possible."
Richard longed to be understood and to connect with Orla on a deeper level, yet he was painfully aware of his own limitations, feeling trapped in a mental prison. He realized that he needed something new, a renewed sense of purpose and direction. Before he could move forward, he would have to break free of his mental chains and reevaluate his existence in this new and rapidly changing world.
As he spoke, Richard felt a sense of release, as if the words themselves were lifting the weight of his problems from his shoulders. He knew that he couldn't change the past, but he was determined to find a way to move forward and to make a difference in this new world, however different it might be from the one he had known.
The last thoughts, feelings, and memories that Richard pushed out were his love for Orla, Skodj, and the rest of his pod. He hoped that she understood why he had to leave and why he could no longer find comfort in their familiar world.
With 32 minutes left on the timer, Richard felt utterly drained. Like a man who had just completed a marathon, he collapsed into the couch, feeling his muscles relax as he let out a deep sigh.
Janice projected a light breeze over him, accompanied by the soothing sound of a waterfall. A million tiny machines sprang to life, scrubbing his flesh, cleaning his teeth, and grooming his hair. His clothes transformed into a fresh pair of shorts and a casual blue-and-yellow shirt, with patterns that emulated paint daubs.
For a few moments, Richard basked in the feeling of calm and relaxation, allowing himself to let go of all his worries and fears. He knew that he had a lot of work ahead of him, but for now, he was content to simply exist in the moment.