Dechipped: The Download Read online

  CHAPTER 3 — BLOOD SKY

  It’s like walking into a room full of people. No one says a word. No one moves around. Yet somehow, it’s obvious that there has been a major debate—a conflict—among the people. Strife so significant that the air in the room has stopped moving. Gritted teeth and crossed arms. Eyes avoiding eyes.

  That’s what it’s like inside Kaarina’s head.

  But what’s outside of it is worse. Her back pressed against a red-brick building, she peeks around the corner and out into the street. A scream echoes through the air. Seconds later, a body crashes down onto the road. In the distance, a car engulfed in flames rolls slowly forward on the street. A window shatters. More screaming. The sound of running footsteps. A dog barking furiously.

  “Hey, guys?” Kaarina half-whispers. “I know you’re still mad at me for wasting my time with the sedatives and sweeteners… but I could really use some company here.”

  I’m not mad at you, Markus says quickly. I could never be mad at you.

  Kaarina looks up at the sky. “Margaret?” No answer. “Oh, come on. It’s not like I got us shot while helping out the loopers. Right?”

  Was still. A huge waste. Of time.

  Okay, so maybe it was. Markus says, But can we focus here? Is it safe for Kaarina to be here? Especially if you’re about to take over?

  This is. Not. A hack. But just. A data. Sweep.

  Well then... Can you sweep a bit faster? This place is giving me the creeps.

  Oh, so now. We’re in a. Hurry?

  After a small eternity of the two AIs fighting over what would have been the right thing to do about Jessika—and the thousands of other people stuck in stasis loops—the voices in Kaarina’s head had turned silent. As she left Jessika, the successfully planted sweeteners, and the relocation hub behind, she’s walked in an empty blue glow for hours. Maybe days. Until she stepped into… this fresh hell.

  But we. Do. Need to access. The scene.

  “What do you mean, ‘access’?”

  Yeah, what could possibly need accessing in the middle of a war zone like this? In case you haven’t noticed, it’s raining bodies out there. I don’t want to access anything in this place!

  Just. Walk. Through.

  Blinking and panicky, Kaarina presses her back against the wall. Markus lingers in place, more restless and worried than Kaarina remembers him ever being.

  It’s just. Statistics. From The United Kingdom. Before it. Became. City of England.

  Oh, wonderful. Is that all it is?

  Kaarina peeks around the corner again. A woman with a handgun runs across the street. She enters a grocery store through a broken window while waving her gun at anyone looking in her direction. After swallowing painfully, Kaarina asks, “And can the statistics hurt us?”

  Need I. Remind you. That. You’re already. Dead?

  Kaarina grits her teeth.

  Just answer her question, would you?

  Margaret comes closer. Too close, into Kaarina’s comfort zone. It’s the first time she’s intruded like this without a fair warning. Want me. To take over? She leans in, making Kaarina close her eyes. It’s not like. I’m not. Already. Doing everything. Around here.

  Regretting it immediately, Kaarina nods.

  But this time, Margaret’s takeover isn’t as aggressive. Though it’s definitely the AI, moving and controlling Kaarina’s shaking legs, forcing her to head straight into the chaos and flames, Kaarina’s still somewhat present within her body. Still actively observing, watching, thinking.

  People with knives, guns, and tasers are frozen by the street, some kneeling down behind cars, some staring into space with horrified looks on their faces. Up in the sky, helicopters, drones, and bullets are frozen in midair. Smoke covers most of the storefronts. Blood puddles and spatters smudge the cobblestone street. Every now and then, a screaming looper moves in the chaos.

  Anyone moving, Markus half-whispers, his voice as shaky as Kaarina’s legs. All of them, stuck in a stasis loop. And not even in the relocation hub but in a place like this…

  And who’s. Not. Being helpful. Now?

  A dog with a leash attached to its chain collar runs into the road. It stops a few meters away from Kaarina, barking and snarling, showing its white teeth.

  Are there dogs in stasis as well? Markus asks, shock in his voice. Kaarina can feel his need to retreat back into his corner. But he stays right beside Kaarina, staring at the dog. Frightened. His fear is so evident to Kaarina that she has a hard time believing she ever doubted whether the AIs can feel or not. Can it hurt us?

  The animals. Are all. Created by. Kaarina’s. Unconscious. Margaret continues the data sweep but lets Kaarina decide how to move her body. Margaret keeps part of her focus on Kaarina and the dog. Do you. Need me. To. Delete it?

  “No,” Kaarina hurries to say. “Don’t you dare.” Kaarina steps over a pile of half-burned newspapers, trash, and twenty-pound notes. She keeps her eyes on the dog and kneels down on the cracked and damaged pavement. The ground shakes slightly. Somewhere behind her, another body falls from the roof, this time crashing down onto a burning car with no tires. She wets her lips and turns a bit sideways from the dog. Her palm open, Kaarina extends her hand and smiles at the dog.

  Aren’t you supposed to talk to it?

  Kaarina doesn’t say anything. Not to Markus. Not to the dog.

  What if it attacks us? Can it damage your mind? Considering… that it is your mind?

  The dog wets its lips and turns its head away. After stepping in place a while, it sits down on the road, then glances at Kaarina with a less hostile expression.

  You can. Break. Your own mind. Margaret says, now only half-heartedly following Kaarina and the dog, and more focused on the data sweep. But you can. Heal. It as well.

  The dog stands, takes a few steps toward Kaarina, then lies down on the road. Kaarina mirrors his movements, then stops an arm's length away. The dog side-eyes her, then licks its lips. Kaarina wets her lips, yawns, and sits in a comfortable position. After crossing her legs under her, she places her hands palm up on her lap. Ignoring a stasis looper running across the road carrying a pile of laptops in his hands, the dog wriggles forward. Soon, it lies right next to Kaarina, its long fur tickling her bare feet.

  That’s one. Way to. Do it.

  “Better than wiping them out,” Kaarina mumbles while carefully stroking the dog’s back.

  Hey, I’m a. Dog Lov… Margaret’s sentence is interrupted by the sound of a distant explosion. The frozen people around them shake with the ground. The blue glimmer up in the sky mixes with red, pulsing light. I’m a dog. Lover, too. But we need. To keep. Moving.

  After petting the dog’s head twice, Kaarina gets up but keeps her gaze locked with the mutt’s brown eyes. The dog gets up, too. Together, the two—or the four of them—continue down the road while the world around them rattles and shakes.

  The man jumps at Kaarina out of nowhere. His arms wrapped around her neck, he drags Kaarina off the road and pins her against a smudged and smelly dumpster by a restaurant with boarded windows. A knife presses against Kaarina’s throat. “You’re one of them,” he says, his wild eyes moving rapidly, his gaze looking at everything but Kaarina. “I can tell. You have that look about you.”

  “What look?” Kaarina surprises herself by keeping her calm, not even stuttering. “One of who? You need to be more specific.”

  His arm presses Kaarina even harder against the dumpster. Winded, he says, “Just because you’re connected doesn’t mean that I can’t hurt you. Now, give me the code.”

  “The… code?” Kaarina frowns, ignoring Markus’s out-of-control state while she waits for Margaret to step in and help her figure out what the looper means.

  “The code. To get us out of here. I know it’s all just a simulation. This is the game over part, and I have no interest in being a part of it. Now, give me…” he closes his hands around her throat, “…the code.”

  Kaarina pauses, then looks
up to where the restaurant’s partly collapsed roof meets the bloody sky. She clears her throat.

  Nothing.

  A faint pinch on her throat brings Kaarina’s focus back to the man assaulting her. Now, his cloudy eyes stare straight into Kaarina’s. His head moves back, just an inch, as some sort of clarifying thought enters his mind. “I see,” he says, his voice low and less winded. “You think that you’re safe. That I can’t hurt you. You think that just because we both know the world is nothing but a sick game of pixels, elements, and dark matter—that because our bodies are just replaceable cells—I can’t find a way to get what I want.”

  Okay Margaret, now would be a good time to pause your sweep and help us get rid of this lunatic! He clearly lost his mind a long time ago… This beast is not waiting for us to bond with him. Why haven’t you deleted him yet? Where the hell are you? Margaret? Margaret!

  His arm moves down to push on Kaarina’s chest. Though it should now be easier for Kaarina to breathe, she can’t feel any difference. But when the knife travels down from her chest to her stomach, and stops at her crotch, the scenery starts to spin around her. But she can’t move her arms, they are frozen against the brick wall. She can’t move her legs to kick or run. It must be Margaret—taking over. But as another small eternity flies by, Kaarina realizes it isn’t Margaret controlling her body. And it isn’t Markus either. Or Kaarina herself.

  It’s fear.

  The knife presses against her face while the man finds the seam of Kaarina’s jeans. He leans closer, his hot breath tickling her face, while he forces the fly open. “You think I’m crazy. Don’t you? Just another conspiracy theorist, screaming about quantum machines and simulated sensory inputs. Well, guess what?” The knife presses into Kaarina’s cheek. “You are so fucking wrong.”

  When Kaarina doesn’t so much as flinch—while very well knowing that she’s now injured and bleeding—the man gives her a low chuckle. “Well, well, well. What do we know? I was right all along. You’re one of them. The Big Four. An almighty creator.” The knife falls onto the ground. With a rough movement, the man tears Kaarina’s jeans open. “Well, in that case,” he exhales, slightly out of breath. “I can’t hurt your body. Since it doesn’t even exist…” Frozen, unable to move, Kaarina stares into space, paralyzed by fear. And not just her own—but Margaret’s as well. “Doesn’t mean I can’t tear your privileged little soul to pieces.”

  Margaret! Margaret please! Wake up! Are you seeing this?! Why can’t she control this?! Why aren’t you?! Stop this madman before he…

  The sound of growling fills the street. As the pressure is removed from her chest, Kaarina falls to the ground and curls up in a fetal position. Markus is pressing against her like a safety blanket. Something fierce swarms through Kaarina’s mind.

  Something dark.

  Vile.

  Unstoppable.

  It’s not fear. It’s too powerful to be just amped-up rage.

  It’s Margaret.

  The man’s screams fill Kaarina’s ears as the dog tears into him. Blood spatters around the garbage-strewn ground as the looper struggles to get away, only to be pulled back by the merciless dog. The sounds seem never-ending. The sky leaks red. Margaret’s whole existence storms around them like the unstoppable force it is.

  Holding onto her knees—as well as Markus—Kaarina whimpers. Trembling, unwilling to witness her attacker being torn into pieces in front of her, she focuses on a distant sound coming from under water. In contrast to the slaughter happening next to Kaarina, the sound becomes louder, more potent.

  It’s Margaret’s voice.

  Humming a lullaby.

  CHAPTER 4 — THE INNER CHILDREN

  The stasis capsules shine with a faint red light. Rows and rows of smooth-edged pods fill the endless, dark hall. Kaarina runs her hand on one of them as she continues deeper into the dimly lit space. Ever since the dog-and-looper incident, Margaret’s been quiet. So has Markus. No one has mentioned the man Kaarina’s mind tore apart, and even less so the reason why Margaret reacted the way she did.

  With the AIs fallen silent, her head should be filled with peace. Calm. Soothing sensations, offering the chance for a much-needed rest. But even though Kaarina’s left alone with her feelings, the anger, frustration, and impatience bubbling inside her is enough to keep her on the brink of a breakdown that could break her mind for good.

  She knocks on one of the pods, then looks around the hall. “I thought these stood upright?” she asks, unsure who the question is directed to. “Is the City of England different from the rest of the AR-cities?”

  Markus moves closer, clearly waiting for Margaret to swoop in and answer Kaarina’s question. But nothing moves in her corner. It’s like the AI is either shut down or recharging. Markus clears his throat, I did a quick search. Looks like this is a long-term pod farm. All the cities have them, but they’re not always attached to the Chip-Centers. The capsules standing upright are for people who aren’t meant to stay in stasis for… well, forever.

  Kaarina runs her finger on the shiny rim of the closest pod. “You mean these horizontal ones don’t even open?”

  No, they do. But none of them have been opened since they were shut years ago.

  She stops and leans against the pod, closing her eyes, rubbing her temples. “But… they’re bad, right? The people inside. Sociopaths, killers, deeply troubled. Sick people. Right?”

  Markus hesitates. He starts leaning in, still far enough from Kaarina to give her space but close enough to get on her nerves. He changes his mind and retreats.

  “Would you stop that?”

  Stop what?

  “Squirming like a worm. You’re making me nervous.”

  He stops, then clears his throat but doesn’t say anything.

  “I changed my mind. Twiddle all you want. It’s better than having both of you zone out on me. Why are we here at the pod farm anyway?”

  Markus twitches closer. It… I… Umm…

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Kaarina turns and kicks at the pod. “Margaret, I know you’re dealing with some PTSD shit at the moment, but I’m about to lose my mind here! And if I lose my mind,” she throws her hands in the air, “well, both of you can kiss your beloved AI existence goodbye. Because who the fuck knows what happens to you in case of an eviction?”

  Fidgeting nervously, Markus retreats as he witnesses Margaret’s dark being move forward. She moves closer and enters Kaarina’s comfort zone without an invitation. You know. Why we’re here, she says, her tone less friendly than it’s been. This is. Your. Mission. Not mine. Not Markus’s.

  To calm herself, Kaarina circles the pod, bumping her knuckles on its shiny surface. “You want to do another hack? Here?”

  I don’t. Want. To do. Anything.

  Kaarina scoffs. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  The dark aura around Margaret grows, causing Kaarina to stumble. It’s not just rage the AI is filled with—but power. A wet snout nudges Kaarina, telling her to pay attention. She looks down at the mutt who helped Margaret conquer her monsters. “Never mind,” Kaarina half-whispers. Wiping her hands together, she nods at the dog, then at the dark ceiling above. “Just do it. It can’t get much worse. Right?”

  Without answering Kaarina, Margaret takes over. The room spins around Kaarina so fast, she’s forced to kneel down and anchor herself against the red pod. The dog presses gently against Kaarina’s chest. She wraps her arms around him, closes her eyes, but then opens them quickly; the spinning only gets worse if she tries to ignore it.

  The floor sways from side to side. The pod she’s pressing against vibrates gently, then starts to shake uncontrollably. Her arms closing tightly around the dog, Kaarina keeps her gaze up, focusing on a small scratch on the side of the neighboring pod.

  One by one, the red pods pop open. The sound is deafening, ludicrous. A high-pitched ringing fills Kaarina’s mind, strengthening second by second, forcing Kaarina to let go of the dog and press her hands against he
r ears. It does nothing. Muffles nothing. As she opens her mouth and fills her lungs with air, she can’t hear the sound of her own scream. Bundling into herself, she repeats the words, over and over: “Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop.”

  The ringing stops. The dog is nowhere to be seen. Swaying slowly from side to side, the floor settles and levels out again. The pods stand in their rows, the lids wide open. Shimmering with red light, the room falls still around Kaarina. A complete silence fills her mind. Out of breath, she can’t hear the air flow from her throat.

  Moving her feet carefully, Kaarina leans against the pod, slowly pushing herself to stand upright. Just as she’s standing on her own two feet again, a rumbling sound starts at the back of the room. The sound is like a monstrous wave approaching the shore. Nothing moves, but the sound travels closer. Hands trembling, Kaarina stands her ground.

  As the wave travels closer, Kaarina sees a thick, strange fog. Then she sees… them. Silhouette after silhouette. Heads, shoulders, legs, feet. Men and women, crowding the space between the capsule rows. One by one, they line up among the capsules, ignoring Kaarina and the dog in the middle.

  Where did they come from?

  It appears from nowhere, approaching steadily, then filling parts of the red room with its white glow. A white doctor’s coat. A blond ponytail. A woman with a fake smile. Doctor Solomon moves easily through the crowd, stopping next to one person and then another, placing her hand on their shoulders. One by one, the people she touches nod, turn to face the nearest open—and uninhabited—pod, and climb in, hurt and desperation in their eyes. Once in the pod, they place their hands on their chests and close their eyes.

  “No,” Kaarina whispers, her voice raspy and wheezing. “Get out,” her weak voice commands. “Get the fuck out.” Her feet move before Kaarina understands what she’s about to do. With the dog stepping frantically and barking at her, Kaarina runs to the nearest capsule and reaches for the woman inside. She grabs onto her shoulders, shakes them violently. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Pulling on the woman’s hand, Kaarina groans and gasps as she tries to pull the woman out of her tomb. “You won’t get out?! Don’t let her do this to you!”