Complete Atopia Chronicles

“Good, because I think you scared the heck out of the wildlife I’ve managed to nurture on this tin can,” I said with a laugh, “and the tourists want to go back in the water—not that you didn’t put on a good show for them. That was quite the shock and awe campaign.”

“You gotta wake up the neighbors from time to time,” he laughed.

We’d purposely removed any reality filtering of the weapons test to measure the cognitive impact they would have on people. The response had more than exceeded the threshold for emotional deterrence that we’d needed for the project—just another success notched up on our path forward.

“Well, that’s your job, Rick, to help scare the world into respecting us. Mine is to scare the world into saving itself.”

I said this without humor, and Rick looked at me, nodding at my seriousness.

“Anyway, good work.”

A small pause while we looked at each other.

“Did you see that thunderstorm coming in?” he asked, and I nodded. “We’ve been tracking that depression for weeks, but we can’t avoid them all. Anyway, it’ll water your plants up top.”

He smiled. I smiled back.

“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” I suggested. I knew his wife was having a hard time adjusting to life here and missed her family. It was more than that, though, her depression being a chronic condition that stemmed from her relationship with Rick. It was something I thought we could help fix.

People reacted differently to the sudden immersion into limitless synthetic reality when they arrived here for the first time. Most adjusted quickly and within a short time they’d usually be off creating their little own nooks and crannies of reality that suited them. Some had a more difficult time, but I had a feeling Cindy would come around soon.

“That’s actually a great idea,” answered Rick after a moment, busy adjusting the control systems for the slingshot shutdown. He looked towards me. “So you really think that thing is a good idea?”

He was talking about the proxxids, simulated babies that Cognix was encouraging couples to try before the ‘real’ thing. It would help Cindy get acclimatized to pssi, but in general it wasn’t something I was comfortable with. In this case, however, it seemed like a good idea; putting a toe in the water first, so to speak.

“Yes,” I replied, shrugging, “why not?”

With that I looked over and smiled at Jimmy, and with the smallest of waves goodbye, clicked out of the Command sensory spaces.

3

Identity: Jimmy Jones

I SMILED AND nodded my goodbye to Patricia as she faded out of Command.

“I think that’s a good idea, Commander,” I said once she was completely gone. “I mean about going to see your wife. I can handle the rest of this.”

Rick looked over from the slingshot controls at me, smiled, and began nodding. Standing up from his workstation, he shifted the controls to me, and then walked over.

“Thanks Jimmy, I really appreciate it. You and Patricia have a pretty special bond, don’t you?”

I smiled.

“We do,” I agreed while I focused on some security protocols that had been breached during the weapons test. Somebody had been poking around up there in the UAV that had been destroyed during the test. Odd.

“It hasn’t been easy moving here,” he continued. “At least, it hasn’t been easy for Cindy.”

I filed the security breach report away to have a look at later, and looked up at the Commander.

“I can’t imagine how much of a change it must be for her,” I replied, “or for you, for that matter.”

Rick nodded, and then pulled a security blanket down around us. The other Command staff looked up from their workstations, wondering what was going on.

“Confidentially, son, I’ve heard that you had it pretty rough growing up here.”

I shrugged. He put his hand on my shoulder.

“If you ever need anyone to talk to,” he said softly, “I had it rough growing up too.”

“Thanks…” I replied uncertainly, surprised at this sudden intimacy.

“I’m just saying, any time, and of course, entirely confidential.”

“I appreciate that Commander,” I answered more confidently. “And I will, but I’m fine.”

I pulled down the security blanket, feeling self-conscious with all the rest of the staff there.

“Why don’t you get on to seeing your wife?”

He smiled. “I will. You just remember, anytime, right?”

“Right.” I smiled back at him.

“See you later, Jimmy.”

§

While Atopia was marketed as this amazing place, and the tabloid worlds were constantly spinning stories about the fantastic pssi-kids that grew up here, my own parents fighting had made my experience on Atopia a special sort of hell I had to drag myself through. Now I had the perspective to view it, even appreciate it, as a part of the fire that had forged me, but back then, pssi could be cruel.

I remembered it all.

“Look,” said my mother, back when I was an infant, soon after they’d first arrived on Atopia, “look at him, so cute. I think he just shat himself again, and he’s looking around wondering what the bad smell is.”