Deeper Darker

Chapter 72: Bonus Round

Fourth Quadrant.

Planet Fountain.

Gorbol Training Academy.

Origin - Sim-U

Figaro loaded into the sim-U and found himself back in the airlock of the Origin, with its familiar black walls and white strips of light. He wasnt alone. Eleven other people in spacesuits were in there with him, all of them talking at the same time. None of them had noticed him, yet.

What the hells going on?

Has anyone got a connection to the Octanaria?

This is a simulation.

You think I dont know that? One minute Im in a white cell with no doors, the next Im in an airlock with all of you. Unless someone invented magic in the last hour, obviously were in a simulation.

Theres no need to be sarcastic.

Really? Really? Then what is there a need for? Stating the obvious?

The voices chattered openly over the comms, no attempt to take precautions in case they were being monitored. They were collectively in a state of annoyance, feeding off each other to become more and more irritated.

Everyone seemed to have reacted badly to their short incarceration inside the sim-U. No doubt they had tried all the standard ways to exit the program, and found that none of them worked. It must have been frightening to think youd be stuck in a white room forever, with no way of contacting anyone on the outside unless the people on the outside wished it.

Even more frustrating for organics, used to smashing their way out of any situation. Their abilities werent of much use when their whole reality was under someone elses control. The actual simulation would follow a realistic representation of the ship, but exit and entry points were fully under the control of the machine operator. You could be moved at will and could be immobilised at will.

Figaro knew of a couple of ways around those protocols, ways to force the simulation to crash and disconnect, but they came with risks. He would have still used them if hed ended up in their position. He wondered how many of them would if he told them how.

Wheres the assistant manager? Is he here? I dont hear him? Where is he?

Didnt you see? He got his brains splattered across a wall.

No way.

I recorded it, Ill show you. Honestly, no one deserved it more. Prick refused to sign off my attendance mandate because I was thirty seconds late. Not even thirty, twenty-seven!

I saw it too. Theyre not going to recover anything but middle-management DNA out of that suit.

What the hell are these suits were in. How old are they? What are they powered by? Steam?

Theyre period accurate.

For which period?

Dont you recognise where we are?

So whos in charge now?

There was a pause as they looked at each other. Figaro found the hesitation a little odd. Should there be an established chain of command? He recalled some mention of a manager who was on leave for a training course. If the assistant manager had temporarily taken his place, wouldnt they have assigned someone to fill the second-in-command position? From the extended silence, it would appear they hadnt got round to it.

If Assistant Manager Larep isnt here, how are there still twelve of us?

Who is that? One of them was pointing at Figaro. All eyes turned to look at him.

Welcome to the Origin, said Figaro, changing his voice to sound a little more feminine and speaking in a flat emotionless tone to. I am your guide for your first mission.

Wait, I think its an NPC.

This isnt a game, Destri.

No, think about it, said Destri. They sign up all these clueless kids for their guild, ram them through boot camp and out into the field as quickly as possible so they can start scavenging for loot. They dont want to waste too much time getting them comfortable around Antecessor tech. Give them a simulated guide, walk them through the ship with plenty of warning about whats up ahead, everyone passes feeling like theyre ready for the big show.

They have a guide for newbies? Talk about hand-holding.

Wish Id had a guide on my first run. Dyings no fun.

Popping your cherry first time out is part of the experience. Youve got to die in a sim-U to make it feel real.

Ohhh, this is the Origin.

How did you not recognise it?

I did. Just took a moment to jog my memory, thats all.

This should be fine, then, right? Weve all done this run a thousand times, right?

There was more chatter, but less fraught with anxiety. Their familiarity with the Origin simulation had put them at ease, which was foolish. This wasnt a training run designed to hone their skills.

One of the Vendx team pushed off the wall and floated towards Figaro. You, whats your designation? He peered in through Figaros visor.

Figaro adjusted the lighting of his HUD so the glare made it harder to see in. He might still be recognised.

I am the guide. I am here to help you navigate the Origin on your first mission. Repetition would hopefully dull their curiosity.

I dont get it. Why stick us in here and give us a guide to help us? said someone.

Its probably automatic for first-timers. Gives their newbies a nice confidence boost facing the drones. This guild really is low-effort easy mode. I cant believe they sent us all in to deal with such a pissy little outfit.

We got our butts kicked, if you recall.

That wasnt the guild, that was something else. You all saw the readings. We couldnt even get a ping off that guy.

I thought that was because he was too low to register.

Or too high.

No way. He was probably shielded.

There was a piercing beep over the comms. Hey, can you all stop acting like were on a break here? Were still trapped and out of commission. We dont get paid for time spent immobilised, remember?

There was silence as this reminder sunk in.

What are we supposed to do? asked Destri, the only voice Figaro had put a name to so far. Clearing the ship wont make a difference.

What about the guide? Maybe it knows how to abort the run, you know, if one of their trainees freaks out and needs to get out.

The Vendx employee nearest to Figaro leaned in again. Hey, Mr Guide, I need to exit the simulation. Its an emergency. Em-ur-gen-cee.

Figaro wasnt sure how to respond. Lead them on a wild goose chase around the ship? It would buy some time, but then what?

Nothing. It isnt even realistic. Looks like a generic computer model they havent even bothered putting any hair on its head. The man had his visor pressed against Figaros.

Assault Team R, Assault Team R, this is the Octanaria, do you read? The voice was coming in clear over the comms.

Everyone responded at once.

Tadum, reading, over.

This is Yarlik, reading you loud and clear.

This is Chesney, whats going on? Has the mission been cleared?

Destri, reporting in. Were in a sim-U, repeat, theyve locked us into a simulation of the Origin.

Figaro couldnt make out all of the names or what they were saying. Discipline was not a high priority in the Vendx training program, apparently.

Listen, this is Commander Creed. We know your situation. We have a man on the inside who switched you over to your current location. We have new instructions for you.

Is this covered under our current work order? asked someone.

Yes, same pay, same benefits.

There was a murmur of approval.

Destri is the new acting-manager.

Me? Why me? Destri didnt sound at all pleased with the promotion.

You have the best scores for simulated runs. Your new objective is inside the Origin. You will get all bonuses for the managerial role while youre in command.

There was some grumbling at Destris good fortune.

You arent extracting us? asked someone.

The extraction point is in the forward compartment of the Origin.

If we just have to get to the other end of the ship, said a disgruntled voice, anyone could have been made leader. Even I could do it.

There have been some modifications made to the simulation, do not approach it as the Origin youve run before.

What kind of modifications?

Were not sure. Youll have to take precautions as you would on a virgin site.

Virgin site? Shouldnt we be getting the full first-entry rates, then?

There were noises of support for this suggestion.

You are still inside a simulation, you cant actually die. And in any case, you are bound by your primary contract. This is just an extension, as covered by the sub-contract options clause. You have already been notified of the additional actions required of you within the requisite time frame. If you have an issue, you can bring it up with the Resources Manager at your debrief. It will go on your permanent, of course.

No further comment about pay rates was made after the Resources Manager was mentioned.

We were also told you would have some help in there. Our contact has sent someone in to guide you.

Yes, said Destri. Its here with us. Some sort of AI.

Good, it should be able to help you navigate any tricky parts. Head into the ship and, I repeat, do not rely on your past experience of this simulation. We need you to get to the other end in one piece and link up to the Motherboard. Once you authenticate the connection, well have full control over the facility and can bring you out. Any questions?

Yes, said a voice. Does Destri get time and a half for taking on the managerial role?

No, theres no overtime on this mission. If you go over the allotted time, you will be expected to pay the usual fines.

Lets go, said Destri. Get that door open. Everyone, check your suits make sure youre familiar with the controls. This will be a speedrun, no collectables, no side-routes. We all know the basic outlay, follow the racing line, avoid pulling drones. We hit the checkpoints in this order: one, seven, nine, five. You, Guide, lead the way.

Suddenly, the whole team was operating like a finely-tuned machine. They all seemed confident and ready. The only person who didnt know what they were doing was Figaro. Ubik wanted them in the other part of the ship and connected to the Motherboard. Once that was done, how would Ubik turn that to his advantage? And how would Figaro get off this planet and back home?

There was only one way to find out.

Figaro fired his thrusters and passed through the opening as it spiralled open.