Chain Code

CHAIN CODE

By Nathan J Baxter

A nondescript man sits in a dark room, his face illuminated by a single computer screen. A mug full of coffee that had long since lost its heat sat untouched next to a half eaten pastry. The only door in the room was directly behind the man. It suddenly burst open revealing a sterile hallway filled with impersonal fluorescent light that spilled into the dark room. A disheveled woman in a lab coat and glasses rushed in, closing the door behind her and returning it to darkness.

“You called for me? What’s happening?” The woman asked her voice a mix of exasperation and excitement

“They’ve reached the twenty-third milestone, all the world leaders are preparing for an emergency summit in Switzerland. Their development was unexpectedly fast, but the percentages are still within previously known parameters.”

“Incredible! And the key? Where is it? They could break the record or show us something new even we haven’t been able to reach within our own simulation!” The woman’s excitement was becoming palpable filling up the room.

“That’s the thing…” The man quickly pressed a few keys on his keyboard, and the image changed. A young boy probably about seven appeared on the screen; his eyes sparkled as he held up a heart shaped locket on a chain smiling contently “The scientist who proved the world was a simulation is that boy’s mother, and she’s placed the chain code in that locket.”

“The key is in the possession of a child!” The woman’s hands flew to her mouth “no no no no they’ve developed too quickly; she doesn’t know what kind of danger she’s putting them in.” The dread seemed to set in; killing her previous excitement. There was no interfering with the simulation; they could only watch it play out.

“Yes, more than likely they’re diverging into the dystopian path…possibility delta.”

(Inside simulation headed for possibility delta)

“Jones, go wash your hands for dinner, ok baby boy?”

“Yes mama” the boy shoved the heart shaped locket he had just received as a gift from his mama into his pocket and ran to the bathroom. As he washed his hands he couldn’t help his curiosity, and quickly dried them before plunging them back into his pocket to retrieve the locket. He dangled it by its gold chain in front of his eyes admiring it; the golden heart swayed in a mesmerizing way.

“Jones! Come to the table now.”

“Coming mama!” The boy rushes from the bathroom to the kitchen table where his favorite pasta dish waits. He pauses as he sits down when he realizes the tv is on and mama never allows TV during dinner. “Mama, why’s the TV on? I thought we weren’t allowed to watch at dinner?”

“Sorry baby this has to do with mama’s work so she needs to watch for a while ok?”

“Ok mama” the boy just ate his pasta quickly and quietly so he could go back to playing with his locket. All the people on the tv sitting in a big circle room looked old and boring anyway. They were all shouting at each other demanding that they get to play with something called a chain code.

(Outside the simulation on imminent course with possibility delta)

The man and woman had fallen silent in the dark room with the single computer screen that depicted the events of a collapsing world. All the major powers had devolved into war, and the hunt for the key containing the chain codes was on. Only a few days had passed within the simulation, but that was all the time required for the situation to devolve into a world changing disaster. The boy was still in possession of the key on the run with his mother, the scientist. The man tiredly hit the keys one last time; turning the image to the boy and his mother on the run through a misty forest.

(Inside the simulation in the final stages of possibility delta)

“RUN JONES, DON’T STOP AND DON’T LOOK BACK!” The scientist desperately encouraged her son to keep going as she defied her own instruction to glance back and see soldiers in full black tactical gear emerging from the mist.

“MAMA!”

Her son’s cry brought her attention back to the front. Soldiers were appearing there as well, whipping her head in all directions it was clear they were surrounded. She crouched down clutching her son who was in turn clutching the golden heart shaped Locket; whispering words of comfort to him she turned to face the end.

“The locket!” a soldier commanded; stepping forward.

The woman gently removed it from her son’s hands and threw it at the soldiers’ feet. The gold glinted in the dark earth as the soldier reached out to pick it up.

(Outside the simulation at the conclusion of the delta possibility)

The man slammed his fist on the desk; holding the computer he gripped the screen and threw it against the wall. An image of the locket in the dirt frozen on the screen.

“Jones! JONES WAIT!” The woman chased after him as he stormed out leaving the room now totally dark as the screen died.

(A simulation within a simulation going back into eternity, and a young man caught in that cycle watching another version of himself suffer through one of those failed simulations.)