《Hive Mind》 Hive mind The board members sat in the same places with the same blank stares as always. Bill Davis the project manage, Daniel Goldfarb the head developer, Vincent Lockwood our main investor, Tim sands our lawyer, and me kyle Branson the owner and director of Organic computation inc. Ever since we completed the first stage of the project it seems like the whole group has given up. ¡°So has there been any progress on building the computer system?¡±. I scanned the boardroom for anyone to answer the question. After we completed the organic networking hardware it seems like no one knows what to do, like there is no goal to meet. As always the one who finally spoke up was the project manager Bill Davis. ¡°Sir the project just cannot proceed at this time. There is just no way to make the organic computer network you want for the money we have. If you want that kind of processing power you should stick with mechanical hardware.¡±. Of course the same answer I have been receiving for the last few months. I, we, didn''t spend half a decade years of our lives creating organic computer networking hardware not to be the ones to use it. ¡°No Bill we have been over this. We need to use organic computers, the flexibility they provide is what we want. Hardware puts too many constraints on the processing power and requires more software which makes everything slower. ¡° I was not going to remind him that the whole purpose of this company is to develop organic computers, he knows that its literally in the name. ¡°Sir, that may be true but if you want to keep the government funding we need to produce something now. Organic computers are too expensive at the moment. Not to mention even if we could afford the systems we need they won''t be ready in time to show the government results.¡± Bill said. Again with the same answers and excuses. Like I don''t know what this cost and the stakes. Does this idiot not understand I want him to find a solution not rehash the same argument at every meeting. ¡°What if we use animal brains as the organic computers connected to a main control unit? We used mice to test the connection hardware, why can''t we use them as the organic computers?¡± I offered knowing he had already thought of it but for whatever reason deemed it not worthy of bringing up. With an exasperated tone, Bill said ¡±How many times do we need to go over this until you get it. First of all we used mice because they are the only animal that can still be legally used for testing not because they had an potential as processing power. Think about it this way a mouse has 75 million neurons. Humans have 86 billion that''s 1146 times that of the mouse. So in order to maybe get the processing power of a human brain, which by the way we can do multiple times over with hardware, we would need to use 1146 mice connected to the main unit. It is just impractical and at that point, it may draw fire from animal rights activist. Sir at this point in time the technology just isn''t there to utilize our organic networking system in a cost-effective way. In my opinion, you need to wait until organic computers become cheaper and faster to grow.¡± This guy gives nearly the same speech every week like I don''t understand. What has he been doing for the last few months sitting and spending my money waiting to tell me our goal is impossible? Maybe I should just fire him? I sat there staring at Bill for a moment feeling my veins throb before one someone broke the silence. ¡°Then why don''t we use humans as the organic computers,¡± said Vincent. The room went silent again. I knew he was a self made millionaire and had to be at least a little callous but to literally use people as computers is borderline psychotic. Eventually i felt the eyes of the room on me and needed to break the silence. ¡±There has tobe some law against using people right? I mean there are for animals.¡± ¡°Actually no we have already looked into that. There are no laws against it if we get consent.¡± Said Tim. Bill stood up and practically yelled ¡°Are we really planning on killing people in order to make a computer! Is it even worth it at that point?¡± ¡°Actually the people would not die. The would be put into the coma-like state we saw the mice go into during test. The only problem is we don''t know what the effects of the connection and its use would be on the mind.¡± ¡°Hmm. maybe we could pay people to be hooked to the system and that would be their job?Being used a computer processor for us. Although there is a lot of research to be done before we could even try it¡± I thought out loud. Now bill was pacing the floor mumbling under his breath about something. Then all of a sudden he burst out ¡°It is just not right! I admit that it might work but that would require more testing then we have done! It''s going to cost us a lot to even find out if the idea is viable. If we do the research and it fails we are going to lose funding and most likely the rights to the networking methods we have already developed! no, I cannot allow that to happen!¡±.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I stared at Bill and it struck me. In the past he had always had multiple solutions to any problems we ran into, but recently he has become obstinate. unwilling to really discuss any options for moving forward. He might be pushing us to fail. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vincent smiling at me. It seems he had already been thinking the same thing and set everything up for me to see it for myself. In a stern voice, i said: ¡° what do you mean you can''t allow it?¡± Bill whipped around to face me with an angry look on his face. Like I had just spat on him or something. Then his eye widened like a deer in headlights and said: ¡°well I mean it''s not right to use people that way¡±. He looked around the room nervously seeing that the only one who was even remotely surprised by his slip up was me. ¡°It seems that I have been a bit too trusting of you Bill.¡± I said in an even voice. ¡°I think you need to explain what you have been doing in the past months.¡± Daniel snorted ¡°he''s been doing a whole lot of nothing. It''s a good thing he didn''t or the last few months would have been a complete waste. It turns out you can''t drive a company into the ground by jacking off at your desk all day.¡± then Daniel looked at me and said ¡°I don''t know how it took you so long for you to see through this prick but your investor knew this would happen even before we had the hardware completed. We have already started that testing you said would be needed and have some preliminary results to show you today.¡± I was awestruck. Why had no one come forward and told me? This could have been so so much worse than it is now or we could have gotten even more done if I had been consulted.I was about to put that into words when Tim spoke. ¡°Sir if you didn''t see this for yourself you would have most likely tried to keep Bill as project manager and he would have definitely caused irreparable damage to the company. We have also retrieved evidence of him making deals that will end with us losing the patents for our work. We have all we need to take him to court for corporate espionage and damages to the company.¡± ¡°We also believe we have found everyone he had working for him in the company.¡± Daniel interjected. ¡°Yes, we have also taken the liberty to get the legal process started. With that all said I believe it is about time we had Bill leave so we can get back to our meeting.¡± said Vincent as he stood and opened the door for Bill. ¡°We will see you in court Bill and let me just say if you do anything to jeopardize my investments again I will no be so kind again.¡± With that Bill left as quickly as possible. I was still in a state of shock due to what had been going on right under my nose.¡±Well, I guess you guys have that situation covered.¡± I said slightly bewildered. ¡°So what kind of progress has been made while I was kept out of the loop?¡± "We have done tests with mice and determined a few things." SaidDaniel. "First is that a single mouse can be connected and used for up to 24 hours without any noticeable problems or changes in behavior. After 24 hours of straight use to do calculations the speed greatly degraded and once disconnected the mouse was unable to walk and once recovered demonstrated deteriorated motor skills and memory. Second is when multiple mice were connected the up time for calculations increased to a max of about 32 hours without signs of deterioration. Also and most importantly when multiple mice were connected at one time on an 8 on 8 off schedule after about 14 days the mice started to become unable to do anything but were physically healthy as well as able to continue being used as processors while connected. However when disconnected the stopped breathing and died. They also showed a negligible increase in processing speed but that may be nothing. However, it is my belief that they were subjected to some kind of formatting done by the control unit to increase efficiency.¡± I thought about this for a few minutes. It seemed from the data they had collected it would not be possible to use people at all because there was, in my opinion, too large of a chance of mental damage even if the person is used for only one session. However they probably already have a plan. ¡°I don''t see how this will help us. As far I can see the chance of causing harm is too great to use on people.¡± ¡°That is true but it does show that animals can be used and released with little damage to their minds if done in short one time sessions. However as the organic computer controlling the use of the mice is running with instructions to consolidate data and increase efficiency, as I said before I believe the mice were formatted. I believe their minds were defragmented and stored elsewhere to consolidate memory and increase the percentage of usable hardware the control unit had to execute commands. A result once disconnected the mice no longer had the knowledge of how to breathe in their brains. It was taken and stored elsewhere.¡± At this point Daniel started to get excited, nearly bouncing out of his chair, like a child about to be given a new toy. ¡°I believe the mice have been completely and perfectly uploaded to the system and if we created a virtual space where the mice can control avatars that change to fit their perceptions, that they would continue to act the same before they are connected, just after connection, and after they are unable to be disconnected.¡± David then looked around the room expectantly. However, no one took the bait and just waited for him to explain. Dejected at the others lack of enthusiasm Daniel said. ¡°If what I stated were true then if mice were replaced with humans the same should happen.¡± this time Daniel just let what he said sink in. ¡°You want to put people in the system forever and have them live the rest of their lives in a virtual reality.¡± I said slowly. Daniel smiled looked everyone in the eyes and said. ¡°If this works how I think it will we will not only be the first people able to create a true virtual reality, we will be able to create ever expanding virtual universes just as or more complex than our own. Just think there are already games that create worlds that look almost identical to real life on computers that are a fraction of how powerful a human brain is what if the world was created and run on human brains. We can have them grow and change based on the imagination of the people in them basically a self-correcting perfect simulation. Also, the people in the virtual reality will be basically immortal living as long as the system stays running.¡± finally after catching his breath daniel slumps down in his chair looking like he just unloaded a giant weight off his shoulders. ¡°Not only will we have the fastest and most advanced supercomputerever created. We will have one of the greatest research subjects ever. We will be able to study with perfect detail how civilization rise and fall, how creatures evolve, even how different technologies advance. This could be the single greatest thing that any human has ever done.¡± ¡°Ok this is going to happen.¡± said Vincent. ¡°Whatever it takes we will get this done, I am willing to spend every last dime I have to see it a reality. So what is the first move.¡± ¡°First things first we need to ensure that if this really is possible that there is no way that any laws can be put in place to stop it before it starts.¡± I said and turned to Tim. ¡°You heard vincent whatever it takes we need to make 100% sure there are no laws that can even remotely affect the project. Also we need to write up contracts for the people that we recruit to be part of the system.¡± taking a minute to think I turned to Daniel and said ¡° Daniel I need to know if what you said is true for the mice, and you need to repeat it without failure at minimum 10000 times. Then we need to test this on actual people before we release any information to the public. Lastly, we need to make sure that Bill and his people know nothing about this or are unable to stop us. Is there anything else before we get started on this?¡± ¡°We need to get as much done in the next 12 months.¡± said Vincent.¡±I''d rather the government flip the bill instead of me.¡± hive mind chapter 2 With a huff I sat down to eat a late lunch after finishing pouring the concrete for the houses basement. I have been working this construction job for the past 5 years trying to save up an get my life back on track. For a while, it felt like I was in a never-ending storm of problems but finally things seem to have settled down. Mostly because everyone I cared about is dead or far away but still it''s getting better. For the first 14 years of my life everything was easy it consisted of going to school, playing video games, and sleeping. Then my father died. He was our families income so my mother had to start working. Then only problem was she didn''t have any qualifications or work experience because she never had to work before. So she ended up working two minimum wage jobs to keep us afloat. It had for a while but once i reached high school and could legally work things got easier and my mother was even able to save some money for me to go to college. With that money and help from scholarships and grants, we were pretty much set. We were secure for the first time in what felt like years. Then the storm picked up again my mother was diagnosed with cancer. After the first six months she couldn''t live by herself anymore and i had to go home to take care of her losing all the scholarships i had received. For the next two years I worked this construction job and took care of my mother while the medical bill continued to pile up and finally she past and I was alone. My friends from university were halfway across the country, I had no money to go back to school, and no more family so I decided I would just save my money until I could afford to go back to school. ¡°Bobby! Get your ass back to work.¡± Jim yelled across the job site. I hadn''t even been sat down long enough to eat my sandwich and the dick was already yelling at me. This guy is the source of problems in my life now. You would think a guy whose job it was to sell and build houses would know how long it took and how much it cost to build a house but no this guy continually underbids and over promises making the workers go without lunch or breaks in order to be done anywhere close to the deadline. One day he''s going to drive this company into the ground and it''s a good thing I won''t be here for it in just a few more weeks I will have enough for a tuition and can pick up where I left off 5 years ago. While I complain about the work it would have taken much longer to get to this point without all the overtime pay. ¡°Fine!¡± I yelled back, ¡°What do you want done next the basement floor is done.¡± ¡°Good then get Jeff to help you install the stairs to the basement so we can stop using ladders.¡± With my next task in hand, I went back to the grind with half a sandwich stuffed into my mouth. Not an hour later I hear Jim yelling about something again. Maybe he realized it''s hard to install stairs when most of the ground is wet concrete but most likely he did something that he''s going to blame on me. ¡°Bobby! It''s starting to rain get out there and tarp up the windows you opened!¡±. Yep, he''s blaming me for doing what h mee told to do even though he knew it was going to rain. By the time I got the tarps and was outside the rain was pouring down and the wind was so strong that it made the rain look like it was falling nearly horizontally. climbing up the wet scaffolding to the fourth story windows I started to fix the tarps over them when I heard a low grown. Confused i looked around for the source of the noise but could see nothing in the rain. Then the scaffolding jolted with a screech. Looking down i could see that the wind had blown a sheet of plywood into one of the scaffolding legs and bent it in. with the stress of the plywood catching the wind like a sail and me walking around on it made the tube wrinkly and then bend in half. Slowly at first nearly unnoticeably the scaffolding started to fall away from the building. This did not compute at first, the scaffolding is supposed to be attached to the building. Looking at the growing area between the wall and the scaffolding it became very clear that whoever put up these scaffolds failed to do that. I felt a pit in my stomach and dread fell over me. Looking down again I knew I was either going to die to break a lot of bones if I fell or jumped. Too late i realized that I was just a few steps from a open window. I moved as fast as I could but this caused the scaffolding''s fall to accelerate. by the time i made it in front of the window it was about two feet above me and 5 feet away with no time for thought I jumped towards it. Catching the edge of the window opening with my hands I tried to hold on but the opening was to deep and i wasn''t able to grip onto the wet brick. I hit the wall and bounced back and away from the wall. In the short seconds of falling all that went through my mind was i was so close then everything went black.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The next thing i saw were my arms hanging in front of me wrapped in casts. I tried to look around the room but found that my head was fixed in place. Wanting to know what was going on i shouted out for someone to help. Moments later a nurse walked in with a serious look on her face. ¡°Sir I''m guessing you would like to know what happened.¡± I nodded to get her to continue or at least i tried but my head didn''t budge. After a few awkward seconds, I said yes. ¡°Well from what we have been told by your coworkers a scaffolding was blown over during the storm and you fell off it. They found you unconscious on the ground and called an ambulance. When you arrived here you were taken into surgery to realign and position the bones that were broken. You broke both your arms and one legs and the bone pierced the skin of your leg. Multiple ribs were broken but thankfully no organs were severely damaged during the fall.¡± She when silent for a moment and looked me in the eye before taking a long breath and continuing. ¡°The most severe injury is to your spinal cord. It has been severed in the neck and in two other places down your back. You are paralyzed from the neck down. We think you should have control of your facial muscles but that is all.¡± I sat there stunned my sight going blurry. just hours before I was so close to achieving my goals and getting my life back on track. The nurse was still talking but I couldn''t bring myself to listen. Moments later the nurse noticed my state and left the room. I closed my eyes and within moments I was asleep. Shaken awake I looked over to the man standing at the edge of my bed. It was Jim and he was smiling. Why the fuck was he smiling. ¡°Good your awake now.¡± Jim said with way too much happiness in his voice. I didn''t have time to respond before he continued. ¡°I have come to see how you were doing and explain what your position is with the company.¡± looking at Jim in the eyes I asked, ¡°what do you mean my position in the company all I can do now is move my eyes and face.¡± ¡°Well that''s just it. you are being let go as you can no longer work. That being said you will receive your last week''s pay, a rather large bonus as a sorry, and of course, your medical bills will be covered by worker comp insurance.¡± Staring at him I said ¡°just how much is this bonus because I''m pretty sure that I can sue for unsafe work conditions.¡± with that I saw a bit of sweat start to bead up on his forehead. ¡°W-well the company is prepared to give you $25,000 in return for your umm discretion.¡± I let the silence build for a few moments before saying, ¡°A week for four years¡± with 4.8 million I should be able to pay for treatments I might need to try to get back on my feet and then live well for a long time afterwards. Jim stiffened and looked me in the eyes with a bit of a sneer. ¡°You think that you can get us to pay you so much for this.¡± gesturing at me. ¡°There is no way!¡± ¡°Then I suppose I will see you and the company in court and I will take you for as much as possible. In fact, it''s your job to ensure that safety codes are followed what will happen to you if the reason for the accident is connected to the scaffolding not being tied off at all.¡± Growling Jim spat ¡°fine I will speak with the board about this you will be informed of their decision.¡± Jim stormed out of the room after that. His job was definitely in peril. With a chuckle at his misfortune, I reached for the tv remote that was resting on the bed. Then it hit me again that I was completely paralyzed. Calling for a nurse I decided to ask about what the medical bills would be and what possible options I had. As it turns out there isn''t much that can be done to fix a spinal cord that has been severed in multiple places. As for the medical bills they were to all be covered by workers comp insurance as well as an assisted living apartment that I would now live in. Within hours I got an offer from the company for 2.4 million over the 4 years instead. Apparently, the average reward for that kind of claim was about 3 million so they probably saved money by paying me off now. with workers comp insurance covering my living arrangements for the next 30 years and a huge monthly income I was set to live an easy life as a head in a jar In a few more weeks my life had turned into a world of screens with the money I got from the settlement I set up my room to be covered in screens that we all controlled through eye tracking and a mouthpiece that I could use my tongue to press buttons or bite to complete different functions. I spent my time reading, watching videos, and studying. Trying to find something that I could do with my life. I studied physics, chemistry, biology, any science I could that might have something to help me get back on my feet or just do something productive. But after a little over a year, I had nothing to show for it. all I could do was read books and watch videos. No new treatments or technologies had come out that could fix me and I gave up. So I did the only things I could read and watched and learned. I watched every video I could on anything I had ever thought was interesting. I learned programming, blacksmithing, mining, gem cutting, jewelry making, stone working, fletching. So many things that I had wanted to do but will never be able to. I couldn''t even play video games that require more than a mouse. So I played puzzle, point and click adventure and turn-based games. For the rest of my life, I was going to have to lay around and wait for someone to find a way to fix me. hive mind chapter 3 With a knock on the door, I woke up to a nurse asking if she could come in. I had told them that it didn''t matter what they did because there was nothing I could do to stop them. But for some reason, they wouldn''t just silently do their job and leave. Even before my accident, I didn''t like talking to people and now I had nothing to talk about so It was even worse. When the nurse walked in I saw that she had an envelope in her hand. This was new and just when I was about to ask what it was she said, ¡° you have some mail would you like me to open and read it to you?¡± I quickly said no and asked her to scan it into my computer so I could look at later. She smiled and walked over to the scan and used it after she did the routine checked on the water, food, and waste systems then asked if I needed anything. As usual, it was a no and she left the room. With her gone, I opened the scan on my computer. The first thing I noticed was the company name written across the top of the page, Organic computation inc. I looked made a google search of the company and found that they were a government-funded research company that dealt exclusively with organic computers and in particular organic networking. While it was interesting I couldn''t figure out what they would want from me. So I read the letter. Dear Robert Perry, You have been selected to take part in a new research opportunity. We would like to have you come to our offices in order to discuss the opportunity and what it means for you. We know about your particular situation and we would be happy to make and pay for any accommodations needed in order to have you join us and the other possible participants in touring our facility and explaining the project. If you are interested please go to the website hivemind.com as soon as possible and register. Once you are registered you will receive a phone call to plan for your particular needs. The meeting will be on May fifth so please register at least a week before the date. Thank you, Kyle Bradson CEO of Organic computations inc. Well, there isn''t anything else to do other than lay around so I have no excuse not to go. Also, this might actually be a chance to do something with my life. Navigating to the website presents me with a form to fill out that asks me for my name, address, phone number, and the id given in the invitation. Once the form was submitted it told me to expect a call to make arrangements at 12:30 the next day. I spent the rest of the day researching the company and trying to find out more about the project which I assume is called hive mind but there doesn''t seem to be any information about the specific project, but I did learn that the company''s main project manager was fired. The next day I received the call and discussed my needs for transport and care but when I asked about the project itself the said that I would have to wait until the meeting. So I waited until may fifth and as promised I was taken to their facilities. When I was wheeled into the facility I was surprised to see that nearly everyone here had some extreme physical issue. There were what looked like hundreds of people being wheeled around museum-type exhibits about the company. The first exhibit was a model of a brain, neuron, and synapse. Then they showed me a small clear box with what looked like an orange jell in it which was apparently the first organic computer that the company created. It cost 1.5 million dollars and was used to process and organize data for the IRS. Somehow they got it to create an interface that would be the most efficient for the government to use instead of having people make it. Just before I made it to the third exhibit a man walked out of an office and called for attention. ¡°Hello and welcome to the organic computation headquarters. I am the CEO and founder Kyle Bradson. It seems that everyone has arrived and I wish to begin the tour and explanation of the hivemind project that all of you have been invited to be a part of. In a few moments, we head through to the auditorium to present the project to you and talk about your roles in the project. But first, we will have you and any family members you brought with you sign a nondisclosure agreement. If you do not sign the agreement you will be taken back to your homes and in the case of family members, you will be asked to stay in here in the lobby while everyone else proceeds. However taking part in this project will be a major life decision and I feel that it would be best if everyone here is present and takes part in the presentation. Now if there are no major issues at the moment please proceed to the auditorium and sign the NDA at the door thank you.¡± After Kyle was finished I was pushed towards the auditorium and gave my consent to the NDA. The auditorium was a large semicircular room with a large wood stage at the front with a screen with hivemind projected on with a background of brains connected by lines. Where theatre chairs would normally be there were braces for wheelchairs and the stairs were covered with carpeted ramps to allow the people in to get to them. Once everyone was situated Kyle stepped out onto the stage and motioned for the lights to be dimmed. ¡°The hive mind project is the communication and application of all the research and work that this company has done in the last decade. We have created the first true organic computer networking hardware. Before connections between organic computers have been only surface level and allowed the transfer of data between systems. However with with our creation we are able to have multiple organic computer working together to solve problems. Unlike hardware computers this type of networking does just increase the speed of the results but also the quality of the results. This is because organic computers can work off of imprecise or incomplete data whereas hardware cannot. Organic networking is the next step in supercomputation. However, at the moment organic computers are extremely expensive and take time to make. For instance you may have seen the exhibit in the lobby that had a small orange box. That was the first organic computer developed here and it cost 15 million dollars and took almost 6 months to grow. If you look at the screen you can see a picture of our current model. It is about 8m cubed and has taken 5 years to grow it has cost the company nearly 175 million dollars. While the computer has the volume of nearly 6400 human brains it only has the processing power of about 60. Now the current generation of mechanical supercomputers are vastly superior to this as they are able to reach speeds up to 400 human brains but they require software of some kind in order to do anything not to mention they take huge amounts of area. With a organic computer all you have to do is give it data in a way that it can process and it will develop a solution. The main problem we face with organic computers is the time it takes for these computers to grow. Basically in order to create a network of organic computers with the same capabilities of today''s mechanical computers using the information we have given you it would cost at minimum 1.2 billion dollars and take at least 5 years to grow the computers not to mention the chances of the computers to die or fail to grow correctly. So we came up with another idea. Use already existing computers. Use animal brains.¡± At that instant, I understood why we were here and why everyone invited was handicapped they want to use us as the computers in the network. And from the sound of the crowd, they understood too. ¡°Now it seems that many of you have caught onto the what your roles would be in the hivemind project but let me get through the presentation before you leave or ask questions.¡± After a few moments, the crowd quieted down and Kyle resumed speaking. ¡°As I was saying we thought of using animal brains but unfortunately for us, it is illegal to use any animal other rats and mice in experiments so we were forced to use them to test the idea. mice and rats have very small brains and as a result were poor choices for use as organic computers, in fact, it took about 2000 mice to get the processing power that a single human brain could give. Because of this, we decided to use them not as a computer but as a way to test the effects of the connection on the mind. This allowed us to find a few things. First, when connected for times under 4 hours the mice could be disconnected with no visible effects and any more than that resulted in impaired brain function or death. We then created a virtual world which amounted to a box that the brains were connected to in order to see what would happen. What we saw was that each mouse created a body that was what the brain perceived which you can see here¡±. The image they showed was a slightly discolored and deformed mouse with a void in the back of its head. They then showed a showed the internals of the mouse that was apparently generated by subconsciously by the brain. ¡°As you can see the avatars that were created were based on the perceptions of the mouse''s brain, not only does this show us that the brains of the mice are working correctly when connected but it allows us to see how the animal sees itself and the world. Then we left them in that world for a day, a week , and then a month and they were all still functioning as if they were in the real world. Something unexpected happened when one was disconnected. It''s avatar continued to live while the body died. At first we thought that it''s consciousness was transferred into the main organic computer but what we found was that the mouse¡¯s brain had been reformatted. The main computer took the memories, thought patterns, and routines of the mouse and move it to another and in fact all but 4 mice died when they were disconnected. These four mice were the processors dedicated to bodily functions for all the mice. In computer terms the mice were defeated and its methods compiled to be as efficient as possible. Once we found out the effects on a large group we then went to groups of 1, 2, and 3 mice. With one mouse it seemed that long-term connection had no effect on the mouse but with 2 one of the mice seemed to come out with some problems and with three one died after disconnection. After we had run the test on a single mouse thousands of times without negative effects on the mouse we decided to run our first test on a human. We went looking for people who were brain dead or in a long-term coma because we believe that they were the lowest risk and at the same time had the high chance of benefiting from the connection. The first person that we used in testing was brain dead and was donated to science by the family. When connected to the same network and virtual space that the mice were the subject did not create an avatar and in fact, did not even register as being connected the subject was then taken to be used as an organ donor. The next person tested was a man that had been in a coma for 3 years and the family gave consent to have him connected to the virtual world. When connected the subject immediately had an avatar but just like in the actual world was in a vegetative state. After observation for 10 days we began to send information to the organic computer for computation and we were able to see a dramatic increase in performance due to the connection. After about 3 hours of continuous computation the patients avatar woke up and started to scream and exhibited signs of extreme pain. The processes were immediately stopped and the avatar began asking where they were and who had taken him. We then disconnect him from the network and they woke up from there coma but seemed to have lost a large chunk of memories from approximately are 10 to 15. We are still unable to tell if the memory loss was due to the injury that put them in a coma, the coma itself, or the network connection, however, he is alive and well today and living with his family. With a successful test completed we wanted to try with multiple people. So we found 5 people who were in comas and were going to be euthanized on instructions from the family. With the families consent we were allowed to take them and we ran the same procedure as with the the first subject. All five subjects created an avatar when they were connect however only one woke up when the computations started. That person is here with us in the room and will be a participant in the next stage of the project. Once the other 4 all completed 10 days of computation each they were add one by one in 10 day increments thought this process none of the subjects woke or exhibited signs of distress or discomfort and with each added person the performance increased. After a month of the subjects connection to the network the first subject woke. We had by this time had the ability to create things in the virtual world and we were able to give them everything they need to stave off boredom. at the end of the 4th month connected to the network all four subjects were conscious and interacting within the virtual world. We then made preparations to remove them from the network each subject was hooked up to a complete life support system so they would continue to live even without brain function. 2 of the participants were completely brain dead when they were disconnected and resulted in a proportional decrease in processing power however the virtual avatars of the people were still active and were able to respond. The third person disconnect and had complete body function but no memories at all their body function but they were basically a newborn. Lastly the fourth person disconnected resulted all avatars going offline. So the main organic computer defragment and moves memories and information into one location in order to increase performance as well as consolidating the function of the body into one mind. When reconnected all subjects resumed functioning as they did before. So the people connect were active and living in a virtual world while we had access to about 70% of the processing power from 4 human brains. Now that brings us to today we want to create the world''s greatest supercomputer, one that can grow as large as we want but for this to happen we need people. That is why we have invited all of you. You are all trapped in bodies that don''t allow you to live full lives we want you to become a part of the computer and in turn live life in a virtual world with each other and more.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. At that the crowd explodes, some yelling curse others question but many were in applause. Kyle tried to wait for the crowd to settle but it wasn''t so he yelled. ¡°I''m not done speaking all comments questions and concerns can be voiced after I explain the world many of you will be living in. ¡°Asi explained the people that are used as computers will live in a virtual world. This world obviously needs to be as real as possible in order to make the user feel like they are truly living. In order to do this, we have created with the help of the 4 who are currently living in a virtual world a system that grows and evolves with the thoughts and ideas of the people living in it. In the current virtual world there are only 4 people so the world can change quickly and as a result, 4 distinct areas were formed from their thoughts and ideas.¡± The projection switched to a video of bird''s eye view of 4 distinct areas one was a large and overgrown forest next to a huge city with skyscrapers nearly at the height of the camera, then a black void with a large spaceship moving through it and finally a single home with a large lawn. The camera then flew down into the trees to show a network of bridges between trees with what looked liked elves walking around then the screen went black. Slow a ship emerged out of the corner of the screen and the camera move to intercept then it passed through the hull onto a bridge with multiple races including humans, what looked like dwarves, and Klingons. Just as abruptly as with the forest the bridge disappeared and the view of a perfectly manicured lawn leading to the edge of a lake from a porch chair. Finally, we appeared in a vehicle moving through the streets of a massive city then the camera leaned out of the window and looked down. We were flying hundreds of stories above the ground then looking up we couldn''t even see the top of the buildings. Kyle began to speak again.¡±What you just saw were the living areas of the four I was speaking of before and were created in a little over a month in real-world time but about 7 months for the users. We have built in a time dilation of about 7 time real world which allows the gives the users the most time possible and allow us to generate the greatest possible performance of the computer. Now the world that many of you will enter will be created based on the wants, ideas, and thoughts of every single person in the network as well as an initial bases allowing the world to stay stable and while being ever growing and evolving to keep the people happy and immersed in the virtual world. The world will be a sword and sorcery world where you can do anything you could think of. It will be a new world for you to explore and live in. Now that about covers everything if you have questions please move toward the microphones and wait in line to ask.¡± Within moments almost everyone in the room was in line to ask questions. I stayed in place to listen to answers before I went got in line. The first question came from a young woman with severe muscular dystrophy. ¡°To what extent will the company have control over the world and the people in it?¡± Which in my opinion was a very good question. We were being asked to basically die in this world and be born into another knowing someone could change my life with a few keystrokes did not sound fun. Echoing my thoughts Kyle said ¡°The idea of having another person completely controlling the world you live in is quite scary so we have created the system where we have no control over anything other than the worlds initial size, type, and power level which will be about a square mile per user, a fantasy world, and lower than real world. Other than that the world changes based on the thoughts of the users so if there is a major problem or error the world will change it becomes an issue for people. Do you have any other questions?¡±. ¡°Yes, what do you mean by power level?¡± ¡°We use power level to denote how strong creatures in the world will be. So when you all first enter the world the areas around you will be very weak and as time goes by and you explore will become stronger and stronger. There is no technical limit other than the user''s imagination and the wants of the majority of users so the world will never too difficult to live in happily. Next question please.¡± The next person looked to be a family member and asked, ¡°Will the company have access to people''s thoughts or first-person views?¡± ¡°At the moment we have no way of directly accessing thoughts but we can get any view of the world that we want.¡± replied Kyle. ¡°We plan on using this to study the creation of a new society that the users will be living in. that being said we are willing to make agreements on the personal privacy on an individual basis.¡± ¡°Will there be live streams of the players?¡± asks a man in a professional suit and tie. ¡°There were no plans to stream any of the worlds as the actual users won''t be able to receive anything from it. However, it could be a large source of income for the families of the users and the company itself so anyone who is willing to have there lives streamed to the public we will make contracts for that. Again though the actual users won''t receive anything for allowing streaming. next.¡± ¡°What will happen to our bodies while we are in the game?¡± ¡°While you are in the game your body will be in a pod that will keep it in nearly perfect physical conditions in order to ensure long-term survival. If a person''s body were to die there are three possible outcomes. One that person would die in the virtual world and real world this would have to happen in the first few months before the memories are consolidated. Second, the body would die the network would lose a node but the person would continue on in-game like nothing happened. Lastly, a large portion of players would disappear from the world. This would happen if one of the brains that are being used as a hard drive were to die. Because of that possibility, we will have backups of all the information stored in those people and will reintroduce them to the system. We have tested this and know for sure that it works.¡± ¡°What will happen to the system when the human brain is no longer the best choice for your needs?¡± ¡°Well we are creating a whole new world and we have ensured that once integrated into the game you are still legally living people. So If someone were to destroy or take the system offline the will legally be committing murder.¡± The questions went on for a few more hours but nothing really important was said. In the end, Kyle said that the project will start two months from now and that anyone that planed on participating would have to call anytime before that date to be included. With that, I was taken home to have time to think about the decision. Chapter 4 As it turns out there wasn''t much to think about, my life as it is now amounts to nothing. I have no one to stay for. So, the decision was made almost before I left the building. Two months later I returned, not surprisingly, it looked like almost everyone who had been at the meeting decided to take the offer. I joined the procession into the auditorium where I was assigned a company representative that helped me set my privacy preferences and signed a streaming contract. Basically, I allowed the company to view anything I did in-game and stream it. Half of the profits from the steam would towards the medical research that would have helped me, a quarter to a university scholarship for people with financial need and, the company would get the rest. Once the paperwork was done, they escorted me through to an auditorium. Once everyone was seated Kyle walked on stage. ¡°Good afternoon everyone, as you all know I am Kyle Bradson, I''m glad so many of you choose to accept our offer. Since you have already been given an overview of the systems, we are just going to show you a primer video for the actual game. First though, the most asked question we received was what kind of body will you have in-game. At first, every person will be given a body based on what the system believes is your peak condition. From there the system will create an average based on all the groups'' results along with some sample data we provided. It will then improve your body to meet those average.¡± At this point, people started to make noise but before people could get to worked up Kyle brought everyone to order. ¡°Everyone please calm down; questions can be asked at the end. Now to answer a question many of you may have, your body won''t be held to that average. If the system finds that you exceed the average, you will be left as you are. Only below average traits will change. There will also be a character creation phase once you are in-game that can further change how you start the game. Now that that has been addressed everyone will fed and given medication to ease the transition into the game world. During this time, you will be shown the primer and representatives will be available to answer any questions you may have. shortly afterward you will start the process of entering the game.¡± The video was fairly generic and outlined what amounted to a basic fantasy world. They did not go into any great detail on anything. They basically went through a monster manual and showed people doing typical fantasy professions. Once the video was over, we were taken to a room filled with pods that we were soon to be in. once in my pod I was shown more similar videos until I fell asleep. When I woke there was nothing. I was floating in complete darkness but I could feel my body. For the first time in months, I could feel. I floated for what felt like a long time just enjoying the ability to move, even if there was nothing to see or do. Then out of nowhere, a monotone voice asked. ¡°What is a creature?¡± In a moment of confusion, I didn''t reply. As I began to speak, I felt a push then I saw and heard everything that I had ever considered a creature. In an instant, it felt like the information was torn out of me. I saw everything dragons, squirrels, wasps, Pikachu. Then suddenly I wasn''t alone in the darkness, I could see the other players floating around me then the voice asked the question again. This time I didn''t see and hear my thoughts but the cacophony of everyone¡¯s and it continued until I was in complete agony from the wash of information. Just when it felt like it was too much to endure, I was alone again in the quiet. All to soon the voice returned and ask a new question. ¡°what is land?¡± again the information was ripped from me every ocean, river, stream, spring, mountain, hill, and rock. I saw every place I have ever been or seen. Without warning, I was with the others and the voice asked again. Pain was the only thing I could perceive as the thoughts of hundreds flowed through me. Unlike before I did not return to my dark solitude, but floated high above an unknown world. Before I could start to explore the voice was back. ¡°What is magic?¡± The cycle continued for what felt like an eternity constantly switching from complete solitude to a suffocating pull at my core then to the mind splitting tumult of hundreds of screaming voices. The only thing that kept me from going insane were the quiet moments between questions. In those moments I floating over a new growing world, a world that I was going to live in. Seeing how the world evolved as each cycle ended. In the beginning, there were random sections that looked like samples of different terrains. Oceans made up of cubes of different colored liquids. Mountains of ice, rock, and crystal. Forest of all different types of trees. All mashed together with no logic at all. deserts next to lakes, next to hellish landscapes full of fire. Then slowly with each question, the lands moved and changed growing more complex and orderly. Each iteration brought the world closer to a natural state. The forest of individual species merged and grew mountains burst from the land. As the mountains grew other areas sank creating deep ravines and rolling hills. Oceans filled and springs created rivers that flowed into the oceans created estuaries. Once the land was created creatures began to emerge. With each new creature, the lands changed slightly as they joined the ecosystem. As time went by new creatures stopped being add and instead, they evolved. They changed to fit into their environment or changed the environment to fit them. Some went extinct and others flourished. Many of those who flourished and became strong also became intelligent. These creatures became elves, humans, orcs any and every intelligent creature imaginable. I watched them grow and build. Villages became cities, cities became kingdoms and kingdoms became empires. Histories played out before me I saw huge civilizations grow then be destroyed. I saw great magics and creatures destroy whole cities. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. As amazing as those moments in time were, that¡¯s all they were, moments. Eternities were spent suffering as information was pulled from me. By the time the final question came, there was only one thing I wanted. To be alone in the solitude that brought relief. So, when the voiced asked, ¡°Where do you want to be?¡± I screamed with all I was, ¡°I want to be alone!¡± Then everything went dark the world below was taken away, my body disappeared and my consciousness followed. I soon found myself floating above a canopy of an expansive forest valley surrounded by huge rolling mountains that dominated the horizon. Snow could be seen on the mountain peaks yet the trees were still green. The valley itself was split in three by large tributaries that came together and fell into the mouth of a canyon. Unable to move or feel my body I started to panic thinking I had lost my new body already. Looking down I found that I didn''t have a body, it was as if I was looking at the land through a camera. Just when I thought I was going to be stuck like this forever I heard the same voice from before ask. ¡°Who are you?¡± True panic filled me this time. I have never felt more terrified than when faced with returning to the insanity of having hundreds of other people''s thoughts run through my brain. But unlike before I wasn''t pulled into a chorus of deafening thought. The voice just continued to ask. ¡°Who are you?¡± I stayed silent waiting for the voice to leave but it didn''t, it continued to ask. I waited, watching the sun and moons rise and fall in the sky. As much as I feared the results of answering the question, I couldn''t live without a body again. So, I decided I would tell it my name. ¡°I am ¡°, As I started to speak, I felt the same pull from the chaos before. I tried to resist but it was pointless. Every introduction I have ever given flowed out of my mind in that moment. ¡°Who are you?¡± Unlike before the memories and thoughts were all mine and were orderly and separate. If the world was created in the chaos before this must be the creation of myself in this world. That must mean I have the chance to create myself as I see fit. Did I want to be different then I was in life? What was I in the outside world? A child, a student, a worker? I was never able to become the person I set out to be a programmer. I wanted to create something that was mine, something I could be proud of. ¡°Who are you?¡± For me, this world isn''t a chance for a new different life but a way to continue living and reaching for my goals I couldn''t achieve in my past. I will be who I was, I won''t change. I began to speak again but this time I didn''t fight the force I let it in and gave it everything I am. A rush of memories surged through me. I was on the floor in an unrecognizable house surrounded by giants. In my dad''s garage watching him build a car. Standing over his grave. Programming a game with my friends at university. Sitting next to my mother''s hospital bed. Building house after house. The ground closing in. darkness. A computer monitor, hours of videos about creating things, the human body, science. Book after book, a fruitless search for a way to be able to move and feel again. Despair and depression. Hope. I relived my entire 21 years on earth. For a while hung there in the sky in silence watching the sun move as time passed. Finally, a break in the silence, the voice asked a new question. ¡°What is power?¡±. This time I knew that I could answer the question by letting myself flow out but I decided to think about it clearly instead. The answer I give will be the most important of my life. this will give me the tools I need to thrive in this world. I want to create and build. so, I need power to create. My character needs to be intelligence-based because magic is the only way to create truly powerful things in fantasy worlds. I want to be able to create anything. I want to be able to learn any magic, any ability, any skill and imbue them into my creations. I let my desire fill me pushed it out into the world. I saw magic for the first time I felt the power that all things in this world are made of. The world flashed a bright white and was plunged to the ground. Chapter 5 A weight settled on my feet. I''m on my feet! Years of confinement to a white room with nothing but a monitor are over. I am free. Looking around, the trees I saw from above before now towered over me. I had expected the woods to be filled with brush and fallen leaves, but it was completely clear with the canopy allowing only momentary shafts of sunlight to reach the lush moss floor. The light shining through the canopy¡¯s leaves cast everything in a vibrant green. Energy I hadn''t felt in years surge through me and I took off running. I ran as fast as I could, pushing my legs as hard as possible, cherishing the burn that started to radiate from my legs and lungs, feeling like I was truly alive for the first time in years. Rushing through a forest of trees with diameters as massive as 15 meters. It was the most awe-inspiring moment of my life. Then someone cut my stings. I collapsed to the ground racked with pain. Panic rushed through me. I had just regained my body and its already failed. Slowly I felt the pain reduce and my body was able to move again. That''s when it hit me, I ran out of stamina, this is a game world! This was supposed to be a fantasy RPG but there were no prompts, skills, interface. nothing. I tried to call up a character sheet but nothing happened. I searched my pockets but found nothing. This felt just like the world I came from. I tried to reach out like I did with the voice but there was no response. I was about to start yelling to get the attention of something but thought better of calling whatever was in these woods to me. I was told that the game would be created by the thoughts of the players, so maybe the game systems have not been generated yet. Whatever the answer is I need to figure out where I am and how I¡¯m going to survive. Being Lost and alone in an ancient forest would be bad in the old world but now it seemed like a death sentence. Nobody said anything about what happens when you die in this world, so I should just avoid that at all costs. If this world is anything like sword and sorcery games, I know I need to find a weapon. You would think that an ancient forest would be full of fallen wood or something I could use as a weapon but no. whoever imagined this place must have hated sticks because there wasn''t even a twig on the ground. In fact, all I could see was trees and moss. there was no sign of any animals at all, which is strange because I saw how many creatures were places in the world. As I continued to walk through the sheer perfection that was this forest, I realized that it was literally brand new. Ether this area was not created during world creation or this isn''t the world I watched being created. However, the hivemind people said this world is generated by thoughts of the players inhabiting it. So, if I am truly alone that means my thoughts should have the most impact on this place. With that in mind, I went in search of a place to hide in order to devote as much time to trying to influence the development of this area. After a few more minutes of walking, I stumbled upon what looked to be three trees that grew and twisted into each other. At the base of the trees there looked to be a cave mouth. On closer inspection, it appeared that one tree grew at an angle that forced the root system of the second tree out of the ground. The roots of the two trees created the ceiling and floor of a tunnel that lead to a clearing in the center. Entering the clearing and looking up I was able to see that the trees seemed to be fused at the base but grew apart higher leaving a clear view of the sky through the canopy. I sat down in the shaft of sunlight coming down from that hole and thought back to the view I had during my creation. Hoping to imitate the experience of world creation, I started meditating on the contents of a forest. Animals, plants, rock, ore, magic, monsters. I thought about every forest I had ever explored whether it be real or imagined and as the day faded, I drifted off to sleep. I woke up in the morning to the feel of a drizzle on my face. Opening my eyes all I could see were the anticipated notification windows of an RPG. It seemed that the system had generated the interface for the game as I slept. The first prompts were about my character creation.
Congratulations on entering the world of Autrael This may be the day of your birth but you have experiences from your past life. Those experiences will be reflected in Autrael.
Dismissing the first notification a character sheet popped up.
Name: Bobby Perry Race: Human Age: 21 Level: 0 Exp to next level: 100 Health: 200 Mana: 240 Stamina: 200 Strength: 13 Constitution: 10 Agility: 5 Dexterity: 17 Intellect: 12 Wisdom: 11 Endurance: 10 Free stat points: 0
Looking at the character sheet I was slightly confused because the base stats seemed to be 10 but my agility was only at 5. They told us that all our stats would be set to the average of all users if the actual state was lower. As I swiped away the character screen an explanation of the stats came into view. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Through years of construction labor, you have developed strength much higher than average (6) and receive an additional +7 to strength (13). You don''t seem to like to run or jump or throw or sneak or do anything but walk and pick stuff up. You have average agility (5). You can''t fix stupid, well now you can, but luckily you have above average intellect (9) and receive an additional +3 to intellect (12). You are more durable than average (4) and receive +4 to constitution (8) Typing, writing, building, carving, drawing. You have spent the majority of your life using your hands to do detailed work. You are far above average (8) and receive an additional +9 to dexterity (17). Wisdom comes with age and experience and yours is just above average (8) and receive an additional +1 to wisdom (9). Years of consistent physical labor have greatly benefited your endurance. You have above average endurance (7) and receive an additional +3 endurance (10)
As I finished reading my stat gains the window closed. Looking over the average attribute values it was clear that physical stats are relatively low. I don''t know if that''s a result of the players being physically disabled, but I do know that my lack of agility is probably going to be a problem. The descriptions give a little insight into how to increase some of the stats. Strength, agility, and endurance seem to be able to increase with exercise, wisdom by doing new things, and dexterity by doing detailed or precise work. intellect and constitution have no obvious ways to increase but there is most likely a way to do it. Checking my character sheet again I saw that my stats were higher than they should be. Moving to the next notification I found out why.
Congratulations you have reached 10 strength and will now receive a bonus of +1 constitution for every 5 levels of strength you have. +2 to constitution
Congratulations you have reached 10 Intellect and will now receive a bonus of +1 wisdom for every 5 Intellect you have. +2 to wisdom
So, it looks like at 10 in any main attribute you get a bonus in a secondary. which probably means that stats points will be hard to come by, so I will have to learn how each stat affects my abilities before committing to anything. For instance, I was able to lift a little over 200 pounds before my accident so that gives me a gauge for the value of a point in strength. If the stat points represent a linear increase then a point in strength would equate to the ability to pick up about 15 pounds. As for the other stats, I have no clue but knowing the actual benefit of a stat point is important. In The next notification, I found the results of my choices during character creation.
Unlike in your last life, you have been given the ability to choose your starting point. Still, you must live with what you are given in this world as you did in the last. You have gained 3 traits, Jack of all trades: You are able to learn or gain any skill, ability, trait, or magic. Experience from leveling any of the four is reduced by up to 100%. Master of none: Skill, ability, and magic leveling speeds are doubled. Leveling speed lowers as level increases. Crafter: crafting skills are leveled 50% faster and items you create are 10% better. All skills require up to 100% more stamina or mana during combat.
I guess I got what I wanted and it seems that I will be relatively powerful at early stages. Though as time goes by others will be able to achieve both more powerful abilities and higher skill levels. Also depending on how combat works I might be seriously hindered in battle, especially since I''m alone. The last notification was quite the surprise and started to show the possible diversity of character builds in this world.
Attention the secondary Attribute dexterity has exceeded its primary attribute agility by over 200%. Would You like to make dexterity the primary attribute?
Thinking about it, I was extremely lucky to find this out so early. The chances that someone has such skewed stats in associated attributes were probably low. Especially given the small pool of players. Having very little information about the importance of primary and secondary attributes I don¡¯t think it is worth the risk to make the switch now. All I know for certain is that I will receive +3 to agility, but with no real gauge of the value of each stat, I wasn''t going to take the risk. After closing the last window, I was left with four small bars at the top right of my vision. Red, blue, green, and silver. Focusing on the bars triggered a prompt.
Heath: 200/200 Mana: 240/240
Stamina 200/200 Exp: 0/100
Dismissing the prompt with a thought I focused on the bars and willed them to minimize unless they change and they faded away until they were almost completely transparent. Then thinking character screen, a window opened that showed an image of me with a grid for my equipped items. Along the side of the window, there were tabs labeled Attributes, Details, Quests, and Inventory. The stats tab contained the character sheet as well as areas for equipment bonuses and other buffs. The Details tab contained fields for displaying skills, abilities, and traits. The inventory tab contained a simple grid that contained all the items on my person, as well as a single empty cell labeled soul storage. Focusing on soul storage resulted in a whole lot of nothing so I decided to figure that out later. Now having an interface and an idea of my stats, I need to make a plan for the immediate future. First things first I need to get a weapon, all I have now is the canvas cloths I spawned in. to do that I need to find some materials to craft with. Without other players or knowing where a city is the only way I can do that is to go search the forest. However, from what I saw yesterday there wasn''t any obvious crafting material other than trees and there''s no way I was going to be able to chop one down. Unless the changes made to the game while I slept were more extensive than just the interface, I am going to have a bad time in these woods. Also, I¡¯ll need to see if stats can be trained. the fastest way to do that would probably through trying to train agility. It''s my lowest stat and from the notification before running may contribute to agility so if I just run as much as possible while collecting crafting materials, I should be able to increase the stat. With a general goal in mind, I stood up and left the grove.