[Republished] A World Gone Virtual (8 in Science Fiction 3/8/13)

Chapter Eight

The dark-skinned agent looks at me. "I am Agent Thomas Gray," he says as he climbs back into the driver's seat. "We didn't introduce ourselves."

"Agent Liam Spears," the other man says as he returns to his seat, shutting his door. They drive us away while I'm still trying to process what just happened. I know that my involvement in this "Project Alpha" has to be kept pretty secret, but to shoot Jared? That's taking it a bit far.

AJ looks at me. Her face is pale, her lips tremble.

"What do we do?" she mouths at me. I shake my head.

"Where are we going?" I ask, unsure if I want to know the answer.

Agent Spears turns slightly. "Back to Headquarters."

Shit.

We are led back through the large lobby and into the bank of elevators, rising to the top floor in a few minutes. The agents hesitate at the door to the Director's office. Agent Gray puts a hand to his earpiece, listening for a moment.

"You are to go in alone, Mr. Wells. Miss Johnson will come with us."

I stare at him, my heart beating fast. Is this it? Is my contract already over?

AJ plants her hands on her hips. "No."

Agent Spears looks her over. "You will do as you are told."

She scowls at him. "I know enough to be told what's really going on. I'm getting through that door."

The two agents look at each other and they don't look happy. Agent Gray listens to his earpiece for a moment. He nods. "Go ahead."

I step into the room with AJ and one of the agents closes it behind us. The Director sits in her high-backed chair behind the wide desk. She motions for us to sit in the chairs before her desk.

"You have many questions," she states after we do. "First, Mr. Thomas will be fine, following a reboot--which has already occurred. He will be looking for you." She looks right at me. "Personally, I feel no harm will be done if he is told the truth--if you proceed carefully with how you tell him. However, I feel I owe you an apology for the behavior of my agents in this matter. Avatar termination is used only as necessary, in emergency situations, for example--where a crime is being committed, perhaps--"

"They said he had done a crime," I say. "He was asking me about the Project, trying to find out where I'd been. He didn't know, though, so he didn't mean anything by it."

"I agree," the Director says.

"You know, when I first registered for the Sphere, I thought the agents were programs too. Bit of a shock to find out they were human employees of CyberSphere Corporations. Wouldn't that be easier?"

She considers this for a moment. "Perhaps. Then their actions would be controlled by me, or influenced, as they would still be artificially intelligent on their own. However, for all my programming, I still feel I lack in many key areas. I find that I am fairly rigid in my decision processes, that my understanding of subtle human nuances is hindered by my inability to see humanity from a first-person perspective, not being one myself. I look human, for your comfort, but I do not think as you do. So...agents controlled by my authority would, I fear, be more flawed than they are now as human beings. It is the same reason our police forces are human-controlled, as well. Does that answer your question?"

I nod.

She leans forward, lacing her fingers together in front of her. "Alison...AJ...I am interested in knowing your opinion of your situation, having been told of the nature of this reality."