{"id":1539,"date":"2021-04-02T02:15:04","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T01:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=1539"},"modified":"2021-04-02T02:15:04","modified_gmt":"2021-04-02T01:15:04","slug":"after-life-fictional-story-about-everlasting-life-work-in-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/after-life-fictional-story-about-everlasting-life-work-in-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"After Life (Fictional Story About Everlasting Life ~ Work In Progress)"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Life<\/h1>\n

By Simon Smith<\/strong><\/h4>\n

2012<\/p>\n

This is a story that looks in to the issue of being able to live indefinitely by having one\u2019s head kept alive. Some of the links aren’t working so please scroll down to see the chapters.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 1<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 2<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 3<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 4<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 5<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 6<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 7<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 8<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 9<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 10<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 11<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 12<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 13<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 14<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 15<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 16<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1:10 a.m. April 25 th 2049<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 1<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many people wake up not knowing that this will be the last time they\u2019ll ever do it, everything feels normal and suddenly at some point in the day, it\u2019s the end. Others, like me, wake up knowing it\u2019s very likely to be the last time we ever wake, and almost definitely the last time we go to sleep. Getting old is a pisser, don\u2019t wish it upon yourself, I lay in the hospital bed, my son sitting nearby, waiting for the inevitable. I ache all over, there\u2019s no escape, I want God or the doctor to hurry up and get on with it. It\u2019s not that I want to die, but I don\u2019t want to go on like this.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There was no sudden moment that I could discern for my death, no white light, no elation, I went to sleep feeling nauseous, dreamt something which I can\u2019t remember, although I know it felt confused, and then nothing, I wasn\u2019t even conscious of the nothingness. One minute I was alive and now I am here.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I can\u2019t feel my body below my throat, I can\u2019t move my head, I can open my eyes and speak, I am breathing, I can feel it move through my nose and mouth but not in my chest. I can speak out loud and I can hear sounds. There is a screen ahead of me, and beyond that is glass, I seem to be in a large glass box.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this Heaven or Hell?\u201d<\/p>\n

My words appear on the screen as I say them. From the darkness beyond the glass a figure approaches. It is my son.<\/p>\n

\u201cFather, you\u2019re still alive, do you remember signing up to the Beyond project? It\u2019s worked, you have survived death see?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do I know I\u2019m not dreaming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t, but I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m not\u201d He laughs \u201cWoohoo. It\u2019s so good to still be able to talk with you Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

His joy makes me want to cry, and sure enough I feel tears roll down my cheeks even though I can\u2019t feel the gut crushing sensation that normally accompanies crying.<\/p>\n

I know what\u2019s happened to me, even though I didn\u2019t think it was possible. My head has been detached from my body, I have been rejuvenated so I probably look a bit younger, my skull has been strengthened, my eyes and other features are constantly rejuvenating as any 20 year old\u2019s would and my brain, well that\u2019s why I\u2019m here, I have a value you see and it\u2019s what my brain does that won me this position. The next stage of the Beyond project is to grow a body for me and connect us.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I look at myself?\u201d<\/p>\n

The screen shows an image of my son, \u201cNo, of me please\u201d, within the silence between request and words on the screen and words spoken out loud, I realise it\u2019s me. I have a young face again, and hair, dark hair. I am speechless.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a miracle\u201d my son says putting his fingers to the glass.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo am I to become an Internet sensation, again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor now this is a secret Dad, but when the time is right I\u2019m sure you will\u201d<\/p>\n

We both laugh.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 2<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u2019m half waiting to die still, but let me tell you now, this isn\u2019t one of those stories, this isn\u2019t a dying dream. It\u2019s hard to tell if one is dreaming or awake, but there\u2019s something in the detail of wakefulness that seems persuasive. I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s not possible to be tricked by a dream, but this doesn\u2019t feel dream like even though it\u2019s incredibly unreal.<\/p>\n

My world is both dark and light. The screen I\u2019m writing this on is dimmed, but above me is a strong light. I can\u2019t move my head but I can get the screen to move and consequently so does the built in camera. I can even record video so as the screen passes around, below, away from and above me I can then look back after and get to discover my new world.<\/p>\n

There are people, a few have come close enough for me to see their faces, this is after all a miracle and I too would want to witness it.<\/p>\n

I am asked by one woman to go through the preferences on my screen, the list seems endless, from states of hunger, perceived temperature, waking preferences, type of sleep, dreams (yes, no).<\/p>\n

I ask to go to sleep, my vision dims. I do not dream.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 3<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

I am awake again, still not dead. I have barely just gone to sleep when I am woken by my son. I do not feel tired, I am awake and alert, I smile.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve changed, you were wearing a white t shirt a minute ago, now you\u2019re wearing a shirt\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was yesterday dad. Does it feel like time hasn\u2019t passed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like it was a few minutes ago\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are the kids and Sal?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids are still upset about you going, and Sal says she\u2019ll come to see you soon\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of cruel not telling them\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe one day we will and they\u2019ll understand why, secrets and kids do not go well together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a shame about the glass between us, if it wasn\u2019t there I could get you to scratch my nose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you got an itch?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but if ever I did I can see it\u2019d be a problem\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what does it feel like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStrange, it\u2019s not like I imagined. It feels like I\u2019m half here.\u201d I laugh \u201cI suppose technically speaking I\u2019m only an eighth here. I almost feel that now we\u2019ve proved it can work that they might as well let me die, or at least hurry up and give me a body so that I can live normally again. I don\u2019t think I want to stay like this for the rest of my days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know it\u2019s not for your benefit you\u2019re here, it\u2019s your mind not your body that the state wants you for\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStory of my life, or is it my death?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want me to go through some of the new articles with you dad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep, that\u2019s a good idea\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s strange, it feels so weird and yet so normal to be chatting with you like this\u201d<\/p>\n

I look in to his eyes for a second, then look away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 4<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

This feels a bit similar to when I was waiting to sleep on a hospital ward when I was a kid. Dim lighting, hardly any colour, unable to move, layers of thoughts and feelings, and anticipation. Later in life I realised that it was better for me not to think about what was coming but enjoy what was here. Although I\u2019m fascinated by what\u2019s happened to me I feel trapped. I\u2019m going to ask to sleep till I have a visitor.<\/p>\n

When I wake the Prime Minister is looking at me, I wonder if this is one of those celebrity dreams, although I have met the Prime Minister beforehand.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s OK I\u2019m not deaf\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredible\u201d He\u2019s still shouting slightly \u201cI\u2019ve come to thank you\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a little speechless<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d shake hands Prime Minister but\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes that may be a little problematic. So how are you feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever felt better\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo I mean really?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell it\u2019s very strange, it\u2019s like being in a dream\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I have to say it\u2019s very hard for me to put the old you and this you together, you look so young. Are you in any pain?<\/p>\n

\u201cNone, I can\u2019t really feel much\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to the day we get to shake hands. The development of your body has already been started\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s it going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there are two versions being trialled\u201d He looks across to a figure, probably a doctor, to his left. \u201cYes there\u2019s a pure bio system and a hybrid bio-synthetic one\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cInteresting, any idea of time scales?\u201d<\/p>\n

I think for a moment. Time is almost irrelevant to me, if he said 100 years then I could sleep it off, but then what about my family, if I had to wait just a few years then I could spend time with them in the real world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have that information, sorry. I\u2019m going to have to go, but I shall drop by again soon\u201d<\/p>\n

He looks over his shoulder as he walks in to the darkness, smiles, waves and drifts off.<\/p>\n

\u201cTelevision, BBC News\u201d<\/p>\n

The news starts. It all seems so familiar.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo to sleep\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFather?\u201d<\/p>\n

I open my eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes Ben, how are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, shall we commence?\u201d<\/p>\n

We are both medical men, our main area is focused on how the body heals itself, right from wounds clotting, to the brain reprogramming itself after being damaged to psychic healers, basically everything that the body does for itself without help from modern medicine, although we study that too. I volunteered for this project because the survival of death is, I guess, the ultimate in healing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a question for you Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long do you think Life should be?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t that depend on the subject and the type of life experienced?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOk, let\u2019s say one\u2019s health remains close to that of one\u2019s peak condition, that life is comfortable and that people who we are close to remain in our life, so basically, not too much suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen wouldn\u2019t most people want to carry on living indefinitely?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure, it\u2019s been in my mind a lot\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing is your preconditions are unrealistic, we can never guarantee that they\u2019ll be no suffering, not really\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is really \u201cWhat is it that makes us want to die?\u201d.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing stuck in this experiment, well that\u2019s one good reason\u201d I laugh, but Ben doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you rather be dead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it was to be like this continually, then yes, I need to have a body, I am mind and body. I feel like I\u2019m waiting, waiting for Body-ot\u201d<\/p>\n

We go through research papers, magazine articles, letters, and eventually I sleep.<\/p>\n

This is my life and will be for some time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 5<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFather, there are others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure\u201d<\/p>\n

I turn my camera on and look behind me. There are 3 glass boxes in a line behind me. I can\u2019t see their faces, just the backs of their heads.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, there seem to be some robots, dad, look I\u2019ll call one over, excuse me, I\u2019ll try calling it by its number. Five, excuse me, are you called five. Oh it\u2019s approaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

A white, small, human shaped robot, walk up to my son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to show you to my father\u201d<\/p>\n

The robot slowly turns to face me, it has two blue lights for eyes. It waves at me and says in a female voice \u201cDo you require any further assistance?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo thank you\u201d my son says looking astonished, he shrugs his shoulders at me while the robot clomps off.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look like you haven\u2019t seen a robot before son\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cErm it\u2019s more a case of what they\u2019re doing here, I don\u2019t understand why something that can break down is here looking after such an important project. You\u2019ll probably end up fixing the damn things dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShame they couldn\u2019t develop some nice looking ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll try to find out more about the newcomers\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stands up and starts to walk behind me, as I try to follow him with my camera he comes back.<\/p>\n

\u201cApparently I\u2019m not allowed over there\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s try the computer. Computer, who are the new people here\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease be more specific\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Christ sake! WHO ARE THE NEW PEOPLE, OR NON-DEAD HEADS?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not understand your question\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease call a Doctor over\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it an emergency?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the nature of the emergency?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too urgent to explain\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have called a medical team\u201d<\/p>\n

Quietly I mumble \u201cFor fucks sake\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben and I smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere they come\u201d says Ben standing back.<\/p>\n

A young, ok young in my eyes, out of breath woman asks \u201cWhat\u2019s the problem Professor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI seem to have company and no one has told me anything about it\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but, what\u2019s the emergency?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the emergency\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease Professor don\u2019t call out a medical team for information, you nearly gave us a heart attack\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, but in return can you answer my question?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u201d<\/p>\n

If I could I would nod my head in disbelief, instead I just raise my eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will however get one of the administrators to come and see you\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, and thank you for the attention, I didn\u2019t realise I was lacking it until you came in to my world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so glad mum isn\u2019t here to see you dad\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m an old man in a young head, what did you expect? Anyway, who says she can\u2019t see me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201coh well, let\u2019s try and get on with all this then\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben picks up a pile of papers and for a while everything goes back to abnormal.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad, there is someone here to see you\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScreen down\u201d<\/p>\n

A man is looking at me, then swivels towards Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry we didn\u2019t talk to you about the new arrivals. We would normally struggle to prepare one person, so to have three to deal with has been beyond anything we thought we could cope with and because of that we didn\u2019t even think to let you know, I am very sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo who are my co-habitants?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re in good company and you know all three of them. Carol Bentley, Paul Morgan, and<\/p>\n

Lenin Villavicencio\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are they coping?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not, they are still unconscious, but we shall bring them around in about 2 months\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess there\u2019s no rush then?\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor laughs \u201cWe like to take things slowly here\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, and why have you introduced robots?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re developing a backup system in case anything goes wrong with our human staff\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s very reassuring to know, and any word on my body?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that there are now prototypes being developed however you do realise that the quickest body we can grow will take 16 years but we think we\u2019re more likely to be successful with the ones that will take 20?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo I didn\u2019t realise that? I thought that the growth processes that we\u2019d developed before I\u2019d DIED, indicated a 5 year period\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are trying that system but so far we\u2019ve felt it might be too unstable. Let\u2019s see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I don\u2019t really have much option so yes, I guess we will see, eventually\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything else I can help you with?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes the phone number of the woman in the medical team, and a phone\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry but I can\u2019t help you there\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust thought I\u2019d try\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben is laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not watching are you dear? See, no answer!\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a pause, kind of like we\u2019re searching for something to say, maybe something to feel, expecting our reactions to be different.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe that\u2019s what wanting an afterlife is about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a reaction not to our own death, but the death of loved ones, it\u2019s a way of holding on to them\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably one of many reasons\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut most of them don\u2019t make sense, not in any notion of life as we experience it. I mean how long do you think life should be?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cyou\u2019ve already asked me that\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, a hundred, two hundred, five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand years?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf, as we agreed earlier that life was good, then maybe two hundred years\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo short\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut then ten thousand years would be too long\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPossibly\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo somewhere between two hundred and ten thousand years\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say between five hundred and ten thousand\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny other offers?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSold to the head with a son\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, life is just plain surreal dad\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re preaching to the converted, I think we need to hire a hit man to sign up a philosopher and then kill him off, it\u2019d probably brighten things up here. \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking of which, I\u2019ve got the report on the research in to Rabies survivors, it seems nearly all the victims had this in common\u201d Ben holds up a piece of paper\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s very interesting\u201d<\/p>\n

For a while I feel alive again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn many ways my life is like someone who has become disabled. As I got old I thought I knew what it was like to watch one\u2019s world diminish with one\u2019s body, but for so many people this is life. It\u2019s value is the connection with others, but then the frustration of not being able to feel that connection physically.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019ll find a lot of them manage dad\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes really. I once saw a film\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to know anymore son, let\u2019s just stick to the rabies, it\u2019s easier\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t\u201d Ben laughs \u201cit wasn\u2019t like that. You know it\u2019s strange because for the last 40 years you\u2019ve looked old to me\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut now you look like you did when I was a kid, I\u2019d forgotten you looked like this, and it makes me feel like I\u2019m a kid again at times, it\u2019s as if your age defines mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I could hug you goodnight my son I would\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben goes quiet. I think about how I used to let him climb on me, kids love anyone they can climb on, and carrying him to bed. Kids are lovely when they\u2019re that age, but now he sits looking at me, more friend than a son. I know how lucky I have been.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 6<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My passion in life has been trying to understand how we heal ourselves, it\u2019s something that I have been involved with for over 60 years, it\u2019s why I am here. It drives me and I knew that whilst I would feel like a prisoner that this was bigger than me, that my suffering is nothing compared to those who die unnecessarily. I knew what I was getting myself in to, so you won\u2019t hear me complaining even though the thought of being essentially unable to move at all, or be a part of what most people would consider a normal life, well at least for 15 years, would for most people be unthinkable.<\/p>\n

I sleep between Benjamin\u2019s visits, although sometimes I go over the notes we\u2019ve gone through together, I find that it helps me feel connected to him and the rest of my family, like he\u2019s in the other room.<\/p>\n

I have also been studying my new \u201croommates\u201d, and whilst I knew of them I have found it enlightening to see beyond their professional worlds. One gets a sense of someone from a lifetime of posts, blogs and videos. It\u2019s rather like reading a biography knowing full well you\u2019re going to be meeting them soon, you end up retaining far more than normal. I shall enjoy finishing off their stories for them.<\/p>\n

I have been asked to introduce myself to them via a dream type virtual world which we can be tapped in to. Today I will be trying it out. If you don\u2019t hear from me again it probably means it didn\u2019t work, or it works too well. I\u2019m nervous but excited.<\/p>\n

\u201cOk professor, are you ready\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep go ahead, no puns intended\u201d<\/p>\n

I get that feeling like I\u2019m falling asleep at the wheel. My head nods. My head is nodding, what a strange feeling, I know I\u2019m in a dreamscape, so it\u2019s not really like dreaming \u201cnormally\u201d where you\u2019re not quite sure what\u2019s real or not. I know this isn\u2019t real.<\/p>\n

As I open my eyes I find I\u2019m hovering high in the air. It\u2019s very quiet except for the sound of the wind, the sun is rising and the air is slightly cool. For the first time since \u201cdying\u201d I feel alive, not that I could fly when I was alive, but I did experience a breeze on my face occasionally.<\/p>\n

This is magical. I can see islands in the sea, and as natural as it is to swim under water I move through the air, I accelerate by just thinking, apparently I can\u2019t feel pain here, so even if I fell to the ground at full speed I would just find myself standing up. Pain is there to let you know that something\u2019s wrong with your body, in a virtual world there\u2019s no threat to your body, however there may be a need for pleasure. When you dream you tend to only feel pain when you\u2019re real body is experiencing it, and if you can you wake up then, but you\u2019re allowed pleasure. It\u2019s the same here.<\/p>\n

The sea glistens red and orange. I know none of this is real, but for now I have a sense of my body again, the air passes over my skin, I feel alive, beyond alive, I\u2019m flying, that\u2019s not my normal mode of transport. The sea seems to be stretched beyond the horizon so I take it the islands are where I am meant to stay so I fly around them for a while. As I approach sea level I can see the islands are green, lush with foliage, small animals are grazing, birds flock and swarm, this is the backdrop to paradise on earth, all be it a virtually unreal one.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, I think it\u2019s working\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want to come out now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u201d but part of me wants to stay here, explore more but what\u2019s the point, there are more important things to do.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 7<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

My new life has started to become routine, I have been awake on and off throughout the last 60 days or more. I have avoided the virtual paradise, I thought it would be better to explore it with the others as an equal rather than a leader.<\/p>\n

Benjamin and I have been researching a lot of data on the effects of induced coma on people with almost certain terminal conditions, that combined with traditional and other treatments has been our main concern over these months.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a shame the computers can\u2019t embed information in to my brain, it would save lots of time but for now at least we\u2019re stuck to traditional methods. This normally involves reading the same paragraph about 5 times before I realise I haven\u2019t taken in a single word, hence working with Ben. We discuss what we\u2019re reading and keep notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me professor\u201d<\/p>\n

I look up to see the administrator, he looks like an administrator too. He has a goatee beard and smart clothes, it\u2019s not that I dislike him, he\u2019s probably a very nice man, but it\u2019s more a case of I don\u2019t trust him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, how are you?\u201d I look in to his eyes.<\/p>\n

He looks back at me and smiles. \u201cI\u2019m fine thank you, a bit overwhelmed but coping\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this about the newcomers?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid they know they were dying\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they were all prepared for this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, of course\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo why are you bringing them around in a virtual world\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to work out the best way to do this\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cErm, we\u2019ve created some houses and a small hospital ward, we\u2019ll even have some robots and taxis to take them from the hospital to their virtual homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t we just fly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cyou could but we want you to deal with each person separately and tell them what it\u2019s like here\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cthey\u2019re not going to want to come here\u201d I laugh<\/p>\n

\u201cWell they do know what to expect, it\u2019s just a gentler transition\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOk we\u2019ll give it a go. Do you mind if I sleep till then?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nods his head \u201cNo, of course not\u201d<\/p>\n

I give my sleep command.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 8<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I wake, I\u2019m in the back of a 1950\u2019s taxi, \u201cNice touch\u201d.<\/p>\n

I have a robot driving me.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t they provide human looking taxi drivers?\u201d<\/p>\n

His blue eyes look at me in the mirror<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want you getting confused as to who is who\u201d<\/p>\n

A fly settles on my hand, I wave it off.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre we supposed to kill the flies?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo they\u2019re just decorative \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven the robots here are perfect, a robot with a sense of humour\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t trying to be funny\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps not then\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will find Carol Bentley in the ward on the ground floor, the others are in the other wards,<\/p>\n

just say their names to wake them\u201d<\/p>\n

The taxi pulls up to the central doorway of this two storey building. Brick built, an upper and lower ward each side of the central lobby. As I walk in I see a wooden stairway curling back and around, cold marble floors reflect the bright sunlight. I stand for a second not knowing which way to go, I look to my right, I\u2019m looking for a sign and there it is, right on cue: \u201cWomen\u2019s Ward\u201d. I can feel the sun on my neck, and feel the coolness of the floor through my shoes. The place even smells like a hospital. I look in the reflection of the door I am dressed in a grey suit. The administrator\u2019s touch I presume.<\/p>\n

I walk in to the ward, a young looking Carol Bentley is in the first bed to the right.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarol\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes open and she takes in the room and me. She sniffs the air?<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I dead or dying?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen where am I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve become a member of the Beyond project\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like I imagined\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re in a virtual world, the project organisers think this might be a more gentle way to come to know your new life. I\u2019m the first member so they thought I might be useful in terms of explaining things and letting you know what my experience has been like\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh right, so is the real version much different, I mean I know it\u2019s different but in how it feels emotionally? I know you don\u2019t I? My God it\u2019s Andrew Roberts, my God look at you! You look so young. Do you look like that in real life?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell my head does, but that\u2019s all there is of me\u201d<\/p>\n

Carol starts to cry.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd of course me\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, for now that\u2019s true\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cnot at all\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it uncomfortable?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do I get out of here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cyou just ask in your mind and\u201d<\/p>\n

She slumps slightly<\/p>\n

\u201cAh ok, see you later then\u201d<\/p>\n

I get up and walk to the next ward<\/p>\n

Sure enough a man in his thirties, with a goatee beard, (I think you know what I\u2019m thinking), is in the first bed on the left. A beam of sunlight falls upon us both. I see Lenin written on the clipboard at the end of his bed<\/p>\n

\u201cLenin\u201d<\/p>\n

He opens one eye, looks around and slowly opens the other eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this Heaven, Hell or The Beyond Project?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Beyond Project\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why aren\u2019t I just a head in a glass case?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause this is a virtual world where you can prepare yourself and ask me questions\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the first person to join so if you have any questions?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it uncomfortable\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you rather be dead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, then maybe I should go and see for myself, how do I go there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust request it as thought\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo our thoughts are not really our own\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing is our own anymore\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep, I kind of knew that. Can we have privacy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you can select that in your preferences\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least we get preferences, that\u2019s one step up from my life before\u201d<\/p>\n

There is something dark about Lenin, or maybe it\u2019s a sadness. There is a sadness that comes from dedicating one\u2019s life to something, especially something as all-encompassing as physics. Maybe it\u2019s the other way around, something makes someone so sad that they find solace in dislocating themselves from others through a calling.<\/p>\n

I had thought that my marriage was a good one, but before Kate had died, in a delirious state she told me she thought I\u2019d never really loved her properly, she burst out crying and although I reassured her that I loved her, and joked with her that I must love her after all she\u2019d put me through, deep down all I could feel was nothing except pity and guilt. My first love was me, well ok my first love was Ben, then me.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you ok?\u201d said Lenin \u201cIt\u2019s just I want to go and I don\u2019t know whether that would be rude, will I just disappear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019ll stay here waiting for yourself to return, no harm will come to you. Are you sure you don\u2019t want to ask any more questions\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably, but I need to face the truth, no doubt we will be seeing each other again\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, see you later\u201d<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t even slump but his eyes have closed<\/p>\n

The window is open so I slowly fly out of it. I gently hover to look through the windows up stairs. I see him in the bed and drift through an open window. This superhero facet is obviously a perk of the job.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul\u201d<\/p>\n

He turns his head to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWoohoo. Either I\u2019m dying or this the Beyond Project\u201d he has a deep Southern accent, which even though I\u2019ve heard it on the videos of him, possibly the \u201cWoohoo\u201d has caught me off guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond Project\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThought so, and this, this isn\u2019t how it\u2019s meant to be, this has got to be a kind of purgatory, if it is we may be here some time!\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

I smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d he shakes his head at me \u201cWhat now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cwhen you\u2019re ready you can face your reality. It doesn\u2019t hurt and isn\u2019t uincomfortable\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just about to ask that\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you might.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I take it you are in the same boat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA few months\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how long before we get new bodies?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot sure, it could be quite a wait\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA year? Five years? Ten Years?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore like twenty\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty! Surely not\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an unknown really\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it could be sooner\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you love your work Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you\u2019ll be ok\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, what\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAndrew Roberts\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks Andrew\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome Paul. You know, this really is an amazing experience, but it does take a bit of adjustment\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019m fully prepared to find I\u2019m not fully prepared\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that case you\u2019ll be fine, just say, even in your own thoughts, when you want to face your reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not really a facing reality type of guy, but I\u2019m also very curious, and curiosity\u201d<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t stop myself interrupting \u201ckilled the cat\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a cat, Andrew, I\u2019m not sure what I am, but I ain\u2019t no cat\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment I hope the administrator would turn him in to a cat, but he doesn\u2019t, there\u2019s probably a rule against it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll be ok Paul, are you ready?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep\u201d<\/p>\n

And he is gone.<\/p>\n

I decide to take a look at the houses, I get back in the cab and get driven there. The robot occasionally looks in my eyes, I smile, don\u2019t know why. I look around and see we\u2019re on a road that goes from the hospital to a collection of houses. My one is a small old white cottage with a grey thatched roof.<\/p>\n

I walk in and find the downstairs is one room, a living area, kitchen and dining area with stairs. For fun I make myself fly up the stairs. Upstairs is a bedroom with a bath in it. There is a lavatory in a little room in the corner but what\u2019s the point?<\/p>\n

I lie on the bed and give a sleep request.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 9<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the most important thing to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Five looks at me with \u201cher\u201d bright blue eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe survival of the human race\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause that is what we are programmed to do\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have any programmed commands that could lead you to not follow that one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if in order to save the human race you had to destroy yourself, could you do that? I mean if you destroy yourself then you could no longer ensure that you could follow your command\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the probability of not destroying myself meant that humans would certainly be destroyed then the choice would be correct.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if the probability was not definite, then what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can only make decisions based on clear data, if the probable outcome was not yet clear I would wait until it was\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you five, I\u2019m feeling much more reassured now\u201d They really don\u2019t get irony.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome professor. Do you require any further assistance?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, thank you\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodbye professor\u201d<\/p>\n

I am thinking nothing for a few seconds, it is a moment of peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncoming call from Lenin Villavicencio\u201d appears on my screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnswer\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Lenin, you\u2019re my first ever caller here\u201d<\/p>\n

He sings \u201cIt had to be me \u201d<\/p>\n

I laugh \u201cHow can I help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I meet you in the virtual world?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll come to your house\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee you in a minute\u201d<\/p>\n

I give the command and I\u2019m instantly feeling my body is heavy on the bed. I sit up, walk downstairs and open my front door. Lenin is hovering in my garden.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you coming in or do you want me to join you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll come in, I want to see if your pad is better than mine\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt it, mine\u2019s very basic, but it\u2019ll do.\u201d<\/p>\n

As I walk Lenin glides in.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there any chance you could walk, it\u2019s just reminding me that this isn\u2019t real\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell it\u2019s not, although for us it is. I quite like it\u201d<\/p>\n

I smile. \u201cI do too\u201d I hover for a minute, make myself go upside down and then pretend to be lying on something.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you\u2019re just being ridiculous, how do you expect me to take you seriously?\u201d<\/p>\n

I look at him, his feet are on the ceiling and he\u2019s wagging his finger at me. We both start laughing and taking my lead we hover towards the flowery arm chairs. \u201cThey got that wrong\u201d I think to myself and the chair changes to a dark brown leather Chesterfield.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo how can I help you Lenin?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you real or a robot Andrew\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m kind of real\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK it isn\u2019t anything bad, I just needed some company. Don\u2019t you ever feel like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you normally do when that happens?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI go to sleep till someone turns up\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think is the point of this, I mean ultimately.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see if extending people\u2019s lives will benefit the human race? I know I was picked because in the face of any biological crisis my experience may be of use, not only in the real world but amongst us too. And you were picked because of your knowledge of genetic modification\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Carol because of her expertise in robotic \/ humanoid development and Paul because of his background in brain interface systems. It seems like we\u2019ve been brought together beyond death for something more than our expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n

I sigh \u201cI think you\u2019re seeing more than what\u2019s actually there. I\u2019ve been part of this project for 30 years and I\u2019ve never got a hint of us being used for anything more than seeing if we can be kept alive and our knowledge being made available in times of need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe, fuck I feel much more depressed than I thought I\u2019d feel, I thought I\u2019d be happy to have escaped death, but this, well although we\u2019re part of a miracle I\u2019m missing my life.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that\u2019s something I can agree with you on, I feel lost\u201d<\/p>\n

The mirror on the wall lights up to become a screen. My son is looking at me. \u201cFather, are you ok, wake up, I need to show you something\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 10<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

I look into his eyes; he\u2019s staring at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve just received a report about what could be a new viral disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far everyone who has contracted it has died and, as far as can be discerned, the latency period seems to be at least a few months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much data do you have on it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHardly anything. I think it\u2019s caught everyone by surprise; this report has just been sent out, literally an hour ago, and we\u2019re one of the first of a small group to get it. I think we need to read through this now \u2013 are you up to it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure but if we don\u2019t have any information\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell let\u2019s just read through this together and see what we do have\u201d<\/p>\n

I should be feeling dread but instead I feel concern. I feel like I\u2019m attached to my body but I\u2019m not aware of any strong sensations and anxiety. Given most emotions are normally felt in our body, it\u2019s not surprising.<\/p>\n

We have headed off countless diseases in the past and, although many people die, in time we get through. That\u2019s the logic in my mind but Ben, who has a body and is feeling his fear, is agitated. I can see it in the paleness of his skin, in the way he\u2019s moving, even his breath.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a rational fear but when you\u2019ve got young children you can\u2019t help but be a bit panicky over anything that might possibly be a threat. I don\u2019t feel too worried but then I don\u2019t feel much.<\/p>\n

We read through the report and there is nothing for us to focus on. The spread of the casualties indicate the latency period is, as Ben mentioned, at least a few months and, because there are no clusters of infections, that indicates that it may be quite a variable latency too, which is all we need.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, go home, there\u2019s nothing we can do until we know more. I\u2019ll request to be woken whenever new information becomes available and I\u2019ll call you if anything significant turns up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben picks up the report, smiles slightly at me and walks away.<\/p>\n

FIVE zooms up to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re due a dream period, Professor Roberts.\u201d<\/p>\n

For every 16 hours of being awake, we must dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is my body coming on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have increased our production\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s good, so will it be ready any quicker?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo but we are making more bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight. So who decided on that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Administrative Department.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Are you ready?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me when you are ready\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m ready\u201d<\/p>\n

I close my eyes.<\/p>\n

I am walking slowly through a busy street. Max Bruch\u2019s Violin Concerto No 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 \u2013 Adagio is playing. As I walk, I feel like I\u2019m a cameraman pointing my lens at different people. A man pretends to play violin; a girl looks at him and runs away. A group of passengers on a bus look at me. An old woman smiles and waves at me. I pull the camera away from my eye to look at her normally but now she is looking up at the sky. I look up too but see nothing. As I look back down, the street is full of people dancing slowly in each other\u2019s arms. I raise my camera back to my eye, I want to capture this moment forever. I take one picture. I know it\u2019s a dream so I put my camera down and just watch. Rain starts to fall but everyone smiles and carries on dancing. I can smell the rain. A woman puts her hand over my eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess who?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d<\/p>\n

I feel an aching sense of love for her. I feel her rise up on tiptoe. She turns my head slightly, kisses me on my cheek.<\/p>\n

The music ends.<\/p>\n

I want to look but know that, if I do, it will end.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

And I then remember what pain feels like.<\/p>\n

I close my eyes. I can\u2019t bear this pleasure anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cProfessor, we have more information for you\u201d<\/p>\n

I open my eyes<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 11<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Whenever a new threatening virus comes about, the world throws up a host of theories as to who\u2019s responsible. \u00a0Normally it\u2019s the governments not being careful enough with their biological weapons development which, strangely enough, they often aren\u2019t but that isn\u2019t what\u2019s generally behind these things. Then there\u2019s the \u201cend of the worlders\u201d who want to cull mankind for its own benefit and, sure enough, there are plenty of people out there nutty enough to go for that if they could but, when you work in this field and you look at the history of man\u2019s brushes with viruses, then you come to expect the worst and only wonder how we managed not to be wiped out a long time ago. It is that we survive and how we do it that drew me to this area of study. \u00a0 No matter what we face, so far, at least, a few people will survive even the worst of viruses, albeit with a little help from the scientific world. That\u2019s my world; I know it\u2019s a faith but it\u2019s one I have seen repeatedly stand up against even the strongest attacks of the non-believers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s early days with this virus; the scientific community is waiting; we need as much information as we can get. One of our problems is secrecy. \u00a0We can\u2019t be open, otherwise we\u2019ll cause panic, but this is inhibiting the flow of information. People are no doubt dying, or even surviving, and this virus is probably not being associated with these cases so, yes, I am ready. \u00a0I am ready for any information.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s on your screen\u201d says FIVE. I read on and, to put it in simple terms, the firsts tests are showing a Rabies type virus that is spreading like colds and flu do. The only problem, or maybe it\u2019s a godsend, is the incubation period; the delay of a month or so may give us more time to react to it but then it means it\u2019s spread further than we could tell, had it been a fast acting virus. There is still little we can do. Anti-viral drugs will take months, if not years, to develop and distribute, the politicians will be too slow to act when it comes to quarantine so, unless the virus by some miracle decides to develop into something more benign, a lot of people are going to die, even though this won\u2019t wipe out mankind.<\/p>\n

I send Ben my reaction to this report and he agrees. I also send a copy to the Prime Minister\u2019s Office. Within a few minutes, he replies and it isn\u2019t what I\u2019d expected. \u201cDear Professor Robertson, I would like you to share your views with my colleagues.\u201d What can I accurately suggest except wait but his sense of panic has got to me. So, when I am invited to speak, that is what I tell them. \u201d Normally, if the incubation period of a virus is fast, coupled with a fast reproductive period, then you must react quickly but we are dealing with a possibly long incubation period and, at least for the next few days or weeks, we have no idea of its reproduction ratio. In other words, how many people can one carrier infect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould it not be wise to create a curfew, at least that way we may prevent it spreading?\u201d asks the Prime Minister<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may help but we\u2019re pretty much locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. The good thing about a curfew is you can\u2019t keep the illness a secret however the ensuing panic may cause more deaths than the virus will. We need to get more information about treatment and really preparing the hospitals is probably our best course of action with a leaning towards collecting data. If someone survives this, then they are our main hope, so keeping detailed records of all treatments is paramount.\u201d<\/p>\n

A voice I don\u2019t recognise speaks next. \u00a0\u201cIt feels like we\u2019re sacrificing people, Professor, for you to get information. Would it hurt to order a curfew doctor, I mean Professor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I just said it will almost definitely cause more damage than good. \u00a0How long are you proposing the curfew to last?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long will it take to get a grip on the virus?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA curfew is a ridiculous choice at this point, I\u2019m not quite sure why you\u2019re pushing for it\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe WHO is suggesting this is extremely serious Professor, we must do something\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen get the data; it\u2019s imperative\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Professor, we shall be in contact again very soon\u201d The connection clicks off. I am looking at FIVE<\/p>\n

\u201cFIVE. \u00a0How many visitors can you cater for long term?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAround 100 for an indefinite period\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you should prepare for a few guests, I think it may be worth me having a chat with the Administrator, can you ask him if he\u2019s free please? \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s on his way\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure enough, a few minutes later the administrator is in front of me.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this about the virus? No doubt you want to turn this place in to a sanctuary for your family, but I\u2019m sure you\u2019re aware of the policy that you agreed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very aware of it thank you, I\u2019m also aware that we can not fully quarantine this virus so I think you ought to set up a cell system here until we know who has has not been infected. I\u2019m also aware that Lenin has developed a brain copy system and I believe that we ought to scan all members of the project from now on. What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a good idea\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a pause<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you don\u2019t have any issues with that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlenty, I realise it won\u2019t damage those being scanned but there hasn\u2019t been one successful attempt at recreating even small parts of the brain. I think you\u2019re right though, we need to take as many precautions as we can\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and your wife have been allocated a place here, how do you feel about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have mixed feelings but this is a remarkable opportunity, although I\u2019m hoping not to become a part of it for sometime if at all possible\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt comes faster than you expect no matter how long you live for\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiles and walks away..<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 12<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a waiting game, that\u2019s how my life before \u201cdying\u201d felt. Now I feel it\u2019s almost the same, but after a lifetime of it I became good at it, and now I have the advantage of being switched off if I feel bored \u2013 but boredom would be an indulgence now. I\u2019m well aware of the suffering that will result from the delays in dealing with the virus. The first strains of the virus have now been analysed and named but viruses mutate rapidly so this is technically version 1 (that we know of). It seems that the virus relates to ones found over 30 years ago in North America between foxes and other animals (I found a record of it here:\u00a0http:\/\/news.nationalgeographic.com\/news\/2009\/05\/090504-rabies-evolution.html\u00a0<\/a>). This virus was mainly dealt with by using airborne vaccines sprayed across the area. Of course it only takes one host to survive and be contagious for a while to keep the disease going.<\/p>\n

Ben is coming in a bit later, but I want to talk with Lenin for a while first so I ask to meet him in my \u201chouse\u201d.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a knock on the door, I open my eyes. It\u2019s dark, I go to the door and let him in.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry not to leave marks on the ceiling this time\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ok I\u2019ve got non-mark soles\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I am feeling\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to know for sure the virus can\u2019t be copied when you scan a brain\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can\u2019t\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m definite\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we may need to scan everyone on the project as soon as we can\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat exactly can you do with the scans?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPrimarily we can create a virtual model of the brain and allow it to simulate a person at least within the confines of a virtual world; of course it\u2019s doesn\u2019t have consciousness, but it may well help in terms of being a resource for those we lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m shocked at the thought of making people look alive to others even though they are dead. I look in his eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s frightening\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole project is frightening. I\u2019m pretty sure it was named Beyond, because it\u2019s beyond belief\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was there at the start and I don\u2019t think they were that poetic\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you fancy going for a drink?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t, not whilst there\u2019s work to be done and anyway is there a bar here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome with me\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I can\u2019t\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an incredible world, even if it isn\u2019t real, it feels real, I mean I feel more alive here than I did before\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, I just can\u2019t accept it. I feel we were kept alive to do a job and that\u2019s what means something to me\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell you know what they say about no play\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes I\u2019ve heard that all my life but for me play gets fitted in between work\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother time then\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep, I have Ben coming over soon so I need to prepare\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are things going at your end of things?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re waiting for someone to survive\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far no one has that we know about, but maybe someone\u2019s had a headache and thought little more of it, but they survived it\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you can\u2019t scan the population to see who\u2019s carrying it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t found a way of sensing it\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the equipment we\u2019re using for the brain scans, surely that\u2019s sensitive enough\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is but it\u2019s only good enough to find the viruses we know about, we\u2019re not even sure what we\u2019re looking for yet. Plus how can we scan everyone with just a handful of scanners? It\u2019s a good idea but a bit premature\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sounding a bit hopeless\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been here a few times before, all you can do is wait for survivors, find out how to identify who\u2019s infected, develop a vaccine, study the viruses to find their other weaknesses and work as fast as you can\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c \u201cHurry up and wait\u201d you mean\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you spoken to Paul or Carol recently?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, why have you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Carol has been working with me to see if we can turn the brain scans into anything in the real world and Paul\u2019s been a bit like you, just thrown himself into his work\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s he focusing on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUs and our bodies\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least someone\u2019s on the case. Sorry, I have to go \u2013 Ben\u2019s arrived\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK\u2026 And don\u2019t forget\u2026 All work!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne day\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There is no fade out fade in, I am suddenly looking at Ben.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHi Dad, are you ok?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I can answer that question, sorry. How about you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWorried\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not surprised\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not one survivor so far out of 837 known infections, that\u2019s way off the scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think you and the family should come here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I think that\u2019d be a good idea, although who knows, we may already be infected\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo home, talk to Sal and see what she thinks\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will but first there are a few things I\u2019d noticed on my way here I\u2019d like to go over with you\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019d got through most of his concerns when his phone rang.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi darling,<\/p>\n

Oh, ok, we\u2019ll check it out, thank you. See you a bit later, love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYellowstone is bulging\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs in it\u2019s just about to erupt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 13<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDad, they\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood. How many others are there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 30\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are they reacting?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re thinking it\u2019s short term, so there\u2019s a bit of camaraderie going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey know, everyone knows\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnically you\u2019re right but most people think it\u2019ll blow over\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will, and then it will stay there, over them, a big dark cloud\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to tell me dad, I know, but you asked about them\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I was approaching death, in my latter years I mean, I became very accepting of my destiny, whether I would survive to be a part of this didn\u2019t really factor in to how I felt, I became resigned to the fact that I would come to an end. I feel that way about humanity right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what about me, your grandchildren, all those people still living their lives?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want them to die, you misunderstand me, I just feel that there is nothing we can do, and the world will keep going whether we\u2019re here or not\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel you\u2019re being a bit pessimistic. Within 4 years the cloud will have fallen, many people will survive and meanwhile we can keep working as best we can to deal with the viruses\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right but I don\u2019t feel very positive today\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSally wants to see you\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go get her\u201d<\/p>\n

I wait, feel the sterility of this room, the dim background sounds of machinery, muffled voices, beige pools of light.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, David?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Sal\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWow, you look\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

I snort a laugh \u201cGreat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell kind of\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean what\u2019s left of me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess so\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are the kids settling in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey love it, it\u2019s a cool holiday for them\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when I was a kid thinking that going to hospital was like a holiday, I think my parents were more disturbed by that than my impending surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you have done?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA broken bone re-set\u2026 I don\u2019t have that bone anymore\u2026 Good riddance to old broken bones\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem a little dark today. You know I can\u2019t really put who you were to who you are together, this is so weird.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it is, but it has it\u2019s compensations\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell my virtual house is decorated exactly to my taste and I don\u2019t even have to clean it\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWow\u2026 That is something\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a few seconds of silence<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it hurt\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose that\u2019s something\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure if I would choose to live on\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I really don\u2019t know\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s hope that\u2019s a bridge you don\u2019t have to cross in the near future\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope this will blow over soon and we can get back to normal\u201d<\/p>\n

I refrain from saying anything<\/p>\n

\u201cwhat\u2019s your apartment here like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually really nice, I thought we\u2019d have just a room but it\u2019s amazing. Do you know who designed it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really but I could hazard a guess\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEach apartment has been designed around designated people\u2019s profiles, somehow you\u2019ve been researched and categorised\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell it seems to have worked\u201d<\/p>\n

Another pause.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been told we can\u2019t visit you very much, you\u2019re basically off limits, apparently it\u2019s for everyone\u2019s safety, so I don\u2019t know when I\u2019ll next see you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ok, we can communicate still\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure. It\u2019s actually really nice to see you David, I\u2019ve missed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s lovely to see you too Sally\u2026 Sal\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGrrrr\u201d<\/p>\n

We both laugh<\/p>\n

\u201cOk, see you soon\u201d<\/p>\n

And she is gone, in to the darkness.<\/p>\n

I want to see what\u2019s happening in the world.<\/p>\n

Of course all information that comes via the news is filtered and slanted as it has been for many decades. In the old days messengers may end up being killed, and perhaps the same thought has led to the present day messengers keeping themselves alive by providing the right news, it\u2019s not always good but it keeps those holding the gun happy.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the other news, the people\u2019s news, the truth is in there somewhere but it\u2019s not so easy to find either. And of course there\u2019s government information, statistics and intelligence. I never know which to trust the least.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Earths crust has risen almost 1 kilometre in the last 20 years in Yellowstone National Park\u201d the TV presenter announces \u201cBut Vivienne Blakely, a senior geological researcher at MIT says we have nothing to worry about\u201d [cuts to a woman in her 40\u2019s, she\u2019s smiling] \u201cCan you explain why you feel optimistic Professor Blakely?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have spent the last 10 years devising relief shafts, which when employed, will take much of the pressure away\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there will still be a big blast\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole area will be devastated but we can\u2019t prevent that, but by blowing to the sides many cubic miles of debris we will limit how much ends up in the upper atmosphere\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow sure are you that this will work?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c100%\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what do you base that confidence on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c10 years of continuous research\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen will the relocation of the upper crust start?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt already has but the big blasts will occur in 3 days, at that point some of the best angles for the blast trajectory will be met\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould it blast before then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s coming but it\u2019s not quite there yet\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo once your plan is instigated, this whole area will be devastated, I know you\u2019ve relocated people who lived here before, and tried to protect as many of the native species, but what will you do about the animals that are still here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve tried our best to clear the area, but ultimately they wouldn\u2019t survive. We\u2019ve done what we can\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell there you have it, there\u2019s 3 days to go and then we shall see if the professor\u2019s confidence was warranted\u201d<\/p>\n

The professor is shaking her head and raiding her eyes<\/p>\n

I\u2019m reminded of something called \u201cThe Executioners Reprieve\u201d which suggests that right up to the moment of execution the condemned believe they will somehow miraculously be reprieved.<\/p>\n

Part of me just wants to wake up when it\u2019s all over, but there is more information coming in from the hospitals, but so far there has not been a single survivor.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 14<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

My wife said I put work first, and that I didn\u2019t know what love was, but she was wrong. But as far as I was concerned it was better that she thought that. For me though, I felt my life had been a constant struggle. I would go through periods where work was all that mattered, and then I would meet a woman, and somehow in the brief moments that I could get away from studying or later, working, something would develop between us. I can\u2019t say there was ever one woman who I felt was \u201cthe one\u201d, but there had been a few who, for a while at least, I felt had been.<\/p>\n

In my early years those special relationships had been cut short, so I could grieve the loss of \u201cthe one\u201d, and then in time another woman would touch me deeply and I realised that the one who\u2019d I thought was \u201cthe one\u201d, wasn\u2019t \u201cthe one\u201d after all. (Are you with me on this or do I need to draw a diagram?) You\u2019d think I\u2019d have learned from this pretty quickly that my idea of there being a One, was probably an illusion and in fact my feelings were pretty fickle, but I didn\u2019t, I went on repeating this for many years.<\/p>\n

\u201cFalling in love\u201d, though filled with beauty and a sense of being vividly alive, also felt full of pain. There would be anxiety, the fear of losing them, the desire to possess them, sometimes jealousy, sometimes feelings of not being good enough, and so often, a sense of impending, unavoidable doom. I knew this wasn\u2019t healthy, it wasn\u2019t about caring for someone, or working as a team, it was selfish, and I knew it was destructive. Eventually, I or the woman I was seeing, would walk away, and I would escape the pain by throwing myself back in to my work.<\/p>\n

When I met my wife to be, it had a different texture to it, we were friends for a while and I thought she was beautiful. I did fall in love with her but it didn\u2019t have the same energy to it that those previous passionate ones had. In time I came to the conclusion that this was a healthy relationship and we got married. Throughout our marriage, maybe every three or four years, I\u2019d meet someone who would stir those feelings. In the early years I resisted, but after Ben\u2019s tenth birthday, I started seeing someone. I didn\u2019t get caught, but one day I had to choose, and I chose my family, I loved the other woman, she felt like everything I ever wanted, but I couldn\u2019t have lived with the guilt.<\/p>\n

Work seemed to offer a calmer world where I could offer myself to help others, and in many ways my home life had similar qualities. I think many of my colleagues felt the same. Deep down we all wanted that passion and love but it turned us in to, or at least revealed to us a more selfish part of ourselves. For that part of me, the world could go to hell as long as I was connected with \u201cthe one\u201d.<\/p>\n

Some people give their life for what they believe in, but I gave my life for what I believed was right, in fact I gave my death too, kind of. But even now, there\u2019s a part of me that believes I will find that connection in my new \u201clife\u201d. For me that is my executioners reprieve.<\/p>\n

Whenever my so called genius was celebrated, I would be thinking that really I am a weak, deluded fool who can\u2019t grow up emotionally. I think the dream of the beautiful woman kissing me has reminded me that even in half death I haven\u2019t escaped myself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 15<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole world is watching as the course of the human race\u2019s destiny will be defined by the events that will unfold within the next few hours\u201d<\/p>\n

I am along with most people transfixed by the events that are unfolding.<\/p>\n

10, 9, 8,<\/p>\n

There are a chorus of voices coming from the screen, almost victorious in their tone, accompanying the countdown.<\/p>\n

\u201c7, 6, 5,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure who to be praying to, God or the scientists, but whoever is responsible please, we beg you, make this work\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c4, 3, 2, 1,\u201d<\/p>\n

There are multiple viewpoints available, on site cameras, satellite, aerial, and distant. The onsite ones shake and go blank, the satellite ones show the shock waves rippling outwards, and within seconds further detonations start to become apparent. Each set of explosions is supposed to move areas of the surface away from the main mound, each set of explosions will get bigger, as they move greater amounts of the Earth\u2019s crust to the side. The whole process will take around 10 hours of continual explosions to complete. It looks like a war between nature and man. Isn\u2019t that our legacy, our ability to overcome the challenges that Nature sets us up against? Even though we know nature has the upper hand and is far more powerful than us, haven\u2019t we won many of the battles?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting word that so far everything is going according to plan\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat means nothing\u201d I say to myself. \u201cTen more hours of this shit and I\u2019ll be hoping they blow up the reporter too.\u201d<\/p>\n

I leave the news on, but in silence, and work on. There are after all, other important matters at hand. After 6 hours of work my mind is seizing up so I check back in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not quite sure what\u2019s going on at the Central Control Unit, but several military units have turned up along with ambulances\u2026 and we\u2019re getting reports that Professor Blakely has been taken ill, we\u2019re also being told that this won\u2019t affect the schedule\u201d<\/p>\n

As night falls the explosions become more vivid and the most expensive single battle for survival turns in to the most spectacular fireworks display ever.<\/p>\n

There is little point watching it, we won\u2019t know whether it will work for a few days.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

End of Chapter 15<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After Life<\/h1>\n

Chapter 16<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A man is beating down upon the glass that separates us. He is wild, he must have pushed my glass case over and is now hammering down; it bends and quivers as his hands and head beat down. Saliva and blood splatter down upon the glass. I, of course, cannot do anything. I don\u2019t feel fear. It\u2019s as if I am watching a film. I may not be safe, I may not want to die but I am curious to see what happens next if I do. That, however, was my last thought and now I am awake in my virtual bed. Was I just dreaming?<\/p>\n

The air around me is cold. I can see my breath; I look at the fireplace and will a fire to start but nothing happens. Perhaps my thoughts are private after all. \u201cStart up the fireplace\u201d I order. Again, nothing happens. I know my words have been heard. I get out of bed, I am naked. I start to feel the cold more. I crouch down at the fireplace, cram on some paper, throw some wood on top and grab the match box; it feels slightly damp. As I struggle to light a few matches, I start to shiver and my hands shake. A match breaks as I try to strike it, and then the same for another, and then one lights tenuously. I hold it to the paper and the fire takes. I hold my hand near the flames and feel the heat. As I get closer to the flame, I feel pain but it only goes to a certain point, the amount where you would normally pull away. I get it, our simulated world is closer to reality. We\u2019re being prepared for our eventual re-immersion. I am so cold. I hurry back to the bed and snuggle into the covers. I am reminded of childhood mornings in the winter.<\/p>\n

As I start to fall asleep again, the image of the man beating down on me comes crashing in again \u2013 I am startled awake. I know something is wrong. Normally every change is given plenty of warning. I\u2019ve learned not to presume anything but I can\u2019t help but wonder what\u2019s happening. The man crashing down on me, he obviously has the illness. The fact that I am not blanked out whilst a crisis is occurring, that\u2019s what\u2019s got to me. Has my real self been damaged by the man and, if the illness has affected those in the compound, then maybe that\u2019s the reason for the system to be not working properly. If the illness is in the compound, then what has become of my family? These thoughts bring me to my senses. With the duvet wrapped around me, I get out of bed. I scan the room for clothes; they are there, hanging neatly on a chair on the other side of the bed. \u201cCan anyone tell me what\u2019s going on please?\u201d<\/p>\n

A phone rings. I look across to the chest of drawers and see an old fashioned black and brass candlestick one. In an age of internal phone systems, I don\u2019t see the point of this but I pick it up as I try to pull my trousers on.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Professor, it\u2019s me\u201d I recognise the administrator\u2019s cold tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re currently trying to recover from a series of catastrophic events\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFirstly, the rabies strand has got out of hand within the compound which has resulted in some desperate measures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat type of desperate measures?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI shall tell you in just a minute but firstly we\u2019ve been isolated from the outside world\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIsolated?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth physically and in terms of communications. This was only ever presented to us as a scenario if our existence was ever seen as being under threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but do you know why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that the illness coupled with the super volcano has created a situation where we might be seen as an escape route for others and that was a serious enough threat to warrant isolation. It is also possible that, given our exposure to the illness, that we are being isolated to protect others seeking shelter here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd my family?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all here\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I see them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell this is our problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean? Are they ok?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but we have had to isolate and put ALL members of the community into an unconscious and suspended state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHaven\u2019t you gone a bit far?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of our resources, and the volume of infections, we felt it necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you are you in a suspended state?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, well my body is\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long are you proposing to keep us like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to isolate the virus and, with your help, find a way to protect ourselves from it. We are also in the process of finishing scanning and recording everyone\u2019s brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would you want to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s precautionary and may help identify those with the virus; we are also scanning everyone completely and searching for the virus everywhere we can\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo why can\u2019t I come around in the real world? Have I been damaged by the man attacking me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo you weren\u2019t touched but that incident, Professor, took place two months ago\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo months ago? Why didn\u2019t you contact me sooner?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we were isolated and some of the community started to attack other members, we asked all those who could to go to their pods and allow us to isolate them. Those that didn\u2019t allow us to, well we had to round them up one by one. During that process, most of us who did that became infected too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you come to me? I might have been able to help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t the time. We spent the time between then and now reprogramming the system, collating data and regaining control of the complex.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what now? Why have you woken me now and why am I now in a more realistic virtual world?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need your help. We will need you to help introduce people\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many people are you bringing here then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why have you made this world more realistic?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we\u2019re expecting people to live here for some time and we don\u2019t want them re-adjusting in a way that may prove terminal when they literally hit terra ferma.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo no more flying?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have flying vehicles here but, from now on, gravity is pretty much as it is in the real world except, when you hit the ground, it doesn\u2019t hurt much or kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo when do the introductions take place\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever you are ready. A driver will come for you when you ask. I shall await your request.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there any way that we can have privacy here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour thoughts are private, your words and actions are not. However, unless you call out for help or for something to be seen, your words and actions will go unnoticed. All is recorded but not everything is viewed \u2013 just like in the real world. You can screen your home from prying eyes too\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDraw the curtains\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI shall get dressed and be ready soon. Are we able to eat? I\u2019m feeling hungry\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, check out your kitchen but be careful \u2013 the default settings mean calories count.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a pity\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will see you soon, Professor\u201d<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

This time it was different, those being introduced had not been aware previously that this might be their destiny. There was no standard reaction, except maybe disbelief. When those that cried felt and saw their tears fall it was as if the reality of this unreality was too much. They would run their hands over themselves, some would ask if they were dead, others if this was a dream. A few played at being accepting but how could anyone take on board that their new existence was no longer part of the real world? As I explained the situation to them and helped them find their feet, they would then be led away to a big hall across the road where they would be reunited with their family and friends as they became available.<\/p>\n

I, of course, was not the only one doing this. I could see other people being walked across the road from other buildings. There were 24 people in my ward but, as I got to the last one, another 24 appeared. When I finished with them, there were no more.<\/p>\n

The tannoy clicked on: \u201cProfessor, please could you come across to the hall.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stepped out into the afternoon sun. It was as if I was walking inside an Edward Hopper painting. Some 1950s cars were parked along the wide boulevard and large houses lined the street on either side. I doubt anyone here was from this world but, in its own way, it had a safe and homely feeling to it.<\/p>\n

I entered the cool grey entrance of the hall and, through double wooden doors, entered the assembly hall. Yellow flooring, a wooden stage, grey curtains behind the stage and a hall full of people talking, hugging, crying, lost and found.<\/p>\n

I saw Lenin; his shoulder leant against the wall. As I approached him, he looked up at me and smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a bit of a surprise\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, just a little\u201d \u2013 I couldn\u2019t tell if I was smiling<\/p>\n

A banging noise and \u201cExcuse me\u201d came from the Administrator, standing on the stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello everyone, I\u2019m sure you all know me. I realise this is a shock for you\u201d \u2013 the room hushed \u2013 \u201cbut, if we are to be held in quarantine, I thought most of you would prefer to stay here than be locked in your rooms. In the meantime, we will be scanning all of your bodies in the real world and eliminating the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long will that take?\u201d someone shouted, followed by a few supportive others \u201cYes, how long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t answer that at the moment\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell what if we don\u2019t want to stay here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf any of you wish to be returned to your unconscious state, we can arrange for that. However, at this point, everyone is being kept in a state of suspended animation to reduce the risks of the virus for the foreseeable future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we be returned to a non-coma state and released from the compound?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, that isn\u2019t possible\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not? Are we being held as prisoners?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo but, under regulations regarding the spread of diseases, being isolated is completely legal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence<\/p>\n

The Administrator continued \u201cWe\u2019ve been disconnected from the outside world. Even if you could freely walk around in the real world, our entrances and exits have been locked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell how the hell are we ever going to get out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are other exits that use corrosive lock systems once we activate them. In time they will be our way out if all else fails. And, before you ask, I don\u2019t know how long they take to corrode.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo meanwhile, we\u2019re going to prance around Disney World here while our bodies grow old and die out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, your bodies are kept in a stable state\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo in a thousand years we\u2019ll get logged back into our bodies and everything will be OK. Is that what you\u2019re telling us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, what\u2019s the alternative?\u201d<\/p>\n

A man in a brown suit shouts out \u201cWell I think I\u2019d rather be in a coma and be woken up when it\u2019s OK if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, all of you who, after a few days being here wish to be returned to unconsciousness, will be. Meanwhile, there are a few things I need to run through with you all. Hopefully this won\u2019t be received as badly.\u201d He pauses and holds up a book. \u201cThis is our constitution. A copy of it will be distributed to you all. If any of you have any issues with it, you can submit proposals for further amendments to it. In order to limit the possibilities of conflict, you can have as much land as you wish, with any variety of styles, the same goes for material possessions, virtual helpers. Whatever you desire, you can have. You will also notice that you can only feel a limited amount of pain; you cannot be killed or injured. You can modify how you appear to others but they will also see your true identity so as to limit confusion. You can also request higher degrees of reality, such as how you react to eating either too much or too little food. I really do suggest you read through the details you\u2019ll be receiving shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n

A woman puts her hand up.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you our leader?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, as you will see in the constitution, there is no leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen who gets to interpret the constitution?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou all do but I don\u2019t envisage you\u2019ll have too many problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do we know which people are human and who is a virtual helper?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelpers have eyes that are like blue lights and you\u2019ll also notice some luminous blue lights in their hair. However, your vision will also place a small mark above a virtual helper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we do anything to a virtual helper?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically yes because, in a way, you can\u2019t do anything to something that isn\u2019t there\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea of an extended holiday in what. to many, is a version of Paradise seemed to be hitting the congregation and a look of quizzical acceptance began to dissipate around the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a short time you\u2019ll be taken to a hotel and, from there, you\u2019ll be able to decide on where you\u2019d like to live. I think you\u2019ll be surprised by what we have to offer\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDad!\u201d<\/p>\n

I look around, it\u2019s Ben.<\/p>\n

He guides me to our family gathering, where I pick up my grandchildren one by one and cuddle them. I\u2019d forgotten this joy.<\/p>\n

End of chapter 16<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After Life By Simon Smith 2012 This is a story that looks in to the issue of being able to live indefinitely by having one\u2019s head kept alive. Some of the links aren’t working so please scroll down to see the chapters.       Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1539"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1540,"href":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539\/revisions\/1540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simonsdiary.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}