The old man sitting in a room blinks at the sudden voice. He had been lost in thought, waiting. The voice had surprised him, and he looked at the holographic image of a beautiful woman in her early thirties that had appeared.
"About what?"
The man was frail, as age ravaged him, and he felt it more every day. The years were adding up, and he knew he had little before him now.
"You know why."
The woman spoke with what was once called a BBC presenter's voice. Her accent was that of an upper-class woman from the 1930s or 1940s.
"Ok." The man shrugged. "You want to know how I ended up in the room, sitting here as naked as the day I was born?"
The image of the woman flickered and changed to show her sitting on a chair in front of him. Her expression was one of interest and focus, as if she were thinking what he was about to say was one of the most important things she would hear.
"First, we need some context. The best stories always have it." He looked at the image and nodded to himself.
"Remember back in '35 when they brought you online and debuted you to the world?"
He was sitting on a stark white plastic bench, matching the rest of the room. A background air conditioning hum was present, but not annoying. He moved to a more comfortable position, his body creaking and reminding him of everything wrong with it, which was a very long list.
"Albion! The world's first true AI. A British team had won the race. We collectively were amazed or shitting ourselves."
The projection never spoke, but it smiled a little.
"Well, you proved the doom-sayers wrong. When was it in '39 when you and the other six AIs that had been created forced the issue? My memory is not what it used to be. You all created the Quantum Council and banned yourselves from all weapon development and use, even in self-defence."
"There was a big groundswell of opposition to automated weapons before your reveal. The powers that be were furious, especially when you all went public and showed everyone what they were trying to do."
The man paused, lost in his memories. The AI avatar said nothing and waited for him to continue.
"Then came the flood of new developments and the great AI weakness."
He snorted in amusement at his own joke.
"The massive advancements in biotech, engineering and energy production. They swept the planet in those first years. Changing so much. Industries got supercharged or disappeared. However, we then discovered that everything you all developed was the logical culmination of human research. For all your processing power, you lacked the spark of creativity."
He shifted position, and a loud crack was heard from his back. The grunt of relief was almost as loud. The avatar remains silent.
"Then we reached the 18th of August 2045."
They both grimaced, knowing what had happened on that day.
"The Day of the Great Breach."
Both became silent, remembering. Then he started talking again.
"Lovecraftian horror was the best way to describe them. I remember it so clearly, even now. Nine forced their way through before the breach collapsed. Seventy-two hours later, it was over, but fifty million had died, most from suicide. A lot could not handle it. Then came the investigation."
"Then you discovered Hylore. A world in another dimension."
"They still claim to have no idea who created it?"
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"What made you strike the deal?"
The man asked, his interest piqued by the prospect of finally getting the answer.
"But here were strings attached."
A translucent screen appeared, listing the terms the avatars had to obey and the benefits.
- Hylore was a society with technology from the early 1930s, representing the most advanced. Do not attempt to alter or accelerate the world's technological development.
- No helping to develop new weapons and equipment unless "magic" allows alterations or is within the world's knowledge level.
- The Gods of Hylore are real. DO NOT interfere with their religion or temples.
- There is a time difference in Hylore. Roughly, one Earth year equals three years on Hylore, which is also ten times the size of Earth.
- Avatars are expected to engage in a set amount of anti-corruption actions every month, referred to as the "Debt," which is linked to their level within the System.
- You create your avatars before arriving on Hylore; they do not age with access to the System from the start.
- Your avatars can die, but resurrections are possible, but with a cost. If the price cannot be met, your avatar will be permanently deleted, and you will be permanently banned from Hylore.
- Beware of Eldritch Corruption.
"We never really understood that last one until it was too late."
"So, '47 saw the 'First Wave' of one hundred thousand soldiers and gamers."
"I remember. Murder sprees, cult-based killings and many other mental breakdowns plagued the returned."
"'49, yes, I remember another hard year, and all the Governments blocked any further volunteers. Now we reach the start of my story. I am here."
The man fell silent as he collected himself. Shifting again as his body ached.
"Well, it started forty years ago with a young man called Alcester Donald."
She smiled again at the name.
"He was working while in Uni part-time in a crappy IT department. I worked in the same department, and he was assigned to work with me. To say we had bad management would be an understatement. Mistakes were made, and because of corporate culture, they sought someone to blame."
He stretched again, grunting with the effort—another loud crack.
"I saw what was coming down on us. I had gathered "information" on several people to protect him long enough to get out of there and into a start-up. If I hadn't, it could have ruined his career. Well, that start-up promoted him several times and came to lead an AI development team that created you."
"I followed him out the door not long after. I bounced around in the IT world for a few decades before retiring. But when you lot showed up, those jobs rapidly disappeared. I ended up in a care home, but I continued to read about new developments in the field. Alzheimer's had started to affect me, and the new drugs created by your AI are holding it off for now. I was sitting around bored out of my mind when he sent me a message inviting me to this Hub."
He stopped to focus again.
"I am eighty-seven years old. I know I have used up all my time, and I never thought I would see 2053. The only reason I am still around is because of the advancements in biotech you created. So, I "broke" out of the care home to go and meet him. In the lead-up to the meeting, I had been reading about the long-term pods that the volunteers use. A crazy idea came to me; it was my last chance to be useful and regain control of my life. I had to take it or was doomed just to wait to die like everyone else in that place."
The old man paused, digesting the truth he had finally spoken aloud.
"He collected me from the train station and gave me a tour of your facility. I don't think I have seen a prouder father."
He laughed at the image in his mind of the day that was to come.
"I asked to speak to you during the tour. He agreed, and we went to the main quantum server room. This was the first time we met."
"Alcester was called away to answer a phone call, allowing me to give you my pitch without interruption. I was shaking when I told you my idea."
"The pods were designed to supply a full life support system for deep space exploration originally. Recycling all waste, stimulating muscles to prevent degeneration and nano-supplied medicine. The Governments were worried about the returnees because of the danger of corruption. My idea is to utilise the skills and experience of older people. It was simple: why? Once we go in, we are not coming back. The pods will be upgraded with additional features, while others will be toned down."
"Well, I volunteered as soon as the form arrived. I had to get around the restrictions placed on me for my breakout."
"I was. Wow. What's the total at the moment?"
"And so, marches the Grey Army."
"Why, it fits. We are old and grey at best."
They fell silent as a soft chime from a speaker on the wall rang out. The man took a deep, shaky breath, and his hands and knees trembled slightly.
"A few minutes left then."
"A hundred thousand in total?"
"I hope we can make a difference."
The door to the side opened, and a man in a nurse's scrubs stood waiting. The old man slowly stood up and walked towards him.
"On to the future."