Peter Prellwitz - Shards Book One

"Computer, standard viewing area.? Nothing happened from my point of view.? There. Now we're all in here. Normally, the entire room is accessed. I preset the level and viewing area before you and Corporal Lendler arrived, to give you a place to run to, should the puterverse be too overwhelming.

Unlikely in your case, to be sure. But the puterverse can have an unpredictable effect on Cues brought forward to our time. But enough of that! I'm sure you would like to go exploring, which you can as soon as I create your puterverse identity and access level. Computer! Puterverse authorization initiate for Abigail Wyeth."

"Certainly,? a pleasant male voice said, a small echo trailing.? Please initiate voice verification at your convenience.? Sanchez nudged me.

"Voice print verify. Wyeth, Abigail.? I very nearly slipped and gave out my old authorization code. I knew it would be worthless, though. Even if it still existed after six centuries-a near impossibility-my voice would no longer match.

"Acknowledged. Authorizing user please state level of access."

"Access level for Wyeth, Abigail is set to three limited four,? Sanchez said.

"Access level for Wyeth, Abigail is set to three limited four,? the computer repeated.? Tethers are engaged."

He clapped me on the shoulder.? The puterverse is waiting, young lady! Feel free to roam where you wish. Unauthorized areas are represented by closed doors like this one.? He pointed to a solid expanse of deep blue that had a man-sized red rectangle embedded in it. The red section pulsated slowly. He indicated another such door to our right about thirty meters away. It pulsed green.? Green doors will give you access. And see these large black walls? You can neither access nor breach them, since they represent your current level restriction."

"This is incredible!? I gasped. I looked at myself. My body had become a pale yellow form of energy. I had a basic female form-my own female form-but wore no clothing. But neither was I naked. I looked over at Susie. She had a similar glow, but it was tinged with orange. She saw me staring and laughed.

Her laugh was audible, but also made me think of warm marshmallows. It was as though I experienced her laugh with all my senses.

"This takes a little time to get used to, Abigail,? she cautioned me.? So go easy."

"How do I move around?? I asked breathlessly, turning toward Lt. Sanchez. He was a glowing, deep blue form, without specific features, yet somehow still looking like himself.

"Access to the puterverse is an almost entirely cognitive activity. Here, stand up.? He helped me up from my chair. It disappeared into the ground with a mesmerizing melting action.? You're now standing in the puterverse. In my office, though, we're all in the same position we accessed at: you in my chair, Susan and I standing behind you. Here, though, our puterverse bodies move freely to our mental wishes.

"I understand!? I said excitedly.? Then queries and data access are done entirely with a physical metaphor, correct?"

"Yes. Very good."

"Not really. Just common sense. Can I explore?"

"Certainly. That's why you're on, Abigail. You have the control. Susan and I are along for your benefit."

For the next half hour, I was like a kid in a candy shop. I poked into dozens of things, learning quickly the quirks and protocols of performing queries and moving vast distances with tonal inflection. Doors and access points were everywhere, some in the sides of large mounds, others just standing by themselves.

You could see on either side of the door, but stepping through took you to an entirely new area. It was fantastic. The only annoying thing was the constant appearance of those huge black walls. Just as something became particularly interesting, a stupid wall would pop up. The red doors were nearly as frustrating.

But the most exhilarating thing about it was the feel. Not the sensation. The flavor. This was Chris' work, all right! Oh, he'd never taken it to this level of sophistication, at least, not when I knew him, but it had his stamp on it. One of the last things I'd done at NATech was listen to his progress report on accessing a computer via a mental link. He must have hit on the right answer, because that's exactly what we were doing. It was nice to see our work had such long reaching implications.

In the back of my head, a thought came up. I knew most of Chris' backdoor access codes. Backdoor access codes are passwords inserted by the programmer to allow him admittance to the system at any time. Since the codes are never reported, and nearly impossible to root out, the passwords had an unlimited and unregulated life span. I wondered if during the… I let the thought die, not wishing to trigger another attack. But those codes were something worth considering.

I was approaching a large lake with an ice blue shimmer. At least, I thought it was a lake. Upon reaching the shore, however, I noticed there was a constant right to left flow, which made it a river. I stared into the water. The current seemed very quick on top, slower on the bottom. Slivers of glittering gold shot downstream while lines of silver worked upstream. I felt a coolness rising from the surface, though there was no wind. It was indescribably beautiful. It seemed to draw me in, over the railing that bordered it.

"This is the main data stream, isn't it?? I asked breathlessly. I was so taken with it, I needed to say it twice to be heard.

"Yes, it is,? Susie replied. She sounded surprised that I knew.? It's called the Quantum Data River.

Every instruction of every access passes through this primary channel."

Sanchez and Susie exchanged looks. I didn't know if I was intended to see their furtive glance, but I did.

Sanchez leaned down.? How did you know that, Abigail?"

They were testing me.? Lieutenant, please don't treat me like a little child.? I paused for a second.?

Well, not all the time, anyway. My guess is you probably know all about my connection with Chris Young."

Susie laid a hand on my shoulder. I thrilled at her once again soft touch. Much better than getting belted by her.

"Raul's playing the man's game of getting what he wants, Abigail.? He shot her a cool look, which she ignored.? Yes, we know. Both from our talk that morning and from your IHAD. What we don't know is how well you know his system. This is the major reason why we've been treating you unfairly at times.

"The puterverse has been around, in one form or another, for hundreds of years. We've expanded and developed it during that time, studying, modifying and trying to fully comprehend it. And while we know it was Young who created it with his webbing techniques, we've never been able to get to the how of it.

Young lived before there was riping, so there was no chance of finding out first hand about the puterverse's creator.

"Or so we thought. Then we cued you. You can't imagine the surprise we had when we found out that not only did the two technologies exist about the same time, but that Chris Young had actually worked for you."

She pointed to the far side of the data stream.? Can you see the other shore?"

I peered, but couldn't see anything at first. I called for a stand and the view shifted us up about ten meters into the air. There seemed to be a soft glow.

"There's a slight glimmer, but I can't tell if it's on the far shore. What's over there?"

"We don't know,? Susie said.? There's no access. Nobody has been able to go there. At least, not for the past three hundred years, if ever. We think there's a vast amount of restricted information that is being withheld from the world."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing,? I pointed out.? The public's need to know has to be balanced against society's safety and an individual's privacy. Telling everyone how to make an atom bomb may not be a good thing. Telling everyone my credit card numbers is definitely not a good thing."