THE CONSTRUCT: In The End

PART THIRTEEN

22.

Five glasses clink with a cheers in celebration of the successful test run of a bar room simulation. It may be Nigel's project ... the bar idea came mostly from Josh with plenty of input from Steve of course, with the barman in the simulated bar being based upon Steve himself, an avatar so to speak ... to the point that the simulated barman is even named Steve.

Yeah, this room is Josh's baby. So he was the one to enter and give it the once over, sure who better to judge what a simulated whiskey may taste like, how it feels going down the throat, it's very texture and colour, smell and taste ... all through a simulated body, an avatar of a different kind, a recreation of Josh himself matching every scar, every wrinkle, every grey strand of hair.

This room required full immersion but only needs a fraction of the power a fraction of the subroutines a full interactive world would need. Memory loss, or any other kind of degradation from consciousness transfer should be minimal. The test, the experiment was a complete success, right down to every little table including a slightly unlevel table which needed a beermat, a simulated beermat, placed under one leg to keep it completely steady.

And now the celebratory drink or three between the creation team is enjoyed in what is the real world. They still have a long way to go, though this most recent success is huge, one heck of a giant step forward.

As the group relaxes, laughter fills the air, mingling with the lingering sense of accomplishment. The atmosphere is charged not just with relief, but with a renewed sense of determination ... every member acutely aware that the next phase will be even more demanding. Amidst the banter, subtle glances convey unspoken questions and quiet resolve; on this night, they allow themselves this brief celebration, knowing tomorrow will bring fresh challenges and decisions that could change everything.

Nigel wakes with that very same feeling of achievement, and the feeling of joy of celebration but it fades as the seconds in the waking moment tick by. Has he just woke from a dream, a dream that was also a real-world memory? It sure seems that way. Wait, is he out of the construct? If he is then that means ... that means ... what exactly? He's not sure ...

The place he is within right now looks to be some sort wooden made room, something part of a cabin perhaps, so in his altered state he can't tell if this is a place he knows in the real world or is one imagined or created within the construct. The fact that he is unsure in itself answers any query. If he were no longer within the construct then his memory would surely have returned, therefore ...

He attempts to get up and right away he can sense movement nearby before seeing it. A woman approaches, someone at least a little familiar.

'Hey now, steady there ... no more limit pushing for you, for a while at least. You need to rest a little.'

Something clicks, especially having woken from a possible memory-based dream.

'Doc? ... that you? Am I out ...?'

'Not out, no, not in any sense of the word. And you recognize me, don't you?'

'Yeah, no, ... I don't know ... you're the Doc, right?'

'Yes, I'm the Doc. Do you remember my name?'

'Na. Ni ... Niki ... Nikita, ... something.'

'Very good, don't worry. The rest will come soon enough.'

'How are you here? And how have you got your memory?'

'That's the thing Nigel, I'm not here, and you would know that if you did have your memory intact.'

'Huh?'

'In here, we adorn avatars as we are not in our own bodies. I'm what we call a Replicant. Doc is still in the real world. We were always bound to run into issues, especially with early entries into the construct. Once we got to a hundred percent with the construct, we would still have one or two things to iron out ... I'm here to provide medical expertise from within. Rest assured, my counterpart is looking after you in the laboratory. You pushed yourself a little too much a little while back, caused you to collapse.'