Holodream

Chapter V

They stayed silent for a few moments; none knew what to say, not even what to think.

"I wonder", said Deanna at a certain point, "if all this is objectively real, or just subjectively", realizing the other ones did not understand what she meant, she tried to explain better, "If we are living an objective reality, Will's wound, even if not visible any longer, has surely left some microscopic lesion at a cellular lever, measurable with a medical tricorder."

"You mean, like when the Jarada used their long-range probes to analyse us and inadvertently disrupted the holodeck's protections?", Data enquired, "That time, Captain Picard, Doctor Crusher and myself were not able to do anything to impede Lieutenant Waylan's injuring by a firearm, and the wound was real also outside the holodeck."

"Exactly", Deanna confirmed, "But if we are living a subjective reality, we are only imagining the wound, the blood, the pain and the following healing. In other words, the program is too perfect."

"None of my modifications could do so much", Viviana replied, knowing her homework, "The computer of the Enterprise is one of the most sophisticated in the Federation, but in the field of recreation it's a thousand times less powerful than that on Dreamworld, on which I performed the preliminary tests. The results I got never even let suspect the possibility that reality could become subjectively real like reality."

"Normally, preliminary tests are run singularly", Riker observed, "Has this been, too, the case?", at his friend's nod he went on, "So maybe it's the sum of each single modification which caused this situation."

Viviana shook her head obstinately:

"It's mathematically impossible, Will. I know what I did."

"What you did, for sure", the first officer agreed, "But what the computer put in of its own?", she gazed at him, confused, "Once, Geordi asked the computer to take inspiration from the whole of literature about Sir Conan Doyle's character, Sherlock Holmes, to create a character able to defeat Data. He didn't give it any limitations, and as a result Doctor Moriarty's hologram, Holmes' chief enemy, became auto-conscious, at the point that, two years later, wanting to come out of the holographic world, he was able to take over the control of the Enterprise and to abduct Captain Picard and Data in order to force us to help him. We were able to beat him only by using another holographic illusion", he paused, "What I want to know, Viviana, is if you gave the computer freedom of action with no precise limits, creating a situation somehow similar to that with Moriarty."

Viviana opened her mouth to protest vehemently, then she shut it, turning pale.

"I ordered the computer to reproduce reality as accurately as possible", she answered in a whisper, "using as a reference parameter the fantasy tradition. I didn't... give it limits. But", she added, heating up, "I can't imagine anything jeopardising the efficiency of the protection subroutine."

"Then the protections are still working", Data concluded, "Only, we do not perceive it: the computer, which has the order to reproduce reality with the highest possible accuracy, reproduces also the physical consequences of accidents, such as injuries, contusions, fractures etcetera, as well as the related pain."

Deanna grasped immediately the psychological implications:

"But in this case, if we receive a deathblow, we'd think we're dead: even if it wouldn't be objectively real, it'd be for us, subjectively, because we wouldn't have anything convincing us of the contrary. The psychological damage deriving from the conviction to be dead would be very heavy, maybe even irreparable..."

"Well, then we must act in order no one has to be convinced about this", said Riker, "We'll be very cautious, we won't look out for fights, and if we'll be attacked, we possibly cut and run instead of fighting."