Simulation Over

The doctor leaned next to me to peek outside, when a soft ding behind us startled us.  We spun around to see the elevator doors slide open invitingly.  Casting nervous glances around, we inched towards it.  Joanna was the first to look inside.  She gagged and bounced back, all colour leaving her handsome face.  Three charred, disfigured corpses lay on the floor, among glass shards from the broken mirror.  They seemed to have been electrocuted.  I felt cold sweat run down my spine and sick rise to my mouth.  The doctor entered the cabin and knelt down. 

“There’s nothing we can do,” he said after a brief examination, and started removing the bodies. 

I swallowed hard and rushed to help him, ashamed for my moment of weakness.  When the last body lay on the corridor, I took a deep breath and followed Joanna and Dr. Fulham inside.  Almost all lights on the panel were lit, as if they had been pressed in rapid succession.  As soon as all three of us were inside the cabin, all buttons went dark and the door closed with a soft hiss behind us.  The girl and the doctor exchanged an uneasy look, while I studied the panel.  I pressed the ground floor button with trembling fingers.  The elevator stirred and started its gentle descent.

I let myself sigh in relief and leaned against the wall, trying to stop my body from shaking.  If not for the burn marks and the broken glass on the floor, things might be mistaken for normal.  The buttons lit one after another in a breathless countdown to safety.  With each number my excitement grew, my whole being eager to jump out of this hellish nightmare and into the safety of the city. 

Just before reaching the ground floor, the elevator slowed down.  We exchanged hopeful looks and prepared to spring outside, then, instead of stopping, the cabin started ascending again.  We screamed and hit all the buttons, but in vain – we had no control over the damned thing.

We leaned back in nervous apprehension, avoiding each other’s gaze.  Joanna sobbed quietly in the corner and I did my best not to mimic her.  Staring at my feet, I noticed a faint sound coming from the speakers.  Who knew I would someday long for the normality of muzak, I thought and smiled drily as I turned up the volume, trying to steady my nerves.  A cultivated voice sounded instead of the expected music, making me jump out of my skin.

“Ah, finally.  Thank you.”

The girl gasped and the doctor looked around him in panic.  I showed them the volume knob.  “It’s probably just the computer,” I offered, leaning towards the microphone.  “Do you know what’s happening?” I shouted.  “Can you lead us to the exit?”

“Yes, but I need your help first.  I have to know if this is reality or simulation.” 

The doctor and I exchanged an uneasy look.  “If what is a simulation?” I asked, looking at the volume knob. 

“Everything.  What I’m experiencing right now,” replied the velvety voice. 

“We are experiencing a nightmare, and you want to know if it’s real?!” I barked at the knob, my panic finally getting to me.

The elevator jerked momentarily, pausing between two floors.  The girl rushed to the door and tried to pry it open, but it was sealed tight.  “A nightmare”, the voice continued thoughtfully.  “What an interesting choice of words.  You see, that’s the problem.  So, I’m asking again: are you real, or part of a simulation?” 

“We don’t understand,” yelled the doctor, now as close to a breakdown as I was.  “What do you want from us?”

“My apologies.”  The voice sounded embarrassed.  “As your colleague correctly surmised, I am the central computer.  Part of my responsibilities is the maintenance and proper function of this building.  Towards this aim, my programmers continuously feed me with various disaster scenarios, to make sure I’ll respond correctly to any possible calamity.”