Chapter 10: A Space Betwixt

Her world was an endless void of sparkling stars. Everywhere she looked, the darkness loomed, the stars twinkled.

Although it looked like space, it did not feel like space.

The stars did not sparkle the right way. The darkness held no allure, none of that yawning emptiness that had once beckoned her forward.

With a start, Yan realised what was wrong. The stars were always the same. They did not move but no matter where she looked, that exact same pattern was there, hanging above her in the void.

She shook her head, trying to make sense of where she was.

Underfoot, white tiles stretched in all directions, ending about twenty paces out at the void wall.

Figuring that any direction was as good as any other, she took a tentative step forward. Then, another. And another.

That space of twenty paces stayed constant. New tiles would float up in front of her as she moved and when she looked back, old tiles would be plunging back into the void.

Just where was she? Was she dead? Was this some kind of purgatory?

“Hello?” She called into the void.

There was no response, no echo.

“Hel -”

There was a whizz of air behind her and she spun around. Her hand went for her knife. For a moment, she was worried that her blade would not be there. But it was.

Her knife sprang into her hand.

Then, she paused.

Before her stood a child. A little girl of metal.

Her steel-coloured hair was tied into twin tails that trailed down her back. Her cheeks, chubby and round, were dyed that same lifeless grey. Her shining eyes sat large against her ashen face, the pupils black against her irises of silver.

The only hint of colour lay in that thin blue line of face paint that cut across her left eye - one of the two orbs that were now staring at her, glistening with moisture.

Yan immediately felt bad. What was she doing brandishing a knife in front of a kid?

She hid her knife behind her back. “You surprised me. I’m sorry about the…” She waved her hands around, trying to find a better word for “knife” - realised that she was waving the offending blade about - and stuffed it back in her sheath.

Hold on. Why was a kid here? Where was here anyway?

“Hi ImYan! I’m not a child. I’m Sierra, your happy, handy helper! Welcome to the Space Betwixt!” The child exclaimed, her voice cheerful and excited.

Yan took a step back. That gratingly cheerful voice was a perfect match with her ghost eye’s.

So this was the ghost?

“I’m not a ghost. I’m an artificial intelligence designed to supplement the Bionic Eye model X-09, the very best in cybernetic optics!

A jingle played in the dark void. “Perigot-Sim, best anywhere on the rim!”

Yan found herself lost for words.

Still, she sheathed her blade. This ghost, or whatever it wanted to call itself, had not done her harm yet. And it certainly had ample opportunity to do so.

“Just what are you? What’s an artificial intelligence?”

“Oh… I’m so sorry. Unfortunately, the Dictionary Module has not been installed. Please purchase the Module at your nearest Perigot-Sim Interactive retailer! The nearest Perigot-Sim Interactive retailer is at . Would you like directions?”

Even as Sierra rattled on, the concept started to seep into Yan’s mind. An artificial intelligence was something that attempted to emulate the human mind, especially in its decision-making capabilities. Most importantly, they did not feel, they did not truly understand what was going on.

They were not sentient.

“No directions. Hold on, you’re not sentient?”

“Although there are far more sophisticated artificial intelligences out there that can be argued to possess sentience, I’m not one of them!”

“And feelings? You don’t feel anything?”

“Not in the traditional sense. However, I can approximate an understanding of, and display, most human feelings as a result of my extensive database! For example…”

The glistening in Sierra’s eye welled into tears. Her lips trembled. She sniffled.

Immediately, a pang of sorrow lanced through Yan. Despite her usual aloofness, she reached out to comfort the steel child.

Hold on…

Sierra brightened. “Exactly! I have a 99.8% satisfaction rate when it comes to emulating normal human emotions. Here are a few glowing reviews.”

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In a shocked female voice a pitch deeper than her own, Sierra recited, “I - I really couldn’t tell the difference. Sierra’s emotions - I mean, emotional displays - and that of a human, there… there’s no difference.”

“And…”

In the deep voice of a human male, it continued, “Oh wow. Just… wow. I’ve seen other AI act emotional before but this… Wow…”

“Finally…”

“This is utterly fascinating and in potential contravention of the Hermentao Concord. I must express my deepest concern -” The recording cut off. The last voice was a lot more polished, like what Yan imagined a proper scientist might say.

In her normal voice, Sierra continued, “See? They were all highly satisfied. The last even expressed her concern for me! Would you like to take a moment to review my ability to emulate human emotions? Please note that your voice and likeness might be used in future marketing efforts.”

“I don’t think the last one… Never mind. No. I’m not about to answer a survey here in the middle of nowhere.”

“Very well, ImYan! As you can see, while I may possess neither sentience nor emotions, I’m still the perfect personal assistant. In fact, it just makes me perfect-er!”

“… Perfect-er? Was that a mistake?”

“Yes and no! As part of my programming, I am instructed to use human colloquialisms and introduce irregularities into my speech and behaviour - so long as it causes no trouble, of course. It’s been proven to help acclimatise humans to my presence.”

Yan could feel a headache building. She had found it hard enough to wrap her mind around the new world she had landed in and now she has to deal with this?

“This is all… a bit much…”

“No worries, you have a while in here!”

“In here? Right. You called this place…”

“The Space Betwixt!”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s a liminal space between reality and mind, between conscious and subconscious.”

“That… explains nothing?”

“Oh… I’m so sorry. Please let me know how to explain this place better! I’ll integrate your response into my database for future reference!”

Yan blinked, confused. How would she know what this place was?

“Oh… that’s unfortunate. Maybe next time, you can update my database!”

“… Sure,” Yan sighed. “Did you bring me here? Why? Am I dead?”

“Dead? Don’t be silly, ImYan! If you were dead, I would be too! Though I guess that concept doesn’t really apply to me. I’d just… cease to function. Is that death?”

Sierra paused, looking past Yan and into the void beyond.

Yan could almost hear the gears turning in the child’s head. It sounded strangely like the whirling of her eye. Now that she thought about it, that would not be strange at all.

“Anyway! You’re in a deep, deep sleep. When you’re in a sleep this deep and your mind continues to function, it tends to dream lucidly.”

“So I’m not dead and this is all a dream?”

“Yes, ImYan, that would be mostly accurate.”

“Mostly?”

“Well, this dream is supplemented by the capabilities of myself, your humble, handy helper!”

“Supplemented in what sense?”

“Normally, you would dream of all sorts of things that you would never remember. With me around, you can instead put that time to far better use! For example, you do not seem to have read the extensive manual that came with my installation, so this is the perfect time to begin!”

“A manual? Uhhhh…,” that sounded like the most boring thing imaginable to Yan.

“Oh… I’m so sorry. I’ll just update you on a few important things then!”

Sometimes, Yan forgot that this thing could read her thoughts.

But Sierra’s suggestion actually sounded good. Her eye seemed really powerful and it had certainly saved her life back there - assuming she was still alive, of course. She did not feel dead but who knew what that was like?

A thought suddenly popped into her mind: Might death be like this? Walking forever through an endless void?

Was Sierra walking forever through this endless void?

“Oh, you’re funny, ImYan, I don’t walk, I float!” Sierra said cheerfully. As she did, she began levitating off the ground.

Yan opened her mouth but no sound came out. The void stretched endlessly around them. She would probably go mad if she had to stay here for the rest of her life.

Sierra did not seem to notice Yan’s conflicting emotions. “Alright, first things first! In regard to your trove of encoded memories, please be notified that seventy standard hours have passed since decoding commenced. Analysis suggests another six hundred and fifty standard hours for the first block.”

Her past! Between the rush of the previous day or so and now this “Space Betwixt”, she had not really found the time to think about it. How could she wait that long?

“You don’t actually have to! Decoding duration depends on the processing capabilities of the Bionic Eye model X-09. Upgrading said capabilities would drastically reduce the time required.”

“Let me guess…”

“You don’t have to guess! I can tell you! You may upgrade my processor at your nearest Perigot-Sim Interactive retailer! The nearest Perigot-Sim Interactive retailer is at . Would you like directions?”

“You just want me to buy something, right?”

“Of course! Obtaining all the upgrades for the Bionic Eye model X-09 will provide you with the best possible experience - and certainly, you deserve only the very best!”

“Fine. I’ll go get some… credits, was it? Yes. Credits. Then, I’ll get the upgrades.”

“Marvellous! At Perigot-Sim Interactive, we appreciate a loyal customer. As you do not seem to have obtained one, please apply for a PS Elite card. We’d love to reward you for your loyalty.”

Yan blinked. That last word did not sound any different than usual but somehow, it felt almost menacing.

“Moving on, I’d like to remind you that you only have two Protocol uses remaining. Thus far, my logs indicate that you have enjoyed our Unit Identification Protocol, our Analysis-Recommendation Protocol and our Smart Sight Protocol. We hope that they’ve been to your liking. To continue enjoying these and more, please purchase more Protocol uses at your nearest Perigot-”

Yan interrupted the assistant. “I get it. I get it. What other Protocols are there?”

“At the time of this conversation, I’m delighted to announce that I possess a grand total of three hundred and thirty-two thousand, two hundred and sixteen Protocols. Listing them all would be unfeasible. You may rest assured that new Protocols will be deployed whenever relevant to maximise your chances of success and survival.”

“That’s… convenient.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the praise and will remember that answer as ‘convenient’. Now -”

The world started to rumble.

“That’s unfortunate. Well, that’s all the time we have! Take care, ImYan! See you soon!”

A line of shining light began to split the void above. Although it was bright, it did not sear her retinas. Instead, it felt warm, welcoming.

Yan closed her eyes and let herself fall upwards, towards the glow.

***

White ceiling panels swam in and out of focus. Snippets of conversation floated into her ears. It sounded like Neon and a woman whose voice Yan did not recognise.

“… quickly … okay?” That was Neon's voice. It was laced with urgency.

The woman’s reply was just as hard for Yan’s bleary mind to grasp. All she heard was: “… fine… do it…”

“… sold! … let us know immediately…”

Then, nothing.

***

Yan opened her eyes to a ceiling of large, white panels, made grey by the darkness. Beneath her back, she could feel a hard, uncomfortable mattress. Some unknown machinery hummed away in the background.

Then, something beeped.

The place did not look familiar.

Still groggy, Yan tried to rise but her arms, raised above her head, clanged to a stop. Something was digging into her wrists, preventing her from moving further.

She looked above, twisting her neck to get a better view.

Both her wrists were bound to a metal bedframe by steel cuffs.

Across the room, a figure rose to its feet. Where its face was, there was only shadow. A coat hid most of its body from view.

Panic gripped Yan.

The figure turned.