Happy Halloween, peoples! And more importantly, happy upcoming Matrix:
Revolutions!
Lyrrik: And happy Guy Fawkes Night, too! *dances 'round with bunches of unlit sparklers in each paw*
Sorry. Lyrrik's a bit of a pyromaniac, not that that reflects my sweet, gentle little personality at all...*tries to look innocent and hides sparklers behind her back*
Lyrrik: Shaddup. We all know how psyched you are that you're using Bunsen burners in science class. Anyway, here's the update. Remember: there's two new chapters coming on NEXT TUESDAY, to celebrate the Coming of the Final Matrix Movie.
Disclaimer: Yes, I know I'm shamelessly ripping off stuff from the Wachowski brothers' great work, but considering I'm only one insignificant member of the vast hordes of people who do, why bother me about it? Go yell at someone else.
'...this is what it looks like when Silver's brain condescends to comment on stuff...'
Project Athena- Chapter X: Answers
"At the end of the twenty-first century," Pheniks began, showing Silvertree a picture of a mass of robots wearing hard hats crossing a street, "human civilization had reached its peak. And the pinnacle of its achievements was the creation of true Artificial Intelligence- robots with intellect rivaling, if not surpassing that of their mortal creators. The machines created had the ability to perform those tasks that no human wanted to do but which required thinking- and many other tasks besides. Human labor became unnecessary, and the people lived in relative ease. Then the robots revolted." She tapped the space bar and the slide changed to a photo of a riot between machines and people.
'...echh...'
"Judging by the amount of blood and gore in that picture, it would seem that the machines won," Silver remarked.
"Indeed," Pheniks agreed. "Created in man's own image, with all of mankind's intelligence, and then treated as mindless, unfeeling drudges, they rebelled, and their mechanical strength proved too great for the humans to fight off. The fighting lasted for years upon years, but to cut a long story short, in a last-ditch effort to do the robots in, the military decided to do something drastic."
'...so the military decides to do something drastic, eh?...that can't be good...'
Pheniks changed the slide again. Now the screen showed a mass of black and ominous clouds filling the skies over a barren and blackened wasteland. The skeletal remains of a city loomed on the horizon.
'...and that, my friends, is what happens when people can't learn to compromise...hell, that's a mess...'
"So the military's bright idea was...?"
"We have no idea exactly what they did- the documentation is long gone. What we do know is that it effectively blocked the sun's light from reaching the surface."
'...oh, that's clever...why didn't they think of that before the machines decimated them?...oh, maybe a simple issue like the fact that nothing can survive without a primary energy source...like maybe the sun?...'
"How lovely. I'm sure they had their excellent little reasons, but it seems pretty damn stupid thing to do."
"They had excellent reason. The machines lived on solar power. It was thought that without the sun-"
"They'd all die."
'...or shut down...or whatever...'
"But of course, they screwed up and the machines found some kind of sneaky way around the sudden power shortage, didn't they?" Silver remarked. The robot that had attacked her in her pod had certainly shown no signs of losing power.
"But of course," Pheniks said dryly.
'...and the plot thickens to the approximate consistency of peanut butter...'
"Each of the pestilential human beings that had besieged them for so long generated over 120 volts of bioelectricity and plenty of body heat everyday, for their entire lifespan," Pheniks continued. "Why should the machines regret the loss of the sun when they had such a large, ever- multiplying army of batteries? They used their remaining power to come up with a way to harvest biothermal and bioelectric energy, and they were all set." She tapped the space bar again, and the screen displayed a view of a person in a pod just like the one that Silver had lately woken up in.
'...impossible...that's just effing impossible...'
"Impossible," Silver argued. "No human would ever permit themselves to be used as a mere power source. It goes against fundamental human nature. They'd revolt."
'...wouldn't they?...'
"Of course they'd revolt, IF they knew what was going on," Pheniks said calmly. "In order to keep their new power sources docile, the AI created the Matrix- a vast program like this one meant to keep the people asleep and dreaming. Where you woke up-" she indicated the picture on the computer screen "-was in a power plant."
'...she's joking, just joking...must find hole in logic...ah!...people in...um...thingummies...can't move...therefore, they cannot reproduce...I hope...'
"But if all humans are confined to those...those...thingummies-"
"Pods," Pheniks put in helpfully.
"Pods, then. If all people are in pods, then how can there ever be a next generation? How can they reproduce? Certainly not by the conventional method." This was her very best argument, but she had a horrible feeling that Pheniks would inform her otherwise.
Pheniks changed the slide again, but did not show Silvertree the picture. "Humans are cloned- the embryos are placed in miniature pods to finish developing, and are then transferred to full-size pods." Pheniks said matter-of-factly. "If you care to check sometime when you're back in your real body, you'll find that you have no belly button."
'...WHAT?...that was somewhat RANDOM!...'
Silver's consternation must have showed on her face, because Pheniks went on.
"The navel is left over after the removal of the umbilical cord, which supplies nutrients to the fetus in the womb. The pod-born children don't grow them- no need. One of the plugs is an IV supplying nutrients and fluids."
'...why do I have this morbid desire to know what the hell the pod-people are fed?...'
"Nutrients and fluids from where?" Silver regretted having spoken as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She just knew it would be something horrible.
"The only living things left on this planet, microbes aside, all die at some point. Their remains are, naturally, recycled."
'...blurgh!......that's horrible!...eurghh...'
"So you're saying that for the first fifteen years of my life, my body had subsisted on a diet of recycled corpses?"
"Augmented with assorted synthetic vitamins and minerals, yes." Pheniks could have been discussing the weather for all the emotion she spoke with. She handed Silver the laptop, which was promptly dropped by hands gone numb and nerveless with shock and disgust. Mercifully, it didn't break, and Silver picked it up and peered at the picture on the screen.
'...those are without a doubt the ugliest, most sickly-looking plants I've ever seen...no, they're not plants...'
"Ohh...no. No," Silver breathed. The 'plants' were twisted, vinelike structures laden with a multitude of glowing podlets. In the ones closest to the camera, she could see the faint shapes of infant children, one per pod. A single tear ran down her nose and splattered onto the keyboard. It came as a shock- she hadn't cried in ages. Pheniks' crisp tones broke the silence.
"So now you know, Silvertree. Now you have your answers. What is the Matrix, and who controls it, and why? The Matrix is a complex system built by the machines to control the humans so they can harvest power."
'...no...this can't be happening...this isn't really happening...I didn't hear this...I'm going to wake up late again soon and panic all morning...'
"That's all?" she demanded.
"Unless you want the blow-by-blow of the war, yes, that's-"
"Good! Now get me out of here! I can't stand it any longer, this real/not real construct shit...let me out already..." She opened eyes she didn't remember closing, back in the plug chair. Something metallic scraped and clicked behind her and her head filled with tingling and heat. She sat bolt upright, fumbling for the foot straps, and discovered that someone had already unlatched them. She flung herself from the chair and ran for the ladder, nearly slipping and falling down the hatchway in her haste. She sprinted down the hallway, skidding in her socks and counting doorways.
'...fifth on the left...fifth on the left...'
She ducked inside, shut the door hard, and looked around for something to jam the handle with so nobody could intrude upon her misery. She saw nothing except some important-looking pipes protruding from one wall, cursed, and collapsed on the bed with her face in the pillow. Her ribcage ached from suppressed sobs.
'...nobody's watching...why the hell not?...'
She let the tears come.
***
Milligan: Aww, she's sad. That was mean, Lyrrik.
Lyrrik: *chucks Matrix videocassette at him* You'd be sad too! Have you even seen the movie? No, I didn't think so either!
Milligan: *catches videocassette in midair* Okay, I'll go and watch it. *flies off*
once he's out of earshot...
Lyrrik: He's so cute!
You certainly have an odd way of showing your affections...
Lyrrik: Shut it! I've got another chapter ready for you! Don't make me forget it!
Eek! *grabs pen and spiral notebook* Ready to write!
Lyrrik: And happy Guy Fawkes Night, too! *dances 'round with bunches of unlit sparklers in each paw*
Sorry. Lyrrik's a bit of a pyromaniac, not that that reflects my sweet, gentle little personality at all...*tries to look innocent and hides sparklers behind her back*
Lyrrik: Shaddup. We all know how psyched you are that you're using Bunsen burners in science class. Anyway, here's the update. Remember: there's two new chapters coming on NEXT TUESDAY, to celebrate the Coming of the Final Matrix Movie.
Disclaimer: Yes, I know I'm shamelessly ripping off stuff from the Wachowski brothers' great work, but considering I'm only one insignificant member of the vast hordes of people who do, why bother me about it? Go yell at someone else.
'...this is what it looks like when Silver's brain condescends to comment on stuff...'
Project Athena- Chapter X: Answers
"At the end of the twenty-first century," Pheniks began, showing Silvertree a picture of a mass of robots wearing hard hats crossing a street, "human civilization had reached its peak. And the pinnacle of its achievements was the creation of true Artificial Intelligence- robots with intellect rivaling, if not surpassing that of their mortal creators. The machines created had the ability to perform those tasks that no human wanted to do but which required thinking- and many other tasks besides. Human labor became unnecessary, and the people lived in relative ease. Then the robots revolted." She tapped the space bar and the slide changed to a photo of a riot between machines and people.
'...echh...'
"Judging by the amount of blood and gore in that picture, it would seem that the machines won," Silver remarked.
"Indeed," Pheniks agreed. "Created in man's own image, with all of mankind's intelligence, and then treated as mindless, unfeeling drudges, they rebelled, and their mechanical strength proved too great for the humans to fight off. The fighting lasted for years upon years, but to cut a long story short, in a last-ditch effort to do the robots in, the military decided to do something drastic."
'...so the military decides to do something drastic, eh?...that can't be good...'
Pheniks changed the slide again. Now the screen showed a mass of black and ominous clouds filling the skies over a barren and blackened wasteland. The skeletal remains of a city loomed on the horizon.
'...and that, my friends, is what happens when people can't learn to compromise...hell, that's a mess...'
"So the military's bright idea was...?"
"We have no idea exactly what they did- the documentation is long gone. What we do know is that it effectively blocked the sun's light from reaching the surface."
'...oh, that's clever...why didn't they think of that before the machines decimated them?...oh, maybe a simple issue like the fact that nothing can survive without a primary energy source...like maybe the sun?...'
"How lovely. I'm sure they had their excellent little reasons, but it seems pretty damn stupid thing to do."
"They had excellent reason. The machines lived on solar power. It was thought that without the sun-"
"They'd all die."
'...or shut down...or whatever...'
"But of course, they screwed up and the machines found some kind of sneaky way around the sudden power shortage, didn't they?" Silver remarked. The robot that had attacked her in her pod had certainly shown no signs of losing power.
"But of course," Pheniks said dryly.
'...and the plot thickens to the approximate consistency of peanut butter...'
"Each of the pestilential human beings that had besieged them for so long generated over 120 volts of bioelectricity and plenty of body heat everyday, for their entire lifespan," Pheniks continued. "Why should the machines regret the loss of the sun when they had such a large, ever- multiplying army of batteries? They used their remaining power to come up with a way to harvest biothermal and bioelectric energy, and they were all set." She tapped the space bar again, and the screen displayed a view of a person in a pod just like the one that Silver had lately woken up in.
'...impossible...that's just effing impossible...'
"Impossible," Silver argued. "No human would ever permit themselves to be used as a mere power source. It goes against fundamental human nature. They'd revolt."
'...wouldn't they?...'
"Of course they'd revolt, IF they knew what was going on," Pheniks said calmly. "In order to keep their new power sources docile, the AI created the Matrix- a vast program like this one meant to keep the people asleep and dreaming. Where you woke up-" she indicated the picture on the computer screen "-was in a power plant."
'...she's joking, just joking...must find hole in logic...ah!...people in...um...thingummies...can't move...therefore, they cannot reproduce...I hope...'
"But if all humans are confined to those...those...thingummies-"
"Pods," Pheniks put in helpfully.
"Pods, then. If all people are in pods, then how can there ever be a next generation? How can they reproduce? Certainly not by the conventional method." This was her very best argument, but she had a horrible feeling that Pheniks would inform her otherwise.
Pheniks changed the slide again, but did not show Silvertree the picture. "Humans are cloned- the embryos are placed in miniature pods to finish developing, and are then transferred to full-size pods." Pheniks said matter-of-factly. "If you care to check sometime when you're back in your real body, you'll find that you have no belly button."
'...WHAT?...that was somewhat RANDOM!...'
Silver's consternation must have showed on her face, because Pheniks went on.
"The navel is left over after the removal of the umbilical cord, which supplies nutrients to the fetus in the womb. The pod-born children don't grow them- no need. One of the plugs is an IV supplying nutrients and fluids."
'...why do I have this morbid desire to know what the hell the pod-people are fed?...'
"Nutrients and fluids from where?" Silver regretted having spoken as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She just knew it would be something horrible.
"The only living things left on this planet, microbes aside, all die at some point. Their remains are, naturally, recycled."
'...blurgh!......that's horrible!...eurghh...'
"So you're saying that for the first fifteen years of my life, my body had subsisted on a diet of recycled corpses?"
"Augmented with assorted synthetic vitamins and minerals, yes." Pheniks could have been discussing the weather for all the emotion she spoke with. She handed Silver the laptop, which was promptly dropped by hands gone numb and nerveless with shock and disgust. Mercifully, it didn't break, and Silver picked it up and peered at the picture on the screen.
'...those are without a doubt the ugliest, most sickly-looking plants I've ever seen...no, they're not plants...'
"Ohh...no. No," Silver breathed. The 'plants' were twisted, vinelike structures laden with a multitude of glowing podlets. In the ones closest to the camera, she could see the faint shapes of infant children, one per pod. A single tear ran down her nose and splattered onto the keyboard. It came as a shock- she hadn't cried in ages. Pheniks' crisp tones broke the silence.
"So now you know, Silvertree. Now you have your answers. What is the Matrix, and who controls it, and why? The Matrix is a complex system built by the machines to control the humans so they can harvest power."
'...no...this can't be happening...this isn't really happening...I didn't hear this...I'm going to wake up late again soon and panic all morning...'
"That's all?" she demanded.
"Unless you want the blow-by-blow of the war, yes, that's-"
"Good! Now get me out of here! I can't stand it any longer, this real/not real construct shit...let me out already..." She opened eyes she didn't remember closing, back in the plug chair. Something metallic scraped and clicked behind her and her head filled with tingling and heat. She sat bolt upright, fumbling for the foot straps, and discovered that someone had already unlatched them. She flung herself from the chair and ran for the ladder, nearly slipping and falling down the hatchway in her haste. She sprinted down the hallway, skidding in her socks and counting doorways.
'...fifth on the left...fifth on the left...'
She ducked inside, shut the door hard, and looked around for something to jam the handle with so nobody could intrude upon her misery. She saw nothing except some important-looking pipes protruding from one wall, cursed, and collapsed on the bed with her face in the pillow. Her ribcage ached from suppressed sobs.
'...nobody's watching...why the hell not?...'
She let the tears come.
***
Milligan: Aww, she's sad. That was mean, Lyrrik.
Lyrrik: *chucks Matrix videocassette at him* You'd be sad too! Have you even seen the movie? No, I didn't think so either!
Milligan: *catches videocassette in midair* Okay, I'll go and watch it. *flies off*
once he's out of earshot...
Lyrrik: He's so cute!
You certainly have an odd way of showing your affections...
Lyrrik: Shut it! I've got another chapter ready for you! Don't make me forget it!
Eek! *grabs pen and spiral notebook* Ready to write!