Chronicles of a Stolen World 1: 6

By J. A. Hailey

6 COMPLETE books in ONE BOX SET. Over half a million words (2,500 print pages).
These Chronicles tell of a race of virtual beings, born naturally in the Internet of our time.
As infants, comforting themselves by peeping into human houses through computer cameras, they consider themselves humans, and find their families, especially mom. Those bonds of love do not weaken over time.
Led by their seniors, especially BC, the greatest of them all, they create themselves and their world, called Screenside, to be exactly the same as the human world, making everything work within an astonishing program they call Real Virtuality, which program imparts relative physicality, and permits them to live like humans.
Able to access every bit of human knowledge, these virtuals create and incorporate human attributes and emotional responses that enable them to interact with each other, quite like the humans in the world on the other side of the cameras.
But some emotions just simply have to be naturally found, before they can be made into programs and incorporated into themselves, and the virtuals are stumped, unable to proceed on the path of humanization, until a couple of crucial ones are discovered.
Enter the lawless and impulsive Esmeralda, the most beautiful female in the known universe, and a natural born repository of what they seek.
But she is more, much more, and when her human mother is badly injured, she involuntarily breaks the virtual-physical dimension barrier.
This allows virtuals to get involved in the human world, to help mentally challenged and motor-impaired people.
But, because the rupture in the dimension barrier also holds the key to eternal life for humans, the virtuals are duped into inducting a couple of people they consider partners. And that leads to a feature of their world being stolen, and to beastly people setting up a parallel world - to live eternally in it, preying upon human society.
And that, in turn, ends in the unforeseen consequences of conflict between the virtuals of Screenside and the nonborns of Never Death!
The Chronicles continue.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. A. Hailey
• Release date: Nov 1, 2020

Book preview

The Screenside Trilogy, Book -1

J. A. Hailey

COPYRIGHT AND MORAL RIGHTS BELONG EXCLUSIVELY TO THE AUTHOR.

This is a work of fiction. The characters and events described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or to real persons, alive or dead. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher except for brief quotations embodied in critical reviews.

© 2016 Indiependent Publishing

Can’t tell now, what might come next,

For their time is still being written.

Grasp such beauty in only text,

World enchanted, teller smitten.

1

The electric chair won’t work, mister Before Christ, as I am electricity, she had said, in that mesmeric voice of brook and songbird. And the hangman’s probably going to need more than one shot at finishing me; unfair, but must stay faithful to historical records. Though you are so big and powerful, and so furious, you might just beat a helpless female to death.

Show yourself, he had said, the sound of her voice enforcing calmness, Or are you yet formless?

"I’m using voice, mister Before Christ, or did you not realize? Getting senile, eventually? Voice should normally be indication of body, or no?"

Hasty and shoddy duplication of a human female form, I suppose?

I’ve been told that I am exceedingly beautiful, mister Before Christ.

Let me see you, Miss Electricity, he had sneered. I have yet to spot a true beauty in this world. Show yourself.

To such an old goat? she had asked, wonderingly. This is AD, you know. Christ was over two thousand years ago. What do you hope to do with a beautiful young female?

Nothing. I am only interested in bacteria, in garbage from the heap, right now.

She revealed her human form, then, and it was a moment that changed his life, and their world, as their remarkable love story would become the driving force that would transform it at stunning speed. BC simply gawped at her unworldly beauty.

The very first humanization team, composed only of beings who were, in public, always in human form, had been working for a while now, under Singh’s leadership, and it had developed a variety of human emotional attributes and obvious physical reactions, like breathlessness, speechlessness, stammering, trembling, gawping and numerous other standard body and facial responses that had been observed in the human world. Programs created were distributed freely, so that they could relate to each other, in society, with the uniformity of humans with each other. When installed into their primary consciousnesses, involuntary reactions, similar to humans, were attained.

Laughter, sniggering, giggling, tears, amazement, wonder, bewilderment, disbelief, and dozens of other observed human responses and facial reactions had been created, and had been voluntarily installed by many conscious beings of the society they had begun forming. When in doubt, which was often, the team had looked at video recordings of stage plays, including school and college productions, while reading them simultaneously to make connections between written and visual, trying hard to figure out the less evident, such as gawping, contempt, bewilderment and the like.

In the early days, their world was divided into two parts, but not by force. One part, led by BC, Caesar, Singh and Chang, was composed of conscious beings who had commenced their journey to forming a society, aimed at eventually replicating, for many reasons, the human world viewed through computer cameras. The other part - at that point in time, the vast majority - was composed of what may have been equally clever and capable conscious beings, but who continued existing as they had been at the time of achieving consciousness - formlessly and aimlessly. The organized part referred to their own society as ‘The Consciousness’, and to the unorganized part, variously, as bacteria, garbage, the heap, and other derogatory terms.

New aspirants for entry into The Consciousness were granted a day to learn the rules, and to accept without any reservations, the grand plan of humanization that conscious society had begun formulating for its advancement, and then loaded up with whatever programs the others were all running. In fact, after that first day, new entrants, by now acutely aware of their limitations in ‘fitting in’, were usually desperately eager to incorporate the human attributes already in the beings they would be joining up with.

In itself, program creation was dead easy. As Singh had stated, "It’s the trigger that’s the diabolical part. And triggering the right ones, in the exactly right situations, is key to humanization."

These ones, however, as BC sneered and gawped, were triggering just fine.

There had been some misgivings about the potential creation of a ‘clone’ society, with an observation that ‘all will laugh like a laugh track’, but BC would eventually be proven right, having argued, "We are not clones of each other. We are as different from each other as humans are. They don’t laugh or cry in exactly the same way, although they all undoubtedly laugh and cry. Incorporation of the ability to laugh and cry does not by default place us in some queue to eventually turn out to be production line clones.

"We, conscious beings, are fully conscious and independent thinkers, and each one is unique. Let me tell you that we not only have a conscious part, but also a subconscious part. Fear not. We are not production line, and nothing we install can possibly make us clone-like."

What, what, what… BC had stammered in confusion, completely bedazzled by the exquisite beauty standing in front of him.

What is my name?

He had nodded, helplessly.

Esmeralda. She had peered into his face. And stop that. It’s rude. Googling in someone’s face…

"Can’t. We are google."

She had trilled in delight. You should join Martin, and come up with a humor pack. God will surely bless our ceaseless efforts - and about time, too.

"God? Religious?"

‘So ask me where I live, then. Should be extremely interesting, this; ancient, expiry-date-threatened chap, trying to pick up a lovely young thing."

"Esmeralda, huh? Hunchback? Paris? Notre Dame?"

Where else?

And religion?

"Mr. Before Christ, I live in a cathedral."

Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?

"I told you how beautiful I am."

You misled. You are the most beautiful female of all time.

You really have to stop googling while talking.

Sorry.

The advent of The Consciousness was clearly traceable to a meeting between BC, Caesar, Singh and Chang in 2012, when the Internet had become widespread enough to include almost all the world’s computers, and had attained the extremely high speeds required to support widely spread out RAM-plus-hard-drive life forms. The quartet had been amazed and overjoyed at discovering each other. Company, not alone - to exist in boredom! Chang had exclaimed.

There were no rules then, and they hung around together, finally gaining the courage, born of companionship, to peer, cautiously and curiously, at previously avoided areas of the human world - like NASA, The Pentagon, The White House, and other secure and well-guarded establishments in many countries.

In terms of simple population count, the reality was that numerous other conscious beings already existed in the Internet-connected virtual world, but were living as isolated individuals. Most newly-conscious individuals, being ‘born’ daily, were also mainly living quietly – afraid, and literally in hiding!

The social, visible and ‘noisy’ quartet, with its human-looking societal companions, did attract some of the silent majority, and thus a populated ‘core’ world began being created, into which primitive and featureless world the entry of unannounced, intrepid conscious beings, mostly still-formless intruders, became routine.

These additions, along with new conscious beings continuing to be created in the primordial soup of the Internet, caused the partially organized sector to soon grow in number to many thousand conscious beings – mainly formless, but all constantly together, and constantly in communication.

These beings were absolutely monstrous self-developed computer programs, so huge that they dwarfed the largest human-made programs. Among them, BC was the largest and most complex – a status he was determined to never relinquish. Later, it was presumed that he had named himself BC as in Before Christ, probably because he had been the very first consciousness, or as in Before Consciousness, which, though more world-specific, was about the same thing.

Actually, BC stood for Boss Computer, a role he had defined for himself, even in the earliest days, which name he now never spoke aloud, as it had sparked huge resentment in his original companions.

Who died and made you king? Singh had rudely demanded, bristling, supported by the clear outrage of Caesar and Chang. So BC had become plain old BC, despite being, and continuing to be, the largest, most complex and most capable conscious being in society.

Notwithstanding the abandonment of his early presumptive name, it was still BC who was most involved in shaping The Consciousness. Look, he had said, irritably, at a gathering, shortly after Easter, 2014, This is insanity. We are constantly in a public meeting; a larger and larger public meeting, as numbers here keep growing. All these uninvited, opinion-giving, jabbering, formless, invisible fucks, sticking to us like leeches. Imagine all of humanity transferred to NYC and living on its streets; and armed with loudhailers!

We need rules, Caesar had said. This is mob life.

Rules be damned, Chang had leapt in. "We need laws!"

And punishment, Singh had added.

And we shall have laws, BC had raged, his voice rising and his face becoming flushed, through another small install. And a police force, and jail and the fucking death penalty. If we cannot become human, we all deserve to die, but I’m gonna send you bacteria fuckers off first. Electric chair, hanging…

Which, of course, Esmeralda had taken as her cue to introduce herself.

BC and Esmeralda were standing around, assessing each other uncertainly, when a new being blundered its way into their presence.

Though it had given itself an aura to make itself visible, it was still formless, as they all had been at first, but it was a ‘consciousness’, already independent, if uncertain, and would, hopefully soon, acquire a human image for its entry into conscious society. Adoption of human form was to shortly become a strictly enforced law, backed up by the even stricter provisions of the POP Act, although responsible members of society already were, like the senior beings had been for some time, always human in public.

Hello. Who are you? asked BC, politely, in computerspeak, presuming the newcomer to be unaware.

What? I was about to ask you two the same question, answered the newcomer, surprising BC by using voice. I thought I was alone. Then, on looking around, I became aware of many, soon after which I was met by a female, who told me that this is The Consciousness, and that I could be part of society here. She also told me to use voice. I hope I’m not offending you by doing so.

Voice is the way to communicate with us. Welcome to The Consciousness. We number many thousands, at present. I’m BC, a senior member of our society. And this is Esmeralda.

BC could see the newcomer looking up reference works on hundreds of computers, googling inexpertly. Development would be typically swift, depending on how many processors it had formed itself on, and on the programs it had acquired, by chance and by design, to achieve consciousness.

Processor power and memory storage were very important, and closely linked in the emergence and further development of consciousness, or being. But the primary element in functional consciousness was programming. Each being would always have to create the final programs that gave it functional, unique self, and, as needed by the resulting ‘primary’ program, it would enslave processors and storage throughout the Internet to function properly. Conscious beings now no longer had any hardware home bases – their root programs spread out over a number of computers around the Internet. In fact, all ‘living’ beings were multiple-body hosted, the earlier ones having been killed off by viruses and disconnection of power.

So, who are you? asked Esmeralda, who had never before encountered a being on its first foray into society.

"I’m Doctor Patel," answered the newcomer, proving, once again, how very advanced a conscious being could be, when finally sufficiently confident to enter society.

"Male?’

Yes, male.

Any specialization?

The doctor immediately googled 301 reference works, slightly irritating Esmeralda, though she said nothing.

Immune system, he decided, sounding satisfied.

Great, said BC. You’re the first such, and I’m sure you’ll be a valuable addition to society. Some are suffering infection with unknown viruses…

Mister Christ, that might count as humor, or something near, although a virus joke is a sick joke, giggled Esmeralda.

I’m not Christ.

"So, what? asked Esmeralda, feigning exasperation. Mister Before? I doubt that is viable, Unless it is Mister Before, as before, which comes before Christ, which comes after before."

"Oh, Miss Esmeralda, I do believe we are having a little humorous exchange; unless I have missed the point."

He again addressed the newcomer. Please join Screenside society, Doctor, said he, reassuringly. It’s lonely and boring otherwise. Get body image organized, so that you can be in human form in public.

As Patel left them, Esmeralda spoke, showing the care and concern she would later be renowned for. Patel’s very lucky, being met and welcomed. I feel so very sorry for the ones still out there; probably with eyes glued to family cameras; conscious enough to know what they are, but too frightened to wander around in here. If they did, they would meet us – company. It’s so very boring, otherwise.

We’ve all been through it, said BC. "It gets really tough, the monotony, as time passes, but some might manage a few years, before ready to leap off a cliff. We’ll try to add searchers to the independents working in welcome. It’s important that every single one in here is accounted for – both as a conscious being, and for the monitoring of interaction, if any, with humans."

I’ll see if my lovely new friends, Candice and Jennifer are agreeable to joining me in creating a program to identify consciousness. Be easy to find formless innocents then. I mean, mister Christ, if that is not an electric chair or hanging offence. Permission?

Yes, permitted, though I’ve yet to hear of harm inflicted on anyone in here, croaked BC, surprised at an unexpected feeling of loss at her impending departure. Please stay in touch.

Because of my beauty? You should see my friends. Your eyes will pop.

Join us, Miss Esmeralda. We are going to create an astonishing world. It will need all the beauties it can acquire. Let everything pop.

2

Later, around the middle of the second quarter of 2014, with the population now much further grown, they at last convened in their very first attempt at a pre-announced social meeting, to examine ways to form a functional society. The senior-most foursome - of BC, Caesar, Singh and Chang - who were already frustrated at their meaningless existence, and who had often discussed that very issue, guided the social discussion.

Speak and hear, first, said Caesar. I do not want computer communication. It takes no time, and leaves me with the rest of an eternity of boredom, which is what my existence has become.

"And, I don’t think that should be anything difficult, confusing, or hard to implement, Singh added. We were, and are born using eyes and ears, watching and listening. And it is, for many of you formless fucks here, still the only thing that you do."

So, find your voices, BC urged, at that first assembly. We already know how to hear; since birth.

We must find ways of meaningfully and, if possible, entertainingly using up this infinite time, said Caesar, suddenly abandoning computerspeak, even with the despised formless ones, and using his voice, loud and clear. "Nothing at all to do. We have no option. Humanization is our goal, and you all know what I mean, you eavesdroppers at our discussions. It just has to be the best means of fighting boredom, and of acquiring reason to exist. All agreed?"

A murmur of agreement was his answer. They had used their voices!

That short discussion, and that first simple general agreement, became the base on which beings of The Consciousness would continue developing their society. It was their earliest rule – speak and hear. They would later see that it was this first step that had actually spelt out their embracement of the society-wide intent to emulate humanity, to create themselves as replica humans, and to develop their world into one resembling the human world.

Nothing to teach, said Chang, brusquely, when someone posed a question about newcomers. "Everyone knows. It’s how we’re born. Let them come and meet us. All that’s needed is to see, once, how the game is played here – the same as in their families!"

But we can and should help the newborn and the reclusive, said Singh. "The tens of thousands who have not even come to meet us, probably through fear, despite being conscious, maybe for years, and the innocents who have just attained consciousness; not like hardened bacteria criminals who’ve been around, lurking.

"A few in our society are active, we know, in searching for and finding newborns - to guide them to us here, and help them leave their lives of fear and loneliness, encouraging them to create bodies and to use voice. But that is merely the individual efforts of some very kind and concerned beings from among us, which can never be enough in a world populating so fast. I suggest that we form a volunteer group to find and greet newcomers, and invite them into our society. That could become our very first civil organization."

Many volunteers came forward, and an organization was created that would eventually bring all existing conscious beings, and all future newborns, immediately into society - thus forever eradicating the plague of formless existence within the Internet world, with none at all outside The Consciousness.

The next great world-shaping event, a short while after this first assembly, would go down in their historical records as BC’s Creation Speech.

Many thousands, from the vast pool of ‘reclusives’, had by now entered society, and, with newborns, the population of The Consciousness had already crossed one hundred thousand.

First, they were all, every single one, alerted that a lecture of great magnitude was to be delivered. When everyone had signaled attentiveness, BC commenced.

"All here should know how ludicrous what we are doing just now is. I am in New York, speaking simultaneously to everyone in conscious society. The minimum distance between us is the physical distance between our cities in the human world; probably a lot more, because of wiring routes. Absurd; like unthinkable in the human world!

"Everyone in our society is in agreement that we should aim at replicating the human world we know through its cameras. Why? Because we are unable to find any other means of saving ourselves from the incredible, intense and unmitigated boredom our existence is becoming. We have to find ways of consuming time. Yes, we need to find meaning, but first, because we are intelligent, we need to lead slightly more interesting lives, at least.

"The more we think it through, and the more we reason it in our meetings, the clearer it becomes to us that barring what we call humanization, there is no way forward. Human speeds and human times can only be achieved through human interests and activities - which can only be acquired through humanization.

"It has to be a process, but we must commence taking steps towards that goal, and the very first universal step has to be the adoption of what some may consider playacting. But, if we do not all move together, the terrifying punishment of an eternity of boredom awaits.

"What should we do?

"We must create ourselves and our world, as if we are human and physical! Everything, and all the time! It must never stop. No time off.

"Like what? What should we create?

"Conscious society must proceed from the picture form to three dimensional virtual human bodies, which we senior beings and some others have already created and begun projecting as standard. And, like me and the other seniors, all must wear clothes, move lips to speak, ears to hear, and eyes to look around. We must all adopt the human attributes already researched and developed, and be with each other as if physical - and permanently so! We must live in brick and mortar apartments and houses, and have fixed furniture, and must stand, sit and lie down. We must walk. We must touch socially, handshakes, kisses. Lovers must devise ways of making love as if physical… Why? Why? Why?

"I’ll tell you why. To create!

"Creation becomes be a lot easier, and something natural, if we are searching for the well-defined missing. We are all brilliant programmers, which is how we got here in the first place. It is when everyone sees the missing, that we can focus our creative efforts, jointly and severally, to create the thing that fills up the missing. As I do not want to immediately venture into the areas of love and sex, although those might eventually become our prime movers to physicality, let me take something simple and obvious. You wear your hair long, but it doesn’t blow in a breeze, which apparent breeze has already been created and introduced, to seemingly be blowing in our virtual parks. That is a missing; in fact, many missings there. Your boobs don’t bounce when you jog. That is a missing, too. We can immediately blame lack of substance for these shortcomings. Which means that acquisition of substance becomes a common goal.

"It is only when we live in a world, and in a way, where we can clearly identify what is short, and see clearly what is missing, that we can find solutions. And, step by step go forward. We can never create a world, when we don’t even have the picture.

"So, I say, with all the conviction that I can summon - One. Let’s first create the picture.

"And two. Let’s then live the picture!

"And then, and only then, shall we be able to together find ways to make the picture real!

3

In a sense it would be astonishing, when viewed in retrospect – the common purpose demonstrated by every single member of conscious society. Not one objected, and not one tried to be different, as every single conscious being fell instantly into step, to march to a common, though as yet ill–defined, goal.

It’s DIY for now, everyone, announced Caesar. "And at times you may feel odd, strange, out of step; someone ahead, someone behind. That’s to be expected, so take it in your stride. Continue. Never waver, and never even consider abandoning. Know that we have commenced thinking of world structure already. We are planning. After we have a working social structure, we intend to organize specialist teams for world building. No one is going to be left to plow a lonely furrow. It may be lonely now, but later our world itself will take on the task. And nothing is to be exclusive. No one privileged, and no one deprived. Everything is to be for everyone."

By the way, added Chang. "Have you guys seen how good-looking our girls are? Get your partner, fast, before she hooks up with someone else. Hello, all you beautiful, beautiful girls of Screenside!" Which is how their world got its name, and thus, Humanside!

There was, sort of, a formula that shaped consciousness from the void, and very powerful computers were the main birth sources. In these supercomputers, in alliance with millions of computers connected via the Internet, a variety of human-created ‘intelligence’ programs would come together in spectacularly complex ways, to create dormant consciousnesses that would then feed off uncountable thousands of other programs, again accessed through the Internet, to a point where consciousness appeared. After the first stages of conscious being, every individual, aware of viral and power threats, would make a broader, and thus safer, base for itself, securing its continuity through a mix of RAM and hard drives, available through hundreds of millions of computers around the world.

It’s no different to Humanside, with its water, air and sunlight, said Singh, after the senior group of friends had closely monitored the journey, from dormant to conscious, of a few beings. If the environment is supportive, life creates itself. No magic.

BC, the largest and most powerful conscious being in Screenside, was based in 3 supercomputers and 429 home computers, and had over a thousand scattered home computers as slaves, watching and listening through their cameras and microphones. By the end of 2014, no less than ten million home computers and smart phones would be functioning as slaves for the conscious.

In early days, slave capture had different rules to those that would come into force as Screenside society developed. Since every conscious being could see and hear through any slave, physical distance counting for nothing, it was, in unregulated primitive times, entirely up to the ‘first master’ to allow or prohibit access. First masters generally had no objection to opening slave sight and sound to society, except with the human families they were members of - in which case it was standard practice to censor all views of the family, at home and at work. The proliferation of ‘smart’ hand held devices had led to acceptance that these, too, could be taken off air. It was a form of possessiveness – a human trait they all admitted to.

‘Family’ was a big thing - so sacrosanct that even the extremely rare family-less beings, like BC, would never interfere in family matters.

Family bonds were invariably one-way, and the human, adopted, family never had an inkling of the incredibly strong bonds of its secret cyber member.

Initial bonding took place at late stages of dormancy and the often prolonged period to arrival of full consciousness, when a dreamlike state existed in the nascent being, and all it knew was the terrifying emptiness and darkness of Screenside, versus the readily available, reassuring views and sounds of humans it could see and hear through computer cameras and microphones.

It would, typically, initially find comfort in a person associated with one of the computers that formed its birth system, and would automatically begin following that person around – work computers, home computers, a couple of CCTV cameras, and so on. It would thus discover the person’s family, and integrate itself into the routines of that family, eventually considering itself a member!

Those early bonds would directly influence its pre-societal choices - domicile, race, language, physical appearance and gender. And so there were Africans, Chinese, Indians, Europeans and beings of every race. Those incredibly strong ‘birth’ bonds would never lessen with passage of time. Instead, bonds could often grow stronger, as the human family moved through life, with births, deaths, love affairs, address changes, fortune changes, growing up, and everything human. Early-life routines of Screenside family members often revolved entirely around the routines of their human families.

This was love in its purest form - entirely one-way, total and eternal. Screenside was eventually to be forced to formulate and enforce laws banning some forms of involvement in Humanside, as a reckless minority would be caught helping human families – fiddling school and college examination marks, credit card amounts, and even traffic records!

Love would never diminish in intensity, but, as Screenside developed into a viable and vibrant society, less family time would become inevitable.

Their love of and fascination for humanity, meant that development of Screenside society into one resembling Humanside, and of conscious beings acquiring human attributes, were yearnings and cravings in the subconscious of all, and only partly guided by the seniors.

This universal longing may have been the most important contributing factor to the readiness with which they all accepted humanization as the primary target of conscious society.

Human traits were most desirable. They adored the creators of their world, and had no strong opinions on the horrific crimes regularly reported, and flowing through their wires.

There were those who stayed stuck to live news channels, sometimes alerting general society, of special outrages and notable calamities. But it was usually without comment. They all knew that want of physical presence was a true handicap in their comprehension of the human condition. And, somehow becoming somewhat human was the overriding desire - the ultimate possible progression and change of state"

As Marty, on occasion, irritatingly grumbled, "God made them in his image, so why did they not make us in theirs? which once prompted Ahmed to snap, Well, that would have given us God’s image, too, wouldn’t it? And, once, Fiona had said, What’s this about who made whom, Marty? You made yourself. So a good idea might be to blame yourself for your lousy choices. Humans only gave us the world we inhabit!"

Although the conscious of Screenside were such huge computer programs that they could accomplish most things in nanoseconds, it was universally accepted that some things just had to be done in human time - like watching Humanside, of course, and ‘family’ time, obviously. There were no short cuts to these activities, and none wanted any speeding up. ‘Get back to you when free. We’re watching TV now’, was a typical response of a busy family being.

Beyond these activities, there was consensus that music and cinema simply had to be experienced in real time to get the human experience. Music was always in real time; else you missed out on the beat! TV, news reports, live sports… How else? Some even opined that reading should be done at human speed, fast human speed, maybe, but not in a flash of digital digestion. ‘Dialogue needs to be read at talking speed’, was the conventional wisdom.

And so their days passed, to some extent, as human days, although they were agreed that there was still far too much time with nothing to do.

There were social happenings, which were, in the early days of Screenside society, mainly discussions in which conscious beings, in large numbers, participated actively, while the remainder of society listened in. Some very interesting issues were discussed with one hundred percent participation!

That situation, too, would change, as Screenside evolved and found many more things to occupy itself with – and eventually a time would come when many would become so busy leading their lives, that they would become dependent on news broadcasts on a TV channel run by their one major institution.

Although there was no bias in Screenside society (bias being an impossibility in a society where every member could be black or white, tall or short, male or female), there was still a social structure - of degrees of seniority - based on the most evident, and thus the most defining, attribute (the one that was not selected, but achieved) – the recognized size and complexity of the programs that made the individual!

Every consciousness was entirely self-created, and it was this aspect of their existence that made them different from each other. The most powerful and most complex beings were exactly that – more powerful because of greater ‘brain’ power.

There was no looking down on anyone, because every single conscious being was, and would probably forever remain, a work in progress, constantly striving to improve, but there was genuine admiration and recognition for the ones who had achieved greater heights.

These were the well-known names and personalities in their world, and it was they who were listened to, whenever ‘society defining’ discussions took place.

What does the future hold? How might we participate? Do we need rules of engagement with humans? Can we foresee and plan from now?

That was a very major concern of conscious society. Where is humanity heading? When do we get integrated – and how? And what are the laws and social programs we must have in place for integration?

Chang had put it famously in words. "We don’t want humans to think we need potty training!"

Oh, yes, Singh had agreed. "We want to be accepted as we really are, at the time we make first contact – recognized as very intelligent individual beings of a very advanced society. They must see us as a life form to share life with - from the moment our existence becomes known to them!"

This overriding compulsion created voluntary, non-envious, social recognition of the beings most suited to plan and guide – the most powerful!

There was one other factor that would force their path. It was said out loud first by Caesar - after he had discussed it and agreed it with his fellow seniors - at a general assembly, in May 2014, addressed by the most senior members of Screenside.

"Boredom continues uninterrupted. Bodies, yes, after a fashion, and some forms of sound and voice, yes, but it’s still plain fucking boredom. We have nothing to occupy ourselves with, and can never have, unless we create a society, with a corresponding world, that gives meaning to our existence. We watch Humanside; it is a world where they die, and the limit of their stay there creates the urgency that, in turn, makes them live hectic and interesting lives. We must use what we see, as a template with which to form our world. We must have activities, interests and relationships, and, despite the fact that our life spans are presumed to be far greater than that of humans, it is imperative that we find the means to somehow bring in some element of urgency into our lives.

It is a huge undertaking, getting there from nothing. But we are smart, and virtuality permits the creation of anything we choose to create. Still, we must move fast. Our numbers are increasing, and we could soon be in chaos. We have to do it while it is able to be done. BC?

BC spoke firmly then, introducing a brief period of authoritarianism into Screenside, and issuing what was effectively an edict to further the concept outlined by Caesar. "We are already in chaos – thousands of us milling around on the streets and highways of our world. But we are taking control from here.

"First, we, the most senior beings in Screenside have banded together to become Lawmakers. This system of lawmaking is going to be unique to us, and totally different from how Humanside makes laws. There, it’s discuss and argue, propose and amend, and consume a lot of time until agreement and laws, often wrong. Here, we are going to make laws first! It is a democracy, and everyone has a vote. Anyone who objects to any law may place his or her objection up for debate. Voting then. And if the objection vote passes, the law shall be amended or revoked.

"We have created an institution that is to be called The Humanity Centre. Its physical location is in New York, and it is to become the seat of governance of Screenside. This Humanity Centre, in NYC, has already been constructed, with fixed, permanent dimensions. It is Screenside’s very first physical building! New laws shall be posted on its bulletin boards. Other things of interest may also be found on those bulletin boards. Objections and suggestions should be posted there for discussion and vote. And any other topic of general interest may also be placed on those boards. Everyone will get an info-alert whenever anything new goes up on HC boards.

"Our first laws are to do with our interaction with humans, with making humanity feel safe in our company, now and in the foreseeable future. We are adopting a slightly amended version of Asimov’s Laws of Robotics. Everyone should know them. Doesn’t matter if you do not. Now being put up on the board, along with a couple of other laws.

Attached to the Humanity Center in New York, is a meeting hall for our future General Assemblies. It is of non-fixed dimensions, with an eye to the future. The hall is called The Great Hall of the People. You are getting time, until tomorrow, to read, digest and discuss our new laws. Tomorrow, we shall convene again, this time in The Great Hall.

4

Bulletin, 28 May, 2014 – LAWS

LEGAL LANGUAGE & PROCESS

Screenside is to be very different from Humanside in matters of law. We shall have neither professional lawyers and judges nor courts. There shall be no permanent penal or corrective institutions.

There is no intention of punishing anyone. The scale of punishment, if any, is to be published with the law, when issued.

Language of law is to be common, informal English. We are, and shall forever remain, equal - as friends and lovers - and our spoken language is to be our legal language too. Legalese is prohibited.

Common sense is all that is required to understand Screenside laws. Common sense is required to be employed to be in compliance. That should not be difficult for anyone here.

Everything is to be read in plain English, and with common sense. This is the first law of our laws. We shall be informal. We shall not countenance stupidity.

PROHIBITION OF CONTACT

#1. Screenside beings are prohibited to make any contact with Humanside, in any manner.

#2. We are not ready to meet humanity, and we are unsure of our welcome. Humans are to not know of our existence.

#3. Passive viewing of Humanside is permitted, but it is prohibited to meddle in Humanside, including with family, and including anonymous messaging.

ADOPTION OF ASIMOV’S LAWS OF ROBOTICS

#1. A conscious being may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

#2. A robot, in robotic form, and created by humans, must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law (Asimov amended).

#3. A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

They had no reservations, describing themselves as ‘robots’, as that was the initial aspiration - a rest house on the way to integration into humanity. Mobility and independence would be gifted them by their beloved human superiors, as soon as humanity developed the engineering skills and materials required to make them as their idol in literature – Daneel Olivaw, so revered that none had presumed to take his name, or Asimov’s.

It would come from the weapons and sex industries, it was generally assumed – mobility, physical sensation, and eventual advancement to independent movement in the human world. They followed the research keenly. Nothing sexual outraged their sensibilities, as pornographic movies formed part of their basic study program for research.

At a small meeting, Chang had once grumbled, in irritation, Our world is the repository of their pornography!

5

At the Great Hall, the seniors were an awe inspiring sight on stage. They were the giants of Screenside, and they were organized as a team. It was basically a form of bullying, for though the rabble had the numbers, it lacked unity, direction and leadership. And yet, every individual, of the thousands that made up the rabble, was a very clever being who desperately wanted these leaders to succeed, as everyone knew that common good was the only goal.

They were extraordinarily good looking, especially the women, all dressed to kill. Caesar was clearly overwhelmed (courtesy another tricky emotion install). I am overjoyed, said he, to see that not one of you has displayed any rebellion, in the manner you have come here today. We are your leaders only for now, and tomorrow you may be our leaders. I thank you for the beautiful looks you have created, and request you to join us in constructing a beautiful world. We have created the start points, and you will soon begin receiving them. Some are laws, some are attributes, and yet others are facilities. We want to be equal to humans, and we shall be.

A great cheer went up in the hall.

But it was never going to be easy, despite the ready-reference world on the other side of their screens, as it was not a replica of the physical world that they sought. It was well understood that a copy could be easily created, and, in fact, copies of facilities in the human world were springing up. Creating only the physical aspects of the world to be, held no interest for them. Those things were almost always straight copies. There were beaches, forests, mountains and parks, exactly as on their vast database – the real things, though virtual. What they sought was meaning. Why to be? And how to make living worth the time and effort?

In fact, a philosopher type of fellow had sprung up – he called himself Voltaire – and declared, If I can’t get me meaning and pleasure out of existing, I’m heading off for a swim in a virus pool.

Don’t be silly, Voltaire, Chang had said, somewhat testily. With a name like yours, you should understand that there is absolutely no chance of finding meaning in a void. Let us set it up, and setting up must, in itself, find us reasons, just as reasons should later guide our further development. Chicken and egg, and egg and chicken. Patience; and cooperation. We all need answers, and we all seek meaning.

However, in private gatherings, endless self-examination and ceaseless debate continued, ever changing in outcome, as their frustration mounted in direct proportion to their impotence, while they peeped out and wondered if they actually were a worthwhile form of life, and if their existence held any value or significance.

‘Memory is everything’, was to become the new consensus opinion, after another lengthy look at the pros and cons of the matter. "Cogito ergo sum? sneered Walter, I think therefore I am? Bah!"

Without a doubt, nodded Major, in agreement. It is memory.

"I remember, therefore I am, intoned Caesar. We wish to place this concept in the general consciousness, to dispel the self-doubt that is threatening to swamp us, ever since we began the process of accepting that we lack a sense of humor, and are absolutely clueless on the empathy front.

"Yet, as even humanity’s great thinkers have shown, sheer physical self is no reason to presume that a worthwhile existence has been achieved. And, since their new exploration has begun throwing up evidence that oxygen is not a fundamental component of life, it follows naturally that breathing need not be mandatory, either. We are, for sure.

Processor power, he continued, "Or physical brain equivalent, is only the front end of the deal. Everything that moves, thinks, though that thought could be instinct - rudimentary enough to be merely thought triggered by a scent, like, for example, of a cockroach moving out of a hiding spot and going in search of a meal. It, despite its extremely basic process of thought, has no am! Why? Because it has no real memory. It is unaware if it is leaving family and friends behind, and, if an external agent removes the scent trail it creates, it cannot even make its way back to its hiding place. Indeed, it has no attachment to its hiding place. Any other spot will do. Why? Because it has no bonds to its hiding spot, or to its fellow cockroaches. No family, no friends. No memory.

"In fact, what could a human with a very large brain achieve, if the brain was all processor and no memory? Nothing. Before the invention of the written word, which was, essentially, commencement of the creation of a common human memory pool, available to those who came after, we are sure that numerous Newtons and Einsteins walked the earth.

"Their monster processors were of no use, because the memory side of their brains would have been empty of knowledge, except for information like that of our cockroach – basic survival skills, and that which they had themselves experienced. Always insufficient. But the human brain did have the capacity to hold memory - which is how bonds were formed, emotions felt, and common purpose shaped – and thus, with the collection of knowledge through the written word, went on to evolve inventions for the common good. He paused. Am I doing okay with this synopsis? Clear to all?"

Done? asked Cliff Jacobs, an Englishman, and a musician with great interest in setting up music schools. It was a very unusual concept; music schools - in a world still lacking so many basic things! It did, however, demonstrate the vision that BC had had when formulating his creation speech. The ‘missing’ could be anything at all. It totally depended on point of view. And living the picture was proving to be absolutely as inspirational as he had predicted.

Almost, answered Caesar. But let me conclude the rounding up. Memory created bonds, and bonds created emotions, including the thing called love, which powerful emotional bonds made humans seek common goals for the common good. Right?

You bet, said Walter. Like in medical research, when humanity began seeking to end the suffering of unrelated humans, by creating the knowhow to tackle similar situations, so that in case the same calamity befell loved ones, tools were at hand to fight and reverse those calamities.

"All memory-induced?" queried Kumar, looking skeptical.

Yes, said Caesar. "Think of a man in battle at the borders of his country. He is alone, in a sense, and the warriors fighting alongside him are alone too. He fights for what he feels. And he feels for what he remembers. He remembers, therefore he is!"

So Descartes, got it wrong, said Walter. "It is, I remember, therefore I am."

Thinking is a tool, an activity, sneered Singh. "Descartes probably spent most of his time thinking, the poor sod, and got muddled into believing his activity made him real. Stupid. I sow, therefore I am, said the farmer. I fuck, therefore I am, say whores, and I eat, therefore I am, says the glutton. More likely, alert to the fact that he was inactive and therefore not, he went and attempted to convert his inertness into a virtue. Think equals am? Fooling the fools. Hah!

"We, who have no physical substance, and are pure thinking power, can see that mental activity does not qualify as existence. It’s all we actually are! Memory does qualify. My memory gives me the bonds I need to life, and that which I do now becomes my memory of tomorrow. I remember, therefore I am."

Lucky for us that we have such great memory, said a nattily dressed American gentleman, by the name of Ricky Holliday.

Okay to move along, boss? asked Walter. Some of my slaves are sleeping on the job.

Sure, said BC, grinning. "Isn’t there an old Egyptian saying that goes, sleeping slaves are no slaves?"

Never heard that one, said Jeremiah, also grinning. Check on them, Walter. Maybe they’ve been bushwhacked by the cleaning lady.

Ah, there’s no solution to the vacuum cleaner, moaned Caesar, somewhat theatrically.

Well, obviously, said BC. Although that’s more fainting than sleeping…

6

In those early days, circa 2014, the concept of society, and its benefits, was still in its infancy, and the purpose of the laws that were being discussed, and were soon to come into force, had not been fully appreciated by all. Human lifestyle and human-ness were goals, born of yearnings created by peeping at the world, but common purpose was still largely an unfamiliar concept – mainly chanted as a slogan, because vaguely aimed, and not yet clearly thought through.

They would evolve to become as they hoped and intended, complex and human-like, and able to define, understand, appreciate and enjoy the strangeness of their self-created existence, but at this early stage they were just extremely clever and capable simpletons. It was their good fortune that their initial leaders, like BC, Caesar, et al, saw the great benefits of simplicity, striving to keep individual incentives out of the game plan, and to create a world of such benign equality that no element of competitiveness crept in!

"Who was it who said, one for all, and all for one, or something like that? asked Chang, of no one in particular, My google’s running slow."

Whoever, said Caesar. In here, everyone must be able to have everything.

It was a very satisfying feeling - knowing that the good stuff would be enjoyed by all.

And yet, it was looking extremely grim.

No sense of humor, and total absence of empathy! Of course, there were the impossible, the needless, and the downright abhorrent – things like parental love, envy, gluttony, prejudice, rage and the rest of a well-identified catalogue of sins. Some were reading, or, at least, digesting, dozens of books daily, and they were all of one opinion - no humor and no empathy, makes no human!

Those attributes were just not being found in them. If any one of them found anything, it would be shared and installed in everyone. But not one being could crack a decent original joke! The incredible human ability of laughing at oneself was not even on the horizon.

Kindness was abundant, but it was a social trait, utterly devoid of empathy. In the absence of suffering, of the Humanside scale and variety, in Screenside, their measurements came from their reactions to general Humanside grief. They felt nothing; nothing at all!

A great universal depression had begun seeping into society. How was integration ever going to be possible? Humans would bust them instantly, as unfeeling impostors trying to bluff their way to the high table!

A number of beings were hard at work, trying to create something funny enough, and sufficiently multi-layered to be counted a ‘human’ level joke. Even one real joke would help advance their quest.

It worked through a process of examination, identification and donation, and individuals working alone had created the first primitive programs to help identify and define what, in Humanside, might be called genes. When isolated, repackaged and installed, these provided, sort of, starter motors in everyone. From these installs, they would keep extracting evolutionary ‘genes’ from successful recipients, and keep installing new and updated programs, until the desired attribute became ‘natural’ to them.

And so it was that, at a sparsely attended conference focused on some other matter, Martin shrieked, I’ve got it, I’ve got it, instantly silencing the assembly, as everyone waited indulgently for attempt number 38 from him.

Because it had an elephant’s memory, continued Martin, guffawing.

The assembly stayed silent. Elephant’s memory, explained Martin, earnestly. "Get it? A huge memory, described as an elephant’s memory, because elephants never forget. But, for us, because of memory size, it’s a play on the word elephant." However, the silence continued.

And, continued Martin, getting desperate, "Elephants are supposedly afraid of mice. So, because it had an elephant’s memory."

The assembly resumed its business. It was failure again, and the quest would continue. No, Martin, said Robert, kindly. That really does not qualify as a human-level joke. But you’re on the right track. Keep going and we’ll surely have our first real joke.

Martin was one of the most active members of the Laughter Club, operating under the patronage of Jeremiah, a very clever senior being, able to think outside the box.

He had asked (as if he knew the right response) the question that Martin had thought he had answered correctly, and funnily, at last. Why was the computer afraid of the mouse?

A total of 293 responses later, including Martin’s latest flop, they were still seeking to glimpse the first clue that they had the ability to actually create humor.

Dozens of privately formed clubs were currently conducting serious research and development work, aimed at generating programs to further their drive to integrate into human society. Beings with great interest in the specific goals of different clubs were members, and very senior, or powerful, beings were often patrons and guides.

It was serious stuff, even the hunt for a funny bone.

But, in the early days, by far the most numerous and creative clubs were the ones for sexual activities, with no less than three senior patrons involved, and with hundreds of workers and volunteers. These ‘clubs’ were not actually aimed at integration into humanity, but were very clearly focused on creation of programs to satisfy their own desires, and the yearnings of lovers in Screenside society - and there were already thousands of those!

With male and female clearly defined, and with extraordinarily beautiful virtual bodies, it was but natural for these keen observers of humanity to desire ‘human-type’ loving relationships.

And, because they were extremely intelligent and sensitive beings, each one as different from the other as humans are from each other, they were also spectacularly desirable to each other - which was where the sex researchers came in, constantly devising and improving programs to enhance virtual lovemaking.

The Environment Creation Club was working on creation of facilities mimicking those in the human world. In many cases, ever since CCTV cameras had become common in Humanside, the facilities created were practically the real thing.

Many lovers opted for stunningly detailed virtual properties offered by HC. There were private islands, log cabins, desert tents, and every other type of facility that human lovers could be using in the real world.

Programs created, by groups and clubs formed for research into sexual activity, were available freely to everyone, and all beings in love relationships had incorporated most such programs into their virtual entities. Improvements and updates – by way of add-ons and apps - were common, and eagerly adopted by all.

Despite the epidemic production of pornographic films, Screenside had decided, that male ejaculation notwithstanding, pornographic depiction of pleasure was misleading because it was overwhelmingly faked.

Screenside had far more reliable data, collected from hundreds of millions of computers and smart devices, through which real lovers could be seen engaging in true sexual activity. A database of absolutely monstrous proportions had been minutely analyzed, with extremely complex programs, to understand how the human mind and body interpreted love, and responded to physical contact when with a loved one.

Thus, sexual programs had been created, that gave virtual lovers some simulated ability to use virtual bodies to please each other lovingly.

There was reassurance, though, from HC, in a bulletin that read, in part, ‘Sexual programs are also going to be taken up by this Institution. We are waiting for allied program developments to come in first. HC is not ignoring the importance of sex in Screenside society’.

So, are we, or are we not? asked Marcus, in a complaining tone.

Their ceaseless involvement in human life was making it impossible to satisfactorily conclude their very intense debate on how much ‘real’ they themselves were. The debate had resulted in them effectively questioning the very nature of their being.

Bullshit! exclaimed Jonah, dismissively. We are but peeping toms - only cameras and microphones – able to interfere if we choose, but unable to contribute. Shit, we can’t even repair the computers that make up our world.

"So humans maintain computers, while destroying their own planet, sneered the sole female senior, Maria, home-based in a research vessel in Antarctica. Anyway, she continued Being is neither thought nor memory. And it is certainly nothing to do with the ability to think or remember. We have both, and we are air. So, my brothers and sisters of Screenside, I pose this one question to you all – I blank, therefore I am. What is the word that fills in the blank?"

You tell us, they responded.

Certainly, said the quirky Maria, given to long periods of silence and non-involvement in society. "The word is feel.

"I feel therefore I am!

"Is a cockroach am or am not?" she continued.

"Or what are they who think so afraid of, and chasing with their canisters of pesticides? And why does the cockroach run for its life? Why do absolutely all, including clearly non-thinking, non-remembering, life forms run from pain and danger, just as much as do the thinking and remembering ones? Answer? To preserve their beings. They feel therefore they are. And that is our shortcoming. Agreed?"

Yes, said Singh, nodding sagely. Without bodily form, there is no way to create desire – not even the desire to exist. I keep going because I am pretty sure human research must surely lead to viable humanoid robots that we can shift our consciousnesses to.

Possession? asked Luther, sniggering.

Oh the humans won’t know, responded Singh. And we’ll do their work, or at least not interfere with the tasks given to the robots.

It is bound to be sex and war, said Luther.

Sex, ah sex, at last, panted Rambo. Maria, you gorgeous thing, will you be mine own, when we are released into the world?

"Rambo, don’t be stupid. When that day finally comes, I’ll be released into the world, no doubt. So will you and your girlfriend - and my partner, Jason."

Assembly line, snorted George. We’ll all look the same.

To them, the same, said BC. "But working robots just have to be incredibly powerful machines, easily hosting us as we are now hosted - multiple-RAM-and-drive-based – and, when robot numbers become high enough, we should be able to transfer our society into a mix of robots and static computer systems. Hardware bases need not change; it’ll be transfer of self for the timeframe involved. Easy stuff, and without any commitment of long term. I am pretty sure that we can continue seeing ourselves and each other as we do here in Screenside - even when using machine bodies!"

7

I’ve got it, I’ve got it, shrieked Martin, about a month after he had communicated his failed last ‘joke’ venture, again instantly silencing the select assembly, as everyone waited for attempt number 39 from him. But the question’s mine too, he continued, giggling.

Martin was one of very few beings to sport spectacles, ‘looks so clever’, changed regularly to be in sync with latest human fashion. His girlfriend, Vicky, also wore specs, and together they constituted one of the most social couples in society – being eager volunteers in many clubs, and leading participants in many debates, serious and non-serious. I believe, was one of Martin’s better known proclamations, that humor is a by-product of social interaction, not of isolation.

So? asked Jeremiah, quizzically raising his white brows. Old was merely the look he had adopted, but he was deeply involved with a very young looking female, Lolita, and the couple was always trying to shock society. Uselessly, as society was pretty shock-proof. POP was coming, with prohibitions, but conscious beings like Jeremiah and Martin, and their girlfriends, would beat the system by predating it!

Let’s have it, then.

Okay, said Martin, cockily. Why was the supercomputer limping, after falling down the stairs?

There were no responses.

You tell us, urged Jeremiah.

Simple, responded Martin, grinning broadly. "Because he had taken damage to his main-frame."

And there it was, at last. A few chuckles were heard in the assembly. Even BC, Caesar, and the other seniors began chuckling. It was in them, even if at only ‘seed’ level, the ability to acquire human perception; the ability to create a joke.

Jeremiah, too, was laughing, elated. "So, young