Written in 365 Parts: 80: Is It Created?

“So what do you think?”

“I think he thinks he is telling the truth. Whatever that is.”

“I don’t want any philosophical or metaphysical bullshit. I want to know if it is the truth.”

“Now that’s an entirely different question.”

Drick sighed heavily, “okay, Rodero, I am not going to play language games, read between the lines or I’ll hunt you down and break your jaw.”

“There’s the Drick I know and am terrified off.”

“Good, so?”

“Look I wasn’t being wholly flippant. What Marsh thinks is what Marsh believes. I ran every kind of test I could think when you were both in the construct program. I also had a whole mess of systems monitoring every potential output in his head. I can tell you that they one hundred percent believe what they are telling you. Now, they are also a little confused, scared and I reckon deeply angry, or aroused, or both. But what they said about being ex-military, from the distant past, and having no clear recollection of much else. That’s all bona fide from my readings of what they believe.”

Drick chewed on a lip for a few moments and the avatar that was being presented to Rodero did the same. “Is it true, though? Or is there a possibility it is created and Marsh just wholly believes it?”

“Now that is a very good question. Aside from working out who or why, which could be any reason, I did wonder about that myself. But that brings us to the problem of the if. If the memories they were fake how would you know. If they could convince the brain, train the body, and simulate all the experiences, then there would be a slim to no chance of finding out what is true. So how do you find out if they have done that level of deception?”

“You asking me or telling me?”

“Little of both to be honest.”

“What have you tried so far?”

“Aside from the monitoring while he was in the construct I have also been closely observing the statistics during combat, including all the feedback from the integration with the implant.”

“And?”

“Well there is the fact that he is adapting very quickly to using the mechanics of interacting with the device. The other results fall within expected ranges for someone with his age and upbringing.”

“So the physical results fall within expectations but the mental agility is a little out of range? By what factor?”

“Hard to say. There is no real baseline to go from as there isn’t anyone with his specific background in the statistical research. However I do have some figures from colonies that were discovered after suffering abandonment for a time period.”

“Go on.”

“Well the particular group I have were from five hundred years ago, just after the second Expansion War. The colony was called Rigella and had been separated from the supply lines for close to a century. They had no innate power sources and so electronics had failed after twenty years, they had primarily fission power sources and not fusion hence the short lifespan of their power. The only machinery still working was self-regenerating atmosphere terraforming towers. They had returned to a mostly agrarian existence. The doctors and scientists tried to rehabilitate the society and bring them up to speed technologically.”

“What were the results?”

“Significantly higher cases of cyberpsychosis and a higher level of implant rejection syndrome. They were also very resistant to modern medical procedures. Took two generations to fully combat the negative culture and to score close to normal results.”

“How close is Marsh to their figures? The first settlers that were processed?”

“He isn’t close. He is close to the third generation, he is way below the rejection and dissociative readings of the primary group.”