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“Incoming call from Alex Soria. Audio only. Accept?” the computer prompted.

“Yes, open with Whisperzend,” Kyla said.

The connection opened privately.

“Hi, Mom. Do you have a minute? I want to ask you something.”

“Hi. How was your class visit to the virtual reality room?”

“It was good.”

Kyla smiled.

“That’s it? I want more details.”

Alex paused.

“We played a mining mission. We needed to land on an exocomet to get resources.”

“That sounds more interesting than good. Did you complete it?”

“Yes. My team took second place.”

“Congratulations.”

“We should have won.”

“Of course.”

“One of the teams found a faster way to complete the mission.”

“So they deserved to win.”

“I didn’t say they didn’t, but our team was better.”

Kyla smiled again.

“What did you want to ask me?”

“I wanted to ask you about simulations.”

“What about them?”

“We have to write about simulations and connect the concept to Theogenics.”

“That sounds interesting.”

“Fer said we should research cases where people believed they were living in some kind of altered reality.”

“You mean Instructor Mendez.”

“Yes, Mom. Instructor Mendez.”

Kyla leaned back in her chair.

“What exactly did he ask you to do?”

“He wants us to find a historical example first. Something about people questioning whether the reality they experienced was actually real.”

“That sounds difficult, unless you can use fictional stories too.”

“No. He said we have to write a story, but it has to be based on historical records.”

Kyla nodded to herself.

“That sounds like Instructor Mendez. He gives you an assignment that sounds easy until you actually start thinking about it.”

There was a brief pause on the connection.

Then Alex asked, “If we were living in a simulation, how would we know?”

Kyla looked toward her display.

“That’s a hard question to answer.”

“I know it’s hard, but I want to know what you think.”

Kyla considered the question.

“I suppose it would depend on the type of simulation.”

“Yes, that’s true. Let’s say it’s a very, very good simulation.”

Alex continued before she could say anything else.

“If everything we see and hear is part of a very, very good simulation, then anything we use to prove what is real could also be part of it.”

“Exactly. That’s what makes it difficult,” Kyla said.

“So we couldn’t trust what we see. We couldn’t trust what we hear.”

“Yes. We couldn’t trust our senses,” Kyla said.

“We couldn’t even trust Logminter.”

That made her pause.

“Yes, we couldn’t trust Logminter either.”

Alex was quiet for a moment.

“So how would anyone know?”

“Maybe they wouldn’t.”

“That’s what I was thinking too.”

Kyla smiled.

“Yes, I can see you’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

Alex ignored the comment and continued.

“What if whoever created the simulation sent us a message?”

“Well, it would also be very difficult to know whether the message really came from outside.”

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Kyla could hear faint sounds from Alex’s cabin through the connection. A chair moving. Something tapping against a desk.

Then Alex spoke again.

“Let’s say for a moment that this is a simulation and we know it.”

“Okay.”

“Which of the Four Possibilities would be true?”

Kyla thought about it.

“Presence,” Alex said. “Right?”

“Let me think.”

Alex laughed.

“You don’t know the answer, huh?”

“We should call your dad and pick his brain,” Kyla said.

Alex groaned.

“He’ll probably give me a twenty-minute explanation.”

Kyla smiled.

“Your father gives very good explanations.”

“They’re long,” Alex said.

“They’re thorough.”

“That’s another word for long.”

“Okay, you got me,” she said. “Let me think about this… it would be Origin.”

“Origin?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“If we were inside a simulation, someone would have had to create it.”

Alex did not answer immediately.

“But wouldn’t that mean that a Theogenic already exists?”

“Yes,” Kyla said.

“So I’m right. It should be Presence.”

“No, not really, because the simulation would have an origin outside itself.”

Alex was quiet again. Then he continued.

“But Presence says that at least one Theogenic already exists.”

“Yes, but inside this universe, not outside of it.”

“I see, but they could also just be people who created the simulation.”

“You mean people like us?”

“Very advanced people,” Alex said.

“That sounds very difficult to do.”

“Maybe to us, but in the future it could be possible. Right?”

Kyla thought about the question.

“I’m not sure it’s that simple. You should ask Dad.”

“Very funny.”

Alex continued.

“If somebody created everything we can see, and they could control what happens inside it, wouldn’t that make them a Theogenic?”

“I assume so,” Kyla said.

“Unless they were inside another simulation too,” Alex said.

“I think you just want to prove me wrong.”

“No, not really. My point is that in this case it isn’t really Origin. It’s more like a loop of realities.”

Kyla smiled.

“Now we really should call your father.”

Alex laughed.

“You started this,” Kyla said.

“I just wanted your answer.”

“My answer is still Origin,” Kyla said.

“Still?”

“Yes, because if our reality was created, then we would know it had an origin outside itself.”

Alex became quiet.

Kyla waited.

Finally he said, “That’s annoying.”

“What is?”

“That even if we found out everything was a simulation, we still wouldn’t be sure about the answer.”

Kyla smiled faintly.

“The Four Possibilities have been around for centuries because people keep asking questions that don’t have clean answers.”

“That sounds like something Dad would say.”

“Maybe I’ve been around him too long.”

Kyla glanced toward the time in the corner of her display.

“So what are you going to do for your research?”

“I already found a couple of stories that could work for this.”

“From Earth?” Kyla asked.

“Not all of them. I found one from Helios, but it’s very weird.”

“Do you want to share it?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll send it to you.”

“I’ll read it,” Kyla said.

“And, Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Share it with Dad. I want to know what he thinks.”

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you too, Mom. Bye.”

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The Mirador was crowded. Friday nights usually were. People filled most of the tables, while others stood near the terrace entrance talking over the music.

Dan sat with three friends at one of the tables. Empty glasses had begun to collect between them. They had been drinking for more than two hours.

The panels projected the view outside.

Dan barely looked at them anymore.

At twenty-three, he had spent his entire life looking at the same projections.

Mateo leaned back in his chair and raised his glass.

“To another productive week.”

Cole laughed.

“You only worked four days.”

“I worked five.”

“You missed half of Monday.”

“I was sick.”

“You were hungover.”

“That is a kind of sickness.”

Eric lifted his glass toward Mateo.

“I support that interpretation.”

Dan laughed and finished what remained in his drink.

Mateo pointed at him.

“See? Dan understands.”

“I understand that you’re lazy.”

Dan signaled toward the service counter.

“One more.”

Eric looked at the panels.

“Do you ever think about how strange this is?”

Dan followed his gaze.

“What?”

“All of it.”

Eric continued.

“We were born here. We’ll die here.”

Mateo lifted his glass.

“Speak for yourself. I plan to live forever.”

Eric ignored him.

“My grandfather was born here. My father was born here. I was born here.”

Dan leaned back.

“And?”

“And none of us are getting anywhere.”

“We’re going to Ross 128,” Cole said.

Eric smirked.

“No. Helios is going to Ross 128.”

Dan understood what he meant. He raised his glass.

“To everyone who tells us we’re supposed to be grateful.”

“Cheers,” they all said in unison.

A few people at the nearby tables had started glancing toward them.

Dan raised his voice even more.

“You know what I hate?”

Cole sighed.

“I’m sure you’re going to tell us.”

“I hate when people say we’re lucky.”

“But I guess they’re right. We’re alive, so we’ve been lucky so far.” Eric raised his glass. “To luck.”

“Yes, we’re lucky we have food. We’re lucky that our ancestors were chosen,” Mateo said.

Dan spoke louder than he intended.

“I wasn’t chosen to be here. No one asked me!”

A man at the next table turned toward them.

“Can you keep it down?”

Mateo looked over.

“We’re just talking.”

“So is everyone else.”

“Then talk louder.”

The man stared at him for a moment before turning back to his table.

Dan reached for his glass.

It was empty.

“Where’s the next one?”

A woman approached their table.

“Here’s your check.”

Dan looked at it.

“We didn’t ask for it.”

“I know.”

Dan leaned back.

“Then why are you giving it to us?”

“We’ve had several complaints.”

“About what?”

The woman looked at him.

“Noise.”

Dan laughed.

“This is the Mirador.”

“Other people are trying to enjoy their evening.”

“So are we.”

“You’ve had enough already.”

Mateo placed his empty glass on the table.

“We don’t want the check. We need another round.”

The woman remained calm.

“You’re being asked to leave.”

The man from the nearby table turned around again.

“Just go.”

Mateo looked toward him.

“No one asked you.”

“I already asked you to keep it down.”

“And I told you to talk louder.”

The man stood.

Dan watched him.

He was older than them. Maybe forty-five. Broad shoulders. A Forge Arc patch on his sleeve.

Cole stood quickly.

“Everyone, stop.”

The man took one step toward their table.

“You’re bothering everyone here.”

Mateo stood too.

“Mateo,” Dan said.

But Mateo was already facing him.

The woman from the Mirador stepped between them.

“That’s enough. I’m calling Regulation.”

Mateo laughed.

“For talking?”

“For refusing to leave.”

Dan stood.

He was not entirely sure why.

The man shook his head.

“Children.”

Mateo moved toward him.

“What did you say?”

Dan grabbed Mateo’s arm.

“Forget it.”

The man smiled.

“That’s probably the smartest thing anyone at this table has said tonight.”

Mateo pulled his arm free.

Then everything happened too quickly.

Mateo shoved him.

The man shoved back.

A chair fell.

Someone shouted.

Dan saw the man grab Mateo by the front of his shirt.

Mateo grabbed the man too.

Eric moved in.

Cole screamed at them to stop.

A glass struck the floor and shattered.

The music stopped.

Another person came from the next table.

Dan felt something hit the side of his face.

He swung without seeing who had hit him.

His fist connected with someone.

A body fell against the table.

People moved backward.

Someone shouted that Regulation was here.

Two officers approached the fight.

“Everyone stop!”

One of the officers grabbed Mateo and pulled him away from the fight.

The other moved toward Dan.

“Dan Sullivan, step back.”

Dan froze for half a second.

He was surprised the officer knew his name.

“I didn’t do anything,” Dan said.

The officer reached for him.

Dan pushed him away.

The officer holding Mateo released him and grabbed Dan.

Within seconds, Dan was on the floor.

Around them, the Mirador had gone almost silent.

“You’re being detained.”

“For what?”

“For assault and refusing a Regulation order.”

“He hit us first!”

“You can explain that tomorrow.”

Dan looked toward the man from the other table.

Blood ran from his lip.

Dan could feel something warm along his own cheek.

People stepped aside to let them through.

Dan kept his eyes forward.

By the time they reached the Regulation Bureau, his cheek hurt.

“You’ll stay here tonight,” the officer said. “You’ll see the judge tomorrow.”

“For a fight?”

“For now, you’re being held for assault, disorderly conduct, and refusing a Regulation order.”

The holding room was small. Two narrow bunks extended from the wall. A toilet and sink occupied the far corner.

Dan stopped at the entrance.

The officer gestured inside.

“Until morning.”

Dan stepped through.

The door closed behind him.

For the first time that night, everything was quiet.

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Theogenic Universe

Kyla's Diary - Chapter 23: Simulation