The Elders (Mind Dimensions #4)(38)

When the song is over, we resume walking, and I wonder whether I’ll become desensitized to all this breathtaking art surrounding the Island. I’ve been meaning to take Mira out to do something ‘normal,’ and after this, that something might not be a museum, at least not for a while.

We approach a heavily decorated square, and I suspect that my attacker-lookalike count will soon reach triple digits. I surreptitiously move closer to Gustav.

This square seems to be the epicenter of the Celebration. Crowds of people surround stalls filled with games and displays.

Gustav stops in the middle of the square. “I see that the rest of my peers are here already. That means the meeting will be on time.”

I look around. He’s right. Though masked, the Elders are easy to spot, and though Gustav didn’t explicitly say so, it appears the Elders don’t prefer the boring black, gray, and white colors. Instead, I see a whole spectrum of colors, from Victoria in pink to Alfred in orangutan orange.

On the left side of the Square is a big black-and-white table. Gustav walks toward it, and as we approach, I see the twin Elders, Frederick and Louis, sitting opposite each other. Despite their masks, they’re easily recognizable. They’re each dressed in purple, with masks that are just strips covering their eyes, like Gustav’s. Their table has one of those checkerboard patterns on it, similar to tables in New York City parks. Fittingly, they’re playing speed chess on it. Given the number of spectators, their game must be an interesting one. It’s impossible to tell which brother is Fred and which is Lou (as I’ve decided to nickname him).

“Transformative technologies are a double-edged sword,” one of them says after making his move. “Nanotech could lead to the deadly Gray Goo scenario, with nano-replicators gobbling up the whole world. Robotics and AI could lead to our extinction by a different route, with our own intelligent creations getting rid of us.”

“Every technology has risks and rewards, brother,” says the other, countering a move, then hitting the clock. “The rewards have prevailed thus far. Nanotech can cure cancer and feed the world. AI can—”

“Check,” the first brother says instead of arguing, and moves his bishop to B6 at the same time.

The brothers continue the game. Their banter seems meant more for the crowd than for their own amusement.

“They once played chess for two days,” Gustav whispers into my ear with something resembling pride. “Two Sessions that is.”

“No way,” I whisper back. “Two centuries of chess?”

“Indeed,” he whispers back. “They didn’t just play it; they also read thousands of books the Unencumbered wrote about the game. By the end of the second Session, they’d written their own books filled with new, revolutionary plays and unbeatable strategies. Of course, as you can imagine, it’s impossible for anyone to beat them. Unless one of the other Elders decides to also dedicate some time to chess, they have to play each other. The world’s best grandmasters and computers are no match.”

“Checkmate,” the crowd around us murmurs.

“Looks like Frederick will be our sacrificial lamb tonight,” the grinning brother says, finally allowing me to recognize him as Lou. “Gustav, what say you?”

The old man nods gravely and walks to the middle of the square.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Gustav says in a sports-announcer voice. “Today’s challenger will face Frederick.”

People clear the middle of the square and go quiet. Everyone’s eyes are shining with fascination, but no one seems to want to volunteer for whatever it is Gustav is talking about.

“Is anyone here brave enough?” Gustav urges, giving me a meaningful wink.

The crowd thickens, but no one volunteers.

“Oh, come on,” Frederick, the ‘sacrificial lamb,’ says. “I’ll up the usual prize to twenty years.”

The crowd murmurs, but still, no one steps up.

“Just think of it: twenty years in the Mind Dimension on the day of your choosing,” Fred taunts.

At this point, I can hear people shuffling. The crowd parts as a lithe figure walks through.

Though masked, I can tell the figure is female. No man has curves like that.

She stalks across the space and confidently stands opposite Frederick. Something about her manner is familiar.

When she moves into a fighting pose, I realize it’s Kate. I cringe as I remember what happened after she stood opposite me that way.

Unlike me, Frederick doesn’t look at all concerned.

“You may begin,” Gustav says.

Frederick demonstratively examines his nails, a gesture that’s obviously meant to taunt Kate.

Without saying a word, Kate approaches in that strange pattern I observed the other day and tries to strike Frederick.

Only, Frederick isn’t standing there anymore.





Chapter 12





I don’t know how Frederick dodged Kate’s strike, but he did—so fast that my eyes didn’t fully register it.

The crowd cheers; they seem just as impressed as I am.

What’s really odd is that Frederick doesn’t counterattack. Kate clearly doesn’t care about that and goes in for another round.

She’s moving more frantically. What she’s doing reminds me of how a martial artist would look in a sped-up and slightly pixelated video. All I see are limbs and legs, all aimed at Frederick, but none of the effort is doing Kate any good.