Monitor walked along the beach with resolve. Ahead he saw a balding, middle aged man lounging in a beach chair under an umbrella. At last there would be no more mysterious anomalies or deaths in the Grid. This man would have the answers he needed.
As Monitor approached him, the man stood up and introduced himself. "Hello", he said, "I am the man you have been searching for, I created the grid"
"That was a cryptic greeting." Monitor responded.
The man returned to his chair. "All will be explained, please have a seat." he said, motioning to another beach chair beside him.
Monitor walked over to the chair, sat down, and promptly fell through the chair onto the sand.
The man sent out a bellowing laugh. "Hah, I really fooled you."
"Why is there a beach chair in my abdomen?" Monitor asked, puzzled by the chair which was going through him.
"Because there is no beach chair, it is only an illusion. Here, let me shake your hand." Monitor tried to shake the man's hand. Not unexpectedly, his hand passed right through the other man's.
"So why can't I feel your hand?" Monitor asked.
"Because," the man explained with a gleam of excitement in his eyes, "I am also an illusion. Everything you see here is an illusion, a hologram"
"How is that possible?" Monitor asked, "Holographic technology was never developed to be powerful enough to simulate illusions as real as these."
The man started giggling, slightly manically. "Remember the cardinal principle of the Grid. Anything is possible. The computational power the Grid possesses is nearly infinite."
"So, you are using the Grid to project this illusion" Monitor deduced.
"Not merely project Monitor. Everything you see interacts with me and the environment as if it was really here. Even I am simulated entirely on the grid."
"You're not real?" Monitor asked in surprise.
"That hurt Monitor. I am real but I am not real in your reality."
"Huh?"
"I believe myself to be real. I think and feel like any other human being. I am conscious of my existence. However, I am aware that my existence resides not in the illusion you see before you but rather through the massive intellect that is the Grid."
"But you created the grid, how can you exist in it as well?"
"There is a history to the Grid you will soon learn Monitor. Yes, I created the Grid. That was in my past however. I have since divided my consciousness. I doubt I am the man you believe me to be."
Monitor was getting frustrated with the man's responses.
"But do you know why people are dying, and why there are suddenly all of these anomalies in the Grid? Please, I am trying to save lives."
"I do, but I cannot tell you. The answer is not for me to give, nor would it be safe for you to hear it from me."
"But people are dying!"
"All is not as it seems. Yes people are being removed from the grid. But is that death?"
"Never to be seen or heard from again, it seems like death to me."
"Monitor, let me explain to you what I can and then you may decide your next course of action. There exists a flaw in the grid. This flaw is necessary because of the way the Grid interacts with the human mind. This flaw however could also be exploited for malicious purposes. Therefore, a failsafe was built into the Grid. The moment any person connected to the grid realizes this flaw; they are instantly disconnected so as not to share the information with anyone else. If people are disappearing from the grid then this is the most likely reason.
"There are other possibilities?"
"Yes. The Grid can adapt. It may have other reasons for disconnecting these people. Or there is the possibility that some other force is blocking their connection to the Grid. Regardless of the reason, what you must understand is that if you continue with your investigation you will inevitably realize the flaw and will be disconnected."
"I have to die?"
"Yes, if that is what you believe."
"Why couldn't you just tell me now? Let the grid disconnect me. Then you could tell me how to stop these anomalies."
"Monitor, you have the entire power of the Grid at your disposal. You should use it sometimes. Let me help you answer your own question. First, why is it that I know what this flaw is if anyone who knows about it is instantly disconnected?"
"Because you created the Grid?"
"Wrong. The Grid is all encompassing. I could not protect myself from the will of the Grid simply because I am its creator, doing that would ruin the perfection of the Grid. Answer this for me Monitor: what is the Grid?"
"It is the sum of all human knowledge, the collective intellect of every living human being"
"Simple but basically correct. Why must I know what this flaw is when no one else on the Grid can?"
"You know what the flaw is, and you are connected to the Grid, so the knowledge of the flaw must be part of the sum of all human knowledge"
"Go deeper Monitor. You understand why I know it, but why must I know it"
"Because it is part of the sum of all human knowledge?"
"Deeper you idiot. Remember the purpose of the Grid is to maintain the collective knowledge of every human being that has ever been connected to it."
"So, the purpose of the Grid is to maintain the knowledge of the human race"
Monitor finally realized it.
"You must know what the flaw is because the Grid must know what the flaw is. Since the purpose of the Grid is to maintain all of the knowledge of everyone who has ever been connected to it, it must also have knowledge of the flaw!"
"Correct, My existence serves another purpose than to just taunt you with questions I cannot answer Monitor. I know everything that must never be known. Anything the Grid knows that poses a threat to its existence is secured from everyone on the Grid except for me. It is not eliminated because that would undermine the entire philosophy of the Grid."
"Then why can't you just tell me?" Monitor asked dejectedly.
"Follow my logic Monitor: I exist entirely on the Grid. If I tell you the flaw you will be disconnected from the Grid. If you are disconnected from the Grid then how am I supposed to be able to tell you what the flaw is? Besides, I simply cannot tell you. The Grid will not allow me to even speak the words you want to hear."
"Then thanks for nothing, I guess I'll go back home and wait to die."
"Monitor, I told you I serve another purpose. I am one of the Grid's many fail-safes. Because the Grid must provide access to all knowledge, I am key through which you can access information that the Grid cannot provide. There is a man who no one knows exists and whose location is known only to me. This man exists outside of the Grid and yet has access to the information you need. Are you willing to take the next step Monitor?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"More than you think monitor, more than any other living human being. In giving you this information I am giving you specialized access to information on the Grid that is otherwise secured. Once I tell you this information, you cannot tell any other person on the Grid or you will both be instantly disconnected. Understand?"
"Yes."
With that the Man told Monitor the location he needed to reach and sent Monitor on his way.
Monitor approached the cave with apprehension, afraid that any sight or sound or thought or action would get him instantly disconnected. He thought he had followed the Man's directions perfectly. If so, then all that was left to do was enter this cave and get the information he needed. He turned on his flashlight and approached the entrance warily. Inside he found a giant steel wall with an inconspicuous door in the middle. A button next to the door read "Press me only if you have been instructed to come here." Monitor pressed the button. The door clicked open. Monitor stepped through into a closet sized room on the far side of which was another door and a sign which read "Door will only open when the door behind you has been closed." Monitor closed the door behind him and instantly felt a searing flash of pain in his mind. He tried desperately to search the Grid for what this pain meant but he got no response. Monitor fell to his knees as the pain increased. The door ahead of him slowly opened to reveal the same balding, middle aged man who had led him here. For the second time he heard the man say, "Hello. I am the man you have been searching for, I created the grid." This time the man also said, "You have been disconnected from the Grid Monitor." With that Monitor passed out.
When he awoke the Man was standing over him with a glass of water. "Glad to see your awake Monitor."
"What's going on?" Monitor asked.
"You have been sent to me to get the information you desire."
"But you sent me to you!" Monitor yelled.
"I am not the same man who sent you here, although we were once the same person."
"Huh?" Monitor asked again, which he doubted would be his last time.
"As my other self surely told you about himself, I am the result of man who divided his consciousness. You might do well to think of me as a twin of the man you spoke to before, only he and I share the same memories up to a certain point."
"Fine, so what am I doing here and" Monitor again realized he was missing a part of his mind "Why have you disconnected me form the Grid!"
"Relax", the man replied, "you will be connected again when you leave, it is only temporary. Are you ready to learn what you undoubtedly came here to discover?"
"Sure." Monitor answered, huffing.
"Alright then. First let me explain who I am. I am the failed attempt of the original creator of the Grid to obtain immortality. The man you met before was the first attempt, I am the second."
Monitor stood up and pushed his index finger into the Man's chest. "I'm tired and confused, so can you just get to the point." Monitor said angrily.
"No", The Man said, and with a smile on his face, pushed Monitor back down onto the fold out cot he had been lying on. "I know only a limited amount of information and my only purpose for being is to tell it to you and others like you. So shut up and listen."
Monitor crossed his arms across his chest and grimaced at the Man above him. "Go ahead."
"Once the grid was activated and its limitless power became apparent, I realized that my entire being could be simulated on the Grid. I decided to perform an experiment. Using the Grid I was able to copy every molecule of my being onto the Grid. I was unsuccessful however. Although I still existed in my human body, another copy of me existed on the Grid exactly as I had been. I had given my copy immortality, but not me. Even though I was discouraged I tried again."
Monitor was losing patience which, as you the reader should now be learning, is not of his strong traits. "Yes, yes. You're the second attempt. What happened this time?"
"I didn't understand yet what had gone wrong. I decided to try again on a clean Grid with new equipment."
"A clean Grid, how is that possible? Every human being already exists on the same Grid."
"Every human being yes, but not every living being"
Monitor tried to respond, but instead huffed angrily and leaned back into his cot.
"I created another Grid using the minds of animals to store my memories. I also developed the technology to create a new body which I could transfer my consciousness into. I am not an illusion like the man you met before. I am real Monitor, but I cannot leave this room. The energy that keeps me alive only exists within these walls."
"So you succeeded in giving yourself immortality then."
"No, once again I failed to grasp that which was essential to giving me immortality. Although I am real, I am still a copy of the man who tried back then."
"Did you, or he" Monitor corrected himself, "try again?"
"Yes, and in doing so he discovered the flaw. In the previous two attempts he copied his existence as it was onto the Grid and hoped his consciousness would transfer with it. This process however was flawed. Although the Grid was able to create an exact duplicate of his brain there was no connection between him and the Grid to transfer his consciousness through. That was the flaw in the Grid. People's consciousness could not exist on the Grid."
"Why not?" Monitor asked, "you and the man before you are on the grid."
"Yes but we are copies of a living being. If a person was connected entirely to the grid, consciousness and all, they would be able to move from body to body, mind to mind."
"So he tried again?"
"Yes, and this time he used an entirely new approach. He studied the way in which the brain and consciousness interacted and genetically created the pathways needed to connect his consciousness to the Grid."
"So why is this flaw so important then?"
"Because," he said leaning forward, "with his consciousness connected to the Grid, the Grid was also able to control him. It was then that the Grid realized that every human being must be modified this way. As long as even one person had their consciousness separated from the Grid they could, in theory, kill every human being and destroy the Grid."
Monitor began laughing, "That's insane, who would want to destroy the grid? How could they even go about killing everybody?"
The man leaned forward, and said with deadly seriousness, "its happening right now."
"How do I stop them?"
"Your quite the confident one aren't you Monitor?" the Man teased.
"There is more information that you must first know but I do not have access to it."
"More information! I'm getting tired of this run around. I can't take any more of this exposition! Just tell me what's wrong!"
"In a matter of days, the grid will overload and collapse possibly killing everyone connected to it."
"Fine" Monitor yelled, then realized what the man had said. "It had to be Armageddon, didn't it."
"I'll try to finish this as quickly as possible" The Man continued. "As everyone's consciousness was connected to the Grid death ceased to exist. Without the need to have a human body to exist in, people simply didn't die when their bodies were killed. In order to stem total anarchy the Grid created a Shadow Grid. Now, when someone dies they do not have access to the minds or bodies connected to the Grid. Instead they exist in a
-By Jim Albert, 2004