Lurranus 3 (Part 2/5)

Link to Part 1: https://www.abctales.com/story/trans4mer/lurranus-3-part-15

Part 2 of 4:
2257

My alarm suddenly goes of at eight, awaking me from my slumber. I’m turn it off, unhappy about the intrusion, but it’s not because I am tired. More that I was having a surprisingly peaceful sleep, and was happy living in my imaginary bliss. I was enjoying a dream in which I was on earth, not only with my friends, but with all the people I have had the privilege of meeting during my unnaturally over-extended lifespan. Of course, I could have just been saved a macabre turn of events, but my traumatic visions have all but disappeared in recent months, so it’s unlikely that would have happened. I suppose I’ll never know.
I pull myself out of my massive bed, and watch as, in the two beds to my left, my friends Connor and Andy, do the same, with varying amounts of success.
“Morning.” I speak, overcome by a yawn as the last letter leaves my tongue, still reacquainting myself with early mornings after years waking whenever I wanted, for lack of a reason to do otherwise.
“Morning.” Andy replies, sounding much more awake then I am, sitting up attentively. Everything about him, his composure, his chiselled body, the close way his black hair has been shaved, speaks to the military ways he hasn’t fully left behind. “How’d you sleep?”
“Well. I had a nice dream.” I reply, pulling myself up.
“So did I.” Whispers the soft voice of Connor, his words obscured by the pillow his face has made its home in, and was refusing to leave. The only part of him I can see is his unruly pitch black hair, hiding his pale white skin. With their similar hair, I initially mistook Connor and Andy for brothers, but while they are not related by blood, they act just like siblings. “I had a lovely dream. There I was, in a garden. It was green, and there were flowers. So... so many flowers.”
“Yeah. That sounds... remarkably like a garden.” Andy interjects, looking at me and shaking his head lightly. I stifle a laugh.
“And there was a table. Like a long, banquet kinda one. With loads of fruit. Apples, bananas, watermelon.”
“Wow, steady on there pal.” I say. “I think you’ll find those are vegetables.”
Andy laughs, and tuts sarcastically. “He knows nothing, does he?”
Connor continues, unbothered. “And there were, like, five models, on the table.”
“I assume you proceeded to eat them, and make out with the fruit.” Andy says.
“No, no, no. The vegetables.”
“And there were about to like, seduce me. I was going to make love to them all. But then...” he suddenly launches up, and points an accusing finger at me. “His bloody alarm went of. And I hadn’t even got to first base.”
“Maybe it’s a sign from the universe. A metaphor, for your ineptness at romance.” I say.
“Probably.” Andy adds.
“Did you see him try to talk to that blond girl the other day?” I ask.
Andy nods slowly, and grimaces, before laughing. I can’t help but join him. It feels like being a teenager living a simple, carefree existence, something I never had the privilege of enjoying before meeting my friends.
Connor’s eyes flick between the two of us, and he tries to give us a dramatic stare. “Screw you guys.” But Connor can’t help cracking a smile.
“I love you too, honey.” I reply.

The cantina is fairly empty, with the exception of one lone figure sitting on the furthest edge of the room.
Our white trainers clang against the metal floor, as we make our way to the metal containers the Cubes are kept in. I get there first, grab a plate, and pile some Cubes on, whilst Connor leans against the yellow bar half a meter above the containers, with Andy trailing behind.
“I’m not forgiving you for that, you know. You deprived me of the experience of a lifetime.” Connor speaks into the air, faking sadness.
“I feel... terrible. I’m don’t know how I’ll be able to sleep tonight.” I say sarcastically, handing Connor the spoon and moving over to let him get some food.
“I will have my revenge.” He tells me, in an over the top Russian accent.
“I assume you’ll murder me in my sleep.”
“Actually I was think of sending you of into space, with nothing more than a tank of oxygen, a tv, and the DVD of The Room.”
“Oh God, not that film.” I think back to a few weeks prior, when Connor eagerly suggested we watch the ancient film which he declared to be “so bad its good”, only to receive the unenthused response at the movies end of “it’s just bad”.
Connor finishes, and Andy gets his food in only a few seconds, and then we go over to sit in our regular spot, in the middle of the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the figure again, who is seemingly staring at the wall.
Connor quickly resumes talking. “Okay, so who was it again that proposed this idiotic idea?”
“You did.” Andy responds, not bothering to look up.
“I did?” Connor exclaims, then looks down in genuine shock. “Oh yeah, I did.” I smirk at him. He seems to shrink into his seat a little. “Look, I know I sometimes make mistakes, but I’m always the first the raise my hand and say I screwed up. And I screwed up.” He pauses, and his face scrunches up. “Are you completely sure it was my idea?”
“Yes, you were the one who suggested we go to the gym.” I tell him slowly.
“Yeah, but... did I say eight in the morning?”
“Well, you don’t want to get caught up in the masses.”
“What, all forty people here?” Andy adds.
“Well, truth we told, I wasn’t sure what time you said.”
“What?” Connor said, coughing on his food.
“I thought you said eight a.m., but for all I know it could’ve been p.m..”
Connor stares incredulous at me.
“Look, in my defence, you did make us watch that crappy movie the other week.” I say defensively.
Andy nods through a mouthful of food. “He’s got a point.”
“It’s a classic.” He stutters. We shake our heads. “Well... a classic example of bad cinema?”
“Consider this revenge.” I say.
We’re silent for a minute, before Connor gives up and suddenly blurts out “These Cubes are surprisingly good.”
“They’re alright, I guess.” Andy says dismissively.
“But I’d kill for some fruit. Or chocolate. Or anything that’s not this.” He pauses. “Look, I know this has all the calories we need, or whatever, but I just want to eat something I’d actually enjoy.”
I my mind, I agree with him, but see no reason to push this particular discussion further, so merely nod my head along slowly.
Andy suddenly queries Connor, saying “I trust you have the “oh-dear-god-for-the-love-of-my-ears-please-stop” playlist?”
Connor takes out one of the phones I collected in the past and gifted to him, swirling it around dramatically before presenting it to Andy. “Just for you, kind sir.”
“How’s it doing?” I ask him about the phone.
Connor smiles. “It’s great. They all are. I mean, it is temperamental from time to time, but it is a bit old.” He suddenly stops, and raises his hands. “Not, of course, to say they’re bad. They’re great. Thanks again.”
I smile back at him, as the lone figure in the cantina suddenly leaves going down the corridor. The same path, I realise, that leads to the gym.
“Do you know what happened to his mate?” Andy asks.
“Huh?” Connor and I both mumble.
“There used to be some guy he would hang up with. I think. He was really scarred, I remember. Over his face. One of them came here together same time you guys did, the other a bit later. They used to sit together at the edge on the room. Where he was sitting just now. Didn’t talk much, mind. Anyway, a few days ago I just... stopped seeing his friend. Don’t know why. He just disappeared.”
“Huh.” I say. Connor is silent, but I can’t tell if he’s thinking about the current topic we’re discussing, or something else entirely. After all, he’s a very naive character. He didn’t live through the war, unlike Andy and I. It’s a fact I sometimes used to envy, the peace of mind it surely proved him with, his child-like ignorance, but now I think about it less.
“Maybe he went into Lurranus.” I suggest.
“Are you still thinking about that?” Connor asks me. The sudden question shocks me, and I feel both my friends as they turn and stare at me.
I used to want to. I used to think about what a failure I was, for leaving my parents to die, and having nothing to live for. I used to want to just forget about all that. But things are different now, and I answer confidently.
“Not any more. I’m happy here.”
There’s silence, as we all finish up the rest of our Cubes. After this, Connor says “Let’s go.”

There’s only four people in the gym. We make up three of those people and the fourth is the guy from the cantina. I can only see him from behind as he uses a punching bag, his fists attacking it from both sides in a powerful yet slow and restrained manner, but I take note of his sweaty, dark grey t-shirt and unruly shoulder length brown hair.
My two friends are near the door. Andy is going steady on the bike, and Connor is gasping on the treadmill as he does his best to stall his inevitable defeat. I go for a treadmill myself.
We often go to the gym, but not often this early. After all, there’s only so much to do here. In the year and a half I’ve been on the space station Mimas, I played countless games of basketball, tennis, table tennis, and all manner of video games. I’ve seen plenty of movies, sometimes alone, sometimes with my friends, and sometimes with almost everyone in the mini cinema, watching a movie we vote on beforehand. I’ve learnt some magic tricks, read lots of digital books, eaten plenty of Cubes, and spoken to more people in the past month then in the whole previous decade. I haven’t formed quite as strong a connection with anyone else that is similar to the bond I share with Connor and Andy, but I’ve enjoy my various interactions none the less.
And I’ve come to enjoy the one thing I missed during my days when my only company was technology: people. The sense of purpose, of companionship you get with them. Something that’s maybe even better than Lurranus, but I can’t see that with any certainty. Unless, of course, the person in question is unkind or self-centred or possesses some kind of personal trait that makes communication with them a tiring or unpleasant affair.
For the next hour or so, I run, lift some weights, take a break to drink some water, then run some more. Andy is the first to leave, after thirty minutes, to go see another friend of his, and Connor departs twenty minutes later without specifying why.
So then it’s just me and the unnamed individual that neither I, nor anyone I know, has ever spoken to during their time here. Honestly, I don’t even know anyone who knows his name.
I sit down again, just as he collapses on the floor, panting heavily, exhausted from a session that has continually increased in its intensity. He’s in a small boxing ring, and for the first time in a while, I’m granted a look at his face. He has a pale white face, blue eyes, and looks to be in his twenties (of course, I can’t be sure of his real age, due to the Slow-Down, but given how your body only ages one year after you’ve lived twelve, he’s certainly been alive for at least a hundred years). He has no visible scars, but his eyes dart rapidly around the room, looking empty and in search of something they can’t find.
For a moment we make eye contact, and he looks at my water. Seeing his gaze, I gesture towards it with my eyes. He nods slowly.
I walk over to him and, as he reaches upwards, I place it in his hands, then I sit opposite him.
He takes a great swig, possibly attempting to drink too much, and some of it dribbles down the bottle. He makes a sudden jerky movement as he lowers the bottle, then his throat makes a swallowing motion, and he takes another, more subdued sip, before leaning back, and cracking a gentle smile.
“Thanks.” He says, before releasing a few more heavy breaths.
“No worries.” I say. I’m silent, but on realising they may be one of my only chances to learn something about this guy, I decide to try and initiate a conversation.
“That was a pretty intense session.” I remark, I statement I fully mean.
He nod, but his head only moves a little, with his eyes seeming to do most of the work.
“Yeah. Just trying to keep fit.” He says before pausing, and smirking to himself. “You know, for decades all I had to do was walk around. Not to anywhere in particular, just moving for the sake of moving. And then I have to come here and suddenly, I can’t go anywhere. All I can do is walk though a couple of metal tubes, over and over.” He laughs
“You’ve got a lot of energy.”
He shrugs. “I did a lot of walking. And I come here everyday. To train, kill time.”
“For what?”
“I... I don’t know.” He looks down at the floor, and it’s at this moment I suddenly understand the vacant look in his eyes. The same look I wore for so many years.
I don’t know what to say. Should I offer him words of comfort? I don’t know. Instead I give him my name. “I’m James, by the way. James Fell.”
He looks up. “James? That was my brothers name.”
The use of past tense suggests his brother is no longer around. I look down. “I’m sorry.” I say weakly.
“Don’t, it’s...” He mumbles. He pauses, then suddenly speaks again. “I’m Liam Treit.”
I smile. “Nice to meet you Liam.”
He smiles weakly back. “So what brought you here?” He asks finally.
I sigh, and think for a minutes. “A misguided attached to my home. And a love of cliches.” I pause. “I mean, after I came here, I initially thought about going straight back down to enter Lurranus. But, when I met my friends here, I realised what it was my life was lacking.”
“Purpose.” Liam suggested. I smiled.
“Yeah. That feeling of belonging. Happiness. Everything I didn’t have on Earth after my parents died, and everything Lurranus, for all its positives, could never really provide me with. Really companionship. Plus, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get past the fact nothing I was experiencing was real.”
Liam shrugs. “It’s what happens in the mind that matters. If you’re happy, then does it really matter whether you’re in the physical world or a digital one? If someone was paid to be your friend, and you died happy, not knowing the truth, would it matter?”
“I suppose. But if it’s on a computer, then god knows what could happen. That potential for danger is something that, honestly, just completely terrifies me.”
“Well, Lurranus... it isn’t perfect.” I look at him, intrigued by the vague statement he has just issued, and wonder as to what grounds those beliefs were formed on.
For a moment, I think I won’t get to hear it, but Liam breathes in deeply and begins talking. “I met John Closer, once, back in the day, after the war ended. He spoke a little, had a laugh, went out separate ways. Then I saw him again, last year, after I heard what he had created. But he wasn’t the man I remembered.
“He said, or I inferred, that after our conversation he had been inspired to make Lurranus. He thought, after the war, what people needed was escapism, a sense of purpose, whatever.” He sighed. “I mean, conceptually, it was always a great idea. A programming nightmare, though. Took him years to digitally transfer consciousness. Eventually in fifty-six, he opened it to the public and billions joined.
“But I don’t think he was really prepared for what people would do given total freedom. Lots of people just talked, and did... crazy adventure trails and drank and had sex and... did normal human things. But others were crazy. They’d try to murder and rape and torture. Shitty, immoral things. Often to real people. Of course, no one can really get hurt or die, and there are fake avatars in Lurranus too, so people can be violent without any real consequences, and while they couldn’t physically hurt anyone, mentally, they could. But he was shocked. He thought the world was better than this. So, he did something about it.
“Privately, he started trying to edit those people. To change their personality traits, make them better people. He tried to take their conscience and change it. It didn’t work though, half the time it completely failed, and all he could do was maybe influence their emotions for a few moments. So instead, he pulled at least a hundred of these kind of people out of Lurranus, and destroyed the memory chip their data was stored in. But someone got wind of it, and they put some people back into their real bodies. People who’d had their, say, brother or sister just destroyed.
“They wanted revenge, so while John was working at Intrexal, they went to his family home, got all his families consciousness, then burned their bodies before completely corrupting their data. When he came home, he couldn’t do anything. They were gone. There were fragments, but not enough to restore them. Probably deliberate, to torture him. He’s brilliant with technology, they knew he spend hours trying to save them. Then they came back, for him this time, beat him half to death, and left him to die. This was a month before I met him again.