Free Crash Flux 1: Welcome To The Machine by Kevin Battleson Page B

you imagine a heaven in which you are presumed to be devoid of earthly desires?  A heaven without sex, without war, without sadness or pain or anger?” 
    Raydin said, “That would be something.”
    “Yes, but what?  The Keta use chemicals, psychological tricks, mental conditioning and memory erasure to try and create a perfect world for these people to inhabit.  Yet this project is a complete disaster.  It gets worse every year.  When I first came to the Towers, many years ago, I had to compete with another Humantix subsidiary for this project.  They had a similar program, called Valhalla, modeled after the Norse mythology surrounding life after death, where men fought constantly over breeding rights, and women literally had no rights, protections, or laws to defend themselves, save what little they could claim by way of force.  The firm that created it had intended it to be used on violent criminals, but the Keta would only allow it to be used on willing volunteers.  It was three times as effective as Haven View, but I got the contract anyway.”
    Raydin followed her next to her throne.  He said, “Maybe the tether that connects the will to the body is too strong to be separated by any mechanical means.  Maybe there is a reason we live and die as we do.”  He brushed his finger across one of the spiders scurrying across the throne, surprised at the tactile stimulation he felt.  He had been sure it was a hologram.
    She laughed, “You believe in an afterlife?  Of all the people in the world…”
    Raydin said, “So why have you called me here?”
    She said, “To offer you the same proposition I offer everyone who comes here, knowing what I know about this place.  Serve me or die.”
    Raydin said, “That’s a rather rude proposition, don’t you think?”
    She said, “You misunderstand me.  I never kill anyone.  I have a reputation for ruthlessness that is somewhat undeserved, in my opinion.  The Keta, however, have no compunctions about removing undesirables from Datcora.  If they discover you- and they will, you will either die or wish you had.  Follow me to my chambers.”
    A portal opened from the wall facing the throne, and she spoke softly to the guard escorting Raydin.  “Stay here.”  Raydin followed her into the lavish room behind the throne, which unlike the throne room, was plush with cloth and other non-metallic decoration and furnishings.
    She lay down on the bed, propping herself up on one elbow.  “It is so rare to find someone intelligent to talk to.  Suffering, I find, is the root of all intelligence.  That or the pursuits of pleasure, take your pick.”
    “Don’t you mean, the pursuit of happiness?”
    “Whatever.  Either way.”
    “Is that why you surround yourself with dwarves?”
    “How very perceptive of you.  Ever wonder why you never see anyone who is too tall, too short, too round or too portly?”  She motioned with her finger, dragging it across her throat with a harsh sound from her throat.  “Euthanasia is big business in the Towers.”
    “So why am I here, then?  To serve, of course, but in what capacity?  I don’t even know your name…”
    “Dora.”  She leaned back on her pillow and waved her hand up towards the ceiling.  The ceiling disappeared, replaced by a holoscreen.  A massive scene played out above him, hundreds of primitive, savage men, fighting a creature, a horrid thing that was little more than a maw and a mass of tentacles.  The men screamed and died, then disappeared.
    “I have recently acquired another contract.  Valhalla has grown stale, and I have created an expansion to the original program.  You see how all these men are working together, trying to bring down this beast?  Do you see the intensity on their faces?”
    Raydin strained to see, but he could not mistake the sounds they were making.  Whoever was participating in this simulation was absolutely convinced this was real.  She continued, “Those aren’t