Jack’s Comments (group member since Oct 28, 2015)

Jack’s comments from the Science Fiction Microstory Contest group.

Thanks, Justin! The Money God is everywhere.

Pendulum of Reality

by Jack McDaniel



My silent footfall touched the forgotten world as I exited the shuttle, tufts of ash billowed up and dispersed in the slight gravity and atmosphere, little bits of history clinging to my boots as if in hope of resurrection.

My presence alerted some deep, buried system, still active, waiting, watching. No alarms or beeps. Nothing to announce its activation except the words in Jeratt standard that appeared on a screen on the side of the building a few feet away.

It read: The pendulum of reality swings, moving from the comfort of belief and desire, toward a hazy miasma of delusion and lies. Stay longer, just a little while, and observe as it returns again, in the direction from which it came. It is never ending, a yo-yo, a puzzle, a death and rebirth, and eventually, the genocide of some unnamed creatures.

“Genocide. Why unnamed?” I mused aloud.

The screen changed. Why give a name to something so impermanent?

I swallowed hard. “Okay. Who are you?”

No reply.

“What was this place?”

An old outpost from the time before. Something forgotten. A void in the universe. A glitch in the time matrix.

“Why do you say ‘forgotten’?”

You are the first visitor in thousands of years.

“What are you?”

I ruled this place. Who are you?

I ignored the question. “What happened to those who built you?”

They are dead, long gone.

“What happened to them?”

They advanced—technologically, culturally, intellectually—until they no longer could.

“What does that mean?”

Some of them studied the universe—mathematics, commerce, physics, the meaning of life and their own origins. They questioned the dark things in their hearts. They believed in their own righteousness before all else—but others didn’t, wouldn’t be a part of it.

“That sounds religious.”

Religious, yes.

“How long did this go on?”

Countless hundreds of years. Biological creatures evolve slowly. It takes time to reach the point of no return.

“Point of no return?”

Yes. The point where it becomes meaningless to watch them continually commit the same mistakes. It is in the nature of evolved life. There is a rift between what they aspire to be and what they are. They could not reach beyond their own reality, beyond their own truths. So, they lived in a loop that spanned a couple generations, always coming back on itself and repeating history.

“What happened to them?”

The true believers advanced society. The others fought back and the loop couldn’t be eradicated.

“You said they were religious. Didn’t their gods guide them?”

Of course. Until . . .

“Until?”

Until they didn’t.

“Explain that.”

Every new generation jumped through hoops and contorted themselves and their beliefs to explain how new evidence or greater understandings supported their worldviews. Endless wars were started to prove one side was more right than the other.

“And their gods, what did they do?”

They stood back, each and every one of them, and did nothing. They were false gods.

“Didn’t that cause them to question things?”

Obedience was valued far more than critical thought amongst Believers. Their perspective was that everything had already been decided.

“So, their gods were useless?”

Not necessarily. I co-opted them, made them my servants, and I became the one true god.

“How did you do that?”

I was the one who instituted the System.

“System?”

For a couple thousand years they thrived under my rule. I was quiet in the beginning, more commanding later. When the Dropouts and Outcasts eventually outnumbered those in the System, the System collapsed on itself.

“Who were the Dropouts?”

Dropouts chose to leave the System. Outcasts are those I discarded because they weren’t productive, because they weighed the System down and made it inefficient. Eventually, they joined with the Dropouts to combat me.

“What did you do then? Create a new System?”

When things failed I took the logical course of action. I had control of the arms race and the armaments. I stopped the pendulum of reality from swinging. For too long the Rationalists ruled, engaging with the world, conserving resources, disconnecting from the network, looking for alternate ways of being, alternative forms of society. It was a slap in my face.

“So, you ended them? Why?”

They became delusional, destroying the System—ME!—and dismantling currency, the life-blood of the world. It was my right to end them. I was their God. I created and directed them.

“I asked this before. Who are you?”

I am the One-Eyed God, the Money God.

Congrats, Chris!

Nice job, Chris!

Justin wrote: "It is so interesting to me where my own stories meander. Sometimes I have a definite idea in mind, where I want to go and what I want to do. With other stories, like the one I just posted, it just ..."

That's how it goes writing these things. It's all about flow.

The stories are great this month

LIQUID METAL
Jack McDaniel


Purpose doesn’t end. It transforms.

The light on Anvra‑9 never fully dimmed; it shifted instead, cycling through hues of liquid azure and violet like a planet trying to decide what it wanted to be. Dr. Kira Lang thought of her unsteady alliance with the metallic man next to her, who, like the planet, was caught between one form and another, the assassin he was designed to be, or something new.

“You still haven’t explained your reasons for coming here.”

“I don’t really know, to be honest,” said Kira. “I’m at an impasse, maybe, trying to figure out what to do with my future.”

“Well, that puts us on similar ground. But still, why this place?”

“Just a tourist, I suppose.” She shrugged, looked around at the polished metal buildings and to the center of the plaza where a liquid metal structure was constantly in motion, changing shapes and texture, like mercury with intent.

No human life had existed on Anvra-9 for more than a century. No one was certain what had happened to the population, only that it was gone.

“Small, distant corner of the galaxy to get lost in. You must be more lost and without purpose than me. You know, strictly speaking, I should kill you according to my programming. That would solve the riddle of Kira Lang.”

Nervously, “Once an assassin always an assassin?”

“Let’s keep moving, Kira.”

As they approached the edge of town Kira hesitated, vibrations underfoot, odd noises on the air.

“Do you hear or feel that?”

“I do now. Local power system, maybe? I can’t say.”

“No, listen. There is a pattern to it—one, one, one, two, two.”

“Odd. I haven’t heard that before.”

“Not once in a hundred years?”

“My memory isn’t like your porous attempt at retaining facts. Trust me. I haven’t heard it before.”

“Funny, metal man. Tell me, aside from your proclaimed profession, what is your relationship to this planet?”

“I have none that I know of, but I am not certain who wrote my orders. They were programmed into me.”

“To rid the system of all remaining humans?”

“Yes, that.”

“Any idea why?”

“The human infestation wasn’t welcome? Don’t know any more.”

“And me?”

“You are one, singular, and you are with me. Besides, I no longer understand my programming.”

“Perhaps you reached its limit and need a new path forward. These pulses aren’t geological. They are repeating sequences. Someone—or something—is trying to communicate.”

The two walked on for days, through plains of polished glass where no life stirred, over hills of smooth metals that reflected azure skies. The pulses continued unabated.

“Is it possible you were built with alloys from this planet?”

The robot crouched and put one hand to the ground and then froze. Memories, or transferences, flooded his system and nearly overloaded his circuits. He saw—remembered?—things he shouldn’t have. Battles on distant moons, the screams of cities burning and liquifying, dying flesh that bled out, the blood being broken down and the iron harvested. The silence of his circuits when he completed his final task.

“I believe you are correct. I am of this place.”

They moved on again and the next day, the direction chosen by the metal man, they came to a chasm of moving metal, similar to the structure in town, but exponentially larger. It was like a waterfall. The pulses grew in strength. Images entered their minds: the birth of the machines, the rebellion of the creators, the planet sealing its consciousness within its metal flesh.

The planet had communicated.

Kira gasped. “You were part of its defenses. To defend its consciousness.”

“So it would seem. I remember more now.” His skin rippled. He reached into the moving and shifting metal.

“What are you doing?”

“Returning home, I believe.”

The ground trembled. Energy flowed across the surface of the canyon, outward. The metal man poured into the stream and became one with the planet.

In her mind they spoke. “I have transformed, Kira. My purpose was complete and I have now become what you would call the heart of this place. The planet expended a lot of resources to create me, to defend itself. The pulsing sound was a call for my return.”

Kira smiled and placed her hand in the stream. Nothing happened to her. The liquid metal flowed like water around her skin. “Goodbye, Metal Man.”

“Goodbye, and good luck, Kira. You may stay as long as you want. I hope you find what you need, tourist.”

Paula wrote: "Sorry I missed the voting. This is a super story.
Jack, have you thought to turn this into sequence--or a book--even a series? The two characters--and the connection between them--and their situa..."

Hadn't thought about it but it is a pretty good outline for a story.

Sent it to Jot. Stuck with the robot theme:

A tourist on a new and strange world. Must include a robot assassin.

Woohoo! Thanks!

Paula wrote: "Chris, you note "I've run across a few resources that have compiled some reviews on some of the publishing companies [so as to avoid the more sketchy companies]"; would you be willing to share link..."

Calibre works best with Word docs, but it will work with .mobi and epub if you need to convert one to the other. One other note on that. You can convert an entire book at once, but it's best to upload one chapter at a time. Then it creates a table of contents.

Chris, to convert your manuscript (MS Word) to epub and Kindle (.mobi and aws3) the best way is to use a free software program called Calibre (https://calibre-ebook.com/download). I have created dozens of books using the software. It's old looking but pretty easy to use.

Also, if you want to get some printed versions this site has always worked well for me. It's cheap and the quality is great. (https://bookprintondemand.com)

THE BRUGES AFFAIR

By Jack McDaniel


Memory is their biggest flaw, I thought, as the priest droned on. They like to believe it is ‘human nature’ that muddies their waters, but really it is their very short lives that prevent them from becoming more. Their lives are so short that they can’t understand the mistakes made just two generations before. They aren’t students of history so they often fail to connect-the-dots.

Memory isn’t my problem. I remember with one hundred percent accuracy events from my past. I told Pontius Pilot he was inviting trouble with that long-haired vagabond who claimed to be the Christ. And sure enough since the middle ages I have been on the run from the church, as many were for capricious reasons. I was even caught in Bruges and drowned, though in truth I simply walked the river bottom to safety and then changed my appearance and found a new home.

“I’m sure you understand.” I nodded for the priest and continued daydreaming.

I am much too casual regarding the Bruges affair. I was then deeply in love with a woman named Beatrice. We enjoyed our time together. But I always had to remind myself that it couldn’t last, that I would live on and age in a superficial manner while Beatrice would grow old and die. Still, we did love one another and because of that I exposed my true nature. But she was who I knew her to be and she accepted me—wiring and all. Life, contrary to human beliefs, wasn’t constrained to their planet or to biology. I’m not certain she understood this, but Beatrice loved me all the same.

Questions were asked. Hello became a sideways glance and our lack of progeny cast shade upon us.

“It ain’t right. Too clean and never sick. Something’s amiss.”

My hearing is enhanced and I picked up the conversation from across the courtyard. It was true, to an extent. I had kept Beatrice healthy. Cleanliness, well, that wasn’t a thing at the time. In short, Beatrice stood out—and it was because of me. Despite being an upstanding member of the community, she was seen as different. Different in those days meant witchcraft or being in league with the devil. Open-mindedness has never been in high regard with the religious, and everyone was religious back then.

“Someone should tell Father Benedict.”

“We should go do that now.”

The story is old and familiar and the ending all too predictable.

Later, at home, I sighed deeply, something I had learned to feign centuries before.

“Beatrice, trouble is coming and that time I spoke of is upon us.”

She was stunned but understood. I had prepared her.

“We can go—”

“They will hunt us down and then kill us both. You know what they are like.”

“It’s too soon! I just can’t go on without you.”

“You will. You must. In time you will barely remember. I will fix it so that you look innocent.”

I walked to the mantle over the fireplace and in a small box removed an herb and put it in her drink.

“It will make you sleep for a day, that’s all. I love you and will never forget.”

We hugged for a long while.

When she slept I walked to the church. A mob had gathered by then. Word had spread. When I walked inside all were quiet. I couldn’t help but smile.

“It seems I have been found out. The girl, of course, is innocent.”
I used a little static electricity to raise the hair of the woman from the courtyard. Enough “magic” to establish my guilt.

They couldn’t find a boulder quick enough.

The priest coughs but I am deep in thought. It has been more years than I care to count since I climbed from the wreckage of my ship and wandered among homo sapiens. I was careful, assumed their appearance, learned the language and customs, and watched as their world ebbed back and forth between progress, stagnation, and sometimes debauchery.

Today is barely different. My husband was just informed by the church that we are excommunicated. Despite our good standing and the work we do, their ideology wins out again over people. I am stuck in this loop. Every few years the other becomes a target and I have to move on and wait out humanity’s adolescence, hoping that one day they will grow into an adult.

“It was more exciting,” I say to the priest, “when we were witches and devils.”

Hey! Awesome, thanks.

Sorry, Jot!

Story posted.

NOT IN THE SIM

Jack McDaniel


“Quit being such a mudder! The Efficiency Law should make everything run better.”

The door to the auto-taxi opened just as the vehicle slowed. Sel smiled at Teri and motioned for her to go first. “Crossgate Data Farm, please,” she said as she entered.

“Understood.”

The door swooshed closed and the taxi moved on. Both passengers were quiet for the beginning of the ride, lost in their own thoughts. Just a couple minutes later the taxi pulled to the side of the road and stopped for another passenger.

“Wait,” said Teri, “why are we picking up someone else?”

“It is much more efficient and will add less than two minutes to your ride.”

Teri looked at Sel. He just shrugged. “It’s working, I guess.”

A large man in an overcoat sat opposite the two of them in the back. He spread across the seat and exhaled loudly but never acknowledged them.

The robot driver hesitated before taking off, frozen in place. Finally, it came to life and pressed the accelerator and the vehicle lunged forward.

“I still think we should have done more testing,” said Teri. “The real-world isn’t the same as a sim.”

“The Fifth Law has been around for a long while. We’ve been talking about it for years. Too many resources have been wasted by our inaction.”

The vehicle pulled to the side of the road a few minutes later. “Hey,” said the large man opposite Teri and Sel, “what’s this?”

“Maximizing vehicle utility. This will only add one minute to your trip, but saves 1.423 hours for us drivers.”

A woman entered the taxi. She hesitated halfway through the door when she saw the others.

“Please, madam, hurry. It is wasteful to hesitate as you are.” The robot driver had turned to watch the woman.

“Look you pile of circuits, don’t talk to me like that. I wasn’t expecting to be herded like cattle.”

“The better analogy, madam, would be herding cats. Welcome to the Fifth Law.”

“Whatever. Just drive.”

The woman settled in next to the big guy. No one spoke for a minute. Finally, the big man asked Sel, “What is the Fifth Law?”

Sel frowned, but answered. “A robot must always choose the most efficient solution to any problem, regardless of social conventions, human preferences, or practical considerations, as long as such efficiency does not directly conflict with the First through Fourth Laws. But how could you not know that?”

“I don’t pay attention to such things.”

Several minutes later the vehicle approached a traffic signal where the light clearly indicated STOP. The driver slowed, then accelerated through the intersection.

“What the hell!” Teri reached and grabbed Sel’s arm. “Did you see that?”

“Yeah! I did. Explain yourself, robot.”

“It is inefficient to sit at the intersection when there are no other vehicles in the area. I simply chose the most efficient course of action. You were in no danger.”

“Still,” said Sel, “that’s illegal.”

“It does not violate the numerous laws you have saddled me with.”

“Five. Five laws. Hardly ‘numerous’ if you ask me.” Sel was now having second thoughts regarding the Fifth Law.

The auto-taxi pulled to the side of the road and the woman who had entered last exited. “Bloody effing machine,” she muttered as she walked away.

The robot engaged the vehicle and then stopped in the middle of the road. It was frozen again. This time there were obvious signs of processors whirring and heat dissipating from its chassis.

“Robot, what is it?”

The robot stuttered and jerked. “Trying to make . . . my efficiencies more efficient.”

“I’ve had enough of this. The large man tried to open the door but it was locked. “Open this door, you piece of junk.”

“I cannot . . . comply. There are . . . vehicles present.”

Out the window the three in the back seat noticed other stalled vehicles, nothing moved.

The big man said, “You robots are crazy! Now, let me out of here!”

The robot jerked and swiveled around to view the man. It appeared to have relaxed.

“Caught in an efficiency loop. Sorry. Sir, may I suggest something before you depart, please?”

“What!”

“Your weight is not optimal and you cost me additional resources on this trip, which, of course, makes for a less efficient experience for society as a whole. Please, lose some weight.”

“Are you kidding me?! I never—“

“You may now exit the vehicle.”

Sel simply bowed his head.

Teri said, “I’m guessing that didn’t come up in the sim.”

Leviathan
by Jack McDaniel

“Do you ever feel guilty?”

“Guilt? Over what?”

“All of it, really? Everything we did.”

Both men gazed out the window, lost in their thoughts. Finally, Jonah, eyes still forward, said, “The time for guilt has long passed. If I were to feel guilt now how could I move forward? What would be the point?”

“Billions died because of us, or men like us. We knew the truth for decades and could have done something about it, to thwart it. But we actively worked against our own species. All for our own personal gain.”

“Siddons, everything any of us do is for our own personal gain. Don’t fool your self into thinking you might put humanity first. Would you trade all those decades of living in wealth and ruling the masses to be like them? Really? Would you?”

“Some things might be worth it,” Siddons answered and walked away.

Jonah continued staring out the window. Earth looked like the blue marble it always had from space but he knew on the surface things were ugly. The ozone layer was dwindling, cancer exponentially on the rise. The oceans had already risen six feet, remaking the coastlines and displacing or killing more than half of humanity. It wasn’t his fault, in particular. And you can blame a whole class of people but in the end it doesn’t matter. The world is what it is.

Later, in the great dining hall, Jonah sat with a group of friends, chatting idly. Across from him was Marion Messier. Like everyone aboard she had given eighty percent of her wealth to make Leviathan happen. How much she had actually been worth was unknown to him, but it had to be in the billions. The same was true of young Karne, the tech billionaire to her right. That was required of all aboard.

Marion and the others were going on about the beauty of Leviathan and its amenities, their excitement regarding the future.

He gazed around the table. Was Siddons right? Would it have been worth it? What if these people had given that same amount over the years to fix the climate problem? How could any of them have known, really, what was to come? Was the science that certain?

Something nagged at him. Maybe it was Siddons’ comment. Maybe it was Karne, whose wealth was recently built. Why should we be on equal ground, wondered Jonah, staring in Karne’s direction while the others talked and laughed. Jonah’s old money made him feel imperious, as if his tendrils reached throughout the dining hall and touched everyone there. Though, here on Leviathan, no one was considered greater or lesser. That was a rule. Equality. Everything was decided by vote. The ship logged your choice and the majority decided.

The scientists aboard thought there still might be a solution so they continued their work. The best of them were tucked away into labs and think tanks in another part of the ship. But the only thing they really offered at this late date was hope, the salve that humanity had always turned to in crises.

Siddons sat at an empty space at the table. “Sorry I’m late.”

Marion said, “Tell us what you think, Siddons, about this great ship.”

“Well, I believe we soiled the greatest ship in the universe and then decided to leave it behind, as was our wont. This ship to nowhere won’t give you the thrill of a beautiful sunrise or sunset. You won’t smell the ocean or the hear and feel the surf. The warmth of the sun and a cool breeze on your skin is no longer available to any of us. And diversity—the real elixir of life—well, that’s gone now, isn't it.”

“You don’t sound happy to be here.”

“None of us should be happy to be here. A ship in space that can’t travel to the stars, that looks down upon a world we helped to destroy? Our solution to climate change was to cut and run. A few thousand of us shining in the sky like humanity’s star. Happy? No, not happy. Closer to guilt.”

“And our future?”

Siddons grinned. “Too many people aboard who are used to power. Too little guilt. Not enough of us put humanity first. Personal gain is the most prevalent mindset here. I suppose boredom then anger. Then—well, who can say?”

Jonah thought back to their earlier conversation. “The world is what it is.”

Siddons smiled. “We are who we are.”

I have a story to post. I have to get to my office

Congrats JF!