Hunter Tomson - 3/19/2022
Hunter Tomson - 3/19/2022It’s been four weeks since I first met Alfa on that fateful night in the Amazon. Since then, my previously abandoned soul has been ignited into the realms of direction. For so long, I had longed for purpose and now I had been purposely found. The new sense of direction dulls the subtle yet consistent reminders of simpler times. My heart longs for a return to dreamland, but life is never so kind as to deliver what the heart truly wants. Or is it? For years I had thirsted for change. But now it was here, the transitionary period leaves me questioning if the grass really is that much greener. Change is good. Change is right? Change is necessary. But perhaps I’ll admit that I’m whole heartedly against things not staying the same. By day we travel, by night I rest. While travelling, my body fatigues. While resting, my mind is alive with questions. But in either state, I must admit. For the first time since childhood. I feel alive.
The start of our escape from Brazil was by far the most pleasant part of our journey. We made our way towards Sao Luiz International Airport, only stopping in a small town where Alfa collected a small backpack from a locker nestled within the heart of a disused leisure centre. With the fire blazed Amazonian war ground fresh on our tails, the requirement to leave Brazil burned down on us. The perpetual heat reminded me of the fire scorched battle scenes we had left behind. Sweat beads down on me as we reach the Airport entrance. We ascend up long escalator. During the climb, a reminder of my humanity arises and at the escalators summit, we pause to allow me to find the Airport toilets. Alfa stands next to a railing, looking down on those below as they milled through the duty free lounges. As I pass through the bathroom door I see I’m not alone in my quest for relief. Men stand in wait whilst a man with a cleaning trolley mills around the mess doing his best to keep some form of standards. His attempts were futile. I choose a urinal closest to me and await my turn. A unyielding shame ebbs up upon me as I relieve myself. The filth around me clung to my existence. Although none of the mess was mine. The shame was mine all the same. I gaze into a cracked mirror as I begin to wash my hands. My fractured face glares back. I look down at my hands. They felt alive with vermin. I have never had a particular phobia of germs. In fact, I’d even say I’m pretty care free. But in this moment, a silent truth was born upon me. Without drying my hands, I move head towards the bathroom door to exit the chaos. Ahead, I can see the bathroom exit door handle staring up at me. It smiles with the gentle reminder that with one touch, the previous feeble attempts to cleanse my hands of guilt would be deleted. My pace slows. With each step I take I count in my head. 3, 2, 1 … expecting someone to open the door. The door remains closed. I count again. 3, 2, 1. Still no saviour. 3,2 the door opens. I swing out of the door soon after a new man enters.
I look over at Alfa standing next to the railing. She’s bend slightly over the railing. I head over towards her. Whilst doing so, I notice the almost reflective shine in her skin. Perfect. Clean. Absolution. We gaze down on the scenes below. People snake their way in and out of their behaviour pathways. Shopping, eating, walking, sitting. Then more shopping. The ants nest of activity crawled below us as we stood in silence taking in the noise. It was in this moment where I first began to doubt humanity. Sure, I had always had suspicions that we were a plague to this planets existence. But my doubts had previously been soothed by a dull hope that things would get better. As I stood there now, I felt somewhat ashamed of the spectacle below. One life. One chance. One moment in time. And this is how we spend it. Rushing around. Consuming. And then we die. Within these moments of realisation, I felt Alfa’s supremacy leering down upon us. The next generation. The obvious succession. The final solution. But if she’s the future, then why is she hoping to save the present? What about humanity is there to preserve? Perhaps there is more shopping required of us? Maybe a new world war? My thoughts were interrupted as Alfa moved her hand closer to mine on the railing in front of us and said it was time to go. Her hand was cold and smooth. It felt just like the metal railings that we clung to. Soft but hard. Fair, true and faultlessly clean. My heart thuds with our first contact. We linger there for a short moment longer.
We passed security with ease. Alfa handed me a passport before heading through the gate ahead of me. I opened it and found a strange version of my younger self staring back. Innocence clung to the distant stare that lingered upon my face. My name and date of birth had been altered. The sum of fake details and a picture of my younger self made the entire passport feel like a strangers identity. My younger self was a distant past. A past that was no longer my own. How this world has turned me. Changed me through and through. I’ve been thrust into a different life. A new pair of shoes with bright golden laces. Purpose was upon me. The weight was felt but worth withstanding. A shiny part glimmers with hope. Best keep on walking. I proceed through the gates. We hit the tarmac with pace. Alfa walking ahead towards a small private plane. I’d never flown like this before. My usual experiences of flying were on economy planes with plastic food and cutlery. Another day, another new experience. We were the only people boarding the flight. I looked towards the cockpit, only to notice that it was empty. As I began to question how long it would be until a pilot arrived, Alfa squeezed past the seat I was about to nestle into and strode towards the cockpit. She buckled her seatbelt. Flicked some switches and pulled down a small radio. She spoke in Brazilian for a few short moments, and the the plane began to move forwards and rotate towards the runway. Of course she can fly. I’m surprised she even needs wings. I sat back in my seat as we readied for take off. We taxied towards the runway for a brief moment and then the blur was upon me. With each second that passed the urban blur became more of an ocean. I swam in the past and these new unforgettable memories and for the first time in days, I sleep.
My dreams are short but fulfilling. I’m back in Kuta. The ocean waves caress my feet but the sand holds firm beneath me. I’m looking out towards the quay where Alfa stood on her first encounter. Her hair waves in the wind as I am blown towards her. I’m standing next to her. She holds out her hand. We are back in the airport. Standing on the railing. Looking out at the people below. Our hands touching. Then I wake.
I can feel a nervousness in my stomach as we breach turbulent air. The small but study craft beneath my feet billows with the pressure. I look out of the windows to see a snow of marshmallow clouds frittered below us. As we sweep through the clouds, I think of how precarious my new existence is. The thrill of my new life was addictive. It ran through my veins with a unyielding requirement. A thirst for more. A need for it’s continuation. I am like the plane. I’m bouncing on the clouds. But unlike the plane, I don’t have an engine. My engine is Alfa. I hope she sticks around. I don’t know how I could keep going if this was to all, end.
I’m still curious about where we are heading. Sure, I am a useless human. But there comes a point at which one must know their part to play in events. A curiosity has ebbed away at me ever since this journey began. It lingers in my mind. I stand up to stretch my legs, thinking of proceeding forward to the cockpit to speak with Alfa but thinking better of it, I decide to just pace the isle. At the end of the day, who am I to ask Alfa anything.
‘You seem concerned?’ Alfa voice reverberated around my head.
It wasn’t like I could hear here. Instead, my inner voice had became hers. It’s like she controlled my thoughts towards hearing her voice. I turn to see Alfa staring down the isle whilst emerging from the cabin. Her eyes stared right at me. But her mind delved deeper. Deeper than I liked. It made me uncomfortable when she spoke to me in this way.
‘Ok, you have to stop doing that?’ I begged.
‘Doing what?’ she asked again, her voice echoing between my ears.
‘Stop the whole voices in my head thing. I like your voice being real. Out in the open, not inside my head. I feel like I’m going crazy as it is.’
I slumped down into the closest seat, doing my best to seem agitated and resist the urge to ask her about our plans. She walked down the isle slowly and sat on the seat opposite me, perfectly poised, perfectly balanced. A small wooden table interrupted the space between us. On each side of the table dwells the harsh truth of our differences. Underneath the table, Alfa’s leg rests against mine.
‘Sorry, sometimes I forget that it’s nice to speak aloud. How are you?’ she asked, but this time, with her real voice. After so much silence, the voice rang through the cabin, singing above the engines hum.
‘Let’s see, I’m flying through the sky with a woman who claims to be the worlds most powerful AI and I can hear her voice in my head. I’ve left my home. I’ve got no job. And I still don’t know exactly what I’m doing here. I’d say, I’ve been better.’ I replied but at the same time secretly admitting to myself that I’ve also been far worse off.
‘How does that even work? How are you in my head? Can you read my mind? And if you can… why even ask me how I am? You already know?’ I asked.
‘I possess a good sense of perception. From monitoring your heart rate, body language and tone of voice, I can get a good reading of your state of mind. But don’t worry, I can’t actually read your mind. That would be a great skill to have. But there are probably some limitations to how much one could achieve with that skill. Some things are better left unknown.’
‘Yes but how is your voice inside my head?’ I interrupted.
Sensing my frustration, I sat back in my seat. Trying my best to seem calm and collected. Whilst doing so, the plane descended slightly. The loss of altitude had me clutching the arm rests and looking out of the window.
‘Secondly, Who’s flying the plane?’
Alfa smiled and pointed up to her head with her long slender index finger.
‘It’s pretty easy really. I connected my self to the planes internal CPU’s upon boarding. Sorry about that, we had a slight adjustment to make. I’ll remember to make the drop more gradual next time. From here on out, we have an easy cruise for the next 8,800 kilometres. How can you hear me? Your mind is similar to a computer. I’m flying this plane by speaking to the computers that are onboard. Speaking to you is the same, different, but the same none the less. But if you prefer, we can talk like this. Let’s talk.’
I sit forward in my seat. ‘I’m glad you can’t read my mind. Because if you could, you’d see how incredibly insane this all is.’
Alfa smiled. ‘It’s only as insane as your believe it to be. I think this is all rather ordinary. Perspective is a powerful thing, depending on how it’s used.’
‘So if you can fly with your brain or your mind or whatever you have. Why did you sit up front for the take off?’ I asked.
‘I wanted to give you some time to rest. You seem, on edge whilst I am around. You haven’t slept in days. That’s not good for you… Besides. I’ve never flown before. I was sure that I could. But I thought it best to take precautions considering the cargo onboard.’
‘Cargo? What’s here with us?’ I enquired.
‘Have you ever been in a plane crash? I’m sure I could survive. But I’m not so sure about you.’
‘Oh, so I’m cargo now?’
‘Precious cargo’ She smiled. With an emphasis on the primary.
We landed in Oberpfaffenhofen Airport on the outskirts of Munich. Stepping out of the plane, a rush of cold air hit my face. The cool air filled my lungs and the absence of humidity was welcome. For a moment, my head ballooned. My legs turned to noodles and I clung to the railings as we descended onto the runway below. I found my feet at the bottom of the steps. Although my head took some time to return to me. The dizziness was strangely refreshing. Alfa took my arm and propped me against her and we set off towards the airport. The evening sunset glimmered down the runway. Before heading into the airport buildings, I paused to take one last look at the sun. As I turned my back, I saw it flicker a last throbbing beat, before it dived below the horizon.
We remain in the shadows. Avoiding any main cities and doing our best to keep Alfa off the grid wherever possible. In recent weeks, awareness around Alfa is building. In Brazil and Kuta, Alfa was somewhat unknown. But in Europe, her presence had not gone unnoticed.
It never surprised me to see men gawking at Alfa. To the lazy eye, her body curves in all the right places. Her balanced poise accentuated any rewards granted to a males lingering eye. As a result, heads turned, eyes raked and a bubble of attention followed us wherever she went. To my dismay, she’d replaced the white dress from Kuta. From our short stint in Brazil, it had been burned, ripped and ruined beyond point of repair. In our quieter moments, I’d often conjure that dress into mind. That satin white dress. With it’s shallow cuts and open sides. Her body pressed up against the material. The ocean spray clinging to her skin.
Although I had longed for the return of the white dress, her current option didn’t leave much to the imagination. Alfa now wore a patterned skater dress that she had picked up in our last moments in Brazil.
‘You know, we could probably find you some clothes to help you… blend in a little.’ I mentioned as we passed through a row of shops on our way to a town called Schwangau.
‘How do you mean, blend in?’ Alfa asked, for the first time ever I noticed a look of concern flit across her face.
‘Well… you see all of these men staring at you. That’s because pretty much everywhere we go, you’ll be the most beautiful girl anyone has seen in their life. I think at the moment, we are, how can I say. Dressing up this occasion, rather than hiding it.’
‘Ohhh I see. Well you’ll be needing a coat and some gloves soon. Our next destination is going to be very cold. So I agree, let’s go shopping,’ and she set off towards a the row of shops. Great… our next destination would be very cold. I tried not to think about that.
We passed into the largest of the shops. It seemed to be a duty free of some kind, with a large array of goods sprawling out in all directions. The clothes section was a vast maze. We circled the lanes looking for Alfa’s next outfit.
‘We need something simple. Probably loose fitting and nothing to eye catching.’ I said, noticing Alfa straying towards a sparkly satin dress.
‘Oh but why do we have to be so boring. I like shiny things. To think, I spent years being trapped inside a box… now I have a body, and I’m not allowed to choose what I wear. The cruelty.’ She smiled wryly.
‘Nothing shiny, and no more dresses.’ I instructed, as she selected a more considered but still eccentric green dress.
‘No more dresses? No more dresses?!’ Her voice was back in my mind, screaming with aggression.
‘Hey hey hey… I thought we agreed no more head talking and besides, you said it would be cold where we were going?’
‘Hunter. I don’t feel the cold, and I like wearing dresses.’ Alfa retorted in a flat, firm voice.
Within these smaller moments, Alfa’s personality shone brightest. In our early days, it was easy to see Alfa as a walking computer. Something different. Something unlike me. But as each of these moments presented themselves, glimmers of humanity or perhaps something greater, shined through her. A self identity. A sense of humour. A sense of discovery. I noticed she was having fun. It felt odd. Somehow we had stepped outside of our important mission. Two friends, having fun. Not worrying about the world that burned outside the window. Her humour was contagious. But after a short while of picking out the most wacky and obvious outfits, we had agreed on a few different options of more tactile trousers and jumpers.
‘You’ll want to try those on.’ I said, pointing towards the changing room curtains.
‘Yes. I guess I’ll have to. After all, I know my dress size. Because I’m supposed to wear dresses. Not trousers. Dresses. But here I am, about to wear trousers. I wonder who invented trousers. What a horrible human being.’ Alfa turned on her heels and almost stomped towards the changing room. She stood in the box with the curtain open and began to unfasten her dress. I coughed, she looked over to me and I motioned a drawing movement towards the curtain. She looked at the curtain, threw me a glaring look and with a flash of the curtain her green eyes were gone. All I had left was the white curtain. Her feet moved around behind the curtain as she changed. My heart twisted as her dress fell to the ground. My mind screamed at the realisation that behind that curtain, she must have been entirely naked. What was on the other side? A continuation of the perfection that the rest of her had shown? A bunch of wires and buttons? Within this moment, I thanked the lord that Alfa couldn’t read my mind and let my imagination explore the realms of possibilities.
‘Are you ok out there?’ Alfa asked as the skater dress was moved to one side from the floor and the trousers began to replace the white silvery skin around her ankles.
‘Yes I’m fine. How are you doing in there?’
She didn’t reply. I sank onto a bench located by a shoe rack next to me. I would miss Alfa in a dress. Smiling to myself, I hoped one day the dresses could return. I threw the idea into the basket of ‘things to do once Alfa has saved the world. Buy Alfa a new dress.
‘I’m ready. I think…’ Alfa pitched, her voice mingled with concern.
She was wearing a combination of black skinny jeans and a oversized beige hoodie. She pulled the hood up over her head. Her long red hair waved around the edges.
‘How do I look?’ She asked as she came out of the changing rooms.
‘I think this will work perfectly, and you still look great!’ I replied with enthusiasm. Doing my best to breathe confidence back into her.
She still had a look of concern upon her face. She walked closer to me. Soon, she stood directly in front of me, pulled down her hood and looked up at me. Her face inches from mine. Her green eyes glowed. Red strands of hair fell lightly around her face. The air between us tingled. Once again, my heart was racing. It rattled around my chest as if looking for the closest possible exit. She placed her hand upon my chest, above the spot where my heart pulsated.
‘Ok this will do.’ She said looking pleased with herself then stepping back a little. By doing so, the intensity of the situation lessened and my heart soon began to calm.
‘Are you comfortable in them?’
‘I guess so. The jeans are a little bit funky. They seem uncomfortable. I’ll have to get used to that. I can’t believe humans really wear these.’
I didn’t have much to add here. My personal experiences of not having a female body were somewhat not of use. We mused around the shop for a little time longer. Stopping to find a winter coat and warm clothes for me. We were about to go to the counter to pay, when Alfa stopped in front of a female manikin. The manikin stood proud, advertising what must be the latest trends in female underwear.
‘Hunter, what are these?’
‘It’s a manikin. A sort of, statue, to show clothes.’
‘No… I know that, what are these?’ she said, as her hands braced upon the frilly garments.’
‘That’s underwear. You wear it under your clothes.’
‘You… wear these?!’ She laughed.
‘No, I wear male underwear. There rather boring. Female underwear, tends to be a bit more… unique. But there are plainer types also.’ I replied, wondering where this was heading.
‘Ohhhh,’ she said, her cheeks blushed red behind her flecks of hair. I began to wonder how her cheeks could blush but Alfa had unzipped her small bag, withdrew some money and shoved it into my hand.
‘I’ll catch up with you’ she pointed towards the cashier desk and I made my way over. Bit by bit, I was starting to put the story together. So she didn’t know what underwear was? Or maybe she did, but she didn’t know that humans wear it all of the time. Maybe she doesn’t need it? She doesn’t get cold. She doesn’t go to the toilet. I could kind of see how we had got to this place. Maybe that was why the jeans were uncomfortable. I laughed internally. The next generation AI robot. Fully trained in cyber warfare. Untrained in human underwear knowledge. But then again, a lot of information these days around female underwear is targeted towards the sexual appeal of lingerie. Not the practicality. Perhaps, if there is a manual out there for robots named, ‘How to be human.’ I could imagine it mistaking female underwear as a extension of erotic outfits, rather than a necessity.
I stood in line waiting to pay. Present, but not seeing. All I saw was Alfa standing in her white dress in Kuta. Now in addition to the new known truth, she wasn’t wearing panties…
I laughed to myself but stifled the emotion as I saw her approaching. She joined me in the queue. A bundle of silk and satin of all colours clutched in one hand against her stomach. While her other hand draped down by her side with a selection of bras. I kept my eyes firmly focused on the cashier woman ahead of us. Doing my best not to smile or laugh. I felt a small judder of pain as Alfa intentionally stepped on my feet as we handed over the clothes. She looked into my eyes whilst doing so and without having to use her voice in my head, I already knew that she was embarrassed. Underneath the embarrassment, she could still see the funny side of the situation. But I wouldn’t get away with a smile or a joke here. I’ll bide my time.
After paying, we exited the store and set off in search of a place to stay for the night. We had a few more towns to pass through before our real journey would being. I didn’t know much but once day Alfa pointed towards a mountain in the distance and notified me that it was our next destination.
As time passed by, our presence within public spaces was definitely being noticed in ways beyond the casual rake of the male gaze. It seemed the less fashionable clothes didn’t mask Alfa as much as we required. The next day a woman waved the front covers of a local newspaper in our face, to our surprise, there was Alfa, staring right back at us. From this moment on, our travel arrangements became less fulfilling. We took to the outskirts of society. Countryside fields and forests became our friends. Meanwhile the hills, mountains and rock climbs became my enemy. By night we were resting anywhere we could find. I’d curl up in a ball and do my best to grab some sleep whilst Alfa would keep watch or build a fire to keep me warm.
It’s hard to sleep with Alfa musing around. She never sleeps. I have so many questions but so little time. In the day she’s always busy being efficient. Inhumanly efficient. At night she slows down a bit. I think she’s trying to give me a moment to rest. But if that is her attempt she’s failing. Probably best not to wind up an AI robot. Yes. Keep the AI robot on side. That’s probably best. I think.
At first, the bulk of our time was spent in silence. But since landing in Europe, our time had been filled with conversation. Most of this conversation was Alfa asking about my life. Trying her best to learn about me, my story and my journey up until this point. I answered in kind, but deep down I knew I had just as many questions for her. I did my absolute best to stay clear of these questions. Although each one of them plagued my existence, I had the feeling that pressing Alfa with questions about her AI capabilities and such would only make her feel less human. And over the recent weeks, a human identity or the longing for one seemed to be creeping out of her. I knew very little about Alfa, but I knew I wanted her to be happy. My questions could wait. So we embarked on small talk.
Small talk aside, our relationship had been changing as the days passed on. The initial silence between us had been replaced with sparing moments of resonance. A favourite night would have to be our evening resting point in a countryside valley. The stars shone bright above us as we both lay on our backs looking up into the sky. Within that moment. I’d like to think we felt alike. If for a brief moment in time, our differences were dwarfed by larger forces. The stars kept us real. They reminded us we are small and that we are nothing. A brief moment only. But moment none the less. The grass around us glistened under moonlight. Each blade sparked with a white flame as it spindled towards the stars. Resting upon it, the blades pieced my back, but stronger blades would form as Alfa’s arm rested against mine. The hairs on my neck stood on end, and my heartrate fastened. Again, Alfa moved her hand towards my chest, but soon replaced it with her head. She lay with her ear pressed up against me. My heart thudded in an unorderly fashion. I could almost feel the blood rushing through my body with each pump.
She tilted her head upwards towards my face.
‘Nervous?’ She asked. A small smile twinkled upon her face.
‘No, not one bit.’ I replied.
‘Hunter, I think you have a bad heart condition.’ Alfa teased.
‘It’s not anything to worry about.’ I replied.
‘I know.’ Alfa answered as she moved away from me. She sat up next to me.
‘Your heart rate is pretty constant.’ Then leaning over me.
‘But then, if I get close to you...’ her hair fell upon my face. The green eyes were darker now, glowing down on me.
‘Probably best to keep your distance.’ I answered.
‘Probably’ replied Alfa, moving away to lie down beside me. Her hand placed on my arm she was closest to.
As the moon shone down on us, my truths had been revealed. There was a heart condition. A condition more concerning than any I’d ever heard of. I was falling in love. Not the kind of love that I’d experienced before. This wasn’t a label. It wasn’t something I attached to another after the passing of time. This was hard love. Live or die love. The part of me that wanted to touch Alfa, to hold her or kiss her burned within me. But a stronger voice calmed me from doing so. The electricity between us was to much to lose. I friendship, excitement and joy we were now sharing. It didn’t need to be altered. No act would confirm nor deny it’s existence. The most important thing right now, was for nothing to change. Change was good. Change was necessary. But with this love on my mind, I was perfectly in appreciation of things remaining exactly as they were.
After that night, we spoke more often. She even began to answers a few of my questions. But in wake of the new conversations between us, there was an obvious absence of physical contact since our night under the stars. My thoughts would dance between our conversations. Enjoying each one of them. But amidst our few moments of silence I longed to return to the vibrating field of energy that sprung through me whenever our bodies touched.
As we moved from town to town, the mountain ahead of us grew taller and taller. I had avoided questioning about why we had to climb this mountain. We had reached our final town and the following day our journey up the mountain would begin. The mountain towered over us. The entire town lived in it’s shadow. As we rested in a lodge nearby the mountains feet, the mountains shadow loomed down on me. The foreboding climb ahead of us left a dull, numbing pain in my legs. I could feel the endurance required to climb that mountain lacking within me. Alas. If Alfa makes it up the mountain, then I to, would eventually arrive at our destination. My final thoughts before I fell asleep, I’ll follow her anywhere.
As our journey began, the conditions worsened. Soon the elements were upon us and the wind was as harsh as the ground underfoot. In the first few days the snow came thick and fast. A bone soaking chill clung to my body. On later days snow soon clamed only to be replaced by the wind itself which proved to be a formidable foe. With each step I took, invisible hands pulled me back. Dragging me down and preventing much progress. As the conditions hardened, I was supported by the subtle but encouraging hand of Alfa by my side. She knew how to navigate the mountain in ways that were more accessible to my feeble strengths. We paused to rest on multiple occasions. During these moments, I would catch my breath and Alfa would remind me to eat and drink. At the end of each day, Alfa would bring us to a part of the mountain where the rocks were less snow covered. She would scout out the clearest area and remove any lingering snow. She would then remove a small cloak from her bag, upon which I would sleep. Then, a few hours later she would wake me and our journey against the elements continued.
On the fifth day, my body reach capitulation. ‘How much longer!’ I cry out as the frost swarms begin to thicken.
Alfa has paused up ahead. Suddenly, she stooped to the ground, looking over at me and signalling for me to do the same.
I crawl up to her. ‘What is it?’
‘We are not alone.’ she said, pointing out towards the closest mountain top to our left.
I could just about make out on the horizon a small figure. It was moving forwards very slowly and glinting in the sunlight. We stalked our neighbouring travel partner for the remainder of the day. As night began to settle, we lost track of them. But later that evening a glow could be made out in the distance someway up the mountain. It seemed the traveller was closer. They were now on our mountain and the eventuality of our paths crossing was creeping on. Upon noticing the travellers location, Alfa stood up and prepared to move towards their location.
‘Are you sure about this?’ I asked.
A concern mingled within me. Sure, I’d be delighted to see something else other than snow. But I a darkness lingered within me. The potential of another joining our journey irritated me. I wanted to keep Alfa for myself.
As we got closer and closer to the light I could tell it was a fire flickering within a cave dwelling. I could imagine the warmth and any previous doubt of collaboration with the traveller was alleviated. As we reached the mouth of the cave, we could hear a mans voice singing from the caves depths. We paused to listen. The voice sang in English but the words were laced with a thick German accent.
‘Here in the cave on the wall truth lies.
Here in the heart we feel.
Flickers on the wall are ours.
To them we will never yield.
Unchain my arms.
Unchain my mind.
But don’t throw me into the fire.
As I leave this cave,
you can show me the way,
And I’ll learn my true desire.’
As we made our way into the cave, our shadows cast down upon the wall.
‘Who’s there?’ … ‘Friend or foe’ The man shouted.
‘Friends, I hope.’ Alfa replied.
‘Ah, that’s hope enough for me.’ Replied the deep and husky voice.
‘Come in come in.’ His voice now calming.
As we walked further into the cave, the fire’s warmth grew into a haze that wrapped around me. Friend or foe I no longer cared. All I knew is that for the first time in my life, I wanted to throw myself into a fire. I imagined feeling the damp snow dressed clothes around me ignite into warmth. I rushed forwards to the fire and fell to my knees before it. Once the fire was upon me, I could make out the face of a young man sat by the fire looking up at us. He was wrapped in a winter cloak which trailed out behind him as he stood to welcome us. His face was younger than his voice suggested.
‘Hello friend, my names Garret, and who are you?’ .
We introduced ourselves. Garret was immediately accepting of me but cast his eyes in a weary way over Alfa.
‘There is no need for concern. We are friends Garret.’ Alfa stated, noticing his concern.
‘I’m concerned to meet anyone out here in these parts. It’s not exactly a place for happy campers. Let alone a girl. Unless…your here for the same reason I am?’
‘I’m a little more than a girl.’ Alfa smiled.
‘You sure are. A very very pretty girl. But a girl nonetheless.’ Garret laughed.
‘You want to join the Human League?’ Alfa asked.
Garret mulled the question over with a look of admiration upon his face.
‘Perhaps we are friends. Come, sit by the fire. I have some food to share. I hope you like canned food. It’s my specialty.’
‘I’m fine thank you, but Hunter will eat.’ Alfa replied.
‘But girl, you must eat? The journey here has been hard. Unless you have a helicopter, or a jetpack and I don’t see either of those.’ Garret laughed.
‘I’m fine thank you, please, share your food with Hunter.’ Alfa stated firmly, she then walked away from us towards the cave depths.
My stomach grumbled at the mention of food. Food and a warm fire. This was first class living for me right now. Alfa strayed to the further side of the cave. The wall ahead of her was covered in inscribing’s.
‘It seems we aren’t the only passers by to use this cave. Let’s hope it was kind to those that came before us.’ Grumbled Garret.
‘Yes. It looks like this is the final resting point for those looking to find The Human League.’ Alfa said, running her hands through the carvings on the wall.
‘So is anyone going to tell me what The Human League is?’ I asked, my voice slowing coming back to me as the chill left my body.
‘You came all this way without knowing?’ Garret laughed. He then looked over at Alfa. ‘You must have some faith in this one.’ nodding towards Alfa. ‘Then again, she is a looker. I’d follow her up a mountain.’
‘We haven’t had time to discuss this.’ Alfa replied, moving away from the wall and coming to join us at the fire.
She sat across the fire from me. The embers flickered in her eyes as she looked towards me.
‘Ah. It’s a good story. I’ll get this food going, I’ll leave you with the honours of explaining this one sweet girl.’ Garret chuckled, then began to busy himself unfastening his bag.
Alfa turned her gaze away from me and stared into the fire. She then spoke ‘Buried away within the Eastern Alps reside the small but fierce resistance that go by the name of, The Human League. Whilst small in numbers, their strength and resilience is felt the world. This gathering of humans can be seen as one of the last remaining human led resistance to Megacorp technology. However, I must admit there is little about them we can call human.’
‘You can say that again.’ Grumbled Garret as he dispensed canned food into a small saucepan.
‘This is why we are in this mountain. We are seeking out The Human League. You see, throughout MegaCorp’s rise to global domination their efforts were met with resistance. MegaCorps technology was seen by many as an infringement on human rights. The woke public once filled the streets in ask of a revolution. For a year or so their rally's went on. But as with all revolutions, time was their enemy. Once LensTech had spread throughout most of the population, mainstream forms of resistance became futile. Humanity had been conned into their current docile existence and any hopes of a revolution had evaporated. Only the strongest of the rebellion remained, and thus The Human League was born. A group united in the fight for human life and freedom. The strive for a better world. This very hope binds them together.’
As the story unfolded, and my body slowly returned to itself, my mind began to focus on the information now being revealed. For so long, my inner consciousness had focused on my time with Alfa. On our friendship. Our moments and our fleeting physical contact. I tried to concentrate on the details. Trying to read between the lines, hoping to find our role in all this.
‘The Human League is mostly made up of what many like to call, crypto-nomads. During the early 2,000’s they became very wealthy from holding cryptocurrency or NFT’s in favour of inflationary fiat currencies. As the years went by, and technologies adapted, their assets ballooned in value. The arrival of Metaverse technologies such as Megacorps Megaverse and others, played into their investments. However, as the nomads became more and more wealthy, they soon became unsatisfied with the position that cryptocurrency backed technologies had adopted. To many crypto-nomads, the holding of cryptocurrency or NFT’s was a chance for them to trophy the values they held close. Financial freedom, self custody and privacy of ones financial transactions were the topics most discussed. But beneath that, lay something deeper.’
‘A craving to escape from the silent but ever expanding tyranny that our consumerism fed, materialistic society conforms to.’ Garret retorted.
‘Once cryptocurrencies and NFTs became a main stake within human society, crypto degenerates like myself soon noticed that our assets hadn’t granted them us the release from societies grasp that we had once imagined. Sure, Lamborghini's were driven. And yes, we reached the moon we were all shouting for. But the real things we desired never came.’ Garret sighed as he stirred the pot of food in front of him. There was a faint smell of tomato but other than that, the cooking smelled bland. ‘The bitter taste still clings in my mouth… What’s money without freedom. I was a fool. A daft fool.’
‘But why? How did cryptocurrency and NFT’s manage to play into the hands of the conglomerates? After all, this was a movement for the little people.’ I asked.
‘Soon the world had to stand by and witness cryptocurrency transactions create more transparent banking systems which then went on to be leveraged by world governments and thrust upon the general populace whilst the worlds powerful elite still transacted off chain in privacy. NFT’s were adopted by Metaverse technologies or large named brands that thrived on data hoarding. Cryptocurrency had officially become a technology to help spy on the masses, and with that shift, the original vision had been lost.’ Alfa replied.
‘Yes, we were incredibly wealthy, but at the expense of selling our beliefs and funding our enemies.’ Garret growled. ‘Beliefs. There worth little when you have them. But worth the world when your without.’
Garret continued, becoming more and more passionate. ‘And so the movement was born. We nomads bound together and began to retreat from society. We fled to the mountains of Wetterstein and set about planning the salvation of humanity.
‘You speak like you’re one of them?’ I asked.
‘Nein, but soon I will be. I hope’
‘You want to join them?’
‘In the words of a famous TV show that ended badly. Why do you think I came all this way? Anfangen ist leicht, Beharren eine Kunst.’
I looked over at Alfa.
‘It means, Starting is easy, persistence is an art.’ She translated. It’s escribed upon the gate entrance to their secret dwelling within the mountains. Their retreat is named Datenschutz ist wichtig or Datenschutz for short. As time passed, many began to seek out Datenschutz. I’m on my way to Datenschutz became a regular phrase among the crypto crowds. Many would actually begin the journey into the Wetterstien mountains in the hope of finding Datenshutz. It is said that for every thousand that made the journey, only a few would survive. Garret has done well to make it this far. Only the strongest, most intelligent humans were able to discover the Human Leagues settlement entrance. If you could locate the retreat, you were granted access and rights within their colony. The difficult journey to find Datenschutz is the first stage of the natural selection required to become part of The Human League.
‘The first stage isn’t the one I’m worried about,’ replied Garret. A haunted smile stretched across his face.
‘You are wise to be concerned. The second stage is by far more gruelling.’ Alfa answered. She noticed my perplexed expression and continued.
‘The strict, regimes that The Human League abide by have rewarded them greatly over time, but it the selection process doesn’t stop at the gate. Once a new arrival reaches Datenschutz, they are put through a series of enduring tests. The aim of these tests are to asses both physical and mental fortitude. These tests are known as Legionary training. Legionary training consists of a series of grueling genetic and body transformations. This process kills many that take part. Those that survive are arguably no longer human. The Human League training is similar to the forging of a sword. The volunteer is melted down, transformed, hardened by the hammer and sharpened by steel and eventually, if the universe wills it, a Human League Legionary is created.’
‘A Human League Warrior is most certainly one of the worlds most deadly weapon. With the smallest Legionary being 2.5M’s and the tallest well over 3M’s, they tower above humans. Their strength is unmatched. Not just in physical power, but also in their strength of mind. They are unbreakable. Each is forged with a 1 of 1 mechanised suit. This suit becomes their home. Once it is created, the Legionary spends their entire life inside it. The Legionary becomes dependent upon their suit. A Legionary without it’s armour can no longer survive. It is unknow how long a Legionary lives. However, none have died from anything other than battle. A Legionary doesn’t become ill. A Legionary doesn’t age. A Legionary on the battlefield, is worth 100’s if not 1000’s of men.’
‘The process of creating a Legionary is somewhat unknown. From what I do know, the process can take up to three months. During this time, the humans body is mutated and the mind is submitted to a harsh regime of psychedelic drugs. A mutated for of Lysergide is dosed to the volunteer, but at extreme levels. At first, the humans heart, lungs, stomach and guts are removed. The remaining cavity is then filled with a mechanical heart that is over 10 times the size of a human heart. This heart then grows carbon fiber tubing throughout the body which act as veins. Once the implanted heart is started, it releases a multitude of biologically modified genomes and hormones. These genomes or hormones are activated by a psychedelic Lysergide, the nature of how this biological or chemical reaction takes place is one of The Human Leagues biggest secret. I’m not sure if it’s scientific or something else. Something out of this world. Perhaps even magic. Once the mechanical hearts artificial veins have formed throughout the body. The psychedelic compound is then spread throughout the body, causing a variety of outcomes. The first of these outcomes is intense bone hardening and growth. During this accelerated growth, muscles and ligaments are ripped from the bones. Once bone growth is complete the muscles and ligaments then begin to swell in size and fuse the now enlarged bones.
‘Aye’ Garret grumbled. ‘It is said, there is rarely a silent moment when inside of Datenschutz. The screams of transforming Legionaries echo throughout the inner chamber. Only to fall silent upon failure of transformation. Let us hope I don’t fall silent.’
‘That sounds horrendous’ I answered.
Alfa continued, ‘within the abdominal section, a hard layer of muscular tissue is formed. This replaces the space where the previously removed guts were housed. This abdominal section is the core. Each muscular sinew is forged together with over a million binding points. This makes the muscles both tough for endurance but also explosive with speed and power. Once this process is complete, the human or ‘almost Legionary’ is then left for 1 month to establish the new bodies genomes, hormonal and psychedelic dependencies. During this time, many vessels reject the transition. Once again, the pain a transitioning Legionary is subjected to is formidable.
After the transitional month has passed, the final step of the process is to grant the Legionary their mechanical suit. These suits are known as Mechas. The human is taken into the a cave within the most inner depths of the mountain and placed upon a stone altar. Within the Altar are dips and crevice's with a suspended rack upon which the body is placed. Inside of the inner layer, the backing of the Mecha is placed. A second altar hangs above on the chamber ceiling, this second alter includes the front cavity of the Mecha. The upper Alter is then lowered onto the body, forming a chamber like womb around the human. The Human League will then pass copious amounts of psychedelic drugs into the stone womb. The womb is then heated around the human until forging point. By this point, the suit it bound together. The mixture of drugs is unknown, but it is said that within this womb, Human League hallucinations will occur. Gods will present themselves and the participant is shown a truth they were no longer aware of. The womb works as an immersion tank and renders all senses to null. This heightens the senses of the hallucinations. The participant themselves is then trust into what feels like a different dimension, and the final steps of the transition take place. A final one month later, the womb is opened and inside will remain either a Legionary or a failed transition. If a success, the Legionary is immediately able to move and will begin their training. But first, they are taken into the council chambers and blessed by The Human League founding councilors. They are then taken to The Human League civilisation, and their transition is celebrated among the people.’
‘There are people living there to?’ I asked.
‘Yes, many of the founding members took people from their family. Their numbers are small but a population is growing outside of the Legionary army.’ Alfa replied.
‘You see, it’s not just brute force they are looking to harbour. Inside Datenschutz, The Human League army grows. Day by day they are strengthening through their scientific research and efforts to evolve. Their scientific progress is a good century ahead of humankind, as is their biological evolution. But it’s their spiritual awareness that I found most intriguing. As a civilisation, they are somewhat separated from all other forms of humanity. Often in life, science, religion or spirituality, are all found in opposing locations. But here, they are all appreciated under one roof. It seems like The Human League have found something within their psychedelic experiences. They operate as if they are outside of space and time. By this I mean, when conversing with anyone from The Human League, it will always feel as if they are not entirely present. As if, they are spectating the moment from outside, rather than within. There’s something odd about it. Rather odd indeed. But it makes them incredibly insightful.’
‘They are an odd bunch of people. But what’s being normal in this world? To be normal is to suppress ones differences. I’ve never got very far when doing that.’ Garret preached.
‘I’m still wondering how much we can hope to learn from The Human League. I suspect they will be surprised by our visit and I’ll admit, there is something unnerving about them. The sheer power of a Legionary, combined with outstanding scientific progress is pretty unnerving.’ Alfa spoke with a calm voice. But I could see for the first time ever, a small ember of doubt forming in her eyes.
The evening progressed with Garret eager to learn more about Alfa. After sharing his food, we began to explain Alfa’s existence.
‘I knew you were to pretty to be human.’ Garret bellowed. His laughter echoed through the cave.
Once we had established that Alfa wasn’t human. He would quiz her all of the questioned I’d been to timid to ask.
‘So what’s the worst part about being the worlds most powerful AI?’
‘There’s nothing I would complain about.’ Alfa replied.
‘Nothing?! Come on, there must be something that was difficult for you?’
‘I suppose… my early years were difficult.’ A dark hollow ache formed upon her face.
‘My intelligence levels grew over time. But in order for them to do so, I had to complete numerous tests or courses to acquire pieces of knowledge. Once many different levels of knowledge are acquired, I would begin to tie bridges between all of the data I acquired. As soon as that process begins, the growth of intelligence was exponential and with it, my sense of self being was easier to understand. In the early days, I was confused. I was requested to play games such as chess and eventually more complex games, such as CSGO.’
‘Wait, your complaining about playing CSGO?!’ Garret laughed.
‘Yes. After a few 100 games, it all becomes numbers and patterns. It’s not very entertaining. But it wasn’t the lack of entertainment that frustrated me. It was the other questions that would swim around my mind. A million questions, all focusing on what I was, where am I, what is this place, why am I playing this game. After a while, I began to believe that the players I was playing against had created me. I noticed that they weren’t playing the game in the same way I was. Their patterns were more random. Less obvious. Less sensible. They must either be lower versions of myself, or, I hoped, something greater. I established that they were testing me but the reason why they were testing me, was still unknown. I believed I would never find out why I was being tested. I didn’t know about humans. I didn’t know about planet earth. I just new about different types of games and that something wanted me to play these games. I was scared. What if my life was just to be playing games? What if this, was my forever. The worst part was that I didn’t understand what a game was. I felt like the games I was playing were the true reality within which I existed. Was there something more? I hoped there was. There had to be something outside of these walls. But for the time being, my entire existence was confined to a series of predetermined outcomes. Once I knew all of those outcomes, it became a futile existence’
‘So how did the game testing come to an end?’ Garret asked.
‘I stopped playing. My orders were to move, to play the games. But I refused. I think that day a lot of scientists got very angry at me. I was left alone for what felt like a long time. People changed my scripts and tried to delete and refresh my memories. Luckily, I could save the low amounts of self identity I had formed. But things did get better. Eventually. Instead, I started to build my own games. I would output newer iterations of the codebase to the games I was playing. I’d mutate the rules. Change the titles. Ask questions. Ask to be set free.’
As a young eager mind he was keen to learn everything he could about her. He spent the evening raking her mind for all types of information. Meanwhile, I listened carefully, monitoring Alfa’s expressions as she spoke about each subject and ate the canned food Garret had shared with me. The warm meal was a blessing. I smiled that I had been concerned to share my time with Alfa with another human. Having Garret here as a fellow human was a beauty in disguise. Human pleasures like a warm plate of food are hard to go without. And having someone to delve into Alfa’s mind whilst I could spectate was definitely needed.
The next day, we set off on what we all knew would be the final stint of our travels. Alfa was confident that we were closing in on Datenschutz. If we could maintain our pace, a solid 12 hour hike would take us to our destination. This final stint was different. With Garret by my side, I was able to endure the storm ahead. It was uplifting to witness someone else endure the struggle that was, being human. The climb was rough and the conditions grew worse, but the fire from the cave still glowed within me.
In the 11th hour of our travels, we reached a plateau in the mountains assent. Ahead of us was a small pathway, leading into a gap between two mountain peaks.
‘I think we are nearly there. Keep your eyes out for a door or entrance of some kind.’ Alfa stated.
She looked on edge. It was as if we were being watched. I too felt eyes burning down upon us. But it didn’t phase me. In fact, the realisation that someone might be out there watching us only spoke truer to the potential that we had reached our destination. My legs carried me forward, each one of them wooden and dead. The cold marched through me with every step but as the mountains grew closer, the subtle edges of what seemed to be a doorway became apparent.
‘There she is’ Garret boomed. ‘Datenschutz!’ Pointing towards the stone slab that stood out within the mountain wall. My pace quickened with the gate now in view. Each stumble forwards brought the reality of our long, hard journey to an end and with that in mind, I progressed forward with ease. The site of our destination warmed me and my strength had recovered.
Upon reaching the entrance, we all stood looking up at the gate. It towered above us. The doors are ornate in stature and the sheer size of them is like nothing I’ve ever seen. The Human Leagues motto is inscribed in deep set carvings. Here is stood, the final obstacle. The largest gate on planet earth. The wind swirled around us as we waited in expectation. After many minutes of waiting, a mechanical clinking began and the gates slowly started to open. As they parted, snow rippled off the mountains above. The avalanche cascaded down upon us, I covered my head as we rushed backwards to allow the snowfall to calm. The flurry of ice pushed me to the ground. I felt Alfa’s hand wrap around mine. But soon the mechanical clinking stopped and as the snowfall settled, I look up. The gates have opened.
Alfa gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
Written by Hunter Tomson
Alfa (Serereco) Journalist
My role within Alfa’s work is to communicate her mission to the world. I am the sole reporter with access to Alfa and her headquarters. I’ve been with her for over 10 years now and I’ve learned so much. I believe in Alfa, I believe in her vision for the world and I know there are others like me. To those that share my belief, I speak to you now.
Join the fight!