different, his clothes
were different, but the face was identical. But how could there be
two of him?
She looked from one Six
to the other, baffled.
'Kyntak?' Six
demanded.
'Six,' the other boy
said. Even his voice sounded like Six's. 'We're in trouble.'
'What are you doing
here in the past?'
'I'm not in the past,'
Kyntak said. 'Neither are you. We're both inside the index of
everything.'
* * *
Six's mind was
whirling. 'I don't understand.'
Kyntak spread his arms
wide. 'This is all a simulation of the world as it was in the early
21st Century.'
Six looked back at the
girl. All the colour had drained from her face.
'Six,' she said. 'Who
is this?'
'This is my brother,
Kyntak,' Six said. 'He–'
Kyntak interrupted him.
'She's not real. She's software. A recreation of a real historical
figure, assembled based on photographs, phone conversations,
emails...'
Six stared down at his
hands. They looked real. They felt real.
'Why would Soren Byre
put me inside the index?' he demanded.
'Because she needed
ununoctium,' Kyntak said. 'And the index knew where the last
stockpile was – deep within the radioactive wastelands, on the top
floor of Vepa Tower, forgotten by everyone for more than a
century.'
'But Byre already had
the ununoctium,' Six said.
'I'm guessing she told
you that,' Kyntak said, 'so you would try to destroy it when you
thought that you were in the past. Now that you've found it in the
index, she knows where it is in real life. You've led her right to
it. And now she can build the machine for real.'
'I'm not software,' the
girl whispered. 'I'm a person.'
Six glanced back at
her. She looked like she believed herself to be telling the truth.
But so did Kyntak.
'Why didn't Byre just
put herself in the index to find the ununoctium?' Six said.
'She was probably
worried that you would find her body while her mind was in here.
She'd be defenseless. By putting you into the index instead of
herself, she achieved two goals – tracking down the ununoctium and
incapacitating the person most likely to stop her.'
'Six,' the girl said.
'Don't listen to him. It's a trick.'
Kyntak ignored her.
'Six,' he said. 'When I found your body, Byre was nowhere to be
found. By watching your progress, she must have already found out
where the ununoctium is, and now she's gone to get it. We have to
stop her.'
'But you came in after
me,' Six said. 'Now we're both stuck.'
'No,' Kyntak said.
'There's a pass phrase. When you say the words, you're ejected from
the index.'
'What is it?'
'Listen carefully,
because I can only say it once. Ready?'
'Ready.'
'I've been searching
high and low. Now it's time for me to go.'
Kyntak flickered, and
vanished.
Six stared at the empty
air where his brother had been standing.
'You think it's true,'
the girl said. 'You think that this isn't the real world.'
Six nodded.
'But... But everything
is so...'
'I don't have time to
discuss this with you,' Six said. 'But if it's any consolation, one
of my best friends is a robot. Just because you're artificial
doesn't mean you're not real.' He took a deep breath. 'I've been
searching high and low. Now it's time for me to go.'
The whole world went
black.
* * *
Ash leaned back against
the glass enclosure. She was alone. The boy from the future – or
the boy from the present – and his twin brother had both
disappeared before her eyes.
She knew that the
soldiers would be coming back soon. But they weren't real. She
wasn't real. What did it matter if she got caught?
I'm an app, she
thought. I'm nothing.
She looked at the steel
box. Inside was not ununoctium, but a digital representation of it.
If she could get it out, she could still sell it. A fake buyer
would purchase it with fake money. And then probably use it to kill
fake people, like her.
She took her hand away
from the glass. Even knowing that there would be no real-world
consequences, she couldn't take the box. It wasn't right.
A humming noise brought
her to her
were different, but the face was identical. But how could there be
two of him?
She looked from one Six
to the other, baffled.
'Kyntak?' Six
demanded.
'Six,' the other boy
said. Even his voice sounded like Six's. 'We're in trouble.'
'What are you doing
here in the past?'
'I'm not in the past,'
Kyntak said. 'Neither are you. We're both inside the index of
everything.'
* * *
Six's mind was
whirling. 'I don't understand.'
Kyntak spread his arms
wide. 'This is all a simulation of the world as it was in the early
21st Century.'
Six looked back at the
girl. All the colour had drained from her face.
'Six,' she said. 'Who
is this?'
'This is my brother,
Kyntak,' Six said. 'He–'
Kyntak interrupted him.
'She's not real. She's software. A recreation of a real historical
figure, assembled based on photographs, phone conversations,
emails...'
Six stared down at his
hands. They looked real. They felt real.
'Why would Soren Byre
put me inside the index?' he demanded.
'Because she needed
ununoctium,' Kyntak said. 'And the index knew where the last
stockpile was – deep within the radioactive wastelands, on the top
floor of Vepa Tower, forgotten by everyone for more than a
century.'
'But Byre already had
the ununoctium,' Six said.
'I'm guessing she told
you that,' Kyntak said, 'so you would try to destroy it when you
thought that you were in the past. Now that you've found it in the
index, she knows where it is in real life. You've led her right to
it. And now she can build the machine for real.'
'I'm not software,' the
girl whispered. 'I'm a person.'
Six glanced back at
her. She looked like she believed herself to be telling the truth.
But so did Kyntak.
'Why didn't Byre just
put herself in the index to find the ununoctium?' Six said.
'She was probably
worried that you would find her body while her mind was in here.
She'd be defenseless. By putting you into the index instead of
herself, she achieved two goals – tracking down the ununoctium and
incapacitating the person most likely to stop her.'
'Six,' the girl said.
'Don't listen to him. It's a trick.'
Kyntak ignored her.
'Six,' he said. 'When I found your body, Byre was nowhere to be
found. By watching your progress, she must have already found out
where the ununoctium is, and now she's gone to get it. We have to
stop her.'
'But you came in after
me,' Six said. 'Now we're both stuck.'
'No,' Kyntak said.
'There's a pass phrase. When you say the words, you're ejected from
the index.'
'What is it?'
'Listen carefully,
because I can only say it once. Ready?'
'Ready.'
'I've been searching
high and low. Now it's time for me to go.'
Kyntak flickered, and
vanished.
Six stared at the empty
air where his brother had been standing.
'You think it's true,'
the girl said. 'You think that this isn't the real world.'
Six nodded.
'But... But everything
is so...'
'I don't have time to
discuss this with you,' Six said. 'But if it's any consolation, one
of my best friends is a robot. Just because you're artificial
doesn't mean you're not real.' He took a deep breath. 'I've been
searching high and low. Now it's time for me to go.'
The whole world went
black.
* * *
Ash leaned back against
the glass enclosure. She was alone. The boy from the future – or
the boy from the present – and his twin brother had both
disappeared before her eyes.
She knew that the
soldiers would be coming back soon. But they weren't real. She
wasn't real. What did it matter if she got caught?
I'm an app, she
thought. I'm nothing.
She looked at the steel
box. Inside was not ununoctium, but a digital representation of it.
If she could get it out, she could still sell it. A fake buyer
would purchase it with fake money. And then probably use it to kill
fake people, like her.
She took her hand away
from the glass. Even knowing that there would be no real-world
consequences, she couldn't take the box. It wasn't right.
A humming noise brought
her to her
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