Isaac Asimov once said: “Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today – but the core of science fiction, its essence has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all.”
When Immersion became a fundamental part of everyone’s life, Angel stopped caring about the progression of the human race. She was less and less interested in the direction we took and more and more interested in her own impact, what her discoveries could do. She was convinced that the Black Box integration and Synch was the next breakthrough in science. My disappearance should have been impossible, but somehow certain conditions had converged to bring forth these puzzling results.
Angel had worked on the Black Box problem in her spare time when she wasn’t working for Grooble. She had completed her doctorate and was now one of the leading members of the R&D department of Grooble, WHO, the main headquarters of Grooble. When the Synch headgears came together in the Black Box, she found something startling, something she hadn’t expected.
After recruitment of roughly one hundred Synch devices, the whole Black Box system acted suspiciously organically. It had acted like an entity rather than a network of dumb machines. She thought about that for a moment and considered her own body. Perhaps her body was similar. Cells were small, unconscious ‘machines’ that made up her whole being. Was she really that different?
Angel was struck by a sudden realisation.
If this is what one hundred Synch devices could achieve, what could three hundred million?
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Hardy was the one to first breach the subject after half a day’s rest.
The desert was as blinding and unforgiving as ever but he knew that in their condition, getting back was just as dangerous as going forward. He knew though, that would have no chance at reaching their objective now that the map was gone, so they had to risk everything to head on back. It made no sense to move forward.
“Alright, we’ve gotten this far but we’ve lost too much, I say we have to head back”, Hardy announced, Lightning giving a weary nod. Solid was silent.
“Solid, are you all right?” he asked, but then instantly regretted doing so. Of course she wasn’t all right, nothing would be all right for her after Iron’s sacrifice. He felt stupid for even bringing it up.
Solid just stared blankly at Hardy for a while before replying in a dead tone.
“I’m moving forward”, she ground out, her eyes disturbingly staring out at nothing.
Hardy sighed.
“Look Solid, I know how you feel, I too have lost comrades and people close to me, believe me I can sympathise. Lightning too has lost dear ones too but he moves on”, Hardy spoke, wrapping a consoling wing around Solid. She didn’t acknowledge it but she didn’t shrug it off.
“We have to do what is best for each other, please see that, Solid. Please”, he begged, making eye contact with her finally.
Solid broke eye contact and looked away.
“I have to do this, for Iron”, she said, moving away from Hardy.
Hardy glanced at Lightning, who just sat there, wings drooping.
Hardy gave a vented breath of frustration.
“Can’t you see you’ll die out there?!” he yelled, giving a stomp with a hoof. The sound echoed around the small rocks littered around the area.
“We have no map. We have no bearings. We have nothing!” Hardy pushed, while Lightning and Solid gazed at the floor.
“All we have is the general direction of Equestria and even that is not guaranteed! What of sand bogs? Flooding gorges? Changelings, for Celestia’s sake! Don’t get me started on those Sifters we just met!” Hardy shouted, face beet-red, after the rant he seemed to calm down but his voice took on a deadly serious tone.
“Celestia has tasked me to protect you, and in her name I will, by Celestia and Luna, I will drag your sorry flank back to Canterlot”, he growled, pacing.
Solid looked up from the floor and gave Hardy a teary stare.
“If we don’t go on, then Iron will have perished for nothing”, she replied bitterly.
Hardy felt like he had enough but he tried a different tack.
“Solid. Please. Iron sacrificed himself so we could end up here. If he didn’t, by all means we would have died and I am eternally grateful to him for that. What would Iron think of us if we just threw out his sacrifice by dying out there in the desert? Please, Solid, we need to get back. After we get another map and supplies we can try again. Right now, it’s simply impossible”, he reasoned, trying to get her to see the light.
He shot Lightning a look, trying to get him to convince her. Lightning either ignored it or just didn’t care. He was trying to get his own emotions in check.
Solid put forward what was on her mind.
“Hardy, I know this will sound crazy but I remember the map, in every detail”, she claimed, giving Hardy her best objective stance.
Hardy took a long look at Solid’s face before grabbing a couple of tools from his saddlebag.
“Draw it”, he commanded, unsure of Solid’s veracity.
Solid took to drawing the map. In less than twenty minutes she had put in all the major details, perhaps not to the degree of artistic flair that the original cartographer had placed in their map.
Hardy looked at the map, tucking it into his saddlebag.
“This changes nothing, we head back to Equestria and report to the Princess, then we can head back”, he ordered, gathering up his things. He strapped his saddlebag back on.
Solid looked hurt.
“Wait!” she said. “Leave some parchment with me.”
Hardy paused.
“You are not going out there alone, am I right Lightning?” he addressed his subordinate.
Lightning slowly shook his head.
“I owe it to Iron, now that we have a chance”, he replied simply, not making eye contact.
Hardy screamed in irritation.
“Both of you?!” he ranted, flaring his wings in anger.
Solid and Lightning didn’t respond.
“If you both want to die, don’t drag me into it!” he yelled, kicking at the stone that was shielding them. It hurt but it made him feel slightly better. He kept at it for a minute or two, trying to calm down.
Finally, he turned back to them.
“Celestia help me, I’m aiding two morons”, he said as Lightning and Solid looked up hopefully.
“Yeah, yeah honour and all that”, Hardy growled, flicking a dismissive hoof. “Just make sure you know what you’re getting yourselves into.”