The Day The Computer Started Misbehaving
I paused for a moment, swiping my sweaty hair from my eyes and taking a quick glance
around before continuing the steep uphill climb. I was leading our sad band of four, with my
brother, Wyatt bringing in the rear. We were almost at the peak; of what, I wasn’t sure. All I
knew was that everything was bigger and brighter here, the colours more vivid, the sounds
sharper, more piercing. And there it was - a dead end, and yet it wasn’t. I came to a halt and
stood there, gaping.
I reached out and - “Adelaide! Stop! Are you crazy?” A rough hand yanked my own back, whipping me around in the process. I glared into Cyan’s cold blue eyes and he stared back, his gaze unwavering. Finally, I looked away, pulling my hand from his. I turned to face the outside.
A translucent barrier seemed to separate us from where we stood and the world before us. It was an empty, barren land; with no sign of any living creature in sight, just mounds and mounds of sand. The air rippled - with what I assumed was heat. Everything was literally simmering. In the horizon, the sky was a beautiful spectrum of oranges, the sun being the centre of it all. It all seemed so intangible, too breathtaking to be true.
“What now?” Callie finally muttered. She looked frail and brittle, as though she would break if I reached out to touch her. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a braid, but wisps of it were already slipping out. Beside her, Wyatt didn’t look so good either. His eyes were ringed with eyebags and his lower lip was swollen from where IODE’s minions had hit him. It was my fault we were running. All of it was me. I slumped down onto the ground. How did we get here? My mind flashed back to the stories my father used to tell me, right before he would tuck me into bed, and they weren't fairytales either.
According to legends, way back then, humans destroyed everything in the old world which had existed 5,000 years before I was born - where flora and fauna had flourished. Thankfully though, society at that time had managed to progress far enough to the point where scientists could put together a network of supercomputers - IODE (Intelligent Outstanding Device on Earth). They created a sort of alternate universe, in which we were suspended on a platform up in the air; far from the nightmare below, with IODE holding all of us together, our only means of survival.
This piece of artificial intelligence served as the heart of our civilisation. It regulated the temperature, provided oxygen along with clean water, and through the magnificence of science, recreated the old world; - only more structured, technologically advanced and organised. Food was served in canisters that were distributed equally through every household, based on the number of occupants, and, although the contents were tasteless - seeing as condiments didn't
I reached out and - “Adelaide! Stop! Are you crazy?” A rough hand yanked my own back, whipping me around in the process. I glared into Cyan’s cold blue eyes and he stared back, his gaze unwavering. Finally, I looked away, pulling my hand from his. I turned to face the outside.
A translucent barrier seemed to separate us from where we stood and the world before us. It was an empty, barren land; with no sign of any living creature in sight, just mounds and mounds of sand. The air rippled - with what I assumed was heat. Everything was literally simmering. In the horizon, the sky was a beautiful spectrum of oranges, the sun being the centre of it all. It all seemed so intangible, too breathtaking to be true.
“What now?” Callie finally muttered. She looked frail and brittle, as though she would break if I reached out to touch her. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a braid, but wisps of it were already slipping out. Beside her, Wyatt didn’t look so good either. His eyes were ringed with eyebags and his lower lip was swollen from where IODE’s minions had hit him. It was my fault we were running. All of it was me. I slumped down onto the ground. How did we get here? My mind flashed back to the stories my father used to tell me, right before he would tuck me into bed, and they weren't fairytales either.
According to legends, way back then, humans destroyed everything in the old world which had existed 5,000 years before I was born - where flora and fauna had flourished. Thankfully though, society at that time had managed to progress far enough to the point where scientists could put together a network of supercomputers - IODE (Intelligent Outstanding Device on Earth). They created a sort of alternate universe, in which we were suspended on a platform up in the air; far from the nightmare below, with IODE holding all of us together, our only means of survival.
This piece of artificial intelligence served as the heart of our civilisation. It regulated the temperature, provided oxygen along with clean water, and through the magnificence of science, recreated the old world; - only more structured, technologically advanced and organised. Food was served in canisters that were distributed equally through every household, based on the number of occupants, and, although the contents were tasteless - seeing as condiments didn't
exist anymore - they provided the amount of nutrients needed to remain healthy. Not only did
IODE control our living conditions, but it was also our government - ruling with the help of its
minions, which served as a multipurpose, robotic police force cum army - democracy was all but
a fable in this society.
Seeing as we lived in a world without much freedom, we'd occasionally have one or two rebels, but the board always dealt with them. Ah, the board... a group of pathetic, good-for- nothing, pretty faces who served as IODE's messengers. Sadly, Cyan's parents were both a part of it. He was almost recruited as well, what with his dark red hair and cobalt eyes. That is, until it happened.
On the day of his initiation, IODE started going haywire. An earthquake struck and the platform was wrecked, split by a gaping chasm that threatened to swallow the world. Wyatt and I lost our parents that day. And we hadn't even had time to grieve over it. Panicking, the board had yanked Callie, Wyatt, Cyan and I out of the procession, us being the apparent dream team of computer engineering geeks to solve the problem that was IODE. It turned out that the scientists that had created it hadn't made it invincible - IODE had been attacked by an unknown virus, something that had never occurred before, as it had its own defence system. After digging into IODE's database, we learnt that the virus had inhabited it for awhile now, but the effects were only beginning to show now as the antivirus wall was collapsing at an impossible rate. The worst part was, we only had twelve hours to solve this problem, or it'd be goodbye world and hello death - for everyone. The virus was going to attack IODE's central processing subsystem, the most important component of the network.
At that time, I had come up with what seemed like the perfect plan. I mean, it wasn't like anyone had any other ideas. I suggested that we plant another virus in IODE; so that they would both counteract with each other and altogether solve everything. Of course, somehow, somewhere, we miscalculated and because of one tiny error, the two bugs gave birth to an even stronger, impossible monster, one we had absolutely no chance of defeating. So that was it. Our world was going topsy turvy, oxygen levels were dropping, it was hailing in random places, clean water and food supplies were low - suffice to say, we were doomed. Because of our, no, my mistake, we had become wanted fugitives, accused of causing the end of the world. Our only option was to fight to stay alive long enough, only to watch everything around us crash and burn.
Cyan's moan of frustration jerked me back into the present. He paced about, in obvious distress. Suddenly, without so much as a by-your-leave, he stalked off. “Cyan!” Callie called out and chased after him. Wyatt began to go too, but I pulled him back, "Don't worry. They'll be back. They have nowhere else to go," I muttered. Sure enough, they returned not long after, Cyan clutching a rock in his hand. He drew his arm back and threw it across the barrier. I winced instinctively, expecting an explosion, but nothing happened. The rock just seemed to dissolve as it crossed over to the other side.
Seeing as we lived in a world without much freedom, we'd occasionally have one or two rebels, but the board always dealt with them. Ah, the board... a group of pathetic, good-for- nothing, pretty faces who served as IODE's messengers. Sadly, Cyan's parents were both a part of it. He was almost recruited as well, what with his dark red hair and cobalt eyes. That is, until it happened.
On the day of his initiation, IODE started going haywire. An earthquake struck and the platform was wrecked, split by a gaping chasm that threatened to swallow the world. Wyatt and I lost our parents that day. And we hadn't even had time to grieve over it. Panicking, the board had yanked Callie, Wyatt, Cyan and I out of the procession, us being the apparent dream team of computer engineering geeks to solve the problem that was IODE. It turned out that the scientists that had created it hadn't made it invincible - IODE had been attacked by an unknown virus, something that had never occurred before, as it had its own defence system. After digging into IODE's database, we learnt that the virus had inhabited it for awhile now, but the effects were only beginning to show now as the antivirus wall was collapsing at an impossible rate. The worst part was, we only had twelve hours to solve this problem, or it'd be goodbye world and hello death - for everyone. The virus was going to attack IODE's central processing subsystem, the most important component of the network.
At that time, I had come up with what seemed like the perfect plan. I mean, it wasn't like anyone had any other ideas. I suggested that we plant another virus in IODE; so that they would both counteract with each other and altogether solve everything. Of course, somehow, somewhere, we miscalculated and because of one tiny error, the two bugs gave birth to an even stronger, impossible monster, one we had absolutely no chance of defeating. So that was it. Our world was going topsy turvy, oxygen levels were dropping, it was hailing in random places, clean water and food supplies were low - suffice to say, we were doomed. Because of our, no, my mistake, we had become wanted fugitives, accused of causing the end of the world. Our only option was to fight to stay alive long enough, only to watch everything around us crash and burn.
Cyan's moan of frustration jerked me back into the present. He paced about, in obvious distress. Suddenly, without so much as a by-your-leave, he stalked off. “Cyan!” Callie called out and chased after him. Wyatt began to go too, but I pulled him back, "Don't worry. They'll be back. They have nowhere else to go," I muttered. Sure enough, they returned not long after, Cyan clutching a rock in his hand. He drew his arm back and threw it across the barrier. I winced instinctively, expecting an explosion, but nothing happened. The rock just seemed to dissolve as it crossed over to the other side.
"There has to be another way across. Maybe it's password protected," he mused. I let out a
sardonic chuckle. "Shh, do you hear that?" my brother asked, nodding his head towards the right,
the direction from which we had come from. Faint sounds of explosions and gunshots could be
heard, echoed by screams of pure terror. We were safe, for now. But for how long before this safe
haven would begin to tear down? "It's getting worse. Half an hour left," Callie murmured, a tear
cutting a trail down her dirt stained cheek. I turned my back towards them, choosing instead to
gaze at the scene in front of us.
***
"Adelaide! Get up!" Wyatt grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I shook my head dazedly, and
then I saw them coming. "Run!" I screamed at Cyan and Callie, who were standing there,
looking dumbfounded. Who knew the board had ammunition? Cyan's eyes were trained on his
parents, who were leading the rest of the bloodthirsty team onward. "Come on!" I scrambled
towards him and the barrier.
"Where are we going to go?" Callie wailed. "Cyan?" I probed. He just stood there, his eyes
glazed over with helplessness. "Okay, you know what, fine." I took a deep breath and stepped
through the wall. I looked around, and to my absolute glee, realised that I was surrounded by
sand and that it was unnaturally hot. I was across the border! "It works! Hurry! Cross over!" The
board was nearing, their guns raised, ready to shoot. Callie stepped forward first, followed by
Wyatt.
"Cyan!" I yelled, just as the board aimed their guns at him and I reached across yanking him
towards me, but I was too late. A bullet hit his thigh and he yelped in pain. We collapsed in a
heap on the hot sandy floor of this strange new world, bloody and tired. But the board was still
shooting! "Why aren't the bullets crossing over?" Cyan whispered, agony clear in his voice as I
lay him down on the ground and assessed his wound. "Maybe it's like the rock you threw," Wyatt
answered, "Maybe only humans can go through."
"My parents! They could - " Cyan started and screamed in pain as I dug the bullet from his
leg. "Quick! Your shirt!" I snapped at Wyatt. Meanwhile, members of the board seemed to realise
that their bullets didn't seem to harm us. They began to make their way towards the wall.
"They only have one minute," Callie said sadly, glancing at her watch, "They'll never make it
in time." I tied Wyatt's shirt around Cyan's injury, a tourniquet of sorts. There was nothing else I
could do. Wyatt sat down next to Callie and I pulled Cyan's head onto my lap. Together, we
watched in silence as the world we knew ended not five feet from us. We didn't do anything to
stop it. We couldn't, really.
BY AMANDA KHOO
