Chapter 8, It's Life, But Not As We Know It
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Miriam had booked a couple of day’s domestic leave to look after Josh and to secure the house. She had never been burgled before and felt violated. Drawers had pulled out and emptied everywhere and her most private things rifled through. Josh had been given a week off school as he only had one exam left, which he was trying to get permission to sit later in the year when he had the use of his arm back. Josh was a brave man but was hurting from head to toe from the double battering he had taken over the last two days. He had charged his phone battery and was in contact with Chloe who was coming over to see him and quietly return his laptop. He had given his usual meeting with Kate and Callan a miss so he could spend some time with Chloe. His mum wouldn't let him lift a finger and had a friend of judge Bhatia come over and to see if Josh had a valid claim against the hospital. He would have another medical examination from a private doctor and was hoping it would be worth the effort. His mother had bin liners full of rubbish in the lounge and a lot more filled with items destined for the car boot. It was mainly Josh’s father’s belongings and Josh sorted through them in an attempt to save anything of sentimental value or interest. His mum was making the most of a poor situation and was house clearing. She did, however, let him put his room back together. Everything had been trashed, pictures ripped from walls, drawers emptied and the bed overturned. It was unbelievable. Josh had never seen anything like it. They hadn't stolen anything so it must have been the man after the laptop. There must be something really important on the laptop for him attack Josh and burgle the house. He had almost put his bedroom back to a sort of normality which had taken most of the day. He hadn’t even bothered with his Xbox. Now he was negotiating the tricky problem of how to get himself clean with one arm in plaster. He was still on painkillers which were leaving him drowsy which didn’t help but managed to shower ready for Chloe’s visit. Chloe was now near enough under armed guard by her parents who were coming to meet his mother in less than an hour. Josh quickly dressed, splashed himself liberally with his best aftershave and nervously awaited Chloe’s arrival. As soon as the doorbell sounded Josh was straight up on his feet.
"I’ll get it mum," he shouted assertively.
"Okay," replied his mother.
Josh opened the door and was a little surprised to see his father's friend at the door rather than Chloe.
"Aren’t you going to invite me in then Josh?" Max asked, surprised at the spaced out look on Josh’s face.
"Oh, sorry, I'm on painkillers. Mum, door for you" Josh stammered.
"Is that Chloe?" His mum asked from the kitchen.
"No, it's Max," Josh replied. He heard his mother's footsteps coming through from the kitchen.
"Hi Max, how are you?" Miriam greeted the visitor rather stiffly.
"It's not a bad time is it?" Max asked.
Max could see from Josh’s behaviour that he was uncomfortable and Miriam looked like she just didn't want him there.
"Sorry, I don’t mean to appear unwelcoming,” Miriam explained, “we were burgled and Josh and his girlfriend Chloe were attacked yesterday. Josh’s got a broken arm and Chloe and her parents are on their way over."
"That's good, in fact that's great,” Max smiled winningly, “I need to talk to both of you anyway."
"What about?" asked Josh alerted by the fact Max needed to talk to Chloe, his girlfriend.
"I'd rather go through it when you are both here, saves me explaining it twice," Max said.
"Would you like a drink Max?" asked Miriam who didn’t seem bothered at all about him having something to tell them.
She knew Max and trusted him, unlike Josh who didn't really know him that well.
Miriam went off into the kitchen taking Max with her for a chat. Josh sat listening really quietly so they hopefully didn’t remember his presence. Max was explaining his investigation into the recently deceased, who Miriam had also been investigating of course, had not reached any conclusions apart from the fact that there was some infection of some description present. She knew there was a limited amount of information he could divulge to her and Max mentioned that she would no doubt have been used to it from her husband. This got Josh’s attention, but just then the doorbell rang. It was Chloe and her parents. Chloe looked gorgeous, but was dressed quite conservatively. Maybe this was because her dad, who was enormous, was with them.
"So you’re the young man who protected my daughter," Chloe's father commandeered the conversation straightaway, slapping Josh cheerfully, and very painfully, on the back.
"Hello, pleased to meet you, please come in,” Josh babbled through the pain, “would you like a drink?"
"I don't think he’s staying long," Chloe said firmly.
"No, something has come up and a friend of my mums wants to talk to both of us," Josh explained.
Chloe looked at him, worried, but before anything else could be said Miriam came through from the kitchen.
"Hello, I'm Miriam,” she introduced herself smilingly, “this is Max, he’s one of my late husband's work colleagues and he would like a word with Josh and Chloe,” she paused, “drinks first though I think.”
Miriam seated everyone in the lounge, soon returning with a tray of drinks for everyone.
"My apologies as I don't know everyone here, but this does concern you all,” Max spoke confidently, “There may be a contagion present in one or both of the children. I’d like you to come to hospital tomorrow and get checked out for me," Chloe and Josh looked at each other worriedly.
"What sort of contagion?" asked Chloe's father.
“For reasons of national security I can't say, but most people have not been told as much as I’ve just told you. They have just been told that their MRI scans didn't work properly and have been recalled for new scans and x-rays," Max explained.
"No, you can't just drop a bombshell like that and then tell us nothing," Chloe's father became agitated and his voice rose.
"It’s like this,” Max tried to pacify the worried father, “we don't know exactly what we’re dealing with so we can't say."
"So what do you want with our children?" asked Chloe's mum.
"Please trust me, we're just eliminating people who could be infected," explained Max.
"I'm sure Max is working in our children's best interests,” Miriam sided with Max knowing he had a difficult job. “I've known him for years and he worked with my husband for many years."
"I'm telling you as I would tell my own family. Miriam and Josh are the closest thing to a family I have," Max explained sincerely.
Chloe's mum and dad relaxed, their expressions becoming less hostile, as they systematically sipped their tea and pondered over what they had just been told.
"I'm not going, I'm not going anywhere," Chloe broke the silence.
"I can't have any more x-rays, so I'm not going," Josh followed suit smiling at Chloe. He felt that Max wasn't completely trustworthy and he wanted to show solidarity with Chloe. The adults all looked in surprise as Josh grabbed Chloe's hand and led her to his room.
“You can leave the door open if you’re going up stairs, I don't want grandchildren yet," Josh's mum shouted after them as they climbed the staircase.
Chloe and Josh looked each other trying not to smirk at Miriam's remarks.
"They won't be impressed by us not going to the scans. My mother just made me have one because of what happened to my father,” Josh explained “I was so pleased when you said you weren't going."
"I don't trust doctors, it's only 50 years since they stopped doing lobotomies," Chloe stated.
"Have you got the laptop?" Josh asked.
Chloe opened the big satchel she was carrying and started unpacking it. First to come out was a pair of pajamas, then a toiletry bag and finally his laptop.
"I didn't know you were stopping," Josh flirted cheekily.
"I was not, that's from my sleepover over at my friend’s house, at Chantelle’s," Chloe pr
otested, blushing furiously.
Still laughing, Josh plugged in the laptop and started sifting through the computer files. He wondered what it was that the man wanted with the laptop. He checked specific sizes and types of file as he knew that programs can sometimes be hidden within others. He spent a good forty minutes engaged in the task, tapping his fingers repeatedly on the table and making tutting noises.
"Well, I don't know what he wanted with the computer, but at least dad hasn't popped up for a chat," Josh muttered to himself, completely consumed with his laptop and almost completely forgetting Chloe was there.
"Your dad has been popping up?" Chloe asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, I loaded one of his programs to the net and then dad started chatting to me on my PC. Sounds mad I know." Josh was embarrassed. He didn’t want Chloe to think he was a total nutjob.
"What programme was it?” Chloe asked assertively, “let me see."
Chloe took charge of the laptop and looked through the files, carefully analysing their size and content. She paused and opened a file. Another one popped up and then another and another. She had found his programmes, like cats in a hat. It seemed that there were several chaos programmes running simultaneously. It was too complex for either of them to fully understand what was happening and the math was horrendous, even though Josh was beyond his years and had a grip of calculus he didn't fully understand the programme.
"What is it?" Josh asked.
"I'm not sure, maybe some sort of learning programme," Chloe guessed.
"The notes said it was the key to life,” Josh mused, “the first program creates basic life and extrapolates it in the form of trees on the screen."
"I see that part but I don't know what these two are. I know that's Planck's constant though," Chloe said knowledgeably pointing to part of the equation onscreen.
"How come you know so much about computers?" Josh was impressed.
"I don't know, I was just made this way," Chloe shrugged modestly.
"You’re really cool, you know that don't you," Josh said, looking into Chloe's eyes.
"Thanks," she said blushing slightly as Josh leant in for a kiss.
Their eyes met and their eyelids slowly began to close as they moved closer together. They could feel the heat as their lips blended into a slow sensual kiss.
"I thought that laptop had been stolen, isn't that what you told the police?" Miriam's voice rang through the room making the pair jump apart in shock. They hadn't heard her coming up the stairs.
"The police would only have taken it," replied Josh sounding sullen.
"Chloe's parents are going. Come clean now or Chloe goes as well," Miriam said, obviously furious.
"The man who attacked me wanted the computer. I wanted to see why," Josh answered.
"And what else?” Miriam asked, knowing the full truth hadn't come out.
"I found some more programs hidden in the one that I uploaded onto the Internet, but I don't know what they do," Josh told her.
"Right, I'll have that and Max can check it out," Miriam reached out for the laptop.
"No," Chloe blurted out angrily, and then placed her hand over her mouth.
"No? Just who do you think you are?" Miriam said, glaring at Chloe.
"I'm sorry,” Chloe apologised, “it's just not fair after all he’s been through," She lowered her gaze and looked away from Miriam, her shoulders sagging.
"Okay,” Miriam softened at the apology, “but Max can have a quick look at it."
She fetched Max within minutes, pausing only to give him a rather garbled explanation, to look at the equation and programming that Josh had on screen. Max looked at it carefully. This wasn't his area of expertise so he took a photo with his phone and promised he would look into it. He saw no need to take the laptop as he knew the man who tried to get it was crazed from the parasite. He was curious to know how the man knew of the laptop. Maybe it was just a coincidence, he thought, but then again there had been a burglary, where nothing was taken.
"Josh, could you do me a favour?’ Max asked, “If I could copy of all of your dads files it would save me from having to take the laptop,". He was curious to see what Josh's dad had been working on. Clearly it had hit a bell with someone, somewhere. Normally he would have done some surveillance on the perpetrators but he was too busy.
Josh wasted no time and soon had a memory stick filled with his dads work.
"That’s everything," Josh said.
His mother watched him like a hawk and made sure he did everything he was supposed to. Chloe’s parents had left and Chloe was to get a taxi home and her parents would pay for it at the other end. They weren't letting her stray off on her own due to recent events. When they were eventually left alone at last they looked at the clock. They only had about half an hour before the taxi was due to arrive to take her home. Chloe still had to attend school and wasn't allowed out late on a week nights.
"Josh," Chloe said. She was laid out on Josh’s day bed looking at him. Her eyes were glazed with emotion and she wondered what he was thinking.
"What?" Josh said.
"I need to talk to you," Chloe said.
Josh shut down the laptop before turning and facing her. He was afraid she was going to dump him for being an insane maniac whose father talked to him on the computer.
"I like you, but I need to tell you something,” Chloe said quietly.
"Okay, tell me,” Josh said, “I'm insane for seeing my father."
Chloe sat up and faced him, a very serious expression on a face. She was almost crying and Josh knew exactly what she was going to say. He was about to be dumped.
"It wasn't your dad, on the computer," Chloe said.
"Wh what do you mean?" Josh stammered. He hadn’t expected this.
"I mean, it was evil," Chloe looked sad.
"How do you know?" Josh asked looking confused. He couldn’t take in what she was saying.
"That programme, the one you uploaded, it made me and it made that thing posing as your father," Chloe explained, observing Josh’s reaction with great care.
Josh sat with his mouth open, still expecting to be dumped and wondering if she was pulling some sort of practical joke. While Chloe waited for him to speak he began to feel annoyed. He felt Chloe was taking the joke too far after he had opened his soul to her about his fathers mystery appearance.
"Okay, prove it," Josh said in irritation, thinking he would outsmart her this way.
"Chloe went over to his laptop which was unplugged on his knee with the power button firmly set to ‘off’. She touched the screen with her fingertips and suddenly the screen blazed into life, the programming compiler opened up and started filling until the computer gave an error message saying it could hold no more. He watched her hands and saw small sparks of electrostatic charge were bouncing from her hands to the screen. He saw her eyes flicker and her eyelids twitch and tic as if she had Tourette's syndrome. He looked into her eyes and wandered if there was any emotion in their depths.
"How?" Josh asked, staggered almost into speechlessness.
She didn't speak, instead the information flicked in front of his eyes as pictures on the screen. Suddenly she stopped and looked at him. There was emotion, there was feeling. He could see it now.
"Chloe was going to die, she had a terminal brain tumour, I saw the scans," Chloe answered him.
"You killed her, you're the contagion," Josh gasped.
"It was her time. I spoke to her first and she said it was all right," Chloe spoke softly.
"But all those people, all those people who had to die," Josh snapped angrily, his face pale.
"No, that was not me. I was created in a good place and I knew what I was doing. The others were not nice, they were evil. They tried and failed when their hosts fought them," Chloe said.
"There are more of you," asked Josh.
"There is only one of me, but there were very many more life forms created from your programme and they are made up of whatever is on the
Internet," Chloe explained.
"So you are a life form created from a programme my father wrote, that I uploaded and you are here. Why, why did you stay in a mortal?" asked Josh, his voice trembling. He felt the real Chloe’s loss deeply.
"We met by chance, but since then I've learnt to like you. That is why I told you this. It’s also the easiest way to protect you," Chloe answered him.
"Protect me from what?" Josh asked.
"Protect you from him, the evil one,” Chloe looked troubled, “He’s coming for you."
"For me, why?" Josh was taken aback.
"He believes you have the ability to defeat him, and sees you as a threat. I don't know why, I haven't seen your MRI scan," came the reply.
"How can you tell if I could defeat anybody from MRI scan?" Josh was clearly confused.
"There have been five thousand generations of humans since the evolution of Homo Sapiens. There have been five hundred thousand generations of your fathers programme since Ascension," Chloe said.
"How could life come from a computer program?" asked Josh, still amazed and not totally convinced.
"Planck's constant appears has been proved in so many ways and is always same; there is an equation for life and an equation for death," Chloe said.
"Are you saying I am carrying the equation for death in my brain?" Josh shook his head to try and get some clarity in his thinking.
"You have the ability to find it. The same as your dad found the one for life," explained Chloe.
"Your taxi is waiting Chloe," Miriam called, coming to the door.
This was too much; she had to go at that point. Chloe couldn't cope. Josh couldn't cope either.