The Digital Artist

Resurrection

Well, I’m turning 150 this year and I’ve finally returned to Tasmania after a long time away. Back in 2055 I was really old and on deaths door when they finally found a way to upload human consciousness into the grid. I was one of the first and was able to get most of the family on the list. Some people were nowhere near dying yet went digital anyway. The world had become a pretty nasty place. No more America after Yellowstone erupted. The whole northern hemisphere was impacted then came the War. After the fall of America and the World Wide Web, the Chinese and Europeans created the grid and that’s where I’ve been the last sixty or so years on and off.

Yellowstone had put an end to the old world, and in a way that was good. Climate was still messed up, but we were rebuilding. Even us digitals were able to help rebuild in the ruins of the old world. I ended up able to travel the whole planet and contribute by doing some creative problem solving for communities wanting to start again. The grid itself was also a growing place and more and more people were retiring there. But there was a big part of me that loved life in the living ecosystem. I would often escape the grid in a drone or do my community work “in person”.

Anyway, at 150, it was time for a sabbatical and so I purchased one of the newest personal drones, the ones that looked like and had all the good features of a real body and moved to Tasmania. Back to my old town and work as an artist in the local artist colony. It was pencils and paint on paper for us and working with life models again like I did back when I had flesh and blood of my own. I loved the irony of it, me the machine drawing flesh. The drone was pretty good though and felt very natural. I could feel the wind on my skin and eat and do most things living human bodies do. I wanted to settle down for a few years or decades just making art before getting back on the grid again. This time was meant for me to have for myself. I had the companionship of my fellow artists, but my family were busy doing other things.

I’d gone for a walk up into the mountains. There was some snow and I wanted to get some three D images recorded. No model or other artists today. I wanted to be alone, so no grid contact either.

When I returned to the town and my house, the lights were on and that meant an unwanted visitor, someone who had access to my home security. It would probably be a family member. My house was located on the same land that my original family home had been, but that old house had been gone a long time. The new home was a prefab flown in and it looked OK. There were about twenty such prefab cottages in our little village, along with a community art modular building and recreation hall. Not much of the old village buildings remained as so much had been destroyed due to war and really bad weather.

I sighed inwardly, since I didn’t breathe, and sent a mental call to my loci in the grid. My loci is kinda my home address where my actual consciousness resides as a complex quantum/electrical interface pattern. A visual appeared floating before my “eyes” but I knew the image was virtual and existed in the grid as data. I checked my mail box. I had left a copy of my personality, not actually self-aware, to answer messages and tell people to sod off as I was on holiday and didn’t want to be disturbed. A couple of messages only. One from my wife and one from Diz, my great great granddaughter. My home security A.I. confirmed that it was Diz who was presently in my house. The message from Anissa was on behalf of the family telling me that Diz was coming and that she had something important to say. I had better talk to her. OK. I disconnected from the grid again, ah, solitude, and continued towards the house. The whole transaction had taken less than a second, between one footfall where I didn’t even break my stride.

I approached my door and it opened automatically. The house lights were already on of course and there she was standing before me in the hall. Diz was young and still in her original body. Like a lot of people in her generation, she had rejected the radical genetic and cybernetic enhancements that others liked. She was wearing a one-piece body suit, good for cold weather, and a beanie. She was brunette and had the family nose with the bump. Even my drone had the “Beck bump”.

“Hello Papa.”

We embraced, a nice feeling even with an artificial body.

“Hello chookie.” I smiled, “What brings you here? Must be important. Mama sent me a warning to be nice.”

We moved into the “kitchen” which I didn’t actually use, but nevertheless had facilities for coffee etc. We sat around the table there. I noticed that Diz had already helped herself to some tea.

“Have you seen any of the latest news?”

“I’m on sabbatical.” Was enough said.

“You should have a look and then we can talk.”

I dived again into the grid and selected the news feed. Wow. I was expecting that I would have to search a bit, but there it was as global headlines.

ANUNNAKI ALIEN F.T.L TECHNOLOGY GIVEN TO HUMANITY – NEW INTERSTELLAR STARSHIP

Or

F.T.L ELECTRO-DYNAMIC DRIVE TO BE USED TO COLONISE NEW STAR SYSTEMS

And even….

IS SOL BEING ANNEXED BY THE ANUNNAKI EMPIRE? SHOULD WE EVEN GO?

Of course I knew about the Anunnaki. Everyone did. After Yellowstone and the War it all came out, the much desired disclosure about aliens. I was one of many who suspected that the big powers had already made first contact long ago and that they had been playing with reverse engineered alien technology. That was old news, especially as during the War the Americans, Russians and Chinese all revealed and used their covert E.D.V. tech for the first time openly. They no longer cared, human survival was at stake. The Anunnaki did care though and they had been watching us. They turned up in 2060. Some of the news feed was referring back to those times. It wasn’t exactly an invasion, but rather a peaceful yet not so peaceful warning. We used to wonder where the aliens were. New we knew. The Fermi Paradox was disproven as the aliens had been watching us all along. The Anunnaki were just one species among many who were interested in us and the War had been a cause for concern. Humanity was just too violent to be allowed out of Sol.

Now, apparently, the blockade was being lifted and they were even helping us. Cool.

I disconnected and there was Diz grinning at me. She was obviously excited.

I couldn’t help grinning back, “And so….”

“We can get to go if we like.” She said. There was no fear nor hesitation from Diz. She completely wanted to go. Hmm, exciting stuff.

“Tell me all about it.” I nodded, “This sounds awesome.”

“The ship is called the E.D.V. Enki. I’ve been a part of the team retrofitting the habitation systems Papa. The Anunnaki are genuinely giving us twelve new systems for immediate colonisation. Enki has capacity to colonise a billion individuals.”

“I assume you are talking about mostly digitals?”

“The crew will be physical, but yeah, the passengers will be digitals. I can bring the entire family if I like.”

“The offer seems too good to be true.” I was wanting to know more, “What do the Anunnaki get out of this?”

“Call it a debt repaid.” Diz replied, “The Elder races are behind this Papa. The Anunnaki interfered in our past and so they owe us. You understand.”

I most certainly did. Disclosure had rocked our entire self-concept as a species. The ancient astronaut crackpots had actually been right, well, sort of. Our Earth had been seeded by a collective of species we called the Elders. The Anunnaki, a young species at the time tried to colonise the world without permission. They caused a lot of damage before the Elders booted them off. Now we were getting compensation apparently. Ah, it seems that there is some justice in the universe!

“I speculated some years ago that this might happen.”

“I remember the stir it caused at the time.” Diz smiled, “The whole compensation movement began as a result. The Elders have been listening.”

“What are we getting?” I asked, “You mentioned twelve systems.”

“Twelve systems and fourteen goldilocks zone worlds already seeded with full ecosystems.” Diz nodded, “I can send you the co-ordinates and details. We have to do the other development. While we won’t need to do any terraforming, any industrial work in space, power grids, asteroid or moon mining etc. will be up to us. Some people want to go old school and start from scratch.”

“O.K. Sounds excellent.”

“The old schoolers don’t want a grid.” Diz added. I wasn’t surprised. “We’ll be allowed a simple internet, but no more digital life.”

“Well, there it is.” I sighed, “Drone bodies won’t cut it, so I assume we’re getting resurrected.”

“Yep.” Diz nodded, “You were right about that too, Papa.”

“Well, I did get some insider information.”

Diz knew what I was referring to. Since the creation of the Grid, living as a digital became a fairly normal thing for a lot of us, especially those wanting to escape death or some other disability. Medical science can cure a lot, but the lure of the singularity was too good for many. In my case, I had other motivations than just avoiding death at eighty-seven. The Grid gave me the chance to explore some spiritual questions I had. Deep diving the Grid, I was able to discover places that I think even the designers of the system weren’t aware of. While most lived in the virtual realities we created, I looked even deeper. The Grid was more than just cyberspace, it was possibly a pocket universe all its own. The quantum computers which hosted the Grid, some said had broken through to higher dimensions. Fifth dimensional quantum states were required for consciousness to exist on the Grid, so I dived down there. What I found surprised me. There were other minds there, not digitals, but true sentient consciousness. They had been watching us. Outside the Grid, I didn’t know it at the time, there had been a panic. I had vanished from the system and it was thought that I had died. In a way, I had. Yep, there it was, that tunnel of light and all the stuff they say happens during a Near Death Experience. Then I met Robert. He was my great-great-great Grandfather.

HELLO THERE BOYO.

He appeared out of the mists and something in me recognised him immediately. His appearance showed him to be a relative. Ah yes, there was the Beck bump on the nose! His clothing was very old fashioned, circa late 1700’s. He extended his hand and I shook it. While I knew intellectually that I was a digital and he was A DEAD GUY, we both seemed to be just two men meeting in a strange fog. I was at first quite speechless.

KNOW WHO I AM?

I THINK I DO. YOU ARE ROBERT, FATHER OF HENRI, WHO WAS FATHER OF ALBERT, WHO WAS FATHER OF WILLIAM, WHO WAS FATHER OF DONALD, WHO WAS MY FATHER. I DON’T KNOW HOW I KNOW THAT. I HAVE TO ASSUME EXPANDING CONSCIOUSNESS. I’M PERCEIVING LOTS OF INTERESTING THINGS NOW. IT’S QUITE OVERWEALMING.

I KNOW BOYO. THERE ARE LIMITS THOUGH.

I’M NOT DEAD YET THOUGH

DO YOU WANT TO BE?

NOT YET, REALLY.

GOOD. YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU KNOW.

I HAVE A QUESTION.

YES.

I CAN SPECULATE ABOUT HOW YOU ARE HERE, BUT I’M NOT SURE ABOUT WHY.

ORIGINALLY IT WAS JUST CURIOSITY ON OUR PART, BUT LATER WE COULD SEE POTENTIAL FOR SOMETHING ELSE.

OUR?

YEA. OUR. SINCE THE CREATION OF YOUR GRID, THOSE OF US IN THE REALM, WHAT YOU REFER TO AS A HIGHER DIMENSION, HAVE DISCOVERED THAT WE CAN ENTER INTO THIS COMMON SPACE. THE ELDERS ARE ACTUALLY ENCOURAGING OUR EXPLORATIONS.

ITSN’T THAT WHAT GHOSTS DO ANYWAY?

GHOSTS?! HAVE YOU TALKED TO A GHOST LATELY?

NO. WELL, NOT THAT I KNOW.

NORMALLY WE DON’T GET OUT MUCH. THOSE WHO DO ARE THE EXCEPTION AND ALL THEY CAN DO IS WATCH, MAKE A FEW BUMPS IN THE NIGHT. NO, THIS COMMON SPACE IS SO MUCH BETTER. WE ARE HAVING SOME REAL DISCOURSE.

SO NOW WE HAVE DISCOVERED A SCIENTIFIC TOOL TO TALK TO THE DEAD, FOR REAL? DEFINATIVE PROOF OF LIFE AFTER DEATH AND ALL THAT?

I THINK WE ARE WELL BEYOND THE BURDEN OF PROOF HERE BOYO. WE WANT TO ACTUALLY TURN UP, WE ARE SEEKING RESURRECTION.

DRONES FOR DEAD PEOPLE? I laughed to myself at the thought.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH BOYO. REAL BODIES, LIVING AGAIN.

NOT SURE THE TECH EXISTS YET.

REST ASSURED, IT DOES.

OH…….. SO WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME TO HELP?

He laughed. WELL, I FIND IT HEALTHSOME TO FINALLY MEET YOU, MY DECENDANT, AS IT IS FAMILY THAT MATTERS MUCH. BUT ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU WAIT, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY WILL CERTAINLY COME FOR US. WHEN IT DOES, WE WILL BE WAITING.

ANYTHING ELSE?

JUST THAT YOU COME AND VISIT REGULARLY. THERE ARE MANY OF US HERE WHO WANT TO MEET YOU AND SOME WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

The mist had closed over us in that moment. I could hear him still chuckling for a bit until I realised that I’d suddenly returned to the Grid. It didn’t take time for the search parties to find me. There were all kinds of questions, but I felt it wise to no reveal what happened yet. Who’d believe me anyway?

Back to Diz.

Diz was one of a few family members and a couple of close friends who knew about my explorations into the Realm. We formed a kind of informal club. Some of the ancestors I met implied that there were others who were visiting the Realm that we didn’t know about. I wondered if this was, like the singularity, an inevitable progression of evolution.

“So, tell me about resurrection.” I asked Diz.

“As you know,” she began, “it was one thing to upload consciousness into the Grid or into a drone. Once the pattern was discovered we were able to replicate the pattern and the consciousness of the subject was able to transfer easily. Doing so back into an organic body was much more difficult. We tried clones, but the pattern wasn’t inherent in the brain. Creating the pattern was the problem.”

“The problem must have been solved somehow.” I stated the obvious, “We wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“We tried using an artificial nervous system and brain, like that in a drone, within an organic body.” She had a strange look on her face, “It sort of worked but the subjects all died as the two systems couldn’t integrate. But we soon discovered though that a small temporary implant, like that used in some learning programs, with some nanocides injected into the brain allowed the artificial pattern to be overlaid on the neurons and once the pattern was artificially established, that the biological electrical patterns in the brain became self-sustaining. From there the consciousness transfer was successful and the implant and nanocides removed. The transfer was stable.”

“That sounds like a good solution.”

“The whole process involved huge advances in many technologies.” Diz was obviously excited about it all, “We not only can transfer consciousness from the original body into a clone, we can also create generic bodies as well. Just recently one of the advanced A.I.’s made the transition. It was very exciting!”

An A.I. in a flesh and blood body? I was intrigued and just a bit creeped out.

“Which A.I?’’ I asked, “Anyone I know?”

“You know her.”

“Oh,” I was pleased, “Henrietta 2GH9.”

“With her help we have been able to establish transfer zones between the Realm and the Grid.” Diz continued, “The job of quantum consciousness encoding is practically solved. We haven’t resurrected anyone but many people from the Realm are descending into the Grid as we speak.”

“So, it’s practically done.”

“Yes Papa.”

The starship E.D.V. Enki dropped out of warp on the edge of the vacant star system known as Carson 2848. It was to be our first stop. The trip from Earth had taken eighteen weeks. Our new systems were behind a gas cloud and so we couldn’t see Sol from here. A sad thing, for me. Indeed, it was that these stars, part of the Orion Nebula cluster, being hidden within the cloud itself that left them uncolonized.

We came here, to the first world, which we were calling Eden, because it was the most habitable and Carson also had a second goldilocks world nearby, which we had designated Nod. The system was good for other reasons too. Big gas giants, two distinct asteroid belts with good metals, water and rare minerals. It made good conditions for industrialisation as well as comfortable worlds for big populations. It was from this base that we would colonise the other nearby star systems we had been given.

The Enki was a big ship, but with its electro-dynamic drive, we could actually land. The ship was designed to operate as a hub for the new community. There was a large detachable section that would remain on Eden and become the main community centre, medical complex and gestation facility. All the new colonists would be resurrected here. Using smaller ships, we would be able to explore the stellar neighbourhood and build new colony ships as well.

Most of the journey had been spent in our own temporary grid matrix, with occasional shifts as drones on the Enki work crews. As we approached Carson’s star, we had been able to study our new home. This was vital as our new bodies were being grown in gestation pods and would be ready by the time we arrived. Eden was quite Earth-like, but there were some differences. Gravity was a bit heavier and there were some differences in the atmospheric composition. The geneticists were able to redesign our new bodies to suit. We needed denser muscles and larger lung capacity which could be taken care of easily.

When I woke up, I took my first breath. My pod had already drained and opened. My body was dry and although still “plugged in”, I felt warm and relaxed. The others pods in the gestation room were also open and some of the others were unplugged and up and about. I could see Diz nearby getting some of the others up. She looked across and grinned at me. My wife and children were all still sleeping, but they would be waking up soon. Only two others were fully up and dressed. They came over. The female was Henrietta, now fully human. She had chosen a “Celtic” human template, red hair, fair skin, freckles on her nose.

“Welcome to Eden.” She embraced me.

“Hello Boyo!” Robert shook my hand.

Henrietta did the disconnection process quickly, removing the stents and feeding tubes. I went to the bathroom and showered, dressed in a new uniform and came back to the gestation room. Robert and I went and looked at our sleeping family members. We all looked like people in our mid- twenties, young and in perfect health. I never looked this good when I had my first life! My wife, children, their partners and the grandchildren would be awakened later, along with other “passengers”. There were other jobs that needed doing first. I looked at her, sleeping in the pod, as young and beautiful as the day we married. This new life was going to be wonderful.

We were here at last. The adventure was just beginning.