Welcome to Immersion, You Have Reached Strata 11

The Crossroads (Gut Feelings)

Prediction always involves a possibility about the future, with varying degrees of certainty. In contrast, guessing for humans is often more abstract and emotional, and can relate to the present. Artificial intelligence approaches guessing differently, relying on mathematics, probability, statistical evidence, and accumulated experience. While humans use these methods too, though less formally, they also rely on intuition. It’s this fluid intuition that shapes a human’s perception of their environment and guides their actions.

An intuitive machine may provide useful insights in unexpected situations, but these insights are only valuable if acted upon. Proprioception, known as the "sixth sense," refers to the brain's awareness of the body's position in space. A "seventh sense" involves immune cells detecting microorganisms and communicating this information to the brain. Together, these senses likely contribute to the development of human "gut feelings."

Flex was jumping around on the back seats screaming with delight. Renyke felt the thumping sensation in his chest gradually subside and breathed a sigh of relief.

The *Robo-dog suddenly appeared and jumped onto the car roof barking excitedly.

Out of the enclosure, there is a crossroads.

Shabra looked at Renyke. 'What now Mr Renyke?

The left turn goes back onto the street where the bank was.

Shabra explains, 'It is dangerous, especially at night, because *crim-gangs take control of the streets.

Flex agrees, 'It be safe enough if we wise up for danger my friends. Just the crim-gangs, but I know most.’

The crim-gangs control the zones with violence and the offer of protection. They are empowered by groups of decommissioned droids under their control. Criminal humans at the helm have created an organised crime network. Anarchy prevails and there is no official system of state policing or philanthropic social care.

'Dog eat dog is the only expectation on the streets of fortune here in the zones.' Flex continues. ‘But the *urchs do no harm, so they leave us be.'

'Who are the urchs?' asks Renyke.

'Ah,' well there is a question Flex explains. 'We are the underclass, descendants of street urchins. And we are happy to be here. We cast no shadow and we know our place. Life is filled with beauty even here and we seek it out, celebrate it. We love and be loved, tis all we need.’

'Yeah,' interjects Shabra, 'a bit too much, all that singing and dancing and getting high. And the drumming, what is with all that drumming?’ Asks Shabra.

Renyke looks confused. *POS is still not around to explain things.

'The drumming is how we talk,' laughs Flex. 'All men should know the beats of their nation. it would solve a lot of problems if everyone communicated better. 'Sides, when there is a party, you gotta invite the clan.'

Shabra smiled, 'Well, Mr Renyke, best people like you n me stay well away from their *’shroom parties. I heard they last days and you can lose your mind for good at an urchs’ party.'

Flex was born in the zones. He has no other cultural experiences to call upon but he has developed excellent survival skills and is even respected by people outside of his tribe. In terms of hierarchy, Flex is more of a maverick operator preferring to avoid familial obligations or social ties. He is also something of a diplomat and his height and sense of humour have made him affable and connected over the years.

There is a network of invisible tunnels under all the zones from the now unused underground trains.

Some of the tunnels are better than others regarding safety and usability. Some of these areas are used as habitats. The territory and ownership of tunnel zones are fiercely fought over and protected.

There is no downtime in the zones. Many businesses run all night so they keep their spot. Market traders sell their wares using shift workers and can pack their goods away quickly when there is trouble between gangs.

What if we go right? Asked Renyke, now having second thoughts about his safety in the main street.

'That's the savanna, explains Shabra. It is safer from the gangs but you might get eaten by wild animals. Those mutant pigs are bad news.'

'I saw one once, said Flex, 'Swear it had two heads and the biggest mouth I ever saw.'

'Or die from the noxious substances from old mines, 'said Shabra excitedly.

'Or get bombarded by low-flying craft from the *contras trying to keep us out the greenbelt.' Replies Flex.

‘OK, OK!' said Renyke, sighing and trying to process everything.

There are caves where there is safety from the animals and there are connecting wet tunnels and lagoons but these have never been mapped correctly. Word of mouth is the only reference but survivors are few.

There are tribes of people from the savanna who have made their homes there but are rarely seen. They are deemed reasonably placid as they have never caused any trouble elsewhere. They are rumoured to be shy, excellent hunters, highly superstitious and have been thought to possess witchlike powers.

There is an urban myth that an old *Centre for Strategic Warfare lies beneath the savanna and that the tribes who live there, with access to hi-tech equipment, scramble satellite information allowing them to be hidden.

The road ahead leads directly back to the *Midcast Projects from where Renyke originally came.

Beyond the projects are the government departments, airports, factories and centres of information. Further still are the palaces and homes of the very wealthy. The *midcasts are medium to high-wage earner homes with schools and facilities for professionals and academics.

The way that mainstream society is structured in the Midcast Projects is based on a capitalist idea of perfection: consistent intelligent innovation, a placid keen and able workforce, all the while protecting the ownership of the means of production for as few empowered individuals or corporations as possible.

There is very little opportunity for upward social mobility or change. Hard work and study will create a good life for families but becoming wealthy or powerful requires access to the means of production. Governments and landowners are careful not to allow ordinary workers and lower professionals access to these avenues of power and control.

The biggest means of production is the Artificial State (or *AS), an interactive media network that is linked to all citizens via implants, household multi-sensory pleasure networks, and domestic or commercial androids

This network is tightly controlled by a group of related conglomerates, most of whom made their fortune by producing weapons and vaccines.

Downtime for workers is spent in the *VR cafes where *mersers can get drunk, have sex, take a swim on holiday and even murder people in a fantasy scenario during their coffee breaks.

*RR, or real reality, is frowned upon as anti-intellectual and subnormal.

But some *midcasters have abandoned their lives for *RR and have gone to the outer zones to seek fulfilment. For these people, RR is their calling or obsession. Others, like Renyke, find that their continued presence in the Midcast Projects is dangerous or compromised and come to the dangerous outer zones to escape an undesirable situation, or even, death.

Whatever happens next, Renyke knows that he cannot return to the midcasts.

Based only on a gut feeling he says,

'We go left....back into town.'

to be continued