Robot Adept

But as it turned out, the H category was more than water; it was a catchall for all the surfaces: Flat, Variable, Discontinuous and Liquid. The list of qualifying games included one as simple as splashing, and one active as water tag, and—

Bane gaped. The magic games were there too! Levitation Tag, Conjuration Dodge—how could these be played in the frame of Proton? If he tried to make himself float magically, he would get nowhere; if he tried to conjure a snowball to hurl at his opponent, none would appear.

But there had to be a way, or the grid would not be showing these choices. This gave him the chance to select a game with which Mach had no experience!

They assembled and played the third grid, and the result was Transformation Chase. Bane had never actually played that one, because of the number of formchanging spells required; a single game would have exhausted his spells for months. But he had always liked the idea of it, and envied the unicorns who could play it with their natural magic, changing forms effortlessly. Human magic was versatile, but limited to one invocation for any given spell; the animals could do their particular magic without limit. In that way they were superior to man. But they could not do any other magic.

The game was set. There would be a month for training. But Bane could hardly wait to talk to the Oracle, and ask: how? How could he transform his body into the several animal forms that would be required for the proper playing of this game? Mach would have no trouble; they could teach him the necessary spells. But this was Proton!

“Mach is in 1A,” the Oracle explained. “You are technically in 2C—Machine-Assisted Mental. He will transform directly; you will transform in emulation.”

“I be in Machine-Assisted Mental? But the grid—”

“This is a special situation. What he can do directly and physically, you cannot. But the emulation will make it equivalent.”

“How can we know that? Mine emulated figure could have powers my physical one has not.”

“The emulation will exactly match the powers of your physical body. There will be no advantage physically. You will have to convey game information to Mach so that the Red Adept can set it up there, but this will be no problem.”

“But magic—transformations—”

“Your consciousness will be attuned to the game setting, and to Bane’s mind. It will be as real to you as your current existence is, and as accurate.”

Bane realized that the Oracle knew more about altered states of reality than he did, but still he argued. “Look, if we are to play this chase game properly, one o’ us must be the Predator and the other the Prey. When the two come together, the Predator be the victor; an we complete the circuit without that happening, the Prey wins. So we can overlap not during the game itself. Therefore there can be ne’er any connection then. So—”

“The connection will be maintained,” the Oracle explained patiently. “The awareness will be displaced. Your body will pace his throughout, but your awareness will be with your representation in the game. Have no concern.”

Bane gave it up. His lifetime in Phaze simply had not prepared him for the peculiar convolutions of science. “If everyone else be satisfied…” He shrugged.

He joined Agape. “I think I have a few hours off before training for the next round starts. What be good for relaxation?”

“Normally it does not require so much effort for you to think of your favorite relaxation,” she said with a smile.

He had to smile back. “Thou’rt so certain we males have but one interest!”

“Not so, Bane. You have but one interest at a time, in the manner of an animal. That’s not quite the same.”

“Let’s go walk in the park.”

They took a conveyor to the park. This was designed to resemble a wooded region of Old Earth, with fair-sized trees spreading their branches overhead, and ferns growing below. It was arranged to seem considerably larger than it was, because of the premium on space within the dome, but the illusion was effective. Stray breezes wafted through, making the leaves quiver, and butterflies flitted randomly about.

That reminded him of his spying missions. He regretted those, now, despite the importance of the information gleaned. Would it have been better not to have done it? That would have meant falling into Tania’s trap, and also he would have avoided the need to be with Fleta, when—

“There be much in this I like not,” he muttered.

Agape did not misunderstand. “But also much to like. I will always be glad for the visit I was able to make to Phaze, and the folks I was able to know there, though I had to borrow Fleta’s body.”

“Aye. But what future have we? An I win, we be soon parted. An I lose, the frames be in peril. What choice be that?”

“It would be easier if your kind was like mine in this respect,” she said. “With no set sexes.”

“And no love between them,” he agreed. “Is that the way you prefer it?”

“No.”

They went on through the park. It had not changed, but his mood had improved.