Jarvis was in a reflective mood.
Joe had gone to keep his appointment with El Jeffe, and the two of us were sitting alone, outside our quarters. Rogers and McCloud had already turned in, but we waited for Joe's return to find out what El Jeffe had to say.
"What do you make of all this, David? Not just what has happened today, but the whole thing."
He waved his hand at the sky.
"Our ability to reincarnate and travel between alternative worlds in a multiverse where outcomes are dependent on probability. There seems to be nothing certain, no objective reality for us to hang onto, and no ultimate meaning. Are there any absolute truths out there, or is the idea of 'truth' meaningless in a multiverse we can only interpret by subjective experience?
"Forgive me for asking such a question. I am a scientist, but you possess a quality, recognised by the Tribus, that suggests you can go beyond the answers gained by empirical science. My final question is, "Do you think the alternative worlds were created, and if so, by whom?
"And what difference would it make to us if the creators are advanced beings resident in a physical realm or a lone supernatural being who exists outside space and time?"
"None," I said. "No difference at all."
Jarvis seemed taken aback.
"Would you care to enlarge on that?"
"I will try," I said. "But do not overestimate my level of knowledge. I do not have any empirical evidence for what I believe to be true, only the type of intuition that shows itself as a feeling or emotion, an irrational response rather than a rational one."
Jarvis said, "Despite my profession, I have always considered that logic alone will not unlock the secrets of the multiverse. There has to be a more holistic approach."
"I would agree with that, Jarvis. For our discussion, we will assume that the multiverse was created. The mechanics of creation differ, but both ideas imply that our world and existence have a purpose or design rather than coming about by chance. Supporters of the case for a supernatural creator usually insist that existence has a spiritual or moral purpose. If the creators are products of the physical universe, all we know is that they are advanced beings with superior technology; however, their motives remain unknown. Maybe they do it just because they can.
"A fundamental similarity between the two potential creators, if either exists, is that they deliberately conceal themselves from us. For some reason, they refuse to make themselves known or prove their existence to us.
Beings within the worlds of either type of creator are real, not illusory. In a probable multi-reality universe, the reality that the inhabitants perceive is as equally authentic as any other. But
Some people, especially those who have no firsthand experience of alternative worlds, tend to assume that they inhabit the original world, and all the other alternative versions of their world are spin-offs of their own."
"Thanks, David. I am a hard-headed scientist, but I still meet people in our profession who, in unguarded moments, confess that they hang on to the hope of a divine supernatural creator. That against stupendous odds, we are a special case, and the home of his chosen people is a speck of dust tucked away in the remote regions of an unremarkable galaxy that is one of trillions.
But in a universe of which we know nothing, who are we to say they are wrong?"
I was about to answer when Jarvis shouted,
"Here comes Joe!"
By the dim yellow light of the sodium lamps that lined the narrow desert road back to the centre of the base, we saw Joe walking briskly towards us.
"He looks to be in a hurry to get back," said Jarvis. "I wonder what's up?"
Joe climbed the steps to the veranda and flopped himself into a chair beside us.
"Something is wrong," he said, abruptly. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but I have a strong feeling that things are not as they seem."
He gestured to indicate the airfield. "This whole setup is fake."
"What makes you say that?" Jarvis asked, ever the scientist, "Do you have any concrete evidence to back up your theory?"
"Nothing conclusive," admitted Joe. "Like I said, it's just an intuition. El Jeffe and Roberto stuck to their previous script pretty well but slipped up when they asked how I had managed to break through their defensive shield. I told them that I remembered the recognition code from last time, a four-figure number that I transmitted on low frequency, to allow us through. They accepted my explanation straight off and quickly moved on to another subject."
"Why did you find that suspicious? I asked.
Joe was emphatic in his answer.
"Because there was no code. I made it up."
"Then how did you really breach the barrier?" I asked.
"There was no barrier," Joe replied.
"The defensive shield does not exist."
"Maybe it just malfunctioned and let you through," said Jarvis.
"Then why did they so eagerly accept my fake code answer? Joe said. "I guess that they had to come up with an explanation for why the machines had never detected them and came up with the idea of an impenetrable defensive shield. According to their account, they have been here for generations, maybe hundreds of years. The original airfield, our airfield, was only here for a short period of time, and the drones were a lot thinner on the ground then. I designed the airfield, and we had no defensive shield or anything like it. The airfield may be off the beaten track, way out in an area not covered by routine drone patrols, but it seems unlikely they could avoid detection over such a long period of time, especially with the mass movement of personnel every couple of years. If that account of how they operate is true, there can only be one answer.
They are in active collusion with the machines.
"Have you overlooked the possibility that they may in fact be machines?" I asked. "Androids, like the original inhabitants of the base?"
"No," said Joe, "but I think the main question here is, why? Why go to all this trouble to get us here? What do they hope to achieve?"
Jarvis stood up.
"I think that we all agree that David is the primary target of our enemies, whether it be the machines or some other party. The rest of us, in this incarnation at least, are merely support players. David possesses something they either fear or want for themselves."
He turned towards me.
"On behalf of us all, David. I offer our complete support. We will collectively do all we can to protect you."
"Thanks, Jarvis. I never doubted any of you. The protection you so willingly offer is not to a man; it is worth far more than that. It is a value or attribute that the enemy seek to either destroy or take for themselves. I am the living symbol of that attribute, but as for me, the physical man, my life as a human is not worth any more than your own."
"In light of what Joe has just told us," said Jarvis, "what do you suggest we do, David?"
"Lie low, and do not let them know we suspect anything," I answered. "Joe, will you check that the Hurricane and the Skytrain have been refuelled and are ready to go? I would prefer it if they were kept out of the hangars and on the runway approach. Say that you need to check the brakes on the aircraft when taxiing in the open.
"We all need to get some rest, but we need to post a sentry watch, two-hour shifts. Sort out a rota, will you, Jarvis? Make the sentry post somewhere on the second floor where we have a good view of the airfield. No lights. In the case of an emergency, rouse everybody as quietly and quickly as possible. Again, no lights.
"Do we have any weapons with us?"
"No. All we have is on the Skytrain," said Joe.
"Too risky for us to try and retrieve them now. If we come under attack during the night, try to make your way to the Skytrain and arm yourselves, but I think it is doubtful that they will come for us tonight. First thing tomorrow, get them out of the aircraft under cover and bring them back here. Any questions?
"No? Then let's turn in after Jarvis has made the sentry rota.
"Tomorrow is another day."