[Author’s Note: It can be tricky to choose a piece that gives a flavour of the novel’s themes, whilst at the same time being relatively self-contained and free from significant plot spoilers. So, I’ve picked this scene featuring Rosalind (a woman from the protagonist’s past), which is set back when the City was alive and bustling…]
Extreme Sports
Rosalind watched the silver shape as it darted across the clear blue sky, leaving a thin white vapour trail in its wake.
“How big is this one?” she asked her companion.
“Supposed to be around two megatons, but the exact yield is be a surprise,” they replied, the delight evident in their tone.
She was standing with about two dozen others in a beautiful landscaped park on the edge of the City. The brilliant towers thrust into the sky in front of them, tall enough that they appeared to be reaching for the silver dart. She knew this to be deceptive as the dart was kilometres higher. There was a collective gasp as they saw a tiny shape leave the dart, a white parachute deploy and then float down directly over the buildings.
“And ground zero?” she asked. All this information was readily available on the Net, but it added to her enjoyment not to know in advance. Much like their use of speech, rather than more efficient methods of communication.
“The City Core’s building itself!”
“Ooh!” she replied. This was going to be a spectacular show.
When the parachute seemed to be within grasping reach of the towers, a brilliant white light filled the world, and then dissolved into a huge fireball towering over the City. The expanding pressure wave wasn’t powerful enough to topple the towers, but a huge amount of material was dislodged, streaming like smoke from the wounded buildings. Rosalind could feel her skin burning from the initial flash, but there was still an eerie silence; the park remained peaceful except for the burning trees and blackened grass that surrounded them. Turning to her companion, they exchanged a thrilled grin and then awaited the blast wave — a mountain of debris and supersonic winds that had already obscured their view of the City. A few seconds later the wave struck the park, wrenching the trees from the ground, scouring the earth clean. The spectators were incinerated by the hot winds, pulverised by the debris in the cloud, and their remains joined the mountain as it raced away from the City.
“Wow!” said Rosalind, sitting up.
Her sentiments were echoed by the others in the room. “The best one this month!” one voice opined.
“Same time next week?” asked Rosalind.
“If you desire,” said a voice, smooth but somehow inhuman, the tones of the City Core. Rosalind glanced round the room for ascent, and then double-checked via the Net. You could never be sure of people’s response after one of these things. The virtual deaths could be traumatic even as they thrilled.
“Yes, we’re in agreement. And thank you City, that was an excellent experience. We can but hope the next one will be as good or even better!” Rosalind said.
“I am glad you enjoyed your Entertainment. I endeavour to please,” the City Core replied.
Their club met each week and experienced, albeit in virtual reality, a variety of inevitably fatal violent scenarios. The City seemed to have fixated on war themes for the last few, Rosalind mused. Although it catered to virtually ever whim of the humans, it drew the line at the detonation of thermonuclear bombs or actually killing its wards. These virtual experiences were the best substitute it could offer. Fortunately it provided other, much more real, entertainments too. Checking her Net diary, Rosalind saw she would need to hurry to get to her next appointment in time. This should be fun, she thought, as an anticipatory shiver passed through her body.
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