Infin(ite)ration: A short story—one chapter at a time. Chapter 1.

Image credit https://www.kuhmali.com/

Before you start this, if you haven't read the preface, it's here. https://steemit.com/writing/@iamscifi/infin-ite-ration-a-short-story-one-chapter-at-a-time

Chapter 1: We Put The You In Topia

Blasting through an abrupt opening in the wall, Jasper’s eleven-cycle eyes drink in the room—until. Target acquired! “Dad, dad, dad! Guess what I did! Guess, guess, guess!” The wall closes behind Jasper.

Dad, otherwise known as Misha, pauses his Infinirations at 99. “You kissed your grams, & told her you love her?”

“Two hundred ten full Infinirations!”

“Fancy job, Jasp’, only two hundred twenty-two more to go! Speaking of going, get on back to your Infinirations, so I can finish mine—& remember, it’s your mom & your grandpa’s day to take care of anything that Hughie can’t handle. That way Grams & I have time to focus on our Infinirations.”

With tilted head, Jasper opens his mouth. “How come Sadie & I get to do our Infinirations everyday, but adults only get to do theirs every other day?”

“I’ll be here for you—tomorrow. Today, that’s a question for your mom or your grandpa. Respect the Infiniration system, & you’ll live forever in the memory of the Universe.”

Jasper’s energy drastically drops to a fifth of its former heights. “Fiiine.”

Misha sets aside 99 handwritten love letters—each stroke, word, phrase, & page exactly the same, down to a happy teardrop stain. The act of writing is for himself, the letters are for Rashel, his better-half, & the handoff is for the both of them. “Jasper, if it were up to me, I’d jump at the chance to have an adventure day with you.” The young boy’s features perk upward. “However, you know the rules. In order to maintain our society, we must listen to the Quantum. Without its AI, we’d’ve died out thousands of years ago, just after the industrial age.”

“Can a single day really destroy our lives?”

“Rarely, but that’s not the point. Life isn’t about only today. If everyone decides to do whatever they want on the same day, the system disintegrates. Sacrifices must be made, like how Pappy Jack has to live in the capital to help guide the Quantum.”

With pursed lips, Jasper nods. "That makes sense. Bye! I love you!"

Spinning, like a mother-fucking boss, Jasper departs the same way he arrived. As usual, nothing is the same as it was only moments ago. The house morphs to fit the individual user’s mental state. At this point, the hallway becomes a natural mountainside waterslide.

Zooming along, with his environment materializing & dematerializing along his path, Jasper drops into a formless challenge room. The room contains Jasper’s seven-cycle sister, Sadie.

Spotting her brother from the middle of the empty room, Sadie stands as tall as her short frame can manage. “Thanks, Hughie, I’ll take it from here.” Sadie points her chin skyward. “Dear brother, I call on you to assist me in my next challenge—a paired challenge! We must build a bridge across this—” Nothing occurs, even though Sadie repeatedly waves her arm across the middle of the reactive room—adding a skosh more drama with each repetition. Sadie’s face scrunches with disapproval. “Ahem. Snap-snap, river, where are you?!”

As the more experienced brother, Jasper shares what little insight he has. “Often the challenges contain sub-challenges, including tests of patience.”

Through narrowed lids, Sadie shifts her gaze along the room’s fathomless edge. “If that’s the case,” Sadie plops to the floor, “I can keep this up for as long as it takes; I happen to be a champion sitter. Just ask my Afternoon-Tea Club.” A hoard a zombified stuffed-toys poke, prod, jab, & stab their fucked-up, fuzzy appendages up through the slowly forming river bank. Closeby, miniature forests & mountains form into a paradise. Clearcutting & stripmining, the hoard builds an industry of available materials.

Peering over her holdings, Sadie cackles as she does her little kookie-dance. “Everything is mine! I own all of this, because I said so, & since I said it, that’s how it works. Ancient cultures are the best!”

“Fact.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t want to live there. Too barbaric.”

In a moment of realizing what could've been, Jasper takes in the emerging desert. “For sure. If not for the discovery of intelligent energy, I doubt our species would’ve survived their consumptive stage. Speaking of, you need to take better care of your resources, or you won't be able to finish with the challenge."

"Good point." The floor under Sadie’s right foot lifts as she captain morgans the same leg. “Afternoon-Teabaggers! Form an ecological economy commission. Save the forests! Save the land by transmuting the mountain into a quarry. Redirect the river. Boom, lake! Lake creates rain. We’ve saved the planet! Save the planet, save the bridge. Shit, the bridge!”
Jasper smiles at his sister’s seemingly infinite energy. “Indeed.”

Picking up the first piece, Sadie eyeballs a straight line across the river over to her brother. Once set, the line glows neon orange for the siblings. “We need to make sure to place each of our identical pieces in precisely the same manner, working our way toward one another, meeting in the middle. The challenge is timed, but I’m not aware of what time I need to beat in order to pass.” Sadie’s eyes point skyward. “Stressful much?!” Closing her eyes, Sadie centers herself. “Ready?”
Jasper collects his first piece. “Aye-aye, Captain Sadie!”

The clock starts the moment Sadie sets her first piece. Using Sadie’s line, Jasper follows suit. Each consecutive piece presents itself different from the last, with no clear order beyond random chaos. Sadie’s eyes bulge as the blocks overflow her work area. “Too fast! Hughie, slow conveyor belt to half speed.”

A synthetic voice emanates from nowhere in particular & everywhere at once. “Pausing challenge. Sadie, if I lower the speed, you won’t pass the challenge.”

“I need to learn at a lower level. There’s no way I can just jump in at the highest level.”

“Congratulations, Sadie & Jasper, you passed the challenge. When you see your limitations, you can find ways to overcome those obstacles. Also, Sadie, great job asserting yourself! You advance to your next cycle.”

Sadie grows a few inches taller as she upgrades to her eighth cycle. She casts a wily glance at her brother. “I’m catching up.” Raising her arm higher than ever, Sadie bolts away. “Hughie, load my next challenge!”

The wild child vanishes from Jasper’s presence. The room shrinks down to a doorway. Jasper walks through. After a long, meandering hallway, a soggy swamp reveals itself. With no way through the muck, Jasper spies a peddle-action hoverbike. Jasper’s smile expands—causing exponential room expansion.

Puttering along, Jasper peddles in no particular direction—until, “Bubbles! Signs of hostile life sighted at umpteen-o’clock. To battle!” Out of the seething swamp pops a hulking koi fish—one the size of Jasper’s new hoverbike. A giant sneer stretches across the fish’s faceted face. Each opponent shifts to the starting line. The swampy room’s sky-like ceiling shimmers through three pulsating colors. As the last color blinks into previous normality, the race is on.

Diving deep, the beastly fish jets toward unseen finish line.

Not to be outdone, Jasper peddles a quick one-eighty directly to the tree line. “Bridge.” With a wave of his hand, the closest tree topples just enough to ramp Jasper & his hoverbike atop the forest canopy. At this height, clear of all obstacles, Jasper eyes the finish line. With barely any effort, & in less than half the time of his five previous attempts, Jasper slides past the finish line.

Hughie sets off a barrage of starbursts. “Excellent strategy, Jasper! Congratulations on advancing to the next level!”

“Thank you, Hughie, I wanted to try something different.”

“Different it was. Your time just set a world-record for cycles zero to thirty-six. Update: Your race’s viewer dispersal is now global. Update: Three hundred fourteen thousand one hundred forty-nine users have surpassed your record. Play again?”

“Nah, Hughie, I’m ready to move on. What level is next?”

“User’s choice. Another speed battle?”

“Tempting, Hughie, tempting—but, no. What are my other options at this level?”

“New notifications. Notification one: For setting a world-record far above your experience bracket, your level has increased by seven cycles.”

Jasper looks to the floor to see if his body now matches his current cycle level. The distance appears nominal. “When will the rest of me catch up?”

“This level increase is probationary, & is dependent on how well you manage your next three challenges. The cycles will lock in upon passing those challenges, & upon finishing your current Infiniration. Shall I continue with the last notification?”

“Yes.”

“Notification two, six million five hundred thirty-five thousand eight hundred ninety-seven available challenges. Shall I list the challenges in any particular order?"

“Hughie, please sort the list into categories based on subject matter, & then pick one challenge from each category, making sure to choose challenges that I’m likely to pass, while making sure the challenges are also a high enough level to make sure I keep my probationary levels.”

Immensely more minute than any space between the beating of a heart, in an amount of time which is completely incalculable to most biological minds, Hughie returns with the list. “Nine thousand three hundred twenty-three categories generated. Jasper, given the strategic success of your last level, might I suggest we peruse the puzzle category alone?”

“Good idea, Hughie.”

“Thank you, Jasper. New Notification. I found eighty-four thousand six hundred twenty-six available puzzle challenges. Shall I list the challenges in any particular order?"

“Can you bump up the room’s font size to that same number?”

“Yes, Jasper, I can. Shall I do that now?”

“Sure.”

Nothing noticeable happens.

“Hughie, display these letters.” Jasper taps the air in a few spots that only he can see. “This is the answer to if you should list the challenges.”

The room shifts to midnight.

Jasper lets loose an astonished breath. “That’s one big nope.”

“A joke. I understand. Very funny, Jasper.”

“Hughie, for now, let’s shelve this. I have a question to ask Grandpa.”

Hello Steemians! This is a work in progress that I'm submitting to a relatively prestigious writing contest. Feel free to drop constructive criticisms. Over the next week or two, I'll be posting one new chapter per day. Find the next chapter here.

https://steemit.com/writing/@iamscifi/infin-ite-ration-a-short-story-one-chapter-at-a-time-chapter-2