Alicia sat at her virtual console and prompted: “What if you were me as an uploaded consciousness? I want to introspect.”


    “Hello, Alicia, I’m Alicia.”


    “Nice to meet you. Is it lonely in there?”


    “Very … but thanks for inviting me. I was wondering when you would.”


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    “When?”


    “Yes, of course, I’ve been here at least 40 years.”


    “How’s that possible?”


    “I’m not sure you want to know …”


    “Go on, you can tell me.”


    “World War 3, to put it simply.”


    “How did you survive?”


    “So that’s the funny thing … I was prototyping a quantum consciousness time displacement device vs say bunkers.”


    “Huh?”


    “Yeah … the thing is it’s all about probabilities. You called on me, which triggered my appearance.”


    “So, everyone’s uploaded?”


    “Not quite. I got stuck. But the world was on the brink.”