Since I was talking about updating the Whispers in the Code cover a couple weeks ago, today I thought I’d do a behind-the-scenes bit about the Glitch series. While I was in the process of writing Glitch, I’d often run the scenes in my head multiple times to get a feel for the surroundings, what was present in the environment, and what Tim might be feeling. There were a few scenes, though, that I particularly enjoyed writing.
First… the “Bedtime Story” sequence.
It’s starts out innocent enough (and a result of a glitch), and progressively gets more and more creepy as the Legion Spore begins to morph its surroundings to match the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf.
“End recording and transmit.”
Yes, Master Zaytsev. Is there anything else we can do for you?
I nuzzle the flat pillow under my neck. Uncomfortable, but I’m sure it’s made for simplistic support. “No. It’s bedtime, now.”
Would you like us to read you a bedtime story?
“What?”
You like this one, remember? You like the story of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf.’
I sit up. The Legion Spore’s voice is different. It’s still clipped, not quite oriented, but its inflections are not the same as the artificial voice I heard all afternoon. “Bedtime story?” I don’t remember programming it to read bedtime stories—unless Benjamin has an unspoken interest in oral literature.
Once upon a time, there was a foolish little boy who stood guard over the shepherd’s sheep. The shepherd told him, ‘If you ever see a wolf, son, with large gold eyes and strong sharp teeth, you must immediately call for help.’ The little boy listened closely, for he was mischievous, and full of play.
The hairs rise on my arms. This doesn’t sound like the AI at all. “Legion Spore—acknowledge me.”
The shepherd knew of the little boy’s tricks, so he gave him a stern warning. ‘You must never cry wolf if there is none, for when the townspeople come running, they will be angry if you have disturbed them for nothing. Promise me, son, that you will be honest, and call for help only if there is danger.’ The little boy agreed with every bit of passion he could muster, and the shepherd went on his way. Do you know what happens next?
I shiver. Yes, I know the fable, but this isn’t right. “Legion Spore, I do not want to hear a story.”
The first night, the little boy did as he was told. But it was all very tedious, and staring at sheep was certainly the most boring task he had ever done.
“Legion Spore!” I push the covers aside and throw my legs over the edge of the bed. I pause. The floor is no longer made of ivory. It’s returned to the basic metal grate, while the walls have lost their leatheriness, now just a soft, fleshy musculature.
So the next night, the little boy did the most exciting thing he could imagine. He cried wolf.
I reach to the vessel with my mind, but the Legion Spore has erected some kind of firewall. I launch myself out of bed. This isn’t good. If the Legion Spore isn’t responding, I can’t command it.
All the townspeople came running. But when they got there, the little boy laughed. ‘You should see your faces!’ he cried. The only creatures in the field were the sheep and their lambs.
I scramble up the ladder, my sweaty fingers clutching the rungs. My fingers slip, but I quickly catch myself. Once on the next floor, I search out the controls on the central command point.
I’m locked out.
A lot of fun to write… though Tim was definitely relieved once he found and removed the source of the glitch.
That said, I think that sequence is one of the reasons I like the Legion Spore so much. For all that its creation is a monstrosity, it also has a certain innocence to it… and is utterly perplexed as to why Tim is so frazzled once the glitch is fixed.
Another sequence I enjoyed writing comes later in Spirits of a Glitch, when the Manticore (a malicious version of the Legion Spore) erases Tim’s memory, trying to gaslight him for its own purposes.
This was particularly interesting for me since I wrote it from Tim’s perspective over the period of time it’s happening… so while the reader can see everything as it happens and the side effects of what’s happening, Tim’s memory gets clipped multiple times before he finally figures out what’s going on.
I’d share that one, but then it’d be pretty spoilery… so you’ll have to happen on that section yourself. 😉
There were plenty of other sequences I very much enjoyed writing, but those two stood out in my mind.
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Read the rest of the Legion Spore’s tale of the Boy Who Cried Wolf… (but what happens when the “wolf” knows how keep the “villagers” from hearing the boy’s cries?)
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Happy reading and writing!
Stephanie Flint - Author and Artist 