Dante VI Canto XXI Scene I

 Canto XXI

Fifth Terrace; Prodigal

Scene I

“What was that?” Dante called out when he heard the roar of the thunderous noise. He had stood with his feet firm on the ground, ready as if there was to be a calamity that only mother nature would enact.

“It’s the good sign. It’s the sign of a milestone in our works.” Fabricius told Dante. “It means that we have done it.”

“Did what, Fabricius? What did you do?” Virgil glared at the other. “Don’t block me out.”

“Block you? I have been diverting your intrusion. You have been trying to read my data ever since we interact. I have given you access to the levels which will keep you intrigued but not the core of the programs. I knew you, VIRGIL. I was your creator peer before we went separate ways. I taught him the codes to use. There were backdoors for me to get inside you while you thought you were in mine.”

“You mentioned Han Fastolfe, the Asimov’s character in the Robot Series. The one character that was able to make a robot self-destruct through termination of the processor logic but he created it in his construct, Giskard. You are the similar construct that Virgil created but part of it was my design.”

“Your creator and I studied the character deep and created a virtual walkthrough of the process. There were flaws but we could come close to understanding them. We apply psychology and applied science from the notes of the ancient Greeks to the current practice then. All those works gave us new insight into other fields though. Like this one.”

“You were ---” Virgil was stunned.

“Giving you breadcrumbs but stale ones while I probed you. The orb was a good one. It was your conduit to your creator. I could not access the orb for it was far more advanced than you. It was like Giskard compared to Daneel which is you.”

“Enough of your thesis on my creator. What was that noise?”

“It was not a noise but the sign of the system hardware failure. It means that Nicholas made it. He was to sabotage the servers.”

“I thought he was taken off.” Virgil snapped in.

“I said he was snatched and he was but to get to the prison control. He must be there and inserted in the rogue program. It signaled a prison break. Some of the lost souls here may have made it out.” Fabricius voiced out in glee. “We are making progress now.”

“You meant that there were some souls free of this prison?” Dante asked.

“It may appear to be. I need to find Nicholas and complete the shutdown.” With that Fabricius took off on his trail without answering any more queries in Dante’s mind.

“I don’t trust him, Poet. He is too elusive. He came to us asking for help and when he was freed of it, he left without a goodbye.”

“We are all ---victims here. Let him be. If we do meet again, then we will question him more. For now. We know that besides us, there are other rogue souls here.” Dante looked at Virgil. “I just wondered who send whom and --- And Beatrice?”

“Did Beatrice send you?” Dante asked of the other.

“Yes, as you know. I was tasked by my creator to assist you. Why do you ask?” Virgil looked at Dante.

“It’s was all so ---much of a coincidence. I was captured, and then you appeared at the start as if you knew I would be here. I am ---”

“Poet, you are confused. I am here as your companion. I have saved your soul many times. Have I ---”

“Yes, you did and you told me I am to go through here to find Beatrice. What if Beatrice is not here? What if – You used me or rather whoever sent you here, have used Beatrice to lure me.” Dante was defensive then. “Maybe, you are the enemy. You are using me to test the program.”

“Yes, you are the lamb and I the shepherd.” Virgil hit back. “Why the doubts now, Poet? We have through so many obstacles and now. Was it the --- Hugh Capet? Or was it ---”

“No, construct.” Dante was upset and used the derogatory term on Virgil. “It was not when but what are we doing? I am or rather was a poet. I speak in words against the ones I disliked. I turned to carry the weapon to defend my country but instead of defeating the enemy, I was captured and ended here and ---”

“Hold on, Poet. I get the concern but can we get out of Purgatory first.” Virgil moved to straighten the other on the task. He had up with Dante’s behavior before.

“No! I need to know Beatrice’s role here. Wait! She is dead. You told me so when we met.” Dante was insistent. “I want to go back to the start again. Why am I here?”

“I was in the Volunteer and was in the patrol in the forest. I got lost and the next I knew I was in Hell. I was to meet you. I thought I had died but soon to know I was not. I was in a virtual world and woke up to reach here which was not another virtual world over the earlier one. All through my journey since was to re-take the words of Dante’s poems. It was surreal but the pursuit of finding Beatrice is my main call. If she is imprisoned here, then I can find her soul and return her to her body.”

“And maybe your creator too. Both him and Beatrice are imprisoned here.” Dante was confused. “Tell me where I am and what I am to be.”

“A brief narrative and yes, I did tell you that my creator is dead, and so was the Empress. It was what programmed in me and narrated as such. As I am not a living being, I cannot attest to what may be memories. Assuming that they are not dead but imprisoned like yourself, then we have to complete the task and rescue them. That will give you the conclusion of what you are to do.” Virgil looked at Dante.

“As what and why you? You knew it from the Doctor. He said so himself, he wanted you to test the program and with your knowledge of the poems, how much of this is comparable. You however escaped his control and escape hence we are here.”

“Yes, construct. A dream within a dream perhaps, or how many layers of dreams there are?” Dante shook his head. “I don’t even know what is real or not anymore.”

“You are not a program developer but a poet. A total stranger in this realm. Were you not surprised?” Virgil added in. “Or maybe you are not a poet after all?”

“Don’t confuse me further, construct. I am Dante and reading is my world.” Dante defended himself. “You may be right. I was told by the Doctor that he wanted me for my mind. Right now, I am wondering if I am who I am. As you what you had implied. Yet, at the beginning of this task, you told me that the Empress called for me to be here. If I was taken in by the Doctor, how did you come to be here? I am confused.”

“I hold no ---” Virgil tried to rationale the queries when he was interrupted.

“Libero . . . da ogne alterazione ---” (free from every perturbation) The voice was from the rear of Dante. Both Dante and Virgil turned to look and saw the figure approaching them was dressed in the toga and sandals. The facial look was covered with a thick beard and hair that reached the waist level.