Icarus' Flight

By Estevan Lutz

In the near future, in the seaside city of Agartha, the life of the young Icarus oscillates between two vices: virtual reality and a hallucinogenic drug called nirvana. In search of medical treatment he ends up becoming a volunteer for an experiment of an advanced medication made with nanotechnology which later causes an extraordinary adverse reaction: the projection of his consciousness, which allows him to travel to several places of the world and the universe. From there on, Icarus begins a journey of self-knowledge, facing situations that will bring unimaginable consequences. Would everything be just in Icarus´s mind?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Estronho
• Release date: Mar 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9788564590724

Estevan Lutz

Estevan Lutz is a Brazilian science fiction writer that always seeks to explore and give details of speculative technologies in his texts. In addition to architecting futuristic worlds, he also works as an electric industrial designer. 'The Flight of Icarus – Up To What Point Can Our Mind Take Us?” is your first cyberpunk novel. Also, the author participated of many anthologies of fantasy literature, in your country.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The flash of lightning briefly illuminated a mountain in the dark horizon. I ran through the trees looking for the enemy. The storm was strong and severely hindered the view. A cry rang out loud and wild in the woods, leaving me speechless. The upper branches of a large tree next to me shook and when I looked in that direction, the creature jumped at a dizzying speed towards me. I ran backwards instinctively. The monster hit the ground causing the water in the puddle to splash all over. Our eyes met. A few meters separated us.

It was a fantastic monster with all the legendary features of the species, a lion head, an equine body and a tail of a dragon. I unsheathed my sword and put myself in a position of protection. The fantastic monster gave a long and menacing growl. Its body, taut, prepared to attack while my troubled mind tried to process an effective defense alternative. It showed its long canine teeth and its roar intensified. It was the time of the attack, the moment for me to act from experience. Flexing its hind legs it took off and jumped over towards me. By the height it reached, I realized that its goal was to hit me near my shoulders.

The monster approached me with its supernatural jump drawing an arc in the air. My reaction was already engraved in my mind. After all, this was not our first duel. This creature had already weakened under the blade of my sword. Now everything should be fast with surgical precision because there would be no second chance. If I missed the first blow, I would be finished. The skill of the beast was such that there was no time for the opponent to rearm. I stepped forward holding the sword perpendicular to my body. The monster approached for the outcome of his blow while I leaned, taut, falling on my back to the ground. At this point, the creature's facial expression underwent a sudden change, aggressiveness gave way to fear. As my back struck the undergrowth of the forest, I stretched my arm with my sword in hand, burying the blade in the beast´s chest as it went over me.

The monster collided with the ground, screaming. Lying on the ground I contemplated the gloomy sky. The rain fell on my face. Just behind me, the chimera was struggling in a spasmodic dance of death. I stood up to honor the final moments of my opponent. The sword penetrated deep and the blood gushed from the wound, diluting in the rainwater. Thunder rumbled.

I walked over and pushed the saber with the weight of my agonies and tribulations, forcing it to reach the deepest organs of the beast. Its movements became more agonizing until only lasting the final gasp. And this was its twilight. I removed the saber and the blood dripped from the blade. Phase completed successfully. Frankly, I expected a greater degree of difficulty.

Now I should go to the end of the woods and there I would come to a deep cliff. The abode of the great prey bird that would lead me to the nest of the dragons, located above the stormy clouds.

I put the sword in its silver sheath that was attached to my waist line. I started to run through the forest toward the abyss. The trees were more scattered, the forest was no longer thriving. It was then that I came across another sordid fact: eviscerated bodies hanging down from the branches of the few trees that preceded the edge of the cliff. It was the meat of the allies who had failed. It was a cruel scene to fill the mind of a macabre pleasure, not necessarily mine. I approached one of them and recognized that countenance. They were the characteristic features of Draco, the careful and experienced warrior who was defeated by the chimera and now was hanging from the trunk of a tree by a rope which was around his neck. The dark hair, so long and smooth, wet from the rain fell over the left shoulder of his armor. On his chest, the monogram formed by the letters DC was the identification mark of the noble and tireless fighter. A little below, began the breakup of the armor, the hole was on the entire region of the abdomen and was deep enough to go through the body. The bloodied viscera fell out nastily.  From the waist down, the scarlet red color covered the rest of the golden armor. You could smell the fresh blood. The chimera had hit him with the lethal tip of its tail.

A lightning bolt struck a nearby tree, causing a flash that almost blinded me. Soon a crash shook my eardrums and caused me to jump. A few meters away, a tree that was hit, which held one of the other bodies, began to go up in flames. I should leave that place immediately before the next one was incinerated.

Suddenly, I noticed a distant melody that broke my concentration. It was the Carmen Suite by Georges Bizet. It is undeniable that this caused me some disappointment. However, it was time to get some rest.

With my left hand, I made the gesture for the materialization of the console table and saved the game at the present stage. I took a deep breath and pulled the projection glasses off my face, the smell transmitter, took off the headphones and pulled the sensory gloves off, thus returning to reality. I mean reality, but maybe that's sheer force of expression, because we have reality as something that is common to all and may not be the absolute truth.

I left the carpet that simulated movement and walked from my bedroom into the other room to recognize the call on the screen fixed to the wall. The image indicated the number of origin and classified it as an unidentified contact.

Answer!

The symphony was stopped and the image of Ceres, my friend and also colleague, appeared.

Icarus! - She cried ecstatically.

Or what's left of it. - I nodded with a smile.

You look tired, what were you doing?

In fact, six consecutive hours playing the Myth of the Warrior provided some exhaustion to my face.

I was hunting some monsters out there.

Those violent programs again? You're obsessed with it.

Yeah, maybe I'm a little obsessed with it ... Where have you been? I'm listening to loud music in the background and saw a great tumult around you.

Here in the Cosmos, of course. The party is great. I called your multiplayer, but it was turned off, so I came to the videophone of the bar to connect to your home. The whole gang is here, you are the only one who is missing. What's up? - She shook her head in the rhythm of the electrifying music shaking her silver hair.

The invitation was a good suggestion for a Friday night, if I wasn´t with the same animation as a sea cucumber. Giving up my routine might be more tortuous than remaining in it, given my current condition. I was more willing to continue chasing my virtual monsters.

Ceres, I'm sorry. This week of intensive work at the Holocorp made me very tired and stressed. I'm very indisposed today. I hope you understand. - I tried to justify myself.

Apparently you are more in the mood to play violence games...

Ceres knew me very well.

It's the only thing I can still do tonight, but I'm also finishing that.

Okay, it's your choice, at least I tried. Look out the window of your room and see what you're missing.

Sorry. Next I will definitely be there.

Icarus?

Yes?

Take care of yourself!

I'll be fine. At least I hope so.

She waved her hand and hung up.

I stretched out and walked to the window of my living room. I made a gesture and the curtain of nanotubes that showed the landscape of the Himalayas became transparent, allowing the night image of the outside world to come in.

Among the many towers that I contemplated, there was one which overshadowed all others. In its dome, laser beams were fired to the sky in various colors, psychedelic holograms were projected around. Skyriders (compact flying vehicles) came in and out of that parking place. It was the Cosmos, the most explosive nightclub of the city. This was a real temptation for the night explorers.

However, I already had my entertainment programming: the brave virtual world, easier to administer than our day-to-day world. It was undeniable that I had an irresistible attraction for games of violence, especially the Myth of the Warrior, a game set in a medieval and fabulous parallel. These bloodthirsty games were considered illegal by the censorship system, and its marketing was prohibited. The product was found only on the black market. The violence practiced in the real world by some people addicted to this kind of entertainment was the justification for the ban. However, these macabre virtual scenes did not urge me to go around practicing serial murders. According to Carl Jung, we all have a shadow and those who do not know it end up dominated by it. I knew my shadow and I knew how to control it. My problem was not that. Unhappy is he who cannot deal with his shadow.

I returned to the room and began to replace the immersion virtual accessories kit. I went to the carpet of ‘servo motorized’ micro rollers (known as the displacement simulator), I put the projection glasses on, adjusted the transmitter smell, put the headphones on my head, I connected the motion sensor on my waist and put the sensory gloves on.  I was ready for a new dive.

Emotion overcame exhaustion to continue in the world of games, a controlled world, in which the various powers were granted to us. The control of actions was more precise and our attitudes, whether for good or for evil, resulted in consequences that did not bring concern. I threw myself into a prodigious dive in an atmosphere of dense red clouds; this was the game's introduction. Generally I did not watch the introductions, but this time I stayed there thinking while streaking the sky rapidly. Sometimes my thoughts threw me in an arena of contradictions that brought negative consequences.

Why stay here? Am I running away from a hypothetical reality? But this is reality! The visions, the sensations and even fear are reality. Fear? Yes, that which manifests itself when emotion overcomes reason. I should leave this and get out of this kind of life… Whatever for?

Mountains, forests and deserts rushed before my sight. The speed of my flight seemed to be in sync with the speed of my blurred thoughts.

I began to feel some discomfort. And this was not the first time it happened. It was becoming increasingly frequent. There was something wrong. Sudden dizziness caused shivers in my body, and they were sometimes accompanied by nausea or pain at the temples. This was all happening again. It was a nagging malaise, accompanied by impatience and insecurity. Was my body fighting somewhat reluctantly against excessive immersion in the virtual world? Unlikely, because I depended on what was my favorite form of entertainment and, above all, the nutrient of my spirit.

I sat on the mat taking my hands up to my head. Sweat began to go down my neck. I suspended the game through a virtual command and lifted my glasses up to my forehead. I would like to restart, but temporarily, I couldn´t. Maybe I should see a specialist in emotional disorders. Ceres had recommended it to me once. I decided to stop everything for now. I put aside all the components of the immersion kit. These symptoms often manifest themselves during or after a long day of playing games or in virtual navigation. It was starting to make me very anxious. I knew I should relax a little. But it was difficult to make that happen naturally. However, thanks to subscription medication today, we can relax and say that we can even meditate anywhere, indifferent to any presumption.

I went to the kitchen and looked in one of the cabinets for a small spray bottle stored behind some household items. There you are. O miraculous source of happiness. I tilted my head back, staring at the ceiling, and pressed the little valve at the bottom of the bottle, releasing a measured jet of that substance in one of my nostrils. You could feel the steam going through the nasal passages as if it were a powerful decongestant. According to authorities on the subject, it was the best illicit drug produced by mankind. Among its beneficial reactions, we can emphasize a feeling of deep relaxation with the satisfaction of being able to contemplate the world around, having a sense of connectivity and harmonization with the whole matter. Moreover, it provided the selflessness of our obligations to society. But adverse reactions were of low intensity that made this essence as desired by its customers. Loss of reflex and dizziness were common, but adverse reactions were limited to this, unlike other drugs that caused headaches, nausea, depression and anxiety after use. The name of this substance could not be more appropriate: Nirvana!

The Hindu philosophy is supported by four pillars: Karma, Maya, Yoga and Nirvana. Karma is the task that we all have to meet, Maya is the illusion that surrounds us, Yoga is the path to attain liberation, and finally Nirvana is total freedom, that is, it is beyond the Maya and free from Karma.

I left the kitchen and went into the bathroom to wash my face. I stood at the sink, stretched out my hands and water came gushing out. I refreshed my wrists, face, neck, and wet my hair. The world seemed to be getting lighter.  I had the impression that the planet's gravity was beginning to suffer a slight change. In the corner was my little cleaning robot. As the bathroom was no longer in the best hygienic condition, I activated my servant friend. He launched jets of steam to disinfect the floor and rotated his drying and shining discs. As I left the bathroom, I shut the door and left him there working. Once he finished, he would shut down automatically.

Nirvana was beginning the process of releasing my senses. It was a fast-acting drug. I lay on the sofa looking for a position that would provide the greatest relaxation. The dizziness, chills and nausea that plagued me a little, were already dissipating. If the cause of this strange emotional reaction that victimized me is, in fact, the stress, I recommend a dose of nirvana.

Wizard! - I called the central computer in my house. I baptized him with that name because of all the things he could do for me, although this technology was very common at that time.

Yes, Icarus. - The machine answered me with his quiet, clear voice.

Show meditation video number two on the screen.

Starting now.

The screen that took up most of the wall in front of the sofa began to create a mesmerizing image of moving water, accompanied by a subtle and harmonious melody, contributing significantly, along with Nirvana, to the numbness of my mind.  However, at that moment, I remembered something important.

Wizard!

Yes, Icarus.

Wake me at seven forty tomorrow, ok?

Icarus, tomorrow is Saturday and, according to my knowledge, you do not usually wake up at your usual working hours on that day, do you confirm?

Hmm...

Time lags also were among the adverse reactions of nirvana, I forgot to report it earlier. For a moment I lost myself in the calendar. Wizard was really a genius.

Ignore it Wizard, do not set the alarm. Continue with the video and decrease the room lighting by fifty percent.

Executing.

A faint shadow hung over the environment and a surrealist image restarted on the screen. My thoughts went into synchronization with the simple melody. My body was getting lighter. It seemed like hundreds of invisible strings were trying to raise me with a mysterious force. The meditation program showed beautiful images of the icy Himalaya Mountains which came to meet my eyes. It was as if I were flying over those magnificent Asian mountain ranges. I would like to see Nepal someday, because deep down I have always been fascinated by the culture and landscape of that place. It was a place of tranquility that seemed so improbable before my overwhelming everyday living. At this moment I