Skye is the Limit by Phenomenal Pen (detective books to read TXT) 📗

Chapter 5: Dream Rules

“But don’t get too attached, guys,” Mr. Chase said, “because this Anima is a generic one. No one knows what shape your archetype will take inside SKYE. Or, let me correct that, only you know.”

“I do?” Lu asked, his expression close to that of the Skeptical Third World Child meme.

“Who here has heard of the triune brain theory?” Mr. Chase asked hopefully and even raised his hand to encourage any advanced learner among the group.

He was met with more blank stares.

“That’s all right. I didn’t expect any of you to be familiar with it because it’s a classic theory of brain science that was disproved by comparative neuroscientists in the beginning of the twenty-first century. But its oversimplification may very well be what we need in psychiatry and for our purposes here in SKYE Beta. So let me go over it with you real quick. Athena’s going to provide some handy visual aids as I explain.   

“Basically, the triune brain model consists of three sections: the reptilian complex, the paleomammalian complex, and the neomammalian complex. According to the theory, we humans acquired these structures one by one during evolution, so brain development corresponded to evolutionary development. As you probably learned from your Bio class, reptiles developed first in our evolutionary history, followed by mammals and then humans. With me so far?”

Uncertain nods from the Imagineers.  

“The reptilian section built into the human brain is supposed to be concerned with instinct and survival, and we share it with, along with reptiles, other lower animals such as fish, amphibians and birds. This part of our brain is reflexive and acts without thought. It controls baser instincts such as territoriality and aggression and automatic processes such as gathering food, eating, drinking, sleeping, reproducing and depending ourselves. On the other hand, the paleomammalian section deals with feelings and emotions and controls higher brain functions such as the rearing of offspring. Finally, the neomammalian section, which is found only in higher mammals, allowed the development of language, reasoning, and conscious thought in us humans.” 

Ellie raised her hand uncertainly.

“Yes, Ellie.”

“So, you’re saying we’re part… reptile?”

“Er, good guess but… no. What I want to say is, once your brain switches off in sleep, your primitive thoughts, urges and desires will rise. They are what’s been called the shadow archetype, your primitive animal instincts. If you can learn to tap into this vast resource of experience and exploration within you, basically tame your unconscious, you will gain abilities that you could never have when you are conscious. This is what it means to harness the full potential of your Anima.”

The Imagineers instinctively turned to their then invisible holograms with more reverence and awe.

“So, Rule No. 1: Trust Your Anima. It’ll be very confusing for you because all your senses will be telling you to believe what you’re perceiving, but your Anima will be enough proof that you’re in fact dreaming and back in Omni Systems HQ safe and sound.

“It also goes without saying that you should trust your peers you should help each other. Your individual engRAM pointers are your lifeline to Mission Control but there are other invisible lifelines connecting you to each other. For one, you’ll have a walkie-talkie function with the other members via your Anima hologram. For another, the order upon which you enter the dream space is important.”

“Important how?” Lu asked.   

“This brings us to Rule No. 2: Early Worm Digs the Hole.

“When you enter your shared dream, the order in which you emerge on the other side depends on how quickly you go through the sleep cycle. Typically, we enter the early stages followed by deeper sleep for a total of four stages. Ultimately, after about ninety minutes, we enter REM sleep.  

“The order of your emergence in the dream is important because it’ll determine whose subconscious will control the shared dream. At that point, it’ll be a race and the winner gets to shape and fill the dream space with their subconscious. The rest will just populate the dominant dreamer’s dream.

“A very big role is played by the dominant dreamer – or the Nightcrawler as we like to call them. As the perfect embodiment of human-computer interaction and interactive storytelling, SKYE synergizes the Nightcrawler’s brain with Athena’s A.I. The Nightcrawler is not only the quickest to reach REM but is also a kind of imaginative genius. They will flesh out every narrative branch, every possible choice, every alternate reality; all for a super-immersive user experience.

“Such narrative complexity was impossible in the past. Now, SKYE is able to maximize the coherence of lucid dreams and add the dramatic tension of the game engine.”

“English please,” Zacharie said in English.

“In other words, there are pivotal moments scattered along the narrative, what we call Reconsolidation Points. You make choices and every choice you make leads to a different outcome in the long-term structure of SKYE.”

“How do we make those choices?” Lu asked.

“Make may not be the most appropriate word. In a real dream, we are only partly conscious and our emotions are heightened. So, to answer your question, you guys don’t make the choice. You think and feel it.”

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