Part 1
By now the experiment was at a critical stage. We have entered every piece of data ever collected into a quantum computer. It is running a simulation starting with the big bang and working back to modern times. There will soon be a representation of intelligent life forming societies inside the simulation. The rules within the program are similar to ours. What can and can't be done are defined by the parameters of the programming. The same physics and relativity are applied that we experience. James was looking forward to getting to work he had hardly slept the night before. Most people would be board to death looking over data from a simulation to see if we may have missed something or have been looking at it wrong.
He saw flashing lights in his rear view mirror. He had been spacing out not paying attention to his speed. Luckily it was just speeding he could have just as easily wrecked into someone. After the whole "Do you know why I pulled you over?" routine he was left go with a warning. However, he was 15 minutes late to work. The simulation was supposed to be shut down at exactly 8:00. Usually there were two people but his co-worker had gotten the influenza going around. He was never late and usually gave himself extra time anticipating that something like a speeding ticket would happen. Day after day when nothing happens we get a false sense of security. Finally he had gone through all of the security protocols. His little simulation was just a side project. The research company he worked for was researching all kinds of cutting edge technologies.
He checked his watch when he finally got to the simulation. He noticed the simulation had not shut itself off at 8:00 it was now almost 8:20. A program is able to take the simulation information and translate it into a three dimensional virtual reality. He couldn't spend too much time on his project but he wanted to check in. He fast forwarded through the time line. His perspective was from space looking down on the earth, or the virtual earth anyway. He went to around modern times and zoomed into the virtual planet. It was amazing, there was an entire history similar to our own playing out inside of a simulation.
The program did not shut off he wondered what would happen if he went to what was currently going on. To his surprise the simulation had kept going. The virtual civilization had surpassed ours in technology. Just as he started to feel like a god looking down on his creation he got the strange feeling that something had started observing him. He heard the key card lock slide and the door open. He removed the virtual reality. Nobody usually bothered him. He was socially awkward so most of the time people just left him alone. It was upper management informing him that they had been hacked. Cyber attacks are not uncommon at tech companies. That day was the first day James had told me about his work. He came home early that day. He rented a room from me, it helped me pay my house payments. Doug had realized that he had not asked for any identification the people asking him about his former room-mate seemed like officials of some kind. Homeland security or something. The whole thing just seemed strange; James was weird but harmless it seemed anyway.