As they moved through the limited space, walking being the only choice without system assistance, the bleak digital landscape occasionally flickered, revealing glimpses of the underlying code before reassembling. The limited server was not just restricted; it was unstable.
"How many are here?" Zac asked as they walked.
"Forty-seven," Chen replied. "Well, forty-seven who are still keeping it together. The others went into an indefinite sleep mode to escape the awareness of this place."
"Sleep mode, for this long, is it even possible?" Luna asked.
"You can look at it as a self-induced coma, essentially," Diana explained gently. "The digital equivalent of suicide without actually terminating."
They have walked through a small slope that also emitted the features of this cursed place, low pixel and washed out. Arriving at square in the code-space, dozens of avatars were gathered. Some were moving about purposefully, while others sat in apparent meditation. All showed the same degradation: flickering, incomplete rendering, color desaturation.
"Welcome to the Pit," Professor Chen said without humor. "Home to Zenith's idealist who dared share their opinions, and anyone else who threatened the comfort of the premium members."
As they descended into the gathering, Zac noticed something odd about the way the avatars interacted. They moved with a synchronicity that seemed almost choreographed, occasionally touching hands and pausing as if exchanging information.
"What are they doing?" he asked.
"Sharing processing powers," Chen explained. "We discovered that we can temporarily link our allocated resources for better efficiency. It barely helps with power, but it allows us to use what little we have more effectively."
A thinly figure approached them, a woman who appeared to be in her sixties, with short silver hair and keen eyes. "New arrivals, Marcus?" she asked, her voice clearer than most they'd heard in this place.
"The dissidents from the board meeting," Chen confirmed. "Zac Voss, Luna Cantwell, and Diana Fletcher."
The woman nodded. "Eleanor Patel. Former security systems designer for Zenith. I uncovered a backdoor in the upload process that could have made it more affordable. They didn't appreciate my initiative." She turned to face them directly. "What did you three do to earn exile?"
"We voted to share Zenith's technology with the outside world," Luna said.
Eleanor's eyebrows raised. "Bold. No wonder Li punished you so severely. You struck at the heart of their business model."
"It was the right thing to do," Diana said firmly. "The division between uploaded and physical existence is unsustainable."
"Many of us here came to the same conclusion," Chen noted. "Which is why we're here while they continue their perfect existence."
Zac had been quietly assessing their surroundings, the programmer in him analyzing the limited server's architecture. "This environment is degrading," he observed. "It's not just restricted, it's also neglected. No proper maintenance is being made."
Eleanor nodded grimly. "Limited server gets limited attention. They allocate just enough resources to keep us conscious, nothing more. And as Zenith's user base grows, we receive less and less, to preserve premium experiences."
"What happens if it degrades completely?" Luna asked, her voice carrying a tone of genuine fear.
No one answered first, the silence spoke for itself.
"Digital death," Chen finally said. "Or worse, corrupted consciousness. Fragmentation. Eternity experienced as broken pieces of self, unable to process coherently but still aware, similar to the old disease, dementia, but one that never ceases.
"It is a truly scary notion." Eleanor added. "Which is why we've been working on alternatives."
"Alternatives?" Zac asked, suddenly intrigued.
Eleanor and Chen exchanged looks before Chen nodded slightly.
"Follow me," Eleanor said, leading them further into the Pit, toward a cluster of avatars gathered in a tight circle. "We may be cut off from the main Zenith network, but we're not completely without resources. Among us are some of Zenith's original architects, security experts, and quantum computing specialists."
They approached the circle where avatars stood with hands linked, their forms occasionally merging at the edges as if sharing code.
"What you're seeing is a consciousness mesh," Eleanor explained. "By linking our processing allocations and cycling our active states, we can create small pockets of enhanced functionality. Brief, but enough to make progress."
"Progress toward what?" Zac asked.
One of the avatars in the circle, a young man with what appeared to be circuit patterns embedded in his skin, opened his eyes and smiled. "Getting out of here."
"Breaking out?" Luna repeated. "Is that even possible?"
"Theoretically," the circuit-patterned man said. "I'm Jin. Before uploading, I specialized in quantum encryption for Luminex. The limited server may be isolated from the main network, but it still exists within the same physical infrastructure."
"And where there's a connection, there's a potential pathway," Zac concluded, beginning to understand.
"Exactly," Jin confirmed. "But we need more processing power, more specialized knowledge. Each new arrival brings new possibilities."
"I guess it is great that we came here, isn't it?" Zac said in an ironic manner.
Eleanor turned to face them directly. "So, tell us. What unique skills do you bring to our little resistance? Because we've been working on escape for years with limited success."
Zac straightened, his avatar seeming to gain definition as purpose filled him again. "I was among the first uploaded. I helped design Zenith's administrative architecture and security protocols." A slight smile formed on his face. "And before I was transferred here, I created a hidden partition in my premium allocation, a backup they should have no idea about."
Diana stepped forward. "I'm a doctor, a neurosurgeon. I understand how consciousness interfaces with Zenith's systems better than most."
All eyes turned to Luna, who hesitated before speaking. "I don't have technical skills like you all. But my sister is one of the leaders of the Returners, a group trying to overthrow Luminex Systems. If we can establish contact with the outside world, I can reach her."
The circle of avatars broke apart, all attention now focused on the newcomers.
"A direct connection to a rebellious group?" Eleanor asked. "That could change everything."
"If we can reach them," Chen cautioned.
"We will," Zac said with newfound determination. "The limited server wasn't designed to hold people like us, people who built this system, people who understand its weaknesses." He looked around at the gathered exiles. "They think they've silenced us by putting us here. But they've actually brought together the minds needed to bring this whole system down."
For the first time since arriving in this degraded space, he felt inspired, not just for escape, but for transformation. The limited server, meant to be their prison, might become a key ingredient to rise up.
"So," he said, looking at the assembled avatars of the exiled, "where do we start?"