Caroline is an enigmatic and essential mentor figure in the simulation, representing the extreme psychological and emotional toll of prolonged existence within the artificial world. She is characterized by a dark pragmatism, immense knowledge, and a profound weariness born from centuries of survival.
Caroline’s identity is defined by her cynical resilience and her role as an experienced veteran of the simulation’s horrors.
Jaded and Resigned: Having been trapped in the simulation for almost two hundred years and died eighteen times, Caroline is deeply resigned to her fate. She is not seeking an escape out of the system but is instead focused on choosing a specific death to avoid being absorbed into the “collective singularity” (the simulation’s operating system).
Pragmatic and Decisive: She is a woman of immediate, necessary action. When Ella is in danger, Caroline swiftly uses a rifle to shoot Ella’s body to prevent the order from using her, whispering, “Please forgive me”. She drives recklessly and efficiently to evade pursuers, demonstrating a willingness to break rules for survival.
Worn Down: Despite her strength, she admits to feeling “worn down” from the constant expenditure of energy, lack of sleep, and the difficulty of operating as an “old woman” within the simulation.
Knowledgeable Mentor: She acts as a guide to Ella, teaching her critical survival skills, such as how to “squelch” or suppress her anomaly to hide from the order.
Caroline’s challenges are generational, stemming from the long term emotional and physical effects of her two century confinement.
The Looming Singularity: Her most critical challenge is her mortality limit. She is approaching her twenty first death, which she states will cause her consciousness to be forcibly absorbed into the machine that runs the simulation, effectively making her the “bad guy that holds us here”.
Loss of Identity and Home: After two centuries, she accepts that her original body in the consortium is “long gone, dust held together by threads,” and she may only exist within the simulation. This removes the fundamental goal that drives other insiders.
The Pursuit of The Order: Like Ella, she is constantly hunted by the order, which seeks to use her body to escape. She experiences being targeted by them two or three times a year.
Past Trauma: She carries a personal trauma from her time in Asia, the one place she felt peace. She was forced to leave after being killed by a “wrong guy” who was an “asshole” and resented her presence. She has tracked him for years, wishing to “return the favor”.
Caroline projects an image of competency, experience, and dark humor, allowing her to intimidate enemies and quickly gain the trust of allies.
The World Weary Survivor: She displays a cool, composed demeanor, even while under fire or engaging in combat. She drives a rugged, doorless black Jeep and possesses a rifle in a toolbox, signaling her preparedness and survivalist status.
The Oracle/Tracker: To Ella, she displays an impressive knowledge of the entire simulation, having been able to track hundreds of insiders all over the world. She can instantly assess Ella’s strength (“You’ve got the biggest anomaly I’ve seen in here”).
The Passing of the Torch: She ultimately displays herself as a sacrificial ally, taking a bullet to the chest while trying to protect Ella from the order’s agents. This final act confirms her desire to choose her own end while ensuring the fight for escape is passed to Ella, a “new worlder” with hope left.
