"Alice, I need you to run this simulation for me."
Lisa closed her eyes and keyed in the access key for the disk
she had just inserted into her apartment's computer. She could hear the low
whirring as the information was accessed. As soon as Alice began the
simulation, she and Gerald would be in the clear.
"Miss Neff, today's schedule is computing-intensive. I must ask
you to relegate this task to your household computer."
Lisa frowned at the computer's response - she hadn't expected that.
What was something so computing-intensive doing running on a weekend? She knew
that on occasion, requests of the ship's computer would be pre-empted by a
command from the bridge. Something like navigation tended to use a great deal
of computing power, and so less-important things such as Lisa's evil plots were
put on the back burner for the time.
Lisa took a deep breath. "Computer," she began, adopting a more
stern tone of voice, "this simulation requires PSAI computability for its main
functionality. My household computer will not suffice. This is work for my
education, and as such, is not to be pre-empted!"
Lisa smiled to herself; improvisation was a skill that would serve
her well in her career. And the ship's computer was so gullible, she had
found.
There was a pause as the distant computer thought about Lisa's
order. All computers of Partial Sentience or greater were built so they had to
obey human orders -- but one of Alice's sophistication had the privilege of
choosing what orders it wanted to listen to. If it thought whatever
computing-intensive activity was happening was more important than her
simulation (which it almost certainly was) then it could disregard the
order.
"Very well, Miss Neff. Your simulation is running. The resulting
data will be available on your home computer in approximately thirty
minutes."
"Thank you computer, that is all." Lisa said hurriedly, climbing to
her feet and crossing the room in an instant. Only thirty minutes! She had
sworn the object would last longer than that. She had to meet with Gerald and
get to the Corridor before her time was up.
Lisa left her apartment, a backpack filled with supplies slung over
her shoulder. She was walking faster than usual, but she was confident that
she wouldn't be seen by the computer. Alice would be busy with other
things.
The young entertainer smiled to herself, reflecting. The rut that
she had felt herself dragged into now seemed to recede.
She wasn't leaving forever, of course, but a weekend trip somewhere new was
something that she had dreamed of for years, ever since Gerald had mentioned
the idea to her, long ago.
It was her computing knowledge that allowed her to do this, of
course. Gerald was of the opinion that she should go into Expert Computing - a
field that only two or three people in the entire colony had followed. She had
the skill, he always told her. That she didn't have the desire, was her
constant reply. Still, sometimes the ability came in handy. Like now, for
instance.
Lisa had constructed what the NSAI literature referred to as a
"shiny object". NSAIs, for all their speed and ability to think like people,
tended to be distracted by new stimuli. This made them ideal for something
like a space voyage, where any new stimuli was likely something that should be
dealt with immediately anyway, but it had its drawbacks. A "shiny object" was
a program that exploited this, by pretending to be a new stimulus. Alice was
supposed to be running her object as a simulation, meaning she would be
simulating a PSAI, which would be distracted by her object. But Alice wouldn't
be able to resist the object - no NSAI would. The real master stroke, though,
was the fact that it was localized. Lisa didn't want the ship to crash into an
asteroid while it was being distracted by her program - so she had localized it
to this colony only. The portion of Alice that was housed here would be
distracted, and nothing else. So the sensors which would normally track anyone
attempting to approach the Corridor wouldn't be watching, but the sensors which
would track a large rock heading through space toward them would still be
working.
Lisa liked being a genius.
Gerald was standing near a bench in the Great Park - the largest
open area in the entire colony. He appeared decidedly nervous, too. Lisa
smiled as she approached him. "It's done! We've got about ten minutes to get
to the Corridor, though, so we'll have to walk fast!" she exclaimed, unable to
keep the excitement out of her voice.
Gerald's previously pensive stance vanished upon sighting Lisa.
He fell into step next to her as she passed the bench, walking quickly with
her. He was able to keep up, as he was slightly more athletic than Lisa, but
it took effort. "This is it, then? We're going outside the colony?"
Lisa nodded. "Of course. I started the simulation and headed
right out the door. The object'll keep Alice distracted for a while. I've
wanted to do this for a long time, Gerald." She turned to face him, her gaze
softer than he usually saw it. "Thanks for helping. I'm glad you still want
to come along."
Gerald could feel himself blushing, but he paid it no attention.
Instead, he nodded and managed to get out a quick "You're welcome" before
looking away. He didn't find the fact that he was coming with her to be at all
amazing - it was the fact that she was willing to help him, and accompany him
on the voyage that had been his idea long ago.
They walked on in silence.
The Corridor lay before them, an enormous expanse of space which
rivaled the Great Park. Unlike the park, however, there was nobody here but
Lisa and Gerald. The ship's computer had been keeping people out since the
captain had ordered the separation, and by this point nobody even bothered to
try getting in. Everyone knew you couldn't get anywhere inside the
Corridor.
Except for now, that was. Lisa clambered down the stairway,
followed by a somewhat more cautious Gerald. The Corridor was shaped like one
of the subway corridors they had seen all over their colony, except this
particular one was about five times larger. Lisa found herself wondering if it
spanned the entire length of the ship. By walking along the corridor, could
she eventually travel to every other colony on the ship? That would be amazing
- the first person to visit the entire ship.
Provided, of course, that there weren't any trains running along
the Corridor.
Lisa arrived on the ground, about thirty feet below the platform.
She could see the rails which would have carried the train, which would have
ferried colonists between their respective colonies. None of that was
happening now, though - it seemed to be such a waste.
"Wow...." Gerald said, then jumped a bit as echoes of his voice
returned to him from the far walls. "This place is huge." he whispered.
Lisa nodded, and turned her gaze toward the northward exit. A
smile crept over her lips. "Gerald, we did it."
Gerald's gaze turned to where hers was aimed. The northward exit
was normally barred by an enormous steel gateway, which nobody had been able to
pass.
Until now, of course. The gateway was wide open. The passage to
Neon Colony was theirs to follow.
Lisa positively beamed at Gerald. "Well, let's go!"
Gerald could only nod and follow Lisa as she began to walk down
the Corridor toward the opening. The two followed a raised platform, clearly
intended for maintainance. Though it seemed obvious to both of them that a
train wouldn't be running, neither one wanted to start walking on the tracks.
Lisa frowned as they neared the opening - there seemed to be very
little light in the tunnel ahead. It was likely the area between the two
colonies - a short distance required to put wiring, pipes, tubes, and other
necessities - but it should still be lit. She slowed, craning her neck to look
at Gerald. "Hey, can you reach into my pack and get the flashlight?"
There was a chirping noise, and another voice cut in.
"Before entering the tunnel, I believe we should discuss the
matter."
Lisa and Gerald froze. The young entertainer raised her wrist to
eye level tentatively, afraid to look at the communicator that she had begun
wearing just that day. As she had suspected, the small red ACTIVE light was
blinking, indicating a two-way conversation. She had been found out, and she
knew immediately by whom.
"Alice."
[Helium] Part I -
Contents -
[Helium] Part III
Geocities