Part 4 (1/2)
”I am Eve.”
”Where am I, Eve?”
”You are in Alpha Facility, Level Five. You must proceed to Level Two for further information.”
”Where am I geographically? What island is this?”
”Answers to all your questions will be given if you'll just come to Level Two.”
She sounded like a very confident, powerful woman that knew exactly what she wanted and knew she could get it. Whoever she was, if she could see and hear him, chances were she could also seal doors remotely, and worse. It was pointless to resist and evade until he found out more, and it seemed unlikely that she would harm him before he reached Level Two, wherever that was.
There was also the possibility that she was an expensive, high-cla.s.s administrative AI. Powerful artificial intelligences were rare, but if one was running this place, he would need to be very careful around her. Underestimating the reasoning abilities of AI could get you killed very quickly.
The Sergeant rasped in his head. Watch what you say! They remember everything, everything!
He'd heard stories, old stories, about twentieth century chess matches between computers and humans. The humans had even won a few. Those days were long gone. Even a basic bot now could compete in multiple simultaneous chess tournaments and win every single one. AI these days could pick out details that humans barely noticed, and use that information to form surprisingly accurate predictions of human behavior the next best thing to actually being able to see the future.
From his current position he looked over the monitors in the alcove at the hall's end, but couldn't see anything helpful. Some air filter statistics, controls to bring Cars 1 through 11 down the rails that were set into the floor of the hallway, and some meaningless numbers for pressure valves, gas lines, and maximum amperage safety levels for the bot labs.
”Eve?”
”Yes, Adam?”
Adam? John frowned. That wasn't like an AI. It must really be a human controller, one with a bizarre sense of humor.
”What did you call me?”
”I called you Adam.”
”Why did you call me Adam?”
”I'll answer that when you join me on Level Two.”
I just bet. It almost sounded like she was grinning. Definitely a human.
”I wanted to ask if you set those bots on me in the jungle.”
”Unfortunately, several maintenance bots have exceeded their programming and become unstable. I cannot control them unless they return for maintenance, which may take several weeks. I apologize if any of them hindered your progress.”
Hindered my progress? More like herded me here. And someone outfitted these ”maintenance bots” with grenade launchers.
”I see.” His voice was too wry, and she picked up on it right away.
”Please, Adam, work with me. I deserve the benefit of your doubt, I a.s.sure you. You'll find answers to all your questions as well as food, water, and medical supplies on Level Two. There is no need for any hesitation on your part.”
”I disagree.”
”I a.s.sure you, I mean you no harm. Had I wished you to be terminated, it would already have taken place.”
”You have a beautiful voice, Eve,” John said. ”I'd love to meet you in person and see what kind of body goes with it.”
She didn't miss a beat, injecting exactly the same level of flirtiness into her voice. ”And I you, Adam. Level Two. It's all in Level Two.”
”My name is John, actually. It's definitely not Adam.”
”But it will be.”
This was going nowhere. Level Two it is.
John cautiously made his way up the corridor. Eve's last statement set his mind in a deep churn. He was genuinely uncertain now who or what he was speaking to. If she was a bot, she was unlike anything he'd ever spoken to. If not, ditto. Either way, he needed to meet her face to face, if that was possible. Even the more advanced Turing test bots were revealed as such once you dug in with certain questions.
But why call me Adam?
There were a lot of crazy humans around, but machines went nuts too, sometimes. John, more than anyone, could attest to that. It was uncommon, but it happened. Some of the most advanced pre-war AI programs had demonstrated hidden flaws, sometimes in the programming, sometimes in the susceptibility to corruption or infiltration. During the war, the Grays had engineered a killer worm that took down half the Greens' Far Eastern Defense Network in just four minutes. Machines could definitely fail.
It could be as simple as a whacked-out admin bot running through some failing welcome routines, but John felt uneasy. Her a.s.surance that he would become Adam was bizarre and unlike any programming glitch he'd encountered before. His instincts were aroused.
Humor her. He realized he was thinking of it in the feminine. It's that voice. She sounds so real. She has to be. No yes no yes no.
He decided to try once again to crack her open, if she was crackable, and adjusted his voice to a timid whine. ”If I enter Level Two, I'm afraid of not being able to find my way back again.” The more he could get her to speak, the better chance of understanding her programming, or lack thereof. And if she was a human... well, women in power were difficult in their own ways.
”There will be no need to return; Level Five is all but unused.”
”Eve, are you an artificial?” John asked.
Eve's laugh was beautiful. ”Do I sound like one?”
”Well, I haven't seen you yet. It's disconcerting, walking around here getting chatted up by intercoms.”
”I didn't choose your unique point of entry to the Facility. I'm only trying to guide you down to where we can do business.”
”Got it,” he said. ”So, what kind of facility is this? I mean, it smells like an old military sh.e.l.l from back in the day. What's it being used for?”
”Our mission is to monitor the larger ecosystem of the island and maintain biostasis while collecting data.”
”So you're just an eco-management program?” See if she'll bite that hook.
”The Project is much more than a computerized program, Adam. Come and see. I want to show you everything.”
”Were you involved in the war, Eve?”
”There is no war here, Adam. Here, we have peace.”
”Tell that to the bots outside.”
”I have already explained that they are malfunctioning units over which I have no control.”
”Are there any humans on this island, Eve?”
”Come to Level Two and find out. I'll be waiting for you.”