![]() ![]() |
||
|
The sound felt huge. Not loud, but very big. A low throbbing rumble that shook the entire building. Like a herd of rhinos pounding around in a circle somewhere beneath your feet. The first time a person hears it, they inevitably think earthquake. But it goes on far too long for that. The basement was packed with power generators, heat exchange pumps, and air circulation fans. They fit together with the relatively small building's shape and construction to produce a harmonic resonance effect when run at the top end of their rated capacities. Lately, the mechanical monsters had been pushed to redline almost every night.
Warwick had gotten a call from Washington that afternoon letting him know the team would have a visitor for the next couple days. So when Dunn arrived and introduced himself in the lobby, Warwick had already blown off steam and settled down. Jumping through hoops for bureaucrats was his least favorite part of the job. Warwick was good at impressing people, but it cost so much time. The plan for this last minute guest was designed to limit his distraction. He'd have this Malcolm Dunn character follow along and learn what he could. That would have to be enough.
Dunn was impressed by Warwick. He looked good in action. But Boreskovich was obviously an eccentric or a lunatic or maybe both. The Pentagon had sent Dunn in with orders to make a decision about the project and had given him two days to think it over. Translation: go shut the damn thing down and make it fast. If the project had any chance of being continued, this show wasn't helping any. Dunn figured he ought to look interested though, so he moved up beside Warwick where he could ask some questions.
|
||
| Dunn: |
I was expecting to see a few guys huddled over some workstations trying to sort out rule bases and decision trees. What's the point of all this?
|
|
| Warwick: |
Those were the old days of artificial intelligence and expert systems. Now we write software that writes more software. It takes care of the higher-end objectives and methods for us. The challenge in artificial life is building a sophisticated host that can conduct the operations necessary for mission objectives. We call that host the carrier layer. That's what we've been trying to do for the past six months, build our carrier.
|
|
| Dunn: |
You mean the intelligence is easy and the motor skills are hard? That doesn't make sense. It's not a robot. There is no physical body. It's just software.
|
|
| Warwick: |
That's true, but physical motor skills have analogous functions in the software world that the carrier needs. And besides, there's more than motor skills in the carrier layer. For example, it handles the agent's self-maintenance and defense functions as well.
|
|
| Dunn: |
And this is how you build a carrier? I don't get it.
|
|
| Warwick: |
Hold that thought Mr. Dunn. It looks like Dr. Boreskovich has the matrix positioned. I'll explain more later.
|
|
| Boreskovich: |
Mr. Warwick, he's approaching final position. Are you ready to engage the booster?
|
|
| Warwick: |
Yes sir. We're ready, doctor.
|
|
| Boreskovich: |
I want a five period boost, Petrov. Start at forty percent, go to fifty, eighty, ninety-five, and then one hundred percent. Two second bursts separated by five seconds slack. Hold on period five as long as possible.
|
|
| Warwick: |
Forty, fifty, eighty, ninety-five, and one-hundred, yes sir. The boost series has been programmed into the throttle control.
|
|
| Boreskovich: |
The matrix is ready. Start your series, Mr. Warwick!
|
|
| Warwick: |
Okay guys, we're gonna kick this into gear now. Tony, begin spooling the log. Everybody ready? Three, two, one, initiators engaged!
|
|
Dunn couldn't help feeling the excitement of the moment. The sound alone was now throbbing hard inside his rib cage. No telling what his heart was doing. Boreskovich held his hands over his ears as the thundering sound grew. The image on the screen before him flashed in and out of focus on a three-dimensional metallic hulk. The strobe effect kicked in with each interval Pete Warwick had entered for the booster series. It reached the final, one hundred percent level and Dunn thought the ground would open up to swallow them all. Boreskovich ran to Warwick's station where he could see the subsystem indicators. They were all pegged to the maximum end of their output range. The figure on the screen flickered in and out of cohesion as they all watched it try to hold.
|
||
| Boreskovich: |
It's almost there! We need more power, Petrov! Give it more boost!
|
|
| Warwick: |
I don't have more power, doctor. You can see the output profile yourself. The supercomputer doesn't have any more. It's flat out now!
|
|
| Boreskovich: |
He'll stabilize with just a little more power. Three, four percent at the most.
|
|
| Warwick: |
I can see that Dr. Boreskovich, but I can't produce power we don't have. I have to back it off now. Do you agree, sir?
|
|
| Boreskovich: |
Da, Da, you may turn your machines off. They are no good to me at this level. Always the same thing, hardware too slow!
|
|
| Warwick: |
Boys? Bring him back down slowly.
|
|
|
The technicians backed down the power curve and the screen image faded to black. The noise followed suit with about a ten second lag. Boreskovich pulled his pipe from his pants pocket as he wandered out of the room. Warwick clicked off the throttle control system functions and pulled his headset off with a long breath of dejection. Turning to face the team, he motioned an imaginary slit across his throat.
|
||
| Warwick: |
That's a wrap, guys. Button everything up for the night. We'll get a new game plan for tomorrow and see everybody at the usual time. Tony, mark that log tape MEMOREX 332 and file it with the others, okay?
|
|
| Dunn: |
No carrier tonight, huh?
|
|
| Warwick: |
Nope, no carrier build tonight. We were close though. The series scheme almost pushed it over the top. We haven't been that close in the 331 previous tries.
|
|
| Dunn: |
That's what the MEMOREX 332 tag means, the 332nd attempt?
|
|
| Warwick: |
Yeah, some of the guys got this joke going a few months ago when we built the first simple carrier models. You know, "is it live or is it Memorex?" Remember that ad? The simple carrier models looked great. You couldn't tell them from the original construct.
|
|
| Dunn: |
So you have built carriers before?
|
|
| Warwick: |
A lot of them, but not on the scale we're working with here. The more capabilities you need riding on top, the harder it is to build the carrier. The matrix grows in a geometric relation to the functional attributes. Balancing it gets harder and harder as the size of that matrix increases.
|
|
| Dunn: |
Dr. Boreskovich gets it in position or alignment and then you goose it a few times hoping to get it to hold.
|
|
| Warwick: |
That's the method we're hoping will get us there. Boreskovich has shown mathematically that the consciousness effect can be held by a chain reaction sequence. We just have to get it started.
|
|
| Dunn: |
All this and it only lasts for a few seconds on a million dollar computer that's about to burn itself out if a team of thirty guys misses a trick.
|
|
| Warwick: |
No, no, no. Energizing the matrix takes a ton of power, maybe more than we have on our booster machine, but once it synchronizes, it holds itself together. It's like the chain reaction in atomic fission. You have to give it a lot of energy to get to critical mass and start the effect rolling, but then it feeds itself. From there, if you keep the reaction balanced, you've got perpetual energy. Or in our case, consciousness.
|
|
| Dunn: |
So why don't you scale back the matrix a little?
|
|
| Warwick: |
We've done that. This matrix is about as skimpy as we can get without cutting what you called 'motor skills' a little while ago. We feel like we have to reach this level of success to prove we're on track.
|
|
| Dunn: |
Funny you should mention that. My job is to evaluate whether you're on track or not.
|
|
| Warwick: |
We didn't think you were here on vacation, you know.
|
|
| Dunn: |
Well listen, I've got to tell you, it just doesn't look good for you guys. D.O.D. gave me a couple days to poke around out here and then they want me to make a call. My take on it is you guys are spinning your wheels. This is the kind of project the Pentagon hates to be caught up in. Nothing but bad PR as far as Congress and the press are concerned. And Dr. Boreskovich? Ranting and raving over there on his little stage; he looks like a madman.
|
|
| Warwick: |
Well let me tell you something. That madman you're talking about is a bona fide genius. He's going to make this work. All the theoretical stuff has been proven to those of us who can understand the math and the science of this project. Horsepower is all that's keeping us from proving it to guys like you who judge a lifetime's work based on a three-hour tour.
|
|
| Dunn: |
Look Warwick, I think you're a stand-up guy. I'm not trying to rile you up here. I'm trying to tell you that if you need horsepower, you better find it by tomorrow night. This decision was made before I got on the plane in Washington. I'd have to take on top brass with solid evidence to keep you boys in memory chips from here on. You take your best shot at solid proof tomorrow night. Don't hold back waiting for next week or next month because your last shot at it is likely to be MEMOREX 333.
|
|
| Warwick: |
All right, Dunn. Message received. I was out of line. I'm a little defensive about this project. I admit it. If we only have one shot left, I'm glad we know it. Thanks for the advice.
|
|
| Dunn: |
You deserve a clean shot at it. You probably deserve more time, but I don't have any more to give you.
|
|
| Warwick: |
We'll do the best we can with one day. It's time to get creative. And Dunn. . .
|
|
| Dunn: |
Yeah?
|
|
| Warwick: |
You better be here tomorrow night. You won't want to miss this show. I'm going to pull out all the stops.
|
|
| Dunn: |
Tonight's was a pretty good ride. I can't wait to see what you do for an encore.
|
|
![]() ![]()
ISYS Idea System, Inc. designed and implemented the Spike Webb (tm) site, including all content and artwork.
Copyright © 1995 ISYS Idea Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in |
||