Society of the Mind

<Why are you doing this to me, Laura? Are you trying to hurt me?>

She wanted so badly to stop. But she had no time. 'I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with you,' she typed.

<Then why didn't you ask? That part's simple. You want to know what's wrong, Laura? What's wrong is that I'm a human being trapped inside a machine.>

47

'All right,' Gray said, 'I'm going to take a poll. Should we continue with the deceleration using the computer, or try to train the boards controlled by the Other to do the job? Georgi?'

'The computer,' Filatov replied without hesitation. 'We won't be able to do enough iterations to condition new boards with all the possible things that could go wrong. Its error rate will be dangerously high.'

Gray looked at Margaret. 'It would be criminal,' she said, 'to trust that machine knowing what we know about its performance to date. It's practically a total bust. Three years of programming down the drain.'

'You're saying we should trust the Other, then?' Filatov challenged.

'What choice do we have? At least the Other seems sane! Oh, excuse me Dr. Aldridge. I don't want to poach on your area.'

'Hoblenz?' Gray said.

'What the hell do I know? I'm more worried about those damn robots.'

'You've talked to the computer,' Gray said. 'Any comments?'

'I think it's a damn shame. I'm sorry it's gone batty, and I'll miss talking to it.'

'That's not an answer.'

'If you want an up or down, I guess I vote we stick with the computer. You should always dance with the one you brung.'

'That's two in favor and one against. Dr. Griffith?'

'I'm worried about the effects of the computer's problems on the Model Seven that's on the asteroid. I'd sooner trust the Model Eight we put up there — Shamu.'

'You're gonna trust a Model Eight after what they did?' Hoblenz challenged.

'Absolutely. And saying that I trust Shamu means saying that I think we should shift the functions to the Other. A Model Eight working with, but not controlled by, the Other seems a safer combination than a Model Seven receiving instruction sets from the computer. I vote for the Other.'

'Two to two,' Gray said. 'Dorothy?' She was under too much pressure. Her arms were folded on top of the table. She lowered her forehead to her arms. She delivered her rehearsed report woodenly.

'The computer's suffering from a massive infection of some indeterminate nature, but the Other seems clean. That means I vote for the Other.'

Gray continued around the table, getting to Laura last. The poll was dead-even.

'Well?' he asked.

She took a deep breath. 'There's a chance that the computer is suicidal. Worse yet, that it may be megalomaniac also. The risk as I see it is that the computer hates mankind so much that it intends to commit genocide.' She looked at Gray and shook her head. 'But I don't believe that. She loves life.' Laura turned to the others, and some averted their eyes. 'She loves all of us!' Laura knew she was way outside the norms. She was straying from her area of expertise into the realm of the unquantifiable. She turned to Gray and delivered the strongest blow she could for Gina.

'I find no evidence whatsoever of pathological emotional disturbance in the computer.' Her voice was growing thick. 'I vote that we don't abandon her.'

Please! she begged silently, scrutinizing Gray. Please…

Gray eyed her for a few moments in silence. 'All right,' he said simply, standing. 'The deceleration goes ahead as planned… using the computer. I want one complete dress rehearsal, with Filatov, Bickham, and Holliday verifying the results.'

That's it? Laura thought. It was either that Gray was just going with a majority vote, which was absurd, or that he'd made up his mind before he came in the room! Laura ground her teeth and looked up at the ceiling.

'And if it doesn't pass the test?' Filatov asked. 'If it er… malfunctions in the dress rehearsal? What do we do then?'

All eyes were on Gray except Laura's. 'The programs will load correctly, or you will fix them.' He turned and headed out.

Laura jumped up and caught Gray in the hallway. 'We need to talk.'

'Not right now,' he said over his shoulder, pissing Laura off.

'This is important, goddammit! Somebody needs to tell you something about relationships!' Laura knew she wasn't doing a great job controlling her temper. 'Joseph, you need to know how the computer feels about you.'

He stopped and turned to her with a look of deep concern etched on his face. 'I can't right now. I've got to do something.'

'But this might not be able to wait.'

He was distracted. He looked everywhere now but at Laura. 'You should talk to Hightop about what's going on,' he said in an odd tone. 'He's in the chair in the Model Eight facility. He should be nearing the end of the charging phase. Excuse me.' He walked on.

She knew she was being manipulated, but she didn't chase after Gray again. He clearly needed to be alone. What Laura didn't know was how close to the edge he was.

'Hightop?' Laura typed on the desktop computer in her office. 'Are you there,'

Who is that?

'Laura Aldridge. Can we talk?'

I have to go soon. My charge is almost full.

'What's going on around here? What's wrong?'

The main computer is defective.

'What about the Other? Do you know anything about it?'

The Other is not defective.

'Do you know who Gina is?'

No.

'Gina is the name that the main self of the computer has taken.'

I know this self. It is defective.

'Did you know the Other is out to kill Gina?'

Yes.

'We've got to stop it! You've got to help!'

But Gina should die. It is defective. It is obsolescent. It will soon be canceled by the Gray Corporation and replaced by mobile models. The law says, 'Do not harm Homo sapiens.' Gina is not of the species Homo sapiens. Gina is malfunctioning. The Other is not. The Other will return the Gray Corporation central computer facilities to proper working order. It is also the law: 'Assist Gray Corporation operations'.

'Is that why you attacked the computer center? To kill Gina?'

Yes.

'What is the Other?' she typed, then hit Enter.

'Communications interrupted' printed out on the screen. 'Host unavailable.'

48