access to the information, advice, and general emotional support
his Advisor supplied, so Traynor was wired with a bone-set
transceiver just under his left ear. Wherever he went, his
Advisor's voice went with him, through cellular networks and
satellite links.
Traynor finally looked up and said, 'Look, I want you to get
focused on a job you're going to do for me. Can you do that?'
Gonzales shrugged. Traynor said, 'You're upset and angryyou
were attacked, almost killedI know that. But look: you work
for Internal Affairs, it's an occupational hazard. You and your
machine poked hard at this man's operation, and you spooked him,
so he did something stupid.'
'And I want to make him pay for it.'
'You play along with me on this one, and maybe you'll be able
to. But laternow I've got other work for you.'
'Okay, I'll do it.' Gonzales knew he had to play along: it
was his only chance to even things up with Grossback. Play now,
pay back later.
'Good,' Traynor said. 'How much do you know about Halo City
and Aleph?'
'The city was put together by a multi-national consortium.
SenTrax has a data monopoly, employs a large-scale m-i to
administer the city. That's about all I know.'
The wallscreen at one end lit up with a glyph in hard black:
_0
The voice of Traynor's Advisor spoke through a ceiling
speaker; it said, 'The sign you are looking at is the original
emblem of the Aleph system when it was built by SenTrax. In
Cantor's notation, it represents the first of the transfinite
numbersdenoting the infinite set of integers and fractions, or
natural numbers. Aleph is also the first letter of the Hebrew
alphabet and the name of a story'
'Get on with it,' Traynor said.
'The system was constructed at Athena Station, in
geosynchronous orbit, where it supervised the construction of the
Orbital Energy Grid, and later was transported to Halo City, at
L5, where it serves as the primary agent of data interpretation,
logistical planning, and administration.'
Gonzales said, 'Seems odd to have a project the size and
importance of Halo administered by an obsolete m-i.'
'It would be so if Aleph were obsolete,' answered the
Advisor. 'However, this is not the case. The machine we refer to
as Aleph, has capabilities superior to any existing m-i.'
Gonzales looked at Traynor, who held up a hand, indicating
have patience, and said, 'Next series.'
On the screen came a pan shot across a weightless space where
a man floated, encased in a transparent plastic bubble. He was
naked, and his limbs were shrunken and twisted. He had tubes in
his nose, mouth, ears, penis, and anus, metal cups over his eyes.
Two thick cables connected to junctions at the back of his neck.
The Advisor said, 'This man's name is Jerry Chapman. He
suffers from severe neural damage, the results of a toxin
transmitted through seafood contaminated with toxic waste. Though
most motor and sensory functions are disabled, he is not comatose.
In fact, he appears to retain all intellectual function. Note the
neural interface sockets: they are the key to what follows.'
'He's at Halo?' Gonzales asked.
'Yes,' the Advisor said. 'He was taken there from Earth.'
'Very special treatment,' Gonzales said.
'The group at Halo has been looking for such an opportunity,'
the Advisor said. 'To explore long-term Aleph-interface.'
Traynor said, 'In fact, Chapman's relations with Aleph go
back to the machine's early days.'
The Advisor said, 'When he and Aleph worked with Doctor Diana
Heywood, who at the time was employed by SenTrax at Athena
Station. She was blind at that time.'
'Even in this deck, Doctor Heywood's the joker,' Traynor
said. 'She was involved with Aleph at the time, and later she and
lived with Chapman, on Earth. She was released by SenTrax for
unauthorized use of the Aleph system, but we've brought her back
into our employ. She's going to Halo, where she will assist Aleph
in an attempt to keep this man alive.'
'Alive?' Gonzales asked, gesturing toward the hulk on the
screen. 'There doesn't seem much point.' As he understood these
things, given the man's condition, withdrawal processing should
have started, SenTrax as medical guardians making application to
the Federal Medical Courts for permission to cease support.
The Advisor said, 'Aleph believes it can keep him alive in
machine-space. There are special problems, as you can imagine,
among them the need to have love, friendship I do not understand
these matters well, but Aleph has communicated to me that the next
weeks are critical for the patient.'
Traynor said, 'However, using Doctor Heywood presents its own
problems.'
'She left SenTrax years ago,' the Advisor said. 'In somewhat
strained circumstances.'
Traynor said, 'So she has no reason to be loyal to the
company.' He paused. 'And we have no reason to trust her.'
Gonzales said, 'I presume this is where I enter in?'
'Yes,' Traynor said. 'I want you to accompany her. You will
represent me and, indirectly, SenTrax Board.' Gonzales raised his
eyebrows, and Traynor laughed. 'Yes, I am representing the board
on this one, unofficiallythey see this treatment as being of
enormous interest but wish to have a certain insulation between
them and these matters, given that certain tricky legal issues
will have to be skirted.'
'Or trampled on,' said Gonzales.
'As you wish,' said Traynor. 'The important point is this:
from the board's point-of-view, Doctor Heywood cannot be trusted.
