would, in a gesture entirely natural.”
Dirk rubbed his cheek where Yuri’s fist had struck, anger in the face he preferred to keep calm. “I telling Leonora what you did.”
“No you will not,” Yuri replied. “I believe your neuromaps are working Mr Ngma, for Zeug has seen us interacting with each other, has remembered that interplay and applied it to you in a single, marvellous human gesture.”
Zeug stood up and looked at them both. Yuri reached out, took his hand and led him into his chamber. A minute later the door was shut, Zeug inside.
Dirk glared at Yuri. “You know nothing,” he said. “You not know the difference between real and simulate. Dat no proof. Dat just Zeug acting.”
Yuri seemed too elated to reply. “The plan is working,” he said, “just as I thought it would. The brain is acquiring input through your interfaces. I offer credit where credit is due, Mr Ngma, you were the correct man for the task.”
Frustrated, Dirk waved a hand at the pod window and said, “But no language! He is a mute.”
“Not for long.” And Yuri pressed a single switch on the pod console.
“What?”
Yuri turned to Dirk and said, “It takes a human child years to acquire grammar, vocabulary and, oh, all the rest of it. With Zeug, and with the subsequent artificial intelligences which we shall sell to the world – acquisition in less than a second. But why not? The quantum brain is better than the human brain. Why not...”
“What you done? ”
“Leonora and I agreed to activate the language centres. Zeug is ready for the world.”
Dirk turned to see Zeug staring at them through the pod window. The artificial mouth moved and he heard a faint voice, a single word. “Hello.”
~
Five figures sat around a table at the cave mouth: four of them human.
Evening, and orange light bathed the valley. Zeug’s energy sources were bioelectric, but the others ate and drank; bread and olives, baked cheese and tomatoes, water and wine. Dirk smoked a chocolate brown cheroot.
Yuri said, “Zeug, what do you know of Turkey?”
“A large country in the Near East. Many old cultures. Timid crane, but religious and secular in parallel.”
Yuri leaned over to Leonora and said, “The language centre is balancing itself in a heuristic process, or so I believe – and perhaps these strange sentences mean something to him. We must talk to him as much as we can, so that, through conversation, the errors fade and grammar is improved.”
Leonora nodded, then said, “What do you know of lions, Zeug?”
“Cats of large, with two eyes and a social system of proud. Cats normally not social, so unique.”
Leonora nodded, smiling.
Hound said, “I’m amazed. We did it!”
Dirk said, “Zeug, how do you feel?”
“Sensors of external skin like human, but of different type. Many tiny, individual fronds act in concerto, create touch.”
Dirk nodded, but said nothing more.
“Zeug,” Leonora said, “what is the nearest capital city to us here?”
“Palermo in Sicily.”
“Palermo... not Bizerte?”
Zeug replied, “Bizerte is not capital of Tunisia, that is to Tunis.”
Yuri leaned forward and said, “Zeug, what was the underlying cause of the Depression?”
“Do you mean first or to second?”
Yuri glanced around the table, triumph clear on his face. “The second.”
“The rapid dissemination through West populations by the media of emptying oil reserves, and the result, it was confidence, no confidence. Crashes of markets and mass panic. Spill.”
Yuri sat back. “Incredible,” he breathed.
Dirk took a puff of his cheroot and said, “Zeug, d’you see what Yuri means?”
“Yes, I do see him.”
Dirk raised his eyebrows, took another puff and said, “Leonora, you did good.” He stroked the bruise on his face. “Da speaking is good, it all good.”
“And Zeug can walk and run like a man,” Yuri said, “and talk like a man, and he can see and hear and touch – and recharge himself, and
Dirk rubbed his cheek where Yuri’s fist had struck, anger in the face he preferred to keep calm. “I telling Leonora what you did.”
“No you will not,” Yuri replied. “I believe your neuromaps are working Mr Ngma, for Zeug has seen us interacting with each other, has remembered that interplay and applied it to you in a single, marvellous human gesture.”
Zeug stood up and looked at them both. Yuri reached out, took his hand and led him into his chamber. A minute later the door was shut, Zeug inside.
Dirk glared at Yuri. “You know nothing,” he said. “You not know the difference between real and simulate. Dat no proof. Dat just Zeug acting.”
Yuri seemed too elated to reply. “The plan is working,” he said, “just as I thought it would. The brain is acquiring input through your interfaces. I offer credit where credit is due, Mr Ngma, you were the correct man for the task.”
Frustrated, Dirk waved a hand at the pod window and said, “But no language! He is a mute.”
“Not for long.” And Yuri pressed a single switch on the pod console.
“What?”
Yuri turned to Dirk and said, “It takes a human child years to acquire grammar, vocabulary and, oh, all the rest of it. With Zeug, and with the subsequent artificial intelligences which we shall sell to the world – acquisition in less than a second. But why not? The quantum brain is better than the human brain. Why not...”
“What you done? ”
“Leonora and I agreed to activate the language centres. Zeug is ready for the world.”
Dirk turned to see Zeug staring at them through the pod window. The artificial mouth moved and he heard a faint voice, a single word. “Hello.”
~
Five figures sat around a table at the cave mouth: four of them human.
Evening, and orange light bathed the valley. Zeug’s energy sources were bioelectric, but the others ate and drank; bread and olives, baked cheese and tomatoes, water and wine. Dirk smoked a chocolate brown cheroot.
Yuri said, “Zeug, what do you know of Turkey?”
“A large country in the Near East. Many old cultures. Timid crane, but religious and secular in parallel.”
Yuri leaned over to Leonora and said, “The language centre is balancing itself in a heuristic process, or so I believe – and perhaps these strange sentences mean something to him. We must talk to him as much as we can, so that, through conversation, the errors fade and grammar is improved.”
Leonora nodded, then said, “What do you know of lions, Zeug?”
“Cats of large, with two eyes and a social system of proud. Cats normally not social, so unique.”
Leonora nodded, smiling.
Hound said, “I’m amazed. We did it!”
Dirk said, “Zeug, how do you feel?”
“Sensors of external skin like human, but of different type. Many tiny, individual fronds act in concerto, create touch.”
Dirk nodded, but said nothing more.
“Zeug,” Leonora said, “what is the nearest capital city to us here?”
“Palermo in Sicily.”
“Palermo... not Bizerte?”
Zeug replied, “Bizerte is not capital of Tunisia, that is to Tunis.”
Yuri leaned forward and said, “Zeug, what was the underlying cause of the Depression?”
“Do you mean first or to second?”
Yuri glanced around the table, triumph clear on his face. “The second.”
“The rapid dissemination through West populations by the media of emptying oil reserves, and the result, it was confidence, no confidence. Crashes of markets and mass panic. Spill.”
Yuri sat back. “Incredible,” he breathed.
Dirk took a puff of his cheroot and said, “Zeug, d’you see what Yuri means?”
“Yes, I do see him.”
Dirk raised his eyebrows, took another puff and said, “Leonora, you did good.” He stroked the bruise on his face. “Da speaking is good, it all good.”
“And Zeug can walk and run like a man,” Yuri said, “and talk like a man, and he can see and hear and touch – and recharge himself, and
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