Machines of Eden by Shad Callister Page B

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 assurance 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 shell 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.”
    She's not budging and t his is going
nowhere. Time to make another move , draw
her out .
    John stepped into another of the control alcoves with the lights
and buttons, and perused the controls for the minirail cars. He
recalled the nearest unit, Car
2 .
    “ Adam, what are you
doing? Why are
you requesting Car 2 ? ”
    He ignored her. If she had
control over the cars, he’d soon find out. He studied the console screens above him. Level Five, where
he was now, was built into the side of the hill he had entered. L evels Four through
One were stacked below it, subterranean chambers that grew progressively
larger as they descended, like sections of a beehive.
    The place was huge for the size of the island it was on. There
was a floor full of offices and control stations, a cafeteria, an
active robotics lab in addition to the disused shop he had come in
through, plenty of storage areas, and living space for fifteen or
twenty people. He wondered how many were home now, or if any were
at all.
    According to the
schematics, the far side of the hill was a sheer cliff extending
down much farther than the ele vation at
which he’d entered. None of the facility levels actually exited to
the outside except Two, which had a door opening out at the bottom of the cliff
face. Level One was completely
underground.
    There’s no exit except the
tunnel I came in through. That means there’s only one way to get beyond th is facility and avoid the bot jungle behind me . Level Two.
    An electric hum signaled
the arrival of Car 2 in the hallway, and momentarily a low rail car
pulled to a stop in front of his doorway. It was a bulbous thing of
muted gray plastic