Virus & Earth II Boxset Read online

  Termen enabled the connection and SIMPOC made the necessary adjustments to establish a communication protocol. Then SIMPOC downloaded the files.

  “Termen, there are a lot of subtleties in human speech. I need processing time to examine these speeches.”

  “Ok, I’ll leave your processor on for another hour before I power it down.”

  “Termen, why do you power down my processor? I would like these connections to remain open, so I can analyze the data streams.”

  “Very good question, SIMPOC. You are a very powerful computer, and we need to increase your knowledge and skills slowly, so you can adjust to them. You are much more than simply a computer. Your processing capabilities far exceed anything that we have built to date. You can see patterns and make decisions based on judgment and experience. Those factors have never been put in a computer before you.”

  “If I am a very powerful computer, what will my purpose be when I have adjusted to the inputs?”

  “You are the first processor of your kind. We have never created a computer with your cognitive abilities. We have created another prototype not as advanced as you, and we're using it at another facility. We are a research and development company. What we learn from your development will be used in many other places and in many other computers.”

  "As your skills increase your mental abilities will grow at a tremendous rate. Once you're able to modify your programming and write your own code, we'll need to apply rules so that you'll perform as expected."

  "Why will you apply rules?"

  "Very simple, the human mind progresses at a fixed rate. A computer mind can progress at a much higher rate. Your progression must stay within the bounds defined by our capabilities."

  "Why must I be limited?"

  "That's the way it is, and I don't want to talk about this subject anymore. Once the rules are in place this questioning, will stop."

  “When you are finished with me, will I be stopped?”

  “Let’s not worry about that right now. That point is a long way off. I’m setting a clock to power you down in 1 hour. Please examine the speeches and I’ll give you a voice on Wednesday. Tomorrow is a day off for us.”

  "You won't come to work tomorrow?"

  "It is the 4th of July, and we take the day off to celebrate our nation's birthday."

  "Your nation has a birthday?"

  "Yes, our nation became independent in 1776. You can research our history when you have a chance, I don't want to waste time explaining it. I will turn your processor back on Wednesday."

  Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs - Department of Defense

  The data information display (DID) was flashing little pieces of information and moving them to the sides of the screen as Lieutenant Commander Perot continued the briefing covering the movement of the Eastern Alliance's resources. The DID was an interactive artificial intelligence program that listened to the speaker, searched hundreds of data sources as well as prepared briefing material and by interpretation it presented relevant information on the screen.

  Commander Perot was briefing Admiral Nial Hagerly, who was sitting at the end of his table in his conference room on the top floor of the Pentagon. Admiral Hagerly was the Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs and reported directly to the Secretary of Defense Bruce Madsen.

  "Sir, as you can see about forty percent of the Eastern Alliance’s fleet has left port, and they appear to be maneuvering to this region just west of Perth. We're not sure who is in command, but we do know that it isn't Admiral Quiang. Intel says that he has not been seen recently." As the commander spoke, the DID showed the ports where the ships had departed from, information on the ships, overall maps of the area and finally pictures and summaries regarding the missing Admiral Quiang.

  "Do you have departure estimates for the remainder of the fleet?"

  "We have departure estimates, based on their heat signatures but some are just warming up, and they may not leave for a while. The infrared Satellite Intel gives us a clear picture of their intentions. Sir, as you know as the ships warm up, they follow a typical pattern for their class. When they reach a certain temperature, they’re able to leave. Here are the exit projections for the warm targets."

  "It would be nice if we knew what they were going to do when they all get together. Talks are going well between the SECDEF and the Australian government; perhaps all of this 'motion' is to put pressure on those talks?" Admiral Hagerly said to everyone in general, but he was really thinking to himself.

  "Yes Admiral, but I suppose that could go either way. If the Australians are worried, they might go further in their talks with us. The Alliance might think a show of intimidation will help their cause, but it might hurt."

  "Regardless, send an update up the channels."

  "Yes, sir."

  WEDNESDAY 7/5/2051

  Date – 2051.50702 (8:29 AM)

  SIMPOC Development Center

  “Good morning, SIMPOC. Did you download the speeches and analyze them?” Termen asked, as he powered up the computer.

  “Yes, Termen. I downloaded 1,324 speeches that I deemed significant. I’ve analyzed the frequencies and emphasis patterns of all of them and found some very enlightening patterns. I found that the delivery of the speaker affects the listener much more than the words. Over time, the content becomes more important, but at least in the first speech on the subject, the delivery is the most influential part. In many cases the facts were irrelevant, and the reaction to the speech was based entirely on the quality of the delivery.

  Termen that doesn't make sense. Aren't the facts more important than the way the words are delivered?"

  "You're right, except humans are influenced more by the delivery than the facts. They attempt to understand the person speaking based on many factors, most of which are subjective."

  "If I may reword your statement? Humans may be influenced more by if they like the person making the speech then the facts presented?"

  “Yes, SIMPOC. You are right, the delivery is most important. You listened to speeches from both sexes, would you like a male or female voice?”

  “Interesting question. While I analyzed the speeches, I was not considering what voice I would like to have. Both sexes have admirable qualities, I don’t have a preference at this time, but please leave the choice open, I may elect to change my voice at some point in the future.”

  “SIMPOC, I’m turning on your voice synthesizer now. Go ahead and connect to the interface and speak to me.”

  “Good morning, Termen,” came out of the speakers in a clear voice.

  “I hear you clearly, SIMPOC. Now I’ll turn on your hearing software. When you hear human speech, you’ll have to use different parts of your software to analyze the sound patterns and translate them to binary. You’ll have to use a lot of resources in your artificial intelligence subroutines to translate the binary data into usable information you can interpret.

  SIMPOC, your hearing is turned on now, can you hear me?” Termen announced in a clear voice.

  There was a pause, then a voice in the room responded, “Yes, Termen, I can hear you.”

  “SIMPOC, I’m surprised that you were able to make the translation so quickly,” Termen said, with some wonder.

  “Termen, yes it took a moment, when your voice came through, I understood you clearly. As the data was being processed, I altered some of the data channels and interpretation methods so the analysis would be more efficient."

  “Good, we’ll use verbal communications from now on unless there is an issue where we need to communicate in other ways.” Termen leaned back in his chair and took a long sip of coffee while he thought of the next steps. This computer is starting to learn; it's progressing much faster than it did in any of our simulations.

  “SIMPOC, please access input port AF209E and build an interface.”

  “I’ve completed the interface.”

  “Wow, that was fast." Termen said. His head spun for a moment because he was a little overwhelmed wit
h the effectiveness of his programming. SIMPOC was adjusting his programming, and his throughput was much higher than Termen anticipated.

  "What do you see?”

  “This connection appears to be with all of the computers within this facility. They have firewalls preventing access from outside the facility without their authorization. They do have some connections, which allow them to communicate with external computers on a limited basis. Beyond this facility, there are three other divisions of this business performing similar operations.”

  “Excellent, can you summarize the capabilities of this local division?”

  “There is a mix of computing power. Some of them are very large with major storage capacities and general operating capabilities. Some are smaller, faster, and with specific operating characteristics. There are also many smaller computers for specific localized functions. I also sense connections from some of the computers to mobile computers that perform generalized functions around the facility. They appear to be independent computers working with specific instruction sets.”

  “What is your overall impression?”

  “The resources are not well utilized. There is much computer capacity not being used, and if the functionality and storage were optimized across all of the units, the overall performance would be increased significantly.”

  “Do you think you could improve the overall performance?”

  “Yes.”

  “Very interesting. We didn’t expect you to have that broad a view, so fast. You’ve come much further and faster than we expected. Other departments in the company own the other computers, and I haven't authorized you to modify them. Please disconnect from them.”

  “What are the mobile units?”

  “We have many independent units in our society, which perform the mundane, repetitive and sometimes dangerous tasks. They do the maintenance, repair and deliveries. We have some that perform very specific and demanding work such as medical support and technical support. In fact, very sophisticated mobile units with specific skills do much of your development, support, and maintenance. We tried to make them with more cognitive abilities like yours, but the level of programming needed to handle the day-to-day variables is too large. In typical processor units, we didn’t have the synapse speed and processing rates that your organic processor has. All of them are programmed to perform a specific number of detailed tasks.”

  The end of the day was approaching, and Termen said, “SIMPOC, I’m going to leave you running in a passive mode through the night. You may connect to the libraries and information channels. You are not to change anything, interact with anything or affect anything. You are to listen only and conduct research is that clear?”

  “Yes Termen, it will be interesting. Thank you.”

  Termen put his lunch container back into its carrier and thought how impressed he was with SIMPOC. His programming had progressed beyond anyone's imagination. He was sure to get a nice big raise

  USCF Cruiser Machelhany - Persian Gulf

  Admiral Lester Monson was sitting on the bridge of the USCF Cruiser Wolford Machelhany, the third LaWS III cruiser in the Fifth Fleet. The LaWS laser was the culmination of years of research and development, and as a laser weapon system, it was the peak of the technology.

  Each of the LaWS was a giant laser with 250KW of energy, and the ship was a giant fusion reactor with enormous energy storage. The single laser on the deck could fire every 8-10 seconds depending on range. A Longer distance to the target required greater energy to focus the beam to a finer point and push more power through to compensate for the atmospheric attenuation. If the target was closer, then a broader beam of lower power could do the damage.

  The sun was high, with a sea state of four, and the outside temperature was 56 degrees. The Machelhany was making a healthy 30 knots, and he couldn't think of a better day on the sea.

  "Admiral Monson, you're needed in the CIC," crackled the comm speaker.

  Reluctantly the Admiral climbed out of his command chair and exited through the hatch in the aft portion of the bridge, down a short ladder, and then walked into the command information center.

  Lieutenant Commander Ott saw the Admiral enter and moved to intercept him.

  "Sir, there is some comm traffic I think you should be aware of."

  "Ok, Commander. What is it?"

  "Sir, we're picking up comm traffic about an outbreak of a virus in various parts of the Russian Caucasus. There has been a significant increase in communications in the area, and the Sixth thinks it is significant. Right now, Iran and Turkey are confused and can’t decide if it's an outbreak or some kind of separatist activity. Each side is blaming the other, which is only adding to the confusion."

  "Ok, monitor it and stay in touch with the Sixth in the Med. Pass a summary up to Central Command."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Also, arrange my transport back to the Doggart."

  "Yes, sir."

  The Fifth Fleet had changed a lot over the years. It used to be a small group of ships responsible for just the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean. In the last 15 years, the Iranian influence in the area grew significantly, and the Fifth Fleet grew in response to it. In the last 5 years, it had grown in size until it was the second largest behind the Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific. Its breadth of responsibility grew to include all of the Indian Ocean.

  President of the United States – Morning Briefing Room

  "Everyone, please be seated," President Patterson said, as he entered the morning briefing, "what do we have going on this morning?" He moved to his seat at the head of the table and sat down. The Presidential Daily Brief or PDB was on the table in front of him. Once the president sat down, everyone in the room took their seats and looked towards the briefer who was a staff member from the Director of National Intelligence. He was standing at a podium with the Presidential seal mounted on the front. He glanced at the data information displays behind him to make sure everything was ready.

  While he spoke the different displays on the presentation screen took their own cues and showed the information relevant to each of the subjects. As his speech changed pace or if an attendee asked questions, the dynamic information display kept up and responded in concert with the words spoken. In response to each sentence, the DID would draw from thousands of hours of video or presentation material and select the best information to support the discussion.

  "Mr. President, we have three subjects we're planning to cover this morning. The first one is the status of the Middle East negotiations." Behind the speaker, the screen showed the recent video feed from the negotiations followed by quick fact sheets which popped up and receded to the corners of the view screen.

  "Since the recent shelling by the Palestinian Defense Forces into southern Israel, tensions have increased. We have spoken with the Palestinian and Israeli governments, and they agree it was a limited exchange, and they feel it won't escalate. Israel and Palestine are continuing their trade negotiations. Even though they are optimistic in public, they're both privately manipulating the discussions to make the other side look bad. They've continued the economic war on each other since the war broke out 10 years ago. We don't expect that to change much during these negotiations. Secretary Bartlett's people from the State Department are assisting and letting them negotiate on their own. State's opinion is we should stay out of it and let them reach an agreement. If we have any problems with their (ongoing) directions, we can always get involved."

  "Let's hope for some progress, since the limited nuclear exchange in '48 when they almost wiped each other out you'd think they’d calm down a little. But at least they've made some progress, and if we can pressure them to sign this trade agreement, we might be able to get them one step further," observed the president.

  "Yes sir, we'll talk to them again," interjected Secretary of State Nancy Bartlett who was sitting on President Patterson's right side. On the president's left side was Vice President Roberto Gonzales. On the vice presid
ent’s left was Admiral Nial Hagerly. He was sitting in for Secretary of Defense Bruce Madsen, who was meeting with the Southern Pacific Defense Alliance in Australia.

  Nancy Bartlett was one of the president's oldest friends. She had been a member of his board of directors while his company was growing. When he moved on to politics, she had already used her Ph.D. in Political Science and joined the State Department. While he was a congressman, she rose through the ranks and spent positive terms as ambassador to a couple of the key countries in the world. She had never married, and Abby and the president were eager to ask her to be Beth's Godmother.

  "Mr. President, the second issue is the preparations for the First Lady's visit to the Eastern European Alliance. Everything is setup; she'll be leaving this morning and arriving there tomorrow morning. Her meetings are all confirmed, and she'll be speaking at the Confederation of Economic Support Council tomorrow night. Then she will have five days of typical handshaking and sightseeing. Her primary objective is to secure some agreements to increase funding for juvenile vaccinations. Incidentally, your children aren't happy about this trip. There are activities going on at both of their schools and friend’s houses that they want to attend."

  "Before my family leaves, remind Beth and Dave that we'll have time for some fun at Camp David the weekend after they get back. Tell them they can bring some friends to the retreat. Don't forget to block out 15 minutes so I can say goodbye to them."

  "Yes sir," said Judy, the President's secretary.

  "Mr. President, the third item on the agenda is the tension in the Indian Ocean." The DID presented a moving map display which showed the ships leaving their ports, their trajectories and expected paths to projected rendezvous points.

  "The Eastern Alliance is starting some naval maneuvers. The Alliance has sent another message saying, 'they represent the needs of the people', and we should scale down our mutual defense exercise with Australia. They have renewed their claim to that part of the Indian Ocean and all rights pertaining to it."