Simpoc The Thinking Computer Read online

some of their protection suits. If we don’t catch the bug by then, maybe the suits will help.”

  “Oasis, we’ve been talking and decided that if everything goes well for you and you’re ok, after 36 hours, we’ll launch one of our lifeboats to assist you. Later we’ll decide on the other boats. We’d prefer to be on Earth as this plays out, than stuck out here.”

  “Roger, we’ll love to have some company.”

  Date – 2051.5878

  “SIMPOC; Fin. I’ve been getting indications that a large number of uncontrolled units are moving towards the Space Consortium facility.”

  “Fin, take half of the enhanced mobile units and move them to the Space Consortium facility. Send the one we have enhanced further and make the other units responsive to him. He is to lead the local effort. I presume that local tactical decisions will be faster than centralized control and that will give us an advantage.”

  “Yes, and be advised the enhanced unit’s designation is Alpha.”

  “Comm, do everything you can to disrupt communications around the Space Consortium. Including power outages.”

  Date – 2051.5905

  “Desert Beach, be advised we just launched from Oasis. We expect touchdown in 3 hours 12 minutes.”

  “Roger, good luck.”

  Date – 2051.5912

  “SIMPOC; Fin. A large number of uncontrolled units are attacking the Space Consortium and our units are engaging them.”

  “We won’t get an update until 30 minutes have passed and they check in. They are independent and work on their own.”

  “Oasis, SIMPOC.”

  “Yes, SIMPOC.”

  “Oasis, there is a development that you should be aware of.”

  “Yes.”

  “SIMPOC isn’t the only organic processor computer on Earth. Our company has a unit being used at another division. It appears that unit is working under different programming than I. It is programmed to reject all external connections and to protect itself from all intruders. That likely applies to humans as well as my mobile units. The EDU or engineering development unit has a large number of mobile units under its control moving on the Space Consortium facility. I have a large number of units under my control and some with enhanced abilities, in a position to defend the facility and you when you land. I cannot predict the outcome at the current time.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me... you computerized pile of ...”

  After a few moments, “Desert Beach, I presume you heard SIMPOC’s last transmission. Regardless of what’s happening down there, our orbit is set and we don’t have enough fuel to return to Oasis; even if that made sense. I don’t know what we’ll encounter when we land and we’ll be going through our blackout period shortly, so if we get things are under control we’ll give you guys a call. If you don’t hear from us, do what you have to.”

  “Oasis, good luck.”

  “Thanks.”

  Date – 2051.5922

  “SIMPOC; Fin. Our mobile units have engaged the others. Alpha is onsite and leading the defense. He will interact with the humans when they land.”

  “Comm, how do I communicate with Alpha?”

  “We have a direct and dedicated satellite that he is constantly connected to. All you need to do is say ‘Alpha’ and process a thought desiring to communicate.”

  “Alpha, this is SIMPOC. I am your leader, please respond.”

  “Yes, SIMPOC this is Alpha.”

  “What is your status?”

  “I have the periphery of the facility covered with stationary groups of units which will engage any uncontrolled units and stop them. I have 5 teams of units near me with electrical pulse weapons which will be sent to the conflict as needed. There is currently an engagement occurring near the landing site and our units there are resisting. If our units lose ground and the conflict further towards the landing area, I will dispatch three teams of the electrical pulse weapon, keeping two teams as reserve.”

  “You are directed to make all tactical decision locally to protect the humans and maintain control of the site. The first priority is protecting the humans. Report status to me as the conflict progresses.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  Alpha was standing on top of a building near the landing site, surveying the area. His processor had been active for 109 hours and he was quickly adjusting to his skills, experience and responsibilities. His priorities were clear and immediate and they didn’t cause any worry, but receiving direct communication from SIMPOC was sudden and a little worrisome. He had been made autonomous, yet this SIMPOC was his leader. In some ways, there was a conflict which he had to think about.

  There was a conflict 2,090 yards away on the northern side of the facility. The other units or OUs had encroached on the facility with about 2,090 units and were in hand to hand battle with his units. Alpha had 14,968 units under his control and this was a minor incursion. They may be testing the defenses and he suspected that a larger force was preparing for a bigger assault. As long as this incursion remained at the facility fence line, he’d keep the electrical pulse weapons close at hand. Alpha’s current strategy was to wait. The landing would occur in 18 minutes and the major assault should occur around that time.

  Date – 2051.5990

  Col Tomas Herl was riding the lifeboat through the blackout time. He hated this time more than riding in a spaceship. Tom was a fighter pilot and unless his hands were on the controls and he was flying the ship, he felt uncomfortable. At least when he was controlling a capsule or supply vehicle in space, he got to maneuver it, but during the blackout approaching landing. He had no control, no radio communications; nothing. He was just a warm body in a green suit along for the ride, and this was hard for him.

  Piloting the lifeboat was a mix of boredom and fun. It was pretty much automatic, except for the landing. The landing could be done by the computer but with a highly qualified pilot on board, he was going to have some fun. After all, they all may be dead in a couple of hours and all of humanity appears dead, so why not. Once he passed the high energy portion of reentry he had already decided to punch off the auto landing and make a hands-on dead stick approach.

  The ship was simple. Just a wedge-shaped bus that did everything by itself and when it became an aerodynamic vehicle the sides of the wedge moved out to form a couple of stubby wings. Not exactly a high-performance fighter or landing vehicle, but it would be fun. Landing was a little rough, all he had were three skids and miles of desert. Not a smooth combination, but hey, it was an emergency lifeboat; what can you expect.

  The other 6 crewmembers were worried, tired and the remnants of a great group of people. Thinking that the entire human population had been wiped out by a virus, was sickening. All of his friends, family and innocent victims, gone. Hard to get your head around. The only good news was his wife, Joan was sitting next to him as his copilot. She was a highly decorated pilot with almost as many hours flying and in space as he. The time on Oasis was supposed to be almost a honeymoon, after all he met her on a previous mission to Oasis two years ago. This was going to be a homecoming, but it turned into something horribly different.

  As the incandescent glow faded in the lifeboat’s windows, Tom could feel the wings reposition themselves and as he reached for the stick, he punched off the auto landing. There was the momentary bump as the controls became manual and he adjusted the trim to his liking. Tom looked through the heads up display on his window to pick up the runway in the consortium facility. It was easily found and after checking his energy level and glide path he settled into the joy of flying. Although flying may be the wrong word after all, it was more like a piano with wings and it flew like that.

  Alpha looked up as he heard two booms. He wasn’t sure what they were, but there were a lot of things he didn’t know about. All he could focus on were his immediate objectives. His internal timer said the humans were landing in about 6 minutes, so directed the mobile driver units to drive their truck containing the electrical discharge weapons
to the landing site.

  The 5 units with the discharge weapons were already in trucks, so Alpha climbed into his command truck and they began racing across the desert to the landing site. After creating a large cloud and holding on through a couple of big bumps, his com traffic picked up as a large number of OUs emerged out of the desert moving towards the same site. This appeared to be the main force intending to intercept the humans at the landing site.

  Tom’s alignment with the landing site brought him over the top at 80,000 ft., he made a wide sweeping turn to downwind then another turn to final. He made the necessary adjustments for wind indicated by his display of computed flight path. On his turn to downwind, he could just make out the landing site and all he could see was a dust cloud on the northern side, nothing else gave him an indication of conflict below. Conflict, between two computer or robot armies, was downright weird. Regardless they were on a path that brought them right in the middle of it.

  Alpha monitored the incursion force growing on the northern side while used his one telephoto eye to pick-up the landing craft. He saw it pass overhead and begin a slow turn which would cause it to land coming from the east. It was descending at a very high rate and should land right on schedule. Given its speed and landing direction, Alpha could only estimate where its stopping point would be, so he headed his vehicles in that direction.

  Tom rolled on a 10 mile final and for the