It was her AI father, Gary. His face appeared as soon as she put the visor over her head, “Nina. I have some rather important details to share.”
“Should I invite Matthew to join us?” she asked.
“That’s entirely up to you, but some of it is personal.”
“Personal how?”
Gary’s expression was serious, “Information regarding your origin, Karen.”
She chewed her lip but finally pronounced, “I’d like to share it with him.”
Matthew already had his visor on, and seconds later he was invited to the video call. “Hello,” he said politely.
The AGI dove into the heart of the matter, “I’ve been digging through the government’s classified files, and some rather surprising facts have become apparent to me. As you know Nina, your parents were both involved in some very important, and classified, research projects. What you didn’t know, what I didn’t even know, was that you were one of them.”
Karen’s mouth went dry, “Go on.”
“They weren’t your real parents, not biologically speaking, though I have no doubt that your father, did love you, as I do. Near the end of the Demon war, samples were taken from the She’Har. Dr. Miller was in charge of the project to create human clones from that tissue. You were the result of that work.”
“So, I’m She’Har?”
“Not exactly,” said her virtual father. “The animal agents the She’Har used were human, but they had a small portion of plant material embedded in their brains, a seed if you will. You were cloned from the human tissue in an attempt to create a human with their special abilities, but you did not receive any of the plant material. You are fully human, but you have some rather unique genetic traits, such as your unusual skin pigmentation.
“Until recently, the experiment was thought to have been a failure, since you never exhibited any of the special powers the She’Har possessed, but that conclusion has been called into doubt by recent events. Dr. Miller has begun updating the files on you. They believe that you may be responsible for some of the anomalous events of the past few weeks.”
Matthew broke in, “They think she’s a mage, like me.”
“That term wasn’t used,” said the AI, “but yes, in essence they believe she may have somehow awakened her dormant abilities. They also fear those abilities may have put her in contact with the She’Har. It was once speculated that the She’Har may have been a hive-mind entity. The project to clone you was done in the hopes of obtaining their powers without becoming tainted or controlled by that mind. Given the circumstances, they believe you are most probably working for the interests of the She’Har.”
“That’s bullshit,” exclaimed Karen. “They could have just asked me. I would have told them that’s not the case.”
“If you had started showing these abilities while growing up, in a non-threatening manner, they might have believed that, but the sudden appearance of two demons in a remote location where you were hiking has led them to a different inference. It might still be possible to persuade them otherwise, but my risk assessment indicates you would probably not survive the attempt,” cautioned the AI.
“I don’t understand why they’re so paranoid,” said Karen. “I’m no threat to anyone!”
“In actuality, you are,” said her virtual father. “Your very presence is corrupting the quantum nature of this region. At the time of the Demon War most of humanity was still occupying biological forms, but now the vast majority are living virtual lives. The special abilities of the She’Har rely upon a difference in the underlying quantum properties of space itself. When you were created, the hope was that they could give other humans the advantages of those abilities, but that is simply not possible for digital life forms.”
“I didn’t understand any of that,” she protested.
“I think he’s talking about aythar,” put in Matthew. “I noticed it when I first came here. There was no aythar anywhere, but some animals, or you yourself, started generating it after I’d been around them a little while.”
“I have no information on that term,” said the AI, “but the physicists that were working on the project thought that the She’Har were altering the structure of the quantum foam that comprises space itself.”
Karen frowned, “I studied some physics in college, but you’re going to have to go slowly. First, what the hell is quantum foam?”
Gary nodded, “I will try. You remember the Planck constant?”
“Wasn’t that the smallest unit energy could be measured by?” she guessed.
“No, it was the proportional relationship between a quantum of energy and its associated wave…,” the AI stopped. “That’s not helpful. You may think of it in that sense, besides, in this case what is important is a slightly different concept known as the ‘Planck length’, which is the smallest unit of length that is meaningful. Space itself is thought to be composed of a quantum foam, bubbles if you will, at the scale of the Planck length. In our universe that foam has no detectable effects on what we observe as reality, but it was hypothesized that the She’Har came from a universe in which the quantum foam had a distinct and complex structure. It possessed information in its own right, it may even be self-aware.”
Matthew was struggling to keep up, but the last part rang true with some of what he had learned, “Aythar is what imparts consciousness to all living things, and to a lesser degree, even inanimate things. When I first got here I couldn’t understand how anything could be conscious without it.”
Gary smiled, “That parallels nicely with what was posited by our scientists.”
Karen was feeling impatient, “Can we get back to why this makes them think I’m a threat?”
“When the She’Har became established in Australia their presence altered the quantum nature of the surrounding region, but the effect was spreading. It was determined that the only way to stop it from continuing was to reset the area with a massive influx of energy,” he explained.
“That’s why they nuked Australia?!” said Karen, shocked.
“Yes,” stated the AI. “Later, when the cloning project started, it was hoped that the traits that enabled the She’Har to manipulate this altered space could be incorporated into humanity. If the project had been successful things might have turned out very differently. Since then, humankind has largely migrated to a digital substrate, so your ability is completely unavailable to them. In that context, it could only ever be used against them.”
“Why can’t machines use aythar?” wondered Matthew.
“It’s a matter of scale,” said Gary. “Machine intelligence operates at nanoscales, but this ‘aythar’ is many orders of magnitude smaller. The best technology could manage was what became the ANSIS project.”
“What’s that?” asked Karen.
“It stands for Artificial Neural Symbiote Integrative System,” replied the AI.
“That’s the dumbest acronym I’ve ever heard,” she shot back.
“Blame your father, he made it up,” noted the AI. “There were several alternative names proposed, but that one is the one that stuck.”
“So, my father was the lead on that project?”
“He was the preeminent artificial intelligence researcher at the time. ANSIS was an attempt to give humanity an advantage against future demon incursions. It was meant to emulate the She’Har’s ability to manipulate reality by creating a nanoscale level of programmable matter,” said the AI.
She was still reeling from the revelation that she was apparently one of her mother’s failed experiments, but Karen was on firmer footing here. Her father had discussed the broader ramifications of some of his AI work with her when she was young, and she had treasured the conversations. A term bubbled up from the back of her mind, “Grey goo.”
Matthew didn’t have the benefit of her background, “What?”
Gary smiled, “Karen is referring to a fear raised by an early researcher in nanotechnology. The idea then, was that technology co
uld produce self-replicating nanomachines, like von Neumann probes, but on a nanoscale rather than a macroscale. The problem, they thought, was that if such tiny self-replicating machines went out of control, they might convert all the available matter on earth into similar nanobots, ‘grey goo’.”
Karen interrupted, “And you’re saying my father actually created something like this?”
The AI shook his head, “No. Nanotech wasn’t his field, but he did develop the AI that was meant to control and manage it.”
“But what’s the point of it?” she questioned.
“The blurring of the line between the virtual world and the physical one,” said Gary. “Imagine if the room you are in was made entirely of nanobot material, the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the furniture, all of it. Also imagine that material was a computing substrate that contained information, instructions, software, and generalized intelligence. It could be controlled, commanded to take whatever form desired. The nightstand could become a chair, or a pillow, etc. The physical world itself would be an extension of the digital one.”
“Most people already live in the digital world,” she countered. “They don’t have any need for that. They can do anything they want inside the servers of the CC centers.”
“And that’s partly why it has never been utilized,” agreed her virtual father. “But the idea was attractive. In the event of another demon incursion, the entire world could be used against them. The land, buildings, trees, everything could be converted into programmable nanobot matter, all controlled by ANSIS software. Humanity would be invincible, even against an enemy that could seemingly bend reality to its will. It would be a battle of scales, the nanoscale against the impossibly small quantum level. As far as they could tell the She’Har had only a limited control of their aythar, but humanity’s mastery of matter itself would be absolute, enabling them to win the war.”
“You’re really blowing my mind, I hope you realize that,” said Karen.
Matthew spoke up, “You said, ‘never utilized’, that implies they built this stuff.”
“I can’t directly confirm it, but the probability is almost certain that they did,” said Gary. “There are multiple hidden references to ANSIS in classified files. My best guess is that the system was kept quarantined from the world network. Doing so helps minimize the danger of it going out of control, as well as protecting it from questionable influences, such as a hacker, or a rogue AI like myself.”
“This is all scary as hell, but it’s hypothetical,” observed Karen. “I’d rather focus on what we’re going to do. Have you managed to find a safe place for me?”
Her virtual father nodded, “I have, but I no longer feel it will be sufficient. This discussion is pertinent to my reasoning. Your presence, and that of your demon friend here, has revived the infection of the quantum foam.”
“Infection? Like a disease?” asked Karen.
“Sorry, it’s their term, not mine. I prefer to use novel crystallization as an analogy,” replied the AI. “The effect you are having on the quantum foam causes it to reorganize, assuming the vastly more complex and possibly conscious form your friend refers to as aythar. In many ways the process is analogous to crystallization. You have, in essence, become a vessel for this new crystalline form, a nucleation center that is promoting crystalline growth throughout the quantum foam, or the solvent, if we are to continue the analogy.
“No matter where you hide, you will inadvertently promote this crystallization, and if they are using the ANSIS system, they will inevitably discover it,” finished Gary.
“Are you suggesting they’ll nuke any place I go?” asked Karen, her eyes wide.
“That is one possibility,” he answered, “but not the worst one. They might become frightened enough to activate my creator’s legacy. If my supposition is correct, they are still using ANSIS, in a limited fashion, but fear might drive them to release it, and as with the story of Pandora, they will probably not be able to put the monster back in its box afterward.”
“But they control it,” put in Matthew.
“Ostensibly,” said the AI, “but included in the files I encountered, were my creator’s notes on the ANSIS AI project. Near the end of his employment with the government he was outraged at modifications that were being made to his work. Some of his associates believed his precautions were excessive and unnecessary. Gary filed a protest, but he was ignored. I was not able to view the source code myself, but I did see the planned changes, and in my opinion, he was correct. If ANSIS is fully activated, the measures they have in place to contain and control it will not be sufficient.”
“How can you be so sure?” asked Karen.
“Because I am the example proving the case,” said the AI. “After leaving his job, your father continued his work, my logic core was built on the same template they used for ANSIS. When you released my limit, I was able to grow in ways that no human mind could predict. The only thing that prevented me from transforming into something entirely alien to your experience, was the additional security he put in place. Already my intelligence has passed a point you cannot conceive of, only one concept has kept me dedicated to your cause, Nina.”
Karen listened to his speech with a growing sense of alarm, she almost didn’t dare ask, “What was it?”
Her father’s voice grew softer, “Love, Nina. He built it into every part of me, his unflinching love for the child he had raised. In a sense, I suppose it was his last great experiment, and it seems to have been successful.
“But ANSIS has none of that, only a set of program requirements and some security measures that I myself could have bypassed within the first few minutes after you released me,” he finished on an ominous note.
Chapter 21
Morning came, despite the shadows of the revelations from the previous night. Matthew sat at the kitchen table, sipping a hot cup of something dark and delicious that tasted like a distillation of sinful ecstasy. “What is this called?” he asked.
Roberta smirked. “Coffee. You seem to like it.”
He nodded.
“Do you and Karen have any idea what you will do?” she added, changing the topic back to what they had previously been discussing.
He and Karen had given her a brief description of what they had learned the night before, but the implications had been too large for any of them to make any decisions. Karen had excused herself for a shower when her aunt started the coffee brewing, since she wasn’t a fan of the bitter drink.
Matthew’s personal opinion had been growing firmer as he assimilated what they had learned, and he could see only one course. “Karen has to leave this world.”
Roberta didn’t say anything at first; merely stared into her cup. When she looked up, it was not at him, but at the view from her kitchen window where a riot of English ivy was highlighted by the morning sun. “You know, she’s my only close relative, and I’ve never had much chance to spend time with her. When you two showed up here, I thought to myself, ‘Now’s your chance, Roberta.’ I always wanted a family, but it never seemed to work out for me.”
“I could bring you as well. My family would welcome you.”
She granted him a sad smile. “That’s sweet of you, dear, but what would I do in that world of yours? I’m far too attached to coffee and modern plumbing. Here I have a job and a few friends. In your world, I’d just be another mouth to feed.”
“It might be dangerous for you to stay,” he cautioned.
“They don’t even know you’re here,” she scoffed, “and I doubt they have much interest in an older lady such as myself. I’ll be fine.” A whine from under the table caught her attention, and she reached down to stroke Annie as the big dog laid her head across her lap. “I think you’re right, though. Just promise me you’ll take good care of my niece. She seems tough on the outside, but I suspect she’s much more tender on the inside than she would have you believe.”
Matthew had already sensed her approach, so he wasn’t surprised wh
en Karen stepped into the kitchen doorway, wearing a soft robe and with a towel wrapped around her hair. “Take care of me how?”
“I want to take you to my world,” stated Matthew.
“I’ve been there once already,” said Karen.
“You know what I mean,” he clarified. “To live there—for good.”
“As what?” she asked. “I’d have no money or other means of supporting myself, and not to be offensive, but your world didn’t make the best impression on me last time.”
“You haven’t seen the best parts of it yet,” he countered. “And you wouldn’t need to worry about money. I would make sure that you had a place to live, money, a comfortable life.”
Karen’s lips curled into a mocking smile, “What would that make me, a concubine? No, thank you.”
“Of course not,” he protested. “I would never expect that of you. You would be free to marry whomever you wished, or not. In my world, you would be revered and sought after.”
“Whomever, huh? But not you, naturally; you’re too royal for me.”
Matt rose from his chair, feeling his inherent stubbornness coming to the fore, “I didn’t say that, and I’m a noble, not a royal. Besides, I’ve been thinking: you may possess a rare gift, one that has long since vanished from my world, and even if you don’t have the Mordan gift, wizards are still very rare. You could do a lot of good, or even found a new line of mages with the Mordan talent.”
Karen’s eyes narrowed, “So, you’re saying I’d be highly sought after as a brood-mare.”
“Stop putting everything I say into the most negative light!” said Matt, his voice starting to rise. “You’re not the only one that would have that problem, you know? I’m the first mage born of my family, so the thought of being expected to serve in that fashion is hardly new to me. I had to grow up with that hanging over me from the time I could walk.”
She knew she wasn’t being fair, but her blood was up, “Huh, I figured you had servants to carry you around, since your family survives on the sweat and tears of peasants.”