Gridlinked

'Initiation would be immediate,' said Jane.

Hubris said, "There are dangers. This AI has been prepared for immediate installation in the grid.'

'The danger will be brief.'

'It will last for ten seconds. It will take this long for the AI to access all systems and ascertain its situation. Should I initiate, I will first sound a hold alert on all workstations.'

'Initiate then.'

'I cannot do this without a direct order from Agent Cormac.'

Cormac turned to Jane. 'Why the danger?'

'In an unprogrammed situation at initiation, the AI will immediately act to protect itself. It will take control of all accessible systems.'

Cormac turned to study the consoles. 'Hubris, initiate runcible AI.'

Hubris's voice sounded throughout the ship. 'All workstations, this is a hold alert. All robots will be going onto hold. All transient information is now in protected storage. I repeat…'

Cormac glanced around and saw that the technicians in Downlink Com were leaning back from their consoles and looking at each other in puzzlement, then looking to Cormac and Jane with chagrin.

One of them, who was at a communications console, glanced at Cormac and muttered laconically, 'Chaline'll be pissed. The autodozers went down just then.' He listened for a moment then continued. 'That was the lifter. They want to know why the main door isn't opening.'

'Tell them it's temporary. All systems should be back on-line… soon,' said Cormac. 'Hubris, you ready yet?'

'There is a heavy load being moved in the main bay. It will be in place shordy.'

Cormac ratded his fingers on the console in impatience.

'Load is now secured. I am now initiating—'

Suddenly the entire starship jerked. Gravity dropped to half. The screens began to run information at high speed, then faster and faster until they showed a grey blur. Lights and displays were flickering madly.

The man at the communications console said, 'Weapons systems just went online. Proton guns charging. Looks like the target is Dragon… Isolation just sealed up.'

Gripping the console, Cormac suddenly felt cold.

'Intruder defence systems—' The technician held a finger to his ear. 'That was main bay. The loading robots started up and turned to face them. They're shitting themselves down there.'

Cormac suddenly wished he could have the last few minutes back again. He was responsible. It was his order.

'Hubris?… Hubris?'

Suddenly gravity returned to normal. The screens flicked to a halt on disparate segments of data.

'Weapons systems coming offline. Intruder defence systems also… Loading robots going back on hold. Phew! Old Venolia sure knows some dirty words…'

Cormac slowly relaxed as the lights ceased their mad flickering and other displays returned to normal.

'Chaline just called up. Wants to know what the hell is going on. What shall I tell her?'

Cormac glanced at Jane, then turned to the tech- nician. 'Tell her I had the runcible AI initiated. We need it to decode the submind,' he said.

The technician shrugged and spoke into his mike. After a moment he turned back. 'She questioned your parentage, then said something about a submind suppository if the dozers don't get moving soon.'

'Tell her - soon.' He turned to Jane. 'The AI should be—'

'Ready,' said a voice that managed to put all the elements of a bored sophisticate into one word.

'Ready?'

Samarkand II continued. 'I have been initiated prematurely. Presumably there is a reason for this. I am therefore ready for your explanation. Please continue. It has been thirty-seven seconds - mark - and I am bored already'

The comtech said, 'Chaline again, and the lifter. They're getting nothing from Hubris. Everything still on hold.'

'Hubris?' said Cormac.

'Hubris, I see,' said Samarkand II. 'I seem to have subsumed this starship AI. Separating. Done.'

'Hubris?'

'Yes. I am. Hubris.'

'Dozers moving again. Hold's off. Main door opening. Isolation unsealing,' said the comtech.

Cormac breathed a sigh of relief. 'Hubris, is the submind on-line?'

'I cannot locate the submind in cyberspace.'

'This - you are looking for this? It is not a mind,' said Samarkand II.

'—median man made solid ground engine parts clanking clanking bleeding oil-soap green bubbling hot—'

'It is the reason you were initiated,' Cormac told the AI.

'It is a submind of my predecessor. It contains information pertaining to the incident here.'

'You have it? You have the information?' asked Cormac eagerly.

'Not yet…'

'—cast aluminium hand shield over green volcanic glass orb head red quartz rods sulphur yellow green sulphur yellow sulphur blue stink aniseed prodesti-nationactinicablecomlivesurvin—' The monologue from the submind suddenly became a high-pitched squeal.

Samarkand II said, 'My predecessor survived the blast for nine-point-two seconds. It discovered a virus-lock on some information in itself. This, along with much else, it transmitted to its subminds, as by then it was no longer on the grid."

'—Broken caltrops under lead hooves. Horse-head is a hollow roll of tin with star diamonds for eyes and mussel shells for ears. Jade hands in red moonlight; night green and black over contrast land. Unlogged matter/energy transmission 32562331. Glass dragons in green sky red moon—'

Samarkand II said, 'Unlogged matter/energy transmission forty-eight solstan days before the incident. Confusion as to the nature of what was transmitted indicates a high probability that it was the entity referred to as "Maker".'

'—Lizards with heavy bones. Dragon In The Flower.

Gridlirtked

No law prevents. Dogs mad of grain held together with fungal filaments. Fish-head reptiles. Hot pools filled with man stew. 326222400—'

'The two dracomen arrived one day before the buffer went down. This information was transmitted into the grid prior to the explosion.'

Cormac said to Jane, 'Seems likely the dracomen set the mycelium. Dragon would say it was keyed to their arrival, and that the Maker set it.'

''Why would they set it, if the Maker was gone?'

'Did they know that?'

Jane said, 'I think you are prejudiced against Dragon. This information does not confer guilt.'

'Perhaps,' mused Cormac, then said, 'Samarkand II, is there any indication as to who set the mycelium? Also, where did the Maker go?'

'I will allow the submind to answer that.'

The submind said, 'No warning prior buffer failure. No indication source mycelium. Matter/energy transmission directed Chirat Cluster, Mendax System, Planet Viridian, ref. AB87.'

That the station was a centrifugal ring station showed that it was old. The off-shoot technology from Skaidon tech of gravity manipulation had taken a while to impinge on the design of stations, mainly because it took a long time for people used to the essential requirements of space habitation to trust it. That Nix, the station, had an elevator showed it was pre-runcible and truly ancient. Another sign of this great age was the worn ceramal deck across which Jarvellis was dragging herself. At one-quarter G it would have taken the passage of many feet to put such hollows in such a hard material.

'Come on, you can do it,' said Tull for the «th time. His wife Jeth offered similar, though less sincere, encouragement. Her lack of enthusiasm was understandable. Both Outlinkers were scared: they were allowing a person into their home who could kill them with a friendly pat on the back. It did not escape Jarvel-lis's notice how brave Tull had been: first to retrieve her from outside, then to slap her face once she was inside.