“Not that I know of — why?”
“I saw the lab where you used to work. It’s a disaster — a security shambles. Too accessible in every way. You’ve got a brand-new one now. Only one entrance. Completely self-contained power supply, air-conditioning, the works. And belowground for the most part. That’s the door you’re looking at. Most of the equipment has been installed.”
“We were in luck there,” Ben said. “We located a Russian technical exchange student who has never been out of Russia — or even out of Siberia — before. He never even considered studying here until we approached him. There is absolutely no chance that he could have been compromised by any industrial espionage agency.”
“I’ll get him,” the Major said. “If you would wait here a moment.”
He pulled open the unlocked door and went in, returning a moment later accompanied by a tall young man with a full blond beard.
“This is Evgeni Belonenko, who installed all the stuff in there. Evgeni, Brian Delaney — your boss.”
“A great pleasure,” he said, speaking with a thick Russian accent. “Fine machines you got here, the best. May I assume that you are prepared to begin operations now?”
“That’s the idea.”
“Koroshow! Good. I have installed this MHC matching machine here. Wonderful machine! Never saw one before but specs seem clear and complete. Adjust for input first—”
Evgeni had the metal plate in the wall swung open and worked the controls inside it. When he was satisfied he closed the door to the lab and pointed to a black-ringed indentation in the plate.
“Be so kind, Mr. Brian Delaney, to touch your fingertip here. Fine!”
The green light above the opening flashed for a few seconds, then turned red.
“Locked!” Evgeni said, closing the access plate, then pushed on the unyielding door. “Locked — and only you can open it, since it is coded to your DNA. The same goes for this access plate — only you can unlock it to change the DNA.” He pushed his own finger into the opening and the light blinked but stayed red. However, when Brian touched it the green indicator flashed and there was a clack as the door unlocked. He pushed it open and they followed him in.
With great enthusiasm Evgeni pointed out all of the equipment that he had installed, the latest computers. Brian looked about but did not recognize most of the machines — finding out about them would be the first order of business. There was a good view from the large window that looked out onto the desert.
“I thought the lab was underground,” he said — pointing at the roadrunner that scuttled by.
“It is,” Ben said. “That is a five-thousand line high resolution TV screen. The camera is mounted on the wall outside. This screen used to be in the Chairman’s office but I thought that it had more practical value here.”
“It does, many thanks.”
“I’ll leave you to it,” Major Wood said. “Will you let me out, please, Brian? You are also the only one who can ever open that door. It may be a pain — but it is damn good security.”
“No complaints. And thanks for what you have done.”
“That’s my job. You’ll be safe here.”
“Okay. Then I better get started working on my old AI ideas. I mean not my ideas, the ideas the old Brian was working on.” Many of the sketches were bits of code in a language he did not recognize. It must have been written in some computer language that his earlier self, the old Brian, had designed for the purpose.
Brian walked over to the computer, took the GRAM from his pocket and plugged it in. The screen came to life and the computer spoke with a clear contralto voice.
“Good morning. Will you be operating this machine?”
“Yes. My name is Brian. Speak in a deeper voice.”
“Is this satisfactory?” it said, now a deep baritone.
“Yes. Keep it at that.” He turned to Evgeni. “Looks good.”
“Is good. Latest model. Costs millions in Russia except not available there. Boy will I have stories for the hackers in Tomsk when I get home. I got other work to do if you don’t need me.”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll give a shout if I have any questions.”
“The same goes for me,” Ben said, looking at his watch. “I make it over four hours since we started this trip — which is deadline time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your orders from Dr. Snaresbrook. This is when you stop working for the day and lie down. No excuses accepted, she said — but there is no reason you can’t lie down with your portable computer.”
Brian knew better than to protest. He gave one last long, lingering look at the laboratory — then led the way to the door and locked them all out. Major Wood was waiting outside.
“Just coming to get you,” he said. “I had a call from Dr. Snaresbrook that if you were not yet in your quarters that you were to be taken there immediately.”
“We’re on the way,” Brian said, putting up his hands in surrender. “The long arm of the doctor reaches everywhere.”
“You better believe it,” Ben agreed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Brian was not surprised to discover that he was quartered in the barracks with the troops. “Right in the middle of the building,” Woody said. “You’ve got dogfaces on all sides, not to mention the guard stations. Here we are.”
The apartment was small but comfortable; sitting room, bedroom, kitchen and bath. His computer was on the worktable and his bag had been unpacked.
“Just pick up the phone when you want dinner — it will be brought up to you. Tonight’s meat loaf,” the Major added as he closed the door.
21
February 16, 2024
Brian could not fall asleep. It was the excitement of the move, the new bed perhaps, all of the things that had happened that day conspired to keep him awake. At midnight he decided to stop twisting and turning and do something about it. He threw back the covers and got out of bed. The room circuitry detected this, checked the time, then turned on the dimmed lights that were just enough to enable him to walk without stumbling. The medicine chest was not as kind to him. It had been programmed not to let anyone take medicine in the dark — and he blinked in the sudden glare when he opened the door. If you can’t sleep take two with a glass of water, the doctor had printed on the label. He did as instructed and made his way back to bed.
The dreams began as soon as he fell asleep. Confused happenings, bits of school, Paddy appeared in one of them, Texas sunshine, the glare of the sun on the Gulf. Blinking into its glare. Rising in the morning, setting in the evening. How beautiful, how wrong. Just an illusion. The sun stays where it is. The earth goes around the sun, around and around.
Darkness and stars. And the moon. Moving moon, spinning around the earth. Rising and setting like the sun. But not like the sun. Moon, sun, earth. Sometimes all three lined up and there was an eclipse. Moon in front of sun.
Brian had never seen a total eclipse. His father had, told him about it. Eclipse: La Paz, Mexico, in 1991. On July 11 the day became dark, moon in front of sun.
Brian stirred in his sleep, frowning into the darkness. He had never seen an eclipse. Would he ever? Would there ever be an eclipse here in the Anza-Borrego desert?
The equation to answer this should be a simple one. Just a basic application of Newton’s laws. The acceleration is inverse to the square of the distance.
Each object pulled by the other two.
Sun, earth, moon. A simple differential equation.
With just eighteen variables.