14th September
Bovington now seemed like a home from home.
I stood with Joan on the grass outside the hanger in which the starcruisers were stored. There was a chill in the air, indicating that autumn was on its way.
‘She’s become quite attached to Amy,’ I said, as we waited for Helen to emerge from saying her final farewells to both starcruisers.
‘These modern human interfaces have a strange effect on people,’ Joan replied. ‘We’re programmed to respond to any displays of emotion. Our ancestors never experienced machines that could simulate that.’
Helen walked from the hanger and came over to join us. ‘Do you think machines might be able to feel emotions?’ she said to Joan.
‘Why do you ask?’ Joan replied.
‘I asked Amy if she did feel anything about our relationship.’
‘What did she say?’ Joan asked.
‘She talked about the Turing test. She said that, from a human point of view, if we couldn’t tell the difference between human emotion and machine generated emotion, then they were, for all practical purposes, real. She then explained that nothing she could say would be conclusive for me, one way or the other.
‘As I left, she said: “Goodbye, Commander, I’ll miss you”.’
‘Talking of American technology,’ said Joan, gently changing the subject. ‘The Americans are not objecting to you two, and Duck and Jenny, keeping the meteorite. So, at about a million pounds, you should be well compensated for your recent efforts.’ Her expression became more authoritative. ‘Don’t forget, however, that you’re on the MI5 payroll from next Monday.’
‘Thanks,’ we both said as we turned to walk back to our quarters.
‘In a day or two,’ Joan called after us, ‘I want to talk to you both about something odd that’s come up in Scotland. A couple, undercover there, would be ideal to check it out.’
‘Sounds interesting,’ I called back to her as we walked away.
‘Well,’ said Helen, pulling her thoughts back from the starcruisers, ‘we’re married.’
‘Not quite,’ I said. ‘Haven’t you got to consummate a marriage before it’s properly legal? I gather that anything you do beforehand doesn’t count.’
‘We’d better get on with that then,’ she said as we walked into the flat.
‘Have you had security do a bug sweep of this place,’ I said, ‘and had steel blinds installed so the place is totally vicar-proofed.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said looking remorsefully at the floor. ‘It’s just that with saving the world and everything, it just slipped my mind.’
‘That’s no excuse,’ I said. ‘You’re a very, very disobedient disciple.’
‘Does that mean, Master, that in order to atone, I’ll have to have sex with you for hours?’ she asked.
‘It does.’ I replied sternly.
Helen smiled at me. ‘I should bloody well hope so.’