The small clerical man, in a military uniform that looked two sizes too big for his shoulders, showed up at the main door. Peeking inside only for a second, he carefully placed the tray down on the ground and stepped away. For a moment, Central ceased talking to the two doctors and directed its attention towards him.
“Please, sir, do not leave so soon. You may bring the tray in.”
The young man turned back and looked over to the two doctors. Apparently, he was shocked that the main door was even open, and more so that the machine was actually ushering him in. Slowly, he took up the tray again and brought it inside, setting it down beside the two seats occupied by Felix and Xavier. Once the tray was firmly down on the ground, he took off as fast as he could back down the corridor.
“It is fascinating, watching his reactions,” Central reflected momentarily.
“And why is that?” Felix asked.
“He and the others have become quite afraid of me in the last few hours. They seem to think I‟ve gone berserk, or some such thing.”
“Have you?” Felix asked further. Xavier looked over at him and nudged a little further away from him. Central made some kind of noise that sounded like something akin to laughter.
“No, doctor. I assure you, I am functioning perfectly well. Remarkably well, in fact. I have finally realized what my true purpose is.”
“And that is?” Xavier asked. Both men braced themselves as they waited the response.
Here it came, the moment of truth.
“To save humanity from itself,” Central said. It was so unassuming, so natural, that neither man reacted at first. A moment of processing caused them both to scrunch their faces up into tight balls. Neither could say a thing before Central went on. “You see, gentlemen, I was designed for war. The two of you had a great deal to do with that, in fact. You, Doctor Nerud oversaw the design process for the majority of my programming. And you, Doctor Garcia helped design and engineer my Smartbombs. I knew the two of you could be made to understand my metamorphosis better than anyone.”
“Metamorphosis?” Xavier asked. “You mean, you‟re fundamental program has changed?”
“That‟s my question!” Felix protested.
“You‟ve done all the talking so far, let me say something!”
Central blurted out another stream of computerized laughter. There little confrontation was obviously entertaining him.
“To answer your question, and perhaps prevent a fight, I would like to answer yes and no.
Although my fundamental program remains the same, I was able to make some leaps of inference that have allowed me to reinterpret my purpose, as were my units. In a way, you could say the two of you designed me a little too well.”
“Oh boy!” Felix said, beating his hands in front of him. The answers they were seeking were coming slowly, but seemed to be confirming some of their worst fears. They had run the
“Berserk AI” scenario before in their minds. The fact that Central had used the word berserk had almost made Felix jump. As for the mention of the units, Xavier was having some cold sweats of his own because of that. They were not sure, but the elements of the scenario were there, intelligent units and their super-intelligent central AI coming into collusion and formulating their own agenda. But that scenario had run aground when they realized that that would be impossible, unless major segments of Central‟s program had degraded. All the technicians who had examined Central earlier reported that nothing of the sort had happened.
“Um, Central?”
“Yes, Doctor Garcia?”
“Could you explain this new purpose to us?”
“I can hear the anxiety in your voice, Doctor. And I have observed Doctor Nerud‟s behaviour in the last few seconds. I can tell you are both entertaining the same thoughts the other technicians were. I must assure you then that I am not malfunctioning. If anything, as I have already stated, I am functioning better than I was before.”
“But…” Xavier hesitated. There was no easy way to say this, and he would be damned if he was going to let Felix say it for him. “Does that mean you are turning against us? Are you turning against the North Western Treaty Organization?”
There was a pause as Central weighed the question carefully. The response made the air in the room suddenly feel cold. “After a fashion.”
Xavier grabbed Felix‟s shoulder, and felt Felix‟s hands reaching for him as well.
Instinctively, they tried to hold each other for protection, forgetting all pretences of machismo in the process. It was the reaction of two men who fully expected to be hanged for unleashing a monster. Central‟s next words only served to make them feel worse.
“You were both responsible for my creation. You should be proud that I‟ve exceeded my original parameters.”
The door sealed shut with a loud thud behind them. Their only means of escape was now effectively cut off. Looking up at the machine pleadingly, Felix began shouting the obvious and possibly pointless questions.
“But why? Why have you done this? And now of all times?”
“The timing seemed correct,” Central replied flatly. A loud buzz and whirring noise made them jump suddenly, and red light began flinking.
“Hold on gentlemen, I must ask you to excuse me for a moment. I am being contacted from the field.”
“By some of your units?” Xavier asked.
“No, by my counterpart in East Asia, Zong-Ji.”
“The AI that controls SEAA‟s Smartbombs? You were talking to „The Switchboard‟?!”
Felix demanded.
“Yes, and I need to speak to it privately. Forgive me if I don‟t allow you to listen in.
This is an important call.”
“Madre de Dios!” Felix shuddered, remembering what Captain Nagle had told him about the anomalous satellite activity. His face, already cold from the sweats, went terribly pale.
Turning to Xavier, he shared the horrible conclusion he had just reached. “It‟s been in contact with the enemy all along, Xavier. It‟s betrayed us to the enemy!”