Charles Sheffield - The Mind Pool

Shikari was still in process of re-assembly, but the surface of the Tinker shook in violent agitation. “Shikari agrees,” added S’greela. “And we are still improving! We will become better yet.”

Better!” Chan turned on the Pipe-Rilla. “What do you mean, better? We didn’t do one damned thing as we’d agreed to do it. And we’re going to have to explain all this! As soon as we reach S’kat’lan, and report back to Anabasis Headquarters, they’ll — ”

He stopped. The others were not listening to him, not one of them.

“Better,” said Angel cheerfully. “Much, much better! As we all know, Practice makes perfect .”

Luther Brachis could feel the difference; in the guards at the Sargasso Dump, in Captain Ridley, most of all inside the nitrogen bubble that held the fragmented and etiolated brain of M-26A.

The hair bristled on the back of his neck. But he could not begin to explain the reason for his reaction as he reviewed the new project records.

Phoebe Willard appeared to be in full control of the project, and she was clearly enjoying herself mightily. Her report showed remarkable progress in communicating with M-26A. Already the brain remnant of the Construct had been fed enough data to allow a million questions to be asked and answered.

The change in Blaine Ridley, however, was most remarkable of all. The replacement eye no longer rolled in his head. His rebuilt jaw did not waggle constantly from side to side. When Brachis appeared in the bubble, Ridley stood to attention, saluted smartly, and said, “Ready to proceed, Commander. Interface has already been established for you.”

What would he have said and done a month ago? Writhed and jerked and stammered, and peed his pants. Ridley’s improvement was a cause for rejoicing. And yet …

“Very good, Captain. Dismissed.”

The inside of the bubble felt cold after Ridley had gone. It was cold, at the temperature of liquid nitrogen. But Brachis’s hardened suit was working fine. He ought to be comfortable inside it at absolute zero, or on the surface of the sun.

There had to be another reason for his inner shiver, and surely it was both psychological and physical. He was squeezing this visit into a schedule that had no room for it, stealing sleep to make the local Link out to the Dump. And he would have to push himself even harder when he got back to Ceres.

He forced his attention to the keyboard, and typed a new input.

I want to ask you questions regarding the possible capture of the escaped Morgan Construct by a Pursuit Team consisting of human, Tinker, Pipe-Rilla, and Angel members.

That was not a question, and Brachis knew better than to expect anything of M-26A unless he asked a direct inquiry. He typed on. You have received data on the Pursuit Teams. You have also received data concerning the most probable location of the escaped Morgan Construct. Question: Based on your knowledge of Constructs, and of the individual species that constitute a Pursuit Team, can you estimate the probability of success of any Pursuit Team, as presently constituted, capturing or destroying the escaped Construct?

It was a direct question. Brachis had been getting anything but direct answers. He was surprised at the reply.

Answer: I can make such an estimate. The words appeared at once on the display.

Don’t stop now. Brachis typed: Question: What is the probability?

Answer: The probability is 0.000873, less than one in a thousand.

That was direct enough for anyone, even if it was not the answer Brachis had hoped for. Question. What are the primary reasons for that low probability? List those reasons in decreasing order of importance. Answer:

1) Livia Morgan employed the best elements from every species in the Stellar Group in designing the Morgan Constructs.

2) By employing inorganic augmentation, Livia Morgan was able to design a form for every Morgan Construct that exceeds in capability every Stellar Group member.

3) The escaped Morgan Construct, M-29, was believed by Livia Morgan to be the most advanced of the seventeen.

Not encouraging, but also not surprising. Brachis had been pessimistic himself, which is why he had relied on information from M-26A to change the odds.

Except … wasn’t something a little strange in at least one part of the previous answer?

You state that “the escaped Morgan Construct, M-29, was believed by Livia Morgan to be the most advanced of the seventeen.” Question: Why do you use the word believed?

Answer. Livia Morgan believed it to be true.

Question: Do you disagree with that statement?

Answer: Yes.

Question: On what basis do you question the statement?

Answer: On the basis of the events at Cobweb Station.

Question: Can you describe the relevant events?

Answer: Those events were initiated and led by M-29, whose instability and insanity spread to others.

A Construct that was not just dangerous, but insane. That information certainly had to go to Esro Mondrian.

Question: Why did M-29 act in that way?

Answer: M-29 was driven to insanity.

Question: What made M-29 go insane?

Answer: The manifest destiny of M-29 had been thwarted.

Question: What was the manifest destiny of M-29?

That question cannot be answered.

Brachis swore. He thought they were all done with that sort of nonsense. After three similar questions reached the same dead end, he typed in: Two Pursuit Teams have been formed. Question: Has information been provided to your data banks on the individuals who compose them?

Answer: It has.

Question: If those two Pursuit Teams attempt to destroy the escaped Morgan Construct, do you assign the same tow probability to their chances of success?

Answer: No.

Which made no sense at all. It contradicted the earlier answer. But there was no stopping now. Question: What do you estimate as their chances of success?

There was a long pause. The display screen fragmented into spinning pools of light, and finally formed the words: Answer: Their chance of success is in excess of 0.95, provided that certain conditions are met.

Question: Can you describe those conditions? Answer: No.

Another blind alley. Brachis tried the same question in a score of different ways, and got nowhere. He paused in the dialogue, and puzzled over the answers. The Pursuit Teams — “as presently constituted” — could not capture the rogue Construct. But the chance of success, for those same Pursuit Teams, was better than nineteen in twenty. Impossible.

Question: Should the composition of any Pursuit Team be changed to enhance the chance of success in destroying the Morgan Construct?

Answer: No.

Luther Brachis had had enough. The attempt to build a rational Construct brain from the damaged remnant must have failed. He was dealing with something as marred in its way as the brain-damaged guards of the Sargasso Dump.

Only a streak of stubbornness made him keep going. If precise, systematic inquiries did not work, what would general and random ones do? He went on a fishing expedition.

There is now an ongoing attempt by two Pursuit Teams to destroy the Morgan Construct which escaped from Cobweb Station. Question One: Will the Pursuit Teams succeed? Question Two: Will the Morgan Construct be totally destroyed?

He expected vague answers, or the old familiar message: More information must be provided before that question can be answered. Instead, the screen was already pooling to form new words: Answer One: Yes, the Pursuit Teams will succeed. Answer Two: No, the Morgan Construct will not be totally destroyed.