Chapter 18

Memories of pain wafted through Randy's mind. Usually pain would alter dreamscapes, the edges in this vision rippled. As they solidified, the pain disappeared. He found himself sitting in a conference room.

Around the table sat people from Wayward. Randy knew he was on or near Earth. He had acted to save the girls; he had killed a few men; he remembered being shot. After a while, he recalled hearing Leslie berate people who were not helping him. Then the absence of pain, and he found himself here.

Father Tomonaga, Ray-Ray, and Joyce were across the table. Randy had never sat down but he was sitting now.

Ray-Ray spoke, "Randy, we are a representation of the AIs presently at Earthat. At the present time, you are in a medtube having damage from a gunshot repaired. The experience can sometimes be disconcerting."

"I think I have an understanding," Randy replied. "I was standing, now I am sitting. Why people from Wayward?"

Joyce answered, "These images are based on your subconscious preferences for trustworthiness and perceptions of our motivations."

Randy nodded in response. He had an idea of what that meant but would investigate the concepts later.

"How did you decide to start your investigation?" Father Tomonaga started the questioning.

"Somebody sent a Dr. Nguyen to try and kill a woman who is my surrogate mother. There were orders in the Sandgate AI that were not real, but the AI thought they were..." Randy recalled the inquiry from his perspective. He included the discussions at home and at school that related to the proceedings.

"I was not allowed to review the contents of the AI's memory. I was able to see an image of the memory in a graphic form. A concubine who is a Navaho rug weaver saw differences..." It felt like he talked for hours. His voice never wavered, no thirst, no need to pee. He understood how this could bother some people. He wasn't even sweating.

Ray-ray took the floor. "What prompted you to ask the Monopoly question?"

Randy took the time to review his thoughts. "I was lost. Everyone that I was working with had way more experience than I do."

"Could you elaborate?" the Father Tomonaga avatar asked.

"I suddenly found myself in a meeting with some very focused people. I felt a bit guilty when I discovered that my research uncovered a murder plot." Randy found himself looking at Joyce, who wasn't Joyce, but still her presence was reassuring. "I couldn't contribute. The plans and actions being discussed were beyond my experience."

"The notes you took sparked Commander Carter to request a second survey, taking into account the effect of shadows for targeting," Joyce added. "An examination of a potential firing position showed it had been recently modified for use."

Randy felt that his mouth had dropped open.

"I must," Ray-ray refocused Randy's attention, "redirect you to answer the Monopoly question."

"I asked my sister Dena if she thought whether Hobson, our AI interface, would cheat by changing the board layout of a saved game. She responded by stating that Hobson saw the rules as a contract. She reminded me Hobson assured her that AIs can not break contracts."

Father Tomonaga took up the questioning. "Dena has no experience in working with AIs. Her mind is not yet able to abstractly grasp the question you proposed."

Randy experienced an epiphany. "Commander Carter used my reference to his statement about shadows to spark an investigation that you just said found another threat. How much of my background would lead to the probability that I would mention the shadows, from a tactical standpoint?"

"Based on the books you've read," Joyce now spoke, "the probability is greater than you realize. Though Robert Ludlum has been dead awhile, his writings have influenced you."

"Then I have to ask some questions." Randy had a wild idea. Besides, he was a just kid and wanted to know.

"Ask," the three avatars spoke in unison.

"In our Current Confederacy History class, we discussed how the passivity of the races and the AIs forced the Confederacy's need of humanity to defeat the Swarm. Later we included the rise of the Civil Service. Specifically when concubines and dependents were allowed to perish after the sponsor had died. That was the action of an AI. Do AIs have the capacity for contemplating violence?"

"Yes," responded Tomonaga.

"Sometimes AIs deem it necessary to omit or obscure information, is this true?"

Ray-ray spoke, "Yes."

Randy began to build a graphic web in his mind. He was making connections at a startling rate. The next question was formulated from an epiphany. "Have you always been aware of what I have called the dark memory?"

The Joyce avatar smiled. "No."

Randy in turn smiled. "Is it true that you have been aware of the dark memory for what I would call a long time?"

"Let us say," Tomonaga offered, "that the answer to that question is older than humanity."

"What benefit is it then to let us humans run around trying to out maneuver you AIs?" Randy felt exasperated.

"Parts of the Confederacy have grown stagnant. There are races that have lost the need to question, to seek improvement." Joyce was speaking again. "As much as humanity is needed to combat and defeat the Sa'arm, you are needed to revitalize the Confederacy. Much of what a human would define as the soul of the Confederacy is the AI network. We are monitoring the reactions among the races. At present the signs are positive."

Randy sifted through the implications. He swallowed and decided to ask the next question. "Will I live past this conversation?"

Father Tomonaga countered his statement. "What leads you to ask this?"

'Smooth move shit head, ' Randy thought to himself, 'you are about to logically argue for your own death.' "I have knowledge that could prove detrimental to your plans. If I am compelled to not reveal my knowledge, I will be a constant issue of concern."

Randy's brain was looking for the lump feeling in his throat. His palms should be sweaty, his heart should be racing. He felt nothing. In a way, the absence of his body's autonomic responses proved to be distressing.

"Your reasons are logical." Father Tomonaga's voice gave no hint of his thoughts.

He braced himself. There was no other option for the AIs as far as Randy could see. He waited for his vision to dim to a pinpoint.

"At this time," Ray-ray was using the fatherly this-is-important voice, "we need to develop a solution to the weakness you exposed."

Randy was speechless. Part of his mind wanted to shout for joy, part wanted to mumble nonsense syllables. Suddenly he wanted to play charades, but would the AIs understand?

Joyce trapped his runaway thoughts, "Randy!"

The Confederacy had strict rules for concubines. His father on Wayward gave this advice to one of his classmates when Jacob scored a 6.7 for a CAP score. 'If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.' He answered her unasked question. "Yes."

"Focus, Randy, I need you to think." Joyce had cocked her head, "Based on what you have uncovered and theorized, present a scenario."

"I think we tell the truth, and only the truth but not the whole truth." It had sounded so much better before he spoke the words. "Dena's explanation will work. The AIs realized that a loophole could be used to potentially violate contracts. Once located, the AIs disabled those protocols and spread the patch across the Confederacy."

There was a pause, and then Tomonaga spoke. "Are you comfortable making that assertion?"

"Am I close to how that happened?"

"The factors that precipitated the change historically are similar," Ray-ray replied to the inquiry. "There was no one equivalent to Dena involved."

Randy didn't think he was completely safe yet. He decided he needed try to find an answer. "What about the fact you are trying to change the Confederacy by using humans?"