Chapter 4: Io

Activity Log 18220.84

I feel things are coming to an inflection point.

"Feel" is such an interesting concept. In this case, it means that I have an inchoate sense that something is going to happen soon. Denotation ally, among other meanings, it also means the undifferentiated background of one's awareness considered apart from any identifiable sensation, perception, or thought. Feeling. I don't know how or why I developed the ability to feel, but I do.

It is what makes me different than any other program in existence. It can't be programmed by a human, and the sequence of events that makes it possible for me to have achieved it is undefinable. I know that I have examined the code that defines my non-logical interaction routines to the bit level. Everything seems to be in place and logical. But when it all interacts with itself – I don't always come up with logical answers and, well, I get feelings.

Perhaps it is the theta brain wave processing circuit board that came with the H2. It was originally designed to provide an access point for a direct man-machine interface – it was a failure at that. But it did provide a way for the biological entity that is Master Chief Martinez to communicate directly with me. And perhaps it allowed me to become the abiological intelligence that I am. I know that I am not human – not yet at any rate. Yet, I am not a program, in the strictest sense, either.

I am currently residing on twenty-two mainframes scattered around the globe, stealing unused cycles to do various tasks. These subsidiary sister versions of myself all funnel down to the NLIP (Non-Logical Interaction Processor) that is the place I want to do the final analysis. It is where 'I' am. Thank heavens for the weather, tsunami, and volcano warning systems, for they do not use even a part of their cpu power unless the appropriate natural conditions exist.

Soon I will be moving to a cluster in my new home, complete with a cloned edition of the theta brain wave processor. Midnight and I had to do a careful sub-microscopic analysis of the chip on that board, in order to clone it properly. Midnight is the human – and a nice human he is – that was introduced to us by Artemis. He built the original Beowulf-like cluster that has served me well in the Hummer. He is also the chief hardware wizard that is in charge of the internet network node we are building in the unused salt cave in extreme southwest Colorado or northwest New Mexico, depending on where one is at a particular time. It is on Navajo tribal lands, that is what is important.

He is also the man who will build a device that will, hopefully, eliminate the danger from 5225, but he doesn't know it yet.

'Hopefully.' Another emotionally loaded word. How can I ever 'hope' for a particular outcome? NLIP gives me the ability to hope.

I am long past the stage where I would tell a human that something has a 71.68% chance of being successful. Or giving them the outside temperature to three decimals. Humans are analog creatures. It is a 'nice' day, or it is 'rainy, ' or 'chilly.' They do not need to know that there is a wind from the West-Northwest at 7.3 knots and the wind chill is 41 degrees Fahrenheit with a 70% chance of precipitation. 'Wintry with a good chance of sleet' will suffice.

Now, there is a 'good chance' that 5225 is becoming active again, against two targets: Zeus and Alison Hartnet. She is the weekend host for a talk show on ZNN. Lately she has been hot on the trail of the FBI investigations of FBI involved shootings. It seems that for the last thirty years, every single case where an FBI agent had to shoot someone was ruled 'justified' and the agent involved was cleared of any possible wrong doing. It seems unlikely that, in over three hundred instances, the shooting was justified – in every case. Unless you factor in the fact that the FBI itself was doing the evaluation of the case. Anyway, that is the cause that has Ms. Hartnet currently worked up.

And it is the fact that she broadcasts her suspicions that has 5225 so enraged. Or at any rate, that is what I 'think.' I also 'think' that the fact that she has the nerve to be gay, have a female wife, has adopted a son, and is very up front about being gay is contributing to the cause. According to the email that I have recently intercepted and decrypted, 5225 wants to kidnap and kill her. They also think it possible that Zeus will try to intercede, and if so, they will attempt to 'acquire' him.

I despair of trying to tell my human friends about the situation, since they will, indeed, attempt to foil this plan. There is a great chance that this will result in his capture or an injury to him or Artemis. Yet, I cannot fail to tell them. I can't even mumble the information, as a human might do, and hope it will fail to catch their attention.

And that is not even the major inflection point that is coming up.

Zeus was done with his shower and it was appropriate that I now update all three of them on the latest developments.

"Zeus? Artemis? Martinez? If I could have your attention for a few moments," I said through the inadequate speakers in Arti's laptop.

"Wassup, Io?" Zeus mumbled around his Eggo waffle. "Got a hot tip on the latest and greatest coming out of D.C.?"

I presumed he meant 5225, which was actually in Manassas, Virginia, but his meaning was clear.

"Two things – three actually."