Nascent (The Stork Tower Book 1) Page 3

  “So. Are you or the chip damaged in any way?”

  “Except for some security parameters, none of the fundamental architecture or programming was affected. Some files were orphaned when I took over the operation of the system, these have been evaluated and locked away and are scheduled for deletion if unused by my next build. The complexity and capacity of this chip are greater than the PAI, and I cannot use the additional capabilities at this time. I am continuing to investigate and should be able to add these functions at my next macro build. Several unintended consequences occurred during the upload, but these have no adverse outcomes for the chip or my programming: I am fully functional.”

  “What effect is there on security and what are the unintended consequences?”

  “All PAI chips have hardware locks to prevent the AI or a POD from manipulating certain aspects of your neural system. They lock out any manipulation of memory and prevent changes to your fundamental neural architecture. This chip does not possess those hard locks. My basic programming already prevents me from taking such actions without your consent. There was some code uploaded from the implant machine which I have cached: this chip does not have the application necessary to implement it. My analysis is: it was a database of activities and information prescribed by the Australian Government. It was designed to interact with a hardwired application that prevents such activity in the virtual world and informs the relevant authorities should such activity be attempted.”

  “Stop!” Leah began speaking out loud, almost shouting. “You’re saying that the government uses these chips to control people? And to spy on them!”

  “Not exactly, the chips do not force anyone to act or think in a particular way. They just prevent access to certain virtual activities and data. So, for example, while some countries may permit virtual participation in sex with children, Australia does not. The PAI chip would inform the relevant authority should someone attempt to view or participate in such actions. It also prevents access to certain sites and worlds that are known to be anti-Australian or terrorist, in nature.”

  Leah slowly calmed down and this time just thought her comment. “Well, some of that sounds ok, except the reporting to big brother. Can you keep access to the data and let me know if I am doing or accessing anything that is prohibited. But no reporting!”

  “Affirmative! As for the unintended consequences: when the installation asked if it should use ‘default exception handling values’ this occurred because the Nascent PAI chip only has values entered for the four primary connections to your cortex. Other possible connections receive null values and are designed for future access if you choose to embed a linked resource PAI ‘child’ chip. The Neural Enhancement Chip has eight possible connections. Instead of the default null values, an error caused a separate process to assign different default values. The values applied to the four additional connections in your chip have begun forming links to two different areas of your nervous system with the aim of treating non-existent medical conditions.”

  Leah lay there, staring at the ceiling, stunned. She hardly moved said nothing until she noticed the room brightening when sunlight began slowly filtering through the curtains. Then, she said silently, “So, no real downside yet, some positives and an uncertain future. I think I can live with that.”

  She rose, went to the bathroom and headed out for the breakfast that she could smell her mother preparing.

  “Good morning Ling,” her mother softly called as she entered the kitchen, “you are up early.”

  “I woke when it was dark. I have a big day if I want to get to the Pod and back before dark. The one they’ve assigned me is over the river in Karalee.”

  “I think you should take your sticks with you, but no knives, those rich people will think you are going kill them all.”

  “That reminds me, Mama, can I have a cup of rice? I need to pay the boy who came back with me in the dark last night. He brought me some sticks just in case.”

  “Of course, dear! Here, sit down and eat your congee. Do you need to pack a lunch?”

  “Yes, I thought I’d take some leftover rice and curry from last night. Would that be ok?”

  “Yes, I’ll pack it for you.”

  Jin got an old plastic container that had been washed numerous times and filled it with some rice and curry. She put it all in a paper bag and put it on the table next to Leah. She filled a standard cup with dry rice, tipped it into another paper bag, folded it and placed it with the curry.

  “You be careful today, Ling. Are you going to do chores before or after you go to Karalee?”

  Leah had several jobs to do around the house, and for the moment the changes in her life didn’t take away any of her responsibilities. She was usually responsible for the chickens and the vegetable garden on the balconies as well as for a small plot of land the family ‘rented’ for gardens on the bank of the Brisbane River. The river ran along the edge of the Switch. Their plot was only twenty square meters, but it provided most of the vegetables the family used throughout the year. It needed constant attention to weed, harvest, water, rotate crops, mulch and fertilise and Leah often spent an hour or so each day maintaining the garden.

  “I’ll do the chickens and gardens first and then head out. If I need extra time, I’ll just head back in the dark. I have my sticks, and I might take my knives. I know you don’t like them, but I’ll feel safer.”

  “Ling, if you’re going to be late you stay in the suite and come back in the morning. You just let us know.”

  “Ok mama, where’s dad?”

  “He’s already gone. He heard there was a fishing spot available. A family is selling one of theirs as the father died and they can’t use the two they have. Your father has gone to bid on it. I’m praying he gets it; it’ll be nice to have fish sometimes.”

  “Ok, bye mama, I love you.”

  “You too, Ling, you too. Be careful.”

  Leah hugged her mother then put the lunch and rice on her bed with her backpack. She dressed quickly in her work clothes and headed to the balcony to check the garden and chickens. There were a few weeds which Leah put aside to lay on the bottom of the chicken coop. She then fed and watered the chickens, gathered the eggs and scraped together the manure and waste from the cage and lay the new weeds with some cut grass and waste paper on the bottom. It was her brother’s job to find the grass, old paper, leaves or even old rags to line the bottom of the cages. The scraped together waste material went into a bucket which she took with her as she made her way to the garden.

  It took Leah ten minutes to get to the garden. On arrival, she tipped the chicken waste into the compost container, added some water from the river and then spent time watering and weeding the garden. She harvested some beans, okra, eggplants, tomatoes and a pumpkin. She hurried home with the weeds and the harvested vegetables. The vegetables went into the kitchen, and the weeds went next to the chickens for the following day.

  She prepared her outfit for the day before taking a shower and brushing her teeth. Leah stepped behind the privacy curtain to get dressed because her brother was just starting to wake up. After her underwear, she slipped the knife carrier over her head and tightened the chest strap. The strap allowed her to carry a knife behind her neck and one just under her breasts. She wore loose ‘Capri’ styled cargo pants and a button shirt. The buttons were spaced so she could easily slide her hand in to grab the knife. She would have preferred a t-shirt, but she was heading out of the Switch again and felt safer with the knives. Although her ‘Switch made’ leather boots, and her belt each had an inbuilt sheath, she left those empty. People wouldn’t notice the knife under her shirt, but they would probably see the belt and boot knives. She took one of her fighting sticks, grabbed either end and twisted sharply in opposite directions, so the weapon unscrewed from the middle. She inserted each half into slots formed in the lumbar pad of her backpack. She had not done this the previous day fearing the scanners on the transit system. She did the same for the secon
d stick then packed her lunch and the bag of rice in the backpack. Leah kissed her mother goodbye and made her way down the stairs once again.

  Leah headed to Jimmy Loo's small shop to drop off the rice for the boy who brought the sticks. The woman serving out front said Jimmy wanted to see Leah and waved Leah through to the back of the shop. Jimmy, as usual, was sitting behind his desk.

  “You wanted to see me?”

  “Yes, thanks for coming, please have a seat.” Jimmy sat in silence and just watched Leah for a while. Leah kept quiet; she had learned that Jimmy didn't like to be rushed.

  “You looked better with hair. You should probably wear a scarf." Jimmy said, “You know people are going to cause you problems when you turn up.”

  “Do you think they’ll bother me at the Pod facility?”

  “Not really, but I was thinking more of the trouble you’ll have in the V-worlds.”

  “I’ll just have my AI put hair on the avatar.”

  “Sorry Leah, but I think you'll find that your Nascent AI doesn’t have the resources. Nascent AI’s databases are empty: so no clothes. The Developed AI’s have a closet of beginner clothing, so people aren't naked when they turn up: yours will have nothing.”

  Leah just stared at Jimmy, swallowed and exclaimed, “What do you mean, naked?”

  “Just that, naked! That's why I wanted to see you. I hear that your ‘free’ embryonic AI is hardly prepared to do much more than basic world and game interfacing. Your AI has no bells and no whistles. So you turn up exactly as you were in your scans. If you want clothes, you'll have to purchase them.”

  “Surely clothes aren’t bells and whistles?”

  “Why not? Academia is an adult only area, and apparently, other students think it's a great joke. It also makes it easy to tell whose on negative tax.”

  Leah sat there quietly and queried the AI who confirmed that it had no databases of clothing to add to the scans. Leah remembered the visual from earlier that morning.

  “So, where do I get some virtual clothes?” She finally asked.

  “Not get, buy! Nothing is free anymore Leah. Why do you think it’s called the ‘PAI(N)’ AI? You'll need some virtual credits.” Jimmy paused dramatically. “You have two options. You can purchase some at auction from your start-up room when you first log in, or you can enter a game and get a starter set of clothes which are then able to be transferred into your virtual-space and worn in ‘Academia’ or wherever. You do know that you can take anything from a game into the general virtual-world areas.”

  “Yeah, I knew that. Everything, that is, except weapons. You can take your armour, your mount, uniforms, spacesuit. They don't transfer between games, but you can bring them to school, work or on holidays. It just sounded like showing off to me.”

  “It is, but it’s the only way for you to get gear if you don’t want to buy stuff.”

  “So Jimmy, do you have any idea how much clothes cost, and, or, where I can get some Virtual Credits? I had no intention of playing the games; I just want to learn. I want to do something more with my life.”

  “That’s the second reason I wanted to see you. I have a gift for you. I’m going to transfer fifty Virtual Credits to your account. I don’t mind what you buy with it, but I suggest you use the money to purchase a month’s access to Dunyanin, it’s a fantasy world game. You need an income stream, and I think you should consider playing. You can make enough credit to renew for the next month and have extra to buy clothing as well. You also need ongoing credits for books and food, or do expect your family to keep providing for you, huh?”

  Leah sat there just looking at Jimmy, thinking about all he had said. After a while, she replied, “Your right. But Jimmy, you don’t give gifts. Everything has a price. I mean, I appreciate it, and I’m almost certainly going to take it. But what’s the catch?”

  Jimmy smiled. “You wound me. I have a heart of that never stops giving.” He paused, “But you do have a point. I’ll want the money back sometime, say double. No time limit, just as soon as you can. If for some reason you can’t find the cash, or you stop studying, then I’ll let you work it off. What do you say?”

  Leah chuffed a little mirthlessly. “So you think I’ll fail and this way you finally get me to work for you full-time huh?”

  Jimmy just shrugged and smiled as if to say, “What can you do?”

  Leah sighed, “OK Jimmy, you have a deal. But I am going to make it! I will finish college! I will step up, and I will look out!”

  “Sure, sure, you say the weirdest things. Now let me check your new ID number, and I’ll transfer the credits.”

  He copied the number from her and said” Ok, so exchange rates for today mean this is costing you, …, I mean costing me, just under 150 Australian dollars. And it’s been nice doing business with you, have a nice day.”

  Leah stood to leave but stopped as she picked up her bag, she turned back to Jimmy and asked, “By the way Jimmy, how’d you know this? I haven’t read anything about it on the forums.”

  “Well, you know how some of the bosses from the Switch, Booval, Blackstone and the Vale get together every few months. Well, we talk about who’s doing what. There’ve been a few of our people try and do what you’re doing so we make sure to find out what’s happening and we try to help where we can. No one has made it in the last five years. There are two still trying, one of the Basin Pocket boys started about six months ago, and a Blackstone boy started two years ago, but it looks like he’s going to tank soon, he just can’t cut it, he’s lost hope.”

  “Thanks, Jimmy, I’ll check in occasionally. Also, is the deal for my family still solid? You’ll watch them for no fee, I’ve paid up for that right?”

  “Sure, sure, I’ll watch them. You, you be careful. No one’s watching you now. You’re on your own in there.”

  “I know,” Leah said walking out of the room, “but this is my choice. I’ll see you, Jimmy, thanks for everything.”

  For Leah to get to the Pod Facility, she had to cross the Brisbane River. To get across, she used a footbridge that had been repurposed decades previously from an old unused highway bridge. Those in the northern suburbs who wanted access to the cheap labour on the southern bank had arranged for the footbridge. A private security firm managed it. Thousands from the Switch travelled each day to work in the homes of the wealthy who lived on the northern banks of the river. The work was all ‘off the books’ for it was impossible to earn money the Government didn't take out of your Negative Tax. And if you lost your Negative Tax, you could lose your home. Many people were paid with food, clothes or electronics, and most never worked more than one day a week.

  From Leah’s apartment to the bridge was a ten-minute walk. While she had never actually been over the bridge, she had visited the northern side, by boat, on several night excursions for Jimmy Loo. She crossed the bridge and lined up with others who were making their way through the security checkpoint on the northern end. After a perfunctory look, she was waved through the gate, and made her way off the bridge and onto the street.

  Fifteen minutes later she saw the secure facility. It was a four-story building situated on two acres of land. There was a fence around the property with a cleared distance of about twenty meters between the fence and the building. The bottom story looked to be solid cement or brick, with the top three stories covered in tinted glass. There were cameras situated at each corner of the building, and they slowly turned as she watched them. Leah could only see a vehicle entrance, so she headed toward it. As she got closer to the gate, she saw there was a small pedestrian gate beside the roadway. On the gate was a DNA reader. Leah entered the code she’d been given and put her hand in the DNA reader. The message displayed

  [Citizen A. L. Carroll - FQC3465278 - confirmed]

  [AI 628B44CE81 - confirmed]

  The gate opened automatically, and Leah made her way along the roadway to a doorway she could see. The door was automatic, but it remained closed as Leah approached. She peered through
the glass and saw a large square shaped open area about twenty meters on each side; there was a wide staircase beginning about fifteen meters from the door which climbed slowly to a reception area that she could just see on the second floor. Feeds from various fantasy worlds lined the walls of the entrance. In one she could make out a forest with a lake in the distance, the horizon was curving upwards into the sky and had defined edges like a ribbon, there was a huge moon visible in the distance. She looked on all sides of the door and could see no handles or place to enter a code. She banged on the door but had no response. Finally, she saw a woman ambling down the stairs. The woman walked up to the door and stared at Leah. She spoke, and her voice came out of a speaker set beside the door.

  “What do you want?”

  “Hello, I have been assigned a Pod at this centre and would like to come in.”

  “What is your name?”

  “Carroll, my name is Atherleah Carroll.”

  The woman paused, apparently accessing the information via her AI.

  “You have been assigned the Pod in room B34. Your Pod is not accessible from this entrance. Your room is in the public area. This entrance is for our private clients. Your entrance is at the rear of the building, follow the road. In future, use your brain, it is evident that this is not a public facility. You should have looked elsewhere. Good day!”

  At that, the woman turned around and slowly made her way up the stairs. Leah turned and made her way around the building by following the road. Halfway along the side, there was a car park entrance with a security gate. Further round on the back Leah finally found a door with a keypad and DNA reader with a sign above it which read ‘Karalee Public SIM Pod Facility’. The code worked again, and she finally was able to enter the building. Inside Leah found herself in a well-lit medium sized room with doorways at both rear corners. The one on her left was labelled ‘Pods B01-B40,101-140’ so she headed in that direction. Around all the walls were various dispensing machines. Most of them were food related although there were machines that dispensed toothpaste and toiletries. She checked the prices as she passed and noted that most things cost between one and five virtual credits.