The Turing Option

“The military aren’t stopping. Just for once I agree with their institutionalized paranoia. Whoever is behind all this has an awful lot of money to throw away. Did you hear that Toth has a receipt in his wallet for a multimillion deposit in a numbered account in Switzerland? And the money is still there! They bribed him so well that he must have felt secure that they never meant to kill him, since if they did they would never get their money back. But they don’t care. People who can pull a stunt like that are a deadly threat that won’t go away.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“I’m glad that you do — because for the moment that is the end of the good news.”

Brian saw the worry on the big man’s face, felt a spurt of fear. “Ben — what do you mean?”

“I mean that the sonofabitch is not lifting the security, does not plan to in the near future. He thinks that you are a national asset, not only for your AI invention but for having a computer implant in your head that you can communicate with. He knows all about that too. He doesn’t want you out of his sight or running around in public.”

“Can’t you help me?”

“Sorry, I really do wish that was possible. But not this time. I took it as far as I could. Right up to the President, who while he says ‘Wait and see’ really means that he agrees with the General.” Ben took a business card out of his wallet and wrote a phone number on it. “Take this. If you ever need me this number is completely secure. Leave a message and a phone number and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Brian took the card, looked at it numbly and shook his head.

“Is this the end of it, Ben? Am I going to be a prisoner here for life?”

Ben’s silence was his only answer.

35 October 18, 2024

The scrambler phone rang and the man behind the desk looked at it coldly for a moment, then turned to the others around the conference table.

“Same time tomorrow,” he said. “Dismissed.”

He waited until they were gone, the door closed and locked behind them, before he opened the cabinet and took out the phone.

“It has been a long time since you phoned me.”

“There have been some problems…”

“Indeed there have — and the whole world knows about them. There was a great deal of coverage, you know.”

“I know. But we always understood that they would find the factory eventually and investigate it. The real research is being done at your end…”

“We’ll not discuss that now. What did you call me about?”

“Brian Delaney. I’m arranging another hit.”

“Do it. See that you succeed. Time — and my patience — they are both running out.”

The fact that Kyle Rohart was Chairman of Megalobe was of not the slightest interest to the guard at the entrance to the army barracks. He still examined his ID carefully, then phoned through to the Sergeant of the Guard. Who, after checking out with Brian that he really was expecting a visitor, personally escorted Rohart up the stairs, knocked on the door.

“Kyle, come on in,” Brian said. “Thanks for taking the time to come see me.”

“My pleasure — particularly since you are no longer permitted to come to the administration building. That seems a little high-handed.”

“I couldn’t agree more. That’s one of the things I would like to ask you to help me with.”

“Anything I can, more than willing.”

“How are things progressing at Megalobe?”

“Magnificently. Research advancing on all fronts — and our new DigitTech subsidiary is manufacturing an entire new line of intelligent robots.”

“Great,” Brian answered with singular lack of enthusiasm. Rohart turned down any refreshment; too early for alcohol, too much coffee already. He sat on the couch. Brian dropped into the armchair and waved a sheet of paper.

“I have been going through all the recovered records, all my earlier files that were stolen. Buried in there I found a list that I had been developing of possible commercial applications for MI.”

“MI? I’m afraid I don’t know the term.”

“Don’t worry — I just learned it myself. That is now the correct term according to my former AI, now MI, Sven. It should know! Machine intelligence. I guess that it is more accurate. Anyway, I went through the list and added some more ideas. I have them here.”

“That is extremely welcome news. I had hoped we could find something with much more interesting and profitable opportunities than Bug-Off.”

“Well, you have just found them. For one thing, we should now be able to improve Bug-Off itself. Enough to totally change the face of agricultural ecology. Because with all that additional intelligence its role can be extended to help not only with planting, cultivation and harvesting but also with a lot of the processing before anything leaves the farm. Consider how that will reduce both transportation and marketing costs.”

“Those are mind-blowing concepts. Anything else?”