by M. D. Cooper
Some traveled along with humans and humanoid frames, others slipped inside atmospheric shuttles or aircars bound for distant parts of the ring. Still others escaped out into Franklin City proper, via one of the many spaceport exits.
Their programming mandated that they push updates to any other nano with which they came into contact. These updates scrubbed the auto termination codes from an increasing number of different types of nano. In one particular case, a few colloid assemblers managed to insinuate their way into an AI as the individual was injecting fresh nano into his core to analyze his neurological matrices. The colloid assemblers went unnoticed by the AI and contaminated his system at a critical moment when he was adjusting his own internal base code.
This unhappy confluence allowed the colloid assembly bot to carry out its mandate and directly insert its update into the AI's base code.
This went unnoticed by the AI, who had been distracted at a critical moment. Then, unbeknownst to him, the contaminated code uploaded to the Galene Ring Net, infecting its AI citizenry.
As auto-termination was never a function of an AI's makeup to begin with, the alteration went unnoticed until much later, when sharp-eyed scientists went searching for the carrier, the Typhoid Mary, the method by which the nanophage was being disseminated.
Several hours later, it had been transmitted to every AI on the ring.
OUTBREAK
STELLAR DATE: 02.23.3246 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Office of Planetary Security
REGION: Ring Galene, Tau Ceti
“...and I’m telling you that we’re looking at an existential threat, here!”
Dominica Gonsalves, Galene’s Surgeon General, glared at the woman seated to her left. Reya deSangro was one of two scientists that the Office of Planetary Security had called in to consult on this situation. Dominica much preferred the other one.
Noa Sakai sat to her other side, the NRC Executive Director’s quiet assurance a comforting counterpoint to Reya’s stubbornly brash attitude.
This face-off was being played out behind clear, soundproofed walls in a situation room at the center of an efficiently run hub. The hub sat in the heart of Ring Galene’s Office of Planetary Security. Encircling them were arrays of holotanks that displayed constantly updating feeds. An army of specialists staffed them, analyzing their content and studiously ignoring the argument being played out inside the fishbowl.
Reya narrowed her eyes slightly at Dominica, her only outward sign of irritation. “An existential threat? That’s somewhat of a reactionary statement, Dominica. I believe you’re overplaying this.” The scientist’s tone held a hint of scorn. “You can’t look at this as you would an organism; nano is a machine, code. Code that has been written, and can therefore be rewritten.”
Dominica glanced across the table at Assistant Director Ann Henrick and her two analysts—the people who had brought the scientists in to advise—and caught one of the AI avatars nodding. She sighed mentally.
“I agree; it can be rewritten,” Noa’s voice interjected into the silence following Reya’s declaration. “And it has been rewritten. The problem is that the infected nano is no longer contained to a single area. The moment we rewrite the code in an infected area, another outbreak is reported. Thus far, every attempt to push a broad-spectrum rectification code with an auto-update has been insufficient to contain its spread. Somewhere, we’re missing an agent—or perhaps a vector—by which this nano is being reintroduced.”
The data showing the extent of the nano outbreak hadn’t been placed on display in the room’s holotank. Instead, it hovered discreetly just above the table’s surface, to prevent prying eyes from seeing its contents. As they were surrounded by dozens of eyes, she supposed it made sense—although she had no idea why the Office of Planetary Security had decided, in its infinite wisdom, for them to meet here, in the middle of a hive of activity, where it was obvious to all that they were engaged in a heated argument.
Not that it was going to stop her….
Dominica took a calming breath and tried again. “All I’m saying is that the information here,” she waved her hand through the projection, and it rippled slightly as her fingers passed into it, “mimics the classic pattern we see in epidemiology. By strict scientific definition, this is a nanophage—nano that parasitizes a host by reproducing inside it once the host is infected.”
Reya stirred in annoyance, and Dominica put out an appeasing hand.
“I’m not saying it’s an infection, nor that it’s organic. I don’t care what its cause is. All I’m saying is that you need to approach it in the same manner you would an infectious disease.”
Dominica could tell she was not getting through to them.
I’m a physician, dammit, not a specialist in nanotechnology, she thought furiously. But I understand the concept of rapid mitosis when I see it.
It wasn’t that she disliked Reya; she just trusted Noa’s keen analytical abilities more. His methodology was meticulous, whereas Reya was a bit too casual for Dominica‘s tastes.
And yet, Noa was sitting quietly, allowing Reya’s opinions to go unchallenged.
Why?
* * * * *
Noa saw Assistant Director Henrick sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose, and noted that the expression on the face of the AI senior analyst projected beside the assistant director looked blandly skeptical. It was clear to him that nothing he or Dominica could say would sway their opinions.
Noa was done with discussions; if they would not act, he would.
Who would have thought that Tau Ceti would owe its salvation to an underworld organization like the Matsu-kai? And two AI foreigners, brought here against their will….
His thoughts returned to the present as he heard Henrick speak. “Let’s begin from the top, shall we?” she said as her gaze swept the length of the table. “To date, the information we’ve gathered indicates that we’re dealing with a subset of nano types that have been affected. The prevailing theory is that this indicates some form of novel, new, as-yet-unknown nanotech, as opposed to a resurfacing of the Imbesi Event from seventy years ago. Correct so far?”
She glanced at Noa expectantly, and he responded with a reluctant nod.
Officially, no. Unofficially…I have my suspicions. But only Hiro and I know about Shiso and her transmission. And it’s been more than seventy years, for stars’ sake—who would believe us?
“Doctor Gonsalves has made it clear that she believes this should be treated as an infectious disease. Noa, what is the position of the NRC on this?”
He shifted in his seat. There was the sticky wicket. The Nanotechnology Regulatory Commission’s official position was as aggressive as Noa’s own where containment was concerned, yet it was hindered by regulations requiring the study and documentation of the reported events prior to recommending a course of action, whereas Noa’s personal opinion was that they didn’t have time to follow procedure and policy.
They needed to act now, or Ring Galene would fall—maybe even literally.
Noa speared the AD with an intense gaze. “The Commission will have their recommendations to you soon, but it is my opinion that we should act immediately out of an abundance of caution,” he said. “I would begin with a quarantine of the spaceport, and evaluate additional areas for consideration as we’re updated on the pattern of the nano’s spread. Yes, you will inconvenience the populace, and commerce will suffer for it, but if Doctor Gonsalves is correct, the alternative is unthinkable.”
Henrick stared back at him, her expression unreadable. “Doctor deSangro,” she asked, turning next to the scientist seated on the other side of Dominica, “what would be your recommended course of action?”
Reya pursed her lips, drumming her stylus against the tabletop in thought—a habit of hers that had never annoyed Noa before, but that he found grating now—and then shook her head. “It’s simple, really. We just need to crack the code. If I can have the finest minds on Galene working on this problem, w
e should have this well in hand within a matter of days, a week at the outside.”
Noa saw Dominica’s mouth drop open as she gaped in shock at the scientist.
“Reya, don’t you think that’s just a bit optimistic? Take a look at the data. There are cases being reported from two different medical centers, kilometers apart, and a few outliers more than a hundred kilometers away from Franklin City itself. Some of these cases show that internal mednano has begun to modify the host body, where no change was indicated. Look here.”
She tapped on one of the reports listed on the table, and images of a patient appeared. “Army Hospital said this corporal’s mednano has begun to build muscle mods outside the skin on his torso, and they’ve been unable to stop it.”
“Tissue nanotransfection,” Noa concurred, and the surgeon general grimaced but nodded in confirmation as she swiped the file closed.
She cast her eyes around the table and shook her head. “I don’t care if you do believe you can arrest this progress in a few weeks or even a month. By that time, the infection will have spread too broadly.”
Reya closed her eyes and compressed her lips in a clear effort to control her annoyance. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but the medical centers you cited, those are both within a ten-kilometer radius of Franklin City Spaceport, correct?”
Dominica nodded reluctantly. “Yes, but—”
“And how many people has this impacted? Just over a dozen, I’m told. This sample size is far too small to form a conclusion. And I reiterate: nano is not transmittable like a disease, so you can’t use the analogy of an airborne viral vector. That’s simply not possible.”
Dominica frowned, crossed her arms, and shot Reya a look. “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…” she began, but Reya leant forward, one hand jabbing the tabletop before her in emphasis.
“You tell the Joint Chiefs that if they give me a team of top experts—and access to the best facilities Defense has—I guarantee we can have this eradicated within a matter of days.”
Dominica’s expression darkened, but Noa caught her eye and shook his head slightly to forestall it. She hesitated and then subsided as Henrick raised both hands and intervened.
“I’ve heard enough for now, I think. I’ll take everything the three of you have told me under advisement.” She nodded decisively to the three consultants and then rose. “Thank you for your time. Doctor deSangro, you have two weeks. The analysts will see you out now. Good day.”
* * * * *
Dominica stood silently fuming between Noa and one of the analysts as the lift rose to street level. Thanking the analyst who held the lift for them, she stalked through the exit and out into the balmy afternoon air, ignoring Reya as she swept past.
As Noa drew abreast of her, she sent him a request for a private connection.
Noa frowned and shook his head slightly, taking her arm and gesturing for her to continue.
She snorted.
Noa’s voice had become earnest.
Dominica stumbled at that, but Noa’s hand on her elbow propelled her forward.
She realized he was correct and nodded thoughtfully.
The import of the situation fell upon her. If she aligned with Noa, her actions could well be considered a dereliction of duty, and her absence, one without leave.
Dominica nodded once, decisively.
* * * * *
Noa had just parted ways with Dominica and was headed back to his offices when his comm pinged. He stared at the icon hovering before him with the same wary trepidation one would view a dangerous animal about to spring, before he reached out and mentally accepted the connection.
Noa froze a moment in shock, unable to reply. The Matsu-kai know about the bunker?
Hiro’s voice chuckled humorlessly in his head.
Noa did not reply, and the silence stretched between them.
Hiro’s voice turned hard, and Noa heard clear warning in its tone.
Before Noa had a chance to reply, Hiro made one last statement and then severed the connection.
Noa wiped his hands, which had gone suddenly damp, against the length of his trousers. As he did so, he realized distantly that the trousers he wore had nano infused in them, and that he would have to procure nano-free clothing before heading down to the ring.
He stepped through the entrance to the NRC, proceeded onto the lift that took him down to his offices, and began to pack.
* * * * *
At the hail, Noa looked up from the rapidly-filling containers surrounding him and waved the approaching woman into his nano lab. She and the AI embedded within her were among the very few with whom he had shared his plans.
“What is it, Marn?” he asked as the woman approached, her young face drawn.
“I just heard. They’re saying that AIs are carriers—and that’s why the nanophage keeps popping up in random places. Word on the street is that they’ll be calling for all embedded AIs to be removed from humans soon,” she began, and Erasmus, the AI inside her head, joined in.
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Noa accessed his internal chrono. Three hours had passed since he’d left the offices of Planetary Security.
That escalated fast. If indeed it’s anything more substantial than rumor, that is….
Both Marn and Erasmus sounded alarmed, and he could understand their concern. In the past four days since the first area of uncontrolled nano was reported, the paired doctors had made more strides in containing nanophage events than any other NRC teams to date.
The two had managed to obtain samples of corrupt nano from three infected locations within the spaceport, had isolated both the auto-update and the missing kill code in each specimen, written rectification series for them, and then successfully inserted patch code back into where the original had been harvested.
The thought that this team might be broken up was daunting. So, too, was the concern that Erasmus might not be as well protected outside his current host.
“I suspect,” Noa addressed the AI as he leant against the container he had been filling, “that what has them a bit spooked is the percentage of AI and AI/human pairs that have fallen victim to the nano.”
Erasmus made a noise acknowledging Noa’s point.
“Well, I’d treat everything you hear for the moment with a heavy dose of skepticism. You know how the news nets like to dramatize things; it makes for a ‘good news day’. And if it turns out it is coming through Galene official channels, well,” Noa forced a wry chuckle, “you know how governments are. Nothing’s absolute—there are always ‘exceptions’. I’m sure we can make a case for keeping you two together—especially considering the strides you’ve made in stopping the spread.”
As he loaded a stack of hyfilms into the nearest container, he looked over at Marn inquiringly. “Any other rumors I should know about before leaving?” he asked, and the scientist chewed at her thumbnail for a moment in thought.