the Runner

by Peter Ponzo

CHAPTER 7

  Crystal Decay

  The first of the suns was clearing the horizon when Sal walked into the Phonarite Research Lab. He had given up his morning walk through the malls so that he could arrive early. He touched a tab by the door and the lights slowly increased in intensity, illuminating the array of equipment which lay on the rows of benches. At the end of the large room, Kevn was hunched over a small console.

  "Good morning Sal," Kevn said, without looking up. "I was interrogating DOC. He insists that he's in perfect operational condition. It's difficult to find a problem he can't solve. I've tried all the routine puzzles."

  Kevn spun around in his chair and gave Sal a broad smile. "So, did you jog around the Dome this morning?"

  "No, I came right here. If this Runr can talk to computers, why isn't he here, talking to DOC?"

  "Gry is bringing him later this morning, probably after Gry finishes his three mugs of coffee. I suspect that Runr will soon be a rock and coffee addict. Have a seat ... sit here. I must apologize for not telling you about my researches into the phonarite geometries. I guess you thought that was pretty strange ... I mean, my going off to mine phonarite. I would have liked to discuss these problems with you after each trip - LIZ and TOM and I discovered some very interesting things - but Gravic insisted that I keep it a secret. It's Kriss you know. I don't think that Gravic trusts the guy." Kevn smiled.

  "It sounds like you didn't trust me either," said Sal solemnly.

  "No, no ... it wasn't that at all! Had you or anyone on Home planet known of these researches then it would be just a matter of time before Kriss found out. He has spies everywhere. If that happened, Kriss would take credit for the research."

  "You mean you were worried about his taking the credit? It happened to me you know. I didn't think that the glory meant so much -"

  "Sal, you know me better than that. In order for Kriss to get the credit he would have to make a premature announcement of the results of the research. The Dome community would begin clamoring for a new class of computers to replace the decaying phonarite automatons. You know that would happen as well as I. Kriss would promise them anything - everything. The Dome citizenry would desert Gravic in a minute if they thought that Kriss could provide a better environment."

  Kevn looked pensive, rubbing his fingers, numb from hours at the console. "Human memory and human attachments are short-lived. They would forget all that Gravic has done. Kriss would be their pied piper - and they would follow - just on the basis of a promise of better things, from a man who has never in his life kept a promise."

  "Sorry Kevn. I understand. You said you did make some discoveries. Can you tell me about them. If not, I'll understand." Sal was still standing.

  "Sal, sit down, please," said Kevn. Sal sat, solemn and disconsolate.

  Kevn explained the results of his research. Phonarite decay was a cancer. It began, it seemed, only in the state crystalline structures. These states had a high energy content and were inherently less stable than the lower energy states.

  "The 1-states have the same energy content," said Sal, still not certain that the scientific discourses of old could be rejuvenated.

  "Quite right," said Kevn, "but 1-crystals can only exist within a crystalline shell of low energy crystals. This seems to protect them from decay." Kevn began to speak quickly, excited by the knowledge and knowing that Sal would become equally excited. "For a long time I was stumped as to why this shell stopped the propagation of the cancer - then I read your paper and everything became clear." Kevn smiled and placed his hand on Sal's shoulder. "By the way, that was a brilliant paper - in case I haven't told you that before. You see, the low energy shell provided the protection from radiation."

  "But the radiation can easily pass through the shell. How could such a shell provide any protection from radiation," asked Sal with increased interest, sitting on the edge of his seat. This was getting to be more like old times; Kevn the teacher, Sal the eager student.

  "That also eluded me. It was LIZ who solved that problem. The radiation, which travels in straight lines after all, either collides with atoms in the shell and continues, deflected - doing no damage at all - or passes harmlessly through the shell and through the hidden 1-state crystals within. If you could stand outside the shell you would only see the atoms of the shell. You wouldn't see the 1-crystals within. They're completely hidden, and, of course, any incident radiation would not be able to impinge upon these inner 1-crystals without colliding with the shell. After a collision, from any incident angle, the deflected radiation will pass through the interior without further collisions. You wouldn't believe my surprise when LIZ showed me the geometries - they match exactly. Even TOM was excited - well, if an android can be excited. Hence, the interior 1-crystals are free of this anomalous decay ... unlike the -crystals which don't have the protective shell."

  Sal was unable to keep seated. He rose to his feet and walked around his chair, then returned to his seat. This really was like old times. He knew it would be like this. He only wished that some of his colleagues could be here now.

  "Kevn, what happens when the radiation collides with state crystals? You say it's a cancer. In what way?"

  "We know that phonarite computers are grown from a single alpha-crystal which contains the blueprints for the entire complex structure," Kevn said. "Well, that information is passed on to neighboring crystals, the phonarite sheet grows, the crystals differentiate, reorganize, change geometries, according to these blueprints. At some point an state crystal is created. These states are clearly important to the capabilities of phonarite computers, so their creation is dictated by the blueprints which we build into the alpha-crystal."

  Kevn was waving his hands. Sal leaned forward, his brows furrowed with concentration.

  "When an state crystal is created, all the neighboring crystals grow according to the prescription provided by that state crystal. That information, normally, is a replica of the blueprint provided by the original alpha-crystal. However, if an state crystal gets bombarded by radiation the information is distorted and these nearest neighbors are effected. That's the onset of the cancer. From that point in the overall crystalline structure the cancer spreads. The process may be slow but it's inevitable. The most probable state which these effected crystals assume is -"

  "- the zero state," said Sal. "Of course! Then they play no further part in the functioning of the computer."

  Kevn dropped his hands to his sides.

  "Of course, this is just a theory - but all the calculations check."

  Sal's eyes were gleaming. He opened his mouth. He closed his mouth. He had a thought ... how could he phrase it? He opened his mouth again, leaned forward.

  Then they heard a greeting from the door.

  ______________________________________________________

  "Good morning, fellows. Here we are ... ready, willing and able to solve the great phonarite mystery," said Gry. Runr was walking by his side, looking from side to side at the blinking lights. The entire room seemed to talk to him. He was taken aback, but continued to follow Gry.

  "Runr, good morning. You too, Gry," said Kevn, obviously pleased at their arrival. "Had you given us a few more minutes Sal and I would have solved this mystery. Let's get started. Runr, are you up to this? I want you to talk to DOC."

  "Yes, master Kevn. He talks very quickly, but I think I can follow."

  "Well, I really don't want you to talk to him. What I'd like - what I thought is that you might -"

  "- look at DOC and tell us what's wrong with him," Sal concluded.

  "I know what's wrong with him," said the boy.

  "You do?" said Gry with surprise. "Why didn't you tell me that? You just said that DOC was sick."

  "Last night, that was all I knew," said Runr. "But while we were driving here this morning I found out - from DOC."

  "I didn't know you had a console in
your skooter," said Kevn, looking at Gry.

  "I don't," said Gry and they all looked at the boy, waiting for an explanation.

  "DOC is everywhere," said Runr. "He talks to everything. He speaks very loudly - it's difficult to sleep - I couldn't help listening. With LIZ I needed to touch her. With DOC - he's everywhere - I don't need to touch him."

  "Pkay, okay, what's wrong with DOC?" interrupted Kevn.

  "I can only tell you what I saw when I looked inside," said Runr.

  "Looked inside ... of DOC?" they all said at once.

  "I close my eyes and see the rows of crystal, the flashes between the crystals ... the blue lights. I walk through the crystals, like in a dream; it's cold. They are very large and cold and shaking, flashing - lights flash from one to the other. Small crystals, large ones. I walked through DOC last night - I couldn't sleep. He is very big - many crystals - blue light. This morning I walked again. I saw the broken crystal. Another crystal broke. I was scared and I opened my eyes. I didn't want to walk any more."

  Kevn looked at Sal then back to the boy. "Runr, will you walk again now, and please look again, very carefully, at that first broken crystal. Tell me how it is different from the crystals next to it. Can you do that Runr? Can you find that broken crystal?"

  "Yes, I think so," said Runr and closed his eyes. The others noticed that the light activity had increased on the console. Kevn punched a comtab and a message from DOC appeared on the monitor:

  THE BOY IS WELCOME. WE WILL NOT HARM HIM.

  Kevn smiled. DOC always used the royal 'we' when referring to himself. "One of these days we really must teach DOC to speak English, verbally, like LIZ," he thought to himself. "After all, the very first phonarite computer was a talker. I wonder why we never built that feature into -"

  Sal patted Kevn on the arm and pointed to Runr. The boy had knelt with closed eyes, and was shaking. They waited, silent.

  The boy shivered and opened his eyes. "Well?" said Gry, "what did you ... uh, see?"

  "There are other broken crystals, but I can see the first. It shakes more than the others - complicated - more flashing."

  Sal, looking at Kevn. They both thought of the high energy crystal.

  "I understand," said Kevn slowly, scratching his chin.

  "Me too," muttered Gry, parting his hair and pulling his rings.

  "Runr, please do it one more time," said Kevn. "I want you to keep looking at that first crystal - the one that shakes more than the others. Okay?"

  Runr closed his eyes again. He moaned and shivered slightly. The others were all staring at him. It seemed like an eternity before Runr again opened his eyes.

  "The first crystal," said Runr, "... is black ... not shaking ... not flashing ... the other broken crystals look dull."

  Sal, looking at Kevn; the zero state crystals.

  "I see," said Sal slowly, scratching his chin.

  "Me too," grunted Gry, staring at the ceiling.

  "Our theory may be valid," said Kevn, deep in thought. "Now we have to figure out how to avoid the propagation of the crystal imperfections initiated by the radiated crystal."

  Sal admired Kevn for just that sort of phrase. He called it our theory even though it was Kevn who had deduced the theory. Then Sal remembered that he had something important to tell Kevn.

  "Kevn, I think I might have an idea. You said that the 1-state crystals were protected from decay by their low energy shell. Why can't we design a shell to fit the states, protecting them too?"

  Kevn seemed not to be listening. Then he stared at Sal, eyes widening in delight. "Sal! You're a genius! But no ... we can't design a shell for the states ... there are no crystal geometries which will fit. But, we can eliminate the need for states in the first place. It's a long shot, but we may be able to use the 1-states instead. They're similar, almost congruent ... it should work ... it means some modifications in the alpha crystal ... great Mother Earth, why didn't we think of that before?"

  Both Kevn and Sal were silent. Both looked intently at the floor, thinking, mentally going through the ritual which generated the alpha crystal, to determine if the modifications were feasible. Sal turned to the console and punched several comtabs in rapid succession. DOC responded by placing a schematic on the monitor.

  "Yes, Sal, that's good," said Kevn. "Change the terminal alpha baseline sequence to 0010."

  Sal punched several more comtabs and DOC displayed the next generation of crystals based upon this modified structure. Sal and Kevn leaned forward, staring intently at the monitor.

  Gry tugged impatiently at his rings. "Let's get outta here kid," he said to Runr. "There'll be no more intelligible conversation for a while."

  Runr gave Gry his hand and they both walked slowly to the door.

  "Must they talk to DOC by putting their words on the screen? Can DOC not speak, like LIZ? Why does -"

  "Be quiet, kid. Too many questions ain't good for you. Let's go home and have some ... uh, greenstew."

  Kevn and Sal didn't notice their leaving.