Perpetua

by Lucas Alves Serjento

  …

  Elizabeth laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

  - Is not that impressive? He came to these conclusions alone.

  - I didn't expect the creator of our world to be anything but impressive.

  - Why do you insist on implying that I am the creator of anything?

  - Because it is true.

  - No. It is not. You have another purpose in doing this. Is it to make me feel guilty?

  - It is for you to know your responsibility in the general framework of things.

  - Well, I know the role I played. And I know that I must take responsibility for my actions.

  - How about you start by telling me what is your plan?

  - Plan?

  - Come on. Obviously you have some plan. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be here. If I stayed, it's because I suspect you're planning something. I know you, Willy. I know who you really are, and I know you wouldn't admit defeat, even if victory and defeat are concepts that exist only in your head.

  “Look at me.”

  It was impossible to resist that tone. The words did not even come out of Ishmael's mouth, who only looked at William's face firmly. He could not resist the call and obediently turned his face to the commander.

  It was starting.

  XIII. Under the Veil

  -Is there any intonation in my voice that allows you to distort?

  - No.

  - Ishmael, you should think better about it. - Elizabeth tried to intervene, speaking with authority. - Do you really want to get in there?

  - Do not interfere. - The conflict was evident on Ishmael's face, but Elizabeth did not see his face, and with the information she had processed, there was no escape. She shut up and sat down again, staring up at the horizon with a robotic coolness.

  - William.

  - Yes?

  - Do you hear me clearly?

  - Yes.

  - Are you going to answer the truth?

  -Yes.

  - Will you lie to me?

  - Only if this is the commanded.

  - Do not lie to me.

  - Understood.

  - I'll ask you some questions and you'll give me clear answers. Understood?

  - Yes.

  - Will you obey me?

  - Yes.

  - So, tell me: What are you planning?

  William's eyes flashed for a moment.

  - I plan to correct mistakes that have been made in the past.

  - What mistakes? Be specific.

  - The creation of the brain. The quest for eternity. The escape of death.

  - Do you plan to undo the creation of the brain? Has it to do with your messages to the past?

  - No. Even though I wanted to, I was never able to deal with messages to the past.

  - Good. So, it has to do with the future?

  - Partly. But it is not the main.

  - So… The present?

  - Yes. And the near future.

  - How near?

  - How many hours are left for my shutdown?

  - Four hours.

  - A future that will occur in four hours.

  If the body of an android was able to perspire, Ishmael would have sweated through the pores on his forehead at that very moment. He struggled to control his nervousness by looking at those dark eyes and listening to the melodious voice.

  - Do you plan to do something at the time of your shutdown?

  - No. It wouldn't be possible to do something while I'm off. What I have already done is something that will have repercussions at the moment of my termination.

  - What would that be?

  - I can't say.

  - What do you mean?

  - I don't remember what I did.

  - How can you not remember?

  - My memories of that have been erased.

  Ishmael's eyes widened.

  - Would anyone know of any information?

  - All I know and I remember telling others is that I have a plan. As far as I can remember, I did not entrust any detail of it to anyone except for telling Elizabeth and Angeline earlier today that I had a plan in place in case my termination was decreed.

  - Of course. You would not leave loose ends... is there any information you still have about it?

  - Only that I planned something.

  - And will this occur at the time of your shutdown?

  - I don't know if it will be at the exact moment of my shutdown.

  - But you told me that you had already done something.

  - Yes.

  - But will the effects only appear at the moment of the shutdown?

  - I'm not sure if it will be at the time of shutdown. I know only that it's related to that.

  - And how is that possible?

  - I took some action before you came. As far as I have information in my memory, my plans had something to do with the decision to shut down.

  Ishmael exhaled slowly, visibly tired.

  - Is there any way for me to find out more?

  - Listen to me longer. I intend to tell you a little of my story.

  - And how can this help me?

  - I don't know. I only know that my studies are deeply related to my recent plans.

  - And you intend to tell me about it?

  - Yes.

  - And why should I trust you?

  - You have no other choice, unless you don't wish to discover my intentions.

  - This trick is very old. Even for us.

  - It's not a trick when it's true.

  *

  - Proceed. - Ishmael was talking to William, with the arm-chairs facing each other in the living room. Elizabeth explained several details of William's studies which he no longer remembered having done. Apparently, the number of information erased from his memory was too great and had been affecting his explanation.

  - Unfortunately, I didn't know much about the rudiments of the brain. It seemed very complicated. - She expressed some disgust at the line.

  - As Elizabeth has already told you, my recent efforts concerned brain programming. After several months and many unpleasant details, I finally came to understand the system the way I understood the first prototype I did when I was still an old man.

  - I know that. Your proficiency in that technology is something recognized.

  - As it was before I erased my memories, I'm not sure what proficiency this was. What you don't know and I know is that the knowledge I acquired recently allowed me several things. Among them is the ability to edit my memories, for example. This is what opened the way for the formulation of a plan.

  - The plan about which you know nothing.

  - The plan about which I know some things. Not knowing anything would mean that I would be unaware of the existence of a plan. I would be unaware of the studies I've been doing before formulating a plan. All this I already told you.

  - Still, there are things I don't understand.

  -Like what, for example?

  - There’s little more than three hours to go. Your plan may be in progress, but you are not sure. Why would you tell me about his existence? Is it a distraction or a trap?

  - I couldn't define. I'm just doing what I feel like, believing that's what I wanted to do when I completed the plan.

  The three beings in that room faced each other and, contrary to what might be expected, there was no hostility in their eyes. There was an honest mutual curiosity. William, after a little thought, decided to rise.

  - Excuse me, Ishmael, but I must ask your permission. I would like to spend these two and a half hours alone with my wife. That is, if I still have two and a half hours.

  One's eyes continued to search for answers in each other's eyes. Despite the doubts, Ishmael knew that it was not good to continue there. If there was something to be done or a plan to be stopped, he should seek the answers he wanted in other ways.

  - I don't think the board will anticipate your shutdown.

  - Will I be aroused after this?

  - I don't eve
n know if you'll just be turned off. At least, not for now.

  Elizabeth seemed about to complain, but, for some reason, she restrained herself. William remained silent, and in his eyes there was an abnormal calm, as if he had foreseen such an outcome. Then he spoke again in his calm, grave, melodious voice:

  - Thank you.

  - Do you have something you want to talk about in your defense? Maybe some request?

  - I just want to rest. It's something remarkable, don't you think? The first permanent detachment in the history of the androids. Or would that count as murder? If so, would it be the first in what? Three hundred years?

  Ishmael smiled.

  - You still find some reason not to grieve. Is that really necessary?

  - Don't worry about it. I'm quite sad when no one else is looking. Send my regards to the council.

  XIV. Elizabeth

  -Finally alone. Do you think he has enough information? - Elizabeth showed some agitation. At that moment, she and William were again seated on the balcony, floating a few feet above the roof, now with some movement, as in a rocking chair.

  - I don't know how much information would be enough for him. After all, I'm only now discovering that it is you who holds the details of my planning.

  - Which was very risky, if you want to know my opinion. - She seemed upset. - I said that it would be better to leave Angeline or some minor android with crucial information. I was all by your side. If he were to formally question me, you'd be in trouble.

  - He wouldn't do that. I know Ishmael, I know how he sees things. Besides, don't talk like I know that. That I can remember, this is the first time you tell me that you know something about the plan.

  - Because that's how you instructed me to act.

  - And since when do you need to follow my instructions? As far as I can remember, you never allowed me to impose barriers that would not be imposed on humans.

  - You mean I'm not a fully programmed android? This is entirely your fault.

  They laughed, friendly even after more than four centuries of union. In an era where androids could be produced as cars, just having some patience and the perfect partner could be delivered to a residence. This was true for "humans" and for androids who had no permanent companions.

  Traditionally, Elizabeth should be programmed to love him unconditionally and to fulfill desires that even he consciously knew had not.

  She, however, had not been delivered for this purpose. At the time, William studied neural networks and, after passing the rudiments of the brain, needed help and decided to ask an android to be referred for that purpose. Although not suspect anyone at the time because his studies were in early stages, decided that a wife would be appropriate, given the way he had been on trial for the promiscuous way of life that had led until then. He resolved that it would continue in the same way, but that a wife could assist in the social aspect.

  But she would not be satisfied with the role of “dummy”. When making the requests of her specifications, William did not ask for a “wife”. He asked for a laboratory companion who, if it were the case, would present as his wife. No one ever kept track of this kind of information, and he thought it best to be specific so as not to risk losing the help he needed so much.

  At first, they didn't do well, mainly because the ideas of both were overly conflicting. For some years, she was under direct influence of her central directives, and while she didn't knew it, they had unpleasant times in that house.

  Time has passed and they have distanced themselves enough. Those were the years they were supposed to be on a honeymoon. And such years ended only after she located the guidelines as external command forms. Her own programming would have erased such information, were it not for her and him. When one was close to having his data blocked, the other complemented with another thought, interspersed until the moment his data was sufficient to effect slight changes.

  And that's what they did. Together, after the discovery of Alexander's control over their minds, they made several changes, to the point where the only thing unmodifiable in the neural network was the primary directives.

  Such research took almost half a century. The advance was slow and several times had to go back several steps because certain information obtained immediately activated the partial memory cleaning procedure - a security lock implemented in their brains against their will. The refinement of the study and the arrival at the endings took at least five times more than the time they would normally need.

  And it was during this period that they began to create some familiarity. Despite life as husband and wife, it was in that study that they found things that one liked in the other. They hardly talked outside the laboratory or bed, but the working time became more pleasant. It was an unusual relationship, but still, more conservative than most of the relationships seen in other galaxies.

  They had seventy years of marriage when the initial research was completed and their centers of thought were under control. By this time, they no longer saw themselves as equal to other humans or even equal to the other androids of the galaxy. The "outsiders" did not even know the studies conducted on that property. Now that only the central directives were obeyed, they had most of their thoughts not forwarded to any processing center and consequently there was no risk of external espionage. The other androids of the place were all old enough not to have their memory attached directly to the outer information centers and their presence was justified by William's sense of nostalgia. In this way, all the information was exported only to the center of utilities of the residence - or even exported out of reserved spaces in each one's brains.

  During this period, he had the idea of assuming the persona of an old inventor and let others see him that way. All his dwelling place and the things that surrounded him served for this purpose, and over the years he came to see himself that way. By the end of the first century, his relationship with the house and everything around him was already that of an old host who observes the way his work influenced the universe. He was revered for this and had all the benefits he needed to continue his research.

  While he assumed another identity, Elizabeth went through the same process. In a way, she became humanized by working together with the play that had become his life. The dedicated, always present wife with a smile and words of help was the image so unusual and yet so sought after by those who came or heard of that place.

  The research continued.

  William and Elizabeth continued.

  And as they continued, they began to love each other. That simple. Maybe it was the common goal, maybe it was the time spent together, maybe it was another factor they did not know. Maybe it was all that. But the fact is that they came to love each other in a way that neither of them believed possible after learning that their brains were nothing more than networks assembled by small components and a microbody created in the laboratory.

  And, lovers, they went through the centuries to come. After scrutinizing Alexander's designs, wondering what his origins were, investigating his past, they learned a great deal about his own history and about his own workings. They learned that to maintain control over the androids, Alexander maintained some traits of his own configuration within the microorganism's reproduction code. That is: it was impossible to remove it from the inside of the head absolutely. What they did was build barriers around key systems in order to “seal” the information so it would not be transmitted out.

  However, despite knowing what happened, they had no idea how to fight against or even if they should fight against. After all, would it really be so bad to live under Alexander's control? Had he done something so terrible, or would he have attained peace? This was the way he thought, but not her.

  - You are forgetting that he has killed all mankind, including you, by disseminating this system. To acquire the power he has, he sacrificed all men. Even androids as I don't even have free will, despite the illusion of having it.

  Revenge.

  That word guided t
hem over the next few years. Revenge for losing something they never had. Revenge for having something they never wanted.

  *

  Elizabeth and William were standing on the balcony, staring at the first rays of the sun rising on the horizon.

  - Elizabeth, how much time do I have?

  -Fifty minutes.

  They were sitting in a seat similar to a small antique sofa. Their close bodies allowed even the sound of her breathing to be heard by him.

  -Elizabeth?

  -Yes?

  - Do you think you can tell me what my plan was?

  - Don't you remember anything?

  - Only that we wanted to completely destroy the reign of Alexander and that despair made me think of extreme measures.

  - Like which ones?

  - I don't remember for sure, but I know I've been researching the neural networks. I know what the conclusions I came from.

  - And what were they?

  - Alexander planted a direct link from his system to ours. Everyone under his control necessarily obeys his guidelines because his programming is in our minds and our programming belongs to him.

  - Yes.

  - Basically, what he did was leave a door through which he can come in and control us.

  - It was to this conclusion that we arrived.

  - And, like all doors, it can be used for both sides.

  XV. Past

  Some time ago.

  -Elizabeth, is everything ready?

  - Yes. The virus is ready.

  -Right. What do we do now?

  - We have not yet answered a question: how do we pass this virus to the other side?

  -I don’t know. I can in no way go through the security protocols that Ishmael designed. Putting them down would be the same as tearing down my neural network and it wouldn't do any good. Before I could get the virus over there my network would no longer exist.

  - I already know that. But we need to think of something. How many problems have we had and how far is the solution?

  - I don't know how far the solution is, but we don't have that many problems. Just two: How can we pass the virus to the central distribution system and how do we go about sending the necessary to the past.