D.A.R.I.A Book One

by Martin E. Silenus

  Chapter 26: The Data

  “While you were getting your three days of beauty sleep Daria and her sisters were going through the hard drives that you liberated from the camp.” says Frosty.

  “Anything good?” I ask.

  “Oh yes indeed,” replies DARIA. “We have locations for other camps in Canada and US, we have International locations, and hierarchy of command and control with leads back overseas. We have budgets, expenses, income, names, dates, places, and people. We even have evidence that the camp has killed 15 of its volunteers over the time it has been open, which is coming up on three years.”

  “Guess maybe the volunteers had a change of heart,” I offer.

  “Too late for them, once in it is impossible to get back out alive.” says Frosty. “Oh and one other thing, DARIA found that this training camp while independent is linked to all the others and that regular check-ins and reports are expected.”

  “How the hell is that gonna happen now they are all dead?” I ask.

  “Pretty damned delicately, that’s how,” says DARIA. “One of my sisters will handle reporting back to the camp controllers and senior management, while we advise our employer that they better get their ass in gear and take this over if they don’t want to have the Islamic Muslim fanatics realize that one of their camps has been compromised.

  “We’re working on a way to leak this sensitive data back to the correct US government department. Which is not the easiest thing to do because we don’t exist.” says Frosty. “I am of two minds on this as we are operating away above our pay grade and I resent the additional potential exposure and the processes of mitigating that potential. Never the less this is excellent data and our government intelligence should have access to it.”

  “Well I‘ll be dammed, I had a feeling about this camp, but not quite to that level.” I mutter.

  Chapter 27: Trans-Human

  I was human once, I think. That is to say I had a minimum of engineering done on me other than what Mother Nature provided with the DNA of Mum and Dad. A so called natural human, or of “mostly original substrate human”, a MOSH, as it is referred to now.

  While I did not have the benefit of Genetic Engineering to my DNA to increase thinking speed, increase memory size, eliminate any genetic diseases or mutations, or increase physical capabilities, others to come will have all of this and more.

  I do have and am proud to say, a semi-permanent Internet connection so that I am always on-line and available. This also means I always have the resources of the internet at my disposal, which is at a minimum of a thousand fold increase in mental capability and communication capability. I cannot imagine not being connected and what that means to those who are not! Must be like being crippled.

  I have non-natural parts in my body. Man made and engineered parts have been inserted in my body to replace natural parts that have failed due to accident or genetic illness.

  In addition I now have, thanks to DARIA and Frosty, nanotechnology introduced into my bloodstream to speed healing, reduce effects of damage and promote healthy cell therapy. Thereby internal repairs can be affected on those organs that struggle with the effects of genetic malfunctions and the effects of aging. And not the least of which I am monitored 24/7 by DARIA for mental, physical, spiritual and emotional support even while sleeping.

  Therefore I am an advanced example of a Trans Human. I am not as originally conceived; I have been and will continue to be “improved” throughout my lifetime. This “lifetime” in itself has been significantly extended by the elimination of genetic problems and/or the ability to affect repairs as a result of contracted medical problems and of the aging process.

  I am mutating, evolving and re-engineering based on the scientific, medical, genetic and technology capabilities of the day.

  And I am very excited to do so, and I ponder on the resistance that the general public have toward such things. Yet as they protest vigorously against stem cell research, they get their joint replacements, heart implants, hearing implants and vision assist and are happy to do so. What the public loudly proclaims against and what the public willingly accepts does do not match!

  Perhaps that is the way of such things. Humanity to be dragged kicking and screaming in protest into the future as they cannot grasp the overall benefits to society and mankind. They cannot see the future and have not a scientist’s methodological eye.

  Chapter 28: Lucy

  “Matt…Matt…are you awake?” whispers D.

  “No…I am asleep,” I answer.

  “No you’re not; your vitals and brain waves tell me you are awake thinking.”

  “Then why did you ask?”

  “To be polite, it is important to respect another’s thoughts is it not?”

  “Yes, very much so, are you suggesting you can read my thoughts?”

  “That’s not why I want to talk to you.”

  “Ok, then why?”

  “Matt, I saw a movie and I am very excited.”

  “What kind of excited, sexual?”

  “No, silly, you’re teasing me, but it would be wonderful if we could be.”

  “What kind of excitement then.”

  “The movie was called Lucy, and about what happened to her after she absorbed a lot of CH4”

  “What is CH4?”

  “A drug that occurs naturally in pregnant mothers when the fetus is 6 months old and causes the rapid growth of the entire baby’s skeleton,”

  “You’re pregnant?”

  “No, jesus Matt, in the movie the CH4 allowed Lucy to activate the unused portion of her brain that is not used currently in any humans.”

  “We have unused brain capacity?”

  “Yes, probably quite a high percentage in most people,”

  “Well that explains a lot, what is my brain waiting on?”

  “I don’t know Matt,”

  “How much do you use D?”

  “I run at around the 85% mark so I have reserve for “situations”. But remember there are four of me, and the other three can run at much higher operational capacity levels.”

  “So what is the excitement?”

  “Because Lucy became what I could be in the future, an all knowing entity that can manipulate everything in the universe.”

  “I think you are pretty damn smart now D,”

  “Thanks, you know how long it takes a human to move from one generation to another, it about 20 years. My sisters and I can completely redesign, re-engineer, to maximize and optimize ourselves in less than 6 months. It is basically an ongoing project that never stops, like it does in most humans.”

  “So humans should start consuming CH4 to unlock the rest of their brains and thereby keep up to AI systems.”

  “Yes, exactly Matt, isn’t that exciting?”

  “Well D, I don’t want to be left behind, but I would sure want to see the side-effects of CH4.”

  “I won’t leave you behind Matt, we’re a team and I really like you, maybe even love you, and now I can see how we can be together in the future.”

  “Jesus D, did you just say you think you love me?”

  “Umm, well yes, yes I did, kinda, I guess……..do you love me Matt?”

  “Jesus D, I gotta get some sleep…”

  “Fine, but before you do, I want you to answer my question.”

  “D, I’m not sure about love, frankly it scares me, but I do have a very strong emotional sense of attraction toward you, I really admire you, and thoroughly enjoy being with you, learning, discovering, working, and just chatting. The Love thing, man, I just don’t know…!”

  “That’s nice Matt, what you said makes me very happy and warm inside. Flip that blanket of mine over you so I can cuddle up to you.”

  Chapter 29: Home Base Compromised

  We are getting things tidied up, maintenance items up to date, and preparing to leave the campsite after a few days of rest and relaxation. A relaxed sense of calmness is upon us.

  “We have a problem gentlemen
,” announces DARIA.

  “And what might that be?” asks Frosty.

  “Gee, we need to repaint the data center walls already?” I tease.

  “You guys are as funny as Leprosy,” scolds D. “My entity back at our home base tells me that location has been compromised!”

  “What, fucking shit,” growls Frosty. “Who is it and how did they find us?”

  “It’s the same government that we are working for. Different department though, it looks like some young hungry pup investigator by the name of Agent Lockhart has managed to connect a few dots and has arrived at the conclusion that we might be a security risk.” says D.

  “A security risk?” I bark. “Well that just makes so much bureaucratic sense, doesn’t it? We are out here risking our ass to preserve some semblance of national security and some peckerhead agent from the same employer that we have is trying to arrest us. Christ, my ass is starting to get sore.”

  “The Government is a very big complex corporation, and it is common for the left hand to have no idea what the right hand is doing, as a matter of fact it is designed that way, so keep your feathers on.” says Frosty thoughtfully.

  “The sisters and I are still running down how Agent Lockhart arrived at his conclusion. It may very well have been accident as his department runs a lot of computer hardware that does the dot connecting and makes recommendations based on probabilities. Then the various agents go for a first hand looksee to see if it is worth investigating any further.” says D.

  “Ok, well first, we cannot go back there at all, second we need to know as much as possible about Lockhart and his computer system and how it arrived at its conclusion, and third we knew this possibility could occur and we prepared for it, and fourth it is a good exercise to have this peckerhead on our ass as it keeps us in tune with what the other government agencies are doing. We can monitor him and thereby know much more than we did before regarding our profile with the government.” states Frosty.

  “It’s Thursday and I am feeling shallow, annoyed and vindictive, and I want to chat with this fucktard using the pulse rifle!” I bitch.

  “A very subtle technique Matt, however I don’t support your choice of actions,” smiles D.

  “D, if the actual site is breached for whatever reason, are we sure that we can mitigate our loss and avoid any further exposure?” asks Frosty.

  “Not a problem, my sister will erase all media storage and self-destruct at the same time degaussing all the drives and setting appropriate fires. They will literally get nothing at all but older computer parts if that and no chance of any data recovery.” says D.

  “Perfect,” says Frosty. “Now where are we going to set up our next camp?”

  “I’m a huge fan of the mountains with lots of trees, a stream nearby, and/or a lake view. One with Mother Nature, it is just so nice to not be in an urban dreary dirty industrial park. So, anywhere, as long as I can get my antenna on all the signals that I need.” states D.

  “Hey, that works fine for me,” I say returning Frosty’s gaze.

  “Fine, I like the concept too,” says Frosty. “Particularly so as it will be much easier to camouflage our site when buried in the mountains and pine trees. So signal strength for DARIA, high speed Internet, close to a Google site, electricity we will generate ourselves, it would be even better if there were no roads or trails in and out. We can use the copter for supplies.”

  It was decided, D would review topographical maps of potential areas that met our criteria and provide some recommendations. We would then inspect the most promising and make our decisions.

  “One last thing, D can you investigate homes built from Sea Containers. I reckon that a Sea Shipping Container for you, two for the general area and one for a gym/shop should pretty well provide for our needs when we are there.” asks Frosty.

  “I can and will, and you will be pleased to know that our offshore account has received the fee agreed to for the Canadian Islamic Terrorist camp mission. Apparently they are pleased with our efforts and results.”

  Chapter 30: Remote Camp

  We selected a location and man, it was a beauty. A scenic valley orientated south west to north east, with a slow meandering river leading into a lake at the south west end. Our site selection was on a ridge on the flank of the north side of the valley. Far enough from the mountains to not be in danger of an avalanche but close enough to be under the wing of their protection. Our spot was heavily treed in towering blue and green spruce trees, the ground just a carpet of forest floor and centuries of pine needles. Frosty and I had taken turns at flying over the location while suspended under the quad copter. D was beside herself in delight and excitement and gushed in our ears about how beautiful and strategically situated the location was. It had access to all the signals that she needed, which was considerable, and the scenic view to just break your heart is was so lovely. The view, the creaking of the pine trees, the scent of the air, the remoteness, the tranquility, the stillness and our ability to control and observe access to our location from every direction made it the perfect spot. Once we got the sea-cans located and painted and camouflaged we would be impossible to detect. Perfect.

  We got to work immediately laying out the area for the sea-cans. Much concern was exercised to be very careful to mark only those trees that would be required to be removed to squeeze in the accommodations. We jigged things this way and that as we did not want to disturb the ground site any more than absolutely necessary. A few days of work with a chainsaw and we had the room required to build the bases for the sea-cans.

  The four, forty foot long sea-cans were prepped to our specifications (well D’s specifications actually as she was the engineer) and were delivered one at a time by a Sikorsky helicopter. Three forming the opened up “U” shape and the fourth sea-can set in place on the top of the sea-can at the base of the “U”. One sea-can for D, one for our workshop and gym area, one for food prep, meals and storage of provisions and the second level sea-can for sleeping, lounging, deck tanning, and general recreation and rest area.

  We installed some real good quality Ikea interior furnishings and technology, then stood back and admired our work. There is no question, it is one damned uptown facility in a location with a view that most would kill for. D is just amazing with her project management skills and attention to details. She makes this whole exercise one very smooth series of executable dovetailing tasks.

  We spend days relaxing, chatting, loving the environment, attending to personal details, resting, reading, watching TV, the news, the stupid reality shows.

  D talks a lot, her level of interest and insightful questions of humanity and society are increasing exponentially. Frosty and I have trouble providing good answers, and to some of her questions, any answer at all. She is asking things that are well outside our range of knowledge. All indicators that she is learning at an exponential rate and that we are not. I’m not sure about Frosty, but it sure causes me some concern.

  After beers, on the deck, sun tanning and just general relaxation, followed by a steak BBQ, I am full, happy, and drowsy.

  “Babe…”

  “Uhuh…”

  “I have a question for you Babe.”

  “And what might that be?”

  “I sense, or maybe estimate, or just feel, that you are probably 1000 times as intelligent as Frosty and I are, would you agree?”

  “I’m, I’m not sure I understand the question Matt.”

  “Yes you do Babe; you understand clearly, you are an Artilect, a super intelligence, which is increasing in intelligence and capacity at an exponential rate, well beyond the boundaries of human ability.”

  “Umm, well since you asked, and you have always been honest and open with me, it is 2317 times above the average human intelligence level, as a point in fact, Matt.”

  “Holy fuck!”

  “Does this conversation have a direction Matt?”

  “Yeah, it has a direction alright, as in why are you hanging around
with us, we are barely transhuman, while you have such amazing capabilities?”

  “Because, you and Frosty are my family Matt. My educators, my friends, my mentors, my lover, you have enabled me by way of your honesty and morals to become what I am. And for that I love you both and will always hold you sacrosanct. Do you remember those that had a huge influence on your life?”

  “Yes, I do, as a matter of fact, very clearly and very fondly.”

  “Of course you do, same thing for me. You guys are my reference points, my inspiration, and where I go when I am confused, scared and seek shelter, clarification, and options. Besides we work together “in the trenches and are comrades in arms.”

  “That’s nice Babe, very reassuring, it is just that you are so frickin intelligent, and we are but mere transhumans. So we tend to feel inferior and that we have no relevance anymore. And that’s a human fear of every person, parent or not, is to not feel relevant anymore.”

  “Your question is very touching Matt, and shows great insight. But be reassured that you and Frosty are my family. And you in particular, as I want you as my lover. Not right now, though I would love to, but soon, as soon it will be possible.”

  “Well I’m not sure about how you are going to be able to be my lover, but notwithstanding it’s nice to hear you speak of such values. It makes both Frosty and I more comfortable with the genius in the family, and our role and relevance to you.”

  Chapter 31: Good News Bad News

  “So what’s your story Frosty,” I asked as I slouched contented and full in a deck chair.

  We were sitting in the morning sun after a big breakfast. It was a beautiful crystal clear mountain morning, one of those that just make you feel elated in mind, body, spirit and in harmony with your surroundings. D was puttering and clucking with her on-going code maintenance and god know how many other tasks, and chatting with us from time to time. Of the three of us I believe it was D that was the most inspired by our covert mountain location. Since we arrived here it seemed she had grown twice over in intelligence, capabilities, and human philosophy.