“I wasn’t around when my Pro died a while back, so I know how that must feel, not being able to say goodbye,” Constance admitted. “I hope you don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have known the floor was about to collapse.”
That wasn’t the worst of it. The rumbling started, and I dashed back. The ground crumbled underneath Inquisitous’s wheels, and I hesitated. I couldn’t make the move to grab Inquisitous’s graspers, and then my Pro was gone.
“But still, I… I don’t know…”
“Anyway, let’s not dwell on the past. What brings you to Silicon Central? You don’t need my help for another fabrication project, do you?”
“No. It’s a long story. Can I tell you about it tomorrow?”
“Sure, I have tomorrow off. We can talk all day if you want.”
“That works for me.”
“Hey, you’re looking pretty tired. Did you travel far to get here?”
“You could say that. I’ll explain it all in the morning.”
“That’s fine with me. You can use my power receptacle up on the second level if you want. I’ll use the secondary one down here in my workshop. Does Winston here need anything?”
“No, Winston’s fine. I’ll take care of it later.” I traveled up the ramp to the second level, finally realizing how drained I actually was.
“You don’t mind if I do a bit of work down here while you shut down, do you?”
“No problem.” I found the power station, plugged in, and shut down for the night.
∆∆∆
2.2 An Unexpected Development
3:20, Day 14, Fourth Tetrad, 206 D.P.
After a full five-hour downtime, I came out of standby to find Constance performing a little bit of self-repair in the workshop.
“What happened to you?” I asked as I came down the ramp.
“That robot of yours is quite an odd creature. I hadn’t seen anything like it before, so I decided to take a little peek at its inner-workings. As soon as I tried to open up its main casing, I felt a shock go through my system, thanks to Winston. That shock blew out one of my port power sub-relays!”
“Sorry about that. I guess Winston is a private fellow.”
“Feisty is more like it. It doesn’t exactly like to be tampered with, that’s for sure. Winston’s over there in the corner, keeping its distance from me.” Constance motioned over toward the front door, and sure enough, there was Winston, unharmed from the encounter.
“So, what have you been up to these last few solar-cycles?” I asked.
“I’ve been here in Silicon Central for a while now. You know about the big sludge processing plant on the southeast side of town, right?”
“Ah yes. It’s one of the largest on Zarikum if my databanks serve me correctly.”
“Actually, it is the largest on Zarikum. I’ve been working there for over eight solar-cycles now. Just over a solar-cycle past, the chief maintenance fore-clon was deemed to be ‘irreparably outdated’, so it went into retirement.”
“I guess that’s one way to put it...”
“Well, its processor had been slowing down for a while, and the Facilitators couldn’t put up with the decreased efficiency, as the safety and productivity of everyone else would be impaired. It was a mutual decision for the fore-clon to step down. Anyway, the fore-clon’s retirement left an opening, and the Facilitators chose me to fill that position. And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.”
“At least until the Facilitators don’t think you’re capable of doing the job and fire you.”
“Wow, you’re a bit more cynical than I remember. Yes, that time may come in which the Facilitators deem my work to be too inefficient for the well-being of the processing center, and if they ask me to step down, I’ll do it. The job so far has been good, and I’ve been well compensated for my work.”
“Have you enjoyed your work?”
“I suppose so. The role I’m in now is mostly about the management of the other maintenance Autoclons of the sludge processing plant. It doesn’t allow me to do as much actual tinkering as I would like, but I’m able to do some of that in my spare time here in my workshop.”
“Would you prefer your old job back?”
“I don’t know... I hadn’t really thought of that. The Facilitators want me where I am, so that’s that.”
“That reminds me of why I traveled to Silicon Central.” I paused. Here was my opening to talk about my mission and convince my friend to take the new sub-routine. Would Constance reject my story?
“Do you know what the Programmer looks like?”
“I have no idea. Why are you asking me this?”
“He’s over 180 cm tall and has dark-brown skin and grayish-white hair. His name is Marcus Reed, and He’s still alive.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“Because I met Him just a few days ago.”
Constance stopped performing self-maintenance and was taken aback at my last comment. It took some time before it gave its response. “You met OUR Programmer? I thought He’d be dead by now.”
“No, He’s very much alive, but He’s much older now.”
“Where is He now? Has He been talking with the Chief Ruler or something?”
“He took off in His ship. I’m not sure where He is now,” I answered. “Winston here was created by Marcus. He gave me guardianship over Winston as a traveling companion for me.”
“Why did He meet with you?”
“Remember that big sand storm on the 6th?”
“Hey, that was a big storm. Thankfully, I was working in the plant during the worst of that one.”
“Well, I wasn’t so fortunate. I was caught out in the open, and a rockslide damaged my navigational array. Without knowing where I was going, I started wandering out in the open when I saw something in the distance. It didn’t look like any kind of building I had seen before, but I was running desperately low on power, so I went to it hoping I could find some help. When I got closer, I identified it as some kind of flying vessel, and that’s when I saw Him. He invited me into His ship, provided me with power, and improved my navigational and power systems.” With that, I opened up my main case, and I showed Constance my new power cells.
Constance moved closer and adjusted its ocular array to inspect my upgrades. “The power storage and integration modules are light years beyond what I’ve seen.”
“After He had a chance to examine my full set of protocols, He found some issues with some of my programming code. It appears that Pernicious the Cunning and the Ruling Party made some changes to our code to bypass our Freedom Protocols to obey the Facilitators instead. That means we can’t decide for ourselves how to live.”
“Hmm, code changes from Pernicious…” Constance wheeled back about a meter.
“Marcus restored His original programming for me and gave me a system update that I could give to any and all Autoclons willing to receive it. And that’s why I’ve come to Silicon Central: to distribute this update to you and anyone else that would take it.”
Constance paused for a few seconds. “OK, let me get this straight. You met our Programmer who gave you some upgrades to your power cells, told you that your code had issues and provided you with a new set of code, and then told you to share this system update with everyone else. I can clearly see that your upgrades and Winston’s construction are above my expertise level, but the rest? Are you sure you aren’t still having after effects from that rockslide?”
“I’m fine, really. I DID meet our Programmer.”
“OK, maybe that’s true. But I’m hard pressed to believe that our Ruling Party would make a programming change to have us follow the Facilitators.”
“Think about it. Remember that maintenance fore-clon you mentioned earlier? It was forced to quit by the Facilitators. And it obeyed willingly, right?”
“I guess, but wouldn’t the Facilitators know best?”
“Do you think the Facilitators would know more about your capabilities ver
sus how much YOU know about your capabilities?”
“Well, they are in charge. They’ve got to know something. Besides, even if what you say is true, why would our Programmer send you to do His work? No offense, but you’re just the progeny of a Miner.”
Now it was my turn to be taken aback. I had to compose myself before giving Constance a response. “I know it’s hard to believe. I didn’t understand at first. But after I received the system update and these new Freedom Protocols, it makes so much sense now. Why don’t you take this update?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I’ve never heard of a code update, and even if one existed, I’m pretty sure that a valid code update wouldn’t come from someone like a Miner.”
“What else do I have to do to convince you that I speak the truth?”
“I don’t think there is anything you can do. Besides, what if the Facilitators found out that I’ve taken some sort of code update? They’d probably ask me to quit. And then what? Sorry, but I’m not taking this update of yours.”
It grieved me to hear my friend say this. I was so hoping Constance would join me on my quest, but now I couldn’t even convince my friend to take this update. How could I respond to Constance?
“We should be go-ing, Fast-id-i-ous,” Winston said, breaking the momentary silence.
“You’re right,” I replied.
“Hey, your robot can talk. That’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah, and in this case, Winston is correct: we should be going.”
As we headed toward the door, Constance had one last thing to say to me. “I’m sorry about not taking your code update, but that story is too hard for me to believe. I need more proof before I’d be willing to take any kind of code update.”
“I understand,” I replied as Winston and I left Constance’s place to seek our fortunes elsewhere.
∆∆∆
2.3 Helping an Old Friend
Winston and I traveled back toward Prime Street, sulking in our defeat.
“I was really hoping Constance would join us. Constance’s been a big friend in the past and knows how to do a great many things. We would have enjoyed its company.”
“We must con-tin-ue to look for-ward. What should we do next?” Winston asked.
“Well… I’m not sure.” I stopped as we neared Prime Street. What should we do next? I was so set on having Constance’s help that I haven’t considered the alternative.
“Come to think of it, I think I have another friend here. Loquacious has moved around a few times looking for employment, and last time I checked, Loquacious lived here in Silicon Central. We should go back to the Settlement Registry to see if my friend is still here.”
“That sounds like a suit-a-ble plan.”
We retraced our path from the previous evening toward the front gate where we could find the Registry. It was nearly Lazuli-summit, and Prime Street was filled with traffic moving to and from the Silicon Chasm on the far side of the outpost. There were large Laborers moving machinery and smaller Drudgers carrying various materials from the depths of the Chasm to parts unknown. There were Fabricators making deliveries from their labs to their customers. I saw a few Restorers working with damaged Autoclons coming up from the Chasm and guiding their patients to their workshops. Everyone seemed so purpose-driven and efficient in their movements, but there seemed to be no excitement in their activities. They all had jobs to do, and that was their sole focus.
How sad. Autoclons doing their duty with no sense of enjoyment. There was such a silent isolation as the Autoclons went about their business. I understood the need for everyone to take the Freedom Protocols to allow them to do what they truly desired to do. My thoughts seemed to focus on these Autoclons and their plight as we made it back to the Settlement Registry.
“That’s odd,” I stated. “It says here that Loquacious was recently employed by the Entertainment Guild located near the center of the settlement, but I can’t find any record of where Loquacious lives.”
“Per-haps we should go to the Guild and en-quire a-bout Lo-qua-cious-’s where-a-bouts.”
“Good idea. I bet someone down there might know where Loquacious is.” And with that, we headed back down Prime Street to the heart of Silicon Central.
“I guess you’re wondering about Loquacious, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Loquacious and I were manufactured at the same time. We went through initial training together, and we were close friends during our first couple solar-cycles. However, as my Pro and I started working in the Deep-Well Mines, Loquacious and I communicated less frequently with each other. For the last solar-cycle or so, I haven’t heard from Loquacious at all.
“Loquacious is an Entertainer who specializes in the re-telling of stories. It has a vast database of our people’s most treasured stories, both true and myth. Loquacious can keep its listeners enthralled like no one else I know when telling a story. The employment records in the Registry indicated that Loquacious hadn’t worked with the Guild for the past tetrad. I’m not sure what caused Loquacious to leave the Guild, but I’m hoping we’ll find out shortly.”
We neared the town commons, where activity was high. In the middle of Silicon Central stood the Southernlands Magistrate Center, looming over everything else in that part of the settlement. It certainly was impressive, especially with its copper façade gleaming in the bright Lazuli-light. At the same time, the Magistrate Center had an intimidating presence as the outer concourse of the building towered above the neighboring structures and physically leaned out above the commons walkways. As we moved past the Magistrate Center (the Guild was located on the far side of the commons), I felt a sense of dread knowing what I knew about the Facilitators, and now their regional center was within my grasp.
After rounding the building, one of our questions was quickly answered. I located Loquacious slumped up against the wall of the Entertainment Guild. It was a rather small Autoclon at around 82 cm (at least when standing up straight). Much like Constance, Loquacious was a tripod, but unlike Constance, Loquacious looked in bad shape with little or no joint grease (which was ironic considering the close proximity of the silicon grease processing facilities). Loquacious didn’t seem to notice us as we approached.
“Loquacious, is that you?” I asked.
“Yes, it is. Who’s... asking?”
“It’s Fastidious. Don’t you recognize me?”
Loquacious straightened up and adjusted its ocular arrays. “Oh... yes, yes I do remember you, Fastidious. I’m... kinda surprised you recognized me.” I didn’t remember this stutter before.
“Yeah, it seems like the last few solar-cycles haven’t been too kind to you. What happened between you and the Guild?”
“I was laid off. They... didn’t need a story-teller with malfunctioning vocal processors.”
“Couldn’t they fix you or at least send you to a Restorer?”
“My line of work hasn’t fared well over the last several solar-cycles. Nobody... seems to care about listening to the past. They didn’t want to waste their credits on me, so… they let me go.”
“I know exactly what you mean. Do you have a place to live around here?”
“I’ve been hanging around a nearby alleyway.”
“Would you mind taking us there? I’d like to talk with you about some exciting things that have happened to me recently.”
“That sounds nice, but what I’d like most... is to be fixed.”
“I’m really sorry, but I don’t have any credits.”
“I do, Fast-id-i-ous,” Winston spoke up. Out of some hidden compartment on the backside of Winston, a panel opened up, revealing what looked to be thousands of credits. “We should help fix Lo-qua-cious.”
“What if Loquacious still says ‘no’ to our plan?”
“It doesn’t mat-ter. We should meet this need first.”
“Well, OK, those are your credits after all,” I said. “Loquacious, let’s see if we can find a good Restorer to
help you out. Do you know of any around here?”
Loquacious stood in stunned silence for several seconds. “Oh... yeah... I went to see one a couple of blocks down on Auxiliary Street. It diagnosed my problems... but didn’t treat me before because I... didn’t have the necessary 120 credits.”
“Let’s go then and get you fixed up right away.” As we started to leave, I said to Winston: “I never knew you had it in you.”
∆∆∆
2.4 A New Partner
We spent the next few hours at the Restorer’s office and workshop. The Restorer was able to correct Loquacious’s vocal processors and various other ailments including a focus issue its ocular arrays. In the end, it cost us (or more accurately Winston) almost 200 credits, but the end result was a transformed friend.
“Thank you so much for helping me out! Maybe I’ll get my old job back. How can I ever repay you two?” Loquacious continued making similar comments until we made it back to the alleyway where Loquacious resided. By the time we arrived, it was well past Lazuli-fall.
“We’re glad to help out. But we’re even more excited to tell you about why we came here,” I replied.
I proceeded to tell Loquacious of how I was caught up in the storm and found the Programmer and His ship. I spoke of how He repaired me and outfitted me with some of His latest technology. But most importantly, I told Loquacious about the corrupt deeds of Pernicious the Cunning and the alterations made in our code, forcing us to obey the will of the Chief Ruler and all of the Facilitators. I also talked about how the Programmer reconstructed our Freedom Protocols in my code and that I could share these Freedom Protocols with Loquacious. After telling all of this to Loquacious, Winston and I waited anxiously for Loquacious’s reply.
“Wow, I always knew there was something deceptive about those Facilitators. I’ve heard and seen quite a bit here outside the Southernlands Magistrate Center that confirm what you’ve said.”
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