by Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep- The Best New Science Fiction from Sweden (retail) (epub)
"Keep Fighting Until the Machines Fall Asleep" – Eva Holmquist
Kate held her breath and pressed her face against the glass dome. She was watching a falcon as it circled in the sky. Magnificent. How she longed to escape the city, and see the other animals that lived outside. The city was stifling – much too big for her taste, and then there were the machines – always watching and everywhere, except down in the culverts, below the streets.
"Do we have to spend our free day like this?" Erik complained with a sigh. "We haven't had a free day in a month. There are lots of exciting things to do."
Kate turned from the breath-taking view and leaned against the balcony railing. Below her Third Main Street dissected the city. If she could fly like the bird and view the dome from above, the city would look like a small circle within a larger, the four main streets passing from perimeter to perimeter through the center.
"We could take the elevator to the top floor and go for a swim," Erik suggested.
"I don't feel like swimming," she said.
Every balcony on each floor, as high as she could see, was filled with human figures. Some, she knew, were people, but an unknown number were androids, humanoid robots indistinguishable from their flesh and blood counterparts. She shuddered. Not being able to tell the difference disturbed her deeply. The bigger machines, the ones used for construction, and even the smaller ones were easier to cope with, because they didn't look like humans. She knew the androids were as much machines as the surveillance and construction workers, but they looked like her. And now there were as many androids as humans in every part of the city.
"Kate," Erik said, grabbing her hand. "I wanted to spend time with you, but it feels like you're not really here."
His blue eyes looked sad, and she felt a pang of guilt. She hadn't even been listening.
"Okay," she said, forcing a smile and trying to shake her feeling of gloom.
Erik caressed her cheek.
"I know just the right place for you," he said. "I stumbled on it by accident last year. I think you'd love it."
"What is it?" she asked, her mood lifting. She loved surprises.
Erik grinned.
"You'll see," he said.
He took her hand, and led her along the balcony to the elevator at the edge of the dome. Outside viridian woods stretched south of the city to distant mountains that appeared blue in the sunshine. She kept looking out, forcing her gaze away from the city. The further they descended, the more of the ground came into view. Rabbits were leaping across the fields. A lone deer stood in the distance seeming to gaze back at her. Then they arrived at street level, and she had no choice but to plunge into city life again.
"Come on," Erik said dragging her onto the busy Third Main Street.
Hot air hit her like a wall. She gagged on the odors of warm, sweaty bodies. The street was packed, and it was difficult to move forward, but Erik had her in a firm grip, and wove as swiftly as he could between passers-by. Every fifty meters, a surveillance camera gazed at them, the eyes of the surveillance machine. She forced herself not to look, desperate to stay off the radar. The machines didn't know about the resistance, not yet. But she mustn't draw undue attention to herself.
She started the group soon after suffering a serious accident, an event that had robbed her of her memories and been a turning point for her in many ways. They called themselves the Pro Humans and so far numbered five, all dedicated to the cause of freeing the city from machine control.
Erik didn't know about the resistance. She watched his back, blue sportswear covering his lean body without a seam. It wasn't that she didn't want him to know, or didn't believe he would support her. She just didn't want to put him in danger.
They turned into a narrow alley. There were fewer people here, and Erik picked up the pace. Kate hurried after him, looking around. There were no balconies facing the alley, only windowless walls. High up, the sun shone in through the dome, but the alley was too narrow for its rays to reach all the way to street level and without the streetlights, they would be in darkness. There were fewer cameras here, and no permanent security detail.
Erik stopped at a door. There were no cameras nearby. He punched in a code, checked that no one was watching and then entered the building. They passed through a narrow corridor into a larger room filled with shelves, each weighed down by large, old world books.
Books? Kate was confused. Why would Erik think she was interested in them?
"Not what we're used to, eh?" Erik said, smiling. "No thought implant with immediate access to the network. But I think you'll like it."
"Like it? What is it?" she asked and took a step over the threshold. The door closed behind her.
She couldn't see any cameras in the room, which was strange. She'd never been to a place without surveillance, except the culverts where no one was supposed to go.
"These are the rooms of Kavi Bhagat, the inventor of the Generation Next Machine."
"The first machine with the ability to learn," Kate whispered.
She had always thought that the ability to learn was the main machine feature that had enabled them to seize power all those years ago. Now she was in the very rooms of the man who was to blame.
"He predicted the machine take over," Erik said, a starstruck look on his face as he eyed the books.
"Did he want the machines to seize power?" Kate snapped. Erik looked at her, sad again.
"No of course not," he assured her. "But if he hadn't made the invention, somebody else would have. He tried to warn people, but no one listened. The inventor himself prepared these rooms, to store all knowledge about the machines. I thought you might be interested."
"Well ... I am," Kate said and began browsing the shelves. The Power of Learning, The History of Generation Next Machine, Network Theory, The Machine as the Next Generation of Computers, and The Base Function of Generation Next Machine.
"How did you find it?" she murmured.
"I didn't," Erik said. "Last year, I had to pick up an interrogation machine, from an old programmer. He showed me the place."
"Hmm. Khavi Baghat wrote a lot of books," she said, picking out The Base Function of Generation Next Machine.
Erik looked relieved.
"We can spend the rest of the day reading, if you want," he said.
Kate didn't answer. She was already immersed in the book.
Two hours later, Kate put the book back on the shelf. She couldn't help smiling. This had to be the best day ever. She'd spent so many nights exploring machine operating systems, but had never been able to find a way to beat the machines. Now, with the help of the information in the books, and her previous knowledge, she'd found the key to solving the problem. Erik had been instrumental, but now he sat, eyebrows arched and his back against the door.
"I thought you'd be interested," he said, "because you talk about the past a lot and work with the machines. But I hope you'll be responsible with this knowledge."
"Responsible?"
"Some might use it as a way to change things."
"What if I do that?" she said. "You know I want freedom."
"I'm not sure what you mean by freedom," he said getting to his feet. "There haven't been any attacks in years, and no protests. Most people like their lives. They haven't got any problem with the machines being in charge."
"I know," she said, "but I do. As long as they're at the helm, we can't do what we want. I've never been outside. At least not that I remember."
"The accident messed with your head," Erik said with a sigh. "Did you even object to the machines before you moved here?"
Her eyes stung. Did he think she was crazy? She'd thought he understood.
"I don't know," she said trying to hide her emotions. "Everything is a blur. I don't even remember living in the fourth inner quarter. Nor why I chose to move."
"What is freedom to you?"
"To be able to do what I want."
"Like what?"
"Be outside," she s
aid, and took a step towards him. "No surveillance cameras, or surprise interrogations by the security detail. I want more free days than one a month. It's hard to get to know people when you work all the time."
Erik sighed again. "I'd hoped my company would be enough," he said.
"It is, mostly," she said, trying to make him understand. "But I want freedom for all of us. These books are truly amazing."
She left him by the door, picking up the book she'd been reading.
"This should be compulsory reading for all programmers," she stressed. "It gives a deeper understanding of what we do, programming their tasks into the new machines. Hypothetically, we could put all machines to sleep."
"To sleep?" Erik said and smiled at her eagerness. "You must be kidding."
"There are several base commands the machines are forced to obey."
"They're protected. You can't access them."
"I know," she said with as light tone of voice as she could muster, "but it's fun to speculate. Anyway, how about that swim? It's getting warm in here."
Erik smiled.
"Sure," he said, and opened the door.
A nice swim now, and then she'd make an excuse. There was no surveillance in the culverts. She could use an old terminal there, and write a virus to crack the protection, make the machine distribute the virus, destroy the Wake up command and then execute the base command Sleep. She'd have to construct some kind of mechanism to prevent all attempts to counteract the command. But it shouldn't be too hard.
While she'd been planning, they had arrived at the elevator by the Third Main Street.
"Thanks," Erik said, smiling as they stepped in.
"What for?"
"Spending your free day with me."
And he placed a swift kiss on her cheek.
"You're welcome," she said, but couldn't smile because she felt like a traitor.
Kate was pacing the small room, in the furthest corner of the culverts, waiting for the others. She just couldn't stay still. Had she found a way to beat the machines? The noise from the pipes above sounded like cogs and bolts moving in her brain. She had mulled over her plan for too long. It should be possible, even if the risk was high.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Akim. Monifa was close behind and the thick steel door moved back into place with a thud.
"Why have you summoned us?" Akim asked, a crease forming between his brows and his lips pressed into a thin line. "A meeting is dangerous."
"Relax, Akim," Monifa said and gave Kate a hug. "There is no surveillance here. No eyes and ears in the culverts."
"But all the ways leading down to the culverts are monitored. Is your information worth the risk?"
"It is," Kate said, and couldn't help grinning.
She forced herself to stand still, concealing her nervousness. It was a great plan providing Pro Humans at last with a chance to bring the machines down. It was a slim chance, but it was possible. They had an opportunity to be free. She could feel it in her marrow. The only remaining question was if the others were going to accept the risks.
"Let's hear it," Monifa said leaning against the gray wall.
"Not until the others are here."
Kate paused, prepared to defend herself, but neither Akim nor Monifa protested. They stood waiting in silence. Kate's palms were sweaty and she wiped them discreetly against her pants. The room was an old maintenance area no longer in use and sparsely equipped. A terminal at the end furthest from the big steel door, the pipes running along the ceiling and concrete walls painted gray. It was chilly in here.
Fina stepped in dressed in a cerise outfit with black stripes. Her high heel boots were all black and her black curly hair flowed freely down to her waist. She looked like she was going to a party.
"We have to hurry," she said. "I am on my way to an important reception. The Director is going to be present."
"You're not going to learn about their plans," Latif said, stepping in.
"If I can gain his trust," Fina said with a sharp voice, "we'll have a chance to make a difference."
"None of that will matter after today," Kate interrupted.
Immediately she had their attention. She took a deep breath. This was it.
"I have a plan," she said.
Akim sighed.
"Another one? How many times have we been through this?" he protested. "There's no way to defeat them completely. There are too many machines and they control everything. Even humans do their dirty work for them now."
"But I have a plan," Kate repeated patiently. "I've discovered a way to defeat them."
Monifa clutched her hands, eyes wide with excitement. "How?" she asked eagerly.
Kate waited, regarding her team one by one. Akim glowered back at her, still sceptical, but the others were curious, excited. If she was going to convince them it was now or never, she decided.
"Listen," she said. "You need a history lesson to understand the plan. The era of the machines started when they seized power all over the world, simultaneously."
"Come on, we all know that," Akim interrupted.
"But you don't know why they succeeded," she snapped. She took a deep breath. She'd have to stay calm if she was going to convince them.
"They belong to the same network and synchronised the takeover," Latif said.
"I mean before that," Kate said glaring at Latif. "Nobody told them to seize power. It started when we gave them the ability to learn."
"Yeah, but that's ancient history," Latif said. "We don't need to know everything."
Kate continued, ignoring him.
"Some humans were afraid the machines would learn too quickly, but they were laughed at. Now we know what happened, and we think it's too late to change things. You can't unlearn what you've learnt. The machines have developed far beyond our expectations. Androids are impossible to distinguish from humans on the surface. They are fully integrated into the surveillance system, connected to all cameras. A lot of humans don't even care if the machines rule or us."
Now even Fina was becoming impatient. "We already know our cause is pretty much lost," Fina interrupted. "That's why this reception could be so important. I have to go."
She turned to leave and for a moment Kate didn't know what to do. She needed them all to succeed with her plan.
"Wait, please" she blurted. "I've discovered a backdoor."
Fina stopped, but didn't turn.
"The machines were programmed to follow certain base commands. And they've been automatically programmed into all new machines ever since."
"What's a base command?" Akim asked, a look on his face that told Kate he was interested at last.
"A base command is an instruction the machine has to obey. When a machine receives the command Sleep, for example, it shuts down. Because all of the machines belong to the same network, I can make them relay the command to the closest machine in the network, before they themselves shut down."
"How many machines?" Akim asked.
"All of them, even the androids."
Fina turned around, her eyes wide with surprise. Monifa drew in a sharp gasp while Akim, eyes shining, took a step forward. It was working, they were going to help her.
"So, what's the catch?" Latif said, breaking the spell. His voice was soft, but Kate was still nervous and almost jumped.
"Come on, Latif, if what Kate says is true there isn't one," Monifa said. "She knows everything about machines."
Kate clenched her fists. This was what she had been dreading.
"It sounds too easy to me," Latif continued.
Suddenly suspicious, Monifa spun round with such force her plaits struck her face. "Well?" she demanded. "Are you misleading us?"
"No," Kate assured them, raising her hands, "but there is a certain risk involved, otherwise someone would have tried it before. But the chance to regain power over our own destinies has to be worth it."
"What's this risk then?"
"Okay, we can issue the command from
this terminal," Kate said, pointing to the grimy wall-mounted terminal. "It's old, but it is still connected to the rest of the network."
Latif was glaring at her now, arms crossed over his chest. "Come on, Kate. Spit it out!" he demanded.
"Well, there's another base command with the opposite effect," she answered. "Normally it works in a similar way. A machine can command the next to Wake up and once woken it transmits the same base command onwards to the nearest in its network."
"That's not a catch, " Akim muttered. "It's a fucking gaping hole."
Kate shook her head violently.
"No," she said. "I've taken care of it, more or less."
"More or less?" Latif again.
"I don't want to get too technical, but I've written some code that will go out with the sleep instruction. It interrupts and blocks all unwanted commands on the affected machines."
"So they can't wake each other up?" Fina said.
"Not easily. To counteract our command they'll have to broadcast new software to all machines, replacing the core code that my modified base command has affected."
"Well, they can do that, can't they?" Latif said, exchanging glances with Akim.
