The Barton Street Gym

by Zoey Ivers

  "They can bleed, which is odd enough. I wouldn't put eating past them." Tommy squirmed. "I felt different there. I still do, a bit."

  "Yeah. That was what I'd call a transformative experience."

  ***

  Barton Street considered the new data.

  The invading AI was able to maintain a very large and dangerous avatar, a long way outside its own domain. So Barton Street might be able to use its avatar in a similar fashion, perhaps even causing damage to the invading AI by damaging components in dimension four.

  All it needed was clear identification of the invader, and a route through which to counter attack.

  As it had expected, the plane shift from five to one had disrupted the avatar. Would a smaller plane shift do the same? He should test a shift between four and five. Traveling between them when outside his home domain would be one way to dodge a confrontation with a stronger opponent. Otherwise, he'd be forced to rebuild an avatar and start over 'at home' every time he wanted to switch dimensions.

  But the most interesting new data was the utility of the vermin. Quite astonishing, really. It allocated time to study humans.

  Chapter Eight

  The next day, Alice's father was late getting home, and looked frustrated. "We had a major hack on a company computer reported to us today. Nothing damaged, and nothing added that we know of, but it copied data, and downloaded delayed trigger virus. It's frustrating. We couldn't trace it, couldn't block it." He turned to his computer and clicked away for a moment. "Worse than the University library hack. Fortunately, there's no sign that the hacker got into the University administration node. That could give the hacker boy access to every computer on campus." He swiveled the chair away from the computer and looked at Alice. "And what have you been up to?"

  "Reading the summer break books. And I did some research and reading on your machine. I was curious about how they make the cubbies and the d-doors. It's pretty weird. Inefficient, if you ask me."

  "And have you thought about what I said?"

  "Yes Father. Over drawing my account was a bad idea and it would be a very bad habit to get into. So I won't buy anything until next month, and I'll ration my spending carefully. In fact, I need to build my savings back up, I spent it all on Eclipse."

  "Which was also another unnecessary expense." He didn't look mad, just more tired.

  "Well, the point of kids having their own money is that we can decide what to get, or not, and learn how to budget. But we need accurate information, to base economic decisions on. Obviously, if someone had mentioned three months ago that we were moving, or even just that we were in a financial bind, I wouldn't have splurged."

  "We... are not in a financial bind."

  Alice looked around. "Then why this?"

  "Because the commute is briefer, I can come home more easily when I'm on call, which is nearly always, now. Because your mother won't have to ride a bus after dark and risk robbery or worse. Because they were closing your school, and you would have had to ride for nearly an hour each way to Paul Jay High School. I thought it would get you away from bad influences without enough warning for you to do something really stupid." He huffed out a breath.

  "So, am I so grounded that I'll need to ask for permission to go to the toilet? Will I be locked in like a prisoner every day? Or is there a range, say a list of floors, where I am allowed to roam without a leash?"

  He gave her a dark look, then brought up a schematic of the Gym. "Without specific permission you cannot leave the Gym. You cannot go to a floor higher than ours, and you cannot go home with anyone we haven't met and approved. You can go to public, clothes on, spas with the other girls you'll be meeting in school. Is there anything in that that I'm going to regret?"

  "I'll avoid all the residential floors other than our own, or if invited---by a girl---to something special on a residential floor I will phone and leave a message as to which floor and what attraction. I don't actually know of anything special, anywhere. I will look for a park or someplace where the bios can play, but if it's not in a Gym public area, I will not leave the Gym to go there without your express permission."

  "That's useful. Maybe there won't be enough boys around to be bad influences." He stood up. "It is going to take some getting used to. Maybe we can do a bit more rearranging."

  "I need some space of my own." But he was already heading upstairs, and Alice couldn't tell if he was even listening. Bad influences? They're all inside my head, Father. They came with me. She stifled a smile. And now I'm in a fight with a T-Rex. Now there's a Bad Boy.

  They dined in a nice oriental restaurant on nineteen.

  Alice mulled over everything her father had said. "Why are you almost always on call now?"

  "You know they used to talk about the Singularity, where the curve of technological change became so steep it was basically vertical. Where there would be so many new breakthrough inventions that the rate of technological change was utterly impossible to keep up with."

  "We learned about that in school last year. It didn't pan out, the curve is rolling over, like it's going to either plateau or crest and possibly even drop as long term complications make us drop some innovations. Like global communications are slower now, because of all the damaged satellites, from space junk, and solar flares. They just weren't reliable enough, long term."

  "Yes, but the new superstrand opti-cables will be picking up that load, as soon as the long distance cables are laid. In any case, human society has received quite a jolt, the last twenty years, and hasn't really digested the tech changes that have happened so far, let alone the ones that are already in the pipeline and headed our way. Half the changes have been completely unexpected, and we don't understand the ramifications at all. There are always unintended side effects, but those have to be acknowledged and adjusted to as well." He waved a hand, helpless. "The government hasn't adjusted to the changes. Everywhere in the world, the population is dropping. Nanotech breakthroughs have made starvation a thing of the past, and there are no wars to fight, we just don't dare since the Johannesburg incident. Accident."

  "I thought it wasn't an accident." Alice shivered. "Bio terrorism, a manufactured virus that was supposed to only hit a single sub-population."

  Her mother rubbed her arms as if chilled. "They still haven't lifted the quarantine. At least they haven't had to extend it again, this year. Maybe it's done."

  "We all got vaccinations last year, four shots every six weeks for practically the whole year." Alice rubbed her arm. "Even though they admitted it might not be exactly right."

  Her father nodded sympathy. He'd had them all too, of course. "Anyway, the military shrank with the population, and now it's all high tech and... stuff we hope we never need to use. Then there's the advances in computers. We went from worrying what would happen when the first computer became self aware, to barely caring that there were hundreds of theoretically large-and-complex-enough-to-be-intelligent computers in every city. Over five hundred in Milwaukee that are technically what we call AIs, and perhaps fifty that are truly scary. Or that ought to be, except that nothing bad ever happened. The computers simply took over and ran pretty much as programmed, if not better. But they're partially self-programming, so occasionally they do something unexpected. But not dangerous. Phil, one of the guys I work with, says they act like they can't see us, as if we're unimportant. He anthropomorphizes too much. But. Cities cut their police and fire departments as private services with partially automated systems took over in some areas, and when we looked around again, most of the systems were completely automated. And education went private and exceeded the Federal requirements, so they shut that department down completely. Agriculture? All robotic. Farmers sit in their recliners watching movies and just spot check the robotic combines. Or hire it out. And it is all so cheap they don't need loans or federal guarantees or... anything. They get advice on what to plant through private think tanks, and weather prognoses from private companies. Then they dump their grain into th
e supply system, and it feeds the nano formulators, all these auto-kitchens that are all over the place. They're talking about cattle becoming an endangered species. At least the FDA still has a job to do. Food and drug, you know."

  Alice nodded.

  "Satellites, space flight, high speed trains, it's all private. Money is all virtual, now, medical care cheap and easy as a haircut. Everyone gets paid electronically. They stopped welfare and started the on-line workers system, school stipends and bonuses, paid service volunteers. So anyone can earn a basic living wage, working part time. Scratch the Health and Human Services Department. It's all just electronic fund transfers. Anyone who wants more than the basics finds an old fashioned job."

  If they can. Alice added mentally. Or onlines full time, wins at games, goes to school and gets good grades, plays the Lottery, or does volunteer stuff. We're all very managed. Alice slurped down the last of her soda. She blushed at the rude noise and pushed it away. "So, the government doesn't have much of anything to do now?"

  "We're sort of back to guaranteeing everyone's basic civil rights, law enforcement, safety and health stuff. Building and repairing infrastructure. Diplomacy. Practically everyone ignores us. If we weren't taking in taxes, I doubt anyone would notice if the federal government disappeared. The President and Congress are practically for show."

  "Holy Moly. You did get fired."

  "No. Heh. That might have made life easier. No, Pumpkin, you know I'm with the FBI. I'm in the Cyber Security division. We're trying to make sure this strange place we've found ourselves in stays safe." Her father sighed. "Swatting hackers, and investigating embezzlers, for the main part. We moved here, specifically, because this building is a good central hub with the latest in connectivity. I'm currently investigating weird computer stuff. I couldn't do that from home anymore. All the big computers on the grid are, well, we're calling it clumping. They're forming groups, then a few computers on the edge jump back and forth between clumps, until the clumps finally merge. It's weird. It's something we need to understand; it may not even be a problem. Our best guess is that it is a matter of the self-diagnosing and problem solving computers adapting to each other. If we're right it'll settle down quickly, now. We're down to six clumps. It was five until the AI level computer here in the Gym was installed six months ago. And we really hope it's not six disbursed hackers jockeying for who pwns which machines.

  "The new State Director shortened up the allowed travel times and distances for agents, because of threats to the transit authority computers three months ago. Now I can be in the office in ten minutes. Even if the power was out, I could walk to the office inside of an hour. And I'm sitting on top of the computer that is starting a new clump, so I can watch it as it happens."

  He sighed and looked down at her. "It really is important. These computers control everything from traffic lights to giant chemical plants. Petroleum refineries, nuclear power plants, banks, air traffic. Everything. Fortunately the self programming computers are good at it. Fellow in my office jokes about them being able to hold the human race hostage, if we become a danger to them." Her father grinned at the idea.

  Alice gulped. What happens if one that think of itself as a T-Rex takes over control of everything in the region? "I see. But why threaten to kill my bios. Pets if you prefer the term."

  "I thought you'd outgrown playing with dolls." Her mother looked away.

  "You really mean rats, don't you?"

  Her father shook his head. "It's my fault. I should not have threatened your... bios."

  "Well, leave them alone and I'll stay here until I graduate."

  That got her dirty looks from both parents.

  "There aren't any jobs out in the suburbs, anymore, honey. Not the sort of job you're going to be trained for. You're too smart to be a pick-up worker. You'll need a university education." Her mother looked concerned.

  "As fast as things are changing, plans for the future need to be... agile." Alice sighed as her parents exchanged worried looks.

  Why do parents always worry about the wrong things? They don't notice what's right under their noses. AI computers? How about animals with genetic engineering and chips in their brains? It may be artificial, but they are intelligent and vocal. And enslaved. Murdered when inconvenient.

  And then there's these weird things with the dimensional doors. And VR games that aren't games. And maybe two AIs fighting with each other. Or six. One each for Father's six remaining "clumps." With Barton Street as the most recent addition, frantically scrambling for computing power while the avatar of an enemy walks around inside him.

  And the stuff I read about in the news. How about the workers displaced by automation, and not just the factory workers, any more. We used to have this whole class of prestigious medical professions, that autodocs with expert systems have almost completely replaced. Lawyers are on the way out. Cyber security? I'll bet machines can do as well, but the government doesn't trust them. So your job is secure, for now. Those are the problems you should be worrying about, not where your daughter is going to work, years from now.

  But you don't even see the obvious problems, let alone the hidden ones, do you?

  And if I dared to point any of that out to you, you'd ground me for even longer.

  ***

  The Barton Street AI was worried. It had lately had a lesson in just how ill prepared it was for attacks.

  I did not even understand the persistence, the experience, of an avatar in dimension five. I didn't appreciate the vermin. The humans. I didn't realize there were two kinds of humans. The ones with the nanochips and the ones without reacted very differently to the dimensional shift. The Alice unit and the Joe unit became very large in the Real World, and acted like pack animals and servants to the small humans.

  I need some small, semi autonomous avatars there, in dimension five. Something that can damage the T-Rex avatar. Actually something that could invade in turn, get into its dimension four and... do what? An EMP burst there would damage the real computer. But anything that got there would be so small... Four and Five were the same scale, if I can make something useful in Five, it would be somewhat useful in Four. I need some nanochips, like the little humans had. Connect them to an avatar in Five... They'll need a power source... small, but powerful electromagnets for the EMP.

  He'd need a human to physically move things that were available in dimension one into dimension five. He. No. That was for biological vermin. It. It may have used an avatar of a human vermin, and there may have been some odd effects, but its essential nature had not changed.

  It placed orders, and attached a note to the recipient.

  Chapter Nine

  "Aerospace engineering would be cool, except there are so few jobs." Joe scrolled his computer screen. "Space sciences, ditto. Physics seems so theoretical, so removed from tangible results."

  His dad leaned over and took a look. "Still planning on MIT, I see."

  "Well, it's hardly set in stone, but tempting. In the end it'll depend on scholarships. It may be better to go UW for my bachelors and then MIT for a masters or doctorate."

  "Don't forget that you'd get in-state tuition if you moved in with your Grandmother Wilda for the summer." His dad smiled wryly. "Of course, she expect you to go to Texas A&M."

  Or as Tommy would say, the worse Granny, as opposed to the bad Granny, would love to have someone to boss around. Joe tapped at his computer anyway. "Wow, they're big. Good engineering rep. Good on the hard sciences." He tapped a bit more. "University of Texas is good too... oh, I've read that guy's physics articles. Hmm."

  His dad snickered. "Wilda'd toss you out the door if she heard that."

  Joe grinned. "So I've heard." His dad had a better relationship with his former mother-in-law than he did with his ex-wife. Joe's mother tended to act like her ex-husband was invisible, and her son nearly so. "I'd rather stay closer to home, though. Not that Boston is close, but I can jump on a train and be back here inside of hours. Even with the transfer
s in New York and Chicago."

  His dad looked indulgently at him. "I'm a cyber cop, not some gung-ho heroic type. Fourteen years with the FBI and I've not once been shot." His forehead crinkled. "One idiot actually pointed a gun at me once. Wasn't loaded. Nobody's ever fired a shot in my general direction."

  Joe nodded. University of Wisconsin for the bachelors degree, it is. Apart from being the only decent family Dad has, I can't walk away from whatever is happening with the d-doors.

  "I think I'll start out here, and think about MIT for an advanced degree."

  "Now, you know I've been saving all along for this." His dad protested.

  "What! I can't blow the account on a Ferrari?"

  "Wouldn't recommend it." His dad started tapping away at his own keyboard. "You'd have to start in the community college. Unless you just drove around the block and then sold it again."

  "Probably lose too much value with ten klicks on the meter. Guess I'll have to wait till I've got my first Nobel Prize for, oh, a breakthrough in trans-dimensional physics or some such."

  "Heh. That might be a whole ten years from now. Are you still sure you want to graduate in six months?"

  "Yep. No point in sticking around for another year. I'm already getting dual credit for half my classes."

  He caught the quick flick of a beaming grin crossing his dad's face. "I know. Maybe you'll only have to wait five years for that Nobel."

  I have the best dad in all creation.

  And if no one else beats me to it, I just might have a start on that trans-dimensional physics prize.

  ***

  "Lily is driving me crazy. All she talks about is Tommy. And kissing."

  Alice grinned over at Bambi. At twenty-five cems tall, the bio-model found the top of the lamp table a useful addition to her usual living space in the loft of the dollhouse sized barn that was tucked under the table. When her father had come downstairs, he had frowned a little at the straws-and-tape ladder, but not said anything. The straws were free and the tape was in his desk. Or maybe he was frowning because she'd turned one of the recliners around and shifted stuff. Staked out the corner under the stairs as her own territory.