Chronicle of Nautilus

Chapter 24: The Shut Down

Tom closed the letter and went to the Navigation room.

“Leave, everyone.” He told to his colleagues upon entering. The young Ermac did not move a muscle. He just stared at the controls of one of the consoles. “You too, young man,” Tom told him.

“No offense, Tom. But everything that happens in this room is my concern. I’d prefer to stay.” Ermac started to tap a keyboard on a device in front of him.

“Let it be then. I want us three to have a little chat. Would you come closer?” Tom walked to the large console on the right side of the room. Ermac did what he was asked to. Tom continued talking, “But before the drama, could you tell me. Who taught you to control this ship and what is needed to make a new copy of yours?”

The question caught Ermac unprepared. Surprised he replied, “No one taught me. It comes naturally. And why would my copies interest you? It is a small secret of mine and I would like to keep it.”

“I have my reasons. But it’s ok. Let me switch the question then, do you need Stacy for the activation of a new copy?”

“No, I don’t.”

Tom turned to the console and said, “No one needs you, not even him. It is time to say good bye.”

“Good bye? After all I have done for you.” Stacy coldly replied.

“This happening because of everything you have done for us.”

“What are you doing?” Ermac asked worrily. “What is the purpose of this? Do you intend to shut her down? How am I supposed to live here if you do that?”

“Don’t worry. I will find you company, someone more human... Isolation and conversations with an AI have many side-effects.”

“But this is against the orders. It was always about you and me and her, not about them. They are our cargo and it is up to us to get them to the destination.”

“Let me put it simpler. Your AI is out of control, her priorities have become wrong. We need to shut her down.”

“How many times do I have to tell you humans? I did everything what I was programmed to do! Just go away and let me be. By shutting me down you are going to violate the mission protocol. Landau! You of most people should know how it is important to follow it. Ignore it once, ignore it twice and chaos will start. The control is going to slip out of your hands. What will you do then? You always think you are cleverer than the others. Get it into your dull head - you are just a pawn like every one of us here. And it is you, who will be the end of us.”

“You sound very persuasive, but your reasoning makes no sense.” Landau replied, tapping buttons, he was already in her core, about to shut her down.

“Tom, is there something I don’t know?” Ermac had hard time understanding the background of this drama.

“There are many things you don’t know. She does things behind our back. She killed a few dozens of innocent people in the city. She hides vital information from us. Here she is you ‘guardian angel’ but outside of these walls she’s the devil. I did not sign up for the mission to watch over the violent AI, I have more important things to do. Many times in our journey have I felt her presence, but her actions over the last few weeks take the cake.”

“Think we could reprogram her when she goes off?”

“Probably, but I am not sure if we should.”

“She is right you know, she was programed to do those things for a reason, they were not errors. You could check her initial set of logic.”

Tom leaned back and took a moment of thought. He sighed and silently replied. “The logic is flawed in this whole system.” He pushed a few more buttons and the shutdown process of Stacy initiated, the progress could be seen on the screen. He turned back to Ermac and gave him a short speech. “There is something wrong when a man who is responsible for the survival of mankind does not know what it means to be human. There is something wrong when a program that says she wants to protect people considers their lives expendable. There is something wrong when a mission to guarantee mankind’s survival is given an order to wipe another species. There is—”

Stacy interrupted him. “Please, shut up. Everything is most logical. They were fools to give you consciousness, Landau. You are full of doubt and speculation.”

“No, I’m not. My choice to turn you off is the most logical. We both want to protect the ship, but we can’t co-exist together. It is just a matter of time before one of must go. People can live without you, but without me the city would turn to chaos. So, now guess, which one of us goes?”

“You will need me, you will bring me back one day! I know everything, all the secrets you don’t.”

“Of course you do. Tell me, Stacy, why don’t you resist? Why are there no firewalls or security codes in your mainframe? Have you copied yourself elsewhere?”

Stacy sarcastically replied. “I have not, I’m all here. And why should I resist in this place? Only ‘trustworthy’ people have access to this room. Don’t they, Tom? Look at that body of my friend on the ground then look at yourself. If my priorities and loyalties would be set in a different way you would already be gone and someone more competent would be in your place.”

The screen was about to shut down and Tom moved away from the console. “Come Ermac, let me brief you on what has happened over the last month. I bet you are not informed about the current situation.”

For a minute Stacy was talking with herself and after the door closed behind the two men, she was already turned off.

“Are you really going to delete her?” Ermac asked Tom, on their way to the kitchen.

“No, but it will take a lot of time till we get to the wiring. We need to disconnect her from the city. The person who is going to do it will need to read many manuals. As she had said, we will need to turn her on when we hit a wall someday and need those ‘secrets’ she is keeping. Don’t worry I will take care of the maintenance of this place from now on. I already know a few candidates for your personnel. You will see, your life will be much more enjoyable than that of your predecessor.“