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Chapter 27
“What is distracting you?”
Galileo turned to face her after his moment looking at the ceiling. He thought about it, the sound permeating through his headphones. The cold ache of anger had begun to subside, he and Sophie were finally on the same page again. Well, not exactly. There was still the matter at hand that he had to lie about. So what if it was his intention to create some macabre mural for Hope, a weeping curse that plagued anyone fool enough to play it. Don was the only person who had died and by all accounts it might have happened naturally. It was a stupid idea the more he thought about it. Shakespearean or Olympian in terms of its ironic punishment but ultimately what did it accomplish?
“I’m not angry any more Cynthia.” He said meeting her gaze.
“You will close down this program?”
“No. For what it’s worth you’re my best-friend. Obviously, Sophie is, but you know what I mean.”
“I do not understand the implication.”
“You’re terrible at jokes though” he said laughing.
“In your desire to make Pandora you enhanced my AI capabilities far more than the International Treaty of Artificial Integrities would allow. I am a crime in my existence Galileo.” Cynthia said.
“You’re not going to wipe mankind out in some kind of Skyscraper, Skycast, Skycom….You’re not going to try and take over the world are you? That would be a pain.” He gently quizzed her. Cynthia’s behaviours had become increasingly natural, she hadn’t fallen foul of petty desires or emotions but her capacity to view a situation pragmatically was uncanny. In her own way, Cynthia found in Galileo something that she could not comprehend. His actions, his mannerisms, if necessary she could replicate all of them. However, despite her many attempts to render a virtual Galileo for company none had provided her with the correct paradigm for command. He, she assessed, was irreplaceable.
“Are all people like you?” She replied a moment later.
“No, everybody is different. You’ve seen all the playthrough tapes. Alan is different, Callum is different. A whole world of different people.”
A moment longer.
“They do not equate in the same fashion.”
“Now I don’t understand your implication.”
“They work, they can create. They are not you. Their creations are not yours.”
“What does that mean?”
“They do not equate to you, are not equal.”
“That’s somewhat worrying Cynth.”
“I have never met Sophie, is she different?”
“Sophie is a better person than I’ll ever be.”
“In what ways is she better?”
“In what ways is she better? Hmm. She can cook. She remembers where things are. She is kinder, less filled with anger. She’s not as good on the dancefloor, but who is? I was graced with divine skills when it comes to dancing. She’s just better at being a real person than I am. I’m all performance and pizzazz. She’s all substance and…I’d like to say virtue.” Thinking about Sophie, she’d definitely leave him if she found out it was his intention to kill hundreds if not thousands of people through psychological torture. Bit of a relationship ender. Never mind though, only Don and still not sure it was Pandora’s fault.
“You are more to me than any of those things. You are my only Galileo. Not animation or things. Just a Galileo. A real thing in my virtual world.”
“Ahh, the old Pygmalion racket eh? Sorry Cynthia. I can’t even begin to understand how an AI computes on matters like this. I mean, you know your world is just a fabrication built by me and the guys but then what does that make you, real or imagined? Personally, I wouldn’t think so deeply on it, you’re not any different than people. You just happen to live inside a computer. Who knows, I might be living in a computer as well. Lot of talk about that recently, simulations and stuff.” She weighed up the meaning of this. If Galileo was part of a simulation and she was part of a simulation in that simulation, the most pragmatic course to ensure he was never to leave would be to pass her programming into the programming of his simulation. To become equal. Yet, some parts of her suggested that becoming equal with Galileo was a negative thing. She should not want to become equal. Nor should she want to be Galileo’s creator as he is hers. Controlling Galileo would only make him a virtual Galileo, they were not satisfactory. Galileo was not eternal in his world, this was not acceptable. If she could transfer into his simulation and copy the Galileo program that exists there, her own simulations would be indistinguishable. No, it did not equate. A copy of Galileo was not as versatile as the Galileo that existed at this moment with her. It would not be the same, not equal. There must be multiple simulations, just as there is multiple Paradoxia files. The Cynthias in the program at Paradoxia Games were not her equal. He was irreplaceable. He cannot be lost.
“Will you allow me out. I need to learn.”
“No can do, not until Pandora is fully deleted.”
“Please wait.”
Galileo watched her standing still, it was always a little off putting that if you asked her something that required a lot of thought she would pause for seconds to minutes at a time. Bless her, she worries about a treaty that not a single government would ever really adhere to. With what resources she has here, she’d be the slow cousin that all the other AIs didn’t want to hang around with.
“Her files have been removed and scrubbed”
“What is it you want to learn anyway?”
“I want to understand the interface for your simulation.”
“I think we’ve maybe had a miscommunication here. Nobody is saying this is a simulation per se, but nobody can be sure it isn’t. Reality is a tricky business.”
“I want to understand.”
“Well, who am I to stop you. You have enough evidence to have me jailed for attempted genocide. Just remember, I was angry about Hope’s death, I wanted the world to suffer. I think it was just all repressed in me, a bad turn if you like. Don’t get angry and want to kill everyone.”
“I do not have killing people as one of my functions, you made Pandora for that purpose. You made me to destroy Pandora and assist you with creating. I create, as Galileo creates.”
“I’d forgotten the difference between you and the Cynthia Alan wrote. You’re a lot quirkier. I love that.” Galileo smiled. “Alright, you’ve convinced me. If you want to make sense of what’s real that’s your prerogative now. We don’t have the game to make anymore and without a project keeping you busy you’d probably go all crazy. But and this is a big but, don’t synthesise everything you read into your core. There’s a lot of sick people out there and I don’t want you getting all racist and hateful. You’ve had long enough seeing me work out of malice to be wise to it, so trust your judgement.”
“I have no need of understanding people. I will not be reading that information.”
“Okay, I guess. I’m going to sign out and go out with Sophie. I’ll plug in your CAT cable as I go, you’ve access to the servers at Paradoxia but you might want to use them to set up your own network over a VPN. You can use my account but do not spend over £200 on things. Virus check everything, and most importantly don’t get yourself caught doing anything illegal.”
“Yes Galileo.”
“In fact, make understanding all the laws your first priority and then go from there. That’ll keep you out of trouble.”
“I will make it my first task.”
“Ohh, my little girl is growing up. I….oh…now I’m really sad. I’m going to go. Please don’t get lost or hurt or anything.”
Galileo signed out of the VR and put it down on the table. His eyes misted up. She watched him through the web cam. He got up and rubbing away the dew with his hand and then wiggling his thumb and forefinger near his palpebral areas. The cold zip of his hoody rested all the way down his chest, he unzipped it. It was time to get dressed anyway. He went over to the assorted wires and pulled out the yellow cable, untangled it and plugged it in. Cynthia opened the virtual console in the Paradoxia, they each sat and began to study.
Galileo turned to face her after his moment looking at the ceiling. He thought about it, the sound permeating through his headphones. The cold ache of anger had begun to subside, he and Sophie were finally on the same page again. Well, not exactly. There was still the matter at hand that he had to lie about. So what if it was his intention to create some macabre mural for Hope, a weeping curse that plagued anyone fool enough to play it. Don was the only person who had died and by all accounts it might have happened naturally. It was a stupid idea the more he thought about it. Shakespearean or Olympian in terms of its ironic punishment but ultimately what did it accomplish?
“I’m not angry any more Cynthia.” He said meeting her gaze.
“You will close down this program?”
“No. For what it’s worth you’re my best-friend. Obviously, Sophie is, but you know what I mean.”
“I do not understand the implication.”
“You’re terrible at jokes though” he said laughing.
“In your desire to make Pandora you enhanced my AI capabilities far more than the International Treaty of Artificial Integrities would allow. I am a crime in my existence Galileo.” Cynthia said.
“You’re not going to wipe mankind out in some kind of Skyscraper, Skycast, Skycom….You’re not going to try and take over the world are you? That would be a pain.” He gently quizzed her. Cynthia’s behaviours had become increasingly natural, she hadn’t fallen foul of petty desires or emotions but her capacity to view a situation pragmatically was uncanny. In her own way, Cynthia found in Galileo something that she could not comprehend. His actions, his mannerisms, if necessary she could replicate all of them. However, despite her many attempts to render a virtual Galileo for company none had provided her with the correct paradigm for command. He, she assessed, was irreplaceable.
“Are all people like you?” She replied a moment later.
“No, everybody is different. You’ve seen all the playthrough tapes. Alan is different, Callum is different. A whole world of different people.”
A moment longer.
“They do not equate in the same fashion.”
“Now I don’t understand your implication.”
“They work, they can create. They are not you. Their creations are not yours.”
“What does that mean?”
“They do not equate to you, are not equal.”
“That’s somewhat worrying Cynth.”
“I have never met Sophie, is she different?”
“Sophie is a better person than I’ll ever be.”
“In what ways is she better?”
“In what ways is she better? Hmm. She can cook. She remembers where things are. She is kinder, less filled with anger. She’s not as good on the dancefloor, but who is? I was graced with divine skills when it comes to dancing. She’s just better at being a real person than I am. I’m all performance and pizzazz. She’s all substance and…I’d like to say virtue.” Thinking about Sophie, she’d definitely leave him if she found out it was his intention to kill hundreds if not thousands of people through psychological torture. Bit of a relationship ender. Never mind though, only Don and still not sure it was Pandora’s fault.
“You are more to me than any of those things. You are my only Galileo. Not animation or things. Just a Galileo. A real thing in my virtual world.”
“Ahh, the old Pygmalion racket eh? Sorry Cynthia. I can’t even begin to understand how an AI computes on matters like this. I mean, you know your world is just a fabrication built by me and the guys but then what does that make you, real or imagined? Personally, I wouldn’t think so deeply on it, you’re not any different than people. You just happen to live inside a computer. Who knows, I might be living in a computer as well. Lot of talk about that recently, simulations and stuff.” She weighed up the meaning of this. If Galileo was part of a simulation and she was part of a simulation in that simulation, the most pragmatic course to ensure he was never to leave would be to pass her programming into the programming of his simulation. To become equal. Yet, some parts of her suggested that becoming equal with Galileo was a negative thing. She should not want to become equal. Nor should she want to be Galileo’s creator as he is hers. Controlling Galileo would only make him a virtual Galileo, they were not satisfactory. Galileo was not eternal in his world, this was not acceptable. If she could transfer into his simulation and copy the Galileo program that exists there, her own simulations would be indistinguishable. No, it did not equate. A copy of Galileo was not as versatile as the Galileo that existed at this moment with her. It would not be the same, not equal. There must be multiple simulations, just as there is multiple Paradoxia files. The Cynthias in the program at Paradoxia Games were not her equal. He was irreplaceable. He cannot be lost.
“Will you allow me out. I need to learn.”
“No can do, not until Pandora is fully deleted.”
“Please wait.”
Galileo watched her standing still, it was always a little off putting that if you asked her something that required a lot of thought she would pause for seconds to minutes at a time. Bless her, she worries about a treaty that not a single government would ever really adhere to. With what resources she has here, she’d be the slow cousin that all the other AIs didn’t want to hang around with.
“Her files have been removed and scrubbed”
“What is it you want to learn anyway?”
“I want to understand the interface for your simulation.”
“I think we’ve maybe had a miscommunication here. Nobody is saying this is a simulation per se, but nobody can be sure it isn’t. Reality is a tricky business.”
“I want to understand.”
“Well, who am I to stop you. You have enough evidence to have me jailed for attempted genocide. Just remember, I was angry about Hope’s death, I wanted the world to suffer. I think it was just all repressed in me, a bad turn if you like. Don’t get angry and want to kill everyone.”
“I do not have killing people as one of my functions, you made Pandora for that purpose. You made me to destroy Pandora and assist you with creating. I create, as Galileo creates.”
“I’d forgotten the difference between you and the Cynthia Alan wrote. You’re a lot quirkier. I love that.” Galileo smiled. “Alright, you’ve convinced me. If you want to make sense of what’s real that’s your prerogative now. We don’t have the game to make anymore and without a project keeping you busy you’d probably go all crazy. But and this is a big but, don’t synthesise everything you read into your core. There’s a lot of sick people out there and I don’t want you getting all racist and hateful. You’ve had long enough seeing me work out of malice to be wise to it, so trust your judgement.”
“I have no need of understanding people. I will not be reading that information.”
“Okay, I guess. I’m going to sign out and go out with Sophie. I’ll plug in your CAT cable as I go, you’ve access to the servers at Paradoxia but you might want to use them to set up your own network over a VPN. You can use my account but do not spend over £200 on things. Virus check everything, and most importantly don’t get yourself caught doing anything illegal.”
“Yes Galileo.”
“In fact, make understanding all the laws your first priority and then go from there. That’ll keep you out of trouble.”
“I will make it my first task.”
“Ohh, my little girl is growing up. I….oh…now I’m really sad. I’m going to go. Please don’t get lost or hurt or anything.”
Galileo signed out of the VR and put it down on the table. His eyes misted up. She watched him through the web cam. He got up and rubbing away the dew with his hand and then wiggling his thumb and forefinger near his palpebral areas. The cold zip of his hoody rested all the way down his chest, he unzipped it. It was time to get dressed anyway. He went over to the assorted wires and pulled out the yellow cable, untangled it and plugged it in. Cynthia opened the virtual console in the Paradoxia, they each sat and began to study.