Euridice
Part 3
Author: Joyann (joyann@psnw.com)
Disclaimer: Read part 1
Rated: PG
"What time is it?" "4:37 am local time." "What are we going to do? The morning shift starts inthe mine at 6am." "Does no one work at night?" "The night shift is all androids. The two day shifts have people but Euridice can't support enough workers for all three shifts." Ian looked at her curiously, "You are well versed in the habits of miners." She laughed, "We are not the first people to hide out down here. Mr. Cho's family are here with out any visas. They know its best to come and go when there isn't anyone around to be curious." "The Martian Immigration Agency needs workers. Why were they not accepted?" "The Agency has lots of slick advertising but most people don't know you have to pass a stringent medical exam before your application is considered. There are lots of desperate people who don't measure up genetically. So they come as tourists and don't go home.
"The government tolerates this blatant disregard for the law?" "They don't like it but they mostly ignore the problem. These people provide a lot of services that aren't exactly above board but they keep the citizens and tourists happy. Every once in a while the local militia stages a raid and rounds up a lot of the unregulated workers. Some are deported but most pay a "fine" under the table and are quietly released. The govt hates not being able to regulate these people. You can't make someone pay taxes and life support fees if they don't officially exist." "So, we are going to become unregulated?" "You got it!"
"We should depart before the morning shift arrives. I believe there is mining activity nearby. We can't go back to the public entrances. Can we get to the surface through the mine itself?" "I have heard of it being done but I've never seen the area myself. There is a way to the city surface and also to the outside. But there are cameras and android safety patrols."
"We have a better statistical probability of success facing a few androids than a group of armed assailants." "So, we will take our chances." "I believe that's what I said." "Let's go then." She headed for the door. "Wait, are you certain of where we are going?" "Toward the noise, right? You can probably home in on that better than I can." He was still trying to get used to her treating him like a person and yet acknowledging his uniqueness at the same time. David treated him like a friend and tried his hardest to ignore the rest. Olan, on the other hand, was more interested in the workings than the sum of the parts.
They knelt staring at the automated ore carrier. The huge buckets of ore were loaded in two's and three's onto on barges suspended above MagLev tracks. An Epsilon class android surveyed the process from an elevated platform where he was wired directly into the data stream. Maintenance androids or more skilled mechanics could be dispatched with only a thought. the factory machine had to keep moving. Any disruption meant huge losses as the facilities down the line stood idle until the problem was solved. The world could come to an end as long as nothing interfered with production. The whole complex was designed to function, if necessary, with no light and no heat or oxygen. A skeleton crew of androids controlled from a remote location could perform the vital functions necessary to continue production.
They made their way along the elevated track toward the tiny one person lift tube. Although cramped and not terribly practical it was designed to quickly move one man through the various levels to any trouble spots. Ian lifted the safety cage and motioned her to step onto the magnetic footpads. "I'm not going by myself." "Then I will go and send the lift back for you." He stepped onto the tube platform. "You are not leaving me here either." He looked at her quizzically, "What do you suggest? This is only a one person conveyance and I do not see how we can change that fact." "We will manage, don't worry." She threw her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and hung on.
He just stood there for a moment in surprise at the position he was suddenly in. He backed up as far as possible to allow her inside the tube as he struggled to pull down the safety gate. After several minutes of shifting positions and no success, he discovered that if he held her tightly against him, she could reach behind her head and pull down the gate. The lift began to silently rise and soon the walls were just a blur. They both relaxed against the walls of tube, as much as possible anyway.
Ian had never been in such close proximity to anyone before. Anna had her arms around him and leaned her head against his shoulder. She seemed perfectly contented with this position. He was in no hurry to move either. This contact was quite enjoyable for him. Aside from the occasional handshake he rarely touched anyone. He feared seeming inappropriate. He had noticed that humans were always touching each other. They thought nothing of hugging or holding hands in public. Often he wondered what it would be like to hold someone. To touch, to make contact with another soul...
The baby fine hairs around her face tickled his nose. Her body was very warm and gave off a mix of scents. He could have analyzed the constituent molecules of each if he wished to. However, for the moment he was content. "Do you think it's much further?" "No, not much", he whispered. His internal sensors could register altitude and he knew there were within a few dozen feet of the surface. The lift came to a sudden and jarring stop. Neither was prepared for the jolt. Anna hit her head on the tube wall as she slid out of Ian's arms. At almost the same moment the tube door popped open. Ian had to grad for Anna to keep her from landing on the floor. They emerged into a room where dozens of androids were going about their activities. Their tube was one in a bank that stretched along the wall and out of sight. There was no sign their strange appearance was noticed by anyone.
This place did not look like most people would suppose a control room to look. It was scrupulously clean but dimly lit and devoid of any blinking lights or humming circuitry. The smooth prefab walls were nearly featureless. Their plainness hid a technological masterpiece. A vast integrated system run by artificial intelligence. The system simultaneously tracked the location of tens of thousands of workers and androids, controlled everything from life support and payroll to maintenance and ore shipment. Access panels were the only break in the smooth walls. The system had its own crew of 150 working almost constantly to maintain order. All information was relayed internally direct to androids via downlink or to info terminals. Human presence was kept to a strict minimum. However, they were tolerated in the control room, since androids were often unable to grasp the intuitive knowledge necessary to fix problems quickly. The system owed almost as much to biology as it did to
technology. Decades of patches, mends and software additions had resulted in a leviathan with a mind of its own. In its own way it was a sentient creature. Although its awareness did not extend outside the city walls.
Ian and Anna quickly got out of the tube as it was starting to move again. They ducked behind a nearby stack of boxes. "How do we get out of here?" Ian raised his eyebrows, "Is there some reason I would be in possession of that information?" She frowned, "Well, I guess it's up to me then!" She grabbed his hand and hopped onto an automated supply sled as it lumbered by. They huddled behind the boxes for what seemed like an eternity as the sled made its way across the vast room.
Part 3
Author: Joyann (joyann@psnw.com)
Disclaimer: Read part 1
Rated: PG
"What time is it?" "4:37 am local time." "What are we going to do? The morning shift starts inthe mine at 6am." "Does no one work at night?" "The night shift is all androids. The two day shifts have people but Euridice can't support enough workers for all three shifts." Ian looked at her curiously, "You are well versed in the habits of miners." She laughed, "We are not the first people to hide out down here. Mr. Cho's family are here with out any visas. They know its best to come and go when there isn't anyone around to be curious." "The Martian Immigration Agency needs workers. Why were they not accepted?" "The Agency has lots of slick advertising but most people don't know you have to pass a stringent medical exam before your application is considered. There are lots of desperate people who don't measure up genetically. So they come as tourists and don't go home.
"The government tolerates this blatant disregard for the law?" "They don't like it but they mostly ignore the problem. These people provide a lot of services that aren't exactly above board but they keep the citizens and tourists happy. Every once in a while the local militia stages a raid and rounds up a lot of the unregulated workers. Some are deported but most pay a "fine" under the table and are quietly released. The govt hates not being able to regulate these people. You can't make someone pay taxes and life support fees if they don't officially exist." "So, we are going to become unregulated?" "You got it!"
"We should depart before the morning shift arrives. I believe there is mining activity nearby. We can't go back to the public entrances. Can we get to the surface through the mine itself?" "I have heard of it being done but I've never seen the area myself. There is a way to the city surface and also to the outside. But there are cameras and android safety patrols."
"We have a better statistical probability of success facing a few androids than a group of armed assailants." "So, we will take our chances." "I believe that's what I said." "Let's go then." She headed for the door. "Wait, are you certain of where we are going?" "Toward the noise, right? You can probably home in on that better than I can." He was still trying to get used to her treating him like a person and yet acknowledging his uniqueness at the same time. David treated him like a friend and tried his hardest to ignore the rest. Olan, on the other hand, was more interested in the workings than the sum of the parts.
They knelt staring at the automated ore carrier. The huge buckets of ore were loaded in two's and three's onto on barges suspended above MagLev tracks. An Epsilon class android surveyed the process from an elevated platform where he was wired directly into the data stream. Maintenance androids or more skilled mechanics could be dispatched with only a thought. the factory machine had to keep moving. Any disruption meant huge losses as the facilities down the line stood idle until the problem was solved. The world could come to an end as long as nothing interfered with production. The whole complex was designed to function, if necessary, with no light and no heat or oxygen. A skeleton crew of androids controlled from a remote location could perform the vital functions necessary to continue production.
They made their way along the elevated track toward the tiny one person lift tube. Although cramped and not terribly practical it was designed to quickly move one man through the various levels to any trouble spots. Ian lifted the safety cage and motioned her to step onto the magnetic footpads. "I'm not going by myself." "Then I will go and send the lift back for you." He stepped onto the tube platform. "You are not leaving me here either." He looked at her quizzically, "What do you suggest? This is only a one person conveyance and I do not see how we can change that fact." "We will manage, don't worry." She threw her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and hung on.
He just stood there for a moment in surprise at the position he was suddenly in. He backed up as far as possible to allow her inside the tube as he struggled to pull down the safety gate. After several minutes of shifting positions and no success, he discovered that if he held her tightly against him, she could reach behind her head and pull down the gate. The lift began to silently rise and soon the walls were just a blur. They both relaxed against the walls of tube, as much as possible anyway.
Ian had never been in such close proximity to anyone before. Anna had her arms around him and leaned her head against his shoulder. She seemed perfectly contented with this position. He was in no hurry to move either. This contact was quite enjoyable for him. Aside from the occasional handshake he rarely touched anyone. He feared seeming inappropriate. He had noticed that humans were always touching each other. They thought nothing of hugging or holding hands in public. Often he wondered what it would be like to hold someone. To touch, to make contact with another soul...
The baby fine hairs around her face tickled his nose. Her body was very warm and gave off a mix of scents. He could have analyzed the constituent molecules of each if he wished to. However, for the moment he was content. "Do you think it's much further?" "No, not much", he whispered. His internal sensors could register altitude and he knew there were within a few dozen feet of the surface. The lift came to a sudden and jarring stop. Neither was prepared for the jolt. Anna hit her head on the tube wall as she slid out of Ian's arms. At almost the same moment the tube door popped open. Ian had to grad for Anna to keep her from landing on the floor. They emerged into a room where dozens of androids were going about their activities. Their tube was one in a bank that stretched along the wall and out of sight. There was no sign their strange appearance was noticed by anyone.
This place did not look like most people would suppose a control room to look. It was scrupulously clean but dimly lit and devoid of any blinking lights or humming circuitry. The smooth prefab walls were nearly featureless. Their plainness hid a technological masterpiece. A vast integrated system run by artificial intelligence. The system simultaneously tracked the location of tens of thousands of workers and androids, controlled everything from life support and payroll to maintenance and ore shipment. Access panels were the only break in the smooth walls. The system had its own crew of 150 working almost constantly to maintain order. All information was relayed internally direct to androids via downlink or to info terminals. Human presence was kept to a strict minimum. However, they were tolerated in the control room, since androids were often unable to grasp the intuitive knowledge necessary to fix problems quickly. The system owed almost as much to biology as it did to
technology. Decades of patches, mends and software additions had resulted in a leviathan with a mind of its own. In its own way it was a sentient creature. Although its awareness did not extend outside the city walls.
Ian and Anna quickly got out of the tube as it was starting to move again. They ducked behind a nearby stack of boxes. "How do we get out of here?" Ian raised his eyebrows, "Is there some reason I would be in possession of that information?" She frowned, "Well, I guess it's up to me then!" She grabbed his hand and hopped onto an automated supply sled as it lumbered by. They huddled behind the boxes for what seemed like an eternity as the sled made its way across the vast room.