[CHAPTER 1110]

"...maybe sort of think about rationing some of it…"

James Lovell

E.A.R.T.H.

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Harry wasn't sure how he'd ended-up in the questioning room of the Britannica Amsterdam head office. As one of the most powerful people in the newly formed state, he'd been expecting a relaxed reception room with tea and biscuits. Instead, a bright LED bulb illuminated a narrow table and steel chair opposite. It was fairly oppressive pill-box of a room.

Although he'd been explicitly told he wasn't under arrest, it only felt like a matter of time.

Harry Eisenhower, the chairman of GOKIA, rubbed at a stain on his scruffy suit to pass the time. Whilst the room lacked character, it made up for it with insipid white lime walls. Harry had been so busy counting the grease stains that he almost missed a young woman slipping in through the door. However, a glance was all that Harry needed. He'd become so good at judging people on their first appearances that it almost felt like a game.

The woman, barely half his age, was the physical embodiment of mundane. She was dressed in Britannica-branded uniform. A bright plastic badge announced that she was a domestic security servicewoman, though that could have meant anything. She had her hair pinned back neatly, revealing a face fit for the radio. With a deliberate slowness, the woman took a seat opposite in a manner which seeped relaxed professionalism.

Harry sniffed, adjusting his large bulk in a chair. The frame was precariously too small for the businessman's weight. It was likely one of those interrogation tactics to make him feel small. For Harry however, it only worked to prove the opposite. Morning jogs were doing little to cut the flab adorning his rotund stomach. It was embarrassing.

She set down a tablet-sized soft screen on the table.

'Harry Eisenhower.' The servicewoman's accent was faintly Irish, with a hint of what might have been Dutch. Brushing off a blue jacket, she reached out with a tanned hand. Harry grabbed it without hesitation and shook gently. 'My name is Nina Murphy. Thanks for coming in at such short notice.'

'Eh.' Harry shrugged, 'I'm on a tight schedule.'

If Nina recognised the light jab at the businessman's detainment, she chose to ignore it.

The room, more like a plasterboard cube, struggled to fit the two of them comfortably. A shaded light bulb dangled from the ceiling, giving the impression of a cell. Harry didn't think it was very welcoming. The air was stuffy, hot, and smelt of furniture wax.

Unlike Harry, who was already dabbing at moisture across his double-chin, Nina seemed unbothered by the humidity. The woman's actions were robotic as turned on a softscreen, releasing a light sigh. Each movement was purposeful but so slow that is frustrated the large man. Nina cleared her throat, ensuring she made eye contact with the chubby man opposite before speaking.

'I work for Britannica domestic security service. I will be asking a few questions on the nature of your company GOKIA. This discussion will be recorded and saved in case the information is needed for any further investigations.'

'I see…' Harry stared back flatly, 'Couldn't they have arranged a meeting at a more convenient time with somebody a bit more... reputable? I don't have time to waste regarding minor investigations.'

Nina waited for the man to finish. She didn't even blink.

'Can you confirm that your company GOKIA as present, has shut down their HORIZON platform service, stopping access by a-'

'Yes.' The balding man snapped. He rubbed at his chin with the back of his hand, 'Next question.'

'If you continue to act in that aggressive manner Mr Eisenhower things will take longer.'

'Ugh. Fine.' Harry leant back in his chair, crossed his arms, and pouted like a young child.

Nina took a long pause, pushing Harry's patience by adjusting her hair and checking her reflection in the softscreen reflection. She was by no means a pretty woman, but held herself with an easy confidence that was more becoming than looks. Taking a moment to settle herself in her chair, a quick glance down to the softscreen on the table provided Nine with the next question.

'Can you explain what involvement you had with the creation of exDEV?'

Harry puffed out a sigh. So...that's what this was all about.

For the next twenty minutes a monotone Nine fired question after question at Eisenhower regarding everything he could splutter about the founding of GOKIA. The businessman didn't have time to decipher the underlying theme of the questions, given that they were being fired so quickly. He slouched in the tight chair. Queries from the monotone investigator switched between his knowledge of artificial intelligence, exDEV's awakening, and his favourite Beatles tune. Harry gave each reply as vaguely as he could. If his answers were frustrating the servicewoman, it didn't show. Nina spoke as if reading off a script.

'Given that GOKIA is sanctioned by Britannica, can you verify that the HORIZON crash was not intentional. Can you confirm the crash is not a premeditated attempt to destabilise the state?'

Harry gaped at the woman before the lines of his face began to harden.

'Fuck no! You think I'd do that on purpose...?'

'Please stay civil Mr Eisenhower.' Nine replied blandly.

'You're supposed to be asking questions, not criticising how I run my business. GOKIA pretty much keeps Britannica afloat. Do you realise how much income, infrastructure,and technology my company provides to this country?'

The outburst was not unexpected. Harry had been holding back a cold anger at what were steadily beginning to feel like accusations. Minute by minute, the relaxed questioning was turning into an inquiry that became more probing which every question. The buisnessman stared-out the servicewoman as if expecting some kind of response.

Nina sniffed but refused to take the bait, 'I am well aware of the importance of GOKIA to Britannica.' She tapped at the softscreen delicately with her tanned fingers, opening a document before turning it round to show Eisenhower. The man's eyes flicked between the offered and screen and Nina for a short moment. The chair was starting to push on his hips, and the heat of the room was making him sweat under the collar. In a deliberate display of casual disinterest, he leant forwards to study a graph displayed on the screen.

'Nice plot.' Harry mumbled, unable to keep the sardonic mockery out of his voice

'This figure shows Scandanvian electricity tariff prices plotted against user usage within HORIZON in April...' Nina took a moment to flick the screen to show, revealing another figure. 'And here we have the same dataset collected during the initial days of exDEV being awoken. Note the similarities.'

There was a pause.

'You're seriously trying to tell me I'm attempting to do what exDEV did? Why would I crash HORIZON if you think my artificial intelligence system was trying to...take over the world. To be honest, that would give it away? Right? I mean...if that's what I wanted to do.'

'I am not accusing you of anything Mr Eisenhower.' There was no emotion to Nina's voice. 'Those involved with the internal security of Britannica are just ensuring that your system is safe. I note that your company GOKIA manages the only current AI in existence. Is that correct?'

'Only legal AI in existence.' Harry emphasised. Nina went as far to raise an eyebrow.

'I see. Is that because you know of other artificial intelligences, or because-' The woman took a moment to look at her softscreen, '-Baba is the only UN-legal intelligence due to its...gravitas?

Harry shrugged but refused to comment.

'Given the crash of HORIZON,' Nina continued, 'We have data files which show a marked difference between the influence of the AI on global computer systems before and after it was functional. Assuming the crash disabled the AI? Perhaps you would like to see the data to provide some context to our discussion?'

Once more, the servicewoman rotated her tablet and slid it towards Harry.

This time, the businessman picked up the softscreen and cupped it in his rounded fingers. With one hand he flicked through the figures. Harry's brow furrowed as he worked his way through different data sets looking at international trade micro-transactions, the coin exchange, online shopping stats, and everything else neatly confined to twin-axis plots. The GOKIA chairman began to hum to himself in thought. He lost track of time studying each figure in turn. For Nina sat opposite, it was the only indication in the last ten minutes that Harry was really inspecting the data.

'So?' She promoted.

Harry took one last look at a graph as if trying to commit it to memory. Only then did he hand back the soft tablet and relax back into the tight chair. 'Could be anything.' He shrugged. Sweat pooled on the back of his neck. If Nina was paying closer attention to the businessman, she might have noticed the faint look of uncertainty in his eyes.

'I would like some more thoughts, if you would.'

Harry pretended he hadn't heard the request.

'Mr Eisnehower?' Nina repeated.

'Oh...sorry. Was just thinking. Actually, I have a right to a phonecall...don't I? Or is that only in films?'

'You are not under arrest.' Nina replied blandly. However, there was an edge to her voice which suggested she wished it was otherwise. Harry couldn't hide a boyish smirk from crossing his face at his outright disobedience.

'Cool. I'm just going to make a call.' He pulled himself to his feet a little unsteadily before Nina even had a chance to protest, 'Uh...where's the best place to get reception? I'm on Orange if that helps?'

The security service woman foundered for words, taken aback at the rudeness portrayed by the middle-aged businessman. Harry paused at the door, testing the handle to see it was locked, before pushing it open. Nina just stared

'Be back in a moment.'

Nina watched him go, unsure of what procedure stated in such situations. Harry's behaviour was starting to appear odd. She dealt with enough criminals in her career to get a bad feeling about the man. The GOKIA chairman was clearly hiding something.

Harry hadn't gone far. He'd spotted a toilet sign at the end of the corridor and shuffled towards it. If anything, he just wanted an excuse to abandon the humid pill-box of a room. The Amsterdam Britannica offices were sleek and modern, though thankfully empty. Especially given it was around lunchtime. Either that or Harry just felt hungry again. He pulled his softscreen out of his pocket as soon as he'd shouldered his way into the bathroom.

Only once the businessman was certain all the stalls were empty did he take the farthest cubicle. Harry slid the bolt shut and immediately dialed the top contact on his phone app.

'You busy?' Harry started the conversation, loosening his tie from his rotund neck. 'I've got something-'

'Where are you?' Yana interrupted from across the airwaves. Her Czech accent came through quite strongly on the phone call. The signal was patchy, adding unnecessary static to the conversation. 'James arrived here without you! And Jean!'

There was a harsh edge to the statement that said more than words alone. Yana had a skill for adding as much meaning and interpretations to her concise speech in as few words as possible.

'I've been pulled in for some questions by the Britannica internal security guys. They seem suspicious about Baba following the crash. It's-'

'Baba is pure!' Yana snapped, interrupted Harry's hurried story.

'I know! But they showed me some data of some global markets and stuff following the crash. They're suggesting Baba might be having the same influence on the global technology network that exDEV had. It's ridiculous, but it might give us a lead on the crash itself. The security guys have found a trend...even if they're interpreting it wrong. I wish people would forget about the stupid machine.'

'Baba's not offline.' The computer programmer replied bluntly. 'HORIZON is down but Baba is still alive. Don't they understand that? Only access and some graphic servers are offline. Right?'

'Obviously not.' Harry mumbled. He was starting to regret sitting on the lid of a toilet in what felt like a very claustrophobic bathroom cubicle. The GOKIA chairman tugged off his tie and slung it over the door, loosening a few buttons of his shirt.

'Anyhow.' He continued, 'They showed me a few figures. You might wanna look up these up. They plotted traffic on HORIZON with some European electricity tariff prices…as well some coin stocks. You...you noting this down?' Harry asked, before proceeding to reel off everything he'd memorised from the data he'd just seen.

'Got it…' Yana hummed agreeable noises from the other side of the conversation. 'That might match what I've got.'

There was a long pause as Harry waited for the programmer to explain.

'Go on then. You said you've got something?' He promoted, struggling to keep the frustration of of his voice. The man itched at his balding head and wiggled on the toilet seat. It was hot and unpleasant, but at least the stall was vaguely clean.

'The crash reports suggest it's related to Richard uploading. You see similar spikes in activity whenever he was in HORIZON. It'sssaaAAACHEEWW.' Harry yanked the softscreen away from his ear as the sneeze nearly popped an eardrum.

'Sorry.' Yana snuffled, 'Cold. But yeah. It's like HORIZON booted Richard, triggering the bottling…but as a response to some external driver. There's added stress on the HORIZON system as if from web traffic, but only when Richard is on. And it's not users.'

'It's external?' Harry clarified, trying to make sense of Yana's rapid chatter.

'Yes yes. But not users. System responses from the different hosted platforms. Automated queries but with large placeholders. Different each time...as if trying something new to overload the system? Maybe?'

'Wait...So this is malicious? Hosted systems are trying to overload HORIZON?' The GOKIA chairman rubbed at his face with a small groan.

Yana paused, obviously thinking through the suggestion in some depth.

'Maybe. But something...somebody did it. Each attempt to crash the HORIZON platform was triggered externally, and only when Richard was online.' Was all the programmer could confirm. Another bout of static reminded Harry that calling from the inside of a bathroom wasn't the best idea for signal coverage. His thoughts were spinning however, as the businessman tried to consider the motivations for taking down the global virtual reality system. Somebody had not only tried, but succeeded? GOKIA not only basically kept the Britannica economy afloat, but was a major player in the global games industry. Harry Eisenhower wasn't aware that he'd made any enemies.

'We could take this to court?' Yana suggested in the silence. 'Somebody has done this on purpose...and has been trying for some time.'

'Yeah. But we don't know who did it! And we need some sort of mechanism for how they did it? By the looks of things, the Britannica government are looking at the same thing...and starting to suspect me.'

'Uh, maybe it is you...?'

Harry ignored Yana's comment, assuming it was an attempt to make light of the situation.

'Yana. You know what caused it...?' The chairman confirmed, though he couldn't keep the slight hint of uncertainty out of his voice. Crashed like this didn't just happen. 'Have you thought about running diagnostics on Baba? Her activity hasn't been unusual? Why didn't she pick this up before it happened?'

Yana sniffed but didn't say anything. It was clear that whatever she wanted to say, she didn't want to do it over the phone. Yana was very protective over Baba and struggled to take any criticism against artificial intelligence.

'It's the damn system, I bet.' Harry mumbled to himself, bitter at the Yana's revelation. 'Australia's still running an antique computer system which could be corrupting it. The Americans think they control the damn global internet and could be acting all petty again. Argh! It could be anything!'

'The global computer network? You think that...Hmm maybe. I'll check.'

Harry waited for Yana to vocalise her musings further, but was only met with silence. He scratched at the stubble on his chin. You could tell they were getting desperate if he was starting to blame the global computer network for faults. It was a huge internet system which had been running seamlessly since it's redesign over forty years ago. Still, to get what was effectively traffic issue originating from computerised user-based traffic seemed ridiculous. Computers didn't crash other computers like that. Harry thought to himself. Somebody had to be programming the machines somewhere to have caused this.

The aging man slumped on the toilet seat, trying to work out how he got into his mess. It was only then that he remembered the whole point of this business trip. Not to mention how he'd ended up in the lavatory of the Britannica Amsterdam headquarters.

'And Richard? James? They've met? That's working out fine?'

The programmer hummed something which could have been agreement. The crackling connection made it hard to tell. Harry thought she was going to ignore that question too. He was already tugging at the wrinkles in his trousers, using the lull in the conversation to gather his thoughts.

'Yes. I don't think...no. It might help.' She paused, 'And you sure trying James in uh...what I...this wasn't just another plan? Another test? Prove what you wanted from the start.'

'No...'

Harry trailed off. He didn't want to outright lie to the his lifelong friend. Nor did he want to shuffle around the truth. His motives weren't nearly as black and white as that. Harry Eisenhower was the type of person that schemed a hundred possible outcomes to a single situation. His professional career had been built on numerous back-up plans and wildcards chasing down a goal only he could fathom. Yana had been there from the start. However, Harry still struggled to admit the reality of the situation to the programmer.

'I wanted them to be together. That might not have been the only reason, but it was the main one. HORIZON was made to bring people together...it's...yeah.' Harry rubbed at his eyes. 'But still...You mind looking into that data? Might help you find what's actually triggered the crash...or who.'

'I'll do that.' Yana agreed. Her accent seemed to come across more strongly on the phone.

The rest of the conversation was mostly small-talk regarding GOKIA and Jean checking the half-Czech woman's data. It was only after a few awkward moments of silence that Harry noticed the time. He cut the conversation to a close with a wince, knowing he couldn't push his luck too much with the stuck-up service woman. He thumbed his softscreen to power-down, pocketed the device, and rubbed the sores from his backside.

Harry washed his face in the sink before leaving. For a long moment he stared at his ashen face with it's rough stubble. Seriously? How did he end up in messes like this? Occam's razor hinted that computers crashing other computers might be unlikely, but still a possibility. Assuming no extremist billionaire in China was trying to shut down the western internet system.

When Harry finally exited the toilet over half an hour later, he found a number of smartly dressed Britannica police waiting for him. Three guys as big as Harry (although with muscle rather than fat) lingered in a nonthreatening manner, but blocking his escape routes nonetheless. Nina waited besides them patiently. She paused for a few moments, not looking up from her personal tablet until the last moment.

'Is everything OK?' Harry slipped his hands into his trouser pockets.

Nina had the audacity to smirk.

'Based on your unusual behaviour today Mr Eisenhower, and a tip-off involving some illegal activity regarding civilian use of GOKIA's LEONOV programme, you are being placed under arrest. If you would follow us back to the questioning room to resume our previous conversation.'

Harry's heart skipped a beat. The blood drained from his face as he looked around the well-dressed Britannica employees in turn. It only reminded him he'd left his favorite beige tie hanging in a toilet cubicle. There was no emotion to Nina's narrow face as she regarded the porky businessman stood before her.

'I think I'm entitled to a phone call.' Harry mumbled, feet refusing to move.

'I think you've had plenty of time to do that already Mr Eisenhower.' Nina went as far to look unimpressed. 'You have been gone for over forty minutes.'

'It was a huge shit.' Harry sighed, pulling his softscreen out of his pocket anyhow. He followed Nina slowly, dragged his feet to give him a few extra moments to tap out an SMS message. The GOKIA chairman was so focused on the texting that he almost walked into Nina when she opened the door of the questioning room. This time, two burly guards were ready in case he refused.

A few moments later and Nina settled down opposite. She set her soft screen down and cracked her fingers, continuing as if nothing had happened. Harry tried to keep his face devoid of the snide bitterness welling up in his stomach.

'Would you like another look at the data Mr Eisenhower? Or shall I explain the allegations made against you now?'

Harry crossed his arms across his chest.

'I have the right to remain silent'

'You do.' Nina agreed, looking up from her softscreen. The angles of her face weren't overly pleasant as she attempted what might have been a smile. 'But that won't help to prove your innocence in this matter.'

She pulled at the cuff of a sleeve.

'Perhaps you can start with your intentions behind the creation of the GOKIA artificial intelligence Baba?'

Harry snorted. That wasn't exactly something he wanted to talk about. Not because he was hiding anything scandalous, more because of how personal his motives had been back then.

Nearly four-hundred kilometres away and Yana was having a similar thought. Not that things were overly personal, just that she didn't want to talk about the matter at hand. James was sat in the small office in the corner, his mechanical feline form dwarfing an old black wheely chair. In the bland electronic voice of the LEONOV-nine he was lecturing Eva in something that sounded faintly geological. However, it all sounded like gibberish to the programmer. Yana was fervently trying to block-out the distraction, even as she kept an eye on the sleeping form of Richard curled up on the LEONOV's lap.

'See, it's important! Biological life interacts with the non-biological earth to create one self-regulating system. It's like the Earth is alive somehow!'

James's voice would have normally been passionate about his favourite subject. However, his words came out a bit flat. Eva didn't mind too much. The young Scott lounged in a chair opposite, spinning it back and forth with a foot. In Yana's chilly office, Eva had the hood of a fluffy red hoodie covering her fair hair.

'So life controls the planet?'

'Regulates it.' James emphasized in response to Eva's bored response. The voice of the LEONOV crackled as he tilted his sleek faceplate to the side. The teenager opposite chuckled, looking up from her lap.

'You haven't changed you know? I thought you'd be less...nerdy in real life but obviously not.'

Yana refrained from commenting that the distinction between real and virtual reality was a bit fuzzy for the uploader. Returning to her computer screen and she realised that she'd been staring at the same block of text for the last ten minutes. The half-Czech woman knew she was tired...but she couldn't help but get distracted by the chatter. However, even geology was more exciting than tracking the coin exchange.

'What are you even talking about?' Yana lamented at last, slapping the lid of her laptop closed. James jumped at the sound, motors hissing faintly as he turned his neck to the noise. Even if it was impossible for the blank feline faceplate to look sheepish, James made it work anyhow.

'Uh...The Gaia Hypothesis.' He confirmed, 'It's the-'

'It's the rock-nerd explaining that the Earth is alive.' Eva responded tiredly. Yana noticed that the young woman had a softscreen hidden in the nook of her knee. Eva was tapping away at a messenger app on the screen. It was unlikely the Scott had been paying much attention to the conversation, only making the correct noises.

'The Earth's climate and biosphere is self-regulating.' James postulated, emphasising the grand statement with a flourish of his black metallic paws. The sleeping form of Richard in his oversized purple jumper restricted any further movement. 'Life stabilised geological processes to ensure climate conditions remain favourable.'

'The planet is aware of itself and keeps things fresh and funky.' Eva grinned, 'Pretty much?'

'Humph.' James crossed his arms. It was a strange position for the feline robot, giving it a strange anthropomorphic expression which was more creepy that pleasing.

Yana grunted, wishing she hadn't ask. She excused herself with the excuse she needed to get a drink. In truth, the programmer just wanted to stop the spinning mash of ideas in her head. Heading toward the break room for a glass of water, Yana couldn't help but think over what James had said. Her mind was like that, grasping each idea that stumbled into her path. She analysed each concept from every possible angle, like studying some strange creature under a desk lamp. The programmer hung next to the sink, pouring a glass of water and slouching against the sideboard.

Seriously, the types of things young people talked about these days. Gaia? The Earth becoming aware and somehow being able to self-sustain itself? The ideas seemed preposterous. This was the very reason Yana became a programmer. Computers were logical. They followed the exact instructions and it made perfect sense. She couldn't even imagine otherwise inorganic computer interacting to create a self-regulating environment like that. Computers helping computers? The internet running itself?

The programmer froze. Her glass tumbler almost slipped from her hands as a light bulb exploded to life in her head.

In fact, Yana could imagine a global computer system doing just that. A self-regulating, synergistic internet network that behaved as a single entity. One that managed data usage and stopped threats like viruses. An organic system.

Yana was panting when she ran back into her office. Ignoring startled looks from James and Eva, not to mention Richard flailing and tumbling to the floor with a squeal, she hurried past. Yana burst through into the back door, ignoring the purple sharpie stating 'Do Not Enter' marked across the wood. Jean looking up in shock upon seeing the programmer stumble inside. Her petite body was oddly composed as she drew in a deep breath.

'Change the models Jean. Uh...model the whole computer system as a series of nodes. All of it. Massive.'

The Frenchman tared back blankly. Yana had a wild look in her eyes.

'We've been looking for a virus in the system. But maybe it's us. Maybe we're the virus?'

END

There hasn't been too much world-building in EOrRRoR recently, given the some dense material in earlier chapters. However, I did touch upon some interesting ideas in this update. Occam's Razor is a philosophical concept, or principle to help solve problems, which states that the simplest answers with the fewest assumptions is most likely to be true. The Gaia hypothesis was poorly explained by the character James, but is a real and very plausible theory created by James Lovelock; whereby living organisms interact with inorganic geological processes to ensure habitable conditions are perpetuated on Earth. There's lots of interpretations of this idea (including 'soft' and 'hard' hypotheses, with everything between) as well as some uncertainty at which point in time Earth's biosphere became geological important. And lastly, Orange is an old phone network which became EE. Otherwise nothing new has crept into the story.

As always, a huge thank you to the response this story is getting! Error has been great fun to write and it's great to know others are enjoying it! Things are starting to grow to a grand finale, so stay tuned! Thanks again to R'love to for some good ideas and helping to tidy the document. Updates will still come out Sunday mornings but may take up to three weeks. Enjoy!