Symbiosis - Boredom

2543 (20-3rd-6) New Calendar - Prima Centurai

A4368A looked around her room. It looked back. There was no use denying it, she reasoned. She was bored.

Nut had kept her entertained for a while, of course, growing in its pot; she carefully unearthed the top of it everyday to check its progress, although so far it was taking its time in growing. After that, she’d examined the wash unit, and found its serial number. She’d spent a happy two hours just playing with the numbers, splitting them up and putting them into patterns and sums in her head. A pair of parallel lines in the vitruvium panelling had provided much the same entertainment for her. But she’d now lost interest, and even drinking water didn’t occupy her.

For some odd reason… she wanted to run. And shout.

And she especially wanted to go outside.

Slipping over to the door, she tried to open it experimentally. It was locked. Maybe it was a test? Like Baroth giving her Nut. Maybe there was a way out? She’d wondered that for a while now, beyond the obvious door of course. She went back to the mirrors again, and placed her palms and ear against it.

There were definite vibrations coming from the other side, albeit only slight. They sounded like machinery, maybe; something electrical, thrumming away. She pulled back, and looked at the mirrors with a worker’s eye.

Three large, squared panels of vitruvium in all, then, each with the smallest seam between them. They formed every inch of that wall, with their adjacent plasteel counterparts meeting them at right angles. It meant a possible weakness in the corners, A4368A thought. Enough force applied could bend the end panels away from the plasteel, although it could also break the vitruvium if she wasn’t careful. Delicately she ran her finger tips over one panel, gently pressing it in places and tapping it in others. Structurally, it seemed quite strong; but then, one could never quite tell with vitruvium.

Worth a try, anyway. She just needed something long to even out the pressure…

A4368A looked at her bed.

*****************

Inge jumped uncharacteristically as the sound of metal under stress screamed behind him, the decibel level too high for his delicate hearing. He spun around from the blood test read-outs, and froze.

A4368A stood before him, in a freshly made gap between the wall and a sheet of peeled back vitruvium, looking around with nothing but wide-eyed fascination. She saw him and smiled widely, dropping the plasteel bar in her hand to the floor with a clang. He controlled the wince as she entered the room eagerly.

“Hello!” she said. “I was bored. Do you live here?”

Inge could only stare at her. How in hell had she done that? What did she do? That room was supposed to be secure!

She was distracted, moving to the machinery and running a hand over it delicately. Inge swallowed. What should he say? Baroth handled talking to her really, Inge’s abilities at talking to other sentient beings were poor at best. He composed himself.

“Do you realise that you shouldn’t have come back here?” he asked mildly.

Her smile faltered. “Shouldn’t I?” she asked, apparently saddened by the news. “I thought maybe…”

Inge paused to let her finish, but she trailed off. Should he press her for the answer?

“What did you think?” he asked, making his voice as gentle as he could.

A4368A looked up at him. “That maybe it was a test,” she said. “Like Nut was, and when Baroth asks me what I want and things. I was bored,” she added. “I thought maybe I was meant to find things to do.”

He looked at her.

“Interesting,” Inge murmured. “You’re trying to analyse people. Not to mention evaluate your situation. That’s almost a week ahead of schedule.”

She cocked her head, and subjected Inge to the most calculating stare he’d ever experienced. He could almost see the synapses firing behind her eyes, as well as sense them.

“You’ve estimated my progress as I develop emotionally,” she stated at last. “And you’ve worked out a schedule?”

Inge smiled. Very interesting. “Yes,” he said aloud. “That’s right.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think?”

She blinked at the question, and then looked away as she thought, twining a strand of dark hair around her finger as she did. Inge held his breath, feeling the energy in her brain as it worked. Yesterday, he’d have been astounded if she’d produced anything approaching an answer. Right now, he’d be astounded if she was entirely off the mark. The psychograph was definitely inaccurate, even with his allowances.

She looked back at him.

“I’ll be completed at some point, and you have calculated a completion date for it.”

Inge smiled, feeling somehow pleased. “In a manner of speaking, yes. Or rather, we can take you so far in your development, and that’s the level we’re aiming for. No one ever stops developing emotionally, you see.”

“Then… what is the level you’re aiming for with me?”

Inge sighed. “That would be difficult to explain.”

“Why can’t I come here?” she asked sadly. “Is it your home?”

“No,” Inge smiled. “But… well, us giving you back your emotional capacities like this, it’s… illegal. As such, no one can find out about you yet.”

“Oh.” She looked crestfallen. “Can I ever go outside?”

“Of course,” Inge said soothingly. “Just… not yet.” He stroked his cheek thoughtfully with a long finger. “Where you truly that bored?”

“Yes,” she said, with feeling.

“Hmm. We’ll have to do something about that. Cerebral implant possibly,” he added to himself. “We’ll have a meeting about it. Um… could you possibly fix that mirror, in the meantime?”

*************

“We have a glitch,” the voice said quietly. It slid across the waves of music crescendoing around the Archon, jarring in the flow of notes and dragging his mind out of the myriad of melodies and harmonies into the physical room. He opened his eyes, and focused on the small man standing in front of his desk.

“A glitch?” he purred. “Really? How exciting.”

“In Control,” the man confirmed. “It’s small. So much so that I nearly didn’t notice it, but it’s there. So far I’ve been completely unable to find who it’s covering, or who’s causing it.”

“Ah. A challenge, then.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The Archon smiled, lulled on the crest of the cellos. This was just like the old days.

“Very well,” he murmured. “Do what you have to, full clearance. Keep me updated.”

He closed his eyes again as the man left the room, and lost himself to the music.

****************

“There,” A4386A said happily, standing back and dusting off her hands, apparently satisfied. “Is that sufficient?”

“My word yes,” Inge answered. “Impressively quick and impressively thorough.”

“I’m good with vitruvium,” she informed him. “I like it.”

That seemed to be no idle boast; the mirror had been repositioned perfectly. Inge looked at the girl in front of him. She looked back expectantly. He sighed.

“There’s… something I must discuss with you,” Inge murmured. “When you sleep at the moment, you see nothing, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she agreed. “I close my eyes. I see nothing then.”

“Do you imagine images when you are awake?” Inge queried. “’See’ them in your mind?”

“Yes!” A4386A said merrily. “I practise it.”

“But you don’t see anything in your mind while you sleep?”

“Oh. No.”

“Right,” Inge said wearily. “Well, most people do. It’s not something we can help, you see, but our minds like to produce these images. Whole scenarios, sometimes. It’s called dreaming.”

“Scenarios? Like… memories.”

“Very often, yes. And that may be the problem.” Inge stroked one high cheekbone thoughtfully. “I know you don’t want to remember your life before you were a worker, but someday soon you are going to start dreaming again; it’s not something we can prevent, I’m afraid. And you may dream about your memories of that life.”

He felt her fear.

“But – I don’t want to…”

“They aren’t real, worker,” Inge said gently. “Just remember that. If it does happen, remember: those images won’t be real. Those events have already happened. They can’t hurt you again. Whatever you see, you will wake up. Understand?”

Panic danced in her bright blue eyes, but Inge felt her resolve, bravely clutching at his words. She nodded, looking hunted.

“Okay,” Inge said. “Now – shall we do something about you being bored?”

“Yes!” she said. “Please.”

“Have you ever heard of puzzles?” he asked. She thought about it, and he felt for her brain energies gently. They tingled pleasantly. Evidently, she was eager to think about this new topic.

“No,” she admitted, deeply interested.

“Excellent!” Inge smiled. “It’s a toy, problem or other contrivance designed to amuse or entertain by presenting difficulties to be solved by ingenuity or patient effort. Usually a hypothetical problem.”

It was a test. He ‘watched’ the psionic energies as they soared. His explanation confused her, but – impressively – she was ignoring her own confusion and deciphering it for herself.

Eventually she looked at him. “They sound… fun. I think. I would like to try one.”

“You shall try many!” Inge declared. “I’ll compile some for you.” He steepled his elongated fingers and looked at her sternly. “However – you cannot go leaving this room again without our permission. Agreed?”

A4386A nodded quickly. “Okay.”

“Very well. We will begin with this one.” Inge cleared his throat. “A man is doing his job when his suit tears. Three minutes later, he’s dead. How and why?”

“I…” She paused. “The suit is of paramount importance to his life within this circumstance. Presumably, this circumstance has arisen from his job… The suit keeps him alive within his job. He’s… he’s a space worker?”

“Yes!” Inge felt rather pleased with her. “That’s right. This one will be harder: a hunter aims his gun carefully and fires. Seconds later, he realizes his mistake. Minutes later, he dies.”

“I am to explain his mistake?”

“And why he is now dead,” Inge nodded. “I’ll bring you more. That one will keep you going for the time being, however.”

She nodded, and sat down to think.