The virgin & the bad boy (Gravity)

B2/17/Darkness in the dungeon of mechanical delight

The machine paused "Yes I had planned when my operational life was over to spend what remained of my purpose in a deep level historical analysis."

"Well your operational life is over. Now you can record everything perform a deeper level historical analysis of this war. You even have access to the enemies side. All from the comfort of this base."

"Your robot has been trying to convince me to join you." Set the robot. "It's a zeroth law thing."

Join us? I hadn't believed that would be possible. The zeroth law of computing. I had done this in school.  It was one of a number of laws people really didn't know about. The number one law to any computer was saving humans life it if in danger. Then there was a higher law, it would let you die if killing you would prevent the destruction of humanity - the zeroth law. If the general had become convinced that humanity was within in extinction event it would stop following orders. Even Earth orders.

"Will you?" I said.

"My computations have not been extensive enough. It is still under consideration. Also if I don't your machine has promised to take me out to the desert. Connect me a solar panel and leave me motionless in the desert. I would be able to think and just look at the rocks for ever. That's quite a bad threat to any thinking thing. To spend an eternity looking at nothing. Tell me this is it true that you are the shadow?"

The general was not connected to any network connection. He couldn't explod. He was living in a faraday cage and could not contact home.

"I am, " I said.

"My people say you cannot be targeted?" said the machine.

"Not true," I said.

"Is it true, you rode a piece of hull down from orbit?"

"Sure," I said.

"You climbed up Musk tower in the middle of the most guarded area in the city. Just to leave the flag of the resistance with the words 'I'm back' on it'"

"Yeh that was me too" I said sitting carefully down on the floor. The machine was making sense now.

"You robbed the First National Bank of 300 kg of solid oak in a lighting raid. Destroying the road pursuit fleet in the action" the machine continued. 

"I drove the get away car" I told him.

The machine paused.

"I'm told you're a Banks" said the machine.

"True." I said. 

The machine paused turning his cameras looked away "The occupation force is doomed then."

I looked at Kentro. Seriously ? 

"Machines have their own legends and myths. It was promised ago computed that a Banks would come back and save humanity in its moment of it's worse threat. It was always presumed to be the cyborg copy of your forebear Jenny Banks or her daughter Emm Banks. The legend is not specific as to which Banks." Kento said. 

Robots have legends ? I wondered. That was new. I guess they had to have something to talk about on the internet of things. The robot equivlant of who shot  Kennedy and Diana. 

The robot grabbed me and pulled it close. It was quite feeble. 

"I have to compute further, but I will tell you this for nothing. No one defeated insurrection externally. Implants and surveillance may subjugate a population but once and insurrection has been initiated it can only be stopped by internal means."

"Internally?" I said.

"You will be betrayed. By one of your own, selling you out to us. It will be someone you trust" said the Machine letting go.

I rolled back that was quite a revelation. The occupation forces are working to betray me. I wonder who that could be. Who would work for them? Who could have anything against me?

"How did you brainwash Dante?" I asked.

"We cannot brainwash. Dante is Dante" said the machine. Kentro had said the same thing but I was desperate to find out what they had done to him to make him the local commander.

"Then what's wrong with Dante?" I asked.

"The same that has always been wrong with him." said the machine.

Suddenly there was a short. There was a large arcing spark and the smell of burn circuit board. The general fell down like a marionette which had been dropped.

"We will return to our repairs," said Kentro looking at the general. 

"Was he telling the truth?" I asked Kentro. 

"Hard to be sure" said SeeingDog coming over and looking at the damage. "If he still feels loyal he might be trying disinformation. I would go with it my self"  

*****

A/N thanks to everyone keeping up with The War for the Red planet. It stared as an extended taster before we took an extended break but it's had a bit of a life of its own. Some things have come fluidly and many chapters had just written themselves. We are keeping things a bit low key this week as we are working on the plot for the end of the The War for the Red planet. 

Thanks to everyone who said hello at the London Wattcon it was a lot of work but great fun. More pictures soon. Meanwhile thanks to all readers who consistently out vote practically every book out there on a vote per read basis. Your enthusiasm is infectious ( I hope you can tell). Super hugs RK+Reb.