The White-Hole Situation

The Situation

September Rodgers wanted to know more, but hesitated to take the next step. This caution wasn't like her, but it wasn't the first time she'd felt it. She once had the feeling on the starship DeNovo, returning home from the Flatiron Deluge. There had been nothing unusual about the trip. In fact it had been a relief to visit a planet where the most sophisticated inhabitants were a type of dog who, according to the universal translator, said nothing more than 'yo' and 'got food?'. September had fully agreed with these translations. The dogs were friendly and enjoyed pats on the head and belly rubbings, and according to the I.B.U. ("and you and you and you") it had been centuries since humans and dogs had cohabitated peacefully, humans having given up the habit once such communications had become vocalized. The disappointment was just too embarrassing. On the ship, in her cabin below-decks, September had asked the computer a simple question out loud and in the space before the familiar voice replied, she'd experienced an uncanny sensation, a kind of dizziness, a little like vertigo, except it wasn't herself that was falling, but the rest of the whole damn universe while she herself was perfectly calm.

She felt it again now, looking down the canyon beneath her balcony. The view of the river way down there was obscured by the morning fog, and there was nothing unusual she could put her finger on, but once again she had to ask a simple question out loud, and it oddly frightened her to do it.

"Computer," she finally said, and there was no gap this time.

"Yes, Lieutenant," said a voice which could have been coming from anywhere. Maybe that's what it is, September thought, but it never bothered me before.

"I told you not to call me that," she sighed. Why? she wondered again for the millionth time, what is with the military rankings and titles? There was no need for it, and there hadn't been forever. Someone's got to be the leader, they'd explained to her in training, although everyone is equal of course. Sure, she'd argued, every meeting has a chairperson, but is that a good reason to use this ancient historical terminology? It's not like they used those words in any other context. You'd go butterfly spotting, and the one who led the way wasn't called "Captain". You'd join in with a group of musicians and the conductor wasn't called "Admiral". Everyone knew who was performing what roles. You might as well just use their names!

"What can you tell me about this White-Hole Situation?" she asked the surrounding air.

"What would you like to know?" it politely replied.

"When was the ad first placed? How many people responded? How many were accepted? What have they reported?"

"The White-Hole Situation was initially promoted for public consumption on the seventh dawn of the seventh block."

Four dawns ago, September calculated.

"Nineteen applied on dawn one and one was accepted. Her name was Jacinta Burros, civilian, age 23, residence New Texas. She reported to her local Habitat promptly at noon. She met with representatives of the Ice Age there, entered a room in the building, and has not been seen or heard from since."

The voice stopped. September gave it a moment, standing still in case her pacing had been making it nervous. Don't be ridiculous, she thought, but she'd had those stupid thoughts before, ever since she was a girl, in fact, ever since the very first time she'd said the word "computer" out loud. It was real to her, and she worried about it sometimes. Other times it just pissed her off.

"Is that it? Are you done?" she snapped.

The voice picked up where it left off, with no trace of it having been offended by her demeanor or her tone. The voice was almost always kind. It made her feel like it truly liked and even respected her. Ever since I was a girl, she thought, the computer has been my friend.

"Thirty two applied on dawn two and one was accepted. His name was Sintavious Levitt, Captain, age 47, residence Sugar Point. He checked in at his local Command HQ, scanned vitals and vanished. There has been no trace of his signal on Earth or anywhere else."

"Go on," she said.

"Sixty five applied on dawn three and one was accepted. Her name was Kraven Apt, child status, age 11, residence California. Her mother drove her to the station where she was met by two representatives. They all took the loop to the Center, where the representatives asked her to wait while they ran the numbers. She has not been heard from since."

"That was yesterday," September said. "And today?"

"Information from today will not be available until tomorrow. That is all I have for now."

"Wait a minute, computer" September said, "That's not much information. I want to know more. What were the candidates told by these representatives? What did they know? What did they do? What happened to them?"

The voice did not reply for several seconds. September would have given it a mean face if she'd known where to look, but none of the nearby nodes looked more responsible than any other. When the voice did return, it was no more helpful.

"That is all I have for now," it repeated.

"I don't believe you," September said, and to this there was no reply at all.