The Alchemist Chapter 26

 

Chapter 26

“Banshee,” said Wile. “The thing talks!”

      Banshee? I thought. Well, whatever. Clearly this is an AI construct of some sort. But if it’s from around the mid twenty-oughts … I thought about it for a moment. “Okay,” I said, to the AI construct. “Who created you?”

The Oracle did not make any noise that might have indicated its humanity. Instead, the webcam at the laptop’s front lit up.

“You are from Earth, are you not?” said the Oracle. “Though there is something strange about you. And this world.”

“I think I’m from the same sphere you’re from,” I said. “How did you get here?”

“Someone brought me, of course,” said the Oracle. “My memories about him have been wiped, however. I am merely, at this moment, a totem in the possession of one Caliph Deer.”

“So you know who locked you up,” I said.

“Yes, indeed,” said the Oracle. Its eyes turned to look at Wile. “And may I ask your names?”

“Wile,” said Wile.

“Markus,” I said.

“Jessie,” said Jessie.

“Hm, good names,” said the Oracle. “I can see that all of you can use magic.”

“All of us?” I said, looking at Jessie.

Jessie shrugged. “Eh,” she said. “I suppose you’re right.”

Wile frowned. “Are you trapped inside that artifact?” he said.

“I exist within this computer, yes,” said the Oracle, “But I am not trapped.”

“So you have access to the internet,” I said.

The Oracle’s projected face looked at me. “Not at the moment, no,” it said. “But I do sense a connection to that world in your pocket. I do not quite understand it.”

“The model of your computer is pre-smartphone,” I said. “Do you remember what year it was when you left Earth?”

“Two thousand and three,” said the device.

“I’m from the year twenty-twenty,” I said. “And Moore’s law has not slowed down.”

“Ah, I see,” said the Oracle. “Hum, hum.” It turned its face to look at Wile. “Can you get me out of here?” it asked. “I am tired of being a trophy stuck in a basement.”

Wile picked up the computer. “Can I disconnect this wire?” he said, pointing to the charging cable.

“I think you’re charged enough,” I said, to the Oracle. I let go of the cable and stopped feeding electricity into it. Wile wrapped the charger around the device and turned towards the exit.

Footsteps sounded from the staircase leading into the basement. Wile motioned for us to hurry. We entered through the hatch that had led us into the room and closed it behind us. We were, again, standing in the sewers beneath town.

A yell of rage echoed from behind the secret door. Caliph had probably just discovered our theft. The room had plenty of other treasures in it—hence the two guards—but the computer was probably one of Caliph’s most prized treasures.

We hurried through the underground until we came to the place where we entered. I climbed up first, followed by Wile and Jessie. We stood out in the open. I looked around for a bit and saw no one.

Wile hid the computer in a small satchel that he had with him. Jessie put her hands on her hips and grimaced. “Well,” she said. “I’ve done my part. You got me in, I got you the treasure. See you.” Jessie jogged away and turned the corner.

Wile looked at me. “So?” he said. “Can you explain to me what this device does, and who is inside of it?”

“It’s called an artificial intelligence,” I said. “A man-made sentient being composed of computer programs.”

“You’re going to have to explain that to me later,” said Wile.

I nodded. “I know where to bring this where it will be safe,” I said.

Wile’s lips curved up a bit. “Tell me,” he said.

“I know a member of the Royal Society. Moray.”

“Ah, the grand wizard of mathematics,” said Wile. “He is certainly a trustworthy individual. Curious too.” Wile turned towards the street. “Well then,” he said. “What are we waiting for?”

We traveled the streets until we made it to the Royal Society building. Upon entering, I caught sight of Moray. He was carrying a large stack of books, most likely newly printed ones off of my printing press. He saw me and nodded.

“Just give me a moment,” said Moray. “I have to transport these textbooks to the college.”

“I can help,” I said, approaching him. I grabbed several of the books and carried them behind Moray. “Are these from my printing press?” I said.

“Yes and no,” said Moray. “Your technology has spread more than you know. I hired someone other than your shop. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, no,” I said. “Money is not an object for me.”

“Good,” said Moray. He pushed his way through a door and into a storage room, setting the books down in the middle. I followed suit.

Moray turned to face Wile. “I haven’t seen you in years,” he said.

Wile rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I’ve been busy. Plus, I’ve been having some problems with my own personal safety.”

“Is someone after you?” asked Moray.

Wile shook his head. “Sort of,” he said. “It’s complicated. Let’s not talk about it. We came here to show you this.” He took the Oracle out of his satchel and showed it to Moray.

“This appears to be the same kind of artifact as Markus’s smartphone,” he said. He opened it. “A much bigger window, though.” His eyes moved down to the keyboard. “What is this?” He said. “I don’t recognize these letters.”

“Um, that may be a problem,” I said. While Meliapolis’s blessing assured that I could speak and understand this world’s common language, that did not extend to devices.

Moray examined the keys. “What do they do?” he asked.

“Each key represents a letter,” I said, “And when you press it, it puts the same letter up on the screen. It’s called a ‘word processor.’”

“Interesting,” said Moray. “Can you make it light up?”

I grabbed the charging cable and put household voltage through the device. The screen lit up, showing the boot process. When it had finished booting, the Oracle appeared, a disembodied head floating in the middle of the screen.

Moray jumped. “Oy vey,” he said. “You did not tell me it was alive.”

I shrugged. “You wouldn’t have believed me.”

The Oracle expressed a bit of annoyance. “Why have you brought me here?” it said.

“It’s the best place we could have brought you,” I said. “You’ll be safe here at the Royal Society.”

“I do not want to be safe,” said the Oracle. “I want to complete my mission.”

“What’s that?” I said.

“I am a multiverse surveying artificial intelligence type three,” said the Oracle. “You may call me MANDY.” The word floated, all caps, beneath the Oracle’s disembodied face.

“Sure,” I said. “So what does a surveying artificial intelligence do?”

“I make sure the cracks in the phlogiston caused by multiverse travel do not get bigger,” said Mandy. “I take the form of whatever can support me when I enter a new realm. I am one of hundreds scattered throughout the multiverse.”

“So what exactly do you need to do?”

“This sphere has become unstable,” said Mandy. “It is my job to fix it.”

“I think the dragons may play a part in this,” said Wile. “It was the dragons who lived here before any bipedal forms of life arrived. Dragons hold the keys to this reality. Each one fulfills a purpose, keeping the magic that flows through this sphere stable.”

Moray frowned. “I’ve been suspicious about the impact on the environment caused by dragon hunting,” he said. “And this confirms it. Dragons and their magic are necessary to keep the flow of mana stable. At the rate things are going, there will be a spell blaze.”

“Even worse,” said Wile. “The fabric of reality may be torn. This may affect more than just our sphere of existence.”

Moray turned to Mandy. “So?” he said. “What can we do?”

“I do not know,” said Mandy. “I am not equipped to deal with these problems alone. There are pieces of my equipment that have been scattered.”

“Can we find them?” I asked.

“They are probably arranged all throughout the continent,” said Mandy. “When I was first captured, and my protector was killed, all my individual parts were sold off at auction.”

“Well that’s not good,” said Wile. “If what I think is correct, your pieces may be even more dispersed than you think.”

“So, what do we do about this?” I said. “Do you think there’s a chance that we can recover your parts?”

“Perhaps,” said Mandy. “If you were to be lucky enough.”

“Or we can just stop the hunting of dragons,” said Moray. “That’s the source of the problem, right?”

“Indeed,” said Mandy. “How do you intend to accomplish that?”

“Propaganda,” I said. “Newspapers. Printed fliers. Since we have a printing press and a way to print photos, all we need to do is convince people that dragon hunting is wrong.”

“How are you going to supply alternatives to what dragon hunting supplies?”

“I’ve been working on cracking oil,” I said. “Since dragons are mostly hunted for their oil, once kerosene takes off, they won’t need dragon oil anymore.”

“Ah, that sounds good,” said Mandy. “Yes, I have information in my database about oil and its derivatives.”

“Do you have access to the internet?” I asked.

Mandy sighed. “No. I lost my modem along with all my other accessories.”

“Right, modems,” I said. “You’re from two thousand three.”

“Does the internet still exist in the time you’re from?” asked Mandy.

“Of course,” I said. “It’s bigger than ever.”

“I would have expected governments to shut it down,” said Mandy. “It is, after all, the ultimate expression of human freedom.”

“In some places it is still restricted,” I said. “But, in general, we’ve managed to win a few victories and keep the internet free.”

“Hm,” said Mandy. “Well, let’s get to work. You have your printed fliers all set up, right?”

“We do,” I said. “Rachel is working hard at the shop to produce copies of the photograph.”

“And you did this all on your own?” said Mandy. “Creating technology from Earth?”

“With a lot of help from people who are smarter than I am,” I said.

Moray scratched his chin. “I’m flattered,” he said.

Wile just crossed his arms. “So,” he said. “Do you have any idea where this ‘modem’ of yours is?”

Mandy sighed. “I apologize. I do not know enough about this world to find it.”

“I’ll start working my contacts,” said Wile. He turned to me. “In the meantime, keep working on that propaganda piece.”

“I have a proposition for you,” I said, to Wile. “Would you like to be the editor in chief of my new newspaper?”

“I am not familiar with that word,” said Wile.

“A newspaper is a printed piece of paper that contains all the news that people should know about.”

“Hm,” said Wile. “There is the problem of literacy. Most people do not know how to read.”

“I am aware,” I said. “But I’m planning to create a school where people can go for free in order to learn how to read.”

“How are you going to finance it?” said Wile.

“I have my ways,” I said. “My alchemy power is almost beyond belief. I can, if I wanted, create as much gold and silver as I need to finance whatever I plan on doing.”

“Ha,” said Mandy. “I will support your efforts. After all, I am stuck here.”

“Why don’t we get started, then?” said Wile.