The Elias Anomaly

Twenty Eight

"He's dead?"

"That's what I said."

"Bloch? Erased? Gone? Totally?"

"You want me to go over the report again?"

Dulcie had not expected Simon to have such a problem with the news that the initial problem was dealt with. In Dulcie's mind there were more pressing concerns. For example an entire species of life that had evolved into being in the world's digital back yard.

"No. Don't bother," said Simon. "I was really only writing it for something to file. You know the civil service, they get itchy if you don't file things from time to time."

Simon put the top down on his laptop and stood up. He poured himself a coffee from a jug underneath a large and powerful looking coffee maker. He offered Dulcie some and she took it.

"The thing I wouldn't write down... Or show to anyone on the record, or presently even understand is how," Simon went on. He sat again and fixed his eyes on Dulcie's. "Or how you can be so certain of what you say."

"Well," Dulcie replied, dissembling rapidly. "I can't. Obviously. Not one hundred percent. But Joseph said..."

"Before he passed out," Simon filled in the awkward silence. Somehow this added even more awkwardness.

"He said," Dulcie repeated.

"You're lying to me," Simon said. He pursed his lips and looked about. "Why are you lying to me?"

"Now look here you snot-nosed little shit..." Dulcie decided to be enraged for a second. Bluster felt good, it felt righteous.

"Don't get me wrong," Simon interrupted her, leaving her halfway through her tirade. "I don't think you're doing so with malicious intent. I can't see what malicious intent you could have. You're attempting to conceal some detail, but I don't understand what it is. Why would you care what I know about what happened whilst you were in the Cluster unless... Oh... Oh my. You encountered an AI didn't you?"

"What?" Dulcie said crossly, not the best evasion or denial she could have come up with.

"That's why you're so confident on the details, you were in conference with one of the AIs. It helped you. That's what happened, isn't it? That's why you were undetectable inside the plex, that's why Joseph is stuck in there. What happened?"

Dulcie weighed up her options. She still didn't think she trusted Simon enough to come clean. There was ample evidence to say he was a sneaky little twerp in over his head. Who knew what havoc he could wreak with the wrong information. However he was also breathtakingly intelligent and emotionally like a crowbar. He could deduce his way around people's lies with apparent ease. So denying everything was no more than a stall.

Whatever came out of Dulcie's mouth next, it had to be good.

"I wouldn't get over-excited," Dulcie said. "I don't think that whatever it was I met was what you might call in charge. It was a kind of functionary, called itself The Agent."

Dulcie believed she had read something once about eveading lie detectors. They didn't work properly if you re-contextualised what you were talking about. You could tell the truth without placing the things you were saying in their relevant place and time. This way you could elude the finger of suspicion. She hoped she wasn't making that up.

"This thing appeared to have been created by a more powerful AI. Probably in order to communcate with us, with human beings. It knows more than us about the digital space but it isn't in control of any of it. It observes, it reports, it's a messenger."

"And it told you that Joseph would be fine?" Simon asked, probing for weakness in this story. Dulcie had to be careful.

"It told me that Joseph was in danger. I think it recognises that the danger is now past. I suppose its master will have to relay that news." Dulcie ducked and weaved through the conceptual minefield.

Simon held Dulcie's gaze for a few seconds more. He was weighing up what she was saying.

Thankfully it appeared that Simon was impatient. He couldn't find evidence of a lie and he couldn't be bothered to think of more questions.

"So I suppose that's it," he said, breaking eye contact at last. "We just have to wait-"

As if in response to his change of focus Simon's phone rang. He snatched it up and put it to his ear.

"Good news please," he said to whoever was on the other end.

Dulcie hoped that the person Simon was talking to was in a position to comply with his request.