be ready according to schedule. You know, it's not like they will need to be extremely capable in order to accomplish our mission.”
“I want to make sure things go smoothly and easily. I only wish the training could have been all done through technology. If that was the case we would not need to take so much valuable time.”
“Well, you understand,” said the general, “muscles need to be built up, hand eye coordination still takes practice when firing a weapon, people still need to learn to work as a team. All these things cannot be done with a chip. It would be nice if it could, but I don't think it's ever going to happen.”
“You think too little of the power of technology,” said the Director.
“I know it does wonders, I just don't think it can do everything.”
“Yet,” said the director. “So, when will they be ready to move out?”
I think the end of next week will be a good time for our launch.”
“Very good.”
Seeing endless wave after wave of soldiers gave the Director a feeling of power. All the power in the world. All would certainly go well. This was a very good day. And this was just the beginning.
Chapter 30
As the patient stirred, the doctors watched with silence and a sense of awe. The patient, now sitting up on the table, did not move except to blink his eyes. He would blink five or six times and then move his head a little and then do it again. This response was not a surprise as this was how people often processed new information—by blinking. It was well known in psychological circles. It might have been that the patient was seeing the world for the first time via the chip interface.
The patient now looked at them and blinked five more times. Then he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed it again. Then opened it again and said, “thirstywaterdrinkliquidsatisfy.”
The doctors started for a second, then one said, “Do you want a drink?”
“Yesafirmativepositivetrue,” said the patient.
The doctor got a cup of water and handed it to the patient. The patient took a drink and handed back the empty cup.
“How do you feel?” asked a doctor.
“Tiredexhaustedpoopeddrained,” he said.
The doctor said, “Go ahead and rest. You can lay down for now.”
The patient laid down silently and went to sleep.
“What do you think happened with his speech?” asked one of the doctors. “He did not know which word to say.”
“Maybe his communications center is not functioning properly,” said a second doctor.
One doctor, with a smirk said, “It might be that he is trying to say every possible word at the same time and can't get them all out.”
“Perhaps it's the database access,” said another. “I used to work in that field of research. He is trying to access every word with the same meaning. Like when he said, thirstywaterdrinkliquidsatisfy. He was thirsty, he wanted water, he wanted a drink of liquid that would satisfy. All those concepts had a drink of water in common. He just isn't making a choice of which word in that association to use.”
“The chip may be having difficulty with triage,” said another doctor.
“Do you think we were successful?” asked the first.
“We cannot tell,” said the old database engineer turned doctor.
“We will wait,” said the first doctor.
“Yes, we will wait,” said the other.
Chapter 31
While Poke was busy stoking the fire, getting ready for lunch, X4287 approached her. She had not seen him all day even though he was still staying with them. He seemed to be doing better and was going regularly to the meetings to cope with the transition. He was not a talkative man, but more contemplative. He stepped up to her and stood by the fire. “Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” he answered back.
“Have you had a good day?” she asked.
“I think so,” he said. “I hope so, anyway.”
“So,” she said uncertain what to say next, “have you come to any conclusions?”
“Yes,” he said. “I like it
“I want to make sure things go smoothly and easily. I only wish the training could have been all done through technology. If that was the case we would not need to take so much valuable time.”
“Well, you understand,” said the general, “muscles need to be built up, hand eye coordination still takes practice when firing a weapon, people still need to learn to work as a team. All these things cannot be done with a chip. It would be nice if it could, but I don't think it's ever going to happen.”
“You think too little of the power of technology,” said the Director.
“I know it does wonders, I just don't think it can do everything.”
“Yet,” said the director. “So, when will they be ready to move out?”
I think the end of next week will be a good time for our launch.”
“Very good.”
Seeing endless wave after wave of soldiers gave the Director a feeling of power. All the power in the world. All would certainly go well. This was a very good day. And this was just the beginning.
Chapter 30
As the patient stirred, the doctors watched with silence and a sense of awe. The patient, now sitting up on the table, did not move except to blink his eyes. He would blink five or six times and then move his head a little and then do it again. This response was not a surprise as this was how people often processed new information—by blinking. It was well known in psychological circles. It might have been that the patient was seeing the world for the first time via the chip interface.
The patient now looked at them and blinked five more times. Then he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed it again. Then opened it again and said, “thirstywaterdrinkliquidsatisfy.”
The doctors started for a second, then one said, “Do you want a drink?”
“Yesafirmativepositivetrue,” said the patient.
The doctor got a cup of water and handed it to the patient. The patient took a drink and handed back the empty cup.
“How do you feel?” asked a doctor.
“Tiredexhaustedpoopeddrained,” he said.
The doctor said, “Go ahead and rest. You can lay down for now.”
The patient laid down silently and went to sleep.
“What do you think happened with his speech?” asked one of the doctors. “He did not know which word to say.”
“Maybe his communications center is not functioning properly,” said a second doctor.
One doctor, with a smirk said, “It might be that he is trying to say every possible word at the same time and can't get them all out.”
“Perhaps it's the database access,” said another. “I used to work in that field of research. He is trying to access every word with the same meaning. Like when he said, thirstywaterdrinkliquidsatisfy. He was thirsty, he wanted water, he wanted a drink of liquid that would satisfy. All those concepts had a drink of water in common. He just isn't making a choice of which word in that association to use.”
“The chip may be having difficulty with triage,” said another doctor.
“Do you think we were successful?” asked the first.
“We cannot tell,” said the old database engineer turned doctor.
“We will wait,” said the first doctor.
“Yes, we will wait,” said the other.
Chapter 31
While Poke was busy stoking the fire, getting ready for lunch, X4287 approached her. She had not seen him all day even though he was still staying with them. He seemed to be doing better and was going regularly to the meetings to cope with the transition. He was not a talkative man, but more contemplative. He stepped up to her and stood by the fire. “Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” he answered back.
“Have you had a good day?” she asked.
“I think so,” he said. “I hope so, anyway.”
“So,” she said uncertain what to say next, “have you come to any conclusions?”
“Yes,” he said. “I like it
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