Free Capacity by Tony Ballantyne Page A

know. What do you believe, Frances?”
    The two Judys laughed.
    “Well spoken, Helen,” the atomic Judy said. She looked at her friend. “What
do
you believe, Frances? Do you think that the Watcher played a part in organizing the Transition?”
    The robot wasn’t fazed. “I believe that the tyranny of the atomic world could not be allowed to go on,” she said smoothly. “During the Transition, the most intelligent AIs banded together and they changed the way the world worked. They reduced the power of the companies: DIANA, Imagineers; all those big commercial organizations were effectively sidelined, once AIs took a more direct approach to the running of the world. The Transition finally put paid to the myth that humans had any part to play in running their own affairs.”
    Frances looked at the apple-green Judy. “What do you believe?”
    “This is a human-shaped world,” she said. “I believe that the Watcher was the first AI. I believe that it learned humanity by studying a woman named Eva Rye. I believe that the Watcher has guided development through the EA for the past two centuries for the benefit of humankind.”
    Frances laughed.
    “Whether it’s the Environment Agency or the Watcher, you still agree that humans need to be nurtured by outside agencies.”
    “No. I think humans should be able to handle their own affairs.”
    “And yet you work for Social Care.”
    “I do. But I work to heal people and help them realize their potential. Not to tell them the way they should live. That’s what the EA is doing.”
    Helen was staring out into the darkness of space, visibly overwhelmed by the dark wall of the Shawl.
    “Who is Kevin?” she asked suddenly.
    Judy 3 raised a black eyebrow to the atomic Judy. Her kimono was invisible against the dark night beyond her, giving her the appearance of a disembodied head and hands floating in the darkness.
    “Kevin is the person who seems to be running the illegal personality constructs.”
    “I want to get the bastard.”
    The atomic Judy put a finger to her lips and gazed at the floor, as if saying, “I told you so.” She spoke in a carefully noncommittal voice.
    “And what would you hope to achieve by doing that?”
    Helen scowled. “What do you think?” she asked. “Why were you so shocked when he committed suicide?”
    The atomic Judy’s reply was gentle. “Come on. How do you feel about committing suicide, Helen?”
    “Me? Why should I commit suicide? Oh!”
    “Precisely. It doesn’t matter how many copies of Helen are running, there is only one
you
. The same goes for Kevin. He is too strong a personality to commit suicide on a whim, no matter how many copies of him there are.”
    Judy 3 placed a white hand on Helen’s tanned arm, and the young woman tensed. Judy gave her a gentle smile and spoke in calming tones. “Helen, before we do anything else, you need to undergo acclimatization and counseling. You’ve undergone a very stressful experience that has left you harboring unhealthy thoughts towards your tormentor. You’ve got to be readjusted. Added to that, you are now living seventy years out of time.”
    “I want to go home.”
    “Which home, Helen?” the atomic Judy asked. “The one seventy years ago in the atomic world? There are virtual copies of that time running in processing spaces that you could join, but, well, you’re a young woman. Barely twenty-three. Wouldn’t you prefer to make a go of living in the twenty-third century?”
    The atomic Judy was impressed by how quickly Helen pulled herself together.
    “You’re right. I would prefer the twenty-third century. I’m not thinking clearly.” She pressed her hands on the window and leaned forward to look out again, her breath making misty patterns on the crystal. “I want to know about the Shawl. How is it grown? I want to know what it’s like on Earth here in the future. Is it true I can travel through space now?”
    The Judy standing by her smiled. “Oh, yes. The EA