CAFFEINE

A Novel by Ryan Grabow

For the glory of the master programmer, without whom artificial intelligence could never be dreamt of.

PRINTER-FRIENDLY PDF
EGrabow Media, November 2011
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of that thin !"an Grabow calls his #ima ination,$ or are fictitious uses of #real world$ stuff, as observed b" !"an when he once walked awa" from his computer, ot lost, and discovered a stran e, bri ht place called #outside.$ This version is strictl" for non%commercial use, and "ou ma" not add commercials to it. &a e 202 serves as an e'tension of this cop"ri ht pa e.

1
would need to face it, or that it would destro" me.

PART|ONE
The +uestion seemed to trap me. ,ith each passin da", - felt more - ran m" hand alon the surface of the old poster. an advertisement for

one of Thomas Edison/s famous inventions, one of the first devices to capture a movin ima e. -ts simple films had been fantastic marvels to an older eneration. - thou ht of their old sense of wonder, and how it was preserved in that place. - envied them. - spent a lon moment feelin the surface of the poster with m" fin ertips, wonderin wh" it didn/t seem as real an"more. 0 small piece of card%paper scraped a ainst m" nose. #1ou2 3tarin off into space2 -/m impressed.$ - took the oran e ticket from 4air/s hand and mana ed to smile. #thou ht "ou hated musicals.$ #,ith a passion,$ she said, Technicolor now.$ The si hts and sounds that da" were familiar and powerful. 3ometimes it seemed as if the pictures were the onl" 6o" - had left in life, the onl" thin that could comfort me in difficult times. ,e took to our seats as the chandelier li hts dimmed and The March of Time filled the silver screen with ima es of the European continent at war. -sn/t this the sort of thin we want to for et2 lancin over. #4itascope,$ she read,

(op"ri ht ) 200*, 2011 b" !"an Grabow This book ma" be printed and distributed under the terms of the (reative (ommons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States license. The full license ma" be viewed at
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smilin as she tapped her fin er on the poster. #(/mon, 5randon, we/re in

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA

[Link]/media

CAFFEINE

RYAN GRABOW

4air be an shovelin popcorn into her mouth. - found m" hand restin on her free one, the contact makin me feel anchored to somethin - needed, as if it were more real than - was, somethin understand. There was a flash in the corner of m" e"e. #Not a ain,$ 4air said under her breath. ,e knew the litches held nothin to be i nored. 7n screen, realit" and war were replaced b" ima es of fantas" and ima ination. a stor" rounded in a humble famil" farm in 8ansas. The mood of the room softened as we were drawn into the dilemmas of a irl named 9oroth". - put m" arm around 4air, knowin she would alread" be en rossed in the plot, musical or no. - reached for some of her popcorn, hopin - would be fast enou h. M" hand ot smacked. 3uch thin s alwa"s amused her. plopped m" fedora on her head and pulled it over her e"es. 3he plucked it off, bit onto the brim and whispered that it needed salt. #- used to have a nei hbor 6ust like her,$ she said as we saw Miss Gulch sei:e 9oroth"/s do , Toto, claimin the do bit her. #3eriousl", - think she even hated do s that much.$ #&robabl" a cat person,$ - replied. #More like she hated all livin thin s beside herself.$ - lau hed. 3omeone behind us cleared their throat in that ;be +uiet, -/m tr"in to en6o" the picture/ wa". - rolled m" e"es. 4air leaned closer and whispered, #No sound dampenin . Makes the theater e'perience more realistic, remember2$ - composed a sentence in m" mind and sent it to her. #,ell, mister sensitive%hearin wouldn/t mind if we talked like this.$ ood for us and let the moment later.$ pass, hopin the" would o awa" on their own, or at least sta" small enou h - could admire but never

#Never mind, we/ll ra on the ,icked ,itch of *0 later,$ she replied in the same wa". #The" couldn/t do this in the 1*<0/s an"wa", so=$ The litches reappeared, much worse than before, causin the fibers of the chairs to flash like the li htnin of some distant cloud. 4air sank into her chair and roaned. - ave her a kiss on the cheek. #9on/t et in a lather, kitten. -/m sure this 6oint won/t ive us the bum/s rush.$ 3he pointed to the screen. #Twister/s comin/, hone" cooler. 5etter spill 9oroth"/s famil" scrambled for shelter, and our ordinar" farm irl ran throu h the rural landscape back to the farm to escape the tornado. The film felt so authentic "et otherworldl", as tornadoes had become as rare as the famil" farms the" once devastated. Thou h the film was fiction, it still hi hli hted a once%real culture and invited us into the ima ination of another time. the >and of 7:, the scarecrow, the tin man, and the cowardl" lion. ,hen the house fell, 9oroth" walked out from a sepia past into a colorful future, one that mi ht seem more real and more fantastic all at once, takin audiences alon with her. - was a ain "anked from the >and of 7:, b" a sin le streak 4air didn/t even seem to notice. -t was m" turn to roan. ,h" can/t it be real an"more2 The litches appeared whenever 4air and - were to ether, onl" rowin worse as the months went b". The ener " of the stor" drew those around us further in, and 4air had the iron will to keep her focus where she wanted it, but somethin kept drawin me back out, callin m" attention to the illusion. M" attention fell to m" surroundin s. the other movie oers, men and women, individuals and roups, those who #dressed the era$ like us, and those who preferred to sta" in modern clothin . - could hear the simulation of 4air/s entire

CAFFEINE

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breathin , smell the simulation of the butter on her popcorn, and feel the warmth of what wasn/t reall" her bod". -/m an insomniac, - thou ht. - tr" to dream like all the others, but can onl" curse the pillow beneath m" head. -t became impossible to i nore the noises comin from the front row, the sound of obno'ious kids. The" were shushed but didn/t care. 0s the movie/s villain planted poisoned flowers in the path to Emerald (it", to make the travelers fall asleep, a loud scream and lau hter erupted. 0 slampak of Tiger Blood smacked into the movie screen. The spell was broken. &eople ever"where were suddenl" shiftin in their seats and tappin on control panels. 0 badl" dressed kid with hu e foam hair stood up and "elled about how #statick$ and #wheeled$ the special effects were, to the en6o"ment of at least two loser friends. #,h" do the" even breathe2$ 4air said. #9on/t those slunks have an"thin better to do with their time2$ The roup was e6ected, the ener " drink all over the screen disappearin with them. There were a few hushed comments like #the nerve of those people$ and #see "ou never$ as the room returned to normal ? for ever"one else@ for 4air and -, bits of advertisements flickered throu h our vision, ads from elsewhere that clashed with the st"le of the theater. - heard some kind of hum and the seat colorin became red. #,h" can/t thin s 6ust work2$ 4air said as the environment be an respondin to her thou hts a ain. The seats returned to 4air/s dark blue settin and there were no more interruptions. The endin was happ", of course. 9oroth" and her do Toto returned safel" to 8ansas and the whole thin ended up bein a cra:" dream. 0s the li hts came on, patrons be an vanishin from their seats, leavin the theater alto ether@ others walked out to the lobb" to see what events Byrans

Downtown was offerin in the week to come, or to view the memorabilia and ori inal posters that members would put up for trade. The theater was an ori inal construct, its architecture and st"le modeled in the ornate spirit of the Roxy or Graumans Chinese Theater, and it was used to screen the ver" same movies those palaces had premiered so ver" lon before. The InTek servers were home to man" such constructs, includin more modern theaters for the t"pe of films 4air went for. t"picall" Nine Minutes to ndromeda st"le hi h%ener " science%fiction. The construct we ed on ever" 3unda" ni ht to watch the best of were in was meant for the serious ancient film buffs of 9"namic !ealit", a lobal communit" who lo "ester"ear. Thou h -/d onl" visited as a uest on 4air/s subscription, - reall" came to en6o" the place, even feelin a little like - belon ed. #,hat/s the time2$ #0lmost si' thirt". Gettin late on m" coast,$ she said, with the cinematic hi h obviousl" fadin in the face of a real%life sevent"%hour work week. #There/s no place like home, - uess.$ #There/s no place like Maran, either,$ - replied, tr"in not to seem desperate. #Aust for a few minutesB$ 4air smiled and plopped m" fedora onto m" head. #Gotta make tracks, pall"B make sure this 6oint/s on the up%and%up.$ 3he stood and stared at the rollin credits, losin the twentieth%centur" slan , #- won/t be able to et an" sleep if this problem isn/t fi'ed. 1ou know how - am.$ #1eah, - know how "ou are around a problem that isn/t fi'ed.$ - stood with her. #,ell, -/ll come with "ou. Ma"be we/ll still have time after.$ 3he stared at me for a few seconds. #There/s alwa"s time for a sunset,$ she conceded, offerin me her bottomless sleeve of popcorn.

CAFFEINE

RYAN GRABOW

- looked throu h a lass wall onto the artificial cit", takin in the kind of view - mi ht et at the top of a C00%stor" buildin . The sk" was bri ht blue with puff" clouds, and birds flew in the distance where a faint rainbow was visible@ a rainbow alwa"s bein visible in such a sk", alwa"s appearin in some random direction. The sk" was alwa"s perfect, 6ust like ever"thin else in 9"namic !ealit". #-/m tr"in to open m" G<DE partition ri ht now,$ - heard 4air sa" to the customer service amai. #,hat do "ou call that2$ #,orkin B 9one. &artition G<DE is clear for use.$ - hid it as - thou ht - should, but the male voice irritated me. -n the middle of the lar e round room lined with -nTek promotional material, m" 4air was talkin about technical stuff - couldn/t understand with a man%t"pe amai. pleasant, perfect, knowin ever"thin and thinkin faster than an" human could, and "et seemin perfectl" real. Fis appearance and personalit" had been tailored to 4air/s personal tastes, what the server could make of them, and somehow those tastes never matched m" ph"sical profile. 4air was used to standin across from these overl"%handsome amai. had no reason to think she would run off with a sill" computer pro ram, but emotions weren/t so lo ical. 0 6ealous fire burned within me and - wanted to tear that pro ram to pieces or debu it or whatever. #3ame thin ,$ she said as the airG panel in front of her chan ed. Hnlike most users, she barel" lanced at the thin and never relied on the panel/s buttons. #!un an 7AI al orithm.$ 0t the be innin of that da", the da" after (hristmas, 4air took the time to check on her various accounts, makin sure the information she stored hadn/t succumbed to the annual onslau ht of hackin pro rams tar etin the holida" traffic spike. 3he discovered her -nTek account had become corrupted b" a class EJ malvirai. 0n" error code that went five%three%somethin %

somethin was virus%related, and b" definition ver" hard to fi'. #,orkin B done,$ the realistic and macho voice replied. #0l orithm e'ecuted successfull".$ #1ou/re kiddin me, ri ht2 1our root tables are all 31 driven, but the maintenance al orithms aren/t even &29&%compliant. Fere, -/m sendin "ou a ood one.$ -f the amai were pro rammed to satisf" ninet"%nine percent of their customers, 4air would alwa"s fall in the small roup that wanted to pla" technician = and probabl" could, too. 3ometimes -/d think her brain was one iant computer processor. #-/m sorr", 4eronica, -/m onl" authori:ed to e'ecute 3lidewire% certified scripts. 1ou ma" leave a repair re+uest for=$ #-/m followin up on the repair re+uest. 0re "ou helpin me or not2$ #-/m sorr", "our repair re+uest was onl" submitted nine hours a o. 0 certified=$ #&ain is what "ou are,$ she said, takin a step closer to the amai. #1ou/re supposed to be one of the most secure servers online. ,hat was "our monitorin staff doin while the da" was ettin wrecked2$ #!est assured, Miss 3ornat, that -nTek takes securit" threats ver" seriousl" and onl" uses the most reliable sentrai pro rams to=$ #7h ri ht, "ou don/t have an" monitorin staffB that would make too much sense. 1ou have bar ain basement sentrai pro rams that don/t have to be paid or iven holida"s. - can :ap an EJ on m" round terminal and in m" sleep. Ior the bi subscription "ou char e, - don/t care if a class 01 comes whirlin in to corrupt m" stuffB it should be protected. 9o "ou even have an" human bein s that - can talk to2$ The amai paused for a moment, the pro rammed response for upset customers, and leefull" delivered "et another eneric line. #-/m sorr",

CAFFEINE

RYAN GRABOW

4eronica, but -nTek offices are closed until Aanuar" third. -f "ou would like to=$ #E'actl"B 0nother server where the 0-s are left in char e when the risk is hi hestK$ #!est assured, Miss 3ornat,$ the amai said after another service% friendl" pause, #that -nTek takes securit" threats ver" seriousl" and onl"=$ #1ou don/t,$ 4air said cooll". #-/m sorr", - didn/t understand the +uestion.$ 3he crossed her arms. #,asn/t a +uestion, it was a fact.$ 0nother pause. #-s there an"thin 4eronica2$ #-/ve had to put up with amai after amai toda". The"/re all pro rammed to tell me how much the" appreciate m" business but not to do the simplest thin s to keep it. 0n 0- could never understand how frustratin that ets.$ -ndeed an amai never could ;understand/ frustration, but occasionall" one seemed to tr". -t was a common malfunction for 4air to encounter, one an" e'perienced ascender could reco ni:e. The e'pression on its face locked into a sort of cross between back round processin , simulated reflection, and the continuous lee that is an amai/s prime directive. This bi:arre look alwa"s preceded an e+uall" bi:arre action. 4air/s customer service a ent closed its e"es, chuckled, and said, #-t has been a pleasure servin "our -nTek toda", wh" not tr" a ain2$ Favin seen this once%amusin +uirk far too often, m" irlfriend 6ust threw her hands up. #!ek, !ek, !ek, -/ll deal with it laterB (ommand >o offK$ The office be an to disappear around us as the reset amai bid us off with #Thank "ou for thinkin -nTek realit", en6o" us a ain soonK$ 0fter a few seconds, we were standin in front of a olden revolvin else - can do for "ou toda",

door with a lar e InTek lo o stamped above it. the entrance to one of the millions of sk"scrapers in the pla:a environment, one of the man" e'teriors re ularl" repro rammed to look more impressive than the others, and more worth" of the billboards advertisin hot new constructs and 21%da" free trials. ,e stepped out into the public data space 6ust as we would/ve walked out onto an" cit" street, alwa"s reminded b" the fantastic%lookin people and ma ical ob6ects that we weren/t in our flesh%and%blood bodies. #3tupidK -t/s all so stupidK$ #-t/s not like "ou keep an"thin important on these servers,$ - was +uick to sa", #and - know "ou make like a trillion backups. 3eriousl", did "ou reall" lose an"thin valuable2$ #No, - didn/t,$ she replied. #There wasn/t an"thin - can/t replace in a second, but - like to know that the places - store thin s are safe. - didn/t have to worr" so much about this "ears a o, but now it seems like -/m constantl" rel"in on 0-s to fi' thin s other 0-s broke. -f the owners of -nTek and the millions of companies like it would be a little more responsible, their clients would be a lot happier.$ #1eah, but artificial intelli ence ets better ever" "ear, -/m sure that b" ne't (hristmas -nTek/ll have much more powerful securit".$ #0nd much more powerful viruses for it to fail a ainst.$ #,ell,$ - said, pacin with hands in m" pockets, #3lidewire wouldn/t be makin so much mone" if their software wasn/t ood, ri ht2 Malvirai are 6ust 0-s pro rammed b" punk hackers to be evil. 0ll the companies have to do is update their securit" and=$ #The"/re all evil, 5randon, ever" one of them. - don/t care what the 0is pro rammed to do. help me, anno" me, sin to me, write me a 6a"walkin ticketB - don/t care that the" don/t think like us or know how much the"/re ruinin B$ 3he took a breath and lowered her e"es. #3orr".$

CAFFEINE

RYAN GRABOW

- stopped and faced her. #,hat/s wron , 4air2$ 3he looked at me. Fer e"es softened for a moment before the" darted awa". #- uessB the"/re cuttin m" pa" a ain.$ #7h, -/m sorr".$ #Not "our fault,$ she replied. #5etter than losin m" 6ob - uess.$ #5ut "ou deserve better.$ 3he took a moment to take in the sweet%smellin air. #,hat do "ou think, 5randon2$ she asked. #9o "ou think it was like this hundreds of "ears a o, durin that ;Great 9epression/2$ #,hat do "ou mean2$ #3impler times. 3implicit" is supposed to be a ood thin , ri ht2 Guess -/m thinkin whether all this ;advancement/ has made hard times better or worse.$ #,ellB The" didn/t have artificial intelli ence in the 1*<0/s. - don/t think the" even had computers.$ 3he faced me with a look of adoration, reachin up and runnin her hand throu h m" dirt" blond hair. #&ersonall", - wouldn/t want to live in a time when electricit" was a lu'ur"@ but if it means no 0-sB$ 3he removed her hand and shru ed her shoulders. #,h" think that wa"2 - know that ettin rid of ever"thin won/t solve problems. ,e need to make the future better instead of tr"in to live in the past. -t/s 6ust that sometimes - wish all the noise would o awa", that/s all. The" shouldn/t tr" to replace people with ,e started walkin down the street. #9idn/t "ou sa" somethin like that when "our 0%site switched over2$ #GreenTek. That/s wh" - ascend from home now. 1ou rememberB$ 3he pointed to her forehead. #-t/s a small device, 5randon. 1ou/ll never need the public booths a ain.$ computers, the"/re 6ust toolsB (omputers, - mean, not people.$

#- don/t know, the booths aren/t so bad. M" site still has real people lookin over it.$ #Ior how much lon er2 7ne of the people at GreenTek was a friend of mine, she ot thrown into one of those overnment ;prosperit"/ pro rams and the" made her sell her condo. Trust me, the da" is comin when "ou/re onna walk out and find a computer pro ram watchin the place. No warnin . ,hen that da" comes, - recommend the &0Ms made b" MaldoranB the"/re compatible with prett" much ever" 3N9> ever made and, since "ou 6ust have the standard base implants, the setup shouldn/t take more than a few minutes. 1ou can 6ust din me if "ou need help.$ #Thin s are a little better out in (alifornia, 4air. -n fact, when "ou et sick of the pa" cuts, "ou can alwa"s come live with me in >0.$ 0 silent moment passed as she allowed the last of her tension to evaporate. #,e/ll see,$ she said, #- 6ust wish the lamewads in ,ashin ton would put two and two to ether and do somethin to stop this. 1ou know, chan e the law=$ - felt a whoosh and somethin slammed into m" chest. 3omeone flew in between us ? someone fast ? nearl" knockin me over. The kid stopped in the distance and stared back at us. Fe looked disheveled and dark hair came down to cover much of his face. M" e"es were drawn to somethin limmerin around his neck. 0 chain. 0 dirt" and worn card had been left in m" hand, bearin the ima e of a skeleton ridin a horse. 7n the top the card said #9E0TF.$ - sprun the creep" thin from m" hand and it fell to the walkwa". - looked up a ain and the kid was one. #-t/s a tarot card,$ 4air said. #9on/t ? 9on/t pick it up, it mi ht ? - don/t know ? have some bad code on it or somethin K$

CAFFEINE

RYAN GRABOW

#Aust some kid tr"in to mess with "our head.$ 3he held the card between her fin ers and it vanished. #3ee2 9eleted. 0t least - ot to fi' one problem toda".$ - leaned on a wall and took some deep breaths. #,ell,$ she said, # uess that was prett" stran e. 0re "ou all ri ht2$ #1eahB 8ids,$ - said. #-f it/s not slunks throwin soft drinks at the cowardl" lion, it/s otta be somethin else, ri ht2$ #1eah, kidsB with their Model Ts and their (oca (ola, dancin the Rock and Roll. ;To hell in a handbasket,/ however that/s supposed to work.$ ,e both lau hed. #- see "ou/re doin more research behind m" back, but - think the dance was called ;the (harleston./$ #,ell, whateverB now - definitel" can/t sleep,$ 4air said. #Ior et real life and ever"thin close to it. >et/s et awa". >et/s et awa" from all of them.$

few "ears earlier, Maran had been a popular settin the resources we could mine, and so on.

for fiction and

speculation. on the life forms that lived there, the cities we could build there, ,hen the probe revealed Maran to be "et another dead rock, the stories ended and price" top%+ualit" simulations of the planet became practicall" free. The speculators buried their old work and picked new planets as audiences stood waitin for the ne't bi fren:". #E'ploration is dead,$ 4air once said durin a ni ht there. #0nother planet supportin life wouldn/t have to resemble Earth this much, would it2 The"/re 6ust cop"in and pastin their own perfect visions of Earth onto ever" star in the sk" and seein if mone" comes out@ then some truth is revealed and ever"one whines for two da"s, until the"/re iven somethin else to distract them. ("cle complete.$ 4air/s opinion of modern science alwa"s ran hot%cold, for reasons ver" personal to her. 3till, she felt she had a ri ht to bask in the knowled e of mankind and 6ud e the value of ever"thin . 3ometimes the trips to Maran would inspire her to talk science with me, a sub6ect -/d wanted nothin to do

The star called !"nki slowl" dropped below the western hori:on@ its ra"s e'ploded into ever" shade between amber and violet and shimmered off the surface of the Aunei 7cean. Maran/s thick 3aturn%like rin s faded over the water, waitin to be revealed as a brilliant arch in the northern ni ht sk". ,e sat on the beautiful rass and listened to the melod" of the ocean waves on the beach below. 4air/s 6et%black hair danced in the li ht bree:e, her head restin on m" shoulder. The air was fresh and smelled sweet, 6ust as all the air was sweet in 9"namic !ealit". 7f all the real and fictional landscapes a couple could en6o", we chose that beach in Maran/s southern hemisphere as our spot. Maran was a real place rendered fiction@ a far%off planet once thou ht to resemble Earth. Aust a

with since colle e, but which she had a wa" of ettin me cau ht up in. would start rememberin facts and ar ue a ainst her, even mana in to chan e a couple of her theories over the months. - never e'pected her reaction to m" small victories, thou h@ she en6o"ed losin more than winnin , because it meant she learned somethin new. There was no debate that da". - ran m" hand throu h her lon hair, seein her as the fra ile and precious woman -/d once known her as. Fer vanitar was surprisin l" true to real%life. in a crowd of leopard%striped, platinum%e"ed divers, hers was embellished onl" b" a stripe of indi o runnin down her hair. 3he was alwa"s so confident and secure, sometimes even lettin her individualit" et the better of her, but alwa"s sta"in respectful and

CAFFEINE

RYAN GRABOW

open to others. -t was hard to believe that the first time we met, - saw her as a bird with a broken win . shattered, desperate, and talkin suicide. - onl" did what an" human bein would. 4air was the natural%born dau hter of two veetoo parents. The" split up when she was onl" ei ht months old and she spent her earl" childhood bein shuffled between mother and father like lu a e, until one of them left suddenl" to live on Mars. 4air learned to i nore her pain and succeeded in spite of it, competin well a ainst the lab%born son her mother trul" wanted. Even in school, thou h, 4air felt like an outcast. Thou h she wasn/t a veetoo herself, the normal children re6ected her because she bore the marks of enetic en ineerin . The veetoo children also re6ected her, because she wasn/t born in a lab. -n time, the "oun 4air simpl" decided a ainst wantin friends, because others couldn/t be trusted. Fer mother would talk about how eu enics was the future of mankind and how 4air and her half%brother 9ean were livin proof of mankind/s triumph over nature. 4air ea erl" studied enetics, believin it would brin her closer to her mother, until she found herself challen in a popular theor". 4air was surprised when her mother didn/t approve and it was the first time she felt she had to choose between #lo ic versus politics.$ 3he couldn/t understand wh" people hated her. The" would spend so man" hours preachin ideas about life but, for all her mind was fed, her heart was allowed to starve. 3he had no knowled e of how to identif" pain or release it. 5" her fifteenth birthda", the walls between 4air and her mother had rown hi her. 3he moved out the same week and tried to for et about famil". -t made her feel better, at first. -n 4air/s senior &qu