BEYOND THE PALE: ( The Outlander ) Read online

  River lay in the dark in the guest room, and tried to get used to the bed. This was the first night he was to get to sleep in it, and it was a lot softer than his hospital bed or the bunk in the cell allotted to him by the Rangers. He lay his head down on the pillow but after struggling to flatten it, he threw it down on the floor and replaced it instead with his folded trousers. He was not yet asleep when he saw his door open. He wasn’t startled, but he was intrigued as he tilted his head on his makeshift pillow to observe Audrina quietly tiptoeing across the floor. It was dark but he could still see that she was only wearing underwear, just knickers and no bra. She came over to his side of the bed and was bending down seemingly looking for something. She pulled an electrical device charger from a wall socket near his head board and then turned to examine River to check if he was awake. He had closed his eyes pretending to be asleep, but when he opened them again, Audrina was still there staring at him, still topless and with a big grin on her face, acting as if she had known all along that he was ogling her body. She winked at him and then stood up and slowly walked out of his room with a certain swagger. River thought this was some strange behaviour. He hadn’t known what to do. Audrina intrigued him, but he could not fathom her out.

  Chapter Eleven

  Valerie was the next person to come into River’s room. She came in to open his curtains, and deposited a cup of morning tea on his bedside table. As soon as she left, River was up in an instant and dressed.

  At the breakfast table he was a lot more alert than Anton who looked like he needed another hour or two of sleep, and a few less drinks the night before. Anton looked up at the clock and realised that they had to set off now or be late.

  They made the 10 minute walk to the nearest metro entrance and climbed the steps to the raised platform on this elevated mono rail city transport system. Anton purchased an all day pass token which he passed to River, and then swiped himself separately through the barrier paying a single fare.

  “So are we going to your work place or your place of study,” enquired River

  “We are going to my University. This is one of the two days that my employer must release me each week until I qualify as a technical architect. Then it reverts to a single day release at university per week.”

  “So when do you finally finish your days of study,” asked River.

  Anton’s reply to River’s question was cut short by the arrival of the metro train, and the two boarded and found two vacant seats facing each other situated along a fairly crowded bench. River could see that Anton was not going to continue this conversation whilst others could hear what he said. He knew that Anton was a private soul who did not like to stand out or appear different. He was really quite the opposite character to his older sister.

  As soon as a vacant seat became available next to Anton, River jumped into it. Anton who seemed presently absorbed and in his own world looked directly at him and then checked the surrounding carriage. River recognised him making those rapid eye movements that Nathan used to open or close programs on his optical interface. They both used the same modified contact lenses for this purpose. The difference of course was in the applications and data that they referenced. Where Nathan might be accessing security databases and communication apps, Anton was more likely reading technical manuals, reviewing source code, or simply playing a video game.

  “In answer to your question, my academic study will never finish. When you join the Marekh guild in your early teenage years, you are made aware of this fact. I studied full time to qualify as a technician. I also studied to qualify as a software analyst. Now I am close to qualifying as a technical architect, but there is always the next higher grade; unless of course I stop at professorial level. Then I can just teach others in the guild.”

  “So is it this guild that you work for when you are not at university,” asked River.

  “No, I am working for the Office of City Planning during the rest of the week. I service the software that they use for the planning and execution of large construction projects.”

  “So who is your boss, and who pays you,” said River trying to grasp an understanding.

  “City Planning pays me because I work for them, but the Marekh Guild is my real boss. I can leave the Office of City Planning but I cannot ever leave the Guild.”

  “Why?” asked River, “What could they do to you?”

  “I just couldn’t. I can change jobs, retire or teach, but the Marekh Guild protects it knowledge. I cannot be trusted not to apply it in another profession or order. Nobody can learn what we know unless you belong to the Guild.”

  “So who or what exactly is a guild?”

  Anton considered River’s question, “The Marekh Guild is a professional Order. If you qualify to join an Order, you usually select one by the age of thirteen.”

  “If you qualify … How?” interrupted River.

  Anton continued, “You qualify based on your genetic potential and background. You are more likely to come from a wealthy or professional family.”

  “Are you saying that your family needs to be rich?”

  “No, I am not saying that. I am saying that you need to pass intelligence and aptitude tests as well as satisfy the guild’s criteria for a genetic profile. Most professional parents are wealthier, and can afford to pay for the DNA enhancements to intelligence and intellect at conception. Therefore their children are more likely to satisfy the Guild and other Order’s requirements.”

  River knew what DNA was, but he never knew that this building block of life could be altered like some computer program. He was at a loss for words, and Anton used this opportunity to get back on his original track. -“So if eligible, we can choose an order or guild that appeals to us when we reach teenage years. Most of us do, because it guarantees you good professional employment throughout your life. Your order will always help you advance in your profession. They will assist you in work placements, networking, and in promotion. You can even work for an order if you are a member of it, but those are mostly managerial or teaching posts.”

  River began to appreciate the complex nature of work in the metropolis. “Is Audrina a member of Marekh Guild?” he asked Anton.

  “Audrina is in the Red Shield Order of finance. She took a few attempts to pass her aptitude test, but she was twelve and her heart wasn’t really in it. Don’t let her know that I told you this. She hates anyone talking about her business. By the way, only the technical Orders call themselves Guilds. My Guild is named after Paul Marekh. He was the engineer who first got a computer to pass the Turing test. He is known as the father of Transhumanism.”

  There was a lot here for River to digest. What Anton had to say about these guilds and about Audrina interested him. He wanted to know more but he could see that they had reached their destination.

  The University was a large dome structure which was surrounded by lush green park land with some large deciduous trees dotted about, networked by small ponds, lawns and flower beds. The concourse that led up to the main entrance was packed full of students milling about and socialising. Anton walked briskly straight through to the campus reception to sign in River for a temporary day pass as his guest. These passes were usually reserved for Guild and Order mentors, but the receptionist did not challenge him. Anton then continued his fast pace to the large room where he would attend his first lecture of the day. It had started already, so the two slipped in as quietly as possible and took up seats at the back. River looked around to take in the scene. There were probably about 80 students attending, but this still made their attendance look sparse compared to the size of the room which had long concentric rows of seating. A professor was using large display consoles integrated into white boards to display script and equations to demonstrate paradigm concepts in quantum processing. At least that was what the heading on the whiteboard read. River didn’t understand any of it. He tried to listen attentively and follow the drift of the Professors discourse but it was like listening to somebody speakin
g in tongues. He looked at the clock. This was going to last for the duration of 90 minutes. River resorted to closing his eyes and meditating whilst trying to shut out the distraction of the professor’s high nasal voice.

  When the class was finished, River followed Anton out into the hallway and walked with him towards a relatively large seating area serviced by a cafeteria and diner. Anton bought them two cappuccinos and they found a table that was more isolated and remote from the others.

  “What did you think of his class?” asked Anton

  “I thought that it was a good opportunity to meditate. He lost me at quantum computing and computer sentience. I really don’t understand the meaning of either.”

  Anton smiled at River’s reply, “Do you want to know?”

  River considered Anton’s question, “Actually I do, as long as you can explain it to me as if I am a child.”

  “Quantum computing requires super computers which are astronomically expensive to build and run. They need multiple graphene processors instead of silicon. These processors can handle the much higher speeds needed. Only on this massive scale, can they achieve the petaflops of processing power to be able to handle the speed and complexity of the quantum based thread computations.” Anton seemed in his element defining these two concepts. “Computer sentience on the other hand is more of a concept which we are currently striving for but still eludes us. We will judge a computer as sentient, when it can think for itself, and it sees itself as a sentient individual. It needs to acquire understanding, so it will need to demonstrate emotions and reasoning which will all be tempered by an overriding logical analysis. We thought that we would achieve sentience when we constructed the first quantum computers. We thought it was a matter of combining super processing power with complex algorithms. We had those already. Paul Marekh devised the first algorithms capable of passing the Turing tests. These were a set of tests which required computers to display and understand emotional responses. However, seemingly an emotional response and quantum computing together were still not sufficient to bring about sentience. There is a missing link which involves understanding. We will get there I am sure.”

  River was beginning to realise that technology was an interesting subject. - “That was extremely interesting Anton, I just wish I had a better understanding to follow what you were saying. However, what I really do not understand is why it is so important to build a super computer that knows that it is alive.”

  Anton gave a considered answer, “It is the holy grail. It will be an enormous technological leap forwards.”

  “You may be building something that will see itself as the logical alternative to humanity.”

  Anton smiled at Rivers remark, and changed the subject. “The next lecture is in 15 minutes and is about predicting fractal reserve ratios to accurately estimate structural stress. This is very relevant to my present job role.”

  River was not excited at the prospect. He considered another 90 minute bout of meditation but he looked wistfully out through the glass wall which showcased the landscaped garden and asked Anton. –“Will you mind if I stay here instead for the duration?”

  “But you have no money, and no access without me, and nothing to entertain you,” Anton sounded concerned.

  “I have my audio- visual entertainment right here,” said River holding up his glasses which he had no intention of actually using, because they gave him a headache. However this seemed to satisfy Anton who left him shortly to attend his second lecture.

  As soon as Anton was gone, River walked over to the door into the garden. It was a glass door in a wall of tempered glass, which opened and closed automatically. However this door would not open for him. It was if it didn’t recognise he was there. He had seen it open for others automatically, so he decided to patiently wait beside it for someone to use it again. Whilst both the dining room and the gardens had there fair share of lounging students, nobody seemed to want to pass from one to the other. Impatience got the better of River and he decided to go up to a girl maybe a few years younger than himself who was operating a vending machine close by. - “Miss, I wonder if I can ask you to help me. I need you to go through that door with me.”

  The girl was mildly surprised and looked River up and down. Her expression seemed to say that she liked what she saw. “You look like an art student. Is this a prank? What will happen to me if I walk you through that door?”

  River answered truthfully but also with an element of flirtation. “Then you might get to walk around the garden with me, and we can learn more about each other.”

  The girl liked his answer and linked her arm in his. “Come on then, take me to the garden.” And River did just that. They took a stroll through across a small section of lawn ringed by massive topiary designs. River felt very comfortable surrounded by a natural environment even if it was landscaped. The metropolis was a sea of technology and River thrived in any opportunity that he received to spend some quality time in a natural environment away from it. It was if he drew sustenance from being there under the warm rays of the sun. It put him at ease and the girl on his arm whose name was Anne translated his demeanour as confidence. Anne had confidence too; it was the confidence that came with good looks. She had jet black hair cut in a Cleopatra style straight fringe which gave her an image of chic and mystery. They sat down and talked for a while in a herb garden which smelt fantastic on this warm day and then headed back inside. She kept her arm linked in his as they walked through the doors of the dining hall until she saw her friends sitting at a table on the other side of the room. Then she led him by the arm over to join them. Anne wanted to show off this attractive and interesting boy that she had just befriended. River didn’t disappoint her. He sat down with her friends and tried to be as engaging as he could. He learnt that their names were Kate who had flowing locks of auburn hair and Sarah who had a pretty blond short hair style. Kate was quite opinionated and also quite flirtatious whilst Sarah was more demure and a little shy. Along with Anne, they all studied advertising and marketing. They were in a free period now until their last lecture of the day at 2pm. They had nearly two hours to kill until then, and the girls suggested taking River over to the east side of the campus which had a small retail park and always had something going on. River apologised that he couldn’t go with them as he was waiting on his friend’s lecture finishing at 12:30. Sarah wanted to know what Anton was studying, and she seemed impressed when River told her and mentioned which guild Anton belonged to. River was not trying to name drop. It was just easier for him to mention the Marekh Guild than to put a name to what he was actually studying. Computer science may as well have been witchcraft as far as River was concerned. Kate wanted to know if Anton was a geek, but River assured her that he was not. He didn’t really know what a geek was, but he knew it sounded detrimental. Then Kate surprised him by volunteering to go and collect Anton as that time was approaching. Both Anne and Sarah said that they wanted to go as well.

  When Anton walked out of the class room, he was shocked to find three pretty white girls waiting for him and even calling out his name. He felt the urge to look behind him to see if there was perhaps someone else called Anton in the nearby vicinity. River was also standing with the girls, and he looked like the model of confidence; this only served to make Anton feel less assured. River stepped forward to meet his friend and leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Relax… Just be your self. These girls wanted to meet you.” Then as an after thought he added, “Try not to talk about anything technical.” River then put his arm around Anton’s shoulder as an inclusive gesture, and introduced him to his new friends. River steered the conversation in such a way as to draw his friend out of his restricted comfort zone and make him appear more gregarious. River took satisfaction from the realisation that he had successfully introduced Anton into the group. He intrinsically knew that Anton was lacking the ability to socially connect with anyone, through no reason other than his lack of practice.

  As a group, they deci
ded to head back to the dining hall and get lunch together. It was approaching 1pm, and the hall was filling up with many more students also looking for something to eat. River’s keen eye picked up on three guys who seemed to be taking a noticeable exception to their little group which was abuzz with high spirits. He supposed that he himself might the likely target of their hostility, so he purposely found a vacant table far apart from them in the restaurant section.

  “I will stay here and reserve the table,” said River to cover for the fact that he wasn’t able to actually purchase any food at the self service counter.

  “I will stay with you,” pledged Anne. “Kate, Sarah, can you get me a latte and some fries and salad baguette,” and by asking them, she had volunteered Sarah and Kate to accompany Anton which allowed her some more private time with River.

  The three set off to join the end of a long queue at the self service counter. As they walked past a table with three young white guys on route, they encountered some name calling which seemed obviously directed at Anton. He glanced at them and one of the men gave him a rude hand gesture. Anton looked away and was quite disturbed.

  “Sports jocks,” he murmured.

  “They are probably just jealous of a guy in company of two girls,” Sarah offered as an explanation. “Don’t let them bother you,” she added to reassure Anton, to whom she had taken a liking to. Kate looked over at the three guys still supplying rude gestures; then she looked at Anton not impressed with his inaction. The longer they waited in line Kate was growing more uncomfortable and disturbed by what she saw as Anton’s inability to stand up for himself, or her. Anton’s own behaviour changed as he grew more angst with the situation. He stared over again to see if the three were still on his case, and in doing so caught the attention of one of them, who stood up and purposely marched over to confront Anton face to face.

  As Anton watched him approach, everything else seemed to go out of focus. He was no longer aware of the presence of Sarah or Kate, or even the queue. He was just a solitary figure standing there awaiting his inevitable fate which was not going to be good. Thus it was a real surprise to feel the re-assuring feeling of River’s hand on his shoulder, and his words in his ear, “Stay cool. Just follow my lead.”