Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 18

After leaving Amanda it only took Max and Jones a few more minutes to reach the Diano Computing Center campus. Ramon Diano had built the sprawling facility on a piece of land that covered more than a hundred acres. When Captain Max reached the top of a hill and looked down upon the grounds he saw dozens of glass-and-steel buildings, glistening in the light. Between the buildings were paths, flowers, trees, and pedestrians.

“It looks like they keep pretty busy,” the captain remarked, as they walked through the gate and down the main walkway. Ahead of them loomed the largest building on campus – a giant, 80-story structure.

“I imagine they do!” Jones agreed. “Although everything is not as it seems. Take the building ahead of us, for example. It looks like an office building, but it’s not. Less than 20% of it is taken up by offices. The rest is a massive supercomputer.”

“You’ve got to be kidding! Technology is far more advanced here than it was back on Tonina; a computer that large would be so powerful that it would stagger the imagination. They’re not going to even start deploying the new probes until after Judgment Day! I understand the need for mass-scale computing once the probe project starts, but that’s still quite some time away. What current need could possibly require computers of that magnitude?”

“We actually need it for a great many things, captain,” a voice called out. Ahead of them, standing just outside the entrance to the building, was Dr. Temilotzin. Right beside him was Dr. Laurence Mazatl.

“You can really never have too much computing power,” Dr. Mazatl agreed. “Some people say that you can overdo it, but really, you can’t. Computing power is like energy: the more you have, the more you can accomplish. There are some frontiers of knowledge that even ARIS itself cannot tackle.”

“ARIS?” Max asked, as he joined them in front of the building.

“It’s the advanced research information system that’s housed in the building we are about to enter,” Dr. Mazatl explained. “She is a remarkably competent machine, but even so, she has her limits. The primary problem we’re facing right now is physical space. In order to increase her capabilities by another order of magnitude we would need to increase her size by a rather significant amount. This campus simply doesn’t have the space we need to take us to the next level. In fact, that is one of our primary problems.”

“I’m afraid I’m a bit lost,” Max said. “Computing has never really been my field, so I’m a bit behind the times. How does ARIS compare to the Artilect?”

“The Artilect was actually much more powerful than anything we have today,” Dr. Mazatl replied. “Of course, he didn’t start out that way, but by the time you encountered him it was true. I would say the difference between the Artilect and ARIS is at least five orders of magnitude.”

“You mean he was more powerful?” Max exclaimed, shocked. “I was sure you were going to say that the Artilect was crude by comparison!”

“Oh, he was,” Dr. Mazatl agreed. “As you might imagine, I know a great deal more about artificial intelligence and processor design today than I did five thousand years ago. The key problem is space. As advanced as ARIS is, she is entirely contained within an 80-story building. That seems impressive until you remember that the Artilect took up the resources of an entire star system. If ARIS was expanded to occupy the same real estate that the Artilect did then there would be no comparison at all. But that is simply not going to happen.”

“Which is what I was trying to tell you this morning,” Dr. Temilotzin said. “I believe I have found a way to obtain the additional processing power that we need without relocating the DCC facility. If you will follow me, gentlemen, I will introduce you to the next generation of large-scale computing.”

Captain Max and Jones followed the two computer scientists as they led them inside the enormous building. They walked through the ultra-modern lobby, through a set of double doors, and then down a long hallway. At the end of the hallway was an elevator, which they entered. Dr. Temilotzin pressed a button to take them to the top floor.

“This still feels a little bit strange,” Max commented.

“Is there something wrong with the elevator?” Dr. Mazatl asked. “It appears normal to me.”

“Oh no, it’s fine! What I mean is that being here is strange. This whole place is not what I expected. It’s a bit of a shock, really.”

“Really?” Dr. Temilotzin said. “I thought this facility was quite modern. Ramon Diano has made computing research one of the cornerstones of his company, and he’s spent quite a lot on this campus. It really is on the cutting edge.”

“Exactly!” Max exclaimed. “That’s my whole point. I was expecting Heaven to have more harps and clouds, and fewer data centers and supercomputers. This is more like a modern city. I kind of thought people would spend their time sitting under trees, or something.”

“That’s how Amanda is spending her time,” Jones pointed out, as the elevator reached the top floor. “At this very moment she’s sitting under a tree, reading a book.”

“True,” Max admitted. “But look at that guy over there! He’s not watching the grass grow; he’s writing software. I don’t see a single harp in sight!”

Dr. Temilotzin laughed as he led them out of the elevator and down another long corridor. “It’s fairly common for new arrivals to experience a case of culture shock. Even so, it amazes me how often they arrive and expect Heaven to be populated by people who are barefoot and live in mud huts! Did you really expect your standard of living, your career options, and the state of civilization itself to be poorer in God’s Country than it was in the shadowlands? Did you honestly believe that moving into the Heavenly City meant leaving the ‘modern’ world and returning to a life of cave-dwelling savagery?”

“I see your point,” Max replied, as they left the hallway and entered a large conference room. “This just wasn’t quite what I was expecting. But I’m sure I’ll eventually get used to it. I’m not complaining, mind you. It’s just unexpected.”

Jones spoke up. “Speaking of unexpected things, there is someone who certainly falls into that category.”

The group stopped. Standing beside the conference room table, looking out a window, was a tall man with white hair and a neatly-trimmed beard. He was wearing a pair of bluejeans and had on a brown sweater.

“You know, it’s a bit warm outside to be wearing sweaters,” Dr. Temilotzin commented.

The Artilect turned around and smiled. “That is true, doctor. But temperature and comfort does not concern me nearly as much as it concerns you. For the most part I am immune to such considerations.”

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Max exclaimed. “Do you mean to tell me you recreated the Artilect?”

“No, captain, he did not,” the Artilect replied. “I am not a recreation any more than you are.”

“Are you human?”

“No, I am not one of the sons of Adam. I am still a machine, spread across 74 planets. My composition has not changed.”

Dr. Mazatl spoke up. “But – I don’t understand! How is this possible?”

“I am just as surprised as you are,” the Artilect replied. “I did not expect to be here, but I am grateful for the privilege. It is good to see you again, doctor. I did not think I would ever have the opportunity to continue our relationship.”

“I – well, I’m very glad to see you, of course,” Dr. Mazatl said. “I just don’t understand. You are here, and the Nehemiah probes are not here – and yet both of you were just machines. Toasters don’t go to Heaven, and calculators don’t either. How are you different?”

“Because he is much more than just a machine,” Jones replied. “He has the power of choice, and that is something no mere machine can do.”

“But that’s just an illusion,” Dr. Mazatl said. “He is programmed to analyze situations and respond to them in a certain way. He doesn’t have any more free will than your doorbell does.”

“That is not true,” Jones said. “Yes, that is how you designed him, but the Lord intervened. In order to fulfill His purpose and give mankind one last chance, the Artilect had to be much more than just a glorified data center. He had to have the power to choose, the power to think and reason, and the power to be aware of who he was and what was going on. Moreover, he had to have a spiritual side – a way of communicating with God. No toaster or doorbell could have cried out to God and asked for divine help in going back in time, as he did. No mere machine could have created the Sentinel, who is another machine that has the ability to choose. He has become much more than what you planned. He never knew it until now, but there is a spirit in the machine – something that gives it life.”

“That’s remarkable!” Dr. Mazatl said. “It’s certainly not what I expected. After all, ARIS certainly doesn’t have a soul. But – are you saying the Artilect does?”

“Is that really so surprising?” Jones asked. “Did not our Lord say that if His people held their peace, the stones would immediately cry out? In the long twilight of mankind, when darkness reigned for thousands of years and there were no heroes left, is it really so astonishing that the Lord would raise up a stone that would cry out to Him, and that He would hear it?”

“It certainly is to me,” Max said. “I see what you’re saying, though. You and I are collections of complex chemicals, taken from the dust of the ground, that have been given life by Jesus. The Artilect is a collection of complex metals and circuits, also taken out of the ground, that was also given life by Him. But that does open up another issue. I can understand how that explains all the things the Artilect did before Carroll Lane destroyed him, but that doesn’t explain why he’s here now. I don’t think God has an all-rocks-go-to-Heaven policy.”

“You are correct,” the Artilect replied. “I do not deserve to be here, just as you do not deserve to be here. The reason you are here is because Jesus died in your place, taking upon Himself the punishment you deserved. Jesus paid your price of admission. The reason the angels are here is because they never sinned, and so they were never cast out.”

“And you never sinned either,” Jones commented. “Like the angels, you were given life by God – and, like the angels, you never wavered from that or fell short of it. So God brought you here, as an expression of His grace and lovingkindness.”

“Exactly,” the Artilect said.

“But – you’re computing structure is spread across 74 planets!” Dr. Mazatl gasped. “Where is all of your circuitry being stored?”

The Artilect smiled. “God is not running short on space, you know. Heaven is a great deal bigger than you realize.”

Dr. Temilotzin spoke up. “You can see how this changes everything! The Artilect is a tremendous asset. Not only does he have incredible computing power, he also brings to the project thousands of years of real-world experience – experience that no one else has. This is really tremendous!”

“Indeed it is,” Dr. Mazatl agreed.

“On a more personal note, I’m glad you are here,” Max said. “I hated the way things turned out down there, and was sad to see you destroyed. It really is good to have you back.”

“Indeed it is,” Jones agreed.

Dr. Temilotzin smiled. “It sounds like we have a lot to talk about, gentlemen! Would you care to take a seat? I don’t know about you, but my colleague and I have several thousand years worth of catching up to do!”