Up Against It - M. J. Locke [141]
Jane shrugged. “As to the technology, you can install whatever controls you like so I don’t hack it.” She refrained from mentioning that she was pretty sure she could get Tania to circumvent their controls, if she chose. But she would honor her deal as long as they did.
“With regard to my influence, have you looked at my sammy cache? Have you been watching the news? Our ice was destroyed on my watch. Ten people have died, dozens injured, and many more are at risk. I’m facing a subpoena from Parliament. I am persona non grata. I’m reviled.” Her voice rose, despite herself; her breath grew short. With effort, she regained control. “But even if not, even if I still have friends in high places—and I admit I have an ally or two left—surely you must know that I honor my agreements. With something as sensitive and politicized as resource allocation, there is no way I could have been successful over the past three decades if I did not.”
Obyx glanced at Harbaugh, but Jane didn’t know what it signified.
“With regard to the feral…” she sighed. “I can’t lie. The notion of a free digital sapient being terrifies me. Humanity has kept the worst at bay for the past two centuries. We have become so dependent on our technology. With the feral, we might face our undoing.” She paused, the Voice ringing like distant bells in her thoughts. “But it seems to me that since we must face the Singularity someday, perhaps BitManSinger is a gift. A path through the vortex to the other side.”
She saw a swift look pass between Obyx and Harbaugh, and knew instantly why. “So—you did hack me!”
Once again, she had caught them unawares. Harbaugh started, mouth open. Obyx tried with limited success to appear indignant. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Sarah said, “Jane, what the hell are you talking about? Hacked you? Who hacked you?”
Jane replied, “I’ve been hearing voices, Sarah. Or rather, a Voice. Since the night before last. Somehow you figured it out—didn’t you?” she asked Obyx. “You detected that we had a feral sapient in our system. And in case your own plans to extract it weren’t successful, you wanted to neutralize me. To force me to believe I was having some premonition. Make me care. So I wouldn’t act to destroy it before you got someone in place to remove it.”
“You are quite mad.” But Obyx’s tone was not convincing.
“Perhaps. But it is a useful madness. You know”—she lifted a hand in a shrug—“I should probably hate you for what you have done. But I don’t. I should even thank you for it. You’ve given me a new outlook. Whatever you have put me in touch with”—she shook her head—“never mind. Let’s just say I find all kinds of possibilities opening up in my life, which is something I would never have expected at my age.
“So don’t worry. I won’t press charges, and I’ll still honor our deal. As long as you come clean about what you have done.”
A tense silence stretched. Finally Obyx said, “I will never underestimate you again.”
“That is wise.”
Obyx waved a hand. “Fill her in, James.” Harbaugh stared at Obyx as though trying to bore a hole through hir the way Sarah had stared at Jane earlier, but Obyx told him, “If we are going to make this deal, we have to make it with all our markers on deck.”
Harbaugh turned to Jane. “It was a mild hack. It wasn’t supposed to hurt you, or give you hallucinations, or anything. Just, as you said, make you care. Give you a sense of being connected to a greater whole. Open you up to new possibilities, to a different way of looking at things.”
Jane barked a laugh. “Oh, it did that, all right. And that little exchange at the memorial: that was just you jerking my chain, eh?”
Harbaugh merely looked at her, discomfited.
“That was my idea,” Obyx said. “To reinforce the programming.