Robot

Chapter 4

      Five minutes later Tracy and Andrew entered her father's office through the back entrance. Tracy sat down at the desk and started up the computer terminal. A minute later she said, "Here you go, Andrew. Sit down here and bring up your programme. The computer won't know we're here because this terminal doesn't have a direct connection to System A unless I turn it on, and there are no security cameras in here."

Andrew sat at the desk and entered his password while Tracy went to a safe at the back of the room. She entered a combination and rummaged around in it.
After a few minutes Andrew called out to Tracy. "Here it is. Wow, take a look at this."

Tracy looked over Andrew's shoulder. A schematic diagram showed a human shape with electronic internal parts. After three seconds the diagram disappeared and was replaced with the plan of the industrial robot Andrew had been designing. 

Andrew pressed a number of keys. "I can't get it back," he said.

"Damn. The computer knows you're accessing its plans, so it's shut you out. Okay, this is what we're going to do. We'll wait here till about six o'clock, then we go back to the NTU. Laurence will meet us there. Then we go into Lab One. If we can't stop the molecular manufacturing unit, I'm going to try to shut System A down. If that works, the back up system will automatically come on line, and it is completely independent of System A."

"Will that stop the molecular unit?"

"Maybe. "

"Can't we just turn off the power to the molecular unit?"

"I guessing the computer has thought of that and will have bypassed the shut off."

Tracy spent the next three hours working at the computer terminal while Andrew paced nervously.
"What are you doing there?" he asked eventually.

"Working out ways to stop the computer," Tracy replied, "We can't let it construct this robot. It could be highly dangerous."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing? No offence, but you look rather young to know all about this complicated computer system."

"I know enough."

"Can't you call someone, one of the computer experts, or your father?"

"No. The computer controls the phone system. The moment I call someone, it will know and cut off the call. Then it will know I'm onto it. The longer the computer doesn't know that I know what it's up to, the better."

"Won't it know what you're doing right now on you father's terminal?"

"No. This is the only terminal in the entire complex that can be isolated from the main computer, and that's what I've done."

"Why are we waiting till six o'clock? Can't we go down to your lab now? This waiting is driving me up the wall."

"I want to attempt this when most of the staff have gone for the day, just in case something goes wrong."

"Now you're really worrying me."

Tracy smiled. "Relax, we'll beat the computer."

At six o'clock on Tracy's instructions Andrew left Phillip Hammond's office by the rear door and made his way back to the foyer area outside NTU Lab One. Tracy followed five minutes later.

 Laurence was waiting for them looking worried. "Good, you're here at last, Tracy. What's the plan?"

"Have you tried turning off the security cameras in there?" Tracy asked.

"Yes, but they won't turn off."

"I thought so. The computer is one step ahead of us. That's its baby in there, and it won't let us try anything to stop it being born."

"Well how do we stop it?"

Tracy lowered her voice. "Simple. We physically disconnect the canisters supplying the manufacturing unit with the raw materials. That should stop the unit instantly."

"I don't know, it sounds almost too easy."

"Just go in there with Andrew and pretend you're giving him a tour. Show him the manufacturing unit and show him the canisters. Then as you're pointing to them, just reach down and quickly disconnect them."

"I'll follow you in, and as you're showing him the unit, I'll run interference on the terminal in there. By entering a few codes, the computer will be distracted, hopefully." 

"All right. I just hope you're right. Come on, Andrew," said Laurence.

They entered the airlock, waited a few seconds while the air handlers removed dust and dirt particles from their clothes, then walked into the lab as the door opened.

Tracy waited two minutes and then reached to open the door to the airlock. At that moment a hand tapped her on the shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she whirled around. A tall thin man in glasses and a lab coat stood behind her. It was Leon Parker, a lab assistant who had recently started work in the NTU.

"Leon!" she exclaimed. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Is everything okay, Miss Hammond," he asked, "Can I help with anything?"

"Not right now. We have a situation in the lab, but we can handle it."

"A situation? Maybe I can help."

"Not this time, Leon. Just wait here. I'll call you in if we need you."

Leon started to argue, but Tracy opened the airlock door and stepped inside. The door closed behind her. The air handlers did their job and Tracy waited for the door into the lab to open, but it remained closed. She pressed the emergency override button, but the door still refused to open.

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