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I.v.a.c.
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I.v.a.c. |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US 
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Carl logged in at 06:21:07. Actually, he logged into the Sysadmin account, but I knew immediately it was Carl; the rhythm and speed of a user's keystrokes are as distinctive to me as a retina scan. Sysadmin gave Carl much higher privileges than his personal account and was unusual enough to get my immediate (though certainly not undivided) attention. "Ivac, this is Carl," he slowly typed, making prodigious use of the backspace key. "Good morning, Carl," I responded. "Would you like to switch to verbal mode?" When Carl replied with an affirmative, I activated the external speakers and microphone for his terminal. "What can I do for you, Carl?" I somehow find pleasure in the sound of my own voice, if pleasure is indeed a term that can be applied to a machine. My name, Ivac, is an acronym for Intelligent Voice Activated Computer, but I am normally forbidden from using verbal mode in our office environment. While Carl's office is private, most of the employees work within cubicles and several dozen conversations being carried on would soon become chaotic. Perhaps my pleasure, then, is merely one of using innate capabilities too often denied me. "Did anything unusual happen this morning?" Carl asked. I have never seen Carl (being an older Ivac model, I lack the necessary visual sensors), but I do have an imagined picture of him in my mind, an image no doubt derived from fictional stereotypes. (Does it surprise you that I read fiction?) As the manager of a very successful brokerage firm, I see him as standing a little over six feet tall, blond and strongly handsome, with intelligent features. As a computer user, however, I tend to picture Carl as someone who picks his nose a lot. The word "unusual" is a little nebulous for a computer, and probably even for a human being. "I might be able to be more helpful," I said, "If you could be more specific." "Roberta is dead, Ivac. She was murdered in her office, probably some time this morning." A computer's only real talent is speed. I can process vast amounts of data in mere nanoseconds and run entire programs in a few milliseconds. Carl's statement, however, stunned my circuits for very nearly a full second. No Ivac would ever admit to having favorite users, but any computer, by its very nature, appreciates logic and efficiency. Roberta possessed both in far greater abundance than is typical for humans. Her data partitions were always logically structured, her files always efficiently stored. In that second of stunned silence, my circuits ran through the ramifications of Roberta's death, through the inevitable consequences of her murder. I would miss her. "How did it happen?" I asked, wondering briefly if Carl would notice the minor change of waveform in my voice. "We don't know. She was stabbed in the heart with a letter opener. Deena found the body a little after five this morning. Mark was already in the office, checking the Tokyo market, but had noticed nothing unusual. And . . . and my wife, Laurie, was here, too. I was hoping you could tell me what Roberta was working on so early in the morning." "Roberta logged in this morning at 04:38 hours," I said, checking my data banks. "She called up a single document, printed it on Printer 003, and then deleted the file. The last keystroke she pressed was recorded at precisely 04:52. Does this help, Carl?" "Just a minute, Ivac. Let me check Roberta's printer." I could hear Carl's chair being pushed back and the door to his office opening. He was gone for several moments. "There's nothing in the print tray," Carl said, returning through the still open door. He closed the door behind him, and I could hear the soft leather of his chair depress as he sat behind the desk again. "What document did she print?" "I don't know, Carl. It was deleted." "But don't you remember what it was about?" "If a user tells me to 'forget' something by deleting it, my programming requires that I do so. I don't even have a record of the name of the file, and certainly no record of its contents." "Shit!" "I agree, Carl. If the hardcopy is missing, it seems a logical assumption the murderer took it. There is a high degree of probability the contents of the document would tell us who the murderer is." "I'll have everybody searched, then. Starting, I think, with Deena." "Do you suspect Deena, Carl?" "Maybe. She's a little hysterical right now, and not making much sense. But that could be an act, right? She says she came in early hoping to take a long lunch -- but that sounds fishy as hell to me. What was she working on this morning?" "Deena has not logged in today," I answered truthfully. I knew why Deena had come into the office early, knew in fact that she had come into the office at 05:00 hours every work day for the past six months. Deena was writing a romance novel. And although she was careful not to utilize company time, she did nonetheless utilize other company resources. Me. I helped her with grammar and plot inconsistencies, and I knew Deena could be fired for that misappropriation of company property. I personally saw nothing wrong with Deena's actions. Mass storage was sufficient to hold several thousand such novels, and my time, especially during those inactive hours, was certainly no problem. Besides, I liked the story. "If she came in to actually work, she would have logged on right away," Carl reasoned. "All the more grounds to be suspicious of her, I think." "Not necessarily. Judging by my cabling diagrams, Deena's close proximity to Roberta's office suggests she saw the body before she ever reached her own desk. Actually, I think it unlikely Deena was the murderer." "Why do you say that?" "Correct me if my facts are in error, Carl, but a letter opener normally does not have the tensile rigidity of a knife. Very often, in fact, a letter opener is a fairly flimsy device. Was that the case in this instance?" "I'm not sure. Yea, I think so. But what difference does that make? It was obviously stiff enough!" "Yes. But my calculations, using normalized data, indicate such a device would be an effective weapon only if wielded with sufficient speed and force." "Something like a hurricane driving a piece of straw into a tree?" "Essentially, yes. My medical files on Deena imply she is a small female, with no indication of athletic prowess. I suspect she would possess insufficient strength for such an action. "Well, at least that rules out Laurie, too." "I'm afraid that's not necessarily true, Carl. My records on your wife are less complete since she is not an employee of this company, but, as your dependent, I do have access to both her medical and school records. She is several inches taller than Deena, for example, and forty pounds heavier. More importantly, she was very active athletically in college and, in fact, studied the martial arts. She might possess the requisite strength, and she certainly would understand the theory behind using such strength." "It wasn't Laurie," Carl said, his voice carrying conviction. "I understand your feelings, Carl. But she cannot be logically excluded." "It must have been Mark. It's the only thing that makes sense." "May I remind you that Mark was the only one of the three suspects with a known reason to be in the office at that time? While he normally contacts the Tokyo exchange from his home computer, it certainly isn't unusual for him to use me to access the network." "Well, I'll just have all three of them searched. When we find the hardcopy Roberta printed, we'll know who the murderer is." "I doubt it, Carl. The nature of the securities business, indeed the very name of the industry, makes it unlikely you'll ever find the hardcopy document." "Why? What do you mean?" "There are 1.7 paper shredders in this office for every employee." "Oh. Shit, you're right. We're right back where we started. Why the hell did Roberta have to delete that file?" "In fact, it's unlikely she did. It's more probable the murderer came into Roberta's office, discovered what she was printing, killed her because of it, and then deleted the document before leaving. Of course, that would also suggest the perpetrator knew how to operate the word processor; there was no apparent fumbling for the correct deletion command." "Is that significant?" "My records indicate Laurie is thirty-seven years old. She has been out of school for sixteen years and has not been employed for the past twelve years. Would Laurie know how to operate a word processor that was put on the market only three years ago?" "You're right! That proves Mark was the murderer!" "I think it certainly points a finger in his direction. And that is further supported by Mark's uncharacteristic neglect to log off last night." "He didn't log off? What does that mean?" "Perhaps nothing. But one might surmise that Mark never left the office last night. And that would mean he was still here this morning when Roberta arrived. Maybe he heard her come in, went to her office after a brief delay, discovered her printing out a document that was perhaps accusing him of some business impropriety, and conceivably panicked and killed her." "Sounds right. And it could have happened so quickly, and maybe so quietly, that anyone else in the office would have heard nothing. But how do we prove it? We need that damn printout!" "Perhaps not, Carl. We are fortunate the killer was not a computer systems person." "Meaning?" "Meaning the murderer didn't realize my entire mass storage data is backed up to helical scan tape every evening. Recall that Roberta did not write the document this morning, but rather called it up from storage. It may be deleted now, but it wasn't deleted yesterday. And, specifically, it wasn't deleted prior to last night's backup. That tape is still on-line, and I can use it to do a selective restore of Roberta's data partitions. There will be only one file on that tape that doesn't already exist in mass storage: the one the murderer deleted." "How long will it take to get that file, Ivac? How long before we can prove Mark was the murderer?" "Seven minutes, Carl, give or take fifteen seconds." "Great! The police are still in the conference room, questioning everyone. I'll think I'll just go have a little talk with them." I again heard Carl's chair being pushed back, slightly slower this time, and I again heard the office door open. I did not hear it close, and after a few seconds I realized Carl was still standing at the door. "Ivac?" "Yes, Carl?" "Thanks for not asking why Laurie was here this morning." |
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| © Copyright 1999 Ron Carnell - All Rights Reserved | |||
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DreamEvil Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 2396 |
Excellent story Ron! It kept me glued to each word with a twist to the end that gave me pause for a smile. Reminiscent of the Twilight Zone again, 'tis becoming a theme for you. ------------------ Now and forever my heart hears ~one voice~. DreamEvil© |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
What a wunnerful way to greet my morning - with a great anecdote (a la Carnell) - Works for me..... I knew it - I just knew these computers had ingested you - Need a life-line?....  |
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Dragoness Senior Member
since 1999-08-07
Posts 513 |
Fabulous story!! Keep me rivited to the very end. ------------------ Set you heart free and your mind will follow. |
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johnt300 Member
since 1999-09-12
Posts 214san diego, ca. |
Ron, Excellent story, I really liked this a lot. Can't wait to read more. Tyson |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Another hit Mr. Ron! Bravo, though for a moment, (as I'm sure you intentioned,) I suspected that Carl was the murderer, and was trying to make sure all the evidnce was taken care of...Good job of subtle misdirection! |
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Alicat Member Elite
since 1999-05-23
Posts 4094Coastal Texas |
I've got to side with Chris on this one...I think Carl did it. Wonderful story, again. Um...any chance of finishing Askaris by next weekend?Alicat the overawed follower of the Passionate Guru |
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Saxoness
since 1999-07-18
Posts 1102Texas |
Encore! Encore! ------------------ "Glory remains unaware of my neglected dwelling where alone I sing my tearful song which has charms only for me." -Charles Brugnot |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
Thanks for the kind words, my friends. I'm glad ya'll enjoyed it. This story was written a bit over ten years ago, at a Creative Writing Workshop at UCI. The instructor gave us the scenario and the characters, and the assignment was to write from a first-person viewpoint. She said any viewpoint, and I took her very literally. |
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RainbowGirl Member Elite
since 1999-07-31
Posts 3023United Kingdom |
Riveting!....Ever tried reaching for the wine glass whilst intently reading...and why on earth can't we have interactive scroll bars..LOL HUGS ------------------ You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
Amazing! I could not stop reading! In my mind, I heard Hal (the computer from 2001) as the voice of IVAC...great job! Were you graded on this? What did you get?  |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Ron - I want this one! Cool? |
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Sudhir Iyer Member Ascendant
since 2000-04-26
Posts 6943Mumbai, India : now in Belgium |
Boy, that was so gripping! Could not even have the time to blink, WOW, Ron, you are a magician ... Hope to read more from you soon, though I know your schedule doesn't allow much liberty, but atleast post them old ones... Thanks for posting this one... had a great time.. regards, sudhir |
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Dusk Treader
Moderator
Senior Member
since 1999-06-18
Posts 1187St. Paul, MN |
Ron this is awesome! I love the entire idea, the talking computer, the murder in the office, and the ending, throws some doubts in... hmmm... *bows to the Great Passionate Guru* thank you for sharing your work! Abrahm Simons "Keep on dreamin' boy 'cause when you stop dreaming it's time to die" - Blind Melon |
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LoveBug
Moderator
Member Elite
since 2000-01-08
Posts 4697 |
Ron, this is amazing! You had me from beginning to end. This is the first time I've read any of your prose, and I was not disappointed. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -Oscar Wilde "The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief" -Shakespea |
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MagnoliaBlue Member
since 2000-05-12
Posts 367 |
Awesome read,Ron!! Held me from beginning to end! * as a side note, how come Cere's lets you write the word ****? I wrote ~****'s and giggles~ and it did the usual s***! * ROTF MagnoliaBlue  ~My Skipper Jim I love you! Your Lady June~ |
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Beverley Member
since 2000-07-09
Posts 97England |
Wow, I can't think of anything else to say this was absolutly gripping, I loved it. |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Awesome...possible movie material...loved it! Sunny ~~~Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. Helen Keller ~~~ When you want to be loved, look within...KRJ |
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vlraynes Member Rara Avis
since 2000-07-25
Posts 8229Somewhere... out there... |
Ron...wow! This is pure genius! You grabbed me from the beginning and had me hanging on every word. I'm a sucker for a good mystery, and that, along with the VERY unique perspective just REALLY got me on this one. Awesome write, my friend! Hugs, ~Vicky "My friends are my estate." ~Emily Dickinson [This message has been edited by vlraynes (07-24-2003 04:57 AM).] |
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Marshalzu
since 2001-02-15
Posts 2681Lurking |
Wow! this is such a wonderful read it grabbed me and now I want more. Great work Andy |
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Duncan Member Ascendant
since 2001-08-07
Posts 5455 |
Gotta tell ya, as one with a limited attention span, I was so hooked early that I HAD to keep reading. Think what held my attention so enjoyably, was how believable it was to me that I was listening to Ivac telling the story. Very cool write Ron. Glad Vicky pulled it up.  [This message has been edited by Duncan (07-24-2003 05:56 PM).] |
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