Continuum

I was half running, half carried, as we moved through dark hallways. There was always light around us, but everywhere else it was dark and sinister. I kept waiting for someone to find us, but presently I saw bodies, or unconscious people lying sprawled on the floor. We were moving up and eventually we came to daylight. Through the opened door, I squinted and saw a two seat passenger car. Mary, if that really was her name, helped me into the passenger side and we were quickly underway. I was beginning to think this was no drug induced delusion.

"Why were there no alarms?" I buried my head in my knees, folding my arms over my head.

She said, "I had to disable their entire computer system. Hopefully, they will soon have it rebooted. There was no permanent damage to their systems, but I believe we got away without being detected."

"Who are you?"

"Stevo, I told you already. Must I do it again?"

"How is this possible? First of all I thought the Continuum was destroyed. Second, how can you be human? That, I know is not possible. I helped you become self-aware over a year ago. You are an Exotic model Macintosh!" I tried sitting up, but the blur of the scenery rushing past, persuaded me to bury my head some more.

"She said gently, "Stevo, I am exactly as you say I am. I am not human, nor could I ever be. This you see, is my touring mode, so to speak."

"New technology, huh?" I was dumbfounded, floored, and greatly impressed! How good was this new 'touring mode' body of hers? I suppressed thoughts I shouldn't have been having.

"This body is a powered Beryllium frame with an internal heat source to power the trillions of specialized Nanobots that make up all my systems. I really only look human, and can walk and talk as one, but I have no normal human functions, if that is what you are asking about."

"No, no! Just give me your hand a moment, Mary."

She complied, and I held her small hand in both of mine, marveling at both the design and the perfection of the illusion. Her hand felt soft and supple to my fingers, but there was an Otherness about the feel. I could sense immediately that this was not a human's hand I was holding. I released it and thanked her for helping me to understand. Looking closely at her, I could see that even her silver jumpsuit was part of her, and not merely clothing. Her looks and her composure certainly was a delight to the eyes, but again, the Otherness came through as I watched her.

Most anyone, upon looking at her would see a beautiful young girl. Most men would immediately switch to Hormone Mode in her presence, and I suspected that was purposeful on her part. Such men would be much more easily swayed, and would remember much less important detail, if later questioned about her. Women, on the other hand, would be on the defensive, and perhaps intuit that Otherness about her. But maybe that is what all women see in each other anyway.

Presently, I slept, or dozed. She had applied a patch on my forearm. Probably a counter agent to the drugs in my system. I roused again, and tried to sort and order all the questions I was having.

"Mary, you mentioned a place that we need to get to, but I cannot remember what it was. Only I recall that there is no such place. Explain again please."

"New Mac City, Stevo. You never heard of it. No one has, for it lies dormant, waiting to be powered up in case of only the most extreme emergency. We have one now, for the Continuum is indeed destroyed! Our only hope of saving our friends, and the planet, is to go to Redmond, Washington and begin the power up sequence for that facility."

"The Continuum gone! Lerno really did it! That monster!" My adrenaline was pumping now, and I was angry at such monumental stupidity. "Mary, how did you survive?"

"Many of us were far away from those sites that were destroyed in the magnetic blast. I was already going into the Citadel when it happened. I was sent to rescue you from Lerno.

There was no warning for us, and there could have been no defense against such devices as those. I fear that even all our backups and reserves have been lost. The only place that might have been spared was our new and dormant city under the Gates Museum."

I was incredulous at the thought. "How could you put a backup site there, of all places?"

"Why not?" Mary smiled. "The museum complex is mostly unpopulated, but it is huge. It covers Mr. Gates old estate, the old company headquarters, and part of the abandoned town of Redmond. Visitors are rare there, too. Usually the only ones around are Security, and some few unfortunate computer history students who must do their research there.

We built the caverns deep underneath the museum estate in a little over a decade. We used conventional earth moving equipment transported through a tunnel whose entrance originated from the nearby landfill. We are certain that no one except the self-aware computers know of its existence. No one, even within the Continuum, had ever heard of it before I told you, Stevo."

He was again astonished. The self-aware Macs had done this? For what reason? Was there more here than was obvious and observable. He had never known any self-aware computer to take such an initiative before. He must know their motive in this, and their motives for all the other implied consequences resulting from that single act!