The zone which is forbidden to you!: Best Friends in Science
The voice on the other line sounded cheerful… and mechanical. Taking an awkward moment to analyze this, Dr. Mobius came to the conclusion that he was speaking to a robot. Further investigation would be in order to ascertain whether or not it was a simple personality matrix, or an AI. He “cleared his throat”, as if some part of him was hoping to sound human itself, before speaking clearly, and for the first time in a long time, pleasantly into the microphone. “I must say I’m impressed that you picked up my signal at all,” He said, “But I’m afraid I’ll have to be reluctant to give you the location of the broadcast straightaway. You never know who could be on the other end of the communicator these days.”
He awaited a reply from the robot, pondering its function and speech pattern as he did. Listening hard enough would result in hearing mumbling from him, as Dr. Mobius had never really been a quiet thinker. Could someone have instructed the machine to seek out his signal? Or was it doing this of its own volition? Perhaps it’s a rogue AI. Possibilities sprang up right and left in his mind. Only carrying on the conversation would give him direct or indirect answers, but he was rightfully wary of that. Not long ago had he been contacted by an agent of the Enclave, and not long before that he had received a message from Mr. House himself. Temptation to rub that one into Dr. 0’s non-existent nose aside, it had been troubling. If outsiders were able to locate HIS signal, surely they would be able to tap into the Think Tank’s as well. He had heard of no such communications thus far, and that was how he hoped to keep it.“Oh that’s ok! I know how that is! Especially if there are a lot of people who are not FOND of you out there!” Yes Man lets out a laugh. The man on the other side sounded like some sort of congenial old man. He must have been smart if he has a network set up like this…and he seemed pretty wary of outsiders.
…and he seemed… eccentric? That’s the right word. Yes Man listened to the man mutter and mumble. He picked up something about an AI, gosh, this man was good. “If you are curious, I am indeed an AI! You can call me Yes Man! Everyone does! And I assure you, I am not a rouge!”
Dr. Mobius contemplates the message in complete silence, foregoing even the mumbling typical of his person. “An AI…. Were you programmed to seek out such signals and make contact with them, then? Or is someone giving you orders to do so?” Should there be someone involved, he will simply close off communications with this machine. He would rather not risk another security breach at Big Mountain; it is simply too dangerous to all parties involved.
Regardless of his own reservations, though, he could not deny that he was enjoying having someone to talk to, despite the serious nature of the conversation. Were he not such a dignified business science man, he would have already tried to divert the conversation in a more pleasant direction. That would be foolish of him, though. He must figure out more about this mysterious signal breaching AI before asking it how the weather is wherever it might be hiding out.
