Colossus: The Forbin Project Page #3

Mr. President.

Ehr... Charlie just..

Dr. Forbin, just a second.

Well..

Mr. President, excuse me but..

Colossus has access to information

that wouldn't mean a damn thing to the CIA

Well I'm sure it's a marvelous machine,

Dr. Forbin, but in all events

we do have agents, and eh..

one of them did report on considerable

electronic activity in the eh..

Krasny-Signorsk area of Siberia

about three years ago, now..

We've been trying..

Mr. Grauber

I don't care how you do it

I wanna know where that thing is

and what..

Mr. President.

Charlie..

I'm still presiding over this meeting

I know that Sir,

my apologies but..

I do think that protocol wastes

an awful lot of time

I think all we have to do is..

Call the computer with this terminal..

and we get the fastest possible answer.

Alright, go ahead.

Attention..

Where is the other system?

Bolshoi Olyania.

So much for Krasny-Signorsk.

Colonel, Bolshoi Olyania, O.L..

OL, y-a-n-i-a.

Look it up for me, will ya?

Yes sir!

Peterson, situation room.

Now Colonel,

where is Bolshoi Olyania?

It's exactly..

Five miles south of

Krasny Signorsk Sir.

Thanks, Colonel.

Alright.

Now Charlie..

What about this request

for transmitting facilities?

Well Sir, we would learn

a lot about the Soviet system

if we set up exactly what Colossus wants.

What do you mean?

What Colossus wants?

Well, you see, it is built infinitely

better than we thought.

It discovers there's another

system like itself

Realizes that we don't know,

tells us about it

but knowing a little is not enough,

it wants to know more.

What if Colossus starts transmitting

classified information?

Then we would feed in a parameter

to the effect that Guardian

is potentially hostile

and must not receive

classified information.

Well, what are we supposed to do Dr. Forbin?

Eavesdrop on the line?

Break the circuits if

Colossus starts spilling the beans?

Exactly.

Any objections Grauber?

Well, I..

I guess not sir.

Anything else, Dr. Forbin?

Yes, Mr. President.

For the time being

I should be the only one allowed

to communicate with the system because

Colossus deals in the exact

meaning of words

and one must know precisely

what to ask for.

Alright.

Attention..

Communications are being arranged

as requested.

End of message.

Video-scans are working properly

but they could use a little phase synchronization.

How long is it gonna take?

We'll have it in no time.

What the hell is that?

It's a multiplication table.

Thanks.

Maybe Colossus is trying to find a

common ground for communication.

Operations center

Sir..

It's Grauber

Ohh..

Hello Mr. Grauber.

Hello Dr. Forbin.

I was just wondering, is that what you

call a colossal sense of humor?

The multiplication table isn't

classified this year, is it?

Very funny.

How long does your brainchild keep that up?

Well, you see..

it's much more interesting

when it starts dividing.

Yeah, I can hardly wait.

I suppose know you the Russian machine

has been activated.

We got a quick rundown on it.

It's similar to Colossus in layout,

but it's not concentrated in one area.

But Colossus must be sending it back to school.

The Russians must absolutely furious about that.

I'm glad you're in such a good mood.

I'll call you back later.

Yes, thank you.

This is incredible.

What?

Something wrong?

Well it's good sound calculus, but..

But What?

It's different.

How?

Take a look at it.

From the multiplication tables

to calculus in less than an hour.

God only knows where it'll be by morning.

It's like five years of Cal-tech in

fifteen seconds

Beyond comprehension.

I don't like to think about it.

Take a look.

Going so fast,

the entire system could break down.

Alright, let's see whats up there now.

Harrison, dump the terminals buffer

and print what's being transmitted

as of this moment, alright.

What is it Charles?

This is way beyond me.

This thing is deep in finite absolutes.

Well, it's certainly beyond the knowledge

of any human being.

No, it's not.

Isn't it?

No, because whatever it is..

we can go back..

and analyze this whole print at a detail.

And this might very well

become new knowledge for mankind.

Operations center, Fields speaking.

Alright, just a moment please..

It's The White House.

Yes, Mr. President.

Charlie, what's going on?

Apparently Colossus and

Guardian are establishing

a common basis for communication.

They..

started right at the beginning

with the multiplication table.

Well, what are they up to?

I don't know sir,

but it's, it's quite incredible.

Just the few hours that we have spent

studying the Colossus print out

we have found a new stable in gravitation

and a confirmation of the Eddington theory

of the expanding universe. It's..

seems if science is expanding hundreds of

years within a matter of seconds,

It's.. It's quite fantastic.

Just take a look at it.

It started slowing down

fifteen minutes ago.

It's speed has been reduced

by ninety percent.

Has there been a hardware failure?

No. Our field engineers can't find one.

It's just waiting.

Waiting?

For guardian to catch up with it.

Almost there..

Right now.

They're synchronized.

Now what?

It stopped.

Yes, Charles.

I can see that it stopped.

What the hell does it mean?

Have they broken down or something?

Is it all over?

Alas, Blake..

Attention.

Status!

Well, there it is..

There's the common basis

for communication.

A new language.

An inter-system language.

A language only those

machines can understand.

Peterson, what's the delay on the call from

Moscow. I've waited long enough

It's coming on now, Mr. President.

Morning, Mr. President.

Good evening Mr. Chairman

I'm sorry.

Sorry to have kept you waiting.

Oh, you didn't Mr. Chairman.

I just got here myself.

I understand English.

But I cannot speak.

I will get instantly to the point.

My advisers tell me..

that Colossus..

and Guardian..

are now exchanging data..

which our experts..

do not understand.

The matter is made..

more serious..

by the sudden increase in..

transmission.

At this speed

we cannot determine..

what our machines may reveal..

of our defenses.

You can appreciate..

that you are also..

in exactly the same..

s..situation.

Alright.

We'll stop both machines

as soon as our experts can arrange a time.

Both to go off.

At the same time.

And neither to be switched on

for transmission..

without prior agreement

or at least consultation with the other.

Very well, Mr. President.

I congratulate you

on your speedy decision.

When can you have your expert

available on this line?

In a couple of hours.

That will be excellent.

I will have our man waiting.

Thank you very much

Mr. President

for your cooperation.

Thank you for yours

Mr. Chairman.

Peterson, get me Forbin.

Is that your

final decision, Sir?

That's the way I'm going to have it.

Mr. President. To be quite frank

with you..

I think that you would change your mind

if you finally realized that this is..

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