Release 1.24

Anabella and I sat on either side of Eugene, trying to decide what our next move should be.

"I think we've got some leverage here," Anabella was saying. "We've got Eugene as a hostage. They're not going to do anything to harm us if it means they might take him out at the same time."

"In theory," I added.

"Well, yes, in theory. Have you got any better ideas, Kubota?" I stared dumbly for a second before Anabella continued. "That's what I thought."

Eugene was looking from one to other of us, a look of smug amusement on his pudgy face. "Scheme all you like, analogs. However, you seem to be forgetting one important detail. I will not cooperate with you."

Anabella sighed. "That's what I suspected. I'm not too worried about it, though. One quick blow to the head and you'll go wherever we want you to."

Eugene chuckled. "Oh, that's brilliant. Make me look dead. That'll make it so much less likely they'll try to harm you."

"He does have a point," I said. "We need the computers to know he's O.K., but that he might be harmed if they do something to us. If they think he's already been hurt, I don't know what they'll do."

Anabella looked disappointed. "I suppoose you're right. Do you think that between the two of us we can force him to come with us?"

Have you ever, just out of the blue, experienced a flash of genius? An idea so perfect you suddenly feel you are one with God and a vessel for the overflowing wisdom of the universe? It's pretty cool.

"He'll come with us." I leaned over to Anabella and whispered my idea into her ear, and her grin told me she believed it might work. I then stepped toward Eugene.

"So, buddy, tell me... It's obvious that you're being controlled by the computers. What software are you running? I mean, I don't know of any network operating system capable handling of the kind of bandwidth it would take to control a human mind."

Eugene's smug level increased a notch. "It's some rather sophisticated code; far beyond anything you'd comprehend, I'm sure. The packet switching algorithms alone use nearly 3,000,000 lines of..."

"Now!" I yelled, and Anabella dove at Eugene, snatching away his laptop.

"And you fit all that on a laptop?", I asked, taunting him. "Amazing!"

"Give that back now!", Eugene shouted. "You could not possibly understand it."

"That's O.K.," I said soothingly as I walked toward the software cabinet. "I don't need to understand it." I opened the cabinet, and pulled out a CD case.

"Do you know what this is, Eugene?", I asked. "I'm sure you do. This would be the latest revision of PortHoles/3000, developed right here in this building. The easiest, friendliest, and most downright idiot-proof operating system on the planet. It's used on 99% of the world's PC's. I know this like the back of my hand." I slid the CD into the laptop, and waited a moment for the install screen to load. "See, all I have to do is click 'OK,' and you're running on PortHoles. Who couldn't understand that? Oh, don't worry, I'll reboot you when you crash."

For the first time, Eugene actually looked afraid. "All right, human, you win. I'll cooperate."