← Gone Away
A Very Parfit Knight 6
(to start from the beginning of this story, click here)
Part Six
There was silence in the chamber as the lady and Sir Gawain regarded each other. The choice point had been reached and there was no more to say until the decision had been made.
Even though the knight knew already which way he must go, the lady's persuasive logic had revealed to him a world that had not concerned him before. It was interesting to contemplate the outside world beyond his dominion and he saw now that there were forces at play there that he had not imagined. He felt no compulsion to take sides in this struggle between the Company and the Opposition; it was interesting, that was all. His complex heart remained with his intranet which could never be supplanted in his affections. And now came the moment when he must take the initiative and wrest the direction of this drama from the hands of his beautiful adversary. He rose from the chair to stand before her once more.
"Well, my lady, this has been most informative. I must thank you for your hospitality and for revealing the admirable logic of your plans. But it is time we moved to the next scene, I think."
A look of doubt flashed momentarily across the lady's face and her eyes narrowed. "And your decision, sir knight?" she asked.
Sir Gawain shrugged. "Your assessment of my motivation has been quite correct, my lady. I am dedicated to my intranet and that is all that matters to me. But you have not understood the extent of my dedication. I will share my realm with no-one." He bowed briefly and continued. "And now, my lady, I must take my leave. Forgive me, but I am needed in my domain."
He turned then and began to run for the exit from the chamber. Behind him the expected cries and protests arose from the lady but he ignored them, knowing that he must be quick if his plan were to succeed. At full speed he retraced his route to the chamber, not daring to make assumptions of shortcuts, too much aware that any mistake would cost him this race. He was fast but the lady would know of a more direct path to the Gateway. He must be the quicker, even though he was forced to take such a circuitous route.
Around the outer edge of the maze he hurtled and it seemed to him that he sensed how the lady ran too, straight through the heart of the Labyrinth to the portal. He held on to the breakneck speed, becoming a blur of light that, for an instant, flashed through the tunnels and then was gone.
Sir Gawain arrived at the portal but kept running, through the vestibule and into the tunnel beyond. He heard the lady's desperate cry as she emerged from the Labyrinth microseconds behind him but he did not turn or slow his pace. Now everything hinged on that instant when he had been able to gain contact with the crawler, Bumble.
In the long, tortuous passage to the Gateway, Sir Gawain increased his lead on the lady, his superior speed overwhelming now that the distance was equal for both. When at last the knight saw the Gateway ahead, he knew instantly that his plan had worked. He slowed and then stopped at the end of the tunnel.
The Gateway shimmered before him, insubstantial, seemingly unreal. Through its haze he could make out the first walls of his intranet and there, stuck like a limpet to the switch, was the crawler, held by the loop the knight had inserted in that moment of contact when he had kicked the thing in apparent anger. Helplessly the crawler cycled through the loop, unable to break in and cease its endless instructions, on, off, on, off, on, off, for eternity.
Sir Gawain smiled at the crawler's simple obedience and prepared to make the jump. It must be perfectly timed or Sir Gawain would be no more, caught and destroyed in an instant of "no doorway". He began to blink, increasing the speed of each blink as he sought the exact frequency of the flickering switch. Sounds of the lady's approach grew closer but he was not distracted. The sight of the Gateway began to solidify and then, suddenly, it was there in reality and he had found its frequency. He froze for a moment, counting out the nanoseconds, reached the point of decision, and jumped with all the speed possible to him.
Sir Gawain was through into his own fief again. He stilled his blinking and looked around at a world so familiar, now solid and real once more. Ignoring the crawler, still cycling through the infinite loop, the knight turned to look back through the Gateway.
The lady was standing on the other side of the doorway, staring at him through its flickering haze with a look both of rage and puzzlement clear on her face.
"Do not try it, fair lady," advised the knight. "You have not the speed to make it through in that moment when the Gateway is there. It will destroy you if you attempt to pass through."
"But how...?"
"Your research was good, my lady," Sir Gawain answered, "but not good enough. Unlike you, I do not have anger programmed into me, and this you overlooked. If I kicked your humble Bumble..." Here he gestured at the crawler, still adhering to the switch and glowing with the constant on, off, on, of its orders. "If I kicked him, be sure that it was not anger that moved me. An instant was all that was needed and, in this too, you have not understood. You are fast, my lady, but cannot conceive what true speed is."
The knight bowed one last time to the lady. "My duty calls me and I must leave you. For the moment you must be alone in your domain. Or should I say, your prison?" He winked and left, heading for the upper levels.
Up from the wells of the deep levels, through the familiar, dead straight tunnels, he ran, hoping that he was not too late. Arriving in the Assignment Room, he saw at once that the Geek's chair was empty. A quick check on the monitors and the knight found him, just where he feared, talking to the girl in her cubicle. He must interrupt or all would be lost.
Sir Gawain strode to the chair and swiftly inspected the controls. And his eye lit upon just what was needed. Sound. He scanned the playlist quickly. Ah, yes, this seemed appropriate somehow. The Ride of the Valkyries... The knight kicked it into life and moved the volume to maximum.
Suddenly the world was filled with blaring sound and the knight was knocked backwards, staggering to his position in the center of the room. The floor vibrated with the bass notes and he found it difficult to keep his feet. Then the Geek was there, fumbling for the controls and shouting through the din:
"For Pete's sake, Gawain, are you trying to deafen us all?"
The knight spoke quickly into the silence that followed the sudden cessation of sound. "No time to explain, Boss. Wipe the drives immediately. I'll tell you all about it when I'm back. But wipe them now!"
The Geek seemed about to argue but Sir Gawain pressed on. "Don't ask, you're wasting time. Wipe them. Just trust me in this; wipe them clean. Everything, the lot!"
And then, as the Geek moved to start the process, Sir Gawain added, "But I want my full memory back this time. Don't go chopping bits off."
The Geek glanced up quizzically but then bent to his task and nothingness ensued.
Later, hours later, though for the knight it was but an instant, the Geek and Sir Gawain were in the Assignment Room, talking over the events that had nearly ruined them. Sir Gawain had delivered a blow-by-blow account of his adventures, taken the rap on the knuckles for not informing his Boss sooner, and now they were just musing, resting in the glow after the excitement. The Geek stirred suddenly, as he recalled something.
"You know, Gawain, I always give you full memory back. I haven't deleted anything along the way."
The knight nodded. "Yes, I realize that now. It was the girl's footprints from her exploration that I was finding. I'm sorry, Boss."
The Geek shrugged his shoulders. "No problem. Might have thought the same in your shoes. And I did program you, after all." Then he smiled sheepishly. "You were wrong about something else too, you know."
When the knight looked the question at him, the Geek continued, "The girl did put the proposal to me. But I was about to turn it down when you hit the sound."
"But why, Boss? She offered you all you ever wanted." Sir Gawain was surprised.
"Oh heck, hard for you to understand, I guess. But I don't want a girl if she wants to use me, Gawain. You know I'm too romantic for that. Look at you, f'rinstance, a program made to look like a medieval knight. How romantic is that?" He shook his head. "I want a girl who wants me for what I am. Just old fashioned, I suppose. And, as for the money, what would I spend it on? I'm just a geek, Gawain; it means nothing to me."
The knight grinned ruefully. "Yeah, Boss, I see what you mean. And I guess I've just been a fool, thinking I was saving the day all on my own..."
"Oh no, Gawain, you did your part, and very well too. You were, in fact..." The geek smiled at him, his affection for the knightly program quite clear in his eyes. "You were, in fact, a very parfit knight."
(to read the second Gawain adventure, click here)
Part Six
There was silence in the chamber as the lady and Sir Gawain regarded each other. The choice point had been reached and there was no more to say until the decision had been made.
Even though the knight knew already which way he must go, the lady's persuasive logic had revealed to him a world that had not concerned him before. It was interesting to contemplate the outside world beyond his dominion and he saw now that there were forces at play there that he had not imagined. He felt no compulsion to take sides in this struggle between the Company and the Opposition; it was interesting, that was all. His complex heart remained with his intranet which could never be supplanted in his affections. And now came the moment when he must take the initiative and wrest the direction of this drama from the hands of his beautiful adversary. He rose from the chair to stand before her once more.
"Well, my lady, this has been most informative. I must thank you for your hospitality and for revealing the admirable logic of your plans. But it is time we moved to the next scene, I think."
A look of doubt flashed momentarily across the lady's face and her eyes narrowed. "And your decision, sir knight?" she asked.
Sir Gawain shrugged. "Your assessment of my motivation has been quite correct, my lady. I am dedicated to my intranet and that is all that matters to me. But you have not understood the extent of my dedication. I will share my realm with no-one." He bowed briefly and continued. "And now, my lady, I must take my leave. Forgive me, but I am needed in my domain."
He turned then and began to run for the exit from the chamber. Behind him the expected cries and protests arose from the lady but he ignored them, knowing that he must be quick if his plan were to succeed. At full speed he retraced his route to the chamber, not daring to make assumptions of shortcuts, too much aware that any mistake would cost him this race. He was fast but the lady would know of a more direct path to the Gateway. He must be the quicker, even though he was forced to take such a circuitous route.
Around the outer edge of the maze he hurtled and it seemed to him that he sensed how the lady ran too, straight through the heart of the Labyrinth to the portal. He held on to the breakneck speed, becoming a blur of light that, for an instant, flashed through the tunnels and then was gone.
Sir Gawain arrived at the portal but kept running, through the vestibule and into the tunnel beyond. He heard the lady's desperate cry as she emerged from the Labyrinth microseconds behind him but he did not turn or slow his pace. Now everything hinged on that instant when he had been able to gain contact with the crawler, Bumble.
In the long, tortuous passage to the Gateway, Sir Gawain increased his lead on the lady, his superior speed overwhelming now that the distance was equal for both. When at last the knight saw the Gateway ahead, he knew instantly that his plan had worked. He slowed and then stopped at the end of the tunnel.
The Gateway shimmered before him, insubstantial, seemingly unreal. Through its haze he could make out the first walls of his intranet and there, stuck like a limpet to the switch, was the crawler, held by the loop the knight had inserted in that moment of contact when he had kicked the thing in apparent anger. Helplessly the crawler cycled through the loop, unable to break in and cease its endless instructions, on, off, on, off, on, off, for eternity.
Sir Gawain smiled at the crawler's simple obedience and prepared to make the jump. It must be perfectly timed or Sir Gawain would be no more, caught and destroyed in an instant of "no doorway". He began to blink, increasing the speed of each blink as he sought the exact frequency of the flickering switch. Sounds of the lady's approach grew closer but he was not distracted. The sight of the Gateway began to solidify and then, suddenly, it was there in reality and he had found its frequency. He froze for a moment, counting out the nanoseconds, reached the point of decision, and jumped with all the speed possible to him.
Sir Gawain was through into his own fief again. He stilled his blinking and looked around at a world so familiar, now solid and real once more. Ignoring the crawler, still cycling through the infinite loop, the knight turned to look back through the Gateway.
The lady was standing on the other side of the doorway, staring at him through its flickering haze with a look both of rage and puzzlement clear on her face.
"Do not try it, fair lady," advised the knight. "You have not the speed to make it through in that moment when the Gateway is there. It will destroy you if you attempt to pass through."
"But how...?"
"Your research was good, my lady," Sir Gawain answered, "but not good enough. Unlike you, I do not have anger programmed into me, and this you overlooked. If I kicked your humble Bumble..." Here he gestured at the crawler, still adhering to the switch and glowing with the constant on, off, on, of its orders. "If I kicked him, be sure that it was not anger that moved me. An instant was all that was needed and, in this too, you have not understood. You are fast, my lady, but cannot conceive what true speed is."
The knight bowed one last time to the lady. "My duty calls me and I must leave you. For the moment you must be alone in your domain. Or should I say, your prison?" He winked and left, heading for the upper levels.
Up from the wells of the deep levels, through the familiar, dead straight tunnels, he ran, hoping that he was not too late. Arriving in the Assignment Room, he saw at once that the Geek's chair was empty. A quick check on the monitors and the knight found him, just where he feared, talking to the girl in her cubicle. He must interrupt or all would be lost.
Sir Gawain strode to the chair and swiftly inspected the controls. And his eye lit upon just what was needed. Sound. He scanned the playlist quickly. Ah, yes, this seemed appropriate somehow. The Ride of the Valkyries... The knight kicked it into life and moved the volume to maximum.
Suddenly the world was filled with blaring sound and the knight was knocked backwards, staggering to his position in the center of the room. The floor vibrated with the bass notes and he found it difficult to keep his feet. Then the Geek was there, fumbling for the controls and shouting through the din:
"For Pete's sake, Gawain, are you trying to deafen us all?"
The knight spoke quickly into the silence that followed the sudden cessation of sound. "No time to explain, Boss. Wipe the drives immediately. I'll tell you all about it when I'm back. But wipe them now!"
The Geek seemed about to argue but Sir Gawain pressed on. "Don't ask, you're wasting time. Wipe them. Just trust me in this; wipe them clean. Everything, the lot!"
And then, as the Geek moved to start the process, Sir Gawain added, "But I want my full memory back this time. Don't go chopping bits off."
The Geek glanced up quizzically but then bent to his task and nothingness ensued.
Later, hours later, though for the knight it was but an instant, the Geek and Sir Gawain were in the Assignment Room, talking over the events that had nearly ruined them. Sir Gawain had delivered a blow-by-blow account of his adventures, taken the rap on the knuckles for not informing his Boss sooner, and now they were just musing, resting in the glow after the excitement. The Geek stirred suddenly, as he recalled something.
"You know, Gawain, I always give you full memory back. I haven't deleted anything along the way."
The knight nodded. "Yes, I realize that now. It was the girl's footprints from her exploration that I was finding. I'm sorry, Boss."
The Geek shrugged his shoulders. "No problem. Might have thought the same in your shoes. And I did program you, after all." Then he smiled sheepishly. "You were wrong about something else too, you know."
When the knight looked the question at him, the Geek continued, "The girl did put the proposal to me. But I was about to turn it down when you hit the sound."
"But why, Boss? She offered you all you ever wanted." Sir Gawain was surprised.
"Oh heck, hard for you to understand, I guess. But I don't want a girl if she wants to use me, Gawain. You know I'm too romantic for that. Look at you, f'rinstance, a program made to look like a medieval knight. How romantic is that?" He shook his head. "I want a girl who wants me for what I am. Just old fashioned, I suppose. And, as for the money, what would I spend it on? I'm just a geek, Gawain; it means nothing to me."
The knight grinned ruefully. "Yeah, Boss, I see what you mean. And I guess I've just been a fool, thinking I was saving the day all on my own..."
"Oh no, Gawain, you did your part, and very well too. You were, in fact..." The geek smiled at him, his affection for the knightly program quite clear in his eyes. "You were, in fact, a very parfit knight."
(to read the second Gawain adventure, click here)