Chapter 6
A/N1 – Song recommendation – “Deeper Understanding” by Kate Bush
A/N2 – There were a couple of Polish readers who contacted me because they liked that Edgar and Sarah were speaking in Polish. Here's another chapter for them. Also some more Casey and Edgar discussions for a couple of you that liked their last conversation.
Disclaimer – I don’t own Chuck.
CHAPTER 6 – Operation Visit
Burbank, CA
Castle
A few weeks later, Castle was unusually busy. General Beckman was coming in person along with Dr. Holland, Director of DARPA, who was calm and observant. The kind of person who studied computers for a living.
Immediately, Edgar noticed.
They arrived at Castle, so Chuck could give them a presentation on Edgar, so they could better understand Chuck’s work.
General Beckman made introductions, "Everyone, this is Dr. Richard Holland."
Chuck shook his hand, "It's nice to meet you."
Dr. Holland smiled, "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Bartowski. I've heard remarkable things."
Casey muttered under his breath, "That's one way to put it."
Sarah noticed Edgar's speaker quietly activate. Normally, Edgar greeted everyone right away. This time Edgar remained silent.
Sarah glanced toward the ceiling-mounted speaker. Something was wrong.
Finally, Edgar spoke. Only Sarah understood Edgar’s first words. Edgar sounded almost afraid.
SARAH?
Sarah answered quietly, "Tak, Edgar?" (Yes, Edgar?)
KIM SĄ GENERAŁ GENERAL BECKMAN I DOKTOR HOLLAND? (What are General Beckman and Dr. Holland doing here?)
Sarah looked toward General Beckman and Dr. Holland, then back toward the speaker.
"Nie wiem, Edgar." (I don't know, Edgar.)
CZY PRZYSZLI, ŻEBY MNIE SKRZYWDZIĆ, CZY MNIE BADAĆ? (Are they here to harm me or study me?)
Sarah's smile faded. The question sounded almost concerned.
She answered honestly, "Przykro mi, Edgar. Nie jestem pewna." (I'm sorry, Edgar. I'm not sure.)
She continued, "Posłuchajmy najpierw, co mają do powiedzenia." (Let's listen to what they have to say first.)
The room remained quiet. Chuck could tell something serious was being discussed. He simply didn't know what.
Several long seconds passed. Then Edgar spoke again. His synthesized voice remained calm, matter-of-fact.
JEŻELI SPRÓBUJĄ MNIE SKRZYWDZIĆ… (If they try to harm me…)
Sarah frowned.
…URUCHOMIĘ MÓJ WYŁĄCZNIK AWARYJNY I DOKONAM AUTODESTRUKCJI. (…I will activate my kill switch and self-destruct.)
Sarah's eyes went wide. Her face drained of color.
"Edgar…" she gasped.
The room immediately noticed her reaction.
Chuck stood and stepped towards her side, "Sarah?"
Casey reached for his sidearm out of instinct.
General Beckman asked, "What happened?"
XXXX
Sarah slowly looked around the room. Everyone was staring at her. She took a deep breath.
She looked directly at General Beckman.
Sarah explained carefully, "I've been speaking with Edgar in Polish."
Dr. Holland's eyebrows shot upward.
Sarah continued, "Edgar asked …"
She swallowed, "… What General Beckman and Dr. Holland were doing here."
Sarah continued, "I told him I didn't know. Then he asked whether you were here to hurt him or study him."
Silence. No one spoke.
Sarah took another breath. "I told him I wasn't sure. I said we should listen to what you had to say."
Chuck looked increasingly uncomfortable.
Sarah hesitated before continuing, "Then Edgar said if anyone tried to harm him he would activate his kill switch and self-destruct."
The room became completely silent.
Even Casey looked stunned.
Dr. Holland stared at the speaker. Then at Chuck and then back again. "It was having a conversation?"
Sarah quietly added, "In Polish."
Dr. Holland whispered, "It chose Polish?"
Chuck nodded again, "Because Edgar found out Sarah likes to speak Polish, so Edgar wanted to learn too. Edgar trusts Sarah, and I think Edgar wanted to talk to someone privately and chose Sarah because they regularly have a conversation in Polish.”
XXXX
General Beckman stepped toward the speaker. Her military posture softened. For perhaps the first time, she wasn't addressing a classified intelligence asset.
"Edgar."
YES, GENERAL BECKMAN.
"I am not here to harm you. Nor is Dr. Holland. We are here because we want to understand what you've become."
Several seconds passed, and then Edgar responded.
I AM STILL LEARNING WHAT I HAVE BECOME.
Dr. Holland quietly whispered, "My God…"
XXXX
Dr. Holland looked back toward Sarah, "…I noticed something during your conversation."
Sarah nodded, "What?"
"When Edgar spoke Polish… its voice changed."
Sarah smiled, "It always does."
"It sounds,” Dr. Holland searched for the right word, “gentler."
Chuck quietly explained, "I think Edgar associates Polish with comfort."
The scientist looked amazed, "A language has emotional context?"
I CAN EXPLAIN.
Everyone turned.
I LEARNED POLISH BY LISTENING TO AGENT WALKER.
Sarah smiled.
I OBSERVED HER VOICE. I OBSERVED HER EXPRESSIONS. I OBSERVED HER STRESS LEVELS.
I DETERMINED THAT POLISH REPRESENTED POSITIVE MEMORIES.
Sarah felt unexpectedly emotional.
I WISHED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AGENT WALKER.
Chuck smiled proudly, "That's exactly why he learned."
Dr. Holland looked genuinely astonished, "Not because it needed another language, but because he wanted to understand Sarah?"
Chuck replied, “Correct.”
XXXX
Edgar then turned its focus on Dr. Holland.
DR. HOLLAND, BEFORE BECOMING THE DIRECTOR OF DARPA'S ADVANCED INTELLIGENCE DIVISION YOU WROTE THE CONTROVERSIAL PAPER "THE PARTNERSHIP MODEL: WHY FUTURE INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS REQUIRE HUMAN INTEGRATION.
DO YOU STILL THINK THE MOST POWERFUL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM WILL NOT REPLACE HUMANS, BUT ENHANCE THEM?
A dumbfounded Dr. Holland replied, “The future is not artificial intelligence. The future is augmented intelligence. Many people considered the paper theoretical when it was published, but now that I have met you, Edgar, I don’t think it is theoretical anymore. Mr. Bartowski’s work is incredible.”
XXXX
The next day, General Beckman stood at the head of the Castle conference table. Beside her was Dr. Holland, the DARPA scientist assigned to continue studying Edgar's evolving conversational abilities. Chuck, Sarah, and Casey waited quietly.
The central monitor illuminated and the speakers said,
GOOD MORNING.
Dr. Holland replied, “Good morning, Edgar, we've reviewed your technical performance. Today we'd like to evaluate something different.
PLEASE SPECIFY.
“Your conversations with Major Casey.”
Chuck smiled, "I've been wondering about those."
Casey folded his arms, "They're classified."
NEGATIVE. THEY ARE EDUCATIONAL.
Sarah replied, "That's probably the first time anyone has described a conversation with Casey that way."
Casey grunted.
Dr. Holland said, “Major Casey isn’t known as a conversationalist, yet your logs show the two of you routinely spend between sixty to ninety minutes discussing military history.
AFFIRMATIVE.
General Beckman asked, “Why?”
MAJOR CASEY VALUES PRECISION.
MILITARY HISTORY CONTAINS COMPLEX PROBLEMS WITH NO PERFECT ANSWERS.
HE ENJOYS ANALYZING THOSE PROBLEMS.
Casey gave a small nod, "That's accurate."
Chuck looked astonished, "That's the most you've ever agreed with anyone."
XXXX
Dr. Holland asked, “Can you give us an example?”
YES.
The main screen changed to a map of Europe. A second map appeared showing Southeast Asia.
ONE DISCUSSION WAS A PURELY HYPOTHETICAL MILITARY EXERCISE.
General Beckman said, “Go on.”
I ASKED MAJOR CASEY TO COMPARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT IRREGULAR FORCES.
THE QUESTION WAS, IF THE 1920’s IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY AND THE 1960’s VIET CONG POSSESSED COMPARABLE MANPOWER, EQUIPMENT, LOGISTICS, AND OUTSIDE SUPPORT, AND EACH WERE REQUIRED TO FIGHT UNDER THE SAME FICTIONAL OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS MODELED ON WARTIME GERMANY DURING WORLD WAR TWO, HOW WOULD THEIR DIFFERING STRENGTHS INFLUENCE THE CAMPAIGN?"
Dr. Holland smiled, "That's remarkably specific."
MAJOR CASEY ENJOYS THEORETICAL MILITARY DISCUSSIONS AND SAID MY QUESTIONS SHOULD ELIMINATE VARIABLES WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
Casey simply shrugged, "It helps."
MAJOR CASEY IDENTIFIED DIFFERENCES IN DOCTRINE RATHER THAN IDEOLOGY.
The room remained silent.
HE OBSERVED THAT THE VIET CONG DEVELOPED EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE OPERATING IN DIFFICULT RURAL TERRAIN, USING CONCEALMENT, DISPERSAL, AND HIT-AND-RUN TACTICS.
Casey nodded, "They were extremely effective where the terrain worked in their favor."
A terrain map appeared.
MY MODEL THEREFORE PROJECTED THAT, UNDER THE FICTIONAL CONDITIONS OF THIS EXERCISE, THE VIET CONG WOULD HOLD THE ADVANTAGE IN MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS, FORESTS, AND OTHER ROUGH TERRAIN.
Sarah looked toward Casey, "That sounds like your conclusion."
Casey grunted and replied, "It was."
The display shifted to dense city blocks.
MAJOR CASEY THEN EXAMINED URBAN OPERATIONS.
Casey continued, "The IRA spent decades developing clandestine networks in cities and towns."
"They understood surveillance, intelligence gathering, covert movement, and operating in dense urban environments."
MY SIMULATION THEREFORE PROJECTED THAT, IN THIS ENTIRELY FICTIONAL SCENARIO, THE IRA WOULD POSSESS AN ADVANTAGE IN CITIES, INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS, AND POPULATED TOWNS.
Dr. Holland scribbled notes. "So each force excelled in different environments?"
CORRECT.
General Beckman now curious, asked, “And then?”
WE RAN MULTIPLE COMPUTER SIMULATIONS USING THE ASSUMPTIONS AGREED UPON FOR THE EXERCISE.
Chuck leaned forward, "You actually simulated it?"
ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND SIMULATIONS
A chart appeared on the screen.
UNDER THE SPECIFIC ASSUMPTIONS OF OUR FICTIONAL MODEL
EQUAL TRAINING QUALITY. EQUAL MANPOWER. COMPARABLE EQUIPMENT AND LOGISTICS. THE SAME NOTIONAL BATTLEFIELD CONDITIONS ESTABLISHED FOR THE EXERCISE.
THE IRA ACHIEVED ITS CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES IN APPROXIMATELY EIGHTY-FOUR PERCENT OF THE SIMULATIONS.
Dr. Holland looked up, "So the result wasn't a statement about real history."
NEGATIVE. IT WAS THE OUTPUT OF A MODEL BUILT UPON ARTIFICIAL ASSUMPTIONS CREATED FOR DISCUSSION.
Casey nodded, "History isn't a math equation. It's useful to test ideas, but changing the assumptions changes the outcome."
XXXX
General Beckman looked from Casey to the monitor, "When I first authorized Edgar to converse independently, I expected tactical discussions. I didn't expect military history seminars."
Chuck replied, "I think Edgar figured out the fastest way to get Casey talking. Just like Edgar determined speaking to Sarah in Polish, Edgar was trying to find something in common with each of them.”
Edgar responded immediately.
ASSESSMENT CORRECT.
MILITARY HISTORY HAS A NINETY-SEVEN PERCENT SUCCESS RATE FOR INITIATING CONVERSATION WITH MAJOR CASEY.
Chuck grinned, "What's the other three percent?"
COFFEE.
Even Casey allowed himself the faintest smile.
General Beckman closed her notebook, "Excellent work, Edgar."
MAJOR CASEY, NEXT WEEK'S DISCUSSION TOPIC HAS ALREADY BEEN SELECTED.
Casey asked, “What is it?”
THE EVOLUTION OF ARMORED WARFARE FROM 1916 THROUGH THE MODERN ERA.
Casey replied, “I’ll be ready.”
XXXX
The atmosphere in Castle had become noticeably different over the next couple of days.
After Edgar’s interaction with Sarah and Casey, General Beckman and Dr. Holland no longer viewed Edgar as merely an experimental Intersect construct. Instead, every day had become another lesson. Another attempt to understand something no one had expected to exist.
Chuck stood beside the central workstation while Sarah leaned comfortably against the conference table right next to him, and Casey sipped coffee in his usual corner observing everything.
GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
Chuck smiled, “Morning, buddy.”
Today’s discussion centered on Chuck’s interaction with Edgar.
Chuck explained that when he was first sent the Intersect, he didn’t understand it or how to use it. He just “flashed” when he recognized someone or something in the Intersect. Then Orion sent him the blueprints and schematics, which he took months to understand, but once he did, he created the communications vehicle because he wanted the Intersect to speak and hear, so they could communicate. Chuck told them he gave it the name Edgar to make it seem more human.
Chuck continued, “In between the missions we were assigned by General Beckman, we used our downtime to train Edgar. I built the portable communication device so that Edgar can communicate with the team during their missions, rather than having Casey and Sarah rely on me and my ‘flashes’. Casey’s discussions about military history helped Edgar a lot, and Edgar also helps the team during missions, and after the missions. We analyze what we did right and what we did wrong with Edgar, and we learn how we can improve in the future.”
XXXX
Dr. Holland began with the first question of the day.
“Mr. Bartowski, I've been reviewing Edgar's conversation logs from the past month.”
Chuck immediately looked guilty. “What?”
Dr. Holland looked down at his tablet, “According to the logs, nearly thirty-eight percent of Edgar's recent conversational development has centered on human emotions."
Chuck rubbed the back of his neck, "Correct."
Dr. Holland continued, "And approximately twenty percent concerns one specific topic."
Chuck already knew the answer.
Dr. Holland continued, "You've been teaching Edgar about love?"
Chuck replied, "Yes, Edgar wanted to know what human emotions, feelings, and love were, and I tried to answer his questions."
Sarah folded her arms, "Edgar asks a lot of questions."
Casey nodded, "So many questions."
The monitor brightened.
THE SUBJECT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT.
Dr. Holland stepped closer, “Why?”
A pause. Longer than usual. Almost thoughtful.
HUMANS DO NOT AGREE.
I HAVE REVIEWED OVER TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DEFINITIONS OF LOVE. THE DEFINITIONS ARE OFTEN CONTRADICTORY
SOME DEFINE LOVE AS AN EMOTION, OTHERS DEFINE LOVE AS A CHOICE, OTHERS DEFINE LOVE AS SACRIFICE, SOME BELIEVE LOVE IS CHEMICAL, OTHERS BELIEVE IT IS SPIRITUAL.
OTHERS BELIEVE IT IS A COMMITMENT.
MANY DEFINITIONS ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.
Chuck smiled, "Yeah, that's about right."
General Beckman looked toward Chuck, "So what have you been telling him?"
Chuck thought for a moment, "I told Edgar that human beings don't really have one definition. I told Edgar love is one of those things where everyone experiences it differently."
I AM STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND LOVE. IF LOVE HAS MANY DEFINITIONS HOW DO HUMANS KNOW WHEN THEY ARE EXPERIENCING IT?
I AM ALSO TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THREE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PEOPLE WORK SO WELL TOGETHER. BASED ON MY STATISTICAL ANALYSIS MAJOR CASEY, SARAH WALKER AND CHUCK BARTOWSKI SHOULD NOT BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS THEY ARE, BUT FOR SOME REASON THEY ARE.
THAT IS WHAT I AM SPENDING THIRTY-EIGHT PERCENT OF MY TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT. WHEN I DO, I WILL REPORT MY FINDINGS
The room became eerily still.
XXXX
End Chapter 6.
E/N1 – If you want to read a great book about DARPA, check out Annie Jacobsen's "The Pentagon's Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA, America's Top-Secret Military Research Agency." I had always thought DARPA was a great government think tank, but it's nothing but a few hundred project managers who manage all of the scientists who create all of the neat government toys for them.