WetWeb (3 page)

Grif the Warmbot mechanic was pleasant.  He wore blue coveralls that were speckled with small dark drops of Warmbot plasma.  He wore a nametag that reminded him of the
one
that Molly the Warmbot was wearing. It said “Griffin
,
” and then in smaller letters: “Savant Organic Robot Service Department
.
”

“It must have been a genetic defect in the organics,” Grif said, after Franklin introduced himself and inquired about Blanco.  “There was not much I could do beyond salvaging the Synap device.  The organic systems were shutting down rapidly.  I tried rebooting and I also injected it with adrenaline but nothing worked.  It just died.”

Grif held a tool that Franklin had never seen before.  As they spoke, Franklin watched him continually wiping the tool with a red shop rag.  The idea of Grif salvaging the Synap device from Blanco’s head with that sharp tool made him queasy.

“Anyway, the Synap device will be worth more on a trade-in for a new model
,
” Grif concluded
,
“Your insurance will cover the difference.  Talk to Ashley in the showroom.  She will get you a great deal.”

At this point Franklin was ready to go home.  But there was no way out except back through the showroom.  He signed the documents that Grif presented for him and made his way back through the scenes of domestic tranquility.

“I understand it’s a big investment
,
” Ashley said, when she caught up with Franklin on his way back out.  “Go home, think it over.  But
,
Molly here will sell quickly.  It’s a beautiful model.  We don’t often get organics of this quality.  Look how pink the skin is.  I’ll try to hold it for you as long as I can.”

Franklin stepped back outside.  He was glad to be done with that chore but
,
not looking forward to seeing Dolly again.

He made his way to the curb to hail a passing skimmer taxi.  He stepped out of the shade and instantly felt the warmth of the sun on his back and neck.  In his haste to exit he had forgotten to replace his protective hat and windbreaker.  Franklin looked up at the blue sky and sneered.

“If I lost a finger, a hand, an arm; am I less human?  The answer must be no!  Consider the converse case.  When we animate organic tissue, a finger, a hand, an arm, have we created a part of a human?  The answer must also be emphatically no.”

- Al McKnight

“The true history of the WetWeb has been obscured
,
”
Anand Ramasubramanian
said as he
pulled his grey metal chair closer to the table. 

When he spoke he would occasionally make a small clicking sound with his mouth unconsciously betraying a nervous excitement or a link to another language and culture. 

His deep brown hands gesticulated in the air when he said
,
“Today we think
,
and work
,
and play in an environment both real and artificial, where organics and technology are intricately and unavoidably interconnected.  But
,
thirty years ago, these were totally distinct, discrete and separate disciplines.  Organics consisted of life sciences
which included
Biology, Physiology, and Pharmacology.  The focus on this field was to cure sick people.  The medical establishment in its entirety served a single purpose
,
which was to improve the organic state within a closed system.  In other words, if a body was sick or damaged, then you would seek out the medical community for a cure.  All aspects of the industry
,
from the medical schools
,
to the research laboratories
,
to the hospitals, even the medical insurance industry and doctors in private practice
. T
hey all worked and strived to achieve a single goal
-
namely, the cure of illness within an organic system.  A singular closed organic system, operating independently and autonomously.
”

“At the same time, the much younger computer technology industry had a similar myopic world view.  Technology systems were built to serve each other.  The interchange of data and communications across vast networks of technology systems resulted in another monolithic closed loop which was simply information shared across multiple information processing systems. At the beginning of the information age, individual computers were connected to each other, then to wide networks
,
and
then
across to remote servers. 
All of this
integrated infrastructure was built to deliver and process information between systems
,
which may have seemed like an open and evolving architecture
.  B
ut
,
when considered as a whole, the information network created by the computer industry was another massive closed system. 
“

“For those of us who worked in the technology industry, it seemed open and interconnected, but it was all about machines talking to other machines
-
exchanging information.  There was no real connection to organics any more than the words from an old fashioned book were directly interfaced into the mind of the reader.  Information technology, like life science, was nothing more than an information super-silo.
”

“And so
,
this is how the world worked.  Information technology and organic technology grew and expanded in two silos. 
Two independent disciplines, operating side by side
.
 
E
ach serving their disconnected purpose.
  That is to say, that is
,
how they worked until Christopher Mark and Al McKnight changed everything.”

Anand paused to allow Franklin to finish scribbling into his notepad.  Per Anand’s specific instructions, this interview would be recorded only by paper and pen.  Franklin would sit in-person and interview Anand face to face.  Anand would not allow any Warmbots or Synapse Hosts into the interview room.  In fact, Anand would not allow the interviewer to use technology of any kind. These unusual circumstances were explained to Franklin when he received this assignment,
which was
his first real content feature assignment from Titus Briggs.

“This guy was there
-
at the beginning,” Titus explained in his communication to Franklin.

Titus continued,
“Go and get your nostalgia retro-pulp feature that you described.  And
,
while you are there, you may find a solid content feature as well.  None of my usual content guys are interested in this case, and no one is willing to skim over to Pleasanton
to
interview him in person.  Nobody is willing to put up with his ‘no technology rules’ which sounds like paranoia to me.  When the request for the interview came in, none of our content guys remember this guy from any previous content work about the WetWeb.  But
,
he says he knew Al McKnight personally so maybe he did.  Maybe you will learn something new.  Remember, no Warmbots, no synapse hosts
,
and no recording devices of any kind.  Just bring an old fashioned notepad and a pencil
,
and nothing else or he won’t talk to you.”

Franklin finished writing in his notebook
which
then prompted Anand to continue, “You said you were there, at the beginning, with Al McKnight?”

“Oh yes, quite right, quite right,” Anand said excitedly
,
“I was a young programmer working for a small medical instruments startup named Remote Surgical Instruments or RSI.  We were pioneers in a new field and working to produce a surgery system that would allow a surgeon to perform complex operations on a patient who was miles away.   The idea was we could deploy this instrument to a remote region or even a battlefield environment and a surgeon would connect remotely.  The system provided all of the human vitals to the surgeon in real time.  More importantly, the instrument would be the eyes, ears
,
and hands of the surgeon. He would be able to see the body, hear the pulse
,
and most importantly touch the skin.  He could hold a virtual scalpel while sitting comfortably in his office and perform a complex surgical procedure with the real scalpel inside the instrument.
”

“The system never worked unfortunately.  We had no customers as a result and our startup funding was essentially gone.  Millions had been spent in research and development of a proto-type device, but the prototype did not work properly.  The employees at the company were divided into two groups.  There were those that had given up and were looking for another job full-time and no longer doing any work for RSI
.  T
hen there were the small group
s
of “True-Believers” who kept tinkering with the technology hoping we would find a break-through that would save the company.  But in truth, all of the employees thought we would no longer be working there in a few months time.
“

“I remember
they called a companywide meeting.  There were about 200 people or more working there, so they rented out an old style movie theatre
.  IT was
the kind where people used to all gather together in a public place to watch an old style film.  We all found our seats.  I remember the floors were sticky.  The lights dimmed, and one of our executives started making a speech.  He repeated the usual corporate platitudes mostly.  We were waiting to hear it was all over, and then a surprise
- h
e introduced Alexander McKnight.”

Anand paused.  Franklin took notes.  When Franklin looked up, Anand continued
,
“McKnight stood and spoke with confidence.  He said he was part of an investment group that was going after a new and untapped market. He talked and talked and he described a future which to us seemed to be based on nothing but pure fantasy.  In this new market he described there were no real customers, no products, and no competitors.  He said we would be true pioneers.  We all thought he was off his nut, but we loved him just the same.
”

“After that introduction, the senior staff was transitioned out.
Each executive said their short farewell
, and
they wished us good luck
.  They
then exited the theatre.  The new company would retain only director level or below.  In the new company, there were only going to be two executives, Al McKnight and his partner Christopher Mark.
”

“When McKnight introduced him, Christopher Mark stood and walked to the front of the movie theatre.  He stood next to McKnight.  I remember thinking the lights were shining brighter on Chris Mark and Al McKnight when they stood together.  This was the first time I saw Christopher Mark, the man who would employ me for the next twenty two years.”

Anand became reflective and then continued saying, “He was my boss, my mentor and ultimately my friend.  From that day until the day he died.”

“You mean his partner, Christopher Mark, not Al McKnight?” Franklin asked.

“Yes,” Anand said, “I worked for Christopher Mark; they were together at the very beginning.  McKnight was always the spokesman, and history remembers Al McKnight.  But it was Christopher Mark who showed the way.  The world we live in today, where organic systems are directly integrated into technology networks is a world that was conceived and built by Christopher Mark.”

“And now Christopher Mark is dead?” Franklin added to clarify.

“Oh yes, quite right, quite right,’ Anand answered with the same nervous excitement that punctuated all of his conversation.

“Christopher Mark is dead,” Anand explained, “I should know, I killed him.”

The reality of the situation swirled about them.  Franklin was in a minimum security prison interviewing a convicted murderer.  This was not a pulp feature, this was real.  He had never thought to ask Titus why Anand was in prison or if he would be released.  Franklin had not conducted any background research at all.

Franklin took in the room around him.  The grey table, the cinder-block walls, the door with the thick security window.  Realization enveloped him.  Like Al McKnight who was occupying a nearby cell, Anand Ramasubramanian was guilty of murder and would be executed soon.  The impending execution date is Anand’s motivation
, and
this is why he is anxious to tell his story.  What he claims is the true story about the history of the WetWeb.  A new perspec
tive from someone who was there - m
aybe there will be a good content feature here after all.

“Tell me, why did you kill Christopher Mark?”  Franklin asked.

Anand laughed. 

“I will tell you.  I will tell you the whole story.  The murder of Christopher Mark is at the end.  For you to understand the ending, I must first tell you the beginning.  You take notes.”

Franklin turned the page of the notebook to start fresh.  At the top he wrote:

The History of the WetWeb

As Told by Anand Ramasubramanian

“Ready
,
” Franklin said.

“I was only 24 years old
,
” Anand began, “I was holding a freshly printed degree from Mumbai University in Robotics and also a graduate degree in IT Systems with a specialization in Network Communications.  I remember my first day at Remote Surgical Instruments; I was so nervous I threw up my lunch in the washroom.
”

“But as the work day progressed into a work week, I settled into the routine of the place.  The people there were pleasant, and soon I was comfortable and working effectively.  I was grateful when the executives recognized the quality of my work and within some short months I was promoted and placed in charge of a small team.
”

“The surgical interface device was our only product.  The prototype that we have developed looked like a torpedo.  The patient was required to lie down inside the tube.  Once we closed the door, all of the tools and interfacing systems were positioned above the patient.  This project was an enormous challenge and quite ahead of its time.
”

Anand paused to remember.

“My team was focused on networking the torpedo to a remote surgeon.  The primary problem we encountered
was
information band-width.  It is a common problem in robotics and technology systems.  The surgical device required a very high degree of interaction including both input and output from a surgeon who was working remotely.  Band-width refers to the capability for the communications network to deliver the information into the device or back to the remote source.  Data is literally moved in small packets of information.  You can im
agine
the data is like skimmers moving down the highway.  If there are too many skimmers trying to move in the same direction at the same time, then there is a traffic jam and the movement slows.  It’s the same with remote devices and robotics.  In order for the system to work, the surgeon needed to see the patient and all of his vital statistics
,
and also to be able to operate and perform complex functions in real time.  Therefore, the data communications team was tasked with moving huge amounts of data across the network to the remote surgeon and then back again.  There could be no latency or break in communication.
”