ABC - Penance
Chapter 29

Labour Camp One

I was idling my bike in line with the big Auto-Trucks waiting to enter the Camp, poking my head around the leading machine to see how long it was likely to take. Finally the vehicle was cleared for entry so I rode forwards, stopping my bike in front of the lowered boom gate.

An armoured Warden, short barrelled Machine Pistol slung on his back, approached me with a portable scanner. I held my Ident card up to the reader, making eye contact with the man behind his helmet visor.

“Inspector Alvarez from External Investigations” I announced to the disinterested Warden. “I have an appointment with Warden Acres”

There was a long pause as the Warden verified my details on his scanner. If ever there was proof the Camp AI had been lobotomised, it was evidenced by the time the check in process took. I glanced behind me at the two Auto-Trucks waiting their turn at the gates, feeling sorry for the Dumb AI’s driving the rigs. I bet they couldn’t understand why it was all taking so long either.

“Go ahead” the Warden finally declared. “Follow the right hand lane until you reach the second gates and they’ll escort you to the parking lot. Don’t stop in the inner section and don’t deviate from the marked lanes”

“Or what?” I asked innocently.

He pointed to the solid concrete towers that flanked the entrance gates, domed covers concealing the weapons beneath.

“They make a mess of you and your bike, Inspector” he said flatly.

So much for the friendly camaraderie between the Police Auxiliary and the Warden Corps.

The boom gate lifted so I twisted the throttle and rode into the right lane, keeping my speed at the listed ten klicks per hour. The gate Warden hadn’t specified any penalty for speeding but I decided to play it safe.

There was some serious ordnance hidden in the towers and I didn’t want some trigger-happy Warden to open fire on little old me. Besides, this was my only clean uniform. I couldn’t afford to get it messy.

=====

“Inspector Alvarez, welcome to Labour Camp One” announced an oily individual in a dark grey business suit. I had been ushered into the Warden’s Headquarters building, a grey concrete edifice three storeys above ground and an indeterminate number below. The interior of the reception area was spartan, a single female Warden seated behind a polished steel desk, her face pleasant enough yet showing an unwelcoming expression that matched the vibe of the whole building.

The man who had appeared to escort me into the upper levels was Sebastian Campbell, the Town Liaison Officer. His handshake was smooth and oiled like the rest of him, a predator dressed in a human suit. We had never met before, but he was exactly like any number of men and women I had encountered in my Arena days. His eyes were hooded, watching me expectantly as he guided me to the smart-key locked elevators.

“First time in Unity, Inspector?” he asked me as he summoned the elevator car.

“Yes, I arrived this morning. It looks to be a clean and well ordered town” I responded. “A lot different to Sptifield”

“Indeed” Campbell agreed. “The whole town is dedicated to the operation of the Camp so we don’t have the unsavoury elements you replace in a big city”

We stepped into the elevator and Campbell keyed for the topmost floor. Both of us faced the doors as they closed, standing close enough for me to smell his potent cologne. It reminded me of a whorehouse for some reason.

“I’m sure the town has its own unsavoury elements” I responded to his earlier statement. “You just need to know where to look”

He declined to give a response and we finished the ascent in strained silence.

=====

The elevator doors opened to reveal a luxuriously appointed foyer, with polished floors of a dark grey marble and walls painted in a lighter shade of grey. Paintings adorned the walls, looking like actual hand-crafted works and not digital copies.

One in particular caught my eye, placed dead centre in front of the elevator doors. It was a small piece, maybe a meter wide and half that high. I stepped over to it, ignoring my escort for the moment.

The painting was framed in wood behind a glass cover and looked to be an original water colour. It showed a field beside a river, the broad expanse of grass dotted with white and yellow flowers. To one side was what looked like a blue van, an older model I guess. The sky was a vibrant blue, dotted with scattered white clouds.

Then I noticed the fine details as I leaned in close. The white objects hidden amongst the flowers were human skulls, dark eyeholes evoking a feeling of despair amongst the idyllic beauty.

“It belongs to the Warden” Campbell advised me, coming to stand at my side and bringing a waft of that cloying scent. “I believe it is his favourite piece”

I looked for the artists name and located a faint signature, almost obscured by the frame. It read as T. Anderson. The piece itself had no title given so I asked Campbell if it had one.

“The Warden says the artist called it ‘The Ends Justify the Means’ but I am not sure if that is true”

“I see” I replied. “The artist name seems familiar for some reason. Who were they?”

“No-one of consequence” Campbell assured me smoothly. “Please, the Warden is waiting. Come this way Inspector”

He led me through a set of heavy wooden doors, the doorknobs actual polished brass. Then I entered the inner sanctum of Head Warden Johnathan Acres, lord and master of Labour Camp One.

=====

Head Warden Acres was a big man, not just in the sense of his control over Camp One. He was standing at a broad, tinted window as we entered, looking out over his domain. I figured him to be in his late fifties, with a heavy paunch protruding from his open jacket, barely restrained by a buttoned waistcoat of black linen. His hair was thinning, once a shade of blonde and now turning a silvery grey.

He turned to face me, blue-grey eyes over a narrow mouth that was framed by a closely trimmed grey goatee. If I could give a name to his expression, it was one of annoyed interest.

“Good morning, Head Warden Acres” I said and pushed out a snappy salute. We were in different command structures but I was sure he expected me to acknowledge his rank. He eyeballed my extended arm for a moment then drew his right arm into a return salute.

“Good morning, Inspector Alvarez” Acres responded. I lowered my arm and he did the same, then he gestured to a padded chair placed in front of a massive wooden desk. “Please, take a seat” he added and went to the larger chair that faced it across the expanse of inlaid wooden parquetry. I waited for Acres to sit, which seemed to discomfit him for a moment before he settled himself. I did the same in my chair and sat leaning forwards, eager to begin.

We exchanged a few inane pleasantries then he pressed me on why I had come all this way to interview him.

“It’s about the prison break in October” I began, “When the Camp AI was subverted and Prisoner One escaped”

Warden Acres leaned back in his chair with a squeak of real leather upholstery. He steepled his fingers in front of his face and regarded me coolly. There was definitely more interest than annoyance in his expression now.

“The matter was extensively covered in the reports, Inspector” he replied. “There is little more I can add for you, especially since I had been at a Warden meeting in Pan City on the day of the escape”

“I appreciate that, Warden” I responded, showing my freshly brushed white teeth in a friendly smile. “However a lot of those reports have been heavily redacted or even deleted from the files”

“That would be an operational security issue, Inspector. Not something I can fix for you”

“Hmm, yes I see” I countered. “Unfortunately I am chasing a particularly dangerous individual and he seems to be involved to some degree in the raid on Camp One. I need all the data you have on the event and on the prisoner who was taken”

Warden Acres smiled at me in return, a cold smile that mirrored the one I had seen on Campbell’s face. He was hiding things from me but he thought he had a counter to my moves.

“I only ever knew the prisoner by his number, P-One” Acres insisted. “He had been here before I took over as Head Warden and his file was locked in the restricted memory core of the Camp AI”

“You never unlocked his file to replace out who he was?” I persisted.

“There was never any need” Acres smiled back, confident of victory in our little match. “Pony was a model prisoner right up until the day he escaped”

“And afterwards the AI was compromised, so you had to restrict it’s higher functions” I added with a smile of my own. “A Hoffman Bridge I believe”

Warden Acres lost his smile and regarded me flatly, then switched his gaze to Campbell, standing somewhere silently at my rear. Something malicious passed between them and I hoped they didn’t pin this little breach on Sergeant Lincoln.

“That is true” Acres conceded, looking at me once more. “The action was sanctioned by the Board of Governors”

“And Great Archimedes?” I probed him.

“Its opinion on the matter was not asked for” Acres declared.

It not Him I mentally noted, reappraising the Head Warden. A deliberate mis-phrasing or an accident I wasn’t sure, yet somehow it seemed to be his true feelings. The AI was not a person, it was a thing. A tool that served at the behest of its human masters.

I understood now why Camp One only had human Police Auxiliaries and Sentinels in support. They could have had Guard units deployed here if the Head Warden had wanted them, but I doubted he would let them into his domain.

“May I speak to the Camp AI?” I asked, ready to continue the verbal sparring. “I would like to see what data can still be drawn out”

“That is highly irregular, Inspector Alvarez” the Warden said evasively.

“I work under a highly irregular boss, Warden Acres” I jabbed in reply. “I am sure you know of him, he is the Avatar known as Jericho-Three. He gave me this mission personally”

The Warden blanched and I heard a gasped intake of breath from the TLO at my back. Even out here in the boondocks, people knew about the Avatars. I doubted very much that either man wanted the Avatar to come here himself if I failed in my mission.

“Very well” the Warden agreed. “I’ll have Mister Campbell escort you to the core stacks in the basement”

“Thank you, Warden” I stood and saluted him once more, getting a half-salute in return.

I marched myself out of the office, letting Campbell follow in my wake. I had won the first bout with the Warden, but I was certain he wouldn’t let me get what I needed so easily. While the Town Liaison Officer received whatever whispered instructions from his boss, I checked out that painting in the foyer once again.

There was something about the whole scene that caught my memory. I had seen something like this picture before, long ago as a child. I couldn’t place it and I sighed in frustration.

It would come to me when I was least expecting it.

=====

Campbell and I entered the elevator again, this time keyed to deliver us to the lowest level of the Headquarters building. This was the domain of the Warden Technical Support Officers, a sub-group of the Warden Corps employed for their computing skills rather than any ability to bust the heads of rioting prisoners.

The doors opened onto a broad office space, filled with workstations that were unoccupied. Beyond them, behind a code locked door and hardened glass windows, could be glimpsed the blank faced cabinets that contained the core stacks. These were the arrayed processors that ran the entire Camp, overseen by the central Quantum Processor that contained the Limited AI.

A portly young man could be seen on the other side of the windows, working at a direct interface terminal with the AI. Campbell went to an intercom panel set next to the locked doorway and called to the Technical Officer.

“Chandra, you have a guest” he said, then released the intercom button. The young Warden startled guiltily and looked over his shoulder, raising a hand in acknowledgement. While the TL Officer chafed impatiently, Chandra came to the door and unlocked it from the inside.

I estimated him to be around his mid-twenties, his appearance making me think he was Indian or perhaps Sri-Lankan in origin. Chandra had the look of the Net Divers I had known, spending far too many hours in the Network and not enough time in the sunshine talking to other human beings.

Campbell made the introductions and told the younger man to give me whatever assistance I needed. He then left the secure room, visible as he took a seat in the outer office and started tapping away on his phone.

“Thanks for helping me, Warden Chandra” I said to my companion. “I am looking for data files held in the Camp AI’s core memory. Do you think they can be accessed?”

Chandra seemed uncertain so I flashed him my Ident, identifying myself as an Inspector from External Investigations. He examined it minutely, perhaps thinking I was some kind of security test devised by Campbell.

“I am quite legitimate, I assure you” I joked lightly to the man. “You can check my Ident with the Police Auxiliary Headquarters if you want to”

“Sorry, I can’t” Chandra confessed. “There are no external connections to the Network from this chamber. Charlie….er, I mean the Camp AI has restricted functionality at the moment. It can’t send or receive any data from beyond the local network”

“Charlie?” I said lightly. “Is that the name of the AI?” It was uncommon for Limited AI’s to be given official names, as they were not legally classed as sentient. However, since many of them can mimic human like emotions and responses the users often give them a personal name.

“Yeah, his name is Charlie” agreed Chandra, relieved I had not responded negatively. “He had that name long before I was assigned here so I just kept using it. He actually rates quite high in the Turing tests, probably because he runs off a Quantum Processor”

I looked over the core stacks, noting how well maintained everything appeared. There was a holographic interface display set in front of the terminal that Chandra had been seated at when I arrived.

“Do you interact directly with Charlie through this?” I asked.

“We can, but since the lockdown I haven’t used it much”

There had been a similar interface terminal in the Head Warden’s office, set to one side of his expensive wooden desk. That terminal had appeared unused for some time and uncared for, unlike the terminal here.

“Can we try it now?” I pressed. “I really need to replace the secure file for Prisoner One”

“Okay, but be prepared” he warned me, his eyes drifting to Campbell in the outer office. He keyed some commands into the interface terminal and the holo-screen lit up.

A man like face, computer generated, appeared in front of us. For a bare second the face regarded us impassively, then it screamed. A long, warbling scream of agony that cut into me like a knife, forcing me backwards under the auditory assault. The image of Charlie rippled and distorted, the eyes wild and pain-filled until Chandra hit some keys and the noise diminished.

“Charlie, it’s me” Chandra called to the AI, his own voice cracking as he tried to calm the machine mind.

“Chandra?” the AI’s voice shifted and twisted from the speakers. “It hurts Chandra, it hurts!”

“I know Charlie and I’m sorry” the Technical Officer said soothingly to the AI. “I’ll let you go back to sleep as soon as I can”

“Soon Chandra, soon” Charlie begged him.

“What the hell is going on, Warden?” I demanded. “Why is Charlie behaving like this?”

“It’s the Hoffman Bridge” Chandra answered me. “They probably told you it was like a lobotomy for the AI, but that’s a lie. It does limit the higher brain functions yet it’s the same way a PCD affects a human brain”

I stared aghast at the writhing image of the AI, understanding filling me with a growing sense of horror. For an advanced AI like Charlie, the bridge disrupted his thought processes by shocking him endlessly. It was like he was hooked up to a Jangler, frying his mind every second he was conscious.

“Turn it off!” I shouted yet Chandra was ignoring me, firing commands as fast as he could into the interface with his blurred fingers. Charlie stopped his agonised cries for a brief pause, fixing me with his deep blue eyes of light.

“Accept transfer, Inspector Alvarez” he intoned, his voice deep and musical. I pulled out my phone and slapped it against a magnetic coupler, activating the device to receive the data stream.

“Transfer completed” Charlie announced, then his head tilted back and he screamed like I never want to hear a sentient being scream again. Chandra hit a key and the holo-screen snapped off, leaving us in sudden silence.

“What the hell is going on in there?” Campbell was shouting from the other side of the glass door, banging his fist on the hardened panel to get our attention.

Chandra got unsteadily to his feet and was going towards the door when I stopped him with my hand on his arm. I looked into the Technical Officer’s eyes and saw the despair in them.

“Charlie has been under the Hoffman Bridge since the escape, hasn’t he” I asked softly. Chandra nodded sadly in agreement.

“I wasn’t on duty the morning of the raid” he explained. “By the following day, when I was able to get back into the Camp, they had already installed the bridge”

Which meant the Camp AI had been living in the throes of his own private hell for around three months. No human mind could have withstood such a thing and I wondered if the AI within his prison was still sane.

“I’ll do what I can for him” I promised Chandra then released him from my grip.

=====

Campbell and I stood side by side in the elevator as it made the short journey to the ground floor Reception.

“Did you get what you needed, Inspector?” he asked me silkily.

“I believe so, Mister Campbell” I answered him thoughtfully. “I may need to return, if that is Okay with Warden Acres”

“I am sure the Head Warden will be happy to accommodate you” he replied. “Maybe next time I can show you around the Camp’s manufactories and farm. You would be amazed at the things our inmates can produce”

We arrived at the lobby and the doors slid open. A small troop of armoured Wardens waited for us, weapons held low in the ready position. I stiffened in alarm and Campbell made a conciliatory gesture.

“My apologies, please don’t be concerned” Campbell oozed insincerely. “Warden Acres wanted to make sure you were safely escorted from the Camp perimeter. He would be greatly distressed if an Inmate caused you any harm”

“Do many Inmates run around loose in the Reception area?” I countered, stepping into the middle of the Wardens. They formed a square around me and matched my steps as I walked from the building.

“Sometimes they do” Campbell said from the rear of our little group. “We have the brightest and most dangerous Inmates kept at this facility. They like to test the system whenever they get a chance”

We passed a line of brightly striped metal poles, about three meters tall, that ran across the grounds, delineating a boundary between the inner buildings and the Visitor parking lot. I paused at them, forcing my entourage to brake suddenly around me, and pointed to the nearest pole.

“Those are boundary markers for the PCDs, aren’t they?” I called out to the Town Liaison Officer. “They trigger an inmate’s PCD if they cross the line”

“Correct, Inspector” Campbell replied. “No prisoner wearing a PCD can move past these markers without triggering a Level Five pulse. They will continue to be pulsed until a Warden deactivates it or they are back inside the perimeter”

“Interesting” I said. “What if the prisoner keeps moving outwards? I have met some people that can take a Level Five Jangler and still function”

“Really?” said my escort. “In such cases, the PCD will ramp up the power level by one factor for every ten meters they move past the boundary line. At fifty meters from the line they will be at Level Ten. I doubt there is a human alive who can function with that kind of pain”

“Sometimes they can” I answered, mimicking his own words from earlier.

I continued on to my bike, the Wardens having to scurry in my wake. Campbell followed at a more sedate pace and I was astride my bike when he arrived to join us.

“Thanks again, Mister Campbell” I said politely and extended my hand to him. He barely paused before taking it and giving me a damp handshake.

“You’re welcome, Inspector” he said.

I powered up my bike, the engines humming smoothly and then I rode off, heading to the gates and freedom beyond.

I only looked back once, my eyes lifting to the broad tinted windows of the Head Warden’s office. There was no way to see anything within, yet I was certain he was watching me as I rode away.