The Before Short Story Series. Part 1

Ozzie was happily snoring, her muzzle next to her master.

Tōkyō

‘Ayaka, we’re leaving in five minutes! are you ready? everything you need too?’ shouted Hiromi from her bedroom.

‘Yes, Mummy, I am ready.’

‘Ayaka, what’s that?! why are you still not wearing the dress I gave you? why are you in your tights? we have no time at all! the train will be at the station in twenty minutes. Please, get your tighties off quickly and put your dress on.’

‘Mummy, I did everything the way you told it last time: the air conditioning is on, so I am in tighties.’

‘Ayaka, did you get what I was saying—get your tights off and put your dress on! please hurry up! otherwise we will miss the train. We’ll already have to call a taxi to the station.

In ten minutes Hiromi and her daughter were standing on the Tsuru station platform, waiting for a high-speed train that would bring them to the capital city centre in twenty minutes. In Japan, the idea of building underground high-speed expressways was rejected due to the high risk of regular earthquakes, which although possible to compensate with use of some advanced engineering technology of our days, would be simply too costly to maintain. Japan Rail focused their efforts on creating a ground-level system of high-speed trains. Its main working principle is similar to that of the underground expressways: levitation, based on superconductor magnets. As there is no physical contact between the surface of conductive rails, which create a strong magnetic field, and the train, friction can be avoided altogether. Taking into account the unavoidable limitations of the ground level, such as train body air drag, the maximum speed values of Japanese trains could not reach the levels set by the newest transport infrastructure in other parts of the world. Nevertheless though, the artificial intelligence based on the quantum computing power of the PAX system allowed the engineers to increase the reliability and efficiency of the Japanese rail transport system.

On the platform, where a dozen people had gathered together with Ayaka and Hiromi, rang an announcement, ‘Dear passengers! the train No. 3346, Nagoya–Tōkyō, in five minutes will be stopping at the Tsuru station at the second track. The stop duration is limited and will last no longer than one minute. Please make sure to get ready for boarding in advance.’

‘Mummy, look, what a cute train! why does it have such a long nose? Mummy?’ Ayaka was gesturing quickly, greeting the swiftly approaching train.

‘Let’s take our seats and I will explain you everything there.’

‘Sure, Mummy.’

‘Ms Arai,’ a steward approached the newly-boarded passengers as soon as the train started accelerating, ‘I greet you on board the Japan Rail train. Would you like to order anything?’

‘Thank you very much. Could I please have a bottle of still water? It is very hot outside today.’

‘It is good that at least in Tōkyō it is a little cooler than yesterday. Your daughter will feel better there,’ continued the steward while passing a bottle to Hiromi.

‘And we are going to the Destiny house!’ Ayaka was curiously studying the steward’s uniform.

‘This is sure to be a great day for you! I have been to the Destiny house so long ago, but I still remember all about how it was. Me as well, young lady, I went there together with my mother. It was fifty years ago at this point, and I still remember everything. Congratulations! What is your name?’

‘Arai Ayaka, Mr Steward.’

‘Here, Miss Ayaka, please have this gift from the Japan Rail company! and receive our congratulations on this very important day in your life!’ the steward handed a long cardboard box, which had something roll around inside.

‘Thank you very much, Mr Steward!’ Ayaka slipped down from the seat and made a bow.

‘Very well, Ayaka. Let’s see what Mr Steward has given you,’ Hiromi helped her daughter unwrap her new gift.

In a colourful, vividly decorated souvenir box there were a colour book, a set of felt-tip pens, a badge, a hat with the JR logo, and an authentically-styled paper scroll, rolled into two coils on two wooden sticks.

‘What’s this, Mummy?’ Ayaka picked the scroll by one of the sticks, while the other one fell out of the box and rolled down the carriage floor, unfolding the whole scroll.

‘Right, Ayaka, let’s get it all back together quickly. Roll it back in,’ said Hiromi, unamused.

‘I didn’t mean to.’

‘It’s fine, never mind. Please roll it back carefully. It is the history of Japan Rail company. Read it, Ayaka, and then you’ll tell me what it is about.’

‘Sure, Mummy!’

‘I hope there will be enough to read until we reach Tōkyō. Oh, I wish it were,’ Hiromi picked up the communicator and started scrolling through the news feed of House, a social network. She reached the Haute couture, explained in simple words section…

‘Mummy, I finished,’ Ayaka started rolling the scroll back in.

Hiromi looked at her daughter, slightly surprised, ‘When would she have the time,’ she thought, ‘to read through all of that?’

‘Right, Ayaka. Tell me please what it is about.’

‘This is a story about how Japan Rail started building new high-speed train tracks across the whole country in 2059. They also tell about the PAX system and how it helped make the trains faster yet. Mummy, and what is the PAX? tell me more, please.’

Hiromi found an article about the PAX on her communicator and gave it to her daughter, ‘Here, please, read, Ayaka. I sure won’t be able to remember all the important details. Here you can learn a lot more.’

Hiromi looked out the window. The train was swiftly passing by small towns, the existence of which could only be deduced from the sound barriers installed to protect the dwellers from the noise of trains passing by at 600 km/h. Here and there between the hills—somewhere seemingly soft and yielding because of the green tree carpet, somewhere dangerously sharp with grey-brown rocks, reminding of a seasoned predator’s chisels—majestic stood Mt Fuji. This year it had no snow cap because of the unusual for the Eastern coast of Japan heat that came about in August. Hiromi did like looking at it, one of the main symbols of the country—yet she couldn’t help being jealous, resentful of the fact that it was taking nearly all of Keirou’s time leaving her with so little, and that was almost bringing her to desperate tears from time to time. A little animal park, a number of observation decks, meteorological and seismological stations, a museum, an infinite flux of tourists—requiring several hundreds of employees in high season—all that demanded attention and care. ‘Keirou is finding time for them, for Ayaka, but—unfortunately—not as much for me… well at least the article is long enough,’ thought Hiromi and tried to get those unpleasant thoughts away by immersing herself in an article about the summer 2167 holidays season trends on her tablet.

‘Mummy, I’m done!’ Hiromi looked at her daughter, ‘How could it be?!’ but showed not a thing.

‘That’s great, Ayaka! please tell me what you have read.’

‘So apparently the operation of artificial intelligence on the basis of a distributed quantum computer system, PAX, was started back in the middle of the last century, in 2053. The main developer of the system, Jordan Bensock, is a genius programmer and engineer from the U.S. He is still alive. Today Bensock is the richest man on the planet. His personal fortune exceeds one trillion dollars. Can you imagine, Mummy, Mr Bensock could help make refurbishments in Grandma Yano’s flat! Mummy, let’s write him about Grandma, let’s ask him to help her!

‘We will discuss this a little later, Ayaka. Have you understood, what is— well, how the PAX actually works?’

‘Yes, Mummy. It works just like our brain, like a human brain. Just that when PAX artificial intelligence is operating, it’s more like many many people would be friends.’

‘Sorry, and why friends?’

‘Because when we are friends, we always do things together. When PAX is working, it’s almost like many people—many minds—work together on a same task.’

‘Very well, Ayaka. Do you remember, why we are going to the capital today?’

‘Sure, Mummy. We are going to the Destiny house to learn what I will be doing in the future.’

‘Let me please tell you how everything worked earlier, how your grandparents lived.

The traditions and the culture of our country, Ayaka, are such that for our society the concept of mutual respect—to each other, to the family, to those older than you—is crucially important. In our country it is important to understand that the work that we all do, everyone’s work, is important for everyone. We all are constantly making a contribution to the common good—to the common success of us all—and that we are creating new opportunities for the society—for us all. Before, when people were choosing their life path, they would mostly seek inspiration in their families’ history—so that, usually, the children would continue their parents’ job. A family owning a textile manufacture over tens—or even hundreds—of years, a small grocery, a publishing house, a dynasty of doctors or journalists, and a whole lot of other similar examples—children would often follow in their parents’ steps. And it is not because that was simpler or easier to get going: the problem had many sides to it. A human life used to be much shorter before. Now we live to two hundred years, and before only singular people would reach an age of one hundred years. People had to start developing the skills they would later use for work from a very early age so that they could potentially reach something in this short period of active life. The right to make a mistake—and to be able to start anew afterwards—used to be a privilege of a very limited group of people, and these people did pursue self-fulfillment indeed, not held hostages by everyday life problems. The majority of people, however, had to make a decision as soon as possible in their youth—to find themselves, they would say—as early as they could. And if life had it such that the choice, made some time ago, did not bring about the expected result—if the person did not succeed in life—it would often already be too late to begin anything new. In a competitive world as it was, it was very hard to make your way through. And sometimes there were families that tried to program their children’s lives since the very early age. For instance, some parents would send their children to a tennis school at the age of 5, hoping that it might turn them successful at some tennis tournament some fifteen years later. And sometimes it did work—the children would become prominent tennis players, or golfers, or such.’

Hiromi looked at her daughter, ‘Ayaka, do you understand what I am talking about?’

‘Mummy, as far as I get it, before people would die much earlier and they didn’t have enough time to do their job the right way.’

‘Because?’

’They didn’t always make the right choice when they were children.’

‘So it is, Ayaka.’

‘So Grandma started breaking her back when she was born in our family?’

‘Grandma took on her father’s job, being a rice farmer in the fields that used to belong to our family.’

‘Daddy says Grandma would break her back from morning to evening.’

‘Ayaka, Daddy meant that Grandma worked a lot—in the field as well—helping to harvest the crops.’

‘Mummy, is it that Grandma also made a mistake when making her decision?’

‘No, dear. Our grandparents did not have the kind of possibilities that we have today with the PAX. Grandma was helping her family, taking on her father’s job, her grandfather’s, and so on. Grandma didn’t have a choice there, Ayaka. But you do have a choice. The PAX prepares high-probability scenarios to forecast in which fields you have the most chances to succeed and to do the most for the society—having access to the entirety of the world’s knowledge, and also having studied carefully your possibilities and intellectual potential. Do you see it, Ayaka?’

‘Yes, I do. The PAX will tell me what to do.’

‘The PAX will give you options. It will suggest you the fields in which you could do your best. It knows who, when, and where is doing whichever job. It also knows what issues are important now and which ones will be so in the future—by analysing the datasets it has—and it creates and carefully studies your personal profile. By getting all this information together into a strictly structured picture, into a single system of interdependencies, the computer is able to offer you a precise answer to one of the crucial questions in our lives—the one of why we are here in this world.

Hiromi was looking at her daughter, ‘I wonder if she understands what I am trying to tell her…’

‘But the final decision is up to you. Whatever you will do in your life, whichever way you will choose, the choice is yours, and yours alone, Ayaka.’

Pax

‘Look Beg, there’s one more thing that I’ve been thinking about,’ Jordan was going on with a weekly meeting on current issues. ‘I would like to work from home for a couple of weeks, so I don’t think I will be there in the office. I feel the solution is already at my fingertips, you see? I just need a little more to reach it. It is nearly there in my hands, so I don’t want to be distracted by quarrels with coworkers. And the other guys here will feel easier in my absence. At least for a while’

‘I think it is a good idea, Jo. A short break in the “Jordan Benson and Co.” team will totally benefit everyone. I am “for”, my friend.’

‘You might have held it at least a little bit,’ they both smiled, ‘or like this it even is a bit offensive.’

‘Right, right. Anything else you’d like to discuss?’

‘Yeah. I will send you a list of what I need to work at home, here to the lab.’

‘Sure, we’ll do everything.’

‘Then that’s all. Or well— please tell the guys I am very sorry for having burst like that. Will you?’

‘Yeah, sure, Jo. I guess they understand you anyway though.’

‘And make sure to tell them that doesn’t make them any less dumb idiots!’

‘Oh Jo, I nearly forgot.’

‘Right, please go on.’

‘On Wednesday we have a video-call planned with a big investor from the East Coast.’

‘And?’

‘Jo, we need you there. No-one can represent our project as well as you do. And they will be flattered by seeing you there.’

‘You know though just how much I like all these rounds and finance issues.’

‘I do, Jo. But you do understand it’s the right thing to do, don’t you?’

‘Sure. I’ll see what I can do. Please send me the details.’

‘I will! Let’s keep in touch.’

Ozzie was lying in her favourite spot, on a leather couch near by the window, and from time to time she was checking whether her master was still there.

‘Jordan, you ask us for one billion more. Would you please tell us about the current stage of the project?’ The participants’ glances were carefully studying Jordan from a big panel in his study.

‘First of all, gentlemen, we were never intending to ask anything from you,’ continued Jordan. ‘Not me, that’s for sure. What we are ready to offer you is to take part in our project. It will—I shall not be afraid to sound trivial—allow you to become infinitely richer. If you want to—please invest your money. If you don’t—that’s fine: I don’t believe we will get troubles with funding either way. Next, even if I do start telling you how our working process is organized, what we do, how we do, and what purpose exactly each stage serves, you will understand nothing in it—and this includes the so-called experts you hired. So please allow me to give you some advice—get rid of them. It will only benefit you financially.’

‘The idea that Jordan is trying to get across, gentlemen, is the following:’ Beg turned his microphone on. ‘We are interested in working on with your foundation and sure enough we are ready to inform you on the current stage of the project from time to time. Isn’t this the very reason of our meeting here today. However, the field in which our company specializes is too specific for us to be able to present our work to you in a precise fashion. That’s why we will have to limit ourselves to some general information, not going into excessive details—I agree with Jordan, they will clarify nothing at all.’

The foundation representative continued after a brief pause, ‘No-one on our side is expecting friendly meet-ups with you. But we would still like to insist on staying within certain limits while communicating. Furthermore, we are talking about significant investment, and so I hope you will agree, gentlemen, that we are well in our right to understand what we are investing in and what for. Jordan, would you please tell us the general information on the project in such a way that would let even us understand what it all is about.

‘No problem! Beg and our team have prepared a couple of slides which we are ready to demonstrate,’ Jordan began the shared presentation for the meeting participants.

A video appeared on the screen, showing a lab in the main campus of the IQC. There was a big black cube in the middle of the room, and on each of its faces there was a brilliant shiny IQC logo. The camera was showing the cube from all sides, flying around it.

‘Here, please, have a look at our prototype of a fully functional quantum computer,’ Jordan extended his hand toward the screen and stopped in that position.

‘That’s just amazing, Jordan! my congratulations! what a success!’ noted the representative after another pause, not even attempting to hide his being sarcastic. ‘You keep having fun, Jordan—at the very least I am very happy that you are in such a good mood today. Yet, what is all this about? What is this cube? What stage is the project at? Let’s get to business.’

‘Dear colleagues, this precisely is the very business we have!’ Jordan went to the next slide.

A silhouette of the planet Earth was seen on a background of deep-space black and the uncountable stars of the Milky Way.

‘So, Jordan, what is this slide supposed to mean? are you trying to suggest that we tackle the processor block cooling problem by using quantum computers in space?’

‘I owe you an apology. Your structural understanding of quantum computers—wide exceeding my expectations—does have a serious foundation,’ Jordan burst into laughter.

‘Your attention flatters me, Jordan. Thank you very much. But would you please still tell me what the idea is here?’ The investor, understanding that this hopelessly libertine genius engineer could only be dealt with by paying attention to the meaning of his words only—and disregarding their external shape altogether—was surprised with his own readiness to overcome his pride.

‘I want to say,’ Jordan went on, ‘that we can do everything. That’s my recommendation to you—an investment strategy where one simply cannot lose—and, moreover, I am ready to uncover it to you free of whatsoever charge. So please, whichever sum that your foundation decides to invest into the company’s development, whichever! will give you at least a multiple profit—make your decision, dear gentlemen.’

After yet another awkward pause Jordan summed up, ‘Gentlemen, if you have no further questions, I would like to continue my work. Thank you very much for your attention. Beg, thank you and see you.’

Jordan pressed the red button and disconnected from the video call.

‘What a bunch of greedy morons! don’t you agree, Ozzie dear?’ The dog reacted to her master’s voice by leaping down from the couch and running up to Jordan, happily wagging her tail. ‘Let’s go for a walk, shall we? a walk!’

Before: Journey

‘Good afternoon, Ms Vega. Welcome aboard. Your seat is on the right near the window, row eleven, please.’

‘Hello. Thank you.’

Elena walked down the narrow aisle between the seats occupied by passengers. Next to her window seat, there was a young guy sitting, an African American, in a black cap with some letters embroidered on it, in a silver leather jacket.

‘Good afternoon. May I pass, please’, pointing to her place near the window, Elena turned to the young man.

‘Hi’, not looking at her, the guy got up and stepped out into the aisle, bending his head so as not to hit himself.

Elena barely reached up to his chest, no higher. ‘My God, how tall and skinny … Maybe he's a basketball player,’ making her way to her seat, Elena felt a rather strong smell of toilet water. ‘And it will be like that all the way long…’

Despite a large distance between the rows, the guy's knees almost rested on the back of the front seat when he took his place.

‘Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome on board the United Boeing-7000 airliner. We are glad that you have chosen United for your trip. According to the results of the annual independent survey, United ranks first among American air carriers in flight safety over the last 25 years. The safety of our passengers is the first priority for our team.

In fifteen minutes our plane will head towards the runway. The flight from Madrid–Barajas International Airport to Washington–Dulles International Airport will take one hour and thirty minutes.

Please make sure that all your hand luggage is on the shelf above your seat. We ask you to check that your seat belt is fastened and tightened up to fit. We ask you not to leave your seats during the entire flight unless you need to and remain fastened during the entire flight. In a few minutes we will offer you some refreshments. We wish you a pleasant flight.’

Having listened to the announcement of the airliner staff, Elena took another look at her fellow passenger:

‘My name is Elena Vega,’ she held out her hand to the neighbor, inviting him to get acquainted. ‘Bosch Yunken,’ he said, not hiding his disappointment with being distracted from playing on the communicator.

‘Oh, I'm sorry, I'm distracting you.’

‘Well, yes. But now it doesn’t matter already.’

‘Coming back home, Bosch?’

‘What makes you think so?’

‘The translator,’ Elena pointed to the headphones in her ears. ‘They don't translate, they only broadcast your voice.’

‘Ah. Well, yes, home.’

‘And I'm going on holidays.’

‘Yeah, congrats. And what are you going to do on the east coast?’

‘Your country, Bosch, has such a rich history. I don't think I'll be bored.’

‘Ah, got it. That is, are you a specialist in museums or something?’

‘You could say that. My main goal is Baltimore.’

‘Well, and what have you forgotten in the middle of nowhere?’

‘The life of the great poet and writer Edgar Poe suddenly ended in Baltimore.’

‘Who is this? Doesn’t ring a bell.’

‘He lived a long time ago, Bosch. No wonder you haven't heard of him.’

‘Ah. Well, okay.’

‘I'm a big fan of Poe. I am planning to visit his grave, the places he used frequented. I would like to see for myself where it all happened.’

‘What happened?’

‘You know, there are some inconsistencies in the versions of why he actually died. And not all of them flatter him as a person. So I'm planning—rather, I hope to clarify something about what end his hard lot brought him to.’

‘Was he a member of some kind of group or something? Some kind of a gangster?’

‘Not at all. He lived in the nineteenth century. His literary career and personal life were quite ambiguous. Things were difficult for him…'

‘Yes. Well, good luck to you, Elena.’

‘Thank you, Bosch! What were you doing in Madrid?’ Bosch looked at Elena with a kind of detachment. ‘I'm sorry, Bosch. I won't distract you anymore.’

‘OK.’ Bosch continued playing with the communicator.

Looking at the endless blue of the ocean in the window, her eyes not setting on anything, Elena noticed Bosch returning to his seat.

‘Bosch, I'm sorry, may I ask you for advice, please. Do you mind?’

‘Come on.’

‘I didn't order a transfer to the hotel. I thought I'd get there on my own. Can you tell me the best way to get to Baltimore from the airport?’

‘I can. It will be better and faster on the shuttle. 5 minutes on the road.’

‘Oh, I see. That’s great. I booked a room in a hotel in the city center, on the Patapsco. The station is in the center of the city. Do I get it right, Bosch?’

‘Yes, as far as I remember.’

‘Yeah. And that is just what I do. I'll take your advice and go by shuttle. Thanks, Bosch.’

‘Anyway, I live there nearby. I can give you a lift to the hotel.’