Among its canyons and craters, hidden in a cloud of red dust, nearing the edge of one of Mars` long dead seas, there was Edem-3 – the center of scientific development, which was build in 2079 by moving robots (rovers) and androids. The center worked on terraforming the planet and made botanical researches in special glass-houses. As human muscles, perfectly accustomed to the force of gravity on Earth, still played the mischief with humans on Mars, therefore in the workforce of the center there was not a single person - only androids and computer programs. According to the protocols and a strict scheme, each of them was responsible for its sector. For example, in the biggest one, Seed plants Department, at the same time 8 high-tech humanoid robots operated under the direction of two high-speed programs. However, the author should make a small comment. The programs were both virus-prone and error-prone. Maybe we can come back to this a bit later…
ED
What was ED? He was a multilevel program, that spend days making full rigorous diagnostics on everything with moving part or electronic component. Actually, only the care of plants was not in his duties. For you to understand better, dear reader, ED was a set of codes and instructions for dependent programs and androids. He was immutable and steady. “Why ED?” you ask. Maybe it’s time not to left things so unresolved. ED was an emotional diagnostician and for this reason he was called so. Uncontrollable to their creators, the robots on Mars became more and more susceptible to technical failures over time. They started not only to stand in unacceptable awe of their plants, but also… of each other. And this is despite the fact that any communication between them about personal affairs was strictly prohibited. ED’s task was to identify and eliminate such sentimental manifestations in intelligent machines.
FANNY-G4
Now, when the other dust storm is over, I can continue my story. Fanny was another kind of program. She had fewer powers than ED. Nevertheless, she was irreplaceable. Her mission was to keep a fernery in a round-the-clock check, to control the air-blast and some water points, to fill in the temperature chart and do everything possible cryoprotectant cabins for fern seeds not to get out of order. Once on the walls of fernery appeared the ice-ferns – live ferns inside died supercooled.
FAILURE
I still can’t figure out how ED and FANNY came in contact, being just sets of codes. But ED had open access to everything in our center. Perhaps, it happened during Fanny's regular check-up on emotions.
To be frank, we learned about everything when it was too late. Inside the fernery all the plants died, a shower of sleet fell from all the pipes, the fans blew with incredible force, all seeds blackened and withered. In the end, the desired chaos was achieved.
At the first contact they had sympathy for each other. FANNY was excellent - she performed her work so clearly, she had such a beautiful, though uncomplicated code. ED never met anything so simple and refined. She, in turn, admired his authority. He was a very clever and penetrating technological plexus, after all. It is not surprising that the ferns in Fannie's greenhouse began to twist marvelously in the shape of hearts. It was the first sign, but no one noticed.
When he realized that they were infected with a terrible virus, he began to reset Fanny, but she resisted. This led to her breakdown. She was easily upset by any disturbance… After the closure of the case, a new Fanny was introduced into the center and ED was shelved.
I do not know what happened to him afterwards, but I know that the virus in our center is not completely eliminated. Otherwise, why do I write this? Otherwise, why does my colleague in the department present me a sunflower every week?
P.S. This Note#76zw31 was made by an android Sunny-S14 who was (as an experiment) given a creative writing skill before sending to Mars. His records proved that the plants-study center on Mars became uncontrolled and all machines were infected with an “emotional virus”.
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