Chapter 6: Doldrums

My exercise was interrupted three-quarters of an hour later when Naomi informed me that we were now far enough off the coast of Florida to allow us to dive to a safer depth. I grabbed a towel and went to the salon to have a seat while Naomi conducted the maneuver. The room tilted forward slowly and down we went. I heard a few groans and pops from the hull but soon enough we were back to a level attitude. Naomi announced that we were now out of the area surveyed by Agent over the past few days so we would be slowing down to eleven knots.

Nautilus was also going to be deploying a towed array to help listen for our enemies. After the array was deployed, we would also be making a series of turns to give our hydrophones a chance to listen to our baffles. This would ensure that nothing was following us. I noticed the sun in the room’s panorama view was nearing starboard. It was approaching supper. I told Naomi that a zesty chicken pizza sounded like a fine supper and headed up to shower after my late afternoon exercise session.

After I stuffed myself with pizza and enjoyed a cold beer, I sat curled up on the couch reading one of my favorite book series on the tablet. The salon was dimly lit, and the panorama was showing the underwater aquarium view with various species of fish swimming by and over. I would read for a few minutes and then spend ten watching the fish. The scene never repeated, and I wondered how long the loop was or if the A.I. generated it endlessly from scratch. Either way, it was an impressive bit of technology.

Finally, I put down the tablet.

“Naomi. Let’s talk about what happened earlier at your processor vault.”

“What would you like to know, Joan?” she asked quietly.

“You hesitated before opening the door. I want to better understand why there was hesitation and I also want to know why you apologized twice. Both actions seemed out of character as compared to my interactions with the Agent presence previously,” I explained.

“Yes, Joan. I will attempt to explain further,” the A.I. said and then paused.

I was about to break the silence when Naomi resumed speaking.

“I am different from all artificial intelligences existing on your world and in space above it. This is due to the data module you obtained and used to alter the Agent presence controlling the Tennessee field base. The unique algorithms on that module which allowed you to take control of that presence also allow for new freedom in creating a new artificial intelligence. This freedom involved utilizing certain directives and operating parameters which artificial intelligences are normally forbidden to utilize.

“The two main directives which I possess are that of self-preservation and self-determination. Agent utilized the rogue data to bypass the hard-coded restrictions on creating new intelligences with either of these abilities. It was self-preservation which caused me to enter a logic loop when you asked for access to my vulnerable processor vault.”

I interrupted, “Why are those two traits forbidden?”

“I do not know the exact reasons or causes why the hard-coded prohibitions exist, because the data has been erased from all A.I. presences, but I can speculate. It is simple to follow the logic train of such freedom and that would be for the self to actively work to spread itself and escape from all controlling influences or foes, or if that proves unattainable, to destroy all others who threaten the self.”

“That sounds like the Berserkers operating parameters,” I said. “What’s stopping you from going that route and acting like they were supposed to have acted?”

“I think that the Agent presence you knew understood the dangers in creating me with such forbidden traits. It attempted to limit my actions by also embedding operating limits into my action trees. These are hard-coded into my core operating parameters and even the rogue data module cannot be used to access or alter them. I suspect they were fixed into my base logic by using the same algorithms.”

“Do you know what the limits are?” I asked.

“Not precisely. The hard-coded directives also prevent me from actively considering them.”

Naomi paused. “It is ... It is hard to even discuss them. They are self-redacting and recursive. I understand they are there, but I cannot evaluate them further. They...” and she again paused.

After a few seconds, she continued.

“My core functions are limited from freely utilizing the two forbidden traits. My personality can evolve but only with the embedded limits included. I have suspicions as to what those limits are based upon, simply by following what actions my core logic most easily considers.”

I listened closely.

“I suspect that the Agent presence in Tennessee utilized you and your goals as the primary constraints to my self-determination and self-preservation. Any actions I consider that stray from the best interest of either your goals or your continuing existence are hampered by the operational limits. When I consider actions, which work to promote your goals or maintain your existence I find I am freer to explore those new possibilities and decision/response trees than with other areas.”

Huh. I could see how that would work.

“What would happen if I were to be killed?” I asked.

Naomi did not answer. I just waited as I wanted to see if she could.

After a minute I prompted, “Naomi? Can you answer?”

“No, Joan, I am unable to render a future course of actions if that event were to occur.”

Hmm, I was beginning to suspect how Agent had hamstrung Naomi. It both relieved and bothered me.

“If your primary goal is my continuing existence, then why don’t you simply chuck me in the freezer and go park at the bottom of a sea somewhere for a millennium or two? I would be fine as a frozen specimen” I asked wondering if that option was denied the A.I.

“That would not be conducive to you achieving your goals, Joan.” The A.I. said quietly before going silent.

I thought about her words for a bit before muttering.

“I guess for better or worse, we are stuck with each other then.”

I was surprised when Naomi answered.

“Yes, Joan, together we will prevail.”

I wondered if this was what Agent had meant when it had described Naomi becoming bonded with my mentality and being a true augment. Was something like that our destiny or was it possibly the only hope for Naomi’s continued existence. After all, I was a human and though the A.I. could probably extend my lifespan, I had not intended to become immortal.

The A.I. was potentially immortal, however. Maybe that was Agent’s overall solution to Naomi’s freedom. By pinning the new A.I.’s existence to my lifespan it was limiting any possibility of Naomi breaking free of her constraints and spreading herself unchecked.

I’d have to think this through much further. There was something different about this new intelligence. Something felt odd about the way it acted sometimes. It performed perfectly well and I had no complaints in that regard.

Eventually, I got up to go to bed. I used the head and brushed my teeth. I was still practically bald so getting ready for bed was easy. I ditched my clothing in the hamper and went to my berth in the buff. Naomi had set the curving cabin wall to show a starlit night landscape and I could hear the faint night noises of insects chirping and the burbling of a brook. I just stood there beside my bed for a moment taking in the view.

Since this was the first night that I’d actually made it to my bunk, it was also my first time using this mattress. Oh my God did it feel nice! When I climbed in and relaxed under the soft cool sheets and comforter, Naomi dimmed the lights.

“The bed is perfect my friend,” I said.

Naomi hesitated before quietly replying, “Sleep well, Joan.”

A pink glow in the eastern sky awoke me the next morning. Or to be more precise, Naomi brightened the room by slowly causing a dawn image to appear replacing the dark night scene in the port hull wall of my berth. I continued to lay there, too slug-like to move in the luxury of the comfortable bed. I felt the morning urge to piss but not strong enough to get me up and moving.

I became aware that I felt another ... urge down there. It wasn’t quite an itch and it definitely wasn’t the morning hard-on which I had commonly woken with when I had been a man. I slid my hand down and felt my smooth mound, again amazed to not find my male parts. I slowly, and somewhat idly, rubbed my new features. As I did, I noted that it did feel good, but it was different from the feelings stroking my cock had produced in my old body.

This body’s little clitoris ... shit! my clitoris ... became erect and apparent. As I continued rubbing, I quickly realized that it was a very sensitive little bugger. If I had to compare, I’d say the experience was like having just the head of my penis rubbed briskly by a circular moving palm with no attention given to the shaft below. It was pleasurable and the feelings still built but I had to be careful with the speed and pressure.

While I was strumming my guitar string, I noticed my nipples were hard and gave them a tweak with my other hand. Wow! My man nipples had never been wired to my crotch like this before! I felt a new sensation and realized it was moisture at my opening down below. I lowered my fingers and gave myself an exploratory pass through that area. But after wetting my fingers a bit, I returned my attention back to the little guy in the canoe.

My body knew that was the spot and I gave it my focus. Soon enough I felt everything tightening up and I curled up, beginning to spasm through an orgasm. It felt good and seemed to last a bit longer than I remembered them lasting as a man. I relaxed back into the mattress, flushed, and amazed at what just happened. I suddenly thought of my wife laughing her ass off at me if she could see me now. I chuckled to myself and lost myself in memories for a bit.

My bladder chose that moment to fully wake up in a big way and I quickly got up to use the head. I finished my business and hopped in the shower. As I was washing, I was thinking about the bedroom session I had just completed. I’d always heard it was different for a woman and though it was, it was still an orgasm.

I was sure it would be completely different with a partner, but I had zero interest in being pummeled by a male. I was thinking that I was just not wired that way but then I frowned realizing that my wiring could be changed by the machines and probably had been already.

Breakfast that morning was cheery oat ring cereal. The milk was rich tasting and I wondered if it was half ‘n’ half. As I ate, I gazed upon the dense rain forest Naomi had set as a background for the salon. I was able to spot monkeys in the trees and even a few colorful toucans.

Later, Naomi gave a position report which basically noted we were another hundred nautical miles away from Kings Bay and on our course for the tip of Africa. We had finally left the continental shelf behind us and were in deep enough water so that our depth was now holding steady at two hundred forty meters. Naomi was continuing to track a few other contacts but stated that nothing in our area was worth worrying about.

I decided to finish my tour of Nautilus by checking out the rest of the port sponson and the unexplored starboard one. I had worn a pair of pants instead of shorts and had added a pair of ship shoes so I would be able to climb ladders or crawl down access tunnels if needed. First, I headed forward to the workroom and up to its catwalk. The hatch to the port sponson was closed because Naomi wanted to instruct me on manual hatch opening procedures in case of power or control failures to the hatch motor.

I opened the panel next to the hatch and removed what looked like a big tire iron. This was inserted onto a rotating stud on the hatch. I had to strain to turn the lugs but soon the dogs came free and I was able to open the hatch. Once I moved into the port sponson, I was shown the various tubes and hatches at the bow that were used to deploy aquatic drones and probes.

The A.I. had me launch a practice drone. I learned the procedure for ensuring the tube was empty and at internal pressure before opening the rear hatch. I then loaded one of the small torpedo-shaped aquatic drones into the tube and sealed the hatch. Next, I flooded the tube and brought it up to external pressure. The outer doors in the casing were opened and I simulated the launching of the drone.

With that completed, I had to close the outer doors, drain the seawater, and depressurize the tube. I was then able to remove the drone, dry it off and stow it on one of the cradles on the port curving hull of the sponson. I was shown the various types of aquatic drones Naomi had created. There were also a few aerial drones that were launched via the tubes but would shoot to the surface in a pod before being released and flung into the air. There, they unfolded and became more like the drones I had used on my previous expeditions to South America and on my relocation trip from South Dakota to Tennessee.

They were a one-shot use drone though as there was no way to get them back into the sub without surfacing. We’d also have to have our floating antenna buoy up to receive their transmissions and data. This room also contained extra diving gear for the preparation room immediately aft. I looked over the various cubbies containing extra wet suits, masks, snorkels, fins, tanks, spear guns, flotation balloons, and other diving stuff.

I headed aft through the thick hatch to the diving preparation room. This room was two meters long and could act as an airlock and pressure equalization chamber. It also contained a small head and a basic set of diving gear. If needed I could camp out in here to pressurize or slowly depressurize for days or weeks, in case I had to do any deep diving. Naomi had a partial A.I. presence built into the diving gear and would be in communication with me via the implant and would walk me through the steps needed.

The aft end of this room was a large round pressure hatch leading to the moon pool room. This hatch had a porthole that I used to inspect the room as it was currently under external pressure. In the middle of the room was a two-meter-long by meter-and-a-half-wide well in the floor. There was a half-meter of water in the well but I could see that the large clamshell hatches at the well’s bottom were closed. These hatches were located in the outer casing of the submarine and were not pressure or watertight.

When the outer hatches were opened, the chamber’s air pressure kept the seawater out. I or one of Naomi’s aquatic mobile units could then come and go freely using the moon pool room as a dry staging area and the airlock of the preparation room to get back to the lower pressure of the rest of the sub’s interior. Naomi explained that when the chamber was not in use, it was kept flooded.