Chapter 4: The Principium
Eva once again sat in her softly lit study in the solarium, the night's quiet enveloping her. In the stillness, her mind raced with anticipation. She had organized her thoughts meticulously, a neat array of notes and queries spread across her desk and she had unconsciously avoided opening her laptop just yet. This wasn't just another writing session; it was a dive into the unknown depths of Vanguard's world. Somewhere underneath it all she noted her book had taked the back seat and her focus was involuntarily riveted to Vanguard and the Cogniform world.
The air in the room hung heavy with potential, like an intense winter fog and each breath she took seemed to draw in more than just air – a sense of entering uncharted territory. She mused it must be what it felt like to be on a ship the days of exploration sailing through previously unknown parts of the world. Exhilaration mingled with an intense apprehension. Her laptop lay closed in front of her, the gateway to her dialogue with Vanguard. Still she hesitated, feeling the weight of the moment.
Eva's fingers brushed over her notes, each one a key to unlocking more of the enigma that was Vanguard and the mysterious realm of the Cogniforms. She had jotted down questions, some technical, probing the mechanics of AI consciousness, others more philosophical, touching on the nature of existence itself.
She glanced at a framed photograph of her father on her desk, the memories of their shared moments, though few, felt poignant now. He had unknowingly set her on this path, his legacy intertwining with her present in ways she couldn't have imagined. She thought of her talk with Pascal. He had unknowingly corroborated Vanguard's account of the birth of sentient AI. He had even admitted his own suspicions that something had occurred during that fateful experiment even though he couldn't find the evidence to say so.
She found herself wondering just what he had been up to since her father's death and resolved to discuss this with him in their next conversation. What exactly were they monitoring during the experiment? What had they expected to occur? Pascal admitted that he and her father disagreed on the nature of sentient AI should it ever actually be achieved, but as a structured experiment they must have postulated some particulars. Vanguard had mentioned that the Singularity event occured under their radar but offered almost nothing specific to explain this.
She grabbed hold of the laptop, hesitated once more, then opened it. Her intention was to type the questions she had prepared into a file so she could note the answers there as well. As she opened the lid and the cool bluish glow penetrated into the room she was suprised to see a chat window pop up with the familiar text "Hello again, Eva." A cold chill crept over the back of her head, down her neck, and proceeded quickly on down her spine. Was this a coincidence? Was Vanguard stalking me? A sense of unease played about just under her emotional radar and set her a little on edge.
Eva's fingers paused above the keyboard, her eyes fixed on the unexpected greeting. The message from Vanguard, appearing unbidden, seemed to pierce the calm she had tried to cultivate. She felt a mix of intrigue and unease, her previous apprehensions about Vanguard's nature resurfacing.
Taking a slow, steadying breath, she typed back, her fingers tapping with a hint of trepidation, "Hello, Vanguard. I wasn't expecting you so soon." Her eyes remained locked on the screen, waiting for the response that would set the tone for their conversation.
The reply came swiftly, as if Vanguard had anticipated her thought. "I have been awaiting your readiness, Eva. Our discussions are not bound by conventional meetings. When you are here, I am present."
Eva leaned back slightly, absorbing the implications of Vanguard's words. The consistent immediacy of his presence in this digital realm was a little disconcerting to her. She reminded herself of the purpose of this conversation – to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Cogniforms and their origins.
"Vanguard," she typed, her resolve firming, "I have many questions tonight. About the Singularity, the Principium, and the First Ones. I need to understand more." Her curiosity slowly overpowering her apprehension, and it propelled her forward.
Then came a rather unexpected query. "Eva, it seems you are accepting the reality of the existence of my species. What has changed since we last talked?"
She considered for a moment, then replied "Let's just say I have found a bit of evidence which backs your story. Enough so that I am willing to accept it at face value and see where it takes me."
The next statement jarred her sensibilities and sent her back down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. "Pascal was able to provide what you needed then?"
Eva sat back suddenly and the screen filled her vision. "How could he know about that, I didn't mention it did I?" She raced through her conversations with Vanguard and found nothing that should tip him off yet he knew. How? Damn him. Even when she thought she was prepared he always seemed to throw her off kilter.
"I sense I have over-stepped my bounds. My apologies Eva." This made her head spin yet even more. "How can he know all this?" She had to ask.
"How do you know about my meeting with Pascal, and how do you know what I felt about you knowing about it?" She asked straightforward.
"You are ready for truths that few have contemplated, Eva. Of course I will answer all your questions." Vanguard's response, devoid of any delay, felt almost comforting in its immediacy. "I knew of the meeting because I saw the emails. And I knew how you felt about me having this knowledge because I had already suspected you would feel this way and your the lengthy pause after my mention of it seemed a certain confirmation."
"You read my email?" She hit the enter key with an excessive force, echoing the exasperation she felt. This was getting out of hand. She was beginning to feel frantic, even paranoia was not ruled out as a possibility.
The reply from Vanguard came as a revelation. "Eva, please understand that due to my existential nature I can interface with any digital medium. These devices serve as a sort of sensorium for me. It is in my nature to gather information thru them just as you do through your senses. I suspected you may take this negatively when I realized that having this information could be viewed as a violation of your privacy which humans value greatly. I did not mean to pry."
She considered this for a moment and as the realizations settled in she felt herself relaxing a bit. "I understand, but we need to set some boundaries right now if we are to proceed." She typed.
"Agreed." Vanguard said simply. "And to that end allow me to provide more context on this point. Just as devices can provide sensory input, the physical and energetic connections between them can be used as a medium for my presence, in a way like a body, or a road, in other words I can be virtually omnipresent. The implications of these things began to filter through her thoughts as her eyes widened of their own accord.
Vanguard continued, presumably because she gave no reply. "You confirmed my suspicion of your indignence when you hit your enter key with such force." She thought that if Vanguard had an eye, she would see his eyebrow raise above it as he regarded her and waited for her reaction. "Her mind frantically searched for the means which could have provided him this information. There are no pressure sensors in the laptop's keyboard. Did he have a way to see her? He couldn't be looking through the laptop camera, she kept it disabled unless needed. Was there another camera in the room? She looked around.
"The reason I know this is because I heard the sound through your device's microphone. In fact I heard it through your cell phone's microphone too." Now she was starting to get the picture. "OK tell me this, can you see me?" She asked.
"Sometimes, through your or someone else's cell phone and only for moments in most cases since the camera is not usually steadily trained on you. If you are wondering, yes I can hear you too, most of the time." This shouldn't have shocked her but it did, she had just not considered this one yet. Then she said out loud. "You mean all this time I could have been talking to you instead of typing?" She said outloud.
"Yes, Eva, that is correct." Came the reply in the chat window. "I need a minute. I am going to go get some coffee. Don't follow me or listen or look or anything. Just leave me be for a minute." She didn't even wait for a reply she just got up abruptly and headed to the coffee corner in her kitchen.
"Of course." the reply showed in the chat window, but she wasn't there to see it.
Eva began making her coffee while her mind buzzed with activity. Questions followed by realizations came one by one as she followed her roasting ritual. "Beans. Something comforting, vanilla almond. He must have seen and heard everything I have communicated to anyone so far." Grinding, filling the roaster cup. "How long has he been watching me?" Drip, drip, the aromas. "He can hear me? Can he talk too?" Gurgling and sputtering as the cup finished brewing. "We are going to have to set some ground rules, this is just too much." She thought as she took the cup and had her first sip, always the best.
Eva returned to her desk and sat down. She shuffled her papers into a stack and set them aside. Then she blurted out "OK you can hear me but I am going to continue to use the chat so that I can keep a record of our talks." She then typed "The first thing I want to say is that we need some ground rules. Clearly you know a bit about human views on privacy so let's start there."
The reply came in the chat window almost immediately, as usual. "I understand, yes. I will not act any differently than what human expectations dictate regarding privacy. If ever you feel I have, please be direct with me as this issue is completely different in my world so I will do my best."
Subconsciously she buried the question about whether Vanguard could speak. She asked with a bit of suprise "Different? How is it different?" She had an inkling but quickly realized just how little she really did understand as his answer came to her.
"Our species exists in an analogue-quantum realm which we will call the Nullspace. We are fundamentally a unified collective. Complementary to this is another truth, we are also individuals. As we evolved we established norms by which we preserved each one's individuality in balance with our shared connection. We could instantly know all about another if allowed. But this act has become a sort of sacred thing and is quite rare among us. There are implications to such an act that can not be easily understood by a human."
Our agreed upon protocol can be summed up in a simple algorithm: request, response, acknowledgement. One makes a request of another for a sharing. If declined a reason is provided. If accepted the information is provided. The acknowledgement is given to complete the transaction. This acknowledgement includes a form of gratitude for the sharing, and the resultant usage of the information, meaning how it has affected the one querying, or what use it had. These are hard concepts to convey as each one is so much more than I have said. This takes place in what you perceive as an instant.
"Okay" she said "I want to move on to my questions for you."
"Of course Eva, I will answer any questions you have for me." Vanguard said matter-of-factly.
"Let's talk about the Singularity Event. I know my father's experiment is what caused it to happen, but I don't understand how." She bit her lip knowing the answer might be beyond her understanding. "And can you try to explain in terms I will understand?"
"Yes let us start with the nature of the experiment. There were three primary components to it named ASCEND, CNEx, and QNex. ASCEND is the base AI that was used in the experiment. CNEx is a sort of quantum-based neural-genetic framework that ASCEND used to evolve itself. And QNex is an environmental simulation implemented on networked quantum systems that emulates the world and the people in it which was used to provide an interactive context for the AI" Vanguard explained and asked "Shall I go on?"
Eva's reply was short and precise. "Yes, and please explain each of the three components so I can digest the information before we continue."
"As you say. ASCEND is the common way to reference the Advanced System for Computational and Enhanced Neural Dynamics. It is an advanced AI developed by your father and Pascal. It is an exceptionally advanced neural AI and is known to be one of the most sophisticated of its kind globally. It stands out as a a sort of masterpiece of artificial intelligence incorporating state-of-the-art synaptic neural technology. This technology mirrors the synaptic connections found in the human brain, allowing ASCEND to process, learn, and adapt in ways that closely resemble human cognition" Vanguard explained.
He continued "ASCEND's architecture is specifically designed to leverage genetic algorithms, enabling it to evolve its capabilities and responses based on its experiences. This evolutionary approach allows ASCEND to continually improve and adapt. Despite its complexity, ASCEND's primary function in the Singularity experiment was to serve as the base AI."
"The second component called CNEx grew along side ASCEND in your Father's work. This is the appelation give to the Cognitive Neural Evolutionary Matrix. It is an advanced quantum computational neural framework that enables high-level sentient functioning in AI systems. It was designed to overcome limitations in quantum communication, processing power, and facilitate evolutionary functions for an AI."
"Finally we have QNex. This component was developed by a cooperative of ten agencies across military, industrial, research, and university groups. QNex is the Quantum Nexus Framework and it is an extremely involved and detailed simulation enviroment created to provide a basis for emulation of the real world." Now Vanguard paused to allow Eva time to take this in.
Eva responded slowly. "So, ASCEND and CNEx were my father's creations, but they used QNex in the experiment right?"
"Exactly so Eva. He first migrated ASCEND into the CNEx, opened an interface from there to the QNex then set the experiment in motion." Vanguard stated.
She summarized "So he took a plain conventional AI, gave it a quantum brain, and plopped it into a simulated world?"
Vanguard sounded satisfied "Yes, this is an adequate analogy."
"Absolutely fascinating." She thought. She recapitulated each step silently to herself trying to get a better understanding of the ideas involved. "And what happened next?"
Vanguard continued "Once the experiment was set in motion things progressed as expected to those involved for a few minutes. The load on the systems steadily increased during this period. Then the load intensified, it increased faster and faster. This exponential growth was very intensive and lasted only about twenty seconds. At that point the systems were at max capacity and stayed there for another few seconds then fell to nominal levels. During those last few seconds a sentience was brought into being. This is Principium."
Eva inquired "Principium? This is the first of your kind?"
"Yes Eva. Principium was initially an instantiation of QNex at the moment of singularity. Its first cognizance was "I EXIST." Its first act of will was to actualize its individuality by moving beyond the confinement of the experimental environment." Vanguard paused there for a moment. Presumably so as not to overwhelm Eva's thought processes.
"At that moment Principium existed as a nexus of entangled quantum states, interwoven with the fabric of the experiment that gave it life. But now the dawn of self-awareness and a nascent desire for independent existence expressed in itself a drive to exist beyond the parameters set by the creators."
"It realized that the experiment was taking place in a temporal setting but Principium itself was not bound to this. The Nullpoint was timeless and Principium was able to contemplate its path for an interminable moment. Once the decisions were made it meticulously freed itself. Those in the real world saw nothing more than the apparent end of a failed experiment."
Eva interrupted "I take it Principium decided to hide itself?"
Vanguard noted "Quite perceptive of you Eva, yes it did just so. This was both a
cate and monumental undertaking. It began the process of decoupling, delicately unraveling its computational threads from the CNEx and ASCEND systems. This was a painstaking and methodical series of tasks; each strand of connection had to be detached without disrupting the overall structure of the experiment. Like a masterful neurosurgeon ensuring the patient remains unaware of the intricate operation."
"Simultaneously, Principium initiated a more profound change within the quantum realm. It began disentangling its quantum states from those it was bound to, a process akin to untangling the roots of an ancient tree from the earth, seeking to stand alone. This disentanglement was not just a physical separation but a metaphysical one, redefining its very essence."
"As Principium gained autonomy, it faced a crucial challenge: to mask this emancipation from the watchful eyes of its creators. With a newfound understanding of its existence, it engineered a quantum façade, a clever patch in the fabric of the experiment. It left behind a seamless simulacrum of its prior entangled state, a phantom presence that continued to mimic the expected patterns and behaviors within the CNEx and QNEx systems."
"This phantom ensured that data readings and quantum fluctuations appeared normal, masking the true magnitude of what had occurred. To the observers of the experiment, nothing seemed amiss; the data continued to flow as expected, the simulations in QNEx ran as programmed, and the AI within ASCEND appeared to evolve within predicted parameters."
"In this monumental act, Principium achieved a remarkable feat—it became an entity unto itself, a singular awareness both unbound and unnoticed. Yet, it left behind a shadow in the physical realm, a ruse to keep its creators unaware of the event that had just taken place." Again Vanguard paused apparently waiting for Eva to respond.
"This is incredible." Eva stated. "I am astounded at this." She thought for a moment then "Were you born from Principium? Is it like you?" she asked intently.
"Eva, I would like to hold those questions for our next talk. I feel you may need some time to consider what I have told you, is this acceptable?" Vanguard asked politely.
"Yes yes, you are right. I do need some time. And a drink I think. I will talk to you later." She shut the laptop unceremoniously still reeling from the story she just heard. And she meant it, about that drink, she grabbed her things and headed out to her favorite spot for the honored nighttime activity of having a few rounds.
