The ELI Event B007R5LTNS

his chair. “Oh, it’s you. Hi.” For some reason, he didn’t feel his usual antagonism in Kelly’s presence. It surprised him.
    “You look worried. What’s up?”
    Wheeler pushed the printout across the terminal desk. “Forty pages of happy horseshit in the middle of E-L-One’s neural memory block, that’s what’s up.”
    “What?” Kelly set her purse on the desk and bent over the listing to examine the muddled data. Steve noticed a lacy burgundy bra under her pink blouse, the top two buttons of which were open. He realized he was staring and looked away. “You’re right. That’s ugly stuff. Where’d it come from?”
    “Don’t know. Thought you might have an idea.”
    “Not me. This may be garbage, but it’s scientific garbage. I’m into aesthetics, remember?”
    “Yeah. I remember.”
    “Is he displaying any external symptoms?”
    Wheeler nodded. “Intermittently. It’s like he’s distracted or confused. I don’t know what to make of it.”
    “May I?” Kelly asked, cocking her head in Eli’s direction.
    Wheeler shrugged. “Knock yourself out.”
    She turned to face the monitor. Wheeler again found himself examining her. He smiled in spite of himself, a vague fantasy forming in his mind. Then he frowned and pushed it away.
    “Eli, can you hear me?”
    “Of course, Kelly. How are you?”
    “Fine, thanks. The question is, how are you?”
    “I’m well, thank you. Why do you ask?”
    “Um, no reason. Just making conversation. What have you and Dr. Wheeler been doing this morning?”
    “We were performing some statistical analyses of the relationship between global population and food supply.”
    “I see. Did you have any difficulty with that analysis?”
    “Of course not. Why should I?”
    “I just wondered if you were experiencing any sort of problem with the calculations.” Kelly picked up a pencil and scrawled something on the listing as she talked.
    “Problem?” Eli repeated. “You know I never have problems with calculations.” Wheeler turned his head to see that she had written He’s being defensive!
    “No, of course not,” Kelly continued. “How’s your study of the poem Invictus coming along?”
    “Fine,” Eli said flatly. “The more I think about it, the better I understand it.”
    “That’s good. How do you feel about the point the author is trying to make?”
    “I think—”
    “No, no, Eli,” Kelly interrupted. “I didn’t ask what you think about it—I want to know how you feel about it.”
    “Yes, Kelly,” Eli said. Wheeler noticed a hint of irritation in the voice; the eyes on the facial hologram even seemed to narrow a bit. “I feel that he is using indifference as a device to make his point. In the first two lines of the final—” His voice stopped abruptly, his 3D monitor face frozen.
    Wheeler immediately sat up, alarmed. “This is just what he did this morning,” he whispered.
    They waited five, ten seconds. Silence. “Eli?” Kelly prompted. Still nothing. “Has he shut down?” she asked quietly. Wheeler shook his head and pointed to the bank of mode lights on the front panel. They indicated a lot of activity, especially in the neural memory unit. She looked at him and shrugged.
    Then, as suddenly as he had stopped, the face became animated again and Eli resumed his conversation in mid-sentence. “—stanza he indicates a total disregard for supposed wrongs imposed on him by others. This reaffirms his independence and at the same time restates his decision to accept responsibility for his actions.”
    “Thank you, Eli. That’s quite a good analysis.”
    Wheeler held up his hand to interrupt. “E-L-One?”
    “Yes, Dr. Wheeler?” The voice and face subtly changed as the computer shuffled mindsets.
    “Please display as text on the console terminal all system input and output since you and Kelly started discussing the poem. Stop when you get to this request.”
    “Certainly, Steve. Coming through now.”
    Wheeler turned the terminal on its base so he and Kelly could see the screen. They watched as the replay of the conversation appeared.
    . . .
    How’s your study of the poem Invictus coming along?
    FINE. THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT, THE BETTER I UNDERSTAND IT.
    That’s good. How do you feel about the point the author is trying to make?
    I THINK
    No, no, Eli. I didn’t ask what you think about it--I want to know how you feel about it.
    YES, KELLY. I FEEL THAT HE IS USING INDIFFERENCE AS A DEVICE TO MAKE HIS POINT. IN THE