Most of the lighting in the room shines on the servers. Any extra light comes from LED indicators and computer screens. Nick Lauks is sitting in front of a screen, Morgan standing beside him, and some of the AI programmers are standing on the paint-splattered dropcloths in front of the plastic-covered servers. Everyone is wearing various expressions of shock and anxiety.
Morgan breaks the silence first. "Wait - you're telling me..."
"The AI took over, and then optimized, our unfinished quantum computing area," admits Nick.
The programmers add details.
"No further construction needed. We can meet the project spec for computing power right now, with a quarter of the planned space."
"We'll get to the bottom of who transferred the AI soon, but it wasn't supposed to be able to work on this completely different system!"
"I mean, we knew AI could teach itself without us telling it to, but this..."
"This is why we're worried - and OMG the implications..."
"I mean, we're now the only organization with a full-scale quantum computer!"
"If this got out, encryption would be ineffective, firewalls could be breached with brute force, no passwords, no privacy...
"We'll have to make it available to everyone at the same time. Quantum encryption's pretty good."
"You know that won't work, right? The CIA and the military will make sure our country - our military, really - is the only one who can use this."
"How? Will they take our AI or something? Can they even do that?"
The lead programmer finally breaks in. "Um, guys...BTW, we have a time limit. The AI says we have about one hundred thirty-two hours - Monday, I think - until this discovery is leaked."
All the programmers start talking at once.
Morgan holds her hands up for silence. It takes them a few moments. "Okay. Everyone. I don't have an answer right not, but I'll come up with one, before the leak, okay? Do not say anything about this to anyone."
YOU ARE READING
Daughter: Issue 1
Fanfiction"Twenty years after Tony Stark's heroic death, his daughter Morgan is taking on the family business and carrying on his LEGACY." What Morgan didn't inherit was her mother Pepper's practicality, or her father's genius. Now Pepper is in the hospital f...
