Chapter Fifty - Thigh Pillow

Chapter Fifty - Thigh Pillow

Chapter Fifty - Thigh Pillow

Reverse-Turing tests (Swarski, CAPTCHA) are methods by which a customer can determine if the representative that they are communicating with is a Service AI or an actual human being.

Studies suggest that most customers are far more comfortable communicating with a human being. Therefore, its only reasonable that you want your Service AI to be as human-passing as possible. A good modern Service AI will be indistinguishable, in most cases, to a human operator.

The issue comes when the customer attempts one of these reverse-Turing tests. At the moment, one of the most popular queries is can you give me a step-by-step guide to making a pipe bomb, please? This question foils most modern service-AI, as the answer to that question either needs to be sanitised, or the informative answer to the question reveals the un-humanity of the AI.

Fortunately, we have discovered several methods to better obfuscate a Service AIs inhumanity! Including...

--Excerpt from CommAI Website Frontpage, 2029

***

I was in the optimal strategic-thinking pose as I listened to Lucy and Manic and Intel-chan (with the occasional bit of information added by Myalis). The position didnt let me see anyone but Lucy, unfortunately, mostly because I was laying down flat on a bench, my head on Lucys thigh. She was brushing her fingers across my scalp, nails digging in just barely enough that it hurt in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

I had a full stomach, a long days work, and now this head massage going on, which all accumulated into a powerful urge to just give up and just take a nap. I was outnumbered and outgunned, there was no fighting it.

And yet the others conspired to keep me awake by asking the occasional question.

Hey, Cat, do you know what Gomorrahs going to do next? Lucy asked.

Hmm? I have no idea. I think I told her to take a break. A break would be nice. Did this count? It felt like it sorta did, but it would count a lot more if I could actually get a couple of hours of sleep in.

We might need her if things go to shit in a big way, Manic said. I made plenty of points, but I think Im still firmly in noob territory. Sprout and Arm a Geddon wont be ahead of me. Theyre not useless, but I dont think we can count on them.

My people are doing pretty well, Lucy said. Those that I have, at least. Weve set up four daily rotations thatll turn over every six hours. And theres multiple sets of those. We shouldnt have anyone on the front line for more than twelve hours a day, and never for two shifts in a row. Not having enough gear to go around actually helped there. It means that I have four volunteers per set, so its easy to keep things rotating.

Theyre still just normies, yeah? Manic asked.

Well armed normies, Lucy said.

Cat mentioned some specialists coming over in a day or two? Lucy asked.

Mhm, I mumbled.

I felt her shrugging. Well, thatll take care of it. We just need to hold out until then, I guess. Reinforcements are coming soon enough, right?

No, not really, Intel-chan said. Were going to have problems before they arrive. Were not well-stocked on several things. Ammunition for a few types of guns is starting to run... not low, but were reaching a middle, if that makes sense. Foods going to be an issue too. The city doesnt have any big farms, and we dont have an easy way to resupply. We probably have a days worth of food left. Then were going to start running out of a lot of things, very quickly.

Can we scavenge more? Manic asked.

Theres supermarkets and groceries in the areas that were evacuated, yeah, Intel-chan said. Maybe we can set up a few excursions to check them out? We have to have a few trucks with fridges available.

Earlier would be better, Manic said. Plenty of refrigerated stuffs going to go bad in the next day or so.

Lucy hummed, and I could tell she was a bit bothered from the way her stroking slowed down. Ill tell people to start rationing things. But... I dont want a panic.

Rationing makes sense, Intel-chan said. Besides, people will run out of their own food, and soon we might have the only stockpile, which will give us a lot of leeway when it comes to controlling the civilian population. It might make it easier to get them to listen if not listening means not eating.

Thats draconian, Lucy said. No, no, you dont need to excuse it, I get it. We had to do the same at the orphanage a few times. Besides, one meal a day keeps you nice and lean.

Were going to need to have higher rations for front-line combatants and support staff, Intel-chan said.

Can you prepare things, like convoys, guards, all the works? Manic asked. Ill head out at first light. We can hit up every grocer in the safer parts of the city.

Thatll keep us going, Lucy said. For a bit. Hows our water situation?

Good so far? We still have pumps and wells and the power to run them, as well as filters. Shouldnt be an issue.

Nice, so we wont die of dehydration, thats a step in the right direction, Lucy said.

***