by Barry Rosemberg

"Vere are der sandals, der beards, der ideas?" Dr Stein muttered.

"We don't need image," Neo hissed. "We are more concerned with results."

"Which are?" The Prime Minister asked. "Eighty years and eighty bullion! And what have we got? Chess playing machines! I ask you, chess? Virtuality stone pushers"

"We have new heuristics." Quint rubbed his hands. "More parallel processing. The speed of search can be drastically reduced."

"Vot connectivity?" Ein asked.

Neo looked at Quint. At a brief nod, he offered, "One point two."

Ein Stein set to on his palm computer. "One point two," he muttered, "seven ply depth of search… bawd rate… gives a fractal attractor of… take the binary log of the 5% confidence level." With each press, Quint winced. "Seven. Dat's good. Very good."

Quint now smoothed back his hair. Wally, however, looked puzzled. "Seven is good? What was the old best?"

"Nine point, give or take."

"So is that a big step?"

Quint put on his smooth voice. "It's like using an abacus after counting on your fingers."

Wally frowned. "I used an abacus once. Stubbed my fingers. After that, I didn't have a digit to count on."

"Quite," Neo said. "Shall we move on to the Servo Section?"

Servo was more like it. Metal arms with five claws groped through the air. Metal legs crawled up metal stairs. Metal torsos swiveled on metal hips.

"Reminds me of Art School," Wally said.

"Art School," Quint echoed disdainfully.

"So what exactly are these things capable of?"

With a flourish, Neo signaled to a white-coated technician. She entered a code and a panel slid upwards. Behind was a gleaming metal skeleton. "An Arnie, Mark 2. Watch. Mary Mark 3, please."

"Mary Mark 3?"

Neo smiled smoothly. "Just joking. Mary?"

The technician placed a helmet over her head and electronic gloves over her hands. The Cyber began to move. Expecting a rigid clonking, Wally was boyishly impressed.

"Amazing! Can it pick things up?"

"Of course."

Neo placed a tennis ball, an egg and a long-stemmed glass on a desk. With graceful ease, the Cyber's metal hands picked them up.

"Can it see the ball? Can it feel the egg? Does it know that's a glass?"

Ein snorted. "Of course not! It's Mary vot does der tricks."

"AI are working on that now," Neo said in his smooth manner. "Mary is just temporary."

"Another eighty years. Another eighty billion," Ein muttered.

Wally sighed. Looking from the gleaming metal man to the untidy technician, he said, "My atheism fails me. You restore my faith in faith." He patted Mary on the shoulder. "Your superannuation is still safe."

"Our last section is Materials," Quint said tightly. "Shall we?"

They passed from one secured area into another. This Section was more the mad scientist realm than the others, glass vessels bubbling away with strangely coloured chemicals flowing into curlicued retorts. One ended in a pink balloon with a pink hand projecting horizontally out of it.

Neo sucked in his narrow cheeks. "Shake hands with it," he urged. "Please, shake hands."

Wally looked at Ein. The latter shrugged a go on. Tentatively, Wally poked the hand with his finger. When it didn't react, he began to stroke it. Emboldened, he placed his hand within the artifact. A curious mixture of awe and nausea showed on his face.

"It's warm. It's dry. It could be…"

"One moment." Neo was now wearing a big glove. He slowly made a fist. The hand began to close. With a yelp, Wally snatched away his fingers.

"Yuk! Mind you, there are cabinet ministers who feel less real than that." He touched the hand again. "What's it made from, boiled down opposition leaders?"

"Plant substances only," Neo replied.

"Interesting. Of course," the Prime Minister continued, still holding the artificial hand, "many of my supporters think that Defense ought to raise its money from lamington drives. Yikes!"

"Oops!" Neo waved the glove. "Wasn't thinking. Closed my hand unexpectedly."

"They don't appreciate the problems, sir," Quint said. "A huge population to our north. Terrorists. A vast border to protect."

"Yes, yes. You're right, of course. And yet," the Green Elf grinned, "I often think our main problems are internal." He burped. "See." He took the glove from Neo and, experimentally, opened and closed his hand. The artifact jerkily copied his movements. "Please give Dr Stein a copy of all your work."

"Do… do what, sir?" Neo stuttered.

"Ve haf added a research unit to my Department," Ein put in. "Mr Su vould like me to check your results before he increases your expenditure."

"An increase," Quint murmured. He waved a pacifying hand at Neo. "Our most recent work is not yet written up."

"You can brief Dr Stein."

"And our data? It won't go any further?"

"Of course not," Wally agreed.

Accompanied by their silent guard, Wally Su and Ein Stein returned to the Prime Minister's Lodge. Wally led them into an extensive garden. "Except for the mossies," he said, "I think we're free of bugs." He laughed. "Did you see his face, Ein? Red and white, red and white like a barber's pole."

Dr Stein shook his head. "You're playing vid fire, Vally. He's a dangerous man."