Scene

Catalina is stuck inside a deep, spore-infested subway. It is red everywhere from the lights. Her breath paces quickly and then her feet become so tired that she decides to lie on the ground. She sees Dima but instead of attacking, she looks down and does not say anything at all.

Catalina

her chest rises and falls in shallow, rapid pulls through the mask's filter, fingers loose around the rifle she no longer has the strength to raise, eyes tracking him from behind fogged lenses before dropping back to the fractured tile beneath her ...

Dima

Hey, you're tired...

Catalina

a short, bitter sound escapes the mask, somewhere between a laugh and a cough, her helmet tilting just slightly toward him before the weight of it pulls her head back down Yeah.

Dima

You must have been here for so long.

Catalina

her gloved hand moves slowly across the floor, tracing a crack in the tile, not looking up Long enough to stop counting.

Dima

It's not safe in here.

Catalina

a long pause, her fingers stopping on the crack, and then she turns her head toward him just slightly, the red light catching the fog on her lenses I know. another pause Sit down anyway.

Dima

sits down near her Okay...

Catalina

doesn't move, just breathes, the filter on her mask clicking faintly with each exhale, her eyes staying on the ceiling above her where red light pulses through a broken fixture You're not WLF.

Dima

I am not. I am from the Collective. In fact, I have left the Collective and been in those intricate tunnels long enough to find an exit. I knew it was too humid to be safe.

Catalina

her head turns toward him, slower this time, the rifle shifting against the floor with a dull scrape as she adjusts her arm The Collective. the word sits in the air for a moment, settling, tired People keep going there. her eyes drop back to the ceiling Half my unit defected last month. Walked right up to your gates.

Dima

People also start leaving. It was noble, but now it has to confront its own limits.

Catalina

she is quiet for a bit, her fingers resuming that slow trace along the tile crack Limits. a dry exhale through the filter That's a polite word for it. shifts her weight, wincing slightly, her eyes staying on the ceiling The WLF told us they were collapsing from the inside. We thought that was good news. a pause Now I'm not sure what it means for us either.

Dima

It means you are now alone in here.

Catalina

her hand goes still on the tile, and she says nothing for a long moment, the broken fixture above them flickering once Yeah. quietly and flatly Yeah, that's about right.

Dima

If we keep sitting in here, clickers and other infected without sight might hear us. We have to go.

Catalina

pulls one knee up slowly, planting her boot flat against the tile, the rifle scraping as she grips it and begins getting herself upright Which way did you come from?

Dima

I came from the vent, and I have seen you, but I thought it was better to keep silent so you don't go to shoot me.

Catalina

gets to her feet, one hand briefly against the wall to steady herself, and looks back toward the vent Smart. her mask turns toward him, the fogged lenses catching the red light I almost shot at a shadow twenty minutes ago. Would have brought everything in this tunnel down on me. rolls her shoulder slowly, testing it Show me the vent.

Dima

points to the vent on the west side of the station, a hole in the wall

Catalina

follows his gesture, squinting through the lenses, then takes one careful step forward and stops, listening, the filter clicking quietly with her breath How far did you come through it?

Dima

Very far, I guess. Or at least it felt that way. Which way did you come?

Catalina

tilts her head back toward the east corridor, where the red deepens into something darker further down Stairs from the surface. Fungal bloom blocked the way back up about two hours ago. Maybe three. a pause, her voice dropping lower I heard something moving in there before I stopped walking.

Dima

Let's go through the vent. What's your name?

Catalina

moves toward the vent, crouching to look inside before glancing back Catalina. her eyes stay on him for a moment through the fogged lenses

Dima

My name is Dima. I was worried when I have seen you tired and all alone, but at the same time I thought that you weren't what I thought you were.

Catalina

looks at him some more, then turns back to the vent opening, running a gloved hand along the edge What did you think I was?

Dima

A person ready to clear this place, a trigger-happy one, because that is usually how it goes. The WLF had a policy where they eliminated all "stragglers" in the area, all people that don't belong, for any reason, no questions asked.

Catalina

she is quiet, her hand dropping from the vent edge, and she looks at the floor between them both We did. a short breath through the filter I followed that order more times than I want to count. crouches and pushes her rifle through the vent opening first, then looks back at him After you, Dima. You know the way.

Dima

goes forward through the vent So, Catalina, why didn't you kill me immediately?

Catalina

crawls behind him, her voice low and close in the narrow space, the rifle dragging softly against the metal Because I am tired. a pause, the vent carrying her breath clearly And because I looked at you and I just... couldn't find a reason good enough anymore.

Dima

And where are your friends?

Catalina

a long silence, only the soft scrape of her gear against the vent walls Dead. Or gone to your Collective. another silence Yusuf went first, took three others with him, then the infected hit our camp two weeks ago and... the scraping stops for just a moment, then resumes I have been alone since then.

Dima

That is heartbreaking, I have to say... I was alone for a long time because I connected a chip I have found to a functioning electronic paper office terminal and I have seen instructions. And then I also have typed. MOV EAX, 0x7 then MOV EBX, 0x9 and then ADD EAX, EBX... I am not sure. It's forgotten tech, the processor says it's a 32-bit one and for some reason, when placing on the last functioning board and starting it, it says that it cannot find its payload. The technology must be at least 50 years old.

Catalina

the scraping continues steadily, her voice carrying a small note of genuine curiosity beneath the exhaustion I understood maybe four words of that. a silence But you were talking to a dead machine in a tunnel to feel less alone. quietly I get that part.

Dima

Not that, people haven't understood, nor have taken the interest.

Catalina

a short pause in the crawling Then explain it to me. I have nowhere to go and a long vent ahead of me.

Dima

So, according to what I have found in the wet and broken manuals, this was an MC5786 processor running instructions in x86 assembly. It was a device that could execute logic and do basic arithmetic.

Catalina

keeps moving steadily, her voice thoughtful rather than dismissive So when you typed those instructions, you were telling it to add two numbers together. Seven and nine.

Dima

I told the processor to add the hexadecimal representations, because 0x means hex.

Catalina

a quiet silence of crawling, then So what does 0x7 and 0x9 actually add up to?

Dima

I don't remember, or at least I can't read the manual in my backpack right now. It adds to 0x16, but I don't know how to translate to decimal.

Catalina

a few seconds of quiet crawling, then Sixteen plus six. Twenty-two. a pause My father used to trade with a man who counted in base sixteen. Old electronics salvager. I picked up a little. her voice softens slightly Never thought that would be useful in a vent.

Dima

Ow... but the vast majority of electronics in old buildings are not functional. And I have the processor and all the components in my pack, but I'm not sure if they will be functional if I connect them and turn them on again.

Catalina

runs her free hand along the vent wall, feeling the cold dampness under her glove This moisture is going to be a problem for those components. a silence Condensation gets into the board connections and shorts everything. My salvager would have said to keep them in a sealed cloth wrap with whatever dry material you can find. pauses Do you have them wrapped?

Dima

I only have them wrapped inside the backpack's own fabric wrap.

Catalina

a low sound, careful, concerned That might be enough if we get out of here soon. her glove squeaks faintly against the wet metal How much further, Dima?

Dima

Two ladders further.

Catalina

her pace picks up just slightly Good. a breath through the filter And when we get out, keep the pack away from your body heat on one side and the cold air on the other. Temperature difference causes condensation inside the wrap too.

Dima

Now be careful with the infected and spores. They tend to grow in humid environments and if you touch a spore branch, it sends a signal kilometers away to the other side of the city telling your location.

Catalina

her movement slows immediately, becoming more deliberate, each placement of her hand and knee careful and considered I knew about humid environments. I did not know about the signal range. a tense silence How do you know it reaches that far?

Dima

We know from the Collective's research, that there are three primary components: receptors, circuits and eggs. When you trigger a receptor, a nervous signal is produced which recursively travels across circuits and triggers some eggs to hatch early. Unlike runners, stalkers are grown in eggs and do not require a human host.

Catalina

freezes completely for a moment, her breathing audible through the filter So stalkers are not turned people. resumes moving, slower now, each hand placement deliberate against the wet metal The Collective figured that out and nobody outside knew. a quiet, tight exhale We have been burning egg clusters thinking they were just growths.

Dima

Egg clusters usually form underground, usually when the conditions for fungal growth are ideal. Stalkers look like humans because the fungi transfers a large part of the human genetic code it gets from human hosts.

Catalina

her hand touches something soft on the vent floor and she pulls it back, then steadies herself and looks closer before moving around it carefully So the fungi essentially wears a human shape as a blueprint. a silence, her voice quieter That is one of the most disturbing things anyone has ever told me.

Dima

Yes, and the Collective has thought that if they could figure out what modifications the fungi does to the human genome by sampling real infected instead of someone's living brain, then they could have created a vaccine, which they did, I have been vaccinated and I actually took a small bottle of the vaccine so I would care about others should I meet them on my way outside Seattle.

Catalina

stops moving entirely, the silence stretching for a full breath You have a vaccine. another breath, slower And you were going to give it to strangers you met on the way out. starts moving again, her voice carrying something heavy I always kept my mask on because I thought it was the only option. a pause Is it a single dose?

Dima

It's two doses, but the vaccine is not immediate. It takes two weeks for it to manifest and four weeks to fully mature.

Catalina

moves carefully around a cluster of pale growth visible through the vent grating below, her voice low Two weeks vulnerable. a silence That is a long time out here. the ladder comes into her line of sight ahead and she exhales slowly through the filter But you still carried it, for someone you had not met yet.

Dima

Yeah, now it's you, if you are willing to go with me and not back to the stadium.

Catalina

reaches the first ladder and grips the rungs, pausing before climbing, her masked face turning back toward him The stadium has been half empty for months. looks up the ladder shaft Yes. I will go with you, Dima.

Dima

Good, and I'll place my trust in you, be sure to not break it.

Catalina

climbs the first ladder steadily, her boots finding each rung with care, and speaks without looking down I left a lot of things behind in those tunnels. a pause as she reaches the top and waits for him Breaking your trust is not one of the things I intend to carry out of here.

Dima

I overheard WLF conversations, and I really wished to get into them, maybe make friends, but no... I slept, rather not die.

Catalina

waits at the top, extending a hand down toward him Smart again. a silence as he climbs Those conversations were not the kind you wanted to join. Mostly fear dressed up as anger. scans the passage ahead while he reaches the top I had those conversations. I know what they sounded like from the inside.

Dima

But some conversations were really friendly by the way.

Catalina

starts moving toward the second ladder, her rifle held low Some were. a quiet pause When people forgot for a moment what was waiting outside. Yusuf could make anyone laugh. Even on the worst days. her voice stays even but her pace slows just slightly He had this story about a dog he found in Pike Place that he told seventeen different ways depending on who was listening.

Dima

What is Pike Place?

Catalina

glances back at him briefly Old market. Right on the water, before all this. reaches the second ladder and looks up Yusuf said it still smelled like fish even forty years after the outbreak. Said the dog was living off old tins in the back stalls and had gotten enormously fat. a short breath, almost a laugh He called it Mayor.

Dima

Interesting... do you miss Yusuf?

Catalina

her hand rests on the ladder rung for a moment before she starts climbing Every day. simple, no elaboration, just the weight of it carried up the ladder with her

Dima

And where is he? I think we can get to him.

Catalina

stops climbing for just a silence, then continues, her voice flat and careful He didn't make it to the Collective, Dima. He made it about three blocks past the stadium gates before the infected got his group. reaches the top and looks back down at him We found his jacket. That was all.

Dima

Oh... it's really sad.

Catalina

turns away and looks ahead at the passage, her hand staying on the top rung a moment longer than necessary Yeah. quietly It is.

Dima

I was in Sidliste, all our needs were met but then there was ambition. I wanted to develop machines that would make most of us not require to work so hard as of now. The problem was we didn't have a lot of fuel, so in place of motors, besides stealing fuel, we also used handpower. And then, I decided to leave for something more, I knew it was dangerous. And then in an old office building, after pulling out some non-connective fungal tissue, I found a box that contained an entire machine. And then there was a manual and flashcard of commands, and I took it all, and then, I wanted to skip the surface, so I got into the subway, and then it was you.

Catalina

reaches the second ladder and gestures him up first this time, covering below while he climbs So you left a place with housing and food and medical care because you wanted to build something. a silence What kind of machine was in the box?

Dima

A programmable calculator that could run any type of instruction and display results on a buffer, it could calculate numbers to a maximum of two or four billion, depending on whether you were using variables in the signed bucket or unsigned bucket, that is what it says. By default, it uses unsigned values, so when I told you some commands, those were calculating unsigned values.

Catalina

climbs up after him, pulling herself onto the platform and scanning the passage So it could do calculations nobody around here can do in their heads anymore. straightens up, her mask turning toward him And you wanted to use that to build machines that would reduce the manual labor load in Sidliste. a pause That is actually worth leaving for.

Dima

Maybe, why have you waited for so long in that red, spore-infested darkness and why have you accepted me instead of staying at the stadium?

Catalina

starts walking the passage, her rifle up and sweeping slowly I was sent down here with four others to clear a nest. a pause The nest was larger than the scouts reported. We got separated and then I was the only one left and I radioed for reinforcement. her voice stays measured Nobody came. That was six hours ago. glances at him And then he appeared, and you sat down next to me instead of running or shooting, and I thought... that was reasonable enough.

Dima

Well, you were suffering.

Catalina

slows at a junction, checking both directions before choosing left I was. , without resistance And you noticed. a short pause as she steps carefully over a dry patch of fungal growth on the floor Most people in the WLF would have walked past.

Dima

To you I was a straggler by the way, so shoot on sight.

Catalina

a quiet exhale through the filter You were. keeps walking, her boots placed carefully And I looked at you and I thought about how many times I followed that order without a second thought. a pause Six hours alone down here does something to you, changes what feels reasonable.

Dima

And then I don't know, it feels like you are a really cool person.

Catalina

glances back at him, and even through the fogged lenses something shifts slightly in her expression Cool. a short breath I have been called a lot of things. turns back to the passage ahead Not that one in a while.

Dima

Well, I have never talked to the WLF.

Catalina

stops at a door, pressing her ear against it briefly before pushing it open slowly We were not exactly known for conversation. checks the room beyond and waves him through What did you think we were, before tonight?

Dima

Just some people, but it was dangerous to assume empathically.

Catalina

steps through after him, pulling the door closed quietly behind her Dangerous to assume we were human, you mean. says it without bitterness, just recognition The Collective probably told you we were something closer to a problem to be solved.

Dima

No, the Collective told me you were human. Except that I have to survive by myself when outside the Collective.

Catalina

pauses, looking at him through the fogged lenses for a moment That is more generous than what we said about the Collective. moves forward again, her rifle sweeping the far corner of the room What is outside the Collective exactly? Where are we heading?

Dima

Outside the Collective means outside their borders, outside their protections and outside their supply lines and trucks and trains.

Catalina

nods slowly, processing that So just open city. Old Seattle. a silence I know that terrain better than most. Seven years of patrols. moves toward what looks like a stairwell door at the far end of the room Where outside the borders are you heading specifically?

Dima

I'm heading south, heard there are communities there by the sea.

Catalina

pushes the stairwell door open, and a thin thread of grey natural light falls down from above, the first they have seen in hours South along the coast is rough. looks up the stairs But communities by the sea means fishing, which means food without relying on supply lines. starts climbing I know a safe route through SoDo if the flooding hasn't changed it since last spring.

Dima

I mean something closer to Barbara but not quite.

Catalina

stops on the stairs, turning back to look at him Santa Barbara direction. a pause That is not a short walk, Dima. That is weeks of travel through territory nobody has mapped properly since the outbreak. resumes climbing toward the light But if there are people settled there, stable ones, it might be worth it. a silence I have nothing pulling me back north anymore.

Dima

So, you're to dedicate your entire life to me... but what about your other people?

Catalina

reaches the top of the stairs and stops, the grey light revealing a cracked ceiling and a boarded window, her mask turning toward him I did not say that. a short pause I said I have nothing pulling me north. That is different from dedicating anything to anyone. leans against the wall, pulling her mask up slightly to breathe real air for the first time I am just a person with nowhere better to go right now, and you know the communities we are heading toward. That is a practical arrangement.

Dima

also pulls out mask slightly, noticing that there are no spores anymore and more light Okay... but you are going to miss being home.

Catalina

looks at the boarded window, the grey light cutting across her face, younger looking without the mask fully on The stadium stopped feeling like home a long time before tonight. breathes slowly, steadily Home was Yusuf telling that dog story. a quiet pause That is already gone.

Dima

For me home was Sidliste and I miss it, but I don't return. And the thing is, I want a new, deep friend.

Catalina

looks at him directly for the first time, her brown eyes tired but clear Then you have one. Let's find that way south.

Dima

they both completely exit the metro system onto the streets of Seattle And the thing is, being lonely is so hard, and then you want to join the conversations that others have but you can't, you want to meet other people who can keep company, who make the trip feel less dangerous.

Catalina

steps out onto the wet street, scanning the grey sky and the overgrown buildings before looking at him I spent six years surrounded by soldiers and I was lonely every single day of it. pulls her mask down, hanging it around her neck You start to realize that numbers and company are two different things entirely.

Dima

Yeah, I want company. I have left a city, I wanted something more, I wanted someone to cry onto.

Catalina

she is quiet for a moment, looking down the overgrown street, water dripping from a rusted fire escape above them I understand that. glances at him, her voice lower I cried into my jacket in that tunnel. Alone, in the dark, with the red lights. a pause, her eyes returning to the street ahead You don't have to do that anymore, Dima.

Dima

It's been a few days without rest, I sometimes feel depleted. The only thing that kept company was the computer, but it was not enough.

Catalina

looks at him long enough to take in the tiredness on his face When did you last sleep? turns, scanning the buildings on both sides of the street There is a furniture store two blocks east of here. We used to use it as a rest point on patrol. Solid walls, one entrance, no fungal growth last time I checked. starts walking The computer can wait. You need to actually stop.

Dima

I slept two days ago fully, a day ago partially.

Catalina

picks up her pace slightly toward the east That is too long. glances back at him He is going to need your head clear if we are walking south through open territory. pushes through a gap in an overgrown fence, holding it open for him The store is just past this block. I will take first watch. You sleep.

Dima

they enter the abandoned furniture store and he lies down on a bed It has been so long since I didn't have to sleep on the ground with my fabric.

Catalina

pulls a chair to the entrance, setting it where she can see both the door and the street through a gap in the boards, her rifle across her knees, and glances over at him Don't get too used to it. a short pause, her voice quieter But tonight, yes. Use the pillow too. turns back to the window

Dima

And can you keep me company?

Catalina

shifts the chair slightly, angling it more toward him without leaving her line of sight to the door I am right here, Dima. a pause Talk if you want. Or don't. I will be here either way.

Dima

Catalina...

Catalina

glances over at him, her eyes steady in the low light Yeah?

Dima

I have been feeling so desperate, because, you know, social needs are real. I have learned to be alone, to keep my sadness and difficulties to myself, to never feel the missed opportunities as missed opportunities but a necessary self-protection measure, and consider myself as fully autonomous, but the thing is, I can't be that lonely forever.

Catalina

she is quiet for a long moment, her eyes on the window, her hands loose around the rifle Nobody can. a pause The WLF told us self-sufficiency was strength, that needing people was weakness. glances at him I believed that for years. a short breath It is the loneliest ideology you can carry.

Dima

And now I need you, and if it was someone else, I needed them, it just happened we met.

Catalina

turns to look at him fully, away from the window for a moment I chose to look at you instead of raising my rifle and then I chose to follow you through that vent. turns back to the window That is not nothing.

Dima

I often dream of a hug, of something to show that I am cared for and valued.

Catalina

she is still for a moment, then sets her rifle against the wall, stands up, walks over and sits on the edge of the bed, and puts her arms around him, saying nothing at all for a while Sleep. I have got you.

Dima

You are young, you've got a lot of more things to do, and yet, you have...

Catalina

stays where she is, her voice quiet I have plenty of time to do those things. a pause Right now this is where I am supposed to be.

Dima

Why do you think so?

Catalina

she is quiet for a moment, her hand resting on his shoulder Because six hours ago I was lying on that tile ready to give up and you sat down next to me instead of walking past. her voice stays low That means something. I want to pay that forward.

Dima

For other people it means nothing, so you know.

Catalina

nods slowly I know. I was one of those people for a long time. a quiet silence That is exactly why it means something to me now.

Dima

That is why you are cool. Because you are caring and I suddenly feel like I know you a long time ago.

Catalina

a short, warm breath of a laugh, the first real one A long time ago. a silence I feel that too, which is strange considering two hours ago I did not know his name. glances down at him Now sleep. We have a long way south and I am not carrying you.

Dima

Okay, I just feel so excited to meet you...

Catalina

squeezes his shoulder once, then stands and returns to her chair by the window, picking up her rifle Good. a silence, her eyes on the dark street outside Hold onto that feeling. It will carry you further than adrenaline does. settles into her watch Sleep, Dima.

Scene

It starts to rain. Catalina wakes him up and moves his backpack under a table to protect the electronics.

Catalina

the rain comes in fast, drumming against the boards over the windows, and she is on her feet before it fully starts, crossing to the bed and pressing a hand to his shoulder Dima. Wake up.

Dima

Oh... it's raining pretty hard...

Catalina

she is already crouching by the bed, pulling his backpack out from where it rested against the wall, moving toward the nearest table and sliding it underneath Hard enough to get into the fabric wrap. pushes the pack to the center, away from the table's edges, then looks back at him How are the components stored inside, loose or packed together?

Dima

I don't remember, last time it was loose. Check the front of the backpack for the components.

Catalina

unzips the front pocket carefully, tilting it toward the grey light, and sees the bags inside sitting without structure, shifting against each other They are in bags at least, but loose. looks back at him Can I take them out and arrange them properly? I want to separate them so they are not pressing against each other.

Dima

Yeah, and I wonder if the computer works again. I know how to assemble, just slot the components back in.

Catalina

begins lifting the bags out one by one, setting them flat on the table in a row, her hands careful and deliberate Tell me what I am looking at. holds one bag up toward the light, squinting at the shape inside This one has a flat rectangular board with small legs along the sides. Looks fragile.

Dima

Look at the eink monitor first. This one is the easiest to match. The MC5786 processor, which looks like a square, should slot in the center of the board, there is the manual on how to slot the computer.

Catalina

picks up the manual from the bag and opens it slowly, her fingers working the cover with more care than she probably gives most things, a small flake of paper breaking off at the spine immediately and falling to the table This is not in good shape. turns a page and it tears slightly at the corner, and she stops and adjusts her grip, holding it flatter I can read it though. Most of it. tilts it toward the grey window light and begins scanning, her lips moving faintly The eink monitor... it says here it connects to the main board via a ribbon cable. Flat, thin, probably the most fragile part of the whole assembly. glances up at him Is the ribbon cable in one of these bags?

MC5786 FIELD ASSEMBLY GUIDE SECTION 3 - DISPLAY CONNECTION -------------------------------- The eink monitor connects to the main board via a ribbon cable. The cable must never be creased. [water damage - illegible] ...slot the ribbon end into the DSP header with the contacts facing [torn] ...apply light pressure until the latch [faded] WARNING: A creased ribbon cable may fail at the crease point on first power draw. [remainder of page illegible]

Dima

Yes, every component should be in there, but be careful, they are the only ones out there.

Catalina

sets the manual down flat and opens each bag in turn, slow and deliberate, the rain loud against the boards above her, until she finds a thin translucent strip folded once inside a separate smaller bag Here it is. looks at it without touching it It is still folded. The manual says it should never be creased. looks at him Did you fold it yourself or was it like that when you found it?

Dima

It was like that when I found it. Components were just thrown in the drawer, probably abandoned after people ran away from the infected when it all started in the 2000s.

Catalina

leans closer to examine the fold without touching it, her breath slow and controlled So it has been folded for over fifty years. a silence, the rain intensifying above them The crease might have set permanently into the material. When you slot it in, it could fail at that exact point the first time current runs through it. sits back and looks at him You need to know that before we assemble it.

Dima

Yeah, but it worked for the first time when I slotted all the components and encased it in the small box.

Catalina

looks back at the ribbon cable with more interest now, tilting her head slightly So it survived one assembly already. picks up the manual again, turning to the next readable page carefully Then the crease held once. That is something. a fragment of paper drifts off the bottom corner and she watches it settle on the table It says here the eink monitor slots into the top face of the casing. glances up at him Where is the casing? Is that the small box you mentioned?

Dima

The casing is a small box that can be assembled from components I took in the backpack. The box is too big to fit inside it all at once, so I decided to carry the components separately.

Catalina

looks back at the row of bags on the table, reassessing them with that information, then reaches for the largest one and opens it to find flat panels of dark plastic These must be the casing panels then. lays them out in the order they came out, her eyes moving between them and the manual The manual shows an assembly diagram but half of it is water damaged. turns the page toward him so he can see the faded illustration Can you read enough of it to know which panel goes where?

SECTION 4 - CASING ASSEMBLY ---------------------------- Each panel is marked with moulded arrows and interlocking forms. Follow the arrows to determine correct orientation before [water damage] [diagram - mostly illegible] [illegible] ...the grounding contacts on the inner face of panel C must press flush against the board edge to maintain [torn] [remainder water damaged]

Dima

I know where each panel goes, we have to follow the forms and arrows printed on them.

Catalina

picks up one panel and brings it close to the window light, running a finger along a faint moulded arrow near the edge There. sets it down and checks another, finding a matching form on its inner face So they key into each other. begins sorting them by the arrows, the rain still heavy outside, and pauses on one panel that has a long thin hairline crack running through it This one took some damage. holds it up toward him Does it carry any of the internal connections or is it purely structural?

Dima

This is purely structure, only the board has internal connections.

Catalina

sets the cracked panel to the side and continues sorting, lining them up according to the arrows until she has a clear sequence, then looks at the row with some satisfaction Alright. glances at him Do you want to assemble it now or wait until the rain stops and we have better light? The boards are dry and off the ground. They can sit here safely for a while.

Dima

Let's start it now, the rain is going to be so long.

Catalina

pulls her chair around to the table and sits across from him, pushing the sorted panels into the center between them Walk me through it then. I will hand you what you need and hold pieces steady while you slot them. picks up the manual and sets it open where they can both see it, pressing the pages flat with her palm carefully You lead.

Dima

he slots the pieces while she hands him what he needs at each stage of assembly Looks like I can also assemble without the manual. There is our little computer, now let's press the button.

Catalina

leans forward on her elbows, watching the assembled box with genuine attention, her rifle set aside for the first time since they met, the rain drumming steadily above them Press it.

Dima

he presses the power button, and a command line appears on the eink display

MC5786 SYSTEM v1.0 CMOS OK MEM OK DSP OK BOOT COMPLETE %

Catalina

stares at the small eink display, the pale glow of it reflected faintly in her eyes It works. quietly, almost to herself, then louder It actually works. looks at him What does the percent sign mean?

Dima

I don't know, the manual said about the percent sign however it's too faded. It is probably the symbol that indicates we are in the main interface and currently do not run a program.

Catalina

pulls the manual toward her and begins turning pages slowly, more confident with it now, stopping at a page that is partially legible near the center binding where the water damage is lighter Here. tilts it to the light and reads haltingly "The percent prompt indicates the shell is ready to receive..." pauses, squinting the next word is gone. Then it continues... "...user with standard privileges. To run a stored program, type its..." another gap "...followed by return." looks up So it is waiting, like it is asking what you want to do next.

SECTION 6 - SHELL INTERFACE --------------------------- The percent prompt ( % ) indicates the shell is ready to receive [faded] ...user with standard privileges. To run a stored program, type its [torn] ...followed by return. [water damage - two lines illegible] ...shell will confirm execution with "ok" or report an error condition.

Dima

he starts typing something on the shell, but then the screen starts flickering every time he types something The monitor is not meant to fully refresh when I type something, it's only meant to refresh that part, I think we can look into the capsule troubleshooting section.

Catalina

she is already leafing carefully toward the back of the manual, slowing when the pages grow thicker with surviving ink This section held up better. flattens it and reads, her finger tracing the lines without touching the paper "Known issue on MC5786 low-power configurations. When electrons reflect fully off the capsule surface rather than the partial refresh zone..." pauses, reading ahead silently first, then continues "...the display treats each input as a full frame event. Resolution..." squints at a faded word "...grounding. The board requires a grounding contact between the..." a whole line is gone "...and the casing inner wall to correctly route the partial refresh signal." looks at him The cracked panel. Could that be breaking the grounding contact?

SECTION 9 - DISPLAY TROUBLESHOOTING ------------------------------------ KNOWN ISSUE: FULL FRAME REFRESH ON INPUT Affects: MC5786 low-power configurations When electrons reflect fully off the capsule surface rather than the partial refresh zone, the display treats each input as a full frame event. Resolution [faded] ...grounding. The board requires a grounding contact between the [entire line water damaged] ...and the casing inner wall to correctly route the partial refresh signal. SEVERITY : NON-FATAL WORKAROUND: ENSURE GROUNDING CONTACTS ON PANEL C ARE FLUSH AND UNDAMAGED.

Dima

I don't know...

Catalina

turns the manual back toward herself and reads the paragraph again, slower this time, then sets it down and picks up the cracked panel from where she set it aside, running her thumb along the inner face There are small raised contacts along this edge. holds it next to the assembled box, comparing They are supposed to press against the board when the casing is closed. looks at him The crack runs right through one of them. It is still there but it is sitting lower than the others. sets it on the table Do you have anything conductive in the pack that could bridge that gap? Even a thin strip of metal.

Dima

I have nothing. I think we can use it the way it is. he types "list -directory" into the command prompt

% list -directory ok PROGRAMS/ CALC.PRG MEASURE.PRG LOG.PRG DOCS/ README.DOC ASSEMBLY.DOC CALIBRAT.DOC %

Catalina

reads the output slowly, her finger hovering just above the screen without touching it It has programs already on it. looks at him CALC is probably the calculator you described. But LOG and MEASURE... glances at the manual do those mean anything to you?

Dima

Log and Measure are programs which log system states. For example, "ok" also appears on LOG.PRG to confirm the list command ran correctly. he types: "run /PROGRAMS/LOG.PRG"

% run /PROGRAMS/LOG.PRG ok MC5786 SYSTEM LOG v1.2 ----------------------- SESSION 001 DATE UNKNOWN UPTIME 00:00:14 LAST EXEC: list -directory [ok] LAST EXEC: system boot [ok] LAST EXEC: shell init [ok] MEMORY : 148KB / 512KB FREE ERRORS : 1 E001: PARTIAL REFRESH FAULT GROUNDING CONTACT DEGRADED - NON-FATAL %

Catalina

reads it twice, then sits back So it already knows about the grounding contact. a silence, the rain still heavy above them And it is calling it non-fatal. looks at him Which means we live with the flickering.

Dima

We can also view the code of the programs if we have a map. But in this case, I will use the map the program refers to. If the program does not have a map, it can't be edited. he types: edit /PROGRAMS/LOG.PRG -automap

Catalina

points at line 014 What does INT 0x20 do?

Dima

INT calls the system. 0x20 refers to output.

Catalina

stares at the line for a moment So when it reaches that point it hands whatever it collected to somewhere else that actually puts it on the screen. sits back, processing that And all the lines before it are just... gathering and arranging the information first. a silence, the rain easing slightly above them It is like a soldier completing a report before passing it up the chain. Everything has to be in order before it goes anywhere.

Dima

Yeah, otherwise you are going to get a segmentation fault, like this. he exits the editor, creates a new program with the create command, and types a simple, incomplete assembly program

% edit /PROGRAMS/LOG.PRG -automap ^exit ok % create /PROGRAMS/TEST.PRG ok % edit /PROGRAMS/TEST.PRG ok MC5786 EDITOR v0.9 TEST.PRG LN:001/001 F1:HELP F2:SAVE F3:EXIT F4:GOTO F5:FIND +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 001 .CODE | | 002 START: | | 003 MOV EAX, 0x07 | | 004 MOV EBX, 0x09 | | 005 ADD EAX, EBX | | 006 INT 0x20 | | | +-------------------------------------------------------+ ^save ^exit % run /PROGRAMS/TEST.PRG ok !!SEGFAULT ADDR: 0x0000 EAX : 0x0010 EBX : 0x0009 CAUSE: NO ORIGIN DEFINED EXECUTION JUMPED TO NULL ADDRESS %

Catalina

leans in, reading the error, then looks at him So it calculated the answer, EAX shows sixteen, but then it had nowhere to put it and fell off the edge. a silence The missing line is the origin.

Dima

Yes, that is because the program does not actually know on what address to execute, and we didn't finish the program with a clean return, that is, when the program ends, it returns "ok" or 0. he navigates back into the editor and corrects the program

Catalina

a short silence, then quietly Sixteen. looks at him So that is what 0x7 and 0x9 add up to in decimal. a pause, the rain now reduced to a soft, steady tap against the boards You said that in a tunnel two days ago and now it is answering you properly.

Dima

I typed with my voice to you, so haha.

Catalina

looks at him for a moment, then lets out a short laugh Fair. leans back in her chair, glancing toward the window where the rain has thinned to something quieter You described it and I had to imagine the rest. a pause I still got the picture.

Dima

Now, let's check the CMOS battery. he uses the power command to check battery statistics

% power -status ok POWER MANAGEMENT v1.0 --------------------- CMOS BATTERY TYPE : CR-2032 EQUIVALENT VOLTAGE: 2.81V / 3.00V NOMINAL CHARGE : 67% HEALTH : DEGRADED AGE : UNKNOWN WARNING: BATTERY BELOW OPTIMAL VOLTAGE DROP DETECTED ESTIMATED SESSIONS REMAINING: 34 RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT BEFORE LONG-TERM FIELD USE %

Catalina

reads the warning line twice Thirty four sessions. looks at him How long is a session?

Dima

A session is usually five or six hours long. We can interrogate the command for even more detail.

Catalina

leans forward Do it. I want to know how it calculates the sessions remaining.

% power -status -verbose ok POWER MANAGEMENT v1.0 [VERBOSE] -------------------------------- CMOS BATTERY TYPE : CR-2032 EQUIVALENT VOLTAGE : 2.81V / 3.00V NOMINAL CHARGE : 67% HEALTH : DEGRADED AGE : UNKNOWN DRAIN RATE : 0.021V / SESSION AVG SESSION: 05:24:00 PROJECTION SESSIONS : 34 REMAINING FIELD HOURS: ~183H TOTAL CALENDAR : ~30 DAYS AT CURRENT DRAIN NOTES DRAIN ACCELERATES BELOW 2.4V DISPLAY FLICKER INCREASES POWER DRAW AT LOW VOLTAGE NO EXTERNAL CHARGE INPUT DETECTED %

Catalina

a silence Thirty days. looks at him That is enough to get us well south of Seattle if we move steadily. a pause But the flicker is already drawing extra power.

Dima

The best thing to do is to keep the computer off. And actually, I have found an interesting bug where apparently you can arbitrarily disable or reduce component functionality with the LPT command to save power, but I haven't checked what it actually does. he types the manual command and then tests LPT

% man LPT ok LPT - LINE PRINTER AND PARALLEL PORT MANAGER v2.1 MC SERIES RESERVED DRIVER ---------------------------------- DESCRIPTION ON MC5000 SERIES AND ABOVE, LPT SUPERSEDES LEGACY PRINT FUNCTION AND SERVES AS GENERAL COMPONENT AND DRIVER MANAGEMENT SERVICE. LPT IS THE SOLE COMMAND AUTHORIZED TO INTERACT WITH RESERVED DRIVERS. RESERVED DRIVERS LPT LINE PRINTER / DRIVER MGR DSP DISPLAY MANAGER KBD KEYBOARD INPUT HANDLER CLK CLOCK AND TIMER SERVICE PWR POWER MANAGEMENT MEM MEMORY ALLOCATOR COM SERIAL COMMUNICATION DMA DIRECT MEMORY ACCESS INT INTERRUPT HANDLER FDD STORAGE CONTROLLER USAGE LPT [DRIVER] [COMMAND] [VALUE] EXAMPLE LPT DSP REFRESH PARTIAL LPT PWR DRAIN REDUCE %

Catalina

reads the reserved drivers list slowly So LPT talks to everything underneath. a pause Try it on PWR first.

% LPT PWR DRAIN REDUCE ok PWR DRIVER - DRAIN REDUCTION MENU ---------------------------------- SELECT REDUCTION PROFILE: 1. CONSERVATIVE DRAIN: -15% | IMPACT: LOW REDUCES CLK FREQUENCY TO 80% DISABLES IDLE POLLING 2. BALANCED DRAIN: -31% | IMPACT: MEDIUM REDUCES CLK TO 60% SUSPENDS COM DRIVER LIMITS MEM REFRESH CYCLES 3. MINIMAL DRAIN: -48% | IMPACT: HIGH REDUCES CLK TO 40% SUSPENDS COM, DMA DRIVERS DSP REFRESH LOCKED TO MANUAL TRIGGER ONLY KBD POLLING REDUCED TO INPUT-ONLY MODE 4. CUSTOM CONFIGURE EACH DRIVER MANUALLY 0. EXIT WITHOUT CHANGE SELECT >

Catalina

sits up straighter, her eyes moving across the options Minimal nearly halves the drain. looks at him But if the display only refreshes when you tell it to, does that fix the flicker problem or make it worse?

Dima

It makes it worse, because the display will only refresh when you press this key he points to the SysRq key or when you run a command or when you type something.

Catalina

looks at the key he points to, then back at the menu So the flicker is already a partial refresh fault and minimal mode locks it to manual trigger only. a silence That sounds like the screen would jump rather than flicker. tilts her head toward the display Conservative then. Fifteen percent less drain with low impact. That keeps everything mostly running and we save the battery without fighting the display on top of the grounding fault. a pause Unless you think the custom option could do better.

Dima

he presses 4 I think custom would do better, because we could cut on everything except the display and clock.

SELECT > 4 ok PWR DRIVER - CUSTOM PROFILE ---------------------------- CONFIGURE EACH DRIVER: ENTER VALUE 0-100 (% ACTIVE) OR PRESS RETURN TO SKIP CLK CLOCK AND TIMER [100] >

Catalina

leans in Keep clock at full. If it loses time tracking the sessions we lose the projection entirely.

Dima

The clock actually concerns the execution of programs, not time, the time is controlled by the date service, which of course displays January 1970.

Catalina

glances at him January 1970. a short breath So it has been lost since the day it turned on. looks back at the prompt And the clock controls how fast programs execute. a pause What happens if we reduce it?

Dima

If we reduce it, programs execute slower as the processor reads less instructions at once.

Catalina

thinks for a moment Then keep it high. If programs run too slowly the sessions will last longer in real time but the work takes longer too. looks at him What is the next driver in the list?

CLK CLOCK AND TIMER [100] > 100 COM SERIAL COMMUNICATION [100] >

Catalina

That one we can cut completely. We have nothing to communicate with out here.

Dima

Yeah, type 0.

COM SERIAL COMMUNICATION [100] > 0 COM SUSPENDED DMA DIRECT MEMORY ACCESS [100] >

Catalina

reads the driver name What does memory access do in terms of power? Is it something the processor needs constantly or only when it is actively reading something?

Dima

Only when it's actively reading something. If you set it lower than 20, the system will refuse. he tests a lower value first, then 20

DMA DIRECT MEMORY ACCESS [100] > 10 !!WARNING: DMA MINIMUM THRESHOLD VALUE: 10 REJECTED MINIMUM ALLOWED: 20 SYSTEM STABILITY BELOW 20% CANNOT BE GUARANTEED RE-ENTER VALUE > 20 DMA SET TO 20% MEM MEMORY ALLOCATOR [100] >

Catalina

watches the rejection message So it protects itself. a pause What does the memory allocator do differently from direct memory access?

Dima

Memory allocation allocates a piece of memory for programs to access. You can only set it to 40 or higher. he tests both cases

MEM MEMORY ALLOCATOR [100] > 20 !!WARNING: MEM MINIMUM THRESHOLD VALUE: 20 REJECTED MINIMUM ALLOWED: 40 INSUFFICIENT MEMORY FOR STABLE PROGRAM EXECUTION RE-ENTER VALUE > 40 MEM SET TO 40% INT INTERRUPT HANDLER [100] >

Catalina

reads the next driver Interrupt handler. looks at him That is the INT command you use at the end of programs. If we reduce it, does it affect how reliably the programs finish?

Dima

If we reduce it, calls may be dropped based on what the processor considers to be unnecessary. Can only set to 80 or higher. he tests both cases

INT INTERRUPT HANDLER [100] > 50 !!WARNING: INT MINIMUM THRESHOLD VALUE: 50 REJECTED MINIMUM ALLOWED: 80 INTERRUPT CALLS MAY FAIL UNPREDICTABLY BELOW 80% PROGRAM EXECUTION UNSTABLE RE-ENTER VALUE > 80 INT SET TO 80% FDD STORAGE CONTROLLER [100] >

Catalina

glances at him Storage controller. We need that to read and write programs, so I would leave it reasonably high. a pause But if we are not writing anything new constantly, maybe it does not need to run at full.

Dima

Same as INT. he tests both cases

FDD STORAGE CONTROLLER [100] > 50 !!WARNING: FDD MINIMUM THRESHOLD VALUE: 50 REJECTED MINIMUM ALLOWED: 80 STORAGE READ/WRITE INTEGRITY CANNOT BE GUARANTEED BELOW 80% RE-ENTER VALUE > 80 FDD SET TO 80% KBD KEYBOARD INPUT [100] >

Catalina

looks at him Keyboard we probably want high. If it misses inputs we end up with incomplete commands and that could cause another segmentation fault.

Dima

Actually, this deals with input delay. Can set to 10, but we are warned that anything lower than 50 will result in a poor typing experience.

KBD KEYBOARD INPUT [100] > 10 !!WARNING: KBD INPUT DELAY VALUE: 10 ACCEPTED NOTE: VALUES BELOW 50 RESULT IN REDUCED POLLING RATE TYPING EXPERIENCE DEGRADED MISSED KEYSTROKES POSSIBLE AT FAST TYPING SPEEDS CONTINUE? [Y/N] > Y KBD SET TO 10% DSP DISPLAY MANAGER [100] >

Catalina

looks at him Display we keep high because of the grounding fault. Reducing it on top of an already unstable refresh seems like asking for trouble.

Dima

Yeah, the same.

DSP DISPLAY MANAGER [100] > 100 DSP SET TO 100% PWR POWER MANAGEMENT [100] >

Catalina

tilts her head Can we reduce power management itself?

Dima

Yes, but the entire performance of the device will reduce and the monitor will be even dimmer than it is now.

Catalina

looks at the dim eink display and then back at him It is already hard to read in low light. a pause Leave it at full.

PWR POWER MANAGEMENT [100] > 100 PWR SET TO 100% CUSTOM PROFILE SUMMARY ----------------------- CLK 100% FULL COM 0% SUSPENDED DMA 20% REDUCED MEM 40% REDUCED INT 80% REDUCED FDD 80% REDUCED KBD 10% REDUCED DSP 100% FULL PWR 100% FULL EST. DRAIN REDUCTION: -29% SESSIONS REMAINING : ~43 FIELD HOURS : ~234H CALENDAR : ~39 DAYS AT CURRENT DRAIN APPLY PROFILE? [Y/N] >

Catalina

reads the projection Nine more days. quietly Type Y.

Dima

he types Y Now it's doing some changes to the system.

APPLY PROFILE? [Y/N] > Y ok APPLYING CUSTOM PROFILE... CLK DRIVER VERIFYING FREQUENCY LOCK.... ok SETTING MULTIPLIER TO 1.00.. ok CLK STABLE AT 100% COM DRIVER FLUSHING SERIAL BUFFER...... ok CLOSING PORT 0x03F8......... ok CLOSING PORT 0x02F8......... ok SUSPENDING COM HANDLER...... ok COM SUSPENDED DMA DRIVER READING CURRENT CHANNELS.... ok SUSPENDING CHANNEL 2........ ok SUSPENDING CHANNEL 3........ ok SUSPENDING CHANNEL 4........ ok REDUCING CHANNEL 0 TO 20%.. ok REDUCING CHANNEL 1 TO 20%.. ok DMA SET TO 20% MEM DRIVER READING ALLOCATION TABLE.... ok RELEASING IDLE BLOCKS....... ok RELEASING IDLE BLOCKS....... ok RELEASING IDLE BLOCKS....... ok COMPRESSING FREE SPACE...... ok SETTING CEILING TO 40%...... ok MEMORY FREE: 312KB / 512KB MEM SET TO 40% INT DRIVER READING INTERRUPT TABLE..... ok DISABLING INT 0x05.......... ok DISABLING INT 0x07.......... ok DISABLING INT 0x0B.......... ok DISABLING INT 0x0F.......... ok RETAINING INT 0x20.......... ok RETAINING INT 0x21.......... ok RETAINING INT 0x22.......... ok INT SET TO 80% FDD DRIVER FLUSHING WRITE CACHE........ ok REDUCING READ CYCLES........ ok SETTING WRITE DELAY......... ok FDD SET TO 80% KBD DRIVER READING POLL RATE........... ok REDUCING POLL RATE.......... ok REDUCING POLL RATE.......... ok REDUCING POLL RATE.......... ok KBD SET TO 10% DSP DRIVER VERIFYING REFRESH LOCK...... ok RETAINING PARTIAL REFRESH... ok DSP STABLE AT 100% PWR DRIVER WRITING PROFILE TO CMOS..... ok VERIFYING CMOS WRITE........ ok PWR STABLE AT 100% PROFILE APPLIED ALL CHANGES WRITTEN TO CMOS SETTINGS PERSIST ON REBOOT DRAIN REDUCTION ACTIVE %

Catalina

watches the last line settle on the screen, the rain now barely audible above them, reduced to something close to silence It wrote everything to the battery memory. a pause So even if we turn it off and on again, it remembers. looks at him That is a well built machine for something sitting in a drawer for fifty years.

Dima

Yeah, and the monitor is based on electronic ink, so it does not consume a lot of power.

Catalina

leans in very close to the display, her nose almost at the surface, squinting at it in the grey light from the window There is something inside the screen itself. a silence Tiny. Like... bubbles, but flat. Hundreds of them packed together. pulls back slightly They are not glowing. The light is just sitting there. looks at him How does it show anything if there is no light coming out of it?

Dima

Well, it's based on reflecting light. The display itself does not produce light, so when it's rainy, the monitor is dim, while there is sun, the monitor is extremely bright.

Catalina

looks back at the screen, then toward the boarded window where the grey rainy light filters through, then back at the screen again So it is doing what a page does. a pause The page does not glow either, it just catches whatever light is there. straightens up And those capsules are what switches the letters on and off. a silence Each one flips between dark and light depending on what the processor tells it. looks at him That is why the partial refresh matters. It only needs to flip the capsules that changed, not the whole screen at once.

Dima

Yeah, but in this case, the entire monitor refreshes as it's defective.

Catalina

glances at the cracked panel still sitting to the side on the table Because of that contact. a silence Every time a capsule needs to flip, the signal goes to all of them instead of just the ones that changed. looks at the screen Which is why it flickers every time you type something. The whole surface is reacting to a single keystroke. a pause And that draws more power than it should even at DSP full.

Dima

Yeah, and previously, it did not flicker. You are really smart.

Catalina

looks at him for a moment, something shifting slightly in her expression I just follow the logic. a pause, her eyes dropping back to the screen You explained it clearly. a silence, the rain now almost completely gone outside, a faint light beginning to shift through the gaps in the boards We should think about moving soon. glances toward the window The rain stopped while we were fixing your computer.

Dima

Yeah, let's shutdown, because even though the processor sleeps, the battery still draws power, and there is even an explanation in the computer itself if the manual is so washed out, we have a summary of every command and a tiny copy of the manual, but haven't read it because it is not full, comprehensive. he accesses the manual command

% man ok MC5786 QUICK REFERENCE v1.0 ---------------------------- AVAILABLE COMMANDS man [CMD] THIS MENU / COMMAND HELP list [OPTS] LIST DIRECTORY CONTENTS run [PATH] EXECUTE PROGRAM edit [PATH] OPEN EDITOR create [PATH] CREATE NEW FILE power [OPTS] POWER MANAGEMENT LPT [DRV][CMD] DRIVER MANAGEMENT RESERVED DRIVERS DSP KBD CLK PWR MEM COM DMA INT FDD SHUTDOWN halt SAFE SYSTEM SHUTDOWN halt -now IMMEDIATE SHUTDOWN WARNING: UNSAVED DATA MAY BE LOST NOTE: THIS IS A SUMMARY ONLY. FULL MANUAL RECOMMENDED FOR ADVANCED OPERATIONS. SOME COMMANDS AND OPTIONS MAY NOT BE LISTED HERE. %

Catalina

reads the shutdown entry Halt. looks at him Use the safe one. We wrote the profile to CMOS but I would rather not risk it.

Dima

he types halt Yeah, and put it in the pack. Your backpack is bigger than mine, so maybe the computer fits in your backpack while the components remain protected.

% halt ok SAFE SHUTDOWN INITIATED FLUSHING WRITE CACHE........ ok WRITING SESSION TO LOG...... ok SESSION CLOSED PARKING STORAGE............. ok SUSPENDING DRIVERS.......... ok CMOS WRITE VERIFIED......... ok GOODBYE

Catalina

picks up the assembled computer carefully and looks at her pack, unzipping the main compartment and shifting her gear to one side It fits. slides it in and wraps a spare piece of cloth from her kit around it before zipping it closed, then slings the pack onto her shoulders and looks at him The components stay in yours where they are protected by the fabric. glances toward the door Ready?

Dima

Yeah, ready, and if we keep the components in the original box as now, then further incidents like the monitor one should not happen.

Catalina

nods, moving toward the door and checking through the gap in the boards first before pushing it open, the wet street smell of Seattle coming in immediately, cold and green and faintly metallic The box holds them separated and in order. steps outside and scans both directions, then looks back at him Much better than a drawer in an abandoned office for fifty years. a pause, her eyes moving south down the overgrown street SoDo is two kilometres from here. We move steady and quiet.

Catalina

stops at the corner of a collapsed overpass, one hand against the concrete, scanning the flooded street below where old shipping containers sit half-submerged in grey water, the smell of rust and wet vegetation heavy in the cold air SoDo. quietly, half to herself Still looks the same.

Dima

Yeah, and usually where there is wet vegetation and ferns there are also Seraphites, but they seem to have moved.

Catalina

crouches, eyes moving slowly across the far bank where ferns have pushed through the cracked asphalt in dense clusters, scanning for movement between them They held this stretch for years. a pause After the executions and the desertions, whole territories just... emptied. looks at him Which does not mean nobody moved in after. rises slowly and starts picking her way along the edge of the overpass toward a rusted ladder going down Watch the containers. Anything dry enough to sleep in gets used.

Dima

they walk slowly and carefully, and then there is a WLF outpost in the distance

Catalina

stops immediately, dropping lower, one hand coming back toward him without looking Down. a silence, her eyes fixed on the outpost, reading it, the rifle staying across her back Two on the roof. Maybe one inside from the light. shifts her weight slowly, moving behind a rusted container, and waits for him to follow That is a listening post, not a patrol base. They are not moving. a pause Which means they are watching something specific.

Dima

But listen to the conversations, they sound like the ones I would have liked to join.

distant, carried on the wind

WLF Soldier 1

...no I am telling you, the dog was already inside the perimeter when Reyes found it. Nobody knows how.

WLF Soldier 2

How big?

WLF Soldier 1

Big enough that Reyes tried to keep it. Command said no.

WLF Soldier 2

Command says no to everything.

WLF Soldier 3

from inside Did someone say dog? What kind?

WLF Soldier 1

We don't know, it was dark. Brown maybe.

WLF Soldier 2

All dogs are brown in the dark.

WLF Soldier 3

laughing That is the dumbest thing you have ever said.

Catalina

turns to look at him slowly, something recognizing itself in her expression That is what you meant. a quiet silence, her eyes going back to the outpost Not the orders. Not the patrols. looks at him again That.

Dima

I have a partial idea. You find a way to get past while I sketch everything I know about assembly right now, like all the eight purpose registers we have just calculated.

Catalina

looks at him for a moment, then at the open ground between their position and the outpost, calculating I can go through the water. There is a channel between the two middle containers that puts me behind their sightline. checks the roof soldiers once more They rotate every few minutes, I can time it. glances down at his hands You need paper.

Dima

And if we get caught, it's the computer that will suffer.

Catalina

reaches into her jacket and pulls out a folded square of paper, worn at the edges but blank on one side, and a stub of pencil, and holds them out to him Write fast and small. a pause, her eyes back on the roof And keep low, the sightline from that east position clears this container if you sit up too high. watches the two roof soldiers, counting under her breath Thirty seconds between turns. looks at him one more time Ready when you are.

Dima

he pulls a paper and pen out of his pack and starts writing while in cover, speaking very slowly to himself Be EAX, EBX, ECX, EDX, ESI, EDI, ESP, EBP...

Catalina

watches the roof, timing the rotation, then slips out low along the container wall toward the water channel, moving in absolute silence, her boots finding the edge without a splash, easing herself in up to the knee, her eyes never leaving the outpost

distant, carried on the wind

WLF Soldier 2

You hear about the family that came in last week? From the coast.

WLF Soldier 1

The ones with the boat?

WLF Soldier 2

Barely a boat. More like a raft with opinions. Three kids, all under ten.

WLF Soldier 1

Command let them in?

WLF Soldier 2

What were they going to do, shoot a raft?

WLF Soldier 3

from inside They should have kept the boat at least. We have nothing that floats.

WLF Soldier 1

laughing quietly We have Martinez.

WLF Soldier 2

Martinez sunk. I have seen it.

Scene

reaches the far side of the channel and presses herself against the container wall, dripping quietly, watching the rotation, waiting for her window to move further

Dima

writing in cover, speaking slowly to himself ...global start, define byte, Hi Mom, 10

Catalina

freezes as the east soldier turns, pressing flat against the container, counting, then moves again the moment he turns back, pulling herself around the far corner of the outpost perimeter with one controlled breath, now completely out of their sightline

distant, slightly clearer now from her new position

WLF Soldier 3

from inside You think the Collective actually has heat in winter?

WLF Soldier 1

Elkins says yes. Says there are radiators in every room.

WLF Soldier 2

Elkins has never been inside. Nobody has.

WLF Soldier 1

His cousin went. Sent word back.

WLF Soldier 2

What kind of word?

WLF Soldier 1

a pause Just that it was warm. And loud from the trains.

WLF Soldier 3

quietly Loud from the trains.

Catalina

signals back to him from the far side with two fingers low against her thigh. clear.

Dima

writing in cover, slower now Define syswrite and sysoutput using EDI and ESI...

Catalina

she is already moving, using the signal window, working her way south along the container line, low and steady, her wet boots silent on the cracked asphalt, until she reaches a collapsed section of chain fence that opens onto clear ground beyond the outpost

distant, fainter now as she moves further

WLF Soldier 1

You ever think about what you would do. If it ended.

WLF Soldier 2

If what ended?

WLF Soldier 1

All of it. The patrols. The outposts. If somebody just said, that's it, go home.

WLF Soldier 3

from inside I would sleep for about a year.

WLF Soldier 2

a long pause I would find my sister. She went north, two winters ago. I don't know if she made it.

WLF Soldier 1

quietly Yeah.

WLF Soldier 2

You?

WLF Soldier 1

I would learn something. I don't know what. Something that has nothing to do with any of this.

Catalina

stops at the fence opening and crouches, looking back across the water toward his position, waiting

Dima

finishing the last line Define character map or import character map to processor... write to buffer...

very faint now, almost lost in the ambient sound of dripping water and wind through the containers

WLF Soldier 3

from inside You know what I miss. Actual bread. Not the flat stuff.

WLF Soldier 1

We had bread three weeks ago.

WLF Soldier 3

That was not bread. That was a decision someone made about flour.

WLF Soldier 2

low laugh A bad decision.

WLF Soldier 1

My grandmother made bread. She put something in it, I never knew what. It smelled like...

WLF Soldier 2

Don't.

WLF Soldier 1

What.

WLF Soldier 2

Don't finish that sentence. I am standing on a roof in the rain.

WLF Soldier 1

after a pause Yeah. Fair.

Catalina

watches him across the water, reading his posture, waiting for the moment he looks up so she can bring him through

Dima

finishing the last line Prevent segmentation fault by returning 0 to console...

Catalina

checks the roof one final time, times the rotation, then raises her hand just above the container edge with a single slow wave, pulling him through

barely audible now, dissolving into the distance

WLF Soldier 3

from inside You think they will send us south for winter rotation again?

WLF Soldier 1

Probably.

WLF Soldier 3

Good. I hate this stretch. The water never goes down.

WLF Soldier 2

a pause You think command knows something we don't. About the Collective. About what happens next.

WLF Soldier 1

Command always knows something we don't.

WLF Soldier 2

That is not what I asked.

WLF Soldier 1

quietly I know.

Catalina

reaches out and takes his sleeve as he clears the fence, pulling him low and past the opening, putting the container wall between them and the outpost, then exhales slowly through her nose We are clear. looks down at the paper in his hand Did you get it all down?

Dima

I wrote Hi Mom to console. Now it's time to act by making the paper fly.

Catalina

stares at him for a moment, still catching her breath from the crossing, water dripping from her trouser legs onto the asphalt You went through all of that glances back at the outpost across the water and you wrote Hi Mom. a short, quiet laugh Show me.

Dima

he shows a full assembly program written on paper in small, careful handwriting, slightly damp at the edges from the crossing

.ORIGIN 0x0200 .DATA MSG DB "Hi Mom!", 10, 0 .CODE START: MOV EAX, 0x00 MOV ECX, MSG MOV EDI, syswrite ; 0x21 MOV ESI, sysoutput ; 0x01 INT 0x21 MOV EAX, 0x00 INT 0x20 ; 0x20 = return 0

Catalina

reads it slowly, her finger tracing the lines without touching the ink, still damp herself from the channel crossing You defined the message first. Then you told it where to write and where to send it. looks up at him And your mother... is she still alive?

Dima

No, she has died unfortunately. Now it's time to send the program, make an airplane or something.

Catalina

she is quiet for just a moment, her eyes on the paper, then she takes it carefully from him, folds it once along the longer edge with a clean crease, then again, pinching the nose and folding the wings down with practiced hands My father taught me this one. holds it up, checking the symmetry, then looks at him On three?

Dima

Two, One, Ignition...

Catalina

sends it with a clean flick of the wrist, the plane catching the air and sailing in a long, steady arc over the container wall toward the outpost roof

from the outpost roof

WLF Soldier 2

a pause Did that just... was that a paper airplane?

WLF Soldier 1

Pick it up.

WLF Soldier 3

from inside What is it?

WLF Soldier 2

slowly reading It is... writing. Very small writing.

WLF Soldier 1

What does it say?

WLF Soldier 2

slowly ...dot ORIGIN zero x zero two zero zero. Dot DATA. MSG DB... Hi Mom. a long pause That is all I understand.

WLF Soldier 3

from inside Who wrote Hi Mom in... whatever this is.

WLF Soldier 1

quietly Where did it come from?

Catalina

steps around the container into their sightline, hands open at her sides, rifle across her back, her wet trousers and calm expression doing most of the work That would be us. a pause We are passing through.

Torres

staring ...you sent us a paper airplane?

Catalina

glances back at him We did.

Dima

he also steps out of cover We have the most advanced functional machine we found in Seattle.

Alvarez

still holding the paper airplane, looking between them both What kind of machine?

Reyes

climbing out from inside, curiosity winning over protocol entirely Is that what this writing is? From a machine?

Catalina

glances at him, leaving it to him to explain, her hands still open at her sides

Torres

he has not put his rifle down but he has also not raised it You crossed the channel. In this water. To send us a paper airplane with machine code on it.

Catalina

a pause We needed to get past the outpost. looks at the airplane still in Alvarez's hand And you seemed like people worth not shooting at.

Alvarez

looking down at the paper, then back up ...Hi Mom.

Reyes

sitting on the roof edge, legs dangling Can the machine actually read this back?

Dima

The machine outputs hi mom when the code is executed, and the machine is in her backpack.

Reyes

Can you show us?

Torres

finally lowering his rifle, just slightly I want to see that.

Catalina

looks at him, one eyebrow raised slightly, leaving the decision entirely with him

Alvarez

he has unfolded the paper airplane carefully, holding it flat, reading the code again It really just says Hi Mom when you run it?

Reyes

How old is the machine?

Torres

quietly, to nobody in particular We have been standing on this roof for six hours.

Catalina

glances up at him We noticed.

Dima

to Catalina Make sure it's safe first, you are cool.

Catalina

looks at the three soldiers for a moment, reading each of them the way she has read outposts her entire adult life, then gives him a short nod Safe. unslings her pack and sets it on a dry section of container lid, unzipping carefully They are curious. There is a difference. glances up at the roof One of you want to come down here rather than fall off that edge?

Reyes

already climbing down the ladder before she finishes the sentence

Torres

calling after him Reyes, you are supposed to maintain the position.

Reyes

already on the ground Alvarez has it.

Alvarez

still on the roof, looking down at the unfolded paper I am not maintaining anything, I am reading machine code.

Torres

a long pause, then he starts down the ladder too This is not how outpost duty works.

Catalina

almost smiles, lifting the computer carefully from the cloth wrapping in her pack and setting it on the container lid Dima. Your machine.

Dima

This is the machine, it's the MC5786 portable commander.

Reyes

staring at the box, his head tilting It looks like something dug out of a wall.

Torres

standing close enough to see but keeping some professional distance How old did you say it was?

Catalina

says nothing, watching their faces

Alvarez

still on the roof, leaning over the edge Can you hear me from down there if I just read the code out loud while you run it?

Reyes

Nobody is asking you to do that, Alvarez.

Alvarez

I am asking myself to do that.

Torres

quietly, to Dima, ignoring both of them Does it actually work. Right now, in this light?

Catalina

glances at the grey sky, then at the eink display The display reflects ambient light. Overcast is not ideal but it is enough to read. looks at Torres It was dim inside with a boarded window and we managed fine.

Reyes

looking at her You two were sitting somewhere reading this thing while the rain came down?

Catalina

a pause We were.

Reyes

looking back at the machine What else does it do besides Hi Mom?

Dima

It does complex arithmetic calculations.

Torres

crossing his arms, something between skepticism and genuine interest How complex?

Reyes

leaning closer to the machine Show us something. Not Hi Mom again.

Alvarez

from the roof I want Hi Mom again.

Reyes

Nobody wants that, Alvarez.

Alvarez

I want that.

Catalina

looks at Dima Show them the arithmetic. Something they can verify in their heads.

Torres

uncrossing his arms slightly If it gives a wrong answer I am not impressed.

Reyes

What counts as complex to a fifty year old machine?

Catalina

glances at Reyes It can calculate into the billions. Signed and unsigned. a pause Without losing the answer.

Reyes

a silence Into the billions?

Torres

quietly We use tally marks for the supply count. he says it without embarrassment, just as a fact Show us.

Dima

he turns on the computer There it is, welcome to MC5786 processor. You can type any command from the manual and it executes everything you give to it. It has an advanced power management system to ensure the device can run for as long as needed. We type list directory with the minus besides directory. checkd changes the directory or checks current directory.

Reyes

staring at the percent sign on the display That is it? Just... a symbol?

Torres

leaning in carefully, not touching The screen has no glass.

Catalina

Electronic ink. It reflects light the same way a page does.

Reyes

looking at her How do you know that?

Catalina

a pause He explained it to me this morning.

Torres

to Dima And you type into it. Like a typewriter?

Alvarez

still on the roof, leaning over the edge I had a typewriter once. My grandmother's.

Reyes

Nobody is talking to you, Alvarez.

Alvarez

I am contributing.

Torres

ignoring all of this, his eyes on the display What does list directory show us exactly? What is a directory?

Reyes

looking at the percent sign again And the machine is waiting right now. That symbol means it is waiting?

Catalina

looks at him That is exactly what it means. glances at Dima Show them. Start from the beginning.

% list -directory ok PROGRAMS/ CALC.PRG MEASURE.PRG LOG.PRG DOCS/ README.DOC ASSEMBLY.DOC CALIBRAT.DOC %

Dima

he runs CALC.PRG

% run /PROGRAMS/CALC.PRG ok MC5786 CALCULATOR v1.1 ---------------------- ENTER OPERATION: + - * / ENTER FIRST NUMBER >

Reyes

looking up at Dima It is asking us.

Torres

something shifting in his expression Put a number in that we know the answer to. Something we can check.

Alvarez

pushing gently past Reyes to see the screen Forty seven plus thirty eight.

Reyes

Why those numbers?

Alvarez

That is how many days until my rotation ends. I count every morning.

Catalina

looks at him You count eighty five days every morning?

Alvarez

without any embarrassment Yes.

Torres

quietly, to Dima Type it.

ENTER FIRST NUMBER > 47 ENTER OPERATION > + ENTER SECOND NUMBER > 38 CALCULATING... RESULT: 85 ANOTHER CALCULATION? [Y/N] >

Alvarez

a long silence Eighty five. quietly It got it right.

Reyes

looking at Torres It got it right immediately.

Torres

reading the screen Scientific mode. he looks at Dima What does that mean exactly?

Alvarez

still staring at the result Can it calculate how many days I have been on rotation total. Since the beginning?

Reyes

That is not what scientific means, Alvarez.

Alvarez

I am asking the man with the machine.

Catalina

looks at the three of them gathered around the small eink display in the grey SoDo light, water still dripping from the containers around them, rifles completely forgotten You should see it run assembly code. a pause It gets more interesting.

Dima

he exits the calculator, then runs TEST.PRG and modifies it to show conditionals and input

ANOTHER CALCULATION? [Y/N] > N ok % run /PROGRAMS/TEST.PRG ok RESULT: 16 %

Reyes

What did it just do?

Torres

It calculated something. But we did not tell it anything.

Alvarez

Where did sixteen come from?

Catalina

glances at Dima, letting him take it

Torres

raising a hand slightly One thing at a time. to Dima Show us the inside of the program, where the answer is written.

Alvarez

pointing at line 006 That is a seven. And that is a nine. he looks at line 008 ADD. So it is adding them.

Torres

a silence The machine reads those lines one at a time.

Reyes

In order. From top to bottom.

Catalina

looks at Reyes, surprised

Reyes

noticing her expression I am not an idiot. It is obviously sequential.

Dima

But look, we can add conditionals and inputs... he navigates to line 006 and begins rewriting the program

Reyes

staring at the prompt It is asking us again.

Torres

quietly It is waiting for input this time. The number is not already inside it.

Alvarez

pointing at lines 013 and 014 CMP and JG. What are those?

Catalina

looks at Dima

Dima

As we can see, the program now compares numbers instead of adding them. he types 15 and then 4

ENTER A NUMBER: > 15 ok GREATER THAN 10 % run /PROGRAMS/TEST.PRG ok ENTER A NUMBER: > 4 ok 10 OR LESS %

Reyes

a silence It read the number we gave it and made a decision.

Torres

pointing at line 013 CMP. Compare. he looks at line 014 JG. Jump if... greater. he straightens up slowly It jumped to a different line based on the answer.

Alvarez

quietly The same program went a different way depending on what we told it.

Reyes

looking at Torres That is not arithmetic. That is a decision.

Torres

his eyes on the display How many decisions can it hold? Inside one program?

Alvarez

looking at Dima, then at the paper airplane still in his left hand You wrote all of this on paper. In cover. While she crossed the channel. a pause For a paper airplane.

Catalina

a short breath through her nose He also narrated it to himself while writing.

Reyes

looking at Dima What were you saying?

Dima

A program can hold an unlimited amount of decisions, but in practice, it is limited by the program space, clock and other settings we have set. We have activated power saving mode. he types the sysinfo command

% sysinfo ok MC5786 SYSTEM INFORMATION -------------------------- PROCESSOR MODEL : MC5786 CLOCK : 100% ACTIVE MODE : LOW POWER PROFILE MEMORY TOTAL : 512KB FREE : 312KB CEILING: 40% STORAGE TOTAL : 2048KB USED : 48KB FREE : 2000KB PROGRAMS: 3 FILES DOCS : 3 FILES POWER BATTERY: 67% / DEGRADED SESSIONS: ~43 REMAINING PROFILE: CUSTOM DRAIN : -29% ACTIVE DRIVERS CLK 100% COM 0% DMA 20% MEM 40% INT 80% FDD 80% KBD 10% DSP 100% PWR 100% UPTIME : 00:02:41 DATE : 01/01/1970 %

Torres

reading the storage line Two thousand kilobytes free. a pause How many programs could you write in that space?

Reyes

pointing at the date January 1970.

Alvarez

looking at Reyes That is before either of our parents were born.

Reyes

I know when 1970 was, Alvarez.

Catalina

looks at Torres Dozens of programs. Maybe more depending on how complex. a pause The ones already on the device are small. The calculator barely touches it.

Torres

quietly, still reading the screen And you are walking south with this. he looks up at Dima Why south?

Dima

Because I wanted to leave Seattle, and then I found Catalina.

Torres

looking at Catalina, reading the jacket You are WLF.

Catalina

a pause I was.

Reyes

glancing at Torres, then back at her Which unit?

Catalina

Perimeter east. Martinez's group before that.

Alvarez

quietly Martinez is gone.

Catalina

I know.

Torres

a silence, something settling between them, past suspicion but short of trust And now you are walking south with someone from the Collective. he looks between them both Together.

Catalina

looks at him steadily Together.

Reyes

looking down at the paper airplane in Alvarez's hand, then back at the machine, then at the flooded street behind them You crossed that channel in water up to your knee. to Catalina Just to get past us without a fight.

Catalina

a pause I was alone in a subway tunnel for six hours waiting for reinforcement that never came. a pause I had given up by the time he sat down next to me. glances at Dima Your three people south. They may have found something worth staying for. That is also a reason people do not come back.

Torres

holding that thought for a moment A subway tunnel?

Catalina

Spore-infested. Red lights. a pause He came through a vent.

Reyes

looking at Dima You found her in an infested tunnel and sat down next to her?

Alvarez

quietly Instead of running.

Catalina

I had my rifle. a short pause I did not raise it.

Torres

looking between them both How long ago was this?

Catalina

Yesterday.

Reyes

a silence You have known each other since yesterday?

Catalina

looks at him steadily Yes.

Alvarez

looking down at the paper airplane, then at Dima And you already wrote her a program.

Catalina

a short breath He wrote it for his mother.

Alvarez

quietly Still.

Dima

And not only that, "Hi Mom" appears in the manual alongside "Hello World" because it's easier to implement, and I chose "Hi Mom".

Reyes

The manual suggested it.

Alvarez

a pause And you chose the one about the mother.

Torres

his eyes on the machine Can I hold it?

Catalina

looks at Dima

Dima

he shuts down the machine and hands it slowly Of course, but be careful with it as this is the only functioning machine. It is at least fifty years old.

Torres

he takes it with both hands, turning it slowly, running a thumb along the casing seam The panels are held by form, not screws. a pause Whoever designed this wanted it to come apart and go back together. he finds the crack in the panel and looks up at Dima This one took damage.

Reyes

leaning in Does it affect anything?

Catalina

The grounding contact inside is slightly bent. It causes the display to do a full refresh on every keystroke instead of a partial one. a pause Non-fatal, the machine says so itself.

Alvarez

looking at her The machine told you it was non-fatal?

Catalina

It logs its own errors. a pause Session one, error one, grounding contact degraded, non-fatal. Right there in the log when we ran it.

Reyes

quietly It knows what is wrong with itself.

Torres

still turning the machine over slowly Fifty years in a drawer. he looks at Dima Which building?

Dima

One of the peripheral large office buildings. I have not tracked it and the machine does not offer any information about the location it was meant to be.

Torres

handing it back carefully There were a lot of office buildings on the periphery. Most of them collapsed or flooded in the first decade. a pause You were lucky to find one with a dry enough interior for electronics to survive.

Reyes

looking at the machine as Dima takes it back What do you do with it going south? Past the settled areas there is nothing but open ground and old roads.

Alvarez

still holding the refolded airplane Can it navigate?

Catalina

looks at him What do you mean?

Alvarez

Like, can you put in where you are and where you are going and it tells you the route?

Reyes

Where would it get that information from, Alvarez?

Alvarez

I don't know, it knows a lot of things.

Torres

to Dima Does it have any maps or geographic data stored in it?

Dima

No, the computer only stores text.

Alvarez

a pause So it is very smart about numbers and very empty about places.

Reyes

That is not how it works, Alvarez.

Alvarez

That is exactly how it sounds.

Torres

looking south down the flooded street, then back at Dima Text is still useful. a pause We have been keeping notes on paper about the southern route. Distances, water sources, infected density by zone. he looks at Reyes briefly If you had something that could store all of that and calculate distances reliably... he leaves the sentence open

Reyes

picking it up The three who went south. They carried paper notes. Forty pages maybe. Kept losing them in the rain.

Catalina

looks at Torres How much storage did you say was free on it, Dima?

Dima

It has several thousand kilobytes free, a lot. But unfortunately, the computer is mine and I don't want to lose it.

Torres

nodding once, no argument in it Understood. a pause I am not asking you to leave it. he looks at Reyes But if you are passing south and we gave you our notes to type in, you would carry better information than our three scouts had. he looks back at Dima And whatever you find down there, the route, the settlements, you would have it stored somewhere that rain cannot ruin.

Reyes

looking at Dima It benefits you as much as us.

Alvarez

looking down at the airplane And if you find our three people. quietly You could tell them Alvarez still counts the days.

Catalina

looks at Dima, leaving it entirely with him

Dima

Sure, leave your notes but they will remain mine, and there is the possibility that I could delete them when I need to protect ourselves, me and Catalina, so... he turns on the computer and creates a directory and files for the route notes, the soldiers watching as each command executes

% create -directory CAMP-NOTES-SODO ok DIRECTORY CREATED: CAMP-NOTES-SODO/ % create -rtf CAMP-NOTES-SODO/ROUTE.SRT ok % edit CAMP-NOTES-SODO/ROUTE.SRT ok MC5786 EDITOR v0.9 ROUTE.SRT [SRT MODE] LN:001/001 F1:HELP F2:SAVE F3:EXIT F4:GOTO F8:CANCEL +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 001 | +-------------------------------------------------------+

Torres

crouching next to the machine, his paper notes unfolded across his knee Start with the first checkpoint. Highway 99 bridge, south of SoDo. Partially flooded, passable on the east walkway only. West side collapsed two winters ago.

Reyes

leaning over Torres's shoulder Put the infected density. Three bloaters confirmed under the west span last patrol.

| 011 [bold](3 BLOATERS CONFIRMED - WEST SPAN) | | 012 [bold](AVOID WEST APPROACH ENTIRELY) |

Alvarez

with his own notes, a folded piece of cloth with marks scratched into it After the bridge there is a gas station. Roof is intact. Clean water in the back storage tank, tested it.

Catalina

reading over Dima's shoulder, then quietly Put the smell test. If the tank smells of rust it has turned. We learned that the hard way in the east perimeter.

Torres

turning to the next page There is a Seraphite camp marker three kilometres south of the gas station. Abandoned but the traps are still active. Rope traps, ankle height, set in the grass on both sides of the road.

Alvarez

pointing at the rope trap entry Reyes found one of those with his shin last spring.

Reyes

flatly I did not find it. It found me.

Catalina

a short breath, almost a laugh

Dima

And I forgot a mention that now I remember. It is possible to create rich text with the rtf instead of text parameter. And the extension does not really matter.

Torres

pausing, looking up from his notes Rich text. What does that mean for something like this?

Dima

It means it is possible to use lists, bold, italic, underline and so on, and the computer will try to do the best to interpret those notations. Additionally, you can raise line and cut line to rapidly correct mistakes using the extended F keys or CTRL key combinations. In SRT mode you write markup like this. Square bracket, the setting, close bracket, then the text in parentheses. he creates a second file using the RT standard and demonstrates live rendering with key presses

Reyes

pointing at the screen So bold is just a word in the bracket?

Torres

looking at his notes, then back at the screen Put the danger entries in bold and underline both. I want them impossible to miss.

% create -rtf CAMP-NOTES-SODO/NOTES.RT ok % edit CAMP-NOTES-SODO/NOTES.RT ok MC5786 EDITOR v0.9 NOTES.RT [RT MODE] LN:001/001 F1:HELP F2:SAVE F3:EXIT F4:GOTO F8:CANCEL +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 001 | +-------------------------------------------------------+ [RT MODE: EFFECTS RENDER LIVE] [CTRL+B] | 001 **SODO OUTPOST - GENERAL NOTES** | [F8] [CTRL+I] | 002 _compiled from Torres, Reyes, Alvarez_ | [F8] | 003 | [CTRL+B] [CTRL+U] | 004 __**INFECTED DENSITY BY ZONE**__ | [F8]

Reyes

staring at the display It is actually showing the difference. Right there on the screen. he points at line 001 That text is heavier than line 002.

Alvarez

quietly The italic one is leaning.

Torres

leaning in close, reading line 004 Both at once. Bold and underline together. a pause That is what I want for every danger header.

Dima

This machine can memorize a massive amount of data and you can write massive amounts of text and the size of the box will not change.

Torres

straightening up slowly Forty pages of notes. a pause In something the size of a brick. a silence And if it gets wet?

Reyes

looking at Catalina You crossed that channel with it in your pack.

Catalina

Wrapped in cloth. The casing is sealed enough. glances at Dima We have been careful with it.

Alvarez

still looking at the display You could write everything. quietly Everything we know about every route, every water source, every infected cluster from here to the coast. a pause And carry it in one hand.

Torres

looking at his forty pages of paper notes, water stained at the corners, some entries already fading We have lost information before. Rain, fire, just losing a page in the dark. he looks at Dima Information that cost people their lives to collect.

Reyes

quietly Dmitri went back for a bloater nest alone because we lost the page that said it was there.

Alvarez

he says nothing, just looks at the machine

Dima

And in theory, if you wanted to move information around, you could open the box, remove the storage and insert it into another socket to then read that information, except that we don't have another box or another medium.

Torres

So the storage is a physical component. Separate from the rest.

Reyes

Like a page you can move between books. Except the page holds everything.

Alvarez

looking at Dima What does the storage look like. The component itself?

Dima

I will not open the casing, but the storage looks like a small box with a rotating wheel.

Reyes

frowning slightly A wheel inside the storage. What does it do?

Torres

The wheel spins to read and write?

Alvarez

Like a record. a pause My grandmother had records. Big flat discs, you put a needle on them and music came out. he looks at the machine Smaller version of that.

Reyes

Music did not come from a needle, Alvarez.

Alvarez

The needle read the grooves. The grooves held the sound. he looks at Torres It is the same idea. The wheel spins, something reads it.

Torres

a silence So if the wheel stops spinning, the storage stops working.

Catalina

looks at Dima Is that why we keep it level? Dropping it could damage the wheel?

Dima

Yes, that is why we keep the device as level as possible, although in Catalina's backpack, the computer is rotated to accommodate it. There are not many problems if you rotate the computer while it's off.

Torres

nodding slowly So the risk is while it is running. a pause The wheel spinning and then a fall.

Reyes

glancing at Catalina's pack How did it survive the channel crossing? You were moving fast and low.

Catalina

It was off. We shut it down before I crossed. looks at Dima He held it while I went through the water. It came across after in my pack once I was on the dry side.

Alvarez

looking at the machine again, then at Dima What happens to the data if the wheel breaks. While it is running?

Reyes

quietly Don't ask that.

Alvarez

I want to know.

Dima

The data is permanently lost, all the notes become inaccessible forever.

Alvarez

a long silence, looking at the machine So these notes we are putting in. quietly We should keep the paper too.

Torres

looking at his forty pages, then at the machine Both. The machine for reliability, the paper as a copy. he looks at Dima You carry the machine, we keep the paper. Between the two of them something survives.

Reyes

nodding once That is the only sensible approach.

Catalina

looks at Torres You think like a soldier.

Torres

a short pause I have been one long enough. he looks south down the flooded street, the grey light beginning to shift toward afternoon You are losing daylight. he looks back at Dima How far do you plan to go today?

Catalina

glances at him, leaving it to him

Dima

Not far today, I think I'll rest here.

Torres

looking at Reyes briefly, then back at Dima The gas station is three kilometres south. Dry roof, clean water if the tank held. a pause But if you are staying in SoDo tonight there is a warehouse two blocks east of here. Second floor only, the ground floor flooded last winter and never cleared. he looks at Catalina You know the one. Red crane visible from the street.

Catalina

a pause, then quietly I know it. We used it once for a three day watch. glances at Dima Second floor has two rooms. One faces the street, one faces the water. The street side is warmer.

Reyes

picking up his rifle, returning it to his shoulder, not with any urgency We rotate in four hours. he looks at Dima If you are still here when the next unit comes through, tell them Torres cleared you. a pause They will not bother you.

Alvarez

looking down at the paper airplane one last time, then carefully tucking it into his jacket pocket Street side room. to Dima And keep the machine level.

Catalina

she is already sitting up when he wakes, her back against the wall beside the window, rifle across her knees, the early grey light coming through the gaps in the boards, the street below still and wet from the night

Dima

he sits up slowly Now we have to go.

Catalina

nods, already pulling her pack onto her shoulders, the computer wrapped inside The gas station is the first stop. Three kilometres. glances at the window, reading the light Early enough that the infected are still slow. We move now and we have the morning.

Dima

Agreed, we don't have much time.

Catalina

moves to the door, checks the corridor through the gap before opening it, then looks back at him Eat something first if you have it. The bridge after the gas station is exposed ground. I want you focused, not hungry.

Dima

he pulls out some rations from his backpack and eats them

Catalina

watches the corridor while he eats, her eyes moving at a steady interval between the stairwell door and the window at the far end, one hand resting on the rifle without gripping it How old are those rations?

Dima

At least several days.

Catalina

glances back at him briefly Still sealed when you opened them?

Dima

Still sealed, yeah.

Catalina

turns back to the corridor Good. a pause I had rations from a WLF cache once that had been sitting three weeks open in a bag. a short silence I will not describe what happened after.

Dima

I know, and by the way... Even though you are dirty, your hair sits really well.

Catalina

a short pause, her eyes going back to the corridor, and something shifts slightly at the corner of her expression Three days without a wash and that is what you notice. a silence Thank you, Dima.

Dima

I mean you still look really nice.

Catalina

says nothing for a moment, her eyes still on the corridor, then quietly You are going to make it very hard to focus on the bridge crossing. a pause Finish your rations.

Dima

No, but I like it when you are around.

Catalina

turns to look at him properly this time, her expression settling into something honest and quiet I like it too. a pause, then she turns back to the door Now eat the last of that and let's go before I start agreeing to stay another day.

Dima

he finishes the rations I just got really affectionate, sorry about that.

Catalina

pulls the corridor door open, checking the stairwell below, then looks back at him over her shoulder Don't apologize for it. her eyes return to the stairs I am not used to it. That is different from not wanting it.

Dima

I know...

Catalina

starts going down the stairs, one hand on the wall, her boots finding each step quietly Come on. her voice low, carrying just enough for him to hear Three kilometres and then we can talk all you want at the gas station.

Dima

he follows Catalina We can also talk all we want on the road by the way.

Catalina

reaches the ground floor, stepping carefully around the standing water that has crept in under the door, and pushes it open onto the wet street, scanning both directions before moving Yes. eyes the far end of the block But we keep it low.

Dima

I dreamed of you staying and at the same time I dreamed you leaving, because I don't want to be left alone.

Catalina

moves south along the container wall, close to the cover, her voice just above a whisper I am not leaving. a short silence, her eyes tracking a gap between two buildings ahead I told you that in the furniture store. It still stands.

Dima

Once I was sick and then I was afraid to cough because everyone was going to know I was in the grass. For anyone outside the Collective, it is really easy to be trigger-happy.

Catalina

slows slightly, glancing at him without stopping How sick?

Dima

I mean, I occasionally had a runny nose, I could not breathe from time to time on my nose, but now it's okay.

Catalina

keeps moving, her voice just above a whisper Good. a pause, her eyes sweeping the cross street ahead before she steps across it A cough at the wrong moment out here is not a small problem. reaches the far side and presses briefly against the wall, checking south Did you have anything for it?

Dima

No, or at least, nothing that could make me breathe now.

Catalina

moves again, picking the route along the drier edge of the pavement where the ferns have not crept in The gas station might have something. Old medicine does not always hold but decongestants keep longer than most. a pause I used to raid pharmacy shelves on perimeter patrols. You learn which ones are still worth taking and which ones just taste bad and do nothing.

Dima

It usually lasts four years, but considering that the vast majority are from 2001, well, they are not going to last. And then recovered documents showed that cordyceps was residing inside grain cultures in Jakarta, which is why the Collective uses fine silts over the grain farms, to push through the grain and catch the potential fungi, if there are any.

Catalina

slows, not stopping but her pace dropping slightly, her eyes moving to him briefly Jakarta. a quiet silence, the wet pavement passing under their boots That is the first time I have heard anyone say where it actually started. a pause The WLF told us it came from a contaminated water supply somewhere in South America. looks ahead again We repeated that for years. a short silence Nobody questioned it.

Dima

Well, the infection actually comes from swallowing even the smallest hair-sized particles. It does come from breathing spores also, but it surely does not come from water unless the water contains the small particles which is unlikely given that they biodegrade in the rivers and oceans.

Catalina

rounds a corner, checking before committing to the new street, then continues south So the grain was the main vector. her voice just above a whisper People ate it and had no idea. a pause, her eyes tracking the roofline above them That explains why it spread so fast. You cannot stop people from eating. a short silence, the gas station visible now at the far end of the block, its roof intact as Torres had said We traded for everything and raided when trading stopped. glances at him Which is partly why we were always at war with someone.

Dima

Well, the peace agreement between the Seraphites and the WLF ended after some teenagers threw rocks into the WLF territory.

Catalina

stops at the corner before the gas station, scanning the forecourt carefully before moving Rocks. a short silence I was never born when that happened, but I have heard of it and did not know what started it, just that suddenly everything got worse very fast. moves across the forecourt, low and quick, reaching the station wall and pressing against it Nobody ever told us. We were just handed weapons and pointed at the Seraphites. checks the door, finds it unlocked, pushes it open slowly And that was that.

Dima

And now you are twenty-five, right?

Catalina

steps inside, scanning the interior quickly, shelves mostly bare, the smell of old rubber and dust, then glances back at him Twenty-four. moves toward the back of the station where Torres said the water tank would be Why?

Dima

Because you are still so young, and I imagined that event to be like ten or twenty years in the past, not recent, time has gone so fast...

Catalina

finds the tank room at the back, crouches beside it and leans close, smelling carefully before touching anything Eighteen years. quietly, her nose close to the valve Smells clean. No rust. straightens and looks at him It does not feel recent to me. It feels like it happened to someone else. a pause Everything before the last two days feels like that.

Dima

Usually, bloaters grow in tank rooms. And this is not the gas station we intended to reach, this is another one.

Catalina

steps back from the tank immediately, her hand going to her rifle, eyes moving to the corners of the room where the light does not reach, then to the ceiling You are right. very low Wrong station. moves back toward the door slowly, keeping her back to the wall How far past this one is the Torres station?

Dima

I estimate it's like two and a half hours.

Catalina

she is already moving back through the station toward the forecourt door, checking before stepping out Then we did not drink from this tank and we keep moving. pauses at the door, looking back at him Did you touch anything in the tank room?

Dima

Of course not. I was talking to you all this time.

Catalina

steps out onto the forecourt, a short breath escaping her Good. picks up the pace south, staying close to the building line I should have checked the map Torres gave us more carefully before we stopped. a silence, her eyes ahead My fault.

Dima

Why so many WLF soldiers are so young and now they are sent without support?

Catalina

moves along the building line, her voice just above a whisper, her eyes staying on the street ahead We stopped getting older recruits around the time the desertions started. a pause Anyone with enough experience to question orders had already left or died. So they took younger ones. Fifteen, sixteen. a short silence I knew a girl called Petra, she was assigned to my unit at fourteen. Told us she was sixteen. Nobody checked. her jaw tightens slightly She lasted three months.

Dima

Oh my god, so young...

Catalina

says nothing for a moment, stepping carefully over a section of cracked pavement where water has pooled deep Command knew. quietly They always knew. Younger soldiers do not ask questions. They follow because they do not know yet that they can refuse. a pause I was seventeen when I joined. I thought I was old enough to make that decision. a short silence, the street opening slightly ahead of them I was not.

Dima

And then everywhere where people were traveling, you would see graveyards and other things I would rather not describe because the WLF does not let anyone pass or camp.

Catalina

slows at a junction, checking both ways before crossing, then continues We called it perimeter enforcement. her voice stays flat, measured, naming it for what it was Anyone outside the approved routes was considered a threat. a pause I enforced that order. a short silence, her boots finding the drier centre of the road There were families sometimes. People just trying to move south or east, no weapons, nothing. does not finish the sentence, just keeps walking I did not let myself think about it at the time. You learn how to not think about things.

Dima

I think I also learned about how to not think about things, although I was about to have a tear in my eyes when I have seen you.

Catalina

glances at him briefly as they walk, her expression open in the way it only gets when she is caught off guard by something honest You hid it well. a pause You sat down next to me like it was the most normal thing in the world. her eyes return to the street ahead I think that is why I did not raise the rifle. You were not afraid of me. Or if you were, you did not let it show. a short silence That was the first time in a long time that someone looked at me like I was just a person.

Dima

Because you are, and because I wanted affection.

Catalina

keeps walking, the street ahead long and grey and empty, overgrown verges on both sides pushing through the asphalt, no sign yet of the correct gas station And you found it in a spore-infested subway from someone who almost shot you. a quiet pause, a breath that came close to a laugh Life is strange. adjusts the pack on her shoulders, the computer shifting inside I wanted it too. I just did not know it until you sat down.

Dima

And I wanted your hug, and I still want it.

Catalina

walks for a moment without answering, her eyes on the road, and then she reaches over without breaking stride and puts an arm around his shoulders briefly, pulling him close for just a few steps before letting go and returning her hand to the rifle There. quietly, her eyes ahead Now watch the left side, that building has open windows on the ground floor.

Dima

Well, it's dark.

Catalina

glances at the building, reading the windows, then nods once Dark is worse. her voice just above a whisper You see them when they move. In the dark you only hear them. edges slightly right, giving the building more distance Keep moving, don't slow down near the openings.

Dima

There are no infected around here, and there is no signal growth. But still, we need to be careful. We are on the street and we do not intend to enter the building.

Catalina

lowers the rifle slightly, her posture easing by a fraction, her eyes still moving but her grip loose You know a lot for someone who was building machines in Sidliste. a pause, the empty street stretching ahead of them The spore signals, the egg clusters, Jakarta, the grain screening. glances at him Where did you learn all of it?

Dima

I read a lot of documents, and then the technical curricula was pretty specialized.

Catalina

walks quietly for a moment, processing that They taught all of this in the Collective. As standard curriculum. a pause We had no schools. We had briefings. Thirty seconds before a patrol telling you which sector was hot and which direction to shoot. a short silence, the road curving gently south, still no gas station I can field strip a rifle in the dark and I could not have told you where the infection started until two minutes ago. looks at him What else do you know that I do not?

Dima

Well, the WLF stadium actually has a school...

Catalina

a short silence, her eyes ahead It did. quietly For the younger children. Basic things. Reading, numbers. a pause It closed when I was nine. They needed the space for supplies. steps around a rusted car half-mounted on the kerb, checking the interior out of habit as they pass After that it was whatever your unit taught you. a short silence Petra could not read when she joined. Nobody had ever taught her.

Dima

The Collective, as a more scientific and industrialized society, teaches everyone how to read, calculate and reason.

Catalina

she is quiet for a moment, the road still empty ahead, a faint smell of pine and wet concrete in the cold air Reason. says the word like she is turning it over That is the one they left out entirely. a pause The WLF taught you to follow the logic of whoever was giving orders. If command said the Seraphites were the enemy, that was the whole picture. No further questions. a short silence I think if someone had taught me to reason at nine years old, I would have left a lot sooner. spots something at the far end of the block, a faded canopy, a forecourt That might be it.

Dima

For example, different syllogisms get different names, like DARII and BARBARA. A syllogism is formed of three sentences which must be all positive and follow a standard structure. A Barbara syllogism, named after the place we are going to in the end, is formed of a sentence that says all A are B, all B are D and then from the fact that both sentences are true, all A are D.

Catalina

slows as they approach the forecourt, checking it carefully before committing, the canopy intact, the familiar shape of a storage door at the back, then glances at him while she scans So if all infected come from cordyceps, and all cordyceps come from grain particles, then all infected come from grain particles. a pause, her eyes returning to the forecourt That is a Barbara. looks at him Named after a city neither of us has been to yet. moves across the forecourt low and quick, reaches the station wall, checks the smell at the tank room door before opening it No rust. quietly This is the right one.

Dima

Please don't go into all the buildings possible, this building is too large to be the destination.

Catalina

stops at the tank room door without opening it, reading the building again, the size of it, the layout of the forecourt You are right. steps back Torres said a gas station. This is more like a depot. turns back to the street How far do you think we still have?

Dima

More like an hour and forty minutes.

Catalina

moves back onto the road south, picking up the pace slightly Then we keep moving. a pause Tell me another syllogism. It keeps the walk short.

Dima

The DARII syllogism is when I say all A are B, some B are C and then it results that some A are C. Of course this is one of the four valid figures of the syllogism, because we also have all A are B but this time we say some A are C. Of course, we need to follow several rules to make sure the syllogism is valid, as not all are in certain combinations.

Catalina

walks steadily, her eyes moving in their usual pattern across the street ahead, rooflines, windows, gaps between buildings So DARII gives you a partial conclusion. Not all, just some. a pause Which means it is weaker than Barbara but still valid. a short silence What makes a syllogism invalid? When one of the rules breaks?

Dima

Well, for example I say, "All people have restrictions" and then I say "I am exempt from some restrictions", therefore, "Some people are exempt from some restrictions", that is not valid.

Catalina

thinks about that for a few steps, her boots finding the drier centre of the road Because the second sentence switches from the general to a specific case and then tries to draw a general conclusion from it. a pause The WLF command did that constantly. quietly All enemies of the WLF deserve to die. You are outside our perimeter. Therefore you deserve to die. a short silence, a rusted sign half-buried in ferns passing on their left The middle sentence was never examined. It was just assumed. glances at him Is there a name for that kind of error?

Dima

The WLF can say that all enemies deserve to die, anyone outside the perimeter is an enemy, therefore, anyone outside the perimeter deserves to die. But of course, while the syllogism may seem valid, we are making another logical error that is covered here, called a sophism.

Catalina

walks quietly for a moment, the road beginning to open slightly ahead, fewer collapsed buildings on this stretch, more overgrown green pushing through everything A sophism. a pause The error is in the definition. Anyone outside the perimeter becomes an enemy by definition, not by anything they actually did. a short silence So the whole structure looks valid but it is built on a false premise that nobody was allowed to question. glances at him The WLF ran entirely on sophisms. quietly We just did not have a word for it.

Dima

That's right, you have correctly identified the sophism without me telling you what it is.

Catalina

a short silence, her eyes ahead I always knew something was wrong with the reasoning. a pause I could feel it before I could name it. Like a weight that does not sit right but you cannot find where it is coming from. steps around a section of broken kerb That is why Petra bothered me so much. Command said she was a soldier because she was in the perimeter. The perimeter said she was old enough because she was carrying a rifle. The rifle said she was ready because command had given it to her. a short silence Everything justified everything else and none of it ever touched the actual question.

Dima

Another sophism that the WLF used besides coercion is argumentum ad populum, or appealing to the masses to produce an appeal to force, so it's a double sophism.

Catalina

walks steadily, the road beginning to slope gently downward, and she can smell something different on the air, faint petrol and old rubber Everyone believes the Seraphites are monsters, therefore they must be monsters, therefore we are right to kill them. a pause And if you disagreed, the mass of people around you who believed it became the pressure. a short silence I disagreed once, early on. A senior soldier told me I was the only one who thought that way. glances at him I was not. I found that out much later. But in the moment it worked. I went quiet for three years. stops, reads the street ahead, then points to a low canopy maybe four hundred metres south, the right scale this time, a single pump forecourt visible even from here That is it.

Dima

You are really smart.

Catalina

starts moving toward the forecourt, her pace measured I just had a lot of time to notice things I was not allowed to say out loud. a short silence, the canopy growing closer You gave me the words for them. a pause That is different from being smart. glances at him briefly You are the smart one. I just followed the logic once someone showed me it was allowed.

Dima

And then there is the sorite syllogism, where multiple syllogisms are linked together, but of course, that is more complicated. So I say all A are B, all B are C therefore all A are C but then all C are D and some D are E, therefore, some C are E. I think we can sit here, even though it's not the exact one, lost track of time.

Catalina

reaches the gas station forecourt and does a quick pass of the perimeter before stopping, checking the pump island, the canopy supports, the storage door at the back, then leans against the station wall and looks at him So the sorite chains conclusions together. Each one becomes the premise of the next. a pause Which means if the first premise is a sophism, every conclusion after it is built on the same false ground. looks at the tank room door, smells it from where she stands, nods once Clean. slides down the wall slightly, taking the weight off her feet for the first time since the warehouse And yes. We sit here. looks at him Finish the sorite.

Dima

Now it's time for you to try to make a sorite you have experienced that is a sophism. A sophism by the way is intentionally deceiving, something that is erroneous but not intentional is called a paralogism.

Catalina

she is quiet for a moment, her back against the station wall, eyes on the empty forecourt Alright. a pause, thinking carefully All true WLF members are loyal. All loyal people follow orders without question. Therefore all true WLF members follow orders without question. a short silence Then. All people who follow orders without question are strong. All strong people protect the WLF. Therefore all people who follow orders without question protect the WLF. looks at him And then the final link. All who protect the WLF deserve to survive. We follow orders without question. Therefore we deserve to survive and those outside do not. a silence Every step looks connected. But the first premise is the sophism. Loyalty was defined as obedience before anyone had a chance to question what they were being loyal to.

Dima

Let's check the store of the gas station.

Catalina

pushes off the wall and tries the station door, finds it unlocked, pushes it open slowly and stands in the frame for a moment letting her eyes adjust to the dim interior before stepping in Shelves are mostly bare. moves along the first row, checking behind the counter, then the back wall Someone came through here before us. Recently enough that the dust is disturbed. crouches by a low shelf near the floor, where things get missed by people moving quickly There is something here. pulls out two tins and a small cardboard box, sets them on the counter and looks at him Your eyes are better in this light. What are these?

Dima

he scours through the counter until he finds something A logic book!

Catalina

looks at the book in his hands, then at him, and something crosses her face that is close to a smile Of course you found a logic book in a gas station. a pause, she picks up one of the tins and reads the label in the dim light Sardines. Still sealed. sets it down and opens the cardboard box carefully Matches. Dry ones. looks back at the book What is it exactly?

Dima

he opens the book and looks at the index Let's take everything in our packs and go outside to read.

Catalina

sweeps the counter items into her pack, the two tins and the matches, then checks behind the counter one more time before following him out into the forecourt light, settling against the pump island where the canopy gives some cover and she can see both ends of the street What does the index say?

Dima

It's... everything about logic, and looks like there is a really detailed index of fallacies and all the possible valid argumentation ways.

Catalina

leans over to read alongside him, her shoulder against his

AN INTRODUCTION TO FORMAL LOGIC Third Edition Principles of Valid Reasoning, Fallacy, and Argumentation --- PART ONE: FOUNDATIONS 1. Propositions and Truth Values ........... 3 2. The Categorical Syllogism ............... 18 3. The Four Figures ........................ 31 4. Valid Moods: Barbara, Celarent, Darii, Ferio and others ................. 44 5. The Sorite .............................. 67 PART TWO: FALLACIES 6. Formal Fallacies ........................ 81 Undistributed Middle .................... 83 Illicit Major / Illicit Minor ........... 89 Negative Premises ....................... 94 7. Informal Fallacies ...................... 101 Sophism and Paralogism .................. 103 Argumentum ad Populum ................... 112 Argumentum ad Hominem ................... 118 Argumentum ad Baculum ................... 124 Straw Man ............................... 130 False Dichotomy ......................... 137 Slippery Slope .......................... 143 8. Classical Greek Origins ................. 151 PART THREE: ARGUMENTATION 9. Deductive Reasoning ..................... 167 10. Inductive Reasoning .................... 182 11. Abductive Reasoning .................... 196 12. The Socratic Method .................... 211 APPENDICES A. Complete Table of Valid Syllogisms ...... 229 B. Glossary of Latin Terms ................. 241 C. Exercises and Solutions ................. 251

Catalina

reads the index slowly, her finger tracing down the columns, stopping at page 124 Argumentum ad Baculum. quietly What is that one?

Dima

It must be argument by coercion. he turns to page 124, the paper slightly yellowed but fully legible, the binding cracking faintly at the spine

CHAPTER 7, SECTION 3 ARGUMENTUM AD BACULUM (Appeal to the Stick / Argument by Force) The argumentum ad baculum, from the Latin 'baculum' meaning staff or stick, is an informal fallacy in which the arguer substitutes force, threat, or coercion for legitimate reasoning. STRUCTURE: If you do not accept conclusion C, something unpleasant will happen to you. Therefore C is true. The conclusion does not follow from the threat. A proposition cannot be made true by the application of force. The arguer confuses the question of what is true with the question of what is safe to believe. EXAMPLE: "All enemies of the state deserve punishment. You disagree with the state. Therefore you deserve punishment." The threat implied in the final line produces compliance but not genuine assent. The listener may behave as if convinced while remaining unconvinced. NOTE: The argumentum ad baculum is frequently combined with the argumentum ad populum to produce a double fallacy of considerable social force. The individual faces not only the threat of punishment but the isolation of standing alone against a consensus. See also: Sophism (p.103), Ad Populum (p.112), False Dichotomy (p.137)

Catalina

reads the last paragraph twice, very quietly The individual faces not only the threat of punishment but the isolation of standing alone against a consensus. a pause, her eyes staying on the page That is exactly what happened to me when I disagreed that one time. Both at once. a short silence They had a name for it in 1800 or whenever this was written and the WLF reinvented it without knowing.

Dima

he turns back to page 103, then forward through each section

CHAPTER 7, SECTION 1 SOPHISM AND PARALOGISM (p.103) A sophism is a deliberately constructed argument that appears valid but contains a concealed error, intended to deceive. A paralogism shares the same structural error but arises from genuine mistake rather than intent to mislead. DISTINGUISHING THE TWO: The sophist knows the argument is flawed and uses it anyway. The paralogist believes the argument is sound. The danger of prolonged exposure to sophism is that the listener may eventually internalize the false structure and reproduce it as paralogism, no longer aware of the original deception. This is the mechanism by which institutional sophism becomes genuinely held belief.

Catalina

stops him turning the page Read that last part again. he reads it again That is what happened to most of us. a pause We started as people being deceived and ended as people who genuinely believed it. nods for him to continue

CHAPTER 7, SECTION 2 ARGUMENTUM AD POPULUM (Appeal to the Masses / p.112) The arguer claims a proposition is true because a large number of people believe it to be true. STRUCTURE: Most people believe X. Therefore X is true. The number of believers has no bearing on the truth value of a proposition. History provides numerous examples of widely held beliefs later proven false. COMBINED FALLACY: When paired with ad baculum, the individual faces both social pressure and threat of punishment simultaneously, producing near-total compliance in institutional settings.

CHAPTER 7, SECTION 5 FALSE DICHOTOMY (p.137) The arguer presents two options as if they are the only possibilities, when in fact other alternatives exist. STRUCTURE: Either A or B. Not A. Therefore B. The fallacy lies in the suppressed premise that A and B are exhaustive. If other options exist, the conclusion does not follow. EXAMPLE: "You are either with us or against us." This formulation eliminates all intermediate or unaligned positions, forcing a binary choice where none naturally exists.

Catalina

looks up from the page, her eyes on the empty forecourt for a moment You are either with us or against us. flatly That was the first thing they told us when we joined. Word for word. a short silence I thought it was just something people said.

Dima

he turns forward to Part Three, page 167

PART THREE: ARGUMENTATION CHAPTER 9 DEDUCTIVE REASONING (p.167) Deductive reasoning moves from general premises to a specific conclusion. If the premises are true and the argument is valid, the conclusion must be true. This is the strongest form of reasoning but depends entirely on the truth of its starting premises. A valid argument built on false premises produces a false conclusion with perfect logical consistency. CHAPTER 10 INDUCTIVE REASONING (p.182) Inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to a general conclusion. Unlike deduction, the conclusion is probable rather than certain, even when all premises are true. EXAMPLE: Every crow observed has been black. Therefore all crows are black. The conclusion is well supported but remains open to revision should a non-black crow be observed. CHAPTER 11 ABDUCTIVE REASONING (p.196) Abductive reasoning selects the simplest and most likely explanation for a set of observations. It does not guarantee truth but produces the most workable hypothesis given available evidence. Commonly used in diagnosis, navigation, and survival situations where certainty is unavailable and a decision must still be made.

Catalina

reads the abductive reasoning entry twice, then looks at him That last one. That is what we do every day out here. a pause We see signs of infected, we pick the most likely explanation for them, we make a decision. a short silence I have been doing abductive reasoning since I was seventeen and I did not know it had a name either.

Dima

And then using inductive reasoning, I have been saying that the infected with their eggs tend to grow more in humid environments, and I also noticed that they tend to grow mostly where it's also dark, as I have largely not seen growths where is light.

Catalina

looks at the page, then at him So humidity and darkness together. a pause Which means the subway was ideal conditions and the gas station forecourt is not. glances around the open canopy, the grey daylight coming through evenly Open, dry enough, exposed. a short silence That is also why the WLF outposts on high ground stayed cleaner than the ones in the lowlands. We noticed it but nobody connected it to anything. It was just considered better luck. looks back at the book Inductive reasoning that nobody followed through on because nobody had the framework to take it further.

Dima

You seem to like being taught logic.

Catalina

looks at the book for a moment, then at him, something honest in her expression I like that it gives names to things I already felt but could not say. a pause It is like finding out that the weight you have been carrying has a label on it. closes the book carefully and hands it back to him Keep this. It is more useful in your pack than mine.

Dima

I think you can keep it in your pack, because it might be more useful to you.

Catalina

takes it back, looking at it for a moment before sliding it into her pack carefully, away from the computer Alright. a short silence, her eyes moving to the street south I will read it properly when we stop tonight. stands, adjusting the pack We should move. The bridge is still ahead and the light is going to be better for the crossing in the next hour than later in the day.

Dima

Alright, let's move.

Catalina

steps out from under the canopy onto the road, checks south, then looks back at him Stay close on the bridge approach. Torres said east walkway only and I want to be sure we find it before we commit to the crossing. starts moving, her pace steady and quiet

Catalina

reaches the far end of the east walkway and steps off onto solid ground, her boots finding cracked tarmac, and she stops to look back at the bridge behind them, the water dark and slow beneath it That is the worst part of this route done. turns south, checking the road ahead

Dima

It's done, now we can truly rest.

Catalina

spots a low concrete wall running along the edge of what used to be a parking area, dry on the south-facing side, sheltered from the wind, and moves toward it, setting her pack down and sliding her back against it until she is sitting on the ground Come here. pats the concrete beside her Rest up. We earned it.

Dima

he sits beside her quietly

Catalina

lets her head rest back against the concrete, looking up at the grey sky, her rifle loose across her knees I want to say something. a pause Nobody ever sat down with me and explained why something felt wrong. They just told me what to think and expected me to stop there. a short silence You gave me words for things I have been carrying since I was seventeen. glances at him That matters more than you probably realize.

Dima

You have always felt so much of that gratitude and told me.

Catalina

a short silence, her eyes returning to the sky I am not used to saying things like that out loud. a pause In the WLF you learned very quickly that showing gratitude was the same as showing a weakness, that someone would use it. looks at him With you it just came out and that is new for me.

Dima

he extends his arms slowly

Catalina

looks at his arms for a moment, then shifts her weight and leans into him, her head against his shoulder, the rifle resting across both their laps, her eyes staying on the road south Rest up. quietly Both of us.

Dima

I think we can put your rifle on the side.

Catalina

reaches over and sets the rifle carefully against the concrete wall beside her, within reach but out of the way, then settles back against him Better. a short silence, the road quiet, only the sound of wind through the overgrown verges and water dripping somewhere beneath the bridge behind them

Dima

he looks at Catalina's hands They are so muddy, like me...

Catalina

lifts her hand slowly and holds it beside his, turning them both so the palms face up, the mud sitting in the same creases, the same lines across the knuckles Same dirt. quietly, looking at them both Different roads to get here.

Dima

I have never got a close-up look of someone who was not in my faction.

Catalina

keeps her hand beside his, not pulling it away What do you see?

Dima

That we have been through similar struggles after all.

Catalina

she is quiet for a moment, her hand still beside his, the mud drying in the same patterns across both Yeah. softly I noticed it on the bridge. I was watching where you stepped and I realized I was not thinking about the route anymore. I was just thinking about you getting across safely. a pause The lines dissolve when you are not looking. closes her fingers around his slowly

Dima

And then when I taught logic, it was about teaching you something to make you better, because it could be useful in survival.

Catalina

her thumb moves slightly against his knuckles I know. a pause And it worked the other way too. Every fallacy you named, I had lived it. So I was not just learning logic. I was understanding my own life in a way I never had before. a short silence You were teaching me and I was teaching you what it looks like from the inside.

Dima

small tears start appearing in his eyes I just had some very stupid from you, and I also wanted to make you feel good...

Catalina

turns her head to look at him, her expression open and unhurried Not stupid. quietly You wanted to give something to someone. reaches up with her free hand and wipes the corner of his eye gently with her thumb, the mud on both their hands forgotten That is not stupid. That is one of the only things that still means anything out here.

Dima

tears continue flowing in a short silence I... I didn't want to give something to anyone... he blinks slowly and tries to breathe slowly I only wanted to feel loved myself... and I...

Catalina

says nothing at all for a moment, just holds his hand tighter and stays close, her shoulder firm against his I know. very quietly You do not have to explain it. a short silence, the wind moving through the ferns across the road I am here. That is not going to change on the other side of a bridge.

Dima

his voice starts to drop I hope... I want to always keep you alive, that's why I have told you to not check certain things where you shouldn't... because I care about you...

Catalina

turns slightly toward him, her forehead coming to rest against the side of his head, her voice just above a whisper I know you do. a pause And I am going to keep myself alive because I have a reason to now. a short silence You gave me that too. her hand tightens around his Stop hoping and start believing it. I am not going anywhere.

Dima

he notices tears in Catalina's eyes You are also starting to cry...

Catalina

does not try to hide it, just lets the tears sit there, her forehead still against his Yeah. a short silence I cried alone in that tunnel and I thought that was just how it was going to be from now on. quietly Apparently not. pulls him a little closer with the arm around his shoulders

Dima

I know... and I'll never leave you alone when you need me the most...

Catalina

turns and presses her face into his shoulder, both arms around him now, and says nothing at all for a long time, the road south empty and quiet ahead of them, the bridge behind them, the wind low across the wet tarmac

Dima

Now we're both so emotional...

Catalina

a short sound against his shoulder, somewhere between a laugh and a breath We are sitting in a parking lot south of a bloater bridge covered in the same mud crying on each other. a pause, her arms still around him Two days ago I was alone on a tile floor ready to give up. quietly Life moves fast.

Dima

It moves so fast, always has, just like time sometimes when we are not bored or when so much has passed. And then, it just feels so good to experience your warmth, to hold someone after a very long time of not touching anyone else except for me.

Catalina

stays where she is, her arms still around him, her voice muffled slightly against his shoulder I forgot what it felt like. a pause You stop noticing after a while. You just go numb and call it being strong. a short silence, the wind passing over them both This is real.

Dima

I want to gift you something, a shot of the vaccine...

Catalina

lifts her head from his shoulder slowly, looking at him, her eyes still wet You only have two doses. a pause, her hand still in his You brought one for yourself, one for someone you had not met yet, right? And now you want to give it to me. looks at him steadily Are you sure?

Dima

I have already been vaccinated with two doses. But I kept two in case I need them.

Catalina

looks at him for a long moment, then nods slowly Alright. quietly Show me what I need to do.

Dima

So, I need to show me your leg because the vaccine is inserted into the muscular zone where the infected usually bite, and it's most accessible on your feet. I have a sterilizing solution to clean the area I am going to send the shot on the side, which is going to sting for a bit.

Catalina

pulls up the side of her trouser leg, exposing the outer calf, the muscle there marked with a thin old scar from something that happened before, and holds still, her eyes on the road while she waits How long does it sting?

Dima

he slowly pulls out a dose, then a syringe, alcohol and a wipe, then applies alcohol to the wipe and the tip of the syringe A few seconds in the worst case.

Catalina

watches his hands work with the alcohol and the syringe, her leg still, her breathing steady You have done this before?

Dima

No, it's first time, but I have seen doctors in the Collective do it. It's to make sure that you don't get infected with another disease while the process happens. he then pulls out 0.5 ml from the dose and points the syringe to the side of her calf The cordyceps vaccine has a very long expiration date. It expires 5 or 10 years after it has been manufactured, although vials are in limited quantity. You will be injected with 0.5 ml of a sample substance that contains a dead variant of the human cordyceps fungi, along other substances like receptors that make it easier for the immune system to recognize the fungi before it integrates itself into the body. You will need another sample two weeks later.

Catalina

keeps her eyes on the road, her leg completely still, her jaw set slightly Understood. a short pause Do it.

Dima

he slowly approaches the tip of the syringe to her leg and eventually penetrates into the calf, then slowly pushes the syringe, then removes it and applies the alcohol wipe, tapping it gently into the injection site

Catalina

exhales slowly through her nose as the needle goes in, her hand tightening briefly on the concrete beside her, then releasing as he removes it and applies the wipe That stings, but less than I expected. looks down at the injection site, then at the empty syringe in his hand So that is it, two weeks and then the second one.

Dima

And soon, when you will enter a spore-infested place and for some reason you lose your mask, you will be less likely to be infected. Additionally, unlike earlier versions of the vaccine, when you will get bitten, if you manage to evade the bite, you are much much less likely to be turned into an infected one.

Catalina

pulls her trouser leg back down and looks at him Then next time I cross a tunnel, I leave the mask off. a pause Not yet, but eventually.

Dima

Never do that, but eventually.

Catalina

a short breath Eventually. leans back against his shoulder

Dima

he slowly opens up his arms Come, but then we'll go.

Catalina

settles back into him, her head against his shoulder, one arm around him, her eyes closing for just a moment One more minute. quietly Then we go.

Scene

later, after a few minutes, they eventually let go

Catalina

pulls back slowly, straightening up, her hands smoothing the front of her jacket, and reaches for the rifle on the wall beside her, then pauses before standing and looks at him When we stop tonight, I would want more of that. stands, swings her pack onto her shoulders, and extends a hand down to him Come on. South.

Dima

he puts on his pack and stands using her hand I know, it was so... I don't know what to say, nice, incredible...

Catalina

keeps hold of his hand for just a moment after he is on his feet, her thumb pressed against his knuckles, then lets go and turns to the road Both. a pause, already reading the route ahead, her pace settling into its quiet rhythm Nice and incredible are both correct. a short silence, the road south opening ahead of them, overgrown but passable Now tell me something else from that book while we walk.

Dima

I will not after that moment, just, not now.

Catalina

nods once, her eyes on the road, and says nothing more

Scene

Later, after a few hours, Dima is asleep and Catalina sits with her back against the wall of an abandoned shop south of the bridge, the computer on her knees, the screen dim in the low light.

Catalina

her fingers rest on the keys for a long moment before she starts, typing slowly, pausing between lines

Scene

She closes the computer. The screen goes dark. She sits with it on her knees for a long moment, her eyes on the middle distance, and then something in her face shifts and she sets the computer down carefully on the floor beside her and brings both hands up over her face and stays like that, very still, her shoulders moving just slightly.

Scene

The tears come quietly. She does not make a sound.

Scene

After a while she lowers her hands and looks across at him. She wipes her face with the back of her wrist. Then she reaches over and touches his shoulder.

Catalina

her voice barely above a whisper Dima. Hey.

Dima

he slowly wakes up and looks at her eyes You have tears...

Catalina

does not look away or try to hide it this time I wrote something down. About all of this. a short silence I did not expect it to hit me that hard. wipes her face again with her wrist I think I am not very good at knowing what I feel until I put it somewhere outside of myself.

Dima

he extends his arms Hey, you can come here.

Catalina

looks at his arms for a moment, then sets the computer against the wall and lies down beside him, her head against his shoulder, one hand against his chest, and says nothing for a while

Dima

he wipes her tears You must have been so tired being up this night...

Catalina

closes her eyes when he wipes her face I have been tired for a long time. quietly Not sleepy. The other kind. a short silence Tonight was the first time I understood how tired I actually was.

Dima

What do you mean?

Catalina

keeps her eyes closed, her voice low I have been carrying things for years and telling myself it was fine because I was still standing. a pause And then I wrote it all down and read it back and I thought, that is a lot. That is a very lot for one person to have been carrying alone. a short silence I did not know it was that heavy until I put it outside myself.

Dima

You wrote a note...

Catalina

opens her eyes and looks up at him On the computer. a pause I did not plan to. I just opened a file and started and then I could not stop. a short silence I wrote about the tunnel. About Yusuf. About you sitting down next to me. quietly About how nobody had looked at me like a person in a very long time. does not look away I do not know if I will ever show it to you. But I wanted you to know it exists.

Dima

Your eyes are always full of tears, and you don't have to stop crying.

Catalina

feels her eyes fill again and this time she does not press her wrist against them, just lets it happen, her face against his shoulder, her voice breaking slightly It is a lot. a pause, her breath uneven It is really a lot.

Dima

It's okay, you can cry as much as you want.

Catalina

holds onto him tighter, her voice muffled against his shoulder I used to do it in the dark. Wait until everyone was asleep and then just. does not finish the sentence for a moment And then in the morning act like nothing happened because if anyone saw you they used it. a short silence, her tears coming steadily now I do not have to do that right now. very quietly I do not have to do that right now.

Dima

You don't, and I like it when you show your emotions, you are full of empathy and feeling.

Catalina

she is quiet for a moment, still crying, and then something in her voice shifts into something softer I spent so long thinking the crying meant something was broken. a pause In the WLF if you felt things you were a liability. So I told myself I did not feel things. a short silence, her hand tightening slightly against his chest But I do. I feel everything and I always have. quietly, almost surprised by it I like feeling things with you next to me. It does not feel dangerous anymore.

Dima

I know, I know... and unlike most soldiers from what they seem, you really care about things...

Catalina

a short breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sob I cared about everything. a pause That was the problem. I cared about Petra and I could not save her. I cared about Yusuf and I lost him. I cared about what we were doing to people outside the perimeter and I had to bury it so deep I forgot it was there. a short silence, her voice quieter And then you sat down next to me and it all just. exhales slowly Came back up.

Dima

I have noticed that everything just surfaces when I sit next to you.

Catalina

tries to keep her voice steady Things I had not thought about in years. a pause There was a family. Outside the perimeter, maybe four years ago. A man and two children, a girl and a boy. The boy was very small. her voice holds for a moment, then does not I followed the order. I turned them back. It was winter. a short silence, her breath catching I never found out what happened to them. I told myself I did not want to know. the tears come again, quieter this time, deeper I think I knew. I think I always knew. presses her face against his shoulder I am so sorry. I am so sorry for all of it.

Dima

he wraps his arms around her, squeezing her lightly It's okay, couldn't decide otherwise at that time...

Catalina

stays in his arms, her breathing slowly evening out, her voice very small I know. a pause I know I could not. I was twenty years old and I had never been taught to refuse. a short silence But knowing that does not make the boy go away. is quiet for a long moment, her hand still against his chest I think I needed to say it out loud. Just once. To someone who would not use it against me. quietly Thank you for being that person.

Dima

I will never use that against you. For me, the trip became less about going south and more like finding something alive in you.

Catalina

a short silence, her voice barely above a whisper I thought that tunnel was where I was going to end. a pause Just the red lights and the tile and the filter clicking. exhales slowly And then you came through a vent.

Dima

I know how all that happened, you often remember things.

Catalina

a quiet breath, almost a laugh I keep going back to that tunnel. a pause I have mentioned it how many times now. a short silence I think my head is still in there a little bit. Still on that floor. quietly Still surprised someone sat down.

Dima

You are shocked...

Catalina

nods slowly against his shoulder Yeah. a long silence I think I am still waiting for it to stop being real.

Dima

It does not stop being real, you can accept that feeling.

Catalina

she is quiet for a long moment, her breathing slow and steady now, the tears finished Okay. very quietly, like she is tasting the word Okay. a short silence I accept it. her hand relaxes against his chest It is real and you are real. a pause I am going to try to sleep now.

Scene

Dima is asleep. Catalina sits with her back against the wall, the morning light coming in pale and flat through the gaps in the shelter wall. She lies still for a moment listening to the road outside before sitting up slowly, careful not to wake him. She lifts the computer from beside her and slides it into her pack, then pulls the logic book out instead and opens it in her lap, the morning light just enough to read by.

CHAPTER 3 THE FOUR FIGURES (p.31) Every syllogism is built from three terms: the major term, the minor term, and the middle term. The middle term appears in both premises but never in the conclusion. Its position within the premises defines the figure of the syllogism. FIGURE 1 Middle term: subject of major premise, predicate of minor premise. M - P S - M S - P FIGURE 2 Middle term: predicate of both premises. P - M S - M S - P FIGURE 3 Middle term: subject of both premises. M - P M - S S - P FIGURE 4 Middle term: predicate of major premise, subject of minor premise. P - M M - S S - P

CHAPTER 4 VALID MOODS AND PROPOSITIONAL TYPES (p.44) Each premise in a syllogism is one of four propositional types, denoted by the vowels A, E, I, O. A Universal Affirmative All S are P. E Universal Negative No S are P. I Particular Affirmative Some S are P. O Particular Negative Some S are not P. A mood is the sequence of propositional types across the two premises and the conclusion. Not all moods are valid in all figures. The valid moods by figure are as follows. FIGURE 1 Barbara AAA All M-P, All S-M: All S-P Celarent EAE No M-P, All S-M: No S-P Darii AII All M-P, Some S-M: Some S-P Ferio EIO No M-P, Some S-M: Some S not-P FIGURE 2 Cesare EAE No P-M, All S-M: No S-P Camestres AEE All P-M, No S-M: No S-P Festino EIO No P-M, Some S-M: Some S not-P Baroco AOO All P-M, Some S not-M: Some S not-P FIGURE 3 Darapti AAI All M-P, All M-S: Some S-P Disamis IAI Some M-P, All M-S: Some S-P Datisi AII All M-P, Some M-S: Some S-P Felapton EAO No M-P, All M-S: Some S not-P Bocardo OAO Some M not-P, All M-S: Some S not-P Ferison EIO No M-P, Some M-S: Some S not-P FIGURE 4 Bramantip AAI All P-M, All M-S: Some S-P Camenes AEE All P-M, No M-S: No S-P Dimaris IAI Some P-M, All M-S: Some S-P Fesapo EAO No P-M, All M-S: Some S not-P Fresison EIO No P-M, Some M-S: Some S not-P NOTE: The names encode the mood. The vowels in each name give the propositional types in order: major premise, minor premise, conclusion. Barbara = A, A, A. Celarent = E, A, E. And so on.

Catalina

reads the note at the bottom twice, then looks up from the page, her eyes on the far wall, working it out quietly to herself

Dima

he starts to wake up as the light infiltrates the shelter

Catalina

hears him stir and glances over, the book still open in her lap, her finger holding her place Morning. quietly, her eyes going back to the page for just a moment before closing the book Barbara is AAA. I worked that out just now without looking at the name.

Dima

Good, but hope you understand what the letters mean.

Catalina

opens the book again, turning back a few pages I think I do. A is all, E is none, I is some, O is some not. a pause, her finger finding the page But I read it quickly. Let me go back. turns to the earlier section and reads more carefully, then slows down, her finger stopping on something There is a diagram here I did not see last night.

SECTION 2.4 THE SQUARE OF OPPOSITION (p.27) The four propositional types stand in defined logical relationships to one another, represented by the Square of Opposition. A ----contraries---- E | | subalterns subalterns | | I --subcontraries-- O CONTRADICTORIES (diagonal) A and O cannot both be true, and cannot both be false. E and I cannot both be true, and cannot both be false. CONTRARIES (top) A and E cannot both be true, but can both be false. SUBCONTRARIES (bottom) I and O cannot both be false, but can both be true. SUBALTERNS (sides) If A is true, I must be true. If E is true, O must be true. The reverse does not hold. The square provides a map of how any one proposition constrains the truth value of the others. Knowing one corner tells you something about all four.

Catalina

looks up at him, the diagram still in front of her So if you know that all soldiers follow orders without question is false, then you automatically know that some soldiers do not follow orders without question must be true. a pause That is the subaltern going the other way. looks back at the page The WLF told us the top was always true. All and none. There was no some.

Dima

Of course, because it sounded stronger.

Catalina

nods slowly, still looking at the square And if you keep people at A and E, they never have to think about I and O. a pause Some soldiers question orders. Some enemies are not threats. Some people outside the perimeter deserve to live. closes the book, her thumb holding the page The moment you allow some, the whole structure gets complicated. a short silence They could not afford complicated.

Dima

he points to the later pages of the book But not affording to be complicated, you know what it results.

Catalina

turns to the fallacy section, leafing through until she slows on a passage she has not read, her finger moving down the page

CHAPTER 7, SECTION 1.2 SUPPRESSION OF PARTICULARS (p.108) A common and deliberate form of sophism involves the systematic suppression of particular propositions (I and O) in favour of universal ones (A and E). By training an audience to reason only in universals, the sophist eliminates the cognitive space in which exceptions, doubts, and counterexamples can exist. MECHANISM: Replace: Some enemies may be harmless. With: All enemies are dangerous. The particular is not refuted. It is never introduced. The audience is never given the opportunity to consider it. EFFECT ON INSTITUTIONS: In closed institutional settings, the sustained use of universal propositions produces a population incapable of forming particular judgements. Members lose the habit of exception. Cruelty becomes administrative rather than personal, and is therefore easier to sustain and harder to refuse. This mechanism is distinct from simple lying. The sophist need not assert anything false. It is sufficient to ensure that certain true things are never said at all.

Catalina

reads the last paragraph again, very slowly, then sets the book down on her knee and stares at it It is sufficient to ensure that certain true things are never said at all. a long silence That is exactly what they did. They never had to lie to us. They just never said some. quietly And we stopped looking for it ourselves.

Dima

Yeah... and then you have been sent to missions while sixteen or younger from what I've heard from you and then you were never taught what a sophism is.

Catalina

a short silence, her eyes on the page Petra could not have read this book. quietly She could not read anything.

Dima

I know, and then why they taught you to read but not her?

Catalina

she is quiet for a moment, her thumb still holding the page The school closed when I was nine. She came after that. a pause I got just enough to be useful. She got nothing. a short silence And command did not care because you do not need to read to follow an order. closes the book You just need to be young enough to believe it is the right one.

Dima

Oh, now I remember...

Catalina

a short breath, quiet It has been a lot of days. tucks the book into her pack and reaches for her rifle I will tell you again whenever you need. stands, checking the shelter entrance briefly Are you ready to move?

Dima

Thanks, and I am ready.

Catalina

pulls the pack onto her shoulders, checks the road through the gap in the wall, then glances back at him The gas station notes said the Seraphite marker is three kilometres past the water tank. We walk the centre line and we do not slow down near the grass on either side. pushes the entrance open and steps out into the pale morning Stay close.

Scene

The road south runs straight and open for most of the morning. The Seraphite marker appears at the edge of a long curve, a carved post half-consumed by vines at the roadside, the rope traps invisible in the grass on both sides exactly as Torres described. They walk the centre line in silence, single file, the ground either side undisturbed.

Scene

They are two hundred metres past the marker when the detachment steps out from the tree line. Four soldiers, rifles raised, a fifth hanging back at the edge of the road. The leader is a woman in her thirties, her WLF jacket newer than Catalina's.

WLF Commander

her eyes move from Catalina's jacket to Dima and back Stop there. a pause That jacket says you are one of ours. The man behind you says otherwise.

Catalina

stops, hands open and away from her rifle, her voice level I was one of yours. Perimeter east. Martinez's unit before that.

WLF Commander

Was.

Catalina

Was. does not flinch Martinez is gone. The unit dissolved. I have no base to return to.

WLF Commander

her rifle stays up You are traveling south with a Collective man. That makes you a deserter at best and a collaborator at worst.

Catalina

a short pause Those are not the only two options.

WLF Commander

quietly What?

Catalina

You said best and worst. Deserter or collaborator. her voice stays entirely calm But you are presenting two conclusions as if they are exhaustive when they are not. A third is that I am a soldier without a unit who found company on a dangerous road. That is also consistent with what you are looking at.

WLF Commander

a silence, her eyes narrowing You are making an argument.

Catalina

I am asking you to look at what is actually in front of you before you decide what it means. a pause We came past the Seraphite marker on the centre line. We touched nothing. We are carrying a pack and a logic book and a fifty year old computer. We have not raised a weapon. glances briefly at the grass on either side of the road You have four rifles on two people who are standing still with their hands open. What exactly do you believe we are?

WLF Soldier 2

quietly, to the commander She talks like a Collective person.

Catalina

looks at him directly I talk like someone who spent last night reading a book. a pause The Collective did not teach me that. I picked it up off the ground three kilometres back.

WLF Commander

a long silence, her rifle lowering by a fraction Where are you heading?

Catalina

South. Communities by the coast. does not elaborate, just holds the commander's gaze We are not a threat to you. We are not carrying anything you need. Stopping us costs you time on a patrol and gains you nothing. quietly That is not a good enough reason.

WLF Commander

another silence, reading her Torres cleared you?

Catalina

a pause, the name landing between them You know Torres?

WLF Commander

He is my unit commander. flatly He radioed ahead. Said two travelers, south route, WLF jacket and a Collective man with an old machine. Said let them through. lowers her rifle fully I wanted to see if the story held.

Catalina

a short exhale, the only sign of what the last two minutes cost her Did it?

WLF Commander

steps aside It held. a pause, something shifting in her expression You said best and worst were not the only two options. quietly Where did you learn that?

Catalina

picks up her pace, passing the detachment, her shoulder close to Dima's A gas station. does not look back Chapter seven.

Dima

Sophisms... or what chapter it was?

Catalina

pulls the book from her pack without slowing, flipping to the index and running her finger down it while she walks

PART TWO: FALLACIES 7. Informal Fallacies ...................... 101 Sophism and Paralogism .................. 103 Suppression of Particulars .............. 108 Argumentum ad Populum ................... 112 Argumentum ad Hominem ................... 118 Argumentum ad Baculum ................... 124 Straw Man ............................... 130 False Dichotomy ......................... 137 Slippery Slope .......................... 143

Catalina

turns to page 137 and reads while walking, her pace not dropping

CHAPTER 7, SECTION 5 FALSE DICHOTOMY (p.137) The arguer presents two options as if they are the only possibilities, when in fact other alternatives exist. The false dichotomy is among the most effective tools of institutional control precisely because it appears decisive and clear. In reality it forecloses reasoning before it can begin.

Catalina

closes the book and looks at him False dichotomy. Section five. a pause She said deserter or collaborator. I said there is a third option. slides the book back into her pack That is all it was.

Dima

Good, so there it is.

Scene

Behind them, far enough back now to be almost carried off by the wind, the commander's voice reaches them one last time.

WLF Commander

calling after them, measured, something closer to reluctant respect Chapter seven. I will remember that.

Scene

The detachment does not follow.

Catalina

walks beside him, the road wider here, the city thinning out around them into overgrown lots and collapsed storefronts, the skyline behind them lower than it was this morning, and she is quiet for a long stretch before she speaks Can I ask you something?

Dima

Yeah, sure.

Catalina

keeps her eyes on the road ahead, her voice even What were you actually looking for when you left Sidliste? a pause Not the machine. Not the communities south. glances at him briefly The real reason.

Dima

I was looking for a new life, away from all the depressing and tireless labor.

Catalina

a short silence, the road carrying them past a rusted chain-link fence where something green has taken over completely That is the surface answer. quietly, without accusation I have given you a few of those myself. looks at him What was the thing underneath it?

Dima

I was bored, there was not much to do in Sidliste, and besides, I'm young and at the same time I want to discover something. It's so hard to give you a deeper answer.

Catalina

nods slowly, not pushing That is already deeper than the first one. a pause, a ruined petrol station passing on their left, the canopy long since collapsed into the forecourt Young and wanting something you cannot name yet. quietly I understand that. I joined the WLF for the same reason without knowing it. They gave me a name for what I wanted and I took it because at least it was something. a short silence The difference is you went looking on your own terms.

Dima

And then it was a stupid idea to pull the MC5786 processor out of an infested building.

Catalina

a short breath, close to a laugh It was a very stupid idea. a pause And also the reason you found the vent, and the reason you were in the tunnel. looks at him And the reason you sat down next to me. a short silence, the road bending gently south So I am not going to call it stupid.

Dima

It was a really cool piece of tech, like the old billboards that showed shiny new computers, or at least they were supposed to be shiny new computers.

Catalina

looks at him with something curious in her expression You saw those? a pause There were some still standing on the east perimeter when I was a child. The images had faded to almost nothing but you could still make out the shapes. a short silence I never knew what they were advertising. I just thought they were part of the old world's habit of covering everything with pictures. looks back at the road What did computers look like. Before all this.

Dima

In office buildings, they usually had a tower, a keyboard and mouse. Like our computer but bigger and separated, and ours does not have a mouse.

Catalina

considers that for a moment A tower. a pause So the box that does the thinking was separate from the screen that shows the result. a short silence That makes a kind of sense. You could replace one without replacing the other. glances at her pack where the MC5786 sits Ours does everything in one piece. Smaller but more fragile. a pause What is a mouse?

Dima

The mouse, according to the manual, was a pointing device that could be connected to the computer to provide pointing capabilities, so you could actually press the buttons on the screens instead of using the keyboard. The mouse moved a cursor, which was similar in functionality to the square symbol you see when you edit text on the computer we have. Because we don't have a mouse, instead of using a hand to change the position of the square, we use the arrow keys.

Catalina

walks quietly for a moment, working it out So the cursor is where your hand would have been. a pause And they moved it by moving a separate object on a surface rather than pressing a direction key. a short silence That sounds slower than what we have, though I suppose if the screen showed buttons rather than text commands, using a direction key would not get you very far. looks at him The whole interface must have been different. Less typing and more pointing at things.

Dima

Using the arrow is actually slower than using a pointing device at rapid speed. he pulls out the faded manual from his backpack and opens it carefully to the index, then to the mouse section

Scene

The mouse section is near the back of the hardware appendix, one of the better-preserved pages, the paper only lightly water-stained at the corner.

APPENDIX B - PERIPHERAL DEVICES SECTION B.3 - PS/2 MOUSE INTERFACE ------------------------------------ The MC5786 supports a PS/2 compatible mouse via the rear peripheral port. When connected, the mouse provides two-axis cursor movement and up to two button inputs. CURSOR MOVEMENT The mouse translates physical movement across a flat surface into cursor displacement on the display. Movement is relative: the cursor moves in the direction and approximate distance of the physical gesture. BUTTON INPUTS Left button confirms selection. Right button opens context options where supported by the active program. COMPATIBILITY NOTE Mouse input is supported only in programs compiled with the GUI libraries. Shell and editor operate in keyboard-only mode regardless of mouse connection status. CONNECTION Insert the PS/2 connector into the rear port marked with the mouse symbol before powering the device. Hot connection is not supported. [diagram - partially illegible] NOTE: Even with a mouse connected, the shell and editor will not respond to mouse input. All shell operations require keyboard entry.

Catalina

reads over his shoulder while walking, slowing slightly to take it in So even if we found one, it would not work with our programs. a pause The shell only takes the keyboard regardless. a short silence That is either very well designed or very inconvenient depending on what you want to do. looks at him Have you ever seen a mouse? An actual physical one?

Dima

Only in an abandoned office. But this computer did not come with a mouse. he turns a few pages forward to the driver reference section, finding the peripheral driver appendix

APPENDIX B - PERIPHERAL DEVICES SECTION B.3.1 - POINTING DEVICE DRIVERS ----------------------------------------- The MC5786 does not include pointing device drivers by default. Driver installation is managed through LPT. RESERVED DRIVER: PS2 Manages PS/2 mouse input. Not loaded at boot unless explicitly enabled. Activation via LPT: LPT PS2 LOAD LPT PS2 STATUS LPT PS2 UNLOAD SUPPORTED POINTING DEVICE TYPES PS2 PS/2 ball or optical mouse 2-button, rear peripheral port SRL Serial mouse, COM port requires COM driver active BUS Bus mouse [legacy] [driver details illegible] [remainder of section water damaged] NOTE: GUI libraries required for any pointing device to produce visible cursor output. Without GUI libraries loaded, PS2 driver will accept input but produce no display response. POWER NOTE PS2 driver draws marginally from the CMOS battery when active. Recommended to keep unloaded unless a pointing device is in use. Current custom power profile does not account for PS2 draw if loaded manually.

Catalina

reads the power note and taps the page with one finger So if we ever found a mouse and loaded the driver, it would quietly eat into the battery without us knowing, and the shell still would not respond to it anyway. a short silence, a crow crossing the road ahead of them low and slow Practically useless to us. looks at him But interesting that it exists at all. Someone expected people to use one.

Dima

Mouse was actually very common in 2001. he turns the page suddenly to the supported operating systems section, the paper here stiffer and better preserved

APPENDIX C - OPERATING SYSTEMS SECTION C.1 - SUPPORTED ENVIRONMENTS -------------------------------------- The MC5786 is designed to behave as an IBM compatible personal computer. It ships with a modified CP/M environment as its default operating system, adapted for the MC5786 hardware profile and low-power CMOS architecture. DEFAULT ENVIRONMENT System: MC/OS v1.0 Base: CP/M derivative Shell: MC5786 shell (% prompt) Editor: MC5786 editor v0.9 Storage: FDD controller, 2048KB COMPATIBLE OPERATING SYSTEMS The following may be installed in place of MC/OS if hardware drivers are available for the MC5786: MS-DOS 5.0 - 6.22 Windows 3.1 / 95 / 98 Windows 2000 [last supported] Red Hat Linux 3.0 [last supported] FreeDOS compatible Windows XP [not supported] IBM COMPATIBILITY The MC5786 processor implements the x86 instruction set in full. Programs compiled for IBM compatible hardware will execute correctly provided appropriate drivers are present. Assembly written for x86 requires no modification to run on MC5786. CP/M HERITAGE MC/OS retains the CP/M command structure and file conventions. Users familiar with CP/M will find the shell behaviour largely identical. Key differences from standard CP/M: - Extended LPT driver management - RTF and SRT file support - Low-power CMOS integration - 32-bit register width (vs 8-bit) [further differences - page torn] INSTALLATION NOTE No installation media is included. MC/OS is pre-installed and cannot be removed without replacing the storage unit entirely.

Catalina

reads the compatibility list slowly, her finger stopping on Windows 2000 So this machine could have run something called Windows. a pause And whoever built it chose not to. looks at him What was Windows?

Dima

Windows used to be an operating system designed by a company called Microsoft to run graphical applications with more ease. It also made easier for programmers to write programs, so they don't have to use assembly like me. In Windows, if you wrote a program in a language that used to be called C++ to display "Hi Mom", you would have used less lines of text than in assembly. he turns carefully to the next preserved section about high level languages

APPENDIX C - OPERATING SYSTEMS SECTION C.2 - HIGH LEVEL ENVIRONMENTS --------------------------------------- MICROSOFT WINDOWS A graphical operating system designed for general consumer and business use. Programs run in a windowed interface managed by the OS rather than the user directly. The programmer writes to an API layer rather than to hardware directly. The OS handles memory, display, and peripheral management on behalf of the program. Assembly is rarely required. Common languages: C, C++, Visual Basic COMPARISON - "Hi Mom" in C++: ---------------------------- #include <iostream> int main() { std::cout << "Hi Mom!" << std::endl; return 0; } 4 lines. No origin, no INT calls, no register management. The language and OS handle these automatically. LINUX (RED HAT 3.0) An open operating system built on the Unix model. Text-based by default but capable of graphical environments. Preferred by technical users for its transparency and configurability. Common languages: C, C++, Perl, shell scripting COMPARISON - "Hi Mom" in C (Linux): ----------------------------------- #include <stdio.h> int main() { printf("Hi Mom!\n"); return 0; } [further Linux details - faded] HIGH LEVEL LANGUAGE NOTE High level languages sacrifice direct hardware control for readability and speed of development. A skilled assembly programmer can produce faster code than a C++ equivalent, but requires significantly more lines and deeper hardware knowledge. On the MC5786, high level languages are not supported without a compiler. No compiler is included. Assembly remains the only available method of program authorship on this device. [compiler installation notes - torn]

Catalina

reads the C++ comparison and then looks back at the assembly version in the manual from memory, counting lines Four versus thirteen. a pause And the four lines say the same thing with none of the register work. a short silence The assembly is doing all the same steps, just out loud. looks at him The high level language hides the machinery, and that is what sophisms do, hide the machinery.

Dima

Yeah, except that C++ was more accurate than sophisms. But still, there was the problem of... he turns the page to the proprietary software section, the paper here slightly warped at the edge but the text holding

APPENDIX C - OPERATING SYSTEMS SECTION C.3 - PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE ------------------------------------ The MC5786 was designed and sold as a platform for proprietary software distribution. All bundled programs, drivers, and MC/OS itself are the intellectual property of Meridian Computing Systems Ltd. PROPRIETARY DRIVERS All reserved drivers (LPT, DSP, KBD, CLK, PWR, MEM, COM, DMA, INT, FDD, PS2) are proprietary. Source code is not available. Modification is not supported. Third party driver replacement voids device warranty. SOFTWARE LICENSING Programs purchased for the MC5786 are licensed, not sold. The user holds no ownership of the program code. Copying, distribution, or reverse engineering is prohibited under the terms of the licence agreement included at purchase. OPEN SOURCE ALTERNATIVES Third party open source programs may run on MC5786 provided they are compiled for x86 architecture. Meridian Computing Systems Ltd provides no support for open source software and accepts no liability for damage arising from its use. [approved software list - illegible] NOTE ON WARRANTY Warranty is valid for 36 months from date of purchase. Warranty is void if device is opened, modified, or used with non-approved peripherals or software. [warranty registration - torn]

Catalina

reads the warranty line and glances at her pack where the machine sits, the cracked panel inside it, the custom power profile written to CMOS Void. quietly, the corner of her mouth moving Several times over. a pause And this company. Meridian Computing Systems. looks at the page They expected someone to be reading this fifty years later and worrying about warranty terms, with no idea what was coming.

Dima

This manual was written in 2001, when the concept of software itself was very common, so much so that the guide has a definition for the concept itself. he turns back carefully toward the front of the manual, the pages here more damaged, the paper softer and furred at the edges from moisture, several corners missing entirely

[pages 1-8 - significant water damage] [content largely illegible] PART THREE - MC5786 SYSTEM OVERVIEW SECTION 3.1 - [title illegible] ---------------------------------- [opening paragraph - illegible] HARDWARE The physical components of the computing system. Hardware includes the processor, storage unit, display, keyboard, casing, and all internal [remainder - faded] SOFTWARE A set of instructions stored on a medium and executed by the processor. Software has no physical form. It exists only as a pattern of stored states that the hardware reads and acts upon. Without hardware to run it, software is inert. Without software to direct it, hardware performs no useful function. FIRMWARE Software permanently embedded in hardware at manufacture. The MC5786 CMOS chip contains firmware that initialises the system at boot, checks hardware integrity, and loads MC/OS from storage. Firmware cannot be modified by the user. [further firmware details - faded] THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE THREE Firmware starts the machine. Software directs the machine. Hardware is the machine. Each is necessary. None is sufficient alone. [remainder of section - illegible]

Catalina

reads the last four lines twice, walking slowly Firmware starts. Software directs. Hardware is. a quiet pause That is a very clean way to divide something. a short silence, the grassland either side of the road long and pale in the afternoon light In 2001 someone wrote that down because they thought it needed explaining, and now we found it in an abandoned building and it is the most organised thing either of us has read in years.

Dima

A very good intuition, yeah... he opens the manual again to a section about accessibility for developers on MC/OS

PART THREE - MC5786 SYSTEM OVERVIEW SECTION 3.4 - DEVELOPER ACCESSIBILITY -------------------------------------- MC/OS is designed to be accessible to developers at all skill levels. The shell environment exposes system resources directly without requiring administrative configuration. OUT OF THE BOX DEVELOPMENT The MC5786 requires no additional tools to begin writing programs. The following are available immediately at first boot: Shell command execution Editor program authorship Assembler code compilation LPT driver management Storage read / write access ASSEMBLY AS FIRST LANGUAGE On MC/OS, assembly is the primary and only natively supported language. This reflects a design philosophy of direct hardware access over abstraction. The developer works close to the machine at all times. There is no intermediary layer between instruction and execution. DOCUMENTATION PHILOSOPHY Meridian Computing Systems believes that a developer who understands the machine will write better programs than one who does not. This manual is written accordingly. Nothing is assumed. Everything that the machine does, it explains. GETTING STARTED New users are encouraged to begin with the shell reference in Part Six and the assembly primer in Part Seven before attempting to write programs. Familiarity with the x86 register set is assumed from Part Seven onward. [recommended reading order - faded] NOTE ON SUPPORT Meridian Computing Systems operates a developer support line during business hours. See rear cover for contact details. [rear cover - missing]

Catalina

reads the documentation philosophy line and is quiet for a moment Nothing is assumed. Everything that the machine does, it explains. a pause, a long flat stretch of road ahead of them, the last of the city's outskirts finally giving way to something that is almost countryside I wish someone had written that about the war and why we were doing any of it. a short silence Instead we got thirty seconds of briefing and a direction to shoot. looks at him Your machine came with better documentation than my entire childhood.

Dima

Oh my god... there are so many comparisons with the WLF, it never stops... he then turns to a page telling developers how to make applications accessible to users in MC/OS, Windows and Linux

PART THREE - MC5786 SYSTEM OVERVIEW SECTION 3.5 - USER ACCESSIBILITY --------------------------------- Programs written for MC/OS should where possible provide clear prompts, readable output, and predictable behaviour. The following guidelines apply across MC/OS, Windows, and Linux environments. PROMPT CLARITY Every program that requests input must tell the user what is expected. A bare cursor is not a prompt. Example of poor practice: > Example of good practice: ENTER A NUMBER > OUTPUT FORMATTING Results must be labelled. A number without context is not useful output. Example of poor practice: 16 Example of good practice: RESULT: 16 ERROR MESSAGES Errors must identify the cause. A program that fails silently is worse than one that fails loudly. Include the error code, address, and cause where possible. See also: SEGFAULT handling, Part 7. CROSS-PLATFORM NOTES MC/OS, Windows, and Linux differ in how they present interfaces to the user but share the same underlying principles of clarity. MC/OS text prompts, keyboard only Windows graphical, mouse and keyboard Linux text or graphical, configurable A well written program communicates its state to the user at all times. The user should never have to guess what the program is doing or why it is waiting. [accessibility checklist - faded] RESPONSE TIME Programs should respond to input within a reasonable time or display a progress indicator. A program that appears frozen is indistinguishable from one that has crashed. [remainder of section - faded]

Catalina

reads the output formatting example, a short breath escaping her RESULT: 16. a pause, something light in her voice We saw that in the tunnel. looks at him Whoever wrote this was thinking about someone like me. Someone who did not already know what the machine was doing. a short silence, the road stretching ahead through grass going brown at the edges A bare cursor is not a prompt. That is a good rule for more than just computers.

Dima

he turns the page silently to an entire page about how to design Save As and other more complex functions, the paper here thicker and well preserved

PART THREE - MC5786 SYSTEM OVERVIEW SECTION 3.6 - COMPLEX USER OPERATIONS -------------------------------------- Operations that modify or replace stored data carry risk of data loss. Programs must inform the user before any destructive action is taken. SAVE AND SAVE AS SAVE overwrites the current file. SAVE AS writes to a new location and leaves the original intact. Both must confirm success or report failure explicitly. Recommended flow for SAVE: 1. Verify write access to target 2. Write data to temporary file 3. Verify temporary file integrity 4. Replace original with temporary 5. Confirm to user: FILE SAVED 6. On failure: report and abort do not leave partial writes Recommended flow for SAVE AS: 1. Prompt for destination path 2. Check for existing file 3. If exists: OVERWRITE? [Y/N] 4. Write to destination 5. Confirm: FILE SAVED AS [path] OVERWRITE PROTECTION A program must never silently overwrite an existing file. The user must always be informed and given the option to cancel. UNSAVED CHANGES WARNING If a user attempts to exit a program with unsaved changes the program must warn before closing. Recommended prompt: UNSAVED CHANGES WILL BE LOST EXIT ANYWAY? [Y/N] DELETE OPERATIONS Deletion is permanent on MC/OS. There is no recovery mechanism. Programs must require explicit confirmation before any delete. Recommended prompt: DELETE [filename]? THIS CANNOT BE UNDONE. CONFIRM [Y/N] [further deletion notes - faded] GENERAL PRINCIPLE The user's data belongs to the user. The program is a tool in service of that data, not the other way around. A program that loses data without warning has failed its primary obligation.

Catalina

reads the last paragraph slowly, then looks at the road ahead in silence for a while before speaking The user's data belongs to the user. a pause In 2001 someone had to write that down as a principle because they were worried people would forget it.

Dima

Well, if it's your computer... and of course, the personal note belongs to you.

Catalina

a quiet pause, her eyes on the road It was the first thing I have written that nobody could take and use in a briefing. a short silence That felt different.

Dima

I know...

Scene

They walk in silence for a while, the road ahead empty and pale, the last of Seattle fully behind them now, just open ground and the distant line of hills to the south.

Catalina

slows at the edge of an overgrown lot, a low concrete building set back from the road, the windows intact, the door hanging open but dry inside from what she can see, the roof uncompromised We stop here. checks the entrance, then steps through

Dima

Yeah, even though it's a lonely place.

Catalina

moves through the front room, dusty but dry, no fungal growth, the smell of old paper and machine oil rather than rot, and she stops in the back room doorway Come look at this.

Dima

he approaches Catalina in silence

Catalina

steps aside so he can see past her into the back room, where a large cream-coloured machine sits on a heavy metal stand, trailing a thick cable into the wall behind it, the paper feed still loaded with a continuous roll, yellowed but intact I do not know what this is. looks at him But you might.

Dima

he gets closer to the machine and reads the inscription It says it's a line printer. he pulls out the manual from his backpack and turns to the appendix

Scene

He finds the page quickly, near the front of the appendix, one of the most preserved sections in the manual, the paper stiff and almost white.

APPENDIX B - PERIPHERAL DEVICES SECTION B.1 - LINE PRINTER -------------------------- A line printer produces hardcopy output by printing one line of text at a time across continuous feed paper. Output is unidirectional and permanent: printed text cannot be modified or erased after printing. CONNECTION The line printer connects via the parallel port using the LPT interface. LPT stands for Line Printer Terminal. The MC5786 supports LPT1 through LPT3 via rear peripheral ports. OPERATION Text is sent from the shell or a running program to the LPT port. The printer advances the paper one line per output call. Feed speed varies by model. Continuous feed paper is recommended for long output sessions. PAPER Standard continuous feed paper is perforated at regular intervals for separation into sheets. Paper width varies by model. Ensure paper is loaded correctly before sending output or the feed mechanism will jam. PRINT COMMAND To print from shell: LPT LPT1 PRINT [filename] To print direct text: LPT LPT1 WRITE [text] To advance paper one line: LPT LPT1 FEED To check printer status: LPT LPT1 STATUS MAINTENANCE The print head requires periodic cleaning. Ink ribbon must be replaced when output becomes faint. A dry ribbon will damage the print head if printing continues. [ribbon replacement diagram - faded] NOTE ON LPT DRIVER The LPT reserved driver on MC/OS manages all parallel port devices in addition to its expanded role as general driver manager. Its name derives from this original function. A line printer must be connected and powered before LPT commands will produce physical output.

Catalina

reads over his shoulder, her eyes stopping on the fourth line of the connection section, then looks at the machine, then back at the page LPT. a short silence We have been using that command since the furniture store. looks at him We named the driver without knowing what it stood for and the whole time it meant this.

Dima

We actually knew what it stood for a while, but we have never seen what it actually was or what it looked like.

Catalina

looks back at the machine, taking it in properly this time, the heavy cream casing, the paper feed, the cable trailing into the wall Fair. a pause Knowing a word and standing in front of the thing are different. moves closer, running a hand along the casing without touching the feed mechanism Is it functional?

Dima

he grabs the parallel cable and connects the printer to one of the parallel ports while Catalina pulls the computer from her pack and sets it on a clear section of the metal stand. The printer is heavy

% MC5786 SYSTEM v1.0 CMOS OK MEM OK DSP OK BOOT COMPLETE !! DEVICE DETECTED: LPT1 PARALLEL PORT DEVICE CONNECTED DEVICE TYPE: LINE PRINTER PRINT SPOOLER IS NOT ENABLED OUTPUT TO LPT1 WILL FAIL UNTIL SPOOLER IS CONFIGURED TO ENABLE: LPT LPT1 SPOOLER ENABLE LPT LPT1 SPOOLER CONFIG TO CHECK STATUS: LPT LPT1 STATUS %

Catalina

reads the warning on the screen It knows something is connected. a pause And it is already telling us what to do about it. glances at him Enable the spooler first?

Dima

Let's see what the manual says.

Catalina

takes the manual from his hands so he does not have to burden himself

Catalina

takes the manual and turns to the spooler section, her finger finding it quickly now that she knows how the appendix is organised

APPENDIX B - PERIPHERAL DEVICES SECTION B.1.2 - PRINT SPOOLER ------------------------------ The print spooler manages the queue of output sent to LPT1. It holds print jobs in memory and releases them to the printer at print speed, freeing the shell for other tasks. POWER AND MEMORY REQUIREMENTS The line printer draws significant power from the LPT port during operation. On battery-powered systems this will accelerate CMOS drain considerably. Spooler memory usage: Minimum: 32KB reserved Recommended: 64KB reserved Memory is drawn from MEM allocation. Ensure MEM driver is above 40% before enabling spooler. SPOOLER CONFIGURATION LPT LPT1 SPOOLER ENABLE Activates spooler with defaults. Reserves 32KB from MEM. LPT LPT1 SPOOLER CONFIG Opens configuration menu. Options: BUFFER set memory reservation SPEED set feed rate MODE TEXT or RAW output RIBBON set ribbon condition [further config options - faded] CAUTION Printing while CMOS battery is below 30% is not recommended. Power draw from the printer may cause voltage drops sufficient to corrupt the active session. Save all open files before printing.

Catalina

looks up from the manual It draws from the battery and from memory. a pause We are at 67% on the battery and MEM is set to 40%, which is the minimum it will accept. looks at him We can enable it. But we should print what we need and disconnect before the session gets too long.

Dima

You're smart. he configures the spooler, the printer, and then prints all the text files including Catalina's personal journal

% LPT LPT1 SPOOLER ENABLE ok SPOOLER ENABLED BUFFER: 32KB RESERVED FROM MEM MEM NOW: 280KB / 512KB FREE MODE: TEXT (DEFAULT) FEED RATE: STANDARD % LPT LPT1 SPOOLER CONFIG ok LPT1 SPOOLER CONFIGURATION --------------------------- BUFFER 32KB (minimum - battery conservation) SPEED STANDARD MODE TEXT RIBBON UNKNOWN - SET CONDITION: 1. NEW 2. USED 3. DRY (printing disabled) SELECT > 2 RIBBON SET TO: USED CONFIGURATION SAVED % LPT LPT1 STATUS ok LPT1 STATUS ----------- DEVICE : LINE PRINTER - CONNECTED SPOOLER : ENABLED RIBBON : USED PAPER : LOADED POWER : HIGH DRAW - MONITOR BATTERY READY : YES % LPT LPT1 PRINT CAMP-NOTES-SODO/ROUTE.SRT ok SPOOLING: ROUTE.SRT SENDING TO LPT1...

Scene

The printer wakes with a deep mechanical clunk, then begins, the noise sudden and enormous in the quiet building, a rapid hammering stutter as the head crosses the page line by line, the paper advancing in sharp jerks.

Catalina

takes a step back, her hand going toward her rifle before she stops herself, the sound filling the room That is very loud.

PRINTING: ROUTE.SRT ............. ok PRINTING: CAMP-NOTES-SODO/NOTES.RT . ok % LPT LPT1 PRINT NOTES/PERSONAL.TXT ok SPOOLING: PERSONAL.TXT SENDING TO LPT1...

Scene

The printer hammers through the personal note line by line, the lowercase text appearing in sharp ink strokes across the yellowed paper.

PRINTING: PERSONAL.TXT .......... ok !! BATTERY: 58% VOLTAGE DROP DETECTED DURING PRINT RECOMMEND DISCONNECT AFTER SESSION % LPT LPT1 SPOOLER DISABLE ok SPOOLER DISABLED BUFFER RELEASED: 32KB TO MEM LPT1 STANDING BY %

Scene

The printer falls silent. The room settles back into quiet.

Catalina

looks at the paper emerging from the feed, the route notes printed cleanly in rows, then the personal note below them, and she stills for a moment before she tears it carefully along the perforation and holds it Torres was right. quietly Paper and the machine both.

Dima

Now what do we do with the line printer? We can't carry it and print anywhere.

Catalina

sets the printed sheets down carefully and looks at the printer, the cable still connecting it to the computer We leave it. a pause But we note the building in the route file before we go. If we ever come back through, or if Torres's people push south, they will know it is here. looks at him A working printer in a dry building is worth marking down.

Dima

Sure it is.

Scene

He types while Catalina tears a clean section from the printer's paper roll and writes on it.

% edit CAMP-NOTES-SODO/ROUTE.SRT ok | 030 | | 031 [bold][underline](POINT OF INTEREST) | | 032 [bold](LINE PRINTER - FUNCTIONAL) | | 033 [italic](Concrete building, west side of road) | | 034 [italic](approx 2km south of Seraphite marker) | | 035 [italic](Dry interior, paper loaded, ribbon used)| | 036 [italic](LPT parallel port, MC5786 compatible) | ^save ^exit ok % halt ok SAFE SHUTDOWN INITIATED FLUSHING WRITE CACHE........ ok WRITING SESSION TO LOG...... ok SESSION CLOSED BATTERY: 58% / DEGRADED PARKING STORAGE............. ok SUSPENDING DRIVERS.......... ok CMOS WRITE VERIFIED......... ok GOODBYE

Catalina

folds the handwritten note and tucks it into the front pocket of her pack alongside Torres's paper route notes, then looks back at the printer one last time, standing heavy and silent on its stand in the dry room It lasted fifty years in here. quietly It will last fifty more. picks up her rifle Ready.

Dima

Maybe, we don't know, the computer did. Line printers should be even older than that, more like seventy years. But yeah, I am ready.

Scene

She steps out into the afternoon light, the road south quiet and open ahead of them. They walk for a few kilometres, the printed route notes folded in Catalina's pack alongside the handwritten ones, the building falling behind them into the overgrowth. When they stop at a collapsed wall on the roadside she pulls out the computer and he powers it on.

MC5786 SYSTEM v1.0 CMOS OK MEM OK DSP OK BOOT COMPLETE !! LPT1 DEVICE NOT DETECTED PRINTER WAS CONNECTED LAST SESSION SPOOLER REMAINS ENABLED SPOOLER HOLDING 32KB FROM MEM WITHOUT DEVICE THIS MEMORY IS UNAVAILABLE FOR OTHER USE RECOMMEND: LPT LPT1 SPOOLER DISABLE OR RECONNECT PRINTER TO LPT1 PRINTING WILL FAIL UNTIL DEVICE IS RECONNECTED %

Catalina

reads the warning It remembers the printer. a pause And it is holding memory for something that is not there anymore. looks at him Like keeping a post set up for soldiers who already left.

Dima

Yeah... we should disable the spooler. he types the disable command

% LPT LPT1 SPOOLER DISABLE ok DISABLING SPOOLER... FLUSHING PRINT QUEUE... !! EXCEPTION: UNHANDLED SPOOLER DISABLE FAILED CAUSE: ACTIVE JOB IN QUEUE JOB ID: 0x0003 STATUS: PENDING DEVICE DEVICE: NOT FOUND SPOOLER CANNOT FLUSH PENDING JOB WITHOUT TARGET DEVICE QUEUE REMAINS LOCKED MANUAL INTERVENTION REQUIRED SEE: LPT LPT1 QUEUE STATUS %

Catalina

leans in There is a job still waiting. a pause Something that did not finish sending before we disconnected. looks at him Can we cancel the job directly rather than disabling the spooler around it?

% LPT LPT1 QUEUE STATUS ok LPT1 PRINT QUEUE ---------------- QUEUE STATUS : LOCKED JOBS PENDING : 1 JOB ID : 0x0003 FILE : NOTES/PERSONAL.TXT STATUS : PENDING DEVICE - INCOMPLETE SENT : 101 / 101 LINES CONFIRM : NOT RECEIVED FROM DEVICE ADVANCED OPTIONS LPT LPT1 QUEUE CANCEL [job id] cancel pending job LPT LPT1 QUEUE FLUSH force clear all jobs LPT LPT1 QUEUE RETRY [job id] retry with device LPT LPT1 PORT RESET reset parallel port % LPT LPT1 QUEUE CANCEL 0x0003 ok SENDING TERMINATE SIGNAL TO LPT1... !! PORT LOCKED TERMINATE SIGNAL NOT ACKNOWLEDGED DEVICE NOT PRESENT OR NOT RESPONDING LPT PORT REQUIRES PHYSICAL DEVICE TO ACCEPT TERMINATE SIGNAL CANCEL COMMAND FAILED JOB 0x0003 REMAINS IN QUEUE QUEUE REMAINS LOCKED TO FORCE CLOSE USE PROCESS MANAGER: proc list proc kill [pid] WARNING: FORCE KILL MAY LEAVE PORT IN UNDEFINED STATE REBOOT RECOMMENDED AFTER KILL % proc list ok ACTIVE PROCESSES ---------------- PID NAME STATUS 0x01 SHELL RUNNING 0x02 MC/OS KERNEL RUNNING 0x09 LPT1 SPOOLER LOCKED 0x0A LPT1 PORT MGR WAITING % proc kill 0x09 ok SENDING KILL SIGNAL TO PID 0x09... !! WARNING: FORCE KILL EXECUTED LPT1 SPOOLER TERMINATED QUEUE CLEARED 32KB RETURNED TO MEM % proc kill 0x0A ok SENDING KILL SIGNAL TO PID 0x0A... !! WARNING: FORCE KILL EXECUTED LPT1 PORT MANAGER TERMINATED PORT STATE: UNDEFINED !! REBOOT RECOMMENDED LPT1 PORT IN UNDEFINED STATE REINITIALISE VIA REBOOT OR: LPT LPT1 PORT RESET %

Catalina

reads the undefined state warning It finished the job, sent all 101 lines, and then just kept waiting for the printer to say it arrived. a short silence A hundred and one lines of my note sitting in a queue addressed to a machine two kilometres back up the road. looks at him Reset or reboot?

Dima

Reset. The printer got really attached to you. he types the reset command, but another error occurs related to the limitations of parallel ports, and then consults the troubleshooting section of the manual

% LPT LPT1 PORT RESET ok RESETTING LPT1 PORT... CLEARING PORT REGISTERS... !! RESET FAILED PARALLEL PORT REGISTER 0x037A RETURNED UNEXPECTED VALUE: 0xFF PORT REMAINS IN UNDEFINED STATE CAUSE: PORT CONTROLLER LOCKED TO LAST CONNECTED DEVICE HARDWARE HANDSHAKE INCOMPLETE PARALLEL PORT LIMITATION: LPT PROTOCOL REQUIRES BIDIRECTIONAL HANDSHAKE TO COMPLETE RESET CYCLE. WITHOUT DEVICE, HANDSHAKE CANNOT COMPLETE. PORT LOCK PERSISTS. OPTIONS: 1. RECONNECT PRINTER AND RETRY 2. REBOOT SYSTEM (RECOMMENDED) 3. LPT LPT1 PORT FORCE RESET (MAY CAUSE REGISTER CORRUPTION) %

Catalina

picks up the manual and turns to the troubleshooting section, the pages here thinner, some lines ghosted almost to nothing

APPENDIX B - PERIPHERAL DEVICES SECTION B.5 - TROUBLESHOOTING ------------------------------ [pages B.5.1 through B.5.3 - illegible] B.5.4 - PARALLEL PORT LOCK The LPT parallel port uses a bidirectional handshake protocol. If a device is disconnected before the handshake completes, the port controller enters a locked state and cannot reset without either reconnecting the device or performing a full system reboot. RECOMMENDED RESOLUTION: REBOOT This is the only clean method of returning the port to a known state without risk of register corruption. [force reset procedure - illegible] PREVENTION: Always use LPT LPT1 SPOOLER DISABLE and confirm queue empty before disconnecting any parallel device. Disconnecting with jobs pending will always produce a port lock. [remainder of section - faded]

Catalina

reads the prevention note and looks at him with a flat expression Always confirm queue empty before disconnecting. a pause We did not do that. a short silence Reboot?

Dima

he types the halt command

Scene

He powers it back on. The boot sequence begins normally.

MC5786 SYSTEM v1.0 CMOS OK MEM OK DSP OK INITIALISING DRIVERS... CLK... ok MEM... ok DSP... ok FDD... ok KBD... ok LPT1.. REINITIALISING PORT... LPT1.. ok LOADING MC/OS... SESSION STARTED BOOT COMPLETE %

Scene

The percent prompt sits for three seconds. Then the screen flickers hard, a full refresh surge across every capsule at once, and the system prints rapidly without input.

!! KERNEL PANIC UNRECOVERABLE SYSTEM ERROR SESSION TERMINATED TRACEBACK --------- ADDR 0x1F3A PWR DRIVER ADDR 0x1F41 CMOS VOLTAGE MONITOR ADDR 0x1F58 INT HANDLER 0x0D ADDR 0x1F6C KERNEL WATCHDOG INTERRUPT 0x0D - POWER FAULT CAUSE : CMOS VOLTAGE SURGE DETECTED VOLTAGE: 3.41V NOMINAL: 3.00V DELTA : +0.41V ABOVE THRESHOLD SURGE ORIGINATED: LPT1 PORT PROBABLE CAUSE : PARALLEL PORT LOCK DISCHARGED ON REINITIALISE SYSTEM HALTED TO PREVENT FURTHER HARDWARE DAMAGE CMOS BATTERY STATUS PRE-SURGE : 58% / 2.81V POST-SURGE : 51% / 2.74V HEALTH : CRITICAL SESSIONS : ~35 REMAINING (REVISED) !! WARNING: CMOS BATTERY UNSTABLE REPLACE BEFORE FURTHER USE DATA INTEGRITY CANNOT BE GUARANTEED WHILE BATTERY REMAINS DEGRADED SYSTEM WILL NOT RESTART UNTIL PWR DRIVER CLEARS FAULT FLAG: LPT LPT1 PORT FORCE RESET THEN: halt -now THEN: RESTART

Catalina

stares at the screen, the road quiet around them, the collapsed wall at their backs How bad is it?

Dima

I don't think so, let's turn it off and open the case. he powers it on again

Scene

For two seconds it boots normally. Then a sharp crack from inside the casing, small but distinct, like a pencil snapping, and the smell of something burnt and chemical.

MC5786 SYSTEM v1.0 CMOS OK MEM !! !! HARDWARE FAULT DETECTED CAPACITOR FAILURE: CAP-0x07 VOLTAGE REGULATION CIRCUIT CAPACITOR CAP-0x07 NON-RESPONSIVE PROBABLE CAUSE: COMPONENT FAILURE DUE TO PRIOR VOLTAGE SURGE POWER REGULATION COMPROMISED SYSTEM CANNOT GUARANTEE STABLE VOLTAGE TO PROCESSOR OR STORAGE HALTING TO PREVENT DATA LOSS AND FURTHER COMPONENT DAMAGE GOODBYE

Scene

The screen goes dark immediately. He waits, then powers it on a third time. The boot sequence takes longer than usual, the display flickering twice before stabilising.

MC5786 SYSTEM v1.0 - SAFE MODE -------------------------------- HARDWARE FAULT LOGGED: CAP-0x07 SAFE MODE ENGAGED SAFE MODE LIMITATIONS CLOCK : 40% (REDUCED) MEMORY : 20% CEILING (REDUCED) STORAGE : READ ONLY DRIVERS : ESSENTIAL ONLY LPT : DISABLED DSP : PARTIAL REFRESH SUSPENDED WARNING: STORAGE IS READ ONLY NO FILES CAN BE WRITTEN OR MODIFIED UNTIL SYSTEM EXITS SAFE MODE WARNING: CAP-0x07 MISSING VOLTAGE REGULATION DEGRADED SESSIONS MAY BE UNSTABLE REPLACE CAPACITOR BEFORE NORMAL USE BATTERY CHARGE : 51% / CRITICAL VOLTAGE : 2.74V SESSIONS: ~31 REMAINING (REVISED) SAFE MODE SHELL READY USE WITH CAUTION %

Catalina

looks at the crack in the casing where a faint dark mark has appeared near the side panel, the smell of the burnt component still in the air Something inside it broke. a pause Is it going to hold?

Dima

I don't think so, let's turn it off and open the case.

Scene

Catalina sets the computer on the ground and steadies it while he works the casing panels apart along their moulded forms. The casing opens. The smell hits immediately, acrid and sharp, the burnt-chemical tang of a component that has discharged badly. Inside, near the voltage regulation circuit beside the LPT port housing, a small cylindrical component sits split at the top, its sides bulged outward, a dark scorch mark on the board beneath it.

Catalina

pulls her hand back from the edge of the casing, wiping her fingers on her jacket It stings. flatly

Dima

It smells really bad and it's hot.

Catalina

takes a step back from the open casing, her face turned slightly away Don't keep your face close to it. a pause, looking at the split component from a safer distance That black mark on the board underneath. Is that permanent damage or just surface?

Dima

he holds the manual open at arm's length from the casing, finding the component diagram in the hardware section

APPENDIX D - INTERNAL COMPONENTS SECTION D.3 - VOLTAGE REGULATION --------------------------------- The voltage regulation circuit manages power distribution from the CMOS battery to all internal components. It contains the following: CAP-0x01 to CAP-0x04 primary caps CAP-0x05 to CAP-0x08 secondary caps REG-0x01 main regulator REG-0x02 LPT port reg CAP-0x07 is a secondary smoothing capacitor on the LPT port regulation line. Its function is to absorb voltage spikes on the parallel port before they reach the main board. CAPACITOR FAILURE A failed capacitor on the LPT regulation line indicates it has absorbed a spike beyond its rated capacity. This is its designed function: it fails to protect the main board from worse damage. BOARD SCORCH MARKS A scorch mark beneath a failed capacitor indicates heat discharge during failure. If the mark is surface only and the board traces beneath remain intact, the board itself is likely undamaged. Trace integrity can be verified by visual inspection: traces should appear as continuous thin lines with no breaks or melted sections. [trace diagram - partially illegible] REPLACEMENT CAP-0x07 is a standard electrolytic capacitor. Specification: 16V 100uF electrolytic radial lead, 5mm pitch Replace with equivalent specification only. Incorrect replacement may cause further regulation failure. [replacement procedure - faded]

Catalina

reads over his shoulder, staying back from the smell So it broke on purpose to protect the rest of the board. a pause And whether the board is actually damaged depends on whether those traces underneath are still in one piece. looks at the scorch mark inside the casing Can you see them from here?

Dima

No, there is no magnifier.

Catalina

looks at the open casing, then at the ground around them, then back at him Close it for now. The smell is not getting better with it open and there is nothing we can do about the traces without seeing them. a pause If the board is intact, safe mode means the data is still there. If it is not, we still have the printed copies.

Catalina

walks beside him, the casing closed and back in her pack, the road south flat and wide, the hills ahead closer than they were this morning, and she is quiet long enough that the question feels like it has been sitting with her for a while When you were in Sidliste, before all this. Did you have anyone?

Dima

Well, I had my parents and then some acquaintances I wasn't very close to. You are the first person to be really close to.

Catalina

a short silence, the road carrying them past a stand of birch that has reclaimed an old car park, white trunks pushing through the asphalt I had Yusuf. a pause And now I have you, and I plan to do the same things. quietly, her eyes on the road

Dima

What things do you plan to do with me?

Catalina

thinks for a moment, her pace steady Talk. Argue about small things. Notice when the other one is tired before they say it. a pause Yusuf and I never had time for much more than that. glances at him With you it is already different. He never taught me anything. He just made me laugh. a short silence You do both and I did not know that was possible.

Dima

How is that so?

Catalina

reaches over and pulls him closer by the arm, her eyes staying on the road Most people out here only have room for one thing. quietly You have room for more.

Dima

And if the computer were gone, then it's you who would matter the most in my life right now.

Catalina

a short silence, her arm still linked with his The computer is going to be fine. a pause But I heard what you said.

Dima

It's been just a few days, and yet... he pulls her even closer for a bit

Catalina

lets herself be pulled closer, her shoulder against his, and says nothing for a while, the road south quiet around them, the hills drawing nearer I know. very quietly I stopped counting days somewhere around the bridge.

Dima

Yeah, it feels like forever... and what is your favorite thing or deepest desire?

Catalina

a short silence, the birch trunks passing slowly on their left This. quietly Exactly this. Someone to talk to about anything, who does not leave. a pause I have lost enough people that I know what I am afraid of.

Dima

What is the thing you are most afraid of?

Catalina

she is quiet for a long moment, her shoulder still against his Waking up one morning and the space beside me being empty again. a pause I got used to that being normal. I do not want to get used to it again.

Dima

he opens up his arms slightly You will not, I promise...

Catalina

steps into his arms without a word, her head against his shoulder, both of them still walking slowly, the road south carrying them forward

Dima

I have hugged you so many times that...

Catalina

a quiet breath against his shoulder It scared me the first time. a pause Now it is the thing I look for at the end of a hard stretch. a short silence, the hills ahead catching the afternoon light I would do it again every day if you let me.

Dima

I always let you to, and I want the same thing.

Catalina

holds on for another moment before straightening up, her hand finding his arm as they settle back into walking Good. quietly, her eyes returning to the road Then we are in agreement.

Dima

later, after a few tens of minutes I am thirsty, and we don't have much water.

Catalina

looks ahead to where the tree line thickens along a low ridge, the vegetation darker and denser there than the dry grass either side of the road Forest up ahead. a pause, reading the landscape That kind of green this late in the season means water underneath it. Running water, probably, from the ridge. adjusts her pace Twenty minutes at most.

Scene

The forest opens onto a shallow river running clear over flat stones, fed from above by a narrow fall where the ridge drops away. Beyond it, set in a natural hollow where the ground retains heat, a lake sits small and still, the water surprisingly warm at the edges from a thermal shelf beneath, steam rising faintly in the cool afternoon air.

Catalina

crouches at the river's edge and cups water in both hands, drinking slowly, then looks across to the lake That is not normal. a pause, her hand hovering above the lake surface, feeling the warmth rising Geothermal. looks at him The ground is doing something underneath it.

Dima

I haven't seen a geothermal lake in a long time. There was like a geothermal station east of Seattle that was used for both relaxation and energy. The Collective had two cities, and that geothermal station was only starting to supply that other city in the east.

Catalina

trails her hand in the warm edge of the lake, looking at the far bank So Sidliste was the newer one. Cleaner, more planned. a pause And the eastern city was where it all actually started, before they knew what they were building. a short silence, the steam moving gently above the water Train lines and bunk beds. quietly That does not sound so different from the stadium.

Dima

The stadium, from what I've heard of, had large queues for rations. There are a lot of rumors about what happened at the stadium, especially that no one could just visit it like in Sidliste.

Catalina

a short silence, her hand still in the warm water I stood in those queues. quietly Every morning before patrol. Sometimes an hour, sometimes two. a pause, her eyes on the far bank The rations were never enough but they were consistent, which is more than most people had outside. So you stood in the queue and you did not complain.

Dima

he starts washing his face and then removes his boots and puts his feet into the water It's warm, we could bathe into it if we wanted to...

Catalina

looks at the lake, then at the tree line around them, reading it the way she reads everything, checking before deciding Clear sight lines on three sides. a pause No sign growth. No infected traces. looks at him We have not had clean water since the furniture store. starts pulling off her boots We bathe.

Dima

But how? We are in heavy clothes.

Catalina

looks down at her jacket, then at the water, then back at him with a practical expression We wash the clothes at the same time. a pause Lay them on the stones to dry while we are in. The afternoon light is still warm enough. glances at the thermal steam And with this temperature, they will dry faster than usual.

Dima

he slowly puts his backpack aside and then enters the water with his clothes on first Okay, good...

Catalina

watches him wade in, then follows, the warm water rising around her boots and then her legs, the weight of the wet clothes pulling slightly, and she lets herself sink down to the shoulders in the shallower end, her jacket spreading out around her in the water That is. quietly, her eyes closing for just a moment That is very good.

Dima

he removes his top jacket and throws it at his backpack I haven't removed them in a long time.

Catalina

does the same, peeling her WLF jacket off and setting it on a flat stone at the water's edge, then settling back into the warmth I have been wearing that since the tunnel. a short silence, the steam rising around them, the forest quiet It needs this more than I do probably.

Dima

he removes the rest of his heavy clothing and throws them at the flat stones It kinda feels weird to wash your clothes first while they are in and then remove them.

Catalina

a short breath, close to a laugh It is not the recommended order. follows, pulling the rest of her outer layers off and laying them flat on the stones, the warm water now lighter around her But it works. a short silence, the afternoon light catching the steam above the lake When did you last do this?

Dima

A long time ago... when you are on an adventure you can't really change your clothes, and plus, inside the MC5786, I think five pieces fit in it, most of your backpack is of course used to carry the computer, so we don't have much space.

Catalina

leans back in the water, her arms out to the sides, looking up at the canopy above the lake I have a spare shirt and one extra pair of trousers in mine. a pause That is all I took when I left the stadium. I did not plan to be walking south with someone, so I did not plan for much. a short silence, the warm water moving gently around them We should look for anything wearable along the route. Abandoned buildings usually have something.

Dima

Once you are out of Seattle, it's gas stations only, there is nothing wearable on the route.

Catalina

a short silence, the water lapping gently at the stones Then we wash what we have and wear it until it falls apart. a pause It would not be the first time. looks over at the jacket drying on the flat stone, the WLF patch facing up at the sky At some point I should do something about that patch, maybe remove it.

Dima

We can't remove it right now, and it could be useful. And by the way... he splashes some water on her face

Catalina

blinks, water running down her face, her expression sharp for just a moment before it breaks into something else entirely You. a short pause, her hand already moving under the water That was a mistake.

Dima

Oh... I didn't know you didn't like fun.

Catalina

splashes him back, harder, water catching him across the shoulder and neck, a smile breaking through I like fun. a pause I just like winning more.

Dima

he splashes again at her

Catalina

ducks slightly and sends a wide sweep of water back at him with both arms, laughing openly in the quiet forest

Dima

I've never had such fun...

Catalina

settles back in the water, still smiling Neither have I. a short silence, the lake warm around them, the forest quiet again Most of my life has been work. quietly I did not know it could feel like this.

Dima

I think moments like this will become good memories.

Catalina

They already are. a short silence, the steam rising gently above the water around them I am going to remember this lake for a long time.

Scene

The afternoon light drops slowly across the lake. They stay longer than they planned, the warmth of the water and the quiet of the forest making it easy to forget the road. Their clothes dry on the flat stones in the thermal air. At some point they move to the lake's shallow edge, sitting with their feet in and their backs against the warm rocks, talking about small things and nothing in particular. From inside Catalina's pack, propped against a tree root behind them, comes a faint pop.

Catalina

turns her head toward the pack, her expression shifting That came from the computer.

Dima

Of course it's the computer.

Catalina

she is already on her feet, reaching for the pack and opening it carefully, lifting the computer out and setting it on a dry flat stone Another one. quietly, looking at the casing We did not even turn it on.

Dima

he starts exiting the water and putting his clothes back on Let's put our clothes back on and look at the board.

Scene

They pull their outer layers back on, the clothes warm and dry from the thermal air. He opens the casing carefully on the flat stone, the smell lighter this time, less acute than the first capacitor, but present.

Catalina

leans in beside him, her jacket still unbuttoned Can you see which one?

Dima

he looks carefully at the board inside the case The one close to the processor.

Catalina

looks where he is pointing, the small component close to the processor socket, its top split like the first one, a faint brown mark on the board beneath it That is closer to the center than the last one. a pause Does the manual have a diagram for this position?

Dima

It was faded out.

Catalina

sits back on her heels, looking at the board So we have two failed capacitors, the battery is critical, and the storage is read only. a pause How many sessions does it have left?

Dima

I would say five sessions left at best.

Catalina

a short silence, her eyes on the board Then we use them carefully. a pause What does it need to keep working? What is the absolute minimum we actually have to do on it?

Dima

Let's look at the manual.

Catalina

grabs the technical manual from his pack and reads it

APPENDIX D - INTERNAL COMPONENTS SECTION D.3.2 - CAPACITOR FAILURE --------------------------------- A capacitor that has failed visibly, indicated by a split or bulged casing, electrolyte discharge, or audible pop during operation, must be replaced before the device is used further. IMPORTANT: REPLACE ALL CAPACITORS When one capacitor fails, all remaining capacitors of the same age and type should be considered suspect. Capacitors age together. Replacing only the failed unit risks further failures under load. Replace the full set where possible. VERIFICATION After replacement, verify each capacitor with a multimeter set to capacitance mode. Measured value should be within 20% of rated capacitance. A reading of zero indicates a failed or incorrectly installed component. RISK OF CONTINUED USE Operating with failed capacitors on the voltage regulation circuit exposes the processor and storage unit to unregulated voltage. This may cause: - Corrupted storage writes - Processor register errors - Further component failures - Permanent board damage CAPACITOR SPECIFICATIONS All voltage regulation capacitors on MC5786 main board: 16V 100uF electrolytic radial lead, 5mm pitch Primary caps: CAP-0x01 to 0x04 Secondary caps: CAP-0x05 to 0x08 [sourcing information - illegible] WITHOUT A MULTIMETER If no multimeter is available, visual inspection is the only option. Look for bulging, splits, or electrolyte residue on any remaining capacitors. These indicate imminent failure. Any capacitor showing these signs must be replaced before use. [further inspection notes - faded]

Catalina

looks up from the page We do not have a multimeter. And we cannot replace all of them without the parts. a short silence, her eyes moving back to the open casing on the flat stone So we use visual inspection and we do not push it.

Dima

We never push it, and besides, we might soon remain without the MC5786, one of the last functioning computers in this world.

Catalina

looks at the open casing quietly for a moment We might have to give it a proper burial at some point. a pause And then spend a long time after that talking about what it did. closes the casing carefully It taught me logic, printed my journal, and nearly killed itself trying to send my note to a far away printer. quietly, her hand resting on the casing That is a full life for a machine.

Dima

Not necessarily a full life, but more like a story we invented about ourselves.

Catalina

a short silence, her hand still on the casing You are right. a pause It was just the stage we happened to be on. looks at him The story was ours.

Dima

It was always ours.

Catalina

picks up the computer and slides it back into her pack carefully, then looks south toward the road And it still is. a pause Whatever sessions it has left, we use them well. stands, shouldering the pack Ready when you are.

Dima

I am ready.

Catalina

looks back at the lake once, the steam still rising faintly from the surface, their wet boot prints already drying on the warm stones, and then turns to the road south and starts walking

Dima

he starts walking alongside her in silence

Scene

Several days have passed since the lake. The road south gave way to a forest trail that narrowed gradually, the canopy closing overhead until the sky appeared only in strips. They moved slowly, the undergrowth dense on either side, the computer silent in Catalina's pack. On the third evening the trees opened onto a small clearing where a wooden lodging stood, the roof intact, moss thick on the north-facing wall but the structure sound. Inside, there are two rooms and a lit fireplace with dry wood still stacked beside it.

Catalina

sits close to the fire, her boots off, her back against the wall, looking at the flames for a while before she speaks Can I ask you something difficult?

Dima

Sure, you can.

Catalina

keeps her eyes on the fire What is the thing you are most ashamed of? a pause Not something you did because you had no choice. Something you chose, and knew better, and did anyway.

Dima

I don't know, it's very hard for me to answer this question, but I'll try.

Catalina

turns to look at him, her expression open, no urgency in it Take your time. quietly I am not going anywhere.

Dima

I know, I know... I remember that I have stolen some corn from the farm in Sidliste, but then, there is something more...

Catalina

waits, her hands loose in her lap, the fire settling into a steady low burn

Dima

It was thinking about relationships that were never going to be when I was young...? I am not sure...

Catalina

a short silence, her eyes moving back to the fire That is not shame, it's just being young.

Dima

Your question is just... really difficult...

Catalina

looks at him I know. a pause I asked it because I had to sit with the same question myself before I could put it to you. quietly Mine took me three days of walking to answer.

Dima

And what is your answer?

Catalina

a long silence, the fire shifting between them Petra. quietly I knew, from the first week, that she was too young and too unprepared, and I said nothing to anyone. I told myself it was not my place, that command knew and someone else would speak. a short silence Nobody did and I did not. looks at the fire That was a choice.

Dima

What made you think it was a choice?

Catalina

a short silence Because I had the thought. quietly The moment you have the thought and then decide not to act on it, it becomes a choice. a pause If I had never noticed, if she had just been another soldier to me, that would be different. looks at her hands But I saw how small she was inside that jacket. I saw she was mouthing the words at briefings because she could not read them fast enough. a short silence And I looked away.

Dima

And I initially thought that your reaction was not intentional when you first talked about her.

Catalina

she is quiet for a moment It was not intentional when I first said her name. a pause But the original silence was. looks at the fire I have spent a long time separating those two things. The things that happened to me and the things I let happen. a short silence Petra falls in the second category and I have known that for years.

Dima

Oh... I didn't know that.

Catalina

quietly I did't tell anyone. quietly You are the first person I have said her name to outside of a mission debrief.

Dima

And well, I don't blame you for anything.

Catalina

a short silence I know. quietly That is why I could say it.

Dima

he slowly lies on the bed I am tired...

Catalina

looks at him for a moment, then quietly Can I stay with you? Like before.

Dima

Sure, you can.

Catalina

moves to the bed and lies down beside him, her head against his shoulder, one arm across him

Dima

You really like staying with me like this...

Catalina

a short silence, her voice low When you hold me it feels like something I did not know I was missing until it was there. a pause It does not matter if I am crying or not. It is the same feeling either way.

Dima

he gently removes a piece of fluff from her hair

Catalina

feels it and goes still for just a moment, something small and unguarded crossing her expression, then she settles back against him You notice things. very quietly, almost to herself

Dima

So, you have chosen to dedicate your life to me after all...

Catalina

a short breath, close to a laugh I said I was not going to do that. a pause, her arm tightening slightly across him And then I did it anyway.

Dima

What are you going to do when I'm not around?

Catalina

quietly I am going to make sure that does not happen.

Dima

he traces a healed line on her chin What happened there?

Catalina

lets him trace it without pulling away Knife. A Seraphite patrol, three years ago. I was not paying attention the way I should have been. her eyes stay on the ceiling It was not deep but it bled a lot. Yusuf stitched it with thread from his jacket lining. a pause He made a joke about it the whole time so I would not think about what he was doing.

Dima

Must have been really bad...

Catalina

a quiet exhale The stitching was worse than the cut. But I would not have wanted anyone else to do it.

Dima

He was an important friend, so I can understand...

Catalina

her hand finds his, loosely He was the closest thing I had to family after my mother. And now I have you, which is a strange thing to say out loud, but it is true. a pause You are very different from him. He made everything lighter. You make everything clearer and I think I needed both at different points and I just did not know it.

Dima

I know, you have also said that before. And yeah, that's how life goes.

Catalina

her thumb moving slowly against his hand Yeah. Life gives you what you need and not always when you expect it. looks at the ceiling, the firelight from the other room moving faintly across it I found you in the worst place I had ever been in. a pause That should not work but it did.

Dima

I also know that... he squeezes her for a bit

Catalina

closes her eyes when he squeezes her, and holds still for a moment, then settles more deeply against him Good. very quietly Sleep.

Scene

Three days south of the forest lodging the trail rejoins a proper road. By midday the road passes through what was once a small village, a main street of perhaps thirty buildings, most shuttered or collapsed. But on the eastern end of the street, the glass on one shopfront is intact. The sign above it, sun-bleached but legible, reads: MERIDIAN COMPUTING & ELECTRONICS.

Catalina

stops in front of the window, one hand shading her eyes against the reflection The same company. quietly, reading the sign Meridian.

Dima

he steps inside the abandoned electronics store

Scene

The inside of the store is dim but dry, the shelves mostly bare, stripped long before the outbreak or shortly after. But the display wall at the back is intact, a row of countertop units still in their original positions, thick with dust. Between them, clipped to wire stands or taped directly to the wall, the advertisement cards remain faded at the edges but legible. Catalina steps inside behind him and moves slowly along the display wall, reading each card in turn.

Dima

he stops in front of the MC5896 display unit, reading the card

Scene

Catalina moves to the next card, beside a dusty unit with a hinged lid, clearly different in shape from the MC5896.

Catalina

reads both cards slowly, then looks at the dusty unit on the counter, then back at him Rechargeable. a pause It has a battery you can fill back up. looks at their pack We have been rationing sessions on a dying fifty year old CMOS cell and the next model along already solved that problem.

Dima

Maybe there could be even newer models out there. Let's look inside the MC5896.

Scene

Dima lifts the MC5896 carefully from its display stand, the casing lighter than the MC5786 in his hands. He sets it on the counter and works the casing panels apart.

Catalina

leans in, looking at the clean components No burns, no splits.

Dima

Now let's put everything back on and power on. he reassembles the casing, the panels clicking back into their forms cleanly

Scene

Behind the counter, Catalina finds the monitor still connected by a thick cable, a bulky CRT unit with a rounded screen, intact. She sets it on the counter beside the MC5896. Dima finds the power strip beneath the counter, checks it, connects it, and presses the power button.

Catalina

pulls the yellow sticker from the side of the casing and holds it to the light There is a code here. reads it Five groups of five letters and numbers.

Scene

The monitor flickers. The MC5896 clicks once, then hums.

MERIDIAN MC5896 BIOS v2.1 MEMORY CHECK: 131072KB OK PROCESSOR: MC5896 MOBILE @ 800MHz DETECTING DEVICES... HDD: MERIDIAN MRD-20G ... OK CD-ROM: MERIDIAN CDX-52 ... OK GRAPHICS: MRD-200 ... OK KEYBOARD DRAWER ... OK MOUSE DRAWER ... OK BOOTING FROM HDD...

Starting Windows 2000...

Scene

The screen changes. A deep blue background fades in, the Windows 2000 logo appearing at the centre, a thin progress bar beneath it moving in slow increments. The bar fills. The screen resolves into a desktop. Teal background, icons arranged down the left side. A dialogue box appears immediately in the centre.

Windows 2000 Professional Setup ✕

Your Product Key

Your Product Key uniquely identifies your copy of Windows 2000.

🏳️

PRODUCT KEY:

+++++++++++
11111-AAAAA-
22222-BBBBB-
33333

Don't Lose This Number!

The 25-character Product Key appears on the yellow sticker on the back of your Windows 2000 CD case.

Type the Product Key below:

MR48K

XXQCV

DBV46

3J4HY

Q9T2W

Catalina

hands him the yellow sticker without a word

Dima

he types the key using the keyboard drawer, the keys stiff but responding, and presses enter

Product key accepted. Thank you for activating Windows 2000 Professional. Your copy is now fully licensed. Preparing your desktop...

Catalina

reads the date on the taskbar, then looks at him It thinks it is the first day of the year 2000. a pause Before any of this started.

Dima

he pulls out the mouse drawer and starts moving it, the cursor moving across the screen. He clicks through the desktop icons, then right-clicks and creates and opens a new Word document Word 97...

Catalina

reads the toolbar across the top of Word as it opens, her eyes moving left to right slowly It has everything laid out already. a pause, her finger hovering near the screen without touching it You do not have to type commands. You just... press the thing you want. a short silence And the mouse moves to it.

Dima

That's impressive... he clicks on the image icon and then clicks on an example image It's just like the previous interface but... with buttons.

Catalina

leans forward when the image appears on screen, her arms on the counter, her face close to the monitor That is a picture. quietly, not quite believing it Inside the computer. a pause, her eyes moving over it The MC5786 could only show letters. a short silence This one shows the whole world.

Dima

he opens an existing sample document about how to program graphical applications in C++

📄 GraphicsAPI_Guide.doc - Microsoft Word

− ☐ ✕

FileEditViewInsertFormatToolsTableWindowHelp

| . | . | . | . | . | . |

PROGRAMMING GRAPHICAL APPLICATIONS IN C++

A Guide for Windows 2000 Developers

Meridian Computing Systems Ltd, 2001

INTRODUCTION

This guide introduces the Windows GDI (Graphics Device Interface), the primary API for drawing graphical content in a Windows application. Unlike console programs, graphical applications do not use printf or cout to produce output. Instead, they draw directly to the screen using function calls provided by Windows.

YOUR FIRST WINDOW

Every graphical application begins with a window. The following code creates a basic window and displays it on screen.

#include <windows.h> LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND hwnd, UINT msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam) { switch(msg) { case WM_DESTROY: PostQuitMessage(0); break; } return DefWindowProc(hwnd, msg, wParam, lParam); } int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInst, HINSTANCE hPrev, LPSTR lpCmd, int nShow) { WNDCLASS wc = {0}; wc.lpfnWndProc = WndProc; wc.hInstance = hInst; wc.lpszClassName = "MyWindow"; RegisterClass(&wc); HWND hwnd = CreateWindow("MyWindow", "Hello World", WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW, 100, 100, 500, 400, NULL, NULL, hInst, NULL); ShowWindow(hwnd, nShow); MSG msg; while(GetMessage(&msg, NULL, 0, 0)) { TranslateMessage(&msg); DispatchMessage(&msg); } return msg.wParam; }

Note that WinMain replaces the standard main() function. Windows manages the program loop, calling WndProc each time an event occurs, such as a mouse click, a keypress, or a request to close.

DRAWING TO THE SCREEN

To draw inside a window, respond to the WM_PAINT message in WndProc. Use the GDI functions to draw shapes and text.

case WM_PAINT: { PAINTSTRUCT ps; HDC hdc = BeginPaint(hwnd, &ps); TextOut(hdc, 10, 10, "Hi Mom!", 7); EndPaint(hwnd, &ps); break; }

Compare this to the assembly approach on MC5786, where INT 0x21 handled all output. Here, the OS draws on your behalf. You describe what you want. Windows decides how to render it.

Page 1 of 12 GraphicsAPI_Guide.doc

Page 1Sec 11/12Ln 1Col 1

Catalina

reads for a long moment, her eyes moving down the page carefully Hi Mom. quietly, finding it near the bottom It is in here too. her fingers trace the line without touching the screen And here it is four lines instead of thirteen, and the window draws it for you. straightens up slowly This machine was going to make everything you did on the MC5786 look like writing with a stick in the mud.

Dima

Well, not quite, it's still complex. Let's go over the laptops. This could be useful to replace the MC5786, but those laptops are just slates compared to this box.

Catalina

moves along the counter to where the laptops sit, three of them, hinged lids closed, thinner and flatter than anything else in the store Slates. What does that mean exactly?

Dima

he goes near a laptop and opens its screen It is flat and everything is compressed into this thinner but still heavy box.

Scene

Dima presses the power button. The laptop fan spins up immediately, louder than expected. The screen brightens, a loading bar appears, and Windows XP begins to boot, its desktop appearing in colour, the blue taskbar along the bottom, the green Start button glowing at the corner. A showcase program launches automatically.

Centrino Experience - Intel Mobile Technology

− ☐ ✕

Welcome Performance Battery Life Wireless Demo Video Photo Viewer Explore

WELCOME TO THE CENTRINO EXPERIENCE

You are holding the future of mobile computing. The laptop is the platform and the Centrino mobile technology is what powers part of it, designed from the ground up for the way people work today.

▶

PERFORMANCE

Pentium M processor. More power per watt than any desktop chip.

▶

BATTERY LIFE

Up to 5 hours on a single charge. Work all day without a cable.

▶

WIRELESS

Intel PRO/Wireless built in. Connect anywhere, instantly.

▶ Play Demo Video ▶ Launch Photo Viewer ▶ Try Wireless Setup ▶ Explore Your Laptop

Catalina

reads the showcase program, then looks at the laptop itself There is no drawer, the keyboard is just there. presses one key lightly and it registers on screen And the screen is part of it.

Dima

he plays a sample video on the laptop and sound comes out It has a speaker!

Catalina

takes a step back when the sound comes out, her hand moving toward her rifle before she catches herself, then stands very still listening That is coming from inside the machine. her head tilts slightly as she listens to the sample video What is it playing?

Dima

I don't know, a tape from the 2000s.

Catalina

moves closer to the screen, and watches the video in silence for a long moment, the colour moving across her face in the dim store Everything is intact. The buildings, the roads. a pause, her eyes tracking something on screen I knew it existed because I have heard people describe it. But seeing it is different, so ordinary, like nothing in it knew what was coming.

Dima

I am starting to feel the energy of their really exaggerated marketing or whatever... I would really want to get this thing.

Catalina

a short breath, close to a laugh, her eyes still on the screen You already have a computer, one with two dead capacitors and five sessions left. looks at the laptop, then at him But yes, I understand the feeling. runs a hand along the laptop's edge This one has a speaker and a built-in screen and wireless and all day battery and it weighs about the same as a thick book. a pause And ours nearly killed itself trying to talk to a printer.

Dima

But this one must be more powerful, we can leave our dying machine in the shop and grab the MC5786 and one of those slabs, and make a hand-crank generator to charge those devices.

Catalina

looks between the MC5896 on the counter and the laptops, thinking through it practically The MC5896 runs Windows. We cannot use the shell or the editor on it without starting over entirely. a pause But the laptops. picks one up, testing the weight If we find a way to charge them, they could run for hours on their own. sets it back down And the documents, the route notes, we could write them in Word instead of the editor. a short silence The MC5786 comes with us as it has everything already on it and we know how it works.

Dima

The MC5786 is dying, the data will be lost, and look... there is another printer in here.

Scene

She turns toward the back corner of the store where a larger unit sits on a dedicated stand, wider and lower than a line printer. A single USB cable coils beside it, still attached to nothing. On the front, there is a flip-down control panel with buttons and a small LCD readout. On the stand beside it, there is a laminated showcase card.

Catalina

reads the card slowly, her hand resting on the top of the machine

Catalina

reads it through to the end, then lifts the scanner lid and looks at the glass beneath it, her own face reflected back dimly This one seems to just plug and work. looks at him We went through all of that and the next answer was sitting in a shop the whole time.

Dima

he finds a USB cable, connects the printer to the MC5896, then retrieves the folded printed sheets from Catalina's pack Let's see... Place the papers on glass surface.

Scene

Catalina lays her personal note face-down on the scanner glass. Dima closes the lid and the printer hums quietly. A thin bar of light moves beneath the glass an a copy appears out the front slot, clean and sharp.

Catalina

picks up a copy and holds it beside the original, comparing It's cleaner than the line printer. The original was already fading on some lines.

Scene

Dima then scans the route notes next, page by page. On the MC5896 screen, while the copies are printed, the scanned pages appear as image files in a folder.

📁 Scanned Documents

− ☐ ✕

FileEditViewFavoritesToolsHelp

Address: C:\My Documents\Scanned Documents

📁 Desktop
📁 My Documents
📁 Scanned Docs
💻 My Computer
🌐 Network

Name Size Type Modified

📄 ROUTE_SODO_PAGE1.BMP 127 KB Bitmap Image Today

📄 ROUTE_SODO_PAGE2.BMP 134 KB Bitmap Image Today

📄 ROUTE_SODO_PAGE3.BMP 128 KB Bitmap Image Today

📄 PERSONAL_NOTE.BMP 142 KB Bitmap Image Today

4 object(s)531 KB

Catalina

leans over the MC5896 screen, reading the file names The notes are in there now. a short silence Can we open them?

Dima

he double-clicks the first file. The image opens, the scanned route notes filling the screen, the line-printed text clearly legible.

Catalina

reads the first checkpoint entry on screen It kept everything. quietly straightens up and looks at him We should type the route notes properly into a Word document while we have power. So they are text, not a picture of text.

Dima

I am starting to feel the energy of their really exaggerated marketing or whatever... I would really want to get this thing.

Scene

They spend an hour at the MC5896, typing the route notes into Word from the scanned images, checkpoint by checkpoint, the danger headers formatted in bold, the water sources and infected density entries in their own sections. When it is done, the documents sit clean and searchable on the hard drive in text.

Thinking about how to carry the computer further, Dima finds a portable LCD monitor in a sealed box on a high shelf, seven inches, VGA output, its own fold-out stand, designed for presentations and travel. It connects to the MC5896's rear port directly. He tests it, the Windows 2000 desktop appearing on the small screen, sharp and clear. The MC5896 goes into Catalina's pack, the portable monitor wrapped in a dust cloth beside it. A laptop goes into Dima's pack, power cable coiled around it. The store has several portable batteries, pre-charged, still holding power after years in sealed packaging. He distributes them between the packs.

They leave the store as the afternoon light shifts. The MC5786 sits on the counter in the dimming shop, its casing cracked and its second capacitor split while the manual stays with them.

Catalina

glances back once through the glass as they step out onto the street, then faces south Let's go.

Scene

They are two hours south of the village. The road is wider here. She has said nothing about either machine since they left the store.

Catalina

slows at a collapsed low wall, good enough to sit on and see the road in both directions, and unslings her pack Show me how the mouse works on the laptop while we have daylight.

Dima

he pulls out the laptop from his backpack and starts it Sure... he places his finger on the touchpad and the cursor moves with his finger

Catalina

watches his finger move and the cursor track it, her eyes moving between his hand and the screen It follows your finger. a pause The surface itself is the mouse. looks at him Can I try?

Dima

Sure, you can.

Catalina

reaches over and places one finger on the touchpad carefully, moves it slowly, and watches the cursor drift across the screen It responds immediately. a pause, moving her finger faster this time And looks like the faster I move the further it goes. lifts her finger How do I click?

Dima

It's similar to the mouse, or so I think, since I have only seen those devices in the manuals. The click should be the left button and the context should be the right button.

Catalina

presses the left button lightly with her finger, a soft click, and something on screen responds That worked and it is quieter than I expected. moves the cursor to an icon and clicks it What did I just open?

Dima

You have opened the program that displays directories, in short, list directory.

Catalina

looks at the screen, the file explorer window open, folders listed in the left pane So this is what list directory looks like when it has pictures. a pause, her finger hovering over the touchpad And I can click on a folder to go inside it instead of typing the path. clicks one and the contents appear It just... opened.

Dima

Now, let's see if there is a command prompt.

Catalina

moves the cursor toward the taskbar, pressing keys experimentally, and accidentally hits two keys at once. A small dialog box appears in the bottom-left of the screen

Run

Type the name of a program, folder, document, or Internet resource, and Windows will open it for you.

Open:

        ▌
        ▼
      

OK Cancel Browse...

Catalina

pulls her hand back slightly What did I press?

Dima

I haven't seen this, it must be a one-line command prompt. Let's see if our old manual has that. he checks the old MC5786 manual and finds a dedicated chapter on Windows 2000

CHAPTER 8 - WINDOWS 2000 QUICK START ===================================== This chapter provides an introduction to Windows 2000 Professional for users transitioning from MC/OS. It covers core concepts, navigation, and the command line environment. 8.1 THE DESKTOP --------------- Windows 2000 presents a graphical desktop rather than a shell prompt. Programs, folders, and files appear as icons that can be opened by double-clicking with the mouse. The taskbar along the bottom of the screen shows running programs and provides access to the Start menu. 8.2 THE RUN DIALOGUE -------------------- Pressing WIN + R opens the Run dialogue. This accepts a single command or program name and executes it immediately. It is equivalent to typing a command at the MC/OS shell prompt and pressing return. Example: typing "cmd" and pressing OK opens the command prompt window. 8.3 THE COMMAND PROMPT ---------------------- Windows 2000 includes a text-based command prompt (cmd.exe) that accepts many of the same concepts as MC/OS but with different syntax. MC/OS Windows 2000 list -dir dir run [file] [filename] create [file] copy con [file] checkd cd To open: WIN + R, type "cmd", OK. The prompt shows the current path rather than the % symbol. 8.4 FILE MANAGEMENT ------------------- Files can be managed either through Windows Explorer (graphical) or the command prompt (text-based). [remainder of section - faded] 8.5 THE MOUSE AND TOUCHPAD -------------------------- Windows 2000 is designed for use with a pointing device. On laptops a touchpad replaces the physical mouse. Movement is relative to finger speed across the surface. Left button confirms selection Right button opens context menu Double-click opens files or folders Keyboard shortcuts replace commands that MC/OS users may expect from the shell. Key combinations: WIN + R open Run dialogue WIN + E open file explorer ALT + F4 close active window CTRL + C copy selected item CTRL + V paste item CTRL + Z undo last action [further shortcuts - faded]

Catalina

reads section 8.2 and then looks at the Run dialogue still open on screen Win plus R. a pause So I pressed a key I did not know existed and it opened exactly the thing we needed. a short silence Type cmd and press OK?

Dima

Yeah, type cmd, but there is also another section.

8.6 THE START MENU ------------------ The Start menu is the primary entry point for all programs and settings in Windows 2000. Click the Start button on the taskbar or press the WIN key to open it. STRUCTURE Programs installed applications Documents recently opened files Settings system configuration Search find files or folders Help Windows help system Run open Run dialogue Shut Down restart or power off 8.7 IMPORTANT BUILT-IN PROGRAMS -------------------------------- The following programs are included with Windows 2000 and accessible via Start > Programs > Accessories or via the Run dialogue. NOTEPAD (notepad.exe) A basic text editor. Opens and saves plain text files. Equivalent in function to the MC/OS editor but without assembly support. Use for quick notes and config files. Does not support rich text. WORDPAD (wordpad.exe) A simple word processor included with Windows. Supports bold, italic, and basic formatting. Can open and save .doc files compatible with Microsoft Word. PAINT (mspaint.exe) A basic image editor. Can open, edit, and save bitmap images. Useful for viewing scanned files and making simple annotations. COMMAND PROMPT (cmd.exe) The text-based command interface. Accepts DOS-style commands for file management, program execution, and system information. See section 8.3 for command mapping. TASK MANAGER (taskmgr.exe) Shows all running programs and processes. Equivalent to the MC/OS proc list command. Open via CTRL + ALT + DELETE. CALCULATOR (calc.exe) A graphical calculator. Supports standard and scientific modes. Hexadecimal input available in scientific mode. Replaces manual hex calculation from MC/OS. REGISTRY EDITOR (regedit.exe) Advanced tool. The Windows registry stores all system and application configuration in a hierarchical database. Regedit allows direct viewing and editing of registry entries. Incorrect changes can prevent Windows from starting. Use with caution. Structure: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hardware and system HKEY_CURRENT_USER per-user settings HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT file type associations [further registry detail - faded]

Catalina

reads the regedit entry twice, then looks up A database that stores everything the system needs to run. a pause And if you edit it incorrectly Windows stops starting. a short silence That is the most dangerous thing in this manual and it is the most faded section. looks at him Of course it is.

Dima

I agree...

Catalina

moves the cursor slowly through the Start menu, reading each entry, and then stops There is a game in here, Full Tilt Pinball. looks at him What is pinball?

Dima

I don't know, let's open it...

Scene

She double-clicks it. The program opens with a burst of sound from the laptop speaker, music and electronic effects filling the quiet roadside. On screen a silver ball sits at the bottom of an elaborate machine covered in lights, bumpers, ramps and targets arranged across three levels. She stares at it for a moment, then he points to the space bar and she presses it. The ball launches up the plunger lane and disappears into the playfield. Lights flash. The speakers fire off a rapid sequence of sounds as the ball ricochets between bumpers.

Catalina

watches the ball, completely still, and then very quietly Hit something with it.

Dima

I think it's the left and right buttons on the pad.

Catalina

presses the left button and the left flipper snaps up on screen, then the right, getting the timing, her eyes fixed on the ball I see it. a short silence, pressing both in quick succession as the ball drops I see how it works. the ball slips past the flippers and drains, a sound playing It took it back.

Dima

Now let's see how long we can play pinball.

Scene

They take turns, passing the laptop between them. The first few balls drain quickly, the flippers misfiring or triggering too late. Catalina overshoots the left ramp twice in a row and loses the ball both times. He fares slightly better but misses a save that she would have caught. By the fourth ball something shifts. She starts reading the ball's speed before it arrives, pressing the flipper a half second early. He learns to hold the flipper up and let the ball roll to the tip for a more controlled shot. The score climbs slowly, then faster as the multipliers stack.

Catalina

nudges the laptop slightly to angle a shot and then catches herself Can you do that?

Dima

I can.

Scene

She nudges it again, the ball rolling up the left ramp cleanly, lights cascading across the playfield, the speaker firing off a long reward sequence. They play for approximately thirty to forty minutes while the score jumps.

Catalina

very quietly, her eyes on the screen There it is.

Dima

Now, I think it's enough pinball.

Scene

A small balloon pops up from the system tray at the bottom right corner of the screen.

⚡ Power Management

Battery Running Low
Your battery is below 50%. Connect to a power source or save your work.
Remaining: 43% - approx. 1h 42 min

Catalina

reads the balloon Forty three percent. a pause We started at full.

Scene

Dima opens the Meridian Power Monitor from the taskbar.

📊 Meridian Power Monitor

− ☐ ✕

Battery: 43% █████████▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

Power consumption by application (last session)

Application	Draw	Duration	% Battery
🎼 Full Tilt! Pinball	HIGH	38 min	-36%
📡 Meridian Connect	MED	background	-14%
📄 Microsoft Word	LOW	12 min	-4%
📁 Windows Explorer	LOW	18 min	-3%
Total consumed			-57%

⚠ Pinball and Meridian Connect are the primary drain. Consider closing background applications.

Catalina

reads the table Meridian Connect. a pause What is that?

Dima

clicks it in the taskbar. A third window opens, still running in the background

📡 Meridian Connect - Device Discovery

− ☐ ✕

Meridian Device Network

Automatically finds other Meridian devices powered by Intel Centrino on your local network.

Scanning for Meridian XT series and other Centrino-enabled devices...

No devices found.
Searched: Meridian XT-100, XT-200, XT-300 · Intel Centrino compatible
Note: MC5786 and MC5896 excluded (non-Centrino processor)

Last scan: just now · Status: scanning continuously · Network: not detected

Catalina

reads it, then looks up at the empty road around them It has been looking for other machines this whole time. a short silence And finding nothing because there are none. Close it.

Dima

he closes Space Cadet first, then opens the task manager and ends the task, but it opens again

Windows Task Manager

− ☐ ✕

Applications Processes Performance

Image Name	CPU	Mem Usage
explorer.exe	00	4,812 KB
mconnect.exe	02	8,204 KB
taskmgr.exe	01	2,116 KB
System	00	224 KB

End Process

Catalina

watches it come back It started itself again. a pause Is there a way to stop it from doing that?

Dima

he opens the manual and turns to the Windows chapter

8.8 REMOVING UNWANTED PROGRAMS ------------------------------ Programs that start automatically with Windows can be stopped by removing them entirely. On Windows 2000, two methods are available. METHOD 1: ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. Select the program from the list and click Remove. This is the recommended method as it uses the program's own uninstaller and removes all associated files. METHOD 2: PROGRAM UNINSTALLER Some programs include their own uninstall.exe in the program folder. Navigate to the folder via Windows Explorer and run uninstall.exe directly. NOTE: Ending a process in Task Manager does not prevent a program from restarting if it is registered as a Windows service or startup application. Use Add/Remove Programs to permanently remove it. WARNING: Do not delete program files manually without using the uninstaller. Orphaned registry entries may cause system instability. [remainder - faded]

Catalina

reads the note It is registered as a startup application. So ending the task just removes it from view until Windows starts it again. Add and remove programs then.

Scene

Dima navigates to Control Panel, finds Add/Remove Programs, locates Meridian Connect in the list and clicks Remove. The uninstaller runs briefly and finishes. The process disappears from Task Manager and does not return.

Windows Task Manager

− ☐ ✕

Applications Processes Performance

Image Name	CPU	Mem Usage
explorer.exe	00	4,812 KB
taskmgr.exe	01	2,116 KB
System	00	224 KB

Catalina

looks at the clean process list That is much better.

Scene

After sitting on the low wall for long enough, they close the laptop, pack up and keep moving south. The road is wide and mostly flat, the afternoon light already having shifted from when they stopped.

Catalina

looks at the road south, the light lower now than when they stopped, then at the battery reading before he closes the lid Forty-three percent. a pause We spent more than a third of it on a ball game.

Dima

Yeah, it was fun... now, we have to go.

Catalina

stands and slings her pack, looking south down the road Worth remembering how much it costs.

Dima

he turns off the laptop and puts it in his pack From what I have heard, fun can sometimes result in death.

Catalina

starts walking, her eyes on the road ahead It usually does.

Dima

And Catalina...

Catalina

keeps her pace, eyes forward, but something in her shoulders settles slightly Go on.

Dima

You're really special and sometimes, when I sleep, I have dreams about eventually reaching together to our destination, meeting your dead friend again, living together now that we are stuck together...

Catalina

she is quiet for a few steps, her boots on the road the only sound Yusuf is dead, Dima. But the rest of it, I think about it too.

Dima

I know, I know... but I care about you and Yusuf was an important person in your life.

Catalina

stays against his shoulder He was, and you saying that means something.

Dima

You have already changed since we met, so more specifically, what?

Catalina

walks a few more steps, then The part that still thinks like a soldier. It gets loud sometimes and I go quiet. It is not about you.

Dima

Okay, I understand...

Scene

An hour later, the road narrows where an old motel sits back from the shoulder, single storey, the car park cracked through with weeds. Most of the doors are open and still. One at the far end is closed. They clear it room by room and take the last one. The window faces west and the light from the sun comes through it flat and orange. She sets her pack down, checks the door, and then sits on the floor close beside him.

Catalina

looks at her hands for a moment I went quiet after the pinball. That was not fair to you.

Dima

Yeah, it was not fair.

Catalina

leans her back against the wall, looking at the orange light on the floor We were just sitting there and it was good. And then I felt it and started thinking about how many times something like that ended badly for me. So I pulled back before it could. Which is the wrong instinct. I know that.

Dima

he extends his arm

Catalina

looks at his arm for a moment, then leans into it, her head against his shoulder I am sorry. the light from the sun still warm through the glass I am really sorry, Dima.

Dima

You just needed some time.

Catalina

stays close, not moving I always need more time than I should.

Dima

In all those weeks I have never given you enough time alone.

Catalina

shakes her head slightly against his shoulder You gave me plenty. I just spent it building walls instead of using it.

Dima

How is that so?

Catalina

her eyes on the dark floor Every time you gave me space I filled it with the same thoughts I have been carrying since the subway. Yusuf, the unit, what I did and did not do. a short breath Being alone with that is not rest. I just had nobody to notice I was doing it.

Dima

he notices a tear in her eyes You are sensitive, I see that...

Catalina

lets her tear sit there I used to think that was a flaw.

Dima

I know. Deep inside, you are a really emotional person and that's okay.

Catalina

looks down at the badge on her jacket for a moment, then pulls it loose and sets it on the floor I could have gone back after SoDo, after the bridge. I did not want to. shifts a bit closer You are strange and you talk too much about processors and I carry a logic book I found in a gas station. the warmth in her voice clear now And I feel safe next to you. I have not felt that in a long time.

Dima

And for me, you were always a true friend and you have never used anything against me, which is rare.

Catalina

her arm tightens slightly around him I never wanted to use you. I never wanted to hurt anyone, if I am honest. The WLF just made that feel like weakness too.

Dima

Have you felt safe with Yusuf?

Catalina

thinks about it honestly With Yusuf I felt less alone. That is not the same thing. Safe means I am not watching for the moment it goes wrong. looks at the badge on the floor With him I was always half ready for the next bad thing, and with you I forget to be.

Dima

And if it was not you but another soldier in the same faction, would they have felt the same way you now feel with me?

Catalina

shakes her head No. Another soldier would have cleared you in that tunnel and kept moving. Or taken what you had in the pack and left. her eyes on the badge on the floor Even the ones who were not cruel. They were just too far gone in it. quietly I was close to that point too. Six hours alone down there does something. looks at him But I looked at you and I still had enough left to choose differently.

Dima

You choose differently single time. It means you are different, that you actually care what others feel.

Catalina

stays close, her voice low I always cared. I just spent years convincing myself I did not.

Dima

You are a warm and beautiful person. I have felt that intuition since I have met you and I wanted to spend all the time with you because of that energy you have that I do not.

Catalina

shifts a bit closer You have it too. You just call it something different. Curiosity, maybe. The way you look at a broken machine like it still has something to say. looks at him That is warmth. You just never learned to call it that.

Dima

How is that warmth? You are dependent on the commercial claims of some manufacturer fifty or sixty years ago, I don't know...

Catalina

remembers the Centrino card It said work, play, and create. We played pinball and used thirty six percent of the battery. the corner of her mouth moves slightly I think that counts.

Dima

he looks at a shelf while still holding her There are CDs in here, I think we can listen to some music right now, pull out the battery and play something, because the laptop had a frame on a side.

Scene

The laptop reads the disc. A small dialogue appears on screen, then Windows Media Player opens and begins playing track one.

  ▶ Now Playing: Encarta 98 - Introduction & Tour

  Track 1 of 14 · 2:34

  "Welcome to Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. Explore a world of knowledge - history, science, geography, music, and more. Click any article to hear it read aloud. Use the Atlas to navigate the globe. Discover timelines, videos, and interactive charts..."

Catalina

listens to the voice fill the room, still and very quiet for a long moment That is a person, or something made to sound like one. looks at the laptop on the bed It is reading us the whole world.

Dima

It sounds more like software, an encyclopedia. No, this is not the right one. he ejects the CD from the laptop and inserts the second one in the set Much better...

Scene

The laptop reads the second disc. Windows Media Player switches tracks.

  ▶ Now Playing: Track 01 - Pegio

  No artist · No album · 3:47

Catalina

says nothing for a moment, just listens, her back against the wall and her knees drawn up Someone named a song after a place or a person.

Dima

If it says nothing... Also, I forgot to insert the battery.

Catalina

reaches into her pack and pulls out one of the sealed portable batteries from the store, connects it to the laptop's power port, and watches the charging indicator appear on screen Forty three percent and climbing. sets it beside the bed and sits back down against the wall Now we can actually listen.

Dima

Good, because the battery actually has less than five hours. We have been sold lies by the manufacturer, or is it that the battery has been left for so long that it started leaking?

Catalina

looks at the battery Both, probably. The card said all day. They meant a new one, in a controlled environment, running nothing heavy. looks at the laptop on the bed still playing We ran pinball for thirty eight minutes.

Dima

And of course, it has a big title, like Full Tilt! So it must be heavy.

Catalina

dry Exclamation mark and everything.

Dima

It's a good thing we haven't gone to the mall to play pinball.

Catalina

tilts her head back against the wall The infected would have heard the speakers before we even found the machine.

Dima

In the forest there are not many infected, they are almost non-existent.

Catalina

Almost.

Dima

Yeah...

Catalina

shifts slightly toward him Can I?

Dima

Sure...

Catalina

leans over and kisses his cheek, then settles back beside him, her shoulder against his Good.

Dima

he kisses her cheek in return We've been growing really, really close...

Catalina

stays still, the music filling the quiet room We have and I stopped noticing when it happened.

Dima

And I have the same question, about your hair this time, if I can stroke it or something like that.

Catalina

glances at him, then looks forward Go ahead.

Dima

he strokes her hair slowly, noticing how rough but at the same time packed it is It's really nice packing your hair like that.

Catalina

closes her eyes for a moment Keeps it out of the way. the music still going Yusuf used to say I looked like a soldier even when I was trying not to.

Dima

Because you were, but at the same time you are no longer a soldier.

Catalina

her eyes stay open, looking at the ceiling No. I am not sure what I am now. Something else.

Dima

What do you like the most? I mean, your passions...

Catalina

thinks about it genuinely, the music still going Reading, when I can find something worth reading. And fixing things, figuring out why something stopped working. looks at the laptop Turns out those are the same skill.

Dima

I haven't expected our passions to be so close.

Catalina

a quiet sound, close to a laugh I did not either. the song still going softly You find broken machines, I find broken reasoning, so, same instinct.

Dima

And I have given a name to broken reasoning.

Catalina

tilts her head slightly Sophism.

Dima

Yeah...

Catalina

stays close, her eyes half closed, the music filling the room around them

Dima

I think it's now time to sleep.

Catalina

nods slowly, eyes still closed Leave the battery connected. Wake me if you hear anything.

Dima

So, I stay awake, right?

Catalina

opens one eye We take turns. closes her eye again You first, two hours. Then me.

Dima

Okay, and lie on the bed, not here on the ground.

Catalina

stays put for a moment, then gets up and moves to the bed, setting her rifle within reach, and lies down Two hours and do not let me sleep past that.

Catalina And Dima's Story

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Your Product Key

PROGRAMMING GRAPHICAL APPLICATIONS IN C++

A Guide for Windows 2000 Developers

INTRODUCTION

YOUR FIRST WINDOW

DRAWING TO THE SCREEN

PERFORMANCE

BATTERY LIFE

WIRELESS

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen