"John G. Hemry - Do No Harm" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hemry John G)

bolts.тАЭ She yanked open a panel, pulled out a battery, connected leads to two
attachments behind another panel, then pushed a button.
Faint echoes of the explosions reached Kevlin through his handhold on the
ship as the hatch swung out. The captain turned to face them. тАЬPush yourselves
clear of the ship. We donтАЩt dare wait here for rescue from the chase ship. Go!тАЭ
They went. Kevlin shoved off, looking back to see SandraтАЩs shape
diminishing behind him, the captainтАЩs suited figure going last out of the hatch. He
heard her calling the chase ship on the distress frequency. тАЬSOS. We need
emergency pick up. Full macro and nano-scale decontamination required. Remain
clear of Sandra. Repeat, remain clear of Sandra.тАЭ
Kevlin wondered how long the recirc unit would keep him alive. Full-scale
decontamination took a while. But then, he couldnтАЩt argue with the captainтАЩs order,
either.
****
Yasmina joined him at the display, looking like sheтАЩd been vigorously
scrubbed with sandpaper over every part of her body, every hair shaved clean.
Kevlin knew he looked the same, and knew she also felt like her insides had been
similarly sandpapered. He would probably shudder for the rest of his life whenever
someone mentioned a full macro and nano decontamination.
She gestured at the image of Sandra. тАЬWhatтАЩs happening? Any guesses?тАЭ
SandraтАЩs clean lines had been distorted by random bulges. Remote readouts showed
system failures cascading through the ship.
тАЬSheтАЩs dying,тАЭ Kevlin stated. тАЬPure and simple. Some of her repair functions
evolved into harmful out-of-control infections. Other parts of her are attacking her.
See this stuff? Any immune system risks getting too efficient. At that point it starts
attacking itself. You can see where all the control system filaments in this part of
Sandra are dead. IтАЩll bet her own repair system is destroying them.тАЭ
тАЬAutoimmune diseases,тАЭ Yasmina observed in a shocked voice.
тАЬYeah. The testing process matched with learning routines and an ability to
improve repair capabilities inevitably pushed Sandra into becoming better and better
at identifying and fixing damage. Unfortunately, living organisms are obvious lessons
that thereтАЩs no optimum point at which that stuff stops. It keeps trying to get better
even after it gets so good at its job that it turns harmful.тАЭ
The captain had come to stand with them, face sober. тАЬIt shouldnтАЩt have
happened. We knew everything there is to know about every one of the components
on that ship.тАЭ
Another engineer shook his shaved head. тАЬItтАЩs a scientific principle that you
can know everything there is to know about something, and still not be able to
predict an outcome. We just proved it again.тАЭ
тАЬAssuming you did know everything,тАЭ Kevlin snapped. тАЬYou tried to make a
machine work like a living creature, with self-direction and self-repair capabilities.
What made you think you could tell how it would act? Humans are the mature result
of millions of years of evolution and we only function halfway well because of an
enormous investment in cultural, organizational and medical systems designed to
control our actions and compensate for our faults!тАЭ
тАЬWhatтАЩll happen to Sandra?тАЭ Yasmina wondered.
The captain glanced at Kevlin. тАЬDo you think sheтАЩll be safe once the power
dies and everything goes dark?тАЭ
тАЬThe macro stuff, probably. I donтАЩt know about the nanos. It all depends if
they evolved in the direction of viruses that can remain dormant for almost indefinite