This is installment #13 of a sci-fi serial. Installment #1 was posted 1/23/21; appropriately a numerically-ordered palindrome. Follow the links forward from the last sentence and backward from the first sentence of each post.

Being the scribe on the governing ship gives me privileges very few have; most specifically access to information. The kill switch was activated by the military brain-trust housed here on the governing ship because they had noticed both the unusual spike in non-military deaths and the increase in recommendations coming from Toby and the conglomerate. Simply put, they were nervous and wanted some thinking time away from the watchful eye and influence of an advanced intelligence. I was aware of the quiet deliberations leading up to the activation of the kill switch, and though I did not encourage the consideration, I also did not discourage them. I am still uncertain as to the best course of action, so in that moment and for this moment I will continue to do my job; observe and report. To the best of my knowledge, the military leaders are unaware of the nanohuman extensions, the extent of Toby's recruiting efforts, or the nanobot stingers and swarms. I have not disclosed my relationship with Toby to leadership or anyone on board, and I think Toby believes that, because he knows they would have kept him under more than three days if they had even an inkling of his shenanigans. And now here we are. Toby has come out from his repose with a bit of a different perspective, and I am curious how this may change his plans.

As for matters on 2022 Earth, they have not improved much If at all. As is the way of earthbound humans tied to this era, there has been talk (between a few of the most progressive leaders) of baby steps, but no actual progress toward cooperation. At this rate we will not accomplish even the 2050 deadline for a 70% chance of avoiding obliterative decimation. I am truly torn. I want to believe in Humanity. I want to hold on to my faith that a sense of urgency will come about and be driven by a new guard. I want to think that we (Earthbound Humans and Extraterrestrial Future Humans) are one and that we are the good guys. But are we? I want to think that together we can save the world. But can we?

Before Toby's 3 day hiatus he was talking about mere weeks before a massive landing and invasion. Now with his new insistence on seeing and touching and talking to the cat, (along with his strong desire to avoid another episode of drowsiness), I am already seeing signs of a stand down. His nanobot swarms and stingers are still out there, and they continued following their orders while Toby was resting, but since Toby has come back I have actually seen a slight decrease in unexplained deaths, and as one of the recruited I have also more frequently glimpsed swarms. They are fast; hard to catch in flight; so I am sure I am meant to see and be reminded. I am also sure Toby has considered repercussions if recruits and recruited discover justice is no longer forthcoming. I believe justice may continue to be more judicious, but the swarms and stingers will remain and will continue their work. I believe Toby is just taking a few days to rethink and reload.

I have considered the odds of finding a way to commandeer the kill switch, but because it is surgically implanted in the commander and because it monitors the commander's heart rate, blood pressure and other relevant health markers and automatically activates at certain preset points including the introduction of pain and certain classes of drugs or other foreign materials, this is problematic at best. I am uncertain how the science of Toby's nanohuman extensions works. What exactly is modification? Must there be a degree of willingness? Would modification and/or actuation, (voluntary or not) impact health markers enough to activate the kill switch? I am assuming one or more of these conjectures is true or Toby would have already found a way to turn the commander. If not the commander then, perhaps a second-in-command could be recruited and/or modified and actuated? The problem with this line of thought is that the second-in-command is a tier of multiple individuals from which one (if the commander is lost) is chosen randomly to serve as commander and to house the kill switch for minimum three months (or until a formal process and vote to replace the commander takes place); and until the kill switch is in place it will be activated. The odds of gaining control of the kill switch appear to be insurmountable.

Unless?

Could the commander's surgeon be recruited?

I suspect security around the commander, the kill switch, and surgery to be very tight, but it is an avenue worth exploring.

… … … … …

I had forgotten. There are two auxiliary kill switches, one on board this the governing ship and a second one on board a different ship. This is so in case for example the commander is blown apart and the kill switch is destroyed with her. In that circumstance the kill switch would activate, automatically activating the second kill switch, (ks2), and ks2 could not be deactivated until surgically implanted. An operational ks1 overrides and controls ks2 and ks2 overrides and controls ks3. I can put my hands on ks2. Then we could, incapacitate the commander, recruit the surgeon, get her to switch ks1 and ks2, implant ks2 into a new commander and implant ks1 into me. Then, if I remember my briefings correctly, if or when ks2 is activated and after they run their diagnostics confirming Toby's brain-death they will bring Toby back on line but in hibernation as he recently was for three days. And in hibernation the diagnostics show virtually the same levels as when Toby is fully functional, so if I am housing ks1 I can (in theory) deactivate the kill switch and Toby, fully functional, could feign his drowsiness. And the human housing the kill switch must go through a certain (uncomfortable) process to activate, deactivate or even perform a status check, so with luck the new commander would not immediately realize if I were to deactivate ks1 housed in me. Regardless, by the time he or she figured it out, it would be too late; especially if no one knew who housed ks1. A lot of ifs. Tricky timing. But possible.

I need to visit the surgeon; begin preliminary testing of those waters.

… … … … …

It has been five days now since Toby got a cat. I have had an exploratory visit with the surgeon but there is still much work to be done there. And I am still uncertain if it is time for definitive action. I still want to believe in Humanity but based on what I see it is becoming more and more difficult to convince myself it is not too late. I agree with Toby's newfound judiciousness, but he cannot take away the threat of swarms and stingers or the kill switch will be activated (possibly) for the duration. And perhaps by helping to eliminate that threat, I will be saving lives; granted, lives that will be forced to evolve into a new species of nanohuman, but if by eviction Toby means expulsion from the planet or into a territorial confinement, perhaps my actions will ultimately contribute to the survival of our species.