Sphere (Page 58)

"Just a minute. One thing at a time."

Ted said, "He may not have a last name, you know."

"You can be damn sure," Barnes said, "that his real name isn’t Jerry."

The response came back:

0004212232

"He said, ‘Yes.’ "

"Yes, what?" Barnes said.

"Just ‘yes.’ Let’s see if we can get him to switch over to English characters. It’ll be easier if he uses letters and not his number codes."

"How’re you going to get him to use letters?"

"We’ll show him they’re the same," Harry said.

He typed:

00032125252632 = HELLO.

After a short pause, the screen blinked:

00032125252632 = HELLO.

"He doesn’t get it," Ted said.

"No, doesn’t look like it. Let’s try another pairing."

He typed:

0004212232 = YES.

The reply came back:

0004212232 = YES.

"He’s definitely not getting it," Ted said.

"I thought he was so smart," Barnes said.

"Give him a chance," Ted said. "After all, he’s speaking our language, not the other way around."

"The other way around," Harry said. "Good idea. Let’s try the other way around, see if he’ll deduce the equation that way."

Harry typed:

0004212232 = YES. YES. = 0004212232

There was a long pause, while they watched the screen. Nothing happened.

"Is he thinking?"

"Who knows what he’s doing?"

"Why isn’t he answering?"

"Let’s give him a chance, Hal, okay?"

The reply finally came:

YES. = 0004212232 2322124000 = SEY

"Uh-uh. He thinks we’re showing him mirror images."

"Stupid," Barnes said. "I knew it."

"What do we do now?"

"Let’s try a more complete statement," Harry said. "Give him more to work with."

Harry typed:

0004212232 = 0004212232, YES. = YES. 0004212232 = YES.

"A syllogism," Ted said. "Very good."

"A what?" Barnes said.

"A logical proposition," Ted said. The reply came back: ,=,

"What the hell is that?" Barnes said.

Harry smiled. "I think he’s playing with us."

"Playing with us? You call that playing?"

"Yes, I do," Harry said.

"What you really mean is that he’s testing us – testing our responses to a pressure situation." Barnes narrowed his eyes. "He’s only pretending to be stupid."

"Maybe he’s testing how smart we are," Ted said. "Maybe he thinks we’re stupid, Hal."

"Don’t be ridiculous," Barnes said.

"No," Harry said. "The point is, he’s acting like a kid trying to make friends. And when kids try to make friends, they start playing together. Let’s try something playful."

Harry sat at the console, typed: ===

The reply quickly came back: ?,

"Cute," Harry said. "This guy is very cute."

He quickly typed: =,=

The reply came: 7 & 7

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Barnes said. "Because I don’t know what the hell you are doing."

"He understands me fine," Harry said. "I’m glad somebody does."

Harry typed:

PpP

The reply came:

HELLO. = 00032125252632

"Okay," Harry said. "He’s getting bored. Playtime’s over. Let’s switch to straight English."

Harry typed:

YES
   .

The reply came back:

0004212232

Harry typed:

HELLO

There was a pause, then:

I AM DELIGHTED TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE. THE PLEASURE IS ENTIRELY MINE I ASSURE YOU.

There was a long silence. Nobody spoke.

"Okay," Barnes said, finally. "Let’s get down to business."

"He’s polite," Ted said. "Very friendly."

"Unless it’s an act."

"Why should it be an act?"

"Don’t be na?ve," Barnes said.

Norman looked at the lines on the screen. He had a different reaction from the others – he was surprised to find an expression of emotion. Did this alien have emotions? Probably not, he suspected. The flowery, rather archaic words suggested an adopted tone: Jerry was talking like a character from a historical romance.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen," Harry said, "for the first time in human history, you are on-line with an alien. What do you want to ask him?"

"His name," Barnes said promptly.

"Besides his name, Hal."

"There are certainly more profound questions than his name," Ted said.

"I don’t understand why you won’t ask him – "

The screen printed:

ARE YOU THE ENTITY HECHO IN MEXICO?

"Jesus, where’d he get that?"

"Maybe there are things on the ship fabricated in Mexico."

"Like what?"

"Chips, maybe."

ARE YOU THE ENTITY MADE IN THE U.S.A.?

"The guy doesn’t wait for an answer."

"Who says he’s a guy?" Beth said.

"Oh, Beth."

"Maybe Jerry is short for Geraldine."

"Not now, Beth."

ARE YOU THE ENTITY MADE IN THE U.S.A.?

"Answer him," Barnes said.

YES WE ARE. WHO ARE YOU?

A long pause, then:

WE ARE.

"We are what?" Barnes said, staring at the screen.

"Hal, take it easy."

Harry typed, WE ARE THE ENTITIES FROM THE U.S.A. WHO ARE YOU?

ENTITIES=ENTITY?

"It’s too bad," Ted said, "that we have to speak English. How’re we going to teach him plurals?"