PeterWatts_Blindsight

Peter Watts 150 Blindsight
"Oh. Nah. You're still in control, you just—you get a feeling, is
all. A sense of where to reach. One part of the brain playing
charades with another, eh?" He gestured at the couch. "Get off.
Seen enough of your ugly guts for now. And send up Bates if you
can find where she's hiding. Probably back at Fab building a
bigger army."
The misgivings glinted off him like sunlight. "You have a
problem with her," I said.
He started to deny it, then remembered who he was talking to.
"Not personally. Just—human node running mechanical infantry.
Electronic reflexes slaved to meat reflexes. You tell me where the
weak spot is."
"Down in Rorschach, I'd have to say all the links are pretty
weak."
"Not talking about Rorschach," Szpindel said. "We go there.
What stops them from coming here?"
"Them."
"Maybe they haven't arrived yet," he admitted. "But when they
do, I'm betting we'll be going up against something bigger than
anaerobic microbes." When I didn't answer he continued, his voice
lowered. "And anyway, Mission Control didn't know shit about
Rorschach. They thought they were sending us some place where
drones could do all the heavy lifting. But they just hate not being
in command, eh? Can't admit the grunts're smarter than the
generals. So our defenses get compromised for political
appearances—not like that's any kinda news—and I'm no jarhead
but it strikes me as real bad strategy."
I remembered Amanda Bates, midwifing the birth of her troops.
I'm more of a safety precaution....
"Amanda—" I began.
"Like Mandy fine. Nice mammal. But if we're cruising into a
combat situation I don't want my ass covered by some network
held back by its weakest link."
"If you're going to be surrounded by a swarm of killer robots,
maybe—"
"Yeah, people keep saying that. Can't trust the machines.
Luddites love to go on about computer malfunctions, and how