Serpent's Gift by A. C. Crispin, Deborah A. Marshall
Authors: A. C. Crispin, Deborah A. Marshall
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read their minds, made most "normal" people nervous.
58
After she'd run away from the Morgans, they'd put her with another family.
But it hadn't taken her long to realize that the] youngest child, far from fearing her as a telepath, was developing an unhealthy craving for telepathic contact. TSS, they'd called it, Telepathic Stimulation Syndrome. It was rare, but not unknown. In some individuals telepathic contact stimulated the|
pleasure centers. These people often grew addicted to telepathy] and would do almost anything to stay in contact with telepaths.
At first, Heather had been pleased that Pamela had wanted to spend all her time with her younger foster sister. But then, when Pam had insisted that Heather should only communicate with her telepathically, and had become jealous of the child's time and attention--fiercely, irrationally jealous--Heather had realized the bitter truth. Pam hadn't cared about her at all. Any telepath would have done. She represented nothing but a way for Pam to feel good.
So she'd run away again.
And final y she'd been taken to Melbourne, fol owing extensive telepathic testing. Everything had been different then. It was there that Heather had discovered her true gift, her destiny, as she sometimes thought of it.
No, she couldn't control people, no matter how much she wished she could.
But computers were different. She'd always] been good with them, but last year, Heather had discovered that she, alone of all the telepaths she'd ever encountered or heard of, could telepathically link with computers--and control them.
Organic-based memories had been standard in computers for a < hundred years, mimicking the speed and complexity of human' thought processes.
Heather's discovery that she could telepathically link with and influence an AI had happened during her first months at Melbourne. She'd been working on a tough trigonometry problem, getting nowhere fast. Finally, in frustration, the] girl had directed her thoughts at the computer. She'd imagined her mind reaching into the machine and forcing it to render up the correct solution, despite the constraints of the teaching program she was currently using--one programmed not to reveal ¦'¦ the correct answer unless directed to do so by the supervising professor.
Instead of the lack of contact she'd expected, Heather had actually felt herself link into the computer's "mind." She'd sent her telepathic command racing along pathways of artificial neurons, searching out the vital area in the program, and suddenly she was there, at the critical spot. With a sort of mental "push," (actually it was more like a poke), Heather had changed the: 59
programming from a "no" to a "yes"--caused a temporary override. Her mind had reached all the way past the language-based programming, clear into the binary thinking processes of the Ai. Deep in its "mind," Heather had changed a binary "off" to an "on."
Scant moments later Heather had blinked herself back to awareness of her surroundings, and found herself in her seat before her holo-tank. In its glowing depths, the solution to her trigonometry problem was neatly spelled out.
With careful exploration and practice, she'd honed her gift. Usually, Heather was such an experienced hacker that she didn't need to reach inside a computer's mind or memory. Tricks like getting that free sundae were easy.
But every so often, the computers needed that little extra "push"--the mental poke that only she could manage.
Heather shifted her attention back to Khuharkk', who had begun grooming himself. C'mon, furball, hurry up! she thought.
But Khuharkk' was as fastidious as most Simiu were reputed to be. Slowly, painstakingly, he washed himself with his tongue, then combed his fur with his thick fingernails. Glands beneath his nails secreted a substance to keep his luxurious coat soft and shiny. As soon as his personal grooming was attended to, Khuharkk' took several minutes to tidy up the room where he and another
58
After she'd run away from the Morgans, they'd put her with another family.
But it hadn't taken her long to realize that the] youngest child, far from fearing her as a telepath, was developing an unhealthy craving for telepathic contact. TSS, they'd called it, Telepathic Stimulation Syndrome. It was rare, but not unknown. In some individuals telepathic contact stimulated the|
pleasure centers. These people often grew addicted to telepathy] and would do almost anything to stay in contact with telepaths.
At first, Heather had been pleased that Pamela had wanted to spend all her time with her younger foster sister. But then, when Pam had insisted that Heather should only communicate with her telepathically, and had become jealous of the child's time and attention--fiercely, irrationally jealous--Heather had realized the bitter truth. Pam hadn't cared about her at all. Any telepath would have done. She represented nothing but a way for Pam to feel good.
So she'd run away again.
And final y she'd been taken to Melbourne, fol owing extensive telepathic testing. Everything had been different then. It was there that Heather had discovered her true gift, her destiny, as she sometimes thought of it.
No, she couldn't control people, no matter how much she wished she could.
But computers were different. She'd always] been good with them, but last year, Heather had discovered that she, alone of all the telepaths she'd ever encountered or heard of, could telepathically link with computers--and control them.
Organic-based memories had been standard in computers for a < hundred years, mimicking the speed and complexity of human' thought processes.
Heather's discovery that she could telepathically link with and influence an AI had happened during her first months at Melbourne. She'd been working on a tough trigonometry problem, getting nowhere fast. Finally, in frustration, the] girl had directed her thoughts at the computer. She'd imagined her mind reaching into the machine and forcing it to render up the correct solution, despite the constraints of the teaching program she was currently using--one programmed not to reveal ¦'¦ the correct answer unless directed to do so by the supervising professor.
Instead of the lack of contact she'd expected, Heather had actually felt herself link into the computer's "mind." She'd sent her telepathic command racing along pathways of artificial neurons, searching out the vital area in the program, and suddenly she was there, at the critical spot. With a sort of mental "push," (actually it was more like a poke), Heather had changed the: 59
programming from a "no" to a "yes"--caused a temporary override. Her mind had reached all the way past the language-based programming, clear into the binary thinking processes of the Ai. Deep in its "mind," Heather had changed a binary "off" to an "on."
Scant moments later Heather had blinked herself back to awareness of her surroundings, and found herself in her seat before her holo-tank. In its glowing depths, the solution to her trigonometry problem was neatly spelled out.
With careful exploration and practice, she'd honed her gift. Usually, Heather was such an experienced hacker that she didn't need to reach inside a computer's mind or memory. Tricks like getting that free sundae were easy.
But every so often, the computers needed that little extra "push"--the mental poke that only she could manage.
Heather shifted her attention back to Khuharkk', who had begun grooming himself. C'mon, furball, hurry up! she thought.
But Khuharkk' was as fastidious as most Simiu were reputed to be. Slowly, painstakingly, he washed himself with his tongue, then combed his fur with his thick fingernails. Glands beneath his nails secreted a substance to keep his luxurious coat soft and shiny. As soon as his personal grooming was attended to, Khuharkk' took several minutes to tidy up the room where he and another
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