Golem Series: This is the series of androids, or human emulations, that were first manufactured by Cybercorp in 2150. The Golem One—there was only one ever made—was reported to have lasted only four hours under its own impetus. Attacked by breakers, or organ thieves, it apparently caught fire under stun fire. Subsequent recovery of its core memory led to the arrest of its attackers. The second Golem was more sophisticated and strong, but was not a successful emulation. Only by Golem Eight did Cybercorp attain near-perfect emulation. Sales of the Golem Series then lifted Cybercorp to system corporate status. The androids were used by World Health, Earth Security, and by various religious organizations. At Golem Fifteen, with the 107th revision of the Turing Test, this android series came under the artificial intelligence charter, and attained thrall status. Since then, every Golem made has had to work out an indenture in which it pays for its construction and earns a suitable profit (set by Trading Standards) for Cybercorp or its purchaser. The Golem Series is still successful. Cybercorp is now an interstellar corporation.

From Quince Guide, compiled by humans

It seemed as if they had been descending for ever, but, from counting the evenly spaced lights that hovered like luminescent bees, Cormac knew they had only gone down half a kilometre. The shaft had not deviated one whit. Ahead of him he could see Gant and Cento approaching the next light, and beyond them more lights stretching out in a line, to be finally lost in a distant haze. The size of the tunnel had not changed. Only the ice on the walls looked any different. There were both flat, white blooms of water-ice and impurities of green and blue patterning the walls like alien cave paintings.

‘I’m picking up some strange readings,’ said Carn, checking an instrument strapped to his arm.

‘What sort?’ asked Cormac.

‘Minor temperature fluctuations and some alterations in air density. Something moving.’

‘Could it be a machine or lifeform?’

Carn looked at him. ‘What’s the difference?’

Cormac seemed to remember getting into a similar conversation before. He could not resist making some attempt at an answer. ‘Self-determinism?’ he tried.

‘Only machines can have that. Name me a lifeform that’s not a slave to genetically pre-programmed drives?’

‘Yes, all right . . . So do you have any idea of what’s down there?’

Carn inspected the detector again. ‘Not really. I’m bouncing the signal over Cento and Gant’s heads, but there’s still interference. Difficult to tell.’

‘Perhaps the lights disturbed something . . . Gant, do you have any feedback from your lights?’

Gant glanced over his shoulder. ‘The three lower ones had no return signal from the start, but we can transfer some down to the chamber.’

That made Cormac edgy. What had knocked out the lights? Some sort of automated system? Or something trying to give itself cover?