As they walked down the passage together, Cassy asked, ‘Do you think it is the right thing to do, putting all of those weapons in the hands of a computer program?’

‘I think, given the number of so-called accidents that are said to be the result of human error, that we can’t afford not to put those weapons in better hands. Sentinel is the most sophisticated and intelligently responsive computer program ever devised. It goes way beyond the information-gathering and learning capacity of the Ines program that revolutionised technology all over the world in the last century. It is said to be the first computer program with the capacity for true intellectual development.’

‘And you think that will stop the powers being aggressive to one another?’ Cassy asked.

The other woman frowned. ‘If the threat of destruction inherent in the Balance of Terror arsenal is not enough to stop us then maybe we will deserve Sentinel’s response.’

‘What about plants and animals and insects? Will they deserve it?’

The other woman gave her a quick, sympathetic look. ‘The Eden Project was set up to ensure that any species that dies out can be brought back. For the last few years, Erlinder has even been collecting habitat samples so that the original habitat of any reanimated creature can be re-established. People like Erlinder and I never have the power of ultimate life and death, you see. We are not the ones who use weapons, though we might be involved in the work that goes into their creation. We don’t have much say over how our research is used and the only real control we have is to refuse to take part in a project. Think of it as equivalent to being a painter who might choose not to paint if she cannot choose where her work will hang. I choose to paint, rather than not to paint. I guess what I am saying is that I can’t see the point in having an opinion about the morality of something like Sentinel, over which I have no power. I do what I do as best I can and take comfort from the fact that even if humans do die out, Eden will retain the potential for animals and plants to regenerate.’

‘And if there is no one left alive to bring them back?’

‘Theoretically the computer program that will monitor the pods will be capable of restoring the habitats and waking the animals without human input. Of course, right now, there is no program at Eden sophisticated enough to do that, but Erlinder’s sister has been working on the Sentinel Project, and according to her, its program is complex enough to instruct the Eden computers to wake the sleepers, which means that the capability does exist. It is not an outlandish notion to think of linking the two, after all, especially if, as rumour has it, the Sentinel Facility is to be located on the same continent as Eden. The trouble is that any link between the two facilities would have to be established at the same time as Sentinel is linked to the BOT program, because thereafter it will be inviolable and it is unlikely anyone connected to the Sentinel Project is going to want to hold off.’ She glanced at Cassy and smiled. ‘Just the same, Erlinder’s sister is in the process of writing a formal proposal to link the two facilities with a program that will enable Sentinel to watch over and, if necessary, to operate the Eden computers. She is calling it the Guardian Addendum – you know that was the name of the Sentinel Project originally?’