The Before Short Story Series. Part 1. Иван Перепелятник

I did everything the way you told it last time: the air conditioning is on, so I am in tighties.’

      ‘Ayaka, did you get what I was saying—get your tights off and put your dress on! please hurry up! otherwise we will miss the train. We’ll already have to call a taxi to the station.

      In ten minutes Hiromi and her daughter were standing on the Tsuru station platform, waiting for a high-speed train that would bring them to the capital city centre in twenty minutes. In Japan, the idea of building underground high-speed expressways was rejected due to the high risk of regular earthquakes, which although possible to compensate with use of some advanced engineering technology of our days, would be simply too costly to maintain. Japan Rail focused their efforts on creating a ground-level system of high-speed trains. Its main working principle is similar to that of the underground expressways: levitation, based on superconductor magnets. As there is no physical contact between the surface of conductive rails, which create a strong magnetic field, and the train, friction can be avoided altogether. Taking into account the unavoidable limitations of the ground level, such as train body air drag, the maximum speed values of Japanese trains could not reach the levels set by the newest transport infrastructure in other parts of the world. Nevertheless though, the artificial intelligence based on the quantum computing power of the PAX system allowed the engineers to increase the reliability and efficiency of the Japanese rail transport system.

      On the platform, where a dozen people had gathered together with Ayaka and Hiromi, rang an announcement, ‘Dear passengers! the train No. 3346, Nagoya–Tōkyō, in five minutes will be stopping at the Tsuru station at the second track. The stop duration is limited and will last no longer than one minute. Please make sure to get ready for boarding in advance.’

      ‘Mummy, look, what a cute train! why does it have such a long nose? Mummy?’ Ayaka was gesturing quickly, greeting the swiftly approaching train.

      ‘Let’s take our seats and I will explain you everything there.’

      ‘Sure, Mummy.’

      ‘Ms Arai,’ a steward approached the newly-boarded passengers as soon as the train started accelerating, ‘I greet you on board the Japan Rail train. Would you like to order anything?’

      ‘Thank you very much. Could I please have a bottle of still water? It is very hot outside today.’

      ‘It is good that at least in Tōkyō it is a little cooler than yesterday. Your daughter will feel better there,’ continued the steward while passing a bottle to Hiromi.

      ‘And we are going to the Destiny house!’ Ayaka was curiously studying the steward’s uniform.

      ‘This is sure to be a great day for you! I have been to the Destiny house so long ago, but I still remember all about how it was. Me as well, young lady, I went there together with my mother. It was fifty years ago at this point, and I still remember everything. Congratulations! What is your name?’

      ‘Arai Ayaka, Mr Steward.’

      ‘Here, Miss Ayaka, please have this gift from the Japan Rail company! and receive our congratulations on this very important day in your life!’ the steward handed a long cardboard box, which had something roll around inside.

      ‘Thank you very much, Mr Steward!’ Ayaka slipped down from the seat and made a bow.

      ‘Very well, Ayaka. Let’s see what Mr Steward has given you,’ Hiromi helped her daughter unwrap her new gift.

      In a colourful, vividly decorated souvenir box there were a colour book, a set of felt-tip pens, a badge, a hat with the JR logo, and an authentically-styled paper scroll, rolled into two coils on two wooden sticks.

      ‘What’s this, Mummy?’ Ayaka picked the scroll by one of the sticks, while the other one fell out of the box and rolled down the carriage floor, unfolding the whole scroll.

      ‘Right, Ayaka, let’s get it all back together quickly. Roll it back in,’ said Hiromi, unamused.

      ‘I didn’t mean to.’

      ‘It’s fine, never mind. Please roll it back carefully. It is the history of Japan Rail company. Read it, Ayaka, and then you’ll tell me what it is about.’

      ‘Sure, Mummy!’

      ‘I hope there will be enough to read until we reach Tōkyō. Oh, I wish it were,’ Hiromi picked up the communicator and started scrolling through the news feed of House, a social network. She reached the Haute couture, explained in simple words section…

      ‘Mummy, I finished,’ Ayaka started rolling the scroll back in.

      Hiromi looked at her daughter, slightly surprised, ‘When would she have the time,’ she thought, ‘to read through all of that?’

      ‘Right, Ayaka. Tell me please what it is about.’

      ‘This is a story about how Japan Rail started building new high-speed train tracks across the whole country in 2059. They also tell about the PAX system and how it helped make the trains faster yet. Mummy, and what is the PAX? tell me more, please.’

      Hiromi found an article about the PAX on her communicator and gave it to her daughter, ‘Here, please, read, Ayaka. I sure won’t be able to remember all the important details. Here you can learn a lot more.’

      Hiromi looked out the window. The train was swiftly passing by small towns, the existence of which could only be deduced from the sound barriers installed to protect the dwellers from the noise of trains passing by at 600 km/h. Here and there between the hills—somewhere seemingly soft and yielding because of the green tree carpet, somewhere dangerously sharp with grey-brown rocks, reminding of a seasoned predator’s chisels—majestic stood Mt Fuji. This year it had no snow cap because of the unusual for the Eastern coast of Japan heat that came about in August. Hiromi did like looking at it, one of the main symbols of the country—yet she couldn’t help being jealous, resentful of the fact that it was taking nearly all of Keirou’s time leaving her with so little, and that was almost bringing her to desperate tears from time to time. A little animal park, a number of observation decks, meteorological and seismological stations, a museum, an infinite flux of tourists—requiring several hundreds of employees in high season—all that demanded attention and care. ‘Keirou is finding time for them, for Ayaka, but—unfortunately—not as much for me… well at least the article is long enough,’ thought Hiromi and tried to get those unpleasant thoughts away by immersing herself in an article about the summer 2167 holidays season trends on her tablet.

      ‘Mummy, I’m done!’ Hiromi looked at her daughter, ‘How could it be?!’ but showed not a thing.

      ‘That’s great, Ayaka! please tell me what you have read.’

      ‘So apparently the operation of artificial intelligence on the basis of a distributed quantum computer system, PAX, was started back in the middle of the last century, in 2053. The main developer of the system, Jordan Bensock, is a genius programmer and engineer from the U.S. He is still alive. Today Bensock is the richest man on the planet. His personal fortune exceeds one trillion dollars. Can you imagine, Mummy, Mr Bensock could help make refurbishments in Grandma Yano’s flat! Mummy, let’s write him about Grandma, let’s ask him to help her!

      ‘We will discuss this a little later, Ayaka. Have you understood, what is— well, how the PAX actually works?’

      ‘Yes, Mummy. It works just like our brain, like a human brain. Just that when PAX artificial intelligence is operating, it’s more like many many people would be friends.’

      ‘Sorry, and why friends?’

      ‘Because when we are friends, we always do things together. When PAX is working, it’s almost like many people—many minds—work together on a same task.’

      ‘Very well, Ayaka. Do you remember, why we are going to the capital today?’

      ‘Sure, Mummy. We are going to the Destiny house to learn what I will be doing in the future.’

      ‘Let me please tell you how everything worked earlier, how your grandparents lived.

      The