A large command center with dashboards in the back and a

big console in the middle of the stage. Scattered around a

group of scientists are deliberating and reviewing
information on screens. Two other scientists enter from one
of the wings. They look tired and unkempt.

C3

What happened?

C4

Any response?

C2

Nothing

C1

Nothing, nothing, nothing. I don´t have a clue of what is

going on

C5

We are the same as we started.

C6

You say so like if sitting in front of that screen you were

closer to an answer.

C5

I’m thinking.
 C6

(Roughly)

I’m thinking!

C3

What about you?

C6

Reviewing the latest predictions to discover anomalies we

may have overlooked. You want to know what I had for lunch
too?

C2

Don’t waste your energy fighting each other! We are running

out of time!

C4

For days we’ve had several technicians from all over

searching in every Multivac’s sectors. Sitting down and
think is, in some way, approaching the problem from another
angle.

C1

It’s not a matter of thinking. There should have a relay

stuck somewhere.
 C5

I don’t believe it’s so simple now.

C2

Who says it’s simple? Have you considered the number of

relays we have to look at?

C3

This machine was designed to manage with this kind of

events. It’d use alternate circuits and would isolate the
fail to fix it.

C4

Or it would just sent us an error notification. (Come back

to check one of the screens)

C1

Can we discard its response program?

C6

Yes. I’ve checked it twice.

C5

So we have that it not only doesn’t want to operate

properly but it denies to tell us what the problem is.
 C4

Fear and panic are spreading up the cities. Look!

All of them gather around the screen C4 is looking at.

They watch footages of riots un different places. (Could
be an option a proyection for the audience).

C2

The economic havocs would come soon, but not that soon. We
nned to stop it right away!

C3

But… what can we try now?

C1

Damn it! What is what we are not seeing?!

C5

Look. This machine is the result of hundreds of computer

bigwigs’ devotion, looking for the way to make Multivac
more complicated. It can talk and listen now.

C4

Yes. It’s… it’s practically as complex as the human brain.

 C6

(Reluctantly)

Oh, for God’s sake!

C3

No, wait. It makes sense. If we can`t understand the human

brain, how can we understand Multivac?

C2

What on Earth are you talking about?

C1

Next, you’ll be saying Multivac is human.

C5

¿Why not?

Beat. All of them see each other. They look confused

C5

¿Why not? What about if Multivac has passed that thin

dividing line where it stops being a machine and starts
being human.
 C6

Is there such a dividing line?

C4

If the brain is just more complex than Multivac, and we

keep making Multivac more complex, isn’t there a point
where…?

Brief silence.

C2

Ok, ok, what that supposed to mean? Let’s assume, just for
a moment that it’s like that. In what way it’s going to
help us to find a solution?

C3

Because there could have a human reason… Maybe?

C5

Precisely! (A C1) Suppose you were asked the most probable

price of wheat next summer and didn’t answer. Why wouldn’t
you answer?

C1

Because I wouldn’t know. But Multivac would.

 C6

That’s right! We’ve given it all the factors. It can

analyze futures in weather, politics and economics. We know
it can. It’s done it before.

C5

All right. Suppose I asked the question and you knew the
answer but didn’t tell me. Why not?

C6

Because I had a brain tumor. Because I had been knocked

out, because I got drunk…

C1

Because your machinery was out of order! For that reason!

And is that what we are trying to find out!

C2

We need to find the area where that damaged circuit is. Why
we can’t see the key item?

Brief pause.

C5

(A C1)

Listen. Ask me the question Multivac doesn’t want to

answer.
 C1

Doesn’t want?

C4

C’mon! Stop that!

C2

Don’t believe in that dividing line anymore?

C4

Cutting off the debate doesn’t change my thoughts. People

out there are losing their temper. So, repeating the
question is not the worst thing happening, right?

C6 approaches to the console and take a little luminous

stick from one of the sides.

C6

You’ll have to insert this thing in him (her) (Start

laughing)

C3

(Getting closer to C6. Defiant)

We are not here to goof around. Give me that!

 C6

Or what?

C1

Enough! Knock it off!

C3 and C6 stare each other.

C6

Asking nicely had avoided you the embarrassing moment.

C3

Give me the memory stick… Please.

C6 hand the memory. C3 puts it back near the console.

C5

(To C1)

Give me the talk that goes along with it. You do talk to
Multivac, don’t you?

C1

I’ve got to. Therapy.

 C2

Pretending it’s a human being helps not getting neurotic

over having a machine know so much more than we do.

C5

That’s the official statement. But you know that a complex

machine needs to talk and listen in order to be efficient.
Not just putting in or taking out coded dots.

C3

As a certain level of complexity, Multivac must be made to

seem human because…

C4

Can we move on?!

C1, C2 and C6 make disapproval gestures and murmurs.

C5

(To C1)

C’mon! Ask me the question.

C1 agrees reluctantly. Grab the memory and pretends to put

it in C5. Start talking about the latest information
concerning the problem.
 C1

Hello again, Multivac. AS we were talking, we are currently

suffering a series of riots in almost all the agricultural
regions due to the lack of a clear strategy and the
insufficient subsides. The increasing solar storms are
affecting communications

Hola de nuevo, Multivac. Cómo te comenté, actualmente

estamos padeciendo una serie de protestas en casi todas las
regiones agrícolas por la falta de una estrategia clara y
lo insuficiente que resultan los subsidios. Las crecientes
llamaradas solares están afectando las comunicaciones lo
que no ayuda a un adecuado planeamiento. Las variaciones en
las corrientes del Atlántico Norte están afectando el clima
global y las estaciones se están volviendo cada vez más
impredecibles. Necesitamos un orden de prioridades que nos
permita detener este embate y revertir los daños.
Desarrolla eso y danos la respuesta sin demora.

Luego de esa última frase, toca un botón ficticio en el

pecho de C5. Breve pausa.

C2

¿Y ahora?

C6

Nada, pues. Que se acabó el juego.

C5
Al menos ahora sé por qué yo no respondería. Ahora probemos
nuevamente con Multivac.

Nuevo gesto de desaprobación general.

C5

Solo que esta vez déjame hablar a mí.

C1

¿Cómo quieras?

Todos se preparan para poner en marcha la máquina. Cuando

se encuentran listos, C1 inserta la memoria y C5 empieza a
repetir la misma información de hace un instante.

C5

Desarrolla eso y danos la respuesta sin demora…

C1 está a punto de presionar el botón final cuando C5 lo

detiene y se acerca como susurrándole algo a la consola.

C5

¡Por favor!

En ese instante las luces de la sala se vuelven

intermitentes hasta que una luz azul o verde se activa en
 la consola central. Un sonido constante anuncia la
activación de la máquina. Todos respiran y aplauden
aliviados menos C6, aun absorto. C3 lo observa hasta que
lentamente C6 se sienta a un lado y comienza a aplaudir.

F I N