Chapter 5 Part II

Lucia relied on her innate strong temperament even if at the beginning she felt the rush of adrenaline and had a moment of failure, however she immediately regained control of herself by following the instructions given to her to the letter.

<<If I listen to my teacher everything will be fine>> he repeated in his head.

As for Chiara, his great experience gained with his father was very useful to him, in fact the instructor did not have to do anything, limiting himself to checking that she made the right movements, immediately noticing that the girl, unlike her friends, was not new to parachuting.

Lampedusa was approaching faster and faster and when they reached the fateful 1500 meters of altitude the boys opened their parachutes and were pushed backwards and began to slow down their descent towards the ground.

<< Damn, what a blow >> thought Leonardo, holding on with both hands to some laces that were used to manage the parachute.

Luckily, before launching the cadets from the plane, the Agency organized the theoretical part in which the kids were given the opportunity to learn about the components that make up the parachutist's equipment.

Leonardo had devoured those manuals, studying them in detail, at least once the launches had started he would have known where to put his hands.

<< Very good, you're not bad at all. Now adjust the trajectory by 45 degrees >> Sara ordered him but he made mistakes several times forcing her to intervene.

<<It's not enough to know the components if you don't how use them, have learn this type of maneuver quickly>> the instructor continued.

Under their feet Lampedusa had become so large that they could even see the point where they were supposed to land, a circle painted red with a large black X inside.

<< We have to go there, do you see it? Try to get there >> Sara ordered him.

Leonardo took the reins of the situation into his own hands, leaned slightly to the left and by applying to the letter the notions he had assimilated previously, he approached the pre-established point.

The first to get there was Chiara who with extreme ease surpassed all the others and showing great skill she set foot on the ground immediately followed by Lucia who didn't like coming second, not even in a card tournament in the oratory.

Alice was the third to land, all three girls managed to touch the ground inside the circle so only the two men were missing with Leonardo confident of being able to anticipate Orlando who with his sudden movements was carrying him and his instructor very far from the circle with the

Leonardo further slowed down his descent as he saw the ground closing in on him and with a good technique, albeit rough, he managed to touch the ground, completing the flight correctly while Orlando was the only one to miss the target.

In his heat he braked excessively, tearing the parachute, forcing his teacher to open the emergency one.

<< WOW! >> Leonardo shouted as he freed himself from the parachute.

<< Very good guys, you all did well except for one >> Nicola congratulated, looking grimly at Orlando who had terrified Gianfranco with his sudden movements in the air;

<<Now we will do it again and then, when are sure that all of you capable launching yourself, allow to test yourself then take the final exam>> concluded the man.

The boys were still full of adrenaline and couldn't wait to do it again, time to recharge the plane's battery and get back up and then launch again.

They continued all day until late afternoon, making a total of 6 launches, after which they returned exhausted to the dormitories of the Headquarters.

At the beginning the adrenaline pumped them up but in the long run their bodies were put to the test and required some rest considering that in the days to come they would have to repeat the exercise until they reached perfection.

The tandem skydives lasted two weeks, seven days a week after which the cadets were asked to try to jump alone, without the help of the instructor and at first it scared them but they had no choice.

After two weeks of total absence, the evening before the first solo launch Sofia returned to find Leonardo in his dorm room, by now she had become an expert in evading surveillance systems.

<< I thought you had disappeared into thin air, you don't know how much I missed you >> Leonardo told her, hugging her tightly, kissing her on the lips;

<< I'm sorry but it's been a really busy two weeks. I wanted to invite you back to my apartment but it's invaded by my assistants, since Martoprete buried me with work I'm forced to bring him home >> she replied telling him a half truth.

<< I heard that tomorrow you have your first solo skydiving flight, do you feel ready? >> she asked him a little worried;

<<The only thing I feel ready for right now is to take you>> he replied, grabbing her by the waist and throwing her onto the bed.

They spent a very passionate night even if the one spent in Sofia's apartment was far superior.

<<You don't know how important it has become for me to see you, your absences kill>> Leonardo told her after having sex;

<< I know my love but unfortunately work takes over completely and then don't forget that when you become an astronaut we won't be able to see each other. This is a period in which I am particularly busy but in the future we will spend more time together >> she reassured him, stroking his hair.

She was certainly very busy deciphering Pandora's automatic update code however she was reviewing the report of the last mission carried out by Leonardo's parents to understand where Pandora had gone wrong therefore she didn't want to let him know that she was investigating their disappearance fearing their reaction.

What if he went to her house and saw something too much? Furthermore, at that time she and her assistants were slow in understanding how to decipher the code, she couldn't risk it, it seemed like an unsolvable puzzle and yet she didn't want to give up.

They were using every known decryption algorithm including military ones but nothing, the code fragment didn't want to reveal its secrets and yet Pandora continued to use it for an ever-increasing number of automatic updates.

This meant that he was further accelerating his learning process so the longer they took to decipher it the greater the chance that at some point the code itself could change making all their efforts useless.

One of those evenings Andrea burst out kicking the hologram of the code and only with difficulty did Lucrezia and Sofia manage to calm her down even though the two of them were also frustrated by the almost zero progress made up to that point but they couldn't give up so they tackled her making her sit on the sofa, ordering her to calm down.

<<If we let ourselves be overcome by desperation won't go anywhere>> Sofia remembered.

The morning of the first individual parachute jump arrived and after Sofia slipped out of the room, Leonardo along with the others headed to the eVTOL station.

<< Guys today we have to be impeccable >> he said to his friends as he got on the eVTOL to go to Lampedusa;

<< Don't worry and everything will be fine >> Chiara tried to calm them down;

<<You make it too easy but have you seen what I've been up to these days? I was a complete disaster, let's face it. no hope of making it, maybe should go home>> Orlando said and almost burst into tears.

His was fear rather than desperation, since he had jumped for the first time he had been struck by a terror of skydiving that had never abandoned him and out of shame he had not spoken about it to anyone despite the fact that world-class psychiatrists worked at the Agency to help astronauts and cadets deal with their mental blocks.

Often when an astronaut returned from a long and complex mission he needed time to settle back on Earth and this was true for both his body and his mind, in the same way aspiring astronauts had to overcome obstacles they had never faced before so it was normal to have mental blocks.

They were removed by psychiatrists specialized in helping people overcome their limits by breaking down the barriers that their minds erected in the face of unexpected difficulties.

The Agency made mental coaches, nutritionists, gut health coaches and a whole plethora of highly qualified people available to its employees. Furthermore, it was specified that if a student turned to a psychiatrist or another of these figures, this would not have affected his final assessment.

This rule was created to put every student in the best possible conditions to pass the various exams.

Orlando would have liked to go to the mental coach but he was ashamed because his friends didn't need it, he feared their judgment and didn't want to appear fragile in a context of extreme competition like that of becoming astronauts.

<<What would they think of me if found out?>> he thought at the end of each day of throwing.

In reality his skills were improving but he knew he wasn't capable of tackling a launch alone, however that morning he decided to push his luck by testing himself and pushing himself beyond his limits.

Once they arrived at the hangar they put on their suits and harnesses as usual, got on the plane and took off, quickly reaching an altitude of 4500 metres.

When Orlando saw the hatch open to let them launch he felt fear rising from his stomach, reaching his brain and blocking it completely, he was paralysed, he couldn't move even a muscle.

<<What do I now? I'm about to commit suicide>> he thought, turning white in the face.

In the meantime the door opened and the boys, one at a time, threw themselves into the void, but he remained still in the doorway, impassive.

<<But what are you doing? It's your turn>> the instructor told him, pushing him out of the aircraft with a powerful blow on the right shoulder after he had been forced to jump with him for two weeks, risking dying on various occasions due to his frequent panic attacks.

Poor Orlando found himself thrown out of the plane, floating in the air in an uncoordinated way, but his companions moved agilely and in total safety, even Leonardo who had been afraid of jumping out alone now seemed at ease.

<<Why am I the only one scared? Is it possible that is doomed to failure? After all, when was at home wasn't sick, want go back>> he thought, starting to cry.

As he rapidly lost altitude and the altimeter on his wrist read 2800 meters he remembered when he was a child and went on holiday with his parents.

The smiles, the joys, everything seemed so idyllic to him, but since he had decided to test himself to become an astronaut his state of health had clearly worsened.

He was always sick, he didn't eat like he used to, he watched others surpass him in any kind of test and he didn't feel at ease so why stay? Why continue to fight when it was clear that he would not be able to pass the test? It was at an altitude of 1600 meters and continued to fall without showing any signs of response.

He had no reason to stay there and if he had stepped aside he would have been less of a hindrance to his friends, on the other hand he could always go and teach at the university since he was a respectable member of the international scientific community, he had talked about it with Lucia and she he agreed.

<<Wait a minute, if I give up now what will happen to my relationship with her? What he think of me? don't want be seen as loser, should stay on Earth waiting for her while she flies into space other men. can't allow it>> he said to himself.

The name of his beloved made him come to his senses, seeing her floating in the air at his side with that confidence and strength of mind that nothing could sculpt gave him a vigor he had never felt since he was in Palermo.

He was 900 meters above sea level and had to release the parachute otherwise, if he lost further altitude, he risked getting hurt, in fact Lucia and Chiara watched him without understanding why he didn't push the opening strap.

"What the hell is he doing? Can't you see that it reached 900 meters? >> thought his girlfriend as she watched him fall.

He wanted to shout at him to get a move on, to wake up but then he thought that the time had come to put an end to those repeated encouragements, if he really wanted to continue the training he had to walk on his own two feet.

<< I hope to still have you by my side >> thought Lucia, hoping to continue her adventure in the Agency with him.

Orlando's parachute opened at that moment, just at an altitude of 800 metres, the limit for an individual jump.

<<I knew you would have done it>> Lucia said crying.

Orlando owed her a lot, thinking about her had saved him in the true sense of the word even if it wasn't over, he had to maneuver the parachute and land in the circle with the X otherwise all the efforts made up to that point would have been in vain.

He grabbed the bridle of the parachute and, although with difficulty, made a successful landing, so much so that, once he set foot on the ground, all his friends ran towards him and hugged him tightly.

Since the morning they had noticed his fear, it was so obvious that it was written on his face and yet they had decided not to encourage him because he had to do it alone.

<<For a moment I feared that you wouldn't open the parachute and would crash to ground>> Leonardo told him, giving him a cuff on the head;

<< I thought so too but the thought of Lucia saved my life. Thank you my love >> Orlando replied looking at the girl;

<<Thank you for making it, I didn't want to go Jupiter alone>> she replied.

It was a truly touching scene and even Alice, the least accustomed to group emotions, had tears falling from her eyes.

<<You were moved, how tender you are>> Chiara told her;

<<Shut up, I only have a gnat in my eye>> she replied angrily;

<< A gnat, of course >> Chiara replied, giving her a light push.

During that day the boys made five more individual jumps and they all went the right way, impressing their respective instructors.

Even the one from Orlando was surprised to see the enormous progress of his student, in fact when he pushed him off the plane he thought he wouldn't make it by forcing him to remotely activate the emergency parachute worn by the students at each launch, in in case the regular one had not opened.

As the month of August drew to a close and the cadets continued with their training in anticipation of being tested on water landings, Sofia and her team continued work on Pandora's self-updating code.

They saw each other almost every evening at his house except when he slipped into Leonardo's bed but their every attempt to decipher the secret of Pandora's intelligence proved to be a failure.

September 1st was a particularly hot day, the sun beat down hard on the islanders' heads and the sea breeze gave them only minimal relief, forcing them to stay indoors.

That evening the three girls had just finished dinner and were struggling with the Pandora code when Martoprete rang the intercom at Sofia's gate, sending them into a panic.

<<What the hell do you want at this hour?>> asked a frightened Andrea;

<< Is it possible that he discovered us? >> added Lucrezia, fearing she would lose her job.

<< Good evening director, what can I do for you? >> Sofia asked , answering from her intercom without opening the gate of the condominium;

<< I wanted to know where the reports of the latest lunar missions are, I asked you to deliver them to me by today but they haven't arrived on my virtual desk yet >> Martoprete replied in a very annoyed tone;

<< Let me check for a moment, please >> she replied, closing the intercom, looking at Andrea sideways.

<< I asked you to make those reports and send them to him >> Sofia reproached her;

<< Damn I forgot, I was thinking about a possible evolutionary model that could follow Pandora so I forgot to fill them in >> Andrea justified himself;

<< I apologize, director, but in my rush I forgot to finish them. They will be ready for tomorrow morning >> Sofia proposed hoping that she would accept.

Martoprete wasn't in the right mood and hated it when things didn't go in the direction he wanted, he was about to ask her to let him into the apartment when he received a phone call from his wife in which the woman told him that dinner was ready and ordered him to hurry up and come home.

<< Okay but I don't want to wait any longer, I don't like it when a job is delivered late and you should know that >> he replied, speeding up his pace towards home.

Sofia hung up the intercom, rubbing her back against the wall, she had had a lucky escape because if she had insisted on entering there would have been trouble.

<< I should fire you >> Sofia began, turning to Andrea;

<<You're right, I apologize. As soon as get home I'll fill out those damned reports and send them to him>> the girl justified herself;

<< Before you were talking about a new evolutionary model that Pandora could follow, what were you referring to? We have tested practically all of them >> Lucrezia replied;

<<I was thinking about tardigrades>> replied the girl;

<< What do they have to do with Pandora? In my opinion it's a good excuse with which you want to avoid the mess with Martoprete >> Lucrezia accused her.

<< Listen to me for a moment and you will understand that perhaps it is not such a crazy idea. Tardigrades are coelomate protostome invertebrates whose ability to survive in extreme conditions is particularly developed.

They are able to withstand circumstances that would be lethal for almost all other living beings, in fact they can resist:

1. Lack of water (they survive up to 5 years in conditions of total dehydration, 30 if in a dormant state);

2. High or low temperatures (resist a few minutes at 151 °C and for several days at −200 °C);

3. High levels of radiation (hundreds of times higher than would kill a human).

4. Low or high pressures (even six times greater than those of the ocean floor);

5. Lack of oxygen;

6. UV-A rays and even some types of UV-B rays.

In adverse conditions such as those listed, these animals develop a series of defensive mechanisms ranging from cystidation to suspension of all metabolic activity.

In dehydration they retract their legs and contract, reducing the surface area to slow down the evaporation of water, this gives them time for the synthesis of protective substances.

In the case of low temperatures, controlled growth ice crystals form in the liquid that fills the haemocoel >> Andrea explained to them;

<< All this is very interesting but what does it have to do with Pandora? >> Sofia asked curiously, not understanding where her assistant was going with this;

<< Perhaps Pandora, like tardigrades, developed this code as a defensive mechanism against bugs! If we think about it, when humans make mistakes they use memory to avoid repeating mistakes, so what if this were the case for Pandora too? >> Andrea asserted;

<< In practice, do you think this code is Pandora's memory? Would we be looking at the equivalent of what we humans call "experience" in an artificial intelligence? >> asked Lucrezia, astonished;

<< Bingo! We can't understand it because we observe it from the wrong perspective >> Andrea replied;

<< Let's assume you're right, how do we decipher it? How do we interpret it by stealing its secrets? >> asked Sofia;

<< We have to go back to the first update made by Pandora in which it used this code and then we have to examine all subsequent ones. Only in this way will we be able to understand what "experience" he has gained >> Andrea replied;

<<It will take us an eternity to do this>> Lucrezia pointed out to her, annoyed by having to take on an additional amount of work;

<< I knew you would object so I designed a software capable of quickly scanning all the updates, perhaps it won't provide us with the answers we want as it will simply catalog Pandora's upgrades dividing them based on when they occurred and in which environment work however could give us a great hand >> replied the girl;

<< Very good, I'd say let's get to it >> Sofia cut in, starting to see a glimmer of hope in that desperate attempt to understand Pandora.

The problem was that in the meantime the AI continued to update itself, adding further improvements to itself but above all it increased the workload for Andrea's algorithm, making it more complicated to obtain results.

It took several days to finish the work but fortunately the code did not change and remained the same and in the end the algorithm managed to examine all the Pandora updates. The girls noticed that almost all the updates had occurred in contexts in which the data sets provided were sparse or non-existent while Pandora's learning remained flat when it came to tackling problems related to already known environments.

<< Apparently 90% of the updates were carried out near or during the longer missions in which we went beyond Mars to Jupiter, of these 80% concern the "beyond Jupiter" phase while those relating to the system Earth-Moon are very few and no one uses the code >> Sofia immediately noticed;

<< What exactly should this tell us? >> asked Lucrezia;

<< I don't know but it's strange: why doesn't Pandora use the code to update itself when doing missions to the Moon? The self-improvement functionality is part of its source code so it has been present in it since its creation >> suggested Andrea, in whose head a possible idea began to flash but it was so absurd that he didn't have the courage to say it;

<< Perhaps Pandora created it at a later time and could have written it herself >> proposed Lucrezia;

<< You might be right as the piece of code he uses to improve himself is clearly different from the source code.

These series of functions are written in a language unknown to man, I don't think they exist in current mathematics however he would have had to modify his source code as well instead it remained intact. I don't understand anything >> Sofia replied putting her hands in her hair.

Time passed and yet the girls were unable to figure out the enigma even though instinct always suggested the same solution to Andrea, however when she tried to propose it to her friends something inside her held her back telling her that it wasn't the right time.