My revived attempt at writing a TM fanfic. This will be a very short fic with only 3-6 chapters. Criticisms and comments are very appreciated.
CHAPTER 1Originally Posted by Ada Lovelace
Due to a certain incident that strikes them off guard, there are many unused rooms in Chaldea. Many of them quickly occupied by Servants, mostly used simply as their personal room. But it isn't rare when the Servants took a little liberty to modifies them a bit, especially the Casters and their troublesome experiments.
And Babbage isn't an exception.
In fact, Da Vinci has scolded him a few times for spending too many Chaldea's limited energy. But Babbage always cooly says "this is my revenge", proceed to comply with her demand, then did the same things a few days later.
"Say, do you think this formula could work?"
The one that simply barged in and initiated a conversation isn't the room owner, but a friend with similar interest with him. A middle-aged man with a slightly slender build, mostly out of shape and dress like a university professor. His Servant Class is Archer, despite that; he is one of the intellectually smartest men Babbage has ever met.
Actually, calling him having 'similar interest' may take a little stretch. It is true that this person genuinely wanted to see this project came to fruition. There is no ill will in the form of 'I will ruin this once it is successful'. But what constitutes in what makes him have a 'similar interest' is the one that bugged him the most.
He simply handed an enormous number of papers, then Babbage skims down on the proposed idea in a swift, accurate and serious manner. The sight of a massive arm with claw-like fingers able to gently handle documents, while the gears and skeletal mechanisms caused slight mechanized sounds and steam still fascinate him until this day.
"It does, but the idea or reverse engineering my armor is unacceptable."
"This again? You know you can easily achieve your wish this way right? This one doesn't have any electricity involved, what else do you want?"
"You don't understand, if we do not do it from scratch, then there is no point."
He understood the reasoning, there is no romance in it. But he unable to comprehend why does that relevant at all. To him, if there is a faster way to achieve something, then being articulate is the most obvious answer. But Babbage refuses to listen.
In the first place, this wish might be possible without any wish-granting device involved. He envisioned a world where steam used as widespread as electricity. While he came to conclusions that electricity is indeed very practical, he too wanted to realize the world she sees, something that he realized far too late.
That very same person is also the one that teaches romance to him.
"So this is an another no, huh?"
BEEP BEEP SHU! Babbage answers him by turning on and off his glowing mono-eye and releasing steam around his armor.
The professor sighed.
How very un-scientist like. He murmurs that in his heart.
"I know, it is silly." But Babbage, as if he knows the numerical value that constitutes the professor's algorithm, precisely predict what he thoughts.
The professor caught off guard, can only raise his eyebrow.
BEEP BEEP SHU SHU!
Rapidly turning on and off his eyes and steam, the professor too able to understand that is an expression of hilarity in a facial less man of hot steel.
"Hey, do you have a spare time?"
"Well, what do you think we are doing right now?"
BEEP BEEP SHU SHU! "That is very true!"
The armored steel, cooling down and froze, as if it's taking a deep breath, started to spoke.
"Listen, this will be a little conflated for your liking. But do not be afraid, I'll make it as modern as I can. After all, this is a tale about romance."
***
June 5th, 1833
One Dorset Street, London
"Hey, Charles! Charles! Wake up."
"Hmm?"
"C’mon you can't sleep here, that is kinda disrespectful toward the nobles. I appreciate you always put all-nighter for your project, but please behave yourself."
"Actually I was sleeping at 7 PM and this party is just boring. I'm astonished you can keep up with this, John."
This good friend of mine is Sir John Herschel. As you notice from his title, he is socially a man higher in status than me, a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order. But in this kind of age or it always been that way, the man who holds the most money is the powerful one.
i.e.: me.
"Funny coming from the person that held this party for his own amusement."
"That's the point. It fails to deliver its primary uses."
"Well, whatever. I'll just use these many opportunities you provide to gain some connection. Hey, I might be funded like you too.
At any rate, just don't embarrass yourself in front of Mary and her enthusiastic friend, you know how much bullshit that old woman did to us." He leaves as he blends with the crowd of 'important' people.
Sure, John. Not like this 'enthusiast' will understand my complex machine anyway.
But I think he does has a point. I don't want to deal with her combination of a Scottish accent and 'calculated prose of bullshit.' At least, not utterly embarrassed in front of these many people.
I heard her friend is relatively young too, a newly graduate perhaps?
To not invite her unnecessary anger, I haste myself to join the party that I myself hold. Not forgetting to bring my Silver Lady, an automaton that I modify to work using my steam engine. It will surely give a nice spectacle for them, well they can only understand its greatness that much.
I begin to ready Silver Lady's engine. In a single press of a button, the entire mechanism starts to work flawlessly. The cranks and clutches of gears, albeit not noticeable, is the most wonderful sound I can appreciate. People start to smile and comment what a wonderful machine it is, very pleasing to watch, etc.
Of course, it is not a formal party without welcome speech.
"The Duke of Wellington, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and all of our guests, welcome.
We are delighted to have you here to participate and share in this little humble party that I held. As I wish for our best regard and fo"—I sometimes ask myself, why did I do this again? I originally host this for gaining a connection to funding my projects, and I already got that. But personally, I find these people are very boring. They don't understand the greatness of my proposal.
So what am I searching here?
Why do I bother now?
And I swear if they start meaningless and hollow praises again I—
"What an invention! Truly the greatest mathematician!"
"Mr. Babbage! What a wonderful party you hold!"
"Bravo Mr. Babbage! A man of science!"
"━━━━━━━━!"
'━━━━━━'
━━━
━
.
.
.
"What is this, what is this! Hey, what does this thing do?"
"Uh, huh? Ah, yes? From the look of it, it's obvious this is an automaton, little miss."
What's with this girl doing here? The dress she wears looks very expensive, some noble's daughter?
"I know, but automatons didn't produce that kind of movement. The usual automaton can only move in a simplistic manner. This one doesn't move naturally either, but it is clear that it far more complicated than them. So, this can't be an automaton, not the same automaton that I know."
Then, she grabs the automaton and begins to inspect it up close.
"Hey, don't simply take my belonging!"
I was going to take my Silver Lady back. Then, I was interrupted, tangled, and captured by the sight of the young girl trying to analyze my work that people unable to appreciate fully.
She touched the automaton with a very rough yet refined manner.
Full of curiosity, carefully touch it in various places to understand it. But without the fear breaking someone's invention stops her examining it.
"Huh, weird. If I touch and keep playing with it, it becomes a little hot and wet.
Is this the reason why it can produce that level of movement earlier? There is no lever that I need to rapidly rotate either, by simply pressing this button it will move... and pressing it again it will stop... fascinating..."
"Wait, I see! If the wetness I feel earlier is the by-product of the movement, then, is this automaton works by some kind of liquid or gas mechanism?! Interesting, interesting!"
"You notice that?"
"Of course! I was thinking so hard trying to figure out what it is though!"
Thinking so hard? Girl, you accurately deduce its mechanism in a mere minute. Even John and Mary can't do that.
"Hey, what else can you do? I want to know, I want to know!"
Her brimming eyes look shining in my eyes. The combination of her overwhelming curiosity and innate intelligence give a very good impression on me.
Yes.
Perhaps, she is the one!
"Come with me. I'll show you something more amazing."
***
"This is the Difference Engine. Well, it's its prototype. Theoretically, no, practically, it can calculate up to 6 digits of numbers; primal and decimal, in a quick and precise manner."
Difference Engine no.1, a smaller version of the one I'd envisioned. In my original draft, it supposed to be able to calculate up to 20 digits. But still, it is a representation, a fragment, an alter-ego of the true Difference Engine. It is something that I proud of.
I started rotating the lever to activate the engine, then input some random number to be calculated. As the kinetic energy produced is channeled to the machine, the cogs and gears began to rotate. Soon crangs and clutches of steel, far louder and prettier than Silver Lady able to produce entrenched the entire room.
"There is no way this machine able to miscalculate a calculation unless the person handling it wrongly inputs the number. Do you know what's that means?"
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The machine printed pages after pages like a hammer machine. She picks up the newly printed long entrail of papers lies on the floor.
She pauses for a few minutes.
Frowning her eyebrows tensely.
Then...
Her eyes begin to glow.
"This is so amazing! Revolutionary is an understatement to describe it!
With this level of accuracy, the needs of man to proofreading decrease! The usually time-consuming calculation process can be reduced to a mere minute! Faster time to process calculations means the more data you can collect in a single day. Not only that, a company may employ a smaller number of people and reduce excessive money spending. The possibility is endless!"
"Yes! Finally, someone speaks my language!"
She is enchanting. To me, someone that wishes of an equal for so long, she is an out-worldly being that I will never expect exist in this plane. She is not from this world, not from the surface. She is a hidden fantastical being from the world below or from the sky, somehow found her way to an inferior human world.
A fairy.
"But how do you know the calculation was perfect?"
"...? I calculate them all as I read, of course."
What the hell is she!? That's like, thousands of calculation! She is very gifted in numbers!
"But is that the only thing it can do?"
"Well, yeah. Reducing an excessive number of works is my grand plan."
"Grand plan? Even though this only a circuit, only a process?"
A process? Clearly, she saw it produce a calculation. It creates a result.
What is she talking about?
I wish to discuss more, but then-
"Ah, I'm sorry for bugging you. It seems my free time has been over. I was supposed to meet with a very amazing person, you see? Ehe, did you think I bragged too much?"
"Oh, no, I was bored and have other business to attend too. So, I really enjoyed your company, little miss."
Well, it is unfortunate. But I suppose she is a child of a noble. She probably goes to some kind, meets and greets with her parents and their associates. Mary was waiting for me too, longer than this, and she going to kill me for sure.
"Hehe, thank you too! I mean, it is a pleasure of me, sir." She bows after being overly friendly to me and disappears alongside the crowd. Perhaps she forgot the Victorian manner we have been taught of.
Sir? She didn't know of me but attend this party? "Weird girl..."
It is quite disappointing, I wish I can converse with her more. Waiting for Mary and her associates to come, while thinking how wonderful our little meeting was, gives me the opposite effect on my bored mind.
I'm super pissed.
I'm very pissed that my fun time is very brief and I back to a boring meet and greet life again.
Her curiosity and questions may hard to handle and annoying, but that is also the charm too.
She is not someone that immediately clap their hand seeing my invention. She analyzes it and gives her opinion frankly.
So it makes me angry that I can't have a conversation with her again.
But then, Mary pokes my shoulder.
"Charles, this is the girl I was recommending to you before. Her name is Ada."
"Ah..."
"Ah..."
"Did you guys know each other?"
"Err, I am Augusta Ada... Umm, this is kinda awkward, isn't it?"
"That weird girl from before..."
"Eh, weird?!"
Thus, our little thrilling adventure to pursue over the unknown has begun.