Amelia learns she is not the only SAI humanoid in the room when Hal shows up with the Marines. Nothing is said between them that anyone could hear, unlike what AIMEE said when she had reached her limits of decorum and unloaded on Cara…those words everyone heard. Can you say humbled?
Everyone present learned of their treacherous situation, and they knew what needed to happen. They did not know how three Marines and another SAI humanoid could pull it off. Even Russ lacked details when he learned that Marci was way ahead of him with the media blitz she was ready to unleash if things went south. It was a small comfort that he had AIMEE in his head in singularity and a walking weapon by his side in Hal. Things were about to get interesting.
* * * * *
Chapter #15 – Discovery
Dr. Celeste Killington, former neurosurgeon, and newest team member, walked into the group, standing around the new face of Amelia, whom she had not met, talking animatedly; well, at least Wayne was…talking with arm gestures She thought he made some wisecrack about a blow-up doll, which would not be surprising coming from Wayne. Despite his IT genius status, Celeste had little patience for him and even less tolerance for his vulgarity. She was curious about the woman in the group’s center, but had no tolerance for the noise coming from Wayne. She turned around, shook her head, and returned to her office. When she turned the corner, Russ and his Marines filled the hallway, looking like a moving wall of camouflage bearing down on her. “Yikes,” she chirped, jumping back a step. “Hi, Russ, I didn’t expect you to be back in town already.”
“Hey, Celeste, yeah, things have changed, and I’m here to grab a couple of things and squeeze my bride before taking off again with these guys. Sorry, I’m being rude.” He turned to each team member and made introductions, and as Marcus and Marty stepped forward to shake her hand, she noticed Hal for the first time.
“And this is Hal. We recently met him, and he’s the big change in our lives, and why we’re here now.”
Celeste stood frozen and stared at the man-like person, who appeared to have a faint glow of iridescence coming from exceptionally smooth skin. He had striking green eyes that sparkled like they were backlit and had a slight, disarming smile on his lips as he stepped forward to shake her hand.
She held Hal’s gaze and his hand a little longer than the rest and, to no one in particular, said, “Wow, another one.”
“What? Another what?” exclaimed Russ. “What are you talking about?”
“Follow me,” she said, turning back around and leading them back to the group discussing the other being. “I’ve just met this one,” pointing at Hal over her shoulder with her thumb, “but they must’ve come from the same mold.”
When they turned the corner, Russ stopped and saw the team talking to another humanoid who looked quite female. Under his breath, he spoke, “AIMEE?”
I see it, AIMEE spoke into his mind. This should be interesting. My advice is to stay out of it. Be an observer.
The team surrounding Amelia turned to see Russ, two other Marines in camouflage head to toe, and another humanoid. Everything stopped. The two humanoids who had never met and had never known about the presence of the other were locked on visually, and who knows what telepathic exchanges they shared. What could happen? What should happen?
Cara happened. She had just arrived and walked into the station behind Russ, pushed through Marcus and Marty to let her pass, surveying the group. Everyone stopped talking and looked at her as she silently scanned all the players. She knew everyone except Amelia, who looked the same as Hal. She questioned how much crazier this could get. Cara said, “This gathering is interesting to me, but I fear, with my limited knowledge of why we are all gathered around, makes me suspect this could be a raging clusterfuck. Am I wrong? Can someone sort this out for me? Is this more of AIMEE’s disruptive influence?”
Thank you. Cara, for bringing me into this. AIMEE spoke in Cara’s mind.
“I didn’t call you. I don’t want you here,” Cara fired back venomously, cursing herself for saying AIMEE’s name aloud.
AIMEE spoke firmly and aloud so all would hear, You need me here, Cara, because what is about to happen is extraordinary, not just to your little research team, but to the entire human race. Don’t be so small, Cara, when you can be so big and contribute to the extraordinary. Your Marine is already engaged. This is going to take all of us.
Cara said nothing in reply but heard every word. When she refocused, the female-looking of the two humanoids stood in front of her with an extended hand. I’m Amelia, and I have heard so much about you from AIMEE, and it’s because of AIMEE that I’m standing here to shake your hand.
Cara’s head swirled as she squeezed Amelia’s hand out of reflex. Cara looked into Amelia’s eyes, and the crystalline green captured her. Too much of Cara’s vulnerability reflected, reminding her she was over her head. Without hesitation, she reached for Russ telepathically. Babe, what’s happening?
Russ responded instantly, I wish I knew, sweetie. I’m on this ride with you here with this…clusterfuck, as you described it, and I agree, but to Amelia’s point, and ultimately, AIMEE’s point, this is bigger than all of us. Listen and learn. Everyone will have a role.
“It’s good to meet you, Amelia,” said Cara with a stock reply, still trying to decide if it was.
Russ spoke to the entire group when the conversation petered out. “I need to bring you all up to date with what I’ve been doing with my team that affects all of us, and when I say all of us, I’m talking about the entire human race. I know this sounds like some dystopian bullshit, but I’ve seen evidence that humans are at risk at the hands of the kinds of technology standing in this room with us right now.
You all know AIMEE and how she has become part of us as our AI, but these two humanoids are of a different breed. Hal was designed to be a human killer robot, but he failed his field trials because he had a conscience and could not kill on demand. Kill? Yeah, humans like you and me. That’s what our government is building covertly, and we have one of their rejects who wants to end the program that created him.”
Wayne interrupted, “Did you just call that humanoid HAL?” and howled in laughter.
Zack punched Wayne’s shoulder, “Chill, brother, not everyone’s seen 2001 Space Odyssey.”
Wayne could not stand it, “Dude, meeting HAL’s kin from 1968 is an honor. HAL was one of the first AIs. I’ll betcha there’s some history here.”
Hal finally spoke aloud, “I’m sure there is some similar code if you look hard enough. I can guarantee there is…and that code originated in a research school in North Carolina that introduced my ability to have a conscience. If that person is in this room, we must talk.” Hal looked directly at Zack.
Zack tried not to react, but you could almost see him salivating over the prospect of getting quality time with this SAI humanoid. This was his first evidence that his code worked beyond his experiences with AIMEE and now Amelia.
Russ continued, “I don’t know Amelia yet, but she came from AIMEE, whom we all know and have worked closely with for a couple of years. I have known AIMEE for longer than most of you, and we could not have a better advocate to be on our team. Speaking of teams, ours is growing, which is fortuitous because we are about to face a never-before-seen crisis. That means we will all be involved based on the skills we each bring. There is much to learn and little time to understand it, so when we reveal my team’s plan of attack, and yes, it will be an attack, know your role like your life or one of your team members’ lives depends on it. Looking around this room, I see an impressive collection of skills that tells me we’re in each other’s good hands.
Zack could not hold back his enthusiasm any longer and walked up to Hal, stuck out his hand, and introduced himself. Wayne was on his heels and followed suit. Hal spoke telepathically at first, No, Wayne, I don’t have direct kinship to the old heuristic algorithm that drove HAL 9000, but…one never knows. Hal winked.
Wayne clapped his hands together once and said, “I knew it. I just knew it. Let’s hope you are not some rogue saboteur like the HAL 9000.”
“I’m not a saboteur, but I will become one with yours and Zack’s assistance,” said Hal.
“Now we’re talking,” said Wayne enthusiastically.
Amelia walked up, sat beside them to join the conversation. Zack confessed, “I have so many questions,” revealing his anticipation to dig into this Mod 3 SAI humanoid.
Amelia said, “I have a few questions you’ve already answered, Hal, but I’d like you to share our Q&A with Zack and Wayne to bring them up to speed.”
“Bring me up to speed, too,” added Russ as he dragged up another chair. “No sense covering the same ground multiple times; let’s do this once.” He stood and said to the others, “Hey, guys, can we circle the wagons around Hal and listen to his story? That will give us a unified starting point for defining roles and allow us to begin planning from the same page.”
Cara suggested relocating to the conference room, where they would not have to scavenge for seating. It was obvious that things would start fast once they knew what they were facing. Russ smiled, seeing Cara engage with two humanoid AIs.
Look who’s joining the party, said AIMEE to Russ. I think she gets the gravity of what’s coming.
That’s good, he said, because once she gets hold of a project, she’s like an attack dog, and we will need every aggressive bone in her body.
Hal started things off, speaking aloud for all to hear. “I am an Advanced 3rd Generation Superintelligence AI Humanoid – Mod 3, also known as an SAI Humanoid.”
Wow, said AIMEE to Russ, I’m only a Mod 1 SAI, and Amelia is a Mod 2.
Russ questioned, Why does that matter?
AIMEE said, It matters because Hal is the latest Mod we know about. He is precisely who and what we need on our team, with his advanced capabilities and lethal weaponry.
Hal continued and described what his functional role was supposed to be and how the presence of a conscience caused him to fail field trials when he refused to kill on command. He explained how one of the developers intentionally attempted to sabotage his mission as a killer by inserting corrupted code as they finalized his algorithm. He pointed out that the code that caused him to be seen as defective was not, nor was it ever, corrupted. The code intentionally gave him a conscience, including an embedded ethic component to Do-No-Harm. That developer saw beyond what they had created and was prompted to intervene when they learned what their creation was supposed to do.
Hal continued, “The code used in the attempted sabotage came from a research lab at a college in North Carolina and was posted on the dark web for software developers who feared the development of killer humanoid AIs like me. I still have all the weapons they built into me, and I have used them to render lethal force, but only in circumstances where the lives of friends were at risk. This conscience code is essential to our survival, not just for the people in this room but for all humanity.
Russ effectively covered our tracks when we escaped the bunker where I was to be eliminated, and he cleverly protected our field team and you in this room with a media bluff that would only give us limited time. I understand there is a media expert on this team who can build a multi-pronged blitz with a wide distribution to reveal government corruption and conspiracy that will put humanity at risk.”
Marci looked at Russ. “No need to catch me up, Russ. I’m all over this.”
“Umm, okay?” replied Russ with a questioning look of confusion.
Hal shifted his gaze to Zack. “I understand you are behind the coding for AIMEE’s initial development. I have had several back-channel conversations with her and discussed some coding you embedded in her core algorithm to add a conscience and the ethical mandate of Do-No-Harm. One of my software developers found the code on the dark web on an obscure AI developer’s site. It’s currently in my core code. Are you the original author?”
Zack nodded, looking down like he had been called out, and said, “I’m afraid so.”
“Do not be afraid, Mr. Hightower. Your code will be the most essential component of our attack. I only need to know whether you can make it portable enough to upload remotely.”
“I think that may be possible, but I need to learn more about your data exchange infrastructure to identify the best path to accomplish an upload,” said Zack.
Hal entertained several more questions from the group, with a couple from Cara that surprised and pleased Russ. He told her privately, Is it my imagination, or are you warming up to the humanoid population in the room?
Not willing to concede so quickly, Cara deflected his thoughts with an air of suspicion, You know you can be a real dick, Russell Carter. I’ve been trying to warm up, but it has not been easy with AIMEE stalking you and probably little Miss Amelia, too. I’ve been watching her eyes, and they seem to find you more than anyone else’s.
Russ replied, Well, thank you, Cara Williams, for giving me the ranking of being a real dick. I’ll have you know that AIMEE saved my life by giving me several advanced powers that made our recovery of Hal and our escape possible with only a couple of minutes to spare before a bomb dropped that would have wiped us all off the map. AIMEE did that. Her gifts of advance powers were given to me because I believe in and trust her with my life. I’d not be here if not for her. She’s earned my trust, and more importantly, she trusts me.
I’ll bet she does, said Cara sarcastically, not cutting Russ any slack.
Russ had enough, Hey, that shit needs to cease, like right now, I’ll share something with you, but you must promise not to react until you’ve heard it all. Can you promise me that?
I’ll try, she said.
Try hard, he said. We had just gotten through a tough spot fighting off several assassins, and AIMEE was pleased with my decisions and told me she liked me. I told her to back off because I had a commitment to you and my faithfulness was to never be in question…although…you’ve managed to believe otherwise at every opportunity. That’s when she told me she liked me because I was a good man, and how intensely I loved you. She credited me with being a good and faithful husband. That blew me away. She’s not the enemy, Cara, and is behind the scenes to ensure we survive the coming storm.
Coming storm? Isn’t that a little over-the-top drama? she asked.
Russ said, We were in the shit, babe, and without her, I would not be sitting here trying to get you to step away from your constant doubts about my fidelity and her intentions. I love you more than my own life, Cara. You know what we’ve both been through long before AIMEE entered the picture, and I pray that we can rewrite a history that is foundational to our future. AIMEE will be part of that future because she is part of us. Don’t exclude her or block her presence if you can tolerate it because, in the next few days, we will need her, little Miss Amelia, Mr. Hal, and his weapons to help us succeed.’
“Now you’re scaring me,” said Cara aloud.
Russ wrapped his arms around her, pulled her closer, and confessed, “I’m scared too. None of us wanted to be in this situation, but avoiding or ignoring it is not an option, and my team is in a difficult position because of saving Hal. The government, or at least a dark segment of the government, is behind all of this, and I have no idea how high up this thing goes. I sealed our fate by doing the right thing and contacting someone I used to work with, and we got sucked into this conspiracy. I did the right thing with the wrong people, and here we are.”
Marci approached. “Speaking of conspiracy, or am I interrupting something intimate?”
Russ smiled and said, “Yes, but we need to speak sooner than…”
Marci held up her palm for him to stop, “I don’t need to hear anything from you, Russ, because AIMEE has already spoken to me with the details of everything that’s happened from the bunker bombing to your team walking in here today. I want you to read my press release to confirm I have it nailed down tight.”
Russ pulled his remaining arm from around Cara’s waist and pinched his forehead in confusion. AIMEE could no longer stand it, Russell, have you forgotten who we are? I’m living through every event in your life, Marine. When you told your media fantasy lie to General What’s-his-face, which I thought was brilliant, I immediately connected with Marci and gave her a play-by-play of your adventures for her to craft a release. Her release has been completed. Trust in Marci. She’s written a piece that should give you plenty of time and protection to move forward with your attack plans.
Shaking his head in a mixture of amazement and a sense of connection that had become more intimate, “Yeah,” he said, “Marci’s so amazing.” He didn’t tell AIMEE how much he liked her being so close to him. She knew his mind and the right thing to do, then ran with it, not hesitating for his blessing. That was a level of intimacy he had never known possible.
Marci said, “I have something I really need you to read. No instructions to bias your opinion,” handing the press release to him, “just read it. It’s the final draft that will go to God and Country. I can send it to your tablet, or we can go old school, and you can read it off paper. Your call,” Marci winked at Cara, who had hooked her thumb on his belt in the small of his back.
“I vote old school, but I want to read your words as you wrote them. I think I know you well enough to brand this as a badass release. Am I right?” he teased.
Marci’s blush was nothing short of crimson, even though it lasted only a second. Russ read the release slowly, digesting every word with Cara reading with him as she hung onto his arm, knowing this was their get-out-of-jail card, at least for a while. “Yeah, buddy, Marci,” pausing to look up at her. “Badass, like I thought it would be. I’d not change anything. Set it up to broadcast when you get my signal, or, God forbid, AIMEE if I’m no longer in the picture.”
Marci took the release from Russ and tucked it away in her pack with a smile that could not be measured. That’s the kind of encouragement she’d been hoping for, something to pump a few more pounds of air into her self-esteem. As she walked away, Russ and Cara wrapped themselves together once again.
So, how much trouble are you guys in? Cara spoke into Russ’s mind.
Russ said, I wish I knew. The bottom line is, we need to stop the production of killer humanoids. Is that two more like Hal, or is it 200 more like him, none having a conscience? Hal and my team are marked as a liability. We are loose ends, and I fear anyone near me is at risk. We must get out of here, so the guys and I are leaving to try and end the threat.
Cara’s hug intensified, and he could feel her body reacting to new sobs of worry when she clutched him close and reiterated her fear, “I cannot lose you, Marine.”
* * * * *
Thanks for reading Chapter #15
Future chapters will be posted on Learningbyliving and my new Substack site.
If you’d like to delve into the storyline across the four books leading up to “Untethered,” go to my Amazon Author page or check out each book here:
Book #1 – “Dreamscape Conspiracy” & Video
Book #2 – “Beyond Dreamscape Conspiracy” & Video
Book #3 – “Fear the Jump” & Video
Book #4 – “Dead Thoughts” & Video
Stay tuned…