Reborn. Lance Erlick
open the question of how she’d acquired them.
A key to the mystery was Fran Rogers and the other two women brought up as part of the divorce: Krista Holden and Maria Baldacci. According to social media and public records, all three women were graduate students at Northwestern University in the science and technology program, more specifically in robotics and artificial intelligence. All three worked for Machten’s company as interns until a year ago. In fact, they all worked for Machten.
Anonymous posts on several social media sites from a year ago noted that Fran Rogers was the most openly competitive of the three women. She’d used her good looks and social skills to push her way into the senior intern position. That allowed her to work closely with Machten, monopolizing much of his time. In fact, the nameless source stated her name appeared with his on various reports on their progress with artificial intelligence.
Maria Baldacci appeared more easygoing, yet also pushed to win. Mastering Fran’s work habits and schedules, Maria managed to acquire significant time with Machten to get close to his projects. In doing so, she had authored at least one progress report for him. Krista Holden, on the other hand, focused on getting experience and doing her work rather than on Machten and gaining the limelight. Then a year ago, around the time Goradine ousted Machten, all three women vanished from public view.
Synthia scanned social media and public files for any evidence of what had happened to these women. Prior to the coup, they each appeared in video feeds with Machten, though most such images were of him with Fran. Although available information was sketchy and could have implied professional collaboration or intimate relations, Machten appeared to spend many evenings with her.
Synthia didn’t want to consider the worst, but people didn’t cease all public activity, including financial transactions and appearing on public and private camera feeds, without good reason. Within a week of Machten’s firing, the digital footprint for all three interns vanished along with them. Their social media accounts went silent.
One such disappearance should have attracted police or at least family attention, but there was nothing to indicate this in news reports or media posts around that time. Three women vanishing should have brought an FBI investigation. Synthia couldn’t help thinking someone had punished Fran and the others. Perhaps Machten had for his self-inflicted wounds.
Reviewing the videos again, Synthia used her social-psychology module to evaluate Machten’s reactions, in particular because he hadn’t fought more vehemently for his innocence. On the question of stealing components from the company, his expressions didn’t indicate guilt. However, he had “borrowed” inventory for his private lab. He apparently didn’t see it as theft.
The company financials she could access indicated that they were in financial difficulty, running through cash. Synthia didn’t have enough information to verify Machten’s role in this, but Goradine was in control of the finances, so she doubted Machten could be the complete cause.
Machten didn’t appear guilty of sleeping with Fran. He had protested his innocence. Then he’d signed. Overall, Machten had not looked guilty with respect to any of the charges, which raised the troubling possibility that he was a sociopath.
Pursuing the attorney’s comment about heavy debts, Synthia hacked into Machten’s financial records on his Server Two. The divorce, company settlement, and subsequent spending on research led to him to have acquired total debt of $12,392,418.16. He had no way to continue to finance his research into advanced robotics and artificial intelligence—her—without cutting corners. In fact, he might be tempted to sell her or take risks that could lead to her falling into less-friendly hands. She couldn’t let that happen, despite being compelled to follow her Creator’s directives.
Chapter 3
In a Washington, D.C. office building three blocks from the White House, NSA’s new Director of Artificial Intelligence and Cyber-technology, Emily Zephirelli, sat across from FBI Special Agent Victoria Thale.
“Are you certain this room is secure?” Zephirelli asked, looking around for potential cameras or bugging devices that would likely be too tiny to see. Her face looked weary.
“I had it swept twice,” Thale said, adjusting her electronic tablet before her. “Let me congratulate you on your new appointment.”
Zephirelli shrugged. “New title, same work.”
“More responsibility.”
Director Zephirelli laughed. “Have you uncovered anything about those technology interns who disappeared in Chicago last year? Three bright women just vanished. Was it kidnapping?”
Agent Thale leaned closer and took a moment before she responded. “We’ve been investigating a rash of cyber-security and espionage issues with four Chicago companies involved with artificial intelligence and robotics. It seems with all of that technology, they can’t resist the temptation of spying on each other. Their actions and foreign-sponsored cyber-attacks have caught the attention of my boss.”
“Just Chicago companies?”
“We’ve had our eye on developers on the east and west coasts as well, but these four have been quite active lately.”
“You think the interns got caught up in something?” Zephirelli asked, checking the time.
“All I can say about the interns is we have someone with inside connections working their case as well as looking into these companies.”
“When our visitor arrives, keep all that between us,” Zephirelli said. “Let me handle our guest.”
The FBI agent nodded.
There was a knock. Zephirelli opened the door to Marvin Quigley, Director of Cyber-Security for the Department of Defense.
He looked over his shoulder, started to enter, and noticed Thale. “I thought we were meeting alone,” he said.
“Special Agent Thale is with the FBI’s technology and cyber-attack task force,” Zephirelli said. “If this is as urgent as you implied, she could be a valuable resource.”
Thale stood and held out her hand. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Director Quigley seemed taken aback. Then he closed the door and sat facing the window. The two women sat across from him. Zephirelli moved a water bottle across the table and turned off her cell phone, motioning for the others to do the same. “Shall we begin?”
Director Quigley whispered, as if he suspected someone was listening in. “What have you learned?”
“You first,” Zephirelli said.
Quigley squirmed, trying to stare her down. When that didn’t work, he began. “We have reason to believe there’ve been technology security leaks. To make matters worse, our defense contractors are behind schedule in developing the next generation of combat robots. Latest prototypes are almost as cumbersome as the first-generation models that keep breaking down. We’re concerned the Chinese, Russians, or Iranians will have sophisticated military-grade androids before us. I don’t need to tell you the threat to national security if that happens.”
“Don’t lecture me, Marv,” Zephirelli said, placing her water bottle between them. “Homeland Security also wants those models to handle gangs, drug lords, and terror threats. Do you have any credible evidence of international groups having these capabilities or stealing U.S. company technology?”
Director Quigley sighed. “Our analysts believe—”
“Concrete data, Marv. Do you have anything we can pursue?”
Quigley shook his head. “So far, only hints and suspicions, but don’t forget last year’s technology breach.”
“I’m not, but we need hard leads.”
“We need to find out if American companies are selling critical components or designs to foreign interests.”
“I understand the need, but you don’t have anything for us to pursue.” Director