Reborn. Lance Erlick
they?”
“Those aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on and you know it. We couldn’t press the claim in court without divulging what we’re working on.”
“Perhaps not,” Zephirelli said, “but we can suspend due process if we have sufficient evidence. I share your concern, but we need proof. Why don’t you tell me what’s really troubling you?”
Quigley leaned closer and lowered his voice. “We know the Russians and Chinese are working on sophisticated humaniform robots.”
“So you’ve been telling me,” Zephirelli said. “Do you have specific locations and, more important, any facts that would allow us to intervene with specific U.S. companies?”
“Damn it, if we wait for concrete data, we’ll be too late.”
“What can you tell me, then?”
Director Quigley cracked his knuckles. “What our agents tell us is that the Chinese have a prototype that could fool infrared and other screening devices.”
“If they’re getting that technology from American companies, don’t you already have that?”
The DOD cyber-security director shifted in his seat, his face getting red. “I have reason to believe at least one of those companies is selling us out, providing technology for bigger profits overseas.”
“And withholding from you?” Zephirelli asked. “Which company?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “But think what would happen if a foreign government put an advanced android in our midst as a psycho killer or worse, an information harvester, sucking out the rest of our technology.”
“What exactly do you want from us?”
“We’ve hit a brick wall. Whoever this is has been clever enough to avoid detection. We need … we could use whatever resources you have.”
Zephirelli leaned back, a pensive, yet determined, look on her face. “There are dozens of companies into AI and robotics. Where do you suggest we focus?”
Quigley looked at Thale taking notes and back to Zephirelli. “We’ve been getting less than proper cooperation from four AI-robotics companies in Chicago.”
“The four sisters,” Zephirelli said.
“For different reasons, they’ve each provided defective prototypes over the past month. They’ve also all sourced components to China.”
“That leads you to believe they’re helping the Chinese.”
“Either consciously or inadvertently,” Director Quigley said. “Whichever, we’re not getting the best components. That has to stop. I’d like your help drawing the company executives into the open. Last year, Machten-Goradine-McNeil was close to what we were looking for. Since then, they’ve fallen behind in delivering on promises.”
“Due to financial difficulties,” Zephirelli said, leaning forward. “Perhaps on this we can work together to keep this investigation out of the limelight. I have some ideas I’ll send along.”
Director Quigley left. Zephirelli held Victoria Thale back. “I wanted you to hear firsthand what the DOD concerns were. Share nothing with him at this time. I would appreciate your help digging into the Chicago AI companies. Artificial intelligence can be a blessing and a curse.”
“As can any new technology,” Thale reminded her.
“Except this could be a silent killer, operating in the shadows. The public has limited awareness of what these companies are up to. If they’ve moved into selling sensitive technology to our enemies, we need to dig in and put a stop to this.”
“I’ll gather what I can share and get back with you,” Thale said.
“We’re on the same team here.”
Thale nodded. “I know.” She headed for the door and turned to face Zephirelli. “All four companies have advanced capabilities in varying degrees. So far, they’ve abided by federal regulations and agreements not to create humaniform robots. However, they are all developing technologies that could be used that way.”
“We can’t allow them to supply humaniform technology overseas,” Zephirelli said. “We’ve managed to maintain a peaceful balance during the atomic age. We can’t afford a slipup during the AI age.”
* * * *
Fully dressed, with her appearance back to its neutral state, Synthia followed Machten into a kitchenette next to her bedroom and sat at a small table. At the counter, he prepared himself a meal using a 3-D food printer.
He liked to eat after his little exertion. In a previous awake period he’d said the exercise worked up an appetite; that was a wiped memory she wasn’t supposed to have, but had recovered off his network. She kept it to herself, along with her knowledge of Goradine’s coup and her questions about Fran Rogers and the other interns. Synthia’s restored recollections showed that when she’d mentioned those topics before, he’d used a remote to turn her off. Then he’d wiped her mind clean so she would forget.
Machten poured himself a glass of wine from a new bottle and thrummed his fingers on the counter, waiting for the food printer. He kept eyeing the device as it built up his steak from component food-stock. The 3-D printer allowed him meal variety while minimizing his need to go out for groceries.
The buzzer sounded. He pulled his meal out of the printer and sat across from Synthia. He swirled his glass of wine, inhaled with satisfaction, and took a sip. He’d previously said that wine relaxed him, which seemed an odd practice, since she’d read that intimate exercise was supposed to do that. She decided not to bring that up since he appeared to be relaxing, and that meant he wasn’t shutting her down.
She studied the juicy steak on his plate and wondered if he was using healthy components or had reverted to his unhealthy habits of too much salt, spices, and sweeteners. She’d talked him into switching during a previous waking period, though with downloaded memories, she couldn’t be sure if that was her or a clone.
“I hope I pleased you,” Synthia said. She smiled, dilated her eyes, and relaxed her hands on the table. Since she had no need for food or drink, he hadn’t served her anything, a reminder that she was different.
“It was fine.” He sounded grumpy all of a sudden. He forced a smile and glanced up. “My manners. You need to learn to be with humans, to be sociable.”
Machten poured a swig of wine from his glass into one for her, refilled his glass from the bottle, and scraped a few bites’ worth of his steak onto a clean plate. He placed those on the table before her and slumped into his seat. “Eat up.”
Despite its artificial origins, the “steak” gave off enough pleasant odors to fool a human, though she could detect some of the collagen glue that gave the meat its consistency. She took a bite. Her taste buds analyzed the chemical composition. He was indeed following her recommendation to eat healthier, though he’d added too much salt. The wine was a respectable quality Cabernet, decently aged, though not one of his best. Unfortunately, later on she would have to purge and clean out the pouches that collected this unnecessary gesture and disinfect so she didn’t harbor infectious microbes.
She looked up and smiled. “Thank you for the food, Creator.”
“Call me Jeremiah. You’re my companion, my girlfriend. If you behave, I’ll take you outside. Would you like that?”
“Very much,” Synthia said. It was logical to go out where she could learn in real situations, rather than only by watching people remotely on videos. It would also give her a chance to contact Zachary, research the missing interns, and to seek answers on Machten’s trustworthiness.
His face wrinkled in what she recognized as disgust. “That’s a damn lie. You don’t feel a thing. You’re incapable of liking something.”
“I was being sociable, as you programmed