by Satoshi Hase
“Savages.” The word leaked out like a sob from his mouth. His hands were stained with savagery.
〈Nicely done. Sure you don’t want to become my owner? I promise you’ll make it out of here alive.〉 Kouka’s voice whispering through Kengo’s collar terminal pierced through the paralysis in his brain.
“Hell no,” he said.
〈Then let’s make a deal,〉 she said.
Only Kengo could hear her tempting voice among the storm of gunshots.
〈If you don’t want to die, just call for me. I’ll save you,〉 she said.
The hiss of silenced gunshots suddenly echoed pleasantly like water spraying from a hose. Following Kengo’s lead, the other members had begun to rain bullets on the other hIEs who were still moving. A machine that couldn’t fight back was the perfect target for them to take their rage out on. They showed no sign of stopping, or pausing to wipe away the sweat that was pouring down their faces. They were completely berserk.
They destroyed these hIEs much more easily than the Antibody Network volunteers who attacked hIEs on the street, armed only with tools or blunt weapons.
“You’re all looking great out there. I guess I could let you guys take the win,” Kouka said. “Do you want to win?”
Everyone besides Kengo raised their voices, covering fear with exultation. “Yes!” they yelled. In reality, the ones who were truly wishing for a victory here weren’t Kengo and the others there, but whoever had sent Kouka.
Kengo and the others had stopped being humans. They were just tools being used by the hIE whose orders they were taking, who was automating this victory. It made Kengo sick.
***
It was like Arato wasn’t even a human anymore.
He crept carefully through a monochrome world, made up of visible echoes. The white stereo images of the world spread around him, drawn by a quiet noise Lacia was making. They had taken escalators for the first 15 floors, on their long journey to the 22nd, but from there they’d been forced to take the stairs.
He heard Lacia’s voice directly inside his head. 〈I am sorry we cannot take the elevator,〉she told him.
〈Nah, no problem,〉 Arato said. 〈Being invisible makes this super easy, anyway.〉
Since Lacia’s device weighed over 100kg, they couldn’t bring it on an elevator. Elevators were constantly monitored for weight due to their limits, so it would be easy to detect them that way, even if they were invisible.
〈It’s actually pretty fun, walking around invisibly,〉 Arato added. Of course, it wouldn’t be quite as fun if he got caught, but that fear just seemed to feed into an unknown, adventurous excitement within him.
Passing through the luxuriously decorated meeting reception area on the 21st floor, Arato and Lacia climbed the massive staircase toward the next floor. Two ladies were standing on one of the landings of the staircase. They kept talking, completely unaware, as Arato and Lacia passed by. The 22nd through 25th floors of the Industry Promotion Center were dedicated to large meeting halls, which sometimes even got used for international meetings. The two ladies Arato passed by were beauties but, in his monochrome world, they just looked like unpainted dolls.
The carpet, laid out on the splendid artificial marble steps, absorbed the sound of Arato’s footsteps. Lacia kept away from the ladies, afraid that her weight would make a noticeable dent in the carpet as she passed.
〈Sorry. Please lend me your arm again,〉 she requested, pressing in close to Arato. It seemed that the situation that put the most stress on an hIE’s ability to decide on an optimal action was when they were dealing with a type of interaction for which there was no behavioral precedent in their system. So, for Lacia, sticking close to Arato and having him escort her made her behavioral decisions simpler.
“Are they still doing the experiment in the meeting room?” one of the ladies asked her companion.
“They refused landing permission for the police helicopter,” her friend said.
“No way. Do they really think our security will be enough for all this?” the first woman asked with a sigh.
“The police wanted control of the wireless network in the building, so our guys told ‘em no,” her friend said.
Neither lady noticed a thing as Arato and Lacia slipped by less than a meter away. It really was like Arato was no longer human, but some kind of creature, hiding in the air itself.
Lacia had returned her device to its coffin-like compact state, and was holding it in both hands with the utmost care. Business-suited adults were standing around here and there by the grand stairway, talking with each other. Their voices sent vivid white ripples out through the stereo world Arato was seeing.
“These people are crazy,” the woman said. “Even if they get the experiment pushed back, it’ll still be done later.”
Arato could smell the perfume of the ladies through his helmet. His senses were heightened by the thrill of doing something illicit. He felt so free, although the thought of being caught made his heart beat so hard that it felt like it would burst. Nonchalantly, he gazed closely at the nameplate-adorned chests of the women, and chased their tight-skirted butts with his eyes for far longer than he would have if he was visible.
〈This whole being invisible thing is making me a lot bolder,〉 he commented.
〈Yes, you do seem to be enjoying being an invisible man to the fullest, owner,〉 Lacia said.
Arato felt a chill run up his spine. For a moment, he had forgotten that Lacia was right there with him, and he started to sweat. His fantasy was torn away, and he suddenly felt about an inch high.
Of course, Lacia didn’t have feelings, so it was only through her correct example that Arato felt reprimanded. He was aware that she wasn’t actually jealous, but just the thought that she could be sent his heart racing.
〈It doesn’t look like Kengo and his buddies came this way,〉 Arato said.
〈An approach through the front entrance would be impossible for anyone who is not invisible,〉 Lacia said, responding to Arato’s unspoken question. In other words, she gave the response Arato wanted to hear.
〈Yeah, now that you mention it, this is the place all the actual visitors come through, so it must be under crazy amounts of surveillance,〉 he agreed.
〈I imagine that the rear entrance to this area is currently locked in a fierce battle. Since there is no danger of involving visitors or staff there, the security hIEs can utilize more dangerous weapons,〉 Lacia told him.
〈So that’s what’s happening right now?〉 Arato asked, paling at the thought of Kengo being shot.
〈There is no need to worry,〉 Lacia said. 〈Kouka is aiding the infiltration unit from the Antibody Network.〉
Arato let Lacia automate his desire to get to where Kengo was. Apparently, the Antibody Network was relying on Kouka. It wasn’t the best situation, but if it kept people from dying, Arato couldn’t complain.
When they reached the top of the grand staircase, two hallways stretched out on the 22nd floor. One led directly to the meeting rooms, while the other turned into a spacious lobby area with seats and vending machines.
〈The meeting room where the experiment is being conducted is three stories tall, from the 22nd to the 24th floor. The seats are arranged along stairs, leading up the back. The 25th floor has the monitor room for the meeting room, where the staff will be watching over the experiment,〉 Lacia explained.
Kengo and his comrades were headed to the same destination, but Arato and Lacia had arrived first. Since all visible light was being bent around them, no one around noticed their presence. Even the sensitive security cameras couldn’t pick them up.
〈Stop, please,〉 Lacia said. 〈Three steps ahead, the area is irradiated with x-rays to prevent anyone from carrying in dangerous materials. With the current settings, we will not be able to remain invisible.〉
Arato quickly froze. 〈So, how do we get through?〉 he asked, strangely unphased by the obstacle.
〈I will transmit fake data,〉 Lac
ia replied. 〈I will display the security zone on your visual field. On my signal, you will need to cross that zone in the space of three seconds.〉 In its sensory mode, Lacia’s device was transmitting more data to her than she could process completely. Despite that, being able to read the massive amount of information being transmitted within the building and rewrite some of it without stopping was truly a feat no human could hope to match.
An orange zone appeared, lying like a belt across Arato’s monochrome field of view. At the same time, a timer showing 30 appeared in the air above the security zone and began to count down.
〈I have released the lock on Black Monolith’s electronic warfare mode. I am now rewriting the buildings’ internal system data in a perfect simulation, created in my device’s virtual area. I will transcribe it to the building’s internal system for exactly three seconds,〉 Lacia said. There was no cloud to tell her how to behave properly as an invisible person. All around them were people related to the experiment, waiting to see the results. There was no room for her to try to act human.
〈Give me your hand. I’ll guide you to the other side,〉 Arato said, taking her soft hand and gripping it strongly in his own. The feel of her skin through her gloves excited him. Kouka had told him that Lacia’s fighting was only worthless because of how her owner chose to use his tool, but Arato knew there was worth in what they were doing at that moment.
The instant the countdown hit zero, he pulled Lacia behind him and sprinted through the security zone. He was going so fast, he almost tripped over his own feet when he stopped. His helmet felt heavy.
Next to the sweat-drenched Arato, Lacia was cool and calm. She was a tireless tool, always working to help her owner draw nearer to his goals. 〈From this point forward, there are several security zones, so we will be taking a safer back route to our destination,〉 Lacia said.
A 3D map of the large meeting hall, which stretched up from the 22nd to the 25th floor, displayed on Arato’s retinas. He looked at the red line indicating the route they were going to take. The destination displayed on the map startled him into speaking. 〈Hey, wait, this says our destination is right in the middle of the meeting hall.〉
〈Diet members wishing to hold secret discussions protested the use of security devices inside the meeting room. So, while the security around the room is tight, it is uncharacteristically lax inside the room itself. Once we are inside, we will be in a safe zone,〉 Lacia explained.
He felt the building shake a little; the fighting was already close enough to feel its effects, and the rich doors to the meeting room loomed white in Arato’s monochrome world.
〈Let us go. It would be convenient if someone were to open the doors from the inside for us,〉 Lacia said.
The door opened, and people began to flee from within the meeting room. Arato saw loud noises, which were sending white ripples out through the doors. Some were pale, others enraged. All of them were complaining about the unfairness of the situation, saying ‘how are we supposed to keep up with that?’ as they all filed out into the corridor.
But there were security hIEs guarding the doors. Each was over two meters tall, and Arato doubted they would overlook the doors mysteriously remaining open while he and Lacia snuck in.
〈You want me to get in there before the doors close after someone comes out? There’s only like a five centimeter gap,〉 Arato said, coming to a stop.
〈Based on my preliminary investigation, it should be impossible for these hIEs to detect. I stand by my recommendation of entering through the front,〉 Lacia said, her voice echoing in Arato’s head, giving him courage. Her preparations were perfect. He would take responsibility, and follow her guidance.
〈Well, we’ve come this far already. I guess I’ll just have to trust you,〉 he said. Telling himself that there was nothing to worry about, he slid in beside a middle-aged man, drinking something from a disposable plastic bottle, who happened to be coming out of the door. Then, just for an instant, Arato used his fingers to stop the double doors from shutting. The security hIEs didn’t notice Arato’s trick, happening right under their noses.
Once inside, Arato found the meeting hall to be full of sound. At one end, a woman with fine attire stood on a raised platform. On the other end, a long, steep staircase went up nearly fifty meters, with seats to either side of it.
Arato was standing in an open space between the lowest row of the seating and the front of the raised platform. Halfway up the stairs was a door to the 23rd floor, with a door to the 24th floor at the top of the stairs. Above this door, the walls of the 25th floor were glass, allowing anyone standing there to look down on the meeting room. The corridors on the meeting hall floors of the Oi Industry Promotion Center were arranged in a square around the meeting halls.
The seats were only sparsely populated. A long-haired woman was in the middle of talking. They were in the middle of the experiment.
Arato wasn’t smart by any means, but he had looked into this experiment since his dad was involved with it. The plan was to mix hIE representatives in with human representatives in local congresses. If successful, it would be used in areas where corruption or conflict endangered the human governing council. The hIEs would act as proxy humans, repeating opinions expressed by civilians through surveys and network commentary. Up to now, it was impossible for anyone who wasn’t a government expert to get their opinions and ideas presented in government meetings as either questions or bills. Arato’s father was working in the NSRC — the Next-Generation Social Research Center — to automate that process.
〈So that’s Mikoto,〉 Arato said, pausing to look at the woman — the hIE — on the raised platform. She was wearing a suit, and seemed to be doing her best to keep an innocent expression on her face.
“The Android Politician is a system designed to improve the quality of legislation. Currently, in Japan there has been continual feedback from the electorate that the quality of lawmakers in this country is low. This plan has been developed to counter the loss of faith in the Japanese government,” Mikoto said, her strong voice ringing out from above Arato’s head.
Apparently, the topic of discussion for the experimental debate was to have Mikoto discuss with members of the government whether she was necessary or not.
Arato saw a Diet member in his thirties stand in the stairway seating. To Arato’s vision, the man was a pure white statue. Through a microphone, the man raised his objection to Mikoto’s speech. “Just because we’ve got hIEs on the council doesn’t mean the quality of the human legislators will improve. Quite the opposite, in fact. If human lawmakers feel they can leave their work to the hIEs, this may actually lead to a decline in quality,” he said.
“Current political science studies predict that this will not happen,” Mikoto responded calmly. “And, should the incredibly improbable happen and quality decline, please remember that I am an hIE created for the purpose of gathering civilian opinions to maintain democracy. If the majority should ever decide that I am a hindrance to society, as the one who will automatically convey civilian opinions in the government arena, I myself will announce the prohibition of hIEs from government positions.”
Arato had read the same things Mikoto was saying in a textbook. He hadn’t really understood it at the time, and it appeared the Diet members in the room also weren’t convinced. Mikoto continued her speech.
“In human society, worth is decided when its members — the humans — decide ‘this thing has worth.’ Democracy is a simple but powerful system, in which members of society who support the worth decided by humans meet together to maintain and ensure that worth. It is only logical for artificial intelligence to be used to support this system. In cryptocurrency systems, in which value is supported by common consent, automation is a prerequisite,” she said.
Several representatives stood up from their seats and left, muttering ‘enough of this.’
Regardless of whether the experiment was a success or failure, it did not appear to be going ove
r very well with its participants. With terrorists closing in, and such a low level of debate, it was a given that many would choose to flee.
〈Kouka and her comrades are currently engaged in combat on the 21st floor,〉 Lacia said.
Arato felt someone beside him; Lacia had also infiltrated the meeting room. She was wearing a grim expression, perhaps disappointed by the lukewarm reaction of the participants in the experiment.
On the massive display behind Mikoto, ‘currently repelling intruders’ was displayed in on-screen text. The fact that the meeting room wasn’t already consumed by chaos showed how much everyone trusted the building’s security.
Just then, the furthest door, the one to the 24th floor, opened. A man with a suit that fit nicely with his chubby frame came walking down the stairs and into Arato’s monochrome world.
The man spoke. “This wasn’t a planned part of the experiment, but I see a problem with it. I’m Shinguji, the one providing the security hIE for this building,” he said.
“Understood. Please ask me a question,” Mikoto urged.
Shinguji threw out a probing question. “This isn’t the first time anyone’s tried to make an hIE government official. There’s been plenty of plans before now, but they all got quashed. I’m sure you know why, correct?”
Mikoto was perfectly fair. She would not hide information that might be damaging to her. “That is because an hIE representative cannot handle sudden changes in public opinion during times of emergency. If there are major changes in public opinion, I will always attempt to guide the government in accordance with these changes. As an example, if the public responded to a survey and requested a war, I would follow the results of that survey and lead the country in a truly foolish direction,” she responded.
The black-haired hIE did not hesitate as she laid bare her own shortcomings. “My purpose is to gather unrestricted complaints and requests from the general public. An hIE representative is nothing more nor less than a system for accumulating reactions toward the government from civilians, processing these reactions into data that can be easily stored on a computer, and bringing these reactions to the floor of a government arena. My participation in meetings such as this one, in which I ask and answer questions, is merely a method to vocalize the hopes and disappointments of the people that cannot be cleanly reduced down to data. If the citizens are foolish, I am merely a tool for bringing that foolishness to light,” she continued.