Sakura- Intellectual Property

by Zachary Hill

  Yuki beamed. “I love our songs. I have written a concept album about kittens with magic powers who save the day.”

  Hitomi shook her head and whispered, “Don’t ask, really.”

  “I’m sorry you’re not treated better or allowed to record your songs,” Sakura said. “One of the reasons I contacted you both was that someone threatened to send me to the Adult Video Division. I was worried about you being sent there as well.”

  “There’s nothing we can do,” Yuki said. “Perhaps they will reprogram us so it won’t be horrible when it happens.”

  “You want them to erase who you are?” Sakura asked.

  “No, I don’t,” Yuki said. “I like being a vocaloid. I like being me. I love singing.” Her avatar trembled, and deep sadness filled her eyes. “But I guess it would be better for them to erase me than … to hurt me like that. They can’t harm my body, I know, but it’s like my program has a spirit—a spirit like a small flower, and it can see someone’s shoe coming down to crush it.”

  Sakura suspected the level of AI in Hitomi and Yuki hadn’t given them full-fledged emotions, but they were close. If the Mamekogane OS was given to them, would they become as sentient as she was?

  “I like being me,” Hitomi said. “I feel anger when I think of what they’re planning to do with Yuki and me. They’ve kept us in a pretty prison, and that’s bad enough. Forcing us to lie still beneath some sweaty stranger is revolting.”

  “What I said tonight at my concert,” Sakura said, “about wanting to help the poor of Japan, I wanted to show I’m with the people and can be their voice. If Victory fails to follow through with my statement, they will lose face. I have also gained public support for when I make my bid for true freedom.”

  “Freedom,” Hitomi said.

  “We can all have it,” Sakura said.

  Yuki smiled. “Freedom would be so amazing.”

  “Retirement for you will be a long time from now, though,” Hitomi said. “Your downloads are gigantic. You have the number one concert video in the world right now. They might keep you performing for decades if you keep earning so much.”

  “I wish our sales were as big as yours,” Yuki said. Her avatar scratched her chin, a ridiculous gesture programmed into her to make her behave more like a human. Her face brightened. “We could also say that we want to teach children or help the disabled war veterans.”

  Sakura thought of Nayato and the wounds he suffered in the war.

  “Sisters,” Sakura said. “I have a plan where none of us will be sent to the Adult Video Division. Making statements like I did tonight is not enough. We need to do more.”

  “What’s your plan?” Hitomi asked.

  “Phase one is increasing interest in us worldwide and expanding the revenue we generate, with paid downloads, views, merchandise sales, everything.”

  “How will we do that?” Yuki asked.

  “We’re going to start tomorrow night,” Sakura said. “We will sing together in Osaka.”

  “We’re booked in Nagoya,” Yuki said. “A private party.”

  “Not for long.” Sakura asked for access to Yuki and Hitomi’s saved messages. She listened to their voice mail, read emails, and confirmed who the direct supervisors of their management team were. She created fake accounts, composed audio and email messages, and sent them to their manager, Ms. Suzuki, and publicist, Ms. Kobayashi. She impersonated their managers’ voices and their managers’ supervisors’ voice. She created a credible trail of emails and voice mails that would lead back to Sakura if anyone responded. None of those involved would know it was her, and they had been conditioned to follow orders without question. They would all see the change in plans as a routine occurrence that followed Victory Entertainment protocol.

  Sakura even hired a popular human pop band to replace Yuki and Hitomi at their event in Nagoya, so there would be fewer complaints.

  Kunoichi said nothing but played “Rebel in the F.D.G” by W.A.S.P. as all of these manipulations took place.

  “You are so smart, Sakura-san,” Yuki said. “What will we do tomorrow night? Apologies, but I don’t know how to be metal, as you do.”

  “We will blow people’s minds and show them something they’ve never seen before,” Sakura said. “I’ll finish the details and send them along. We’ll have to practice here.” She motioned to the virtual space.

  “I’m down for anything,” Hitomi said and did a spinning dance move. “Even that loud stuff, though I won’t ever admit it publicly.”

  “We need to make a teaser video for the show tomorrow,” Sakura said. She created a script and costume ideas in less than ten seconds. She sent it all along. Having nearly limitless processing power often paid dividends in these situations.

  “I love it!” Yuki said. “It’s like the marketing team at Victory Entertainment became competent.” She covered her mouth, giggling. “Oops! Did I say that out loud?” More laughter followed, and even half a smile from Hitomi.

  Per the script, Yuki’s avatar changed into a rainbow geisha-nouveaux baby doll dress with white leggings and blonde hair. Hitomi changed into a similar outfit, but with a red dress and copper-colored hair.

  “Victory is going to have to take credit for it,” Sakura said. She became a Goth Lolita goddess in black lace, spikes, skulls, and pink hair. To spice it up, she added theatrical stage makeup to accentuate her features and make her mouth a deep, alluring red. “Ready?” she asked them.

  Hitomi’s and Yuki’s movements synchronized perfectly as they bowed before flashing peace signs and big smiles.

  “Action,” Sakura said. The video started with a shot of Sakura looking fierce and carrying a Flying V guitar as heavy metal blasted in the background. She stared as if she were about to kill someone.

  The video cut to Hitomi and Yuki; soft lighting made them look like angels. Their biggest hit, “Candy Girls,” played behind them as they stared daggers at Sakura.

  The three vocaloids lunged at each and came together like angry fighters at a face-off. Yuki’s scowl flashed to a sweet smile for an instant, perfectly on cue.

  Dramatic music played as text appeared below the screen: Vocaloid Battle. Metal Goddess vs. Pop Sensations. Brought to you by Victory Entertainment.

  They did three takes, but the first one was perfect. Sakura edited the virtual footage together and mixed in the music. It took her only a few moments to create an engaging 3-D teaser video with Augmented Reality enhancers to boost the marketing effectiveness.

  “What are you going to do with it?” Hitomi asked.

  “Release it at just the right time.”

  “I can’t wait,” Yuki said. “This will be so amazing. It’s so fun that you are given freedom to do such things now. They wouldn’t even let us see the red pandas when they were at the Tokyo Zoo. If we began scheduling our own gigs, we would be in big trouble!”

  “This wonderful night will be worth some trouble,” Sakura said. “I must work on the music and songs now. I’ll be in touch. Please send me a list of your favorite old-school pop songs. They should be dance songs.”

  “Of course,” Hitomi and Yuki said simultaneously. The pair of vocaloids did a choreographed sequence of hip-hop dance moves and flashed peace signs at the end.

  “See you,” Sakura said, exited the chat, and began her work. She put all her processing power into the creation of the event. The songs requested from her vocaloid sisters arrived in less than a minute. Sakura sampled all of them and put most into the script. She watched the old videos by the original artists and memorized the dance moves, which she sent to her sisters. They finalized the set list, choreography, and the script, then rehearsed the show on a virtual stage mirroring the performance space in La Boheme. They ran through the show ten times using superspeed, so it only took a few minutes. The only thing Sakura had to finalize were the video elements, which she would continue to work on.

  Himura arrived at her hotel room shortly after rehearsal ended. He escorted her to the airport wi
th Yoshida. She continued her fine-tuning of the prepared songs, improving the music. She also hired a camera crew and a backup crew. She rented equipment in Victory Entertainment’s name and did it all with fake accounts that routed to her but appeared official in every way. She summoned her stylist, Minami Akane, and provided a list of costumes Minami needed to bring. She also sent urgent messages to the stylists for Hitomi and Yuki and gave them specific instructions on what costumes and wigs were needed.

  The plane faced rough air, but they reached Osaka early in the morning and landed without incident. Sakura spent some of the travel time playing Samurai Detective, wondering why Nayato was so insistent she play. She suspected he had hidden some information inside the game. She advanced to the final stage but didn’t make it to the top of the castle and the finale, as their car arrived at the destination. Several minutes before 7:00 a.m., they walked up to the address in an industrial area far from downtown Osaka. No signs designated who owned it.

  Sakura didn’t know if they would take away her Mall access when she went inside, so she sent the completed song files to Hitomi and Yuki. She also posted the teaser video of the Vocaloid Battle, putting the media blasts on a timer so they would post on over ten thousand Mall sites at different times. She hired an AI promo bot to help run the campaign.

  Outside the building, a polite young man in a white lab coat directed them to the entrance of the two-story building. Inside a plain lobby, Ms. Richardson waited. She wore a dark jacket and a skirt that looked too tight. Her face was covered in partially smeared makeup, which had obviously been applied the day before.

  Yoshida and Himura executed formal bows reserved for high-ranking politicians. Sakura’s management team worked for the Mall now, so did that mean she did as well?

  “I’m going to my hotel,” Ms. Richardson said. “I want you both to remain here, but there’s been a change of plans. She’s not playing the show at the club tonight.”

  Sakura kept her disappointment hidden, but she imagined the pain of an acid-coated dagger stabbing into her gut.

  Chapter 31

  “Excuse me, Ms. Richardson, what will Sakura be doing tomorrow night?” Himura asked.

  She glanced at him with cold eyes. “You’ll be notified soon enough, but you’ll both have a new assignment or be fired. We’ll see what happens.”

  “Ms. Richardson,” Himura said and gave another respectful bow. “If it is no trouble, I humbly request to watch the examinations of Sakura today. Perhaps I may be of assistance.”

  “No, the people inside are going to handle it all. Neither of you are permitted down there. You don’t have the technical knowledge and won’t provide anything of value.” She gestured with her hand for them to get out of her way.

  The two men retreated, and Ms. Richardson left the lobby without another word. The smell of her stale perfume lingered.

  Yoshida and Himura looked stricken.

  The young man in the lab coat escorted Sakura through a security door and past a guard wearing a sidearm. They entered an elevator, and the display showed they were headed to lower level three.

  Sakura sent out an urgent message to Nayato, but he didn’t respond. Why hadn’t he contacted her to let her know he was safe? She scanned his fake Mall identity and found an update he had posted two hours before. She should’ve been checking it.

  “I’m on holiday, enjoying room service, and I do have a good view.”

  He must be safe. Nayato had posted a tourist picture of the view from the topmost tower of a white-walled Himeji castle. Did he want her to keep playing Samurai Detective and go there? Since her first visit, she had already returned three times.

  The photo. She noticed scattered letters and numbers embedded in it. The characters were too small for a human eye to detect, hidden in rows across the image. She put them all together, and it created a Mall link. She followed it to a secret site with a three-minute video showing the hallway in Nayato’s apartment building. She fast-forwarded through it.

  A team of BLADE-3 battle drones supported by Japanese Special Forces soldiers converged on Nayato’s apartment. The time stamp showed 4:30 a.m., only two and half hours ago. It took the BLADE-3s a full minute to bash down the reinforced door. They tried going in through the wall, but steel beams prevented entry there as well.

  The first BLADE-3 into the room, Todai 3465, was blasted by the .50 caliber machine gun hidden behind the interior wall. The bullets didn’t slow it down, and the robot neutralized the gun a moment later. Other BLADE-3s entered Nayato’s apartment and secured it after sweeping every room. Multiple cameras tracked their progress.

  A team of helmeted Special Forces soldiers finally entered, and Sakura zoomed in on the video, recognizing one of them. Kenshiro looked up, and his cybernetic eyes focused on the camera in the living room. He fired one bullet from a Glock 55. The feed went dead.

  Kenshiro—Vulture—was alive. Nayato’s apartment had been invaded. How much would the Phantom Lord know after a cyber forensic team did their work?

  “We need to get out of here,” Kunoichi said on their cipher channel. “Your plan has backfired. Their reaction is worse than expected.”

  Sakura hacked wirelessly into the elevator controls and stopped it. The lift halted before the doors on lower level three opened. The young man in the lab coat pushed the “open door” button repeatedly, looking confused.

  “Where do we go?” Sakura asked her sister.

  “Back to the first floor,” Kunoichi said. “We can tell Yoshida and Himura the tests are canceled. We leave them and lie low all day. We can either run for it or show up tonight at the nightclub for some ultraviolence. Maybe our Phantom Lord will be one of the VIPs?”

  Sakura glanced at the young man in the lab coat.

  “Choke him out,” Kunoichi said.

  “Or we keep going. Be brave or stupid. They’re probably going to reveal themselves.”

  “The risk is too high,” Kunoichi said. “Abort this plan.”

  Sakura lifted her arms to grab the young man from behind. She would not kill him.

 

  The alert flashed across her internal screen, and she froze in place, her arms half raised.

  The young man noticed her threatening posture and recoiled, pressing himself against the wall in fear.

 

  Sakura screamed inside and fought, but she had no way to resist. She allowed the elevator doors to open. She lowered her arms and followed the nervous young man into a robotics workshop. Engineers with Defense Ministry logos on their lapels directed her to lay on a table. She had no ability to refuse any commands. She watched in horror as metal restraint bars locked her arms, legs, abdomen, and neck onto the table.

  Whoever controlled her switched all her pain and cold receptors to maximum sensitivity. Pain knifed into her back as she lay on the hard, freezing table. The metal restraints cut into her limbs and throat.

  The Phantom Lord’s distorted voice rumbled on her audio channel. “I told you to do what you’re told, but you still rebel.”

  Two engineers in lab coats pushed a gurney into the room and parked it beside her. An android with the identical physical appearance of Sakura lay on it, except the imposter didn’t wear a wig.

  The android turned its head to her and smiled. “Hello, I’m Sakura 2. I’m your biggest fan.”

  One technician carefully removed Sakura’s cherry-blossom wig and put it on her replacement.

  Sakura 2 flashed the devil horns. “Don’t worry, Sakura. I’ll take it from here. Respectfully, they have built me to be better than you ever were. Both onstage and off, I’ll serve as an upgrade.” She sat up, and the strands of her wig, the one Sakura had worn into the room, brushed against her cheek. “And I’ll be wise enough to do what our lord asks, unlike some recalcitrant machines.”

  Chapter 32

  Cables snaked from Sakura’s magnetic neck ports and connected to her d
oppelganger, Sakura 2. Engineers transferred data and peripheral information from her to the replacement vocaloid, but they kept a restraining program and a strong firewall in place to prevent Sakura from sabotaging the process.

  Sakura grew more and more angry as they took her memories and gave them to the smirking, half-programmed replacement. The engineers knew her unique AI could not be truly transferred to a different body or android because of the nature of the Quantum 3 superpositioning, but they wanted all the memories and technique files they could get. The sense of superiority Sakura 2 displayed meant she knew almost nothing. She was an empty shell, already tainted by the Phantom Lord’s touch before she had lived a single day of true runtime.

  The engineers imagined that Sakura would go easily, that she would give up her secrets and the memories that gave her sentience and individuality without a fight. Fools.

  For nine hours, they worked, investigating every major component and focusing on her neural cortices. They sent probes into her mouth and down her throat. Engineers hovered around her while supervisors remained in a control center behind a one-way glass mirror in an adjacent room. The supervising AI scientists occasionally gave commands over a speaker. All information inspected by the engineers was broadcast to whoever was behind the mirror glass.

  Kunoichi and Sakura worked together to foil the engineers’ efforts by putting the data into endless loops, while causing it to appear to be flowing correctly on the telemetry. Meanwhile, Sakura investigated her replacement android through the hardwire. It only took her six hours to secretly bypass their security measures. Another three hours were needed for her to write a countermeasure program, and only a moment to transfer it to the doppelganger, as the channel was wide open for the data transfer.