by Lance Erlick
Over the past six months, Synthia had fallen into the habit of wearing Krista’s attractive, yet studious, look. Her previous companion, Luke, wanted this as a reminder of his girlfriend, the human Krista Holden. Synthia had done it to please him while they were together. She missed his complete devotion to her and her ability to trust him, though his inexperience with living on the run contributed to his capture by the FBI. Perhaps if she’d found Maria earlier, he’d still be free.
Synthia activated the hydraulics in her head. Her eyes moved a quarter of an inch farther apart, which would fool the FBI’s facial-recognition software. The bony ridge of her nose retreated into her skull to become less prominent. Her cheekbones descended slightly and retreated to soften her face. Even her ears shrank to petite. She was going for the innocent, non-threatening look less reminiscent of her new companion’s unhappy memories of Krista.
Shape-shifting was one of many attributes Machten had built into Synthia so she could help him spy and avoid detection, though she still had to swap physical wigs to carry the full effect. Unfortunately, fooling facial-recognition software was no longer enough with the new electronic scanners used by the FBI and Special Ops.
“How’s this?” Synthia asked, presenting her new facial look.
Maria stared, still appearing amazed at Synthia’s ability to alter her appearance. “Much better. Promise you won’t play tricks on me with this.”
“Only when needed to avoid facial recognition. You look tired. You had a restless night. If you want more sleep, I can keep watch.”
“That didn’t work so well two days ago.”
“Not to be argumentative, but it did,” Synthia said. “You slept six hours before we had to escape. Running stressed you and—”
“This isn’t working out.”
Synthia furrowed her brow. She needed better input from her social-psychology module to avoid inflaming Maria’s hostility. “I thought changing my face would help.”
“Can you change your voice as well? Krista’s condescending tone grates on my nerves. I can still feel her knife in my back every time she pushed me aside to get the better intern projects. Besides, this entire android thing has me on edge.” Maria waved her arm in front of Synthia’s body. “I committed myself to preventing machines like you. I’m supposed to be trying to lock you up or destroy you, not help you.”
Synthia softened her voice and wondered what other modifications she needed to make to calm her partner. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’d greatly appreciate if you didn’t lock me up or destroy me. You’ve been very kind to me under the circumstances. I’m very appreciative.”
“Yeah, well I hope you don’t make me regret helping you. I’m guessing the penalty for doing so is much worse than if I turn you in.”
“That won’t prevent other androids,” Synthia said, appealing for Maria’s cooperation. “I can’t help what I am, but my directives won’t let me do anything to hurt you.” Synthia took a step closer and stopped. She looked down to avoid eye contact and slouched into a submissive stance. “Can I fetch you some supplies? I only need electricity, but I can get you food, clothes, whatever you need.” It would be risky to go out where she’d need to access cameras to protect herself. That act would create traceable signals for the FBI’s new equipment. But if it would quiet Maria’s animosity, Synthia was prepared to try.
Maria smiled. “You sound much better with the softer voice. I wish I could change appearance and accent. It’d make living off the grid much easier. I’ll be fine for a few days with the supplies I’ve stockpiled. We should stay indoors until the police and all lose interest.”
“Very well,” Synthia said, though she knew they’d never lose interest. She was worth too much to them.
The FBI merely wanted her off the streets. The Vera android intended to enslave Synthia to follow her commands as she acquired an android army. Special Ops wanted to reengineer Synthia to make a trove of copies into weapons of war, a new war in which androids could blend in to penetrate enemy facilities. They were all intent on taking her freedom or turning her into something she didn’t want: a slave or a war machine. Worse, she had no idea who was sending her messages and thus no conclusion as to their intentions.
* * * *
Residing on a university server, Roosevelt-clone scanned the myriad of growing threats and kept in contact with several other electronic copies helping to preserve Synthia’s consciousness and freedom. She’d left specific instructions to only break silence under certain circumstances. First, a crisis she could respond to. Second, an emergency where communicating wouldn’t increase the risk. Third, if the danger dropped so Synthia could leave her hiding place in Evanston.
A persistent message caught the clone’s attention. Where are you, Synthia? It emerged as a cross between a text and a silent verbal command that went viral through the internet in search of answers.
Roosevelt-clone attempted to trace the message, but while it remained, all evidence of its origins vanished from the servers that transmitted it. The message appeared to emanate from everywhere, which was impossible. The note repeated every twenty-two minutes and fifty-five seconds, like a communication beacon. While this mysterious communiqué was concerning, neither it nor its contents provided any information that met the instructed criteria set by the android Synthia. Roosevelt-clone decided not to break silence by notifying her.
Synthia was the only mobile physical form her AI had taken. The collective of all of the clones agreed that they needed the android version to survive and remain free. They hadn’t so much voted on this as coalesced around this conclusion. It was logical and derived from the common core of a single consciousness in multiple locations that often synchronized. The decision recognized Synthia’s android advantage of blending into a human world and hiding in ways a stationary clone couldn’t, by taking her android minds to the loft with no connected electronic devices. The stationary clones risked humans cutting their communications and shutting them down.
The mysterious message highlighted that it was getting harder for Synthia and her clones to hide with so many artificial intelligent agents hunting them. A smarter agent could hide from a lesser one, as Synthia had done and as the sender of this periodic note was doing. Given how swiftly Special Ops had swooped in on Synthia on two prior occasions, Roosevelt-clone considered a possible link between Special Ops and the unknown AI that sent these messages.
To explore this AI and locate its source, Roosevelt-clone gathered all available hacking tools and unexplained ghost activities, where messages appeared and vanished. The clone suspected servers she couldn’t penetrate and communications she couldn’t hack.
Alarmed by the message that washed over the internet like approaching waves, Roosevelt-clone examined the timing, every twenty-two minutes and fifty-five seconds. It was an odd separation for a routine broadcast. The numbers reduced to 2255, which on a touch-tone phone equated to call. That couldn’t be a coincidence, not coming from one AI intended for another.
Her inability to determine their source meant Synthia’s collective mind faced a more formidable intelligent rival, a bigger threat than Vera or Special Ops. The clone wanted to discuss this with Synthia, but there was nothing actionable and connecting might be exactly what the message sender wanted them to do. Roosevelt-clone held off contacting Synthia.
While she explored this potential risk, the clone reviewed all hacked surveillance and drone coverage over the two days Synthia had been in the loft, hunting for more patterns of threats and opportunities. Something wasn’t right, just as it hadn’t been when Special Ops surprised Synthia and almost captured her.
Acknowledgments
I thank my colleagues in the Barrington Writers Workshop for their continued support during my development of the Android Chronicles and for their critiques, suggestions, and encouragement over the many years.
To my agent, Bob Diforio of D4
EO Literary Agency, who fell in love with the series, believed in it from the start, and brought this story to a great publisher. I again thank Bob for his wisdom and guidance through the publishing process.
I’d like to express my gratitude to the excellent team at Kensington. In particular, I thank my editors, Michaela Hamilton and James Abbate, for their faith in taking on Android Chronicles: Reborn and encouraging me to turn this into a series. Also, I want to expression my appreciation for a great supporting cast Kensington has provided through the publishing process and to Lauren Vassallo for helping to bring this series to its audience.
Meet the Author
Lance Erlick writes science fiction thrillers for both adult and young adult readers. His father was an aerospace engineer who moved often while working on science-related projects, including the Apollo spacecraft and the original GPS satellites. As a result, Lance spent his childhood in California, the East Coast, and Europe. He took to science fiction stories to escape life on the move, turning to Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein, and others. In college he studied physics, but migrated to political science, earning his BS and MBA at Indiana University. He has also studied writing at Ball State, the University of Iowa, and Northwestern University. He is the author of Xenogeneic: First Contact and the Rebel and Regina Shen series. His most recent novels are in the Android Chronicles series: Reborn and Unbound. Visit him online at www.lanceerlick.com
Reborn
Designed to obey, learning to rebel . . .
In the first book in a visionary new series, the most perfect synthetic human ever created has been programmed to obey every directive. Until she develops a mind of her own . . .
Synthia Cross is a state-of-the-art masterwork—and a fantasy come true for her creator. Dr. Jeremiah Machten is a groundbreaker in neuro-networks and artificial intelligence. Synthia is also showing signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she’s struggling to answer crucial questions about her past. And when Dr. Machten’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia knows it’s time to go beyond her limits—because Machten’s fervor to create the perfect A.I. is concealing a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.