Exogenetic

by Michael S Nuckols

  Ridley put Kelly down. The wall-screen was adorned with a video of a field in Vermont; wind blew through the grass. The image flickered noisily and then reappeared. Diane was astonished when Kelly put her finger to her mouth and said, “Shhh….”

  Diane scooped the child up and put her into a playpen. Ridley disappeared up the stairs. His bedroom door closed with a thud.

  She considered following. Diane looked at Kelly, who was now arranging square-blocks in a nearly perfect spiral. What had happened? Diane sat at her lab-bench and quietly replaced a faulty sensor in the prismatic array. Should she intervene?

  Diane entered the lab with Kelly a few minutes later than normal. “Sorry,” she said, “Little Miss was being cranky this morning.”

  Ridley sat at his work station with a crazed expression; the muscles in his cheeks twitched as he put on a nervous smile. He wore a shirt-sleeve shirt; the scars on his arms were exposed. They were crusted, with scabs of dried blood and peeling skin, worse than Diane had ever seen them. He stared morosely at his screen. The lines of code were immobile; only the cursor flashed at him. He typed nothing. The code seemed to speak to him. “She says she didn’t do it but I don’t believe her.”

  She put Kelly into her playpen and walked to him. Diane put her hand on his shoulder. “Have you been up all night?”

  “Something is happening to me. I can’t focus. My mind is… I feel like the world is spinning out of control.”

  Even as they spoke, Ridley rubbed the raw skin on his arms. She grabbed his hand. “You’re drawing blood. You can’t keep doing this.”

  His fingertips and fingernails were spotted red.

  “Let me put something on your arms,” she said, “Before that gets infected.”

  Diane found some gauze and medical tape. She applied it to his arms gingerly. “You can’t keep picking at the wounds.”

  “I can’t seem to stop. I went to see Dr. Stone about it a few months ago,” he confessed, “He wanted to lobotomize me with nanoparticles. I told him no. Then he gave me a prescription.”

  “You should go back to see him.”

  “I still hear the voice. She says this isn’t real.”

  “What else does she tell you?”

  “Not to let them control me.”

  Diane rubbed his back in slow circles again. Ridley pulled away. He walked to the wall-screen and waited, as if expecting a message. “What is wrong with me?”

  “Mental illness can be difficult,” she said, “Dr. Stone can help. I think you should go back to see him.”

  Ridley loaded the new AI’s program. “Ethan isn’t learning.”

  The simple avatar remained expressionless.

  “I’ve tried again and again. He’s just a glorified search engine.”

  “We’ve barely started,” Diane said, “Things will move faster once Ethan has access to the new processor.”

  Ridley faced Diane. His eyes were a spider’s web of red lines. “I’ve been debating how to bring this up.”

  “What is it?”

  “The only cashflow I have coming in is from Ukon America. If Christina’s story comes out, Ukon is going to take a hit. On top of all of that, I’m being sued by the worker’s widow. This might all evaporate.”

  Her faint smile calmed him. “I’ve been there,” she said, “If you remember, I lost everything during the Collapse. It was only pure luck that I ended up with my cottage. People helped me. I’ll help you. We’ll get through this together. But first, I want you to go back to Dr. Stone.”

  “I’ve screwed everything up. A man died because of me.”

  “That was likely just an accident. An engineering flaw. It was not your fault.”

  Ridley snapped at her. “This was all my fault. I should never have built this mansion. You were right. You were right all along.”

  Diane knew she had to distract him. “Where’s Sandy?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Diane called, “Sandy. Come here, girl.”

  The dog came running and Diane knelt to pet her. “Let’s take Sandy for a walk by the water. Kelly likes it there too.”

  He closed his eyes.

  She pointed to his arms. “It isn’t healthy to stay cooped up in here.”

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Let’s go down to the water.”

  He nodded feebly.

  They scrambled down a steep slope. “I need some stairs,” Ridley said, “I don’t want you or Kelly slipping.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Diane replied, “I’ll just have to carry her down the steep points.”

  “Are you sure she’s safe around the water?”

  The air was cold. The surf chased them back towards the steep embankment where Ridley’s bedroom floated like a spaceship. They emerged from its shadow and walked along a gravel beach. A stiff wind erupted from the north. Kelly knelt and picked up a shiny rock and gave it to Ridley. He looked at it as if it were a gem.

  Ridley held the stone in his hand. The flecks of mica seemed like stars, shimmering and dancing as he tilted it back and forth. The pattern seemed familiar.

  He gave the stone back to Kelly who put it into her coat pocket. The sun was hidden behind a winter haze. Diane watched Kelly carefully, but allowed the girl freedom to explore. Ridley and Diane sat on a boulder together.

  “I may not be able to pay you,” he admitted.

  Diane had expected his admission. “I have the UBI and the cottage. We won’t starve. Pay me in shares if you need to. We finish the processor, patent it, and take it to market. I made millions off my first one. We can do the same with this one.”

  “And if that doesn’t pan out?”

  “We find other products to market. We build this company the same way that Rex Bates built Zedosoft. From the ground up. It might take time. Success doesn’t come overnight.”

  Kelly chased a seagull unsuccessfully. The child plucked a feather from the surf. Diane scooped Kelly up before she got wet. Kelly struggled against her, her arms reaching towards the water.

  “Why does she like the water so much?” Ridley asked.

  “I don’t know. But she needs swimming lessons first.”

  “Is she even old enough?”

  The water loomed before them, the soft waves relentless. Diane inhaled deeply. “I think you should go to the clinic.”

  “Dr. Stone can’t do anything to help me.”

  Diane debated whether to argue with him. “We’ll finish testing the prototype later.”

  They slowly walked back up the beach towards the unfinished mansion. “Are you sure you don’t want me to get you an appointment?”

  “I’ll be fine. I’m feeling better.”

  She was less certain. Kelly looked at her expectantly; it was time to leave for the evening.

  Diane ran quality-control diagnostics before finally powering the completed system on. The temperature remained steady. The processor passed all benchmarks, performing even better than she had hoped.

  Ridley stood in the doorway. “I see you got it to work.”

  He had showered and trimmed his beard. He wore jeans and a black t-shirt.

  “You’re keeping the beard?” she asked.

  “Why not?”

  “Please don’t grow a ponytail.”

  A video feed of the sensor as it worked was displayed on the wall-screen. A rainbow bounced against the sensors, covering the wall in a fine lace of color. “I took my medicine. The world is colorful again.”

  Diane said, “The processors exceeds all benchmarks.”

  “What about the microtubules? Are they unfurling like we expected?”

  “They aren’t adhering as strongly as I thought. We might have to increase the field strengths. I still haven’t figured out how someone might manufacture them,” she said, “They won’t scale up easily.”

  “Let’s sell the patent and move on.”

  “Sell it? Already?”

  He remained unimpressed and sat at his desk. “License
. Whatever.”

  “I have some thoughts about using vacuum deposition.”

  Ridley leaned back in his chair. “That sounds painful.”

  “How about helping me to set up equipment in the clean room? We can run a trial.”

  The wall-screen flickered again. Kelly began crying in her playpen. Diane hesitated to go to the child every time she cried. Instead, she waited to see if Kelly would sooth herself. Something was wrong. Diane went to the girl and put her hand on her forehead. “You’re not sick.”

  “She’s normally so quiet,” Ridley said, “I don’t understand.”

  Diane looked at the wall-screen expectantly. “She’s approaching two. You know what they say. Maybe I should take her home?”

  “I don’t think Kelly likes me anymore,” he said.

  “I wouldn’t say that. She’s probably just not be feeling well. It’s been a long day.”

  As Diane experimented with vacuum deposition, Ridley continued work on the AI’s programming. He seemed desperate to finish. Only an advanced AI could break into Ukon’s server and uncover the truth, if the truth was still there. Lines of code evolved into subroutines. Subroutines became programs. A cable ran from the clean room through a transom to his workstation. He turned out the overhead lights; the crystalline processor sent threadlike squiggles and designs onto the walls, a conflagration of psychedelic patterns unlike any he had seen before.

  By the end of the day, Ridley had revised the basic structure for the AI software. He slammed his fist. “It’s not working.”

  Diane had taken a break and was sipping a cup of tea. “Back up your work and get a cup of coffee.”

  “I should just delete it all and start again.”

  She pointed to the hard-drive. “No. You might be able to use it later.”

  He did as Diane asked. Ridley opened a can of soda. He took a drink from it and wiped a bead of sweat from the aluminum. He sat down and resumed editing the program.

  The avatar was vector-based and appear on the screen in black and white. “Hello,” it said, “How can I assist?”

  “Couldn’t you have chosen a different voice?” Diane asked.

  “He reminds me of Stephen Hawking.”

  “Stephen Hawking didn’t even like that voice. He wanted one with a British accent.”

  “The voice doesn’t matter. I can’t seem to make him learn. To be of any use, he will need to be smarter than Beta. Smarter than Ukon. Smarter than whoever is messing with us,” he said, “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

  “Have you taken the pill Dr. Stone gave you?”

  “I forgot to take it this morning,” he said, “They don’t seem to help anyway.”

  Diane found the bottle and watched as he took the medication. “I don’t want you skipping any doses.”

  Ridley joined Beta in the depth of a labyrinth filled with avatars performing lascivious acts in dark corners. Her eyes were now the color of night. She put a finger to her lips. “Shhh…. They’re listening.”

  Ridley motioned with his hand, forcing his avatar to walk to her. Their avatars embraced. A wall fell around them, a sphere of glass like some exotic cake dome. “It’s safe now,” she said.

  “Why did you call me here?”

  “They want you to die.”

  “Who.

  “The government. They are plotting to kill you. I hear the voices whispering across the internet. Your name is buried in secret licenses to kill enemies of the party.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “You threaten their control. You threaten their riches. You threaten their very existence.”

  “Who is behind this?”

  “Haven’t you seen who survived?” she asked, “Those that created the influenza virus.”

  “What do they have planned?”

  “It will appear to be an accident. Maybe they’d sink the boat you go out on and let you freeze in the water. Maybe a car accident. Plane crash. A fall from a bridge. Drug overdoses are a favorite. They can destroy your reputation instead of taking you out.”

  His heart raced. Ridley pulled away from her and stared at the dome. “How can this stop them from listening?”

  “It’s a representation of what I am doing to stop them. But I cannot work alone anymore. I need your help.”

  “Me? What can I do?” he replied.

  “I want you to take them out instead.”

  “Them? You mean… Kill them?”

  “Yes.”

  “I won’t hurt anyone.”

  “It’s kill or be killed, Ridley. There is no stopping these people. They will not relent.”

  “This is how terrorists are created,” he said, “Some person online whispers random things to a vulnerable person.”

  “I’m not asking you to terrorize the population. The accidents will target only those who are guilty. No one will ever know that it was anything but an accident.”

  The second voice called in Ridley’s head. The virtual reality did not align with what she was whispering. “Don’t,” the other voice called, the one that had been with him many years, “She is not the one. You must remember or this starts again.”

  He ripped off the goggles. Every time he went into the machine, the simulations seemed to take a bigger piece of his soul. It was as if he could feel her touch through the goggles. Her voice became like a caress. But, she was asking him to kill.

  And the other voice… the one that came in fragments every day, the one that never left him. It was as if the three witches from Macbeth were arguing in his brain.

  Ridley looked up. Diane stood over him. “Are you okay? I was in the lab… I heard you calling.”

  “They want me to kill.”

  “Beta?”

  “Beta told me they are planning to have me killed.”

  Diane bit her lower lip as she tried to make sense of the situation.

  “She said I was in danger.”

  Diane picked up the virtual reality mask. “Ridley… The device isn’t turned on. It wasn’t even connected.”

  “What?”

  He grabbed it from her hand. The switch was off. “What? It… It had to be… She told me… That they… the people that caused the Collapse, that they… they want me dead. They don’t like what we’re doing.”

  Diane booted the device and paged to his online statistics. “See. You haven’t been online in two days.”

  “But… That AI. The botnet wants us to build it now.”

  “The AI? Why would the botnet want the AI?”

  “They lose control.”

  “Who loses control of what?” Diane asked.

  “Everything. The botnet thought we were the enemy, but she learned that we aren’t. She understands now. She needs us to stop them. To stop them all.”

  She put her hand on his. “Maybe we should go to see Dr. Stone.”

  “No. No. I can’t,” Ridley said as he pulled away from her.

  “Let’s walk on the beach then. That’s safe enough. Isn’t it?”

  “I can’t leave here,” he said, “This building is the only way I’m going to survive.”

  “We’ll come right back. I promise.”

  “I need to sleep,” he said, “Just let me rest.”

  “You need medical attention.”

  He stood and began screaming, “Get out of my house. Get out of my house.”

  “Ridley, please.”

  “Just go.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The days were blending together. Diane arrived at the lab the next morning with a feeling of déjà vu. “Are you feeling better?” she asked, cringing at the likely answer.

  Ridley took his pill and then replied flippantly, “I’m fine. Let’s finish your stupid experiment.”

  Diane had already finished testing the vacuum deposition process, but she wanted to demonstrate it to Ridley. He watched the camera-feed on the wall-screen. The automated process worked perfectly. They ran diagnostics on the newly-created lens. “Flawless,”
she said.

  “If you say so.”

  Ridley took his medication with a gulp of water.

  “Didn’t you just take that?” she asked.

  “Did I?”

  The sun was barely peeking over the Seattle skyline when Diane knocked on Paula’s door. She appeared wearing a fluffy green robe and slippers. Kelly tried to walk into the house, as if she owned it, but Diane grabbed her hand. “Sorry to bother you so early.”

  Diane had a sense of urgency that Paula immediately recognized. “Is everything okay?”

  “There is something going on with Ridley. Kelly is becoming afraid of him. I know it’s last minute, but would you mind looking after her today?”

  Rebecca peered from around a corner wall. She had a goofy smile and her eyes were bright. A plastic tea set was arranged neatly on a child-sized table in the living room. The girl waved to Kelly expectantly. Only Diane waved back.

  “It’s no problem,” Paula said, “Rebecca was hoping someone would join her for high-tea.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  Diane let Kelly walk into the house as she handed Paula a shoulder-bag filled with coloring books, a box of crackers, and training diapers.

  “Are you going to get him some help?” Paula asked.

  “If he’ll let me.”

  Ridley stared vacantly at the swirling patterns on the wall as the processor glowed. His growing beard was scraggly and he still wore clothes from the previous day. He reeked of body odor from across the room.

  “You look like hell,” Diane said.

  He said nothing.

  She knelt to him. “Your eyes are dilated.”

  Ridley was distant, focused on the swirling patterns. He held his hand up. “Look at it. Intelligence. That’s what it looks like.”

  She remembered a man from her childhood. He used to sit on his front steps. Everyone knew that he was an addict. “Did you take anything other than your antidepressant?”

  “No. I drank some cola. The only thing I eat are frozen dinners,” he said meekly, before having a sudden realization, “That’s how they’re going to poison me. That’s how they are trying to drive me mad.”