by J. S. Morin
No, there wouldn’t be any restrictions on procreation among consenting humans.
No, there would be no tinkering with human “improvements” of the sort Charlie24 had attempted.
“What happens when these regulations drive research underground?” Eddie51 asked offhandedly after Eve concluded the twelfth vote on individual regulatory programs. “I mean, anyone who wants a leg up on the competition just has to sidestep committee rules. I imagine there’s a five-to-one advantage in research time for anyone operating black-hat out there.”
Eve used her interface to send a quick transmission. She hoped the smirk she felt in her heart wasn’t leaking onto her face. “That’s why I’m chartering the Human Protection Agency.”
The lift door opened at the far end of the chamber.
Out stepped Charlie7, decked out in a brown trench coat and fedora. Dangling casually from one hand like a toy gun was a sleeker, higher quality EMP rifle than the ones Plato and Gemini had used.
The eldest robot sauntered into the committee chamber with all eyes fixed on him.
“Charlie7 has graciously volunteered to come out of retirement to head the agency. The Human Welfare Committee will oversee Charlie7 in this endeavor. However, while the committee will look into registered geneticists for maintaining the highest standards, Charlie7 will be uncovering the infamous human-upload cabal and any other individual or group using humans as tools, test animals, or lab experiments.”
Charlie7 swung the EMP rifle up onto one shoulder, just in case anyone in the room might have missed the implications. “Just here to help out. No one holds humanity’s best interests more dearly to heart than me.”
Jennifer81 was the first to object. “I’m not sure we should be sanctioning the violation of Privacy Committee edicts.”
“Already taken care of,” Charlie7 said with a chuckle. “Arthur19 and I had a quick chat, and he pushed through an exemption for me.”
“All in favor of appointing Charlie7 head of the Human Protection Agency—charter viewable in the attachment I’m sending now?” Eve announced.
A few “ayes” bounced around the table. Eve’s eyepiece kept a running tally. It wasn’t the unanimity of the vote she’d hoped for, nor the swift consensus of a solid majority. But a majority built up as reluctant robots decided to play along.
The “nays” came up short.
“It’s a tall task for any one robot,” Eddie51 pointed out. “Maybe we should look into having Charlie13 mix some investigator archetypes. Maybe a… James, Fred, Dale mix, or a Holly, Cindy, Elizabeth.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Charlie7 said. “I’ve got some volunteers already lined up.”
Eve suppressed a giggle of anticipation.
The lift doors opened, and two humans stepped out.
Neither was armed, but both were dressed in matching trench coats and hats to Charlie7. One was as tall as the robot in the Version 70.2 chassis and wider through the shoulders. The other was slim, proportioned like an anatomy diagram, and—Eve was forced to admit—dashingly handsome.
Charlie7 stepped aside and swept a hand toward the pair. One lumbered with the servo-motor whir of a cybernetic exoskeleton beneath his clothes, taking the load off overwrought joints. The other followed with the self-assured swagger of a movie detective.
The head of the Human Protection Agency raised his voice for a formal announcement. “Allow me to introduce my two deputies: Plato and Zeus.”
Author’s Note
This title gave me the creeps a little. That’s when I knew I had to call book 2 Brain Recyclers. One of the gaping holes that was left in a society of digital minds was obviously how can you have so many robots but no backup copies? The final scene of Extinction Reversed shows the answer: they kind of do.
As with any story about AI, there is always some way in which the technology can go haywire. One of the ways is the proliferation of minds. There’s a reason that no mix is ever re-used. The robots prize their individuality. Being copied is both an invasion of privacy and a form of identity theft. I wanted to explore the criminal subculture of robots who risk duplication by keeping backup copies for emergencies; then I had one of them find out what it felt like to be copied.
Brain Recyclers was a transitional story, too. In Extinction Reversed, I’d toyed with the idea of Eve being the protagonist. But Charlie7 was the one who knew the world, who had the drive, ambition, and skills to be the hero the story needed. Eve needed to grow, and until that growth turned her into a human capable of functioning in robotic society, she just wasn’t ready to take on the sort of challenges she’d face and prevail (without making my ultra-competent, experienced, and intelligent robots look like idiots). By book 2, though, I was ready for Eve to break free from her secondary role, plant her feet under her, and take control of her life.
Eve’s role in Brain Recyclers was to teach the robots of Earth that the humans they discovered weren’t mere intelligent zoo animals. They were going to come complete with dreams, ambitions, and desires beyond merely being nurtured and protected. While the robots tried to draw on the past for guidance, Eve and her sisters had no preconceived notions.
An unintended consequence of Eve’s place among the new generation of humans brought a smile to my face when I realized it. Those next humans are going to be born into a world where girls are better at math and science and where a woman is the leader of humankind. Plato (and his brothers) will end up being viewed as brutish, less intelligent, and emotionally unstable. I never planned it that way, but it flowed naturally from the circumstances of the characters.
Books by J. S. Morin
Black Ocean
Black Ocean is a fast-paced fantasy space opera series about the small crew of the Mobius trying to squeeze out a living. If you love fantasy and sci-fi, and still lament over the cancellation of Firefly, Black Ocean is the series for you!
Read about the Black Ocean series and discover where to buy at: blackoceanmissions.com
Twinborn Chronicles: Awakening
Experience the journey of mundane scribe Kyrus Hinterdale who discovers what it means to be Twinborn—and the dangers of getting caught using magic in a world that thinks it exists only in children’s stories.
Twinborn Chronicles: War of 3 Worlds
Then continue on into the world of Korr, where the Mad Tinker and his daughter try to save the humans from the oppressive race of Kuduks. When their war spills over into both Tellurak and Veydrus, what alliances will they need to forge to make sure the right side wins?
Read about the Mad Tinker Chronicles and discover where to buy at: twinbornchronicles.com
Robot Geneticists
Robot Geneticists brings genetic engineering into a post-apocalytic Earth, 1000 years aliens obliterated all life.
Explore the ruins of the Human Age. Witness the glory of a world reclaimed from the apocalypse.
Charlie7 is the oldest robot alive. He’s seen everything from the fall of mankind at the hands of alien invaders to the rebuilding of a living world from the algae up. But what he hasn’t seen in over a thousand years is a healthy, intelligent human. When Eve stumbles into his life, the old robot finally has something worth coming out of retirement for: someone to protect.
Read about all of the Robot Geneticists books and discover where to buy at: robotgeneticists.com
Email Insiders
You made it to the end! Maybe you’re just persistent, but hopefully that means you enjoyed the book. But this is just the end of one story. If you’d like reading my books, there are always more on the way!
Perks of being an Email Insider include:
Notification of book releases (often with discounts)
Inside track on beta reading
Advance review copies (ARCs)
Access to Inside Exclusive bonus extras and giveaways
Best of my blog about fantasy, science fiction, and the art of worldbuilding
Sign up for the my Email Insiders list at:
j
smorin.com/updates
About the Author
I am a creator of worlds and a destroyer of words. As a fantasy writer, my works range from traditional epics to futuristic fantasy with starships. I have worked as an unpaid Little League pitcher, a cashier, a student library aide, a factory grunt, a cubicle drone, and an engineer—there is some overlap in the last two.
Through it all, though, I was always a storyteller. Eventually I started writing books based on the stray stories in my head, and people kept telling me to write more of them. Now, that’s all I do for a living.
I enjoy strategy, worldbuilding, and the fantasy author’s privilege to make up words. I am a gamer, a joker, and a thinker of sideways thoughts. But I don’t dance, can’t sing, and my best artistic efforts fall short of your average notebook doodle. When you read my books, you are seeing me at my best.
My ultimate goal is to be both clever and right at the same time. I have it on good authority that I have yet to achieve it.
Connect with me online
jsmorin.com