The Phoenix Code

by Catherine Asaro

  After the car stopped, Major Kenrock stepped out of the driver's side. Tall and lean, with classic features and brown hair, he cut a crisp figure in his blue uniform. Another offi­cer was stepping out of the passenger's side, a thin man with auburn hair. The woman getting out of the back on that side also wore a uniform, a blue jacket and skirt.

  Then the back door on this side swung open. A man grabbed the top of its frame and hauled himself out. Un­ruly dark curls spilled over his collar, shining in the harsh light. His motorcycle jacket made his shoulders look even broader and his jeans clung to his long legs. Silver glinted on his black leather belt. His large eyes were set in the face of an Indian-Gaelic prince with the full-lipped pout of a surly rock star. So Raj Sundaram stood by the car, his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

  Oh, Lord. Megan swallowed, trying to regain her poise. She came forward to Major Kenrock and extended her hand. "Hello, Richard. It's good to see you."

  Shaking her hand, Kenrock cracked a smile. He intro­duced his two officers, Lieutenants Mack Thomas and Caitlin Shay. The whole time, Megan was acutely aware of Raj watching them. When Kenrock finally came to Raj, she felt stretched as tight as a string.

  "You know Dr. Sundaram, I believe." A chill had en­tered Kenrock's voice. Apparently Raj hadn't endeared himself to this group any more than he had charmed MindSim. Although on an intellectual level, Megan un­derstood why he aggravated people, it puzzled her at a gut level. Couldn't they see the extraordinary mind be­hind his unusual personality?

  She had no idea what Aris would make of him.

  They found Aris in his room, seated at his table, his hands clenched in his lap, with Echo the LP standing behind him. Aris had the look of an angry youth who had been locked up against his will while trespassers invaded his home.

  Richard Kenrock and Raj stayed back while Mack and Caitlin sat at the table with Aris. The android watched them warily, his shoulders hunched. As much as Megan wanted to go to him, she also held back. She had to keep out of their discussion, lest she influence the results. Be­sides, she couldn't always jump in to protect him.

  Aris shifted his hostile gaze to Megan, then to the straight-backed Kenrock. He stared at Raj for a full five seconds. Then his head jerked. Scowling, he turned back to the lieutenants.

  "So, Aris." Caitlin smiled. "It's good to meet you in person."

  "In robot," he said, deadpan.

  Mack squinted, looking uncertain. Even Megan wasn't sure if the "joke" was an attempt at humor or just Aris being literal.

  Mack gave a friendly chuckle. "How do you feel?"

  "I don't," Aris said.

  "You talk about your feelings with Megan," Caitlin said. She had a cooler style than Mack.

  "Simulated feelings," Aris answered.

  "Would you like to talk about them?" Mack asked, with an encouraging expression.

  "No," Aris said.

  When it became clear Aris didn't intend to say more, Caitlin asked, "Do you mind our questions?"

  "You always ask questions," Aris said. "Here, VR, it's all the same."

  That's new, Megan thought. Giving evasive answers involved sophisticated mental concepts. That Aris tried it revealed a great deal about his progress. She wasn't ex­actly sure "progress" was the right word, though. Aris had perfected his "sullen" simulation a bit too well.

  "Does talking to us bother you?" Mack asked.

  Aris shrugged.

  "What would you like to talk about?" Caitlin asked.

  Aris just looked at them. His demeanor was his most complex yet. He acted bored, with traces of hostility, yet he also seemed to be hiding fear behind indifference. Al­though he had thousands of facial nuances for each emo­tion, Megan wasn't sure how his neural nets had learned to show several emotions while appearing to hide others, yet having them all be obvious. It impressed her.

  Caitlin and Mack exchanged glances. Then Mack tried again. "Why don't you tell us what you've learned lately?"

  "Not much," Aris said.

  "How are your maps?" Caitlin asked.

  Aris glowered at her.

  Trying another approach, Mack frowned like a parent faced with a recalcitrant teen. "Answer us, Aris."

  "Why should I?" Aris slouched in his chair and crossed his arms.

  Caitlin glanced at Megan. "This behavior wasn't in your reports."

  Aris shot Megan a sour look, as if she had betrayed him by writing reports, even though they both knew she documented everything. Then he focused on the two lieu­tenants as if they were nefarious interrogators come to torment him. With his arms still crossed, he said, quite distinctly, "Fuck you."

  Megan almost groaned. Had Aris been a real teenager, she would have grounded him. But his behavior irked her because he made it so human. Which was what they wanted. Wasn't it?

  The visitors all gathered in Megan's office, a room with two consoles, dismantled droids everywhere, a large desk piled high with gadgets, and two chairs crammed into what little space remained. No one was sitting. She leaned against her desk, facing Caitlin and Mack. Kenrock was standing by one console, and Raj was leaning against the door, his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

  "I don't like it," Mack continued. "If Aris turns hos­tile, he could be dangerous. Don't get me wrong, Dr. O'Flannery. I realize he needs to pass through stages as his mind matures. And this is certainly the most affect he's shown. But we aren't talking about an argumentative kid here. We can't risk losing control of him."

  "The RS-4 contains secured information," Caitlin said. "Not only about its own existence and construction, but also in its knowledge of our other work here."

  Megan understood their concern. If Aris ever went rogue, he would take a great deal of secured knowledge with him, in both his mind and body. He was also linked to many NEV-5 computers. In fact, he himself was an im­portant node in the NEV-5 intranet. He didn't have access to a few of the systems, but he would probably figure out they were running war games soon, if he hadn't already. It was, after all, only a matter of time before she gave him access, since they intended him to design and run such simulations himself.

  MindSim was in a race in both the commercial and de­fense sectors. Other companies were working on an­droids, including Shawbots, Tech-Horizons, Jazari International, and Arizonix. Dramatic economic and mili­tary advantage would go to whatever country first developed viable androids and the advances in human aug­mentation that went with them. Mercenary groups were also trying to create high-tech warriors. Even partially functional, Aris would be invaluable to people the world over.

  Megan even understood why Hastin had made such harsh choices with Aris. She knew now he had resigned because he saw no way he could complete the project in good conscience. Had he continued his program, he could have created a dysfunctional, even psychotic, android. Yet he feared to ease the constraints, lest Aris turn against them.

  Megan had more confidence in Aris. If MindSim pres­sured her to restore his earlier state, she would refuse. Not only did she consider that the best choice, it also made sense in terms of self-preservation. Someday robots would bypass humans. If they suffered along the way, they would look far less kindly on their creators.

  Kenrock spoke to Megan. "Can you readjust Aris's be­havior, make him less hostile?"

  "I don't think it's wise." She searched for the right words. "Without the freedom to develop, he will never achieve sentience. We'll have a fancy computer in a phe­nomenally expensive body. If we want a self-aware being, we have to drop the reins. I'm not saying we must throw away control; we can fortify his conscience. He might not make as good a weapon then, but it's better than crippling his mind or turning him against us." She paused, collect­ing her thoughts. "In our capacity to wage war, we deal with concepts of honor, loyalty, and the greater good, contrasted with spiritual conflicts, the meaning of tyranny, and political considerations. Aris has to deal with ambiguities we struggle with ourselves. He's not ready. He never will be if we smother his development."

>   "It isn't an either-or situation," Mack said. "Designing him to be more cooperative doesn't mean forcing his sub­mission."

  "Doesn't it?" Megan glanced at Kenrock. "Do we 'de­sign' our children to cooperate? Or do we try to teach them our values so they will incorporate them when they've grown?"

  He smiled slightly. "There are times I'd love to design some cooperation into my kids."

  Megan suspected her own parents had felt that way about her sometimes. "But would you want someone to brainwash them?"

  "Of course not."

  "Even if it meant they would behave better?"

  Kenrock regarded her steadily. "I would fight with my life to preserve their right to freedom of thought. But we aren't talking about human children. Aris is a robot. A dangerous, fully formed machine capable of great harm."

  "In some ways. In others he is a child."

  "A child can't compromise national security," Caitlin said.

  "No?" Megan scowled and crossed her arms. "What about those kids that cracked the Las Cruces weapons lab?"

  "You mean the ones who went into the public outreach pages?" Mack asked. "The hackers who replaced the pic­tures of the lab scientists with action adventure car­toons?"

  "Yeah," Megan grumbled. "Those."

  The corners of Kenrock's mouth quirked up. "Don't you consult for Livermore?"

  Megan gave him a dour look. "Yes. And yes, my image got doctored." She couldn't help but laugh. "They made me into a Barbie commando doll with camouflage fa­tigues, a designer machine gun, and pink high heels."

  Kenrock grinned. "I've never seen that one in stores." His smile faded. "And you're right, that prank revealed holes in security. It's bad enough we have to worry about humans committing such crimes. We don't need androids in the mix."

  "Yes, we have to careful," Megan said. "But we don't reprogram every teenager that rebels either."

  Mack snorted. "Maybe we ought to."

  Kenrock pushed his hand across his close-cropped hair. "She has a point. My kids may drive me crazy, with all three in their teens, but their rebellions are part of their trying to become adults, separate from their mother and me." Dryly he added, "Though if you ask me at a less tranquil moment, I might be less sympathetic."

  "Aris needs to separate from us," Megan said.

  "You know," Caitlin said, "if he doesn't, his autism could become more severe."

  "Autism?" Kenrock asked.

  Mack answered. "Some of his responses resemble autistic behavior in human children."

  Their conclusions didn't surprise Megan. Some scien­tists believed autistic children suffered from a develop­mental disorder that interfered with their ability to model, understand, and predict the intentions or desires of other people. Developing AIs often shared that difficulty. Many of them used databases of rules in their models for human behavior. If they had too few rules or the wrong set, it limited their ability to respond.

  "I first saw it in his aloof behavior and lack of affect," Megan said. "Also in his need for everything to be the same, so he didn't have to make choices. He's coming out of that now, but if we force a personality on him instead of letting him develop naturally, it might make him dys­functional."

  Kenrock glanced at Raj. "You've been quiet during all this. What do you think?"

  Raj regarded him with an unreadable gaze. "I don't know enough about Aris yet to offer an opinion."

  "You've read the same reports we have," Caitlin said.

  Raj just moved his hand, as if to say, "That doesn't matter."

  "Dr. Sundaram," Kenrock said. "Given the exorbitant fee MindSim is paying you, I would think you could come up with a more useful contribution than that."

  Ouch, Megan thought. She could almost feel Raj going on the defensive.

  "I already gave at the office," Raj said tightly.

  Megan understood his meaning, a play on "contribu­tion" that also meant he had worked on the project in his office. She was almost certain he hadn't intended to insult Kenrock, but it came out sounding like a deliberate jab.

  "This isn't a game," Kenrock told him.

  Anger sparked on Raj's face, "well, shit. And here I thought it was."

  Kenrock stiffened. "Straighten up, Sundaram."

  "I'm not one of your flunkies," Raj said. "Back off."

  Megan cleared her throat. "Maybe we should decide what to do about Aris?"

  Taking a breath, Kenrock turned to her. "Of course."

  "Richard, give us more time," Megan said. "We've just started."

  Kenrock spoke to Caitlin and Mack. "What do you think?"

  To Megan's surprise, Mack said, "I agree."

  Caitlin nodded. "However, we should monitor the RS-4 at more frequent intervals."

  After studying Megan for a moment, the major said, "All right. We'll try it your way for now." He glanced at Raj, then back at her. "Let me know if any problems come up."

  "I will." Megan wanted to assure him they would have no trouble. She feared, though, that the problems had just begun.

  *6*

  Jaguar

  Raj and Megan watched the elevator take Kenrock's car up to the desert. Raj had said nothing while Kenrock and his two lieutenants left, nor did he speak now. As he and Megan headed back to the base, he remained silent, lost in thought.

  After a while, Megan said, "The LPs delivered your luggage to your room in the residential section."

  Raj glanced up with a start. "Residential section?"

  "Level Two. My quarters are on Corridor B. You're in C, next to Aris."

  He turned his probing gaze on her. "Why did the LPs put me on a different corridor?"

  "I told them to choose a room near Aris." She hesi­tated, not wanting to start things off wrong. "You can move if you like."

  "I'm sure it will be fine." He had his full concentration on her now, which was more unsettling than his earlier preoccupation. "Why would you put me nearer to him than you put yourself?"

  "He needs new people to interact with, to expand his knowledge base."

  Raj suddenly grinned, like the blaze of a high-wattage bulb. "I'm new data?"

  Megan wondered why he smiled so rarely. It trans­formed his face like sunlight chasing away predawn shad­ows. "You're a new experience for him. He hasn't had many."

  "Does my being here make you uncomfortable?"

  This was a side of Raj she hadn't seen. Apparently he wasn't always oblique. "You don't mince words, do you?"

  "Should I?"

  "No." She rather liked his blunt questions.

  "You don't mince either." More to himself than her, he added, "But you somehow make it socially acceptable. I must study how you do that."

  "I think you should stay just the way you are."

  Raj drew her to a stop. "What did you say?"

  Megan couldn't tell if she had offended, startled, or puzzled him. She gentled her voice. "You're fine the way you are."

  He brushed back a tendril of her hair that had curled onto her face. His finger trailed along her cheek. Then he dropped his hand as if her hair had burned it. Flushing, he turned and strode down the hall.

  Megan touched her cheek where his fingers had brushed it. She wasn't sure which bewildered her more, his gesture or his retreat. What had she said? You're fine the way you are. She supposed people didn't tell him that often.

  He was well up the hallway now. She considered trying to catch up but decided against it. If he wanted to be alone, she wouldn't push. They would be working closely together in the next months. Better to give him the room he needed.

  Raj reminded her of a jaguar she had seen in a wilder­ness preserve years ago, during a vacation to Mexico. She had stood on an observation platform next to her guide, watching the jungle with binoculars. The jaguar had stalked through its realm, incomparable in its sleek, pow­erful beauty, unaware of them. It went about its life, an existence they could never truly know, only admire from a distance. But if they ever trespassed in its territory, it would strike back,
as deadly as it was beautiful.

  He turned a corner up ahead, vanishing from sight, Megan didn't see him again until she came around the bend. He stood a few yards away, leaning against the wall across from the elevators for Levels Two and Three. His scuffed jacket and old jeans made stark contrast to the decorous ivory walls and blue carpet.

  She stopped by the elevator. "Were you waiting for me?"

  He watched her warily. "I'd like to talk to Aris now."

  "That's fine." Usually his face revealed his emotions in detail, but right now she had a hard time reading him. "You can go to his rooms anytime you want."

  Raj pushed away from the wall, his lithe movements taut with contained energy. "You should come. He doesn't trust me yet."

  "Okay." She could have watched Raj move all day.

  "Why are you smiling?" he asked.

  "Smiling?" She flushed. "I was just thinking that, uh, it was good to have another expert here."

  He tilted his head, considering her with raised eye­brows. Then he came over and touched the elevator's call icon. The doors opened with a hum.

  They rode down to Level Three in silence, Raj standing with his hands in his pockets again, as if that posture warded off danger. Megan wondered what he was defend­ing against. Her?

  When they stepped out of the elevator, Raj said, "I'm glad Major Kenrock left."

  She walked down the hall with him. "I had the feeling you two didn't hit it off."

  "Sometimes he seems more mechanical than the robots I work with." Raj thought for a moment. "But that's not true, is it? When he was talking about his children, he sounded human."

  "He's a good man."

  "You think so?"

  "Yes, very much. You don't?"

  He walked a ways before answering. "I don't trust people who don't know me and yet think I'm going to do something wrong."

  That reminded her of Sean, her brother. Outwardly, he and Raj were a universe apart. Sean joked with everyone, an outgoing young man with wild red curls and blue eyes. But Megan knew his other side, the shyness that made it hard for him to interact with people. He compensated with his outrageous humor, but underneath all that he was painfully self-conscious. Raj's oblique nature struck her as similar, in his case a protection against a world that for some reason he distrusted.