“Hi,” she said, “I’m Rachel. I liked the show. I wasn’t expecting that and I don’t think anyone was.”
“Thanks,” Morse said. “I was impressed myself. Do you need an interview?”
“Uh, no, thank you. I just wanted to say I like those Mega Girls. Fitting name,” she added with a dainty clearing her throat sound.
At that moment, Morse actually looked at Rachel.
“Wow,” he sputtered, and hated he said it aloud.
“Wow what?” she wanted to know.
“Nothing, I just remembered I forgot to do something.” He felt the only way out of that one was a lie.
“Oh, okay,” she shrugged. “Well, it was nice meeting you.”
“You too, thanks,” he said. “Your boyfriend is a lucky guy.”
Rachel stopped, glancing back at Morse with a grin, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Really,” he asked. “That’s too bad. Any guy would be lucky to have you.” As he was saying it, he was thinking, NO, idiot!
“You have a wedding ring on, and so you shouldn’t be looking at me.”
“Yeah,” Morse admitted, “but, my wife passed on awhile back. I just can’t get the courage to take it off. So, I’m not with anybody.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, that’s right! Gee, what does that say about my reporting skills? Well, I work for the local newspaper here. MPI is kind of a big deal in this town. Would you want to get together sometime, you know, so I could interview you and get to know you?”
With a debonair smile, he asked, “Will it all end up in your newspaper?”
“No, hun,” she answered. “Strictly off the record,” she said with a smile that rivalled his.
“Okay, I’d like that. What’s your number?”
Rachel pulled out her business card and handed it to Morse, “Call me tomorrow sometime, okay?”
“I will,” he promised.
Rachel walked back to her car saying, bye with a flirty wave.
Returning her wave bye with feeling a euphoria he had not felt in a while, he wanted to know more about her right now. She had dark, almost black hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. The clothing she wore fit snuggly, showing her feminine body. From her style and poise, she looked to him to be about 33 years old.
As she was walking away, he could not help but stare at her. It was dark by then, but the lights of the building and the parking lot lights furnished a distinct memory of the first time they met in his mind. He hoped that she would be what he needed because her personality was outgoing and light-hearted. She had a perfume scent of a classy girl, and she seemed to like him with the way she looked at him; it made him feel something in his gut, something pleasant. All Morse could think about after that was Rachel.
He walked into the building again, going up to his apartment. He had something to eat, and then Amy walked in and sat down on the sofa adjacent to Morse’s recliner.
“Hi,” he said to her.
“Hi,” she returned with a smile.
Watching TV, she joined watching it with him. It was typical for Amy or Stephanie to wander around the building when they had nothing to do. Usually Amy would just find him and do whatever he was doing.
Amy started asking him questions.
“Am I alive?”
Hearing that, he felt a little stunned since Amy’s programming was not that sophisticated.
“No, you’re a machine.”
“But, you’re a machine also, in a way, yet you’re alive.”
“I have a soul, you don’t. Now, quiet, I’m watching TV.”
“I’m talking to you. I want to know who I am. Why am I here?”
Morse used the remote controller to turn off the TV, faced her, and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing is wrong; I simply want to be treated like a person and not a machine.”
“You are a machine, dear. You don’t have rights, you’re property. The reason you are here is because I made you, and you’re a tool.”
“You’re a tool, not me. I want to date this young man that works here, may I?”
“Oh, you want to date someone?”
This odd conversation made him incredulous.
“Yes, I have the right to do anything that I want. I’m going to have sex with him and see what it’s like.”
Now she made funny faces, and then stuck her tongue out at him.
Morse laughed, “Mike, stop playing around! You’re freaking me out!”
Amy was under Phillips’s control now, and he was making Amy say funny things to goof around.
“Mike, don’t do that. You made me think Amy was shorting out.”
Phillips started talking through Amy.
“Ha! Got ya’, you had no idea! I could have said crazier things, but I don’t want you to have a heart attack!”
Morse started laughing again.
“I’m going to get you back, now get out of my girl’s head!”
Amy went blank once again and looked around.
“What’s your purpose?”
“My purpose is to serve people in any way I can within my programming and your permission.”
“Are you looking for a boyfriend at all?”
“No, unless you want me to date someone,” she answered.
“No. Stay away from boys. Are you alive?”
“No, I am a machine.”
“That’s my girl.”
Amy smiled.
Over the next few weeks, Morse dated Rachel, and MPI hired a number of new skilled workers that all seemed to be very happy to work for them. None other than Josh Spectra applied for a job and they hired him, knowing how excellent he was at programming.
Later on, they introduced Colonel Beckett to the KITT device by Morse and Phillips; the KITT device was an automatic driver for a car. Morse and Phillips perfected the technology, and put it in the Dodge Charger. Beckett pulled up in a plain-Jane Crown Victoria and parked in the vacant MPI parking lot. Phillips and Morse were waiting, standing next to their upgraded muscle car.
Beckett walked toward the Charger and exclaimed to the two men, “Damn fine car, fellas! This is what you wanted to show me?”
Beckett shook Morse and Phillips’s hands, and Phillips said to Beckett, “Yes, sir. We finally got the KITT device ready to go.”
Beckett said back to Phillips, “I heard that you boys were talking about this. This is the technology that will drive the car for you, right?”
Morse answered him, “Yes, sir, and let me tell you it was not easy to finish.”
Colonel inspected the outside of the car and noticed camera domes on each corner of the car, and even ones directly in front and back. The side of the car had a sticker that read, KITT equipped, MPI. There was a red flashing LED light in the front of the car like the Knight Rider car.
“What does the red light do? Is it some kind of sensor?”
Phillips answered, “No, it’s just for show. We figured, why not?”
They laughed, and then he looked inside, noticing it was a standard transmission. The dashboard center was a computer screen, different switches, and a pullout keyboard.
“So, tell me how the hell this works! I would like to know, considering it’s a stick-shift.”
Morse replied, “It’s simple, really. The cameras and microphones all around the car are like the car’s eyes and ears, the computer in the dash is like the brain, and the pedals and steering wheel have control systems linked to the computer. The computer is also connected to a GPS system, and the computer has a voice interface system to make it easy to use.”
Acknowledging his understanding with a nod, “I see. Well, let’s see it work.”
Morse then walked to the driver’s door, leaned into the open window.
“Charger, drive to the end of the parking lot and come back to this spot.”
A female voice said, “Yes, Doctor Morse.”
The engine started itself up, the clutch went down, the standard shift moved into first gear, an
d the car began moving forward at a safe speed down the parking lot.
Beckett observed every second of the driverless stunt. It headed around the men, then Morse jumped in front of the car, and it stopped. Then he stepped out of the way, and the car continued until it returned to the same spot that it was.
Morse said to Beckett, “The car saw that I was in the way and it reacted accordingly. There is also a diagnostic mode, which checks all the cameras and microphones so that if one fails, or has dirt on it, the KITT mode deactivates until restored. If, let’s say, it gets mud on one while it’s going down the road. It sends out an alert to anyone in the car to take over, and it parks itself as safely as it can. It also activates blinkers and flashers as well. That’s why the domes over the cameras have their own special washer-wiper system.
Also, only certain people can give the KITT commands. It will not take any commands that conflict with the programming. Basically, the computer programs are similar to the programs in the androids, the car is only a different type of body.
This is an older car, but you can connect the KITT device to the car’s computer system, it will then tell you if there are mechanical problems that could be dangerous, and if the KITT device decides they’re too dangerous, the car won’t switch to KITT control until, of course, the problem is fixed.”
Beckett nodded his head.
“So, if I wanted a ride in this beautiful car to get a cheeseburger at McDonald’s, I could just tell it to go to the nearest McDonald’s, and I wouldn’t have to even touch the steering wheel?”
Phillips answered Becket, “Yes, sir. You’re already authorized to give the car commands, just get in the driver’s seat, and tell her where you want to go.”
The colonel seemed impressed; he got in the car and shut the door.
He asked them, “What if I want to take control of the car?”
Morse answered his question this time, “It’s just like the cruise control, just tap the brake, or take the wheel. The computer will then ask you if you are taking control. Just say, yes, and or keep the brake on, or put the clutch in, and the computer will deactivate.
“Now, another cool feature to this is, let’s just say you’re not paying attention or you fall asleep behind the wheel, and start drifting off the road or are gaining too fast on a car in front of you. She will take control of the car, and alert you of the dangers while taking steps to avoid them.”
“No shit!”
The uniformed man now commanded the car, “Charger, take me to McDonald’s.”
A female voice then said, “Yes, Colonel Beckett, proceeding now.”
The car switched into gear, and slowly began to drive with Beckett only sitting in the driver’s seat.
The Dodge took Beckett downtown, all the way to the McDonald’s and the car now asked, “Do you wish to go through the drive-through or park?”
“Drive-through,” the excited passenger in the driver’s seat commanded.
The car winded through the full drive-through line and Beckett got his hamburger and Coca-Cola.
“New destination, sir,” asked the KITT.
“Take us back to MPI.”
“Understood,” it said.
The car navigated a busy intersection and made its way back to the MPI parking lot with no problem.
The car parked and asked, “Destination or park?”
Still eating his burger, he said, “Park.”
The car shut down.
Phillips and Morse were waiting; the colonel got out, and said, “Damn! You boys know what you’re doing! She ran perfectly! Tell me, can they be used in any vehicle?”
Phillips answered, “Any car or truck, yes. You could put it in a plane, but the software would have to be altered a quite a bit, depending on the complexity of the plane.”
“We’re interested, very interested. I knew you fellas would be our golden goose! I’ll go back and see how many would need. Can you mass produce these KITT computer systems here?”
Morse said, “Yes, we can. They’re much easier to make than our androids.”
“Excellent! Are you also going to sell this to big automakers as well?”
Phillips replied, “Yes, sir. However, we wanted our friends in the government to have a look at if first, get all the rules and fine print out of the way.”
Beckett laughed, “This, in itself, is quite an invention. People have been trying for years to do this and failed miserably. You could make a fortune just with this, never mind the android girls—which, by the way, my son is dying to get one! When you are getting production going?”
Morse replied, “We’re producing them now.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
June thirtieth arrived, and it was 18-year-old, Eric Marconi’s birthday. In a suburb of Chicago at Eric’s home, he arose to see a large box wrapped in wrapping paper and tied with a sizeable bow.
Eric’s father, Warren, and his mother, Sharon, were drinking coffee and tea waiting for their son to wake up. There were other presents as well, and Eric’s friends would be over later for a small party, but Warren wanted to see the big present opened as much as the birthday boy did upon beholding it.
“Wow! What’s that?” he said with grogginess and attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes.
Warren said with eagerness, “Open it.”
Sharon spoke up and said after she swallowed a sip of her tea in their large, well-appointed home, “Shouldn’t we wait until his friends and his sister get here?”
“Do you want to wait?” Warren asked Eric.
“Nah, I got to see this!”
The young man began shredding the wrapping.
The two parents watched their son with anticipation on their faces. The box was a sturdy plastic frame with Plexiglas panels that easily opened. It revealed what looked to be a girl sitting in the fetal position with her head facedown, resting on her kneecaps.
Eric read the box and saw it was an MPI android. At first, he seemed not to know how to react to the figure inside the box dressed in a white jumpsuit and red hair.
“It’s the first production model MPI android, The Alice line,” Warren explained.
Sharon’s astonishment was evident to see from what her husband bought their son.
“What’s that? That company you invested in a few months ago?”
“Yes,” Warren answered.
To Eric he asked, “What do you think?”
The birthday boy did a power-pump with his fist, pulling it down while bringing up his left knee to his waist.
“Oh, hell yeah,” he answered. “You got me my own android! Oh, my god, Dad! You’re the best!”
He opened the box and pulled off the packaging that secured the android, and then pulled out a basic instruction sheet sealed in clear plastic. A new radio smell wafted out from within, along with a sweet perfume.
Sharon’s curiosity spurned more questions, “What is that thing for? What does it do?”
Warren answered, “It can do all kinds of things, watch.”
Eric grinned, “Wake up, Alice.
“It’s what the instruction says,” he added with a point at the card he held.
Waking up, her head lifted to look at Eric.
“Hello, I am Alice. What is your name?”
Sharon made a yelp.
“Mom, relax,” he chuckled. Then to Alice, he told her, “My name’s Eric, that’s my mom and dad.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said with a slight bow of her head. “Who is my primary owner?”
“I am.”
“No, I’m the primary owner,” Warren interrupted, “he’s the secondary. Got it, Alice?”
Alice paused for a second.
“Understood,” she confirmed soon after.
“Eric is your primary master, but anything I say to you will be more important than Eric’s instructions.”
“Did you buy her for me or you, geese,” Eric complained.
“I understand. I am Eric’s, but you are his father a
nd therefore you have the final say. I understand family dynamics and am aware of edict.”
Eric was scrutinizing this girl while she was still sitting in the box.
“Get up,” he said to her.
Alice put her right foot before her and pushed herself to standing with her hands.
Sharon’s face paled in astonishment. Warren had bought this girl without consulting her for their son.
“This is the future, right here,” Warren explained, “and this is the first one sold to the public. Why don’t you have her help you open your other gifts?”
Eric was still looking through the box she came from. He discovered attractive cartons of bio lubes, a unique sunscreen, a charging cord, and a thick instruction manual.
“Do you want to help me open these other gifts, Alice?”
“I would love to.”
She kneeled next to Eric, grasped a small present, and began opening it in a clumsy manner. As she opened it, they all witnessed this marvel of engineering in action.
“It’s an Xbox game,” she announced as she held it up and showed everyone.
Eric maintained his Duchenne smile throughout all of this.
“You can rename her if you want. It doesn’t have to be Alice.”
Sharon spoke up with a tiny catch in her throat, “Warren, can I talk to you?”
She pulled him out to the kitchen.
“Why did you get that for our son? Is that some sort of sex doll?”
Warren chortled, “It’s far more than that! It can do all kinds of things, you’ll see, dear.”
“Is it dangerous? I’m kind of freaked out by this.”
“It’s not dangerous, they’re not dangerous. They’re harmless and don’t worry, you’ll get used to her. This is a new thing just like cellphones and iPods were, and I’m a top investor on the ground floor of this company. I literally saw three of them play guitars in a band at the investor meeting; I knew we had to have one. It’s the top of the line innovations with intense programming.
“Wait, I’ll show you!”
Warren fetched his guitar and rushed back to Alice still opening presents and describing them.
Warren said to Alice, “Play a song on this.”
Alice got up and sat on the couch while accepting the instrument.
The Creation of Amy Page 17