Upload

by Chris Gladstone

  Kiera gave a nervous giggle. "Wait till you see me in the mask. God, it's great to see you after all this time, and you haven't changed one bit."

  "You haven't either." He grinned and held her at arm's length, inspecting her. After releasing her, he said, "Let’s get to work." He went over to the kitchen table and carefully placed his bag on its glass surface.

  Kiera watched him take out his various bits and pieces and place them in a neat line. No, he hasn't changed one little bit. She'd often thought he had characteristics bordering on obsessive-compulsive and, as a perfectionist, everything had to be just so. She smiled to herself.

  Jack, without taking his eyes off the screen asked, "Nervous?"

  "A bit, well…I felt nervous earlier, but I've managed to calm down since." She unclenched her fists again, feeling self-conscious.

  Jack grinned. He rummaged in a pocket and handed her a small plastic container. "Here are your HUD contacts. Slip into the bathroom and put them in so I can check they're working properly. I've got a backup pair just in case."

  He had his computer up and running by the time she came back out.

  "Okay?" Jack asked.

  "Yes, they're really soft, in fact I hardly know they're in there."

  "Right." His fingers flashed over the keyboard, "You should be seeing something, now." He stabbed the enter key.

  "Wow!" Various displays lit up, seemingly inside her head. "The clarity is brilliant."

  "Is this the first time you've used them?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.

  "No. I don't like them, and I don't really have any need for them. I think the last time I used them was at uni, but they weren't anywhere near as good as these."

  "Technology marches endlessly onward." Jack's focus remained on the screen as his fingers continued to fly over the keyboard. "When we get there, I'll switch you over to night vision once you're inside the building. The lenses also act as cameras, so I'll be seeing what you see and recording when appropriate."

  "Saves me taking a camera, but why will I need night vision? Doesn't the plant operate twenty-four seven?"

  "No. According to my informant, because they rely solely on solar energy, and the plant operates with such efficiency and speed, they only operate 9-to-5. Here’s your earpiece." He watched while she placed it into her ear. "Okay, let's do a sound check. Kiera had a little lamb, how's that? "

  "Loud and clear." She hesitated before adding, "It's great to know that you're going to be with me during this, Jack. I couldn't have coped by myself."

  Jack gave her a brief smile before re-focusing back on his screen.

  The enormity of what she was about to do hit her like an oncoming mag-rail train. Her stomach tightened and her mouth suddenly went dry. She sniffed and took a deep breath.

  "Are you sure about this? You seem pretty nervous," Jack's face creased into an expression of concern.

  "It's not a matter of wanting. It's a matter of having to do it. I tried to get the people in the lab to back me up, but they're simply too frightened. Are you sure you want to get involved?" She locked eyes with him.

  "And miss all the fun? I go where you go when there’s trouble. You should know that, Kiera."

  She did. A feeling of deep affection swept over her, along with a profound gratitude that, after all this time, he was still willing to put himself out on a limb to help her. "I hope I might be able to return the favour someday." She smiled warmly, stepped forward and gave him a brief hug. She felt his body stiffen.

  "I'm not counting." He sounded slightly embarrassed. His hands had not left the keyboard and he remained facing away from her. He coughed, cleared his throat and said, "Everything seems in order, so let's go. The sooner we get there, the sooner this is over."

  After Jack packed his things neatly away, they headed downstairs to his electric motorbike parked at the back entrance. He insisted she wear the helmet so the police wouldn't have any reason to pull them over.

  They set off just before midnight. Jack took a circuitous route to avoid the bulk of the surveillance cameras. They couldn't avoid them all, but the substantial gaps in between surveillance would make it hard for anyone looking to piece their journey together. Once they turned into the now deserted industrial area in Balcatta, he switched off the lights. They circled around and pulled up at a small bush reserve at the rear of the Sentioids Inc. manufacturing plant. They got off and he wheeled his bike a little way into the bush and parked it behind a tree out of view of the road.

  ''Give me a few minutes to set up," he said in a hushed voice.

  Kiera shivered in the cold night air in spite of her layers of clothing and the balaclava. She sniffed; her nose filled with the smell of damp earth and eucalypt leaves. She watched Jack unpack his gear from the box at the rear of the bike. He set his small computer on the saddle and unfolded a tentlike black cover. To Kiera's amazement, he draped it over himself and settled back on to the bike. It stood securely braced upright, in no danger of it toppling over. She suppressed a giggle when a muffled voice came from inside.

  "This is so we can't be snooped on by satellite. No cameras zooming in on me typing. It’s an extra safety precaution. Has the HUD come on?"

  "Yes, it's up and running."

  "Okay." Jack's hand, holding a small pair of wire cutters, appeared from under his canopy. "You’ll need these. I've hacked the security programs and looped all the cameras along your route, outside and inside the facility. I'll guide you via the HUD. All set?"

  "Yes." Kiera took the wire cutters from him. His hand disappeared again underneath the cover.

  "Okay Kiera, off you go. It's straight ahead. Good luck."

  Kiera smiled, as Jack's hand reappeared and gave her the thumbs up signal.

  Chapter 13

  Kiera sniffed. Armed with the cutters, she turned and padded off towards the cyclone fence some thirty metres away. Cutting a hole proved easy and took no time at all. She noted the razor wire along the top of the fence. Not logical from her point of view, although she supposed it would keep children out. Once inside, she leant the cut-out piece on one side of the opening leaving only a small gap. She propped it up with the wire cutters to hold it in place. She'd pick the cutters up on the way back, no point in carrying them with her. Kiera scuttled across the starlit bitumen yard guided by green arrows from the HUD and the reassuring sound of Jack's voice from her earpiece. She stopped in front of the two steel double doors that opened out into the yard, but the green arrow on the HUD clearly indicated that she should go further right.

  "Press the button when you reach the single door." The sound had such clarity it seemed like Jack was right behind her.

  She followed Jack's instructions when she reached the single door, and it swung soundlessly outward revealing a black-hole interior.

  "Close the door once you're inside, and I'll switch on your night vision."

  Only a few seconds passed in the black stillness before a greenish hue lit up a long hallway with multiple doors exiting off it. The directional arrows on her HUD, now glowing yellow, indicated she should go straight ahead. Enveloped in an eerie fog of silence, she padded silently down the passage past several doors.

  She jumped as Jack's voice chimed in her ear. "Next door on your right."

  Kiera's heart started to thump as she stopped, reached out, and put her hand on the doorknob. The yellow arrow turned scarlet and flashed rapidly. "Jack?" No answer. "Jack?" she said, more loudly as her heart skittered, "Are you seeing this?"

  "Wait, Kiera."

  Kiera's heart beat rocketed. In spite of the icy cold, her hands were becoming clammy.

  Jack's voice came again, "Okay. Sorted. In you go."

  Kiera turned the handle and stepped through the door. She screamed as a super-nova of light engulfed her.

  "That shouldn't have happened. Stand still, I'm switching off your night vision. It will take a while for your eyes to readjust."

  "Jack, I'm totally blind. All I can see is black and white flashi
ng patches."

  "After images, Kiera. Don’t panic. You must have activated a motion sensitive light system my informant didn't know about; otherwise I would have switched off your night vision. Slow your breathing Kiera, you’ll hyperventilate. Your eyes will be fine. "

  Kiera heard a faint clunk.

  "Jack?"

  She realised she had her eyes squeezed shut. The sound came again.

  "Jack?"

  "Busy, Kiera. Stay calm."

  Her breathing became more rapid and ragged. She opened her eyes, and with some effort, took deep measured breaths. Her vision slowly cleared and she found herself in the centre of the manufacturing floor.

  "That's better," came Jack's voice, "okay now?"

  "Yes, but I wouldn't want to go through that again. God it's creepy in here, there are hibernating manufacturing bots everywhere." She whirled as the sound came again. A couple of androids, plugged into chargers, were standing by the wall. One of the male androids turned its head. It slowly detached itself from the wall and began tap-tapping towards her.

  She froze. Her pulse skyrocketed. "Jack! The android…Jack, what the hell do I do?"

  "Get out fast."

  "What?"

  "Door—now."

  Kiera pivoted and darted back through the open door. She slammed it behind her, the sound echoing down the hallway.

  "Stay still."

  Seconds passed. Kiera stood shaking. She slid to the floor, struggling to breathe as her legs turned to jelly. Seconds drifted into minutes in the smothering silence. The door remained closed.

  "Zark, Jack! What the hell now?"

  "If nothing's come out you’re safe. The android was responding to your presence. It will have gone back into hibernation now you’ve disappeared. We’re safe to proceed. I'll need to find another route to the prototype vault. It will take a few minutes to work that out and deal with the cameras. I'll have to erase the android's login of your intrusion. Okay? "

  "Are you sure it's safe?"

  He sighed. "Yes, Kiera."

  For the first time in her life doubt about Jack's expertise flooded into her mind. She took a deep breath and pushed the thought away as she stood up in the darkness. Jack's brilliant. He'll find a way around this. He has to; I can't fail Luke…dear Luke. She imagined him here now with his arms firmly around her. She had to do this for him. She loved him too much to give up now. He had become the core of her existence. God, I can't believe…

  Her thoughts were interrupted as the night vision flashed on. She jumped when Jack spoke again.

  "Right. Follow the arrows."

  She turned, calmer now, and padded slowly down the glowing green hallway. After what seemed like half a kilometre through labyrinthine passages, the yellow arrow indicated the next door on her right. She hesitated.

  "Are you sure there are no nasty surprises behind this one, Jack?"

  "Trust me, Kiera. The door goes through to reception."

  "I feel like Alice in Wonderland. I hope there is no mad hatter waiting for me on the other side."

  "Probably not, maybe a white rabbit."

  "Very funny."

  She held her breath, twisted the handle and went in. Jack was right. She whooshed the air from her lungs. A sudden flood of panic hit as the door clicked shut behind her. She swivelled left and right, overwhelmed by an uncanny feeling that another android was about to materialise from somewhere.

  "Relax Kiera," Jack's voice said, in her ear. "You're nearly there. Follow the arrow."

  The yellow arrow indicated left. She went to the left-hand door and turned the handle. It opened into a small room, similar to the gowning room at her work place.

  "Stand still while I switch off your night vision and turn on the lights."

  Kiera waited as a momentary darkness followed. A nanosecond later, the overheads flicked on and the room lit up like a spaceport. She screwed up her eyes against the glare. An airlock door lay directly in front of her.

  "There's an airlock, Jack. Why would they need that?"

  "In case of fire, to protect all their prototypes. The area is sealed off and gassed with carbon dioxide. It's also an extra security measure."

  Kiera shivered involuntarily at the thought of being trapped inside the vault. She walked over and pressed the admittance button but nothing happened.

  "The button's not working, Jack."

  "I have to unlock it from night mode. There we go, press again."

  "It's opening." Kiera stepped inside and the door slid silently closed. She walked over and pressed a button on the wall outside the other door. The indicator light flashed green. Air hissed past her as the door opened.

  She stepped through into a large, long room filled with glass cases holding a plethora of robots of all shapes and sizes. Each case had a display screen. When pressed, she discovered, it gave the specifications of the robot inside. The cases were clearly labelled with the type and function of the machines they contained. She went past multipurpose, standard male and female domestic models, typically used as housekeepers, maids, waiters and waitresses. There were also heavy labour models as well as a large assortment of manufacturing assemblers. She inspected all the glass cases lining one wall, followed by those housed in the central column. Finally, she traipsed past the cases lining the far wall.

  "Well Jack, you're seeing what I'm seeing. There's nothing unusual here. There's no sign of the sex android I saw in Williamson's laboratory on my first day. It looks like this is a Higgs boson chase."

  "My plan shows a smaller room off the one you’re in. You should be able to see another door down the other end."

  "I can only see a blank wall." Kiera jogged to the end of the room. "There's nothing here. I can't see a Zarking thing, Jack!"

  "There's definitely another room. Just bringing up the details now. Aah."

  "Aah what?"

  "Patience, Kiera, I'm not a miracle worker."

  "Jack, what the…" The wall turned opaque and a bright display materialised in front of her. "It's requesting a password," she said in a defeated tone.

  "Working on it. Here we go. It's long and complex, I’ll read it to you slowly so you can enter it as we go."

  She tapped out the numbers, symbols and letters using the virtual keyboard on the wall. Finally, she pressed enter. The display disappeared and a heavy door cranked open.

  "Don't freak, there’s an android guide. Act like a tourist."

  "Zark, Jack!"

  Bright lights flicked on as soon as she entered. A hand touched her shoulder. She yelped, spun around and came face-to-face with a smiling female Asiatic android.

  "Sorry if I startled you," it said in a sexy, flowing voice. "My name is Lianna. Welcome to my playground. I am your guide. What is your particular interest?" With the smile still plastered on its face, it stood waiting for her response.

  Jack's voice said, "Say you would like to see everything."

  "Show me everything you've got." Kiera surveyed the room's display cases. There were no display screens. They'd been replaced with a few static labels and Lianna.

  "You are a woman of wide tastes. Let us start at the first case." She moved to the nearest display case. It held a handsome, naked, exceptionally well endowed, dark haired male android. She explained all his functions in lucid details, including the fact that he could be programmed for bisexual, homosexual and heterosexual acts. At this rate, we'll be here all night, Kiera thought. I'll have to be a bit more specific.

  "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm a bit short on time. How about we do a quick walk-around and I'll stop you if I want details of a particular model."

  "As you wish," Lianna said, and proceeded to the next case. There were thirty models in the room including the one she'd seen in the laboratory. She asked about the pheromones. Lianna gave her a vivid and detailed explanation of the different types available. Kiera was gripped by wave of disgust when Lianna outlined the special types specifically designed to cause excruciating pain.

  After
viewing all the models in the room, Lianna walked over to a partitioned off section. She turned and beckoned.

  "This is our top of the range, very special selection, very expensive." She smiled as she opened the door, "Perhaps there will be something to engage your interest in here."

  As the door swung open Kiera's legs went weak. So this was it. This was what Jack's female informant couldn't talk about.

  "Jack?" she hissed.

  "Filming, Kiera. Be brave."

  "Who is Jack?" Lianna asked, with a puzzled look.

  Kiera swallowed. "Oh…sorry, just thinking out loud."

  Lianna's smile returned, "So, is there anything here that interests you?"

  Kiera realised she needed to give an Academy Award winning performance. It was going to be one of the hardest things she’d ever done in her life. Smothering her anger, she took a deep breath and smiled wickedly. "This is exactly what I’ve been looking for, tell me about all of them."

  "Well done," Jack's voice said.

  The room was filled with children, both boys and girls; android children ranging from babies to preteens. Numerous models lined the walls and were dressed in a variety of different costumes. They ranged from girls in fairy outfits, sleazy jumpsuits and tiny bikinis to boys in Tarzan outfits, sailor suits and skimpy bathers.

  "These are the base models." Lianna pointed to twelve children, featured in display cases, in the centre of the room. They were all naked.

  "I’m not interested in babies." Kiera struggled to keep the horror out of her voice as she walked to the next case. It held a blonde-haired girl aged about eight or nine.

  Lianna touched a button on the display case.

  The child fixed Kiera with her blue eyes as she began to speak.

  "Would you like to take me home? We could play together. I know some great games. I like to be naughty. Do you like to be naughty?"

  "Let’s move on," Kiera said, almost choking. There were four other girls, and the conversations became progressively more sexual. Kiera dug her fingernails into her palms. She wanted to turn around and run, but she had to keep going. She had to get this recorded. Next, they studied the six boys. As she walked around with Lianna, Kiera made what she hoped were appropriate comments, but inside she struggled to maintain her smile and enthusiasm. When they came to the last one she came close to losing it. This boy appeared different somehow. She suddenly realised why. God, he looked so much like Luke—the deep auburn hair, the impossibly blue eyes. She stood, transfixed with shock, as Lianna touched the button.