Living in Syn

by Bobby Draughon

  She nodded. "Do you want me to call Fenwicke and ask him for a meeting with his top techies?"

  Mission was lost in thought and then resurfaced. "Yes, please. And help me remember to invite the Major once a date and time is set. And that reminds me."

  And with that, Mission sat at his computer and was instantly lost in thought.

  Six hours later, Susan passed through the room and saw Mission relax his concentration. “Okay Mission, so what are you researching now?”

  He motioned toward the screen. “Pierce. Research can’t tell you whether to trust a guy, but I wanted to know more about him.” Mission nodded to himself. “Impressive.”

  Susan looked over his shoulder toward his computer screen. “Impressive how?”

  “Well, for one, he’s a certified badass. Remember those Chinese pirates, year before last? Hiding out in little island groups. Sinking ships, holding folks for ransom? And then they screwed up, grabbed the American family? Pierce was on the team they sent in. Ended up leading the thing when his commander was hurt. Man! He’s got balls of…”

  He looked at Susan for a second. “He’s got nerves of steel.”

  “And that’s good?”

  “I don’t want a virgin and Pierce has the experience. And I don’t want a loose cannon, putting everyone at risk to get his adrenaline fix. He took care of his men.”

  Mission leaned back with his hands behind his head and grinned. “But perhaps best of all, he turned down a promotion when it was all over. Cause it was a desk job. He’s our man.”

  Susan put her hands on Mission’s shoulders. “And would Pierce research you?”

  “Of course, the man’s a pro.”

  “And what does he think about Mission?”

  He turned around to look at her. “Well, if I were him, I’d be worried. I’m a bounty hunter, never had a real job. I sound like a mercenary. There’s no way he trusts me.”

  “And should I trust you?”

  Mission put his arms around her neck and pulled her closer to him. He whispered in her ear. “Should you trust me?”

  He kissed her ever so lightly on her cheek. She smiled. “I trust you.”

  A few days later, they sat in the altogether different conference room for the Vice President of Research and Design. Mission decided that Fenwicke designed the room as an extended think tank. Vue screens formed the top half of all four walls and each seat held a keyboard, a pen/pad kit for drawing to the screen, and microphones for voice recognition command. Each of the techies except Fenwicke wore the traditional white lab coat. They all seemed a little apprehensive.

  Mission looked at the professor and asked, "Everyone here is up to speed on the situation at the settlement?"

  The professor nodded and Mission said, "Good. So you all know that the Major here, plus myself and Dr. St. Jean will form the team that will travel to Triton. I take it you’ve also heard the details of my three violent encounters with 995s. Obviously, we want to enter this potentially hostile environment as well prepared and equipped as is possible. My first thought is that we need a synthetic to accompany us. So ... what kind of synthetic should we take, and with what options?"

  A baby faced kid about 5'2" said, "Well, first you need to select a classification. I mean double nines in any class is a great mechanism, but class definitely flavors everything the synthetic does or thinks or says."

  Another of the scientists said, "Why not go with the mining class? That's what you'll be dealing with at the settlement."

  Then everyone talked at once and chaos bubbled over the top. Mission said, "Well actually ... ACTUALLY! ... actually I already strongly favor the protector class, since its first and foremost duty is to protect Dr. St. Jean."

  The Major nodded his agreement and then the entire group saw the sense in it. Mission said, "But…we also want the reinforced chassis in prototype for the mining class.”

  There was a great deal of murmuring in response to that one. Eliot was suspicious. “Where did you hear about the Miner SA?”

  Mission ignored the question. “To protect us against combat models, we need a reinforced chassis. Can we build a Protector series on the enhanced frame?”

  Eliot nodded slowly. “Sure, there’s no systemic incompatibilities at the frame level.”

  Mission nodded. “ Good. I think we’re all agreed that we want double nines. So that leaves what we want in the special categories, the software options, and the gender. Right?"

  Mission turned to Susan. "Let's take care of the easiest one first. What gender do you prefer?"

  She looked surprised that he asked and then said, "Definitely male. I've seen too many females with murder on their minds."

  "Okay. Now, is there any reason to keep us from going to nine in specialties and getting everything?"

  The kid said, "No. It's not a case of performance or storage limitations or contradictory programming. It's strictly a money issue, and that's not relevant here."

  Mission beamed. "Excellent! So it's a PM999 and now we only need to pick software options."

  The kid piped up and said, "I've got a program that lets you pick from a list, and tells you if you're going to have problems with your selections and why."

  Major Pierce raised his hand and said, "I'll take a crack at it. It sounds like it won't let me screw up."

  Mission nodded. He looked at the professor and said, "We should have final specs within the hour. How long before we can take delivery?"

  Fenwicke peered first through the bottom lens of his glasses, and then through the top lens, and finally over the top of the glasses altogether. "Well ... provided you don't mind taking a body in stock, and I see no reason why you would, we'll have it ready tomorrow."

  Mission was stunned. "Tomorrow? Why that's incredible."

  The professor began to clean his glasses and said, "Incredible? No. No, that's just Mr. Westin's influence on the company. I am continually amazed at their organization and efficiency."

  Soon the Major returned, and they put the software list up on the screens. The techies whistled their appreciation and the professor said, "I think this will be the most sophisticated synthetic we have ever built."

  Mission breathed easier. Up till now, he felt trapped in conflicting emotions. The closer the team got to leaving, the more he wanted to get Susan bumped from the trip. He couldn't stand the idea of her being hurt, and he recognized those feelings could lead to some poor decisions. The reality of a synthetic bodyguard eased his fears. That gave him time to wonder why he felt compelled to go. Maybe this was part of avenging Miller. He decided that if he kept up this line of thinking, he would soon be questioning everything in his life.

  Everyone settled back at the table, so Mission continued. "The next items I want to discuss are: One. Is there a another way to incapacitate a synthetic? And two: Is there a way to easily detect a synthetic?"

  A firestorm of discussion ensued, and even Susan had trouble following it at times. Mission finally rested his head on the table and did his best to hear it all. He hoped that more of it might make sense to him later on. Finally the group came to a few conclusions.

  The kid spoke up and said, "Well. On the question of incapacitating a synthetic, we have an idea. We believe that ultrasonics in the high gigawatt range might be effective. This doesn't try to match the frequency of the brain impulses. This frequency is much higher and may trigger resonant vibrations that would, in essence, shake apart any impulses the brain attempts to send. The problem here is that ultrasonics can damage people as well as property. It might break glassware, or electronics components, light bulbs, and who knows what."

  As he paused to push his glasses back to the top of his nose, Mission said, "Is there a way that we can perform some tests?"

  Professor Matlin said, "Yes, we will work with some different frequencies, and if we have some success, we'll work on building a compact ultrasonics generator."

  Mission said, "Great. Now what about the question of detecting a syn?"


  The kid spoke for the group again. "Well, we have several different opinions, but I think the strongest position is that no physical test exists and that the only possibility would be to administer a series of carefully selected questions. Susan would be the one to say if there are questions that could serve to separate the synthetics from the humans."

  Susan was in agreement. "Yes, I think you're right. I'll give some thought to the question."

  Mission added, "And there's no harm in pursuing the theories from those dissenting opinions. Is there?"

  The kid said, "No, not at all." and Susan said, "I'll work with you guys on those items too."

  Mission looked around the table and said, "This sounds like an adjournment. Last thoughts? Thanks for all your help."

  As the group went their separate ways, Professor Matlin said, "Mission, I wondered if I could speak with you privately."

  Mission nodded and they stepped into the professor's office. Or perhaps it was a robot graveyard. Pieces of synthetic anatomy covered the majority of the room, masking the fact that office furniture existed somewhere underneath the clutter.

  The professor looked at him and said, "We discussed everything about this diagnostics trip except for your status with Paradox. I discussed your qualifications with Chandler and we agreed that this is an appropriate offer."

  He handed Mission a slip of paper which he opened. It couldn't be right. It listed the position of Senior Robotics Engineer with a salary of more than Mission earned in his two best years. He looked at the professor and asked, "And then I would resign when the trip was over?"

  "Eh? Resign? No. I hope not. No, this is an offer for a permanent position. If we only wanted you for the trip, we'd draw up a contract and treat you as self-employed."

  "But ... I don't qualify as an engineer. I don't even have a degree."

  Matlin laughed. "You know, you are doing this backwards. You are supposed to ask for a higher position, not the other way around. Look, college education is not the end all, be all. Plenty of great students wash out in R&D. That's why we have a sales department. To employ all the engineering washouts. You already knew the combat models used altered visual processors. I could see it in your face. You built a high-burst battery pack. That is an engineering accomplishment. I asked Susan about you and she told me you program your own computers. She said you set up a rig to translate between a computer and a synthetic brain. She also said you moved into the Master's program in Math on the University channel. And you have good instincts. In business, this is always true. Nothing succeeds like success. You risk your life on your devices and on your instincts. And you have claimed more bounties in the last five years than anyone else on the planet. So ... that's all. Not going to beg you. You decide."

  Mission looked at him and said, "I tell you, with all sincerity, that I am honored. I'd like to think about this. Could I give you my decision on Monday?"

  "Hmmm? Oh, of course, of course. Monday then."

  Mission walked out to Susan's aircar where she waited. Shock reigned for the moment over a jumble of emotions. He had dreamed about this since he was a kid. So why couldn't he shake the feeling that it couldn't be right?

  21

  Mission, Susan, and Major Pierce had the observation room to themselves. They looked down from the glass booth to the table where the workers assembled their synthetic. Mission whispered to Susan, "You are a genius, arranging for us to observe this."

  Susan smiled and whispered back, "I have my moments."

  Then in a normal voice she pointed toward the inert body, face down on the table and said, "Several key elements in synthetic construction came together to make possible a process low enough in price to justify mass production. The composition of the brain itself constituted our first breakthrough. The human brain is remarkable in two aspects, the incredibly large number of circuit connections, and the ability to rewire circuits over time. If you've ever seen time-lapse photos of the process, you can actually watch the brain extend neurons which twist around others to form new circuits."

  "Clearly, no mechanical process would prove the equal to this organic function. The development of polychromadrine, a miracle polymer that provides elasticity as well as super electrical conductivity, became our first ingredient. Once Chandler Hunt and Professor Matlin saw this material, they rushed to the genetic engineers and commissioned a microorganism whose travels through the polychromadrine, created the most elaborate honeycomb in the world."

  "Now they owned a conductive plastic with quadrillions of microscopic bubbles. Each bubble represented a potential circuit. And with so many potential circuits, the brain could continue to make new connections for hundreds of years, surpassing even the human brain's potential for learning and memory."

  "Connection of the brain complex to the body's sensory and muscular circuits (and I use the term complex deliberately to include the spinal cord) formed our next roadblock. In human terms, connecting every nerve pathway to the spinal cord. Up until this point, the precision required to exactly place the connections for say, the index finger, couldn't be accomplished through mass production techniques. So humans, working much like seamstresses, manually connected every circuit. This procedure proved incredibly expensive and time consuming, and fraught with errors."

  "Finally, Professor Matlin had a brainstorm and asked, Why should we do the work? Have a robotic arm insert the nerve connections in the spinal cord, not worrying about precise location, and let the brain figure it out. None of us understood until he gave us a demonstration. He programmed the brain to perform a check in which it searched methodically though all the connections to the spinal cord. Each time it encountered a circuit, the brain activated it to find out what it controlled. Then the brain created the map between the physical circuits and the muscle and sensory groups it needed to control."

  "Later, we came to realize that this technique was quite analogous to our human brains. Watching an infant through the first year of life is a chronicle of discovering motor connections and mastering control of them."

  "The technique was a stunning breakthrough for us. The robotic arm could wire all the circuits into the spinal cord in six hours, and the brain could map all its circuits in three hours. The affordable synthetic was a reality."

  Mission said, "So the circuits are wired to the spinal column ahead of time, and then the brain is implanted. How is the connection between the brain and the spinal cord made?"

  Susan smiled. "Yes, that is the remaining piece of the puzzle. In the human body, there is no connector, the brain/stem, and the cord are all one piece. For purposes of our manufacturing process, we had to separate the two. But we found our answer in already existing technology. We traveled to the busiest information center in the world, the Global Securities Market. We looked at the telecommunications devices that handle and route billions of voice, data, and visual streams at once. They already used connectors capable of handling the traffic we anticipated across the neural network."

  "If you take a look right now, you will see the chief technician holding the connector."

  Mission stared at the connector. It looked like a translucent quarter. “Amazing."

  After fifteen more minutes, the brain was connected and had started its mapping task. The technicians closed the skull casing, and taped the broken skin together. Mission started to make a comment and Susan said, "I bet I know what you're thinking. At first we did wait until mapping completed before closing the skull. But we have problems with less than one in a hundred thousand, so we feel confident enough to close immediately."

  Mission and Major Pierce were awestruck. It was mind boggling to build such a mechanism in the first place. But to do it with the casual efficiency they witnessed today, was beyond immediate comprehension. This was truly the most advanced scientific organization in the world.

  22

  Mission looked at the group around the table and said, "Our first agenda item is to welcome ...? "

  He looked at Susan
and she said, "Montag."

  Mission jerked his head back around to look at her again. "Really? Montag?" Susan nodded and Mission said, "Okay. We want to welcome Montag as the newest member of our team."

  All attention focused toward the end of the table. Montag stood 6'4" tall with dark skin, dark brown eyes, and a graceful silence that seemed almost frightening. His deep bass voice added to the impression. "Thank you Mr. Mission. I look forward to serving on the team."

  Mission nodded and said, "You have been provided with all the information on this ... situation?"

  Montag nodded yes and Mission continued. "Good. I think the next order of business would be to discuss the capture of a combat model. As you all know, I have taken the all brawn and no brain approach three times. As there are no undamaged portions of my body remaining, I come to the group with the hopes that we can outsmart our opponent this time. Now, I think it is reasonable to assume that there are more combat models in the abandoned hotel. Does anyone have a suggestion?"

  Montag said, "I have questions. Is there not an indication that Tanya Ricci communicated with the leader of these renegades? And should we not search Tanya's private files with the hopes of finding addresses and messages between the two? It is even conceivable that we could send a message, appearing to come from her, thus delivering a combat model to the location of our choice?"

  Mission looked around the room and asked, "Am I the only here that feels stupid?"

  Major Pierce said softly, "One of his software packages is investigative methods."

  Mission said, "Well, I think it's working."

  Montag said, "If someone can introduce me to your systems administrator, I can obtain the passwords and authorization to access Tanya's files."

  An hour later, they sat looking at dozens of messages between the two. Mission said, "Alright, do we have consensus that we can successfully send a message to the teacher?"

  Everyone nodded and he said, "Good, that's the easy part. Now how should we capture the synthetic and where?"