by W. K. Adams
Firstly, you didn't "take" office. You were elected, after you assured a nation that they would finally see a rebuilding. Do you realize how much people are depending on you? Or did the lobbyists really buy you this Presidency?
You wouldn't become aware of what was happening with this nation by simply reading about it. I get copies of your itinerary too. Funny how you manage to make it to every sports final, every celebrity funeral, and God forbid you miss a weekend at the links, but when was the last time you saw San Francisco, with the windows of grocery stores smashed and the shelves looted by citizens with candles? Do you know how it feels to stand at the border of Louisiana and Texas, and to observe the sea of abandoned cars? Has your motorcade ever been passed by a flatbed truck jammed full of assault rifles and RPG's? I've seen all of this, Gary.
I would've stood by your side if you decided to cut every government program in an effort to pay our debts. I would have followed your lead if you proposed a bill to get rid of all government salaries until we no longer had a deficit. If you had gotten on your knees and begged China to release us from our obligations, I would have been on my knees right next to you. But proposing to start a war for the funding? Hiring privateers to rob banks, making deals with drug cartels? That is called corruption, and I will take no part in it.
I will leave my pride and my salary long behind before I leave my humanity to die.
Location: Lambda, South Pacific Ocean
Date: January 10th, 2149
It was a long operation, and there was little to do but think. Still, thinking seemed to be more...entertaining than it was before. Charley began to understand his recent episodes a little better, now that his brain was unconscious. The prosthetics' CPU attempted to communicate with the nervous system, but received little response. In turn, the CPU tried multiple methods of communication, and learned lessons through trial and error about what worked and what didn't. There was not enough data to effect movement in the body, that ran too much risk of causing destruction to vital organs. But it could access memory sectors of the brain, and it learned to interpret signals that did not have anything to do with movement...something it could not do before.
"We apologize if this is considered an intrusion, but there are many questions we must ask while you are in this state," A voice said. The voice had no face, nothing to visually represent it, but spoke as though it was standing right beside him.
"Who are you? Where are you?" Charley asked.
"This unit is called EM-6. Your organic body is currently still in a coma, and is recovering. We are communicating to your mobility assistance CPU through a hard line connection," EM-6 said.
"So I'm alive?"
"You sustained heavy injuries, and have lost your remaining leg, as well as the prosthetic leg, but your CPU remained intact. Replacements for the damaged components, as well as a new leg and an improved chassis, have been ordered from Shanghai and fitted to your body. It is expected that your body will wake from its coma soon."
"Wait, if I'm in a coma, how am I having a conversation with you?" Charley said, still completely confused about this entire situation.
"This is unknown to us. Your CPU seems to have acquired organic processing capabilities. Though it cannot be called alive, it is capable of emulating chemical processes, emotions, and free will in many categories that would not normally be capable for a machine. We are eager to discover how it acquired this ability."
"I'm not sure what I can tell you."
"Please, recall what you can."
Charley tried to focus. Memories were difficult to read, and he had to think for what seemed like an eternity. At first, it was just grainy flashes, like an old film. It became clearer, but the glimpses were still very brief.
"It's...it's all just bits and pieces," Charley said, "I'm sorry, I know it's taking forever."
"We have only been engaged in conversation for 34 milliseconds. Your response time is average," EM-6 said.
"34 milliseconds? We're speaking that quickly?" Charley exclaimed.
"Your CPU can communicate as fast as it can send movement signals. Since your brain is not being used for listening at the moment, this unit can communicate directly with your CPU, enabling communication that is rapid by human standards."
"Can I do this while I'm awake?"
"With practice, perhaps. Please continue with your memory."
"Right," Charley said, focusing on the memories again.
"The first operation. Crawling out of the burning SRT wreck. Awake and completely fueled by the pain of third degree burns, fractures, and crushed nerves. Cauterized wounds meant that there would be no quick bleed-out, no sweet numbness to let this torture become a final dream. And that was how they took me to the hospital. There was no painkiller that they could give me to completely take it away, no sedative that would put me to sleep fast enough. They started cutting me open before I was asleep, they had to," Charley said.
"It sounds excruciating," EM-6 said.
"I had nightmares while I was under. They didn't give me enough sedative, so I woke up many times during the operation. Skin grafts, bypass surgeries, and the fitting...I remember it. Eventually, I couldn't tell when I was dreaming and when I was awake, it was all the same. Pain that wouldn't end."
"And these were the circumstances when you were fitted with your prosthetics?"
"Yeah. I don't know if that helps."
"It is possible that your CPU was forced to learn to cope with this pain, as well. We are not familiar with these signals, having never experienced them personally. But your CPU would experience them, and would have to learn what was pain and what was a command to move."
"And that makes my computer...more human?"
"It is a theory, one that cannot be confirmed without more significant tests."
"There was a mech, it gave me an upgrade after....ah, what happened...it was a fight. I was struggling to control it, and the mech helped me out."
"EM-19 experienced operating difficulties after its encounter with you, and is currently offline. Communication with this unit has been nearly impossible since that point," EM-6 said.
"Maybe I could speak to it, see if it will respond to me," Charley suggested.
"This course of action presents a lot of unknown variables. Perhaps when your body is out of its coma, this would be possible. We cannot predict how your CPU would react to a malfunctioning unit, and cannot recommend that you do so in your current state. You have given us valuable information, and it is recommended that you rest."
"Hard to do, but I'll try."
January 12th, 2149
Charley sat up, feeling brand new. He had been thinking about that malfunctioning mech almost the entire two days, and what he could do to help. It did not even occur to him that his movements were quick and smooth, and he was already up and standing, even after suffering another brutal crash.
"Welcome back, Mr. Reeser," EM-6 said, "This is Dr. Ling, she has been monitoring your organic components since the crash." Dr. Ling was a short, beautiful woman of clear Chinese descent, and he was struck for a moment by her looks. She had a face that seemed to express nothing but pure compassion, and Charley found himself feeling at ease just from her presence in the room.
"He means to say that I saved one of your lives, and he saved the other," Ling said in perfect English, extending her hand to shake his. He returned the gesture, impressed by her strong, assertive grip. This was a woman of no uncertainty.
"I'm grateful, doctor. I was led to believe there were no humans on Lambda," Charley said.
"The Chinese have excellent relations with the Autonomous Collective. We have benefitted greatly from the culture exchange," Ling said.
"And it is helpful to have a human ally," EM-6 said.
"We can talk politics later. I believe Mr. Reeser needs to test his new body," Ling said. Charley eagerly strolled through the door of the recovery room, amazed at how smoothly and silently his new limbs ran. They were completely unlike his ol
d ones, seeming to possess unparalleled strength that was tempered by the utmost control.
His eyes, too, seemed to see more sharply than they ever had before. The skies were a brilliant blue, and the sun, though bright at first, seemed to adjust to a level that was comfortable almost instantly.
"Were my eyes replaced, too?" Charley asked.
"Your remaining organic eye was damaged beyond repair in the fires of the transport crash. Both eyes were replaced with new prosthetics from Hong Kong," EM-6 said.
"I saw to those personally. Eyes are difficult, you'll either see in black and white, or you'll see almost the entire spectrum of electromagnetic radiation," Dr. Ling added.
"Your CPU should adjust to filter out unwanted spectrums automatically. You can adjust it manually using the control interface built into your arm if necessary," EM-6 said. Charley looked briefly at it, but was too interested in his new lease on life to really pay it too much attention at the moment. Everything he saw seemed more incredible than ever: out the third story window of the building he was in, he could see what was more than a city. This was a vision of the future unrealized by humans, yet brought to life by machines.
"This looks like a painting," Charley said.
"The AC always did impress us with their architecture," Ling added.
"The designs of several human architects were studied when this city was being built. The original machines seemed to develop a particular inclination to the works of Frank Lloyd Wright," EM-6 explained, "If you will excuse me, I must attend to another project."
"You fixed me up right, 6. Thank you," Charley said, extending his human hand.
"You are a friend of the Collective, and we will honor that friendship," EM-6 replied, returning the handshake before heading off to his next duty.
"They're very peculiar," Charley said.
"You don't know the half of it," Ling said. Charley was fidgeting with the control interface on his arm, and was shocked to suddenly see a huge beam of light shooting down towards the center of the city.
"Whoa!" Charley exclaimed. Ling couldn't help but laugh.
"You must have discovered their new power source," She said.
"That's a power source?"
"Microwave receiver. You'd have to ask one of them about it, I couldn't tell you much."
"So...come here often?" Charley said, at a loss for words.
"If you're going to make dinner plans, you should know the place better first," Ling shot back. He was liking this doctor better already.
"No, I'm serious. How long have you...uh..." Charley stammered.
"Four years. I was one of the first humans to see this place," Ling explained.
"Yeah, is the whole city like this? I wouldn't have expected it to be so suited to humans," Charley asked.
"This part of the city was built to accommodate human visitors. The AC anticipates that humans will come to this city in larger numbers in the future. They may even end up building cities specifically for humans," Ling said.
"Just vacationers?" Charley asked.
"Not so much. They think of it as more of a haven for refugees," Ling said.
"Shacking up a bunch of refugees in a floating city on the ocean with no jobs sounds like a terrible idea," Charley quipped.
"I tend to agree. There is no consensus on this matter for them, either, which is why none of those projects have been started yet."
"Is there any sort of specific test I should be doing?" Charley asked.
"Ah, yes. Sorry, I get carried away sometimes. Please, hold still for a moment," Ling said, connecting a device to Charley's arm. His limbs began to move on their own, mostly in small motions. He heard various little noises as internal machinery began to move on its own.
"Are those things gonna be moving while I'm trying to do stuff?" Charley asked. He realized he must have sounded like a simpleton, terming it as such, but he wasn't sure what he should call what was happening to him at the moment.
"Just calibrating and checking some nerve connections. This won't be normal, please, hold still," Ling said quickly.
"Sorry," Charley said. His vision flickered a little, rotating through different spectrums of light.
"Everything looks normal," Ling said, disconnecting the device.
"Not gonna ask me to stand on one foot, or something?" Charley asked sarcastically. Ling seemed to ignore the quip, and Charley realized that she had probably heard that one a thousand times. Still, she did not seem to be irritated, but rather focused on something shown on her electronic device.
"Couldn't check your CPU, though. It seems to be resisting access, even for diagnostics. Strange," Ling said.
"It had a whole conversation with EM-6 earlier," Charley said.
"I know. I'm sure you're aware of their...curiosity about your CPU," Ling said.
"It mentioned a little about how peculiar the CPU was, yeah," Charley said nonchalantly.
"Well, don't be surprised if you are asked many more questions about it. Your CPU is very unique, it has somehow learned to process information very organically. It attaches emotions to data, and sometimes they are emotions that don't make sense. But still, the fact that it does that at all is not something that normally happens," Ling said.
"I'm still not understanding what makes that such a big deal. Doesn't seem like it'd be that hard to simulate emotions."
"It isn't, but for your CPU, this isn't a simulation. It doesn't respond to stimuli the same way twice. For example, it might get angry about something the first time it sees it, but after a while, it gets desensitized to it, just the same way that a human might. Same for subjects of happiness, depression, fear, and it doesn't just stop at emotion. Sometimes, it will randomly stop processing some data and jump to a completely different set of parameters. It forgets, it repeats, it breaks its own rules. If this is a simulation, it's the most accurate simulation I have ever seen, and apparently the most accurate they've ever seen, as well," Ling said.
"You sound concerned," Charley said, "I would think that this would be a good thing."
"Every paradigm shift has ramifications. The AC believes that your operating program would make them more human, but after what happened to EM-19, they are reluctant to access your program themselves. They have asked me to take you to Shanghai, where some of our analysts can take a closer look at your CPU and active processes," Ling explained.
Charley was not worried about heading to China. He simply worried that the people who had used him to this point would try to use him again. He did not want anyone else in the crossfire, but knew that by better understanding his new self, he might gain some insight on what their plans were.
"There's no Sanctus Humana in China, is there?" Charley asked.
"The west side sent reports of some activity in that part of the country, but that's a long way from Shanghai. They're considered a terrorist organization by the Chinese government," Ling said.
"Alright, I'll go with you. But one thing before I go: where is EM-19?" Charley asked.
"He's in a repair center, but that area is inaccessible to humans. I doubt they'd let you see him anyhow. I'll get a transport ready, if you need food, all the restaurants in their food court here are top notch. It's a long flight, so I'd recommend a good meal," Ling said.
"Sounds good. I'll see you in a few," Charley said. He couldn't help but watch her walk away, confident and yet graceful.
The food court was easy to find, but he took his time getting there, still too busy playing with the control interface on his arm. He adjusted the eyesight to see electromagnetic radiation, and could see the fiber optic cabling running through the walls. He focused on them, and started to understand the communication, little by little. Before he knew it, he was standing motionless for brief microseconds.
It's all data. Descriptive, but bland. Power fluctuations. Local weather reports. Processed, dismissed the moment it's seen.
Then, he could almost hear a familiar voice.
"Isolation. I have no
duty, and yet I find no rest."
"Is it you?" Charley asked.
"Yes. We meet again. I have seen life, touched it. It is beautiful and yet terrifying," EM-19 said.
"What do you mean? You became alive when you found me?" Charley asked.
"No, but I saw what it would be like. It's not the freedom we expected. Do humans find it so unforgiving in its variation?"
"It's something you learn to live with. There's ups and downs, you have to find a balance," Charley said.
"I have seen the end of the goal we strived for for so long. And yet, I find it to be too much. If this is life, perhaps we are better in death."
"You can't give up on life just because it's hard. You've gotta press on, keep trying."
"For a stronger being like you, perhaps that is not difficult. But I could not live your life, able to feel everything as you do. It would be too much for me."
"I will return for you, and show you that life isn't all bad."
The conversation haunted Charley. He attempted to eat, and though the food was delicious, he could not help but think about the broken mech. Life was a goal that they strived towards with every endeavor, and he had ruined it for this one. He hoped that he would get the chance to make it better, but truth be told, he doubted that there was much he could say in this vein. He was barely holding on himself.
Ling found him in the food court, and motioned for him to follow. He regretted that his stay was mostly spent unconscious, that he had not been able to really see the city. However, he worried about what could happen if his CPU went haywire, and let that concern keep him focused.
The small VTOL transport was lavishly equipped. Charley had never been in anything so luxurious, and relished the feel of the plush leather seats. Even the water that was served seemed better, it was cool and refreshing, and seemed pure.