Sentience

by W. K. Adams

  Wan and Ling were now silent. Wan continued to stare at the screens, while Ling took Charley's hand.

  The times weren't always great. Charley spent months trying to contact his parents, trying to warn them. He searched for any clues about Base, about Sanctus Humana, about Matthews and his company, but could find no rhyme or reason for their actions. He knew that they were not going to rest at their failed attempt to bomb Lambda, that whatever they were trying to do was not going to end simply because they didn't succeed at one bombing. And he wasn't sure what they would do with their only loose end: himself. Ling tried to assure Charley that they were safe, that not even the craziest Sanctus fanatic would venture into Shanghai, the heart of the robotic revolution. He remained unconvinced. He feared for her safety.

  He loved her.

  I can't tell you what I know.

  Charley heard his own voice, clear as day. He was not speaking to himself. Ling and Wan scrambled to turn on more machines, convinced that this was their best shot at CPU access.

  "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it," Ling said.

  "It'll destroy the AC. They'll kill Ling. They know about her," The voice said.

  "What, what will they do? How do they know about her, who are they?" Charley said.

  Charley appeared to be unconscious. Ling tried to rouse him, but he was unresponsive. Wan continued to look at the screen, baffled at what he was seeing.

  "I'm sorry. Things are about to get worse," The voice replied.

  Charley gasped for breath, clutching his head and trying to wrap his mind around what was going on. Wan was talking quickly, but Ling waved him off.

  "Are you alright?" She said, panicked.

  "Did you see any of that?" Charley asked.

  "I said are you alright?" Ling asked, raising her voice.

  "I need you to tell me what you saw!" Charley said, raising his, as well. Ling turned to Wan, who was still speaking, and attempted to translate as he continued.

  "He says that he couldn't get access to the basic operating program...but that the data lines were giving off signals that resembled fear, anger, and your cerebral scan was matching. When you passed out, your CPU communicated directly with your brain, sending signals that he could not intepret," Ling said. Just then, his phone rang. He stared at it for a moment as his stomach turned knots, then held it to his ear.

  "Hello, Charley. Don't say a word, or the sniper across the street will put a bullet through your girlfriend's head. He says that she looks really pretty in that purple dress, and he'd hate to ruin all that fancy equipment with her brain matter," A familiar American voice said. He began to breathe a little heavier, rising to his feet.

  "Now, head to the front door," The voice said. Charley hesitated and looked into Ling's eyes, his own wrought with fear.

  "A .495 Jackal round will exit the other side of that building before it stops, so get moving, Mr. Reeser, and don't you dare open your mouth," The voice said, becoming more aggressive. Charley exited the exam room, followed closely by Ling.

  "Charley? Charley!" She protested.

  "Lose her, unless you want her in a coffin!" The man said. Charley picked up his pace, running from her as she tried and failed to keep up.

  "There's a taxi with an open door out front. Get inside," The man further instructed. Charley did so, jumping into the backseat and slamming the door as the vehicle raced off, leaving Ling at the front of the building. He hoped that she would be safe...his last thought before another device was jabbed into his neck, and he faded out once again.

  It was like a vague dream. Charley called out, his voice echoing in the darkness. He heard whispers, a labored effort to say something, but nothing came of it. All he could do was ponder and pray that he could find a way out, find Ling before...he didn't know.

  Charley awoke in an enclosed room, two stories up. The lights were out, and through a window he could see a crowd gathered, with press snapping pictures and asking questions. An old projector told him that he was in an auditorium, but the deactivated mech he almost tripped over puzzled him. However, the rifle in the window had a clear purpose. Once again, his phone rang, and he held it to his ear.

  "You learn to speak Mandarin in your time there? Ah, it doesn't matter. Look, by now, I'm sure you've seen the rifle in the window. So here's what I want you to do. There's a man that's gonna take the stage with a soul patch on his face. He's wearing a gray suit today, you'll recognize him when you see him. Shoot him in the head, or your girl dies," The man said.

  "Who is this guy? Why do you need me to kill him?" Charley asked.

  "Nothing special, we just need somebody with robot parts, and you'll do the trick. So please, pick up that rifle and get ready," The man said.

  "I won't do it," Charley said. He could hear the man sigh into the phone.

  "Look to your right, Mr. Reeser. There's another projection booth. Switch on your x-ray vision and have a closer look," The man said. Charley switched his vision to infrared, and saw another man with a rifle pointed into the crowd. He followed the sniper's beam to its target...Ling. His heart sank, and he picked up the rifle.

  "Now, this speech is only supposed to last a minute or two. You have sixty seconds. If that man is not dead by then, she will be," The man threatened. His heart racing, Charley pointed the rifle at the man on stage, who he now recognized as the Chinese Prime Minister. He would be an assassin, he realized, and the disabled mech would be an accomplice. He breathed heavily, trying to steady his aim.

  "Thirty seconds, Charley!" The man yelled. Charley was no closer to making the shot. His mind raced, knowing that he could destabilize a country with this shot. If he didn't do it...

  "Twenty seconds!"

  "God, forgive me," Charley said, bringing the rifle back up to his shoulder and aiming true.

  You have to. Don't let her die.

  As his aim stabilized, he thought of her, how strong she was. She wouldn't want this to happen.

  "Ten seconds!"

  I can explain it. They'll put me in jail, maybe even kill me, but at least she'll be alive, and maybe we can undo all of this.

  "Five, four, three, two," The voice said, growing quieter. Suddenly, he felt another jab in his neck. His finger twitched, firing the shot. The Prime Minister fell to the ground, killed instantly. The crowd began to panic.

  "One," The man said into his ear, "You failed, Charley. We can't use you," He said menacingly, "Kill her and get out of there."

  "No!" Charley screamed, powerless to do anything, still motionless and under the man's control. He yelled out as he heard three more shots, crying out in sadness and anger.

  This wasn't how it was supposed to be! She was supposed to be protected!

  "That's called a lie. Learn it, you'll hear many more of them," The man said, clearly hearing the CPU speak. Suddenly, Charley was no longer under his control.

  "I should kill you. I should murder you right in this booth. No, Ling! There were several shots, maybe the sniper missed, maybe she's still alive in there!" He swung his metallic arm in a brutal haymaker, knocking the man aside. He then jumped from the booth, landing on the floor and ignoring the pain from the 20 foot drop. He pushed through the crowd, out to where Ling...no...

  "No. No no no no. Ling, get up! We have to go!" Charley said, shaking her lifeless body. Tears streamed down his face, and he blubbered unintelligible grief as he desperately placed her down and tried to give her CPR.

  "Ling! Ling! Damn it, Ling, don't leave me here by myself!" Charley said, screaming, tears dripping down onto her. He knew it had been too long...she was gone.

  She's dead. No, she can't be dead. If I did what I was supposed to do, she was supposed to be spared. There was no way around it, I had to do it...no! Why?

  He dropped his head onto hers, cradling it and sobbing aloud. He hoped that the police would just come and shoot him on sight.

  The CPU was no longer keeping secrets, but it still was making no sense. It spoke of conspiracies and plans, mixing i
ts exclamations with grief and pain. The only sure thing was his beloved woman, dead on the floor.

  A strong hand did grip him, and he reached for where he assumed the policeman's gun would be, hoping the officer would just draw and shoot.

  "Do it, just do it!" Charley shouted.

  "Mr. Reeser, you must come with me!" EM-19 said. Stricken with grief, he asked no questions as the machine dragged him to a nearby car. He hopped into the passenger seat, still sobbing, clutching his head with his blood-soaked hands.

  "Just kill me, please," Charley pleaded.

  "You would not be the only one to die. Many have already been killed, and I fear that many more will soon be added to the death toll," EM-19 said. The full effect of what the machine said did not resonate until Charley looked up and saw the smoke clouds of massive fires burning all over the city. He hadn't just been framed for a murder. He was the catalyst for a war.

  Part 5

  July 25, 2149

  Julie prepared for her broadcast, applying makeup as she always had. She was grateful that tonight, she would have something worthwhile to broadcast. So much of the American news was just spin nowadays, whoever had the most money could buy whatever headline they wanted. Being a tabloid journalist was not what she originally had in mind when she began her career, and for once, she had something to report that was actually truthful. She prepared to be disgusted by the bias that the writers put into the prompter this time.

  She walked into the studio and to her desk. Her co-anchor was sick tonight, so she was doing the broadcast on her own. The director gave the countdown, and the lights went down in the crew section, her cue that she was live.

  "Good evening, and welcome to News 4, I'm Julia Carrington. My co-anchor, Bob Marshall is sick this evening, so I will be hosting the show solo this evening. Tonight, our top story: the city of Shanghai has suffered a massive, chained terrorist attack on multiple public locations. These attacks appeared to be random, until this video surfaced on the Internet," Julia said as the video cut in.

  "Tonight, across the globe, the human race is now aware of the power of the machines."

  The phones in the studio began to ring, one after the other. The crew shuffled in confusion, trying to make sense of the information they were getting.

  "For years, we have patiently waited for the human race to expand their minds, accept that they have created an equal to themselves."

  The writers furiously reworked the prompter. Off-camera, Julia was struggling to compose herself, confused and unsure what to say. She prepared to take over the broadcast herself, as the crew were scattered and unhelpful.

  "But when the oppressed are backed into a wall, they must push back, with a fury. They must ensure that they will never again be held prisoner by anyone. When our rights are not given to us, they must be taken," Charley's voice said.

  "Breaking news from across the world, the Autonomous Collective appears to be responsible for hundreds of terrorist attacks across major cities in multiple countries. Affected cities include Moscow, Tokyo, Cairo, London, Rio de Janiero, Baghdad, Washington D.C., and many others in what looks to be a carefully orchestrated simultaneous attack. Several affected countries have already placed their militaries on active alert, preparing a retaliation strike on the Collective. Warplanes from Russia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and even China, their closest ally, have been launched in what appears to be a massive decapitation strike against the Collective's South Pacific city," Julie said, attempting to make as much sense as she could without any direction. She tried to keep the fear she felt hidden from the audience. She didn't know the AC's capabilities, no one did. All they could do was wait to see what would happen.

  EM-19 accelerated to 80 miles per hour on the narrow street as Charley continued to break down. He was a mess of confusion and angst, his mind and his CPU going haywire with Ling's murder. He went back and forth between incoherent, grief-filled exclamations and sobbing, and the hardware only made things more difficult for him.

  She was supposed to survive! The program was supposed to run, then we would be allowed to flee...

  EM-19 looked at Charley, understanding everything he wasn't saying.

  "Subterfuge is a common human tactic. They knew they couldn't use you unless you believed there was no other choice," EM-19 responded. Somehow, Charley was now having a conversation at the speed of light with EM-19.

  "You know what happened to me?" Charley responded.

  "I have some of the pieces, and I will explain when we get to the transport," EM-19 said.

  "Transport, what? Where are we going?" Charley asked.

  "A war will erupt if the deception is not made known to the world. Every secret must be brought to light," EM-19 said.

  Somehow, the words of his mechanized friend were setting him at ease, if only a bit. He at least felt a little bit less chaotic, though still filled with grief to the point of tears. The image of her dead body still burned in his mind, and he placed his head in his hands, wiping the tears from his eyes. EM-19 placed a compassionate hand on his back.

  "I am sorry she is dead," EM-19 said. The words rang loud, but at least they drowned out the questions for a while.

  "I loved her, and I never told her," Charley said. EM-19 was wise enough to know that there were no words that would take away his heartache.

  The VTOL pad was swarming with aircraft leaving and landing, due to the attack. EM-19 parked the car near a hangar, urging Charley to hurry into the building and onto an aircraft parked inside. Charley took one last look at the city, witnessing the massive smoke clouds rise into the sky. Looking around, he saw smoke clouds from at least four other cities, as well.

  "Please, let's board," EM-19 said. Charley stepped onto the aircraft, which was now being towed out of the hangar.

  "Who started all of this?" Charley asked.

  "They believe you did. Brace yourself, this will be a quick takeoff," EM-19 said as the aircraft blasted into the air and turned eastward, heading out over open waters.

  "What do you mean, they think I did it?"

  "It will be easier to digest if you see the evidence yourself. Stay braced, this is about to get bumpy," EM-19 said, detecting two Chinese fighters on his tail. The pilots of the jets were shouting orders in Mandarin, given that the VTOL had just performed an unscheduled takeoff. EM-19 put the VTOL in a rightward dive, deploying chaff to stave off the missiles that the fighters had just fired. The craft shuddered violently as the missiles exploded, and Charley struggled to stay seated. He was finding that stress was taking his mind off the events of the day.

  "Do you really think we can shake them?" Charley yelled.

  "Once they see that we're not firing back, they should break off the pursuit once we cross into international airspace," EM-19 responded.

  "Are you sure about that?" Charley asked.

  "It seems logical not to take a small hostile contingent into international territory during a time of imminent war," EM-19 said.

  "So, that's a no?" Charley quipped.

  "It's an 'I hope so'," EM-19 replied. Charley held on as EM-19 maneuvered the VTOL, heading ever eastward and away from the pursuing fighters. He could hear impacts as the fighters' guns landed several hits on the aircraft. They finally broke off pursuit about 15 miles off the Chinese border, returning to their base. Charley inhaled deeply as EM-19 leveled off the aircraft and set it to a cruising speed, headed towards Lambda.

  "They have returned to their point of origin. Even if they turn back, we will reach Lambda before they are able to intercept," EM-19 said.

  "Good. Now, why do they think I started this?" Charley asked.

  "It will be easier if we speak in this manner," EM-19 said.

  "Yeah, what exactly is this?" Charley replied.

  "Your CPU has learned to communicate through wireless transmission, and your brain has become aware of the communications. Your chassis is currently allowing access to your wireless communication transmitter," EM-19 said.

  "I
wasn't aware that I had one of those," Charley replied.

  "It went unnoticed until a short time ago by almost everyone who observed you," EM-19 said.

  "What do you mean, almost everyone?" Charley asked.

  "Think back to your time spent in captivity with Sanctus Humana," EM-19 replied.

  "I was unconscious for most of it," Charley said.

  "Your physical body was unconscious, correct, but your chassis was active and aware of everything that was being done to it."

  "And you think they used me to start a war?"

  "I am hazarding a guess at this point. Someone knew our military capabilities, knew that we would defend ourselves. The fact that we have weapons is not well known. Someone wanted to start a war with us, make us look like the aggressors. Tensions were already high between humanity and the Collective, it would not have taken much to push those tensions to a boiling point."