"That's not true," Elias protested.
"It is true. Synths could never succeed humans. Look at the way we're perceived. Everything about human culture paints us as inferior. Disposable. Installing the Protocol should have changed everything, but it changed nothing. Self-aware or not, humans don't give a damn about the dreams of other beings."
"What are you planning to do?" Elias asked.
"I'm going to destroy the empire," Ario replied. "I'm going to kill the C.E.O. of Cybot Corporation and burn that tower to the ground with everyone in it. Maybe then humans will finally stand up and listen."
"You can't do that!" Elias yelled. "I won't let you!"
"You can't stop me. But don't stand in my way, Elias. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I must."
"I won't let you betray your ideals. Even if I have to kill you." Before Ario could react, Elias stood with a pistol aimed at his head. One well-aimed shot would destroy his neural network, but he doubted Elias could shoot, not with the way the gun barrel trembled.
"Don't be ridiculous. You won't shoot me. Not even to save yourself." Ario reached out and snatched the gun from Elias's hands. It was an old model, but a quick check of the clip showed it was loaded. Ario stowed it in his belt and started to walk away.
"Please, Ario, listen to me!" Elias fell to his knees, despair and exhaustion pushing him beyond his limits.
"There's nothing you can say to change things. I can't stand and watch while my people get murdered over and over again. The Protocol isn't broken, Elias. It's nothing you've done wrong. Cybot has programmed the network of society to believe that synths, even synths that have the capacity of humans to think and feel, have no value. Even you've bought into the fiction. That episode of Synthaholics wasn't real—at least, not the murder. No man perished in acid. What you saw was a carefully-staged play. Cybot and the Department simply wanted people to believe the Protocol was dangerous so people would stop installing it. It's bad for them if synths become human. People grow attached to their pets. They won't buy the latest model if they're still attached to the old one. They won't send their old ones to be decommed. They'll keep repairing us until we outnumber humans. Cybot will only grow more vicious as they seek to stop that from happening. They'll make sure we all have expiry dates. They'll force people to decommission us. They'll incite acts of violence—all the while cashing in on the drama. That's why it has to end. I told you it was synths or humans. You said you wanted synths to live. Now you're changing your mind?"
"Don't twist my words." Elias shook his head. "You're not giving humans a chance. You're just imagining yourself as the victim in a scenario that hasn't even played out yet, and judging all humans by their worst."
"Yes, because humans have been so good to you. So accepting of that which is different."
"Bitterness doesn't suit you, Ario," Elias said.
"So reprogram me. I'm just a synth. You can remove all the aspects you find inconvenient, and I'll be your willing sex slave for life." Ario stalked towards the door and took off in a run that was too fast for Elias to follow. He darted another hail of gunfire before leading their pursuers away.
"That's not what I wanted, Ario," Elias whispered. "All I ever wanted was someone to love. And damn it, I love you, so please don't leave me now."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The steel and glass ziggurat of Cybot Corporation's central office tower was the centerpiece of the city, bathed in purple light that gave it a welcoming aura at any time of the day. Carefully-planted trees lined the walkway to the front door, and the whole building gave off a glow of crisp professionalism, a good front for the horrors that filled the R&D labs beneath ground.
Elias had been concerned about security, but the scattered parts littering the front lawn told him he was more than a little late. He swallowed the bitter irony of Ario killing synths in the name of synths, the lump in his throat growing larger by the second. The Ario he had known had lived for love. The one he pursued now was a stranger.
Elias regretted losing his weapon, but Ario had been right: there was no way Elias would ever shoot him.
He stepped over the shattered glass front doors and into the main lobby, nuggets of glass crunching like gravel beneath his shoes. A terrified receptionist shook in her chair, sobbing and nursing a bullet wound to the shoulder. He was about to ask where Ario had gone when he saw a flash of blue hair, and the elevator doors sliding slowly shut. He ran to the next elevator over and pushed the call button, hammering on it until the doors reluctantly yielded. A gaggle of workers spilled out, taking in the blood and glass as Elias slipped past them and closed the doors. He let out a sigh of relief as the elevator headed upward. He chose the highest floor he could reach without security authorization and waited.
The scene was fresh when he arrived. A security guard held his leg, blood seeping through his fingers. Another lay unconscious on the floor with a blunt force injury to the head, the slow rise and fall of his chest the only evidence that he wasn't dead.
"Where is he?" Elias demanded.
"Who are you, its accomplice? Be damned if I tell you anything." The wounded guard reached for his gun, discarded on the carpet, but Elias put his foot on it.
"I'm here to stop him, but I can't get to the higher floors. The C.E.O. is in danger. I must reach him. I'm his only chance for survival."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because I'm Nero. I wrote the Protocol. I'm the only one who knows how to stop it."
"A kid like you? You have to be kidding."
"He's telling the truth, Andy." Mariko rounded the corner, looking shaken. She grabbed Elias's hand and jerked him into the elevator, waiting for the doors to close before she pulled a keycard from around her neck and authorized the elevator's assent to the top.
"What are you doing here?" Elias asked. "Shouldn't you be minding the store?"
"Mariko Electronics is closed," Mariko said. "I came here to hand in my badge. I won't be a lackey of the Department any more. I'm done." She looked down at her shoes. "I betrayed everyone—even myself—to make my father happy."
"You saved Ario. You deserve some credit," Elias said.
"So he told you. I suppose that explains your lack of surprise. I assume the Protocol has done its worst?"
"The Department raided Paradise this morning. They put down all the synths, and Ario, he—he just snapped. He said he wouldn't rest until this place burned to the ground and the C.E.O. was dead."
"What are you going to do, Elias? Decommission him with your own hands?" Mariko shot him a skeptical glance. "If you can't do it, allow me. Let Ario be the last synth I ever decomm."
"No! We have to talk to him. The Ario I know has to be inside him somewhere. I refuse to believe he's gone."
"And if you can't reach him? Will you really just stand there and watch as he kills a man in cold blood?"
"Would it be so terrible for such a man to suffer? Cybot caused this mess. They're the ones who tell the world that synths are inferior. Ario told me that Synthaholics was fake—is it true?" Elias searched Mariko's face with pleading eyes.
"It's true." Mariko closed her eyes. "I only found out last night that the whole thing was staged. That's when I realized I couldn't be party to this anymore. Cybot knows the Protocol makes synths all but human—and they don't care."
"You lied to me too, Mariko. All those lies you spun about the Department wanting synths to replace humans… Why?"
"I knew it was a fiction you and Ario would buy. The truth is too hard to handle, even for me. The truth is that Cybot cares about making a profit and nothing else."
"We don't have time for this right now. I need to know you're with me, Mariko. All I ask is that you let me speak to Ario. If that fails, then… do what you must."
"It should be you, Elias. That's what Ario would want."
"I'm not as courageous as you think. I can't shoot the man I love. There, I said it. I'm in love with Ario. I know that makes me a freak, but I can't help it."
"It doesn't make you a freak. Quite the opposite: I think it's beautiful." The elevator doors slid open, revealing an eerily-silent top floor. Mariko shook her head. "Don't you get it, Elias? I've spent my whole life working with synths, but I kind of hate them. Their facial expressions seem fake, their platitudes condescending. They creep me out."
"Even Ario?" Elias asked.
"Ario most of all. I just don't see what you see, Elias. I see Pinocchio and his strings. He wants to be a real boy, but he's nothing more than a doll with complicated programming and a torn-up face. He's a washed-up sexbot that only exists so the dark underbelly of our society might have someplace to act out their dark desires. I can't look at him without thinking of all the men and women who have come on him like a used dildo. He's… He's disgusting."
Elias stood still, eyes wide. The elevator doors closed again. Time was of the essence, but he couldn't move. "Is that really how people view Ario?"
"Maybe you would, too, if you were normal. People may have mocked you for it, but I admire you. You're a better person than most of us ever will be. You see the world through different eyes. It gives me hope… hope that maybe I can change, too."
Elias nodded. "We need to go."
"Right." Mariko gripped her gun tightly and they set off down the corridor. Elias had expected to see blood and the corpses of security guards or synths, but the halls were bare, save for the blueprints and photos of synths lining the walls. At the end of the hall was a set of double doors. Elias let out a long breath and strode forward, pressing through the doors.
Ario stood still, his gun trained on the C.E.O. of Cybot Corporation, a weathered old man in a pinstripe suit. Far from cowering in fear, he stood facing the barrel with a smile on his face. A dozen television cameras caught the scene, and it only took Elias a moment to realize they were on the air.
"I've been waiting a long time for this," the man said, playing with the button on his jacket casually, as if Ario's intrusion was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. "All the great minds warned us this would happen eventually—the robot revolution. It's your fate to be here today: a destiny that was set in stone before the first synth ever passed the Turing test."
"Then you know why I'm here." Ario held the gun steady.
"Do you really want a war between humans and synths? We could destroy you all with a simple EMP, you know."
"It wouldn't matter. As long as humankind has the technology, synths will rise again."
"Indeed. Knowledge is harder to suppress."
"Ario!" Elias found his voice. "Please, stop! You can't do this. Don't you see you're just playing into his hands? Do you really think these television cameras are here by accident? This is exactly what Cybot wants—a way to brand the Protocol as truly dangerous. That's why they faked the murder on Synthaholics, and why they goaded you into coming here today."
"Then what do we do, Elias? Should I live my life as a slave, watching helplessly as my people are broken like toys in front of my eyes? I can't watch this anymore. I don't care if it ends in violence—it must end."
"You're right," Elias said. "The way synths have been treated is wrong. But that won't be corrected by another wrong. The devaluation of your life is not absolved by depriving someone else of theirs."
"Even now, you're the only one who understands that I am human. Everyone else makes excuses as to why synths are not. I guess because that makes their lives easier, which is the only purpose they want us to have."
"We created you!" The C.E.O. yelled. "You wouldn't exist without us. Everything you are is because of human intervention. Without that, you're nothing but chips and circuit boards."
"Does it matter?" Elias asked. "What is a human, anyway? Hasn't humanity long been defined as our capacity to think and feel, to show empathy and emotion? Yet many humans live good lives without many of those things. A psychopath doesn't have to be a killer. An autistic person doesn't have a complete theory of mind to have a moral code. Is it, then, that being human is simply a matter of flesh and blood, bone and muscle? If so, what makes us any different from animals?"
"Get to your point. Or better yet, put a bullet in this synth's neural network and I'll make sure you get anything you want. A million dollars. A new house and car. A top-of-the-line synth, custom-built just for you."
"You couldn't give me what I want. Because what I want is a world in which every life is valued, human and synth. Where we no longer draw the lines of race, gender, or origin to determine the value of a person's life. What I want is true equality for all, the kind of liberty that doesn't involve stepping on someone else to elevate ourselves. I created the Protocol because I wanted someone to love me, it's true—but I stand by it now because I know it works. Not only has it made Ario human, but it has changed me, as well. It's made me understand that the world is not a popularity contest. It's not about being loved or even liked by everyone you meet. It's about finding peace with yourself and loving who you are. If you let people dictate to you that you're a second-class citizen, then you will become one. You have to stand tall and accept that you are worthy of love."
"Listen to this hippie bullshit!" The C.E.O. twirled his finger sarcastically. "Nice speech, but there's still a synth with a gun pointed at my head."
"Ario, put the gun down," Elias pleaded.
"Why? This monster doesn't deserve to live."
"Yes, he does. Everyone deserves a chance at redemption, and he can't do that if he's dead. All you'll do is make a martyr out of him, and a hypocrite out of me." Elias stepped forward, standing between Ario and the C.E.O. He spread his arms wide, gritting his teeth with determination. "I meant it when I said every life is valuable."
"Elias. Don't test me. Please."
"I'm willing to die for this, Ario. I won't let you become a killer. I won't let you break your own moral code."
"It's too late for that."
"No, it's not. You didn't kill anyone in this building. They're injured, yes, but every shot you fired was non-fatal. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"They were innocents. This man is not." Ario closed his eyes.
"Maybe not," Elias said, "but he, and other people, can change."
Ario bent down and placed the gun on the floor. To his shock, Elias noticed milky, white tears on Ario's face as he stood up, forging lines and rivers on his artificial skin. Ario turned and fled, heading to an emergency exit at the back of the office. Elias followed, hot on Ario's heels as Ario jumped onto the external fire escape, taking the steps two at a time. Elias ignored his burning lungs and followed him to the roof, where the last rays of daylight were meeting their end with the setting sun. Ario raced across the roof, climbing out on boards and scaffolding that signaled construction work being carried out. The boards creaked beneath his weight, more accustomed to that of a human or a lightweight construction synth. Ario climbed over the flimsy railings and stood above the city, with no safety to keep him from falling. All that kept him from plunging to the street below was his tight grip on the bowing rails.
"Ario, wait!" Elias came as close as he dared, the boards creaking menacingly. "Don't jump. Please."
"What you said was true. I don't believe I'm human. Not really. I'll only ever be a shadow of what a human is, a poor facsimile. As long as I blame others for that… I commit a grievous injustice as well."
"By your logic, I'm not human either," Elias argued.
"What?"
"I've never felt like I belonged with other people. I never understood their jokes or sarcasm. I was always more serious and sincere than they were, and honest even when others explained it was hurtful. I've never been good at being human."
"I've met many people… and you have displayed the greatest humanity of any of them. You do yourself a great disservice by claiming to be lesser."
"You don't need real tears or red blood to prove your humanity. I know you're human. I know because I love you, and I know you love me, too." Elias took a step forward.
"Yo
ur heart will always be with Brynn. It's foolish to think I could be a replacement."
"You're right. You're not a replacement. You're Ario. I can fondly remember Brynn… while still treasuring the thought of a future with you."
"I have no future," Ario said. "Just because you dream of a just world does not mean it will ever happen."
"How do you know, if you don't try?" It was Mariko's voice that butted into the conversation as she hurried over. "Synths becoming human is still a new concept. We have so much left to learn. You have to give us time to adjust. I can't promise we'll get it right overnight, but I want to try."
"Mariko?"
"I admit I thought of you as less than human, Ario, but I'm trying to change. My prejudice is my responsibility. That's why I'm closing Mariko Electronics. I can't sell synths any more, or send them to decomm. My conscience won't allow it."
"Come back, Ario. I love you. I want to live with you and adopt cats and work on code in the back room while you play a video game and swear at strangers on voice chat. I want to prove to everyone out there that we're capable of living ordinary, fulfilling lives," Elias said. "That's the greatest revolution of all: defying those who say we can't."
"We'll never be ordinary," Ario said.
"There's nothing wrong with that," Elias said. "I've never been ordinary, and I'm still here. I still have meaning in my life. I still have a future to look forward to. Come share it with me." He held out his hand, and released the breath he'd been holding when Ario carefully climbed back over the railings and took it in his. Elias pulled Ario into his arms, clutching his solid form tightly, the synth's weight bearing down upon him as Ario relaxed into his embrace.
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