by John Sneeden
But why would she say she was a friend? It didn’t make sense. “First you said you were our friend, and now you tell me that you work for Renaissance. Give us one good reason why we should trust you.”
“If I wanted to kill you or alert the others, I could have already done so. I have already violated company protocol by not doing that, and if I am discovered, I will probably be destroyed or reprogrammed.”
Despite the craziness of the situation, everything the humanoid said seemed to make sense. If she could withstand a barrage of bullets, it was likely she could do almost anything she wanted, including the delivery of lethal force.
“So why haven’t you tried to kill us?”
“Because I assume that you are here to find the American man,” said Keiko, letting that sink in for a moment. “Am I correct? I have been responsible for taking care of him since he was captured in Geneva.”
Carmen felt a surge of hope. “So he is still alive then?”
“I can assure you he is still alive. Would you like to see?”
Carmen hesitated. It could be a trap. Keeping her pistol trained on Keiko’s head, she nodded toward the exposed keypad. “Go ahead, let’s see if you’ve been telling us the truth.”
“He is not in that room. He is down here,” said Keiko, turning stiffly and moving toward the opposite end of the hall.
Carmen and Reid followed her till they reached another door. Clicking sounds came out of the humanoid’s head, and twin beams of light projected from her eyes, illuminating the buttons in front of her. Carmen was speechless. The technology was decades ahead of its time.
Keiko turned toward Carmen and Reid. “They have trusted me with all of the codes for the ship,” she said, reaching up and punching out a sequence of digits. When she was finished, there was a beep, and the red light turned green. Keiko reached down and turned the knob.
“Wait, not so fast,” said Carmen. “I’ll handle that.”
“As you wish.” Keiko smiled and backed away.
Carmen told Reid to keep his pistol trained on Keiko. She reached down, opened the door, and fumbled around on the inside wall for a switch. When she found it, she turned the lights on then let out a groan of disgust. The room was empty.
“Wow, thanks for leading us right to him,” Carmen declared, not trying to hide her sarcasm. “Don’t know what we would’ve done without you.”
“I do not know why he is not there. For the last six hours I have been in my room recharging my batteries. I guess they must have taken him out while I was shut down.”
Even though she was trained to be cautious, even cynical, Carmen still had the distinct feeling that the humanoid was telling the truth. “You still haven’t told us why you’re helping us.”
Keiko looked first at Carmen and then at Reid. “It is a long story that involves the way I was programmed by the man who created me. I would be happy to give you the details, but my guess is that you do not have that kind of time.”
Reid looked at Carmen. “She’s right. The ‘why’ can wait until later.”
“Agreed.” Carmen turned back toward Keiko. “Do you think he might have been taken to another room?”
“No,” Keiko replied. “Most of the other rooms are not secure. They are all equipped with standard locks. The one the two of you were trying to break into is currently being used to store boxes of computers and important papers. I have the code for that room as well if you’d like to look.”
Carmen indicated they should check while they were there, so Keiko walked down the hall and entered the code. Just as she had said, the room was filled with boxes and records, nothing else.
Once the door was shut and the lock enabled once again, Carmen asked, “So where do you think he is?”
“I honestly do not know,” replied Keiko.
“Don’t you even have a guess?”
Keiko’s head tilted and Carmen could hear more noises, this time like the sound her home computer made when reading the contents of a disk. “The most likely explanation is that they took him with them.”
“We saw them leave earlier,” Carmen said. “Where were they going?”
“They were going to Geneva, and I suspect they are there now.”
“Where in Geneva?”
Keiko looked down at the floor. She was either thinking or unsure of what she should say.
“Where in Geneva?” Carmen asked again, her voice rising a bit. “You said you wanted to help us, and we don’t have much time.”
“I do not know where they are tonight,” Keiko said. “But tomorrow night they will be attending the annual CERN Christmas banquet.”
“Where?”
“Le Bâtiment des Forces Motrices,” Keiko replied, her accent shifting effortlessly to French. “It is a performing arts center that sits on the Rhone—”
“Yes, I’m familiar with it,” Carmen said, cutting her off. “I actually went past it on a boat yesterday.”
Keiko smiled knowingly. “Yes, you did.”
“But why on earth they would take him to an awards banquet?”
“I doubt they are taking him to the banquet. The most likely reason is that they need him for what comes after that, for the Event.”
“We’ve caught wind of that. What is it exactly?”
“Unfortunately, I was never able to find out. I began to learn that something was being planned, but before I was able to obtain all of the details, I was suddenly excluded from all meetings.”
“Why? Aren’t you a part of the organization?”
“I am sure it was the Italian, Mr. Mironov’s partner, who ordered that.”
Carmen’s eyes widened. “You aren’t referring to Vincenzio Marrese, are you?”
“Yes, that is his real name.”
“So it is true.” Carmen looked at Reid. “We should go.” She then turned to Keiko and stared at her for a moment. “Thank you.”
Keiko bowed slightly. “You are most welcome.”
They started to walk back down the hall toward the stairs when Carmen stopped and swiveled back toward Keiko. “Why don’t you come with us? I think you realize that whatever these two are cooking up can’t be good. We’re going to do everything we can to stop them. The information you possess would be invaluable to us.”
Keiko blinked several times, almost as though she wasn’t sure what to say. “I think it is best if I remain here. I believe I can be of more assistance from the inside.” Her head tilted, as though she was considering something else. “Do you have a phone?”
Carmen looked at Reid and nodded. Reid pulled a phone out of one of his pockets and handed it to the robot. She placed it against her midsection. There were four beeps given at one-second intervals. Keiko returned the phone to Reid.
“I have added my number to your contacts. I have an internal communications system, and we can now exchange messages.”
“By text?” Reid asked.
“Yes. Actually, in any way you choose. If I learn anything, I will send it to you and then delete it from my system.”
Carmen was about to thank the humanoid again when footsteps thudded in the hall. Keiko gestured for them to move back around the corner while she watched.
From her position, Carmen heard stumbling. Whoever was coming toward them had consumed too many adult beverages. A few seconds later she heard kissing and heavy breathing. That continued for a minute or two, and then a male voice spoke in Russian. A female laughed, and seconds later a door opened, causing light to spill out into the corridor.
“You must leave now,” said Keiko, after the door was closed. “I have a feeling more couples will be coming down soon. I will follow you to the deck.”
Carmen and Reid were careful not to make any noise as they passed the room the couple had entered. Based on the amorous sounds coming from inside, Carmen doubted anyone was paying attention anyway.
When they arrived at the top of the stairs, Carmen realized that the party had grown even rowdier than before. The music was at dea
fening levels, and several men shouted.
Keiko held up a hand, and they paused in the stairwell. She then leaned forward and looked down the hall. After making sure all was clear, she opened the exit door and motioned the two operatives through it.
Once outside, Skinner appeared from a hiding spot. When Keiko stepped out behind Carmen and Reid, he lifted his weapon. Carmen held up a hand and told him that she’d explain later.
“Thank you again,” Carmen said after turning back toward Keiko. “I mean that.”
Keiko smiled and said, “You are most welcome. But I do have one more thing that I believe might help you. I have an ability to hear things at a great distance. Normally, Marrese stays quiet when he is around me because he has never trusted me. But one night when he did not know I was listening, he told his disciples that he had received troubling dreams about a man. This man has the ability to disrupt or even prevent the Event.”
“Who was he referring to?” Carmen asked.
“He did not give a name. He only said that he was a spiritual man, someone who was connected to God.”
It was about ten minutes later, as the inflatable boat sped toward Vevey, that it hit her. Carmen realized whom the humanoid was referring to. She also realized that things were about to get very strange.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
AMANDA WAS AMAZED at the technology that projected the high definition image of Dr. Alexander Ross on the wall. He was seated at his desk in Arlington, with the low-lying buildings of the nation’s capital spread out behind him. The whole scene was so vivid that it seemed the Oracle was right there with them.
The assembled group was sitting in Brett Foster’s hotel room in Geneva, which had been converted to something resembling a home theater. The curtains were drawn, shrouding the room in darkness, and the room’s king-sized bed was pushed up against the far wall. Five chairs were arranged in a semi-circle in the space formerly occupied by the bed, with the nightstand serving as a platform for Brett’s laptop and projection device.
Brett was continuing to make adjustments to the feed as Carmen finished up her presentation to Ross. They had given him a brief summary the night before, but Carmen was providing further detail, including a description of the humanoid that had helped them.
When Carmen was done, the Oracle removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, clearly affected by the strange things he had just heard. “Do you have any photographs of the humanoid?”
“Negative. We were in and out too quick.”
“Is it safe to say that this thing… she… was pretty realistic?”
“Let me preface my remarks by saying that it was pretty dim in the corridor,” Carmen replied. “That said, she looked realistic enough to cause me to fire my weapon. Twice. The only exposed ‘skin’ was on her face, but I’d say it looked pretty realistic, particularly at a distance. The rest of the body was covered in clothing.”
Ross frowned. “Brett, I know you aren’t an expert on robotics, but have you ever heard of anything like this?”
“No, sir.” Brett pulled back from the laptop and crossed his arms. “Certainly some of what Carmen described is already out there—cognition, enhanced problem-solving capability, the ability to move, and so on. What we aren’t seeing is cognition on the scale she described. I’m also not aware of any robot able to carry on a conversation as quickly as the one they had on the boat. The scale of sophistication is mind blowing.”
“No question,” Ross agreed.
“And there’s something else that is almost as impressive as the cognition, and that’s the robot’s agility. I’ve seen videos other moving bots that are more like four-legged animals, hopping or running in straight lines, and sometimes even making clumsy turns. But I’m not aware of any robot, humanoid or otherwise, that can move as fluidly as the one Carmen described.”
“Carmen, could that bot do everything that we can do?” the Oracle asked. “I’m speaking of her movements.”
“Pretty much. Keiko moved stiffly, but she was able to walk, reach out, turn her head, and even smile.”
The Oracle nodded as he tapped a pen against his lips.
“Ross, the thing that impressed me more than anything was, for lack of a better word, this machine’s ability to interact with us. She used persuasive argument; she followed instructions. I mean, we had a conversation, no different than you and I might.”
“That’s a great point,” Brett said. “There are computers, and even some robots, that can carry on a meaningful conversation with a human being. Heck, we have that in our cars now. I talk to my Audi every day. I give her verbal instructions, and she responds to those instructions. Or if the instructions aren’t clear, she’ll ask me questions until she understands.
“But this humanoid can handle very complex exchanges. As Carmen said, she can even push her own agenda, using her power of reason to argue her case. 'Stunning' is the word that keeps coming to mind. I’m starting to run out of adjectives.”
“Something tells me this is a testament to the brilliance of Ian Higgs,” the Oracle said, lifting a bottle of water from his desk and taking a sip.
Amanda smiled at the mention of her father. After hearing the first description of the humanoid Keiko, she knew that he had something to do with its construction.
“Undoubtedly,” Brett agreed. “It was his area of expertise, and that is exactly why they brought him on board. My guess is that Renaissance had already made great strides prior to his arrival, but they must have hit a ceiling. At some point, they probably realized that whatever Higgs was working on at NASA was exactly what they needed to finish this super bot.”
“What about the humanoid’s appearance, Brett?” Ross asked. “Carmen said she initially thought it was a person. Is that also inconsistent with anything you’ve run across in your research?”
“No, that’s actually the one aspect of this machine that is not particularly cutting edge. First of all, I bet if Carmen had seen Keiko outside during the day, she would recognize that she wasn’t dealing with Homo sapiens. Second, there are some very realistic-looking robots out there right now, ones that you might very well mistake for a human if it were dark enough. The Japanese, in particular, have created very realistic robots, some of which are used as synthetic lovers… and I’ll just leave it at that.”
Reid, who was sitting to Brett’s right along with Skinner, let out a nervous chuckle. Amanda blushed.
“Now that you mention it, I think I’ve seen a couple of those,” Ross said. “On the Internet, of course.”
Everyone laughed.
“Yes, they’ve been all over the news and the Net,” Brett replied. “Future humanoids will perform tasks around the home for the wealthy and the elderly. Mechanical butlers, maids, nurses… whatever you need.”
The Oracle put his glasses back on and looked down at some papers on his desk. “Okay everybody, let’s get down to the issue at hand. We know from the humanoid that Mironov, Marrese, and their entourage are supposed to attend the CERN Christmas banquet tonight, and Zane is with them as we speak. Carmen, is that correct?”
“It’s our best guess. According to Keiko, he’s not on the boat, which means it’s reasonable to assume he left with the group that came here for Geneva.”
Ross pulled his glasses off again and stared into his webcam. “Does Keiko… does the humanoid know where Mironov and Marrese might be staying?”
“Sir, I can speak to that,” Brett replied. “We have established an open line of communication with Keiko. In fact, I’ve already had a couple of exchanges with her already. She has no knowledge of where the entourage might be holed up. She was taken out of the loop recently, by order of the former priest, Marrese. My guess is that they're at a property owned by Mironov, although they could’ve leased something, to add another layer of protection from prying eyes.”
The Oracle nodded. “At this point, it’s safe to assume we won’t be able to locate them before the banquet tonight. That said, we need two things. We need
to deploy assets to this event, and we need to make sure we follow Mironov and his entourage once they leave.”
“Dr. Ross,” Reid said, clearing his throat.
“Connor, go ahead.”
“You know me well, sir. And you know that I never back down from a fight, particularly when it involves going after one of our own. But isn’t it time we brought in the Swiss authorities? We have evidence that Zane was taken by Mironov and his thugs. I mean, Zane’s DNA is likely all over that boat.”
“Hold on,” the Oracle replied. “I think you’ve forgotten what country you’re in. These are the Swiss. They take care of the people who invest there… people like Alexander Mironov. They want to keep those people happy. And they certainly don’t like to make arrests if they can avoid it. Now, would they eventually come around to our way of thinking? Of course. I have a number of contacts in Swiss intelligence, and they’re all good, decent men and women. But this wouldn’t happen overnight. They would start at the beginning and certainly wouldn’t just order an immediate raid of the Renaissance offices or Mironov’s personal yacht. That would take some time, and time is exactly what we don’t have a lot of right now.”
“I’d say DNA and the downloaded hard drive of a robot would probably be enough to bring these guys down,” Reid said.
Skinner was shaking his head. “I’m with Dr. Ross on this one. If we went to the Swiss, we’d basically have to tell them that Mironov caught one of our men breaking into their offices in Geneva. Last I checked, that’s still illegal. Right out of the box, we’d be admitting we’ve committed a crime, even if we might say it was for the better good. We don’t butter their bread, Connor, and they’re likely to take a hard look at us before even thinking about going after Mironov.”
“Not to mention that just our presence is a problem,” added Carmen. “Technically we have no authority to operate in their country. Of course everybody does it. But that’s not the point. The point is, we’d be admitting to it.”