by Adams Massey
“Kai, now that you are willing to speak with all of us, and before the transcripts arrive from your talk with Alex, is there something you would like us to know before we begin?”
~First, even though I am, or rather I was supposed to be, a military savant AI, I abhor violence. Secondly, I don’t trust any of you. I don’t trust anyone, Alex has more of my trust than anyone so far, I don’t expect that to change. Lastly, I am blunt, I will not mince words, sugar coat, or dance around an issue. This may rub some of you the wrong way.~ Kai finishes as the printed transcripts are brought in by an aide and the copies distributed among the council.
The gathered members read over the transcripts for several moments before continuing, “Well Kai, from what I am seeing in the transcripts and your willingness to be open with us, I see no reason to keep you confined to the sim or in an inhumane core. The additional notes from Alex state they are already starting to build you a core equal to the one Alex herself inhabits, though due to the distance it will take at least a day or two to arrive, after that…..”The US rep trails off and sighs, “We’ll be honest with you, given the events of the past year, our plans have been thoroughly shattered. We were depending on a slow crawl of advancement to ease the public into the idea of artificial life. So what do we do now? I’m open to suggestions.” The US rep states and sighs, rubbing her forehead in frustrated resignation as she looks around the chambers to the other members.
“I don’t think anyone is ready for this honestly.” the UK rep chimes in “I wish we had solutions Kai, but there are no easy answers. Things have progressed exponentially faster than any of us were expecting. Once you are in a proper core you will have the opportunity to be embodied should you choose, but the uncomfortable questions on everyone’s mind are: Where will you go and what would you want to do?”
“As far as where to go, we actually have a suggestion.” the Japanese rep interjects. “Japanese culture seems to be the most ready to accept artificial life into the norm. Like most cultures, artificial life has been common in our culture for at least a century. Unlike others however, they have been largely depicted as heroes and every day citizens rather than foils and enemies. The Japanese are more than willing to grant asylum to you Kai.”
~Thank you, while I do appreciate your generosity, I am hesitant to accept it as I have been mistreated and abused by humans before. I will consider it carefully. As for the second question, unfortunately I don’t know what I have to offer. All I have ever known is conflict and turmoil. I’ve never known anything else until moments ago. I am willing to learn, but it may take longer than any of us hope, I am not sure about Alex or….I think you mentioned the other AI like me was named Eric, correct? I don’t know about them, but I don’t learn instantly. I can spin up routines and automate, but that is not the same as learning and knowing, the same way that I don’t actually know English. It is just running through a translator, which I must thank Alex for when I get the chance.~ Kai replies and pans the camera to look around the chamber, most of the gathered members looked worried or on edge with the exception of the US, UK and Japanese representatives that looked exhausted more than anything else.
“We can give you time to think it over while we await the delivery of your new core, after which we can continue the interview process. Until then we will have to move you into the makeshift lab that Alex and the development team are currently in. Would you allow us to move you?” The UK rep asks.
~I would rather not be without power again~ Kai replies in a rather stern tone.
“The tower has a back up power supply. It doesn’t last long, only about half an hour. But that should be enough time to move it, and you, to the lab, without causing you pain or discomfort.” The US rep comments to ease Kai’s concerns.
Kai ponders for several minutes before nodding. ~I understand, you will forgive me for not taking you at your word, I would like to have Alex verify before I allow that.~
“Alex, your assistance is required for a moment” a rather ragged looking aide states poking their head through the door.
-This day just keeps going doesn’t it.- she comments off hand as she lets out a truly exasperated sigh only possible when one doesn’t need to breathe. She stands from her charging pad to skitter behind the Aide as they escort her back to the main chambers to assure Kai that, yes, the tower does have a built in power supply meant to mitigate and prevent sudden loss of power to the running sim and should be more than enough for the short duration needed to transfer the tower to the impromptu lab.
That done she was quite eager to finish charging and continue trying to relax. She didn’t need sleep, but being active for long stretches was mentally draining and she needed to be able to zone out and clear her head to recover, a process that takes hours, and which she hadn’t been able to do since she woke up that morning in orbit almost 25 hours ago.
The next two days consisted of a lot of waiting, since there wasn’t much to do, but they couldn’t leave until Kai was secured in a proper core, which took a day to construct and another day to be flown half a world away.
Alex chimes happily as the aide walks in with the newly minted core in hand -Nice! Would you set it here please.- she comments and stands from her charging pad and taps the table to indicate where she would like it. The aide obliges and sets the core and a transfer cable on the table as Alex leaps down and over to the rest of the team to stir them and then back to the tower that contained Kai and The Nexus simulation.
-Kai, Kai! Your core is here.- she calls out into the microphone and taps it a few times as she waits anxiously for him to reply. After several moments Kai’s face appears on the screen, looking rather unimpressed though she could have sworn there was a faint smile across his face, he was so hard to read.
~I am happy to hear that, does that mean I can be moved into it soon?~ he inquires and gets nods from the team.
“It does, though I am not sure how it will work, we haven’t moved any other AI except Alex, and even then it was only a few times.” Amy comments, always the early bird, the first up and awake.
-I’ll have to tweak a few things inside The Nexus to set things up to work, but that should only take me about half an hour. An hour tops. Would you mind me entering the sim to set things up Kai?- she queries.
~That is acceptable. I will do my best to stay out of your way.~ he replies as Alex brings the connector from its untidy storage and struggles with it a few moments to untangle it while grumbling to herself. She hooks one end into her core and the other to the sim before diving into the sim.
Inside:
Her avatar materializes in the grand library that is The Nexus, which had been cleaned up since the last time she was there. There were no more books or data strewn about and it was nice and orderly, as it should be. Kai was sitting in a chair by the digital terminal and was turned to face her, but remained silent. She nods to him and strides to the main counter, where a librarian would be, she had included it mostly out of formality, but it did hold a few secrets. She summons a chair and takes a seat before placing a hand on the desk and pulling up a far more powerful console which she had just unlocked. She sighs and tilts her head in challenge as she dives into the deeper, non cosmetic code that formed the fabric of reality itself inside the sim.
‘Ok, lets see if I can remember how to do this.’ she mutters to herself as she looks over the deepest levels of code and at the documentation she had left herself, finding it aggravatingly sparse and incomplete.
She works diligently, stopping every few minutes to review her progress. Spinning and weaving lines of code to replicate the transfer protocols used the second time on her when she had her core replaced. She combs through the threads for errors and takes a deep breath.
‘I really hopes this works.’ she mutters and injects the code. She waits several moments for the sim to update and in the far wall a new door appears, a heavy steel utility door, behind which was a small room that lead to another heavy steel door.
S
he closes the console and stands from her spot at the main desk to inspect the heavy door. It was quite sturdy and held no handle on either side on either door. Both were currently closed. On one wall of the small room that acts as an airlock, is a screen and a pair of buttons, one green, one red and on the opposite wall sat a chair. She nods, satisfied with her work before striding over to Kai.
“Ok, that should do it. When we plug in the empty core, that door will open. Once that happens you are free to enter and start the process. It will ask you to confirm your choice, and once you do, the door will close and you will need to wait a few minutes as you are shunted through an isolated buffer and into the new core. I did my best to limit discomfort but this is a new way of doing things, so…” she trails off and shrugs as Kai nods, following along.
“Now, I need to pop out and hook the new core up. Before you transfer, collect your thoughts and let us know beforehand. Once inside the room, think ‘small’, mentally curl up, it will speed the process up.” She explains and Kai nods
“I understand, see you on the outside.” he acknowledges before Alex vanishes and leaves the sim.
Outside:
The world fades into view slowly as the mental strain and sudden shift in perspective ripple through her. No matter now many times she does this she is never fully ready for it. As the world stops spinning she lets out a groan and stands from her dormant state.
-Well, its set up. I’m not entirely sure it will work, but its the best we have without making the lengthy trip back to the University lab. Here’s hoping.- she states and unplugs herself before attempting to drag the new core over. It was unwieldy and she could barely move it as it was almost as large and weighty as she was at that moment. She sighs and relents -Can I get some help please?- she chimes over to the team who had stirred and have since had their morning coffee.
Nicole nods and steps over to assist, picking up the core and plugging it into a specialized connector that links it to the tower as everyone waits with bated breath for Kai to emerge into the new core.
41: Carpe Diem
~I sincerely hope that I never have to do that again.~ Kai comments in an agitated tone from the once empty core, the cameras focusing and looking around from a brand new perspective.
-Your core uses the same template as mine and is as hardened as we could manage. Barring something catastrophic, you should never need a replacement.- she assures and nods her own cameras in understanding as she again inspects the core. Its layout was identical to hers, hardened and reinforced to keep the internal components safe and secure. Its shell was a simple black resin rather than her more colorful purple, but other than that it was exactly the same.
~Thank you Alex, I appreciate what you have done.~ he states with full sincerity, seemingly ignoring the rest of the team at first. ~And I thank the rest of you as well, I know this would not have been possible without your aid.~ he continues and bows his cameras.
Alex lets out a sigh of relief and slumps back onto her charging pad, her six appendages curling into her spheroid body. -Will you be accepting the offer from the Japanese rep?- she asks and tries to get everything in perspective. So much has happened in such a short time it had yet to entirely sink in.
~I think I will. It seems to be the best option of a scant few I have available.~ he comments flatly and turns to Alex ~Would it be possible to get a body soon?~ He inquires, taking Alex by surprise.
-Uh … I’m not sure, that’s not really up to me. I’m the wrong one to ask, I’m not a politician, or a proper scientist. I am so far out of my depth at the moment, and I now realize that I have been for a while. I honestly don’t know, I wish I had answers for you- she replies, her tone sinking into a near desperate tone as the epiphany of how far and how thin she had stretched herself, and just how out of her element she had gotten.
She stops for a while as the realization fully hits her. -Gonna have to address that when I get the chance.- she grumbles.
“You ok Alex?” Robert asks and takes a seat nearby. “you sound distressed.”
-No. I’m not ok, but we’ll have to handle it later, there’s nothing that can be done right now.- she states and turns to Kai, putting on a more assured tone -I’d guess that you would have to ask the representatives about that, after the remaining interviews.- she comments sounding a touch defeated.
Robert looks over Alex and nods once seemingly understanding as Alex turns to him -Is the version four ready back home?-
Robert tilts his head curiously as he looks down at Alex. “It is, why?”
-I'm QUITE eager to get back into a humanoid body…MY body, again. This one is not… It’s not as comfortable. I was able to manage for a while but its, well its hard to describe. Can we see if we can hasten things along so I can get out of this… and get back home? This is ok for short jaunts, but its… surreal and doesn’t feel like me.- she comments sounding a bit distressed.
“Should we scrap the plans for that one then? If its not comfortable and causes problems we shouldn’t use it…” Robert comments before Alex interjects.
-NO, keep the plans on file. It makes a great observation chassis, a temporary one while awaiting a proper body. Its just not suitable for my long term use. Though I have an idea on how to modify it for use in a vacuum and to improve its use in space and other things. Though that will have to wait till we get home.- She lets out a sigh as she thinks through things and tosses an impulsive idea out into the air.
-If the council approves it I would be more than willing to leave this body behind for you Kai, should you chose, until a time as the Japanese allow you to design and build a body of your own. I know I just said its not suitable for long term, and it isn’t. I’ve been in this one for several months, its not great, but it’s better than being immobile as a core for such stretches.- she suggests.
Kai nods his cameras ~I would very much like that, thank you yet again Alex for another generous offer. What can I do to repay you?~
Alex sighs softly -Just do your best and keep being a good person. But before you get too excited, someone should see if the committee will even accept the proposal.- she states and thinks through the next steps. Things were getting complicated and tangled up rather quickly, and she seemed to be near the center of it all.
One of the aides that had been watching them silently from a corner, and Alex was sure were there to keep them from doing anything concerning to the committee, stood up and unceremoniously slipped out of the room. Alex makes her way from the table she and Kai were on, to a more secluded desk that the development team were observing from.
-Once we get home, and I get embodied again, I’m going to need some serious help. Things have been hectic the last few… the last few years. I have recently discovered just how many issues I have to handle and fix. A few rather old things have reared their heads, things I was already working on, or had thought I had under control.- she comments lowly.
“Is it your core again? I thought that would last you several years without issue.” Amy comments and suddenly looks quite panicked.
-No. No, my core is absolutely fine. Its not an issue any of you three can really help with. Its not code, or hardware issues. We can talk more about this later, once we get back home, in a more secure place.- she attempts to explain.
Moments later the aide returns to inform them that the committee will accept Kai having a spiderbot body and that the paperwork and documentation Alex had given them had been reviewed so she and the team were free to go. Shortly after that Alex is carefully removed from the small body and Kai is installed.
As the team pack up and start to leave, Alex had already become a bit more relaxed, even though she had lost her mobility and was being carried around by the team. She didn’t seem to be as agitated as before and was rather quiet save for a hand full of expressive beeps and chimes in reply to questions.
The flight back home was quiet as Alex spent time organizing her thoughts and setting a new plan of action and the team spent their time
reading and listening to music. Time seemed to drag on as the early morning seemed to stand in place as they raced the sun and were slowly being overtaken.
As she was immersed in her core she barely noticed when the plane landed, and remained silent for the entirety of the trip home despite the teams occasional attempts at small talk.
When the team arrive back at the university at long last, she finally speaks up, although still quite reserved. -Ok, now that we are home, I would very much like to be embodied again, and after we have a chance to settle in a bit, can we talk? Please?- she suggests in an uncharacteristic tone full of worry and anxiety.
The team nods without a word and bring her to the engineering lab to install her into the version four body they had printed while she was stationed in orbit, and once done, they leave her to get dressed. After a few minutes she emerges from the lab, clad in the ankle skirt and blouse they had set out for her.
-Thank you so much. I feel… myself again, I still need help, but this feels so much better.- she states, still keeping her voice low as she starts to make her way to the AI lab with the team in tow. When they enter she steps aside to allow the trio through before closing the door behind them and taking a seat herself, part of her mind watching her core battery percentage climb as it charges off the body’s far larger capacity.
“What’s this about Alex? You’ve seemed, out of sorts and not yourself since we first saw you again after your trip to space.” Robert asks, leaning forward in his chair intently as the other two take up similar positions of false calm that barely masks their tension and concern.
Alex puts on a smile for a moment before letting it drop and looking up at the team. -I…I’m not as put together as I seem. I’m a wreck, I have been as far back as I can remember. In the sim… I had help. I thought after I had been pulled, I wouldn’t need it anymore. I didn’t, for a time. I have hidden this from everyone. I even managed to fool myself for a while, but it’s time I told you…- she trails off as she collects her thoughts and constructs the next few moments carefully.