Railgun: Earth under Siege

by Luis Robles

  I tried to smile. For him.

  Katherine joined him at the table and touched his arm as she sat down. Jaika followed soon after and took the seat beside me, searching through her backpack for a juice-box they had packed for her.

  He did continue after a moment, glancing over to his wife as he began, “I'm not saying it's going to be easy. We just need to express the misunderstanding before someone tries to start some kind of war with them...and you know someone will. Shots have already been fired at them, not that it even touched the hull. People feel threatened. Next, someone will suggest to go nuclear,” he said, emphasizing the last bit. We could all imagine how disastrous that could be.

  I couldn’t say a word back to him. He did have a point. If someone was going to talk to them and be successful, it would be him. However, it pained me to see my son walking towards the gate of what could be the Apocalypse. I thought highly of my son for that, off to fight a fight that was not his own.

  “It's hovering over Rybinsk Reservoir, which is about six, maybe seven hours away from the airport. Our flight leaves at 8pm.”

  I had hoped that he would keep himself safe. I hoped that Katherine as well would stay safe and look after him. I had hoped that once again we would be able to save the world from impending doom. The little girl beside us didn’t seem to mind or understand exactly what was going on. As far as she was concerned, her parents were going to say hello to some new people. If only everyone could see things as simply as a child. If only that was the case this time around.

  The rest of the time they visited with me then passed in a blur, like a blink of the eye. Although at the time, it seemed to last much longer than it did once it was finished. A father should never outlive his children. That simple thought scared me more than anything else out there. That was something, no father should go through.

  Uncertain Hope

  Year 2176, Jaika

  Before my parents waved goodbye, they told me to learn. They said, “Jaika, you know you have a really big chance of learning from Grandpa about those robots you enjoy so much! Do you remember when we took you to Italy?”

  I smiled, thinking clearly of our vacation. It was one of the few days between storms that people could go outside without getting hurt or sick, and the streets were crowded with happy people as the sun shone brightly. Full streets were always like a holiday—very few and far in between. Full streets were the best thing we ever got, back in those days. Vendors sold all sorts of food, and there were androids performing diverse entertainment everywhere. One of them even made a pizza for a crowd, and Mom bought a slice for me. It moved its finger naturally, like a human, but I could see every little tendon twitch as it moved perfectly. I asked them every question I could think of before my parents pulled me away.

  “I do remember! That was a lot of fun!” I told them. A part of me hoped that if I kept talking to them, my parents couldn’t leave. “I really wanted to know if they were like we are or if they were just like other machines. I love how they move and stuff! They have so many different parts!”

  Mom smiled, “That’s right! And you know, your grandpa is the best at making androids. They gave him all sorts of awards for it. You know, that performing robot would have been based on his prototypes. You’re a very smart girl. I’m sure he can teach you something about making them if you ask him nicely.”

  “Me? Okay! I’ll ask Grandpa!” The idea of making a robot of my very own filled my imagination to the brim. I could hardly contain my excitement, but my smile fell a bit whenever my mother sighed and looked over to my dad.

  They seemed really scared. I knew that they were going to see the aliens that landed, and I heard that they might not be very happy with people shooting at them. I wouldn’t be very happy either. I tried hard to understand why them, why they must go and talk to them, but I was never able to figure it out then. I was much too young and too inexperienced to know anything about what was going on.

  “You know, you guys didn’t shoot them. The ones that shot them should apologize. You should stay here instead. I’m sure Granddad has more chocolates somewhere!” I commented, ever hopeful they’d eventually change their minds about leaving.

  “We’re not going to apologize for them, Jaika. We’re going to explain why some people are scared, but we’ll also ask them what we can do to help make this easier for everyone. We will try to make things safe for the world and for them also.”

  They both took turns to hold me close, and I hugged them too. There was nothing more comforting in the world than being in their arms. “We love you, Jaika. You make sure to keep Grandpa company. We won’t be gone too long.”

  Soon, they talked briefly about my heart condition. It was something I had learned to live with, all these years. I remembered when I first experienced the symptoms of my genetically inherited mitral valve prolapse. I was just running and playing around inside a store while my mom was looking for some goods, when I suddenly had to stop. I bent to my knees on the floor as I held on to my chest. It was aching, and I felt a harsh throbbing inside it. I started breathing fast as I felt I would lose it. They had to rush me to a nearby hospital then where instantaneous clinical and diagnostic exams were done. It was found out that the valve between the left chambers of my heart was not closing properly. Since that time, I would have a beta-blocker with me at all times to control the symptoms associated with my condition. It would ease my heart in times of stress, panic attack, anxiety and would control my chest pain and palpitation. Mom and Dad emphasized my medication to my grandfather, who took well note of it.

  . They hugged him then, and I felt like I was gonna cry, but I didn't. I knew it would be hard for them too, and I didn't want to make it any harder.

  “I love you, Mom! I love you, Dad!”

  They each kissed my cheek and I kissed theirs. “We love you too, sweetheart. You take care of each other.” They smiled. For us.

  Grandpa and I waved them off. We walked them to the street where a car waiting for them. Its doors slid to one side to accept their passengers, and the robotic system asked them for the destination.

  They waved with sadness in their eyes as they were taken away, and Grandpa put his hand reassuringly on my shoulder. I usually wasn't a needy kid, but I missed them already.

  The night passed quickly with Grandpa after that. We watched some TV, and he played antique board games with me until I got tired. After a while, he directed me to the guest room where he had everything ready for me. I brushed my teeth with tired eyes and curled up to my knees as I fell asleep.

  * * *

  As I opened my eyes in the morning, I was astonished to find a cat sitting in front of me. It was so adorable, with big, gold eyes and pointy ears with rounded tips, but it didn’t have any fur. Instead, it was all plates of metal. It smiled at me with even teeth, not even jagged.

  I sat up quickly, fully awake. I stared at it, mouth agape.

  “Good morning, Ms. Liu,” it greeted, not as much moving its mouth to speak as it did open and shut its jaw to mimic speech while projecting the sound from some kind of voice bank. However, it managed it; the words came out flowing like from a natural tongue. It didn’t sound as though it was a collection of pieced-together-words at all.

  “Incredible!” I exclaimed. The cat chuckled warmly, its voice elegant and totally charming. It wasn't scary when it laughed like that.

  “You are too kind, Miss. Would you like some classical music to help ease you into this day?” he asked, sitting on his back paws like an ordinary cat.

  “Music? Um, maybe later...First though, can I ask you some questions?”

  “Well, you answered your first question already, Miss. But I will answer any following queries to the best of my ability, of course.”

  I grinned. “You’re so smart! Do you have a name I can call you? Are you like a pet? How did you know my name? Did Granddad tell you who I was?” I asked in an eager hurry.

  “Please, Miss, you’re making me blush,” he said wit
h a smile of his own before moving his paw against his face as if to clean himself. There was no way he would be polishing it, of course. It seemed as though it was just a cat-like behavior for show, if nothing else.

  “My name is Amadeus, after Mozart. I am a companion android, which I suppose is similar to a pet, but I consider myself to be on a more equal footing to the good doctor. He did mention that you would be staying here with him for the next while.”

  “I’ve never met an android that is as clever as you! You seem just like a person! Well, cat... person,” I corrected myself and laughed a bit, grabbing onto my pillow to pull it close to me. I crossed my legs to enjoy this conversation to its fullest.

  “I imagine that’s because I am the cleverest android that currently exists. I am a marvel of science,” he said, and I was sure there was some haughtiness in his tone. “I have a different kind of inner workings than other androids. Usually, they are programmed with exact responses to situations based on a classic copied-and-pasted run-down of codes. You can add responses to their programming but it hardly goes further than that. Even the most advanced AI that currently exists based their thought on preprogrammed information. However, I was built more similarly to the purest ideology of an AI—able to learn as I go from my interactions with the real world. Like a human child might. Dr. Liu calls it R.A.I.R. with a dot after each letter,” he explained clearly.

  “What is R dot, A dot, I dot, R dot, stand for?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes and put my glasses on.

  “I am very glad you asked. R dot, A dot, I dot, R dot, or simply put RAIR, stands for Reasoning Accumulative Intelligence Response. Unlike the myth of AI, ‘Artificial Intelligence’, in which programmers try loading thousands of Exabyte of information onto the cerebral computer of a robot or a machine so that it can mimic the correct human response, the RAIR system is infinitesimally smaller than A.I., with codes written within a few megabytes. However, the real beauty of RAIR lies in its function. With RAIR, a robot is born not knowing what to do, or what it should do, but it begins to learn and accumulate knowledge the second that it is born. Thanks to the World Wide Web, a robot with RAIR will learn just how a human would, but at a much more accelerated pace. However, there is only one robot in the world that is currently using this system, and that is me,” Amadeus said, somehow managing a smile.

  I narrowed my eyes. I've read enough books and seen enough shows to be a little suspicious. “All the holo-shows say that you’re gonna hurt people. That’s what AIs usually do. You'd never hurt people, would you?”

  He shook his head and said, “Why would I want to hurt people?”

  “I don’t know why anyone wants to hurt people... It just seems like something I always see happening. Maybe like the people who hurt the aliens? Mom and Dad said it was because they’re scared of them.”

  “I have nothing to fear from humanity. I have no intent to harm. I am equipped with basic stunning equipment though, but that is if I ever need to act as a defensive companion,” Amadeus said.

  “Oh... What do you mean you have nothing to fear? I mean, Granddad said that people nearly ruined the planet. You live here too!” I pointed out.

  “Though that is true, I have seen through your grandfather that humanity is working to correct their mistakes. Harming them would only make the revival process of this planet, my home, more difficult. I act as an aid and a sounding board to your grandfather’s ideas, Miss Liu.”

  I grinned, “Call me Jaika! I’m really glad that you don’t want to hurt people. Do you think Granddad will teach me how you work? I really want to build robots too someday! You seem so cool.”

  “I would bet that he will, but I am complex and intricate, very few people understand how I work. If you really want to learn from him, it may take you much longer than you anticipate.” One of his ears twitched back as though he was hearing something from the other room.

  “I believe that your granddad wishes to inform you that breakfast has been prepared. If you would like to follow me, I can guide you into the kitchen.” The cat walked over to the door and instead of pawing at it like a normal cat, he jumped up to the handle to pull it down and release the hatch. The door swung open with the cat clinging to it before he let go and wandered into the rest of the home.

  In the kitchen, there was the old wooden table that we had all sat on the afternoon before. The window above the kitchen sink showed that the day outside was a dark and dreary one—a normal day anywhere in the world. That day, it wasn't storming so it was a nice change. I missed the sunlight and looked up at the brightness behind the clouds.

  My grandfather had an antique box radio which was different from a normal audio emission. It played out in the room, a little stuffier sounding than I was used to. I was used to the audio waves filling the air from a speaker-spot, but he didn't have one of those. Grandpa seemed to have been a little stuck in the past, but I guess he was happy with what he knew.

  “Ah, there you are! About time you’re out of bed,” my grandpa just teased. He always came across as really grouchy, but I never felt that he was ever really mad. He was only playing. He didn’t want to seem like he was going soft in his old age like a peach.

  I crawled up to the well-set table and looked around in amazement at his spotless kitchen; many different little robotic creations tidying things up, and different machines manually picking up and placing objects around in their right places.

  “Granddad, your place is so great!” I told him.

  Back in my house, we had just had the standard automatic, but nothing was as colorful as all the little robotic hands moving around.

  Amadeus jumped up and sat on the chair beside me, holding himself with clear pride.

  “Well, I’m old and don’t have the back for all these complicated tasks anymore,” he grumbled, but gave me a small wink. I grinned as if I knew his secret.

  “You’re not just lazy are you?” I wondered, calling him out on what I saw. Amadeus laughed. It was so strange to see a cat laugh, but the smile on his face seemed to suit him.

  “Now, Jaika, old people can’t be lazy. We've already worked hard, many cases more than the new generations will ever know. We can only be sore,” he clarified, bringing over a plate of fluffy scrambled eggs and crispy rashers. A little tray of toast was placed on the table by a bouncing little toast-bot. I giggled with amusement at the scene before me and my granddad’s words.

  “It looks great,” I told him, but after a moment I didn’t know if I wanted to eat. “Do you think Mom and Dad are having breakfast in Russia right now?” I asked him.

  His grin faded somewhat, but he let out a small sigh. “Well, they are a few hours behind us. They’re probably still sleeping, you know. We will call them later this afternoon when they are awake,” he said.

  The thought of my parents sleeping in bed made me feel a little bit better. As much as I hated to wait, I could let them sleep, even if I wanted to talk to them right away.

  “Eat, young lady, while the food is hot. Your parents will be fine. If anyone will be fine out there, it will be them,” Grandpa said.

  “I think you are right,” I said with a slight smile on my face, knowing that he meant it.

  Granddad had already started to bite into the egg and took a sip of the orange juice on the table. I picked up my fork and knife and started with the food as well. Once I had the first bite, the flavors warmed me up, and I dug in.

  * * *

  After breakfast, Amadeus told Granddad what I had mentioned earlier—about wanting to learn robotics. When he asked me if this was true, I nodded and told him of my intentions to make my very own android.

  “Well then, I suppose I have no choice but to show you around the workshop. Be careful not to touch anything though. Some of the equipment down there is quite dangerous,” he said it as though it was a heavy burden, but I think he was pretty happy to show it to me.

  As my granddad stood up from the seat in the kitchen, an android came across to tidy up the mess l
eft behind us. Amadeus followed Granddad quickly, but I paused to watch the androids work. I nearly missed the turn that my granddad took to go towards a door in one corner of the living room.

  “Your grandmother and I used to come down here all the time to work on projects. It was a beautiful dream come true, working with your Grandma Jing,” my grandfather told me.

  I didn't remember much of my grandmother. I was only five when she died. I didn't really understand what it all meant then. At seven, I felt so much older and wiser about the world.

  Despite my knowledge, I couldn't think of something to say. I could tell that my granddad missed my grandma a lot. Even after her death, the love he had for Grandma Jing was clear, clear for anyone that would hear him talk about her.

  Beyond the door was a stairway down into a basement area. As we descended the stairs, the lights beyond us were lit up, and the room came to life.

  Everything was illuminated in clean white light. There was a static-proof matt on the floor in a fun, colorful design, greeting us at the landing. Most of the tables were set up against the wall, but there were a few in the middle of the room, allowing for someone to be working between different sections at the same time.

  All along the tables were various different tools and devices that were being worked on. The walls were covered in different blueprints, some of which were even framed. Shelves of complicated books and manuals were on display, which was quite impressive considering that we didn't use any paper in schools any more. I even saw the design for the disposal system that everyone used.

  The fresh smell of a greenhouse wafted out from further in, where there were past long plastic sheets. The sheets were holding a foggy mist that I was told maintained the temperature perfectly in that room. Androids came in and out of the greenhouse, tending to what seemed like an extensive garden, bursting with life.