Santos squeezed his hand - she could see he liked her touch - and whispered, "I tell you what Professor, how about after this, you pop into my quarters and you don't leave until we've figured all this out?"
Skinner's eyes widened, and he turned to look the beautiful Doctor Santos in the eyes. His concern evaporated, and a broad smile crossed his face.
"You know Eva, out of all the wild things I've heard today, that's definitely the one I like the best. It's a deal. Now let's get this thing over with."
Santos and Skinner turned back to Becker, and reluctantly their hands fell apart. Skinner found himself grinning inanely at the doctor. Despite the chaotic last-minute dash and the 'through the looking glass' experience, he was really starting to enjoy this trip.
Becker beamed at the group, as behind him the floating icons disappeared, leaving a single 3D cube spinning in space a few feet in front of the group. As they watched red, blue, green, yellow and then orange cylindrical shapes popped into view around the cube while the words behavioural traits and responses appeared in a bubble below. Silver ropes of light stretched out to connect the cylinders to the cube and the silver ropes started pulsing, each at different speeds and intensities. Within seconds the animation stopped and the floating text changed to read "Behavioural responses and social traits acquired".
With a now familiar 'pop', the pulsing cube disappeared, replaced by the outline of a human form. Santos squinted. It looked like a child, or a small female perhaps? As they watched, the outline sharpened, more detail emerged. It was as if an invisible artist was painting on fast forward. Less than a minute later, the group were looking agog as a pretty young Japanese woman floated in front of them. She blinked slowly and smiled demurely back at them. She was wearing chic designer glasses and a dark jacket and skirt. Hill gazed, dumbfounded by what he'd just seen. She actually looked a little like one of the paralegals back in his San Francisco office.
The words In-Game Character Assigned appeared above the smiling woman, and the screen snapped back to the same baffling combination of circles, lines and numbers they'd first observed.
Becker turned from the screen, beaming with pride and anticipation.
"What you've seen is a new life being inserted into the game. Now - of course - the animations and visuals you've just seen are to help you understand the process. Most of the time, this all happens as algorithms and artificial intelligence. Indeed, that's what's happening right now..."
Becker swept a hand over the kaleidoscope of swirling shapes and lines on the giant screen.
Santos glanced at Harper, Hill and - beside her - Ben Skinner.
The first two men looked lost in the theatre of it all - absorbed entirely in Becker's demonstration. Hill's bubbling frustration had been replaced by a childlike wonder while Harper beamed a broad white, perfectly aligned smiled at the screen. It seemed a little odd to Santos that a hard-nosed corporate lawyer and a powerful chief executive could be so easily entranced by all this. There was no doubt it was a truly remarkable experience, but Santos couldn't shake the feeling that it was a little too ... rehearsed.
Santos dwelled for a moment on the tall, handsome CEO. She had to admit he looked pretty good from a distance, maybe - if he kept his mouth shut - he'd be a pretty good catch for someone. Actually, maybe not, Santos thought again as he watched Harper babbling to an obviously tuned-out Hill. A guy like Harper needs a complete personality transplant, Santos smiled to herself. Maybe that was something Doctor Becker could help with.
Santos then turned to Skinner, their shoulders almost touching. The grim look on the professor's face was in stark contrast to the others. He seemed lost in thought, his frown creating a sharp line above the bridge of his nose while he absent-mindedly gazed at the giant screen.
Becker's voice, loud and lisping, caught the attention of the group. Heads swivelled in unison to watch the flamboyant doctor speak.
"What you've just witnessed - albeit with a little polish to make it fun - is the birth of a new virtual player. We've used the animations to help visitors such as yourselves get a clearer understanding of the process, but what you've just seen is very real. That young Japanese woman has now entered the iSight 3 world, with a full backstory and a personality that is as human as you or I. She has her role in the game assigned and will behave in any situation as her generated personality dictates. She is - in effect - real."
Santos jumped a little as Skinner forcefully interrupted. "Doctor Becker, who exactly is responsible for building these people? Who decides on their personalities, their ethics, their individualism? Who decides on the roles they are assigned?"
A little taken aback by Skinner's tone, Dr. Becker paused for a second, before responding proudly.
"An excellent question Professor. Of course, the graphics and augmented reality teams may disagree," Becker chuckled to himself at the in joke, unaware of the blank faces looking on. "But in my opinion this is perhaps the single greatest advance we have made with iSight 3. If you had asked me this question two years ago, I would have said that most of the personalities were handcrafted if you will. The more human elements, such as mood, personality and lifestyle preferences, were created by the people in this room."
Becker smiled at the group, warming to the topic. Santos noted that, if anything, Skinner's mood was darkening.
Becker continued, "However, in the last two years we have made enormous strides, and now - as I may have already mentioned - only one in twenty personalities has any human input. In the vast majority of cases, we humans are no longer involved in the process. The iSight artificial intelligence system automates the entire process, generating new virtual players as and when needed, and ensuring that they all fit into the game in the right way. As characters in the game die, as new worlds develop, as the human players preferences change, as new worlds and scenarios evolve, so the iSight system generates characters that fit that need."
Skinner cleared his throat before replying.
"So Doctor Becker, what you are saying is that once this person is ... created ... by the system, they then enter the game and react to situations based on their characters background and personality. No one here plays any role in controlling that characters decisions or actions?"
Becker glowed with pride. "Exactly Professor, you have captured the brilliance of our system. In our game, real and virtual people have become impossible to tell apart. The game is always fresh and never predictable. Every character reacts just as we humans' do - with the same endearing traits and flaws that we all have. It's just like real life - only better!"
As Yui Sakura appeared in his peripheral vision, Skinner responded. "I understand everything you've told us Doctor, and I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say that what you and your team here have built is truly remarkable."
Santos watched as Becker basked in the praise while Sakura edged her way closer.
Skinner continued, "But this level of realism surely brings its risks Doctor. What prevents the extremely violent behaviour needed when playing some of the fantasy role playing elements of the game drifting over into the social elements of the game? Do good people do bad things in this manufactured world? What's to stop players attacking 'real' rather than virtual players?"
Becker nervously glanced at Sakura, before turning back to Skinner. The professor had captured his concerns about the game within hours of arriving. The same nagging fear that had seen him propose a delay to Tanaka, the same issues he'd tried and failed to let Tanaka see, scratched and clawed their way back into his imagination.
Becker glanced again at Sakura, who was glaring at him as if willing him to respond. He turned back to Skinner, the earlier bravado replaced by a subdued, almost conciliatory tone.
"Professor, I can assure you that the game has multiple levels of security and control, and for that I have to acknowledge the work of Mr Harper's company Hartec." Becker nodded to a beaming Harper.
"iSight has social rules and controls built into the game, prot
ecting against the sort of abhorrent behaviour you have described. These rules ensure players - human or non-human - adhere to the community standards we have put in place. Thousands of people in our centres around the world have tested the game over the last few months, Professor, so you can be sure we've made it as safe as possible."
Santos jumped in, all heads turned to the beautiful doctor. Sakura looked ready to stop the conversation at any moment.
"Doctor Becker. Several times now you have described the characters you create as indistinguishable from human, perfect replications."
Becker interrupted. "Not replications, Doctor Santos. Real lives."
"I think you're making my point Doctor Becker. Just like we do, will your characters evolve and change with time? Will they hate? Love?"
Santos was struck with a sudden thought, and continued, "Doctor Becker, can these characters reproduce?"
Sakura stepped forward, ready to interrupt the discussion, but Becker was too engrossed to notice.
"Just as in real life, Doctor Santos, every character we create changes, their personality moulded by their experiences in the game. However, they are unable to reproduce within the game, they can fall in and out of love, even make love, but they can never create life without our input."
Santos nodded sceptically. She noticed that Skinner - their shoulders pressing together now - seemed lost in thought while Harper looked at her as if he had been personally offended by their line of questioning. Santos noticed for the first time that Harper's eyes looked painfully bloodshot, red circles forming where the lenses fit over his retina. Hill was the hardest to read - he'd swung from angry corporate lawyer to excited schoolboy and back again. Right now, he seemed to be listening intently to the conversation as if he couldn't make up his mind what he thought.
Sakura had seen enough. She'd had to leave in a hurry to address the Berlin issue, and had arrived a little later than she'd intended. Clearly the idiot Becker had said too much, and as she looked at the group she could tell there were issues - in particular Professor Skinner and Doctor Santos seemed to harbour serious reservations. She decided it was time to move the group on - she would deal with Doctor Becker later.
"Doctor Santos. Gentlemen - I hope you have enjoyed what you've seen here, and I thank Doctor Becker for his time." Santos noticed that Sakura didn't look in Becker's direction as she spoke. "However, time is pressing, and I'm sure you will want to see iSight's central nervous system - the place where we control the gaming experience and the day-to-day operation of the Sapporo centre. On the corporate videos, it's called our Network Operating Centre but here we refer to it as the NOC."
With that, the beautiful young woman wheeled and paced down the corridor leading out of the VR lab. Harper chased after her, followed closely by Hill. Skinner and Santos trailed behind. As they left, Skinner turned to the rotund doctor and said, "Doctor Becker, I hope I didn't offend you with any of my questions. What you have built here really is quite amazing."
Becker puffed his round chest out. "Oh Professor, if only I could show you how much more there is to this game, I'd have your head spinning for a week."
Skinner smiled and walked side by side with Santos down the corridor. Without turning to face Santos, Skinner talked out of the side of his mouth.
"Eva, I think we have a big problem."
#
12:30pm Thursday, Tanaka's Quarters, Sapporo (Minus 2:30 Hours)
Kaito Tanaka had just completed a call with his Chief Financial Officer in Palo Alto, California. Based on sales of the new iSight 3 lenses and market research performed on their existing iSight 2 users, he excitedly informed Tanaka he was now raising revenue projections for iSight 3 to just over twenty billion dollars in its first quarter.
Using the iSight system, Tanaka flicked distractedly through charts as the man spoke. He found himself drifting off again. Increasingly, he found these discussions boring. He didn't need more money and he certainly didn't need the admiration of others.
Tanaka's melancholy was interrupted by an iSight call from his director of security at the Sapporo centre. He quickly shut down the giddy accountant and flicked over to the security centre.
"I am very sorry to bother you sir, but you asked that I bring any ... unusual conversation ... your guests may have to your attention."
Tanaka nodded, "Yes. Please continue."
"Sir, moments ago one of your guests, Professor Ben Skinner, took part in a conversation over his private cell. We've now traced the call to a Detective Steve Clark in Santa Clara County."
Tanaka leaned forward.
"Continue."
"Sir, perhaps it's best if we replay the conversation in full. Please note that while we can hear anything an iSight 3 player says, it's more difficult for us to pickup the voice on the other end of a cell phone. If Professor Skinner had been wearing the glasses however, we would..."
Tanaka interrupted, clearly impatient.
"Please just play the recording."
"Yes, of course sir."
Tanaka slumped back on the sofa while he listened to Skinner's whispered conversation with the American detective. As he listened, his eyes drifted up to an enormous wall painting of his young wife and teenage daughter frozen in laughter on a Balinese beach. He lazily flicked a finger and the picture smoothly moved into a home video (Tanaka quickly muted the sound) of them playing in the sand.
Tanaka's eyes widened as Skinner set the Detective on a hunt for attacks around WhiteStar centres. Clearly, he'd underestimated the professor. He'd chosen him because he was an academic, yet it seemed the man was a little sharper than he'd expected.
Tanaka was snapped back to the present by the voice in his ear.
"Sir. What would you like us to do?"
Tanaka leaned back, the leather groaning slightly as he sunk in.
"Where are they now?"
"Yui Sakura is leading them from the VR Labs and down to the game immersion area sir."
Tanaka's attention drifted back up at the painting of his family as the video looped back to the start again.
"Tell Sakura the professor is to take part in one of the testing groups."
"Certainly sir. Do you have any preference?"
Tanaka glanced again at his beautiful daughter Shou, as she cartwheeled across the sand and waved at him.
"Yes. Have him take part in conflict."
#
1pm Thursday, Level 5 NOC, Sapporo (Minus 2 Hours)
Skinner and Hill sat silently on a low leather bench facing the elevator they'd exited ten minutes earlier. Ten minutes had passed since they had spilled out onto the fifth floor and Sakura had suggested they all take a bathroom break while she attended to an issue that had arisen.
Skinner was struck again by the reliance on the iSight 3 glasses to navigate the building. This fifth floor was identical to the fourth. The same long white wall and single frosted glass door. As before, a uniformed guard stood behind a low desk observing the visitors.
The experience seen through the iSight 3 glasses however was very different.
The frosted glass door appeared to have "Five [5]" etched into the top of the glass while underneath and just below were the letters "NOC". The long white wall was painted a deep blue (the fourth floor which housed the servers and Becker's VR Lab had been a similarly deep green). Above the long wall stretching to the east and west was a narrower version of the information ticker they'd first seen in the lobby, scrolling through charts on the building's performance and WhiteStar animated brands. Skinner smiled as a personal message of welcome scrolled by - the same thing seemed to happen wherever a virtual screen or display appeared. If he was honest, despite knowing it was a neat little trick of the system which everyone experienced, Skinner was actually growing to like the personal touch.
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