AI Awakening

by Robert Boren

  “The Nanos will escape, although if we’ve got a full battle situation, it’ll be best to strip out of the clothes and put on the helmets as fast as possible.”

  “I’ll bet clothes will restrict the speed,” JJ said. “What’s it like running that fast?”

  “Insane. Can’t wait to ramp it up.”

  “Helmet, remember? Something nasty about brain matter.”

  I chuckled. “Butch does have a way with words. Yes, I’ll wear the helmet next time, and you should too. I think we ought to get used to the full suits as well.”

  “The arms and legs are invisible, and there’s gloves and feet. Did you notice that?”

  “No, I didn’t un-roll mine. I just stashed it in my stateroom.”

  “I looked at mine. Wasn’t expecting that. I would’ve tried it on if we weren’t just dropping things off. Might be better to wear those if we’re in the danger you think we are.”

  “I could be completely wrong about that. Just a feeling.”

  “What does Butch think?” JJ asked.

  “He thinks we ought to investigate. And by the way, the private conversation was initiated by him, not me.”

  JJ froze for a moment. “And there I was, hammering you on it.”

  “You were right to do that, and remember that I control Butch, not the other way around. Not keeping secrets between us is important to me, too.”

  “Why’d you want to come here instead of the New Jersey stateroom?”

  I thought about it for a moment. “To be less predictable. Nolan has this ship under surveillance. It’s the safest place on the New Jersey. Why do you think he’s still sleeping here?”

  “Any other secrets you haven’t told me?”

  I chuckled. “Yeah. I’m having a hard time sitting across the table from you.”

  “Really? We can do something about that. Are we spending the evening here?”

  “What would you like to do?” I asked.

  “Get out of these suits and get into bed.” She stood, peeling off her outer clothes, hands going to the zipper on her neck as I watched. “What are you waiting for, sir?”

  I snapped out of my trance and stood, practically ripping my clothes off. We stood before each other in our suits.

  “Come here,” she said. “In front of the mirror.”

  I laughed, getting next to her, and we gazed at ourselves, side by side, JJ’s arm going around my waist. The suits sculpted us, looking like Grecian torsos in black marble.

  “Wow, we’re looking good, aren’t we?” JJ asked.

  “I like looking at you naked better.”

  “Even with the saggy 40-something breasts and the tummy?”

  “You’re still so beautiful,” I said, turning towards her. She stared into my eyes as she pulled the zipper down from her neck, stepping out of the suit in seconds, her soft round curves showing now.

  “Do I have to keep prompting you?”

  “Oh,” I said, pulling down my zipper, stepping out of the suit, not self-conscious in my nakedness anymore.

  “You’re ready,” she whispered, moving into my arms, the skin on skin feel hitting both of us hard. She released me, and pulled the covers back on the bed. “Get in.”

  I got on the bed, trembling with excitement as I laid on my back. She looked me over, smiling as she got next to me, moving on top, resting herself, finding my mouth for a kiss, our passion taking us in an instant.

  “It’s time.” Her voice was husky, barely above a whisper. She reached between us, finding me ready, moving her hips, putting me at her entrance.

  “You don’t want any foreplay?” I whispered, moaning as we made contact.

  “Later, we’re both ready,” she said, sinking onto me. “Oh, God, that’s better than I expected.” She settled all the way down, shuddering.

  The feeling of her was too much for me, my eyes glassing over as she slowly rose and fell a few times, my hands roaming all over her as we were in a different world, focused only on each other. My hands grabbed her hips, pulling her down harder, lifting her, the shudders leading to screaming, urgent thrusts. I rolled her onto her back.

  “Yes, take me hard,” she cried. “Don’t hold back. We’ve got all night.”

  That pushed me on, and I took her hard and fast, both of us blasting through a climax, then settling, kissing and caressing.

  “That was amazing,” I said, watching her eyes, kissing her gently. “Sorry I didn’t last very long.”

  “Stop saying sorry,” she said, a smile on her lips. “I needed that hard and fast. I needed to know.”

  “Know?”

  “That you’ve taken me. That I’m your woman.”

  “Keep talking like that and I’ll be back at it,” I said, feeling myself swell, still inside her.

  “Oh, I was counting on that,” she said, bucking back at me.

  We made love for more than an hour, slowly, then hard and fast, then slowly again, drifting off to sleep, both out until my PA buzzed. I freed my arm from JJ and looked. It was Butch, asking when I wanted to start the training sessions, sent as a text. I mind-dictated three hours. He sent a thumb-up sign and disappeared.

  “Duty calls already?” JJ asked.

  “Butch. He’s trying to plan the day. Wanted to know when the first training session would be.”

  “What’d you tell him?”

  “Three hours. Think we’ll be ready by then?”

  “It’s possible,” she said, rolling on top of me. “We need to work up an appetite for breakfast.”

  We were in bed for almost an hour, and then got into the cleansing unit together. Then we dressed and headed for the eatery nearby, loading up with breakfast.

  “It feels different now,” JJ said, eyeing me as I finished eating.

  “What?”

  “Duh. Us.”

  I washed my last bite down with orange juice. “Different how?”

  “I don’t know. It’s like you’ve moved from a friend to part of me.”

  I smiled. “We’re in the early stages of our relationship, and just got past an important milestone. We’ve been intimate.”

  JJ laughed. “Talk about a wet blanket.”

  “Oh, I’ve got very romantic feelings about you,” I said, “but you asked me a question. I was answering it logically.”

  “Uh huh. You said I’d give you a run for your money. I’d say that one is mutual.”

  I grinned. “Okay, you’re right. We’re different. We’ve taken the next step, and all we can think about is getting back to it.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “No, but if I took you back to my stateroom again, you’d be all over me.”

  Her face flushed. She was getting ready to fire a snarky comment, but stopped. “You’re right, and you’d be all over me too.”

  “Shall we? I can put Butch off again.”

  She stared at me silently for a moment. “No, we’ve got stuff to do, but once we’re off, you’re all mine. Got it?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  We finished up and went to the New Jersey Bridge. Nolan was there, with Skip and Sondra.

  “How we doing?” I asked.

  “We’re a little faster in this natural worm hole than I expected,” Nolan said. “My initial calculation was three weeks. Now I’m thinking it’ll be more like two and a half weeks.”

  “Good. Think that will translate into additional fuel savings?”

  “Of course,” Nolan said. “Less days of burn, less fuel used.”

  “We’re on a month-long impulse cruise after that, right?” JJ asked.

  “Probably closer to three weeks,” Skip said.

  “Anything we can do to burn less fuel or speed it up?” JJ asked.

  “Not really,” Nolan said. “We’ve optimized that capability a couple hundred years ago, and there’s only so much you can do.”

  “It’ll be good enough,” I said. “Have all of you gotten invites for training with the Nanos?”

  “I was gon
na ask you about that,” Sondra said. “All of us are getting that?”

  “Everybody in the cell will go through it,” I said. “Including the fighter pilots we’ve already given the capability to.”

  We’re still rolling that out to the rest of them, remember.

  Good point, thanks. Will we be able to get everybody trained during the jump?

  Yes, barely.

  I glanced over at JJ, who was staring at me. I smiled, and she seemed to break free of the trance.

  “Sorry,” she whispered after getting next to me.

  “I’m enjoying this. Want to go back to the mustering room for a little more training? We have just enough time before the first students show up.”

  “Sure, but after I get the speed training done, I need to go back and work the refinery equipment. I just lost half a week.”

  I chuckled. “You did, but don’t forget to use Emerald as much as possible.”

  “I doubt I could get it done any other way,” JJ said.

  “You guys are going down to the training room?” Nolan asked. “I think I’m in the first group.”

  “You, Tim, and Izzy,” I said, reading the schedule that Butch put up before me. “Staggered, though. Tim is first, then you, then Izzy.”

  “Can’t wait,” Nolan said.

  I nodded. “See you there.” With that, JJ and I left the bridge, going back to the transport station and grabbing a tin can to the mustering room. Emerald ran JJ through the initial speed training as I grabbed a helmet from the equipment locker.

  Butch, you ready?

  Good, you got a helmet. You should keep this one and bring the other back. From what the documentation says, once these size themselves, they lock in. You haven’t put the one in your room on yet, so it should go to somebody else. I’m letting Emerald know as well, since JJ took one home.

  Thanks. We’ll do that.

  I glanced up at JJ, who was running through the mustering room at incredible speed.

  Wow, she’s going beyond the speed I was yesterday, isn’t she? Why hasn’t Emerald told her to put on her helmet?

  She’s going at the same speed you were. When you guys move at top speed, the human mind won’t comprehend it. You’ll seem to disappear and reappear at the new location in the blink of an eye.

  You’re joking.

  I never joke.

  You are a joke.

  Guess we made a mistake taking those helmets home last night. Good thing I didn’t try it on. By the way, this speed is exhilarating. I can only imagine what full speed will feel like.

  One step at a time, please. Let’s get back to it.

  Put on the helmet, Trey. Let’s get started. You’ve got students showing up in about half an hour.

  I pulled on the helmet, and it sensed the size of my head, adjusting, locking on. There was a moment of panic as it tightened, and I tried to take the helmet off.

  Don’t struggle. Let the helmet size, and then when you want to remove it, use mind dictation. Say remove helmet. It’ll loosen and come right off.

  Thanks.

  I tried to relax, and the helmet finished sizing, a heads-up display showing through my optic nerve.

  Lots of info.

  The helmet is a key part of the system, but most people do better learning the suit and the Nano engagement first. I think the initial helmet fitting scares humans too much. After you go through the suit forming to your body, it’s a little easier.

  This helmet connects to my brain, doesn’t it?

  Of course, but so does the suit, it just uses a less-direct route, and you don’t get the readouts.

  This tells me my health status, my speed, and my position. Nice.

  Male humans view every piece of advanced technology as a new toy.

  Women don’t?

  Not to the same level, although JJ seems to be enjoying the speed training even more than you did.

  So now that this thing is on, I just run?

  JJ will need a rest shortly. Go when she’s resting. You’ll be moving fast enough that she’ll be in danger without her helmet on.

  Heard that. I’m almost done with the first set. Give me another five minutes.

  Four minutes will do.

  I dictated the release command and pulled off the helmet, sitting down on a bench against the wall, watching JJ speed around the room, looking like video fast-forwarding. The four minutes passed quickly, JJ stopping, walking slowly towards the bench I was on.

  “That was fun,” she said, her breath still coming fast. “I could use a rest, but I feel like I could keep going if I had to.”

  After wearing the suit for a while, your body will be in better condition. You won’t wind as easily. Working like this will accelerate that.

  Good to know, thanks. Should I take off to work the refinery system, or stay here?

  Stay here and watch the Captain. You’ll learn from it, just like you did on the low-speed mode. You can take off after that.

  JJ chuckled. “This is called the low-speed mode?”

  Wait till you see what the Captain can do. Ready, Trey?

  I was born ready.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” JJ quipped, looking nervous.

  I put the helmet back on and it fitted immediately, the heads-up display visible after a split-second. “Okay, I think I’m ready. Do I just run?”

  No, speeds 2, 3, and 4 don’t involve conscious effort by your body. The suit takes over, and your body goes along for the ride, basically. Control isn’t as good, and the top two speeds are only for short bursts. You can use speed 2 for longer, but no more than five minutes at a time.

  Why only five minutes?

  Too hard on your body.

  So I just use mind dictation?

  Think where you’re going to go. Then dictate the speed and relax your muscles. It’ll feel strange at first, but you’ll get the hang of it fast.

  I looked at the far wall, which was nearly three hundred meters away, planning to stop under the basketball hoop on the wall.

  Ready. The destination is in my mind.

  Dictate speed 2.

  I did that, and within two seconds I was standing under the basketball hoop.

  “Holy shit!” JJ yelled. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. That was really strange. I’ll return at the next speed. The destination is locked in.” I dictated speed 3, and before I knew it, I was next to JJ. “Hey, baby.”

  Oh, please. You don’t need to show off. I know you bagged her last night.

  That was slightly crude.

  So sue me. Trey, return to the basketball hoop, using speed 4.

  I did the dictation, and just as I was finishing the thought I was already there.

  JJ ran over to me, using the fastest speed she could. “You just disappeared and reappeared here.”

  No, he ran, but it was so fast that you couldn’t see it.

  “What did the other two speeds look like?” I asked.

  “The first one looked like a blur. The second one looked like a streak. Both would look pretty damn scary if you were being hunted by something that fast.”

  “I’m anxious to watch you do it,” I said.

  “Can I try that now, instead of going down to the lab,” JJ asked.

  No, your legs need rest, and they need to set into this. Keep your suit on. We’ll ramp up to the higher speeds tomorrow.

  Okay, then I’m going to the lab. Are you ready to help me with the next step on the refinery system?

  It’s all laid out. Let’s get to work. There’s too much testosterone in here, and it’s gonna get worse when Tim shows up.

  I laughed. “That’s right, all of our students have their AIs
now. Wonder what Tim named his?”

  Don’t ask.

  { 17 }

  Transmissions

  T im took to the training well, not wanting to leave when he was done with the day’s lesson. Nolan analyzed every detail, the conversation between him and Dojo sounding like two brothers. Izzy was bewildered, but took to it well. I had the sneaking suspicion that all of them wondered why I was being so aggressive with the training. I had to tell them, but wasn’t ready yet. Then there was Vermillion. Should I say something to him about my fears, or let Butch find evidence first?

  I heard that. Find the evidence first, but better put him under protection as well. You’re right, if we’re discovered, everybody on your team will be in danger. The Chairman is the only one who won’t be protected.

  How do we handle this? I don’t want to surveil him without an air-tight reason.

  He’d notice if we did. You know that, right? I say we just keep an eye on anybody going to his suite who doesn’t belong, and we go on alert when he leaves. We can use the ship’s video cameras for that.

  Okay. I can do a few more today. How about Andrea, Sondra, and Skip?

  You haven’t looked at your schedule? They’re next up, though not in that order. Sondra first, then Skip, then Andrea. I had them scheduled for tomorrow morning. Want to check with them about this afternoon?

  Yes, send a message, but no pressure, okay?

  Done.

  I leaned back on the bench, my legs feeling sore from my own workouts.

  It’ll get better, trust me. Your muscles and the suit are both in the learning mode still.

  My legs aren’t really moving as fast as they’d need to for the top two speeds, are they? Can’t imagine they could survive that.

  The strides are much wider for speeds 3 and 4. You’re basically jumping, so your legs are moving slower than they do in the slow-speed enhancement and speed 2.

  Ah, so the power of the Nanos is pushing me off on the jumps?

  Yes. Oh, and by the way, the long suits give you a tad more speed. We should start working with them tomorrow.

  My PA buzzed, and JJ’s pretty face showed.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” she asked.

  “Finished with Nolan, Tim, and Izzy. Just sent a message to the next three, to see if they can do this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning.”