by Alex Schuler
“Ted! Stop!” Sam glanced over at the bartender. Stacey was at the other end of the bar, doing her best to act like she wasn’t listening to their conversation. “I’m not here for the papers, Ted. I’m here because I’m concerned about you. You were such a wreck that night in the hospital. You’re talking to the tortoise, remember? The master at retreating into a shell. . . . Talk to me.”
“Where do I begin?” He took a sip of whisky and winced. As he slid the glass away, he looked down at the scar on the palm of his left hand. The injury from the Where2 accident was almost a mirror image of the wound he’d gotten from crashing Frankie in the desert. He looked back and forth between the two scars before clasping his hands together, tears welling up. “That accident left me broken, Sam. I was embarrassed and ashamed. I couldn’t face you. So many people died that night. That baby girl. Her . . . her cries were terrible. I still hear them. I tried, Sam. I had her in my arms. I tried.”
Sam leaned forward and flung her arms around him. He pulled her close, resting his cheek on her shoulder. Her scent brought with it a flood of emotion. He squeezed her tightly, so grateful to be embracing her once again. He wiped his eyes dry and pulled away, leaning back on his barstool.
“You did what you could,” she said. “You tried to save her.”
“It wasn’t enough.” He chugged back the last of his whisky. “And it never should have happened.”
“But Ted, you weren’t at fault. Nobody could have avoided that crash. I’ve read the reports. The black box data from all three vehicles proved it. The guy in front of you wasn’t in the driver’s seat. The guy behind you had turned off Autopilot. Your car didn’t know what was coming. Sensors can’t see around corners and through trees or buildings. They’re no different than humans in that regard.”
“It was my fault! I rushed the testing. And you always said the self-driving car should be smarter than a human. It should be the best driver. The hardware couldn’t see ahead. But the software should have known we were heading into a blind corner and were completely boxed in. The car should have forced me to slow down well below the speed limit, just to be safe. By the time I took over, there was nothing I could do.” He stared across the bar, his words bringing him right back to that night. “Four people died, Sam. All those years working with you at GSI and we never once killed or even injured anyone. My . . . my arrogance killed those people.”
He lowered his head and closed his eyes as the minivan’s deafening explosion flashed to mind. He turned to Sam and said, “They are right to be bringing me to court.”
“I told you, Ted, the data will show you weren’t at fault.”
“We’ll see if the courts agree.” He reached over and held her hand. “I also have the minor issue of the data theft. I’m sure GSI is planning to hang me out to dry.” He sighed and stared at his glass. “One . . . one lawsuit at a time, I guess. Right?”
“Maybe not.”
“Why . . . why would you say that?”
“Well, if GSI acquires Where2, they’ll get all their technology back in house. Maybe they’ll even drop the lawsuit.”
“If they acquire . . .” He leaned forward and looked at her grin. “What makes you think that will happen?”
“Lori and I have been talking. Apparently, the acquisition is all the buzz around the Where2 offices.”
“Interesting.” He rubbed his eyes and sighed. He tried to imagine a scenario where, even with an acquisition, Vin and Matthew would not seek retribution. “I . . . I can’t think that far ahead.”
“You’ve gone through a lot.” She reached over and ran her fingers through his hair, flipping back the lock dangling in front of his eyes. “So, what will you do when all this is over? What’s next for the brilliant Ted Wolff with two ‘F’s?”
“You know me, always looking ahead.” He smiled and winked at her.
The music faded, with just a hiss from the jukebox, and the bar became eerily quiet. He watched as Stacey organized the racks of bottles and glasses behind the bar.
“Oh, yeah?” Sam leaned back on her stool and let her eyes study his face. “I’ve only heard one rumor.”
“Rumor? Does nothing stay secret in this town?” He shook his head and sighed. “What have you heard?”
“Something about a new EV company. Is . . . is it true?”
“Assuming my investors fall in line, then yes.”
“Ted! That’s fantastic! So, you’re planning to take on Tesla?”
“Not quite. Remember how we always said the adoption of autonomy should begin with the taxi and trucking industries?”
“Yes.”
“That’s going to be our target—trucking and shipping. We’re going to build trucks and vans in all shapes and sizes. Highly modular. Fully autonomous. Tesla can have the luxury car market to itself. We’re going elsewhere.”
“I’m impressed, Ted.” She draped her hand on his shoulder. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. It all hinges on what happens with the trial. The . . . the manslaughter trial. My investors have no intentions of admitting their involvement publicly unless the trial ends in my favor. Only then can we move forward.”
“I’m glad you’ve got people who still believe in you.” She squeezed his hand and smiled.
“Me, too.” He was surprised at how well his conversation with Sam was going. It brought him back to old times—better times. “It’s not the only thing on my plate.”
The jukebox suddenly went silent. Stacey was in the process of turning it off and powering it down. Ted glanced up at the dartboard clock hanging above the music player. It was just past 11:00 p.m.
“Remember our discussions on the Vernor Vinge essay?”
“The one about AI replacing humans?” Sam laughed and shook her head in bewilderment. “What does that have to do with . . . Wait. Don’t . . . don’t tell me you truly believe AI will evolve to replace us.”
“Not physically. But intellectually? Think about it, Sam. From chess games to self-driving cars, AI continues to get smarter. It can do things better than we can.” He noticed Stacey making her way toward them. “You have to stop and ask yourself where and how it ends.”
She was about to respond, when Stacey collected their empty glasses and began wiping the bar top clean. She smiled at them and said, “I need to close up.”
A shot glass with a paper receipt was resting on the counter in front of Stacey. Ted retrieved it and, after giving it a quick scan, pulled a one-hundred-dollar bill from his pocket, and slid it inside the glass. He passed it back to Stacey, “Keep the change.”
“So, I’m guessing you’ve already figured out the end game,” Sam said. “Care to tell me?”
“I don’t know how it will end, Sam. Nobody does. That’s what my other project’s about.”
The interior lights flashed on and off, startling both Ted and Sam. He glanced at the far end of the bar. Stacey was hastily emptying the cash register. One of the busboys was standing in the doorway that led to the storage room. He had his hand on a bank of light switches.
“We need to go,” Ted said.
He slid off his barstool and took Sam by her waist, leading them to the front door. His hip had been damaged in the accident, causing a very minor limp. The awkward gait was one that he would keep with him for the rest of his life. He’d gotten good at hiding it, but halfway across the restaurant, Sam stopped abruptly.
“Are you limping?” she asked.
“It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be fine.” He shifted his weight slightly to get his balance by leaning against her. “Thanks.”
Once outside, the Donovan’s Pub sign went dark and the deadbolt to the entrance clanked loudly behind them. The building was shielding them from the wind as they stood in the doorway.
“So, what’s this new AI plan you’re cooking up?” she asked. “Some fancy new hardware l
ike an advanced lidar system?”
“The opposite.” He chuckled. “The future’s in software, Sam. Something I learned from you.”
“Well, my digital gimbal did come close to kicking your ass at DARPA.”
“It did.” He shared a laugh with her. “And every major advancement we made at GSI came down to the software. The same at Where2. The AI engine was the key. The hardware was always secondary.”
They stepped off the curb and followed the walkway to the parking lot. The farther they got from the building, the stronger the wind became. Ted shoved his hands deep into his pockets. As they crossed the lot, he felt his fingers slide against the scars on his legs and, again, his mind filled with the image of the exploding minivan. He did his best to shake it off.
“I’m building an AI engine,” he said. “That’s my new project, Sam.”
“Is it another funded partnership?”
“No. This . . . this is all me. I want to build the most advanced AI engine the world has ever seen. This won’t be limited to self-driving technology. It will be . . . bigger.”
“Sounds ambitious, Ted.” She watched him rub his injured legs. “But when has that stopped you before?”
“I’m just looking ahead. AI’s the future.”
“If you aren’t getting funding, then how—”
“No more questions, Sam. Not tonight.”
“Sure.” She smiled and nodded. “Another time, maybe.”
They started to walk again, doing their best to deal with the blustery wind rushing along the side of the restaurant. Ted noticed Sam clutching the divorce papers with both hands. He gently tapped the envelope and she looked up at him. “Everything’s signed, Sam. But, I . . . I don’t want this to be the end for us. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too. These papers can wait. No rush, right?”
“Right.”
“Besides, we have a lot of catching up to do. I have a million questions about this AI future of yours. And your new EV company.” She glanced around the empty parking lot. “Where’s your car? On the other side?”
“No, I took a Lyft here. I’ll get another one home. Where did you park?”
“I’m out back around the corner.”
They walked along the side of the pub. The last set of lights inside the building went out. Sam wrapped her arms across her chest to stifle the wind. Ted instinctively put his arm around her and pulled her close. Having spent so many months alone, it felt good to have someone support him. Not just someone. Sam.
“How’s your family doing?” she asked.
“They’re fine. My mom freaked out about the accident and wanted to come and take care of me. I haven’t told them about the divorce, though. I know that won’t go over well. My dad’s upset about the firing and lawsuit, but he told me he trusts I will land on my feet. How’s Dani doing?”
“She’s good. She asks about you.”
“I missed her birthday in December. She turned twelve, right?”
“She did. We didn’t expect you to remember, Ted. That was shortly after the accident.”
“No, Sam. There’s no excuse. I haven’t been there for her. Or for you.”
Once they reached the back of the building, the rear door of the pub flung open. Stacey and the rest of the crew filed out, ignoring Sam and Ted. He noticed a pearl white Tesla Model S parked in a corner beneath a lamp post.
“Is that yours?” he asked Sam.
“I picked it up a few months back as a Christmas gift to myself.”
“Wow, look at you buying such a fast, powerful car. My little tortoise got herself a rocket sled.”
“That’s not why I bought it. I wanted to go green.” She paused a few feet from the sleek five-door and let her eyes wander across the sculpted forms. A smile spread across her face. “I do have to admit it’s kind of a blast to drive. Responsibly, of course. Never too fast.”
“Never.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Admit it, Sam, a bit of me rubbed off on you.”
“Maybe. But just a bit.” Her smile faded as she looked at the envelope in her hands. She turned and looked up at him. “We . . . we were a good team. Weren’t we?”
“We were.”
She opened the driver’s door of her car and tossed the envelope inside, before gently taking Ted’s hands, rotating his palms face up. She angled them to get a look at his matching scars which she softly kissed. One, then the other.
“I miss you, Ted. I miss what we once had.”
He stared into her eyes. Even in the harsh light beaming down from the lamp post, her eyes glistened. He felt a lump in his throat as he recalled the day he first saw her—the baseball cap—aviator sunglasses—her long blond hair in a ponytail.
“When Kyle flew us to Reno, we talked about the future. You told me how you wanted to build a better world for Dani. It was specifically for her. I never understood why at the time.” He leaned forward, tilted his head down, and kissed Sam on her cheek. “I do now.”
“Maybe that’s what the second ‘F’ in your name is for.” She grinned as she flicked his lock of hair away from his eyes. “‘F’ is for ‘finally.’ You finally figured it out.”
“Right.” He laughed and pulled her into his arms. “Some things can’t be rushed. I learned that from a beautiful woman.”
He rocked her back and forth in his arms, quietly taking in the comfort of being near her. The warmth of her body pressed against his. He didn’t want to let go.
“Can I drive you home?” She asked, her face buried in his chest. “We can crack open a bottle of wine. Or whisky, if you prefer.”
“Don’t you need to get back to Dani?”
“She’s staying with friends. Girls’ sleepover party.”
“She’s at that age already, isn’t she?”
“They grow up fast, Ted. We all do.”
He ran his fingers through her hair as she tilted her head back. He slid his hand across her cheek, gazing into her eyes, then leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips.
“Not everyone, Sam. Some of us take a bit longer.”
***
Alex Schuler Collection
(Science Fiction and Action-Adventure)
ISBN: 978-1-933769-82-0
In a near-future world dominated by artificial intelligence, the country’s leading scientist has programmed “ethics” into the decision-making of all machines, but when his algorithm finds that he is a threat to mankind, he must go on the run (and off the grid) to escape execution.
ISBN: 978-1-933769-90-5
In a continuation of the Code Word series, when a nefarious military team activates a new AI to retake control of the weapon systems, a team of hackers must help the Organites escape before they are exterminated.
ISBN: 978-1-933769-86-8
When a group of parents and children are sucked into an actual Dungeons and Dragons adventure, a father must resolve his own anger and guilt to reconnect with his son and survive the adventure.
ISBN: 978-1-933769-88-2
Mankind must put aside its deep divisions and come together to face an AI-driven network that threatens humanity’s very existence. But when an attempt to use EMP technology to stop all computers fails, our motley group of heroes must enter the network itself to destroy the enemy from within.
ISBN: 978-1-64630-038-9
In a continuation of the Code Word series, the battle between humanity and the AI is interrupted by the invasion of our solar system by a Von Neuman Machine.
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