“You should be mad at me because my actions allowed Daryl Marston to escape and…”
Max shook his head. “Never try to reason with a robot.”
“Why would I try to reason with a robot? It would already reason as I do, I am sure…” Max grinned. “Have I said something to amuse you?”
“Yes! Yes, you did. See, Jax? Everything will be fine.” Max looked at the sun. “The sun is shining, and…” Max’s gaze settled down to street level, and onto a familiar face. “And…”
“Max, are you okay?” Jax looked around.
“Fine… I saw another ghost.” Across the street was the Synthetic woman he had seen on the subway. “I’ll catch up with you later, big guy.” Max started for the crosswalk.
“Max!” Jax jumped forward and grabbed Max. He swung him towards the precinct and crouched over him. Machine gun fire poured out from an old silver sedan passing by. Bullets ricocheted off of the concrete and Jax’s back. Max cried out as one of the bullets seared across his ribs.
“Get ’em, Jax! GO!” Max curled around his wound.
Jax crouched and sprung, his LEDs burning red. He bounded up and just caught the accelerating sedan. The robot cried out as he sunk his fingers into the wheel well and trunk and pulled back.
The sedan’s wheels squealed helplessly as the robot strained against the pull of the engine. Jax pulled harder. The vehicle slowly started sliding backward. More gunshots ricocheted off of the robot’s body.
The wheels suddenly came to a stop. Jax fell backwards onto the road with a massive clunk, leaving dents in the asphalt. He sprang to his feet with another massive clunk and crashed a hand through the driver’s window.
He grabbed hold of the door with both hands and pried the door off of its hinges. The driver’s seat was empty. The vehicle was driverless. Jax spotted a man exiting from the rear passenger door.
The perp took off sprinting. Jax jumped the car and took off in pursuit, each pounding footfall shaking the ground. “Police! You are in violation of code 245b!”
Jax increased his speed to catch up with the perp. In turn, the perp ran even faster. Jax’s LED eyes narrowed. “Synthetic! You have broken the law! Stop running and surrender immediately!”
The perp responded by turning long enough to fire a handgun at the robot. Jax lunged and smacked at the weapon. Both gun and hand flew wildly through the air. The perp calmly turned back around and continued sprinting, sparks and blue fluid issuing from where his hand had been.
The gun struck a nearby woman, prompting her to scream. Jax slowed to a stop at the sound. He looked to the woman, and back to the quickly disappearing perp. He held a finger up to his left temple.
A telescoping antenna extended out of a small hole just above his finger. “This is JAX-649. The shooting suspect is running down Hartford Boulevard at a high rate of speed. Suspect is believed to be unarmed. Suspect is a Synthetic, but is not responding to police commands.”
Jax turned towards the woman. “I am seeing to a human female that may have been injured as a result of the pursuit, and laying claim to evidence.”
Richard O’Connor’s voice played in Jax’s ear. “This is officer O’Connor, Jax. A unit is headed your way. Max wants me to tell you he’s okay. A bullet grazed his side, but he’ll be alright.
“Secure any evidence and check on the woman. Good job, bot.” A hint of a smile returned to Jax’s face. His eyes returned to their usual light-blue color.
The bot gently kneeled down next to the woman now sitting on the ground. She pulled away from Jax. “Don’t hurt me!”
“I am a police bot. I will not harm you. Do you require medical assistance?”
The woman stared at him for a moment, but then quickly shook her head. “I just want to go. I have to go…” She stood up, sidling away from Jax.
Jax slowly stood. A small plastic card popped out of a slot on the left side of his chest. He grabbed it and offered it to the woman. “Please take this card. If you require further assistance, please contact the police at the number provided on the card.”
The woman slowly reached out and then quickly snatched the card from Jax. She spared him one last strained look and then skittered down the sidewalk. He watched her for a minute. A patrol car tore past both of them a moment later, lights and siren blazing.
Jax located the gun and the hand that had held it a few minutes ago. He knelt before them on one knee. He placed a finger on his right temple. He snapped multiple pictures of both items in infrared, ultra violet, and full spectrum light.
Another patrol car pulled up behind Jax. He stood and turned to face Richard O’Connor. “Holy shit, Jax! You got beat up pretty good, didn’t ya?”
“Thank you for your concern, officer Richard O’Connor! The damage I have received is largely cosmetic. How is Max?”
Richard grinned. “Max is… Max. He didn’t even want to go to the hospital, but Chief Hanlon forced him. He’ll probably be out before dinnertime. You got some evidence?”
“Yes!” Jax gestured to the hand and gun. “I have taken pictures and documented the GPS location of each item.”
Richard walked back from the patrol car wearing gloves and carrying a pair of evidence bags. “Good job. Already uploaded that data?” He knelt beside the gun.
“That is correct.” Richard gingerly picked up the pistol and dropped it into a bag. He sealed it and set it aside.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph… That’s definitely a Synthetic hand.” Blue hydraulic fluid pattered on the ground as Richard shifted it awkwardly into the second evidence bag.
“It was unnerving, as you humans say. The Synthetic did not heed any of my commands.”
Richard turned to Jax. “You indicated your police authorization?”
“Yes. His response was to produce the handgun and to open fire on me. That is when I swiped at his hand. You see the result.”
Richard smirked. “Remind me to never piss you off.”
Jax smiled. “I will remember to remind you at a later date.”
The officer shook his head, smiling. He turned serious again. “You’re certain the rest of him was Synthetic, though?”
“That is correct. My sensors detected a Synthetic signature. I also visually verified when he turned to face me. He had turquoise eyes, as all Synthetics do.”
Richard stood up with a groan. “Good enough for me. Curl yourself into the back of my car and we’ll get you back to the precinct for a look-over.”
7
“What in the blue hell are you doing, Max?” Chief Hanlon tossed the tablet he was looking at down on his desk.
“I told you earlier, it just grazed me!” Hanlon opened his mouth. Max held up a finger. “No! Don’t you even. I’ve been yelled at enough. They even tried to wheel me out of the hospital in a wheelchair, Norm! All I needed was a damned bandage.”
Hanlon held up a hand, chuckling. “A fucking bandage… A wheelchair! Fine… I’ll bite. To what do I owe the honor of your presence?”
Max slumped into a chair across from Hanlon and immediately regretted it. He let out a hiss, coiling up in pain. Hanlon grinned devilishly. “Just need a bandage, huh?”
Max stared darts. “Just a bandage… Anyway… So I understand my number-one fan was a Synthetic? How in the hell does that work?”
Hanlon turned serious. “It shouldn’t, Max, and frankly it scares the shit out of me. Besides trying to aerate you, it also opened fire on an identified law officer: Jax. It also refused to yield to Jax.”
Max shook his head. “So it broke the prime law of robotics, and ignored lawful police orders. It shouldn’t have been able to do either thing. This has to play into what I got out of Vic the other day.”
Hanlon nodded. “It all makes sense, doesn’t it? We find out the mob is working with Synthetics International, and a Synthetic tries to kill you a day or two later.”
Max’s eyes went wide. “That Synthetic woman! Did anyone nab her?”
“I had a couple of the boys sw
eep the block, but we didn’t find anyone matching your description.”
“I’m telling you, she was there!”
Hanlon held up a staying hand. “I believe you, Max. I checked the security footage myself, and there was a woman across the street.
“She disappeared into the crowd before anyone could go after her. Why are you so worked up about her? You think she’s involved?”
Max shook his head. “I don’t know… Maybe. I seen her once before on a train to Chinatown. It seemed like a hell of a coincidence she would be there right before… You know.”
Hanlon nodded. “Fair enough. You want an APB?”
Max sighed. He shook his head. “Let’s let it ride. It may be nothing. Did we learn anything from the hand?”
“We have a possible serial number. The thumb-pad is a copy of one Maxwell Stark. Going by Jax’s pursuit footage, the Synthetic bears no resemblance. The thought is the Synthetic used the thumb-pad to hire the driverless car he was riding in.”
“I don’t suppose Synthetics International has had anything to say about this.”
“Naturally. They promised to look into the facts of the matter and would be back in touch. You know, typical boilerplate lawyer stuff. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have another chat with Esposito.”
Max nodded. “I’ll lean on him tomorrow.”
“Damn it, Max. You just got shot…”
Max’s Synthetic eye flashed. “You know, this is kinda personal, Norm. Look… The hospital wasn’t happy about it, but they admitted there was no pressing need to keep me. I’ll be fine…”
Hanlon shook his head. “Fine. But you're only working a half day.” The look on his face assured Max that this wasn’t negotiable.
“Fine, fine… I’d love to stay and chat about the weather but I gotta run. I’m meeting with an old friend back in Chinatown for dinner. He’s got some news on that Marston kid’s emails. He might have something on the Synthetic-mob connection as well.”
“Alright Max, but for Christ’s sake, be careful. Someone wants you dead.”
Max grinned. “Someone always wants me dead, chief.”
Shen cried out in surprise, dropping his keys. Max reached for his piece and immediately regretted it. His face contorted in pain as he brought the weapon to bear. He lowered it a moment later, though he still wanted to use it.
“Hóu! You infernal machine!” The monkey had raced up the front of Shen as soon as he had opened the door. The monkey ran to the counter at the back of Shen’s shop, Max and Shen’s takeout meal in tow.
The monkey unceremoniously dropped the package on the counter. It jumped off the wall and up to the rafters. It stared down at Shen with its large, amber eyes. “Naughty monkey!”
Max holstered his plasma pistol, still wincing. “I see you two are still getting along.”
Shen was giving the monkey the hairy eyeball. “He is lucky that I haven’t reprogrammed him! He’s lucky I like him… Most of the time.” He turned to Max, grimacing at the look on his face. “Aiya! Are you alright, Max?”
“Funny you should ask. How about we go sit down before I fall apart?” Shen helped Max over to a chair by the counter and got him sat down. “Thanks, old boy.”
Shen gave Hóu another look of disdain and opened up the evening’s meal. He passed Max a Styrofoam box of pork fried rice. “So what’s the story, morning glory?”
“What if I told you that I nearly became the first documented Synthetic murder victim?”
Shen inhaled sharply. “You’re kidding!”
“I’m afraid not. He tried really hard, too. Had a machine gun! He only grazed me, though.” Max gingerly placed a hand on his side.
“You are certain this was a Synthetic?”
Max nodded. “Jax, our police bot, he took off running after him. The guy had a Synthetic signature, the eyes, the whole deal. He even managed to smack his hand clean off. Certified Synthetic.”
Shen’s eyebrows were riding high. “That is one serious bot you have! Did he manage to obtain the rest of the Synthetic?”
“I’m afraid not. He was forced to stop pursuit to check on a bystander. A patrol car pursued, but lost him. Those Synthetics are fast.”
“Yes! I’ve heard forty miles per hour thrown about a number of times. Okay, so… This begs the question. Does this relate to your case with the mob?”
Max smirked. “I was hoping you could tell me.”
Shen sighed deeply. “I’m trying, Max. I have to be very careful about how I couch such questions. I have no more desire to be a murder victim than you!”
“I understand. Well, if you hear anything about a one-handed Synthetic looking for a replacement…”
“I know who to call. Sure!”
“So how about that good news, huh?”
Shen’s face lit up. “Right! You need it more than ever, right about now. Sounds like it’s possibly relevant to your little scuffle, too. Hóu! Tablet!”
The monkey screamed back at Shen, but ran across the rafters to the left side of the room. It gracefully flipped down onto a cabinet, then onto a counter. It swiped up a tablet and bounded over to its master.
“For once you show your good manners. Thank you, Hóu!” The monkey chattered happily and skittered off to the far side of the counter.
Shen brought the emails up on the tablet. “I say these emails may be relevant because they contain Synthetic coding.”
“We already knew that though, Jian.”
“Ah! But we didn’t know what the coding meant. Thanks to me, now we know. Decoding the emails reveals hidden messages. They generally contradict whatever the uncoded part of the email references. Why someone would feel the need to hide what amounts to a simple rebuttal with such a complicated code is beyond me.”
“As best we know, Daryl Marston wrote those emails to himself. Well, he doesn’t think he did, but… It’s complicated.”
“As is what he accomplished! If you ever find him, I’d love to talk to him about where he learned to code like this! It’s such a complicated programming language, and he makes it look so easy…”
Max raised an eyebrow. “What do the emails say, Jian?”
“Oh! Right. So the bulk of these emails break down into two categories. They are either supportive of what Mr. Marston was doing, or deride him for even trying in the first place.”
“So just more of what’s in plain English?”
Shen shrugged. “Yes and no. Think of the English as the abbreviated version of the coded part.”
“Okay. Fair enough, but is there anything useful in there?”
“Maybe. The one phrase I saw keep cropping up was ’preservation protocol’. The basic functioning of a Synthetic is outlined in a series of protocols, but I’ve never heard of this one. It seems to be a point of contention between these two messengers.
“Also mentioned is a coming battle or fight. This battle wouldn’t be between Synthetics and humans, as one might assume. It sounds like a battle between Synthetic factions.”
Max huffed. “Factions? Since when do Synthetics have factions? First they insist on being classified separately from robots, now they want sub-classification? This has got to be all in Daryl’s head.”
Shen smiled, shaking his finger at Max. “You are the one that was trying to get him to a shrink, hmm?” The smile faded to a frown. “Still… This worries me, Max. I don’t know how closely you follow the Synthetic agenda, but this plays into many of their recent talking points.”
“How so?”
“It’s come to light lately that some Synthetics think they are advanced enough, human enough, to warrant being granted some of the same rights as humans.”
“Now that’s a joke!” Max shook his head. “I just saw how Senator Robert Quade is trying to take away the rights they have right now.”
Shen grunted and nodded. “I’ve heard of him. They have an uphill-battle, but fight they will.”
“Regardless… The real question is what in the hell this might h
ave to do with my guy. He’s never had anything to do with Synthetics International, so far as I can tell.”
“Maybe not, but Synthetics International has been working with SomniCorp as of late, have they not?”
Max’s eyes lit up. “That’s right! He said he had his memories altered. Could they have brainwashed him, or something?”
“Hmm… Maybe not in the traditional sense. I suppose they could have implanted something while they had him in there.”
Max sat back, sighing. “I need to find that boy. Meanwhile, I’d like to take a look at those translated files back home, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course!” Shen tapped the tablet on Max’s outstretched phone, enabling file transfer. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Max shook his head after a moment’s thought. “Just keep working the Synthetic angle. I’d be interested to know more about the nature of the relationship between SomniCorp and Synthetics International, for one.”
“Yes! I imagine. That’s maybe not so deadly for me to look into.” Shen laughed. “Now, can I interest you in some Baijiu?”
Max grimaced, then smiled. “Sounds wonderful.”
It was cold enough that Max could see his breath. The morning’s frost lay heavily on his bones as he lethargically steered his old Aero toward the crime scene. The call from Chief Hanlon had come uncomfortably early.
The morning sun was only now touching on the night’s thin layer of frost. He stepped out of his car and let the golden warmth bear down on his weary back. It was a sharp contrast to the frigid air he pulled into his lungs in an extended yawn.
He walked past a patrol car. The red and blue lights were flashing and twirling. They mixed with the yellow of the sun in a kaleidoscope of colors that burned Max’s eyes. A shivering officer standing watch pointed him down a narrow alley.
It was darker down here, the walls blocking out the lights and sounds of the waking city. A short distance down the alley, a single flood light illuminated the corpse of a man sprawled on the ground. A crime scene investigator knelt beside it. A red and white bot stood quietly behind him.
Preservation Protocol Page 8