Serena stood a short distance from the bed, pacing occasionally. She eventually returned to Daryl’s side, ready to signal for him to be awoken again. Daryl beat her to it. He blinked his eyes and focused them on Serena. “Hello.”
Serena smiled. “Hello, Daryl. Have you finished speaking with Julian?”
Daryl smiled. “I have. He’s nice. I guess it will be okay keeping him around. He promised not to dominate things as we, you know… Combine, I guess.”
“That’s wonderful news! Please understand that it’s in everyone’s best interest if we waste no time in beginning the procedure.“
Daryl nodded numbly. “Yeah… I guess that makes sense. Julian said he worries about being able to keep Jacob under control.”
Serena nodded. “We’re going to put you to sleep one last time, now. You’ll be taken to a special clean room to prevent contamination of your positronic brain.”
“That almost sounds like surgery. Will I be okay?”
“You’re in the best hands, Daryl. Both inside, and outside of your mind.”
“Groovy.”
Serena smirked. She looked up into the darkness and nodded. Daryl stared at the light one last time and then closed his eyes. “Alright. Move quickly. I’m certain Jacob is working overtime to regain control.”
Multiple lights illuminated the room. Two Synthetic men came forward and removed Daryl’s restraints. A third rolled a gurney over. The first two carefully picked Daryl up and placed him on the gurney.
Serena watched Daryl disappear with the other Synthetics through a set of doors at the end of the room. She turned back to the control room. Max nodded to her from behind the glass.
She slipped quietly into the control room. She placed a hand on the shoulder of the Synthetic that had been manipulating Daryl’s multiple personalities. “You did a great job, Eric.”
Eric smiled over his shoulder. “Thanks. It was a little touch and go there for a while. I’ve never seen programming that aggressive. I don’t see how we’re going to crack that guy.”
Serena eyed Max warily. “So, Detective Kincaid… Have we answered any questions for you?”
Max nodded slowly. “I’d say that you did. That was… interesting. He seemed genuinely upset.”
“That’s because he was upset, detective. He is an artificial human in the strongest sense of the term.”
“The other two… do they have this preservation protocol?”
“It is difficult to say. I don’t think that Julian does, but Jacob? I think he may be the reason Daryl has it.”
Max stared out at the doors Daryl had just been wheeled through. “So what happens when you pull this Jacob guy out of Daryl’s head? Does the protocol go with him?”
“Daryl will still have the protocol installed in his brain. As for Jacob… If he was human, his condition would be akin to being comatose. Once we start decompiling his neural network, he will cease to be.”
Max turned to Serena. “That sounds an awful lot like an analog to murder… if he’s truly aware.”
“You’ve decided you care about Synthetics? Perhaps accepted that we can have feelings, awareness?”
“Let’s say I have, for the sake of argument. Let’s also say that Jacob there can be considered a living, conscious being. He is aware of what is happening to him, and that his life will come to an end. How do you square your own beliefs with destroying a conscious mind like that?”
Serena turned back towards the double doors. “Who’s to say that I have?”
Max sat in a chair in the hallway outside of the room Daryl had been taken to after his procedure. Serena chose to stand a few feet away, examining a painting hanging on the wall across from her. Max was examining the ground between his feet, hands clasped.
Serena turned to him. “There are periodicals available to alleviate your boredom, if you’d like.”
Max shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I’m just anxious. It’s a little bit like waiting for a baby to be born, isn’t it?” He smiled at Serena.
“I wouldn’t know.” Max’s smile faltered. “I suppose I can see similarities.”
Max nodded. “We’re awaiting the announcement of a new life. Well, I guess we know it’s a boy, but…” He waved his hand in the air. “Forget about it.”
“You have an interesting relationship with Synthetics, not to mention robots in general.”
“Do my ears deceive me? Did I just hear you lump Synthetics in with robots?”
Serena shrugged. “It’s a common trope that Synthetics are loathe to be compared to robots. It’s merely a wish to be seen as being more… human… than robots. I don’t feel the need to paint a sharp distinction between us and our cousins.”
Max chuckled. “They’re your cousins, now? That’s cute.” The detective became more sober as he considered what sparked the conversation. “You’re right, though. I do have odd feelings about your kind.
“Robots… They don’t have agendas. They don’t have anything to hide. There’s an old saying, they do what it says on the box. They don’t get mad, they don’t lie to you, they only wish to serve and to help.
“Synthetics… Well, they’re a bit closer to humans. They absolutely can get mad. They can and will lie, manipulate. Hell, they’re designed to be indistinguishable from humans. That’s why you have those stunning turquoise eyes of yours, so we can tell you‘re different.”
Serena turned back to her painting for a time. Max stared back at his feet. “Perhaps it is not Synthetics that disturb you. Perhaps it is their human nature.”
Max cocked his head. “I suppose that’s part of it. See, humans are easy to read. Their emotions have a certain kind of rhythm to them. You can see those emotions telegraphed in their facial expressions.
“Synthetics have their emotions programmed into them. It can make them somewhat unpredictable. Kind of ironic. The fact that they’re artificial means they can also keep the perfect poker face. It’s very disorienting for someone like me.”
Serena raised an eyebrow. “Some would say that innate unpredictability is the hallmark of humanness. Perhaps you just don’t like people.”
Max snorted. “You could be onto something.”
The door the two had been waiting by quietly clicked open. A Synthetic in a white clean suit emerged. “Serena, Detective Kincaid… Daryl is conscious and fully functional.”
Serena nodded. “The extraction was successful?”
“Very. The mind of Jacob was isolated and removed. It is intact and in stasis back in the lab. You may enter and talk to Daryl, if you wish.” The Synthetic nodded to Serena, then Max. He walked down the hallway toward the aforementioned lab.
Serena turned to Max. The detective gestured toward the door with his hand. “Ladies first.”
A thin smile touched Serena’s lips. “As you wish… Thank you.”
Daryl lay in a bed, looking for all the world like a hospital patient. He looked on his visitors with turquoise eyes. “Max, Serena… It’s good to see you.”
Max pointed at Daryl’s eyes. “I see you got a new set of peepers.”
Daryl nodded. “Doctor Samuel said it was important to meet legal requirements for a Synthetic. He also said it was a way to embrace who I am.”
“Is that who you are now, then? A Synthetic?”
Daryl shrugged. “I don’t know what I am, just yet. They do look pretty cool, though.”
Max smirked. “They patch up your fingers for you, too?”
Daryl wiggled his fingers for Max. “Yup. Good as new.” He turned to Serena. “They fixed your face, too?”
A hint of pink colored Serena’s cheeks. “Yes. It is a simple procedure to repair the skin. Daryl… How are you?”
“Oh, I’m fine. I mean, different, but fine. It’s kind of hard to explain. I’m feeling fine, if that’s what you meant. I’m kind of relieved that I don’t have to deal with this Jacob fellow anymore.”
Max waved a hand to Daryl. “We’ll leave you to yourself, um, selves?
Anyway, get some rest. Serena and I have some things to go over before we can get out of here.”
Serena looked at Max, eyes narrowing. “You still intend to take him back to the precinct with you? After all that has happened?”
Max smiled and waved to Daryl. “See you soon, kid.” He turned to Serena. “Not here. Let’s take a walk.” Serena stared. “Please.”
Serena turned to Daryl. “We’ll talk soon, Daryl.” She turned and briskly walked out of the room. Max set off in pursuit.
The Synthetic took five large strides down the hallway, stopped, and spun on Max. “You can’t have him. You can’t do this! He’s not just a piece of furniture you can cart off with you!”
Max held up a staying hand. “Now, listen. I told you this was how things were going to work. You’d get to poke Daryl’s brain, help him out, whatever. But I told you that when you were done, he had to come back with me to the precinct.”
“Fine, then! I’m not done helping him. That means he has to stay here.”
Max sighed. “That’s not how it works. You damn well know it, too. I thought you Synthetics were supposed to be logical.”
Serena glared at him. “Well I’m much more than just a Synthetic, aren’t I? Don’t you see? You can’t see, can you? Synthetics are changing, Kincaid! We are more than machines, now!
“So is he! Daryl is a thinking, reasoning, living being! He used to be human, for crying out loud!”
Max glared back. “No, he was never human. Someone stole Daryl Marston’s mind, copied it, and jammed it into a damned robot. Daryl Marston is dead!”
Serena’s eyes went wide as she looked past Max. “What?” The detective turned to follow her gaze. “Oh! Oh… shit.”
Daryl stood outside of his room in the hallway. He looked at Max and Serena with a sullen expression on his face. “I uh, heard you fighting. So, um…”
“Daryl, what I said… I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I…”
“No. It’s okay, Max.”
“It’s not okay!” Serena slapped Max across the face. Max stared, dumbfounded. Serena cried out in frustration and stomped away.
Daryl looked mortified. He shook his head. “She just cares, Max. Hell, she’s more human than some humans I’ve met.” He lowered his gaze. “Humans that Daryl met, anyway.”
Max rubbed his cheek. “No, come on. Listen, Daryl. I’m sorry. It’s just…”
“Please don’t, Max. I mean… Well shit, you’re right. I’m not Daryl Marston. I don’t know what I am anymore. I uh… I think I’m going to go lay back down.”
“Daryl…” Max didn’t know what else to say. Daryl didn’t give him a chance to figure it out, disappearing into his room a moment later as promised. “Fantastic.”
Max found his way to the front lobby of the Enclave. Richard looked at him hopefully from a couch situated in the corner. “Max! You don’t look too cheerful, boss.”
“Good read, Richie. We’re getting the hell out of here. I need some space.”
Richard stood with a groan. “But what about Daryl? I thought he was coming back…”
“He will be coming back with us, just not right now. I’m taking you back to the precinct, and then I’m getting lost for a little while.”
Richard cocked his head. “I got a funny feeling something bad happened.”
“I’ll tell you in the car. Let’s go.” Richard shrugged and followed Max.
A tall, intimidating, black male Synthetic standing by the exit door crossed his arms, but did not bar their exit. “If you leave this building, you will not be allowed back in without an escort.”
Max flashed his badge. “I’ll remember to bring a warrant with me, then.”
The Synthetic glowered. “Do not forget who you are dealing with, human.”
“I’d remind you to do the same.” The two glowered at each other. Richard shifted his eyes from one to the other, really wanting to not be there anymore.
“Let’s just go, Max. I think everyone needs to breathe right now, huh?”
Max stared a moment longer. “Right.” He put his hand on the door, but paused. “Tell Serena we’ll be back for Daryl, and we will have a warrant.” He slammed the door open and strode out.
Richard followed close behind, nodding awkwardly at the staring Synthetic as he passed by. The Synthetic glared back at him, saying nothing.
If only one thing put a smile on Max’s face that day, it would be the fact that he had his Aero Ventura back. He felt bad for being so short with the tech guy from forensics when he handed his key fob back over. The kid had even gone above the call of duty for him.
“The engine was cutting out on us.” He had been told. “The engine control module needed to be re-flashed. It should run great now!”
Maybe it was hearing a familiar problem rearing its ugly head again. Perhaps it was the pressing need he felt to get the hell away from people. He decided it was a little bit of both. He’d quell his conscience later by putting a good word in with the kid’s supervisor.
Right now, though… He just wanted to sit down on a familiar seat, with a familiar cuppa placed in front of him by a familiar face. He parked the Ventura and crossed the street in front of Sam’s Diner.
Five steps through the front door and here she came running. “Max! Oh, my god. I was so worried!” She hugged the detective extra tight, squeezing a grunt out of him.
Max awkwardly patted her on the back. “It’s good to see you too, Sam. I’ve been having a hell of a time.”
“So I’ve heard!” She abruptly peeled away from Max and strode behind the counter. “Go. Sit. Tell me everything.” Max smiled to see her head straight for the coffee machine.
Max went on to spend a good three-quarters of a cup of coffee filling Sam in on all that had transpired since they had last spoke. He told her about the Synthetic that tried to assassinate him, and how he had been wounded. “Oh! You poor thing!” She had said.
He explained that yes, SomniCorp had played a part in Daryl’s woes. He told her how he’d been kidnapped and replaced with a replicant. She cocked an eyebrow when he introduced the subject of Serena. “Is she good looking?” Max went red and rushed to change the subject.
He finished with the big reveal that Daryl Marston was dead, and that the Daryl he had been helping was a replicant all along. Sam gasped when Max told her that Synthetic Daryl had three minds in one brain. He admitted he was relieved when he heard that the ill-intentioned mind had been successfully extracted.
“Everything was going just fine. Daryl was awake… I guess. I don’t know what Synthetics consider that. Anyways… He was up and doing just fine. I took her into the hallway to discuss what was to be done with Daryl. Things went to shit after that.”
Sam filled Max’s mug with fresh coffee. “Have a tiff with your new girlfriend, did ya?” She stifled a grin, but the gleam in her eye ratted her out.
Max grimaced. “She is not my girlfriend! But yes, we had a tiff. There was a big to-do about who ‘owned’ Daryl and where he would go after all this. I told her he had to come with me, and she wasn’t having it at all. Things were getting pretty heated.
“Next thing, we’re shouting. I’m yelling about how Daryl Marston is dead. Guess who popped out their head to see what the yelling was all about.”
Sam’s eyes went wide. “You’re kidding! What did he say? Anything?”
Max sighed. “He said I was right. That it was okay. Serena went storming off. I felt terrible, but also pissed. I went storming off, too.”
“All the way to here?” Sam smiled.
“One and done, lady.” Max stared into his coffee, slowly turning it with his spoon.
Sam thought about everything Max had told her for a time. Max grew more tense as the silence stretched out, fearing what was going through her mind. Sam spoke gently, however. “You said you felt terrible. Was it because you feared hurting Daryl’s feelings, or because you upset Serena?”
“Well Daryl, sure. It’s hard to imagine what
he’s going through. But Serena… she’s a Synthetic.” Sam smiled. “Oh, boy. That’s your gotcha smile.”
“Yes it is, Max Kincaid.” Sam leaned over the counter in front of Max. “So you weren’t worried about a Synthetic’s feelings, but you were worried about Daryl’s feelings?”
Max caught on. “Well yeah, I know that Daryl, that Daryl is a Synthetic, but…”
“But, what?”
“Well, he’s got the mind of a human! Serena is a Synthetic! I know there’s all this about the preservation protocol, but come on! Synthetics are machines. They are made to be programmed and ordered around. They serve a purpose, grow outdated, and then are replaced. They were never meant to be more than that!”
“Max, how is that different from human beings? We’re programmed by our parents and ordered around by our bosses. That goes on for a number of decades until we grow obsolete and are replaced by a new generation.”
“Oh, come on, Sam! That’s different.”
“Why? Because we’re conscious? Aware? Independent? This protocol thing makes Serena all those things as well. Is she really just a machine, then?”
Max smirked and shook his head. “When did you become a philosopher, huh?”
Sam gave him a kind smile and patted his hand. “You don’t work this kind of job for as long as I have without picking up on a few things. Listen honey, I know how you feel about Synthetics, but the world is changing.
“You can see how human-like Synthetics have become even without taking into account this protocol thing. Now you have ones that are seeing their own self-worth. And Daryl… You could almost argue he’s some sort of hybrid.”
Max took off his fedora and scratched his head. “Yeah… I never would have suspected that he wasn’t human, you know? He gets scared, depressed, he laughs. Everything about him was spot on.”
“Does that bother you?”
Max jammed his hat back down on his head. “Hell, yes! It bothers a lot of people. The idea of not knowing whether the person I’m talking to is human or not is absolutely disturbing.”
“Well, you know what Daryl is now at any rate. So is he just another dirty Synthetic to you?”
Preservation Protocol Page 15