by Gary Starta
Mercer briefly entertained the idea of framing Paterson and Schmitt for Jackson’s murder, but decided against it for publicity reasons and their chance of acquittal. It also might provoke investigators to take a look into the robots.
The most effective plan would be the one that killed two birds with one stone, Mercer conspired over a cup of tea.
As the executive pondered who he could pay to take care of this business, a chime rang notifying that a delivery person was at the front desk.
Renee greeted the courier with unusual enthusiasm as he signed for his package. Mercer called upon his profiling savvy to size up the courier as the kind of person who could perform devious tasks for a living. The average person did not have the gut instinct Mercer possessed to characterize this individual’s integrity from outward appearance alone. There was no particular facial structure, hair style or racial association for Mercer to draw his conclusions from. Either someone had a gut instinct for making these characterizations upon first sight of the subject or they didn’t. It was as if Mercer’s mind could take a snap shot of a person’s soul. And in Mercer’s judgment, he had sized up this courier as the man for the job. The next day Mercer’s delivery man would be offered a sizable payoff for killing two birds.
Chapter 9: Change of Heart
Dr. Hiroshi devoted nearly two solid weeks to combating the Ceres cancer outbreak– a grim process which could only extend life but not save it. Everybody save Hiroshi himself had received an implant which would automatically release medicine into the patient’s blood streams. Akira would have to coach his wife Karen on the installation of his computer chip.
The doctor could tell without asking that his wife was anxious about the procedure. “Don’t worry, I will be conscious during the installation to help guide you,” Akira reassured Karen.
“I know the procedure is simple. What’s hard to take is what the chip is made for,” Karen pointed out while staring at the floor.
The doctor was used to keeping a stiff upper lip during his marriage to Karen. He had successfully bottled up his emotions regarding Karen’s infatuation with Peter. Akira sadly realized that Peter was probably not the first man his wife had sought comfort from. Akira knew he was entirely devoted to his work and that being fifteen years older than his wife didn’t help matters.
The doctor met Karen at a medical job fair ten years ago. Karen, who had registered as a receptionist for hire at the fair, had just turned 20 years old and was unsure what path her studies were taking her. Akira hired her on the spot without an interview. Over the next year, Karen’s admiration for Akira’s work as a healer grew as she fell in love with his quiet demeanor and dedication. The pair agreed to marry two years from the day they had met. Karen primarily identified with Dr. Hiroshi as a father figure and still felt like the doctor’s administrative assistant even after eight years of marriage.
The news of the radiation poisoning filled Karen’s mind with equal portions of guilt and desperation. She was regretful that their marriage was not more passionate but did not blame Akira for the shortcomings as she knew the doctor was socially challenged from the beginning. Karen’s desire to find a spark of romance was being slowly kindled each time she had occasion to visit Peter. Morally, Karen accepted Peter’s wish to remain devoted to his wife Anna. However, the bonds of attraction between Peter and herself could not be denied forever, she fantasized. Karen believed the time would come when their attraction would overcome any moral and legal responsibilities. Her instincts told her that day would probably arrive when the scientist’s engrams had been implanted into android bodies. Karen wondered if she would be able to feel the emotional and physical joys of the flesh in that future state. “Would her essence merely be confined to the mind of the android? Would she in effect just be a guidance system for a bunch of wires and circuits?”Karen did her best to try to quell those inner thoughts as she dreaded another life of dispassionate partnership.
Akira then interrupted Karen’s day dreaming as he announced it was time to begin the implant procedure.
As Karen picked up a laser scalpel, she turned to Akira and said, “I’m sorry for everything.”
The doctor then positioned his body on the operating table and quietly said, “I know.”
On the other side of the village, Dr. McElroy was working just as feverishly to finish the manufacture of android bodies.
Adrian was able to replicate the internal circuitry of the androids fairly quickly as the same programming used in James Starkman would be utilized. The only distinguishable difference among the many android parts used would be the external moldings of faces and body types.
McElroy wondered how the individual personalities of the scientists would influence the artificial intelligence. So far he had only one example to go by. The android James Starkman had pretty much been governed by the experiences and character of the late boy. But would further mergers of mind and machinery produce varied results? The cybernetic genius was saddened by the fact that he would not be around to study the data. His mind then flashed as to how a fail safe could be implemented if one of the androids exhibited undesirable behavior. McElroy tried to suppress his instinct to conclude that the android in question would probably be the one linked to Petrovsky’s memories. “No scientific endeavor could successfully be conducted with such bias,” the doctor told himself. “Still, an emergency plan would be necessary to prevent the androids from taking any actions deemed harmful to the civilians.” McElroy then pondered how he could implement such a plan without exposing the androids to constant censorship…
In the Starkman residence, Joyce and James were spending some quality time at the kitchen table. “Can I refill your tea cup, honey?” Joyce asked her son. The incident with Mikola Petrovsky had caused the mother and android son to bond closely over the last few weeks.
“I think I’ll take a rain check on that refill,” James responded while glancing at his data net’s monitor. James had rigged up a surveillance system to keep a check on the perimeter of the house in the off chance that a certain unwanted guest was to pay a visit. Joyce viewed this ingenuity as an innate quality of her late son.
“Why don’t you take a break from your studies so we can watch a recorded transmission of a Fetellini play?” Joyce asked lovingly.
“I don’t think I would be interested in that Mom,” James responded.
Joyce was caught off guard as the pair frequently took trips to New York City to watch the plays of the 23rd century playwright. “I don’t understand, dear. You always loved Fetellini’s stories.”
“By my estimates, that was an entirely different era in my evolution,” James argued. “I know longer attain a desire to spend my time frivolously, Mom.”
Joyce was taken aback not only by her son’s rejection of her suggestion but with the language he had used with her. “Am I speaking with my son right now or a computer program?”
Joyce attempted to ease her concerns by asking James what he would prefer for dinner. She suggested they have steak and peppers as it had been her boy’s favorite meal since he was five years old.
However, the boy’s response again filled Joyce with shock and dismay. “I no longer seek to eat our fellow animals, Mom. Can I just have a dish of vegetables?”
“I have to speak to McElroy. Am I losing what I have left of my son to an artificial mind? And if this is happening to James, what will become of my beliefs and character in an android body?” Joyce asked herself.
Chapter 10: Follow the Leader
In two days Terry and Jon Sanderson would come out of their stasis chambers and rejoin their Terran Ark shipmates. Marisa and Mario Perez would be their replacements as they were next on the schedule to enter the artificial hibernation state. Matt Dougherty, the ship’s unofficial captain, would still be in stasis another three months. Lori and Daryl White would then exchange places with Dougherty and remain in hibernation for nearly the remainder of the voyage to Ceres. Linda Dougherty, who had successfully avoid
ed stasis assignment for the journey’s duration, was getting used to being in charge of personnel during her husband’s absence. She congratulated herself on successfully keeping the young couples busy with contests, games and exercise regimens.
Linda was interested on what names her shipmates would choose for the first settlement of Ceres. She would include the results as part of her journal which she hoped to publish as a guide for fellow colonists.
She predicted that Steven Carlisle would come up with the most inventive name as he was fascinated by fictional adventure stories. Marisa and Mario Perez might come up with the most sensible reference since she found both of them to be very logical. Linda projected Lori and Daryl White would choose a nostalgic name since they were very traditional. Linda would hazard to guess that the Sanderson’s might pick something with a religious influence. Dougherty spent so much time analyzing what her shipmates might do that she didn’t have a clue as to what name she would pick.
Dougherty being a self-pronounced “people person” always considered others before herself. Her husband Matt was designated to be the leader of the group as he was less prone to becoming emotionally influenced regarding his decision making. None of the ship’s complement ever had a problem with Linda’s motherly approach to them; however, it was a running joke that you should always clean your plate and brush after meals unless you wanted to draw her ire.
Linda had a hard time working for management that did not respect workers as human beings. She often sought income in work that she could perform at home. In contrast, Matt worked as a manager of a software firm and had no problem with following the chain of command and enforcing rules with little regard to the emotional effect upon his employees. Linda knew Matt possessed compassionate qualities which he displayed openly to co-worker’s children; however, the software manager would draw a line on just how far he would extend sympathy when a business decision was involved.
Linda hoped that the negative qualities of humans such as selfishness, greed and apathy would not be allowed to root in the Ceres soil. She felt that her new home would be a garden of Eden in that it gave humanity a fresh start. Linda wanted to be the group’s cheerleader to ensure positive energy would flourish on the planet. Dougherty pondered as to how the spirit of the scientists on the planet would effect the colonization effort. The last update she received from the Ceres crew noted that all was well, but that had been more than six months ago.
Linda’s current train of thought led her to decide that New Hope might be the most appropriate name for the first Ceres township.
The naming contest would be decided by popular vote from the submitted entries. Linda did not want the originator of the name to be known during this voting process. She believed the vote should be based upon choosing the most appropriate name and not be influenced by the degree of appeal the voters had for each other. She suggested that the winner become mayor of the town as part of a social study. Linda wondered if a better leader might be chosen if voters decided the contest based on policies and logic rather than emotionalism towards a candidate’s personality or looks. Linda could unfortunately cite more than one example of how public opinion put an unqualified and ineffective leader in power during the years of constitutional rule as well as in modern day federation elections.
Linda often had day dreams that predicted an artificial intelligence would one day be allowed to govern the world.
Dougherty was not scared or threatened by this premonition. Writing in her journal, Linda noted: “If the ship she was riding in could ensure the safety of herself and the future children of Ceres, why couldn’t robots be utilized to ensure the safety of human values? A skilled politician might be able to trick an uneducated public into making an unethical decision for his or her gain.” Linda foresaw the day when automatons would eliminate this human vulnerability for making choices with their eyes rather than their brains.
“We will be truly free people when democracy is upheld by a leader who has no motives for personal gain. It has been 700 years since the U.S. Constitution was written and we still haven’t quite achieved its goals. I fear our new planet may suffer the same ills Earth experienced if a self-serving agenda is allowed to take a foothold. I am not looking forward to big business being allowed to continue their influence of the electoral process on our new home. Unfortunately, I am still at a loss as how to remedy this problem.”
Linda then saved her journal entry and stared into the blue field of stars filling the bridge’s view screen.
Chapter 11: Better off Dead
Renee Mercer had been re-energized in his quest to clean up the association’s latest scandal after spending the evening formulating yet another dastardly plan. Mercer’s gut feeling told him the future of the space association could very well hinge upon the delivery man he had met the day before. However, the security executive was absolutely confident that he had found a capable applicant for the deed. Mercer assured an inner voice that he had never been wrong in his judgment of character.
However, another matter needed to be looked into before he could proceed to conduct a background check on the courier.
Mercer contacted Dana Jackson to inform her that Phil was no longer considered an employee of the association since he had failed to report for work the past week. Renee felt as though he had met a kindred spirit when he discovered that Dana had little compassion for her ex-husband. It seemed all Dana was concerned with was how she could go about collecting benefits. Mercer explained that Jackson’s life insurance policy could only be paid out when and if Phil was declared dead. “He would be dead if he were here now,” Dana told Mercer. Renee used her bitterness as a lead in to inquire if she knew where Phil could be. The crafty executive played to Dana’s vindictive feelings by commenting on what a poor choice Phil had made to lose such a fabulous wife. He had used this tactic many times before in order to form a bond with an informant. Mercer knew that his informants would often reveal their inner most thoughts once they felt he cared about their plight.
Dana suspected Phil of trying to avoid his financial obligations. “Phil will rue the day when I find him,” Dana vowed. Renee used his best casual tone to ask her how she planned on finding him. Mercer knew Dana needed to vent her rage and could most likely divulge some pertinent information in this vulnerable state. In a few minutes, Renee felt like he hit a Las Vegas jackpot when Dana volunteered that she had hired a private detective. She explained that she needed to determine if Phil was alive or dead in order to collect her due compensation. “I have earned every penny he still owes me for the years of neglect he continues to inflict upon me and my children,” Dana confided in Mercer. Renee then suggested he could recommend some private investigators as he used to work in law enforcement. However, Dana politely declined his offer and told Mercer that she felt confident in the investigator she had hired. Mercer learned that she had hired Don Volpicelli, who was a former colleague of his. “He comes with the best references,” Dana explained. “Don was very upfront in the fact that he told me he does not work criminal cases. If Don discovers evidence that Phil’s disappearance is crime related, he will refund my money. He explained that he would then report his findings to the police.”
“Oh, yes. Don sounds like he is a very upstanding man,” Renee assured Dana. He then made up an excuse to disconnect the call as he had acquired all the information he needed. “Looks like I’ll have to keep an eye on this detective,” Mercer thought. “I hope for your sake, Dana, that I don’t have to keep an eye on you as well.”
Mercer then turned his attention to obtaining background information on the delivery man. He commanded his computer assistant to pull up job histories, police reports and residential listings for the man who introduced himself as Jeff Turner. Renee found that Turner did indeed have a police record as he was tried but never convicted for some petty theft and breaking and entering charges. The records also indicated that Turner was also known as Vincent Conigliaro. Mercer knew it was foolish for someone t
o try to change identities in this day and age. Federation governments prided themselves on having a DNA sample readily available for every citizen. However, Mercer found a perverse pleasure in this discovery as it confirmed Turner’s deceptive nature.
Mercer waited eagerly for Turner to make his scheduled afternoon delivery. He readied a small handwritten note that invited the courier to meet him at the Star View Restaurant—a popular hangout for association officials. Mercer knew his presence there would not draw attention as he often visited the eatery twice a week. The note instructed Turner to meet Mercer at the restaurant at 7:30 that evening for a job offer.