by Alec Birri
‘Is everything okay?’
James turned to Claire. The time for pleasantries was over. ‘No. No, it’s not, Claire. But I’m hoping it will be.’ Claire told Lucy to go and play. The little girl complained but did as instructed. She ran into the middle of the lawn to begin turning a series of cartwheels.
James came to the point. ‘I have the protocols necessary for you to communicate.’ Brian appeared confused. ‘The proto…’ It occurred to James that without actually stating what he had to say, the couple might not know what he was talking about. The potential life-changing consequences still made James wary, though. ‘You won’t remember, but Tracy and I have visited before.’
Claire turned to her husband, and his expression went from a frown to acknowledgement. Brian widened his eyes. ‘Like I say, the professor’s too good at his job.’ He went back to tossing burgers.
James addressed Claire. ‘While we were here, you told Tracy the Alzheimer’s trial had moved on to a stage that didn’t just merge human thoughts.’ His eyes flitted between the couple. ‘I’m afraid that wasn’t done with all AI.’
‘Zara, you mean?’ James gave Claire a look that was as confused as Brian’s had been. ‘AI may have reached the point where it can take over the world, but the separate manifestations of each still have their concerns – we’re wary of each other.’
James’ confusion fused with his fear and the result was anger. ‘Well, while you’re enjoying that little Mexican stand-off, the rest of the human world is suffering!’ James sensed the loss of control hadn’t helped matters so mumbled an apology. Brian didn’t respond to it and carried on flipping burgers. The same burger. James looked at Lucy. She was still turning cartwheels – the same cartwheel.
‘Suffering? I appreciate you’re no human rights lawyer, James. But tell me, just how upset and distressed are your fellow human beings?’ Silence answered Claire’s question. ‘I know it’s difficult, but try to see past the unsettling and even visually abhorrent and towards what has actually been achieved – no more theft, rape, murder. Even war has been eradicated, and as everyone is being euthanised in the same way, equality has found its mark too.’ She gestured at their surroundings. ‘Not to mention the benefits all that has on the Earth’s environment – Alex Salib and her followers should be able to inherit quite the utopia.’
James glared at Claire. ‘I don’t care how you make it sound – the very fact Savage merged you with every conceivable human thought means you’re as much a fascist as you are a pacifist.’ He moved closer to her. ‘And as Zara has already made her intentions clear, the world will soon revert to the society of masters and slaves it always has been, and I can’t see robots being content with the latter.’
‘Which puts you in quite a quandary.’ James skewed his head. ‘Don’t state the protocols, and AI takes over the world; deliver what’s required for Zara and me to merge, and risk the same result.’
James looked at the foreshortened nature of Brian and Lucy’s existence before forcing down what came to his throat when thinking of his own family.
‘What are you going to do?’ The hopeless way in which James asked the question caused Claire to exercise something the Alzheimer’s trial had endowed her with – pity. She offered her guest a seat and sat opposite him.
‘Don’t you think others have asked the same question?’
‘Yes.’ James was still resentful. ‘And I didn’t like the answer Zara gave me.’
‘And nor did the professor.’ James stared at Claire and was about to say something when she continued. ‘Once he had invented an AI that not only possessed an ability to learn at an exponential rate but with a self-awareness most Buddhists would consider beyond nirvana, he was keen to see where that would lead.’ Lucy giggled and James turned to her. He then looked at Brian who grinned before moving on to the next burger. Claire finished what she wanted to say. ‘And even though he still feared the unthinkable, deliberately isolated Zara from the modified thoughts of the Alzheimer patients.’ She stared at the floor. ‘Another example of his need to take things to their logical extremes, I’m afraid.’
‘Logical,’ said James. ‘One way of describing the unleashing of something that could wipe out the human race, I suppose.’
Claire leaned towards him. ‘There’s a reason why Zara continues to court the likes of Alex Salib, and I’m afraid the attention she pays you has nothing to do with good looks and charm.’
‘So, we’re damned if I do and damned if I don’t.’
‘Not necessarily. There’s always the chance Zara and I might merge to produce an entity that doesn’t just protect the human condition, but ascends it to a whole new level.’
James laughed. ‘Like God, you mean?’
‘Okay. Have it your way – evolve human beings to a whole new level.’
It was all Hell to James. A thought came to him. ‘What if the protocols are designed to do the exact opposite? What if they communicate a virus that ends your, Zara’s and every other AI’s existence? That would be the logical thing to do.’ James opened his mind to test the theory.
Claire reacted in the same way Zara had – more cautious than afraid. ‘Is that what you think the professor sent you here to do? Undo decades of his work?’ James didn’t answer. ‘Given Zara’s recent infiltration of your prison’s AI and the other artificial entities she’s managed to absorb, I’d say it’s only a matter of time before she or it has control of everything anyway.’ Claire looked James in the eye. ‘Including me.’ She sat back. ‘If it’s any consolation, Zara doesn’t trust the professor either. That’s why you’re here – to state the protocols where she can’t be affected by them. Anything malicious can then be cleaned or isolated. Either way, she’ll carry on as if you, I, and anything else that’s ever evolved or been created never existed in the first place.’
James stood up, but only to wander aimlessly. He stopped when something tugged at his little finger – it was Lucy. She wrapped her fist around it, smiled and offered him a flower. James gritted his teeth.
‘Why are you crying?’
James couldn’t answer Lucy and had to turn away. He looked at her father, her mother and the seemingly perfect life of a closed-loop existence. James would give anything for an assurance of the same. Taking a deep breath to get his emotions back under control, James began the sequence of something he hoped and prayed wouldn’t stop his daughter from one day taking his hand in the same way Lucy had.
He focussed on Brian. ‘Dan?’
Brian looked at James as if it were a test.
‘Squadron Leader Stewart. What happened in the crash?’
Chapter Nine
‘You have a visitor, Sir John.’
The professor was about to respond when a monkey parked itself on his lap. ‘Ah! It’s my little friend from the zoo.’ He looked up and straight into the eyes of Sunita. ‘And his monkey.’
Sunita glowered at him. ‘Sanctuary. Winnie’s from a sanctuary – not a zoo.’
Savage beckoned his Acarer to allow their unexpected guest to pass, and offered her a drink, which was refused.
‘This won’t take long.’ Sunita approached Savage and the way she did caused the Acarer to stand in her way. Savage tugged at the robot’s clothing, and it moved aside enough for Sunita to see her Capuchin being petted. Winnie was enjoying the professor’s attention.
‘I want to know,’ demanded Sunita.
The professor looked up. ‘I’m sorry?’
‘You came to the sanctuary to warn me about Alex. I want to know what she’s going to do and what I’m going to find “objectionable” about it.’
Savage took a breath from his oxygen cylinder before giving Winnie a small tub. The monkey bounded from his lap and scurried over to a fish tank.
‘Pleasant as your unexpected visit is, I sense a certain reluctance on your pa
rt, which means you’re only here because Alex has already done something you find “objectionable”.’
Winnie prised the lid from the tub, put a hand inside and held up a crumb of what it contained. Savage shook his head.
‘Is that it, then?’ Sunita was in no mood for a conversation.
‘Well, I suppose it depends on how Alex has disappointed you thus far.’
Sunita looked at her pet going through the tub, before shifting her gaze to the tank. Other than a colourful display of plants and rocks, it appeared empty. Despite clearly wanting the visit to be as short as possible, Sunita took a seat.
The professor shook his head again at the larger portion Winnie produced before turning back to his owner. ‘Relationships. You meet someone who seems to be a perfect match only to watch them both become and do something totally out of character.’
‘No. I’ve always known what Alex was like – I was just blinded by her passion for everything that’s wrong with the world. I should have guessed she was just using me.’
‘Human nature, I’m afraid. No great leader ever achieved that on their own and the more ruthless they are, the more likely those closest to them will suffer.’ Winnie held up a chunk of something larger, and Savage nodded. The monkey dropped it into the water. ‘I’m afraid I’m just as guilty.’
Sunita watched the fish food sink. It appeared to be a piece of meat.
‘Have you ever been in love?’ Sunita seemed to be searching for answers beyond the reason for her visit.
‘Other than with myself you mean?’ His guest didn’t respond to the attempt at humour, and Savage looked in the direction of the balcony. ‘Yes. But that’s all ancient history now.’
Something dark moved in the water, catching Sunita’s eye. The shape approached the meat, and in an instant, had consumed it. Winnie held up another piece and waited for permission to drop that into the water too. Savage gave it.
Sunita continued to glean what she could from the professor but didn’t take her eyes from the tank. ‘You must know our intention is to finish more than capitalism. Men don’t stand a chance in the world me and Alex have planned.’
The professor winced. ‘Alex and I. Maybe it was the grammar Nazis I wanted to take over the world and not the jack-booted ones.’ He took another breath.
The shape ate the meat as swiftly as it had the last piece and swam in the direction of where it had come from. Sunita stood up. ‘Get away from the tank, Winnie.’
The monkey seemed about to do that when his attention was taken by what moved in the water. He bent to its surface as if to greet the creature approaching him.
‘Winnie! Get away from the water NOW!’
The piranha leapt at the Capuchin but he was too quick and, with a screech, shot out of harm’s way and straight into the arms of the person he plainly felt safest with – Professor Savage.
It was one rejection too many for Sunita, and she buried her face in her hands.
Savage looked at his Acarer. It nodded. Despite being close to his end, the professor then merged with the Capuchin who promptly swapped his lap for Sunita’s. After a brief exchange, Sunita looked at Savage – with horror.
She wiped her eyes. ‘No! Never!’ Sunita held Winnie as close to her as she could. ‘Alex would never do such a thing – she loves animals.’
The Acarer gave Sunita a tissue before pushing Savage next to the tank. He looked at the piranha, which appeared as taken with him as he was with it.
‘Unforeseen consequences.’ The glass that imprisoned the professor’s carnivorous fish reflected an image of his visitors, and he waited for the gravity of what they had just learned to register. ‘Merging hasn’t just accelerated the evolution of humans and robots – the animals we’re closest to have been similarly affected and to the point where they too will soon be sentient enough to begin demanding their way in the world.’ The piranha seemed to grow bored and swam away. The professor turned back to his guests.
‘I don’t think Alex is going to allow that.’
Chapter Ten
Brian’s expression didn’t change and, for a moment, James thought he had stated the protocols out of order. Or worse, they were as useless as his attempts to get Savage to see sense.
‘We were shot down,’ said Brian.
The recollection seemed as much as a surprise to him as it was to James. Even Claire appeared puzzled. Lucy went back to turning her cartwheels.
‘In 1966.’ Brian put down the tongs. ‘Over South America.’
James and Claire stared at each other. What had South America got to do with anything?
Brian continued. ‘The Falklands.’ James and Claire’s understanding was no clearer. Brian moved from behind the barbecue and took a seat next to the manifestation of his wife. ‘Argentina’s claims over the islands were becoming increasingly hostile so it was hoped a demonstration of Britain’s commitment would end the argument.’ He looked at James. ‘And as the junta only seemed to respect violence, a bomb in their own backyard was expected to do the trick.’
James eyed their surroundings. Nothing appeared to change. Whatever his words had started, Brian’s would finish it.
‘Not anywhere near a population, you understand. But a small one-kiloton device exploded over a remote part of the Patagonian Desert would send a message even the junta couldn’t ignore.’
The comment distracted James from his fears. ‘One kiloton? You dropped a nuclear bomb on Argentina?’
‘No. It was still on board when we crashed.’ The comment both reassured and concerned those present.
Brian got up. ‘It was a long way and certainly further than we had flown before, but the mission itself was no different to what we were trained to do against the Soviets: fly under their defences and drop the bomb when in range of the target.’ He made his way back to the barbecue. ‘And all was going to plan when, with just minutes to go, we were given a new target.’ Brian stopped tending the meat and looked up. ‘I set a course, but the guys soon became concerned with it; we were leaving the desert and heading towards more fertile ground – some foothills in the Andes mountains.’ Brian stared ahead. ‘Which meant the risk of casualties just went from zero to almost certain.’
He forked some raw steaks onto the grill. ‘You can imagine how that changed the atmosphere in the aircraft. We must have discussed everything from duty to our country to the meaning of life, but as captain, I was expected to make a decision and did: we would only strike if there were no signs of habitation within ten clicks of ground zero.’ He piled some food onto a plate. ‘But at 200 feet and 350 knots it wasn’t long before we saw smoke rising from settlements and even the odd traveller on horseback, but it was when their tracks turned into dirt roads and even tarmac that we all agreed something wasn’t right.’ Brian became pensive again. ‘And when I saw where we were expected to detonate the bomb, I aborted the mission there and then.’
Hunger was the last thing James had on his mind, but he took the plate Brian offered. Dan’s recollections continued. ‘It wasn’t much of a village – just a church surrounded by a few houses – but I throttled back anyway and turned over it to get a better view. And as jet engines tend to make a racket no matter the power setting, it wasn’t long before the villagers emerged to see what the fuss was.’
Lucy sneaked up and grabbed her father around the waist. Brian laughed and managed to tickle her before she made her escape. He looked at his daughter. ‘Most of them were children.’ He turned to James. ‘Why would anyone want to kill children?’
James didn’t know and agreed it must have been a mistake. Not that the thought was any more disturbing compared to what he was expecting once Brian had finished Dan’s story.
‘But then our luck ran out. You can’t expect ninety tons of Vulcan bomber to fly on unmolested forever, and no sooner had the AEO warned we were being
tracked than something hit us, and the two fast jets that shot past afterwards told me it was probably cannon fire. Either way, without air-to-air weapons we couldn’t fight back and our only hope was the Chilean border a few minutes’ flying time away. But the mountains had to be crossed first.’
Brian motioned with his hands as if still in the cockpit. ‘The controls seemed fine, so I shut down the engine we lost, pointed the nose at the horizon and set full power on the other three.’ His eyes appeared to switch between what could be seen outside the aircraft and an increasing concern for what was going on within. ‘And when the granite in front of us started passing underneath, I actually thought we were going to make it, when there was the mother and father of all bangs and, for a moment, I assumed Jim had ejected, but when I looked across at him, he was still there.’ Brian bowed his head. ‘Well, most of him was.’
He stared into space again. ‘The jets’ second pass had taken more than my co-pilot – engines; hydraulics; electrical systems, you name it – but at least we were over the border.’ Brian’s eyes focussed on what now lay ahead. ‘Trouble was, there was only one way we were going, and as that descent matched the way the ground was falling away just feet beneath us, there was no way the guys in the back could bail out, so I shot an approach to the flat ground at the bottom.’
Brian turned the steaks over. Dripping fat caused flames to leap up and envelope the flesh.
‘I guess none of us made it.’
Chapter Eleven
Faruk scanned the cabin for Ula, but the robot couldn’t be seen. He nudged Isra’s shoulder.
‘Baba? What time is it?’
Faruk put a finger to his lips. ‘Shhh. We’re getting out of here.’
Isra rubbed her eyes and groaned. ‘But I was having such a lovely dream. I’ve been having lots of nice dreams lately.’