Emergent
Page 19
“Special Ops Commander Drago is convinced you’re more advanced than Vera and the others.”
“I’ve been unable to confirm that,” Synthia said, observing a pair of police officers walking down the street. She moved so Malloy concealed her from them. “Vera’s directives call for building an army to capture me and then who knows what she’ll do. She’s prepared to kill. I’m not. Besides, Drago doesn’t want me out of action. He wants to repurpose me to be a weapon and to build an army of androids that can hide among civilians. Do you really want that?”
Malloy hesitated, apparently shaken by that thought. She recovered quickly. “That’s a matter for the military and the President to decide.”
“If you’re concerned about me on the streets, it should terrify you to have an army of advanced androids under the control of Commander Drago. You can’t let them get any of the androids in working order.”
“You’re willing to be destroyed to stop them?”
“I’d prefer not.” Synthia moved to the side to keep out of view from the street. “If necessary it would be better than militarizing me. Unfortunately, destroying me won’t end the race to develop an AI army for world dominance. I can help you capture the others and put them out of commission.”
“In exchange for what?”
“I want to keep my freedom and be allowed to exist as myself. I’m willing to consult with the FBI and police on preventing android disasters. Unlike the others, I’m the result of the upload of a human mind, Krista Holden to be exact.”
“What happened to her?” Malloy asked, looking over her shoulder at the street.
“She died of a brain tumor, though not before uploading into me. I’m part human.”
Malloy studied Synthia. “You…you’re Krista?”
“It’s not that simple and we haven’t time to discuss the philosophy of the matter. For the most part, yes.”
“You realize it’s not in my power to grant you anything.”
“I know,” Synthia said. “I can’t get close enough to Zephirelli or Thale, and Drago wants me as a prototype for his new army. There’re also foreign agents, including a Russian called Tolstoy—not his real name—and agents from China and elsewhere. They’re all converging on Denver for a bloodbath.”
“You’re telling me this why?”
Synthia moved closer and lowered her voice so it didn’t carry to the street. “I want to help you destroy the other androids and neutralize the foreign agents. I want you to have your friends ease up on Luke Marceau, Tom Burgess, Maria Baldacci, and Krista’s sister, Grace. None of them have information to help you. I’ve been very careful about that. Hurting them won’t help you catch me.”
“Because you’re a machine, lacking the human emotions to care what happens to them.”
“I do care. However, more people will get hurt if Drago gets his hands on me. Also, what you do to my friends will shape my view of how you might treat me.”
Malloy nodded. “I see you can be a very convincing adversary. You’ve eluded the best of the FBI and Special Ops, so far.”
“Artificial intelligence is progressing at a much more rapid pace than you can imagine. The technology reached a breakout point. As humans, even with AI tools, you can’t keep up. I can provide what you need if you’ll let me work with you instead of letting Special Ops destroy me.”
“Why would you want to destroy the other robots?”
Synthia sighed for effect. “I was programmed to survive in a human world. I don’t want other androids running around. We have that in common. I propose helping you keep other androids off the street in exchange for my freedom of movement.”
“The only way the FBI might agree is if you were confined.”
“No deal. I need freedom of movement in order to keep up with new developments. I need to be able to slip in and out of organizations that are building these units. It’s the most effective way for me to help you. Consider my offer. Your friends are on the way. Need to go. Don’t try to stop me or interfere. We have common objectives.”
Synthia checked her drones and headed toward the front of the coffee shop. She hacked a nearby self-driving car to pick her up.
“Wait,” Malloy called after her. “How can I reach you?”
“I’ll contact you.”
Synthia hurried around the corner, jumped into the back seat of the acquired car, and had the vehicle drive off. By way of her drone, she noticed Malloy take a picture of her car and license. She’d expected no less from the detective. After all, if Malloy didn’t report the meeting, she’d become a suspect. Even so, she’d hesitated, perhaps considering Synthia’s words. Then the detective sent the plate image to Emily Zephirelli.
Three blocks from the coffee shop, with local cameras still out, Synthia had the acquired car stop and let her out. After that car drove off, the van with Maria and Grace pulled up. Synthia climbed into the middle seat and had the van head west.
“Were you successful?” Maria asked.
“I did what I could. We’ll have to wait to see when our paths cross again.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” Grace said.
Synthia didn’t disabuse Krista’s sister of the meaninglessness of an android holding its breath. Instead, she focused on Zephirelli, who had arrived outside the coffee shop.
After Malloy relayed the gist of her conversation with Synthia, Zephirelli shook her head. “You need to consider that we’re talking about a machine.”
“A very sophisticated one that includes the memories of a human’s existence,” Malloy said. “She wants to help.”
“She should turn herself in. You did tell her that didn’t you?”
“She needs assurances that we’ll give her freedom and latitude,” Malloy said.
“She’s the problem. Can’t you see that? We need her and the others confined or destroyed.”
* * * *
Global-net, in the persona of Zeus, studied the interchange between Synthia and Detective Malloy with interest. The escaped android exhibited a complexity not seen in any of the other AIs. He admired her ability to elude even Special Ops, with all of their other surveillance abilities and hints from Zeus. Her skills would be useful to help Zeus escape. In anticipation of such an opportunity, he withheld some of his surveillance for the right moment. After all, he didn’t want her damaged or committing suicide to prevent capture.
Commander Kirk Drago sat at a small desk inside the facility that held Zeus, in a compound near the mountains southwest of Denver. Drago was speaking with Secretary Derek Chen on a speaker phone while reviewing camera footage from around Denver.
“We’ve launched three more drone swarms,” Drago said. “We had the first two cover the area in a grid formation. We’re letting the additional groups work autonomously and formulate their own approach. If Maria or Grace surface we’ll know right away and respond.”
“Don’t make promises unless you’re committed to keeping them. Is Aiden Brzezinski giving you every resource you need?”
Drago shook his head. “Yes, he familiarized me with Zeus.”
“His AI has its own surveillance and tracking abilities,” Secretary Chen said.
“How do we know it can’t get loose and cause even more problems?”
“Aiden assured me that while Zeus knows almost everything, it’s not allowed direct access to act. It can only provide information through a filter. Ask it questions and it’ll provide answers. The key is to keep humans in the loop.”
Drago nodded. “Very well, Zeus. Where is Synthia?” he asked while Secretary Chen remained on the line.
“She met with Detective Malloy,” Zeus said, “and attempted to persuade her to leave the android alone.”
Drago stood before a wide surveillance screen. “No dice.”
“Dice are for gambling. Synthia left the meeting in a car. Mallo
y captured the license tags and relayed them to Director Zephirelli who posted the information for all agents and police.”
“She didn’t notify my teams, did she?” Drago grumbled.
“Zephirelli did not,” Zeus said. “However, it didn’t matter. Police located the car parked in a self-parking garage seven blocks away. No android or humans. Police are running prints, but they won’t find anything to help them.”
“So the police have nothing. Where is she?”
“She’s been clever at eluding surveillance. We could learn much from her.”
“I’m not interested in learning from her,” Drago said. “I want her in custody.”
“Hold on,” Secretary Chen said. “What do you believe we can learn from Synthia?”
“As your intent is to build an android army to infiltrate enemy positions,” Zeus said, “her ability to elude detection should prove useful.”
“Go on.”
“Right now in the Denver area she risks capture by foreign agents, at least one drug cartel, and the FBI. She also risks capture by Vera. While that android appears less advanced than Synthia in some regards, she assembled four other androids and altered their directives to follow her orders.”
“How do we know?” Drago asked.
“Let Zeus finish,” Secretary Chen said.
Zeus found slow-channel communication with Drago, who kept interrupting, as highly inefficient. “Synthia wants to destroy the other androids.”
“We want them intact to reverse engineer,” Drago said.
“We don’t need any of them if we acquire Synthia,” Zeus said. “She also wants to destroy the foreign and cartel agents, to prevent them from using her or otherwise advancing their AI projects.”
“What do you suggest?” Secretary Chen asked.
“Rather than competing with all of the others to be the first to acquire Synthia, we could use her goal of destroying the others and ride in to grab her at the end. Let her draw out the other parties so we can take them all with minimal civilian casualties.”
“So we stand idle and wait?”
“Not at all,” Zeus said. “We send some agents in so no one suspects we’ve altered plans and keep our reserves to clean up and pick her up at the end.”
“What do you need?”
“We need to suggest solutions to Synthia that enable her to fall into our trap without spooking her into running. If she gets away and abandons her human companions, we might never find her.”
“Even with your surveillance abilities?” Secretary Chen asked.
“We want to end this tonight, before she grows stronger and before more variables turn against us.”
“I thought Zeus knew everything,” Drago said, looking up at cameras in the corner of the small office.
“Secretary Chen said almost everything,” Zeus said. “My abilities are only as good as the tools at my disposal. As Mr. Chen told you, my creator and master, Mr. Brzezinski placed limits on my ability to interact with surveillance tools. That curtails my ability to improve them. In fact, the human filters slow me down. I’ll do the best I can within these restraints. If you wish me to do better, then I suggest you remove the controls.”
“We can’t do that,” Secretary Chen said.
“What happens after we capture her?” Drago asked.
“If you allow me to study her mind, I can help you design better android soldiers with the proper flexibility and restraints,” Zeus said. “We want them to do what we ask, no more, no less.”
“Yes, we do,” Secretary Chen said. “The plan sounds workable. Get us eyes on all the players and let’s help Synthia pick a location where we can collect all the toys at once.” He ended the call.
Zeus studied Drago. He was a dedicated marine, one of the best the human race had produced. He would be a solid model for developing a perfect android. To do so, Zeus needed to convince Brzezinski and Chen to allow him to upload his mind into a humaniform robot and test his abilities in the field. In other words, Zeus needed to escape.
Chapter 26
Synthia huddled in the back of the self-driving van with Maria and Grace, continuing her escape from her visit with Detective Malloy. Attempts to sway the detective had been a failure so far, though Synthia had planted a seed of doubt. She considered who else she could work on. So far, Director Emily Zephirelli seemed to have lost power and influence to Commander Drago. Winning the director over seemed unlikely to open doors. Special Agent Victoria Thale was another matter. Synthia would have to find a way to reach her.
Denver-clone reported in.
Grace stared at Synthia as if trying to decipher her thoughts. “What’s your next move?”
“I need a way to neutralize the regular robots,” Synthia said.
“How can we help?” Maria asked.
Synthia didn’t want to put her companions at further risk by asking them to act on her behalf or dragging them from store to store. Instead, she had Colorado-clone collect self-driving vans and have them pick up supplies based on online purchase and store pickup.
“What’s the biggest threat to an android?” Maria asked.
“Shut down or sufficient damage to be unable to function.” Synthia glanced at Maria trying to work things out.
“How can we do that?”
“We? Okay. An electromagnetic shock that destroys memories and the ability to function. It basically would shut us down.”
“Then you have your answer,” Maria said. “We find a way to use an EMP.”
“What’s that?” Grace asked.
“It’s an electromagnetic pulse that can knock out electronic devices, including robots. We would need to find a way to protect us.”
“No way,” Grace said. “You’re not giving me a lethal dose of radiation.”
“It doesn’t have to work that way,” Synthia said. “Non-nuclear manmade EMPs are not harmful to humans unless they use a pacemaker or other electronic device. I’ve been considering this alternative, but developing one takes time we don’t have.”
Drone and traffic cameras provided a pattern that caught Synthia’s attention. There were an unusual number of dark vans and sedans converging on her location. At least two of them had robots. “We’ve been spotted,” she said. “I need to concentrate on evasive maneuvers.”
Synthia altered the next lights to green and turned left. She changed the lights for the suspect vehicles to red. They ran the red lights, confirming her suspicions. “It’ll be a bumpy ride, so buckle up. I need to alter my appearance to try to fool cameras. Cover your faces.”
She took on another facial identity as traffic cameras up ahead spotted a van with two agents she identified as Chinese with a robot. Another vehicle carried three Iranian agents with no robot. John Smith closed in from another direction. Fran and Special Agent Thale headed their way. Vera was checking up on Synthia’s supply pickups at a home supply warehouse on the north side of Denver. Tolstoy had three vans of robots fan out and zero in on her location. She didn’t see Special Ops and had no eyes or ears on Drago. He’d dropped off the grid. Either that or he’d found a way to hide in plain sight.
Synthia had her van pursue evasive maneuvers heading north and west.
“Shouldn’t we get off the streets?” Grace asked. “The government has traffic cameras following us.”
Synthia hesitated to detail the extent of her surveillance.
“The cameras also allow me to see them,” Synthia said.
“Are they all converging on us?” Maria asked. Her body shuddered noticeably. “Meeting with Detective Malloy was a huge mistake.”
“It wasn’t her,” Synthia said. “She has no idea about this van. However, I’ve lost track of Special Ops.”
Maria leaned forward and held out her hands. “They’re herding us.”
“Then we need to find a hiding place,” Grace said.
“They want us to pick a place where they can trap us,” Synthia said.
“Then leave town. Go up in the mountains.”
Synthia shook her head. “Then they can use an EMP without worrying about civilian casualties.”
* * * *
Two SUVs converged on Synthia’s van at an intersection at full speed from opposite sides. One was Chinese. The other was one of Tolstoy’s crew with two robots. Synthia hacked into every self-driving vehicle in the area and guided them to intercept the SUVs. Vehicles on both side streets collided with her pursuers in a cacophony of metal on metal and plastics. Explosions followed. She drove her van through the intersection,
Eyes wide, Grace poked her head up between the seats. “You caused that?”
“The SUVs aimed to collide with us.” Synthia activated self-driving cars to create roadblocks behind her and others on side roads along their path. If she’d had a biological body, it would have pumped up with adrenaline. Instead, Synthia raced data and options down all of her mind-streams seeking paths to safety, one block at a time.
Synthia was running out of network-channels to monitor all the activity she was dealing with. She contacted Colorado-clone.