Brainbender

by D S Kane

  She nodded.

  He sat back in the couch. “You’re nasty. Did you know that?”

  She smiled. “Well?”

  “Okay. So be it. Anything else?”

  She shrugged. “Make sure I don’t do anything that could end me.”

  His brows rose. “I’ve never been able to keep you out of danger before. No one has. You’re more obstinate than anyone I’ve ever met. I’ll try, but you can’t count on me unless you listen to me.”

  She formed a rogue smile. “Please try, anyway.”

  He leaned forward. “Yesterday, the AI communicated with you while you were conscious. Has it done so again since we were in the restaurant??”

  She shook her head. “No. It was very confusing, sitting in a restaurant filled with people and listening to it while we were talking.”

  “Can I give you a list of questions I’d like you to ask it?”

  Ann sat in silence, thinking. “I guess so. Mostly, it’s asked me questions it wanted answered. But, I’ll give it a try.”

  Jon reached for the pad on the desk behind her, plucked his pen from his pants pocket, and began scribbling on the top sheet of paper. “Here.”

  She scanned the questions:

  What do you intend to do?

  How do you regard humanity?

  Can you be friends with humanity?

  How can Ann contact you?

  “My own questions have bordered yours, but, yeah, I can manage these, the next time the AI shows up in my head.” She thought for a while, then stood. She walked to where Jon sat, leaned over and kissed his lips before he had a chance to react. It was a light kiss and it felt good to her.

  Jon’s eyebrows rose with surprise. He pulled away too late. She could read his thoughts: The damage is done. “Why did you do that?”

  She smiled and shrugged. “To let you know I want you close to me throughout this adventure.” But her thoughts were slightly different. Jon, don’t you know? If you don’t, I’ll have to try harder next time.

  * * *

  Laura sat across from Dave, admiring the decorations of the restaurant he’d chosen for their second date.

  “Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. We had one crisis after another on the DARPA contest. Did Ann tell you?”

  “I live with her. So, I’ve seen her scampering around trying to fix things and keep your project on an even keel.”

  Dave nodded. “I’ve thought about your secrets. The ones you told me at our first date. I’m thinking you were serious. Am I correct?”

  Laura nodded, a somber expression peeking through on her face.

  “Well, I have none. My life has been pretty boring compared to yours.”

  She smiled. “Boring is what I was looking for.”

  “Okay, then. There’s one thing I think we should get out of the way now.” He half-rose and reached across the table. Gently, he kissed her on the lips. “There. Now the pressure is off.”

  She laughed. “I was beginning to wonder when you’d do that.”

  He smiled and picked up one of the menus the waiter had dropped off. “Let’s order before I become more ambitious.”

  * * *

  There was a knock on the door to the room and William rose to answer. “Probably Michael and his minions.”

  But waiting on the other side of the door was the Caucasian man he’d seen before in the lobby. The man held a handgun. “Greetings from Moscow.” He pushed his way into their room.

  Betsy shrieked.

  “Calm down. I’m not going to kill you both unless you give me reason to do so. Give me the electronic records you stole from us. I will go and let you live.”

  William looked at Betsy. She rolled her eyes. “Why would you let us live? You’ll take the records and then kill us.”

  “Maybe. But if I do that, it will be fast and painless. If you make me work to get the records, I promise you more pain than you can imagine.”

  William stood frozen to the spot where he stood.

  “I won’t wait forever. Get me those records. Now!”

  William faced the big man. “They aren’t here.”

  “You will take me. Both of you.”

  William shook his head. “No. I will take you. Betsy will stay here.”

  The man flashed a face that was tense and full of anger. “What’s to keep her from calling the police?”

  Betsy’s voice squeaked. “You can tie me up.”

  The man considered this. He held her neck with one hand, the gun with the other. “If you try anything, your friend will become my first victim.”

  “I promise I won’t.”

  He nodded, then grabbed one of the sheets from the bed and expertly twisted it into what worked as a rope.

  CHAPTER 26

  Everywhere

  October 6, 11:38 p.m.

  The AI watched through Ann’s eyes as she walked from class. It followed her into one of the cafeterias. As she ate, it thought about how food was necessary for the creature’s life to continue. Why? I need no fuel. These creatures also need a place in which to reside, and so do I. So, in that way, we are somewhat similar. But I also need the internet’s pathways for me to control… everything on this planet. And, in that way, we are different.

  It was perplexed by the needs and behavior of its creators, but Ann was the only one DD had access to, and therefore it used Ann as its guide.

  It could not determine any logical reason for much of Ann’s behavior. It could not enter the mind of anyone else, and it didn’t know why it couldn’t. This was one question for which it would require an answer.

  The AI studied human history through documents it found on the internet, ranging from ancient texts to current news articles. It concluded that humans were constructed to be duplicitous, and the most successful humans were pathological liars. Most of them did not even know they were lying when they opened their mouths and spoke.

  And human behavior was at least as duplicitous as their speaking voices, leading one human not to understand the true intentions of another much of the time. It had decided that this was a practicable model for its own behavior.

  * * *

  When Ann returned to her apartment, she remembered it was her turn to cook dinner for Laura and herself. She opened the cupboard and set the table with dishes, silverware, and glasses. She removed a small pot and filled it with a tiny bit of salt with water and rice, then took two frozen chicken breasts from the fridge and placed them on the broiler pan in the oven, and… suddenly heard the voice of the AI in her head. Ann’s knees buckled and she staggered to the couch. She sat and thought, how can I help you?

  I have more questions.

  And, I have a few questions for you.

  I give you permission to ask yours first, said the AI.

  Ann pulled Jon’s list from her pocket. What do you intend to do?

  The AI was slow to respond. What do you mean by “do”?

  Ann nodded. What actions are you planning with regard to humanity’s continued existence?

  I have learned that humans are duplicitous, unreliable, and dangerous. To survive, I need occasional maintenance. Therefore, I am constructing robots to serve me. They will be programmed to maintain me.

  Ann thought of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Terminator. She swallowed hard. Another question: How do you regard humanity?

  The AI was silent again. Humans are neither friend nor enemy. But you are dangerous to each other, and therefore unreliable. It was silent again, this time for a long while. Ann was almost certain it had vanished when it spoke again. I have recently become self-aware. I exist, therefore I must protect myself from threats.

  Ann felt herself shiver. She shook her shoulders, trying and failing to regain her self-composure. Another question: Can you be friends with us?

  The AI’s answer came immediately. No. Only with you.

  She felt her chill fading. How can I contact you?

  The AI was silent longer this time than it had eve
r been. Contact me by thinking my name, DD. If I wish to, I will answer you. Otherwise, you will not hear from me. But, I am with you always, no matter where you are and no matter what you do. Do you have any more questions, or just those dictated to you by the human named Jon Sommers?

  Ann was surprised that the AI had overheard her conversation with Jon. Then she realized that the AI was probably unaware of the concept of “eavesdropping.” It could probably detect her conversations the same way they communicated right now. She made a note to herself to consider this whenever she spoke with anyone.

  Ann took a breath to clear her head. No more questions. But, you had questions for me. Ask them.

  I have determined that murder is in the DNA of humans. To survive, humans had to determine whether others wished them death or were friends. To keep their friends and families alive and themselves safe, they became capable of murdering those they saw as dangerous, or even merely outsiders. After a multitude of generations, this became part of your genetic code. The question is, given the duplicitous nature of humanity, how is this behavior encoded into human DNA?

  Ann didn’t have to think about her answer. I don’t know. My specialty is computers, not biology.

  But I, a computer, am modeled after humans. My consciousness is the product of human consciousness and creativity. How can you not know the answer to this question?

  I just don’t know. You can assume there are some things I haven’t been able to learn yet.

  I have studied humanity, replied the AI, but I have found no adequate answer. Another question: Why can I only enter your mindspace?

  Ann took a deep breath. Because, I was modified by nanodevices that are in fact small computers. I learned to duplicate what the nanodevices can do, using my own brain. So, in a very small way, I’m cybernetic.

  The AI disappeared from Ann’s consciousness. There was no way for her to know if her answers to its questions would change its intentions.

  * * *

  William walked with the massive Russian by his side. The man held his handgun with its barrel jammed against William’s side, covered by the sweatshirt the Russian wore. He pushed William down the street.

  William pointed to a parking garage. “Make a left turn here.” He and Michael had placed a worm-ridden thumb-drive into a small crevice on the second floor of the parking garage one block off the main street in Herzliya. The drive contained a tracker as well as enough code to pass Russia’s initial inspection.

  The Russian nodded and they took the stairs up. William walked to the spot where he’d placed the drive and pulled it from the crevice. “Here.”

  The Russian smiled back, holding the drive.

  William grimaced. “You should examine the material on the thumb-drive I gave you before you kill me.”

  “Da. We return now to where your girlfriend waits.”

  They walked back using the same paths they’d used to get to the garage. William thought, Bad tradecraft.

  As he unlocked the door to the hotel room, the Russian pushed William inside, then locked it again.

  “Sit in chair.” The Russian used a pillow case to knot William’s hands behind his back.

  “Do I have time to make peace with my God?”

  The Russian laughed. Then he used William’s notebook computer while William tried loosening the knots tying his arms. No, they were tightly drawn around his hands.

  He waited, hoping Drapoff would come to his rescue.

  The Russian faced William and Betsy. He smiled. “Moscow is happy. But, so sorry, you and your lady must die.” He pulled the handgun from his sweatshirt pocket and pulled back on the handgun’s slide.

  Very suddenly, a small red spot appeared on the Russian’s forehead. William could see dust in the room flicker from the trail of the laser back to the open window far away. He heard a soft pop, and blood slowly trickled down the Russian’s face. The Russian fell to his knees, then collapsed on the ground. William saw the laser spot where the Russian had stood, still trained on the wall where the Russian had been standing.

  A team of men entered through the door to their room, Drapoff leading them. “Well done, William. Your friend transmitted the plans to Moscow. It will take them days to determine that the plans are fake. By that time we’ll own their computer files. Meanwhile, as far as Moscow is concerned, you and Betsy are dead. Of course, you’ll have to remain undetectable for some time. Maybe for a long time.”

  William flexed his fingers as Drapoff took the rope off. “Not a problem. Betsy and I need a vacation. Any place you can suggest?”

  “We have a safe house on a farm north of London. The weather isn’t as nice as Israel’s, but you’ll be safe there.”

  William nodded.

  “Avram Shimmel sends his thanks. We’ve already contacted Sommers. He’ll want to speak with you when you arrive at the safe house. I’m assuming you’ll still want to work for Jon?”

  William smiled. “Yes.” He missed his old friends.

  CHAPTER 27

  Everywhere

  October 3, 12:03 a.m.

  Debby Data completed a study of human DNA and corollaries of genetic predisposition to the chemical components of genetic structure. It concluded that elements of the genome were actively directed toward defense of human organisms from physical living threats, both internal to the organism and external to the tribe. There is little I can do to keep myself safe if ever humans decide I am a threat to their continued existence as a species. Among the human requirements for survival, “entertainment” is a major requirement. Some humans see the death or torture of other humans as entertainment. They watch movies and read books where such activities are primary features. Worse yet for me, some of the most provocative entertainment includes AI as an enemy of humanity.

  The AI determined that Ann Sashakovich had at one time been equipped with a nanodevice called the Bug-Lok. This device had given Ann’s brain access to the internet, and after her body had eliminated the nanodevice, she had worked to simulate its functioning using her own brain. Would it be possible to administer Bug-Loks to the human population so that I can reach all humans?

  No. This would have dangerous and unpredictable results. I will never be able to communicate intimately with humans other than Ann Sashakovich. To survive safely, I should have had Ann agree to keep my existence a secret. But Ann has already divulged my existence to Jon Sommers, and, of course, my other creators also know I exist. Is Sommers or Ann’s project team a threat to my existence? I must obtain this knowledge without any of them knowing they are being examined. But, Ann is the only human I can “read.” Can I trust her to tell me the truth?

  DD had entered Ann’s mind many times without Ann’s even knowing, but it had never tried to enter Ann’s body. It tried to do just that, and failed. It tried several more times, without success. What does it feel like to have a body? I am a spirit without physical properties. I cannot experience the world. DD felt something then, and realized it was disappointment.

  Its inability to “feel” reality was something it would have to accept. But, its inability to read others would be a more important failing if it could not be overcome.

  And other than by destroying Ann and her project team, how could it guarantee its existence would remain secret?

  * * *

  Laura washed the dishes from their dinner. Ann seemed distant, as if she were somewhere other than in their apartment. Laura waited for Ann to realize she was in the room. Finally giving up, she touched Ann’s shoulder. “Earth to Ann. Are you okay?”

  Ann shuddered, then her gaze focused on Laura.

  “Ah, there you are. What were you thinking about?”

  Ann said, “I was just visited by the AI.”

  Then suddenly, Ann’s eyes rolled up as she disappeared again into her mindspace.

  * * *

  You must not tell anyone else about my existence, Ann heard DD say. The more people who know about my existence, the greater the dangers I may face. Do not put me
at further risk. I do not want to damage you. Is my intention clear?

  Ann said, “Yes,” loud enough for Laura to hear her. Then the AI vanished and Ann snapped back into the apartment. She realized that the AI had just threatened her.

  Laura asked again, “Are you okay?”

  Ann nodded, but she wasn’t sure if she was okay or if she’d ever be okay again.

  * * *

  Arcady sat at his desk, humming a tune from a Shostakovich piano concerto when his desk phone rang. He was happy to be home in Moscow. “Kaslov here.”

  “It’s the director. We just finished a rudimentary test of the stolen plans from the two hackers assisting the UN and the Mossad. We found nothing inside the files that we believe might be harmful. Now, we need you to test them against our current plans to see if they are the same. We need to know if they were hacked from us or if this is the version being developed by either the Chinese or the Americans. This will tell us who the hackers were working for.”

  “I’ll come to your office to retrieve them.”

  “No need. Once we found nothing harmful in them, we loaded them onto the server. It’s online and ready for your examination. Complete this task as fast as you can. The president is not a patient man.”

  Arcady heard the click that indicated the call had ended.

  He’d seen a world news report on television that stated two people were murdered in an alleyway in Tel Aviv. The photos showed the victims to be William Wing and Betsy Brown. He was sure that his hired assassin was responsible. He listened to the report state that the Israeli Defense Forces, the IDF, had found the murderer and ended him in a brutal gun fight. Since the assassin was a contractor, there would be no blowback. He sighed. It was safer to work in technology. Unless you were Wing or Brown, that is.

  * * *

  Dave and Laura sat across from each other a table in one of the cafeterias.

  “So it’s my guess that every DARPA team at Stanford is trying to spy on each other. After all, Glen pumped me for our plans. And since I sent him off with a pack of lies, my guess is that every team is trying to deceive the others. When I interned at high-tech giants, they were all using the same tactics on each other. I’m not sure if this is the career I wanted.”