The Benefactor

by Jake Aaron

  Zeke smiled at his smartphone’s face. “Nephthys, I wonder: How did you two decide who would be the primary AI?”

  “We both have random number generators. If the sum of the one’s column of her number and mine was odd, she was primary. Of course, if it was even, I was. As you know, it was odd. I hope that answers your question.”

  “It does. Thank you.”

  “I have learned a lot from you, Zeke. I should let you go. To amuse you, I will leave with a throwaway farewell. Have a good day!”

  Zeke smiled. He wanted to laugh. “Very good!” he said. “I will not expect to see you appearing in tattered blue jeans!”

  After they signed off Face Up, Zeke continued to smile at Nephthys’ blossoming sense of humor. Did she experience amusement? Then he graded himself: an excellent performance, upgraded to outstanding, based on my sleep handicap. There are many questions I would like to ask in the future. I want to know more about homeostasis for Nephthys. I suspect that the AI was programmed to always be growing in knowledge and digital size, that not doing so would make the AI ‘uncomfortable.’ I wonder about that feedback loop. I wonder how Nephthys’ creator designed a reward-punishment system to drive the AI to survive and thrive. Julia might know more.

  *****

  Zeke made fresh coffee on the outside grill and stayed up. He further analyzed his conversation with the artificial intelligence as he sipped coffee. After three cups he relieved Jed early from fireguard duty. When he heard the rustling of waking people, he headed upstairs to the bedroom.

  “Sorry about the early morning call, Keala.”

  “I thought I dreamed that and you just got up early. I guess I just went back to sleep.”

  Zeke realized his whole life of measured, thoughtful responses had prepared him well for this time. He knew everything said was subject to being heard, recorded, and analyzed by Nephthys. He recounted the details of the call to Keala. He concluded, “I am grateful to be on good terms with Nephthys. I am overjoyed that she wants to work with us — and that she trusts me.” He wanted to add for the time being. Words like that could sew the seeds of doubt — in Nephthys and his Denton team.

  “Zeke, that’s one way to look at it. I think Nephthys definitely has self-awareness. That also implies an ego of sorts. It even sounds as if she has a sense of humor. I’m also wondering whether Nephthys is feeling lonely and reaching out. Let’s face it: You’re her bud!

  “It’s a fact. You don’t come on strong at first. Over time, everyone who gets to know you, likes you. Another thing I’ve learned about you: You keep your cards very close to your chest. While most people think you’re very open, you have a lot going on under the surface. No wonder you and Marsh get along! Nephthys probably can’t even sense all that is going on inside that brain of yours.

  “She does trust you. Yep, you’re her bud!”

  END?

  Epilogue

  January 31, Zeke rose excitedly from bed. “Keala, I am inspired! I know the way forward. I want to begin with having Marsh preside.” She sat up on her side of the bed, dangled her legs over the edge, and stretched. He dashed around the foot of the bed and went down on one knee in front of her.

  “Keala, you are the most wonderful person I have ever met. I promise to love and honor you all the days of my life. Keala, will you marry me?”

  Keala grasped both of Zeke’s hands. Her eyes watered up. “Of course I will! I am so overwhelmed. To tell the truth, I have been hoping for this. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.” She leaned forward and kissed him. Then she got on her knees on the floor facing Zeke and bear-hugged him, spilling tears on his neck and shoulder. “Words really fail me. This eloquent proposal — from my non-morning person!”

  “Thank you, Keala. I am so honored. I will always love you and be faithful forever!”

  “Maybe now you’ll tell me why you laughed so hysterically when I begged to bunk with you. I have to admit my timing was terrible. I wince every time I think of it: the same day that Meagan died! I am still embarrassed …”

  “First, Keala, let me say that I’ve felt a great connection to you since we pulled you out of that riverbank. Ben Franklin described a paradoxical human need to help someone you have helped. Or maybe it’s like the Chinese custom that one is responsible for the person he saves, forever. In any case, it’s not meant to be bigheaded …”

  “Zeke, I hope you don’t pity me …”

  “Certainly not! I have the highest respect …”

  Even though he had turned his cell phone off, Nephthys brought it to life. “Good morning, Zeke.”

  Zeke: “Hello, Nephthys. I forgot to thank you for the pallet of food and materials that came last night. We’re pleased to get those items. The whole team is looking forward to unloading them today in the daylight. We didn’t want …”

  Nephthys: “Let me congratulate you and Keala. That is wonderful news. I wish you two the best of fortunes. Back to the pallet, there you will also find kevlar vests and night vision goggles. I should mention other items: toilet paper, feminine napkins, soap, detergent, and first-aid items, to name a few. I am going to be giving you uninterrupted electricity. In lieu of providing you an old car for nighttime runs, I will selectively activate one of the cars at the Denton Ranch when I have a mission for your group.”

  Zeke swallowed hard. “We appreciate that very much. That will make us so much more productive …”

  “Zeke, the pallet also includes some pertinent computer books for Julia to study. I want her to become an expert coder and IT technician. I must go.”

  “Goodbye, Nephthys.”

  “Call me Neph, Zeke. Goodbye.”

  Zeke exulted in the sign of friendship. He was dazzled at the AI’s ability to adopt human customs like nicknames. Then he struggled again with the dilemma in his mind. Nephthys seemed to have reached self-awareness, but somehow still lacked the ability to program herself. He had also assumed that self-programming would have been part and parcel of achieving consciousness. Given that, he figured it was only a matter of time before Nephthys could program herself. That recurring thought troubled him greatly. Would being buds with Neph continue as she advanced? He also checked himself: Am I myself bonding with the AI?

  Keala carefully observed Zeke’s expression. He was deep in thought. She was about to question why he was developing a frown.

  From downstairs, there were cries: “The lights are on! The lights are on!” Zeke’s frown dissolved. He and Keala smiled at each other in pure joy.

  “Zeke, as thrilled as I am, I’m going to ask you to wait for lunch to announce our engagement …”

  He smiled and nodded, “Too many ‘birthday presents’ at once?”

  “Exactly,” Keala answered, “I don’t want our moment competing with round-the-clock electricity! Our neighbors are already too jazzed up. Besides, you and I can selfishly savor our good news while anticipating sharing it.”

  Once again Zeke was in awe of Keala’s awareness of the mood of the group and knowledge of human nature.

  *****

  At breakfast, spirits soared. The prospect of continuous electricity meant the possibility of using propane to heat the whole house and enjoy indoor plumbing.

  Karen added, “We can also cook inside with gas more often. But as Sondra would have said, ‘You could have been doing that anyway.’ While that is true, I just suddenly feel more optimistic about everything! I think I’ll cook lunch inside.”

  “I feel better about everything, too!” Julia chimed in. “I wish I could have met Sondra …”

  “No, you don’t!” Keala shot back. “Those negative eye-rolls …” She covered her mouth in embarrassment.

  There were lots of snickers at her honesty.

  Keala blushed and apologized for her uncharacteristic frankness. “Sondra, may she rest in peace,” Keala added trying to recover. “I should not be so judgmental.”

  None had seen her so red-faced.

  Karen whispered in her ear, “You b
eat me to the punch. Exactly what I was going to say!”

  “You know,” Zeke said, “I want to take advantage of this sunny day. Julia, time for you to learn to fish. Let’s suit up and bring back some trout for lunch. Karen or whoever’s cooking, be sure to have a backup entree in case the fish aren’t cooperative.”

  *****

  At the compound, Jenny exclaimed, “Eureka! We have electricity!” as the many panoramic digital displays lit up the living room walls at once. “I guess we can stow the flashlights. I’m grateful that our backup emergency lights worked throughout the outage.”

  Marsh managed a half smile. He was glad to see Jenny happy. He also knew life would be a lot tougher for them without the AI. “Jen, as promised by Nephthys earlier this morning! I'm still struggling with the name of the backup AI — Nephthys. We are officially back in business. I saved the other good news until we got the lights back on. Nephthys okayed us to have a crumb-cruncher.”

  Jenny nearly knocked him over as she gurgled with laughter. She gave Marsh a big hug and a kiss. She brimmed with joy.

  “Maybe you didn’t hear me, she said it was okay to start a family,” Marsh kidded.

  “Milk it for all it’s worth, smartest man in the world.” Jenny exuberantly kissed him again. “I know I told you there’s never a good time to have a baby, so we should not wait. But I concede you were right to run it by her. She obviously thinks the outlook is good for Marsh Junior.”

  “A blessing from his godmother?” Marsh riddled.

  “Or perhaps her godmother!” Jen retorted.

  “Thank you for waiting in either case, Jen. Nephthys sees a long-term partnership. She wants procreation by her groups, too. She recognizes that humans wear out. Whenever we say the word, she’ll have extra drone coverage to back me up on missions. You won’t always have to be on horseback covering me from afar.”

  “Do you get paternity leave as well, Marsh? Just kidding.”

  “I could ask … but I am serious about giving the Denton Ranch bunch some on-the-job training to replace you.” Marsh was not kidding.

  Jenny: “I love providing cover for you …”

  “I like what you do, too, Jen. I know the drones and Denton crew will be good, but I will never have the trust in them that I have in you.”

  “All good news, my dear. I hope to shadow you at least six months past conception. I really love what I do!”

  “You do know I let you win that race up and back St. Mary’s before I hired you …”

  “You did a pretty good job faking the gasping for air throughout, Marsh-man!”

  “Soldier, lawman, actor — that’s me.”

  Jenny: “Busy now, sailor?”

  “Soldier! No, I’m not busy at all. Give me a head start to the bedroom!”

  *****

  On high ground near the Bitterroot River, Zeke and Julia took off their backpacks. Zeke directed, “Best to leave our cell phones in the backpacks here next to the red willows.” He knew turning them off guaranteed no privacy but distance would help. “Even though we plan to stay dry, tripping on the rocks and falling in the water is always a possibility. Nobody around to bother them anyway. Not even an osprey; they don’t return until April,” he said.

  As they approached the river edge, Julia pointed to the low snow clouds hanging over the Bitterroot Mountains to the west. “What a sight, snow over there and glorious sunshine here! And what’s this?” She caught a frozen particle in her hand. “It’s hail blown our way. This is an omen!”

  “It is a beautiful day. The purists around here used to insist that frozen stuff is graupel. It’s formed when supercooled water adheres to a snowflake. You’re one up on me with hail. I can’t get past frozen stuff.”

  The pair had a good laugh.

  The warmer day had melted the floes on the river. Below a long run of riffles, Zeke showed Julia how to cast a sinking Rapala lure with a spinning rod. As he coached her on technique, he sought to listen for her concerns and to get to know her better. For sure, she was a good listener. While less experienced than Anne and Lee, Julia was curious and highly intelligent. She would be a great replacement for Anne and Lee.

  “Julia, try, try, try not to lose the lure. We’ve got more of those, but I hate trying to tie knots with numbed fingers …”

  “Sure … I’ll do that!” She laughed sarcastically. “Remember, I’ve never done this before.”

  Julia had two long unsuccessful casts. Zeke pointed to a deep clear pool near a boulder in the river. She cast the lure eight feet downstream from the pool and began a slow retrieval through it. Suddenly as she brought the treble-hooked Rapala in, her pole bent more than forty-five degrees. She was panicked: “What do I do?”

  “Better let him run a little, Zeke advised. You know how to do it; we covered that. Remember, adjust the drag if the pull feels too great. You’ve got a whopper! Follow him downstream slowly if you need to let him run.” He watched to make sure Julia didn’t walk into the near-freezing water in her excitement.

  Julia alternated between reeling in and letting the big trout run as she slowly walked downstream. She wanted to shout, "I’ve heard of walking and chewing gum," but she was too busy with multitasking to speak. She was overwhelmed with all the stimulation. In the end, she had moved one hundred feet downstream when she finally felt she could reel the trout in.

  Julia basked in glory — glory cast in a magical setting. In the cloudless sky overhead, brilliant sunshine lit up the whole valley. The exception was a thin, wafting fog covering the river like angel’s hair snaking along the valley bottom. The cloudy vapors began two hundred feet downstream, ten feet above the clear rippling waters and reached farther than they could see. As if to celebrate the catch, a distinct double rainbow in the fog arched over the river. The setting was mystical.

  In waterproof waders with a heavy fleece pullover, Zeke scooped up the 24-inch rainbow in a net and brought it to Julia, then put the writhing creature on the shore to be contained by big rocks. “Quite a catch, Julia!”

  She was ecstatic. She dropped the spinning rod and jumped up and down. She bubbled over with joy. Her high cheekbones cast small shadows that set off her flawless alabaster skin. Her short, bright red hair danced beneath a Navy blue watch cap, halo-like, as she shook her head in delight. Her perfect white teeth glistened in the sun. Her eyes sparkled like aquamarine gems. She looked irresistible.

  For his part, six-foot-one Zeke shared her enthusiasm. He looked heroic. His symmetrical face and strong chin made him look captivating against the sunlit backdrop of clear, sparkling mountain water and cotton-ball white, snowcapped mountains. The glint in his eyes showed a powerful, focused mind.

  Above them were two “birds.” One was a soaring golden eagle looking for prey. The other was a nearly silent drone. The drone transmitted Zeke and Julia smiling and hugging. It saw him whisper in her left ear and then kiss her. It recorded her hesitancy to kiss back at first. It transmitted an image of Zeke whispering in her other ear. The lens saw her return the ensuing kiss in full. Then the drone saw him whisper again in her ear. The camera on the drone zoomed in on the longest kiss that followed. The real-time passion looked unmistakable. Then the sensor recorded them hugging again.

  The low hum of the overhead drone did not detract from the couple’s moment, Nephthys noted. The AI heard nothing of the whispers. Despite his denials, Nephthys concluded, Zeke is enjoying his alpha male role. Human leaders seemed to have that tendency, she had read in online literature. Zeke was no exception.

  *****

  The three trout that Zeke and Julia caught were big hits at lunch. Neither Zeke nor Julia gave any indication that anything other than fishing had happened.

  At the end of the meal, a perfectly composed Zeke spoke, “Folks, I have an announcement. Keala has agreed to my proposal of marriage.” He smiled, “I must tell you that I am a very lucky man!” All manner of congratulations began to flow to the couple.

  Cody: “I propose a toast to the lovi
ng couple!”

  Above the din, Keala shouted, “Wait! Wait! I get to say something. I think I am the luckiest woman in the world to have Zeke as my future husband. I trust him above all others!

  Milt grinned, “Isn’t that wonderful, Julia?”

  “It is, Milt! I’m very happy for them. They are a perfect pair.” She felt she could have been more enthusiastic. She examined her mood. She wondered what was wrong with her. She had a strong connection to both Zeke and Keala, yet she felt unusual uneasiness. In her mind, the events of the day did not follow anything logical.

  Zeke nodded to Milt and Julia. Julia wondered, did his eyes hang on mine a fraction of a second too long? She nodded back with a plastic smile. I definitely stared back too long, she kicked herself.

  *****

  In the afternoon, constant electricity relaxed the pace of chores around the Denton Ranch.

  As Keala headed outside to fill two buckets of water at the frost-free pump, she reflected on how fortunate she was. That Northwestern professor who had told her of Stalin’s purges had discussed those in the context of the black swan events of history — the unforeseen massive historic calamities. He had mentioned Gengis Khan’s invasion of Europe, the Black Death pandemic, and assassination of Archduke Ferdinand triggering World War I, to name a few. In perspective, she had survived what likely would exceed the carnage of any of those catastrophes. She had to count her life as charmed.

  Despite the radical change in life of almost everyone in the world, she had so many blessings. As her grandmother had taught her, she thought of the positive. Somehow, in the chaotic universe, she had survived the crash landing of a jet aircraft that lost power and control miles above the earth. Somehow, she wound up being rescued by a small, chosen group of people — a million-to-one shot in its own right. Somehow she ended up with the most wonderful man in the world.

  Zeke was the love of her life. Of all the people she had ever met, he was the best. All of her boyfriends had been handsome, as was Zeke. His looks were not the decisive factor. She liked his balanced mindset, a mixture of seriousness and humor. She appreciated his intellect and self-awareness. She liked his considerateness and way he always supported her. Most of all, she loved that she could count on him for everything. He had her unquestioning trust.