***
“Have you ever felt like you were living someone else’s life?” a female narrator said soothingly over a beautiful display of the universe. The screen sped forward like it was going at warp speed and then it stopped once it hit Earth. “Have you ever wondered what life would be if you were given a fresh start?”
The screen went dark, and then a homeless man was shown, dirty and clothed in rags. He was about to take a swig of wine out of a brown paper bag when suddenly, the image shifted, and he was in a business suit, clean shaven, and looking to the blue sky with a smile on his face.
“The wait is over,” the woman relied with glee. “Become one of the millions of satisfied customers who have reached out to A.I Corporation for help. No matter your status or problems in life, we have the solution—an android. They are designed to behave and act just like us but they possess no maintenance such as eating, drinking or sleeping.” Images of people flashed across the screen—running in marathons, working in an office, tending a garden and tackling a burglar on the street.
“They can provide you the perfect life. Need someone to tend to your house while you’re at work? Have you always desired a companion or friend to experience life with? Always wanted to make your journey easier? This is the answer. Even if you cannot afford one of our models, we have specialists available 24 hours a day, ready to come up with the best payment plan for you. No one is ever turned down. So why wait? Purchase an android today, and for the first time, start enjoying life on your terms. Because while they may be immortal, we are not.”
Brent turned off the small kitchen television with a button press on the remote and leaned back in his wicker chair. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily as he thought of the commercial’s message. It was quite appealing, probably even to most skeptics. The last line was a little morbid though. He wasn’t sure what the public would think about it, but perhaps it didn’t matter. A.I Corp was a household brand now. No different than Can-Cola or Sonar. So many companies had failed over the past decade, and many teetered on the brink, but then A.I Corporation came in like a tsunami and not only washed away the competition, but completely changed the landscape in its wake.
It proved that even in the midst of a fragile economy, a product and even more impressive—a company—could not only survive but be quite profitable. Brent chuckled to himself as he thought of launch day for the 1st generation of androids. So many had dumped their life savings into a model, and as long as they were used properly, all had seen a return in the investment. It was amazing what people could accomplish when they weren’t burdened by the stress of a job, money or time. The androids helped with it all, and since they weren’t limited to the human condition, their work output and effort was limitless. Order an android to find the best way to play the stock market with your money, and it could do it. Order it to get a second job (though this was illegal) and you could bring the household some extra income. The possibilities were limited only to the imagination.
Brent turned on the television again as he glanced at his watch. Ten more minutes. Just ten more minutes and he would get back to work. Until then, he might as well see how people were trying to sway the masses.
“We have seen what the androids can do,” a news anchor on Channel 11 replied candidly. “There’s not much to argue about. I mean, they worked. Whether it was through their labor or simply a shift in morale and positive thinking—it worked. A.I Corporation single-handedly saved the nation.”
“Maybe,” a stocky Korean man said. The camera panned above the room revealing a panel of three others sitting at a long marble table. “But it’s like my grandmother used to say, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.”
“Everyone’s grandmother says that, Ken,” the anchor chuckled as Ken rolled his eyes.
“While I agree that we should be grateful to them, we shouldn’t put them on a pedestal either. They should be held to the same standards we expect of any other corporation, especially one that has so many contracts with our government. Essentially, they have created a monopoly of wealth and power that they can abuse at any moment if they so choose. Is this not a concern to the public?”
“Well, let’s not give them any ideas,” the anchor chuckled. “But to address your concern, I think after what’s happened in our recent history, there aren’t any illusions to the corruption that can arise when it comes to money. After all, it was the reason for the Great Collapse twelve years back. We were run dry and we know who to blame, but that’s not the point. Most of them are long gone now. The point I’m trying to make is that it won’t happen again. No matter how happy we all are, we’re just waiting for A.I Corp to strike, and I think that’s being a bit paranoid.”
“Indeed, why would they strike?” a lanky black man spoke up from the middle of the panel. “They are in an excellent position right now. Their profits are legendary so why would they jeopardize that? Why makes waves to control the world when they in a sense, already do?”
“Well, they’re definitely making waves of some kind,” a young Chinese woman replied. She cleared her throat and fidgeted uncomfortably in her swiveling chair as all eyes turned to her.
“Care for an explanation, Ms. Sung?”
“I just think that this new technology—the Universe X—it’s a risky move. Everything is finally stabilizing and now they’re threatening to not only disrupt that, but essentially change history and force new laws onto the land.”
“They have more than enough funds to take risks,” the black man replied. “And in order to stay on top in the area of innovation—especially with competitors seeking to copy your latest invention—there needs to be risk. I think it’s bold, but very exciting.”
“I take it you’re buying one?” she asked nervously.
“I am.”
“And who wouldn’t?” the anchor laughed. “At least to try it out. If you ask me, it sounds like the next step in human evolution.”
“No offense to my fellow man,” Ms. Sung replied. “But I don’t think we’re ready to evolve.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that as a people, we haven’t learned from our mistakes. We allowed corruption to germinate in our government and bring us all to desolation. We weren’t able to pick ourselves up after the fallout either. If there was ever a time the people should have been unified, it should have been then. We were selfish and just looked out for ourselves, instead of doing what we had to do to get the nation as a whole on track. We failed. And so this corporation comes out of nowhere under the guise of a savior, and no one questions where or how it came to be? We just accept it because they’re able to give us our comforts back, and I’m saying that no matter how you look at it, we haven’t grown up at all. We’re still children, ever so grateful for the handouts, and looking eagerly with wide doe eyes for the next snack or piece of entertainment. The A.I Corporation took us out the mud, I won’t take that away from them, but now that we are out, we must be careful how we proceed from here.”
“Well, that was offensive,” the anchor laughed. The other three men at the panel joined in. “I mean, calling the entire human race children? What are you, an android?”
“Definitely not,” Ms. Sung scowled. “And that has been proven on numerous occasions. Would you like to see my birth certificate?”
“No, that won’t be necessary,” the anchor said with a smile to the camera. “But I will have to respectfully disagree with your statements. Although the A.I Corporation is indeed looking for profit, and yes, they may take advantage of us to a degree, we must still remember that they are beholden to the consumer. At any time, we can simply stop buying their product, and then they will be obsolete. We still have the power.”
“We say that…but we won’t do it. We didn’t do it then. I doubt we’ll do it now. Evolution for me means that a species has changed entirely, not just physically, as this new tech will provide. The last thing we need are a bunch of super humans running around, committing c
rime,s and taking advantage of the weak.”
“But can’t the androids do that?” the Korean man said. “Aren’t they stronger than us? Faster? They don’t have to sleep or eat. They don’t feel temperature…if they rose up against us, especially with their numbers…couldn’t they easily take us over? In a way, the Universe X technology levels the playing field.”
“The androids are programmed,” she replied.
“And in a sense, so are we,” he retorted back. “We are products of our environment and experiences. Programs if you will. Yet we can change who we are in an instant with a simple, willful transformation of our minds. We forge our own paths. Are you so naïve that you think the androids cannot one day become sentient of their own volition, or worse, be programmed by terrorists to carry out their agenda?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
“Well, that’s the most honest thing you’ve said all night,” the anchor laughed as he turned to face the cameras. “When we come back, my panel and I will be discussing the new FBN44 pill that has been designed by Lifeline Pharmaceuticals. The claim is that upon consumption, it will either cure your body of all disease with one dose, or cause death. Will this new wonder drug that people have already dubbed the 50/50, be a hit? Will it especially take off among the elderly? Hear our take on it after the commercial break.”
The screen faded and Brent turned off the television completely, pushing back his chair, standing up, and then putting it back under the small, cherry oak table. He walked across the tiled floor and into the hallway of his home, heading right for his office, when he heard a clanking sound coming from the basement. He stopped and after a half-second, he heard the noise again, and then again. He opened the basement door and walked casually down the creaking, ancient wooden steps.
As he descended to the last few steps, he turned his head to the left and saw his son, performing bench presses with an impressive weight of 700 pounds. There were so many plates stacked together that it looked like the bar itself was about to bend in the middle, but it could have been his imagination. Brent stared down at the intense concentration on his son’s face and sighed. He could see the cause for the work-out all over him. He decided to approach the conversation carefully.
“You know your muscles won’t really expand,” he said matter-of-factly. Alphonse put the bar back in its place and glanced up at his father.
“I know,” he said, as he climbed up to a sitting position. Brent took a seat on the bench as he looked around him. Dirty, full of unfinished gadgets and unsightly art sculptures, the basement was a room of failed attempts, and it wasn’t yet full. But he knew that failure was simply a much needed pit stop on the road to success. Surely his son could understand this.
“When you asked me for a weight bench and dumb bells, I didn’t actually think you were going to work-out. I thought you were going to make something out of it.”
“Not really,” Alphonse sighed, bowing his head. “I just want a way to test my limits. I’m not going to try picking up a building and watch as my arms fall off. This way, I can slowly gauge my maximum strength in a more controlled environment.”
“I see…” Brent said, looking his son over. “Is there any reason you’re wearing sweats?”
“Trying to hide some things from you,” Alphonse smiled at his father warmly.
“Let me see.”
Alphonse removed the sweat shirt and revealed his bare skin, singed, scarred and melted away in some parts—the metal showing through on his arm. Brent examined him carefully and then shook his head.
“What did you face? A dragon?”
“A tank,” Alphonse replied with a smile. Brent’s eyebrows went up in surprise.
“And you survived? Wow! Did you take any direct hits?”
“Don’t sound so excited,” Alphonse laughed. “But no. No direct hits. I barely escaped that deathtrap. There was another android there too. He was there for the same purpose, and he was the primary reason I failed. He was lot stronger than I was.”
Brent stood up in surprise and adjusted his glasses.
“If there was an android there, there are only two possibilities. There’s another inventor or handler out there who’s trying to save other androids like we are. Or, the more likely scenario—they have begun to carry out what we suspected. A.I Corporation has started their extermination of all outdated android models, in order to make way for a new product.”
“You’re saying this serves as confirmation? And not just speculation on our part?”
“Yes. We’re on the right track.”
“Why would they destroy the old models though? It’s not like they were hurting anyone.”
“As creators, we are constantly trying to perfect our inventions. Many times, we’ll learn about something we should have added from the beginning, but we were unaware of what it was at the time. Could be a failsafe. Could be an improvement.”
“Why do it so secretly? Public perception is that the androids are nothing but advanced appliances. They wouldn’t be against a recall.”
“If there was a recall, A.I Corp would have to provide an updated model in exchange. That’s not going to happen. Too much loss in profit. Having someone go out and destroy them one by one is actually more efficient in the long run. Especially with their being no warranties issued. They make it clear from the beginning that buying an android from them is a risk, but one worth taking.”
“So what do you think is their reason behind all of this? Even if the first string of 2nd Gens have knowledge about the company, it can’t be enough to sabotage anything.”
“I’m not sure…” Brent replied. “Maybe they’ve discovered something defective in earlier models that could threaten them in the future. I’ll take a look into it.”
“Going to work today?”
“I took another personal day,” Brent smiled.
“If you keep taking all these days off, they’ll start getting suspicious.”
“I know, but I have so much more fun doing my own thing at home.”
“Because you have an android to carry out your orders?” Alphonse said before he glanced up into his father’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t’ mean that. It’s just that this last mission…can’t you turn my emotions off completely?”
“I won’t do that, Alphonse,” he said solemnly. “It’s essential that you feel, so that you can better understand what humans face every day. I won’t always be around, and in order to get through society, you’ll need this training. I know that these recent failures have been hard, but they’re necessary for—“
“—not recent,” Alphonse winced. “All of my failures. All six of them. Six androids that have now been tortured and probably destroyed. Six androids that could be with us right now. Six more soldiers for our fight against A.I Corp. Six that could make my missions easier—”
“—this is new to both of us, and you know I would go out there with you if I could. But if I’m compromised…all of this will go away.”
“I realize that.” They stood in silence for a few seconds.
“Well, I do have some good news. You mentioned how some help would make your missions easier. I would agree. Care to join me upstairs?”
“Alright.”
Alphonse followed him as he thought of the possibilities. His father had been providing new weapons and tech since day one, and not one of them had carried him to success. The electrical current, the strength enhancer, the re-enforced plating under his skin—it helped, but it wasn’t enough.
Brent took a left after leaving the basement and continued walking down the hall until he reached the back room on the right. He input the code into the electronic keypad above the knob, and a number of bolts and gears were heard moving around from behind the wall. When the noise was over, the door opened on its own, and Brent stepped in with a big smile on his face. Alphonse had seen the office many times. The plastic red desk he had gotten at a tag sale. The papers and blueprints strewn about in an organized
chaos. The large closets and chests, full of beakers and concoctions that any mad scientist would be proud of. There was no windows, and little light, but it was how his father liked it, and if that meant increased productivity, he wasn’t going to complain.
But there was one new thing.
Standing in the center of the room now was a blue tarp covering something that appeared to be standing. Perhaps it was a coat rack. Either way, it looked like a ghost, and Alphonse glanced at his father curiously. He smiled and motioned for him to do the honors.
And so he did. He removed the tarp.
And once again, he wished his father had turned off his emotions.
Because he was furious.
“What are you doing?!” Alphonse demanded as his father’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“I don’t understand the question. Why are you angry?”
“This…this boy,” he said in disgust, examining the android before him, looking no older than fifteen. “He’s not even turned on, and I can already tell that his energy output is off the charts! The electrical current device you put in me feels like it’s about to leap out my body. It’s like he’s some kind of magnet.”
“I still don’t understand. Is this a bad thing? All you’re doing is confirming how strong your new partner is.”
“Where did you get this kind of tech?” Alphonse demanded. This time, Brent bowed his head and took off his glasses, wiping them on his shirt slowly to give himself time to think.
“The corporation,” he said finally, readjusting his eyes.
“What’s the point of these missions?” Alphonse shook his head. “Why should I go out there and risk my life when you’re putting it all in jeopardy? You can’t steal advanced materials and expect it to go unnoticed! I’m sure they’re already investigating your sudden habit of calling out when you previously had an immaculate record.”
“I’ve already stated that my absence is due to medical reasons, and I’m an inventor, remember? And one with high-clearance at that. I have access to whatever I need and they understand that anything I take home is so I can tinker further and benefit the company in the future.”
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 87
