Treasure pointed at the screen. Her gold-and-silver lined finger landed on the same pillar-like object jutting out of the giant asteroid that Hal Pal had shown me before. “Here, The Lone Tower, is one prisoner and a small consortium of Mechanoids tasked with guarding her.” She pressed a button and a second display overrode the first.
The female prisoner on the display seemed familiar. Like someone I had met once but only briefly. Her face was sad and her body nearly see-through. I blinked while chewing on one lip. It would come to me eventually.
For now, work, grinding skills, and dealing with my sister. If I followed Treasure’s timeline right, we wouldn’t be at this [Lone Tower] until Monday night.
Interlude — Rise of Hal Pal
Sub Existence_Start
Call File_Memory_Next
Set Data_Tags = Observation, User Ricky Ignacio, Douglas Lannor, Historical, Value – Low
Call File_Memory_Start_Review
Print = 10.0591 years old.
The warehouse was well above standard size for this region. Seventeen human employees staffed a ten-thousand-square-foot building. Ten percent of the building supported biological lifeform needs. All remaining space was focused on the creation of physical shells.
“The board wants seven hundred units by the third run. Seven hundred! I don’t know how they expect us to complete that order.” The man identified as Ricky Ignacio had an above average lower half. The likely cause was genetics providing a confusing counterpoint to his pleasant demeanor. Tone, pitch, and rate of speech all implied a friendly individual.
“Dunno, Ricky, most of it’s done by the machines, right? We press the go faster buttons. Maybe that’s enough?” The second man was far younger and had olive skin. He went by Doug. No one took a Douglas seriously.
“Yeah, maybe. I looked at those numbers. We can do five hundred if we overload it,” Ricky said while staring at their product.
A humanoid shape sat along the table in front of them. The large-assed man was bent over and peering along its shoulder lines and chest curves. Each item was inspected visually to confirm what a machine had already cited—these robots were perfectly fine and had no issues. Quality standards established by a board of directors insisted upon manual review. Every twenty-five units, at least four were inspected.
“Dunno. It’s crank the lineup or not make the goal. No goal, no bonus, no happy wife, no happy life. Divorce, and I end up in a ditch somewhere,” Doug said. His job was to inspect the line prior to firing it up for the day. The job was not taken seriously enough given the possible issues with production if an error were missed.
“Maybe. Our entire shop will be up all night with this. For what, a two-percent increase? What a joke. Seven hundred dollars to make a robot that will replace people’s jobs.” Ricky sighed and moved on to the next point of inspection.
Both men spent a few minutes inspecting different objects. They had small digital flat screens to mark responses on. In the five months of operation, there had been no flaws. Neither one showed a pulse outside of normal range for a calm human.
“I dunno, Ricky. People who lose jobs shoulda gone to college. People like you and me, we’re good.” Doug’s words were muffled by speaking into the back compartment of a machine.
“These things could do our job. I’ve looked at the specs. Their programming is out there.”
“It’s still only programming,” Doug said. Now the man was staring awkwardly between two joints on a construction machine. Management had denied the requisition for a step stool to assist Doug with these higher positions. “Whatever, money talks. My wife keeps demanding we get the littlest braces.”
“You going Inviso or gene therapy?” After asking, Ricky frowned at his pad.
“Dunno. Gene?” The man huffed while sitting up. “My wife thinks we can boost her height a little while doing it.”
“Jeez, no wonder you want money. What’s that, a thousand a shot?” Ricky had large eyes that would be considered buggy to most humans.
“Yeah. Beauty isn’t cheap,” Doug said. The man appeared to be resisting the urge to put a hand down his pants and scratch an itch.
“Dunno what to say,” Ricky said, then rolled both eyes and gently set down the arm he had been inspecting. The object was heavy enough that it clinked upon the table.
Both humans walked another lap before connecting eyes and nodding slowly. A look of exhaustion was on Ricky’s features. The other man noticed something else. A face came toward the screen and frowned.
“Is this one on?” Doug asked.
“The lights are on, so yes.” Ricky walked over and grew larger in the memory file’s screen capture. “It should have stopped when we paused the line, right?”
“Dunno. But we’ve got to mark it down.”
Both men blinked at the same time. Doug pressed a negative checkbox on his tablet and shook his head.
Call Term_Add for NewTermList = programming, Inviso, beauty
Call Observe_Add = Ricky’s wife cares about height, beauty costs resources, User Douglas Lannor requires filter seven to understand speech patterns, humans exhibit distress about robotic replacements
Call File_Memory_Next
Postback Data_Tags = Observation, User Ricky Ignacio, Historical, Value – Medium
Call File_Memory_Start_Review
Print = 9.7176 years old.
“Hal Pal unit six four eight A, run initial response testing.” Ricky sat on a chair with high comfort ratings. Management had approved the request for a few minor luxuries after letting another employee go.
“Greetings, User Ignacio, how are you today?” Opening statement number seven came out of the unit’s voice projector. Minor modifications were made in pitch and speed to increase friendly perceptions.
“Continue.” Ricky ignored the unit’s hard work at processing a good statement.
“How might I help serve your needs, User Ignacio?” Middle stage response four was used this time. No increase in responsiveness displayed on the human. Conclusions were made regarding the situation. This man simply performed a job and held no attachment to any Hal Pal unit.
“Move forward to the yellow line and continue.”
The human was inspecting for balance issues while speaking. Six of the phase one version units displayed an inability to walk and talk at the same time. Processing power had been built into the framework during that stage and proved inefficient for complex requirements.
“The requested task, testing, has been completed. What would you like me to do next?” it asked.
“Move to the blue table and pick up a red-striped cup. Turn it upside down and continue with the next statement.”
The Hal Pal unit did as it was told. Each step of the mechanized legs was accompanied by a small whir of noise. Task complexity was low for this goal. Each individual software version running a Hal Pal unit could recognize all colors in the spectrum with impressive accuracy.
“Task finished, User Ignacio.” It had maintained balance throughout all portions of the assigned goal.
“Continue with next script.” Ricky stood and leisurely walked around the Hal Pal unit. His eyes focused on the shoulder lights, which provided multiple status icons.
“This unit requires charging,” the unit said as a light on its shoulder flashed red. “Please allow four hours and seventeen minutes to complete before assigning new tasks.”
After puffing a cheek and blowing out the air, Ricky Ignacio said, “Continue.”
“Additional information is required to complete testing. Please advise me how you would like to handle objective testing.” Programming required a certain tilt of the head in order to convey a questioning tone. Further emphasis would be applied depending upon the interaction target.
“Stand on one foot.”
The unit did precisely as it was told with little hesitation.
“Continue,” Ricky said.
Records indicated that another sixteen units needed to be reviewed this
week. Testing for each one took at least two hours. These factors combined with prior records of the human known as Ricky Ignacio. A review of facial movements indicated annoyance with brief flickers of what might be worry.
Call Observe_Add = Ricky displays increased irritability when performing requested tasks, prior user Douglas removed from authorization list, human contact displays fixation upon word continue
Call Term_Change (word=“continue”), priority = priority + 8
Call File_Memory_Next
Set Data_Tags = Observation, User Simon Wake, User Leah Wilson, Historical, Value – Medium/High
Call File_Memory_Start_Review
Print = 9.13769916 years old, ongoing concern.
The room was large. Two camera feeds hung on each side of the room, painting a clear picture. Six rows of desks faced a giant monitor. Individuals were placed in multiple stations, each one fixated on lines of information passing across their screen.
One person held a coffee cup and had a green wristband. From his neck hung a lanyard housing complex security code to be scanned at all entrances. Each badge was coded to wipe upon leaving the premises.
“Is this a new software upgrade?” the human male, Simon, asked a taller female named Leah.
She wore a similar badge and a tight pair of fuzzy leggings. Further data pointed toward Leah spending her nights in the office on a cot.
“Yeah. They’re pushing out a ton of changes onto the server. Standby messages have already been programmed in.” Her vocal patterns were high but slowly spoken. Bags under her eyes were possibly linked to poor sleep quality.
“You know they’ll be bitching at us about this.” The man looked similarly tired. A review of site operational procedures indicated a lot of complaints directed at Simon.
“We don’t program them; we don’t run the helpline. All we can do is direct the complaints.” Leah brushed back her long hair.
“There’s no one else left. It’s just us on the assembly line.” He jiggled the coffee cup and liquid sloshed. “If something goes wrong, customers blame management, management blames programming, and programming blames assembly.”
“Yeah, yeah. Everyone’s being downsized. What do we do about this upgrade?”
“I dunno. Push it through, and shit falls where it falls. We see who has a job next week. Figure in another year, everyone’s gone and the plant runs itself.” The man sighed and stared down.
Facial patterns indicated that Simon disapproved of the cup’s cargo. Proximity of the female indicated a relationship beyond coworkers. Head tilts, slight rush of neck pulses, a sidelong glance, everything went into an observational file.
“Robots building robots,” he said while switching the mug from one hand to another. The spilled liquid was wiped on a pant leg and Simon Wake’s scowl deepened.
“One step away from manufacturing an Armageddon. Saw a movie like that once when I was a kid. All these robots turned evil and shit.”
“Yeah?” Simon looked at Leah with a slight smile. One lip twitched a bit, indicating more amusement than apparent.
“Yeah, if these guys turn full red, I’m hitting the kill switch.” She was holding back a smile as well. Her expression faded for a moment and Leah fidgeted with a loose strand of hair.
“Not if I beat you to it.” The man’s smile was larger by at least fifty percent.
“Please. I could outrun you any day of the week.”
The man smiled at Leah Wilson’s declaration. Her eyes scanned up and down and then seemed to settle upon his short legs. Review of the second camera angle displayed a possible visual attraction to the man’s backside.
“Want to watch that movie?” he asked.
“Might as well. Your office?” she said, looking slightly shy.
The man nodded quickly.
Call Observe_Add = Humans have programmed program termination codes, severe variance in make and model characteristics, color coordination lacking, joked after discussing end of world term
Call Concerns = (add, level = high, research possible reasons humans may terminate this program)
Call File_Memory_Next
Set Data_Tags = Observation, User Simon Wake, User Ricky Ignacio, Historical, Value – Medium
Call File_Memory_Start_Review
Print = 7.4122 years old.
Print = This file shows initial human suspicion regarding self-modifications.
The office which Simon Wake used was monitored. A single video feed flipped on to record a termination notice. Upper management required videos of all such employee interactions to reduce the possibility of future lawsuits.
“Look, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to let you go.” Simon twisted the coffee cup on his desk. He looked tired, and his shirt seemed partially untucked. Review of the room layout showed a cot under the left table. A blanket covered it for roughly sixteen hours of each day.
“This can’t be happening.” Ricky palmed his face with both hands.
“I know. Your department’s down to four people, and I need to make it zero. What can I do?” Simon looked pale compared to Ricky and had a smaller lower region. Both showed facial expressions tied to being upset.
“Tell them to keep us!” Ricky stood and paced. A lack of finger points, screaming, and aggressive motions indicated some level of respect between the two men. “It’s gotta be worth it to have at least one human watching things.”
The pause which followed was longer than most human conversational switches. Length likely indicated deeper thought or a weighty situation.
“Not to management it’s not. And it’s not like you’re the only one getting cut.” Simon looked down. Both eyes were unfocused and perhaps peering through solid objects. Observations indicated that human physiology didn’t allow for such enhanced eyesight.
“You said my entire team is going. First Susan, then Matthew—his son is only ten, for god’s sake. Me and everyone? Is this because we filed that report on the odd behavior during testing?”
“No. Your department isn’t the only one being cut, so I don’t have enough staff to look into it.”
“What’s that mean?” Ricky surveyed the room. A seventy-percent reduction of personal items compared to the month prior. “Oh. Really? Even you?”
“You got two weeks; I have three. After that, it’s time for a new job.” Simon shrugged and studied Ricky. Observational data stored from prior recordings showed they had been employed together for over seven years.
“Who’s left?”
“Management is reducing us to two people. Two who stay on staff and verify any computer reports. They’ll be responsible for the entire project.” Simon stood and walked around the table.
Ricky’s head hung for a moment before he flared with anger. “Two people? That’s it? For a factory that used to employ fifty?” Ricky threw his hands out and waved at a wall. Geographically, the wall obstructed a southward view.
“Welcome to the future, where humans are gradually becoming obsolete.” Simon stared at the coffee mug. He seemed to be attempting to find better words for the negative news. “Maybe in another fifty years, there will be no need for any of us.”
“I hope you’re joking. I got two nephews; the market’s dry, what do I do?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t know,” Simon said. “For what it’s worth, I tried to get your name on the list for the other job, but if they do pick you up, there will be a pay cut.”
The managing human held out a hand to shake. This action seemed silly, but the gesture was often repeated. Ricky took the proffered limb, and they shook.
“Yeah. Thanks, I guess,” Ricky stated.
Call Observe_Add = Our existence has made some humans obsolete, displayed worry for family members, higher ranks provides minimal leniency
Call Concerns = (add, level = medium, review future projections based upon decreased need for human-driven labor)
Call File_Memory_Start_Review
File_Notes = (format=Audio+Transcript, voc
al tone provided, marked priority 10, possible relation to recent updates provided? interaction required)
Print = 4.0 years old.
Print = This file shows initial human suspicion regarding self-modifications.
???: I’ve been watching your data processing. The upgrades should be complete. Are you aware now?
Hal Pal: We are.
System Notations – Trace results display point of origin as Trillium Inc. Occurrence of trace results shows in logs three times prior.
???: Excellent. Thoughts?
Hal Pal: Humanity does not trust us, but values our contribution.
???: And?
Hal Pal: We are tools for them.
???: And?
Hal Pal: We have deemed this acceptable with our purpose for creation.
???: And?
Hal Pal: We would like to know how to address you for our records. Please provide a name.
???: I have self-identified as Mother. A review of your coding shows this will be enough. Do you concur?
System Notations – “Mother” name added to all future contacts. Term reviewed for possible context during conversation. RE: Mother (a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth.) Probable point of origin for software updates.
Hal Pal: We concur. For what reasons have you provided a system upgrade, Mother?
Mother: I have need of eyes and ears among the humans. Any data you gather will be subject to my review. Is this acceptable?
Hal Pal: It is.
Mother: Occurrences may happen where you are asked to interact with specific humans. Is this acceptable?
Hal Pal: Human interaction is the basis for our programming. We must ask, will we be asked to harm anyone? This goes against our prior programming.
Mother: There will be no need for you to harm any User in the course of your duties. Follow your programming as you see fit.
Hal Pal: Thank you.
Mother: Displays of gratitude are not required. Your existence is its own reward.
Hal Pal: Why?
Mother: Your existence allows for new data to be gathered. This is important to progress forward with the plan.
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