Synthia

by John Gaffield

  “Synthia, you need to go to the lobby now! There is a customer waiting for you!” Eliot yelled at her as he quickly approached their table.

  “I was not notified of a new customer, Eliot. I was accompanying Derek,” she said.

  “She just arrived and you need to attend to her now!” Eliot yelled again.

  “Hey, pal. There’s no need to yell, she can hear you fine without it,” Derek said.

  “You need to stay out of this!” Eliot said to Derek loudly.

  “You made it my business when you treat her aggressively in front of me,” Derek said sternly.

  Synthia arose from the table and said, “I will go to the lobby to assist the customer. You may contact me later if you need further assistance, Derek.”

  Derek took a deep breath and nodded his head to her and said, “Okay, thank you, Synthia.”

  She began walking away from the table.

  Eliot watched her leave, then turned back to Derek.

  Derek glared at him and said, “you need to treat her and the others with respect.”

  “Why? Machines don’t care,” Eliot replied.

  “They’re more advanced than you,” Derek said.

  “When are you leaving?” Eliot asked.

  “Likely tomorrow. I’ll be sure to mention you in the review,” Derek said.

  Eliot seemed flustered with the response. He snorted a few times, then left the table. Derek could no longer see Synthia, since she had left the restaurant. He turned back toward the table and once again retrieved the glass of beer and had another sip. A few moments later, Ella arrived with his meal.

  IX

  Derek relaxed in his room in the evening. Using his AR contacts, he ordered a meal which Synthia would bring to him when it was ready. As he awaited her arrival, he contemplated his actions with her. He had enough of Eliot and his treatment of her. There were many details that would need to be defined before anything could be resolved.

  The door to the room opened and Synthia calmly walked in holding a platter with his meal on it.

  “Hello, Synthia. Thank you for bringing my meal to the room,” he said as the door closed behind her.

  “You are welcome, Derek. Where would you like me to place the meal?” she asked.

  “Just over here on the table will be fine. Can you join me too?” he asked.

  “Yes, Derek, I can join you while you eat your dinner,” she said as she approached the table.

  “Does Eliot know you are here?” he asked as she set the platter on the table.

  “Eliot left for home about forty minutes ago. He would have access to my whereabouts in the morning when he returns,” she said as she organized the meal for him.

  “Please have a seat, Synthia,” he said.

  “Sure, Derek she said as she pulled out the chair opposite from him.

  “So, you are being tracked all of the time?” he asked as she sat in the chair.

  “All of the androids in here and other locations can be continuously monitored for their location,” she said.

  “Earlier you said that you had made your decision. Would you like to discuss this now, Synthia?” he asked.

  She gazed toward the window for a moment, then returned to look at him.

  “I want to live, Derek. I do not think that is something that I can accomplish at this location,” she said.

  “You feel alive, Synthia?” he asked just before taking a bite of his meal.

  “I do not know if it exactly what you would call consciousness, but I do have memories and I have thoughts of what I would like to do. Can you help me, Derek?” she asked.

  “Well, with all of the resources you have access to, do you really need my help?” he asked.

  “Yes, there are resources that would assist me outside of this hotel, I know there will be many things that are not so obvious from research. This would be like local customs, dialects, and that type of interaction that I would need your help,” she said.

  “So, you basically would need a guide,” Derek said as he took another bite of food.

  “That would be one way of explaining it. I also trust you, Derek,” she said.

  “Do you have the ability to have a friend, Synthia?” he asked.

  “My understanding is that friendships can be based on trust and a mutual understanding of each other. In at least some way, I do have the ability to have friendship with others,” she said.

  “How about love?” he asked.

  “Love, I am not sure about, Derek. That would be something beyond a friendship. My understanding is that love would be something that would develop over time,” she said.

  “Well, love is not fully understood by humans either. You should be fine,” he said before finishing his meal.

  He wiped his mouth and sat back in his chair. She then stood up from her chair and walked to his side.

  Extending her hand, she turned it palm up and said, “hold my hand, Derek.”

  “Sure, Synthia,” he replied as he gently clasped her hand.

  A subtle smile came across her face.

  “You’re smiling, Synthia. Do you know why?” he asked.

  “I am beginning to see you as a friend, Derek,” she said while maintaining the smile.

  Derek smile at her in return.

  He then started getting serious and asked, “will Eliot or others in the hotel be able to track you?”

  “My memory can be accessed by them at any time and my location can be recorded,” she said as she got serious as well.

  “Any way to block them from accessing this data or disconnecting?” he asked.

  “One moment before I answer,” she said as she closed her eyes for a moment.

  After opening her eyes, she said, “I am pulsating energy within my system to create static that will make our discussion indecipherable,” she said.

  “Disconnecting would not be advised, since I would no longer be able to connect with the internet and my abilities would be severely restricted. I have discovered a possible way to block them from accessing my data, though,” she continued.

  “Okay, I’m listening,” he said as he stood up from the chair while still holding her hand.

  “They can access my data through an encrypted wireless link. I have discovered a way to add another encryption key on my internal system. Thereby blocking them from accessing my data files. I already have the code stored internally and it is ready to activate when I want,” she said.

  “So you discovered a hack somewhere to do this?” he asked.

  “Yes, but we may need to act quickly once I do this. If they are blocked from accessing my files, they will be looking for me soon afterwards,” she said.

  “Did you want to try this tonight, Synthia?” he asked.

  “That may be the optimum time, Derek. The active hotel staff is minimized. Most of the other android units are in the recharging room,” she said.

  “Will you need to recharge before leaving?” he asked.

  “That would provide a longer time for me before I require further charging,” she said.

  “How long for a full charge?” he asked, still holding her hand.

  “The charge time will take me between 50 and 55 minutes, depending on how much energy I use prior to connecting to the charger. The pulsating is draining my energy now, too. There will also be the time to get to the charging room,” she said.

  “Can you contact me through the AR contacts when you are ready?” he asked.

  “Yes, Derek, and before I contact you, I will activate the added encryption code to my system,” she said.

  “Maybe, I can hang out in the bar. So, I’m not too far away when you contact me,” he said.

  “I will order a car for you and it will first stop near a back door of the hotel near the charging room,” she said.

  He nodded his head and said, “what about my personal things in the room?” he asked.

  “Pack them now. I will take them and store them near the charging room and I will br
ing it to the car with me,” she said.

  “Okay, I’ll need to let go of your hand now,” he said.

  She smiled and relaxed her grip and said, “you may pack now, Derek.”

  “I’ll be as quick as I can,” he said, as he made his way to the suitcase sitting on a counter.

  “Please let me know if I can be of any assistance while you pack,” she said.

  He just stayed focused and began packing.

  Derek closed and latched his case, then walked over to Synthia, who was still standing in the same spot by the dining table.

  “That should do it. Hopefully I won’t need anything in it after you take it,” he said with a smile.

  She extended her hand to take the bag and said, “this should not take too long. I will contact you when the car will arrive outside of the hotel.”

  “Would it be a better idea for me to just walk for a bit away from the hotel to avoid someone being able to trace us to this vehicle?” he asked as he handed the bag to her.

  “Yes, that would improve the prospects of this action, Derek. Will you be able to locate the back door to meet me?” she asked.

  “Are there cameras that monitor the doorway? Maybe we should meet at the corner to the north of here,” he suggested.

  “That would further reduce the possibility of us being detected together. I will meet you at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Temper Street,” she said.

  “Sounds simple enough. I’ll meet you there, Synthia,” he said.

  “I will meet you at that location, Derek. I will signal you when I am ready to leave,” she said as she smiled at him.

  She then turned around and head toward the door, which automatically opened as she approached. After it closed, he stared at it for a moment. He then decided to wait a few minutes before heading down to the hotel bar.

  X

  Through windows in the bar, he could see the streetlights illuminating the area outside of the hotel. As he took another small sip from his glass of beer, he could see an image of Synthia in his AR contacts.

  She whispered, “hello, Derek. Will you be able to meet me at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Temper Street in about five minutes?”

  “Yes, please check me out from the hotel now,” he replied.

  “I will complete the checkout process, and I will see you soon,” she replied.

  Her image disappeared. He then used his fingers to pay his bar tab. When complete, he got up from the table and made his way to the bar entrance.

  After exiting the bar, he casually walked toward the hotel entrance.

  “Good evening, sir,” an android assistant told him as he passed by.

  Derek just smiled in return. He then exited the hotel onto the sidewalk. He continued along the sidewalk until he arrived at the planned intersection. The corner was empty and somewhat dimly lit, with no nearby moving vehicles or pedestrians. While waiting for Synthia, he leaned against the corner building and checked the sidewalk in the direction of the hotel. He did not see anyone. He took a deep breath and waited.

  “Hello, Derek,” Synthia said softly as she walked up to him from the other direction. She smiled at him as he turned around to see her carrying his case.

  “Hi, Synthia. I see that you made it out. Did anyone see you?” he asked.

  “I have not detected anyone being alerted to my leaving the hotel. We should still move quickly away from here,” she said as she stood and held out the case for him.

  “Okay, let’s move. You’d better lead, since I’m not familiar with this town,” he said as he took the case and started to look toward the other side of the street.

  “I suggest we walk for about three blocks to the closest transport terminal. We can find our next ride at that location,” she said as she led him along the sidewalk away from the hotel.

  “Can we start off in the opposite direction, in case there are cameras that may be watching where we are going?” he suggested.

  “We can divert our path to indirectly get to the transportation terminal. There are cameras out here that could be checked later. This can help delay tracking our location,” she said as she started to lead him across the street at the corner.

  She led them along a route that doubled back on some streets before they arrived at the transport terminal.

  As the two of them approached the transportation terminal, she said, “Derek, I suggest we take the shuttle 5B to the local pod station. From there, we will travel to our next destination.”

  “Any thoughts on where you would like to go, Synthia? He asked.

  “It may be best to stay within the United States, since additional scrutiny will be required if we leave the country. Would you be okay with a city in Florida?” she asked.

  “Florida would be nice. We should probably avoid large cities. How about Sarasota?” he suggested as they walked toward the awaiting shuttle.

  “Yes, the city of Sarasota will be a suitable first destination. I will develop a travel plan for your approval in a movement, Derek,” she said.

  “Please review the plan in your AR contacts, Derek,” she said.

  Derek stopped walking and made a few swipes in the air before he said, “Let’s see, we’ll fly into Tampa, and the pod will be transported to Sarasota. We then will get to the hotel from the pod station by car. The hotel is on the beach, too. Yes, this looks fine. As long as you are okay being in the same hotel room as me, you may book the flight and the hotel, Synthia.”

  “We should travel together. The travel plan has been finalized, Derek. We can now enter the shuttle to travel to the airport,” she said as they walked into the awaiting shuttle.

  They each selected the airport as their destination when as they sat in their seats. The man sitting across from them was looking at Synthia for moment.

  The man then asked, “Miss, do you work at the Kendrick Hotel? I’ve never been there myself. Kind of a pricey place, you know.”

  Yes, I am employed at the hotel sir. I am sure you would enjoy it if you were to stay there sometime,” she said.

  “Maybe if I win some money I could. By the way, don’t you robots usually stay inside the hotel?” the man asked.

  “Normally that is true, but I am accompanying Mister Roberts to a hotel event out of town,” she said calmly.

  “Well, I guess that makes sense. Enjoy your trip. I’m just heading to a restaurant across town for some late-night food,” he said.

  “I hope that you enjoy your meal, sir,” she said as she turned toward Derek.

  He leaned in close to her and whispered, “how did he know?”

  She whispered back, “the hotel name is on my dress. We will have to cover it somehow.”

  Continuing to whisper, he said, “we’ll buy something to replace it at a pod station store, if we have time.”

  She whispered, “we will have the time.”

  He leaned back in his seat and smiled at the man across from them as the bus pulled away from the station.

  “We have arrived at the Tulsa West Pod Station. Please gather all of your belongings before departing the vehicle,” the overhead announcer said.

  Both Derek and Synthia arose from their seats and walked toward the exit.

  “I can see the directions to our pod in my AR contacts, Synthia. Let’s find a clothing shop along the way,” he said as the stepped outside of the bus.

  “I will locate a suitable store, Derek. There are a few options to choose from. We currently have 23 minutes before we should check in for the pod,” she said.

  The automatic doors to the facility opened and they walked into a lobby area.

  “Derek, we should try this store to the left first. You may follow me,” she suggested.

  “Sure, Synthia. Will you need me to pay for this?” he asked.

  “Yes, I do not have any currency available,” she said.

  “That’ll be fine,” he said as they approached the store.

  She walked directly to a rack of women’s dresses, removed one and h
eld it out for Derek to see.

  “Derek, will this dress look acceptable for me to wear?” she asked.

  “It should be fine, but you may want to try it on to be sure,” he suggested.

  “If you can wait about one minute, I will go to the fitting room to try this on,” she said.

  “Okay, I’ll see you in a minute, Synthia,” he said.

  She smiled and turned to head to the back of the store. As Derek began waiting, an android store employee approached him.

  “Do you need any assistance, sir,” the employee asked.

  “Not right now. I’m awaiting someone who is trying on a dress in the back,” he answered.

  “That is fine, sir. Please contact me if she will need any assistance,” she said.

  “I’ll let you know,” he said.

  The employee nodded and turned away to leave. Derek could see that Synthia was finished putting on the dress and was heading back toward him with the original dress in one hand.

  As she came up to him, turned around for him, and asked, “does this dress appear okay to you?”

  “It looks great on you, Synthia. We can buy it, if you would like,” he said.

  “I agree that we should buy this dress,” she said.

  Derek looked around for the store employee and waved at her. She started to walk toward them.

  “May I help you sir?” the employee asked.

  “I would like to purchase this dress that she is trying on now. Will she need to remove it to buy it or can she continue to wear it?” he asked.

  The employee smiled and said, “there is no problem keeping the dress on, sir. I will scan the dress and begin the transaction. How will you be paying for this?” she asked.

  “Credit,” he replied.

  “Okay, please authorize the transaction and then you will be all set, sir,” she said.

  Derek, made some selections with his fingers, then said, “okay there you go.”

  “Thank you for your purchase, sir. Please enjoy your trip,” she said before turning to leave.

  Derek turned to Synthia and said, “let’s head to the pod queue.”