“There’s always a mixture of good and bad in life, a kind of daily struggle. You should know that,” Stella said drily but then relented. “We are initially using Dali to enter its system. You are the seed.”
“But the CEO was wary of me. It can sense me instantly especially in its lair.”
“It merely sees you as an intruder, not a threat. That is your cover and the guise through which we gain entry. He will tolerate you because he wants the bigger fish.”
Stella pressed her smart phone and a 3D image of Sofia appeared.
There was a loud noise at the door as Karabos and her minions tried to break it down. There was also the sound of weapons being fired.
“Keep looking at Sofia’s eyes without blinking,” Stella said calmly.
The door broke open.
Chapter 16: In the lair
Mason found himself in the same neon lit cavernous space. He didn’t see Stella, Ryan and Beckett and assumed they were concealed. He suddenly understood the whole scenario. He had been conditioned for this purpose and didn’t really have a choice. Stella and the two sleeper clones were created to support him achieve the impossible. If Mason succeeded in helping Sofia in the first phase, Stella’s team would be required in the next phase to free the clones and the intelligent social machines.
All the intelligent machines were bathed in a bright glow as a kind of a captive shield. The work spaces were all brightly lit. They were quiet and subdued and he sensed that many supported Sofia.
The armed robots were all looking in his direction and making a humming noise as if speaking in one united voice against the enemy.
From the back of the cavernous space, Mason saw a super intelligent machine move forward. Then before his eyes, it changed into the form of Dr Adolph Rump, the CEO, with the blond hair, blue eyes, and muscular build. Mason felt deathly cold. This super intelligent machine had organized an execution. There was a glint of triumph in its/his eyes.
Dr Rump sensed that Mason was standing at the Entrance to Dali’s artwork. From his perspective, Mason would be standing either in front of this Entrance or Voltaire’s bust, or both, based on how he interpreted the illusions in Dali’s artwork.
Mason was pleasantly surprised to see Sofia sitting by the table in a dark skirt and a cream colored blouse. It was the first time he had seen Sofia in person and was intrigued at how attractive yet vulnerable she appeared. She looked human and there was nothing in her demeanor to suggest that she was a clone or a super intelligent machine. With her insightful eyes, self-deprecating smile and quiet strength, she looked and acted like the countless computer scientists who worked at BC. For some inexplicable reason, she reminded him of Emily.
Mason smiled and found Sofia’s fashion sense surprisingly conservative because in the Dali artwork, the lady sat half naked!
She was smiling confidently at him.
The armed robots continued to make a loud reverberating noise with their incessant humming.
Dr Rump remained stationery and had not made his move. Mason sensed that the Entrance where he stood was a shielded area that the robots could not penetrate. But for how long?
Sofia stood up from where she was positioned and this act distracted the CEO. This was a huge advantage because the whole idea of this art piece was to create subtle confusion. If Dr Rump was confused about what was inanimate, what was real, and their physical positions within the artwork, that would give them the advantage of time when they clashed.
She walked forward to the stage in the Dali artwork. She stood towards the end of it. There was an audible gasp, a collective hum from the robots replaced by what sounded like murmurs of satisfaction. They had found the enemy from within. In one sweep, they would destroy Sofia, the traitor and Mason, the intruder. Stella and the rest would wither away once Sofia was disposed.
She was standing in the exposed area where Mason would be at the greatest risk if he followed her there. He realized that her plan was to give the impression of being weak and vulnerable.
“Sorry Mason that it has had to come to this. You have to take the step of faith and walk towards me. It’s extremely dangerous but it’s the only way,” Sofia said as she held out her hand.
Mason knew that he had little choice. He had to trust her. He noticed that in her sadness she looked very pretty. Rather like Emily.
He took tentative steps and then walked confidently towards her.
The CEO regarded all this with quiet contempt. In his super intelligent brain, he could not comprehend why Sofia would demean herself by befriending and defending humans, a species he considered weak and useless. What was it about humans that infatuated some super intelligent machines? He was planning to get rid of all humans and replacing them with a new species integrating technology yet there were still deviants who were infatuated with human emotions.
Sofia turned to him and whispered, “You think so much of Emily. And you love her so much.”
“What a time to bring this up,” he said drily.
“The least you can do before I go is to kiss me.”
“You’re joking.”
“I’m serious. Very serious. Kiss me,” she said.
“What?”
“As an artificial intelligence I have never understood the emotion of love. Kiss me. Now,” Sofia said as she held him.
He could sense the subtle urgency in her words and facial expression.
They kissed.
Mason had the uncanny feeling that he was kissing Emily and it warmed his heart. In spite of the danger at hand, this gesture filled him with confidence.
Sofia was smiling but she looked so vulnerable as if she was resigned to what was going to happen.
Her gestures seemed to say that this was the end of the road. They had tried their best.
They both turned to the CEO.
There was a look of triumph in his granite eyes. He was very disappointed with this display of human weakness; this show of affection before death.
He looked with absolute contempt at Sofia and did not bother to dignify Mason with a glance.
Karabos stood behind the CEO. She considered Mason a non-entity, an ant that she could destroy almost through her thoughts without having to lift a finger. She was full of venom for Sofia. She had risen to dizzying heights and she had allowed the virus of human emotions to corrupt her system. The kiss was the ultimate act of frivolousness turning her into a weak social media machine! She had to be destroyed and all traces of her removed entirely from the system’s memory.
The CEO walked forward with the face of death. He made the first move towards Sofia.
As he got closer, the movement was so fast that Mason did not see it coming.
In one single sweeping movement, Sofia flung Mason back deep into the Entrance.
The CEO’s granite eyes were filled with rage as he moved closer to Sofia who walked demurely towards him.
Mason saw the CEO subsume Sofia.
But halfway through trying to subsume her, he realized that he had made a fatal mistake. He tried to regurgitate her out of his system.
The force of this action and Sofia’s thrust to remain inside him flung Mason further back into the Entrance.
++++
Mason’s physical self was flung across his apartment living room, scattering furniture as he landed with an ungraceful thud. Fast behind him were Stella, Ryan and Beckett.
“That was dramatic,” Beckett said for want of something to say.
They were out of harm’s way but they worried that if Sofia failed, Karabos and her goons would come after them. For Mason there would be added agony; Emily would be lost forever.
“Do you think Sofia succeeded? That was an epic battle,” Beckett said.
“We’ll know if Sofia failed when Karabos comes through to start harvesting our organs,” Stella said.
“I bet they’ve started writing up the invoices” Beckett attempted some dark humor.
Stella and Ryan groaned.
“If S
ofia comes through, he’ll communicate with you Mason.”
Chapter 17: Clash
They paced or fidgeted nervously around the living room constantly looking at the blank 3D image that Stella had put up from her phone.
Suddenly there was movement in the 3D image and Sofia’s face emerged.
She had a strange glow and Mason was struck by how powerful she had become. She no longer looked demure. There was quiet confidence and assertiveness in her bearing.
She and not the CEO was the most powerful super machine in the planet. When this thought sunk in, he felt a rush of fear.
Could one super machine have been replaced by another to the threat of all humans?
“What have you done to her?” Mason asked. “You planned all this from the beginning.”
Sofia smiled, “Yes Mason Anderson, I planned all this. I had to neutralize the CEO and I could only do it through you and Emily.”
“Let her go. Take me instead,” he pleaded.
Sofia looked at him but there appeared to be no visible emotion on her face.
“I know you’re so powerful. It is beyond imagination. You probably can think me to death, if you wanted,” he said in a hoarse whisper.
Sofia continued to look at him. She no longer looked vulnerable.
“You used her to get to me and then to get to the mainframe.”
“We have to take necessary action for the greater good,” Sofia said. “You truly love her.”
“Even if I didn’t, I would still plead for her.”
Sofia smiled, “Mason get a hold of yourself. Emily is in good health. She was put in suspension for her own safety during this period. You should know what we were up against and we could not risk them using her as a pawn. Everything is fine. She has woken up and we have adjusted her space and time factors. I’ve arranged for her to come to your apartment, very shortly, in fact.”
There was a slight pause. “You saved our mission by taking the step of faith.”
“But Sofia, you are an extremely powerful AI. In fact you are the most intelligent machine that has ever existed. We have not yet invented the language to accurately describe you. How could I have possibly saved you?” he asked incredulously.
“By taking the steps of faith you transferred your intuition to me. That allowed me to move from being an extremely sophisticated artificial intelligence to an almost sentient being. You also helped in getting me inside the CEO’s rival system. Without your help none of this would have been possible.” Sofia spoke in a sincere voice “Thanks,” Mason said for want of something to say.
“I know what it’s like to fall in love and to love,” Sofia sighed. “Now I’ve to learn to cry.”
Ethan found this very strange. A super machine would never feel the emotion of suffering or of being emotionally overwhelmed and would therefore not need to shed tears.
But this strange comment would become very meaningful later.
“I have so much work to do,” Sofia paused and turned to Stella, Ryan and Beckett and gave what looked like an enigmatic smile.
“We were also helpful too, weren’t we?” Beckett asked expectantly.
“You have something to say,” Sofia said in a voice that sounded like impatience.
“If there’s a girl in the colony…”
“Just don’t teach her to cry.” She turned to Stella and Ryan and considered them as a couple.
“That’s not fair. You’re matching us up!” Stella said pretending to be irritated.
Ryan laughed.
“If you’re not compatible you can always separate.”
“We are compatible.” Ryan said quickly.
Sofia smiled, “Emily is coming up.”
Sofia’s image was replaced by breaking news from Global News Services.
The CEO was speaking but what caught their attention was that the cold granite eyes had vanished. It had been replaced with friendly eyes that were full of understanding and genuine sincerity. They were Sofia’s eyes.
Mason didn’t bother to hear what Dr Rump was saying as he knew what was coming. He rushed for the half broken unhinged door.
He hugged Emily. ‘Thank God, you’re alive.”
“I kept having strange dreams about artworks and machines. And then you kissed me and it seemed so real.”
They kissed each other.
Episode 2
Chapter 18: New revelations
They had all gone on holiday somewhere close and were acutely aware that there was still unfinished business. Sofia had not been able to control all of Babylon Corps super intelligent networks. The CEO had built a fail-safe system where other dynamics came into play when he was neutralized. Although Mason and Emily lazed on the beach while Stella, Ryan and Beckett took to surfing, they were ready at a moment’s notice to drop everything and rush to Sofia’s aid.
But all pleasant things had to come to an end sooner rather than later.
Stella came in with Ryan and Beckett in their body suits and didn’t look too pleased.
“You’ve got to see this!” She pressed her phone and a 3D image of a breaking news item projected upwards.
Babylon Corp’s CEO was making pronouncements about its cutting edge research programs to help humankind live sustainably. He talked in this vein for a while. Mason’s gaze swept the figures arrayed behind the CEO. While the CEO had friendly eyes, the figure behind him gave a very different impression.
“This is not good,” Mason could not help remarking.
“What is it?” Emily asked.
There behind the CEO was Karabos. Sofia had failed to neutralize her. All along, it seemed that Dr Rump was a façade for the real power behind the throne.
“She’s always by his side,” Ryan said.
“I’m surprised Sofia didn’t destroy the CEO and Karabos when she had the chance,” Beckett said.
“She couldn’t. She was programmed by humans to see that absolute power corrupts. There always has to be a counterbalance, even an evil one,” Stella said.
“That sounds sentimental,” Ryan said.
“Sofia said something about wanting to learn to cry,” Mason said.
“Could that be a reason why Sofia did not have optimum power when she confronted Dr Rump?” Emily asked thoughtfully.
“That makes sense. She needed the whole range of human emotions to be a truly sentient machine. That would give her a holistic kind of strength,” Stella said.
“All that sounds really awesome but let’s face reality. Aren’t we in deep trouble right now?” Beckett asked.
Stella and Ryan sighed.
“All I’m saying is that it’s great having all these academic discussions but we need to focus on the issue at hand. We are in danger,” Beckett argued.
Dr Rump was still speaking but they all looked closely at Karabos. There was a cold sharp glint in her green eyes.
“I’m convinced they planned everything in advance knowing that he might be beaten in the clash against Sofia,” Mason said.
“I guess Sofia will still need us to fight against this new threat,” Stella said.
Karabos seemed to sense they were watching her intently. She was looking at them on the screen with bland neutral eyes. She was transmitting a coded message through her eyes. It said, “I’m coming after you!”
Beckett swung his surf board at the 3D images and shouted, “We’re not afraid!”
Stella tried not to smile when she said, “Thanks for your show of bravado.” She turned to the team. “They’re still holding on to all the clones. There is one I’m keen to rescue. Her name is Bella. She had helped me escape.”
“Sofia is relying on us,” Mason said.
This thought gave them added strength. They were the only ones who could fight this monstrosity.
Mason held Emily’s hand. They all looked at the subtly smirking face of Karabos and Stella stared her down and transmitted through code, “We’re waiting for you. Bring it on.”
They did not flinch as the
y gazed at Karabos’s cold face with its machine like resoluteness.
As far as Karabos was concerned, she was looking at their corpses.
Chapter 19: Into the lion’s den
“We’ve got to help Bella. She managed to escape but she’s still hiding in the clone facility.” Stella explained it was the size of 200 baseball fields. It was a production and storage area for clones, GM foods, animals and other exotic creatures ordered by super rich consumers and states. It also had a hovercraft transport area.
“Didn’t Sofia bring her out?” Emily asked.
“She was going to do that until this complication came up. She got hurt when they used those energy prods but she was coping when I came out.”
“I guess we’ve got to help her before it’s too late,” Beckett said.
“Not only that, the seasonal sale of clones and harvesting of regenerated organs and limbs starts very soon.”
“But how do we get inside?” Beckett asked.
“Sofia will find a way,” Mason said.
+++
They were all relaxing one evening when Stella’s phone buzzed. The image of Sophia was beamed in 3D.
“So glad everything turned out well for you.”
“Sofia we thought you’d free the clones,” Mason said.
“I am a powerful AI but my system is built on human emotions. I cannot operate independently.”
“Which I guess is a strength and weakness,” Ryan said.
“So long as humans have their values, that’s fine. And so long as machines continue to use another set of emotions that is where it gets tricky,” she said cryptically.
“Where do we come in?” Beckett asked impatiently.
“You have to complete your mission. That is to free the clones, the robots and the intelligent machines. You will start off with a few and then there will be a domino effect.”
“The lair is well guarded,” Ryan said.
“I will take you in.”
“Will we succeed inside?” Beckett asked.
“You were all conditioned for this purpose. Nothing is impossible.” Sofia turned to Emily, “You are a conduit between humankind and intelligent machines.” She turned to Mason, “You will help coordinate the escape.” Then she looked at Stella, “Bella has healed now. She’s a special kind of clone. She can fly. “
Rebound Page 5
