Simulation: A Pop Travel Novel

by Tara Tyler

  “And that would be…?” Cooper asked, rubbing his temples.

  Geri was getting annoyed too. Where was that coffee?

  “While you two regained your strength, we inspected Andy. Jared discovered the police androids all respond to the same frequency, similar to my guard droids. They seem very basic, needing literal commands, and are limited in their decision-making. If something gets in the way of a directive, they plow through the obstacle until the command is fulfilled or changed.”

  The doorbell rang, cutting off Hasan’s explanation.

  Geri ran over to greet the coffee bearer. “Right this way, sir. Thank you, again.”

  “Again? Uh, sure.” As the guard handed her the carafe, he lifted an eyebrow at her. Then he shrugged and left.

  After closing the front door, Geri cocked her head, then chuckled. “I forgot I don’t look like myself.”

  She gently placed the precious jug of java on the counter and poured mugs for Cooper and herself.

  “Thank you, kindly, ma’am.” He took a gulp of the hot liquid and woke up some more. “Ahh. Where’s Jared, by the way?”

  “He’s getting some much deserved sleep. He did an excellent job with Andy last night.”

  “Great. Okay, Hasan. I’m with you now. The Colonel’s droids are dumb and persistent. Go on.” Cooper waved for him to continue.

  “I wouldn’t say they’re dumb. They just can’t think individually or stray from their directive. They are uniform, executing the same command, and continuing toward it until they finish. The only differences are the minor obstacles. If they are told to keep droids away from someone, they would make a wall around the person, and not let any droids through. But they wouldn’t stop people, even an attacker. The commands have to be very specific.

  “To improve on that, Jared and I adapted the simulation learning curve program to assess situations and make quick decisions based on the directives and surroundings, and put it into my super droid processor brains. These droids don’t have the fancy skin-like cover, but they are more human acting than the police droids. Though they all still get the same command, they have more stipulations and variables to consider, options to weigh, and numbers to crunch. Then they can choose the best way to proceed, and all in a matter of seconds.”

  “I like that.” Geri took another sip of the blessed potion. Maybe she should consider giving it up. She didn’t realize how dependent she was on it. Nah.

  She got up and refilled her cup. “So what about Andy? Did Jared find a way to juice into the Colonel’s remote? Or how we could override the commands?”

  “No. They are directly linked to Wells. If we try to use the back door, they will know right away and shut us out. We disconnected Andy so we could examine his programming. As far as they know, he’s just sleeping or his battery is dead.”

  “That’s too bad.” With two cups of coffee down, Geri was antsy to get moving. She checked her QV for the time and frowned, remembering it wasn’t her QV she would be bringing into battle. She sorely missed all the fancy gadgets she’d accumulated. No time to pine for them now.

  “Hey, Cooper, we should get going. Aimee, you charged the camo cover, right?”

  “Yes, I did. And here. You should take my QV.”

  That was a pleasant surprise. “Aw, thanks. I feel incomplete without mine. I really appreciate it.” Geri put it on and opened it up, checking out a few of the functions. Of course Aimee’s QV was ultra-organized. Geri would have no trouble finding what she needed on the spot. But she still felt like she was forgetting something.

  “Hasan, how are you getting all your regular guard droids to the station for backup?”

  “Easy. Though I don’t own all the travelports and platforms, I have the authority to perform maintenance checks whenever I feel the need. The ones closest to the station will be temporarily out of order for test pops, per me. I can have my regular guard droids popped in at a moment’s notice.”

  “Good. Okay. You ready, Cooper?” Geri wanted to tackle that Geri imposter. She knew the femme fatale simulation would be part of this event at some point. She hoped it would be an explosive finale to her double’s career.

  Cooper checked his QV and took one last sip of joe. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  Hasan and Aimee escorted Geri and Cooper to the transport house. When they arrived, Hasan offered Cooper a small plastic case. It looked like a contact lens case.

  “Cooper, would you mind trying these? One more experiment for me? Please?”

  “What are they?” Cooper took the case and opened it.

  “I hope you aren’t opposed to wearing contact lenses. These little babies are contact cams. They won’t interfere with your vision and are imperceptible to a bug scanner. Their signal is weak, but Jared is going to send the signal to your QV and have it feed to us through that.”

  “Sure. Why not? Could always use another pair of eyes. And genius eyes, at that.”

  Hasan grinned. “Great. You’re the best.”

  “I know.”

  In the background, the imager played the channel Dawson was to be broadcast on.

  While Cooper and Geri had their vitals checked, Cooper opened, then closed, then opened his mouth again until he finally decided on something to say.

  “I didn’t sleep well. How ‘bout you?”

  Geri could tell he was trying. Trying to do what, she wasn’t sure. And this wasn’t really the time to talk. But there might never be another time. “No, I didn’t. I’m sorry I called you complacent and lazy.”

  “Is that what you called me?”

  Geri smirked. “Yes. You know, I might be ready for comfortable.”

  Hasan interrupted them and pointed at the imager. “Look! They’re starting the proceedings. And it’s an hour ahead of schedule!”

  Geri doubted it. “That’s just the moderator.” But seeing Dawson and Wells get introduced and take their seats, she felt a surge of urgency take over. “Maybe we should go. Now.”

  Hasan and Cooper watched as the debate started. Wells spoke for the Proposal first. Hasan and Cooper stared intently at the imager, like they were in a trance.

  “Guys. We need to go. Come on!” Geri couldn’t draw their attention away from the show.

  Cooper held up his hand. “We’ll just watch for a couple minutes. If something is going to happen, this is the best view. With them starting early, we’d never get close to the studio now anyway. Not with the added security. The droids we saw at the warehouse are probably positioned outside as part of that detail. We’ll have to find another way in.”

  Hasan nodded at the imager, listening to Wells’ speech. “I can see his points. Androids would save police and civilian lives.”

  “Unless an evil old man was controlling them,” Cooper added.

  “We can find another way in when we get—Oh my God!” Geri covered her mouth.

  On the imager, the Geri simulation burst onto the set waving two electroguns, pointing them at Dawson and Wells.

  “Keep rolling,” the sim said into the camera. “I’m here to debate my side of the issue. You politicians are selfish and only interested in promoting your own personal agendas. I know for a fact Wells is pushing for more droids so he can get the contract to build them and line his own pockets!”

  “That’s not true!” Wells sprang up in his defense.

  Geri wrinkled her brow. It was strange to see the simulations arguing with each other. The Colonel was off camera. He must’ve scripted the whole charade, but he had to be on hand for any surprises.

  While sim Geri continued her tirade, Cooper got a call on his QV. Geri left her dock and moved closer to see who it was, but stayed out of video range.

  “Do you see my power?” It was the Colonel.

  “I’m beginning to.”

  “We need to talk.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “No. You will pop to these coordinates. And don’t bother telling your friends. It’s a one-time use code and untraceable. I have a pop
travel friend too.” An evil grin spread across his thin lips.

  “I’ll be there in a few seconds.”

  “Good. I’ll be waiting.” The Colonel disconnected.

  Hasan erupted. “How dare he suppose for one second I cannot trace a pop! I invented every aspect of this technology! I’m the G.D. Creator! Give me that code!”

  While everyone else had been eavesdropping on Cooper’s conversation with the Colonel, Aimee got a call too.

  “I’m needed at the scene. Hasan, please send me there right away.”

  Hasan’s face turned from an angry scowl to a sad frown just by raising his eyebrows. “But I need you here with me, Aimee.”

  “You have Jared. He’ll be of far more use to you. I need to report in and help them with what I know.”

  “She’s right. Send her first.” Geri could use an agent pulling for her.

  “Oh, all right. I will send you where I was going to send Cooper and Geri. And as soon as we organize the droids, we’ll be right by your side.”

  “Thanks, Hasan. You’re so brave.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and got into the dock.

  Hasan smiled and transmitted her.

  “Now back to this code.” He worked with it for a moment. “I can trace it, but it is one use only, that’s something he controls on his end. Once you leave, I will know where you went.”

  “Good. As soon as you find out, send Geri to the closest travelport.” Cooper got into the dock.

  “See you soon, Coop.” Geri squeezed his arm.

  “Screw that.” Cooper pulled her into the dock and kissed her fiercely.

  Geri fanned herself. “Now that was uncomfortable.”

  “Yes, for all of us,” Hasan added.

  Geri grinned at Cooper before shutting the dock. They still had it.

  Lake Lanier, GA

  A forceful grip latched onto Cooper’s arm and yanked him out of the dock.

  “Welcome to my estate, Mr. Cooper. This is Echo.” The old man was shorter than Cooper remembered. Maybe he was hunched over with age and insane power.

  “Thank you for having me. Echo, eh? Hello, hello, hello,” Cooper said, fading with each repeat. Echo was such a droid. It just stared, not even giving him an eye roll.

  The Colonel grimaced at Cooper’s poor humor in this serious situation. “Scan him, Echo.”

  While keeping hold of Cooper’s arm, Echo passed his other hand up and down the height of him, front and back. Cooper closed his eyes, just to add one more layer of protection to the contact cams. When he opened his eyes, the droid nodded at the Colonel. He must’ve passed the test.

  “His QV, please, Echo.”

  Echo removed Cooper’s QV and put it in the pocket of his vest, then released him. While Cooper rubbed the circulation back into his arm, he looked around the transport room. An older model guard droid stood in the corner in a navy blue uniform. The large room, with its giant imager and cushy couch, reminded Cooper of a similar transport room in the house of Hasan’s rich Indian friend, the one with the bionic arm. Only this room was colder. Must be nice to have a transport dock in the house.

  “Shouldn’t you be at the broadcast station? Things are getting crazy over there.”

  “I have time. Come this way, please.”

  The Colonel took the lead out the door, and Echo gave Cooper a shove after him.

  A railing greeted him when he stepped into the hallway, giving him a view of the elegant living room full of antiques and dark wood fixtures below. He kept track of the layout, passing a second bedroom on the way to the stairs. Before heading down, he noted two more bedrooms down the hall.

  “Quite a spread you have here.”

  “Yes. I have worked very hard to acquire all this.”

  “I bet. Molding schmucks into prime candidates can’t be easy.”

  “You have no idea.”

  While they walked down, Cooper saw more of the main floor. Ahead of him was an old-fashioned, dimly lit dining room up three steps from the sunken living room with columns on either side of the opening. In addition to seating for twelve, a guard droid stood in the back corner next to the china cabinet, blending in like part of the décor. Put a shade on his head and he’d make a great lamp.

  Next door on the right, up the same steps that extended the width of the living room, was a sizeable, bright, modern kitchen plus another guard droid. What did one real person need all that extravagance for? To impress his droids? As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Cooper noticed the ornate double front doors around the corner to the left. And, yes, another droid. Can never have enough droids.

  The musty smell and antique knickknacks gave Cooper the feeling he was in a museum, or touring the historic birthplace of some famous dead person, but the Colonel was the resident ghost.

  Echo gave Cooper another shove into the living room where he almost bumped into, of course, another droid. No wonder they didn’t tie him up. A guy couldn’t take two steps in this house without running into a droid. Cooper shook his head and followed the Colonel past some red leather furniture and a fireplace. They walked around a corner past three more closed doors and stopped at the fourth. As they entered the vestibule, Cooper realized the room was somewhat hidden under the stairs they had come down. Another matching staircase leading down on his right confirmed it. A guy could get lost in this labyrinth.

  The door they faced had an elaborate set of security measures, including a droid lock similar to the lock at the warehouse. Cooper expected the droid to open it, but the Colonel produced a finger-like fob from his pocket, attached to a cord, and pressed it to the lock. Once he unlocked the door, he let the fob auto zip back to where it came from. That finger key could come in handy, but would be difficult to pick out of the Colonel’s pocket.

  “This must be where the magic happens,” Cooper commented.

  “Right you are. In this room, I can see everything my droids see.”

  An enormous imager covered the largest wall, and Cooper had seen some pretty big imagers in his travels. Split into twenty-five frames, they showed the transport room, the kitchen, the living room, even the back of his own head. Cooper turned around and smiled at the guard droid filming him, and it slowly turned away. Looking back at the monitor frames, Cooper noticed they all panned each area in slow motion. Who needed webcams when the droids had eyes? Then he spotted Dawson at the television station, on two of the feeds.

  “Please have a seat, Mr. Cooper.”

  Before he could protest, Echo put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him down into a metal chair in the middle of the room. Using strong magnetic straps, Echo secured Cooper to the chair and scraped his wrist in the process.

  “Hey! Watch it, droid!”

  The Colonel patted Echo on the shoulder. “Echo was instructed to be rough with you for causing so much trouble. Echo, you may proceed with your next directive.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Cooper’s lip curled as he watched the droid leave. He hoped the droid didn’t take his QV out of range. Turning back to the Colonel, he saw a crazy gleam in his eyes. That guy treated Echo like a psychotic villain admired his token, white Persian cat.

  “Now what?”

  The Colonel got in Cooper’s face, placing a hand on each of Cooper’s secured wrists. His breath smelled like cherry menthol.

  “Mr. Cooper, I am going to win. I always win.” He straightened up and went into tirade mode, pacing in front of the monitors, with his hands behind his back as he told Cooper his evil plot. Crazies always think they’re invincible and are compelled to brag about it.

  “When my previous candidates won, I was never appreciated for my efforts. Never given the proper respect due me for my talents and seniority and experience. My track record is spotless, but once the harvest is reaped, the workhorse who pulled the plow all those months is forgotten. Well, this time I’m going all the way to the top.” He paused to glare at Cooper and point upward, then continued. “No one will stand in my way. Wells is my winning
lottery ticket. Once I have my androids in place as part of the police force, it will be easy to convince everyone of the continuing benefits of androids in other aspects of their lives. Soon, I will have the right to transfer my mind into a younger simulation of myself and live forever.”

  Wow. So that was his ultimate goal. Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

  The eccentric old gentleman puffed out his chest and heaved a joyful sigh, as if that information had been sitting heavy with him. He must’ve been dying to tell a real live person, since his droids couldn’t give him a satisfactory response. Lucky Cooper, the literal captive audience.

  Touching his ear, the Colonel nodded.

  “Well, Mr. Cooper, it’s time for my androids to save the day. Further proof we need them.”

  As the Colonel headed for the door, Cooper grasped for more information, “What are you going to do with Dawson? You should let him go so he can sway everyone to your cause, right?”

  “Now you of all people know he isn’t going to do any such thing. He will sadly be a tragic casualty, sacrificing his life for a greater purpose.”

  “No!” Cooper struggled to break free so he could wring the old man’s neck. “You better pray we don’t meet again, old man. The next time you see me, it will be too late.”

  The Colonel laughed so hard he started to cough. After he regained his composure, he responded, “Oh, I plan on keeping you around for a long time. You’re going to become my protégé’s number one supporter. You will be amazing as a proponent for androids, especially after your crazy ex-girlfriend kills your brother.” He got back in Cooper’s face to whisper his big finish, sharing his cherry-scented madness. “Here’s a tip for you—if anything happens to me or my simulations, if one tiny blip goes awry, there will be severe repercussions and thousands of innocent casualties. I never leave loose ends. Good-bye, Mr. Cooper.”

  On his way out, he chuckled and hacked again, then locked the door behind him.