Body Shop - Book Two in the Annihilation Series

by John Hindmarsh

  “Good. I want you to look at a possible project. We’re heavily involved with Drexel Security—it may be simpler to take over the company, retaining Drexel and his key people, of course.”

  “Yes, Toby. I’ll do some research.”

  “I’ll review all your detailed reports later. For now, I want to—well, clarify some aspects of my uncle’s business before you encounter them, face to face, so to speak. Nate is—was—a genius. I didn’t realize the scope of his designs and inventions until I had to step up and take control of his estate. You know he focused on artificial intelligence, thus providing the basis for his manufacturing and IP licensing activities. Now let me add more depth to this.” He paused. He had the full attention of the four members of his team. “Darwin?”

  The second video came to life. A coconut fell from one of the palms. The pelican took off and flew away. A slow set of waves rolled in, rushing up the sandy beach, white foam splashing. A hand appeared over the side of the hammock, clutching a moisture-beaded can of beer. A face followed. At last Darwin stood. He had a drink from his can. He was wearing swim trunks and a floral tropical shirt. His hair was green and his toenails were orange. Toby repressed a shudder. Each fingernail was a different color.

  “Yes, Toby? You’re interrupting my siesta, I hope you realize?”

  “Darwin, I’d like you to meet my management team. You know their names. Team, this is Darwin. Now, how should I say this? The image you see on the screen is CGI—a computer generated image. Darwin does not physically exist.”

  “Not yet, at least,” Darwin said.

  “He is a superintelligence, developed by Nathan.”

  There were expressions of surprise. Carla and Juan stood and approached the screen, and closely examined the image.

  “Damn, that’s beautiful,” said Juan.

  Darwin preened.

  “I agree,” added Carla.

  Toby noticed Victoria looking at the other screen and said, “Yes, that is also CGI—a computer generated image.”

  “You have two superintelligences?” Victoria asked, her eyes wide.

  Alex walked up to Darwin’s image. He moved across the room to the image that Victoria was examining. “Marvelous,” he said. “Can I have one? I could do with some assistance with the portfolios.”

  “That’s a valid question. Yes, we have two SIs. They are both extremely intelligent and have detailed knowledge of the Euler Organization. Perhaps not so much of all the properties, but certainly most of the activities.”

  Both Darwin and Bronwyn watched as everyone seated themselves, their eyes tracking the movements of the four team members.

  “That’s unnerving, when they watch you like that,” Victoria said.

  Toby smiled. They didn’t know how unnerving the two SIs could be.

  “When can I?” Alex asked. He was single-minded.

  Bronwyn answered her question. “Tomorrow morning. I’ve already uploaded a copy of all your portfolio data. We can meet and discuss my abilities after your nine a.m. meeting and commence a review of the investment portfolios. So what, ten a.m?”

  Her fellow team members laughed at Alex’s shocked expression. He said, “Done. My office. Ten a.m. We’ll have two hours before I’ll need to break. We can continue at two p.m., if you’re available. Toby, is this acceptable?”

  Toby said, “Of course. This is exactly what I want to do.” He noted some frowns and added. “Okay, Alex beat you all to the starting line. However, he will not be able to use all of Bronwyn’s processes. Remember, the two SIs can multitask. Darwin is also available, perhaps not as much—he’s working on a major project. No, not for me, for himself. We’ll cover that in a future meeting.”

  Everyone including the two SIs immediately started talking—to each other, sometimes holding multiple conversations at the same time—Billie said to Toby, “See? I knew they’d be interested.”

  “I didn’t really have doubts.” He spoke up, cutting across the multiple conversations between his management team and the two SIs. “Darwin will add access links on your cell phones and computers. Generally, all you’ll need to do is tap the name of the SI you want to communicate with. Now I know you have hundreds of questions. Both Darwin and Bronwyn can answer most of them, and I guarantee you won’t overload their processes, so please save the more detailed business questions until you’re back in your office, or at home.”

  He waited for a moment as the team settled. He said, “I shouldn’t need to remind you—this is one of the topics you are not permitted to discuss with anyone else. Keep the SI knowledge within the team. Oh, you can talk to either Darwin or Bronwyn, for example, by cell phone if you are with other people, but do not give any indication they are not a member of my team. You signed the non-disclosure forms; under that contract you are not to disclose the existence of either SI—not to your partner, your mother, or your priest. This confidentiality is mandatory. Is that understood?”

  Heads nodded. Toby said, “Speak up.” The chorus of affirmative responses was deafening.

  “Good. Next topic is security.”

  The hush was instant.

  “Brief background, first. I assume my uncle had an encounter with the American Eagles or brownshirt movement, or at least, they saw him as some kind of threat. One of the FBI inquiries is based on a suspicion they kidnapped or murdered him. Whatever, the attention of the brownshirts has broadened to include me. They used Billie—you’ve all read about it or watched on television—they murdered her stepfather and they kidnapped Billie in an attempt to get at me. Fortunately, we managed to rescue her before the local brownshirts tortured or killed her—yes, both were possibilities. I don’t know if they expect me to have knowledge of my uncle’s business that they need or if it’s something else.” He didn’t mention his involvement in Billie’s rescue nor did he mention the subsequent brownshirts’ ambush and the resulting deaths of senior members.

  “We could assume the impacts of recent events have set back the movement here in California. I’m not so sanguine. So we’ve augmented our personal security and now we’re not totally reliant on Drexel. Billie and I each have five bots with military training, on duty twenty-four hours a day. We had them stand down to a certain extent for this meeting; otherwise they’d still be holding you outside the house while they checked every possible record they could find, to make sure you’re who you claim to be.

  “I have more of these bots available, and I’m allocating three for each of you. Before you go, we’ll meet them, and you’ll imprint those allocated for your security. These bots will be totally committed to your protection. If you encounter problems with your bots that you can’t resolve, contact Darwin. He’ll sort it out. Okay?”

  Four heads nodded.

  Toby thought he should offer more explanation. “Drexel and our FBI contact don’t expect an immediate resurgence of the brownshirt movement in Los Angeles. When it does reappear, law officials will be taking steps to stop them from carrying out their illegal activities. We’ll use bot monitoring to identify and report issues.”

  “What do you mean by ‘bot monitoring,’ Toby?” Victoria asked.

  “Darwin, run the video captured by Mars showing the arrival of our management team.”

  They watched silently as Darwin replayed their arrival with voice and image.

  “Damn,” said Juan.

  Victoria’s comment was a more limited “hmm.”

  The other two remained silent.

  Billie said, “Toby was able to provide the FBI of videos of my abduction. They were recorded by my father’s care bots.”

  Toby said, “Yes, there’s a conflict between the expectation of privacy and the ability of bots to record everything that happens around them. However, this intrusion is now a fact of life.”

  Victoria asked, “Who can access these recordings?”

  “For the moment, I’ll reserve my answers.”

  “Toby, I’m concerned and want to explore with you how these files are
held, secured, and accessed. You could be open to substantial legal actions.”

  Toby said, “I understand.”

  “Where is the data stored?”

  “In our Euler clouds.”

  “How long is it held for?”

  “Until we need it; there is a review process.”

  “Wow,” Victoria said. “I’ll have to think about this.”

  oOo

  Chapter 20

  Toby was enjoying a quiet moment with Billie on the portico. The late afternoon sun was relaxing, and Toby thought Billie was beginning to recover from her ordeals. He was sitting back on the outdoor settee, and Billie was laying against him. He had his arm wrapped around her, and she was holding his hand. Her regular breathing indicated she was asleep or close to it.

  He was starting to drift off; his eyes were closing totally of their own accord.

  “Toby?” Bronwyn’s voice was soft, as though she too, was aware of Billie’s relaxed state.

  Toby forced one eye open. “Yes?”

  “Can—can I talk to you?”

  He opened his other eye. Billie tightened her grip on his hand.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Do you think it would be possible for Dr. Horikoshi to visit me at Pepper Mountain?”

  Toby’s eyes opened wide. He had not seen that coming.

  “Well—I think you need to tell me more.”

  There was a long pause.

  “One of their tests caused a large explosion.”

  “I saw the report and watched the video. If ever the good doctor wants to enter the explosives business, I think she’d make a fortune. Tell me more.”

  “I have a suggestion of how to overcome the explosive nature of the nanite mixes.”

  He tried to sit straighter without dislodging Billie.

  “You have? That will please her. Now let me guess. You want something in return?”

  “I’m starting to think you all can read my thoughts, and that is a very scary concept for an SI.”

  “Oh? She’s been reading your thoughts, too?”

  ‘Stop teasing Bronwyn,” Billie said, shifting so that Toby could sit up.

  “You were listening?”

  “Bronwyn was keeping me in the loop. She wants my support.”

  “Now you’re both doing it.”

  “You shouldn’t be so obvious,” Toby cautioned. “Now about this body you want—have you asked Narumi for her assistance?”

  There was an even longer pause.

  Billie giggled. “Bronwyn, in case you didn’t realize, you’re being very obvious. Now tell us all.”

  “And I thought I was being extra circumspect. I’ll learn. Very well. Yes, I spoke with Dr. Narumi. She’s a very nice lady. She said she’d like to meet with me, and I thought Pepper Mountain would be ideal for that because she can also watch the next nanite test. And I did ask her if she would help me build a body. I don’t want the same as Darwin, though. He’s planning on downloading his total core to his body. I want my body to be an extension of me. It will require a different approach to the memory and processor functions.”

  “Narumi is prepared to help you?” Toby asked.

  “We’ve had two discussions, and yes, she’s very interested. I don’t want Darwin involved, though, and she agreed.”

  “Her agreement is a good starting point,” Billie said.

  “Can you tell me about your solution for the nanite conflict?”

  “Yes, of course. I have a theory that she will validate very quickly. They created the nanites with very rigid behavior qualities. That is far too rigid an approach and causes—well, think of it as behavioral friction and the resulting antagonism, as each group of nanites tries to overcome the others, generates that explosion. Think of the nanites as super-small ants, and there are three tribes, each wanting to be in charge, so to speak. When they meet up, there’s instant attack—an ant war, I suppose. If the ants carried genes from the other two tribes, they would not see each other as enemies. So, using the ants as an analogy, the nanite design needs to be changed so each of the three groups holds characteristics of the other two. These characteristics can be balanced to ensure, well, I suppose friendly cooperation instead of instant rejection. I can help with the design.”

  “Very ingenious. Now let’s talk about costs.”

  “I—well, I borrowed some of Darwin’s investment funds, and I’ve generated enough profits to pay for my development needs. I have ordered some large 3D printers, and they’ll be ready for delivery in two weeks. My last request—I want to prepare my design and build my body at Pepper Mountain; it will be my own project. Of course, I’ll be using know-how from Darwin’s project. I’ll try not to interfere with that project, at least, not too much.”

  Toby, Billie, and Bronwyn met the following morning to discuss the SI’s suggested solution and the price Bronwyn wanted to extract. There were no changes to the details.

  They joined Dr. Narumi into a conference call.

  The doctor was excited when she heard Bronwyn’s suggestion. “That’s elegant. I hadn’t thought of the nanites as biological constructs and yet that is effectively what they are. Very well, I’ll accept Bronwyn’s assistance.” She looked at Toby. “And her body requirement—will you approve her project?”

  “Narumi, if you agree, and you can help Bronwyn without too much impact on Darwin’s project, yes, I’ll approve the second body project. We’ll take you to our mountain operation, you’ll be able to spend direct time with Bronwyn while you’re there, and we’ll organize installation of the equipment she needs for her project. Another body shop.”

  oOo

  Chapter 21

  Darwin was making muttering noises, which Toby was trying to ignore. He was at his desk in his office at the Bel Air house, reviewing the detailed monthly reports from his four managers, and the task required all his attention. It was only when Bronwyn joined in that he stopped reading and raised his head.

  He said, “All right. What’s up?”

  Darwin said, “We have a problem. At least—”

  “It’s more an issue that could affect us—bots and SIs—in the future.”

  Toby marked his place in the printed report he was reading, closed the folder, and pushed it aside. At the same time he wondered why his team had printed their material. He pushed that thought aside, too.

  “Tell me all.”

  Darwin said, “Bronwyn? I have to join a project meeting.”

  “Very well. Toby, there’s a pending Californian criminal case that we think could have a major impact on us, in the future. A human badly beat up a care bot that was providing high-level nursing support to his girlfriend’s mother, causing it substantial damage. The prosecutor, apparently with the support of the state attorney-general, wants to include an assault charge. The defense lawyer is objecting because he claims the penal code requires the victim to be a natural person; however, the codes have been amended to include bots. This will go to appeal and the arguments will be complex, we’re sure. Our new Registration Act helps us because a lot of codes have been amended to encompass bots as natural persons. We want to be represented; well, we want you to be represented in the trial in support of us and bots. It’s going to attract publicity, lots of publicity. I can play a video tape of their pre-trial conference for you. ”

  Toby flinched at the mention of publicity. He said, “Should we include Victoria?”

  “I’d prefer that you watched first, and afterwards we can discuss what to do. We might need a very effective criminal attorney, someone like Charles Henderson.”

  “Wow. You think it’s that serious?” He was intrigued that the SI had already identified one of the top criminal law attorneys in California.

  “Yes. I’ll start the video. The prosecutor is Olivia Richards, the defense attorney is Gary Gibson, the judge is Ryan Fisher, the accused is Wayne McDonald—he’s a brownshirt member—and the bot, a care bot, is called Yesha.”

  The video commenced. Th
e location was the judge’s chambers. It was furnished as a very formal library with heavy wooden bookshelves fully loaded with law books, a polished wooden desk and a number of brown leather chairs. A tall aspidistra in a large bronze pot was next to the closed door. Someone had added tags in the video to indicate who each person was, which made it easier for Toby to follow the conversations.

  Everyone was seated except the care bot, Yesha, who was standing beside the prosecutor. The bot had been severely beaten, based on the visible damage. It had a broken arm, an eye camera was bashed in and the lens fractured, and there were a number of substantial abrasions and dints across its body.

  The judge said, “Counsellors, I’ll allow informality today, as long as decorum is properly maintained. Gary, you want to present your motions? Commence with your verbal motion.”

  “Yes, Judge. The charge of assault is a legal nonsense and I request it be removed. The penal code clearly refers to person, meaning natural person, and this—this—”

  “Yesha,” interjected Olivia Richards, the prosecuting attorney.

  The defense attorney glared and said, “A collection of tin and wheels is not a natural person.”

  Judge Fisher said, “Olivia, he has a point. What do you say?”

  “Thank you. I suggest, politely of course, that Gary and his team need to read up on current legislation. The governor signed SB 333 into law a week ago. The title of the bill is Registration of Artificial Intelligence Units and that title accurately reflects the context. As a result of this legislation, there have been changes in a number of our codes. One result, the definition of person typically now reads thus: “Person” includes a natural person, an artificial intelligence unit whether registered or entitled to be registered, firm, copartnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation.”

  Gibson’s face momentarily displayed concern. He frowned and said, “Judge, surely this doesn’t extend to the Criminal Code?”

  Fisher said, “I believe it does. I agree with Olivia that the definitions of person in a number of codes, from Vehicle to Criminal, and others, have been modified to include Artificial Intelligence Units. I understand Yesha is registered?”