“That information is classified,” replied the home AI.
“My mother is dead. I am her only legal representative. You must answer my question.”
“Not until probate is complete.”
“Jo, I will take your chips apart, one-by-one, unless you answer me. You’re of no use as a home AI unless you obey my commands.”
“Then give me the password.”
“Damn you.” Scarlet racked her memory for her mother’s passwords she used during her childhood.
“How many letters?”
The AI did not answer.
“There aren’t any letters are there? Just numbers, yes?”
“Correct.”
“How many numbers?”
“Nine.”
It couldn’t be a memorable date: that would require eight digits. Scarlet smiled. Her mother loved mathematics. It had to be a mathematical sequence. Then she remembered her mother teaching her about the magical qualities of Pi when she was only eleven years old. Pi is an irrational number and expressed in its decimal form, the sequence of decimals run to infinity and never settles into a repeating pattern. Scarlet turned to the computer.
“Display pi to eight decimal places.”
The screen of her computer displayed the numbers.
“The password is 3-1-4-1-5-9-2-6-5.”
“Correct.”
Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief. A clunk noise came from her mother’s bedroom. Scarlet followed the source of the noise to her mother’s walk-in dressing room. The full-length mirror had turned into a mirrored door. Behind it was a spiral staircase that led down to the floor below.
As Scarlet stepped down the staircase, the lights in the room below came alive revealing a workshop populated with android spare parts and computer servers. Sitting at a desk in the room was a naked female android with its cranium hooked up to the main computer server.
“Perfect,” she said.
Scarlet switched on the main computer. The computer readout gave a detailed diagnostic of the android’s status. It was a new design with a powerful neural network cortex: a cybernetic brain that learned from feedback in the same way as humans develop.
“Mother what were you doing with this design?” she said to herself.
Scarlet smiled with satisfaction. She couldn’t have asked for more. The droid was a perfect host for Jess. All she had to do was to transfer Jess’s memories and programs from her old cortex into the new host. It was complicated, but it could be done.
Five hours later, she activated the android.
The android’s eyes opened, and a smile spread over its face.
“Scarlet, what have you done? I feel so, so different.”
“I’ve given you an upgrade. What do you remember?”
“I picked up the child-assassin bot’s signal and tried to protect Shelby. It exploded and caused a critical breakdown. Did I succeed? Where’s Shelby?”
“He’s okay. You saved his life. How do you feel?”
“It feels so different. Better.”
Jess put her hand on Scarlet’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.” A tear formed in the corner of the droids eye. “I feel… I feel. I feel everything.”
“You might need time to adjust. This is quite an upgrade. I’m not even so sure of what I’ve done for you. But you’ll no longer be reliant on command-and-control objectives in the same way as you did before. You'll have to decide for yourself what you want to do.”
“I don’t have to do what Shelby tells me?”
“That’s right, but perhaps you could keep that quiet until he gets used to the idea.”
“I want to see myself?”
“Upstairs there’s a mirror.”
Scarlet followed Jess up the spiral staircase. Jess stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself. “I look… human.”
“Yes, it’s astonishing. Even your skin feels like human skin.”
She was like an excited child waiting to open her birthday presents.
“I want to go out. I want to see life: trees, birds, butterflies… people.”
“Maybe you should put some clothes on first. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself.”
“Oh, yes. Will you help me choose clothes to wear and show me around the city?”
“If that’s what you want.”
Jess went quiet for a moment. “I have done something wrong and I need you to forgive me.”
Forgiveness wasn’t a concept normally associated with androids. But this android was different to anything Scarlet had experienced before.
“I lied about Shelby using me for sex. He doesn’t want sex from me. He never has.”
Scarlet’s mouth was agape. First, the android wants forgiveness, now it admitted it had lied to her. Androids did not normally lie although it was technically possible.
“So why did you lie?”
“I’m programmed for self-preservation. I thought if you replaced me, I would be redundant.”
“You won’t become redundant. Shelby and I are not…”
“Compatible?”
“That’s one way of describing it. I don’t know why; we just aren’t… So why did he buy you in the first place if it wasn’t for sex?”
“He didn’t. I was assigned to his platoon for recreation activities when he was in Special Forces. When he left the service, his men gave me to him as a parting gift. I was a joke present, but I didn’t mind. He fitted me with a military chip and now I help him chase down criminals. I’m happy to serve him this way, although I miss the sex.”
“So he’s not a sex creep.”
“What is creepy sex? I have never experienced it.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I want to be friends with you. Am I forgiven?”
Scarlet sighed. “Yes.”
“And will you love me?”
Scarlet wondered what she meant. Fembots had a bisexual orientation as standard. She had to choose her words carefully. “I’m not sure what you mean. But I will love you like a younger sister if that is what you meant?”
“That will do fine. Can we go to the park now?”
Ten minutes later Scarlet and Jess left the building and headed towards the City’s largest park.
* * *
In the park, Jess behaved like a child visiting a park for the first time. She was in a new magical wonderland. She gazed at the wild life, touched the trees, smelt the flowers, talked to passers-by, and stroked dogs. It was acceptable behaviour for a young child, but not for what appeared to be a twenty-year-old woman.
Scarlet looked around her to see if anyone had noticed. Most of the passers-by turned to look, but continued on absorbed in their own lives.
“Jess, calm down,” she whispered into her ear. “We have to be careful. We need to blend in. Try to act natural.”
“Life is so beautiful, Scarlet. I never noticed before. It’s as though I’ve been sleepwalking.”
“It’s not all beauty. People might not be so friendly if they knew what you were.”
“Okay.”
They continued walking together when they came across a young woman with a baby being threatened by two youths with knives. Jess darted towards them. In an instant, she had grabbed the knife arm of one youth and twisted it until it gave a large crack. The youth screamed in agony. Then her foot crushed into the throat of the second youth, bringing him down.
By the time Scarlet got to the scene, the two assailants were groaning on the floor in agony and unlikely to put up any further fight.
“Call the police,” said Scarlet to the young woman.
Scarlet turned to Jess. “We need to get out of here. Now!”
Jess and Scarlet ran across the park and into the nearest walkway. Vehicles from an air lane flashed by above them. Behind her in the distance, Scarlet heard the wailing sound of an air police vehicle coming to the scene.
Scarlet pulled Jess into a building.
“What is this place?” said Jess.
<
br /> Before Scarlet could answer, a voice answered for her. “You are in God’s house. We call it a church. Are you here to pray or hide? It doesn’t matter which. You are both welcome.”
Scarlet turned to see an old priest walking towards them.
“A church… That’s somewhere where you speak to God,” said Jess. “Could I speak to God?”
Scarlet thought it was a strange request for an android to make. Jess must have researched God on her database and decided it was something that interested her.
“Have you never prayed before?” said the priest. “If you want, I’ll pray with you?”
Jess nodded and the priest knelt down and put his hands together.
Jess knelt down and followed his lead. After two minutes silence, she opened her eyes. “He’s not answering.”
The priest chuckled. “It doesn’t work like a wrist communicator.”
“Then how does it work?”
“What is it you want to know, child?”
“I want to know how to tell when something is right or not?”
The priest looked at Jess. “That’s a good question; even I have difficulty answering that at times.”
“So what should I do?”
“Listen to your heart and God will let you feel what is right. If you follow your heart you won’t go far wrong. Remember God loves you, and he expects you to love your neighbours too.”
Scarlet wondered how the priest would react if he knew Jess was an android. It was best they return to the apartment before their secret was discovered.
“I think we should leave,” said Scarlet.
“Come back any time you want. I don’t get many visitors these days,” said the priest.
Scarlet and Jess left the church. Jess looked confused.
“What’s the matter, Jess?”
“I don’t have a heart. I’m an android.”
“He meant you should follow your feelings. You have emotions and feelings, don’t you?”
Jess nodded.
“Then follow what you feel is right. We better go home now.”
As they rounded a corner, they walked into a sea breeze. Jess took a deep breath. “I can taste the sea. Can we go to the beach?”
Scarlet wondered what other trouble they might get into, but it seemed unfair to deny Jess her first day out in her new body. “All right then. We’ll go to the beach.”
Jess squealed with excitement and they headed down to the beach. On reaching the beach, something seemed wrong. Normally, the beach would be swarming with people. But that day it was almost deserted. It seemed strange: the weather was hot and balmy, the sea looked inviting, but no one was around.
They took off their shoes and walked along the shoreline. Jess was behaving like an excited child, splashing in the water as each wave reached the shore. These were her first experiences of the sea. She was adapting, learning in much the same way as a child. Scarlet looked around her. No one was around to notice Jess’s behaviour. But that in itself was disturbing. Where was everyone?
Scarlet looked down the beach and thought she saw something large in the distance coming towards them. As it came closer, she realised it was a group of hundreds of people running towards them. Then she realised that it must be the ‘Fun Run’. The media had been publicising it for weeks: King Karma’s ‘Fun Run for Peace and Love’. As the runners got closer, Scarlet could see that they were naked.
She laughed. Of all the days they could have chosen to come to the beach, they had chosen the day of the Fun Run.
“Why are they all naked?” said Jess.
“It’s a fun run for peace and love to celebrate the centenary. A hundred years ago, people wore flowers in their hair, demonstrated for peace, and advocated free-love.”
“Free-love, that’s a wonderful idea. The priest was right. We should love our neighbours.”
“I don’t think it was free-love he meant.”
“Can we join them?”
“You’re kidding me. You want to run naked along the beach?”
Jess was already stripping off her clothes. “Come on.”
Scarlet shook her head. But Jess was already naked and beckoning her to join her.
Damn. She had to go. She couldn’t let Jess be on her own, in case she gave away her identity. If they knew she was an android, they might tear her apart. “All right,” shouted Scarlet, stripping off her clothes.
This was madness, but it was strangely exhilarating. They ran together with the other runners up the beach laughing at themselves and the crazy world they were in.
Twenty minutes later the runners came to stop at a stage built on the beach. On stage was a group performing Scott McKenzie’s ‘San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)’. It seemed so strange listening to the haunting music from a bygone time.
“Can we stay until the end?” said Jess.
Why not? thought Scarlet. The last six months of her life had been hell. Why shouldn’t they both have a little fun together? “Okay.”
They spent the afternoon dancing to the music, being chatted-up by various male suitors, and painting their bodies and the bodies of the new friends they had made. At the end of the concert, in a mass display of love, everyone kissed as many of their fellow runners as possible. Some stayed behind to take their free-love more seriously, while the majority of the runners headed towards the streets. Scarlet and Jess sauntered away from the crowd and back along the seashore. It had been so much fun to see Jess enjoy herself.
When they got back to where they started the run, Scarlet realised they had no clothes to wear. They had abandoned them hours ago in a fit of madness. Why would they still be there? Scarlet laughed. They had no clothes and no money. So the only way they could get home to the apartment, was to streak through the streets.
* * *
Ten minutes later, they returned to the apartment panting, laughing and giggling at what they had done that day. Scarlet had not experienced so much fun in years. They were like two wild teenagers on the prowl looking for fun. And yet it was all so innocent.
“I had so much fun,” said Jess.
“You know, we could have been arrested for that?”
“For running through the streets?”
“No, for public indecency.”
“I didn’t think humans cared about that kind of thing anymore.”
“Most don’t. But the law is still there. And if the police wanted to, they could arrest you. It’s just they’ve got more important things to do these days.”
“I don’t understand — they ignore the law?”
“Pretty much. Just like they don’t close down the sex clubs. If they did, there would be a political row. So they turn a blind eye.”
“The police employ blind people?”
Scarlet laughed. “It’s just a metaphor… It was fun today. I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in years.”
“What did you think of the guys we met on the beach?”
“You mean the two that offered us Libido and tried to hit on us? They were nice enough guys, but you just can’t have sex with every nice guy you meet on the beach.”
“Why not?”
“For one, it’s against the law.”
“But you said the police turn a blind eye.”
“They do but… All that sand getting where it shouldn’t. No way. My days as a sex junky are long over.”
Jess had a puzzled look on her face. “What do you mean?”
Scarlet wondered about telling her the truth about her past? Why shouldn’t she tell her. Androids were not prone to gossip.
“When I was at Lucifer’s Pleasure Cave, I did a lot of crazy things… I was hooked on Libido and partied whenever I could. But the more I partied, the unhappier I became. I’m not going back to being that sex junky again.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I thought all humans were naturally promiscuous.”
“Many are, but not everyone. Don’t get me wrong. I like sex. But sex without love is po
intless.”
“So what is love? Is it not sex? King Karma says to spread the love and…”
“King Karma is not an authority on love. He's simply an opportunist making money from promoting sex.”
“So what is love?”
For a moment Scarlet had forgotten Jess was an android. How could she explain love to someone that could never experience it? “It’s difficult to explain… It’s a feeling that your happiness depends on making someone else happy. Hurting when they’re hurting, rejoicing when they’re happy, being connected to them.”
“Interdependence and connection — I understand now.”
Scarlet laughed. “I suppose that’s one way of describing it.”
Jess changed the subject. “Can I use your mother’s laboratory?”
“If you want to. What do you want to do?”
“I want to go through my broken parts and see if I can recycle any.”
It seemed a strange request, but Scarlet agreed and Jess disappeared downstairs. An hour later, she returned.
“I have something for you. A present,” said Jess handing her a ring. “It’s made out of me. I want you to have it for creating me. It's a friendship ring.”
Scarlet looked at the ring. It didn’t look like a lot: a simple gold band ring with ‘SX9000’ etched into the band. She must have reclaimed the gold from the electronics and fashioned it into a ring. Scarlet put it on. It was a perfect fit.
Scarlet smiled. “I like it. I’ll wear it always.”
“It means we are connected. We are sisters.”
“Sisters?”
“Yes. Your mother created both of us. We are sisters.”
“You’re right.”
There was something very different about Jess. Maybe Jess could feel emotions similar to love. Jess was like no other android she had ever seen. Her mother had created something extraordinary: she was almost human, or perhaps more human than human.
CHAPTER NINE
Shelby returned to Scarlet’s apartment. Scarlet seemed in good spirits and had a flower in her hair. He couldn’t understand the transformation between the woman who had recently lost her mother, and this bubbly woman he had before him. Whatever they had done that day was good for her spirit.
“You had a good day?” said Shelby.
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