by Azza Sumner
Chapter 6
Tracy stopped running to let her body rest for a while. She leaned against the wall of the alleyway and slowly slid to the filthy ground. She kept her young body of twenty four years fit and healthy. She ate well with the allowance Kingsworth had provided her and visited the gym often, but she was at her physical limits now. She didn’t have any physical enhancements like Alicia. The men pursuing her were armed with a taser. A weapon that she suspected would probably prove deadly to someone like her. She wasn’t going to go down easily. Her new life was better now so she wanted to keep it. Besides that she had a purpose to keep pushing forward. Alicia was in danger.
Tracy knew she was more than a biod. More than just a biological device. She was the prototype who’s existence had been kept secret, but somehow the creepy doctor Khall had discovered all about her. Two men had arrived at her small apartment that morning and demanded she go with them. She wasn’t stupid. She always had an escape route handy out the side window. Tracy was an intelligent woman, but still suffered some of the paranoia and anxiety from the previous life she had attempted to end.
Tracy had realised something was wrong with her some time ago. She seemed to operate outside of program guidelines. She still felt much the way as she did before her interface, only now there was the input from the AI as well. It wasn’t controlling her fully. Tracy knew she was out of date and the girl she considered almost a sister had software a version superior to her. Alicia would also have a far superior body thanks to Doctor Khall’s drugs. They weren’t true sisters in the sense that they shared any common genetic bond, but they were guided by the same interface running the same basic program. She had never met with her sister after the operation. For a few months before Alicia’s murder Tracy had been her nurse as her body and nervous system wasted away. She had grown attached to the poor girl. Tracy had been very unhappy with her own life and often contemplated suicide. She was diagnosed with a personality disorder and treatment had helped her control her actions and maintain her job, but it never went away. Tracy was always in emotional pain and her own life meant nothing to her back then. She would have been relieved if the pain ended. She had begged Doctor Kingsworth to allow her to be his test subject, not worried about the risks. She wanted the chance for a different life. After he refused, she threatened to take her own life repeatedly, thus forcing his hand. Kingsworth had set her up with her own place to keep her a secret from Khall until they knew he could be trusted.
All she could think of now was protecting her little sister. Alicia was in even more danger than she was being the newer model. Doctor Kingsworth had treated Tracy well and kept her informed of the progress as his dead daughter was re-animated, but now he was dead. Alicia was the only thing resembling a family that she had left in the world and she was going to be hunted until they had her. Tracy was not about to allow that.
She had to find her sister before Khall’s men did. Tracy remembered that the doctor was looking for a carer for them both. The only candidate that seemed of any interest was the young man who had written the original AI engine and structured the program within them. Tracy pulled a wireless signal device from her pocket and accessed the internet. Unlike the technologically ignorant Alicia, Tracy had been a bit of a computer nerd in her past life, so it wasn’t difficult to find Adam’s address. She frowned as she decided she was going to have to introduce him to online security. He had very little. Now she knew where she was headed Tracy immediately ran onwards.
It had been a long night for Adam as he fiddled with the servos and controllers on his desk. At last he was done. He actually finished a project. During the night he had awoken to find Felicity curled up on the foot of the bed. He felt sorry for the girl laying on his feet. There wasn’t much he could do about it though. He understood why she insisted on being a cat. It was easier to think of herself as a feline. Simple escapism. If she needed the pretence to escape, than so be it. She did break character occasionally, so he knew she wasn’t completely crazy. Adam remembered the bag of goods he had purchased for her earlier. It was still sitting on his desk unopened. He had felt a wave of inspiration so had snuck out to experiment with this new technology available to him.
Now it was done and it seemed to work well. He had taken a robotic snake apart and twisted every second servo around. It was operated by a very cheap and common wireless hobbiest interface. It was now attached to the bottom of a wide padded belt with the interface and battery pack discretely placed inside. He slipped the black fury cover over the snake and put the finishing touches to the device. He doubted the device would be used much, but it was his first learning experience using a biod’s interface. If it was a success, then maybe Alicia would give him some credit that he did understand enough of this technology to be able to say that she was not just an AI. Felicity was hardly in a condition to help him convince her.
When the girls came out they were dressed to go jogging. Adam was eager to give Felicity her gift and handed her the bag. Inside she found a new pair of grey cat ears to replace the tattered ones she always wore, and a new collar with a soft lining. She was very happy as she immediately tried the items on. Next he guided her to the desk and indicated the belt “No freaking way.…I mean meow.” Felicity exclaimed breaking character. She hurriedly put the new belt and tail on. Adam tapped the keyboard a few times and said “I just gave you the interface address. I know it’s just a toy, but try it out.”
Felicity closed her eyes and focused. Eventually she opened her eyes as it became clear to her. The tail started waving and curling. Felicity jumped on Adam licking his face repeatedly. He guessed she liked it. Alicia pulled her off and dragged her back. “Bad kitty.” she scolded “Do you want to end up in the animal shelter?” Adam laughed and said “I’m glad she liked it. It’s just a toy though. In time I could improve it. That was just a quick experiment so I knew if I could do it.”
Adam sat with Alicia on the lounge while Felicity experimented with her new toy. He said to Alicia “You know that tail could just as easily have been an arm or leg for an amputee. Even an exoskeleton for the disabled to walk again. It wouldn’t take an AI or even a full interface. Just a streamlined implant. We could do a lot of good with your father’s technology.” His tone became more serious as he continued “The trouble is it could also control a shoulder mounted weapons system or other dangerous armaments. Imagine the control you could have over a weapon if all you had to do was think to control it. It became part of your body. Then add this super drug. People like Khall could make an army.”
Alicia nodded saying “Yes, my father had similar concerns. He was also worried about the implications of bringing back the dead as a property item or slave, but that Ellan woman told him it wasn’t going to be an issue if he kept to her design ideas.” Adam considered what she had just said. He knew why it wouldn’t be an issue. The ones implanted with a device weren’t merely reanimated. It seemed to jump start their body back into full life. He guessed this was the ‘malfunction’ the other biods had mentioned. They did say it was a good thing. It was all starting to make sense now but he had yet to convince Alicia. He was certain now of what was going on and very concerned what impact it would have on the world if the dead could just be bought back to life. That wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
Adam returned to watching Felicity still playing with her tail. She was having a ball watching it curl up and straighten again. He crossed his fingers and said to Alicia “You know, she’s a lot like you. She’s a girl who thinks she’s a cat, and you’re a girl who thinks she’s an AI.” Alicia scowled at him. Her look softened after a while and she looked to be having doubts for the first time as she asked “How would I know for sure? I have no memory of being alive. I have no comparison. This existence is all I have ever known. I know what the interface was meant to do, and how to use it. I can see the file structure in my head and network with things. We know the device is implanted. I hear it talk to me.”
Adam squeezed her hand and said excitedly “That’s it. YOU hear IT talking. Because IT isn’t YOU. It’s separate. They said it had malfunctioned remember. Maybe it was part of you to start with, but it no longer controls you. Your own conciousness took over.” Alicia was struggling with the idea as Adam suddenly had a brilliant idea to prove his theory. He rushed to the laptop. Searching through Alicia’s files he found the log file for the command procedures. He loaded it and let out a loud “Yes !” He turned to Alicia saying “Can you read this log file for procedures initiated by the AI?” Alicia thought and nodded. She sat quiet for a moment before asking “What is this? I didn’t do any of these things.” Adam grinned “That is the commands the AI has basically told you to do. What you should have done. It’s a log file of all the procedures and routines the interface was meant to initialise.” Adam rejoined Alicia on the lounge speaking excitedly and said “You see? Do you understand that you have been acting independently of the AI. It lost control long ago. ‘Malfunctioned’. That’s why you don’t act anything like an AI ever could.”
He could see Alicia wanted to believe him. It would redefine her understanding of her own existence, so he knew it was going to be difficult to accept. She looked into his eyes and asked “So all these feelings and emotions I have.… they are real? Not just the AI telling me what I should be feeling?” Adam nodded and said “I’ll show you. He returned to the laptop and scrolled down to the day they met. He found the moment that he had jokingly ordered her to remove her blouse. “Do you remember this?” He asked pointing at the screen. Alicia replied, “Yes. I first felt an urge to obey, but I ignored it.” “ That’s right.” Adam said pointing at the actions she was meant to follow. “You were commanded by the AI to initiate a removal of clothing routine because I was an authorised administrator. Instead you slapped me. That was not an issued command.” Adam scrolled further down the list saying “You haven’t followed any of these commands, or urges as you called them.”
Alicia gasped “So this is what real life is. These are actual emotions, not just part of the program. I didn’t comprehend the difference. I didn’t understand. I had nothing to compare my existence to.” Felicity crawled over to her and held both of Alicia’s hands she closed her eyes and her face looked a little strained. “Permission granted.” Alicia mumbled. Ten minutes went by as the two girls sat motionless with their eyes closed. Alicia finally hugged Felicity and thanked her.
She was weeping tears of joy. She turned to Adam to explain “She shared some of her childhood memories with me. Not just the ones stored in her interface. She can transfer organic memories too. I think they’re linked or something. I guess they work as one. I saw her thoughts of love she had felt for a pet kitten. The thoughts and feelings she described behind the pain of it’s loss when her father killed it. The fear of her abusive father. By the way we can’t ever send her back to her family. Not with a drunk like him. She has had no mother since she was a toddler. I experienced some simple pleasures that she recalled. I can’t feel her feelings, but she explained how it all felt as a living child. It was just the same as I felt watching it. I understood.”
“I think I get it.” Adam said “Maybe whatever the malfunction is causes your own conciousness to over power the AI. The device is meant to be a controller, but in both you and Felicity it failed for some reason. Khall thought it was a fault in Felicity. It wasn’t designed to be in a living person. It can’t overpower a conciousness. It wasn’t built to compete with one. Seeing as all your bodily functions had been regulated by the AI, I think it unintentionally bought you back to life. Jump started your brain while the body was functional. It’s like when you roll start a car with a flat battery. By forcing the motor to turn over and go through the motions, it starts running again.”
Alicia had no interest in technology or mechanics, but she understood the point he was trying to make as she said “So its like momentum. Once all the body’s systems start going through the motions again, they keep going.” “Exactly !” Adam cheered. He wished he had of worded it that way. Alicia was struggling with the concept. She shook her head as she debated the meaning of it all. “Maybe.” was all she could say. At least she was seriously considering his theory now. Adam put a comforting arm around her and said “I know it’s a lot to grasp. Give it time to sink in.”
A knock at the door drew their attention. Adam checked through the window and saw a rather attractive and fit looking woman with long blonde hair and green eyes standing on the doorstep. She looked exhausted and was having trouble standing. Fearing she was about to collapse he rushed to the door and flung it open. The girl looked straight at Alicia and whispered “Sister.” before she collapsed in Adams arms.
After laying the girl on the lounge Adam checked her vitals. It appeared she had just feinted. He turned to Alicia and queried “Do you know her. She called you sister?” Alicia shook her head saying ”I have no sisters. I have never seen her before.” Felicity approached and turned the girl’s head. She had the same interface as Alicia and Felicity. Felicity closed her eyes and focussed. After a while she shook her head. She couldn’t access the interface without concious permission being granted. Adam sat at his laptop and checked available networks. There was a new one. It was simply called ‘Tracy’. Adam thought for a moment. Alicia was called ‘Alicia’ and Felicity was called ‘FEL01KHALL”. The naming conventions used would indicate this was not one of Khall’s creations. He tried to hack into the device, but he couldn’t. There seemed to be advanced security in this interface. He had no access without updating his hacking tools. It would take time.
Eventually Tracy stirred. She sat up and asked for some water. Adam grabbed a can of cold cola from the fridge and offered it to her. She refused and barked at him. “I said water moron. Not that carbonated crap.” Adam turned to Alicia and asked sarcastically “You sure she’s not your sister? She talks like you.” He left fetching a glass of water. Tracy looked at the girl with cat ears and tail sitting on the floor. She glanced at all the anime posters covering the walls and closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them suddenly and grabbed Alicia’s hands. She sounded desperate as she said “Oh honey, I have to get you out of here. This guy’s a pervert. Look at his internet history and this poor girl he forced to wear cosplay crap.” Alicia tore herself away defiantly and replied “No. Adam is a good man. He is my fiance. A good decent man. So what if he appreciates a girls appearance? He might be a bit immature but ….” Tracy grabbed her hands again saying “Fiance? Oh deary, what has he done to you girls. Did he drug you?” Adam went to interject but Tracy shoved him away with all her might. “Stay away from my sister, and whoever the cat girl is you creep. Drink that water yourself. I bet it’s laced with drugs.” Tracy was strong, but not as strong as the other girls thankfully. He regained his composure and said angrily “Listen freakster. I don’t go around drugging girls, ok? Felicity likes to be a cat for her own reasons. She’s just a kid anyway. Alicia makes her own decisions. There is nothing perverted going on here.” Tracy glared at him suspiciously and demanded “So your not using them or forcing them to your sick and perverted will?” Adam spat back angrily “No. Never.” Tracy looked at Alicia for a moment and called out “Liar. I can see her memory glimpses.I know what you’ve been doing.” She shoulder charged Adam and drove him to the floor. Tracy raised her fists to start beating him to a pulp but the other girls easily lifted her and held her down on the lounge. “Look closer.” Alicia ordered her. Tracy closed her eyes and focused for a moment. She relaxed after a while and said calmly “I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions. I get paranoid about men.” She turned to Adam and added sarcastically “But he’s still a pervert.”
Adam rose to his feet saying “Ok freak, I think you better explain who the hell you are.” Tracy looked defeated as she pulled a packet of pills from her pocket and gulped one down before reaching for the water. She breathed deep as she started her story by saying “I am sorry. I get a bit... stressed and anxious sometim
es. It’s an illness that creeps up and surprises me sometimes. It takes over before I can control it. I’m Tracy. I was Alicia’s nurse for a short before she died. She wouldn’t remember me. Her memories would have died with her body. I volunteered to be her prototype. I talked the doc into it. Forced him really. He hid me away before he teamed up with that Khall creep. He didn’t want to trust him with everything straight up. We stayed in touch over the net, but when he failed to respond at our regular chat time, I thought I better go check on him. I took a taxi out to the property and found the bodies. I wasn’t sure where he kept all his research so I torched the place. I knew he wouldn’t want his work falling into the wrong hands. I guess I was too late. Khall sent men to capture me. If they knew where I was, than they must have had his files, so I figured they would want Alicia too. She is a slightly newer version.”
Adam sat at his desk banging his head on the desk top. He was well and truly over trying to understand biods. It was all getting to be too much. Not only did he have a girl that doubted she was alive and a girl that thought she was a cat, he now had this oddball. To make matters worse this dangerous character called Khall was going to be hunting for them for sure. All these strange girls were in serious danger. Adam could only think of one thing to protect them all. Doctor Khall had to be taken out of the picture.
A small voice sparked his attention as it stated “Quite the harem you’ve got going on here Adam.” Fay was standing in the open doorway. Felicity and Tracy immediately took a defensive stance, ready to defend themselves. Alicia told them they could relax as Fay went to the kitchen and grabbed a can of soft drink. She was still wearing the same uniform as before with the legionnaire’s cap, sunglasses and knapsack on her back. She sighed as she took a seat on the lounge and looked at the two new additions.
She sounded serious as she spoke “Things are getting complicated Adam. Very dangerous too. One of our guys was captured. They did horrible things to him. He died before we got there. Khall will figure out the malfunction now he has one of our interfaces.” Adam didn’t care what she said. This was his chance to get some answers. He hoped the girls would have his back. He approached Fay and said sternly. “I want some answers. Now.” Fay looked unperturbed as she laughed, “I’ll tell you only what I am permitted. You can’t force me. I’m stronger than any of you.” Adam grinned as he asked “But are you stronger than all of us?” Fay was startled as she realised she hadn’t considered that. She struggled as Alicia and Felicity pinned her down on the floor. Tracy followed their lead and sat on her legs. Fay was helpless now and at their mercy.
They had all neglected one thing. Fay was not alone. Gem and another biod with with a knapsack entered the room and grabbed Adam’s arms. Seeing this the girls looked at each other and relaxed their hold on Fay. Fay thanked Gem and Angel for their intervention. She stood and walked up to Adam saying “Nice move. Very gutsy. Almost would have worked too. I really am starting to like you Adam. Got a girlfriend yet?” Alicia growled with jealousy. Fay looked surprised as she hacked Alicia’s interface and said “Oh you naughty boy. I thought you said you hated her and couldn’t stand her.” Fay chuckled staring at Alicia and said “I guess I’m too late. Sorry I didn’t know how far you two were involved now. Congratulations by the way. I love weddings. Can I come?”
Adam gave up. He muttered “Sorry Fay. It was worth a try. I’m just getting frustrated with all these questions and theories without confirmation. Besides that the girls are in danger and I don’t know who to turn to for help.” Fay walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder saying Your heart’s in the right place. Do what it tells you. I’m already in trouble with mother. It’s nothing new, so I am going to give you some information that I’m sure you would have worked out eventually anyway. I suspect you already may have, so I may as well. Maybe if I confirm a few things, it will ease the pressure a bit.”
Fay turned to her companions and said “Gem, Angel, it might be better if you two wait outside. I promise I won’t break the rules ok.” The girls left the flat as Fay went to the kitchen and began preparing herself a sandwich. As she worked she began to explain “As you’ve probably already surmised these biods are alive. Just like the ones my mother created. It was a design flaw originally, but a monumentous discovery as well. I was the very first. The original. Without the shielding of older models, the new interfaces leaked signals to the brain. It kick started because the interface was already controlling enough of our bodies other systems. The lack of shielding also meant that that our conciousness could then interact back to the AI. Instead of just being the puppets we were meant to be, we actually came to full life. Quite simple when you think about it really. Anyway that’s the first little treasure I’m going to share with you. What else can I help you with?” Adam knew straight away what concerned him the most. “Power supplies. How long can their interfaces last?” Fay shrugged and said “Maybe three years in a Kingsworth interface if they don’t break down. They recharge from the bodies own chemistry. Eventually the recharging capacity of yours will fade away and it will stop being able to hold a charge. You could surgically replace it with an alternative I suppose, but why bother. It doesn’t matter. Once the malfunction occurs and they come to life, they don’t need the interface any more. They are only using them now as tools to store files and communicate. They can live without it.…well, we’re pretty sure anyway.”
Tracy added “Yes. Kingsworth had recently discovered this. It happened to me after a while. He wasn’t sure how to break it to Alicia. The interface was damaged but still works.” Adam was relieved and wanted to be sure so he asked “You’re telling me that even without the interface, they can stay alive. They can live a normal lifetime.” Fay nodded and replied “Yep. Mother was sure of it. If you like I can shut one of them down now so we can see?” “No.” Adam yelled urgently. “I think we can trust your mother on that one. I rather not take the risk just in case.” He was very pleased with the answers so far. Next he asked “One more question if you don’t mind. Your institute seems to have technology and resources. Why don’t you do something about Khall?” Fay sighed and put down the now empty plate saying “We would love to. Killing him wouldn’t be an issue for me or my sisters. Our institute has to follow strict government guidelines as well as our own traditions of non interference. Mother was pushing things as it was by carefully guiding Kingsworth’s work so that it would be his discovery. We also work within the strict guidelines of a special task force. That also restricts our ability to take any action in outside affairs. Our relationship with the government is very tenuous. It is very sensitive and we don’t want to jeopardise things with them. It will be them that eventually, we hope. There’s a lot of red tape to handle.”
Fay hugged Adam around the waist quickly before starting toward the door saying “I hope that relieves things a bit. You’re a decent man, as far as young men go. Just follow your heart. Continue Kingsworth’s work. Look after his children.” Fay paused
at the door and added “Oh and if things don’t work out with Alicia, give me a call ok.” Fay winked and left to rejoin her sisters.
Adam looked at all the girls who were staring at him expectantly. He suddenly felt like a leader. He wasn’t sure how that had come about. “Well girls. Now we know. You truly are alive. Even if the interface stops working, you can live a full life for years. The only hurdle is this Khall creep. Tomorrow we should make plans on what to do, but today I think it’s time to celebrate. Not here though. Somewhere safer.”
Adam suddenly noticed his jeans felt loose. He was sure he had put a belt on this morning. He wondered if that was why Fay hugged him for no apparent reason. It wasn’t worth worrying about right now.
Alicia went to the bedroom and Adam followed to see if she was ok. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to discover that you were a real living girl with many unexpected years yet to live. He felt the box containing the ring in his pocket. He guessed he wouldn’t need it now. She didn’t need to rush a
ny more. Alicia had time to find a better husband now.
Alicia was laying on the bed with her face hidden in the pillows. He sat on the edge of the bed and asked “Are you ok?” At first she didn’t reply. Eventually she asked in a quiet voice “Did you only agree to marry me out of pity? Because we didn’t know how long I had left?” “No way.” Adam replied putting a hand on her back “You’re a great girl. Any man would be honoured to have you even consider him a potential husband. I do understand though that you don’t need to rush things now. You have plenty of time to find the right guy.” Alicia went silent for a while before rolling over and kicking him violently off the bed. “Jerk.” she spat at him. “I already found the one I wanted. It was my heart talking to me, not the AI. You just want an excuse to bail out now that you’ve had your fun don’t you?” “Absolutely not.” Adam retorted, “I just know you can do better.” Alicia crawled over to the edge of the bed where she could see him still laying on the floor and said “Yeah, I probably could, but I don’t want to moron. I made my choice when I gave you my virginity. My heart told me you were the one. Not just the AI.” Adam felt his hand was being forced now. For just a moment he wondered if he was being manipulated again. He got to one knee and pulled the ring from his pocket. He held it out to the surprised Alicia saying “I know it’s only been a few days, and I know you can do better, but I love you Alicia. Please be my bride.” Alicia flung her arms around his neck forcing him back to the floor. “Of course I will.” She replied between kisses. “We can grow old together now and raise a family.”
It was almost dinner time when they emerged from the room. The other girls seemed happy at Alicia’s news as she showed them the ring. Tracy seemed to have some issues, but she kept them to herself and put on an approving face. Adam packed his laptop into a carry bag and made a few phone calls to organise a restaurant and taxi. He hoped Alicia had enough clothes for the other girls.
