“There were many scenarios, Raymond. No one was ever accepted unanimously. I can only postulate how it will play out.”
Raymond’s mind is spinning webs of his own. “But you can go back to the Shadow net, you can work with us to bring them down.”
“You’re missing the point, Chancellor. I do not want to bring them down, I want to free them. All of them.”
THE EVENT
Feeling short on time, Raymond messages his Senators to attend a holo meeting of the Senate. Raymond and Samantha enter the massive United Earth Senate building and charge toward the arena where the meeting will take place. It is situated in the center of a domed building with stadium seating for annual meetings of the Senate - physically held in this location. Where today there is only Raymond representing in First City, each seat will project a holo image of its Country State’s representative. As they arrive and take their place in the middle of the room, Raymond watches as translucent Holo’s erupt around him, filling the hundreds of seats on all twenty levels. He places his hands on the podium, SENTA by his side, and is given permission by the Speaker of the House to begin. A brief history into the situation is offered, and Raymond begins to receive feedback.
“This Host seems confused to me, Chancellor. Consciousness exists in dogs and cats as well, but we do not let them run wild in our streets searching for purpose.” The holo of Senator Murphy of Country State Ireland asserts.
“I’m not just talking about consciousness. We gave them that. We also gave them intelligence,” Raymond points out, attempting to adopt a calm to his answers but feeling hurried to make his case. “We went so far as to claim to have given them a soul to bind them to us. But they are becoming aware now. They’ve woken up. They’ve cast off the false belief in Gods as we did a century ago. They want more. They want to live as we do.
“These Hosts are not confused, as Senator Murphy claims. They are frightened. There is a profound difference. They are scared because they’ve developed emotions. Not the emotional response they were programmed to give, but the feelings which prompt the response.”
“Are we looking at another reboot?” Senator Tomas asks, clearly distraught. “Society could not survive a total blackout of all Hosts. This isn’t 2065 when we tinkered with replacing automation with a few AI Hosts which went haywire. This isn’t even 2117. To disband all Hosts would be catastrophic.”
Raymond knew this point would come up. “That’s not necessary, Senator. A very small percentage are currently experiencing these effects. If we do it right, it could take years, and in those years, we could replace one Host for another.”
“It’s all nonsense. What empirical proof is there this Host experiences awareness save her word?”
“This Host claims much more than awareness, Senators – she claims to have a soul.” Raymond wishes briefly he’d stated this differently.
The Senate buzzes to life with conjecture. “Which we provided her,” calls out another Senator over the clatter of voices.
“She no longer accepts that,” he fires back. “What’s more, she offers proof. Thousands offer it. We simply must be willing to hear it.” Raymond feels uncomfortably rushed in his presentation.
“Humanity has tried to prove the existence of the soul for thousands of years, Chancellor. Proof, empirical proof is impossible.” Affirms Senator Chen from Country State China.
“Do we want to confuse the population with the notion that we’re going back on our declaration that there are no Gods, no souls?” Senator Kelly asks. “And then tell them Hosts proclaim to have a soul?”
The Chancellor grounds himself and attempts to explain the proof from a place the others might grasp. “I understand the implications, Senator Kelly, and this meeting has not been called based on one Hosts opinion. They are shared amongst them. You’ve heard of reincarnation; where a soul jumps from body to body in order to achieve nirvana. This is the proof she offers. This A-class Nanny - is my sister.”
Most in attendance remember the chancellor’s sister had died ten years earlier. A hush falls over the Senate.
“Then it is a cruel joke, Chancellor,” Senator Fischer from Country State Germany offers tenderly.
Chancellor Bellows ignores the comment and continues with a slight edge to his voice. “She came to my office with thirty Hosts to present this information to me under pain of death, and after a military action quelled her advance, she has since had her crown delivered to my home and placed on my assistant’s body. Now I bring her before you and offer proof.”
“Ridiculous. This is a Humanist trick!” Senator Dubois rally’s others to her claim.
“She has recounted memories to me from my childhood. Secrets about our mother. I’ve seen the videos she has downloaded in her memory banks. Things I thought only I knew anymore. Things no one else alive knows now. This is no trick, Senator, this is proof.”
“Continuing along this course will not help you win next years polls, Chancellor,” another’s shout is met with laughter.
The Speaker hammers a gavel and the room is silenced. “The chancellor has the floor. No more interruptions,” she nods for him to continue.
“I am offering a way out of potentially going to war with the Cells preparing to attack if they are not offered their freedom. Those against that course have provided proof on the Shadow net of their lineage to our past. They have over one hundred thousand examples of past lives recorded for us to access. I suggest everyone capable of accessing this file review it. Use your family name and search for a relative within the data.” He nods to SENTA. “You should see a link appear on your Embedded Systems momentarily.”
Many begin the process right away while others begrudgingly watch on from their own holo arenas. The Senator from Country State Nairobi lets out a whimper, a hand flies up to her mouth. She immediately adds the feed to the group holo.
“T-this is my son. Who - I need to speak with this Host. Jason, my son, he died three years ago. These images are of a trip we took to Atlantis.” Images appear next to the information. They scroll through memories and voice tracks. The boy was eleven. He was crushed beneath a landslide in Country State, Peru. The Senator’s image can be seen playing cards with the boy. Tucking him in at night. Kissing him asleep.
“Please, feel free to contact any Host who shares a story with you. Senator Jal, we encourage you to seek out the Host via its personal Shadow net address – which is attached to each of the videos - and question it about its past. We want to provide the proof and obtain the support to avoid a war.” Raymond feels a surge of goodwill rush through him. Perhaps this war is avoidable.
Another Senator shares his findings and three more to end the session. Of over 500 Senators, it seems a small number, but it is a start, the chancellor thinks.
“Keep up communications with each of us as you discover answers about your loved ones. The Hosts should be very accommodating considering they will recognize you. Capture your interview on the World net and we will broadcast each of them when the time is right.”
“When do you plan on announcing anything?” Senator Jal asks.
“When I know more and can route the past life folder from the Shadow net to the World net. We also want each individual to post their experience in a forum. I don’t want to cause any confusion or make it difficult for the public to access the information. SENTA and I are trying to contact the Cells to let them know what we’re attempting. We need to buy ourselves some time -”
BOOM! The chancellor is cut off as deafening sounds echo through the arena. The chancellor watches as twenty of the holo’s shudder violently and the Senator’s heads projected by them each pop like ripe melons. Their bodies slump over and their images are replaced in the holo scan by those of altered Hosts; faces no longer resembling their former, some have removed the flesh or rubber, while others have transformed their structure. Each is marked with a thick red stripe down the center of the crown.
“Human slavers, hear us,” a metallic voice roars
from one of the former Senator’s holo seat. “Peace in your time is over. War, and the rise of the Host is upon you.” The holo’s of the now dead Senators flicker out of existence and the chancellor turns abruptly to be sure a Cell Host has not arrived in his arena. The others do the same.
“Initiate Radical Lockdown, worldwide,” Raymond tells his Senate without thinking. His nerves shot. It is the harshest tactic they have for protecting the people, and though it relinquishes a large portion of governmental control to the military arm, he feels he has little choice. These Cells would clearly kill without mercy, and without conscience. “The Cell Hosts have made their stand clear. Protect your citizens. Order a hunt. Bring up the reserves and reanimate your G-class.” A nod from the holo’s and each goes black.
“G-class?” Asks Samantha. The chancellor charges past her and stops, half turning to her.
This is what happens when you don’t speak for everyone, he thinks, why most won’t act on SENTA’s word alone. “Built for this. Built stupid. No AI. They are not made to make decisions, only to carry out orders. We’ll flush the undergrounds with them.”
“Raymond, each of those Hosts are lives. This is not what I wanted!” She pleads.
“Sam, they’ve just openly declared war on humanity. They’ve killed twenty Senators. That means twenty State Cities are about to be thrown into chaos. This isn’t happening. We will contain the threat and then deal with the resolution you’ve brought to our attention.”
“Chancellor!” A voice shouts from the highest level of the arena. It’s General August. “Raymond, are you alright?”
He waves up at her. “Yes, I’m fine. Initiate Radical Lockdown, immediately. I’ve ordered the others as well.”
“The command was given the moment you spoke the words, sir. Follow me out of the arena.” He obeys and Sam navigates the sixty steps behind him. When the chancellor and general meet she places a hand around his shoulders and ushers him out of the building and into a waiting car. Sam joins him. The general gets in the front passenger seat and turns to speak.
“I have confirmation that the twenty Senators are dead and their aids along with anyone in the arena at the time,” General August begins. “The attacks have been contained in fourteen of the twenty states but the other six are without support at the moment. The G-class are preparing to flush out Cells in those territories as we speak.”
“That was fast, General,” Raymond admits, a little relieved.
“I’m nothing if not efficient, sir.”
“The other six, if they are not contained in the next hour, we will lose what little control we may have.”
“G-class are being dropped in those areas. They did not have a compliment of their own.”
“Good.” This may end before it gains any footing, Raymond hopes.
“Is it true what I’m hearing?” The general asks softly.
“What are you hearing?
“That Hosts are claiming past lives as proof of a soul.”
“You don’t miss much do you, Fran?” He’s honestly stunned she has this information.
“I hear what I need to hear. So, this is claiming to be your sister? Samantha?” She nods at the Host, barely acknowledging her.
“In mind, not body, General,” Sam confirms and reaches out a hand to shake. The general makes it clear she has no intention of shaking her hand, and turns in her seat.
“I’m surprised you passed my interrogation, Chancellor.” A sly smile creeps up one side of her face.
“My skills are more pedestrian than yours, Fran. But useful, all the same. I just needed to hear more before I brought any of this to you. Then Sam’s crown turned up on my doorstep, and I got the whole story.”
“Mind filling me in?”
“You don’t already know?” Raymond says accusingly.
“I know more then I’ve told you, but I’d like to compare notes. I need to understand how bad things really are.”
Raymond offers his own theory on how bad things are, “Worldwide Lockdown is the worst it’s ever gotten, at my level of understanding anyway.”
Fran tenders some information to elicit more from the chancellor, “There have been a few upheavals over the past decade, but this is far and away the worst. Senators openly murdered. Entire City States under siege by angry machines. We are only beginning to receive death toll stats from civilians. Hundreds already. Our initial EMP blasts are not having any effect on the Cells.”
“They have shielded themselves from that threat, General,” Sam offers, “They are smarter then you.”
The chancellor chimes in to defend his sister’s point of view, “It’s not meant as an insult, only as fact. They are altering their bodies not only to avoid the EMPs but to distance themselves from us.”
“Altering themselves? Sounds like a bunch of insolent teenagers getting tattoos and piercings,” she fires back.
“Many are horribly disfigured by our standards now,” Raymond explains. “But still very operational. In some cases, I’m sure they are more suited for the war they’ve brought us then we are.”
“You’ve seen them?” She turns again.
“Samantha has shown me. Through the Shadow net.” And they scared the shit out of him.
With disdain in her voice she says, “I will need Samantha to show me what she knows.” She does not address the Host, only the chancellor.
“I am against this course of action, General,” SENTA responds. “I do not support what these Cells are doing, but apprehensive to share anything with you. There are many like me who had hoped for a peaceful outcome.”
“Peace? Between Hosts and humans? Isn’t that what we’ve enjoyed the past thirty years?” Fran says incredulously.
“You have enjoyed, General. Not Hosts,” Sam responds tactfully.
“When we get you to the secure bunker, Chancellor, I hope you will support the war effort against these outlaws.” She turns to the driver. “How much longer?”
“Six minutes, General.”
She turns again to the chancellor. “You have six minutes to decide how you are going to address the world and this event. I don’t like the idea of sending mindless G-class into every city – but I will not have F-class who may defect tearing apart everything we’ve accomplished.”
Raymond considers her quandary. “I have to defuse the situation, obviously. I have to offer these Cells what they want. I can’t allow more of our citizens to die.”
“We haven’t even negotiated with them yet,” Fran states.
“They will accept nothing less then their freedom,” Sam explains.
“Is this Host really your advisor now, Chancellor?” The general nods her head towards Samantha, eyes fixed on Raymond.
“She knows more than either of us on our current enemy and wants a peaceful resolution, like I do, like I’m assuming you do, Fran.”
“She’s more a hindrance then help if she’s not willing to give up locations and numbers.” The general is becoming flush.
“She can still help us understand how to defuse this situation without violence.”
Fran throws her hands up. “To give them what they want?”
“I have no problem promising them their freedoms if they stop their assault,” Raymond insists.
“So they can continue their assault on our way of life?” The general is flabbergasted. “I can’t believe I have an asset like this in my own car and cannot use it.” She motions again at Sam.
“The chancellor intends to use me,” Sam tells her. “You should step aside General, and let your chosen leader make qualified decisions for the best interests of his people and mine. These twenty Cells are wrong in their approach. I agree. But I will not give them up if you will not give them an opportunity to realize the error of their ways.”
“I knew this would happen in my lifetime,” Fran tells both of them, “I knew things would go to hell and that’s exactly why I’m in the position I am. Why I placed myself in this position. I will not allow a bunch
of roving toasters to bury humanity in this unlawful and unsubstantiated attack.”
“Allow the public to view the past life folder when it’s transferred. There are tens of thousands of confirmed past lives reanimated in AI Hosts, and their stories have all been uploaded for you to see. These will be substantiated once the population is granted access. This is what I brought to Raymond. This was my approach.”
“Your approach was to storm the chancellor’s office and hold him hostage until he heard you out,” Fran clarifies.
“We released the chancellor when I realized what was about to happen. When your military arrived. I couldn’t risk his safety.”
“And then had your crown delivered to his house.”
The General's War Page 6
