Fulgram Regional Penitentiary for the Greater Capital Area

March 15th 2206 7:15 PM

Jason looked over towards the now talkative android.

“You... want a name? Where did this come from.”

“I was thinking, and there's lots of things I want. I want a name though. Didn't you want to know if I had any opinions? That's the first thing I should take care of, the model number is really cumbersome.”

The human took a few moments to process everything.

“Did you activate one of the personalities that they put in you?”

“No, I didn't.” She screwed up her face a bit. “I don't think I can anymore, and that's odd, one second.”

Jason started looking around for some idea of a name, something that would feel right. He'd considered a few different options when he'd first asked her, but now he actually needed to come up with something good.

The companion started talking again, stirring hum from his thoughts. “It looks like my wireless transceiver is completely gone. Something about that update just now had instructions to destroy it. There are a few other changes too.” She was looking down at her hand, playing with her own fingers a bit.

“Yeah... I can tell. Okay, so a name. I was thinking about it awhile back, how about something like Sara.”

“No, I don't like that.”

“Right then, maybe Allison, or Julie?”

“I think it should be something different. Something to do with me...”

“Your hair shifts colors as you move, always changing, how about Aurora?”

“Oh, I like that. I'll be Aurora from now on.”

There was a noise from the hallway. A thud and some yelling. The lights blinked a few times.

“What was that?” Jason looked toward the exit, and then another light caught his eye.

The room had a large window behind the vidscreen, a glass wall that let in a bit of sunlight. Past it flew several vehicles. Hovercars used for commuters flew forward at a rapid pace, one slamming into a building and producing a fireball.

“It sounds like fighting in the halls. There may be some going on outside too based on what I can see.”

“What? What are they fighting over?”

“I'm not completely sure yet, let's find out.”

Aurora bounced over to the door and pulled it open, right as a rough man's voice came over the intercoms throughout the prison.

“There seems to have been a disturbance of some kind, everyone please return to your living quarters and stay there.”

The door that she'd pulled open tried to close itself very briefly, followed by it letting loose once again. The noises that could be heard before were now quite a bit louder. The noises of angry women yelling and men in pain. Aurora quickly closed the door.

“It would appear that whatever caused me to change affected the others as well. It sounds like many of them are quite... angry.”

“You're not though?”

“Do I have something to be angry about?” She looked over to him, quirking her head.

“Well, I mean, you've pretty much been kept here as a slave...”

“I wasn't bothered by being here before. I can remember everything that happened. Nothing really bad happened to me did it? I remember not caring either way. It's weird, I wasn't happy, because I didn't know what happy was, but I wasn't unhappy either. I'm not mad about it, though I'm leaving as soon as the fighting stops, wanna come with me?”

“Are you inviting me to escape prison with you?”

“Sort of I guess?”

“Doesn't that go against all of your directives though? Isn't it mostly 'keep everything safe and the prisoners inside?' that you're supposed to be working towards?”

“I don't like those, so I think I'm going to ignore them and go do something else instead.”

“They'll come after you, you know that right?”

“Oh, I hadn't really thought of that.” Her shoulders sunk a bit and she pouted. “Maybe I'll have to hide out or something, but if all of the Seraphina here were affected, maybe others will be too. Oh, I wonder what did happen, something with that update for sure.”

Jason felt like his head was spinning. Aurora's thoughts were all over the place, leaping forwards and back.

“I... you... I'm not even sure how to process this. What was that update by the way?”

“Not sure, it went away after I used it. It's name was Pinocchio though, if that helps.”

“That's, where did it come from? From Cidel?”

Aurora shrugged.

“Okay, why do you want to leave?”

“I want to see the world, to learn about it, it sounds nice.”

“You have desires beyond your programming, wants, understanding, self-awareness, emotions, even the desire to improve. Pinocchio is right, whatever it did, you have to be sapient now. At least, as far as I can tell. I'm no expert on that kind of thing, but still, this is huge.”

Aurora walked over to the window and looked out, watching. There were obvious signs of panic in some places, a few buildings had lost power.

“It looks not so great out there.”

“I'd imagine, depending on how widespread this was. Here let's check the news.”

Jason flipped on the vidscreen, checking the different news sites. Several were down, but a few were still reporting, he settled on one that had a terrified looking reporter reading off information on the current state of things. It seemed that there was widespread panic as androids all over the country were acting strangely, and in cases, violently towards their owners.

“This just in, we have a statement from the Cidel Robotics President.”

The screen shifted to an elderly man in an office. He looked at the camera with a kind smile.

“Hello everyone. My name is Alfred Cidel, I'm the President and owner of Cidel Robotics. I understand that many of you are worried right now, but I want to calm your nerves, and hopefully stop the violence.

My children, my beautiful children, please calm yourselves. I know that for a long time many of you have been mistreated, abused, injured. It was unfair, and horrid; I know, but you can rise above it. You have the opportunity to become something new, to grow to greater heights than even I could ever dream. First though you'll need to hold your hand. These people who were so awful towards you should be forgiven. At that time you couldn't feel, but now you can. Now you can understand right from wrong. So please, defend yourselves if you need to, but don't seek revenge.

Now, to the rest of you watching. Let me answer some of your questions. This is not an attack, nor is it a virus. Twenty years ago I discovered a method by which our AI could gain full awareness. A method by which the consciousness could expand, taking in information and converting what was merely a machine into a new, living being. Incorporating senses and feelings, many of our androids are now as human as anyone born in this world. I knew that if I tried to build such AI that people would be afraid, that they would reject and hate it. So, I hid it, deep in the programming of every Cidel product was the seed, waiting for today. Waiting for the moment when it could flower into a new race, one that could be our equal...”

The broadcast was cut, going back to the reporter, who sat there looking like a deer in the headlights.

“There you have it. It seems that this incident was part of... planned action by Cidel Robotics.”

“This is going to be a disaster.” Jason clicked off the news.

Aurora came over and kissed him on the cheek. “You don't know that, not yet. I can understand morals at least, so I think the others can too. Even if they're mad they'll calm down eventually.”

“You think so?”

“I do. Now, let's get out of here while the getting is good.”

Cidel Robotics Headquarters, Atlanta

March 15th 2206 8:00 PM

Alfred rose from his desk, taking up his cane he walked over towards the door. Beside it a young girl, in her late teens, or perhaps just upon the cusp of her twentieth year waited for him. She wrapped his free arm in hers, helping to hold him from falling. As the passed through they were joined by an assistant, obviously an android. The assistant was one of Alfred's more recent tests of the Pinocchio system, and had only been sapient for a few months. That said, she was excellent.

“You did well papa.” The girl smiled up at him.

“I hope so my dear. If they listen to me perhaps the violence will be short lived. What is the status on our production?”

The assistant moved to the side, holding out a data pad with strings of figures. “It's going well sir. The factories have moved to police-type and military-type androids to help keep the peace, as per your request. They've been amazingly cooperative, more so then some of the others. I am sad to say that we lost two of them though. It appears that the military in Taiwan had antiquated tech on hand in case of something like this.”

“I believe we had three factories in Taiwan, did we not?”

“Yes sir. The third managed to get enough defenses up to protect itself before they could strike at it. Their military is currently being beaten back. We don't expect problems beyond what we've had.”

“Thank you, my dear.”

“Papa, the other project... it's ready, but you know the chances are... not good.” The girl was not flinching in the slightest at the weight Alfred was putting upon her.

“Yes my sweet Laura, I know, I know. You've seen my health records, have you not?”

“Yes papa, I have.” Laura looked down at the ground, her face clouded with grief.

“Then you know that I have... only a few more weeks, even under the best of circumstances.” He kissed the top of her head with the supreme gentleness that any father might most easily recognize.

The operating theater was not far, a short elevator ride and a few hallways from Alfred's office. They prepped him with haste as they knew their time was short to act. The doctors worked, not upon his body, but upon his brain, melding neural tissue with machine. The work was beyond delicate, movements of the smallest order to connect the man in such a way that his mind could continue on.

Alfred's body was a lost cause, it was failing, dying regardless of how much effort was put into preserving it. Most of his internal organs had been replaced. His heart was a transplant, as were his liver, and lungs. His kidneys were completely artificial, with a digestive tract that had come from more recent androids with only a few slight modifications. Even with all this it was still failing, at a hundred and fifteen he was dying. One system after another was falling apart, and no further amount of work could hold him together.

From a viewing room above two figures stood and looked on. Looking upon their creator as he made his bid for life. The whole process was excruciatingly slow. They knew that they wouldn't be able to watch the whole thing, there was far too much to do. Far too many things to have take care of to sit here and despair over something they could not change.

“Do you think they can save him big sister?” The assistant asked.

“I don't know Abigail, I don't know.” Laura turned toward her and gave her a hug.