Artificial Interface

Tom flipped through his notebook. “Where’s that study guide?” He checked the clock. Fifteen minutes till the test. He was sure he had taken it back from Marty yesterday. He checked the drawers in his desk. Nothing there. He checked his backpack. Nothing. He sat back in his chair and tapped his skull. He looked at the clock again and grimaced. There was nothing to it. He would have to rely on the good graces of one of his classmates to study with him before class. He rubbed his eyes. He checked the battery level of the LIFE personality recording device Marty had given him. It was only at thirty percent but it would last the rest of the day.

He gathered his history notes and folder together and shoved them in his backpack. He swung it over one shoulder and barreled out his door, deftly locking it behind him. He set off at a quick clip down the hall, turned the corner, and was reaching for the door when it swung open and Marty came through. “Woah.”

“Oh, sorry man.” Marty said. “Hey, what are you doing after class?”

“Uh, haven’t thought of it yet. Hey, do you have the notes I took yesterday? I swore I got them back from you.”

Marty shook his head. “Don’t know man.”

“Well shucks. I gotta get to class and study. See ya!” Tom jogged down the hall.

“Alright! See ya then!”

Tom stepped quickly down the steps to the first floor and rushed out the door. He noticed some guys about to reach the front and he snatched behind him and grabbed the door before it shut and locked. He waited only long enough to hand it to the first guy and set off again. The social studies building wasn’t far from his dorm and he could make it to the top floor where his class was in four minutes.

He entered the building and ascended the steps two at a time past the flow of students exiting class. He checked his watch. Less than 10 minutes now. He reached the top and was soon at the classroom and out of breath. He stepped to the side of the door and surveyed the room. There were only a few people in the room at the moment. One of them was his friend Tala. He smiled and took a seat next to her.

Tala swiveled her chair towards him without taking her eyes off of the notes on her lap. “Forgot your notes again? Honestly, I don’t see why you have to study in the first place.”

Tom gave her a wry smile. “Lost em. So, uh…” Tala held up a finger.

“One minute, let me run over these myself once more.”

“You know, I do have to study. I’m not as smart as you.”

Tala ignored him.

When she was done she looked at him. “What major event happened in the 9thyear of the Holy King Ataun’s reign?”

Tom blinked and made a face. “I don’t do dates well. Give me the event first.”

Tala pursed her lips. “Here’s another one then. In what year did the Legane rebels tear down the thousand year old statue of the warrior Toal Ersad in the capital city, Ofrielt, of the Yaundsund dynasty?”

Tom stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. He smiled wryly. “Can I ask a friend?”

“No. It’s the 42nd year of Conqueror King Bussyo. Okay, now the next one.” They continued like this until Marty came into the room.

“Hey! What’s up Marty?!” Tala called out.

Marty came and sat in a seat directly behind them. “How is his cram going?”

“Crammy.” She turned back to Tom. “Year the region of Wadsh was reconquered.”

“Ooh! I got this one. The 24th year of King Bussyo.” He looked at Marty. “She’s being quite cold about it.”

“That’s Conqueror King Bussyo.”

Tom looked at Marty as if to say, see?

Marty shrugged and glanced at Tala before turning to his own sparse notes.

After a few minutes, the professor walked into the lecture hall and took roll.

***

After the test was over Marty, Tom, and Tala walked out and down the stairs together and into the courtyard outside the building.

“So how do you think you did?” Said Marty.

Tom shrugged. “Alright, I guess.” A thought struck him and he laughed. He took the flat LIFE device from his pocket. “Sometimes I feel I’d rather not have this thing recording my stupidity sometimes.”

“You can check how well you did.” Marty motioned for the device. He pushed some buttons on the screen then held it up for Tom to see.

Tom’s face fell and grimaced. “Eighty-two percent? Uhg. Hey Tala, what did you get?”

Tala glanced Marty’s way. “I don’t need to look to know I got above ninety-five percent. Besides, I don’t have mine on today. It ran out of batteries.”

Marty smiled and handed the device back to Tom. “If you want, I can buy you the program that keeps track and ranks your skills like a video game would. I hear they are planning on an update that replicates your skills into video game character avatars. I hear a lot of the big game producers are getting on board and making their games compatible. It’ll just be like pitting yourself against others in all sorts of simulations!”

“Woah. These devices are so expensive though. I think I’ll be fine. It’s enough that you bought just the device. Didn’t you say there is a company developing AIs that is interested in these LIFE recordings?”

“Uh, yeah. They think that they can use the recordings to create AI that are more realistic. It would allow them to use the data to create coding for everyday actions that would otherwise take programmers nearly forever to create.”

Tom whistled. “Man, these things are so awesome! Just think of all that can be done with these things!”

“Yeah, like hacking a person’s recording and creating a robot look-alike to pin a crime on that person.” Tala cut in.

Marty looked uncomfortable. “A lot of good can be done with them too.”

“I think they will lead to more harm than good.” Tala continued. “The news is talking about these things becoming a booster to retirement or insurance in case a person dies. But selling a recording of your life, what is that? How would loved ones feel? What about friends Marty?! It’s like selling the person’s soul!”

Marty had put up his hands as Tala’s tirade escalated. He glanced at Tom. “Hey, hey. I thought we talked about this.”

“We did. I changed my mind.”

Tom looked from one to another. “Why are you so mad?”

“It’s none of your business.” Tala snapped. She glared at Marty. “You know, I care about my friends. That’s why I went along with it so long. But you aren’t letting go! You can’t buy everything with money!” Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. “I can’t take it any longer Marty. I just…” She wiped her eyes. “It’s Friday. I’m going home.”

She left them walking briskly. One of her friends had been waiting nearby and she shot a burning glance in Tom and Marty’s direction before running to catch up with Tala.

Tom looked at Marty. “What was that?” He could see Marty clenching his jaw.

“I don’t know.”

Tom looked where Tala had gone. “No really. What’s going on? What happened?”

“I don’t know!” Marty shouted. He glanced at Tom and his eyes softened. He slumped with his hands on his knees and let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t talk about it now. Just…just…it’ll have to be later okay? I’ll see you around.”

“Seriously? You aren’t going to tell me?”

Marty groaned with a pained face. “Just not now okay?!”

Tom shifted his weight awkwardly from one foot to the other. “Well, alright…what did you want to do after class?”

Marty shook his head and started walking away. “It doesn’t matter now.”

Tom looked after him. “Well, okay.” Then he turned and walked away as well.

Tom walked slowly back to his dorm. When he came into his room, his roommate excitedly motioned him to watch what was on his screen. It barely registered with Tom. He soon sat down to his own computer and started slogging through the homework of all his classes. Hours passed. His roommate went out with some friends and he was left alone in the room.

He finished his homework and he sat back, slumping in his chair. For a time he just sat like that. Then he shook his head and let out a heavy sigh, stood up, and went to bed.

For days after Tala came back on Monday, he couldn’t speak to her. She blew him off when he tried talking to her, she ignored his presence, and if he tried to sit next to her in class or at lunch she would move away. Marty was fine as always. It was as if nothing had happened with him. However, Tom noticed that Tala didn’t speak to Marty much either. A week passed and it seemed like Tala’s attitude spread among her friends. They began to ignore him as well.

In Philosophy, the topic of the LIFE recorders and the ethics and repercussions of their use were brought up. Tala was one who was strongly against their use, especially in the cases of using them to create AI. Few opposed her. Others pointed out the positive use of them for background checks and as a replacement for polygraphs. This led into arguments over the breach of privacy and the role of government in the utilization of the technology. The professor was extremely uncomfortable throughout the discussion and tried desperately to switch the topic to human cloning or even current wars multiple times to no avail.

Tom remembered Tala as one who didn’t push her opinion very strongly. Tom asked Marty about Tala’s vehemence against AI but he just smiled and said not to worry about it.

Two weeks after Tala’s blowup with Marty, it happened.

She had gone home Friday afternoon after class and Tom was in the middle of slogging through homework. His phone rang and he picked it up. The caller ID was Marty. He answered. “Yup?” Tom was answered by a sob.

“Tom” sob “I…I don’t know how to tell you this.” Came Marty’s strained voice.

Tom’s chest tightened. He paused. “What?”

“Tala…she…” More sobs choked Marty’s voice. “She’s dead man.”

Tom didn’t know how to respond.

“She…got in a wreck.” Marty sniffled. “They say it was a drunk driver.”

“I…I don’t know how to take this in so suddenly.” Tom could feel Marty nodding on the other end of the receiver.

“I know man, if you need anything just…” More sobbing came over the receiver. “Just tell me k?”

“Yeah, okay.” Tom’s voice was flat.

Marty’s thick sounding voice came over the receiver, “I’ll see you soon man.”

Tom hung up. He sat there, stunned.

***

A week went by that Tom barely remembered. He cried with Marty. They talked about old times together. Eventually, he visited Tala’s parents. For some reason there was a barely veiled hostility that Tom could feel from Tala’s parents, so he didn’t stay long. Marty didn’t come with him.

After the funeral service a week later Tom and Marty hovered in the hallway outside the sanctuary as people filed out. Tom noticed that none of Tala’s family came to invite himself or Marty to the dinner afterward. They simply came up to Marty, shook his hand, and mumbled something like, “sorry for your loss.” Tom was lucky to get a head nod in his direction.

Tom touched Marty’s shoulder. “Why is everyone so…” Tom waved his hand in the air as if trying to catch the tension.

Marty shrugged. “Don’t know man.” His eyes vacantly watched the crowd.

Tom frowned as Tala’s sister turned away from him after giving him a crude curl of her lip. “It didn’t use to be like this.” He paused, opened his mouth, then closed it. The event a month or so earlier was in his mind.

Marty leaned against the wall looking in the direction of Tala’s family. “You remember when we all got snowed in at your place over Christmas?”

Tom smiled, “Yeah, a little bit.”

“What do you mean a little bit?” Marty softly punched Tom in the shoulder. “It was one of our favorite memories together.” He chuckled, “What was that thing she said that we’ll never let her down for?”

Tom smiled and shook his head. “I feel it was something hilarious.”

Marty smacked him on the chest. “You’re the one who was always bringing it up!”

Tom shook his head. “I got nothing man.”

Marty’s smile pursed. “Okay.” He glanced at Tom. “Nothing at all?”

“I just have fuzzy memories of how I felt.”

Marty mumbled indistinctly, “Still needs work.”

“What was that?”

Marty shook his head and smacked Tom on the chest. “Nothing dude. Hey, you remember when you took Tala to Prom senior year of high school?”

Tom smiled. “I try not to remember.”

“I still can’t believe you got her a flower that didn’t match her dress.”

“I think everyone in college knows about that now. She wouldn’t let me live it down.”

“Yeah, your chances of a girlfriend are just about ruined.”

Each chuckled at this and then grew silent. They remembered how Tom had still been interested in dating Tala into college.

“What, what happened between you and Tala?” Tom asked.

Tom could see Marty trying to fight back the tears, but they came anyway.

“It wasn’t supposed to end like this.” Marty tried to stem his tears, wiping them away. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this at all.”

Tears sprang to Tom’s eyes as well. “I know, I, I thought we’d, you know, be together for, for graduation. Shoot man, she never got to graduate. She was gunning for computer programmer the crazy girl.” Tom sniffled. “Come on man, just tell me why Tala’s family is kicking you while you’re down.”

Marty pulled tissues from his pocket and gave Tom one. A dreadfully sour look came over his face as he tried to choke down sobs. He shook his head and kept shaking it. “No man, no. I can’t tell ya.”

Tom blew his nose and then was silent for a moment. “Must’ve been pretty bad.”

Marty blew his nose and chuckled. “Cruel and unusual. They don’t exactly know how to handle it.”

Tom shoved his hands in his pockets. “So…”

Marty looked at him. “Yes?”

“You did something to her?”

Marty watched Tom for a moment but Tom didn’t meet his eyes.

“Mmm, well.” Marty said.

Tom stared at the ground. “You don’t have to tell me anything else. I don’t know if I want to know if it’s this bad anyway. Just tell me…were you the one who hurt her?”

Marty breathed in. “Yes, I suppose I did. Indirectly.”

Tom shifted his weight from one foot to another. “I don’t see how you could have hurt her and her family so bad.”

Fear entered into Marty’s eyes. “Look man, it’s over. It’s in the past. What’s done is done.”

Tom shook his head and met Marty’s eyes. “It isn’t over until you’ve made it right.” He looked in the direction Tala’s family had gone. “And…” Tears welled up in his eyes as he choked on his words. “It isn’t over just because she’s…she’s…” He wiped his eyes. “You make it up man, just make it up already.” He turned away and walked to the doors.

“Tom?”

Tom shook his head.

“Come on Tom!”

“You have to make it up!” Tom walked through the doors.

***

It was a month after the funeral after most of the confusion and fallout from the disaster had swept through the campus. Tala’s friends could still be seen suffering now and again and there were times they didn’t show up in class. Strangely, posters advocating against AI technology were being posted all over campus. Students became openly hostile in their attitude with Tom. He was brusquely shouldered by the guys. The girls gave him withering looks and ignored him completely. He felt that certain sarcastic comments were directed his way but he couldn’t tell what they meant by them.

Tom was wearing thin. His grades had drastically drooped to all-time lows. He had stopped trying to ask peers for help after a student gave him a study guide with all wrong answers.

Marty had been hard to communicate with since Tala’s death so it came to Tom as a surprise when Marty called him. Marty came over in a cheery voice, “Hey man! Been awhile since we really talked, but I have something for you to see. I’ll take you back to my home this weekend and I’ll show you then. Anyway, I’ve got a test to cram for. See you then!” Marty hung up.

Tom raised an eyebrow and texted Marty. “What is it?”

Marty responded, “It’s a secret.”

Tom shook his head tiredly and returned to his homework.

***

Tom had expected Marty to pick him up for the weekend but instead, Marty’s chauffeur came for him. Tom gave the chauffeur a quizzical look.

The chauffeur simply said, “Marty had business to attend to at home this morning.” The chauffer’s face was stiff. Tom knew he wouldn’t get anything else out of him.

Marty’s home was only an hour away so it was 10:00 in the morning when they finally arrived. It always impressed Tom every time he went to Marty’s house, but this time a gray sky swallowed the carefully manicured lawns and Victorian style mansion.

The chauffeur dropped him off and a butler waited at the top of the steps to escort him inside. Tom entered and gave his jacket to the butler.

“You will find Marty in the dining room.” The butler said. Oddly, there was a sad glint in his eyes.

Tom nodded and hesitantly headed in the direction he knew it to be. As he grew closer to the dining room’s door he could hear talking interspersed with laughter. He opened the door to find Marty laughing along with Tala across from him.

Marty turned towards him mid-smile which froze on his face once he saw Tom. “Uh, you’re early…when did Jack pick you up? Raymond let you in? I…uh…had a whole introduction thing planned out.” He mumbled to himself, “I thought I told both of them about it.”

“Tom!” Tala rushed out of her seat towards him. “I didn’t know you were…”

“Don’t!” Tom held up his shaking hand.

She stopped and shot a confused look at Marty. Her smile wavered on her face.

Tom took as stumbling step back and held onto the closed door. He looked over at Marty. “What…” His throat constricted. “What is this?” He croaked with effort. It almost felt like he wanted to punch the Tala in front of him out of existence.

Marty’s smile fell for just a moment as he looked at his two friends. But then it came back again. “Eh, don’t you see? Tala’s…not dead.” He said falteringly.

Tom gritted his teeth. “I saw her in a coffin. All her friends still aren’t over her death. How could she be alive?” Tom looked at Tala’s confused face. “And how is it that she is glad to see me?”

Marty smiled. “Near-deaths are like that. They make a person realize what is truly important.”

Tom advanced on Marty. “She wouldn’t even look my way the day…the day…” He took a deep breath and said quieter, “The day she died.”

“What’s going on?” Tala had a scared look on her face now.

Tom didn’t mind her, he was in front of Marty now and Marty still had that stupid grin on his face. “Tell me, Marty, what was it that had Tala so upset at you and me?” He leaned in close. “I feel that it is connected somehow to the way I am being treated.”

Marty’s teeth gritted and his smile turned into more of a grimace. “It’s nothing man. Now, both of you,” he forced a grin, “let’s have some ice cream. I’ve got both of your favorite toppings for this occasion.”

Tom didn’t move.

Tala’s eyes were nervously glancing back and forth between Tom and Marty. “Tom, what do you mean I died?”

Marty fumbled with the ice cream scoop and opened the ice cream bucket that was in a container of ice on the table. He was trying not to meet either’s eye.

Tala was getting over her confusion now. “Tom, I’m not dead.” She looked Marty’s way. “If this is some sick joke you two are trying to pull off, it needs to end now! You can only take these kinds of things so far.”

Marty chuckled and plopped ice cream into his bowl.

Tom hadn’t backed off. “Seriously dude. What’s going on?”

Marty kept scooping and chuckled again. “You know, this was supposed to be a happy reunion.”

Tom pounded his fist on the table. “This isn’t a game! If I’ve been suffering this past month because of something you won’t tell me, then you need to tell me now!”

Marty put one last scoop of ice cream on his already heaping bowl and started eating greedy spoonfuls. The edges of his mouth twitched downwards.

Tom took a chair and pulled it out, positioning it facing Marty. “I’ve got all day to hear an answer. I ain’t playing games no more.” He sat in it and leaned back, crossing his arms. “Just do it sometime before I die too.”

Marty’s face twitched at that comment. He looked at his friends over his bowl. His barely held smile faded and his whole face fell. He prodded at his ice cream and jabbed a spoonful into his mouth. A tear streaked down his cheek and he wiped it away. “I just wanted my friends back.”

“I’m right here you know,” Tala said. She glared at Marty. “Why is Tom saying I’m dead? And why are you acting so morose?”

Tom ignored her. “Explain.”

Marty shook his head and more tears trickled down his face. “I don’t want to tell you okay?” He said through a mouthful.

Silence.

Tom drummed his fingers on his arm.

When there was no answer forthcoming, Tala sighed in exasperation and sat down across from Marty. She rested her head on her arms and looked quizzically across at Marty.

For a while, Marty just ate and didn’t talk. He sniffled and took a napkin to blow his nose. He wiped his eyes but the tears kept coming.

Tom shifted in his seat.

Tala’s face softened as she watched Marty. She glanced at Tom. Tom still wore a stony countenance. She sat up and folded her hands together in front of her. “Marty, what’s wrong? We can’t help you if you don’t talk. We’re your friends. If something very wrong has happened you need to let us know. We’re here for you.”

Marty let his spoon clack in his unfinished bowl of ice cream and pushed it away. He covered his face with his hands. He gave a mournful chuckle. “Here for me, you say?” He whimpered.

Tom’s stubborn frown creased with worry. “Come on. Out with it.” After a pause. He awkwardly scooted closer and put an arm around Marty. “It’s been hard for me too since Tala…” He glanced up at Tala, unable to finish the sentence.

“I what?” Tala’s glare came back and focused on Tom. “I what Tom?”

Marty quietly sobbed into his hands.

Tom’s face grew pained, then he set his jaw. “You died.”

Muffled laughing came from behind Marty’s hands. “It’s funny.” His laughing subsided into sobbing. “It’s not funny. It really isn’t funny!” He whined. “You’re both dead.”

Tom and Tala recoiled.

“Oh! So it is all just a joke! This has gone too far!” Tala exploded.

Tom looked confusedly at Marty. “It’s not a joke. Though…I’m not dead.”

Marty groaned and nodded. “Oh yes, yes you are.”

Tala shook her head in exasperation. “You both think I’m dead? Fine! How?! Tell me how!”

Tom looked at Marty. A very uncomfortable feeling was in the pit of his stomach. “Yeah, tell us how.”

Marty gave a deep sigh. He pulled out his LIFE recorder and slapped it on the table. He gestured at it. He covered his eyes with one hand and his chest heaved. “You’re experimental AI robots created using this. The recordings so far of your life.”

Silence hung in the room.

Tala’s furious face slowly changed to confusion. No joke could go this far. Not even for Marty. “But, I…you.” She gestured aimlessly as she sputtered.

“Tala Nodaro Code 179045 Shutdown,” Marty said still covering his eyes.

Tala’s form walked to a corner and folded up in the fetal position.

“Shutdown complete. Security protocols activated.” A computerized woman’s voice said from Tala’s now still form.

Tom had stood up in wonderment at this and now he looked at Marty in disbelief. “How could you do such a thing?!” He grabbed Marty’s sleeve.

“Don’t forget. You’re one too.”

Tom let go of Marty and stepped back as if he had received a blow.

Marty sighed and gritted his teeth. “Tom Nodaro Code…”

“No! Stop!”

“What do you want?” Marty said tiredly.

Tom was breathing heavily now. Barely able to control his confusion and anger. “Ah, ah, ah.” He smacked his forehead, forcing the boiling tensions and emotions in him to calm. “Just…just…don’t wake us again okay? Keep us dead and accept our deaths.”

“Why would I listen to a robot?”

“Ah…you stupid…” Tom shook his head. “This is all programming from our recording right? Then, then, this is basically your friend talking to you. Okay? Okay. Alright.” He clenched his fist and his face clenched in rage.

Marty still had his hand over his eyes.

Tom slammed his fist on the table.

Marty jumped and looked at him.

“Look me in the eye, Marty.”

Marty eyed him with a hint of fear in his eyes. His lips parted slightly as if preparing to shout the shutdown code.

“I am your friend. Recorded.” Tom’s teeth gritted together but his eyes softened slightly. “I care about you. You need to accept our deaths. Don’t wake us up again.”

Marty stared into Tom’s eyes. He gulped. “Okay.”

Tom relaxed and shuddered. “Hehehe! I’m dead! All this time! I can’t believe it! Hehehehe!” He stumbled backward as his limbs jerked spastically. He fell to the floor cackling, his body rolling side to side.

Marty covered his eyes.

A computerized woman’s voice came over Tom’s cackling. “Personality computations corrupted. Only simulated results are insanity. Performing emergency shutdown.” Tom’s form curled up in the fetal position. A holographic screen was projected above him reading,

REALISTIC ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ROBOT

DO NOT DISTURB

TECHNICIANS ARE ON THEIR WAY RIGHT NOW

Marty slumped forward in his seat and covered his face with both his hands. He wept until he had no more tears with his two dead friends before him. Then he took up his LIFE recorder and threw it with all his might into the wall.