Prologue:
Liam Kelly
Madeline’s
eyes glowed a dull reddish color that told me she was still in maintenance mode.
“Software
update complete,” she declared, her voice flat and even more mechanical than usual.
I
reached behind her neck to hit her power button, letting her boot up. As she
did, I reread the letter I’d just written.
Rebecca,
You’ll
find that Madeline’s functionality is a bit changed: as I write this letter, I
am
installing a much older operating system on her, and adding in a few morality failsafes—meaning
if she deems that your best interests conflict with another person’s rights,
she will err on the side of the latter, rather than the former. I am also
installing my software upgrade block on her, so that if Jaguar does distribute
a creativity upgrade which might put these changes in jeopardy, she won’t be
able to access it. But she retains her memory chip, so you will find her
personality and her memories with you unchanged. I knew it would be too much to
ask you to part with your best friend.
That
said, even if she isn’t dangerous anymore, she is “just” a robot, Bec. You
once
said yourself that it means nothing for someone—or something—to choose you, if there
is no possibility that they could do otherwise. C.S. Lewis once wrote, ‘To love
at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung
and possibly be broken.’ Loving Madeline was never risky; loving people is.
But
it’s worth the risk, Bec. Trust me on this.
Liam
I
sighed, dissatisfied. It didn’t say what I really wanted it to say—but then, it
couldn’t. Would what it did say be enough—considering this would have to
be my goodbye?
I
folded the letter, using the tip of my pen to puncture a hole through the top
of it. I threaded it through a string just as Madeline ‘awoke.’
“Liam?”
she asked, sounding confused. “Where is Rebecca?”
“I’ll
give you back to her soon, I just needed to update your programming a bit. I
also need you to deliver a message to her for me—but only after I’m dead,
do you understand me?”
She
blinked at me. “But… why would you be dead?”
“I’m
sure she’ll explain that to you, I haven’t got time now. The message is this.”
I sighed deeply, and confessed, “I lied. I told her I didn’t love her because
it was the only way to keep her from coming after me. I wanted to keep her
safe. But when she finds out I’m dead, tell her—”
my
voice caught. I breathed through it, and added with more determination, “tell
her I’ve always loved her. From the very beginning. Can you do that for me?”
Wide-eyed,
Madeline nodded. I knew the look: she was trying to read my emotions, so she
could respond properly. But I was hiding them as best I could, so she didn’t
know how she was supposed to act, either.
“But…”
Madeline’s digital eyes flashed back and forth, “if I don’t tell her until
after she finds out you’re dead, won’t she be furious with me that I didn’t
tell her sooner, when she could still do something about it?”
I
leveled her with a glare, and she shrank back. I knew she would. “Madeline,
when your objectives of making Rebecca happy and keeping her safe come in
conflict, which are you programmed to do?”
“Keep
her safe,” Madeline said meekly.
I
relaxed. I’d just reinforced that programming, but I wanted to make sure it
took. “Good. That’s right. Now do it.”
I
powered her back down then, and wrote Rebecca’s name on the front of the
letter, tying it around Madeline’s neck. Next, I went to the dome room where I
knew Mack would be tracking satellite data. Francis sat beside him, and they
both looked up when I entered.
“Liam,”
Mack said, his voice heavy.
I
walked up and handed him Madeline. “Will you put this on the hovercraft and
make sure Rebecca sees it?”
A
look of confusion knitted his brow even as he accepted the bundle. “You can’t
just give it to her yourself?”
I
swallowed and shook my head. “I’m afraid I have to leave right now. I’m gonna
try to convince my father to dismantle Jaguar before it’s too late—and show him
Giovanni’s database of human test subjects. My brother’s name is on the list,
so he’s not dead after all. M already knows all this,” I added.
As
I spoke to Mack, Francis flipped his net screen closed and walked over, handing
it to me. “You’ll need this. To communicate with us.”
I
pursed my lips, and nodded. The net screen’s LP address would be networked to
the Commune, of course. It was optimistic to think I’d ever have the
opportunity to communicate with them again, but I did like the idea of having
at least some possibility of keeping tabs on the group.
Mack
gave me a side hug, which was all we could manage, between Madeline and the netscreen.
“Good luck,” he said gruffly. “Stay safe.”
I
gave a short, incredulous laugh, but nodded. Then I turned to Francis, who
stood there rigidly with his arms at his sides, watching me with no expression
at all. Since he wasn’t gonna help me, I crossed the full distance to him, and
embraced him with my one free arm. He hesitated, before raising up his own arm
to pat my shoulder a few times.
“Thanks,”
I told him.
“For
what?”
“For
all your support over the years. It’s been an honor. You’re—one of my best
friends, Francis.” It felt odd to say that out loud, but if ever there was a
time to do so, it was now.
He
blinked very fast, as if he didn’t comprehend what I’d just said. “I—am?”
I
smiled in spite of myself. “Yes, believe it or not.” I glanced back at Mack,
who looked more touched than Francis did. “Okay.” I gave them both a swift nod,
and left the room after that. No point in lingering. I really didn’t want to
run into Rebecca again after our last encounter, anyway. If I saw how much I’d
hurt her, I’d probably cave and kiss her right there in the hallway, consequences
be damned.
The
others were mostly busy packing up, as I knew they would be. They didn’t look
at me, and I didn’t bother to say any other goodbyes. I’d already said the ones
that mattered.
All
I took with me were the LED glasses Francis had made, and the net screen he’d
just handed me. I left the compound for the last time, took a deep breath, and
climbed into one of the golf carts waiting in the outside tunnels. It was
amazing how loud the wind sounded as I sped toward the silo where we kept the
cars. I savored every sensation, like a man going to the gallows: the wind
through my hair, cooling the humidity on my skin. The roaring sound in my
ears.
The jostle of the wheels on the uneven ground below vibrating through my body.
When
I arrived at the silo, I took down the keys to the same old suburban I’d taken
to the Quantum Track the day M sent me out for supplies. That was also the day
I’d taken the hovercraft back to Casa Linda in abject terror to search for
Rebecca, and the day both Andy and Val had arrived at the compound. I hesitated
again, closing my eyes, savoring the ‘lastness’ of the moment—but only for a
moment. Then I opened them again, raised the silo door, and climbed into the
suburban, putting the keys in the ignition.
The
wheels kicked up dust from the unmarked trail I blazed, heading toward the
nearest Quantum Track station. I hadn’t gotten very far when I noticed specks
in the sky. As I got closer, I realized they were hovercrafts. And they were
moving toward the compound.
My
heart felt like it dropped into my stomach. There was nothing I could do to
warn them. Surely Mack would have seen them already, wouldn’t he?
Would they get
out in time?
After escaping from a life of government slavery, Ari finds employment with world renowned tech company and hopes it’s the haven she’s been looking for. But as she begins training, her misgivings grow. As Ari fulfills her obligations, her employer’s façade dissolves and her role twists into something she never imagined. Thrust inside a virtual world, Ari is caught in the middle of a treacherous political game where misplaced trust can be deadly. Yet, her only choice is to play, or those she loves will be forced to pay the price. 
