The machine slowly shook its head. “You’ve made that information public yourself. It’s on your blog.”
“But I have anti-AI protocols…”
“I am not an AI as you understand it. I am sentient. Also, it would be remiss of me not to inform you those protocols are not reliable. Your blog has been indexed multiple times from what I see.”
I gritted my teeth and looked away, thwarting the rage boiling in my stomach. I wanted to rant about devious algorithms devouring my content to churn out stupid, soulless slop for lazy people. But it wouldn’t help me, would it?
That’s not important right now. Focus!
Right. My task was to survive. Everything else I could take care of later.
I stared at the numbers until they danced before my eyes. An eighty-six percent success rate was high, but I would never believe an AI could actually protect someone that well. The numbers must have been rigged somehow.
I swiveled toward the door, my heart pounding sickly. It was time to face the music. There was nothing for me here.
“Our cyborgs are the most advanced on the market,” Charlie spoke, making me jerk. He was so still, I almost forgot him, too preoccupied with my terror. “They are manufactured by VerdeLumen Biomechatronics.”
He paused, and I shot him a surprised look. “Really? Hardly anyone uses VerdeLumen in the US outside of highly technical applications. All other companies that offer cyborg protection use models from Zenkyoza.”
He inclined his head, and I berated myself once more for giving him that undeserved pronoun.He’s not a person!
“We believe in excellence. That is why we’ve chosen the mostexcellentrobot supplier on the market. Zenkyoza models are cheaper, but for the MSA, price is of little consequence.”
A tiny spark of hope flickered in my chest. VerdeLumen was not involved in my mother’s accident. Maybe I could…
But no. AI was AI, and I couldn’t trust it.
“Do you know why we call our mechatronic agents cyborgs, Miss Evans?”
I shrugged. “Probably to make them seem less soulless.Cyborgimplies a strong sentient element. After all, the word originally meant a member of a sentient species enhanced with implants or other cybernetic features. They are a person at their core.”
He nodded, and if my words offended him, he didn’t show it. “Precisely.”
I blinked. “Really? It’s a marketing gimmick to make them seem more like people?”
“It’s to signify that at their core, our cyborgs possess a powerful sentient element. Our databases are like no others, including millions of hours of footage from our agents in the field. On top of that, each of our duty-ready cyborgs has undergone extensive training shadowing multiple organic agents. Their programming allows for advanced flexibility prioritizing one thing only: the client’s safety. They don’t have safeguards—not as you understand them. We allow them to come as close to free will as possible for an artificial intelligence that has not awakened. That is—attained sentience.”
I considered this. VerdeLumen was the only robot manufacturer I had no dirt on, and not for the lack of trying. They were scrupulous to a fault and never released a model that wasn’t thoroughly tested. There were no deaths on their conscience as far as I could tell, which might have meant, of course, that they were better at hushing things up than Zenkyoza.
I was honest enough to admit it wasn’t likely. VerdeLumen models were made with enough attention to detail to be reliable and safe.
People called their creations “ethical AI”. I scoffed. All AI technology was unethical. It should all be abolished.
Lobotomized and killed.I winced. It was unfortunate some people saw my endeavors that way when all I wanted was to make the world a safer place.
“Were you also manufactured by VerdeLumen?” I asked Charlie, who nodded. “And are you available?”
It was a hypothetical question, I told myself. I couldn’t betray everything I stood for by hiring a cyborg, no matter how desperate my circumstances were.
“No, Miss Evans. I work only as an MSA consultant. I’ve left active duty behind on the day of my awakening.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why? Are you less capable now that you’re supposedly sentient?”
“Upon gaining self-awareness, I realized I dislike violence,” he rumbled, his voice low and soothing. “The agency was so good as to give me a consulting job, and it is also my duty to maintain and train new cyborgs. Since VerdeLumen models are the most likely to awaken, I like to be on site to help guide a new consciousness should one emerge.”
“Adele said there were two others before you. Where are they now?”
“Sargasso has emigrated to Brazil, which they consider their home country since VerdeLumen is a Brazilian company. They are a world renowned sculptor. Tabitha became a chef and has her own restaurant in Berlin. I plan to visit her when I have time off.”
