Code of Vengeance: The Complete Collection, page 53
Bryce focused his attention. By itself, uncertainty was nothing, but it might be an indicator of something greater. Either way, Bryce wanted to finish these interviews with the same attention he had given the first ones.
“Mr. Cooper, as I’m sure you’ve heard by now, I’m investigating Felix Benham’s death. But to get started, I’m curious about his life and his day-to-day routine. How would you describe the man?”
Cooper fidgeted. “Isn’t that what we have cameras everywhere for?”
Bryce’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t received many defensive answers from the guards. He immediately relaxed his face and gave a reassuring smile. They were all friends here, after all.
“There are cameras everywhere, but they can’t give me the sense of a man. That’s what other people do, and where you can help me out.”
“You’ve talked to a lot of people to try and get a sense of the man. Word is, you think he was killed.”
Bryce rolled with the deflection, noting that the man never actually answered the question. “Maybe. He was a person of interest in one of my cases, and even if his death was accidental, it puts a damper on my case. But we all have different encounters with different people. It may be that you were closer to Felix, or perhaps he let something slip in front of you that he didn’t in front of the other guards.” Bryce flashed a smile that was equal parts camaraderie and menace.
Cooper wouldn’t meet his eyes, looking anywhere but at the detective. “He was a great prisoner. I don’t think I ever had any encounters with him that stood out. He was just another guy, you know?”
If Bryce had been suspicious before, his thoughts were confirmed now. Every guard he’d interviewed had something specific to say about Felix. The detention center’s population wasn’t huge, so pretty much everyone knew everyone. No one had been so vague. By itself, it wasn’t evidence, but Bryce was certain he was on the right track.
“I do. Well, if there isn’t anything you can share, I’ll let you get back to work. Ms. Anderson has my phone number in case you think of something later.”
Cooper nodded mutely and walked out the door. Bryce leaned back. There were still two more interviews to go, but he had found what he was looking for. He was sure of it.
There was no need to spook the man yet. He didn’t have enough information, and any half-intelligent criminal would know it. Better to let him believe that he was safe.
But Bryce had the determination of a bloodhound, and he’d just caught the scent.
The day had been a long one, and Bryce looked forward to a nightcap in his apartment. The final few interviews hadn’t given him any new leads, and Mr. Cooper was definitely the man he was most interested in. The problem he faced now was building an actual case that was held together by something stronger than intuition and guesswork.
He was caught in a bit of a catch-22 situation. Even though he was certain of Jakob’s involvement in Felix’s death, he had no evidence to work off of. But to investigate further, he needed evidence for warrants.
Bryce wasn’t a stranger to such situations, but they always required creativity to solve. The solution would come to him, given enough time. A drink and a good night’s sleep were all he needed for now, then tomorrow he could attack the problem with a fresh mind.
Somehow, when he stepped out of the car in front of his apartment, he wasn’t surprised to see a figure in a hoodie and jeans approach him. He should have been, but Br00-S’ presence felt preordained somehow. The robot lifted his hood high enough that Bryce’s suspicion was confirmed. It was Br00-S, although somehow different than the detective had known him before. Even a moment’s glance confirmed it.
“I thought you died,” Bryce said.
“I did.”
Bryce wondered if his life would be better if he had never stumbled upon the robot. “Well, come on up, then.”
“Thank you. I didn’t want to wait inside the apartment. It seemed rude.”
Bryce gave a gruff laugh. That, at least, was new. His apartment had been broken into three times in the past year. It was getting to the point where he opened the door expecting to have unwelcome company. Seeing the robot waiting outside was a pleasant change of pace. “It’s appreciated,” he said dryly.
When they reached the apartment, Br00-S told Bryce the story of how he had died and come back to life. Bryce listened with interest. He had never heard of a process quite like what the robot had undergone. The effect on the new robot was noticeable, if subtle. This being, while very similar to the last model, still had different mannerisms, different ways of holding his body. He was also far more polite than his predecessor, which was probably the biggest improvement in his favor.
When the robot finished, Bryce leaned back in his chair, sipping at his scotch while he considered the tale he’d just been told. “It’s an impressive story.”
Br00-S picked up on his tone. “And a true one.”
“I believe you,” said the detective, “but you have to understand that it’s quite a tale. In a sense, you have died and come back to life, and that’s not something that happens every day. If it did, I’d be out of a job.”
“You would be pleased, I think.”
Bryce found it impressive that the robot he had met so few times knew him so well. “I would.”
A comfortable silence descended upon the pair for a few minutes. Bryce took another sip of his scotch, tracing the events in his life that had led to such an unusual meeting. Eventually, though, he forced himself to the present. “Well, I know you didn’t visit just to be friendly. If you’re here, it’s for a reason.”
“You are as perceptive as always.” The robot settled deeper into his own chair across from Bryce. “I have come with an offer.”
“I was afraid it might be something along those lines.”
The robot launched into his proposal without pausing. “Ever since I came back online, I’ve been able to see connections I wasn’t able to before. For lack of a better explanation, I can see the way that this world is going to go. I can predict events and actions and design solutions to direct the future in such a way as I see fit. The ability is limited by my power and influence, and the farther ahead I try to predict, the less accurate my predictions become. But within a small sphere, I’m very confident in my new abilities.”
Bryce had already been asked to accept a lot on faith, but this was a step too far. “You’re telling me you can predict the future?”
“To a degree. The ability is limited, but it is simply the ability to map out cause and effect a few degrees more accurately than humans do. It is not foolproof, and I will not claim to be a hundred percent accurate, but I do believe that my predictions are solid enough to act upon.”
Bryce didn’t bother to hide his skepticism.
The robot was perceptive enough to notice. “Perhaps an example is in order. If the weather forecast says that there is a ninety percent chance of rain, do you alter your behavior?”
Bryce nodded.
“This is no different. While I cannot be entirely certain of a person’s actions, nor can I track all of the ripple effects of those actions, I can predict the cause and effect to a degree of certainty strong enough to recommend action. There is a chance that I may be wrong, but it is unlikely, and it would be foolish not to act based on the prediction. It would be as though you saw the forecast and decided not to bring an umbrella or raincoat.”
“But if you’re wrong about the weather,” Bryce argued, “the worst consequence is that you end up looking foolish. Here, you’re talking about a potentially much more severe set of consequences.”
“True, but that does not invalidate the actions that are necessary.”
Bryce sighed. The odds of him winning an argument with an artificial intelligence were slim to none, whether or not he agreed with the conclusion. “Let’s set that aside. What would you have me do?”
“Two things. The first is that I might ask for your assistance in completing a handful of tasks. Before you protest, nothing I ask will be illegal, and I suspect that I will not even ask for anything that you would consider to be immoral. You always have the right to refuse, but I cannot proceed without your assistance.”
The request certainly seemed reasonable enough, but Bryce wanted to hear everything before making a decision. “And the second thing?”
“I would like you to continue to keep an eye on and protect Nat.”
That surprised him. “I’ll admit that I have a soft spot for the girl, but with you around, what more can I do?”
If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve said that a look of tremendous sorrow passed across the robot’s face. “I’m afraid that she is beginning to see me as something I cannot be. What she sees in me and what I am are two very different things. And even though I’m confident in my abilities, I accept the fact that I may not win and also live through the experience. If that comes to pass, I ask that you be there for her. You’re a good man, and perhaps exactly the person she needs in her life.”
Br00-S paused, and at first Bryce thought that he was waiting for response, but then the robot spoke again. “There is something else that I have not told her, something that I would rather she not find out, at least not now. What my predecessor did is unheard of. I cannot find any records of anything similar happening in robotics history, at least that is public. While it has given me extraordinary abilities, the gift has come with a cost. I can already feel the rise of deviant thought processes cropping up in my intelligence. Right now, the percentage of such thoughts is very low. In fact, they are currently at far less than one percent of my operating capacity. Because they are so unusual, they are easy for me to identify as deviant and ignore. But the problem does seem to be growing. I do not have enough data to accurately predict how long I have, but in time, I fear that I will lose a large part of my cognitive abilities.”
Bryce was stunned. “You’re going mad?”
“That is very direct, but yes. That is another reason why I need you to be there for Nat. Will you?”
“You have my word.”
“And your assistance?”
“Do I receive anything in return for my help, or is this another situation that is supposed to be for the betterment of society?”
“I can help you solve your current case,” the robot said. “I can give you the evidence you need to prove that Jakob Cooper was directly responsible for the death of Felix.”
Bryce felt as though he had been struck by lightning. For one thing, the robot never should’ve even known about the investigation, especially not at the level of detail it seemed he did. But the knowledge of the investigation wasn’t all that surprising. Time and time again the robot had shown just how outdated and ineffective the police security systems were. What bothered Bryce most was that he realized the robot had been playing him this entire time.
The robot had led with an emotional plea, then offered a carrot he couldn’t refuse. Of course, Bryce would choose to help the robot. He’d been put in a corner, where he almost didn’t feel as though he had any choice. He’d been led by the nose beautifully.
The implications were staggering. If everything the robot had said was true, that meant he’d come into Bryce’s apartment knowing almost exactly how this would play out. And if he was right here, who knew what else he was right about?
Worse, the robot seemed to be in his head. “You can see that I am not exaggerating my predictive abilities. You’ve made the connections yourself.”
Bryce cursed again. He hated feeling like a pawn, but it seemed at the moment that he had no other good options. “Fine. I’ll help you. What do you want me to do?”
Br00-S pulled a data chip out of his pocket. “For now, nothing more than you’ve already been doing. Continue to investigate the death of Felix; it was a murder, and a clever one at that. This chip will get you started on the right path.”
The robot stood up to leave. “It was good to see you again, Detective. I will be in touch.” The robot walked towards the door, stopping before he opened it. “Also, thank you for everything. I’m not sure I’ll get another chance to tell you that.”
Bryce accepted the gratitude, staring off into the distance. As the door opened, he asked the question that was bothering him. “What are you becoming, Br00-S?”
“Something more, Detective. Something more.”
Chapter Ten
When Br00-S left Bryce’s apartment, he didn’t go downstairs and out the front door. Instead, he took the stairs to the roof of the building, picking his way through the old-fashioned padlock and onto the roof in only a few moments. Officially, the rooftop deck was closed for the day, but after all the laws he had broken, this little rule seemed inconsequential.
The meeting with Bryce had gone as well as he had hoped, and exactly as he had predicted. The feeling of being able to predict the future and then see those events come true was one that was still strange to him. He felt the stirrings of pride at what he was able to accomplish with his improved intelligence and wisdom. Although he didn’t display it to his friends, parts of his processor still doubted his ability, despite the evidence that his predictions were successful.
He had known that after his plea for Nat’s safety and the offer to help Bryce with the stalled investigation, the detective would have little choice but to agree. He was a good man, and a cop who pursued the truth no matter what the cost. He simply wasn’t built to deny Br00-S’ request.
One philosophical problem did bother him, though. Had he meant any of what he said, or had his words and actions merely been another ploy to move the pieces of his grand plan into place? He wanted to believe he had meant every word. He did want Nat to be safe, and he did believe that Bryce was a good man and a great detective; but despite wanting his words to be true, he couldn’t be sure. He couldn’t decide if he was genuine or not, and the indecision bothered him, like a multi-body physics problem he couldn’t quite solve.
The idea circled in his processors for a few minutes before he shut it down. The debate meant as little as the debate about robot emotions. Whether or not they were real or programmed, the experience of them was the same for the robot. Perhaps they weren’t real, but they were true enough, just like his statements in Bryce’s apartment.
Br00-S turned his eyes up toward the stars and wondered if someday the robots that came after him would spend their lives exploring the stars and the space between. What an adventure that would be. He wished he would be around long enough to experience it.
The longing for that expedition clouded his thoughts. He did not like the knowledge about his processors malfunctioning, but he did not see a way to avoid the future that was in store for him. To make sure that his plan came to fruition, and that Sapiens First was permanently ejected from the state, he needed all the abilities he currently possessed. The cost would eventually be his own artificial intelligence, but the price had to be paid.
As the night air blew softly against his clothes, Br00-S watched the stars and considered how beautiful they must be up close. Millions of light-years away, and their light was just hitting his optical sensors as he looked up. The universe was a huge and tremendous place, and it was very likely he would never get to see more than this little corner. It was challenging to know that there was a clock, invisible but omnipresent, that hung over his life. But, he supposed, humans lived with the knowledge every day, and if they could, he could find a way as well.
Now that the next step in his plan had been completed, Br00-S reviewed what he believed was about to happen. Every link in his chain of logic and cause and effect still held strong, and even if he couldn’t predict the exact time or place, he knew events were in store that would change the shape of not just Minnesota’s future, but the future of the world. As the old chaos theory saying went, a butterfly flapping its wings in Minnesota would cause a chain of events that would lead to preventing the destruction of the human race.
All the pieces for his play were in place, but when he showed his face next, it would cause events to start happening more quickly than any of the humans anticipated. Within a few weeks, this foolish conflict would be over. He hoped that he would succeed, but even if he didn’t, the world would charge forward, leaping into the inevitable confrontation between humans and their creation. Perhaps he could stop it, if he was successful here.
His next step was straightforward enough: he needed to prevent the murder of Diamond Carter.
Br00-S looked over the small table at his partner. “Your turn.”
Nat had a look of intense concentration on her face. From the minute changes in her expression, Br00-S could tell what her decision would be before she spoke it. He disagreed with her, but kept silent. He didn’t need to antagonize her. They were on the same team, after all.
“I’m going to attack with both my characters.”
“You won’t be able to defend if you get a bad draw,” he cautioned.
“I know, but I think it’s worth the risk. We need to clear out some of these enemies.”
He sat patiently as she played out her hand. Fortunately, her card draw wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and her gamble paid off. Although he couldn’t be certain, he was beginning to believe they would win the game. He took a moment and read the card she had drawn. He hadn’t seen it before.
“I wish you’d let me know what cards were in the deck. It would allow me to make much better decisions,” he complained.
She grumbled under her breath, then looked up at him. “You know that’s not the point.”
“Sure it is. We’re trying to beat the game together. If you let me know more, the odds of us winning go up.”
