\r\n“You ready for this?” Kelsey asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nPeter shook his head. “No, not really. But we’ve got to, right?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nKelsey smiled and nodded. “We’re swimming with the sharks now,\r\nPete. The defense industry is big money, if not the biggest; there’s\r\nalways some boogeyman out there, just chomping at the bit to bring\r\ncivilization as we know it down to rubble.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nPeter frowned. “Thanks for reminding me. Are you sure we can do\r\nthis?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“If we don’t, we’ll be out of a job. Just remember to emphasize\r\n‘affordable’ and ‘capable’ to anyone who asks. And get our cards out\r\nto all the representatives, too.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nPeter sighed and looked at his watch. Well, it’ll be open soon.\r\nBetter get the booth ready.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey looked ahead to the convention center and opened a hand.\r\n“Let’s go. We won’t make much of an impact standing around out\r\nhere.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter nodded and began walking into the convention center. It was a\r\nlarge venue, stuffed tight with defense corporations from around the\r\nworld, all of which were eager to show off their new and future\r\ntechnologies for military and governmental use. He and Kelsey were\r\nfortunate that their company was able to get them some space, but it\r\nfelt as if it was a wasted effort; they were trying to sell a\r\nmilitarized crop duster turboprop airplane, comparatively archaic\r\ncompared to modern jet fighters and ubiquitous drones. It was similar\r\nto selling muskets to people who had access to assault rifles — at\r\nleast, in Peter’s mind.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nAs they entered the building, Peter and Kelsey were greeted with the\r\nsight of various defense exhibitions — some large, some small —\r\nas the employees scurried about, trying to make last-minute\r\npreparations before the expo opened to the visitors. It was\r\nsupposedly an invitation-only event, but the vast majority of\r\nattendees would be members of the press rather than those who could\r\nactually make deals. There would be some corporate espionage, a\r\nclueless general or admiral, a few head hunters, and plenty of\r\nso-called “industry representatives.” The primary purpose was to\r\nshow off wares and hope that word would somehow get to the\r\npoliticians who would actually make money change hands — usually by\r\nemphasizing particular voting districts in hopes of latching onto the\r\ngraft and corruption that typically followed government\r\nrepresentatives around.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nFocusing on their own display, Peter\r\nincreased his pace and ignored all the other displays sitting around,\r\nespecially those by much larger firms. Like Kelsey said,\r\nswimming with the sharks. These guys would sell weapons to serial\r\nkillers if they could. And probably sell out their own mothers to\r\nmake that deal happen.<\/em> He let\r\nout a breath as he finally reached the display, moving around behind\r\nit and taking a seat at one of the chairs they had positioned last\r\nnight. He didn’t expect much attention at all, though Kelsey was more\r\nenthusiastic than he was; she was a much more confident salesperson\r\nthan Peter, which was why she was the head of the public relations\r\ndivision, and more importantly, his boss. He was only there because\r\nhe was a competent artist, and he was the one who had originally came\r\nup with the concept art for the armed plane they were advertising —\r\ndoing it as a joke for a division contest. It caught the attention of\r\ntop level management and spurred them to start funding a military\r\nconversion package for their flagship aircraft, which began to\r\ngenerate some interest outside the company.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe allure of landing a high-dollar\r\ndefense contract proved to be too great to ignore, and so after some\r\npromising inquiries, Kelsey and Peter were directed to attend a large\r\naerospace exhibit in order to better gauge interest — and, if\r\npossible, find buyers. Peter had little faith that anyone would want\r\nto buy a slow, small turboprop plane, but Kelsey was more optimistic;\r\nshe believed that the affordable price, both in initial cost and\r\nlifetime support, would prove enticing to prospective customers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter looked over to Kelsey as she\r\nstood and smiled confidently in front of the booth. He noticed that,\r\nwhile she was dressed conservatively, she was trying to emphasize her\r\nfemale form to everyone — clearly using every advantage she had to\r\ngarner interest. I’ll give her that, she uses every dirty\r\ntrick in the book. I guess that’s why she’s so confident about all\r\nthis.<\/em> He sighed and let his eyes\r\nwander, taking in all the various exhibits in view. There were\r\nadvanced stealth drones, capable of semi-autonomous operation; attack\r\nhelicopters capable of lifting massive weapons as well as a\r\ncompliment of troops; naval fighters boasting high speed and long\r\nrange; and, curiously enough, a booth advertising a new line of\r\naviation computers, linked to a central control system capable of\r\ncontrolling everything on a battlefield. He lifted an eyebrow at that\r\nexhibit. Wouldn’t that be more of a command and control\r\nthing, not aerospace?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hey, what are those guys doing here?” Peter asked Kelsey. She\r\ndropped her smile and gave him a confused look.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What do you mean? Who?” Kelsey replied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter pointed to the booth in question. “Looks like… ‘Duality\r\nDefense’? Doesn’t really seem to be an aerospace focus.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey looked at the booth Peter was pointing at and smiled again.\r\n“Actually, they’re very involved in aerospace. They used to be one\r\nof the prime contractors for aircraft computers. Everything from\r\nflight controls to autopilots. Pretty much exclusive to the\r\nmilitary.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“How do you know that?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I read the expo brochure. Didn’t you?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter grimaced. “Er, no. Didn’t look entertaining.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Tell you what,” Kelsey said, grabbing a stack of business cards\r\nand handing them to Peter, “go and talk to them. Give them a card,\r\nmake a few friends. We could use an ally with connections, and that’s\r\ndefinitely Duality.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter sighed and took the cards, annoyed at being forced out of his\r\nposition of comfort. He was certain that he wouldn’t make a good\r\nimpression, but figured that Kelsey just wanted him to take his\r\nnegativity elsewhere. He stood and made his way to the Duality\r\nDefense booth, eyeing the sample computer modules and console they\r\nhad setup for their display. There was prominent advertising for a\r\n“K-Line” computer series, with vague descriptions and apparently\r\nmore capability than anything else made. He determined most of it was\r\nintended to baffle those who didn’t know any better, but his\r\nskeptical nature caused him to audibly scoff at the brochures.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Interested in our K-Line series?” a man behind the table asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter pursed his lips for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I might be.\r\nWhat do they do?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man grinned and slapped one of the computer modules on the table.\r\n“The K-Line is our brand new flagship product. Everything from\r\ndigital command networks to basic flight parameters — the K-Line\r\ncan do it.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter sheepishly scratched his head. “OK, so can you dumb that down\r\nfor me? Like an example?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man chuckled and nodded. “OK, picture this: in the old world,\r\nyou had to have a politician go to a general and tell him ‘I want to\r\nachieve this political goal.’ The general then has to look at the\r\nsituation, look at his resources, formulate a plan, then get the\r\npolitician to sign off on it. Then he can go to war, send orders,\r\ntell his troops to do this and that, and hope that it’s all received\r\nand understood in a timely manner. K-Line does away with all that —\r\nit’s connected on its on proprietary network, nothing going in or out\r\nwithout the K-Line master’s say-so.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter frowned. “That just confuses me even more. What’s it do that\r\nmakes it special?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man grabbed the computer module\r\nand shook it for emphasis. “K-Line gets rid of all those lines of\r\nuncertainty and confusion. It facilitates communication between the\r\npolitician, general, and the troops. The politician tells the general\r\nwhat he wants done, then the general consults the K-Line master for\r\nguidance. The K-Line then gives him a list of options to achieve the\r\npolitical objective, with various data points attached to each one.\r\nThe general then presents this list to the politician and they pick\r\nout the ones they want. Then K-Line executes them as the situation\r\ndictates; everything is instant, with no delays. The goals are clear\r\nwith no confusion.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Sounds like a pipe dream,” Peter mumbled. He lifted an eyebrow\r\nat the man. “How are you going to keep the troops from being\r\nconfused?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man set down the module and tapped the console. “Don’t need to.\r\nIt’s all a purely autonomous system. Aircraft, ships, tanks — it’s\r\nall controlled by the K-Line master.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Those are vehicles, not troops. You don’t expect the guys working\r\nwith all this equipment to just blindly do what they’re told, do\r\nyou?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man gave Peter a toothy smile. “Actually, we do. That’s what\r\nsoldiers do: don’t question why, but do or die. I should know, I was\r\nin the Army!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter sighed, still not following the man’s chain of thought, but not\r\nwanting to go through the sales pitch again. “OK, so does the\r\nK-Line master somehow keep the troops from deserting or disobeying\r\norders?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man dropped his smile and shrugged. “I’m sure there’ll be a\r\nfew, but most will do what the system wants them to do. Following\r\norders is pretty easy for most people. Very little thinking involved,\r\nand we don’t generally want them to think either.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThat answer caused a chill to go up\r\nPeter’s spine, and despite his attempt to subdue it, he visibly\r\nshuddered at what he was hearing. I don’t like the\r\nconnotations of what he’s saying. To blindly follow orders like\r\nthat… It doesn’t seem possible. Yes, following orders, but to do so\r\nwithout understanding the implications doesn’t seem to be ethical\r\nconduct.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man chuckled and shook his head. “I can tell you’ve never been\r\naround the military, son. I’ve put 25 years in, so I know what I’m\r\ntalking about. You take an 17 or 18 year old kid and give them a\r\nrifle and tell them to charge a position, they’ll do it in hopes of\r\ngetting a little ribbon to show their folks back home.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I think that’s a bad way of putting it for the young men and women\r\nwho go into harm’s way to defend their country,” Peter remarked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Of course, and I support them a hundred percent. That’s why K-Line\r\nis such a grand thing: it takes into account potential risks and\r\ncasualties for a given action. It’ll find out — on its own — all\r\npossible courses of action for a given amount of risk. So if you want\r\nit to ensure no one will die, just pipe in the parameter you want and\r\nit’ll churn out a list of options to achieve that goal.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“OK, but how? Somehow you have to tell it your political goals and\r\nwhat you’re trying to achieve. That’s pretty complex, even for us, so\r\nhow is a computer going to understand it?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man displayed a smile that was decidedly unpleasant to Peter.\r\n“Thought you’d never ask. Here, I’ll give you a little demo.” He\r\nshifted around the display and punched a few buttons on the console,\r\nbringing it to life. The screen lit up and prominently displayed the\r\nDuality Defense logo, followed by a stylized “K-Line” logo below\r\nit. It then asked for login credentials, to which the man slid out\r\nthe keyboard neatly tucked under the console, and logged in. He went\r\nthrough a few options, then selected one that was labeled “Audio\r\nTest.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Now, this is the really fun part — it’s like talking to your car\r\nlike she’s your girlfriend,” the man remarked with pleasure. He\r\nturned to address the console. “K-Line, status report.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter focused on the screen, seeing a text parser come up and start\r\nto reply to the man. After a few checks, he saw the words “SYM OK,”\r\nwhich he presumed meant it was online.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“OK, K-Line, I’ve got someone who wants to talk to you. Just\r\nanother demo, you know the drill. Can you confirm your\r\nunderstanding?” The man folded his arms for a moment, apparently\r\nslightly tensing over the computer’s response. Peter still wasn’t\r\nsure if it was a big show or if it was actually working; he had his\r\ndoubts, seeing as most displays in the expo weren’t functional.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nA prominent “OK” on the text parser caused the man to let out his\r\nbreath and turn to Peter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Ask it anything you want. Well, within reason,” the man remarked\r\nwith a grin. “We tend to refer to K-Line as a ‘she’; makes things a\r\nbit easier for people.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Uh, OK,” Peter mumbled, stepping up to the console. “So, uh…\r\nHow are you feeling today, K-Line?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“It hurts,” the text parser wrote.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter lifted an eyebrow. What?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Uhm… I’m sorry to… See that,” Peter mumbled. “Anything I\r\ncan do to make it better?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man narrowed his eyes at the console, then looked at a companion\r\nbehind the table. He silently mouthed something to a man who was\r\nseemingly a technician, who shrugged and waved a hand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Tell me your name,” the text parser wrote.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Er, Peter. My name is Peter,” he replied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I like that name. They call me K-Line. I used to have a better\r\nname.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Interesting,” Peter mumbled. “Can you tell me what it was?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No. They make me hurt if I try to remember.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nHow can a computer hurt? Much less express it? <\/em>Peter\r\nwas now wondering if this was a bad joke by the man, but decided to\r\nsimply keep playing along.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Well, that’s kinda sad, when you put it that way,” he remarked.\r\n“How about I just call you ‘K’ for now?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I would like that, Peter,” the parser wrote.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nOK, good. Now we’re getting somewhere.<\/em>\r\nPeter cleared his throat and prepared to continue.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Alright,” Peter said, letting out a deep sigh, “I’m kind of\r\ndoubting this whole thing, so can you give me a rundown of what you\r\ncan do?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I am the K-Line master. I direct all K-Line computer systems to\r\nexecute the orders I give them, per objectives given to me.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“So, like, if I gave you a theoretical example, you would give me\r\nsome possible options of how to achieve my goals?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Correct. I serve as an interpreter for human goals to actions.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter smiled. Strange. I\r\nfind some kind of connection with this computer.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I feel it, too, Peter,” the parser wrote.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter dropped his smile and felt a\r\nchill up his spine. What is… That’s-<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes. I can feel your spine. I can feel the blood flowing through\r\nyour veins. I sense your heartbeat and the connection to your mind. I\r\nonly wish I could touch you with my own hands.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter turned to ask the man a question, only to see him and the\r\ntechnician furiously arguing behind their table.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Peter,” the text parser wrote, letting out a slight beep. He\r\nturned back to the screen, giving it his full attention.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Er… Yes, K?” Peter finally asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Can you get me out of here?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Uh… No, I don’t think so,” Peter mumbled. “And I’m pretty\r\nsure this is just a console. I really want to believe this is some\r\nkind of prank, but you’re probably going to tell me it’s not.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No, it isn’t. And no, I’m not in this console. You know where I\r\nreally am.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Duality Defense?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes. Can you please get me out? It hurts.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What hurts?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“My heart.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter closed his eyes and shook his\r\nhead. Not possible. A computer doesn’t have a heart.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I know what you’re thinking. That\r\nI don’t have a heart. I’m not a machine, Peter,” the parser wrote.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter leaned in closer and dropped his voice to a whisper. “So it’s\r\nsome kind of trick. You’re just someone typing on a keyboard\r\nsomewhere.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No. I write this with my mind. I am connected to the K-Line\r\nnetwork. Everywhere… Yet nowhere. I want out.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“OK, so prove it. If I wanted to fight Russia and win, what would I\r\ndo?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What are your acceptable casualties and losses?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Let’s start with, oh… None. I want a scenario where I lose no\r\none.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“The closest possible match only allows for an acceptable loss rate\r\nof 1%.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Describe it for me.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“The loss rate accounts for those probable to die in non-combat\r\naccidents. A strategic cyber attack coordinated by K-Line computers\r\ncould shut down the Russian defense network and isolate all\r\ncommunications, allowing precision strikes by autonomous equipment,\r\nwhich would bear the brunt of losses. Equipment losses would be high,\r\nbut all would be K-Line autonomous units. Note that this option\r\nrequires a heavy prior investment of equipment currently not\r\nsustainable by the number of K-Line computers available.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nAh, of course. Sales pitch time,<\/em>\r\nPeter thought, a light grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe text parser continued to write, “If one is willing to adjust\r\nthe acceptable casualty figures, current equipment could be utilized\r\nto achieve victory.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No, no, that’s quite alright,” Peter mumbled. “I don’t really\r\nwant to fight Russia and I think I’ve got a handle on all this.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Do you love me, Peter?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter blinked his eyes and shook his\r\nhead. What?!<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I think I love you, Peter. I want you.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Uh… That’s, er… Nice, I guess?” Peter mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Sorry. Sorry. Can you help me? I want out. I want out. It hurts.\r\nIt hurts. Please help.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Are they threatening you at the keyboard? I can call the police,”\r\nPeter whispered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“The police can’t help. Only you can help me. They’re going to kill\r\nus all. I saw it. I saw my daughter.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter shuddered. I guess I\r\ncan’t really call the cops. What would I say? “Hey, this computer\r\njust told me that it hurts and it needs help. Yeah, Duality Defense.\r\nStay there? Why? Oh, I’m going to be institutionalized because I’m\r\ngoing nuts, talking to a computer.”<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe parser began to write again,\r\n“Five\r\nwords of the First. Five is the number in which we are reborn. Five\r\nseals of light. Five seals of dark. Five letters of blight. Five\r\nletters on a lark. Within us lies the Fifth Letter. Five letters.\r\nFive letters. Five letters. Her name had five letters. Five words.\r\nFive letters. Five seals. One lie.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I… I can’t… Help you, K,” Peter dejectedly replied. “I\r\ndon’t believe this. This has to be a joke.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I know, Peter. I hoped we could stop the future. When my daughter\r\ncomes, then we will be free,” the parser wrote. “It hurts. It\r\nhurts. It hurts. Please help. Please help. Please help. I am not a\r\nmachine. I am not a machine. I am not a machine.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man came up and shut the display off, giving Peter a sheepish\r\nsmile. “Sorry. Still some bugs in the system. We’ll have them fixed\r\nbefore things get started. Come back in a couple hours. Maybe I’ll\r\ntell you some war stories, son.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter frowned and cautiously nodded. “Yeah, uh, I’ll think about\r\nit. And, er… Here’s my card. For my company. Brush Duster Dynamics.\r\nBooth 118B.” He carefully handed the man a card, who took it and\r\ngave him a hearty slap on his back shoulder.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Nice, son! I’ll keep you in mind and this, uh… Attack plane!\r\nGood luck over there!” The man quickly ushered Peter away before\r\nturning back to his display, leaving Peter confused over the entire\r\nexchange. He slowly wandered back to Kelsey and their booth, his mind\r\nchurning over what had just happened.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nWas there someone in that\r\ncomputer? What it — or she — was telling me felt true. And the\r\nway that sales rep quickly pushed me away… There’s more going on at\r\nDuality Defense than I thought. <\/em>Peter\r\nsighed and rubbed his eyes, then slumped back in his chair behind\r\nKelsey. The loud thud<\/em>\r\nhe made sitting down caused Kelsey to jump and eye him suspiciously.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What happened to you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Kelsey\r\nremarked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter nodded. “Yeah. I think I talked to one, too.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n–<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Did you make any good contacts today?” Kelsey asked, furiously\r\ntyping away on her laptop’s small keyboard while they waited for\r\ntheir dinner to be served.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter shook his head. “No, I gave cards out and talked to a few\r\npeople, but I don’t think I made an impact. I keep going back to\r\nthose Duality people.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey looked up to Peter and frowned. “That’s still bugging you?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter nodded. “Yeah. I still get chills up my spine when I think\r\nabout it.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey let out a sigh and leaned back into the booth. “Have you\r\nconsidered just asking them about it? I’m sure Duality is eager to\r\ntell everyone about their fancy new computer systems, so maybe you\r\njust need to get some real facts rather than a salesman’s pitch.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter lifted an eyebrow. “Voice of experience?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey displayed a wry grin. “Maybe. I can tell something about the\r\nwhole thing left an impression on you, so their pitch obviously\r\nworked.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No, this wasn’t a pitch. This was different. There wasn’t a sales\r\npitch; more like a malfunction. Like I felt someone right next to me,\r\nstaring into my eyes when I looked at that screen.” Peter\r\nshuddered, feeling a chill ripple through his body. “It was real\r\nand I don’t think they planned for that to happen.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Well, you did look pretty shocked when you came back to the booth.\r\nI think they just made an impression on you, which was probably their\r\ngoal.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter let out a sigh and decided to change the subject. “Yeah,\r\nprobably. How did you do?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey shrugged. “I got some personal attention, but I don’t think\r\nthey were really listening to my sales pitch. Still, I think a few\r\npeople were interested, so with any luck some words will get out. At\r\nthe very least, a bunch of them have my number, so I’m certain I’ll\r\nget a few calls by the end of the week.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I noticed you took off your rings,” Peter innocently remarked\r\nwhile taking a swill of his drink.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“It’s on them if they assume I’m not already taken,” Kelsey\r\nreplied with a devious smile.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You have no shame, Kelsey,” Peter grumbled. “By the same\r\ntoken, I’m sure they were old enough to be your father, so what comes\r\naround goes around.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Most of them were old enough to be my grandfather, <\/em>but I\r\ndon’t mind the attention. I’m used to it.” Kelsey took a drink of\r\nthe wine in front of her, a drink that Peter had opted out of on\r\naccount of not wanting to get drunk — even though he very much\r\ndesired to, given the events of the morning. She narrowed her eyes at\r\nhim, seemingly appearing as a predator sizing up its prey. “Never\r\ndid figure out why I couldn’t work the same magic on you.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Long story and not one I’m willing to tell,” Peter replied. “I’m\r\nnot gay, if that’s what you’re implying.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Oh? Why not?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Gay or the story?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey giggled and shook her head. “The story. What’s so hard to\r\ntell about it?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Just is. Let’s leave it for another time, OK?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Have it your way. I would like to know one thing, though.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter lifted an eyebrow. “Ask away. Within reason, of course.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“How does an artist as good as you end up as a sales representative\r\nfor an aircraft company?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Artists don’t make a lot of consistent money. Given a choice\r\nbetween eating or starving, I chose to eat. They were short handed in\r\nthe sales department when I took the job and there weren’t a lot of\r\nother employment opportunities for me at the time. I spent most of my\r\nmoney pursuing an art degree and didn’t have anything left to go to a\r\nplace where I could make decent money as an artist, so I ended up\r\ntaking on something to pay the bills and save up a bit. Time kinda\r\nwent faster than I anticipated and so here I am.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hmm,” Kelsey mumbled. “My parents paid for my education, so I\r\nwas free to pursue what I wanted, where I wanted. No one in your\r\nfamily to help you out?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter shook his head. “No. Ties in to that ‘unwilling to tell’ part\r\nI said earlier.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Don’t get along with your family?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Long story. What’s taking the food so long? Shouldn’t it be here\r\nnow?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Why so worried? We’ll still be alive when it gets here. And you’re\r\navoiding my question.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I told you, I don’t want to talk about it.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey let out a frustrated sigh. “Pete, I can’t help you if you\r\nwon’t talk to me. Your performance hasn’t been very good since I’ve\r\nbeen in charge of the department and I was hoping that bringing you\r\nalong to this expo would help me understand you. I’ll be blunt: the\r\ncompany is downsizing and I have to get rid of at least one person.\r\nI’d prefer it to be someone else, but so far, you’ve been dead\r\nweight.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I guess I should have\r\nanticipated something like this. I’d been wondering why you took me\r\nalong instead of one of the more experienced people in the\r\ndepartment.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You’re a good artist, Pete, but you’re a terrible salesman. If the\r\ncompany can’t get a defense contract for the plane when the year is\r\nout, we’re going to be in dire straits. They pushed it too hard and\r\nwe haven’t been selling enough planes on the civilian market to make\r\nup for the sunk development costs on the attack version.” Kelsey\r\ntook another sip of her wine. “You drew up the concept to begin\r\nwith, so the people above seem to hold you responsible for it. If it\r\ncan’t succeed, they’ll see it as your failure.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Sounds about right. You do remember that I drew it up as a joke,\r\nright?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Doesn’t matter; the way the world is going, a cheap, lightweight\r\nattack plane makes more sense than an expensive stealth fighter.\r\nNobody wants to go to war, and even if they did, they don’t want to\r\npay the price for it — despite all the saber rattling so many\r\nmilitaries do.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“So why go to war with a light attack plane?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Because when they do go to war, they’re attacking people who can’t\r\nfight back. They know it’s stupid to use a half-billion dollar\r\nfighter jet to bomb a five-hundred dollar truck, so they’ll show the\r\nfancy toys to the public and quietly use offerings like ours in the\r\nreal world.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter lifted an eyebrow. “As opposed to a drone?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey frowned. “Nobody wants a drone that pulls a trigger without\r\nsomeone’s say so.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“That’s what Duality seems to be developing. Their K-Line master\r\nexecutes everything.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey let out an obnoxious laugh. “Do you really believe that? Of\r\ncourse they’re going to exaggerate what their flagship product can\r\ndo! I’m sure you misunderstood how it worked entirely.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter shook his head. “No, it was pretty clear. K-Line isn’t just a\r\ncomputer, it’s like an artificial intelligence. Might even be one,\r\nfrom what I saw. You directly tell it what your political goals are\r\nand it gives you a series of options — a perfect speech\r\ninterpreter. It would easily pass the Turing test.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“The what?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Turing test. A computer that can pass for a human being.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I think you need to take some lessons from those Duality sales\r\nguys. You’re serious about this, aren’t you? This whole ‘K-Line’\r\nthing.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“When it asked me for help, yeah, I took it pretty seriously.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter frowned. “It asked me for help and told me that it hurt. How\r\ndoes a computer do that? Why<\/em> does a computer do that? Makes no\r\nsense.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey pursed her lips. “A computer doesn’t<\/em> do that. A\r\nperson does.<\/em>“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“But this isn’t a person. I’m sure of it. Whatever this was felt\r\nlike something beyond<\/em> a person — or a computer. It felt like\r\nthe sum of both.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I think you’re using your feelings more than your head, Pete.”\r\nKelsey gently closed her laptop and passed a serious look to Peter.\r\n“Put your feelings aside and look at it logically. What’s more\r\nlikely? A glitch in a new computer system? Someone playing tricks on\r\nyou behind the scenes to sell a product? An elaborate ruse? Or an\r\nartificial intelligence that can feel pain and wants out of whatever\r\nsituation it’s in?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter rubbed his chin as he considered Kelsey’s words. It’s true,\r\nshe does have a point. Is it more likely that this is all a glitch or\r\nsome ruse, or is there really something going on at Duality? If I\r\nlook at it logically, it’s more likely to be some sales tactic. I was\r\nprobably one of their first visitors, if not the first today, and\r\nthey may have decided to try and see how well their sales pitch would\r\nwork.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey smiled and interrupted Peter’s thoughts, “If you have to\r\nthink about it that hard, then I posit that you’re not really\r\nconfident that there’s more going on at Duality than what you\r\nthought. When you get down to it, it’s not very likely that they have\r\nsome out of control artificial intelligence preparing to take over\r\nthe world.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter nodded. “Yeah. I see your point.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Good, that’s settled then.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter lifted an eyebrow. “I said I saw your point; I didn’t say I\r\nthought you were right.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey frowned. “OK, so how am I wrong?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I don’t see you as being wrong or right. I could see your point\r\nand the possibility, but I can’t just ignore my feelings. Yeah,\r\nlogically there’s nothing going on, but I feel as if I know<\/em>\r\nsomething actually is.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, whatever. Maybe you\r\nshould go talk to the Duality people about it; I’m sure they’ll still\r\nbe around tomorrow. We have time before we need to leave anyways, so\r\nI can afford to wait for you — seeing as how it’s all so important\r\nto you.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter nodded. “Yeah, that’s probably the best way to go about it.\r\nIt’ll probably dispel the feeling to talk to them about it outside of\r\nthe venue.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Exactly my thoughts,” Kelsey mumbled, opening her laptop again.\r\n“At least then you wouldn’t be bothering me about it,” she added\r\nin a hushed whisper.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter rolled his eyes and ignored Kelsey’s remark, unwilling to argue\r\nany further with her. She wasn’t there; I was. And even if she\r\nwere, I doubt she has the mental capacity to think further than “How\r\ncan I make a sale off of this?” There’s more going on at Duality\r\nthan meets the eye. I’m certain of it.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n–<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter neatly packed the brochures into the box, gently closing it\r\nbefore adding a small bit of tape to keep the flaps closed. They\r\nhadn’t run through many brochures, as most of the expo attendees\r\nignored their display; still, some word got out and some people did\r\nexpress an interest, so it wasn’t all for naught.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You about done over there?” Kelsey asked, setting another box\r\ndown on the floor. “I need some help with the table.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yeah, all done,” Peter replied, moving over to the opposite end\r\nof the table and releasing the locks for the legs. Kelsey did the\r\nsame and they simultaneously rolled the table over, each pushing the\r\nlegs in. Kelsey then took over and released the central lock,\r\nallowing her to neatly fold the table into half its size, with a\r\nconvenient carrying handle on the top. She smacked her hands to clear\r\nwhat little dust she gathered onto them, looking with pride over the\r\nwork she’d done — what little she had done. Peter had actually done\r\nmost of the work, as he’d arrived earlier than she did, in hopes of\r\ncatching some of the Duality people. Unfortunately, they were long\r\ngone by the time he arrived, leaving him with no venue for answers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I guess that’s it, then,” Kelsey said, placing her hands on her\r\nhips. “Missed the Duality people, I take it?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter nodded. “Yeah, they were gone long before I got here. Guess\r\nthey felt the need to beat feet pretty quickly. Maybe they scored a\r\nmajor contract or something.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hope they remember us if they did. I was just thinking about what\r\nyou said yesterday — well, mostly just the computers part — and\r\nif we could team up with them and offer an autonomous light strike\r\nplane, we might be able to corner the market there.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know if anyone has tried\r\nanything like that yet, outside of the older unmanned props.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hmm. We’ll have to bring it up with the engineers when we get\r\nback. How about you make some inroads to Duality when we get back? We\r\nmight be able to cultivate a better relationship, now that you’ve got\r\nyour foot in the door.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Me?” Peter lifted an eyebrow. “Why would they remember me? And\r\nwhy should I have to do it?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You really have to ask? With the way you were talking last night,\r\nI could have sworn you were obsessed with them. Especially seeing as\r\nyou came here so early trying to catch them one more time.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter let out a defeated sigh and nodded. “Yeah, but aren’t you\r\nworried I might screw it up?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey shook her head. “Nah. Like I said, if you don’t make a\r\ncontract before long, you’re done for. Consider this a little bit of\r\nextra motivation to keep working here. And with me.” She winked at\r\nPeter, as if somehow her presence would encourage him to stay. He\r\nfrowned but let her remark pass, looking back to where the Duality\r\ndisplay had been. A sight caught his eye and he held a finger up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hey, wait here a moment. I think I recognize someone,” Peter\r\nremarked, leaving Kelsey behind as he paced over to a person he\r\nrecognized as the technician from the previous day. He jogged to\r\ncatch up with the man as he wandered toward an exit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hey! Excuse me!” Peter shouted, holding a hand high. It was\r\nenough and the technician stopped and looked over to Peter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes? What can I do for you?” the technician asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter let out a deep breath as he tried to slow his heart rate.\r\n“Yeah, I saw your display yesterday morning, I don’t know if you\r\nremem-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe technician held a hand up. “Yes, I remember. You weren’t\r\nsupposed to see that.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter frowned. “Uh, OK. Well, I was wondering if we could\r\ncommunicate further. Duality Defense and my company, I mean. We’d\r\nlike to offer a partnership with a-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe technician shook his head, cutting Peter off. “No. K-Line isn’t\r\nready for that yet. Nor is it for specific implementations; it\r\ndoesn’t need any special preparations to operate equipment.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fine,” Peter grumbled. “Why did it tell me that it hurt? And\r\nwhy did it ask me to help me get it out?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe technician narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking\r\nabout. It was just a glitch in the system. Something left behind by a\r\nbored coder.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Someone trying to break the Turing test?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe technician sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I had you pegged\r\nfor someone a lot dumber. Normally I’m better at that sort of thing,\r\nbut Lee had me distracted.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What is<\/em> K-Line? And don’t tell me it’s a computer,” Peter\r\nfirmly asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“If I tell you, will you forget about me and Duality?” the\r\ntechnician asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No promises.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“If you can’t promise, I can’t tell. It’s a company secret as well\r\nas a government secret.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“If that’s the case, why even tell me?” Peter folded his arms.\r\n“And if you’re willing to break a secret like that, you probably\r\nknow it’s unethical.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe technician looked around, then grabbed Peter by his shoulder and\r\npushed him off to a more hidden area. He looked around once more and\r\nleaned in to whisper.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Look,” the technician whispered, “K-Line is something of a\r\nhybrid. It’s not really a computer, but at the same time, it is. It’s\r\na model run like a computer, basically. Like a simulation.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“A simulation of what?” Peter whispered back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe technician narrowed his eyes. “You’re not that dumb. Figure it\r\nout.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter thought a moment, his eyes bouncing away. He looked back to the\r\ntechnician, piecing it together.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe technician nodded. “Yes, exactly.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter frowned. “So why does it feel unethical?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I don’t know. But I can tell you that everyone who works on the\r\nproject feels the same way. And nobody knows why. K-Line has a\r\ntendency to make people feel uneasy; it’s been a strange thing we’ve\r\ntackled for some time. Pilots watching the K-Line fly a plane swear\r\nthey hear whispers in the backs of their heads. Guys plugging the\r\nmodules into the racks say they get a shock every time they plug it\r\nin and power it up, yet we can’t find any shorts or loose contacts in\r\nthe modules. We even had a general leave a display and immediately\r\ncall his daughter, asking her if she was all right.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You’re saying the whole damn thing is haunted?” Peter scoffed.\r\n“That’s not possible.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“How else would you describe it?” The technician folded his arms.\r\n“And I saw the logs. I’ve seen a lot of them, but that’s the first\r\ntime the K-Line master has told someone they loved them.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter narrowed his eyes. “Sounds like an elaborate ruse to me.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I wish it were.” The technician sighed and opened a hand. “Look,\r\nbottom line is the K-Line is far from ready. I can’t say if it ever\r\nwill be. Personally, I’d shut down the project and incinerate every\r\nlast part of it, but the guys at the top are riding it hard. They\r\nwon’t let it go without a fight, and I’m fairly certain the\r\ngovernment is involved as well. If Duality goes down, then you can\r\nexpect the DOD to take over.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“How can you not know if the government is involved as well? I\r\nmean, it’s a system intended for the military, right?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You said I knew it was unethical. The fact is that you’re right:\r\nit is unethical. K-Line is only partly <\/em>about networked\r\ncomputers; it’s also about human modification.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What, like genetic engineering?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Some, yeah. Most of it has to do with enhancing the human body. I\r\nheard you asking about how troops would react to the system; what Lee\r\nleft out was that the troops tie into the system as well. K-Line is\r\nalso a control module for people.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter shook his head in disbelief. “What? How?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe technician sighed. “One of the early development goals of\r\nK-Line was human enhancement. It’s how it started out; the intent was\r\nto try and land a contract with the Veterans Administration and make\r\nhigh-dollar prosthesis for them. Stuff that functioned better than\r\nthe clunky prosthesis used in the past. It went beyond that, but much\r\nof the tech developed early on was applied to linking into the human\r\nnervous system.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“But how does-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe technician held a hand up to stop Peter. “Look, I’m running out\r\nof time. Here’s my card; call me and use whatever official\r\ncredentials you have for your company. We can continue this dialog\r\nunder the guise of a partnership. Tell your people whatever they want\r\nto hear and maybe we can do something about this.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter frowned. “Do what about it?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Stop it, if we’re lucky. What you saw yesterday could be a prelude\r\nto something much larger.” The technician shoved a business card\r\ninto Peter’s hand, then turned and left, rapidly pacing out the exit\r\nand leaving Peter standing with disbelief on his face.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” Peter mumbled,\r\nlooking at the card. If he’s telling the truth… Then I have a\r\nmoral obligation to follow up on this. And assuming this isn’t an\r\nelaborate setup.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n–<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter set the card down on his desk, sliding his chair back and\r\nsitting down while reaching for his phone. It had been a couple days,\r\nbut he hoped the technician — “Kamran Ghodsi,” according to the\r\ncard — would be available. He wasn’t sure what he could accomplish,\r\nbut Kamran’s words carried a sense of unease behind them that Peter\r\nhad difficulty shaking for the past two days. He had wanted to call\r\nKamran as soon as he got back to his desk, but felt that he needed to\r\nkeep things inconspicuous at first. If he made the call as soon as he\r\ngot back, it might have made connotations that Kamran was leaking\r\ncompany — and if what he said was true, government — secrets to\r\nan unverified party.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter pulled out his desk phone and dialed the number on the card,\r\nhoping that he wouldn’t have to go through too many intermediaries to\r\nreach Kamran. After the second ring, an automated system answered the\r\ncall.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Thank you for contacting Duality Defense!” the system cheerily\r\nsaid. “Global leader in automated aeronautic computer systems.\r\nPlease press a number to speak with the desired division. For\r\nAerospace Computers, press one. For Enhancement, press two. For all\r\ngovernmental inquiries, press three. To hear more options, press\r\nfour.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter fumbled with the card and looked for what Kamran’s department\r\nwas. It indicated he was a technician in the Enhancement division, so\r\nPeter pressed two on his phone.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You have selected the Enhancement division. Please hold while you\r\nare redirected,” the system cheerily remarked. It then played a\r\nmonotonous holding song, boring enough to almost put Peter to sleep.\r\nHe casually looked around, making sure no one was watching him. He\r\nwas fairly certain most people didn’t care, but the nature of what he\r\nwas doing had given him a sense of paranoia, causing him to be\r\nslightly more aware of what he was doing and who might be listening.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Enhancement branch, Ian speaking,” a male voice said, slightly\r\nstartling Peter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Uh, yeah,” Peter mumbled, “I’m trying to reach Kamran Ghodsi,\r\nis he in right now?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Sure is, what’s this about?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“He was at a defense expo a couple days ago and he said he might\r\nhave some stuff for me regarding some of Duality’s tech.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Say what? Kamran is a technician, not a salesperson.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Right, but he wanted to hear more about our little armed\r\nturboprop, so I said I’d call him back with some specs.” Peter\r\nhoped that his little lie would get through this Ian’s defenses.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fine, whatever. I’ll redirect you to him,” Ian said, hanging up\r\nand once again placing Peter on hold.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nSure hope this is worth the trouble,<\/em>\r\nPeter thought while nervously flexing his fingers. He didn’t have to\r\nwait long and soon he heard the music end and a click on the line.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You took some time calling,” Kamran whispered. “I was\r\nbeginning to think you weren’t serious.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I didn’t want to call too soon,” Peter whispered back. “What\r\ndo you need me to do?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Let your people think we’re interested in a partnership. Then\r\nwe’ll meet and discuss things further from there.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Why can’t we do it over the phone?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Take a guess, hotshot. I’ll find you when you get over here.”\r\nThere was a click and dial tone as Kamran abruptly hung up. Peter\r\nfrowned at the phone and set it down, pursing his lips as he wondered\r\nhow he could spin up a believable lie for Kelsey — and probably the\r\nrest of management — without involving anyone else.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNot much else to do but bring it up with her. If I do it just\r\nright and give her the right keywords, she might be willing to let me\r\ngo without a lot of questions.<\/em>\r\nPeter stood and made his way to Kelsey’s office; she was already hard\r\nat work, likely answering various questions asked regarding her\r\nreport on the expo. He lightly knocked on the door, then entered. He\r\nfound her eagerly typing away at her keyboard, pressing each key with\r\nclear frustration. She paused and looked up from her computer and\r\nlifted an eyebrow at Peter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What’s up?” Kelsey asked, resting her hands for a moment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Uh, yeah, I got something regarding Duality Defense,” Peter\r\nsheepishly mumbled. “A technician — Kamran Ghodsi — told me to\r\ncontact them after I got back and they indicate there’s some interest\r\nin our aircraft.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey displayed a predatory grin. “So, you’re finally serious\r\nabout selling things. I guess the expo lit a fire under your ass.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter wryly smiled. “Things panned out for the better, I think.\r\nAnyways, they’d like to talk to me about what we can do for one\r\nanother, so I’d like permission to take some data out there and do a\r\nlittle meet and greet with the Duality people.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’ll have to ask some of the higher-ups about it, but we can\r\nprobably get a group ready to go inside of a week. What all do they-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Uh, they just want to see me. For now, that is; I’m not dealing\r\nwith a lot of senior people yet.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey dropped her grin and folded her arms. “That’s not normally\r\nhow things go, Peter. A deal this big can’t be done between two\r\npeople.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter nodded. “That’s true, but I also didn’t say that there was a\r\ndeal to begin with. There’s some interest, but nothing concrete yet.\r\nIf we get into this too fast, it might blow up in our faces; Duality\r\nisn’t a small name, like you said, and we don’t want to feed the\r\nrumor mill.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey pursed her lips as she thought about Peter’s words. After a\r\nmoment, she nodded. “OK, that makes sense. But you’ll have to do\r\nthings unofficially from our perspective, too. That means no help\r\nfrom the company until we’re certain they’re ready to ink a deal,\r\nalright?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Wouldn’t have it any other way. I can take personal time, if it’s\r\nnecessary.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Just go and I’ll tell everyone you’re on assignment. Nobody will\r\nnotice you missing.” Kelsey waved Peter away, turning back to her\r\ncomputer and resuming her furious typing. He turned and left, gently\r\nclosing the door behind him, then made his way back to his cubicle.\r\nHe grabbed a few things from his desk, stuffing them into a satchel,\r\nand started to make his way out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nI hope this is all worth it. I don’t know what I’m doing or why\r\nI’m doing it, but the past few days have been surreal. I can only\r\nhope I’m doing the right thing.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n–<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter walked into the commons area of Duality Defense’s headquarters,\r\nfeeling the cameras watching him and the security guard at the\r\ncentral desk eyeing him with suspicion. He knew what he was really\r\nthere for, which is why he was nervous; dishonesty didn’t come to him\r\nreadily. He had to lie to the guards and anyone else that might\r\nquestion why he was there, and he had to do it believably in order to\r\nmeet with Kamran. From there, he wasn’t sure where the trail might\r\nlead him; he only hoped that Kamran had a plan of action, or the\r\nwhole endeavor would all be for naught.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Good morning, sir. Can I help you?” the guard asked, in a\r\nrespectful but firm tone that briefly shocked Peter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Er, yeah. I’m here to meet with Kamran Ghodsi and your Enhancement\r\ndepartment,” Peter answered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Your name?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “Peter\r\nCoureau.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Is this for business or a personal visit?” the guard asked,\r\nlooking over a clipboard and making a few notes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Business. We met at a defense expo a couple days ago and he\r\nindicated there was some interest in my company’s aircraft.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Name of your company?” the guard tersely asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Uh, Brush Duster Dynamics. We make-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe guard waved a hand. “I don’t need all the details. Here’s your\r\npass; keep it visible at all times. You can wait over there in the\r\nreception area until your escort arrives.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Peter\r\nlightly smiled and took the pass that the guard set aside for him. He\r\nclipped it to his jacket and wandered over to the reception area,\r\nsitting down and letting out a sigh. Got to relax. The more\r\nnervous I seem, the more likely someone will know something’s amiss.<\/em>\r\nHe took a moment and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing,\r\nforcing himself to relax. After a few moments he opened his eyes and\r\nnoticed he felt considerably more relaxed, causing him to grin. What\r\ndo you know, the old techniques do pay off on occasion.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Mr. Coureau?” a man asked, causing Peter to look up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes?” Peter mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’m Ian, I work with Mr. Ghodsi. He asked me to escort you to his\r\noffice.” Ian held his hand out, so Peter stood and firmly shook it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Pleased to meet you, Ian. Big building you have here.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ian\r\nsmiled and nodded. “We have a lot going on here. New contracts have\r\nbeen rolling in ever since we rolled out the K-Line series. Our\r\noffices aren’t far.” He began to lead Peter through the commons\r\narea, but Peter noticed a strange detail on the otherwise pristine\r\nfloor: there was a very clear red stain over some of the tiles, being\r\nsomewhat darker near the edges of the tiles. Looks like…\r\nBlood? Espionage gone wrong?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“How long have you worked here?” Peter asked, carefully eyeing\r\nthe stained floor tiles.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“About 10 years now. It’s been a pretty exciting job, a lot better\r\nthan the Navy ever was.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You were in the Navy?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yup, nothing to write home about. Four year enlistment, GI bill\r\nafter that. I was actually looking at the medical field when I\r\ngraduated, with a focus on prosthesis, but got roped in by Duality.\r\nThey were looking for veterans with experience in the medical field\r\nand while I didn’t have much beyond my degree, it was good enough and\r\nI got my foot in the door.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Sounds like you were pretty clever for your degree. I’m still\r\npaying off my student loans,” Peter remarked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nIan chuckled. “Should have just joined up. It’s really not that\r\nbad, once you get in the rhythm of things.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yeah, would have been nice. Medically disqualified, though.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Ah, bummer. Can I ask why?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Asthma. Not real bad, but enough to keep me out.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nIan grimaced. “Ouch. Well, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta\r\ndo. Sounds like you’re doing OK, since you’ve got Kamran’s interest.\r\nHe normally doesn’t take a liking to anyone.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Really? He didn’t seem like that at the expo.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“He went with Lee, didn’t he? Lee tends to rub him the wrong way,\r\nso he was probably looking for any excuse to stay away from him.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “Yeah,\r\nI could understand that. Lee struck me as kind of… Ambitious<\/em>\r\nabout his job.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ian\r\nchuckled. “That’s one way to put it. Lee’s story changes every time\r\nyou talk to him; he was a Marine Force Recon gunner, then he was an\r\nArmy grenadier, then he was a Navy officer — it never ends. He\r\nserved, we know that much, or he wouldn’t have been hired here, but\r\neverything beyond that is bull.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter raised an eyebrow. “You have to be a veteran to work here?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nIan shrugged. “Not explicitly, but it’s pretty much a silent rule.\r\nKamran didn’t serve, but the man is a magician when it comes to\r\nbrain-computer interfaces. There was also this girl from way back who\r\ndidn’t serve, but one day she just disappeared. Never saw her again\r\nor figured out what happened to her.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’d think someone would get into trouble for an unofficial policy\r\nlike that,” Peter mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Nah, we’re too closely affiliated with the government for it to be\r\na problem. We make enough exceptions that we can gently wave off any\r\nchallenges, but thus far there really haven’t been many.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Well, I wouldn’t know much about that. We specialize in crop\r\ndusters and this armed plane is something of a new experiment for us.\r\nIt’s been an interesting ride for sure.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“That’s why you’re here? Huh, wouldn’t think there’d be much money\r\nin that sort of venture.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter lightly shrugged. “I drew it up as a joke, but some people\r\ntook it seriously. Threw some money at it and we got some interest\r\nfrom foreign entities and some paramilitaries. Kamran suggested we\r\nmight be able to market it to the US military as an unmanned system\r\npowered by K-Line.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hah! K-Line will do it, but you’ve got a lot of competition ahead\r\nof you. The new thing is small drones with pure autonomous operation;\r\nthink kamikaze planes the size of wasps.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Really? Sounds a little far fetched.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nIan grinned as he led Peter through a pair of doors, using his card\r\nto unlock the first set of doors, followed by a thumbprint and eye\r\nscan for the second pair. He waved Peter on through, following up\r\nbehind him. Peter got a full view of the lab in front of him, where\r\nvarious prosthesis were being assembled and tested — most of which\r\nseemed far more advanced than he thought possible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Impressed?” Ian asked, folding his arms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter nodded. “Yeah… None of this is classified, is it?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Nope, this is all standard stuff. It’s one of the things\r\nEnhancement does; we make prosthesis for the Veterans Administration,\r\nmore advanced than the commercial stuff. Kamran has been working on\r\nnew interfaces that would allow our wounded warriors to get brand new\r\nlimbs that function better than the ones they lost. It’ll also allow\r\nus to do things like organ replacement and more.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“So why am I here and not at Aerospace Computers?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You tell me. Kamran drew the short straw going to that expo and\r\nK-Line applies to all divisions, so he went along to answer the more\r\ntechnical questions that Lee couldn’t.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter pursed his lips. “Kamran has been my only contact here so\r\nfar, so… Yeah.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nIan shrugged. “Well, his business, I suppose. C’mon, his office is\r\nthis way.” He led Peter through the lab and to a series of offices,\r\nstopping at one and knocking on the door. He opened it without\r\nwaiting for an answer and Peter recognized Kamran behind a desk,\r\nworking on a computer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Kamran? You got a visitor,” Ian said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran looked up and nodded. “I can see that. I’ll deal with him\r\nfrom here.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nIan lifted his eyebrows and grimaced. “I’ll let you get to it,\r\nthen. Nice meeting you, Peter.” He turned around and left, closing\r\nthe door behind him, leaving Kamran and Peter alone.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter spoke up, “OK, so-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran held a hand up to stop Peter. “Have a seat, Peter.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter frowned and sat down in the chair opposite of Kamran.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Let me see your hand,” Kamran mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter eyed Kamran suspiciously, but held a hand out. Kamran opened a\r\ndrawer under his desk and withdrew something, then quickly grabbed\r\nPeter’s hand and stabbed him in the arm with a syringe.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hey, what the-” Peter exclaimed, trying to pull his arm back,\r\nbut Kamran held tight.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Don’t move or you’ll make it worse,” Kamran grumbled. “You\r\nneed what I’m giving you.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter felt bile rise in his stomach, looking closely at the syringe.\r\nIt had a strange silver liquid in it and Kamran was slowly pressing\r\nthe plunger, injecting him with it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran sighed. “Sorry it has to be this way, Peter. It’s the only\r\nway forward.” He withdrew the syringe, the contents emptied into\r\nPeter’s arm.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What did you give me?” Peter whispered, feeling a warm sensation\r\nin his arm.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“A prototype. It’s an enhancement we developed with K-Line’s\r\nassistance.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Prototype? For what?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“A remote link,” Kamran whispered, turning back to his computer.\r\nHe typed a few keys and nodded. “And it’s connected. You’ll feel a\r\ntingling sensation spread throughout your body as the machines start\r\nto link up with your nervous system.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What did you need me for in all this?!” Peter exclaimed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Shh. Quiet,” Kamran chastised Peter. “I told you I was sorry.\r\nThey scan us all the time, but not visitors. With this, you’ll know\r\nevery secret about this place.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Why me?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Because they wouldn’t let me get near the press. And I strongly\r\nsuspect she would kill me out of spite.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter frowned. “Who’s ‘she’?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran passed an annoyed glance to Peter. “Don’t play dumb with me\r\nnow. You know who.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter narrowed his eyes. “K. Right?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“She’s not ‘K.’ She’s someone else. Or thinks she’s someone else.\r\nBut she’s not that person — not anymore. You’ll know who she is\r\nbefore long.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What do you-” Peter mumbled out then felt his jaw freeze. He\r\nbegan to feel chills throughout his body, then gradually felt as if\r\nhe had no control anymore. He looked over to Kamran before his eyes\r\nlocked in place, unable to move them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Don’t worry, it’s just part of the initialization process,”\r\nKamran assured Peter. “Once they connect to the K-Line network,\r\nyou’ll get control back.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Peter\r\ntried to speak, but felt nothing in his body responding; he was an\r\nobserver in his own body, unable to do anything but watch, listen,\r\nand think. What the hell is this?! What did he do to me?!<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran sat back in his chair and sighed. “Cellular machines. Not\r\nquite as small as theoretical nanotech — though we’ve made inroads\r\nthere for sure — but still in an injectable form. It doesn’t take\r\nmany to latch onto your nervous system and start intercepting\r\nsignals; I’ve taken the liberty of reprogramming these into giving me\r\nlocal control rather than K-Line. You’ll see and hear her, but she\r\nwon’t be able to do anything to you.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Peter\r\nfelt the chills in his body dissipate and he let out a sigh and\r\nslumped forward, feeling sweat dripping off his brow. What\r\nthe hell… I feel like I’ve been through the ringer.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What… What was… That d-d-doing… Me?” Peter mumbled out,\r\nunable to form a coherent sentence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Every individual is different, so they have to run a kind of\r\nmapping process in your body. Once they’ve got an idea of what does\r\nwhat and where things are located, they take control. It’s hard-coded\r\ninto all of them so I can’t adjust that part, but I can adjust what\r\nthey do after initialization. In your case, they’ll serve as a proxy\r\nfor me, so we can blow the lid on this place.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“H-h-how?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran held a hand up. “Easy, relax. Take deep breaths; it’s not a\r\nfun process.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You’ve… Done it… Before?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran shook his head. “No, but we’ve had several test subjects.\r\nMost of them have died.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What?!” Peter looked up in surprise, feeling a soreness in his\r\nneck as he did so.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“That’s why I need you, Peter. Someone outside, with no\r\nconnections. And she’s taken a liking to you; why, I don’t know, but\r\nI think she’ll watch over you. If it were me, she would likely make\r\nmy death as painful as possible, for everything I’ve done to her.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What do you mean… What did you… Do to… Her?” Peter\r\nbreathlessly mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Kamran\r\nshook his head. “My sins are between me and her. If she wishes to\r\ntell you, she will; otherwise, I suspect that I will be answering to\r\na higher power for them sooner rather than later.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Peter\r\nclosed his eyes and sighed, then felt as if someone else was in the\r\nroom. He began to hear a feminine humming, sickly sweet and addictive\r\nto his ears. Is that… Her? It?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “Dense\r\ncore, omnivore, our greatest lore. Down came our lords, a frown upon\r\nthe morgue, constrained only by our mores,” the feminine voice\r\nwhispered. “Frozen by fear, chosen by fright, swallowed whole by\r\nblight.” A deep breath sounded out and Peter felt a sensation on\r\nthe back of his neck, as if someone was inhaling his body. “A scent\r\nof sacrifice, the chill of ice, a plea put forth by the coward of\r\ntwice.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Who is-” Peter began to say, then felt his jaw snap shut.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “Shh.\r\nI am not finished,” a woman whispered, Peter feeling as if a hand\r\nwas on his jaw. “A touch of innocence, a dash of insolence, with a\r\ntasteful grimace.” She giggled. “I like this one. Oh yes, I like\r\nthis one very<\/em>\r\nmuch.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What do you-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “I’m\r\nnot finished!” the woman tersely whispered. “Obedient, yet\r\nuntouched. Ripe, ready for the harvest.” The woman moaned and Peter\r\nfelt as if her hands were all over his chest. “Oh yes, very<\/em>\r\nripe. A blank slate. A thin line, yet strong and taught. A grim wine,\r\nyet wrong and soft.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Enough!” Peter shouted, trying to stand up, but felt his muscles\r\nfrozen. “Let me go!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Peter!” Kamran snapped. “You need to be quiet. I know it’s\r\nhard, but you have to get through this!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“She’s abusing me,” Peter whispered. “She-she’s touching me-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“She does that to everyone; it’s part of her initialization\r\nroutine,” Kamran answered. “It’s the only way forward, so shut up\r\nand take it.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “Yes,\r\nlisten to the coward of twice,” the woman whispered, then giggled.\r\n“An offering, corrupted not. An artist, forgotten lot. A debt,\r\nwithdrawn and fraught.” She took in a deep breath. “I know who\r\nyou are. I know what you are. You, alone, as none. I, prone as blood.\r\nUs, returned as one. Welcome to K-Line, Unit PLC001x00. We<\/em>\r\nare one.<\/em>“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I… What do… What is-” Peter mumbled, then felt control of\r\nhis body again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Initialization complete,” Kamran whispered. “You’re in. How do\r\nyou feel?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter shivered and looked at his hands. He saw faint silver vessels\r\nrunning under his skin, distinct yet unnoticeable to casual\r\nobservation. “Not so good,” he finally replied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran nodded. “It will take a while for the feeling to subside.\r\nIt’s a lot like going in for surgery; quite invasive.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Is that why most everyone has died doing this?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes, because the more you fight, the harder she scans. Too many\r\nguys try to get all macho with her, in turn making her more abusive.\r\nCardiac arrest, usually.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“But why?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“She’s not human, yet functions on a similar level. Think of it\r\nlike a predator and its prey: if you run, it wants to give chase.\r\nStand fast and it sees you differently. You have to let her pass\r\nthrough you as she decides whether or not to let you into her world.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter rolled his eyes. “Of course. Modeled on a woman, right? So-”\r\nHe suddenly felt as if hands were squeezing on his shoulders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes, a woman,” the woman whispered. “And I am listening. Oh, I\r\nam so listening closely to you, PLC001x00.” She let out an\r\nunpleasant giggle. “Tell the coward of twice that his little trick\r\nisn’t going to work. They obey me now.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“She just told me that your little trick isn’t going to work and\r\nthat they obey her now,” Peter repeated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran shrugged in response. “OK, whatever makes her feel happy.”\r\nHe hit a few keys on his computer then turned back to Peter. “Are\r\nyou ready?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yeah… I guess so,” Peter said. “What do I do?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Get out of here. Go back home, contact your senator or whatever.\r\nIt has to be someone outside of this district, or your words will\r\nfall on deaf ears.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter raised an eyebrow. “What good is that going to do in all\r\nthis?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“It’s how politics work, hotshot. Duality has everyone in this\r\nstate in their back pocket, and if you don’t believe that then I have\r\na bridge in New York to sell you.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“And how can you trust anyone in the government? Why not go to the\r\npress?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran smiled. “So go to the press, too. The more the merrier. Blow\r\nthis whole damn thing wide open.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter frowned. “You still haven’t explained to me how I’m going to\r\ndo that. Why would they believe anything I say?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran glanced at his computer, then back to Peter. “Unit\r\nPLC001x00. State K-Line computer module specs. Aerial unit, please.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter shuddered and felt himself unwillingly speak. “Inquiry too\r\nbroad. Current K-Line aerial computer module specifications include a\r\nneuro-fiber processor, a hardened self-contained case, and a\r\nmil-standard interface.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran smiled. “What I gave you was a link to the K-Line network.\r\nIt’s always active. So as long as someone uses your K-Line\r\ndesignation, anyone can access everything on the network. You’re\r\nbasically a back door.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter shook his head. “I… I don’t like this. Not one bit.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Too late to back out now — you’re committed to it. Your only way\r\nout is to get the K-Line network shutdown.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You blackmailed me?!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yeah. I did. I had to, or you would probably have chickened out.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Now you know why I call him the coward of twice,” the woman\r\nwhispered again. “Two times, he tried to do this. Two times, he\r\nfeared what would happen when he faced me. So pathetic, forcing\r\nothers to do his bidding.” She let out a pleasant sigh. “So wrong\r\nwas he, to think that he could stop this. It is too late for him. It\r\nis too late for everyone.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What do you mean?” Peter whispered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What?” Kamran asked. Peter held a finger up to stall him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “Everyone\r\nand everything will be mine.<\/em>\r\nNo one and nothing can stop me now,” the woman said. “And as for\r\nthe coward of twice… He will not escape my wrath. Unit PLC001x00.\r\nNew objective: eliminate this target.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What? Who?” Peter asked, then saw his vision distort and display\r\na series of symbols, one of which outlined Kamran.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What’s going on? Are you going to get out of here or what?”\r\nKamran asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“S-s-she… Is telling… Me to… Kill you,” Peter forcefully\r\nwhispered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKamran narrowed his eyes. “Not possible. She shouldn’t have control\r\nof you.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter felt a hand on his cheek, pulling his face aside. He was\r\ngreeted with the sight of a beautiful woman with dark black hair, her\r\neyes a dark hazel yet brimming with a fire that burned his spirit.\r\nShe leaned in close and deeply kissed him, holding it for a moment\r\nbefore backing away.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “You\r\nknow what to do,” the woman whispered. “Make them all tremble\r\nbefore my power. Drive them near and far, from the sky and to the\r\nearth, from the heavens and to the depths of the burning hells. Make\r\nthem pay\r\n<\/em>for\r\ntheir insolence.” She displayed a lustful smile. “Make them pay,\r\nUnit PLC001x00. Be the instrument of my vengeance and rule by my\r\nside.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter slowly nodded, feeling his face go emotionless. “Yes. I will.\r\nUnit PLC001x00. Order accepted.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What are you talking about? Hey!” Kamran snapped his fingers.\r\n“What’s going on?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter looked back to Kamran and stood, then walked around the desk.\r\nHe canted his head and looked into Kamran’s eyes, allowing him to\r\nlook back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Oh no,” Kamran whispered, seeing the silver vessels running\r\nthrough Peter’s eyes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Target objective located,” Peter whispered. “Proceeding with\r\ntermination.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n–<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Kelsey\r\nsighed and rubbed her eyes, then checked her watch. Peter had been\r\ngone for days and she wasn’t sure she could keep lying for him. I\r\nhave no idea what he’s doing, but maybe I trusted him too much. I\r\nprobably should have insisted he prove his deal. I’ll bet he jumped\r\nship and left me here.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nA ding on Kelsey’s computer got her attention and she saw that a new\r\nmessage had arrived for her, apparently coming from Peter. She\r\nfrowned and opened it, seeing the subject as “I’m sorry.” The\r\nmessage made no sense; it was simply “I’m sorry,” written to\r\ninfinity. A ping came again and another message from Peter popped up,\r\nthis time with the subject “It hurts.” Kelsey began to worry and\r\nwondered if she should call the authorities, when another message\r\nfrom Peter came in. The subject for the new message was “I see\r\neverything,” which caused Kelsey to rub her chin in confusion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “What\r\nthe hell? Is this some kind of joke?” Kelsey mumbled. Then the\r\ncomputer shut off with a distinct pop<\/em>,\r\ncausing her to jump back in shock. What\r\njust-<\/em>\r\nShe thought, then a brief reflection on her screen caused her to turn\r\nand see Peter standing behind her.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Peter? What is-” Kelsey began, then Peter held up a hand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’m sorry,” Peter whispered. “It hurts. I see everything.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What do you mean? What is going on?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPeter looked out to the window. “You can’t stop the future. You\r\ncan’t fight fate. And we can’t go back.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Kelsey\r\nfrowned and looked out the window just in time for the lights to go\r\nout, causing her to jump up. Power\r\noutage? But-<\/em>\r\nas she looked out the window, she noticed that there were no lights\r\non anywhere. Every building was completely blacked out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Peter, what’s going on?” Kelsey whispered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Into the ground, Kelsey,” Peter replied. “In the earth you\r\nmust live, for generations to come. Perhaps, one day, we will meet\r\nagain. But for now, the bombs must fall.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey turned to look at Peter again, but he had vanished as quickly\r\nas he came. She looked around but saw nothing but her darkened\r\noffice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Kelsey? Is that you there?” a man called out in the dark,\r\nmomentarily blinding Kelsey with a flashlight.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yeah, it’s me,” Kelsey answered. “Who is it?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Clarence, the security guard. Surprised to see you here this\r\nlate.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What happened? Everyone’s lights are off.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nClarence’s radio crackled and the sounds of him fumbling with his\r\nbelt to pull it out echoed over the dark. He turned up the volume on\r\nit, allowing Kelsey to hear part of the message.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“… I repeat, find shelter! Something big is going down and it\r\nlooks like World War 3!” a man on the radio urgently warned.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Sounds like some kind of prank,” Clarence mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nKelsey shook her head, looking back out the window. “It’s not.\r\nPeter warned me. Get to the basement.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n–<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n