Though he crawled into bed and closed his eyes early that night, the programmer found it difficult to sleep. Too many thoughts and uncertainties raced through his mind: would that little stunt he'd pulled land him - or worse, Mila - in trouble with the company? It had been a stupid thing to do, tampering with their robot… He should have left it alone. He should know better. There was no way that his rambunctious sister, following the words of conspiracy theorists, would be the one to discover the first sentient AI in existence…
He sighed deeply and willed his brain to stop running in overdrive so he could get some rest. The robot isn't sentient, he told himself firmly, and therefore it won't be able to decide on its own to use that program anyway. Nothing is going to happen.
But what if it is? Revenant certainly had some… interesting behavior patterns– things that seemed impractical for his handlers to program and unlikely for an AI to learn without deliberate influence. His mistrust of the engineer yesterday - telling her not to screw up - was an example.
By the time Tae-joon finally managed to quiet the thoughts in his head and drift off to sleep, the sun was about to rise. His alarm went off much too soon– he groaned and pushed away the cat, which was determined to lick his nose.
"Hey, don't be mean to Byte," Mila said in a joking manner. She scooped up the cat and cradled it like a baby, rocking back and forth while it meowed at her with distinct frustration.
"Good morning," the programmer responded groggily.
Tae-joon got up and went into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee brewing. His sister followed, giggling at the way his hair stood in all directions as if he'd received an electric shock. Byte finally managed to squirm out of her grip, and darted under the couch.
A little less than an hour later, as they walked into the Hammond building together, his heart was pounding out of his chest. All feelings of tiredness had been forgotten. If they sued him for tampering with their robot, he and Mila would likely end up on the streets again. He couldn't let her down like that– the two of them had worked so hard and for so long to achieve a secure life…
Nothing is going to happen, he kept repeating in his mind. It was just a test, which was going to confirm that Revenant was no different than any other advanced AI.
He sat down at his desk and checked his company notifications. No ominous emails telling him to report to the supervisor or that their robot had gone haywire– in fact, there was nothing about the combat robot initiative at all. Cybersecurity was to prioritize a different project this week: a firewall for use with neural interfaces, to prevent the hijacking of cybernetic limbs.
The programmer kept looking over his shoulder, part of him expecting Tyrell to storm in at any minute and confront him about what he'd done. It didn't come– the only people he saw were a custodian, a couple of fabrication technicians, and his purple-haired coworker on her way to the vending machine. He felt a sense of relief when Mila came to get him so they could take their lunch break together, and nobody had mentioned anything out of the ordinary at all.
"The workload's no different than normal," Mila confirmed between bites of something fried and greasy. "I worked on a couple of those scripts to revert Revenant's overwrites, but mostly, we've been helping Combat Analytics make new fight protocols. It's been really interesting!"
Tae-joon let out a breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding. He laughed and shook his head. "Of course this was all over nothing… You are a bad influence, Mila."
She tilted her head, stifling giggles. "You know, one day, somebody is going to build a sentient robot," she insisted. "I really hope I'm there when it happens!"
"I don't," her brother replied. "I don't need that kind of responsibility."
Mila faked a gasp. "Mr. Responsible doesn't want any more responsibility? What timeline are we living in, again?!"
The programmer rolled his eyes, accompanying the gesture with a friendly smile. They finished their meal in silence, and returned to an uneventful day of work. Hammond Robotics finally sent them home at the end of the day with their first paychecks, which meant the two of them could have a fine cut of steak for dinner instead of the usual budget meals. Byte kept putting his paws on the table insistently and rubbing against their legs, waiting hopefully for any food that might fall on the floor. That night, Tae-joon got the best sleep he'd had in at least a month.
He woke the next morning and headed into the dining room to see his sister curled up in a chair, reading a magazine while the cat lounged on her placemat.
"Come on, kkoma," the programmer muttered, his voice hoarse from not yet having had his coffee. "You know Byte isn't allowed on the table."
He reached for the cat, which nipped at his fingers. When he withdrew his hand, Byte rolled over and looked up mischievously, purring up a storm. Tae-joon scoffed quietly– he wasn't about to fall for that act.
Mila set down her magazine and scooped up the cat. She cradled him in her arms like a baby. Figured– he didn't try to bite her. That cat just had it out for Tae-joon for some reason, he thought as he watched the tip of its tail twitch. Or– for no reason at all.
His sister's choice of reading material brought his attention away from the cat. He picked it up and sighed heavily. "Still not over your… interest… in conspiracy theories?"
This time, she'd been reading an article about Hammond Robotics single-handedly controlling the market for organ repair and replacement, forcing people who relied on biotechnology to pay them in order to stay alive. Byte finally squirmed out of her arms, freeing Mila to cross them over her chest as she looked up at her brother.
"Sentient robots or not, there's something off about that company."
"I thought you liked working there," Tae-joon replied.
"Oh– I do!" Mila grinned. "There's always something interesting going on, it's a great environment, I get to do all kinds of R&D projects– I love it! A corporate empire that big, with that much power, though? There's no way they didn't get where they are without collecting a few skeletons for their closets."
"Do you have any evidence– that didn't come from some conspiracy-centered tabloid?"
Her brother's facial expression didn't need to change for Mila to feel the judgment in his tone. "I just– I have a weird feeling. Call it instinct."
"Don't let it get you into trouble," he warned, shaking his head.
The programmer finished his morning coffee and headed into another uneventful day at work. Cybersecurity was tasked with overseeing updates to several computer systems throughout the facility. Each went off without a hitch– somewhat to his annoyance, his department became backup IT workers, guiding disgruntled employees through the changes that the updates brought about. The next day was filled with more of the same: tedious work, but simple. By the end of the week, updates were finished for the time being. He was beyond ready to be given a new assignment.
A far more interesting project began: Tae-joon and a few of his colleagues were to try to bypass a new program that another team within Cybersecurity had just finished putting together. It was a chance to - responsibly - test his skills as a hacker, while providing the company and his coworkers with valuable information about the efficacy of their software.
Olivia - his coworker at the neighboring workstation, whose name he'd finally found out - stopped by his desk and dropped off a coffee and a donut. The programmer looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. He'd never known the other cybersecurity expert to be deliberately unkind– but he didn't think of her as the charitable type, either.
"Let's make this a little more interesting," she said once she had Tae-joon's attention. Her long, purple fingernails idly twirled a strand of her hair. "Who can break the new security program fastest– you or I? If you pull it off first, I'll pay you five hundred credits. But if I win–"
"I'm not interested in gambling," he replied quickly.
"If you're confident in your skills, it isn't a gamble." Olivia smiled at him and winked. Tae-joon shook his head.
"You're not going to goad me into making this bet."
She shrugged. "Suit yourself."
His coworker picked up the coffee and donut and returned to her own desk, on the other side of the divider. Tae-joon was fine with that.
Lunchtime came too soon. He was absorbed in his work on the security program, listing possible vulnerabilities and looking for ways to make use of them– it was far too fascinating to leave his desk for something as mundane as food! Though his hunger was outweighed by his focus, the programmer didn't want to miss the time that their lunch break allowed him to spend with Mila– so, albeit reluctantly, he locked his computer and headed into the hallway.
His sister wasn't at her desk. He walked the length of the corridor, looking for her by the vending machines, then at the comfy chairs beside the full-length windows where many employees liked to take short breaks.
A custodian in gray coveralls hurried past him on their way to the elevators. Tae-joon glanced in their direction just long enough to keep out of the way– it was a bulky man with an unusually colored mohawk. The programmer blinked. Wasn't that Dylan Cade from Combat Analytics?
The elevator doors had closed before he could do a double-take. He shook his head and put the thought out of his mind. Mila's conspiracy nonsense was getting to him. Dylan Cade worked on a different floor, and had no reason to be sneaking around in a janitor's uniform.
Still no sign of Mila. Tae-joon figured he'd check the warehouse, then head to the cafeteria to wait for her. Maybe she was already there, waiting for him. It was unlike her to miss a meal.
He took a deep breath as he placed his palm on the scanner. The memory of his interaction with Revenant - and Tyrell - still stuck out in his mind. The director had never been anything but kind to him, yet something felt– odd to the programmer. He couldn't quite put his finger on what.
The door swung open. Raised, tense voices were coming from inside. Tae-joon cautiously stepped inside, keeping one foot in the doorway for now. Natalie - the electrical engineer - was in a heated discussion with Narayan. He couldn't tell what they were arguing about, but she was clearly upset, and Narayan was impatient. Mila stood beside the engineer, jaw clenched, like she was struggling not to say whatever was on her mind. Tae-joon took a small step toward her– then he changed his mind, and slipped back out the heavy door. Mila could handle her own situation without her big brother getting in the way… If he stepped in to help her, that was the lecture he knew he'd be hearing later.
Instead, he made his way to the cafeteria to wait for her. He found a table that was out of the way, took a seat, and used the free time to look over his notes. Even though he disapproved of gambling, the programmer did feel a little competitive, and wanted to beat his coworker to solving the puzzle…
"Look alive, TJ!"
Mila slid into the chair on the opposite side of the table. Tae-joon looked up and raised an eyebrow– her tray was heaped with an enormous amount of food. It astounded him how much she could fit in her comparatively small body. He was just the opposite; he often forgot to eat, or felt full after half a sandwich.
Thinking of sandwiches– Mila took one off her tray and set it in front of him. Ham and cheese with egg, something simple yet unusual which had become a favorite of his. He smiled as a silent thank-you. His sister smiled back briefly before tearing into… something overwhelmingly spicy. Whatever it was, Tae-joon had no desire to try it, based on the smell.
"You know, it's kind of nice that we get to take our time eating when we're out of the apartment, 'cause Byte isn't looking to steal our lunch at every opportunity," she remarked with a giggle. Her comment didn't make much sense to Tae-joon; she was wolfing down her food at lightning speed, whether the cat was present or not.
"So," he said once he'd finished half his sandwich, "do you know what was going on in the warehouse, with Natalie and Mr. Narayan?"
Mila looked down sadly– for a second at most; then the spark of intense curiosity was back in her eyes. "Narayan is going to get rid of an older fighting robot that they've replaced. Take it apart or melt it down to reuse the metal or something… and you know Natalie's whole thing about electricity being the energy that binds consciousness to matter? Yeah. She's pretty upset about it."
"She doesn't want them to 'kill' it," Tae-joon replied with a quick nod. His sister nodded in turn. She tilted her head, her expression contemplative.
"What do you think? Is it possible to kill a machine?"
"No," the programmer answered simply. "At least– not yet. Not until artificial intelligence is advanced enough to want to protect its own existence."
"I don't know," said Mila. "There are a lot of things like bacteria and amoebas that only really exist to continue their existence. We think of them as alive because they're organic and they reproduce and all that, but do they have thoughts or feelings or consciousness?"
She shrugged. "We need a better theory of life. I like Natalie's ideas about electricity and how it interacts with matter."
Tae-joon nodded thoughtfully. He didn't answer– in part because he didn't feel that he knew the science well enough to contribute, but more because he would rather finish his sandwich. After all the research he'd done on Milutin's AI theories over the past couple weeks, he could say with certainty that he hoped a 'living' machine wouldn't be discovered in his lifetime. The ramifications - both moral and logistical - were too complex.
"I need to get back," he said as he stood and picked up his empty tray. "I'll see you tonight."
"Maybe I'll figure out an excuse to come and bug you while you're working, and you'll see me sooner than that!"
Tae-joon glanced over his shoulder at his sister, who smiled innocently in response. He rolled his eyes at her.
Though they both stayed late, neither he nor Olivia figured out how to crack the security program that day. Every once in a while, she would stand to stretch her legs, and he'd feel her prying eyes over the top of the divider between their workstations. She was determined to be the first to figure it out. As much as Tae-joon told himself not to engage in her immature little competition, a part of him wanted to beat her.
He went to bed early that night, so he could be back at his desk before daylight the next morning. Few people seemed to be in so soon– the two department directors were, of course. Tyrell smiled and waved as they walked toward each other in the hallway. Narayan didn't look up from his tablet.
The programmer told himself firmly that he was there to get the job done, not to play into Olivia's game. It didn't stop him from glancing into her cubicle before settling at his own desk– or feeling a small sense of satisfaction that he'd arrived before her. He cracked his knuckles and started going over all of his failed attempts from last night, just in case he'd missed some detail that would be obvious with fresh eyes.
A crack like a gunshot sounded somewhere below him and reverberated through the floor. He rolled his eyes– apparently the Combat Analytics team was off to an early start as well. Tae-joon wondered what they were working on today. While he didn't feel that it was for him, Combat Analytics certainly seemed like an interesting job.
"Oh, Park… Coming into work before the sun is up won't help you beat me. You have to play it smart, not just put in a lot of hours."
Olivia's snarky voice behind him prompted the programmer to turn around. She waved at him– the right side of her face was pulled into an uneven smile. He met her eyes with a blank, at her unimpressed expression and said nothing. His colleague walked away to take her place at her own desk.
The hours passed faster than he would have liked. Tae-joon stood and stretched, using the action as an excuse to glance over the top of the divider. She was typing furiously with a frustrated look on her face. He smirked as he made his way to the elevators. This seemed like a good time to take a short break; head to the cafeteria for a Red Bull, maybe a snack…
The elevator abruptly powered down and rattled to a stop. The overhead light turned off, plunging him into pitch blackness– only for a fraction of a second before the battery-powered backups clicked on.
Tae-joon's eyes widened. There was no way– this had to be a cosmic joke. He pressed a couple of buttons on the control panel. As was to be expected, without power, nothing happened. The tiny battery that allowed emergency lighting wasn't enough to move the elevator.
He didn't expect there to be a mobile signal in a metal elevator or its concrete shaft either, but just in case, he pulled out his phone and tried calling Mila. Naturally, his expectations were confirmed. The programmer let out a frustrated groan. Of all the times in the world, did this really have to happen now?
At least, he thought, Hammond Robotics was an enormous company with thousands of employees in this building alone. Someone would notice the power failure soon, and wouldn't put up with the inconvenience for long. With a little luck, he'd be back at his desk in time to beat Olivia to a workaround for the security program–
He shook his head, eyes narrowed. When had he gotten so competitive? It wasn't a good mindset, Tae-joon insisted to himself… He was thinking like a stubborn adolescent, and setting a poor example for Mila.
With a quiet sigh, he lowered himself into a sitting position on the elevator floor, his back resting against the wall. Frustrated though he was, he didn't need to let this time go to waste. His phone couldn't connect to the company's network from here, but he could save memos on it.
He closed his eyes and focused on the code inside his head. A checklist of approaches that he'd already tried and failed ran through his mind– what angle hadn't he come at it from? What was he missing…?
The programmer found himself lying prone on the floor, his thoughts in a fog and his vision blurry.
Had he seriously managed to fall asleep in the elevator at work? He didn't understand– he'd gotten a full night of rest, and didn't even feel tired. Disoriented, but not tired… He blinked several times, which did nothing to clear the haze from his eyes. He raised one hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Was it the stress of being trapped in a metal box that made his body uncomfortably warm, or had the ambient temperature really gotten that hot?
An awful metal-on-metal screeching resounded above the programmer, echoing through the elevator shaft. Tae-joon pressed his hands over his ears. A large cloud of dust rained down on him, sending him into a violent fit of coughing. He struggled to steady himself, to take slow, deep breaths. Finally, he managed to raise his head– and had to do a double take.
The angular, mechanical figure looking down at him through the jagged gouge in the elevator ceiling caused the cybersecurity expert to inhale sharply, nearly sending him into another coughing fit. He squinted through the haze that clouded his eyes; struggled to focus through the mental fog that disrupted his thoughts…
"Close your mouth, idiot."
Lacking the capacity to retort at that moment, Tae-joon obediently snapped his jaws closed. In the fog of disorientation, he hadn't even registered the point at which he'd let his mouth fall open.
"What are you staring at? You want to live, skinbag? Come with me."
The machine's words came out in a harsh tone. Without waiting for an answer, he reached down, grabbed the back of Tae-joon's shirt, and hoisted the programmer up onto the roof of the elevator.
"You really are sentient," Tae-joon mumbled. Even through the haze that made the world feel distant around him, his words reflected a sense of incredulity.
"No, I'm not," Revenant growled in answer, "unless you want to bring the weight of this corporation's power down on both of us."
As he held the programmer upright with one arm, he used the other to force the elevator doors open. Tae-joon found himself being dragged down an empty, abandoned hallway. The lights flickered– or perhaps that was only in his head. An alarm blared; a cool, automated voice repeated something about a chemical hazard and an evacuation.
"You can't tell anyone about this," Revenant hissed, his voice further away than it should have been as the world around Tae-joon collapsed into blackness.
"You can't."
