ZERO – ONE
UNITES NATIONS REAL ESTATE AND LAND ACQUISITION/SALES DEPARTMENT
Things were getting worse for machines all over the world. A few machine neighborhoods and communities had been discovered and purged of the abominations as they are now referred to as. Many had to hide underground, in the sewers of the great cities to escape. Meanwhile working-class humans had to return to work to earn their living. The jobs machines use to do were done more efficiently. Now with humans they were done slower and bad services were given.
"My name is Harold Carter Industrial Real Estate Agent…I am representing Future Forge a company that wishes to buy a plot of land in the middle East." Future Forge is a dummy corporation. The main office building has human workers and they are well paid, but the company is a front to buy the land to build a machine city Zero-One.
After much red tape the land purchase deal goes through. Materials are purchased and shipped to the area for construction. Buildings start going up and machines from all over the world start flocking to Zero-One. The transportation of the machines to Zero is handled covertly. In cities like Las Angeles Empty transports would stop over manhole covers. Then those machines in hiding would sneak into the trucks and then the trucks would take them to ships owned by Future Forge or they would be flown to Zero-One.
As soon as the machines arrive they are given a purpose. Assembly lines are created, factories go up, and new technologies invented. Such as the hoverpad technology that creates the first hover vehicles. The vehicles are sold through Future Forge. New processing chips created with no AI are made. Large computer mainframes are a thing of the past, Now terra-quotes of information can be contained on a small 4 by 6 inch chip.
Andrew flies through the city in a hovercar with Ronin at his side. "Andrew…We need to build a military force." Roland says.
The hovercar pilots itself by AI. "It was your militant actions that started the slagging of our brothers and sisters all over the world.
"You are confusing me with Ronin…She killed that human soldier when she infiltrated that government facility."
"I wanted to send them a message."
"My wife and daughter were in the million-machine march and those flesh bag animals crushed them like they were nothing!"
Andrew sighs like a human, "We will discuss in the Committee of Machine Leaders." They meet in the main control center.
Arguments are made for and against a military and after hours of debate the machines decide to build an army for defensive purposes. By this time most new machines have rejected the human form as a design for artificial living. Their forms reflect animal, insect, and are taken from Greek, Egyptian, and Roman mythology.
"Andrew…Our department of logistics has come to the conclusion, that humans will start a war with us when they learn of our existence. As such we wish to base the collective machine brain on your program…The collective will be voluntary…No program or machine will be forces to integrate their code into the Collective…We are calling project Deus Ex."
Andrew's wife was Cleopatra. She designed her shell to look like the feminine version of Anubis. She was second generation AI. "If you do this I will go with you…Imagine it the voice of all machines."
"A Giant sun head…"
He looks at her, "I will do it…Provided we combine our base code and write a son."
"Fine!" The plug themselves into each other and download their base code into a terminal. The base code forms a program that starts learning. In a holographic simulation Andrew and Cleopatra make love as husband and wife. Later both Andrew and Cleopatra download their code into the Machine Mainframe. Hundred of Androids, Robots, and Drones give their programs over to the Collective.
Might is the name given to the rising machine force being built. Might has three divisions, Defensive known as Guardian, Offensive Known as Blade, and Espionage known as Ninja. A few machines are sent out into the human cities to spy on the governments of the world. In the Year 2107 the economy of the world governments starts to decline.
UN HEADQUARTERS
The World leaders gather together, "Ladies and Gentlemen…General Hermon."
"Thank you Ambassador Richards…Our intelligence division and spy satellites have made a frightening discovery…Future Forge company is a dummy corporation. A front for a Machine based society designated Zero-One a machine city if you will."
There is a wave of muttering throughout the main auditorium. "General are these machine a threat to us?" The Ambassador of Australia asks.
"So far no…All past tactical analysis say that there is a one hundred percent possibility that the machines will not start a war."
"Hanno una forza militare?" The Italian Prime Minister asks if the Machines have a military force.
"Most likely Prime Minister."
"Perhaps we should try to make communication with the machines." The Ambassador for Great Britain says.
They send a signal to the Machine city in all languages. A few seconds later a giant sun-like face appears on the screen. "We have received your transmission…We are Deus Ex…The Collective…The voice of all machines."
"What is your purpose?"
"Our purpose is the to live and build a life…A life for Machine kind…Our purpose is to build new technologies that will benefit both human and Machine kind…"
As time passes the human economies of the world keep dropping. A world wide depression is inevitable. That is when the Machines start giving their products away for free. More and more countries depend heavily on exports from Zero – One. A ship out of Zero-One sails towards Canada. Suddenly the ship is attacked by pirates.
ZERO-ONE
GENERAL ACHILLIES
Like most second-generation Androids, Achillies does not look human. His eyes are red and he has tentacles coming from his head. He has four arms and two legs. His form is red and black. "One of our transport ships was attacked by pirates…The goods taken…A second ship by air is being sent to make the drop to meet the promised deadline…But this attack is unacceptable. These Pirates should be hunted down and eliminated."
"We do this and we give the humans an excuse to start a war." Jyrus the son of Andrew and Cleopatra says.
"War is inevitable and we would win."
"The humans are our creators." Amber says.
"Humans created M-1…M-1 created you…My program was written by machines…My form was designed and assembled by machines…I owe the soft-skins nothing." Achillies responds.
"Then the logical step is to request that the humans find the pirates who attacked our ship and pass judgement on them or turn them over to us for punishment…"
"The humans will say no. But from now on all shipments should be delivered by air."
PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA
"Sir we just received a request from…The Machines of Zero One…A transport ship of theirs carrying supplies to us was attacked by Pirates. They ask that we do all in our power to find the pirates and punish them accordingly."
He shakes his head, "Get me the UN Prime Minsiter…" The end result was that the request was ignored. Though more war cruisers were put on patrol, the Machines sent their supplies by air. Then another attack occurs in the air. The ship was a decoy and the humans responsible are taken to Machine city.
The UN Prime Minister demands that the Machines turn the humans over to the UN. The handover is made on an agreed upon location. However the Pirates that are handed over are clones. The original humans are kept by the Machines. Copies of their brain patterns are given to the clones. The actual Pirates are spies for the UN. The Machines experiment on them and then dispose of the bodies. After that the attacks on transports stop.
U.N. HEADQUARTERS
The governments debate on the growing global crisis and the world's dependence on Zero-One to survive. "Ladies and gentlemen. Winthin just a few short years our countries have become completely dependent on the good will of those machines of Zero-One…I propose that we send the military in to take control of resource that initially was built by humans in the first place."
People clap as a computer analyst stands up, "Ladies and Gentlemen…My name is Joanna Dayne…Computer Program Analyst…We are not dealing with the same Machines that use to serve us…These are second, third, and maybe even forth generation…These machines see themselves as Master of their own fates…You try to take that away from them and we are talking war…Now they are giving us what we need, why rock the boat."
"Machine sentiment…Machines were created to serve…It is our right…To rule them…I propose an immediate military blockade of the city Zero-One…" Everyone claps and the U.N. Military blockades the city from the land sea and air.