Root was giving Sameen grief- again. As they pulled into the hospital's main entrance, Shaw called reception and ordered a wheelchair. Root scowled at her and folded her arms in defiance.
"I can walk, Shaw, I'm not a cripple."
"Please Root, humor me. I would like you to ride in it, not because you're too weak to walk but because I just want you to. It makes me feel better OK?"
"Fine." She was not happy about it. As Shaw pushed the wheelchair into the main reception area, Dr. Tillman was walking over to greet them.
"Hi you two. Where's Gen?"
Root smiled up at the doctor. "Gen went over to the kid's area, thought she'd see if any of them wanted to code awhile."
"That girl seems to be enjoying being a tutor."
"We keep telling her she could be a teacher someday. But she seems bound and determined to follow in Sam's footsteps- she wants to be a spy."
Dr. Tillman frowned, "I think I'd rather she be a teacher."
Shaw tilted her head.
"Ya think?"
"Let's head toward my office. I'd like to go over a few things with both of you before we get started on Ms. Groves' exam."
"Why do I feel like the condemned woman being led to her execution?" Root rolled her eyes and smirked, taking some of the sting out of her comment.
"Don't babe, just don't OK? This is just for my peace of mind." I hope.
"Fine, let's get it over with."
The three women headed down the hall to the secure area and followed Dr. Tillman to her conference room. As they entered, they noticed a box on the table filled with papers. The doctor waved Shaw to a chair near the box.
"Most of the records are on computer, of course, but we took some notes by hand during your time before you awakened from the coma. I haven't had a chance to go through everything, but I've started looking at the protocol we devised during the post transplant period and there are a couple of red flags.
"I don't understand how it happened, but the normal dosage of anti-rejection medication was somehow replaced with an odd combination of drugs and supplements that should never have been used. It's almost as if the anti-rejection medication was eliminated completely.
"We were so busy with other components of your treatment this went unnoticed. When a drug is prescribed and added to a protocol, the computer automatically provides a daily menu of medications and a timetable for delivery. Sometime between the initial ordering and the production of the menu, the protocol was altered.
"I'm concerned about Ms. Groves' potential rejection of the donor heart, and I want to immediately biopsy it so we can check for any actual sign of rejection."
Shaw sat in stunned silence. Oh God, what if she rejects the heart? Can we get another one? What do we do?
Root looked at the doctor, expressionless. She suddenly lost focus and Shaw sat forward with a start. The Machine was talking to both of them.
I need to tell you something- including Dr. Tillman. We could use an earwig, but we can do this on a phone if we must.
Shaw, pulled a box from her jacket pocket.
"Before she left, Elizabeth gave me this back. It's her earwig doctor, we use them to communicate with the Machine. She wants to talk to all three of us."
Shaw held out the box and instructed the doctor on its use. The doctor looked at it suspiciously, then shrugging, put in the earwig. Following Shaw's instructions, she activated it.
"So what happens now?"
Can you hear me doctor?
"Oh. That's strange, it sounds like a mixture of voices, both human and artificial. Yes I can hear you."
I hoped this wouldn't come up, but now that it has, I want to assure you, Analogue Interface isn't rejecting her heart.
"Who?" Dr. Tillman looked confused. Shaw shook her head.
"That's what she calls Root. Root initially was the only one who actually talked to her. I think it made Harold feel funny, since he built her.
"And how do you know she's not rejecting the heart, Machine?"
Because it's her heart.
Dr. Tillman shook her head.
"No it's not, I assisted the procedure- well mostly observed. I felt like a first year med student again, but you were my patient and I wasn't going to not be in there for this. I watched the surgeon remove your damaged heart and place the donor heart in.
"Your machine is wrong, it's not her heart."
I was really hoping we wouldn't have to discuss this…. I need to explain what happened so you don't expose Analogue Interface to unnecessary risk with biopsies and anti-rejection drugs.
"What are you talking about?" Shaw's voice was raising as she tried to keep from losing her temper. "What happened?"
Analogue Interface received a heart that was 'cloned' from her DNA. It can't be rejected because it's an exact duplicate of her original heart.
There was a stunned silence in the room. The three women sat looking at each other like they had just encountered an alien. Dr. Tillman was the first to recover.
"How did this happen? Do you know the ethical implications of this? What gave you the right to do something that's been forbidden by almost every medical association in the world."
The fact that something is forbidden doesn't mean it isn't done, doctor, you know that. There already are several small clinics around the world doing experimental work cloning humans for various reasons.
I simply accessed the most successful one and put it to use for assets.
Shaw stood, then realized the gesture was probably lost on the Machine.
"What do you mean assets? What have you done? Are you growing replacement parts for all of us?"
Very astute Ms. Shaw. That's exactly what has been done, and it was fortunate that it was started before the need arose- Analogue Interface needed a heart within two weeks of it being fully developed.
"OK, look, can you call her Root, or Ms. Groves. I'm sick of the impersonal way you describe the only reason you still exist. Without her, you'd be a bunch of transistors and capacitors in some electronics store. Or just junk."
No need to be rude Ms. Shaw, but I will be happy to call her whatever she wishes.
"Root works for me." Root looked shaken and not a little displeased by the information they had just received.
Most complications regarding heart transplants occur as a result of either rejection or the process used to prevent rejection. Damage to the organ itself, disease and cancer mostly from the fact that a foreign body has been introduced. This hasn't happened in Root's case- there are no possible rejection issues.
There are possible issues with the procedure itself since none are done to perfection. There are possible issues with infection as well, since no environment is totally sterile. There are possible issues with her activities since the procedure.
There are no issues regarding Root rejecting her heart.
The Machine lapsed into silence.
Dr. Tillman frowned. "There are non-invasive testing procedures we can use to determine if DNA from the heart matches her overall DNA. I'd like to order that immediately. You'll forgive me if I'm skeptical of the Machine's claims."
Shaw stood and began pacing. "I'm skeptical of the Machine's sanity… at the very least, I think we need Harold and Root to run diagnostics on her to see what went wrong. There are safeguards that were to prevent….. oh."
Shaw looked at Root.
Root was staring off into space. She looked down then brought her gaze up to Sameen.
"OK, Sam, we may have to get Harry over here to discuss possible glitches in her moral compass." The words rang hollow, even to Root.
"She's a machine, Root, the only moral compass she had was removed months ago. Harold warned us about this, and it's starting to look like he might have had a point."
"I'd love to disagree, Sam, but I'm afraid you may be right. Do you want to call him, or should I?"
Shaw's phone was already out.
"Hi Harold, we are down in the conference room by Dr. Tillman's office. Can you join us ASAP? There's a situation we need to address… Fifteen minutes? Sounds good.
"He'll be down shortly." Shaw looked at the others as she put her phone away. "Dr. Tillman, how long does the test take to determine if the Machine's claims about her heart are true? And can it be done quickly without risk to her?"
"We run blood work and take tissue samples with every patient and procedure in this facility. I can simply run DNA tests on the donor organ from tissue samples we gathered when we first received the organ.
"As you might expect, time was of the essence when the heart arrived…" Dr. Tillman's gaze left the ladies as she recalled the circumstances, "in fact, the timing was almost too perfect to be true- which leads me to believe it was done so our matching would be less detailed than any of us liked.
"If your machine had given us even an extra hour, we could have done a preliminary DNA test to determine risk factors and other possible issues. Instead, we did a quick typing match and forged ahead in an effort to prevent your death, Ms. Groves…. Root.
"That test might have raised red flags if it showed what the Machine says our test will show, that it's a perfect match as opposed to an acceptable or ideal match. Usually ideal matches in situations of organ transplants involve family members.
"I'd rather not speculate any more until we have more data. The test results will be available in less than 24 hours. We can either confirm or dispute the Machines claims in less time than normal since we are looking for one particular match rather than a process of elimination."
Dr. Tillman said this while looking at her phone. Within sixty seconds she looked back up at Root and Shaw.
"It's ordered, and they know to put it at the top of the priority list. We can start a series of tests designed to isolate Root's symptoms and see what is the cause. I'm afraid she will have to spend tonight here though, we can't do some of the tests until the DNA match is complete."
"Why can't I just go home tonight and return first thing in the morning? I appreciate all you've done here for me, but I'd rather sleep in my own bed, get a good night's rest and come back. I sleep better at home."
Dr. Tillman nodded toward Root. "That would be acceptable as long as you're willing to forego any strenuous activity until we determine an appropriate treatment protocol for whatever we discover is affecting you."
Root rolled her eyes and glanced at Shaw who was gazing back at her. "Whatever."
Shaw's smile started to creep across her face. "Come on Root, we can take it easy for a few days."
Root stared at her, then smiled. "Hey, I was in a coma for six months, I've got some making up to do."
"Am I interrupting something?" Harold entered the room and approached the conference table.
All three started to speak, then stopped. Shaw looked at Root, then at the doctor. Both nodded back at her, and she began.
"Harold, it appears we have an issue with the Machine." Shaw explained the situation, Root's potential problems and what the Machine revealed about her heart transplant.
"The good news is, assuming the tests confirm it, Root will never have an issue with organ rejection. Since rejection and the complications arising from attempts to prevent it are what shortens expected life spans of recipients, she has a long life to look forward to. Which she'll probably use to annoy us with."
Shaw smiled and winked at her love. Root stuck her tongue out in response.
"The bad news, is our concerns about the Machine and its lack of inhibitions. It indicated that it had little if any problem with unrestricted cloning as long as the ends justified the means. We had a discussion weeks ago about potential negative consequences of removing any restrictions you originally built into it.
"You were the one who expressed reservations about the possibility and, after some heated discussion, we tabled the issue. We think it may need to be addressed and dealt with now."
Finch looked over at Root. "Ms. Groves is the one who was the Machine's staunchest defender as I recall. Are you telling me she's in agreement on this as well?"
Root looked down, then back at the group. She was quiet for an uncomfortably long period, then she took a deep breath.
"Look, I'm still alive because of her. Everything that was done to save me was set in motion by her. I was in awe of her before this. Hell, I was in awe of her before Samaritan even existed. A part of me loves, for lack of a better word, her.
"In spite of that, I realize we can't let her go on without establishing some boundaries. This situation has convinced me that my original view that things would be fine without tweaking her was wrong. I thought she was smart enough to realize the need for morality.
"Maybe morality can only be instilled by a creator."
Root looked up at Harold,
"Can it be done Harry? And if so, how do we do it?"
