CHAPTER 4
Several of the Tartarus security dolls rushed Nick the moment he entered. Chloe and the Archangels shielded him, and the Custodians in the corners raised their weapons. Over fifty war machines glared at each other, ready to fight to the death.
Although, realistically, the police dolls would win handily. Tartarus’s security dolls had heavy EMP and neural shielding, but Nick doubted they could stand up to the Mark 3s. If they were half the Ciphers that Rie implied they were, this would be an easy victory.
Not to mention all the railguns the Custodians had. Numbers meant little here.
“Stand down,” he said, gesturing to everyone. “I’m here to talk.”
Surprisingly, that worked. The Archangels and security dolls relaxed. Responding to the change in tension, the Custodians lowered their weapons.
“No more than two of you can approach,” Chloe told the security dolls.
Despite the glares she received for her declaration, it was followed. Two security dolls approached.
“You are well, Mr. Waite?” they asked.
“I am. Thank you for arranging the taxi last night,” he said. “Were there any problems after I left?”
The dolls grimaced, although Chloe gave him an odd look.
“We underwent an unplanned shutdown at approximately 12:03AM. The earliest record of startup is 2:37AM. By that time, our directive to protect Helena had been failed. We apologize for our inability to obey your last order, Mr. Waite,” a security doll said.
Nick kept his face neutral, even as the Archangels watched him with curiosity.
He asked, “When you say unplanned, do you mean that you received an internal order or that you lost power?”
“There is no record of an order from the network. We have no information to suggest how or why we shut down.”
“Is an EMP or neural attack possible?” he asked.
“We have no information.” The doll hesitated. “Our lack of software error logs or analytical dumps leaves us with no conclusion. Your directives require us to seek maintenance from a company Cipher, but all records are presently inaccessible. We have been informed that Tartarus is no longer trading. Mr. Waite, how do we follow our programming?”
Nick looked at Chloe, who shrugged.
“They’re evidence,” she said. “If you believe they serve a purpose to the task force’s investigation, I can submit the necessary approvals to have them warehoused.”
“Housed,” he corrected. “I don’t want them shoved in a container.”
Chloe smirked. “Allow me to find a space.”
“Mr. Waite?” the security doll asked.
“I’ll update your directives so that you’re no longer tied to Tartarus,” he said. “Although I’ll need a terminal. Chloe, the police haven’t cut off the network, right?”
“No. If we had, security wouldn’t have reacted to your arrival.” She scowled at that oversight. “We’ve now locked it down further, but can allow you to use it if you know how to make manual updates without the mainframe.”
“I helped IT set up the AI networking. Any Cipher who can’t work on a network without a mainframe isn’t a Cipher,” he said.
The Archangels collectively snorted. Evidently, they had a different opinion of Ciphers than he did.
“Remain here,” Nick told the security dolls.
He went back to his office. A couple of employees had filtered in by now and shot him odd looks as he wandered around with Archangels. Nobody dared approach him.
Inside his office, he fiddled with his terminal. It took close to two hours to update the directives of the security dolls and sever what he could of their reliance on Tartarus’s network.
If Helena were still here, it would have taken a few minutes total. While he had bragged about his abilities, a mainframe was still a huge aid.
Without Helena, he needed to do everything manually. The network itself had been built around a mainframe that was no longer here, and a lot of the testing and quality assurance procedures didn’t run without her. Nick needed to undertake his own tests to ensure he hadn’t screwed up the security dolls.
“I don’t know if I approve of making them obey you,” Chloe said as they left.
“I did add that they should follow Archangel directives,” Nick added.
“Yes, but they’re idiosyncratic. Are they truly driven by logic engines?” she asked.
“They’re custom models, modified from top-of-the-line dolls. We used them as a proof-of-concept before starting the actual Archangel prototyping,” he explained. “They have a lot of open-ended directives, compared to most dolls.”
“Logic engines do not handle open-ended directives well.”
He shrugged. “They get a bit confused, but they have the spirit. If a doll couldn’t make context-driven judgment, they’d never have been given a gun. Who’d trust a police officer who didn’t know when—and when not to—use their gun?” He scratched his cheek. “I do fiddle with their directives a lot, though. They’re a pet project of mine these days.”
Were a pet project, he reminded himself.
“Ah. That explains their odd behavior around you. You write all of their directives, so they know that if they don’t understand something, they can come to you for more orders.” Chloe frowned. “I do not know if I agree with creating that sort of dependence.”
Had he done that? In his mind, he’d considered his role with the security dolls to be more of a maintenance person who fixed bugs and got used to them because he spent so much time in their code.
“While modifying their directives, did you find anything about the power loss?” she asked, changing the subject.
“No. My terminal isn’t set up for those sorts of diagnostics. Pulling that sort of low-level info needs to be done at the hardware level. I’m just feeding info to their neural hub to modify their directives, but I don’t have access to the bare metal for security reasons,” he said. “The IT security team would usually pull that using specialized equipment then upload it to the servers.”
“I see. I shall have that equipment installed at the location they are housed in.”
Nick said a quick goodbye to the security dolls. They appeared relaxed after the directives change.
“Take care, Mr. Waite,” a security doll told him, while looking pointedly at Chloe.
“We’ll see that no harm comes to him,” she said.
The security doll nodded, then returned to the rest of the group.
After returning to the SUV, they took off for the Spires. The media frenzy had yet to subside. Nick wondered if he’d show up on TV and the Altnet. Browsing his phone, he saw that he’d yet to show up anywhere. Although there were a lot of threads and videos about police censorship and Cipher activity.
His social feed was still exploding. A lot of those messages were panicked. His Altnet feed suggested some of his Cipher buddies knew he was with the Archangels, however. They weren’t certain if he was under arrest or cooperating.
“Can I let people know that I’m not under arrest or dead?” he asked.
“Yes. Do not mention your new employment, however. Merely that you are not being charged,” Chloe said.
Nick did exactly that. He avoided his Cipher circles on the Altnet, however. Right now, talking with other Ciphers was dangerous.
He’d need to reach out to them once he spoke with Rie, however.
Unlike last night, the streets were choked with people. Many people weren’t here to work, however. The city’s largest shopping mall, the Gardens, thrived with throngs of people bustling on its dozen levels. Trains and buses pulled in regularly, and robot taxis weaved among the private vehicles ducking into the expensive underground parking.
The city’s eclectic fashion was on display, not that there was any one trend. Grungy, dirty jackets reminiscent of the 2000s accompanied sleek, metallic appearances that emulated dolls and robots. Liberators patrolled alongside private security dolls, although weapons remained holstered and many posed alongside energetic children.
As they approached the Spires, Chloe suddenly frowned. The SUV swerved away, taking a detour.
“The checkpoints are clogged with civilian traffic,” she informed him. “Media and Altnet journalists are attempting to gain access to the Spires on short notice. Rie advises that we meet at an alternate location.”
Said alternate location turned out to be a trendy bar in what Nick would generously describe as a shady part of the city. The Archangels drew a lot of attention here, and the area cleared within seconds of their arrival.
The streets were clean, the buildings well-maintained, but everything seemed just a little older and somewhat off. As if this section of the city was almost too quiet and had been dropped into Babylon, rather than naturally built. Even the architecture felt off. There was a lot more wood and brick in the buildings here.
“You, uh, do realize where we are, right?” he asked.
“This is a doll district,” Chloe said. “We understand you like to visit these establishments.”
Nick stared at her, doing his best to keep his face from reddening due to a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment.
“I haven’t been here for fucking years,” he hissed. “Holy shit. And even then, I was here because I worked here.”
“Neural Spike didn’t have offices here.”
Nick could have sworn that Chloe was hiding the smarmiest fucking smile imaginable.
“You know damn well that we were doing testing here,” he said. “We tested… Fuck.” He ran a hand through his hair.
“What?”
“Sex. A lot of black companies sell sex with dolls here. All sorts of expensive models are available here, including ones modeled after celebrities and second-hand police models. We used to hook up Helena and the other prototype emotion engines to the dolls and use them to calibrate everything. Later on, I think they even tested actual prototypes out here. I think one of the shootings happened due to a malfunctioning prototype,” he admitted.
After a few moments, Nick realized he was the only one walking up the street. Several dolls peered out at him from doorways or from the frontages of businesses. At this time of day, they were all dressed.
Looking behind him, Nick saw that the Archangels had stopped.
“That is information we did not have access to,” Chloe admitted. “Not all Neural Spike archives are accessible to us.”
“Huh. I figured if Rie could get me away from the military she’d have access.”
“Her access is greater than ours,” Chloe said. She paused. “Did you…”
“I was a Cipher who helped calibrate things, not a customer. Although it’s certainly not my proudest moment. I, uh, did work with some of the companies that run these places, though. Buddy of mine runs a place a couple of blocks thataway.” He pointed in the opposite direction they were going. “He helped me get the job in Neural Spike to begin with. Doing Cipher work with doll companies got me recommendations.”
“I see,” Chloe said.
This conversation was over, Nick felt. Her teasing had fallen flat, presumably because she had the wrong idea about why he’d been here to begin with.
They arrived at the bar in short order. Given it wasn’t even lunchtime, Rie was the only person here. A service doll stood behind the bar, but she was mostly eye candy. Most drinks were ordered using an implant or an app. The doll only crafted the cocktails, made small talk if somebody wanted it, or let somebody in her backdoor for the right price.
Or at least, Nick suspected that was the case. Given where they were, he suspected most proprietors had paid a Cipher to reprogram their doll to turn off the prostitution safeguards.
Rie nursed a tall cola while reading a thick book.
“That book is older than anyone who founded this city,” Nick noted. “Any reason why you’re reading a dead tree?”
“I wanted to understand why some of the elites in the Spires still cling to the idea that physical media is superior to digital. It is an ongoing investigation,” Rie said, snapping the book shut. “Not everything can be understood through mere analysis of historical record. Experience is everything.”
Chloe shifted uncomfortably. The other Archangels sat in the corner.
“Is something wrong, Chloe?” Rie asked.
“Did you know what he did here?” Chloe asked.
“The testing? Of course. Neural Spike’s testing was comprehensive. Autonomous androids could not hope to replicate the breadth of human emotion and activity without understanding all of it. Part of me wonders if that is why they hired Nicholas to begin with. A Cipher who understands what it is like to be separated from society is a great boon to such an ambitious development project,” Rie said.
“Uh huh. That’s a nice thought, but I was basically along because I was good at faffing about with mainframes,” he said. “And because the police dolls ignored me. I could hang around in shady places and the patrolling Liberators would cheerfully wave at me. Other Ciphers would get marched out within thirty minutes.”
“Something that was noticed by the Mark 1s upon their arrival,” Rie noted wryly.
Nick blinked, then frowned. “Wait, are you telling me the reason I was constantly badgered by them was because they knew other police dolls ignored me?”
Before the arrival of the Archangels, the worst trouble he ever got from dolls were at checkpoints like train stations. It made sense that more autonomous dolls driven by emotion engines would spot this and act upon it.
“Perhaps. Or maybe they just liked bullying you. Speaking of which.” She drained her drink, then spun the empty glass toward the service doll, who snapped it up and began cleaning it. “We need to talk about your role in my task force. Among other things. You’re my investment.”
“Our investment,” Chloe corrected. “The Host wishes to rectify your assessment. There is discontent regarding your actions last night.”
“You don’t need to verbalize that,” Rie snapped. “Kushiel screeched at me for hours last night as I pushed her to authorize this. Such a nuisance.”
“This would have been easier if you had sought the approval of the Host in advance.”
“The Tartarus raid was brought forward by weeks. There wasn’t time. I expected…” The prototype doll sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Look, this is pointless. Nicholas, you are somewhat in demand now that you’ve landed in the lap of the Archangels. But, ultimately, I’ve taken on the expenses of partnering with you—political and otherwise. I expect you to split your time efficiently between your three roles.”
“Three?” he asked.
Rie ticked off fingers. “Your partnership with me; your advisory and leadership role in the task force; and your… whatever role that the Host wants you to take on. I’ll admit that I don’t know what they want from you. You confuse the hell out of them.”
“He does not,” Chloe insisted.
“As you can see, lying is not against our parameters,” Rie said with a smile. “You’ll be a busy man, Nicholas. Fortunately, you’ll have a lot more time and money to afford to be busy.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Nick said. “But I think it’s time we talk about Tartarus. Then we can talk about my job and how much cash you’re shoving in my pocket to play therapist to several thousand Archangels.”