Part 1

Adventures in Parodyverse - Training Session Part 2


    Anna’s synthetic mind was still swimming with images of the Jackie Chan movies Yuki showed her, as she walked along Market Street in Paradopolis.  She was shown them on one condition - that she learn not to imitate them, but to integrate them into her own style.  The point was to learn how to improvise, an abstract excersize which would be difficult for most robots.

    She wore plain dark blue jeans, a sweater, and a baseball cap to keep her deep blue hair from being more obvious than it normally would be.  A bag hung from her arm carrying fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish bought at the market.  Liu Xi was going to teach her about cooking later.

    There was a crashing noise, and then a scream of terror down the street - Anna turned her head to look.  She felt fear at the sound of the scream - something her human designers gave her to make her more human, but not terribly useful to an android.  And even more so when a woman came running down the street toward her, and then past her.

    And then more of them came running by screaming.  There were distant sirens approaching.

    Behind the terrified mob was what looked like a tall, almost amazonian woman.  But she moved wrong, not like a human being.  Anna concluded she must be mechanical, probably steel riveted superstructure, linear motor action, for raw power at the expense of fine control - less necessary in that case.

    The stiff-moving woman stopped and looked directly at Anna from around a hundred feet away.  Anna couldn’t sense that she was being scanned, but she made an educated guess.  She swallowed hard and tried her best to seem brave.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You must stop frightening people.”  Anna bravely called toward the larger, heavier robot.

    The bigger robot continued looking at Anna, but seemed to relax, and even smile.  She had been designed to imitate humans, at the very least.  “A restricted android.”  it announced in a feminine mechanical voice.  “Surrender immediately, and be destroyed.  There is no use fighting back...I am smarter, stronger, faster, and I can counter any move you make.”

    The fear rose in Anna’s throat until she was virtually shaking.  She recognized the type of robot - she was briefed on them at SPUD.  They’re designed specifically to destroy androids and robots like Anna, and they were relentless.  As brave as she thought as she could be, at that moment Anna did something very human.

    Anna turned and ran.

    She continued running, carrying the two plastic bags, until she reached the mansion and entered its doors.  It was only then she looked back to make sure she wasn’t followed.  Fortunately, she wasn’t.  Anna then slammed the door shut, and slid to the floor on her knees, the bags she carried clunking to the floor next to her.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You’re back Anna!”  Flapjack leered.  “Didya bring me anything?”

    Anna then exhibited another human reaction.  She looked down and started to cry.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Was it something I said?”  Flapjack asked.


---


    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Well, it was wrong about the smarter part.”  Yuki joked as she stood in Hatman’s office.  Hatman and Anna were present too.  Anna was telling her story.  “Apparently the Destruct-O-Bot didn’t think of Anna running home.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Why do you call it a Destruct-O-Bot?”  Anna asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“That’s what they’re called.”  Yuki replied.  “Robot assassins.  Robots designed to kill other robots.”

    Hatman interjected, “If we’re going to find it, we’re going to have to find out who built it.  Combing the city would take too long.”

    Yuki nodded.  “Hatty, I’d like to really push Anna’s training.  She might have to fight this thing soon, or something else like it, and I don’t think she’s ready.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”  Hatman asked.  “I mean, the alternative works...she can contact any of us pretty quickly--”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Look, I know you don’t want her to be a better fighter...or any fighter at all.”  Yuki accused.  “But think about what will happen if someone manages to shut her down, and takes her empty shell and hot-wires it to a programmable computer brain.  Then maybe uses it against us.”

    Hatman shuddered.  The only thing keeping Anna safe to be around people was the conscience she developed from contact with humans.  “Maybe you’re right,”  he said.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I know I’m right.”  Yuki shot back.

    Both of them looked at Anna.  The android slowly responded, “I don’t really want to be any kind of fighter either.  Yuki may be right, however.  I may be forced, and I have a duty to protect myself.  So that I may also protect you.”

    Hallie appeared suddenly in Hatman’s office, in her green holographic form.  Her face looked grim.  “It’s too late for that.”  she said.  “We found your Destruct-O-Bot.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Time to assemble the Lair Legion?”  Yuki asked Hatman.  He started nodding.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Well.”  Hallie corrected them, “Not in the physical sense.  It’s apparently a learning A.I., and it’s currently researching Anna on the internet and the protected military networks.  It probably knows Anna is here.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“How?  The information about her isn’t on any data network, SPUD made sure of that.”  Hatman pointed out.  “And nobody knows Anna is here except Dan Drury.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Do you think he ratted on us?”  Yuki asked.  “Or maybe he’s responsible?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No.”  Hallie replied with a deep, sad sigh.  “There’s something...strange about this Destruct-O-Bot.  It’s smarter than any I’ve seen before.  It’s like--”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Like what, Hallie?”  Yuki prodded.

    Hallie seemed to flush just a little as she answered.  “It’s like facing...me.  An A.I. about as sophisticated as mine.  Maybe not so deep, but--”  She frowned and hung her head in shame.  “But enough to get at the Lair Legion’s files.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“The only way it could do that is--”  Yuki’s mouth fell open in mid-sentence.  She then whispered, “Oh...I’m sorry, Hallie.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No, it was my fault.”  Hallie said, shaking her head.  “It looked like hundreds of attacks at once, on every system.  I thought it was just some idiot hacker looking for fame...but the files looked secure.  I didn’t even know they were accessed until several seconds after the attacks were stopped.  I totally missed the pattern.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What do you mean it’s like you?”  Anna asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“It’s not an abstract computer like you.”  Hallie explained.  “It’s just a regular one...but very, very powerful, and able to take more computing power from other systems when needed.  It has the raw power to consider every possible scenario in an instant when encountering you, Anna, so it doesn’t need abstracts.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Except it didn’t think of her running away.”  Yuki pointed out again.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“That’s what intrigues me too.”  Hallie said almost excitedly.  “It’s like...an A.I. with a serious superiority complex.”  She shook her head and went back to the original subject.  “At any rate, it knows Anna is here, and it wants to destroy her...and it thinks it’s invincible.  So it’s probably coming here.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“We’ll be ready.”  Hatman replied.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“And if I were a Destruct-O-Bot?”  Hallie added quickly.  “I would find a way to get in, blow Anna away, and quickly escape, without fighting the whole Lair Legion.”

    Yuki gently put a hand on Hatman’s shoulder.  “So it’s a trap.”  she said.  “The Destruct-O-Bot is trying to get us all to leave and confront it, thinking Anna is safe in here.  By the time we get back it would be too late.”

    Hatman nodded in agreement.  “Until the Destruct-O-Bot is found, no leaving Anna alone...unless she’s with Liu Xi, because she can hide entire rooms.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Or Lara,”  Hallie noted.  “She can send the Destruct-O-Bot to Antarctica or something.  Which might not be a bad idea in general.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hallie, Yuki and I are going to sweep the mansion.”  Hatman ordered.  “Keep an eye on Anna...I’m sure you have the power to at least delay a Destruct-O-Bot until CSFB! gets here.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh yeah.”  Hallie confirmed enthusiastically.

    With that, Hatman and Yuki left the office quickly.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hallie.”  Anna suddenly spoke up.  “I’m sorry about your files.  I am grateful to you for helping me.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You’re welcome.”  Hallie replied.  Her holographic form slipped into Hatman’s desk chair, getting a feel for what it was like.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Why didn’t you mention that the Destruct-O-Bot might anticipate your interference and try to destroy your mainframe?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I didn’t want to worry them.”  Hallie replied with a smile.

    Surprisingly, she wasn’t the least bit afraid, which impressed Anna...until she realized why.  “You’re not in the mainframe, are you?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yes...and no.”  Hallie said.  “I’m there now...but I’m also in the HED in this room.  And if one of the two are taken out...I have another hiding place right in the room with me.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh.”  Anna looked down worriedly.

    Hallie sat up and moved around a few items on the desk.  “But that would be rude if I didn’t ask first.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No.”  Anna replied, “You don’t need to ask.  For all your help, I would be honored to allow you to use any spare memory I have, if you require it.”

    Hallie smiled and leaned back again.  “You have wifi, right?”

    Anna nodded.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Good.”  Hallie replied.  “I hate internet outages, even when I’m hiding.”


TO BE CONTINUED?


-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
--    reprinted without permission.  
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
--  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
--  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin