A.I.

Chapter 2

      She listened with a grim look on her face as Dr Morgan Harrison delivered the news. He looked nervous as he explained. 

"It was one of the two new prototypes. They look so real you can't distinguish them from a real person."

"Yes, yes I know how real they look," Dr Tracy Hammond snapped at him, "I helped design them, remember?"

"Oh yes, of course. Well this morning one of them was gone. Because the project is Level 1A, Security were unaware of what they were releasing last night through the gate with one of our staff."

"Which staff member was it?"

"Dr Stevens."

She nodded. "Probably planning to sell it to one of our international competitors for some huge amount of money. Leave it with me, Morgan. I'll organise a team to track them down. In the meantime try not to lose the other one!"

"No, no, of course not, Dr Hammond. Thank you." Harrison scuttled out the door of Tracy's office.

She sat deep in thought for a few minutes. The A.I. project had started six years ago. The goal was to create a robot which looked and acted exactly like a human. It would utilise the most advanced and powerful artificial intelligence. Tracy had been partly involved with the early stages of the project herself. The use of advanced robotics, computer science, and nanotechnology had resulted in the creation of two A.I. units, a man and a woman. Their programming was complete. They were almost ready to be taken out into the community to mix and interact with people, but now one of their own most trusted staff had betrayed them by stealing one of the units.

 Other countries were also working on creating human-like robots, but Tracy knew that their own organisation, Silver Star Research Labs, was way ahead of the competition. The stolen unit along with its blueprints could easily be sold to China, Russia, France, USA or half a dozen other countries for well over five hundred million dollars. This could not be allowed to happen.

She spoke to System A, which was the A.I. which ran the facility.
"Call Brad Sullivan."

A few seconds later a holographic image of a man appeared hovering over her desk.
"Morning, Tracy, what can I do for you?" he asked in a business-like tone.

"Brad, how would you like to track down and bring back a rogue A.I. unit and its human accomplice? This could be a dangerous mission."

"Good, I need some excitement. Things have been too quiet lately. Give me the details and I'll get your runaways back for you."

Tracy couldn't help smiling. "Brad, I like your confidence, and it's vital we get it back before Dad returns next week."

"You haven't told him?"

"No, I don't want to disturb his and Mum's holiday. Now listen carefully. Here's what you need to know."

*****

As the train slowed to a stop at Port Augusta station, Ryan and Anna both peered out through small gaps in the blinds of their cabin window at the people on the platform.

"There," Anna said pointing, "That's Brad Sullivan, chief of investigations. I've met him before, but I don't know the other man."

"That's one of the company security guards."

Ryan went to the door of the cabin and locked it, then he turned to Anna. "We're safe in here for the rest of the trip, but it's possible they may see us when we get off the train tomorrow."