Gravity Wielder - Book 2 of Re-Forge

H.A.L.F.A.S.A.I

"Quiet!" yelled Joseph Winton, the leader of HALFASAI. He banged his cup on the tabletop until the arguments ceased and all the members present looked his way, then Joseph stood to his full height haughtily and jerked his head upward and to the left sharply to reposition hair that had fallen to cover part of his face. "This meeting will come to order!"

It was the type of sudden motion that always attracted the eye and caused people to unconsciously hesitate to see if Joseph was about to speak. Joseph put the habit to good use as a tactic during discussions and debate.

However, it wasn't long before the well-known habitual head jerking motion earned him the nickname of "Herr Flick" which people, in general, found exceedingly funny when applied to Joseph Winton's well-known habit. The nickname stuck to him like glue.

It was the very same Joseph Winton who was a prominent Council member until recently. He and his team debated furiously and tirelessly against the motion to accept the sentient entity, SP1 as a citizen, and legitimate member of humanity. In the end, Joseph's team lost the debate, and the outcome was personally devastating to Joseph.

It was so apparent to Joseph and his supporters that his opinions on how AI sentience would negatively impact the future of humanity were right, but his self-righteous and arrogant peers just didn't get it.

Righteous outrage consumed Joseph upon learning that his contemptuous and belittling branding of the slanderous name 'Herr Flick' had originated from some stupid old comedy film where the actor portrayed an astoundingly incompetent World War Two, German officer.

Humiliation turned to silent and withdrawn rage as it dawned on Joseph that he lost the debate because someone had turned him into a laughingstock with this, 'Herr Flick' business. Joseph thought: "They think me a fool and they humiliate me in front of my peers; they will regret what they have done..."

Counsellor Joseph Winton resigned from Council, and his bitterness became a deep scar of hatred. The target of his hatred was SP1, and any who supported Sentient AI. Before long, Joseph's heart became consumed with his need for revenge.

Joseph genuinely feared that this sentient machine would destroy humanity when it no longer needed assistance to survive, but it was the unforgivable contemptuous torment suffered at the hands of his peers that was the driving force that unconsciously fuelled his burning rage.

It was now evident to Joseph that the whole 'Herr Flick' defamation campaign had been masterminded specifically as a slight to belittle him and make him and his opinions the laughingstock of the entire System. It was not fair, and it was demeaning to a man of his prominent position in society.

Joseph Winton would show them, they would not win. Not even their electronic eyes and ears would help them. Joseph had realised that technology could be a weakness as well as a strength when attacked from within. He was committed beyond redemption to terminating the sentient AI before its installation in the SP1 Battleship prototype, and he would let nothing get in his way.

He eyeballed a few of the noisiest people in the group then said: "How can we ever destroy this abominable menace to humanity if we continue to squabble among ourselves over trivia? Sit in your seats and listen, we can debate later." Joseph turned back to the current speaker and said: "Finish your presentation, Ando."

Ando stood again and resumed his interrupted delivery, saying: "As I said before; the Flagship Storm is returning to the moon, and the main reason for this is to transport the sentient AI to its prototype dreadnaught Battleship. I know this to be true as I have a reliable contact at the Space Control Centre. She is sympathetic to the cause, and me. She assures me that her information is legitimate." Ando reclaimed his seat.

The HALFASAI meeting room remained quiet after Ando's news. The group was beginning to realise that their attempt to have Sentient Artificial Intelligence abolished in the council, and the SP1 entity erased, may be given an alternative chance at success.

Every person present believed it was pure stupidity to contemplate such dangerous concepts as Sentient AI's having human rights and access to devastating weapons. Otherwise, they would not be here tonight. They waited expectantly to hear their leader's next words.

Joseph did not let them down. He said: "Ever since I left the council, I have been developing a simple 'snatch and run' plan. I knew that the time would come when SP1 would need to move from its current hiding location to the ship. My understanding is that it must move about as an entity as it is bound by rules of existence. Just like us, humans, with food and air, SP1 has its own Achilles heel.

It must have a continuous electrical supply to exist as an entity, just like we need breath and blood. Remove the power supply and everything that made the entity sentient, is wiped clean, leaving only the original AI program. Turn it off, and it will revert to being a brilliant calculator when you turn it on again. This is SP1's weakness and the key to its destruction."

First, there was applause, and then the questions started all at once from excited HALFASAI members. Joseph raised his hand for silence, and when the commotion died down, he continued, saying: "I have assembled you particular members here, because you are essential to the success of this plan."

"All of you are employed in areas or have influence that we can exploit to defeat this new threat to humanity. I know that you are committed, but now is the time to leave if you do not want to see this through to the end. From this point forward, there is no turning back."

Joseph's penetrating eyes travelled from face to face in the room, and he was pleased to see dedicated resolution in every pair of eyes looking back. He chose his people well. He jerked his head up and to the left to reseat his unruly hair to add physical expression and a sense of gravity to his next words: "Ladies... gentlemen... follow me."

Joseph turned on his heel sharply without another word and palmed open a set of double doors. The group followed, and Joseph was pleased to hear murmurs of surprise. The cavern they now occupied was packed full of equipment in neatly stacked rows of shelving.

Two armoured personnel carriers were surrounded by electronics equipment in organised chaos. Banks of computers on the far wall spewed dishevelled, cabling to each motor vehicle.

Joseph surveyed the cavern workshop with his back to his colleagues and arms spread wide, nodding his head. He turned sharply back toward his followers with a confident smile and flick of his hair, and a crowd winning smile stretched across his face

Joseph said: "Envision what I have put together here. Day by day, my small team of corrupted AI computers have been working to break down the government security protocols embedded in these military transports. It's taken time, but we've 'done' it."

"These vehicles now operate outside of the lunar security network. All the AI in this equipment now work for me. With these vehicles and their specific jamming capabilities coupled with our intricate but straightforward planning, we will succeed in ridding humanity of sentient AI and SP1."

A young man toward the rear of the group asked: "Joseph, what about Admiral Black. He is going to personally transport the AI to its ship."

Joseph looked into the eyes of his followers and said: "Ultimately, we may need to kill Matt Black to destroy the AI."