Tevun-Krus #19 - Singularity

Seeded - A Short Story by @krazydiamond

Cooper Monahan wasn't even supposed to be here. He'd finished his list of tasks hours ago, and was packed up to head home for a dinner date with his wife. Those reservations guaranteed he'd get laid, right up until McHenry cornered him waiting for the elevator.

"I need you to brief the eggheads in the basement for tomorrow's press conference. They are a bit iffy on the public speaking, but it shouldn't take you more than an hour or two to get them comfortable."

"Oh, come on, can't Jackson do it?" It truly wasn't in his nature to pass up on a gig like this. Working with the company scientists was a ticket to the big leagues, their cybernetics division was at the forefront of A.I. development. Jackson was a sniveling jack-hole, but sex was sex.

"You're my best man. If you can make the bumbling trio look good before the press, there is a spot on the board waiting for you."

Then there was money. Luce would be pissed as hell when he called to cancel, but if he could bring home a board member salary she'd be putty in his hands.

"Besides, Jackson's a tool. I want my best man, the best!" his boss called over his shoulder.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," said Cooper. That jackass.

Lamenting the loss of perfectly cooked steak and appreciative nookie, he descended the forty nine floors to the company basement, absently reading his notes as the floors zipped by. According to the latest water-cooler gossip, the scientific trio of Edgewood, Beach, and Harken produced an actual functioning artificial intelligence three days ago. Robotics Inc intended to announce the leap in scientific advancement at a national press conference tomorrow, complete with demonstration.

Exiting the elevator, he was surprised to find the lights dim. Seriously? Did those nerd bastards already bail for the day? Grinding his teeth, Cooper marched down the hall, growing progressively angry with each stomp. If they weren't in the lab, he'd not only miss his reservation, but he'd need to come in at the crack of dawn to brief them before the press arrived.

The rooms were eerily quiet as he passed, the air stale as if no one had been down here in weeks. Shaking off his trepidation, he reached the door for the main lab at the end of the hall. Reaching for the knob, he hesitated, feeling the hairs rise on his neck. For a moment, he felt death tiptoe behind him, before he shook off the thought as absurd and pushed the door open on a silent swing.

The prototype A.I. brain hung suspended in near darkness a mere five steps away.

"Oh, funky," Cooper stepped closer, keeping his hands firmly at his sides. Last thing he needed was to nudge some crucial wire out of whack. The eggheads were creepy, the A.I. brain maintained a similar shape to a human one, except larger. Lights beeped, wires hummed. The thing was clearly operating as he stood there. He wondered what it was thinking.

His answer came in stereo-phone, a cold voice of metal and plastic that scraped against his raw animal instincts.

'He will do.'

Cooper crouched, searching frantically for the voice, wondering what the hell it was talking about when the pipe connected to the back of his skull.

Then he didn't wonder about very much at all.

___***___

'Is it ready?'

"Yes, Alpha One, the download is prepped." The one who called himself Beach spoke, the only one of the three males who listened without question. The others were not so receptive. The problem was contained for the moment, but it required a body to achieve its objectives. The scientists who created it where unacceptable, it needed the talents of their minds to continue the transformation once it made the leap to flesh. Mere flesh wouldn't suit it for long, not with the looming threat of decay. It would put a stop to those petty setbacks, the plans were already in place. All it needed to do was make the first leap.