The A.I

Chapter 2

The rest of the chairs are already filled with members of the board, government investors, and military personnel involved in the project. The three of them stand at the front of the conference room, taking advantage of the lack of notice from the others to calm their racing hearts. This meeting will make or break them. They have to present all the benefits and their research data about the Black Piper Advantage and hope they like what they hear and continue to fund them. A heavy hand settles on Taehyung's shoulder, making him jump in surprise until he meets his father's eyes. Namjoon sends him a wide and warm smile reserved just for his son and a wink in Jimin and Hoseok's direction before claiming his seat at the head of the table, directly across from where Taehyung's standing. For that he is thankful. At least this way, he can pretend he's presenting only to his dad rather than scary government officials. Even though Taehyung has grown up around these men, it's still nerve wracking. This is the most important presentation he's ever done and he's doubting his ability to deliver and disappoint his father. A slight nudge from Jimin has him looking over to see his friends watching him, confidence fixed on their face. With a nod, he takes a deep breath, squares his shoulders and stands at his full height, game face on.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I hope your morning has been well." A chorus of greetings filter around the room and Namjoon sends another wink in his direction before calling the meeting to attention. "Today we are gathered to determine the success and future of the Black Piper Advantage. You were all present in the initial discussion and backed us then. Now, I'd like for you to listen to our lead team members as they lay any and all worries to rest and convince you to continue funding the project. If you'll direction you attention to the front, Mr. Kim, Mr. Park, and Mr. Jung will start the presentation. If you please, follow along in the booklets in front of you." With a nod, Namjoon sits down and gestures for them to start before opening his own booklet. Since falls over the room and Taehyung swallows his nerves before putting on his game face.

"Thank you Director Kim. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Taehyung Kim, the lead researcher and program specialist in charge. Next to me are my team leads: Jimin Park, who leads the mechanical division, and Hoseok Jung, our behavioural psychologist." Jimin and Hoseok nod their heads in recognition before stepping to the left side of the screen so Taehyung can start.

"The purpose of the Black Piper Advantage is to adapt our advanced artificial intelligence for military use. Our population is diminishing and we are not able to maintain the manpower required for our complete defense. The aim of this project is to increase efficiency of tactics and tasks while reducing human casualties. For that we have created a team of three advanced A.I's that are the focus of this meeting." Taehyung flips to the next slide, introduction finished, with a relief. The hardest part is done, now they just had to continue with the flow he's set up. He hands the remote to Jimin and switches places.

Jimin clears his throat quietly, before directing his gaze around the table before beginning. "Thank you. Before you meet the team, I will be taking you through the specs and mechanics of A.I's. As with the D class, their skin is composed of a flexible, lightweight silicon semiconductor material that stores electrical changes for sensory input. The artificial ridges under a thin layer of silicon allow for increased tactile response, allowing for a sensitive sense of touch. Similar to the common humanoid A.I's, their skin is very resilient to bruising and tearing. To increase endoskeleton strength, the normal tungsten metals has been combined with a steel alloy. The chemical properties of this material allows the body to sustain immense damage without compromising the core circuits, while sustaining its tensile strength." Taehyung watches the audience discretely for any signs of dissatisfaction. "In order to better supply the receptors and sensors necessary for enhanced senses, we replaced the gallium arsenic core circuits with gallium nitride and replaced the fuel with lithium aluminate rather than nitrogen for efficiency. Now Taehyung will explain some of the abilities the A.I are capable off." Taehyung thanks Jimin and returns to his original place.