The Human Inside

Chapter 17

2128 June 21: 10:23 AM

A.I. Industries: Laboratory

    Taking a deep breath, 117 placed a data-pad on the table. A three-dimensional holo-screen lit up and a descending cascade of numbers began to fill the screen. To the naked eye, it didn't look like much but 117 did not take his eyes off the cascading waterfall of lit numbers. He was searching for a pattern, clues, a hint, in order to figure out where the assassin, as everyone decided to call him, was hiding. Somewhere in this complexly built code was the key to figuring it out.

    Dr. Kendrick was staring at the pad and running some calculations in his portable arm keypad. After a few minutes of silence, 117 straightened up and sat in a chair and buried his face in his hands.

    "Don't give up David."

    Mandy showed up with some cups of coffee for the three of them. Dr. Kendrick, grabbing one cup, thanked her graciously before returning back to his arm-pad. 117 lifted his head and downed his in one gulp. She placed her hand on his shoulder. She had constantly reminded him not to overdo it but she let it slide this one time.

    "Not even amborgs can solve everything instantaneously," she remarked casually as 117 nodded reluctantly.

    "We must be patient and eventually, the answer will be discovered," he finished confidently.

    This caused Mandy to stare. She didn't think he would use that kind of answer.

    "You remembered..." taken aback, she set the coffee tray on a nearby counter and returned to his side. "I guess you really do pay attention to the things I say."

    "I always am," 117 replied. "I remember everything."

    Mandy kept her hand on his shoulder without a word. Dr. Kendrick turned and looked at the two of them with a calm expression. He too did not say anything. Instead, he removed his glasses, turned his back to the table, and sat on the edge of it. The room became silent. It became so eerie that the only sounds that pierced the silence were the numbers on the hologram. They continued to flow downwards on the screen like raindrops.

    "117, there is a time," Dr. Kendrick spoke when they came to another standstill, "When a small break is necessary. I didn't build you so that you were condemned to work indefinitely."

    "But we are no closer to finding this man," 117 muttered. He slowly inhaled and then let it out of his mouth like he had been educated to do. "We are... back at the first square."

    "Square one David. You say 'square one' and no we are not," Dr. Kendrick walked up to 117 and pointed a finger at the amborg's forehead. "It was you who brought back this data from New York. You came up with the training that brought the amborgs back up to their highest readiness levels. You were the one who went to your grandfather for help. Then when his sources in New York informed us that something big was about to happen, you took action. Because of your instinct, we managed to save New York from being completely decimated. You revealed the plot and warned the city of the pending assault. You probably saved many lives before it was too late. You did that."

    117 listened to these words and sat up straighter. He processed what the doctor had said and nodded after a brief moment. He was right, they were definitely not behind.

    "Thank you doctor," 117 said as he stood up. He walked back over to the screen. "We mustn't stop... I didn't spend the last few weeks hacking this data to give up now."

    117 stood up and went back to the table and began to type rapidly into the keys. Dr. Kendrick stood to his left and looked over the numbers while Mandy took a place on his right side. She casually looked at Dr. Kendrick who winked back at her. Then they quickly went back to the screen.