Artificial(ish) Intelligence

Chapter 25

Imagine a snake slithering through its nest, split into disjointed opposable segments. No wait, I've got a better analogy. An ant colony, its workers marching with obsession to their destinations, confirming directions with those streaming the opposite way. Except, amend that last part so that they don't need to keep checking on their location and can instead use an ant version of GPS to determine coordinates, apart from a single ant that addresses every on-rushing ant for its identification. Now, instead of ants, imagine them as deliverybots, all scurrying beneath the roads, with that sole searching ant being our little friend, Fivven.

He hadn't had any luck. None of the passing bots were DH11400-7B, the one returning Will Lurner's selfiebot to House of Paschar. An accidental discovery would be unlikely, but he wasn't going to stop trying. Even if it meant holding up the queue.

"Come on!" said one of the held. It shifted to the side, threatening to overtake, but had to slip back in line when an on-coming bot rushed by. "Just go where ya need ta go."

Fivven ignored it, continuing to identify every oncoming bot. This ability wasn't in its programming, but older deliverybots had the capacity to use machine learning to expand beyond their original constraints. After a minor incident involving a leg and a new-found joy of procreation, the newer models were on a tighter leash.

The trailing bot rotated its visual sensors aft and yelled out to the others, "Ol' timers, huh?!"

Fivven turned toward House of Paschar, its exit from the express-way generating much pleasure in the congo line of ants. The tunnel rose gently until it emerged above ground near a parking lot, just inside a chain link fence. The service entrance ahead was retrofitted after deliverybots became the de facto method of distribution. Before entering, Fivven picked out two key words from a female hu(person) stalking nearby. He stopped, forcing a few followers to brake suddenly. I'm picturing a Disney animation where their chassis stretches far beyond plausibility and then, like a rubber band, flings back into place with an accompanying sound effect. Doinggg.

The female hu(person) peered over her shoulder, then checked something on a personal screen. But it wasn't her conspicuous actions that drew his attention. "There you are, Will Lurner," said Adelaide.

Was this his Will Lurner, the same Mr Will Lurner whose noodles he was delivering? He wasn't privy to the quantity of Will Lurners in existence, but based on his own experiences they were rare.

Fivven sped in the female hu(person)'s direction, scanning either side for evidence of Mr Will Lurner. Strangely, the female hu(person) was alone, and continued to be alone as she opened a car door, frowning fixedly in concentration at her personal screen.

He felt confident that this female hu(person) possessed the whereabouts of Mr Will Lurner. This meant that if he followed her, he may finally be able to deliver those piping hot noodles. So, with a run-up, he sprinted as fast as his little wheels could carry him until hitting a spot just before the left passenger door. Switching temporarily to movie physics, his body miraculously launched into the air just as the door began to close. Despite a scrape of metal, his momentum was enough to carry him into the compartment, landing softly on the cushioned floor.

The female hu(person) was too preoccupied to notice.

The interior of the car was split into individual pods, so that multiple passengers could be transported with privacy, but these were blocked off to a mere deliverybot, which forced Fivven to slide under the chair, into the carry-on compartment. He hadn't asked permission to accompany her and hu(persons) could be unpredictable.

Her leg spread out -- a high-heeled foot coming dangerously close to his body -- as she read aloud a destination.

His first reaction was to begin calculating the distance and ETA. By habit, his motor pushed him in the appropriate direction, straight toward the spike at the base of the female hu(person)'s shoe. He attempted to brake. But it was too late.

Until the female hu(person)'s foot suddenly reeled to the side while her whole body leant forward. "What are we waiting for?!" she demanded, of the car.

Fivven finished braking, clear of the heel, and slipped back under the security of the chair, ironically taking up the position of a product to be delivered. His task was almost complete. The female hu(person) would take him straight to his delivery recipient, and Mr Will Lurner would enjoy the timely delivery of his piping hot noodles.