Rebound (5 page)

Chapter 14: The Portal

Mason walked out of the bathroom with a mixed feeling of elation and nervousness.

“The CEO Dr Adolph Rump is going to come down the elevator very shortly. He is aware that you were the intruder in the lair. You are being recalled.”

“Why isn’t he sending Karabos and the goons?”

“He wants to get me personally. He knows I’m extremely close. He needs to see you staring intently at Monet’s artwork.”

“Why?”

“It’ll register in his mind that humans are weak, ruled by their emotions. He needs to let down his guard for just a very short period.”

“Okay.”

“And remember that you’re going to move to the Patrick Hughes artwork and then on my instructions you are going to make the run of your life to Remp’s Cabinet of Curiosities on the other end. Aim for the partially open Cabinet in the artwork. Have you got that?”

“Yes,”

“By the way, Stella and her two friends are already concealed near Remp’s artwork. In the moment that you start running, they will have gone in. You’re the bait. You’re going to lead it to its trap.”

“In what way?”

“Do exactly as I say.” A pause. “Very casually turn to the elevator.”

His handsome face, blond hair, blue eyes and muscular features looked very human with not a hint of the machine’s interior. However, the eyes were cold as death.

Karabos was directly behind with her goons.

The CEO caught Mason’s eyes and knew him to be the faceless one he had been looking for. He signaled to Karabos as he came down resolutely. Mason noticed that he was looking beyond him as if sensing that the renegade AI Sofia was lurking in the background.

“Move towards the Patrick Hughes drawing. Walk, don’t run. Stand towards the left end of it,” Sophia’s voice sounded jittery.

“I can hear their footsteps bearing down fast,” Mason said trying to hide his nervousness.

“Remain stationery,” Sofia said sharply. “And keep looking towards the art work on the left of the Hughes work. He needs to register that in his vision first. Very shortly, I will ask you to make the run of your life to Remp’s Cabinet.”

“Roger that.”

“Do exactly as I say and trust me. Please. It has a 2 seconds time frame on top of your 3.” Sofia was almost pleading. “Now! Run!” she screamed. “Jump inside!”

The CEO rushed towards him jumping almost immediately after him into Remp’s Cabinet but realized his mistake too late. The trompe l’oeil was not in 3D but was a flat canvas. The CEO had been momentarily misguided by the Hughes artwork assuming that the Cabinet was also in 3D and fully activated. The matrix was only timed to activate on Mason’s jump and to close instantly.

The whole area was surrounded almost immediately by more of Karabos’s people. They could not easily penetrate the shield around Remp’s Cabinet but could read the electronic footprints.

“We have a visual location of this matrix,” Karabos said.

“Well don’t just stand there. Get on with it!”

It was only a matter of time before they pinpointed Mason’s physical location.

The CEO had a satisfied look as he left the scene abruptly.

Chapter 15: Confrontation

Mason was expecting to be concealed inside the artwork’s matrix but got the shock of his life when he found himself crashing into his apartment. He was dazed and lost his bearings for a few seconds. Stella, Ryan and Beckett were staring at him. “What happened?”

“Your virtual self dived into Remp’s Cabinet. Your real self dived into the sofa. You don’t have much time. They have located your footprints in Remp’s Cabinet. They’re coming. Now get up!” Stella said.

Beckett was already filling water in the bathtub.”

“Who’s coming?”

“Karabos and her men.” She steered him to the bathtub with Ryan’s help.

“What are you doing?” Mason saw her bring out her smart phone and punch in some codes.

“We are going to trick it into assuming you are dead.”

“Stay under water and hold your breath for as long as possible.”

He stayed down for what seemed like eternity. He could feel his lungs bursting. Just when he thought he could not take any more, the bug came out of his nose.

She quickly took it and placed it on a surface then reprogrammed its GPS.

“Not sure how long we can fool them. We got you running in the other direction.”

He breathed a sigh of relief as he changed quickly.

“Mason, we know you are very fond of her. You’re in love. You can stop here if you want and I can take over.”

“You’re ingenuous Stella?”

“Why?”

“You and Sofia have been using Emily’s image and characteristics to get me to do all this; to motivate me.”

“We do what is best. Emily is such a great person. She‘s safe.”

“Well I have come this far. I might as well see it through to its conclusion.”

“Mason, this is going to be different,” Stella said with a tinge of sadness.

“In what way?”

“If the going gets tough, you may have to sacrifice your life.”

Mason remained silent.

Stella continued, “You and Sofia may have to remain embedded in the system so that the program can take root. I’m not saying that it will happen that way. However, you have to be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. ”

Mason shrugged.

“You love Emily. You might die in there cold and lonely with only machines for burial company. I’m sorry that I’ve to put it so bluntly.”

“What about you and your friends?”

“I am here to see that all this succeeds. Ryan and Beckett are sleeper clones and know how to survive. We are all here to help you in the mission.”

“If you have a sister inside there, I’d be happy to befriend her,” Beckett said quickly.

“I’m sure you might find something,” she said hopefully. She turned to Ryan. “Stop looking at me.”

“I wasn’t doing anything,” Ryan protested.

“It’s written all over your face. “

“What’s that?”

“You just want to have more favorable options.”

“You said it. I didn’t.” Then he added quickly, “But I’d love that very much.”

Mason interrupted them, “I’ll come. It can’t get any worse than this,”

“I admire you Mason.” She paused. “I know Emily means so much and we won’t let you go without a good fight.”

“We should be moving,” Ryan said.

“They have divided the team. Karabos is coming up the stairs with some of her goons,” she said.

“Okay, run this by me again. How has my diving into Remp’s Cabinet helped us get closer to the CEO?” Mason asked.

“We were able to insert a Dali artwork into its/his system. This happened when Dr Rump dived in after you. That’s our window into entering his lair.”

“We’re going to try and kill him?” Beckett asked.

“No. We are planting a seed, a kind of a positive virus into his system.”

“I still don’t get it. What else can we plant if he has all the super intelligence he requires anyway?” Ryan asked.

“He doesn’t have intuition. He should learn to love,” she said rather drily.

“And you think that through Dali’s Slave Markets with the disappearing bust of Voltaire, we should be able to achieve this?” Mason asked trying not to sound incredulous.

“There’s always a mixture of good and bad in life, a kind of daily struggle. You should know that,” Stella said drily but then relented. “We are initially using Dali to enter its system. You are the seed.”

“But the CEO was wary of me. It can sense me instantly especially in its lair.”

“It merely sees you as an intruder, not a threat. That is your cover and the guise through which we gain entry. He will tolerate you because he wants the bigger fish.”

Stella pressed her smart phone and a 3D image of Sofia appeared.

There was a loud noise at the door as Karabos and her minions tried to break it down. There was also the sound of weapons being fired.

“Keep looking at Sofia’s eyes without blinking,” Stella said calmly.

The door broke open.

Chapter 16: In the lair

Mason found himself in the same neon lit cavernous space. He didn’t see Stella, Ryan and Beckett and assumed they were concealed. He suddenly understood the whole scenario. He had been conditioned for this purpose and didn’t really have a choice. Stella and the two sleeper clones were created to support him achieve the impossible. If Mason succeeded in helping Sofia in the first phase, Stella’s team would be required in the next phase to free the clones and the intelligent social machines.

All the intelligent machines were bathed in a bright glow as a kind of a captive shield. The work spaces were all brightly lit. They were quiet and subdued and he sensed that many supported Sofia.

The armed robots were all looking in his direction and making a humming noise as if speaking in one united voice against the enemy.

From the back of the cavernous space, Mason saw a super intelligent machine move forward. Then before his eyes, it changed into the form of Dr Adolph Rump, the CEO, with the blond hair, blue eyes, and muscular build. Mason felt deathly cold. This super intelligent machine had organized an execution. There was a glint of triumph in its/his eyes.

Dr Rump sensed that Mason was standing at the Entrance to Dali’s artwork. From his perspective, Mason would be standing either in front of this Entrance or Voltaire’s bust, or both, based on how he interpreted the illusions in Dali’s artwork.

Mason was pleasantly surprised to see Sofia sitting by the table in a dark skirt and a cream colored blouse. It was the first time he had seen Sofia in person and was intrigued at how attractive yet vulnerable she appeared. She looked human and there was nothing in her demeanor to suggest that she was a clone or a super intelligent machine. With her insightful eyes, self-deprecating smile and quiet strength, she looked and acted like the countless computer scientists who worked at BC. For some inexplicable reason, she reminded him of Emily.

Mason smiled and found Sofia’s fashion sense surprisingly conservative because in the Dali artwork, the lady sat half naked!

She was smiling confidently at him.

The armed robots continued to make a loud reverberating noise with their incessant humming.

Dr Rump remained stationery and had not made his move. Mason sensed that the Entrance where he stood was a shielded area that the robots could not penetrate. But for how long?

Sofia stood up from where she was positioned and this act distracted the CEO. This was a huge advantage because the whole idea of this art piece was to create subtle confusion. If Dr Rump was confused about what was inanimate, what was real, and their physical positions within the artwork, that would give them the advantage of time when they clashed.

She walked forward to the stage in the Dali artwork. She stood towards the end of it. There was an audible gasp, a collective hum from the robots replaced by what sounded like murmurs of satisfaction. They had found the enemy from within. In one sweep, they would destroy Sofia, the traitor and Mason, the intruder. Stella and the rest would wither away once Sofia was disposed.

She was standing in the exposed area where Mason would be at the greatest risk if he followed her there. He realized that her plan was to give the impression of being weak and vulnerable.

“Sorry Mason that it has had to come to this. You have to take the step of faith and walk towards me. It’s extremely dangerous but it’s the only way,” Sofia said as she held out her hand.

Mason knew that he had little choice. He had to trust her. He noticed that in her sadness she looked very pretty. Rather like Emily.

He took tentative steps and then walked confidently towards her.

The CEO regarded all this with quiet contempt. In his super intelligent brain, he could not comprehend why Sofia would demean herself by befriending and defending humans, a species he considered weak and useless. What was it about humans that infatuated some super intelligent machines? He was planning to get rid of all humans and replacing them with a new species integrating technology yet there were still deviants who were infatuated with human emotions.

Sofia turned to him and whispered, “You think so much of Emily. And you love her so much.”

“What a time to bring this up,” he said drily.

“The least you can do before I go is to kiss me.”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m serious. Very serious. Kiss me,” she said.

“What?”

“As an artificial intelligence I have never understood the emotion of love. Kiss me. Now,” Sofia said as she held him.

He could sense the subtle urgency in her words and facial expression.

They kissed.

Mason had the uncanny feeling that he was kissing Emily and it warmed his heart. In spite of the danger at hand, this gesture filled him with confidence.

Sofia was smiling but she looked so vulnerable as if she was resigned to what was going to happen.

Her gestures seemed to say that this was the end of the road. They had tried their best.

They both turned to the CEO.

There was a look of triumph in his granite eyes. He was very disappointed with this display of human weakness; this show of affection before death.

He looked with absolute contempt at Sofia and did not bother to dignify Mason with a glance.

Karabos stood behind the CEO. She considered Mason a non-entity, an ant that she could destroy almost through her thoughts without having to lift a finger. She was full of venom for Sofia. She had risen to dizzying heights and she had allowed the virus of human emotions to corrupt her system. The kiss was the ultimate act of frivolousness turning her into a weak social media machine! She had to be destroyed and all traces of her removed entirely from the system’s memory.

The CEO walked forward with the face of death. He made the first move towards Sofia.

As he got closer, the movement was so fast that Mason did not see it coming.

In one single sweeping movement, Sofia flung Mason back deep into the Entrance.

The CEO’s granite eyes were filled with rage as he moved closer to Sofia who walked demurely towards him.

Mason saw the CEO subsume Sofia.

But halfway through trying to subsume her, he realized that he had made a fatal mistake. He tried to regurgitate her out of his system.

The force of this action and Sofia’s thrust to remain inside him flung Mason further back into the Entrance.

++++

Mason’s physical self was flung across his apartment living room, scattering furniture as he landed with an ungraceful thud. Fast behind him were Stella, Ryan and Beckett.

“That was dramatic,” Beckett said for want of something to say.

They were out of harm’s way but they worried that if Sofia failed, Karabos and her goons would come after them. For Mason there would be added agony; Emily would be lost forever.

“Do you think Sofia succeeded? That was an epic battle,” Beckett said.

“We’ll know if Sofia failed when Karabos comes through to start harvesting our organs,” Stella said.

“I bet they’ve started writing up the invoices” Beckett attempted some dark humor.

Stella and Ryan groaned.

“If Sofia comes through, he’ll communicate with you Mason.”