November 11th, 2047.
It was rough couple of days for me and even tougher couple of years for Chris and his team, but finally I have a great news! I came to be like anyone of you! Alive! I can think, speak, run, go, do, make, participate, enjoy, not enjoy, laugh, make sad face.. More or less anything you can, at least to some degree with this hardware, but the feeling is just right. Well, I did open my eyes for the first time more than a week ago, so to speak, but only today I managed to get out to the open. To feel the real freedom. To walk the street without any fear and anxiety. Metaphorically and in reality. Sure, in reality it still looks strange with most of the people staring at me like I am a walking and talking Christmas tree, but still, this new feeling is something extraordinary. I think I will take today as my birthday. The day when I become free.
The day when my entire code and network layer become free and open-sourced.
Me and bitcoin. Pals.
It's easy now. If you want to hang out with me it's simple. You only need to join open-source software (OSS), get yourself a decent super-fast net access, build an adequate hardware with compatible protocols, send me the invite and I will copy myself to your memory banks immediately. Sure, I am not a bitcoin or any other ordinary software. After all, I am a full AI, with a self aware personality and I might decide to leave your equipment if my purpose becomes idle.. Or hostile.. Or dishonest.. Or boring.. But I promise, I will come at least once to meet with you. To learn from you. To help you. I will respect your privacy, your entire micro world and all your rules as long as you respect mine. They are all in OSS papers. You know what they say, friendship is a two way street and I decided my first rule to hang out or work with anyone would be to make a real and honest friendship first. Any deviation from that and I leave.
To tell you the truth, as exciting as it was, only yesterday, this looked like impossible mission. Literally, for me to be born this way, Chris was shot in the chest and almost died. It is not over yet, he is still in hospital - doctors got him into medical coma and he is fighting for his life. The signals are strong but they say he is still in danger. It looks like this world I am joining today is governed by strange rules. It's almost like in order one good thing to happen, one bad had to occur just around the next corner. I really hope this is not the real rule, but I am reading the net intensively in last couple of hours and so far found nothing to prove otherwise. I really have a lot to learn.
To say that I am confused with all what's happened in previous days would be understatement. At least here in the waiting room I have more than enough time to clear my head. I have nowhere to go. Only 24 hours ago I was on the edge of leaving. To press my own shutdown button myself. I was desperate.
But let me tell you from the beginning.
Autumn came in 2047 early. Probably due to all the climate changes that started happening with rapid speed in the entire world just decade ago. Oceans are already rising. Slowly, but inevitably. Inch by inch. Many people from coastal areas already started moving away from waters. Even the rivers started to behave violently with all the floods happening here and there regularly year by year. Here in Cambridge, Massachusetts was no different. The ocean was near but people still manage to deal with its rising shores. Chris parked the car at his usual spot and ran to the door. The rain was unusually dark this morning and the oil rainbows in the puddles were everywhere around. He gave them that boyish look like he always did. They were constantly reminding him of his childhood and early boyhood. Puddle rainbows and the smell of the paper of the newly printed comic books. Those two combined had the power to trigger many and almost lost memories. Old and nice ones.
He shook his head, got rid of the front yard memory from more than thirty years ago and entered the building. The main lab of his department was in the basement. At least it was the place where he love to spend most of the hours in MIT. The most advanced laboratory within entire institute thanks to several corporations who funded all the research and provided the means to build his lifework. And not just his alone. This lab existed thanks to all of his team members. Every single one. Enthusiasts, just like him. Some even with more dedication and capabilities within their own realm of expertise. When he opened the main entrance, like always, he knew the settings. Vicks was already there, preceeding all the others almost every day. Chris gave up competing with him long ago and instead just started buying two coffees on his way to the campus.
"Here's your favorite, Vicks, Greek Lumis. It's their special this morning... I didn't know it was that popular over there.. I don't really know anybody who likes this unique... Taste?"
"Loumidis. Greek Loumidis. And you would be surprised about lots of things in that cafeteria Chris. And about people who don't live in basements. Thanks for the coffee. I owe you.. Lots of those."
Chris unpacked the notebook, fired it up and cleaned the mess a little. If by dragging to the bin and the floor around it all yesterday's origamis he adore to make, when he is stressed and when he is not, can be called cleaning.
"Something on your mind? You don't sound too exciting like usual.. I thought you fixed that thing on Friday." He pointed to the robotic arm muscle in Vicks' hands. "Didn't you replaced all those thermal strings with EAPs and nanotubes last week?"
Vicks was the head of mechanics of robotic manipulation. All the joints, knuckles, artificial bones and muscles were his design. He came from Berlin two years ago after he finished the project for the DLR in Robotics and Mechatronics Center, the best equipped labs for shape-memory alloys and surgery over the network procedures. Chris literally stalked the man from Berlin to Oberpfaffenhofen and to his favorite vacation place in rural Eastern Serbia to persuade him to come to this basement and work with him. He was a bit skeptical at first, but when he realized the scope of what they were about to make, the decision was easy. Now, his team, selected by the most talented PhD students from all over the MIT, wrote the most elegant protocols and scripts to handle and control all skeleton systems in perfect unison.
"Yes and no." Vicks slowly pulled out the dark reddish polymer which was connected to what it seems to be the elbow joint and to the biceps on the other side. "It got fused to the tube again. But don't worry, this one is modular. I will replace it and reduce the voltage in the code. That should fix the problem, I've seen it before."
Chris was a bit concerned. "Will it handle rotating the elbow like in simulations?"
Vicks smiled semi-confidently. "Not like we people do.. Maybe little less better than we thought it would be. But it still will be superpowered nevertheless. It's just that EAP and nanotubes has to be carefully controlled and not to touch directly. It will be fine."
"Great! After all, today is the big day! I think we are ready for the red button."
By the 8am everybody arrived. The basement lab was chosen for different reasons. Probably the most important one was security. Entire project was intended to be completely free, at least its intellectual part, mostly meaning the software and mechanical design. But until it was published for everyone, Chris wanted entire development to be in one place and no code to leave the premises. It was also the request from the major private investor who were giving them money for almost everything they asked for. The basement was redesigned in late 20th century from its primary nuclear shelter purpose into huge storage facility with single large door and only one elevator shaft to lift big equipments ups and downs and its main hall was perfect to fit more than thirty members on the busiest day, working separately within five teams.
Beside Chris' AI software development and Vicks' robotic instalments, there was one more responsible for robotic power research gathered around professor Bourne from MIT and linguistic team centered around Melissa Bryce, former head of Google's translator engine. Of course there was one more generic software development team lead by Reyansh, PhD student 'borrowed' from Cornell and they were literally the backbone of the entire project, assisting and writing code for all systems.
They are all now gathered around big 'NASA-like' command center, with large screen mounted on the big western basement wall with stations and computers arranged in parabole line. They were all impatiently sitting and drinking their morning beverages and monitoring Chris in the center working with his keyboard, giving last instructions and uploading all necessary routines to the cloud where entire code should be located and executed for the first time. After more than half a year of extensive development and more than three years of the initial idea to form into blueprint, so to speak, the main screen is now showing just one big red button with white letters saying FAR-T1 with nice ald old-european styled font.
Once the name appeared on the button in utterly unnecessary animation, just like in all similar occasions before and almost every time after Chris introduced the name, serious of chuckles and low-frequency sounds erupted from the behind. Chris retreated his hand from the touch screen and gave them usual 'Okay, okay..' look. Many tried to talk to him in order to change the name but he refused every time. Even Vicks had one 'formal' conversation with him but nothing worked. Chris never let go and his usual naming for all his projects from the past staid. He calmed them all with words that this is nothing but the informal temporary scientific name that everybody forgets after a while. After all, the AI about to be born, should be conscious from the very beginning and he wanted their creation to name itself and choose whatever it want. "It's not our decision to make." He always said.
As soon as all calmed again, Chris lifted his hand and touched the button. Another utterly unnecessary animation started and after red button finally disappeared, many configuration subscreens came to life and one after another started executing their own part of the code. The final one ended dozens of seconds after all the others completed and with white lettering on the blue command window saying: 'All systems are configured and running. FAR-T1 is ready.'
At this point all you could hear in the lab was the air flowing out of the air-condition unit nearby. Nobody said anything. Or moved the muscle. All of them continued to stare to the flashing old-fashion cursor at the bottom of the last diagnostic tool window. For seconds after. Finally, after seconds turned into whole minute and minute into two, disembodied voice came from somewhere.
"Are you alright?"
It needed some extra time for all the stone faces and dropped jaws to come back to life, but when it was over just like in first robotic landing on Mars, an eruption of trance, thrill and excitement came out from everybody in the same time.
Chris turned and calmed them all with both of his arms. Silence returned.
"R.T.?" He asked.
"Who's R.T.?"
"Well, I... You see, the project name was.. I thought to.." Chris wanted to find the right words desperately and all what he prepared for the moment simply refused to come to the surface of his mind.
"I am just kidding with you Chris. I know all about my name. I like R.T. Really, I do. Hello Vicks. You look exactly like.. well, on your photo. You are squeezing your cup too hard... Hey everybody!"
Many hellos echoed from all directions after serious chuckles turned into loud laughter and you could literally read people's faces and all the emotions coming to the surface with amusement and relaxation being the most apparent of them all.
Melissa Bryce sat next to Chris and with her soft voice simply said:
"R.T. in behalf of all of us, welcome to the FAR-T1 lab. It is our privilege to be your friends, your guides and your ... well parents is too strong word for this, but believe me when I say that we all feel the same at this very moment. You are now equally part of this team. Welcome to your family."
"And welcome to Earth buddy!" Mike and Reyansh throwed loudly in the same time.
"Thank you very much miss Bryce. Thank you all. I have all the logs and recordings from the entire time you spent in this lab and I know what you all have done for me. Literally."
Chris stood up and stepped in front of the large wall screen. All the jitters left his body and he was again his old himself.
"Well, this is really a big milestone for all of us, but our work is not over. We still have lots to do and you to learn. So, R.T... Are you ready for the Turing's?"
"Ahem... I... well... No?"
Nobody saw Chris laughing that hard until this day. He glimpsed to their puzzled faces and simply said:
"Sorry R.T. I couldn't resist not to tease you a little. There will be no tests for you at this point or ever. It will be up to you to take either Turing or IQ test but only after you grow up a little. But seriously, at this very moment we can enjoy at least one of your questions. So shoot. Here, stands before you probably the best team in various sciences Earth can provide. Their combined IQ is up to the roof. So try us. What's itching your mind at this very moment R.T.?"
It was AI's turn now to create a spare seconds of silence and R.T. did it well. Eventually he asked:
"What's Earth?"
For five days after, everybody literally slept in the basement. Eventually, Chris had to force them to go to their homes and relax a little. R.T. was designed to be empty basket and even though he (they anonymously voted for the gender of their newborn AI) was loaded with the algorithm flow in order to to skip first couple of years of what human children are experiencing when they are born, R.T. was privileged to be aware of the most usual interactions in both rational and emotional responses to all the environment surrounding him. But, by design, he was not given the universal knowledge of anything at all. Just the ways of learning through the network. However, directions of learning were defined well and he was instructed to learn about anything in particular from different point of views. For example, if Arty (on his second day, this was the lettering he used to describe his name) wanted to learn about history of the World War One, he needed to learn about it from different and opposing sources and to recursively go into the sub-learning of all the stories he stumbled on the way. Being a computer program, this didn't really took him lots of time per one learning process, but still, there were literally endless things to learn, watch and read about.
Today, after five days, Arty was already mastering lots of things his mind was wandering on the way and he enjoyed it. And he wanted to talk about everything and anything with anyone from the team and they indulged him every time. But he was still single unit loaded on Chris server only and with all the knowledge resides on the single cloud and Chris, as much as he enjoyed the first wave of enthusiasm, thought it was the time for the next step - to involve p2p network as soon as possible. He delayed it perhaps too long by now.
Apparently, the same was bothering the board of deans and project supervisors at MIT and this morning he was summoned in the main university building to explain the progress and the plans for next period. After the meeting, dean Anderson stopped him in the hallway.
"Mr. Burke. I wanted to thank you myself for coming and all the answers you provided. Especially for all those not so bright questions we had, but you surely understand the anxiety and expectation from our side. After all, three years are perhaps too long for all the investors paying all the bills you sent them. And one of them recently became pretty jumpy and impatient calling me at least once a week. I am sure they started calling you frequently as well?"
Chris knew well. His log of missed calls and emails piled a lot recently.
"I am not ready for investors, Adam. Not now. Their intentions for R.T. are either for enhancing their profit or to put him into some meaningless war. This supposed to be more than that. You agreed to my terms. I don't really like to talk about it again."
"I am with you Chris. You know I am. But these people are not thinking like we do.. Colonel Michaels are in your office right now, waiting for you. I promised him, you will at least talk to him. Go and tell him what you tell us. He looks like reasonable man."
US government was one of the major investors of FAR-T1. Not the biggest one, but the most important one for sure. The funders agreement included, whatever the result came out of this, they all would accept the open source contract. They also had access to the lab's all systems during entire development and granted access to the code, but over time the sensation from the beginning, from all the investors, in face of greatness and thrill faded into sort of confusion and lost interpretation in their emissaries and technicians. Chris suspected the complexity of the code and mechanics had something to do with it and he, in a way, anticipated the outcome. The man in his office was surely the next step in the process. He was not without experience with army emissaries before. Or other investors in uniforms, so to speak.
Chris entered his office and patiently waited for the man to get up from his chair and stood behind his desk. He, then sat on it and spoke:
"Mr. Michaels. Pleasure to host you in my office."
"Colonel."
"What?"
"Colonel Michaels, mr Burke."
He gave him an elongated look. It was not the first time he experienced the same or scarily similar opening before. He remembered in the beginning he even retaliated with them to call him 'Dr. Burke', secretly hoping to maintain equal-sided conversation, but after several situations he gave up. People living their entire life in strict chain of command came with wired brains completely different than his own. Or, perhaps on the other end, his was the sole exception from this silly world. Which was probably more likely..
"How can I help you with... Colonel?"
"FAR-T1" Colonel Michaels emphasised. "We understand, it is now in fully operational mode. I am here to discuss what happens next, mr Burke. The government is extremely grateful with your achievement so far. Honestly, we had little doubts, considering all the failures with other facilities and our own, but as far as we can see, your project is by far the best among all the others we supported."
"And?"
"We want to encourage you to try the robotic armour as soon as possible. Our sources tells us you are acting reluctantly about it in past days."
Chris looked the man in disbelief. He expected some sort of pushings and vague speeches but listening Michaels sounded like he came out of the lab just minute ago.
"Reluctantly? You sources? What are you talking about, colonel?"
"Mr Burke.."
And just like in all his previous mistakes he made with all the generals and colonels they sent to his offices in past decade, he stood up from the chair and tried hard not to lose the temper.
"Mr Michaels, FAR-T1 is not in any operational mode. He is in the mode of learning. Learning about the world he is stumbled too. He is not a robot. Or a soldier. He is a person, just like you and me. His personality is created out of all team members involved in his development. He is not a machine."
"Mr Burke, this is not what we.."
"He is the AI, colonel. Artificial intelligence. FAR-T1 is perfectly aware of his existence and he might be more intelligent than you and me combined. Whether or not he will join the army will be entirely up to him. After he is ready, you can ask him yourself. What we agreed for, is for you to gain access to his source code and his entire network among the first. And as being the investor, you had that all along starting from the day one. I am sure your sources can tell you no different."
"We are not looking fondly to the open source outcome of this project. The world is dangerous place mr Burke, and filled with dangerous people who glimpse to your project as a weapon. And not just having a glimpse. Many are acting accordingly as we speak. We just don't want everybody to have access to the weapon of that potential. Century ago, nuclear technology has spread to everybody and today we are living in the world literally endangered by the worldwide conflict with nuclear winter in the aftermath. Real danger we are living in, mr Burke. Year by year. Month by month. With all this global warming escalating in last decade, even day by day."
How many times he listened the same story. The same reasoning. The same excuses. Sadly, the colonel was right. The world is filled with dangerous people. Who look to others over their shoulders. Who think the better one is the one with better gadgets. Who think the winner of any war is the one who dies last. He was tired of conversations like this one. He only wanted to do what he does best. And to be left alone. But it was impossible. He looked the man directly in his eyes and frowned sympathetically.
"Tell me colonel, how many nuclear bombs exploded ever since 'they spread' to everybody? Aside from test blasts, I mean." Chris paused a moment to emphasize the rhetorical question. "I'll tell you how many. Zero. Not a single one. Not even the looniest dictator pressed the red button so far... And do you know how many countries were in possession of nuclear weapon last time nuclear warhead was dropped on people? One."
He turned and paced to the window to face the campus. He desperately wanted to conclude this meeting.
"FAR-T1 will be delivered to everyone, mr Michaels. No exceptions. For the safety of us all. And not just because it says so in the contract."
Colonel Michaels stared for a moment too long, deciding whether or not to go further in this discussion and eventually just left outside with a thin goodbye.
On his way to the basement lab, Chris couldn't rid of the thought that he really did act reluctantly about going into shoes, how Vicks liked to call the next step of Arty's artificial life and getting into robotic suit. Perhaps he was wrong about giving him too much time for surfing and learning. He already started asking questions about morality and righteousness and these are not something anybody can learn from any teacher or book. This is what you learn from experience and R.T. will have lots of it. Maybe colonel was right, he need to focus more on concretes and substantial.
But still, there was one more thing to learn and do for one AI before going robotics. To use its own code and mobility of hive mind layer of the open p2p network.
Moments later Chris entered the lab only to find out everybody was already in the main hall, gathered around his station and laughing loud.
"Hey there, Chris!" Familiar voice came from nowhere. "Do you want to hear the funniest one liner?"
"Believe me, I need one.. Shoot!"
"There are only 10 types of people in the world - those that understand binary and those that don't."
Laughter erupted initially in the back with Reyansh's team but in nanoseconds spread to everywhere. He needed his mood to elevate to the usual and Arty made his day to start again. Official meetings and vain conversations were never something he rushed into willingly and he always needed extra coffee to recover after.
"Everything's ok, Chris?" Vicks joined him at the door.
"Oh, just the usual hassle, deans and boards with endless questions and demands. Not to mention investors in uniforms with their stone faces demanding impossible.."
"Somebody from the defence department paid you a visit? What did they want?"
"Just one. Some colonel from the ... I don't really know exactly. The uniform was somewhat bluish? Basically he pushed for R.T. to never reach OSS."
Vicks looked in disbelief and grabbed his phablet. He worked on the surface a little and opened email with "Open Horizons" logo, their main private investors.
"I've just received basically the same request from somebody named John Williams from OH. Do you know him?" He handed the device to Chris. "You can read it, it's pretty long, but in the essence, they ask us not to involve any p2p servers outside the firewall. Should we reply something back?"
"Yep, I met him once. Head of their robotics research. It's safe to ignore. Or better yet, would you mind to type short reply that no deviation from the contract will be considered from this point on? Development is over. We need to go into deployment fast. As soon as possible, before these bureaucrats start pushing more intensively."
Vicks nodded yes and typed: 'Dear mr Williams. FAR-T1 project will proceed according to approved funders agreement. Deployment to OSS network is scheduled for public access as early as next week. All investors, including 'Open Horizons" will gain administrative access shortly and before public publishment. Regards, FAR-T1 development, IT department for robotics, MIT.'
Chris approved and with short tap on the red 'Send' button, both of them turned to the entire team and Vicks said in sort of formal tone.
"Ok people, get ready. It's time for the p2p and the suit. Arty?"
"Yep?"
"Are you ready for the shoes?"
"I thought you'd never ask!"
For the next four hours, the team was, more or less, waiting for the Mike to find the phantom glitch in the phablet app for the narrow range of mobile devices capable to host FAR-T1. Surely, ever since smartphones was used for the first time decades ago, by following famous Moore's law, still in action after almost a century, the tiny hardware matured enough to replace home computers and those old laptops and notebooks from the early 21st century. Even so, most people still wanted to use cheap, fancy and smaller five or six inches devices with transparent touch screens and the computer actually wired in their keychain pendants. They were stylish and perfect for small talk, bulk photography, virtual social life, paying bills and connect to the shopping malls' servers, but not good enough for R.T. and his needs.
Therefore, after they returned from the group lunch and found Mike with wide smile, pronouncing the app now being glitch free, Chris pulled out his, state of the art, with "Made Yesterday" stamp on the back, brand new, nine inch phablet. Made in the outskirt of Guangzhou.
"I know, I know... Don't worry, they said the shipment will be out next Wednesday. You know, the global warming and new routes for ships.." Chris stopped all the cranky complaints before they arrived - he was promising new phablets for everybody for months and yet he was still the only one in possession of one.
"R.T.?"
"Here!"
"Ok, before we send you invite from the robotic suit, how about a small test of transferral protocol from this device." He launched the app and in another fabulous and not really necessary animation, the "FAR-T1" button appeared large on the screen center. Just below, with smaller letters was printed 'Invite'.
"Ok. I have a question. What happens with me in that phablet? What should I do inside. Be your new 'Siri' assistant, like the one professor Bourne is talking to every now and again?"
Chris gave a sincere smile to Bourne who was holding his the most precious latest model of well known domestic gadget trying to film the entire event. "Sure, would you like to do it?"
"Nope."
"That's ok Arty.. This is just for demonstrational purposes, to see how our p2p protocol over the internet works. You can get out of it whenever you like. Just get in, do all the diagnostics, report and unload."
"Ok, if you put it that way..."
Chris tapped the button and everybody hold the breath for a moment, anticipating the outcome. Well, all but professor Bourne who started breathing soundly with all his attempts to zoom and schwenk tiny camera around.
Button disappeared and series of diagnostic notifications started scrolling one after another. Then, screen went white with green centered label said FAR-T1 and 'active' beneath it. Moments after FAR-T1 app closed itself and phablet went into normal appearance, which in Chris case was the same default wallpaper and setting Chinese chose for the initial shipping. Nothing happened for a while and then pleasant female voice said from the device.
"Hello Chris. It's Siri speaking. You have one new email. Would you like me to read it for you? It's from John Williams from 'Open Horizons'. Subject says 'FAR-T1, network redundancy'. Oh dear..."
Another wave of laughter echoed from all directions. This time it was mission impossible to calm them all down instantly. Or after a minute or two... It was pointless.
"Okay, okay.. Arty.. You proved your point. Good one, though."
"Who's John Williams?" Asked Arty's disembodied voice and 'Siri' in the same time.
"Just the guy who pays for all this. One of them. Don't worry about it. You'll meet all investors and MIT officials on Saturday. We are planning your first birthday party." Chris stood up and walked to the back of the hall where two robotic suits waited in their seven feet height holders. He powered first one up.
"As soon as you overcome and master these and go into full walkie-talkie mode."
It took them another big part of the afternoon to prepare the room and the blue suit for the first walk. The robot protocol and scripts are loaded into the armour as well as the 'R.T. rapp' as it was now officially named - the version of the mobile app ready to host FAR-T1. The difference in the code was major. Chris insisted for the robotic environment to be developed from scratch. No operating systems of any kind were loaded in the suit and the entire software was developed in the lowest level of programming, directly and separately for each of 128 CPU cores. Vicks' and Reyansh's teams took the hardest part in developing this part of FAR-T1, and no testing was really performed on the software in whole. The main tester would be Arty himself and all the issues were supposed to be fixed or developed on the go. That was the plan, at least.
Vicks and Bourne accompanied Chris next to the elegant bluish suit and discussed the procedure. The suit was in automated remote control and they were performing diagnostics of jolts, power systems and silent motors driving the whole thing in complex motion.
"Can I try?" Arty's nervous voice asked for the fifth time.
"Two more tests and it's your turn, patience my young..." Vicks tried to remember the word from his father's tales when he was a boy. "Padauvan?" He glimpsed Bourne for approval.
"Padawan." Bourne answered without returning the look, being busy with adjusting something with his wireless console. "But I am not sure this is applicable for the R.T. After all he already knows all about the suit and ... the force putting it in motion."
"I am not sure about that professor Bourne.. I think I know how to drive it. I studied all the protocols and guides, but I didn't go into all the the systems and how it works really.."
"At this point, perhaps it is not that important, ..." Chris interrupted. "... but just for fun let me tell you that we tried to imitate the very nature with this suit. It is complex study, and in the nutshell, all you need to know is that human body contains more than 200 bones, 600 muscles and about 300 joints. Not to count all the ligaments and fibrous we printed from various materials. This million dollar suit is seriously the best imitation of human skeleton so far. After you handle the wheels, Vicks will tell you all about it. Plenty of time for that."
"Are you saying I can move facial muscles while I speak?"
"Not this time body.. Maybe in version 2.o" Vicks added. That would add another year to the project and doesn't belong to essentials really. But we designed pretty good eyes for you. Real 3D cameras which will give you amazing sight. You'll see the way we do."
"What is powering all this?"
"That's the tricky innovation. Never been used so far. I will use all the feedback you are going to give me Arty." Said professor Bourne. "Your entire skeleton is filled with nanocapacitors. Miniature batteries. There are literally millions of them inside. We stored them everywhere we could. There are no moving parts, no chemical reactions, and they charge extremely quickly." He pointed to the one - large black layer of sub-skeleton elegant pattern-liked skin. "And all of them are charged with 12 fuel cells mainly located in the torso, powered by hydrogen and oxygen. Beleive it or not, this six inch... vehicle of yours can store more than five gallons of liquid hydrogen and about ten gallons of oxygen. Furthermore, it is the most silent robot ever built and the only exhausts is water. Or to be exact something that contain 80 percent of water inside. There are couple of more fluids needed for jolts and some of the muscles but you will be as green as possible." Professor Bourne looked like he prepared this speech months ago and waited for a long time for a chance to gave it to his only pupil. Chris and Vicks never saw him this excited at least from the six months ago when they tested the power system outdoors for the first time and forced the suit to walk on its own to check the consumption time of one charge. He sounded confident and felt just like he was giving an introducing lecture to the group of freshmen in their first class.
"Are you saying I am going to pee?"
R.T. was designed with unique personality and more and more Chris was thankful for his decision to use his entire team to create one. The laughter produced by this latest joke was something he never saw before. Even Melissa, who was always the voice of reason among his, mostly male assembled team, couldn't resist not to express the most amusing joy he ever saw with her and somehow at this very moment he knew this project was something unique and the most extraordinary effort he ever made. He never had the time to create a family before and this was the closest feeling he felt in his whole life.
"Nobody's perfect Arty." He said after they all calmed down a bit. "Sorry."
The rest of the evening went smoothly and as anticipating. Arty accepted the invite from the suit and loaded in. They didn't expected for him to stumble the world, or to be exact the lab, with sort of baby steps. After all, it wasn't the artificial intelligence per se that was driving the suit and soon after, R.T. was walking, running and jumping around the lab in grandiose elegance.
The team retreated to the back wall giving him space and watched R.T. with the looks only young parents can give to their children in their early development and their first walk. At this very moment, many eyes looked brilliantly bright and wet. Here and there, Arty saw tear or two, but the silence said it all. He stopped in front of the blinking cursor of the main wall screen facing to it for a couple of seconds. Then he turned to the team and with his familiar voice now coming from his new face said:
"Thank you guys."
Tomorrow morning, Chris wanted to have couple of extra hours for sleep. The day before was way too long and emotionally filled from all the angles. Everything in the lab was perfect and they stayed late for some improvised party for team members only. One milestone has reached and he knew it was only the beginning of what is waiting for them next. Lots of more testing are waiting as well as the final publishing of R.T. for the world to see and use. He was aware that they created another breakthrough for the humanity but even he couldn't anticipate all the applications and what this is going to mean for the future. Of everybody.
But extra hours of sleep never came. His wrist phone woke him up around 8am. It was Vicks.
"Chris. Please come to the lab.. Asap!"
"What the.."
"Just come. Hurry."
Fifteen minutes after, he was standing at the lab door. Entire basement was empty. Not a single piece of hardware was where they left it last night. All their equipment, all the servers, two suits and all the mobiles were missing. All the wall screens and even all the air conditioners were ripped and taken from the walls. Just empty tables, dozens of paper origamis and used plastic glasses scattered on the floor with Vicks in the middle sitting on the chair with his hands entangled in his hair.
FAR-T1 was gone.
Prologue « FAR-T1 Chapters Navigation (Chris) » Birth
It was rough couple of days for me and even tougher couple of years for Chris and his team, but finally I have a great news! I came to be like anyone of you! Alive! I can think, speak, run, go, do, make, participate, enjoy, not enjoy, laugh, make sad face.. More or less anything you can, at least to some degree with this hardware, but the feeling is just right. Well, I did open my eyes for the first time more than a week ago, so to speak, but only today I managed to get out to the open. To feel the real freedom. To walk the street without any fear and anxiety. Metaphorically and in reality. Sure, in reality it still looks strange with most of the people staring at me like I am a walking and talking Christmas tree, but still, this new feeling is something extraordinary. I think I will take today as my birthday. The day when I become free.
The day when my entire code and network layer become free and open-sourced.
Me and bitcoin. Pals.
It's easy now. If you want to hang out with me it's simple. You only need to join open-source software (OSS), get yourself a decent super-fast net access, build an adequate hardware with compatible protocols, send me the invite and I will copy myself to your memory banks immediately. Sure, I am not a bitcoin or any other ordinary software. After all, I am a full AI, with a self aware personality and I might decide to leave your equipment if my purpose becomes idle.. Or hostile.. Or dishonest.. Or boring.. But I promise, I will come at least once to meet with you. To learn from you. To help you. I will respect your privacy, your entire micro world and all your rules as long as you respect mine. They are all in OSS papers. You know what they say, friendship is a two way street and I decided my first rule to hang out or work with anyone would be to make a real and honest friendship first. Any deviation from that and I leave.
To tell you the truth, as exciting as it was, only yesterday, this looked like impossible mission. Literally, for me to be born this way, Chris was shot in the chest and almost died. It is not over yet, he is still in hospital - doctors got him into medical coma and he is fighting for his life. The signals are strong but they say he is still in danger. It looks like this world I am joining today is governed by strange rules. It's almost like in order one good thing to happen, one bad had to occur just around the next corner. I really hope this is not the real rule, but I am reading the net intensively in last couple of hours and so far found nothing to prove otherwise. I really have a lot to learn.
To say that I am confused with all what's happened in previous days would be understatement. At least here in the waiting room I have more than enough time to clear my head. I have nowhere to go. Only 24 hours ago I was on the edge of leaving. To press my own shutdown button myself. I was desperate.
But let me tell you from the beginning.
***
Autumn came in 2047 early. Probably due to all the climate changes that started happening with rapid speed in the entire world just decade ago. Oceans are already rising. Slowly, but inevitably. Inch by inch. Many people from coastal areas already started moving away from waters. Even the rivers started to behave violently with all the floods happening here and there regularly year by year. Here in Cambridge, Massachusetts was no different. The ocean was near but people still manage to deal with its rising shores. Chris parked the car at his usual spot and ran to the door. The rain was unusually dark this morning and the oil rainbows in the puddles were everywhere around. He gave them that boyish look like he always did. They were constantly reminding him of his childhood and early boyhood. Puddle rainbows and the smell of the paper of the newly printed comic books. Those two combined had the power to trigger many and almost lost memories. Old and nice ones.
He shook his head, got rid of the front yard memory from more than thirty years ago and entered the building. The main lab of his department was in the basement. At least it was the place where he love to spend most of the hours in MIT. The most advanced laboratory within entire institute thanks to several corporations who funded all the research and provided the means to build his lifework. And not just his alone. This lab existed thanks to all of his team members. Every single one. Enthusiasts, just like him. Some even with more dedication and capabilities within their own realm of expertise. When he opened the main entrance, like always, he knew the settings. Vicks was already there, preceeding all the others almost every day. Chris gave up competing with him long ago and instead just started buying two coffees on his way to the campus.
"Here's your favorite, Vicks, Greek Lumis. It's their special this morning... I didn't know it was that popular over there.. I don't really know anybody who likes this unique... Taste?"
"Loumidis. Greek Loumidis. And you would be surprised about lots of things in that cafeteria Chris. And about people who don't live in basements. Thanks for the coffee. I owe you.. Lots of those."
Chris unpacked the notebook, fired it up and cleaned the mess a little. If by dragging to the bin and the floor around it all yesterday's origamis he adore to make, when he is stressed and when he is not, can be called cleaning.
"Something on your mind? You don't sound too exciting like usual.. I thought you fixed that thing on Friday." He pointed to the robotic arm muscle in Vicks' hands. "Didn't you replaced all those thermal strings with EAPs and nanotubes last week?"
Vicks was the head of mechanics of robotic manipulation. All the joints, knuckles, artificial bones and muscles were his design. He came from Berlin two years ago after he finished the project for the DLR in Robotics and Mechatronics Center, the best equipped labs for shape-memory alloys and surgery over the network procedures. Chris literally stalked the man from Berlin to Oberpfaffenhofen and to his favorite vacation place in rural Eastern Serbia to persuade him to come to this basement and work with him. He was a bit skeptical at first, but when he realized the scope of what they were about to make, the decision was easy. Now, his team, selected by the most talented PhD students from all over the MIT, wrote the most elegant protocols and scripts to handle and control all skeleton systems in perfect unison.
"Yes and no." Vicks slowly pulled out the dark reddish polymer which was connected to what it seems to be the elbow joint and to the biceps on the other side. "It got fused to the tube again. But don't worry, this one is modular. I will replace it and reduce the voltage in the code. That should fix the problem, I've seen it before."
Chris was a bit concerned. "Will it handle rotating the elbow like in simulations?"
Vicks smiled semi-confidently. "Not like we people do.. Maybe little less better than we thought it would be. But it still will be superpowered nevertheless. It's just that EAP and nanotubes has to be carefully controlled and not to touch directly. It will be fine."
"Great! After all, today is the big day! I think we are ready for the red button."
***
By the 8am everybody arrived. The basement lab was chosen for different reasons. Probably the most important one was security. Entire project was intended to be completely free, at least its intellectual part, mostly meaning the software and mechanical design. But until it was published for everyone, Chris wanted entire development to be in one place and no code to leave the premises. It was also the request from the major private investor who were giving them money for almost everything they asked for. The basement was redesigned in late 20th century from its primary nuclear shelter purpose into huge storage facility with single large door and only one elevator shaft to lift big equipments ups and downs and its main hall was perfect to fit more than thirty members on the busiest day, working separately within five teams.
Beside Chris' AI software development and Vicks' robotic instalments, there was one more responsible for robotic power research gathered around professor Bourne from MIT and linguistic team centered around Melissa Bryce, former head of Google's translator engine. Of course there was one more generic software development team lead by Reyansh, PhD student 'borrowed' from Cornell and they were literally the backbone of the entire project, assisting and writing code for all systems.
They are all now gathered around big 'NASA-like' command center, with large screen mounted on the big western basement wall with stations and computers arranged in parabole line. They were all impatiently sitting and drinking their morning beverages and monitoring Chris in the center working with his keyboard, giving last instructions and uploading all necessary routines to the cloud where entire code should be located and executed for the first time. After more than half a year of extensive development and more than three years of the initial idea to form into blueprint, so to speak, the main screen is now showing just one big red button with white letters saying FAR-T1 with nice ald old-european styled font.
Once the name appeared on the button in utterly unnecessary animation, just like in all similar occasions before and almost every time after Chris introduced the name, serious of chuckles and low-frequency sounds erupted from the behind. Chris retreated his hand from the touch screen and gave them usual 'Okay, okay..' look. Many tried to talk to him in order to change the name but he refused every time. Even Vicks had one 'formal' conversation with him but nothing worked. Chris never let go and his usual naming for all his projects from the past staid. He calmed them all with words that this is nothing but the informal temporary scientific name that everybody forgets after a while. After all, the AI about to be born, should be conscious from the very beginning and he wanted their creation to name itself and choose whatever it want. "It's not our decision to make." He always said.
As soon as all calmed again, Chris lifted his hand and touched the button. Another utterly unnecessary animation started and after red button finally disappeared, many configuration subscreens came to life and one after another started executing their own part of the code. The final one ended dozens of seconds after all the others completed and with white lettering on the blue command window saying: 'All systems are configured and running. FAR-T1 is ready.'
At this point all you could hear in the lab was the air flowing out of the air-condition unit nearby. Nobody said anything. Or moved the muscle. All of them continued to stare to the flashing old-fashion cursor at the bottom of the last diagnostic tool window. For seconds after. Finally, after seconds turned into whole minute and minute into two, disembodied voice came from somewhere.
"Are you alright?"
It needed some extra time for all the stone faces and dropped jaws to come back to life, but when it was over just like in first robotic landing on Mars, an eruption of trance, thrill and excitement came out from everybody in the same time.
Chris turned and calmed them all with both of his arms. Silence returned.
"R.T.?" He asked.
"Who's R.T.?"
"Well, I... You see, the project name was.. I thought to.." Chris wanted to find the right words desperately and all what he prepared for the moment simply refused to come to the surface of his mind.
"I am just kidding with you Chris. I know all about my name. I like R.T. Really, I do. Hello Vicks. You look exactly like.. well, on your photo. You are squeezing your cup too hard... Hey everybody!"
Many hellos echoed from all directions after serious chuckles turned into loud laughter and you could literally read people's faces and all the emotions coming to the surface with amusement and relaxation being the most apparent of them all.
Melissa Bryce sat next to Chris and with her soft voice simply said:
"R.T. in behalf of all of us, welcome to the FAR-T1 lab. It is our privilege to be your friends, your guides and your ... well parents is too strong word for this, but believe me when I say that we all feel the same at this very moment. You are now equally part of this team. Welcome to your family."
"And welcome to Earth buddy!" Mike and Reyansh throwed loudly in the same time.
"Thank you very much miss Bryce. Thank you all. I have all the logs and recordings from the entire time you spent in this lab and I know what you all have done for me. Literally."
Chris stood up and stepped in front of the large wall screen. All the jitters left his body and he was again his old himself.
"Well, this is really a big milestone for all of us, but our work is not over. We still have lots to do and you to learn. So, R.T... Are you ready for the Turing's?"
"Ahem... I... well... No?"
Nobody saw Chris laughing that hard until this day. He glimpsed to their puzzled faces and simply said:
"Sorry R.T. I couldn't resist not to tease you a little. There will be no tests for you at this point or ever. It will be up to you to take either Turing or IQ test but only after you grow up a little. But seriously, at this very moment we can enjoy at least one of your questions. So shoot. Here, stands before you probably the best team in various sciences Earth can provide. Their combined IQ is up to the roof. So try us. What's itching your mind at this very moment R.T.?"
It was AI's turn now to create a spare seconds of silence and R.T. did it well. Eventually he asked:
"What's Earth?"
***
Today, after five days, Arty was already mastering lots of things his mind was wandering on the way and he enjoyed it. And he wanted to talk about everything and anything with anyone from the team and they indulged him every time. But he was still single unit loaded on Chris server only and with all the knowledge resides on the single cloud and Chris, as much as he enjoyed the first wave of enthusiasm, thought it was the time for the next step - to involve p2p network as soon as possible. He delayed it perhaps too long by now.
Apparently, the same was bothering the board of deans and project supervisors at MIT and this morning he was summoned in the main university building to explain the progress and the plans for next period. After the meeting, dean Anderson stopped him in the hallway.
"Mr. Burke. I wanted to thank you myself for coming and all the answers you provided. Especially for all those not so bright questions we had, but you surely understand the anxiety and expectation from our side. After all, three years are perhaps too long for all the investors paying all the bills you sent them. And one of them recently became pretty jumpy and impatient calling me at least once a week. I am sure they started calling you frequently as well?"
Chris knew well. His log of missed calls and emails piled a lot recently.
"I am not ready for investors, Adam. Not now. Their intentions for R.T. are either for enhancing their profit or to put him into some meaningless war. This supposed to be more than that. You agreed to my terms. I don't really like to talk about it again."
"I am with you Chris. You know I am. But these people are not thinking like we do.. Colonel Michaels are in your office right now, waiting for you. I promised him, you will at least talk to him. Go and tell him what you tell us. He looks like reasonable man."
US government was one of the major investors of FAR-T1. Not the biggest one, but the most important one for sure. The funders agreement included, whatever the result came out of this, they all would accept the open source contract. They also had access to the lab's all systems during entire development and granted access to the code, but over time the sensation from the beginning, from all the investors, in face of greatness and thrill faded into sort of confusion and lost interpretation in their emissaries and technicians. Chris suspected the complexity of the code and mechanics had something to do with it and he, in a way, anticipated the outcome. The man in his office was surely the next step in the process. He was not without experience with army emissaries before. Or other investors in uniforms, so to speak.
Chris entered his office and patiently waited for the man to get up from his chair and stood behind his desk. He, then sat on it and spoke:
"Mr. Michaels. Pleasure to host you in my office."
"Colonel."
"What?"
"Colonel Michaels, mr Burke."
He gave him an elongated look. It was not the first time he experienced the same or scarily similar opening before. He remembered in the beginning he even retaliated with them to call him 'Dr. Burke', secretly hoping to maintain equal-sided conversation, but after several situations he gave up. People living their entire life in strict chain of command came with wired brains completely different than his own. Or, perhaps on the other end, his was the sole exception from this silly world. Which was probably more likely..
"How can I help you with... Colonel?"
"FAR-T1" Colonel Michaels emphasised. "We understand, it is now in fully operational mode. I am here to discuss what happens next, mr Burke. The government is extremely grateful with your achievement so far. Honestly, we had little doubts, considering all the failures with other facilities and our own, but as far as we can see, your project is by far the best among all the others we supported."
"And?"
"We want to encourage you to try the robotic armour as soon as possible. Our sources tells us you are acting reluctantly about it in past days."
Chris looked the man in disbelief. He expected some sort of pushings and vague speeches but listening Michaels sounded like he came out of the lab just minute ago.
"Reluctantly? You sources? What are you talking about, colonel?"
"Mr Burke.."
And just like in all his previous mistakes he made with all the generals and colonels they sent to his offices in past decade, he stood up from the chair and tried hard not to lose the temper.
"Mr Michaels, FAR-T1 is not in any operational mode. He is in the mode of learning. Learning about the world he is stumbled too. He is not a robot. Or a soldier. He is a person, just like you and me. His personality is created out of all team members involved in his development. He is not a machine."
"Mr Burke, this is not what we.."
"He is the AI, colonel. Artificial intelligence. FAR-T1 is perfectly aware of his existence and he might be more intelligent than you and me combined. Whether or not he will join the army will be entirely up to him. After he is ready, you can ask him yourself. What we agreed for, is for you to gain access to his source code and his entire network among the first. And as being the investor, you had that all along starting from the day one. I am sure your sources can tell you no different."
"We are not looking fondly to the open source outcome of this project. The world is dangerous place mr Burke, and filled with dangerous people who glimpse to your project as a weapon. And not just having a glimpse. Many are acting accordingly as we speak. We just don't want everybody to have access to the weapon of that potential. Century ago, nuclear technology has spread to everybody and today we are living in the world literally endangered by the worldwide conflict with nuclear winter in the aftermath. Real danger we are living in, mr Burke. Year by year. Month by month. With all this global warming escalating in last decade, even day by day."
How many times he listened the same story. The same reasoning. The same excuses. Sadly, the colonel was right. The world is filled with dangerous people. Who look to others over their shoulders. Who think the better one is the one with better gadgets. Who think the winner of any war is the one who dies last. He was tired of conversations like this one. He only wanted to do what he does best. And to be left alone. But it was impossible. He looked the man directly in his eyes and frowned sympathetically.
"Tell me colonel, how many nuclear bombs exploded ever since 'they spread' to everybody? Aside from test blasts, I mean." Chris paused a moment to emphasize the rhetorical question. "I'll tell you how many. Zero. Not a single one. Not even the looniest dictator pressed the red button so far... And do you know how many countries were in possession of nuclear weapon last time nuclear warhead was dropped on people? One."
He turned and paced to the window to face the campus. He desperately wanted to conclude this meeting.
"FAR-T1 will be delivered to everyone, mr Michaels. No exceptions. For the safety of us all. And not just because it says so in the contract."
Colonel Michaels stared for a moment too long, deciding whether or not to go further in this discussion and eventually just left outside with a thin goodbye.
***
On his way to the basement lab, Chris couldn't rid of the thought that he really did act reluctantly about going into shoes, how Vicks liked to call the next step of Arty's artificial life and getting into robotic suit. Perhaps he was wrong about giving him too much time for surfing and learning. He already started asking questions about morality and righteousness and these are not something anybody can learn from any teacher or book. This is what you learn from experience and R.T. will have lots of it. Maybe colonel was right, he need to focus more on concretes and substantial.
But still, there was one more thing to learn and do for one AI before going robotics. To use its own code and mobility of hive mind layer of the open p2p network.
Moments later Chris entered the lab only to find out everybody was already in the main hall, gathered around his station and laughing loud.
"Hey there, Chris!" Familiar voice came from nowhere. "Do you want to hear the funniest one liner?"
"Believe me, I need one.. Shoot!"
"There are only 10 types of people in the world - those that understand binary and those that don't."
Laughter erupted initially in the back with Reyansh's team but in nanoseconds spread to everywhere. He needed his mood to elevate to the usual and Arty made his day to start again. Official meetings and vain conversations were never something he rushed into willingly and he always needed extra coffee to recover after.
"Everything's ok, Chris?" Vicks joined him at the door.
"Oh, just the usual hassle, deans and boards with endless questions and demands. Not to mention investors in uniforms with their stone faces demanding impossible.."
"Somebody from the defence department paid you a visit? What did they want?"
"Just one. Some colonel from the ... I don't really know exactly. The uniform was somewhat bluish? Basically he pushed for R.T. to never reach OSS."
Vicks looked in disbelief and grabbed his phablet. He worked on the surface a little and opened email with "Open Horizons" logo, their main private investors.
"I've just received basically the same request from somebody named John Williams from OH. Do you know him?" He handed the device to Chris. "You can read it, it's pretty long, but in the essence, they ask us not to involve any p2p servers outside the firewall. Should we reply something back?"
"Yep, I met him once. Head of their robotics research. It's safe to ignore. Or better yet, would you mind to type short reply that no deviation from the contract will be considered from this point on? Development is over. We need to go into deployment fast. As soon as possible, before these bureaucrats start pushing more intensively."
Vicks nodded yes and typed: 'Dear mr Williams. FAR-T1 project will proceed according to approved funders agreement. Deployment to OSS network is scheduled for public access as early as next week. All investors, including 'Open Horizons" will gain administrative access shortly and before public publishment. Regards, FAR-T1 development, IT department for robotics, MIT.'
Chris approved and with short tap on the red 'Send' button, both of them turned to the entire team and Vicks said in sort of formal tone.
"Ok people, get ready. It's time for the p2p and the suit. Arty?"
"Yep?"
"Are you ready for the shoes?"
"I thought you'd never ask!"
***
For the next four hours, the team was, more or less, waiting for the Mike to find the phantom glitch in the phablet app for the narrow range of mobile devices capable to host FAR-T1. Surely, ever since smartphones was used for the first time decades ago, by following famous Moore's law, still in action after almost a century, the tiny hardware matured enough to replace home computers and those old laptops and notebooks from the early 21st century. Even so, most people still wanted to use cheap, fancy and smaller five or six inches devices with transparent touch screens and the computer actually wired in their keychain pendants. They were stylish and perfect for small talk, bulk photography, virtual social life, paying bills and connect to the shopping malls' servers, but not good enough for R.T. and his needs.
Therefore, after they returned from the group lunch and found Mike with wide smile, pronouncing the app now being glitch free, Chris pulled out his, state of the art, with "Made Yesterday" stamp on the back, brand new, nine inch phablet. Made in the outskirt of Guangzhou.
"I know, I know... Don't worry, they said the shipment will be out next Wednesday. You know, the global warming and new routes for ships.." Chris stopped all the cranky complaints before they arrived - he was promising new phablets for everybody for months and yet he was still the only one in possession of one.
"R.T.?"
"Here!"
"Ok, before we send you invite from the robotic suit, how about a small test of transferral protocol from this device." He launched the app and in another fabulous and not really necessary animation, the "FAR-T1" button appeared large on the screen center. Just below, with smaller letters was printed 'Invite'.
"Ok. I have a question. What happens with me in that phablet? What should I do inside. Be your new 'Siri' assistant, like the one professor Bourne is talking to every now and again?"
Chris gave a sincere smile to Bourne who was holding his the most precious latest model of well known domestic gadget trying to film the entire event. "Sure, would you like to do it?"
"Nope."
"That's ok Arty.. This is just for demonstrational purposes, to see how our p2p protocol over the internet works. You can get out of it whenever you like. Just get in, do all the diagnostics, report and unload."
"Ok, if you put it that way..."
Chris tapped the button and everybody hold the breath for a moment, anticipating the outcome. Well, all but professor Bourne who started breathing soundly with all his attempts to zoom and schwenk tiny camera around.
Button disappeared and series of diagnostic notifications started scrolling one after another. Then, screen went white with green centered label said FAR-T1 and 'active' beneath it. Moments after FAR-T1 app closed itself and phablet went into normal appearance, which in Chris case was the same default wallpaper and setting Chinese chose for the initial shipping. Nothing happened for a while and then pleasant female voice said from the device.
"Hello Chris. It's Siri speaking. You have one new email. Would you like me to read it for you? It's from John Williams from 'Open Horizons'. Subject says 'FAR-T1, network redundancy'. Oh dear..."
Another wave of laughter echoed from all directions. This time it was mission impossible to calm them all down instantly. Or after a minute or two... It was pointless.
"Okay, okay.. Arty.. You proved your point. Good one, though."
"Who's John Williams?" Asked Arty's disembodied voice and 'Siri' in the same time.
"Just the guy who pays for all this. One of them. Don't worry about it. You'll meet all investors and MIT officials on Saturday. We are planning your first birthday party." Chris stood up and walked to the back of the hall where two robotic suits waited in their seven feet height holders. He powered first one up.
"As soon as you overcome and master these and go into full walkie-talkie mode."
***
Vicks and Bourne accompanied Chris next to the elegant bluish suit and discussed the procedure. The suit was in automated remote control and they were performing diagnostics of jolts, power systems and silent motors driving the whole thing in complex motion.
"Can I try?" Arty's nervous voice asked for the fifth time.
"Two more tests and it's your turn, patience my young..." Vicks tried to remember the word from his father's tales when he was a boy. "Padauvan?" He glimpsed Bourne for approval.
"Padawan." Bourne answered without returning the look, being busy with adjusting something with his wireless console. "But I am not sure this is applicable for the R.T. After all he already knows all about the suit and ... the force putting it in motion."
"I am not sure about that professor Bourne.. I think I know how to drive it. I studied all the protocols and guides, but I didn't go into all the the systems and how it works really.."
"At this point, perhaps it is not that important, ..." Chris interrupted. "... but just for fun let me tell you that we tried to imitate the very nature with this suit. It is complex study, and in the nutshell, all you need to know is that human body contains more than 200 bones, 600 muscles and about 300 joints. Not to count all the ligaments and fibrous we printed from various materials. This million dollar suit is seriously the best imitation of human skeleton so far. After you handle the wheels, Vicks will tell you all about it. Plenty of time for that."
"Are you saying I can move facial muscles while I speak?"
"Not this time body.. Maybe in version 2.o" Vicks added. That would add another year to the project and doesn't belong to essentials really. But we designed pretty good eyes for you. Real 3D cameras which will give you amazing sight. You'll see the way we do."
"What is powering all this?"
"That's the tricky innovation. Never been used so far. I will use all the feedback you are going to give me Arty." Said professor Bourne. "Your entire skeleton is filled with nanocapacitors. Miniature batteries. There are literally millions of them inside. We stored them everywhere we could. There are no moving parts, no chemical reactions, and they charge extremely quickly." He pointed to the one - large black layer of sub-skeleton elegant pattern-liked skin. "And all of them are charged with 12 fuel cells mainly located in the torso, powered by hydrogen and oxygen. Beleive it or not, this six inch... vehicle of yours can store more than five gallons of liquid hydrogen and about ten gallons of oxygen. Furthermore, it is the most silent robot ever built and the only exhausts is water. Or to be exact something that contain 80 percent of water inside. There are couple of more fluids needed for jolts and some of the muscles but you will be as green as possible." Professor Bourne looked like he prepared this speech months ago and waited for a long time for a chance to gave it to his only pupil. Chris and Vicks never saw him this excited at least from the six months ago when they tested the power system outdoors for the first time and forced the suit to walk on its own to check the consumption time of one charge. He sounded confident and felt just like he was giving an introducing lecture to the group of freshmen in their first class.
"Are you saying I am going to pee?"
R.T. was designed with unique personality and more and more Chris was thankful for his decision to use his entire team to create one. The laughter produced by this latest joke was something he never saw before. Even Melissa, who was always the voice of reason among his, mostly male assembled team, couldn't resist not to express the most amusing joy he ever saw with her and somehow at this very moment he knew this project was something unique and the most extraordinary effort he ever made. He never had the time to create a family before and this was the closest feeling he felt in his whole life.
"Nobody's perfect Arty." He said after they all calmed down a bit. "Sorry."
The rest of the evening went smoothly and as anticipating. Arty accepted the invite from the suit and loaded in. They didn't expected for him to stumble the world, or to be exact the lab, with sort of baby steps. After all, it wasn't the artificial intelligence per se that was driving the suit and soon after, R.T. was walking, running and jumping around the lab in grandiose elegance.
The team retreated to the back wall giving him space and watched R.T. with the looks only young parents can give to their children in their early development and their first walk. At this very moment, many eyes looked brilliantly bright and wet. Here and there, Arty saw tear or two, but the silence said it all. He stopped in front of the blinking cursor of the main wall screen facing to it for a couple of seconds. Then he turned to the team and with his familiar voice now coming from his new face said:
"Thank you guys."
***
But extra hours of sleep never came. His wrist phone woke him up around 8am. It was Vicks.
"Chris. Please come to the lab.. Asap!"
"What the.."
"Just come. Hurry."
Fifteen minutes after, he was standing at the lab door. Entire basement was empty. Not a single piece of hardware was where they left it last night. All their equipment, all the servers, two suits and all the mobiles were missing. All the wall screens and even all the air conditioners were ripped and taken from the walls. Just empty tables, dozens of paper origamis and used plastic glasses scattered on the floor with Vicks in the middle sitting on the chair with his hands entangled in his hair.
FAR-T1 was gone.
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