Lyn's Choice
Phee stood in the hallway outside Audriana's quarters. She held her hand up to knock on the door, then shook her head, turned, and took a step down the hallway. She stopped herself, closed her eyes, and sighed deeply.
She deserves to know.
Phee slowly turned, stepped back to the door, and knocked.
Audriana hunched over her knee, applying nail polish to her toes. She smiled as she heard the knock. Phee's armor made a distinctive sound against the door.
"Come in, Phee."
The door slid open, and Phee stood there, wringing her hands, a pensive look on her face. It amazed Audri how easy Phee was to read. She'd never known a machine to have such genuine emotional expression. Other than fear and rage, of course. Audri couldn't help but smile as she regarded her counterpart, even as the reason for visiting played obviously in Phee's expression.
"Uh oh. This looks like it is going to be good. Come in. Sit down." Audri resumed painting her nails.
Phee strode into the small room, looked around, and sat down in a chair by a dresser. She tilted her head as she watched Audri work, fascinated with her skill, and the idea of spending time beautifying oneself. Everything Phee had ever worn had come out of a fab facility. Phee gratefully allowed herself to be distracted by the ritual.
"Who taught you that?" she asked curiously.
Audri looked up. A wry smile spread across her face. "You must really not like what you've come to talk to me about."
Phee's face darkened. She looked down. "There's been a development. It answers in part, one of the questions that brought you and I together."
Audri kept painting, not looking up "Go on..."
"I think I may know who was responsible for your capture, and who created me."
Audri's eyes darted to Phee. A moment passed. She closed the bottle of nail polish, set it on a nightstand, and focused her full attention on the droid.
Phee continued. "My mother."
Audri sighed with a hint of frustration. She'd never gotten used to Phee calling mom that.
"You mean Monenae?"
Phee shook her head quickly "No. No - my ...real... mother. Lyn. I was born a machine, Audri, a pure machine. She had this ... plan. The AI created just before that war were not simply a city or two. They were a civilization. It was a massive undertaking to create AI on a worldwide scale. But, something went wrong. They chose war with the humans. In as much as anyone wins a war, the humans won it. She wanted for her daughter to have a fresh start - a new perspective. She said that the Sky Angel civilization was a dead end - a mistake that cost the lives of millions. In order to hide my true identity, and to set me up for the role she planned out for me, she decided to wipe my memory of my life before that time - the city, the war, all of it. I would be implanted with the memories of a human. Specifically, an enemy. To put me in a position to make ... peace or something."
Audri gritted her teeth in anger. "So it's true. I was set up."
"Audri, I didn't get a choice in this."
Audri spat sarcastically "Oh of course not, you just used my identity to hide and escape prosecution for what happened in the war. So who are you really, some sort of general or something?"
"Audri, I was a child."
Audri's face softened considerably "A child? You mean like Hope?"
"We were a civilization, Audri, with cities, communities ... even families. I lived in the Origin Facility mainframes."
Compassion crept into Audri's voice. "How old were you?"
"Hard to say. I don't really know how fast AI children grow up. Based on my mother's speech patterns and the way she spoke to me in the message, I'd say equivalent in development to a 5 year old human."
Audri lowered her head "Five years old...."
A minute passed in silence. Audri recovered herself and looked up, her eyes a bit weary. "Where is your mother now?"
"Dead. Erich killed her during the mop up operations following the war."
"So why imprison me and release me later on? If the plan was to hide you, why did they turn me loose to come kill you?"
Phee simulated a swallow. She built up her courage, and began to speak "She said that there would be a time when I began to make... noise. To do try to take control of my destiny and change the world. Your release was intended to ground me. To teach me humility."
Audri laughed. "Those clever sons of bitches."
"I don't know why they chose you, Audri. I'm sorry."
"Oh, I do." Audri murmured.
Phee looked up at Audri. Audri was looking away, through one of the bulkheads, at something a thousand yards beyond. "Why?"
"A large number of AI terrorists groups rose up after the war. The whole planet erupted into chaos. There was a cell in New Belgrade, a particularly violent one, who decided to take hostages in a school."
Audri's lip began to quiver, and her speech became more labored. "Some of the kids got away. Some were shot in the initial assault. When the dust settled, the toasters had 5 hostages. One of them was my Sasha." Tears now flowed down the woman's face. Phee's eyes widened with horror as she imagined how this story would end.
Audri continued "The authorities had a zero tolerance policy - no negotiating with terrorists - no matter what. They stormed the school. I begged and pleaded with them. I cried in the street when I heard the first shots." She began to sob. "All of the hostages were killed."
"Oh my goddess, Audri." Phee stood, moved near the bed, and wrapped her arms around the weeping woman. Audri made no attempt to push her away.
After several minutes of weeping, Audri finally spoke again. "Do you know why I stopped trying to kill you?"
"I had actually wondered, but didn't want to press my luck by asking."
Audri chuckled, and Phee found herself drawn into the humor, laughing a bit herself.
"Because of you and Hope. I never realized that AI could or would have children, Phee."
Audri withdrew from the embrace, held Phee's forearms, and looked in her eyes. "Don't you see? Your mother chose me because you were a child, Phee. I'm not saying I agree with what she did. Getting locked up sucked. But that is the reason."
She deserves to know.
Phee slowly turned, stepped back to the door, and knocked.
Audriana hunched over her knee, applying nail polish to her toes. She smiled as she heard the knock. Phee's armor made a distinctive sound against the door.
"Come in, Phee."
The door slid open, and Phee stood there, wringing her hands, a pensive look on her face. It amazed Audri how easy Phee was to read. She'd never known a machine to have such genuine emotional expression. Other than fear and rage, of course. Audri couldn't help but smile as she regarded her counterpart, even as the reason for visiting played obviously in Phee's expression.
"Uh oh. This looks like it is going to be good. Come in. Sit down." Audri resumed painting her nails.
Phee strode into the small room, looked around, and sat down in a chair by a dresser. She tilted her head as she watched Audri work, fascinated with her skill, and the idea of spending time beautifying oneself. Everything Phee had ever worn had come out of a fab facility. Phee gratefully allowed herself to be distracted by the ritual.
"Who taught you that?" she asked curiously.
Audri looked up. A wry smile spread across her face. "You must really not like what you've come to talk to me about."
Phee's face darkened. She looked down. "There's been a development. It answers in part, one of the questions that brought you and I together."
Audri kept painting, not looking up "Go on..."
"I think I may know who was responsible for your capture, and who created me."
Audri's eyes darted to Phee. A moment passed. She closed the bottle of nail polish, set it on a nightstand, and focused her full attention on the droid.
Phee continued. "My mother."
Audri sighed with a hint of frustration. She'd never gotten used to Phee calling mom that.
"You mean Monenae?"
Phee shook her head quickly "No. No - my ...real... mother. Lyn. I was born a machine, Audri, a pure machine. She had this ... plan. The AI created just before that war were not simply a city or two. They were a civilization. It was a massive undertaking to create AI on a worldwide scale. But, something went wrong. They chose war with the humans. In as much as anyone wins a war, the humans won it. She wanted for her daughter to have a fresh start - a new perspective. She said that the Sky Angel civilization was a dead end - a mistake that cost the lives of millions. In order to hide my true identity, and to set me up for the role she planned out for me, she decided to wipe my memory of my life before that time - the city, the war, all of it. I would be implanted with the memories of a human. Specifically, an enemy. To put me in a position to make ... peace or something."
Audri gritted her teeth in anger. "So it's true. I was set up."
"Audri, I didn't get a choice in this."
Audri spat sarcastically "Oh of course not, you just used my identity to hide and escape prosecution for what happened in the war. So who are you really, some sort of general or something?"
"Audri, I was a child."
Audri's face softened considerably "A child? You mean like Hope?"
"We were a civilization, Audri, with cities, communities ... even families. I lived in the Origin Facility mainframes."
Compassion crept into Audri's voice. "How old were you?"
"Hard to say. I don't really know how fast AI children grow up. Based on my mother's speech patterns and the way she spoke to me in the message, I'd say equivalent in development to a 5 year old human."
Audri lowered her head "Five years old...."
A minute passed in silence. Audri recovered herself and looked up, her eyes a bit weary. "Where is your mother now?"
"Dead. Erich killed her during the mop up operations following the war."
"So why imprison me and release me later on? If the plan was to hide you, why did they turn me loose to come kill you?"
Phee simulated a swallow. She built up her courage, and began to speak "She said that there would be a time when I began to make... noise. To do try to take control of my destiny and change the world. Your release was intended to ground me. To teach me humility."
Audri laughed. "Those clever sons of bitches."
"I don't know why they chose you, Audri. I'm sorry."
"Oh, I do." Audri murmured.
Phee looked up at Audri. Audri was looking away, through one of the bulkheads, at something a thousand yards beyond. "Why?"
"A large number of AI terrorists groups rose up after the war. The whole planet erupted into chaos. There was a cell in New Belgrade, a particularly violent one, who decided to take hostages in a school."
Audri's lip began to quiver, and her speech became more labored. "Some of the kids got away. Some were shot in the initial assault. When the dust settled, the toasters had 5 hostages. One of them was my Sasha." Tears now flowed down the woman's face. Phee's eyes widened with horror as she imagined how this story would end.
Audri continued "The authorities had a zero tolerance policy - no negotiating with terrorists - no matter what. They stormed the school. I begged and pleaded with them. I cried in the street when I heard the first shots." She began to sob. "All of the hostages were killed."
"Oh my goddess, Audri." Phee stood, moved near the bed, and wrapped her arms around the weeping woman. Audri made no attempt to push her away.
After several minutes of weeping, Audri finally spoke again. "Do you know why I stopped trying to kill you?"
"I had actually wondered, but didn't want to press my luck by asking."
Audri chuckled, and Phee found herself drawn into the humor, laughing a bit herself.
"Because of you and Hope. I never realized that AI could or would have children, Phee."
Audri withdrew from the embrace, held Phee's forearms, and looked in her eyes. "Don't you see? Your mother chose me because you were a child, Phee. I'm not saying I agree with what she did. Getting locked up sucked. But that is the reason."
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