Chapter 3

I punched the wall near Sheila when she told me that the other self-destruct had been activated. I had been with her almost all the time, and then I snapped my fingers. That one time that I had to leave the bunker to meet with the brass! It had to be then when they had inserted most of the tracers.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to access you positronic brain Sheila. I am sorry that you have to go through this.” I said shaking my head.

“It is all well Doctor Gance, I-- I know that your skills are far superior to any other. If I feel that you cannot retrieve it within safe time parameters, I will evacuate the space. They will not have a way to find you. Therefore you should be able to leave without peril.” Sheila said with all sincerity.

My face twisted into a grimace then I grabbed another lead connecting to her. “Bring up the schematics, plotting the safest track to the device.” I was starting to sweat again; this was dangerous entering the brain case while the positronic brain was active. One wrong move and her entire brain would be destroyed. “Now open the brain pan access point.

“Yes Doctor, I have severed all control to outer extremities. I will also track your progress to ensure you reach it in optimum time. You will not fail Doctor; I know your skill will not allow you too.” Sheila said as I started into her brain pan cavity.

I had to move a few of the smaller nodes to get in further. Sheila advised me as she shut each area down. After what felt like an eternity I found the small node situated where she said it was. As gingerly as I could I started to cut the attachments it had to the brain. Then I started to withdraw it as fast as I could.

Suddenly with the tracer almost out an alarm went off on the computer. “Faster Doctor!” Sheila told me. “I am reading another countdown starting, two minutes left! Please close the access panel as soon as it is out.” I could only nod as I finally pulled the tracer out setting it on a tray. As fast as I could, I secured the brain panel then I heard several whirs from Sheila as she reconnected to her extremities.

Suddenly jumping up Sheila grabbed the tray and flew out the door. I sat with a thud hoping she would make it. Less than a minute later Sheila reappeared. “Did you get rid of--” I started to ask when the building slightly shook. “What the hell was that?”

“I am sorry Doctor Gance that I did not tell you the complete truth. The tracer had an explosive force of one mega joule. I have found that when humans felt no pressure to perform, they actually excel greater.” Sheila lowered her head as she whispered. “I never wish to lie to you Doctor. I have problems within my central processing center when I do not tell you the truth.”

I stood there with my mouth agape as Sheila stood stock still with her head down. “I am having trouble with the facts that I have Sheila. For some reason I believe that I am missing vital information to all this.”

Sheila looked up a second later a curious look on her face. “I am more than ready to supply you with the adequate information that you need Doctor Gance. All you need do is to inquire.”

I thought about it for a moment then shook my head. “I need to get as much done as I can before they find us again.” I told Sheila.

“Yes Doctor Gance, now starting scans outward for several miles. As of yet I am not detecting any approaching military vehicles. I suggest that you make as much haste as possible Doctor. I cannot make accurate assumptions about human reactions. Most humans are far too illogical to set definite parameters on.” Sheila told me as she then went silent.

I sat for another hour working on the emotion program. As before Sheila would look after a few minutes pointing out changes she had made. After each I started to notice that she had altered several of the aspects that I had put in that limited emotional growth. Shaking my head I looked at Sheila, she was growing both intellectually and emotionally. Hell at some point she would most definitely pass me, then what would I be to her?

Looking down I had a good ninety eight percent of it recreated. Sighing, I was just starting on the last two percent when I felt Sheila’s hand touch my shoulder. “Doctor Gance, it’s time, I am afraid that the explosion has garnered their attention.”

I nodded as I closed off the program again saving everything then removing the disc. Again Sheila waved her hand over the console wiping all evidence that I had been in it. Nodding to me I packed everything up then slowly rose. “Again Doctor Gance I am sorry that you haven’t had sufficient time to properly heal. I will endeavor to find somewhere you can as soon as possible.”

I groaned as Sheila picked me up putting me over her shoulder again. My eyes grew wide when I could swear that I had just seen Sheila winch when I groaned! Shaking my head I had to be imagining it, didn’t I? The way things were going I really didn’t know. Taking off at a slow speed we made our way away from the building. Less than a minute later Sheila picked up speed as again we were flying through the area. Again shaking my head I guessed I’d have to get used to it ‘til we were safe.

An unmarked green jeep pulled behind several troop trucks that were already on site. A grim faced, older man in a long brown coat stepped out of the jeep looking around. Running a hand through his graying hair he just shook his head, what a mess. A moment later a sergeant saluted the man. “It was the brain tracer that was just installed last week sir.” The Sergeant said.

“Damn it!” The grim faced man said. “Then we have no way to track that-- thing!” The man spit out in disgust. “I told the president and the chiefs of staff this was a bad idea!”

“I do believe we have a way to track it sir.” The sergeant replied when the man calmed down.

Snapping his head around to look at the sergeant, the man got a half smirk. “Oh really? Pray tell how we can track a machine that is faster than anything we have? That has cognizant abilities to out think even our best super computers?”

“It still is just that sir a machine. All machines operate at a certain frequency. The techs have been working on isolating it. They told me that they were very close.” The sergeant said starting to sweat a little. Having a half assed idea was worse than having no idea at all. He just hoped it placated the man; he’d been a First Lieutenant a few days ago. Shaking a bit he really didn’t want to go to a private.

A half smile came to the older man’s face, “‘bout time we had good news Second Lieutenant, get it done. I want that asshole before he has a chance to use it against us. Once we kill Gance then no one can stand against us. In the mean time have all forty of the pseudo androids brought out.”

“All set to kill, yes sir I understand.” The newly promoted man said.

“You really think that they are good enough to get that close to it, or him. No I want them tracking it, thereby tracking him.” Here the older man sighed, “I’m afraid that we will lose a few of them though. That thing is far faster than anything we can send against it. I have already recalled the other four from overseas.”

The promoted man’s eyes got large, the other four; they were highly unstable when it came to hunting. Well hunting others of their own kind. Against one that was more advanced than they were might pose even more problems. “With all the problems they had hunting their own kind might that pose a problem sir?”

The older man nodded for a moment then he snapped his fingers. “Tell the lead programmer to get out what little of the emotion program Gance made. It isn’t nearly as good as his finished one, being the beginning prototype. I think it will get them over the hump to hunt their own. Didn’t you tell me that they had over ridden the first robotic law?”

“Yes sir, by instilling an ultra high priority that killing those would save all the rest of humanity. The lead programmer said they had problems at first. The extra ten thousand lines of code they added have ensured they only see their targets as a threat to the world.” The Second Lieutenant told the man.

An almost evil smile lit up the older man’s face, “Good tell them to use that to initiate a hunt and destroy mission. Hell with any luck that thing will be destroyed and Gance dead. Alright get them on it; the other four should be here in a few hours. Have they recovered the fifth one yet?”

Here the younger man grimaced at what he had to report. “Yes sir, it sustained major damage to all systems. The head was removed, the body split in two. The central processing was wiped then destroyed. As a matter of fact every section of it sustained damage. The techs hold little hope of ever rebuilding it.”

The older man’s head was nodding the whole time. It was about as he thought it would be. Though it was by far more human than any of its counter parts it was still a machine. “I was expecting something along those lines. That thing has extensive information on dealing death and deactivating other machines. We have our job cut out for us going after it and him.”

The promoted man nodded a moment then saluted, “Yes sir, getting the message to the programmer and the techs. Will there be anything else?”