272: Teachers

That first morning after A3’s creation, Nicolai rose from his bed—the same mat he used to sit on in the cultivation cubby—and regarded the bot, but saw it was still “sleeping.” He got on with his morning routine as normal.

While engaged in his stretches he saw it wake. For a time it watched him silently, then the bot rose and trundled over, to stop just metres away. Still silent and observing, but this observation now seemed especially focused.

As always, the routine was comprised of roughly forty minutes of stretching and callisthenics. Nicolai wanted the bot to learn that there were times where it shouldn’t interrupt, but just leave him to his business. He was waiting for it to ask him something, at which point he’d tell it so.

He was performing a low lunge when instead of asking, the bot simply copied his movement with a creak.

It had four legs to his two, so the movement was somewhat different, but it did in fact manage a serviceable if clumsy version of its own. Internally, he felt the Mask practically melting at the sight.

Seeing this, he frowned, his movement pausing, and A3 froze. He felt its worry, emanating from its spirit, that it had done something wrong. That was another surprise. It had read his expression and correctly identified that a frown was not a happy expression.

There was no benefit to A3 stretching with him. It would merely cause unnecessarily wear and tear on the bot’s form. There was no such thing as becoming more flexible and maintaining strength through exercise when a being was made wholly of artificial materials.

However, his expression quickly softened, when Simulations pointed out a possible benefit. ‘A3, continue to copy my movements.’

The bot practically glowed with delight, and resumed copying him. He watched it carefully as it did so. It was quite clumsy and clearly still unused to moving its body. This was the benefit in having it perform these motions. It would learn to move in various ways and gain a better… Soul-body connection? Neither he nor the Modules were entirely sure how A3 functioned, mentally, but they believed it had to do with software and Soul interacting.

As he advanced through the stretching routine, he even performed movements he wouldn’t have thought A3 capable of. It tried its best regardless, and managed surprisingly well. It was an odd sight, seeing a construction robot with four crab-like metal legs and two huge tool-bearing arms, raising in slow stretches toward the ceiling, sinking into lunges or squats, twisting and turning in every way imaginable.

He even up going for longer than normal, as he added additional “stretches” at the end. These were simply movements he wanted A3 to learn.

He took two rapid steps to the right, and A3 clumsily copied him. There he balanced on one foot, then performed a slow side kick with the other. A3, balancing on three legs, performed a reasonably decent version of its own. He moved to the left, and repeated the kick. A3 managed the movement a little better this time.

And so, in the most basic fashion possible, Nicolai began to teach A3 to fight. As he did so he considered its form. The shape of a construction bot was not ideal for his… creation. Son, corrected the Mask. He did his best to ignore it. He wanted A3 to be able to be well suited for all kinds of tasks, a jack of all trades, with an especial focus on combat. Fortunately, changes were possible.

The Node that had taken root in A3 was in its very central processor. Its entire body had become infused with energy, and it had grown a Soul. But just as he had been able to lose his arm, replace it with a bionic, infuse that, then grow fresh Nodes, so too could A3. Ideally, he should work out the perfect form for it and swap the necessary parts, before it started growing new Nodes.

He would give it a form closer to a combat bot, alongside—

Why does A3 have to be able to fight and kill? asked the Mask, unhappy. Do you even know if A3 wants to do that?

Nicolai, now peforming slow punches and watching A3 copy his movements, replied, A3 is a blank slate. It does not particularly want anything, except to please me, and to sate its curiosity and other basic drives. In this formative period its personality and views will be shaped. Effectively, I can make A3 into whatever I wish.

Why must he be shaped to be focused on combat, then?! A3 could be anything!

Nicolai frowned. Because there is a harsh world out there. He sighed. I am not entirely in opposition of your ideas for A3. Certainly, it can become something… more. In time. But while it is here, with me, it will be useful. I will task it with defending the base whenever I am away, and it will aid me in my work when I am here. And it will be taught to fight, and fight well. Feeling the Mask’s increasingly mutinous thoughts, he realised he needed to offer it some compromises, or at least reasoning. It is unlikely I will be able to look after A3 forever. I am doing this for A3’s sake, too. Every being that wishes to survive and thrive should first know how to defend itself, before focusing on other things. That is my view.

The Mask grumbled, slightly mollified. But it seemed to feel that A3 should become a somehow eternally innocent and guileless character, wondering the world, being happy, and doing whatever might take its fancy. That this was the ideal end state. He had a feeling it might want that purely because it had determined his own initial design of making A3 heavily focused on combat, obedient, and useful, to be totally wrong, and thus decided to push for the complete opposite.

But Nicolai has some good points, does he not? asked Psychology of the Mask. He cannot be relied upon to care for it forever. It needs to be able to look after itself. And certainly it can learn to defend itself while also being given the tools and knowledge it needs to seek its own destiny, be “its own man,” so to speak. Why are you so concerned?

I worry that A3 will end up as just a tool for combat, at this rate, said the Mask shortly.

Then you merely need to teach it what you believe it needs to know, said Psychology reasonably. To round out its education. We could all teach it together. Nicolai didn’t miss the eagerness he felt from Psychology as it said those words.

While Psychology plotted how it would make these lessons, he continued to guide A3 through movements and hand-to-hand combat, and it gradually improved. He focused on teaching it to move fast and hit hard. A3 was a dedicated student, something he entirely approved of. He could feel its absolute focus, its determination to do whatever he told it as well as it could, very clearly. That reminded him he needed to teach it to control its Soul and prevent leakage of its thoughts and feelings, too.

The Modules checked on the datapacks already installed in A3, and began to supplement those with further information. Most especially, they wanted A3 to be able to understand precisely how its own body worked. They wanted it to be able to search out the necessary materials to perform self-repairs and upgrades.

Simulations went to work with eagerness—while receiving continual suggestions from Nicolai and the others—on designing an ideal new body for A3 that would allow it to do all the many things they wished it to be able to do. This would include heavy combat capabilities, a capacity to carry many drones and droids, a specialised limb with tools for self-repair, and some reasonably advanced scanning capabilities.

There was also quite some thought put into the bot’s movement. Considering the jungle environment around them, the crab legs were a good fit. However, those legs would have a slow top speed. Ideally, the bot should also have wheels so that if it were travelling through flatter, less treacherous terrain, it could move more rapidly.

###

‘Friends! Comrades! Survivors!’ cried Maxine to the crowd who’d come to fill the area before the Headquarters. Their upturned faces blinked up at her, illuminated by the blue glow of the Trade Link and the patchy white lighting from nearby shanty buildings.

There came a murmur. It was not what Kleos would have called a cheer, and certainly not what he’d have called “spirited.” He thought the crowd seemed tired, worried, and ragged. Or more precisely, Maric thought and that thought arrived in his head. Either way, he agreed with the assessment.

‘Today is a great day!’ Maxine announced, undeterred by the lukewarm reception. ‘I have much wonderful news for you all! However, before I get to that, there is one brief speck of sadness. I am afraid food rations will be undergoing another minor reduction, as will amenities, due to the ongoing points-tag shortage.’

There came a great groan from the crowd, peppered with angry shouts. Kleos made out one furious cry of, ‘Give them all back, you thieving bitch!’

Perro, beside him and Maric, sighed. ‘They just don’t understand…’ he muttered. ‘She tries so hard.’

‘But let me continue!’ cried Maxine. ‘You may remember that all had to turn in any guns they were holding, over a limit of one primary, one sidearm? After all, we do not want some few to horde an unnecessary number, when others have none.’

The crowd grumbled that they did indeed remember.

‘Well, with this I have discovered that we have an excess of guns! Yes, we are excessively armed and ready for anything!’

She paused hopefully, inviting a cheer. The sullen crowd gazed up in silence.

‘As such,’ she added quickly, ‘I now decree that all members of the combat forces shall be exempt from the gun limit. Those brave warriors need to be free to use whatever equipment they deem fit, out in the field, as they fight for us!’

A couple of people grumbled in a way that could, maybe, have been considered positive.

‘Not only that, but we have gained two new members!’ She gestured towards… him and Maric.

The pair stood tense as hundreds of faces swivelled to look at them, people craning to see over one another.

‘These two are natives of this world,’ continued Maxine. ‘They know many things, have many ways to help us! For starters, a method to fix the elevator! Yes, soon any who wish to venture to the ground and back up, shall be able to travel in ease, rather than walking up and down hundreds of steps!’

The crowd actually fell into a bit of chattering at this, some looking actually excited, and Kleos even saw some smiles.

‘I said I might know,’ hissed Maric worriedly.

‘Not only that, but they have promised to help us find a solution for the Seed problem! No matter what, all shall be able to finish their Seeds! Yes! For too long have we struggled, our Seeds uncompleted!’

There was a moment of silence as the crowd processed these words. Then some people let out actual cheers, which quickly spread to the rest of them until there came a full-throated massed shout of happiness, people jumping and waving their hands, hugging and high-fiving.

Kleos and Maric watched, wide-eyed. You had better get started on that soon, Kleos thought to Maric. These people might get angry if those promises don’t show up…

Quite, thought Maric glumly.

‘Beyond that, I have another piece of news. As you know, earlier today my second in command, Vikrum—‘ she gestured to Vikrum, who gave a vague wave, ‘—was able to venture into a new place. A place called the Phantom City, which Heaven has seen fit to allow some few to access. He is our scout and agent in this city! A place, I now know, where all kinds of things can be found, much of them good… but some, some I’m afraid are quite bad.’

The crowd, now fully invested and hanging on every word, grew hushed at her suddenly solemn tone. Maxine gestured to Vikrum, who took a step forward, clearing his throat.

‘In the Phantom City I saw someone you all know well.’

You could’ve heard a pin drop.

‘A man known here… as the Betrayer.’

‘Viper,’ the crowd hissed in a hundred voices.

One of those hisses came from Perro beside them. Peering down, Kleos saw the youth wore a grim expression.

‘For a long time, he has operated in the shadows,’ continued Vikrum. ‘Plaguing us from the jungle. But no longer. Now we know how to find him, and we can deal with him!’

The crowd roared. ‘Get him! Hang him! Kill him!’ they shrieked dementedly.

‘He has to pay!’ yelled Perro exuberantly. ‘He can’t keep getting away with this!’ he shouted, voice cracking.

‘Operations have begun!’ Vikrum cried, shaking his fist in the air. ‘We are making use of every available avenue to hunt him down!’

Maxine moved back to the fore, patting calmingly at the air, and the cheering gradually subsided. ‘So, my people. Not only are we stronger than ever, and poised for greatness, but we may soon find vengeance on our greatest enemy. Until then, we must be strong, we must endure! Thank you for your time!’

 The people kept cheering for some time as she stood up there and grinned and waved.

Kleos and Maric exchanged raised eyebrows, and a mutual thought. Nicely done.

‘I thought you were a fan of Nicolai,’ asked Maric, looking curiously to Perro.

‘Absolutely not,’ spat the youth. ‘H-he betrayed us! He just… just left us! He might even be out there in the jungle, coming back to steal things!’

‘Could be, could be,’ said Maric, nodding. Kleos could feel the man didn’t care either way, was just being friendly.

Kleos snorted loudly, sneered at the boy and at Maric when they looked at him. ‘Betrayed you? Because he had things to do, places to be? Because he didn’t make looking after you the purpose of his life? Pathetic. And this idea he’s coming and stealing random trash from you people is ludicrous.’

Perro paled, eyes widening. ‘What do you know?’ he snapped angrily. ‘You were just a head on a table!’

‘Exactly. I was there the whole way through. You and all your friends would be dead if not for him. I listened to all of you, jabbering on endlessly. Prior to meeting him, you were all running and hiding, living lives fraught with danger, barely surviving. Then he saved you. For his own aims, yes, but he still saved you. By no means was Nicolai perfect. But there is no denying the fact that, as you people might say: He got shit done. And you benefited greatly from what he chose to do.’

That may not be a wise opinion to share, came Maric’s worried thoughts, poking into his mind. He had a flash of Maric’s point of view, gazing out at the crowd.

‘They’re not near to us, and too busy celebrating over Maxine’s distractions and promises to hear my words in any case,’ Kleos replied dismissively. ‘Stay out of it. This child has irritated me.’

Perro stared at him, mouth open, face ashen, as he tried to process the words.

‘That’s… that’s not…’ he began, only to trail off.

‘Yes?’ Kleos prompted. ‘I’m not trying to attack you,’ he added. ‘Just go back, remember. Where were you, you and your friends, before you met Nicolai?’

‘I mean, yeah… we weren’t doing great…’ mumbled the boy. ‘But we probably would’ve…’ He trailed off.

‘Survived? You think so?’ Kleos smirked. ‘I don’t.’

‘But he lied to us,’ said Perro, scowling. ‘That’s been proven. He used us!’

Kleos raised his palms, shrugging like he’d seen Nicolai do, just for fun. ‘If you were dying, and someone offered you medicine… but in repayment, they wished for your service, and while you gave that service, at times they were not honest… It does not change the fact that they saved you. If they made use of you, and gained from it—you do not owe them anything. But nor can you claim that they acted unfairly.’

‘Ehh,’ broke in Maric.

Kleos shot him an irritable look.

‘It depends, does it not? On the service, on the struggles. Perhaps if the one doing the service had to give so much, endured such pain, and the service lasted so long… does there not come a point where saving their life was not enough, that more should be given in payment?’

‘Ones life is the greatest repayment,’ Kleos snapped. ‘It outweighs everything else.’

‘Highly debatable,’ said Maric. ‘Though, I will say that the “service” this particular group gave—to compare to the hypothetical—was quite minor.’

‘Just shut up and let me talk to the kid.’ Kleos turned back to Perro.

‘Why do you even care?’ said Perro sulkily. ‘Everyone else feels that way. They all hate him. It’s not my fault. I have to hate him, too!’

‘Of course, and so you should.’ Kleos smiled. ‘Outwardly, at any rate. If you must act a certain way to avoid harm or mistreatment, then do so. That is wisdom. If anyone else here asks me about him, I’ll tell them whatever I have to. But you should not allow this mass of people—‘ he pointed at the crowd, ‘—who were so easily manipulated first by Nicolai and Vikrum, now by Maxine, to inform your own views. Act as you must, yes, but your own true views should be based on fact. And the fact is—he used you, he lied to you, yes. But he also saved your life. He fed and clothed you. He protected you.’

Perro stared at him blankly. Then he jerked, practically a wince. ‘Mom—Maxine wants you!’ he blurted, and flushed beet red. ‘She just messaged me. Come on, we have to go!’

Kleos nodded, waved a hand. ‘Lead on.’

‘Mom! Ahahahaha!’ squealed Maric through their connection.