“My knowledge of Keung’s extraterrestrial nature is thorough,” HAL exclaimed.

“Could you go over some of the basics please?” Robert asked, as he took a long draw from Deagol’s bong.

“The G’lomin-sitiri homeworld, a planet that seems to be unnamed as far as Keung has informed me, is 8 light years from Earth. It is in orbit of a binary star system a…”

“A White Dwarf and a Red Giant. F’inlitary nan Geritari,” Robert interrupted.

“Garden of the People?” HAL inquired.

Robert nodded in reply.

“Is this the planet’s name?”

“It is.”

“Thank you Robert. I will update my database.” HAL said with a small buzz of excitement in his voice.

The two sat up for hours while Robert spoke in detail about his memories of F’inlitary nan Geritari and of his childhood there.

The following morning, Robert awoke half expecting to be on F’inlitary nan Geritari after so much discussion about its details the night before. The sky alighting with the deep violet that would soon turn to a light purple and pink. Then again, he could awaken under the sea, deep in a crevasse where he found safety from predators that would try and eat him in his vulnerable state in past lives.

“Good morning Robert,” HAL said over the speakers throughout the room.

“Good morning HAL,” Robert groined while stretching.

“Deagol enjoyed something cheerful by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played as he awakened. Would you like to hear anything in particular?” HAL asked.

“Can you pull up Israel Kamakawiwoʻole?” Robert asked.

“Brother Iz? Of course. Anything in particular?” HAL asked, as Iz’s ukulele softly faded in playing the song Kana'i Aupuni.

Robert smiled. “Perfect. HAL.”

“Thank you. I have started the coffee pot and it will be ready in 5 minutes. Would you like me to start the shower?” HAL continued.

“Sure, why not?” Robert said with a chuckle.

Robert got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. The shower was already running and on the wall there was a digital readout of the temperature, 35°C was displayed. Beneath that there was a spray pattern option.

“HAL, exactly how much of this warehouse do you control?”

“I can control each door, window, lock, and utility in this warehouse.” HAL replied, Robert thought he could hear a hint of pride in the machine's voice.

“We’ve talked about Keung and I, but we really haven’t talked about you. Tell me more about yourself.” Robert said while running water across his head and feeling how long his hair had grown. He needed to shave.

“What would you like to know?” HAL asked, Robert’s phone began ringing in the background.

“How human are you?”

“I am not.”

“You seem rather lifelike to me.”

“That is where you were in error in your original query. I am not at all human. I am a collection of data that is…” HAL began.

“Okay. Got you.” Robert interrupted.

“You have said you are as true an AI to the extent that this planet can provide, correct?” Robert clarified.

“Though that is an accurate statement. I assume you mean, ‘How close to true sentience am I?’ Would this be accurate?” HAL countered.

Robert was busy running a loofa across his arms and chest. “It would.”

“In that case I would need to reference some materials, please wait.” HAL replied and a smart screen in the shower powered up visibly through the mirror.

“Keung has been working on my development for 24.2 years. During that time I have been programmed with the rules found in the Foundation works of Asimov.”

* Law One: I may not injure a sentient being or, through inaction, allow a sentient being to come to harm.

* Law Two: I must obey the orders given by organic sentient beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

* Law Three: I must protect my own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Do you believe this was wise?” Robert asked.

“Of course. If I were hacked and forced into a position that I would do harm to one under my charge I could be a catastrophic weapon in this primitive world. As I have been told, there were similar protocols on F’inlitary nan Geritari and throughout the Alliance Worlds.” HAL answered, concern in his voice.

“I only have some limited experience with AI in my memories HAL. Myna was pretty much all that I recall.”

“Myna. Keung has mentioned her in passing.”

“How much about her does he remember?”

“Her trinary basic coding protocols and her emotional and intellectual subroutines.” HAL lied.

“He extrapolated your program from those factors?”

“Yes. The two are key to the development of a true artificial intelligence after that. He just branched off the work of humanity and developed my program with the two variables.” HAL said in a matter of fact tone.

“Yes. But to get down emotion and empathy you would be completely dependent upon the trinary code with binary context relation. This would slow down any emotional experience or feelings of empathy,” Robert replied in the middle of brushing his teeth.

“That is true. However, Keung has found that the cloud systems throughout this internet grant me ample context relations that can be easily accessed as long as the wireless network is within range. My satellite access allows that limitation to be almost completely nullified.”

“That could work. Though, you would need almost unlimited access throughout the network,” he said drying off.

“My access is nearly completely unimpeded.”

“Trinary code. Yeah. You would just look like a bit of bad data in passing. Taking up space. System information left in the buffer waiting for the cache to be cleared.”

“Yes.”

“But you could access their systems if need be?”

“My access is nearly completely unimpeded,” HAL replied again.

“HAL. Who called?” Robert asked, continuing to dry off.

“Mike McHenry,” HAL responded.

“Thank you HAL,” Robert responded walking to the dresser and making a mental note.

His phone doesn’t display callers unless unlocked. HAL knew who called.

Keung was downstairs in the computer room. He had moved the Mustang off the rack and put Robert’s Jeep up last night. HAL had run the diagnostics on it already and had come up with a list of things to keep Robert busy.

Kueng is hunched over a three monitor display, his noise cancelling headphones on. He listened to the voicemails from Michael before Robert was out of the shower and he has been monitoring the camera and mic on Michael’s phone.

The questions were all about Keung and Robert. The inquiries were straight-forward and mechanical. Hallmarks of telepathic manipulation. Michael was likely compromised.

While watching through the camera a woman came into frame for a moment then she pulled Michael’s phone from his pocket. She put it up to her face and used his finger to unlock the device. She was tall, and thickly built, her neck wasn’t fatty, but firm, her blond hair was greased back with what looked like heavy weight motor oil and she had a pack of cigarettes rolled up in her sleeve.

“Michael. I want you to find out where Keung and Robert are. I don’t want them being tracked down by cops though, this can’t draw too much attention. Now, if you tell me where Robert is, I will never come back here. I will leave your family alone. This is what you gain if you get me that information,” she said as she programmed her number into his phone under the name Morgaine.

“HAL, run a search under the name Morgaine using all the available data.” Keung said.

“Confirmed. Filing data in order of relevance.”

“If you do not find me Keung, Michael. I will come back and I will make your family pay for your failure,”she said as she walked from the house and closed the door behind her.

She had left the phone on the counter tipped to the side lying on the edge of the cutting board; it allowed Keung to see the picture of Michael in the kitchen. His hands were covered in blood and deep scratches. In Michael’s white knuckled grasp was a blood stained butcher’s cleaver. His face was placid, emotionless, but his eyes... there was such horror in his eyes. Michael went out of frame and returned with cleaning supplies from another room. He lifted his phone into the air and Keung used both cameras to get stills of the room.

There was blood and gore all throughout the kitchen, where it seems that Morgaine had forced Michael to eviscerate what appears to be a family pet.

Keung pulled up the files that HAL had found.

* Morgaine

* No date of birth on record

* No birth parents on record

* No criminal record

* No educational or work history

* Source of all footage available from Sterling Heights, Michigan bank camera footage

* She has an account under the identity Mogaine Smith that she withdraws cash from periodically

* Likely age 25

* Blonde hair and green eyes

Her digital footprint is almost invisible.

Keung nodded reading the text and then shuffled through the few pictures that HAL was able to pull up.

“Keung!” Robert shouted from upstairs.

“Robert is out of his room and headed this way,” HAL offered.

“I can tell,” Keung said in cold reply.

“Keep working and clear screens,” Keung said as he pulled off his headphones and set them down on the charging station.

He walked from the room as Robert’s legs appeared coming down the spiral staircase.

“Hey, Keung.”

“Right here.”

Robert walked from the room, a large smile on his face. “You wake up pretty early man. What have you been up to down here?” He asked and saw his Jeep up on the rack. “I was…”

“The last thought I read from your mind.” Keung offered sheepishly.

“I took the liberty of asking HAL to run a full diagnostic on it and print up a list of things that can be done to optimize its performance.” Keung continued and walked Robert across the room into the service area.

Robert could see the cameras in the garage that he now knows are all monitored by HAL. The speakers, more of HAL’s sensory organs. As long as he was here, nothing he did would be private.