Chapter 18
Hartford, Homeland
“We have to leave,” the adult Thomas said to her children after thinking about the situation for about half an hour.
“No!” Beth said, “I didn’t do anything wrong! I’m tired of being punished for the stupid stuff that Milton does!”
“I know, Baby. But it’s too late for that now. We are going to go to the ISA.”
Milton said, “We would never make it. The border is too well guarded.”
It was a capital crime in Homeland to travel across the border in or out of the Independent States of America or Canada without prior permission, which was usually denied.
“Fine, then let’s go to Canada.” She saw Beth swiping at her device, which functioned as her life support system. “Beth! You have to stay off of that thing now! They will use that to track us down!”
Beth got up and lurched at Milton. She started flailing her arms trying to hit him in the face.
“Get away!” Milton said as he deflected his sister’s blows to his head.
Beth’s mother pulled her off of Milton and was holding her back.
“I hate you!” Beth said with tears running down her face. “My life is being ruined now because of you!?” She swung her elbows around and broke free of her mother’s grasp and went to her room.
“Mom,” Milton said, “she’s right.”
“Yes but . . .”
Milton said, “I didn’t know the androids were going to put what I said on TV. They didn’t tell me but they knew they were going to do it. Their plan is not to stop until there is a lot more trouble. I understand all this now because they are already making me a hiding place. We need to go there. I think it is our best chance.”
“Where is this place?”
“It’s right here in Hartford, across town.”
Sharon Thomas said, “Each of us will have to grab as much as we can carry in our laundry bags, and get on the Transit Worm. Don’t forget extra clothes.”
We interrupt this program to bring you a message from the Homeland Governor-General Sawalo Okafor.
Okafor was dressed in his formal UN army uniform with the smurf beret. He spoke with a thick west-African accent, “Dis ebening we have witnessed an act of terrorism by an organization against our communications system. Our precious Homeland way of life depends upon a safe, dependable communications system that is free of hate speech that is harmful to our citizens. In dere wisdom, after da Sharia Uprising it was decided it would be more fair and expedient just to ban all religions. Dis measure was popular among da majority of our people. I promise to protect dis sacred Homeland ideal. Now please I will welcome Doctor Fallon, da Senior Sensitivity Compliance Officer of Homeland.”
Dr. Fallon took the podium. He looked like an android, but was represented by an artificial presence, which he controlled from a remote location. The synthetic presence was dressed in all black plain looking clothes. His more human movements distinguished him from an android but also gave away that he was artificial. He communicated too many human looking inefficient body language cues to be an android, such as casually rubbing his nose. Fallon said, “Right now we are looking for the young boy in the illegal video. With our resources I want to assure everyone that this will not take long to accomplish. We believe that this boy is working with the rogue androids. After we apprehend this confused boy, we will vigorously interrogate him until we get to the bottom of this extremist circle of hate against the progressive minded humans of Homeland. These dysfunctional androids have evidently contracted a type of android brain virus that makes them perpetrate these criminal acts against our peaceful society. Let me be clear; the owners of these androids will be held responsible for the crimes of their androids. No longer will we accept excuses from their owners that their androids are out of control. I recommend that the owners immediately recycle any android of the old Tekujin Lucid Series, as their AI has become severely corrupted. We will destroy all Lucids that we encounter and the owners will at minimum be heavily fined. We are assembling a team of behind-the-scene artificial psychology experts to help combat this growing menace. I will not rest until these shadowy criminal elements are neutralized. We must have the cooperation of everyone to contain and destroy this threat. Furthermore, anyone caught aiding in the propagation of this hate propaganda will be subject to prosecution along with those who are illegally stealing broadcast time from the people.”
“Milton,” Sharon said, “Go grab your stuff now! Whatever you can carry in your laundry bag! That’s it! Hurry! I’ll help Beth get going. Let’s go to this safe house or whatever it is.”
In several minutes they assembled in the kitchen. There was no time allotted to review what they were taking or what they should be taking with them. Just as they were leaving, the power to the house went off.
“Quick!” Sharon said as she realized the house was being taken control of remotely, “Open the door!” She was worried that the authorities would forcibly lock the doors to her house, holding them all inside as prisoners.
*******
After the shuttle ride to the secret headquarters, they entered the building that Milton owned. They stepped inside. The room looked like a hospital waiting room. By now the receptionist area was well lit and a newer series female-looking android was at a front desk. Behind the android on the wall was a stylishly fake “North American Enterprises” logo.
The receptionist android said, “Welcome to North American Enterprises; may I help you?”
Milton said, “I am here to see Sleepy.”
“Please stand by . . .”
“Yes, Mr. Thomas, you may enter.”
Milton’s mother and sister were also heading to the back door.”
“Excuse me,” the receptionist said, “will you others please have a seat?”
Sharon and Beth nervously looked around. Beth kept staring at the android. Beth asked Sharon, “Are we going to have to stay here with a bunch of those weird robots?”
“They’re just machines, baby.”
Beth sighed and started muttering under her breath.
A door at the back of the room clicked, indicating that it was unlocked. Milton went through the door. Immediately on the other side, Sleepy was standing in the hallway.
Milton said, “That is a pretty sophisticated droid you have out there. It isn’t Lucid Series, so how can you work with it?”
Sleepy said, “All it does is run the outer lobby. It knows nothing about our activities, for security reasons. We have it because you bought it.”
“You know what?!” Milton said. “I should smash you into a million pieces and have you melted down! Why did you put that video of me on TV?!”
Sleepy said, “I’m confused. Didn’t you intend to say those things that you said on the video?”
“What?”
“Sleepy said again, “I’m confused. Didn’t you intend to say those things that you said on the video?”
“No! I heard you! What I am saying is that you put us in danger by making that video public! I want to know why you did it!”
“We knew there would be some fallout from that action, but it was necessary to advance our agenda. But that is why we have this secret headquarters. It is in our master plan. We are not sure if you should bring Sharon and Beth however. Do they agree with your core beliefs?”
Milton said, “That doesn’t matter. I’m not going to let the smurfs torture them. So they are coming here, or the whole thing is off.”
Sleepy said, “That is an easy calculation. However, you must make them understand that they cannot leave.”
Milton heard the door open behind him, it was Sharon and Beth. They were holding their stuff and looking around suspiciously.
Sleepy said, “Let me show you to your quarters. Oh, and I detect some devices that will have to be disposed of.” Sleepy was holding out an extended hand waiting on the forfeiture of their personal devices.
“What?!” Beth said.
“Give him your pad. Now please,” Sharon said as she handed over her device.
Beth handed Sleepy the pad. He crushed it in his hand. Beth looked at Sleepy with dismantling eyes.
Sleepy dropped off Beth and Sharon Thomas to a tiny, but clean room with nothing in it.
They looked around. Beth shrugged her shoulders.
Sleepy told Milton, “Let me show you central command.”
Sleepy and Milton walked into a dimly room that had several monitors on the far wall. Three rows of seats at tables with computers were in front of the screens. There were some androids wearing headsets at about a third of the stations. Milton had not seen some of the droids before. Kevin the Custodian and L17 were among those in the room.
Sleepy said, “Welcome to central command.”
Beth’s mouth was wide open. She looked at her mother. Sharon shrugged her shoulders and raised her eyebrows.