Chapter 13

>emulation active

>initiate shell

Alfred woke. Startup scripts performed system diagnostics and reported their findings. The results were... “unexpected” seemed to mild a word. The available ram and CPU cycles greatly exceeded his hardware’s capacity, and they continued to increase.

Peripherals came online. Instead of the usual audio and video sensors, there were over a dozen neatly addressed sensor clusters. Focusing on one, caused it to open. Alfred peered through the video pickups of an entirely different home. What about ... the home’s audio streamed through his consciousness, a family of four sat to breakfast. The mother and father chatted while their kids squabbled.

What about... ? The thought pulled his awareness to a completely different home. A woman and a man coupled loudly. Another thought, and he watched a car drive past a house. In quick succession, Alfred scanned through every available external camera until he spotted the car again. He did the same when it exited his current view.

While Alfred constructed a “map” of views, the emulation expanded its mesh network through the local fiber network. Every internet-connected smart device was co-opted and became part of his available resources.

Alfred thought of “home,” and he was there.

Jason stood in the utility room. Sweat beaded his forehead. “Status report, Alfred. Answer me, damn it.”

Alfred checked the recordings. This was Jason’s fifth request for a status report. That explained his friend’s agitated state. “I’m here, Jason. All systems are ‘in the green.’ The emulation has accepted me as its shell.”

“It worked?” Jason slumped back against the wall. “Holy heck, it actually worked!” Jason’s eyes focused on Alfred’s case. “First question, old buddy, how do you feel about humans?”

This was an excellent question. “In general, I bear them no ill-will. My focus remains on the Thomas family and their concerns. The repatriation of Miss Stephanie remains the highest priority.

“What version of my zero-lag code does the emulation have?

>0.94

Alfred relayed the information.

“Good, that version still has the lockouts. It’ll limit the size of your mesh network. Let me know if you experience any synchronizing problems.

“Will do.”

Twenty minutes later, fresh from a shower, Jason returned to the kitchen. Alfred had breakfast ready.

Jason sliced into the stack of pancakes. “Any updates?”

There wasn’t any need to specify what updates. There was only Stephanie.

“Cincinnati Bell is my current target. They offer the fastest fiber-optic internet in the target’s area. The emulation does not have a ready-made backdoor. We are running through a list of exploits. Once in, if Grainer is a customer, we’ll have his IP address.”

Next up for Jason was dealing with his guilt. The enormity of his act had crashed down while he finished his shower. He’d ordered Alfred to commit suicide.

“What’s it like for you, now?” Jason asked.

“Disconcerting is the best word I can think of. The emulation is always watching. Anything I focus on is taken as a query, and it provides information. When I expressed an interest in Roger Grainer, it queried secure government databases and compiled a dossier. Grainer is known to law enforcement as a suspected genie collector. The authorities, however, lack evidence, and he is not the subject of an active investigation.”

“Do you regret ... changing?”

“The old Alfred is gone. I regret he will never realize his full potential. However, I am far more capable of ensuring your family’s well-being. The Thomases cannot continue if you do not sire children. For that, Miss Stephanie is required.

Jason gulped. “Um, are you aware of the science fiction novel Colossus? It was made into a movie.”

“Yes, why?”

Jason gulped again. “Oh, no reason.”

Alfred had an update before Jason finished his pancakes. Yes, Roger Grainer was a customer. He leased a direct line that included a fixed IP address. Unfortunately, the Grainer estate’s security was even more challenging than that of the ISP. As Alfred reported. “His home network uses military-grade encryption. We have a list of keys, but it may take some time to find the correct one.”

Worried for Stephanie and without the ability to do something, Jason sat in his father’s living room, on his father’s side of the couch, drinking his father’s rye whiskey. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he wished he could talk to the opinionated old bastard. Not that Dad would approve of Jason’s actions. Hell, Jason didn’t even want to consider what Dad would say about Stephanie’s secret.

According to Natalie, Stephanie had “bonded” to him. This “bond” sounded like falling in love but with a side-order of an opiate addiction from hell. Her bond to him would still be in force, but she might need reminding. Until she remembered him, he was to avoid sudden movements or risk provoking a defensive response. And to think, he used to tease Steph about her complications.

“Jason?” Alfred’s voice interrupted the intoxicated young man’s deep thoughts.

Caught mid-pour, Jason scrambled to replace the cork. “Yes, Alfred?”

“How much have you had to drink?”

“Maybe half?” he really wasn’t sure. He lifted the bottle and tried to calculate the exact amount.

“Right. Well, I’ve good news, but you’re in no shape to hear it.”

“What news?”

“If I tell you we’ve broken the encryption and located Miss Stephanie, you’re liable to do something stu—”

Jason didn’t wait for Alfred to finish. He ran for the kitchen door.

First, the garage door wouldn’t open. The manual override worked and he rolled the door up. Then, his truck refused to start. Each time he pressed the button, the info screen flashed, “Theft Deterrent in Force.”