A small blue hologram appeared of a man dressed in a pressed suit, wing-tip oxfords, and a bow tie. He also sported neatly and precisely trimmed hair.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” said Antonio, motioning to the hologram, “I present you with the future in digital productivity assistants. Say hello to the Hyper-Realistic Virtual Yes-man. HRVY or, as we like to call him, Harvey.”
The little blue figure’s smile widened, and he waved at the assembled crowd of potential investors. “I am so delighted to meet you,” said the hologram cheerily.
“Harvey,” Arvad continued, “does it all. He manages not only my schedule but also phone and mail messages, calls of all kinds. But, don’t take my word for it. I have a special volunteer who has carved time out of his busy schedule to be with us today. Please welcome the one, the only Arvad Barcas!”
Arvad fastened a smile on his face as he walked on stage. He hadn’t wanted to leave his apartment, but this demonstration at the PanGalactic Trade Expo was crucial to the future of, well, everything. He couldn’t miss it.
He stopped a few feet from Harvey and said, “Good afternoon, Harvey?”
“Hiya, Mr. Barcas!” the hologram replied with a smile and a wave.
“What does the rest of my schedule look like today?”
“It looks like you have a full afternoon and evening. At four, you have a meeting with the marketing department to discuss the new publicity campaign strategy for the Taurus-Gamma shipping line. At five, you have set aside time for exercise. Always very important. Finally, from six o’clock on you’re having dinner with the cast of the upcoming film, Project: Epsilon.”
“Thank you, Harvey. Do you have any suggestions on how to optimize this schedule?”
“Gosh, Mr. Barcas, I think it’d probably be wise to skip the marketing meeting. That team knows what they’re doing, and, if you don’t mind me saying, you’d probably just get in the way.” This earned a few chuckles from the crowd. Harvey continued, “I’d also recommend you tactfully leave the dinner early. You’ve had a couple of nights of short sleep this week and, with your schedule, you’ll want those extra hours of rest to stay in top form.”
“So, he’s a glorified calendar,” said a large man with small round glasses seated in the front row. Arvad recognized him as contentious product reviewers, Callister Smythe. “What’s the big deal?”
“I’m glad you asked,” said Antonio. “You see Harvey is designed to learn based on parameters that you control.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Like artificial intelligence?”
Antonio waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Nothing so sophisticated and, shall we say, problematic. Harvey comes with a multitude of preset configurations that you can customize based upon your needs. As you use Harvey to take control of your day and focus your attention, Harvey will tailor himself to those decisions. In addition, as you saw in our little demonstration, we have plugged in a suggestion feature that pulls from Carthage’s own business philosophy and best practices.”
“So Carthage can tell other businesses how to run things?” said Callister in a mocking tone.
This drew a mixture of laughter, agreement, scoffs, and gasps.
Arvad smiled and stepped in. “There are reasons we stay on top. All we’re doing with the feature is offering suggestions on making your business more effective. And like any of Harvey’s features, it can be deactivated. As Antonio indicated, your experience with Harvey will be your own.”
“Mr. Barcas is absolutely correct,” Antonio retook control of the presentation. “Whatever you need Harvey to be for your business, that is what he will be. He even comes in different sizes.”
As he said this, two beautiful-looking models joined him on-stage. The first, a buxom woman in athletic wear, wore a watch with a large round dial. When she tapped the side, a smaller version of Harvey appeared sporting more casual attire in cargo shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops. The second model, a tanned, chisel-jawed man in a suit, carried a disc roughly twice the size of a typical dinner plate and placed it on the floor. This time, a life-size version of Harvey appeared.
Antonio continued, “Harvey also comes with several preset attitudes at launch with many more to be added in the future. Need a more carefree, friendly sort? Choose the ‘dude’ persona.” All three Harveys slouched back and flicked finger guns with both hands. “How about something more straight-laced and professional?” The Harveys flickered and stood stock-straight with an easy, but expressionless face. “Or maybe a bit of a mix?” The Harveys all put one hand in a pocket, shifted their weight to one foot and adopted smirks.
“You can even change Harvey’s appearance.” All three Harveys flickered and instantly changed how they looked. The watch-sized Harvey swapped out its suit and bow-tie for cargo shorts, no shirt, flip-slops, and a pair of sunglasses. The medium-sized Harvey took on a more rugged look with a full beard, fedora, casual pants, and a rumpled button-up with rolled sleeves. The large Harvey sported a tuxedo and a debonair demeanor.
“And his gender.”
The three Harveys flickered once more, each one becoming women of varying looks. The small one wore a two-piece bikini and sun hat. The medium Harvey a smart business suit. The third one had long dark hair that cascaded over one eye and it wore a floor-length dress that sparkled.
This drew a positive reaction from the crowd. Even Callister frowned and nodded in acknowledgment.
“And no ladies and gentlemen,” said Antonio in a tone of mock accusation while he waggled a finger, “these are not hard light constructs. So, no funny business. At least, not until version two-point-oh.”
Laughter and sounds of amusement came from the crowd.
Antonio continued, “But the customization doesn’t end there. The base units can be mixed and combined to suit your needs. Want to have Harvey accessible in your lobby and at your desk and on the go? Pick up all three sizes and Harvey will continue working for you, all of them connected and tailored to their individual purposes. Lobby Harvey is ready to great any and all who enter your facilities. Desk Sentinel Harvey can protect company secrets while managing your schedule. Then you can take him on the go with a watch-sized Personal Harvey tailored to help you meet familial and social obligations.”
A video on the backdrop behind Antonion showed more uses of Harvey in various forms, at a home, on construction sites, and in a lab.
“No matter your business, no matter your needs, Harvey will be there to meet them.”
The video ended with an animation of Harvey smiling and extending a hand as though to shake it. The three actual Harvey’s mimiced the one on the screen as the words “Made by your friends at Carthage, Inc.” The crowd erupted into applause.
As it died down, Antonio said, “Thank you for your time. Our associates are standing by to take down your customized orders today. And please, whether you order your own Harvey today or not, enjoy the refreshments, compliments of your friends at Carthage.”
As Antonio stepped down from the platform, Arvad joined him with a handshake and pat on the back. “Well done, Antonio. I’d say you’ve made us the hit of the show.”
“Thank you, sir,” said the marketing exec, beaming at the compliment. “It helps when the product is so amazing.”
“Yes,” said Arvad. “Harvey will revolutionize the way everyone does business.”
In the back of Arvad’s mind, he thought, It will revolutionize everything.
-+-+-
2246B did not like these people. The big one was more rude and mean than the one with the sword. The others didn’t seem much nicer. The one called Silk had at least given 2246B a small smile when the leader, a stout woman the others called captain, had told them to stay close. As they passed by the dead bodies, 2246B scanned the area and quickly pieced together the events that had transpired in that corridor, namely the firefight and the dying. She had not yet considered the concept of death, of life ending. She understood that this was a traumatic thing for sentient creatures. Abruptly ceasing to function seemed an unfathomable abyss that…bothered her.
The idea that another being could inflict that abyss upon another being seemed impossibly cruel. If there were good reasons, like the captain said, 2246B wanted to understand what those reasons could be.
“Are you okay?” Niko asked her.
“I am fine,” she replied after a half-second’s processing. Was that a falsehood? Not exactly, 2246B decided, but to explain all that was being processed, every emotion and every thought would overwhelm Niko. The young man already seemed overwhelmed by their circumstances. It seemed easier to make a simple statement.
Niko blinked at 2246B but asked no questions. He took in a long breath and let it out slowly as he sunk to the floor, his back against the wall.
“I don’t think I am,” he said, looking up at the ceiling.
The small room had gray walls, gray shelves, and gray furniture. There were a few personal effects that belonged to someone who looked very fit and smiled a little too wide.
“What is wrong, Niko?” asked 2246B.
Without looking at her, Niko began chuckling. Partway through it, he started coughing. When he finished, he said, “Just wondering if I made the right choices in life. I’m worried that my answers are coming up ‘No’ on many of them.” He cleared his throat. “Especially recently.”
“Why do you say that?”
Niko gestured to the room, as if that motion answered 2246B’s question. “Look where I am. Stuck in an office. Death looming over us if we don’t make it out in time. Death if these mercs don’t do their job right. Even if we make it out of here, who knows what happens next?” He leaned his head back again. “Worst of all, I feel like a traitor.”
2246B processed what Niko said. “Traitor? Does that mean you’re a bad person, too?”
Niko hestiated. “I don’t know.”
“You are trying to save me.”
Niko nodded and smiled. “I suppose I am. That can’t be too bad, right?”
She returned the smile, another new sensation.
“That expression looks good on you.”
2246B suddenly felt...what was it? Embarrassment?
Quiet, you two,” said Silk. “I need to concentrate.”
“What’s happening?” asked Niko.
“I said quiet!” snapped the hacker.
Niko pressed his lips together and waited.
The trio sat in that office for several more minutes, the silence interrupted only by an occasional muffled thud and distant whine of a siren. Silk’s neck and shoulders twitched every now and then as she sat cross-legged, concentrating on whatever she saw through that visor.
At one point, her shoulders suddenly stiffened. She lifted her visor and cursed.
“Up, both of you!” she commanded. “We need to go.”
“What’s happened?” said Niko, getting to his feet. “Did they clear the cargo bay?”
“No time,” said Silk as she drew her sidearm and reached for the office door. She swung it open, peeked out and then said, “The team is dead. We’re on our own.”
-+-+-
“Jingo, with me,” said Evy as she left the small office.
The Darmjah fell in behind her, his footsteps thumping rhythmically on the floor.
The nagging feeling that tugged at her ever since their encounter with that first squad blared at her louder than the station’s alarm. Things didn’t add up. Mamertine Solaris was as straightforward as PMCs came. Dependable, reliable, and never flashy, they had built their reputation on competent security for the budget minded. Why would they dip their toes into R&D, much less forbidden tech like AI and bio-machine fusion? Also, where would they have gotten the funding? This facility was more on par with one of the galactic corporations. Compared with them, even the largest PMC was small fry.
Even more incredible, how had they kept it secret for so long? An operation of this scale wasn’t built overnight. How had they kept it secret from the rest of the universe, much less the Andrani? Granted, being built into the side of one of the large asteroids in the Mal’Daxis Field meant that the station was well-hidden; it still hadn’t taken SaCaleta’s techs long to find it. Conversely, how had they missed something so obvious as a pair of heavily armed squads and automated defenses?
A back corner of Evy’s mind whispered, “Setup.” But that was crazy, wasn’t it? What would anyone have to gain by setting them up? Sure, SaCaleta had enemies, but none of them would attack using such a convoluted plot.
Zekk’s voice pulled her back to reality. “Cap? You there?”
Evy shook off her train of thought and said in a whisper, “Almost to the door.”
“Opfor is doing something.”
“Explain.”
“The goons are looking for something in the cargo bay. It’s like they know we’re here.”
Crap. “Are you compromised?”
“Not yet. Can’t speak for sniper boy.”
Tracer voice cut in, “They were on the other side of the bay when I entered and took position. Wasn’t me.”
Was he telling the truth? thought Evy.
Gunfire and explosions erupted, both over the comms and directly ahead. The sound echoed through the doorway. Shouts from the opposition force accompanied the gunfire.
“They’ve found me,” said Zekk.
“Pull back. Get out of that room. Tracer, covering fire.”
“Aye aye,” replied the sniper.
A second later, screams intermixed with the sounds of battle.
“Jingo, secure a firing position on their flank.”
“Yes, ma’am,” replied the heavy gunner. He charged ahead through the opening.
Evy stayed close to him and broke away as they drew nearer to the goon squad. She hoped to catch them off-guard. Chaos reigned in the large cargo area. Debris and fires lay scattered in a random pattern around the room. Again with the gunpowder-based weaponry. What was Mamertine thinking? With Tracer’s hard light sniper fire drawing their attention, Jingo’s hail of rounds should cut them down in short order. They had to resolve this quickly.
Jingo readied his weapon and nodded to Evy. He rounded the corner of the nearby container and opened fire. Simultaneously, Evy darted forward to the next cover, firing her weapon at the cluster of goons as she did. The hard light barrage from Jingo’s gun suddenly ceased, far sooner than it should have.
When Evy looked back, she saw, to her horror, a gaping hole through the middle of the big man’s mask. His gun clattered to the ground. His body dropped on top of it not long after.
They had their own sharpshooter. Of course they had their own sharpshooter. That was something Silk should have ferreted out. And then something occurred to Evy that explained at least part of the inconsistencies in this mission.
Bullets pinged off her cover, bringing her back to the fight and keeping her pinned.
“Zekk,” she called out over the comms. “Zekk, are you there?”
No reply.
“Zekk?”
“Best keep your voice down, cap,” said Tracer. “Zekk’s dead and in a second, you’ll be, too. They have two more squads moving into the cargo bay.”
Dammit. This exit route was now too hot. They needed an alternate extraction point. But first she had to get out of this cargo bay.
“Can you get me an exit?” Evy said over comms.
“Maybe.”
More bullets peppered Evy’s cover the nearby ground. “Maybe?” she asked, incredulous.
“Be awfully easy for me to leave you here. I could still collect the retainer and live to use it.”
Evy ground her teeth. Is this what happened in all those missions with Serpent? Did he give those people the same deal?
“Tracer,” she said through her teeth.
“Relax, cap. I got you.” She could hear the smirk in his voice. A breath and two shots later a pair of thugs dropped to the floor. Smug bastard. “But I think someone needs a talkin’ to.”
He’d reached the same conclusion she had. Good. “Agreed.”
“Alright boss, jus’ follow my lead and we’ll get outta here.”
Evy checked her rifle and shifted her weight. “Keep an eye out for that other sniper.”
Another rifle shot.
“Taken care of ma’am.”
Evy was suddenly very glad to have Tracer on her team.
Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, consider subscribing to get the latest updates.
If you’re feeling especially generous, feel free to buy me a coffee.
You can check out more of my creative projects over at my Linktree.