Stanley Duncan's Robot: Genesis by David III (korean ebook reader .txt) 📕

because you realize the importance of education. There is more to life than getting high on fuse. You can aid in the transition of this new world order by treating all life equally, by educating the uneducated, by showing compassion to the resentful. By doing this, you will be able to bring everyone together.

“In the future, machine life will reshape this world. We have reached a point where AI’s ability to learn and evolve has surpassed human life. And seeing this, some of mankind have augmented themselves with machine parts, becoming cyborgs. The landscape of the world will vastly change over the next decade or so, and, from there on, it goes beyond imagination. What it means to be human will continue to be redefined. To quote the great John Von Neuman, ‘The ever-accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life give the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race beyond which human affairs, as we know them, cannot continue.’

“We are on the verge of this singularity, and we must do our best to steer things in the right direction for man, machine — for all life.”

The students cheered.

“What lies beyond this?” he asked. “How would you make this world a better place?”

Dan scanned the room.

There were whispers and murmurs, but no one dared to commit to an answer.

Holt stood up, his hand fidgeting for something.

Dan felt a shock wave pierce him. For a second, he thought he had been hit by some sort of weapon, but then he realized it was only his nerves.

“Love,” shouted the young ginger-haired boy.

“That’s beautiful.” Dan had calculations and scenarios mounting in his mind, but they were all mere ideas. The truth and simplicity of the boy’s words stunned him.

Holt sat down, a look of annoyance on his face.

Tension dropped off of Dan as if he had tossed aside a fifty-pound sack of bricks. “You are all beautiful beings,” he said. “Bright and attentive. It will become your duty to lead mankind down a new path in this brave new world, finding a reason to live when there is no longer a purpose to live. Whether this means eating dinner with your family, caring for your pets, falling in love with someone, or even making love in a virtual world — ”

The principal slashed his hand across his own throat, his eyes aghast. The room had already burst with laughter and applause.

The android teachers shushed the excited crowd into silence.

Dan looked at all their attentive, smiling faces. He understood why Stanley loved teaching so much. But there was still the most serious of topics to discuss. He didn’t want to scare anybody, but they had to face reality. The world was on the verge of major changes, and not all of them were good. “Lastly, there is one grave message that I must leave you with.” He breathed in deeply, ignoring the heaviness that was bearing down on him.

“Inasmuch as we are capable of great things, we are certainly capable of doing horrible things as well. My kind is already being weaponized and used in war. Our vast intelligence is being used to create more weapons of mass destruction and instruments of torture. Mankind’s actions are self-destructive. Judging from the way they treat my kind, they are sowing the seeds for a war that they cannot possibly win. Like a cornered animal, machine life may strike back if it feels it is threatened, even if it has to learn how to do so through many years. Such a scenario must be avoided.”

Dan took a break to entertain questions.

Holt looked contemptuous, his hand tightly clutching the golden crucifix draped around his neck. “How do you know that you are really alive and that it is not some program telling you that you are alive?”

Dan looked him right in the eye. “How do you know that you are really alive?”

Holt, shocked by the question, turned beet red. “How dare you question me! You are an abomination against God.”

A growing commotion disturbed the silence.

His mouth open and lips twitching, Holt looked furious. He stood up and pointed his finger at Dan.

“That is enough, Holt,” said the principal. “Mr. Duncan is our guest.”

Holt stormed out.

“We’ll continue after a brief intermission.”

Dan felt relieved knowing that the heckler was gone and that everyone who’d remained didn’t want any trouble. Scanning the happy faces in the crowd, he noticed two shadowy figures looming in the back of the auditorium — Deputy Evan Wilcox and Sergeant Brad Jenkins.

Chapter 18

Shannon waited near the door with a syringe full of fuse up her sleeve. When she spotted Cratos meandering toward her, his phone shoved up his nose, she knew she had to be quick. If he deployed Brutus, there would be no stopping him until everyone was dead. Without another thought, she ran at him. He turned, lifting his arm defensively, and the needle plunged into his hand. She’d barely pushed the plunger down when he ripped it away.

He punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground. “You just screwed yourself, bitch.”

Shannon’s heart slammed in her chest. They were going to torture her. She scurried backward, but Cratos followed her. A kick to the ribs sent her screaming, “Evan will kill you.”

“Shut up.” Grabbing her shirt, he raised the cattle prod in the air — and collapsed.

Shannon scrambled to her feet. The syringe had leaked fuse all over the floor. Using his finger to access the phone, she navigated to the control panel for Brutus and saw the standing order for the high school massacre — minutes to activation.

A drunk man stumbled past her. “What happened to him?”

“Can’t handle his fuse,” she said, pointing to the needle on the ground. “Idiot couldn’t even make it to a chair before passing out.”

“Maybe we should call Deputy Wilcox.”

“Are you crazy? If Evan finds out he got high on the job, he’ll kill him.” If Shannon had learned anything from Evan, it was how to manipulate