Extinction Reversed (Robot Geneticists Book 1) by J.S. Morin

Author:J.S. Morin [Morin, J.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781942642237
Publisher: Magical Scrivener Press
Published: 2017-04-20T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Eight

A golden statue gleamed on the horizon, the tallest structure for a hundred kilometers in any direction. It caught the eastern sun and held it aloft as a beacon. In ages past, it had stood as a symbol of hope for visitors from European shores, promising refuge to the weary and safety to the oppressed.

Charlie7 could only hope that he wasn’t hopelessly naive in thinking it could do the same for Eve.

Eve stared as they approached. “That copper robot is the largest I’ve ever seen,” she remarked in a whisper. Without turning, she addressed Charlie7 directly. “What’s its purpose?”

“Well, it’s not a robot; it’s a statue. And its purpose is to greet travelers. Like us.”

“If it’s a statue, how does it do anything?”

Charlie7 watched her from the edge of his peripheral vision as they drew near. He kept them purposefully low over the Atlantic, so Eve got the full effect of the approach. “That feeling you’re experiencing. The awe. The wonderment. It makes the world seem like a larger place, where anything is possible. That’s how the statue greets its visitors.”

On final approach to Liberty Island, Charlie7 finally decided to call ahead. Paul208 wasn’t the world’s most social robot, so the odds that he was on site were good. With Notre Dame out of the way, he was on to his latest endeavor. Whoever had decided on his personality mix had inadvertently created an architectural dynamo. According to public records, he was a 34/33/33 mix of Paul, Fred, and Eddie—as low a percentage as anyone had ever been of their dominant personality. Hopefully, Paul208 was open-minded about humans.

“Paul, Charlie7 here. Just stopping by to see how things are going. Got time for a tour, or should I just show myself around?”

Eve frowned. “That’s not why you’re going there at all.”

“You’re going to have to learn polite conversation. It’s not meant to be literal truth. Think of it as a social ritual. You see, Paul208 knows me. He’s a new robot in relative terms, but he’s built a reputation—and rebuilt every damn thing he can think of—and he’s gotten to know mine. While I’m genuinely curious about this restoration of his, he’ll know that I’ve got something more important to talk about as well.”

“How would he know that?”

“Inference. Observation. Extrapolation from prior interaction.”

A spark snapped Eve’s eyes wide. “I know extrapolation! But wait; if you don’t know the correct polynomial approximation, extrapolation introduces the risk of propagating error.”

“Yeah. That about sums up interpersonal relationships. A writhing nest of mysterious equations whose exact nature is unknowable and whose behavior is influenced by unobservable factors.”

The girl sat back in her safety harness, no longer straining against the straps for a better view. “But how? How can you continue solving equations that keep shifting?”

“First, you stop thinking of them as equations and just act however feels natural to you. You’ll need practice, but don’t worry; I’m not easily offended.”

A reply came back from Paul208.

I TRIED TO IMAGINE WHAT YOU’RE DOING HERE BUT CAME UP DRY.

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