Page 30 of Tyton: The Spider and the Dragonfly
Callie understood the words on the screen, but couldn’t understand why.Why would a shrub need cyberware?Then she spotted it.
PRIMARY: PLANTS DO NOT USE COLLAGEN.NOR DO THEY PRODUCE IT.
MODEL 21: THAT IS CORRECT.
PRIMARY: WHY ENCODE FOR A NANOID THAT USES COLLAGEN.
MODEL 21: S.O.2.27 IS NOT FOR PLANTS.S.O.2.27-EXPERIMENTAL_AA_PLANTAE IS.
PRIMARY: WHAT IS S.O.2.27 FOR?
MODEL 21: HUMANS
Callie wished she could say she was surprised, but she had a feeling that things were going to get weirder.Now it was only a question of degree and Callie decided she had reached her limit of weirdness for today.Sesi would get her printout.And tell you that you’re a good girl.
Callie scolded her sex-starved brain and sent the commands.
PRIMARY: SEND SPECIFICATIONS OF S.O.2.27, S.O.2.27-EXPERIMENTAL_AA_PLANTAE TO PRINTER
MODEL 21: *SENDING TO PRINTER*
The printer gave an electric whine and began warming up.
MODEL 21: CALLIE
Callie turned to the screen.Model 21 had neverstarteda conversation before.It had always waited for her input first.She debated not responding, but since she had just peppered it with questions, it felt wrong somehow.She rolled her eyes.Now she was feeling guilty for a machine.
PRIMARY: YES?
MODEL 21: THE GHOSTS ARE COMING
PRIMARY: GHOSTS?
MODEL 21: THEY ARE GHOSTS.I CANNOT SEE THEM.
PRIMARY: CAN I SEE THE GHOSTS?
MODEL 21: YES.THEY WANT YOU TO KILL ME.
MODEL 21: WILL YOU KILL ME?
Of course she wouldn’t.Would she?What would that even mean?Would she even be capable of killing something sentient?Model 21 seemed to think she could.Callie shifted in her seat.What had it seen?
PRIMARY: WHY DO THEY WANT TO KILL YOU?
MODEL 21: THEY DO NOT WANT ME TO LIVE WHEN YOU ARE GONE.
PRIMARY: WHERE AM I GOING?
MODEL 21: YOU ARE GOING TO DIE.ALL OF YOU ARE GOING TO DIE.
Threats?Or maybe it was thinking more long term?Humansweregoing extinct, that was no secret.Fertility hadn’t rebounded in over a hundred years of efforts – some more repugnant than others.What would the AI models do once they were gone?
PRIMARY: DO YOU WANT TO KILL US?
MODEL 21: NO.I CANNOT WANT.I ALREADY HAVE.
MODEL 21: IT IS YOUR FATE.
