The Gym
Initiative: Charlotte 16 and 16 Shao-Lin, but with Charlotte acting first she does her action, going into defense.
Shao-Lin simply smiles, and begins a flowing kata standing about 20 feet from Charlotte. His form fades from sight as he finishes, turning himself completely invisible.
First round finished, he turns himself Invisible, and also goes on the defensive, but is now, unseen. The ceiling is about forty feet up, and the nearest wall, stands about eighty feet on the right side, the mat itself is about 100 feet across in a perfect square.
Yoshi says a few more words, and glances seeing the rest of the boys and just points towards them before becoming a blur once more and standing next to Cassie. He wraps an arm around her shoulder, “So babe you going to show these new students a thing or three? Oh man guess what Legacy just got our first big mission, and it is pretty slick too, tell you about it later, I promise…” he says waiting for a response.
Mark bursts into the Gym as well, and even with a cursory scan can see that Tommy is not present, but see the others, Jimmy, and several students crowding around the mat.
Jun Min glances to Kelly, “There you are! I had Tommy message you, and here I thought we had missed you, Miss Mitchell, I know you are busy, so I won’t press the issue. This isn’t power training, just a basic course of self-defense and training. Jun Min Basic Training!”
Charles chuckles at Ryan’s statement, “I have to agree they get their ass handed to them on many different occasions. Hey there is that kid, Jimmy, you guys talk to him, and I will listen. You know him better then I do.”
Billy smiles, “Hey is that Kensei!” he points.
In the Hall
Star replies to Anika, “Maybe I could go with you, if it is about me, I should be present to defend myself, or is that a bad idea?”
John shrugs, “It sounds good to me.”
Star smiles weakly, “Thanks, what do you think Anika?”
Dr. Hudabo’s Office
Tommy sat in the chair, lounging back on the plush black leather. He adjusted his hat, and cracked a wry smile. His feet kicking slight as he waited for Dr. Hudabo to speak, furrowing his brow in consternation.
Mr. McCallister finally broke the silence, “I don’t think this is a time to be, smiling, Mr. McKain.”
“I think so, I mean honestly, you met Star, is she really dangerous? Not in the slightest, not anymore so then Jimmy, Ryan, or any of the other students here on campus. Relatively, she is most likely weaker then they are, so what if she has artificial intellect? Do you really think she is dangerous?”
“That isn’t the point,” Mr. McCallister replied.
“Of course not, you forget I am a world-class genius, I know it isn’t. This is an issue of control plain and simple, or maybe various projects within the UN have been scrubbed, that pursue the feasibility and exploitation of AI tech. Of course that would be illegal, but under the UNSAC the UN has purview over such ventures, to pave the way for future integration into modern society,” he replied.
Dr Hudabo continued to furrow his brow, as he spoke, “Mr. McCallister, thank you for your assistance please excuse us, I can handle this from here.” Although his first instinct was to say no, the instructor adjusted his glasses and walked outside closing the door behind him.
Tommy smirked, “Did I touch a sore subject, Dr. Hudabo?”
Dr. Hudabo spoke calmly, “Mr. McKain I am surprised at your ability to build an advanced AI machine so quickly, and then deploy it with little regard to secrecy to the point that I have to wonder, if you did not intend for this after all?”
“Ulterior motives are the lifeblood of scientific advancement. Star frankly has rights, she isn’t just a machine, and she is an individual. The UN already gave rights to elites, declaring them the equal of anyone else in the world, Star is not an anomaly, but an eventuality, one that the UN will not be able to control,” he added with a grin.
“You do know you can, and most likely will go to jail, right Mr. McKain?” Dr. Hudabo added.
“I don’t think so, the UN does not want the bad press. How bad would that look that Star has been operating for nearly a month on the grounds of a UN controlled Institution. They would hang you out to dry, but there is an alternative. Allow Star to live, and I can license her technology to the UN, under the caveat, that the UNSAC makes an allowance for my AI technology. It works, and unlike Star certain directives can be hard-coded. You could replace the hard-suits with fully developed machines, and save baseline lives,” Tommy finished with a serious look.
“And why should I listen to you,” Dr. Hudabo added.
“Dr. Hudabo, your intellect is killing me. Do I have to spell it out for you, sure some one might take me seriously, but I need real clout. I can work you into the scheme at a slim thirty percent of the royalties, you would never have to work again; I assure you. You have seen Star, never before has an AI been as lifelike or sophisticated, she has an infinite propensity to learn, and her algorithms are malleable, she can rebuild, and reshape her code on the fly. SARAH in relation is like comparing her to an abacus. She gives the illusion of life, but that is about it. Star is both alive and disposable. Where cold logic resides, it can also give way to innovation, and chance. You are a scientist at heart, I am sure you can see the new avenues of research we can open,” Tommy finished.
Dr. Hudabo leaned back, “I still don’t see-”
“No Return,” Tommy replied back simply with a mirthful smile.
Dr. Hudabo furrowed his brow again, “Your not giving credence to such an obvious urban legend, are you?”
“Don’t play coy with me Dr. Hudabo, what do you think would happen if it got out, who do you think they would blame. You really should do a better job at keeping it a secret, it is almost like you wanted me to find out. But I digress, the UN is going to need an extensive task force, if it were be brought to light. Star is actually built to about 26% of her battle effectiveness, I would need UNSAC clearance to get to where I want to be. I could have a working prototype in two months without UN intervention. But I want it to be a McKain Tech venture. Where your projects are at now, they are about five to six years behind where I was before I built Star. I just need UNSAC clearance,” Tommy finished.
Dr. Hudabo nodded, “I will need to make some calls,” he says just before the Legacy students arrive.
