Day of the Predator - Alex Scarrow [25]
Cried for Bob, although he’d never admit that to the others because it seemed silly. All that made Bob Bob had survived, had come back from the past in his blood-covered hand: a wafer of silicon containing his AI, every memory he had, all the learning, all the adapting, all the growing up he’d done in those six months in the past. That was Bob, not the tattered bullet-riddled corpse he’d left behind in the blood-spattered snow of 1941.
Liam looked again at the young … woman … in front of him: lean and athletic, a porcelain beauty to her face.
Her? HER? It’s an IT, Liam. IT … get it? Not a ‘her’. Just an organic vehicle. A meat robot.
Almost as if the clone could read his mind, it drooled another long spittle string of gunk out of the side of its mouth and grunted something unintelligible.
Sal giggled. ‘So like Bob, isn’t she? She could be his twin sister.’
Maddy returned from the desk to sit beside the female clone. ‘OK, Bob’s preparing the download protocols. He needs to handshake with this support unit’s in-built operating system before he can upload a copy of his AI into it.’
‘Uh … how does Bob get into her … its head?’ asked Liam. ‘Don’t you need some sort of a cable or something?’
‘Bluetooth,’ she replied wearily. ‘Yes, I know, that means nothing to you.’ She sighed. ‘OK. It’s a broadband wireless data communication protocol designed for low-latency short-distance transmission.’ Liam was still staring at her, slack-jawed and bemused. Maddy sighed again. ‘Information will fly through the air from the computer and into its head.’
‘Oh … right.’ Liam smiled. ‘Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?’
They heard a beep coming from the computer desk.
‘Uploading is starting now,’ said Maddy.
The clone sitting opposite Liam suddenly jerked upright and cocked her head like a dog hearing a dog-whistle.
He watched with fascination as the support unit’s eyes blinked rapidly with the data flooding into the tiny computer system built into the middle of its cranium – computer technology that came from the 2050s, technology immensely more powerful than their array of linked PCs beneath the computer desk.
The download of information took about ten minutes, then finally the female clone closed her eyes.
‘Installing,’ explained Maddy. ‘Then it will boot up again.’
After a few moments the clone looked up at them with eyes that now seemed to faintly glint with intelligence.
‘Bob?’ said Maddy, ‘you OK?’
The clone nodded awkwardly. ‘Affirmative.’ The voice was a deep growl, almost as deep as Bob’s old voice had been.
‘Jay-zus!’ Liam lurched. ‘That’s … weird.’
Sal pulled a face. ‘Ewww … jahulla! That’s just so-o-o wrong!’
‘I will adjust the vocal register,’ Bob’s barrel-deep voice rumbled. The support unit cocked its head then spoke again. ‘Is this better?’ The voice now the smooth upper-register of a teenage girl’s.
Maddy nodded. ‘Much better. I think we can safely say you’re not an it … you’re a she now.’
Liam shook his head as he studied it … him … her … Bob. ‘I feel very strange about this,’ he finally muttered. ‘Very strange indeed.’
CHAPTER 14
2001, New York
‘Now, she’s had all the biographical information about Edward Chan and details of the layout of the Texas Advanced Energy Research Institute uploaded. Isn’t that right?’
The support unit nodded as she lowered herself into the water beside Liam, wearing underwear that Maddy had self-consciously pulled out from beneath the sheets of her bunk and donated.
‘Affirmative. I have all the data required for this mission,’ the support unit replied sweetly.
Liam shook his head. ‘This is so weird. I mean … it’s great to have you back an’ all, Bob, but you’re a … you’re a …’ His glance flickered involuntarily for a moment towards the clone’s chest. He clasped his eyes shut. ‘Oh Jeez … you’re a girl, so you are!’
‘Recommendation: