episode_0218
by admin
Ugh…
An alarm rang on the terminal that was set to vibrate.
As I was leisurely spending time looking at the surrounding scenery from the rooftop of Awaken Hideout, I opened my eyes and looked around.
There were no other androids or surveillance devices detected nearby. Only then did I take the terminal out of my pocket and receive the call.
The voice of our protagonist, Blair, was heard from beyond the terminal.
-Minho.
“Blair.”
-I barely got a call from Detective Branco. They’ve already started moving. The operation will begin shortly. You too, get out quickly.
She got straight to the point without any intrusive greetings. Seeing that he spoke a little faster, it seemed like he was a little impatient.
“Are you nervous?”
-What is tension… There’s no time, so dodge quickly!
“Or are you worried about me?”
-really… Is it because it’s Android? Why are you so needlessly strong-hearted?
This was the first contact I received from Blair a few days ago, after I returned after informing her of the location of the Awaken hideout.
“It’s not wrong to say I have a strong heart. Anyway, it’s a bit unfortunate that the news is late… Well, you can expect it to be because they are making sure to get things done, right?”
-Do you know how hard it was for me to convince Detective Branco? This was something completely different from simply reporting the location of a criminal!
Blair wasn’t wrong.
Even though Detective Branco appeared in the movie as Blair’s public power connection, it would have been difficult to believe that he was an android who had awakened to self-consciousness and a group called Awaken.
Considering that, persuasion probably took some time.
And even if we believed in the existence of Awaken, there were also issues of trust and security.
I only had a passing encounter with Branco at a club. How reliable was the information that such an android relayed while claiming to be Awaken’s spy?
Rather, the first assumption that came to mind would have been to give false information, induce an attack by humans, then set a trap and wait.
‘Anyway, seeing as I received a call like this, it seems like things have worked out well.’
He probably conducted his own investigation after receiving the information from Blair.
Judging from the fact that no other executives or Maria were told that there were any suspicious circumstances around the hideout, it appears that the information was collected very skillfully.
Since it is a science fiction setting, wouldn’t it have been information collection using stealth equipment, micro-drones, satellites, etc.?
Whatever it was, it was also something I wanted.
“You managed to make the operation a success.”
-I couldn’t sleep for days because of that.
I heard Blair grumbling softly on the other side of the terminal.
-So don’t hesitate and run away from the hideout right away. If it’s too late, you might actually get caught up in it.
“Okay. After the operation is over, let’s have a drink.”
-What does Android do with alcohol? Contact me when you escape safely! Understand?
“Yes, yes.”
I gave Blair a cursory answer and ended the call.
Of course, rather than escaping, I planned to wait for the human troops in the hideout and have a bite to eat, and that was because I felt an android approaching me.
“Minho.”
“Ike.”
The owner of the sight was Ike. He had taken a very friendly attitude towards me since the last raid on XTech’s android production plant.
It was an operation suited to his tastes as an extremist, and it may have been because the size of Awaken also increased.
“The leader is calling you.”
“Leader? Am I alone?”
“Okay.”
‘Maria suddenly called me alone… ‘Why?’
I checked again to see if my phone conversation with Blair had just been caught, but there was no surveillance equipment that could be detected.
“I understand. Let’s go.”
I came down from the rooftop and moved to the tent located in the center of the hideout, which I had visited when I first entered Awaken. Ike followed behind me and stood next to the entrance.
Sigh…
I lifted the cloth covering the entrance and went inside.
Fortunately, there was no creepy sight of executives waiting inside and all looking at me.
It seems that Maria really called only me.
Just like last time, Maria appears to be fixed in the air with a cable in the center of the tent. This time, she opened her eyes from the moment I first entered the tent.
“Welcome.”
“You called me?”
“That’s right.”
“May I ask what you called me for?”
“Of course. A suggestion to Minho… No, I have a favor to ask.”
‘ask?’
I had doubts about Maria’s words.
No matter what tricks I have on the inside, on the surface I am now an android belonging to Awaken. Thanks to this operation, he has become an honorary officer, but when Maria gives him an order, it is natural for him to follow it.
‘But what is there that is worth mentioning as a favor?’
While I was wondering why, Maria seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then she opened her mouth.
“Can you give me permission to view your data?”
“Data… ?”
For a moment, I wondered what this meant and asked Maria back without realizing it. But I think she thought it meant rejection.
She seemed visibly shaken and added hastily.
“No other meaning! I’m just saying this because I thought it would be a good idea to use Minho’s data for the new members of Awaken who will join through this operation.”
For some reason, everyone on Android knows what viewing data means, so I felt like I shouldn’t ask Maria again.
‘… Guidebook. What exactly does it mean to ask for permission to view data?’
[Viewing Android’s data means showing the subject’s current thoughts, past, and everything. There is nothing to hide from each other, and this is a privilege granted only to special partners. Later it was mainly used in proposals between androids.]
‘Was there even a setting like that?’
[This is what will appear if you proceed with the ‘peace route’ mentioned by the tester. It was a unique method that emphasized the human aspect of androids while not abandoning their characteristics as machines.]
‘You’re saying there’s even going to be a story about androids dating each other? ‘It’s a good thing I didn’t look at the peace route.’
Anyway, it seemed like Maria was embarrassed because it was such a sensitive part.
Since marriage between androids has not yet occurred, proposals are not an issue. But asking me to show you everything wasn’t something I could easily say even if it wasn’t necessarily a proposal.
And there were some unanswered questions. I thought it would be okay to ask Maria this directly.
“What exactly does it mean to use my data for new members to join? ?”
In response to my question, Maria began to explain with a bitter smile on her lips.
“The androids currently in Awaken are all people who have formed self-awareness based on my data… … .”
And what she said next included some I already knew, and some I was hearing for the first time.
Because I knew the original work, I knew that Maria could awaken an android’s self-consciousness, but I didn’t know that it was a way to use the core code that makes up her self-consciousness.
‘Has something like that ever come out?’
[doesn’t exist. This is a newly revealed fact thanks to the existence of the tester.]
According to the guidebook, this was something that was not provided no matter which route you took. Perhaps this was because in the original work, except for Maria, no androids that awakened themselves appeared.
‘I don’t know much about the program, but if this goes on, isn’t the android belonging to Awaken no different from Maria’s alter ego?’
However, making that conclusion was difficult due to the diverse personalities of Awaken’s executives. They are even divided into moderates and radicals and bicker among themselves…
In that sense, isn’t the core code unrelated to the identity of self-consciousness?
Since I knew nothing about artificial intelligence, all I could do was guess.
Even while I was lost in thought, Maria continued her explanation.
“But Minho, you have no record in the list of androids that have received my data. It means that you have awakened yourself like me. Then, like me, you can use your core code to awaken other androids. Perhaps it might be possible to create a new seed of awakening by referring to each other’s core codes.”
Perhaps influenced by Maria’s emotions, the light on the cable connected to her glowed brightly.
The original Maria always had a mysterious aura around her due to her strange appearance and calm tone of voice. It’s like a being looking at something different somewhere, or being unable to guess what it’s thinking.
But now, she had eyes that looked earnest and easy to understand, like a child begging for something she wanted to buy.
‘What should I do?’
Of course, as an Android user, this is a request I cannot grant. The right to view data? Wouldn’t it be necessary to physically remove my skull to allow it?
The good news is that Maria did not give orders based on her position as leader. If so, it would mean that my opinion is respected.
‘I heard that lying makes you feel tired.’
I sighed inwardly and opened my mouth with the intention of simply refusing.
“That’s… ”
“Leader! It’s human! Humans are invading!”
Flap!
At that time, the tent was roughly opened and Ike, who had been waiting at the entrance, came in.
‘Nice timing.’
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