District 42-Chapter 203: Yanke
That spheric robot was floating in front of MMA and the other scientists, but he was not in idleness. Instead, he was moving to different places, looking at all sorts of things, and registering on his data bank all the information he could gather. He often would repeat words that the others said as well.
"That’s... That’s cute!" MMA spoke, his voice wasn’t as emotionless as always, and he couldn’t bring himself to take his eyes off that robot.
"Cute..." The robot repeated once, then again, then a third time. "Cute... Cute..."
MMA had a look on his face of a man that could die now but would be in peace and with no regrets. It was just as if he had seen the most amazing thing of his life, and there was nothing more he wanted to do.
"Hey..." Casper thought, squinting his eyes. "Is this man the type who has a weakness for cute things? This genius and nonchalant guy, who acts all stiff and strange, and don’t stop to work not even to drink water? What the hell..." The soldier could not believe what he was seeing, and he needed to rub his eyes.
Although MMA was too busy admiring that thing to make a professional rating of Casper’s hard work, the other scientists were more serious about it and taking notes of every action that the prototype made.
It was fascinating to see that robot interacting with things around him. It seemed just like a baby, but its emotions weren’t too clear, his voice was still to be settled a standard since it was still very bugged; finally, that thing was just wandering around and learning things here and there. In the end, they couldn’t assume that the prototype was really an AI that could simulate perfectly human emotions. It would take time until she understood what it meant to be sad, or angry, or happy. For now, it was just showing a naive image of children who didn’t cry.
"That’s kind of amazing, indeed, White warrior, but... you know what we will need to say here."
Casper wasn’t willing to have his prototype denied, but he knew that he had not finished it just in time for the deadline.
"Your project is good, and this AI can eventually show more potential, but rules are rules. The ideal scenario was that this robot could show to us a hint of emotion today. But, as you finished it too near to the deadline, he is still learning and absorbing things around. We aren’t even sure if it will show traces of real feelings in the future."
With that AI still in his learning phase, there was no way to tell if it had the special characteristic that they were aiming for. Everybody there could create an AI capable of learning things and act like a baby, after all. Without that special thing that Casper was aiming for, that robot was just another robot.
"I am sorry, White warrior. We know that you tried really hard, but we can’t approve it. And..." The scientist gave a tired look to MMA, who was still following the little spheric robot anywhere it went. "even if MMA is in this state, I bet that his mind registered the same conclusion as we did."
Casper nodded with his head, clenching slightly his fists.
"Starting today, we can’t give you the space you got inside the group..." The scientist moved to the computer which the code lines of the AI were being processed and the data analyzed, also as keeping the data bank. "I think we will need to let this computer with someone until we find another scientist to operate it, as well as all these tools... Do you think you can take care of it for us, White warrior?" He winked at Casper, looking at him with mischievous eyes.
The soldier felt that his excitement was arising, and he thanked MMA’s whole group internally.
"Of course, I will take it to my house. Thank you", he smiled.
His project didn’t get the approval of the group, and he lost his desk, but he would have the opportunity to keep working on the robot, also as keeping him working since it needed the computer for this.
After organizing all the tools on a box, take the computer with him, and also calling the robot to follow him (that was the first thing that the soldier taught him to do), Casper left the AI’s Research Group and went to his apartment.
Since it was the end of the day, he didn’t have too much to do in the laboratory. He was too busy with the meeting at the Sgail’s Headquarters and he couldn’t arrive there in a good time to help people of his own research group.
"I never was so glad before for having these Teleporting pads here than now. It would be troublesome to keep carrying all of this stuff around until my apartment." Casper had a good part of his strength already back, which made it easier to carry that box, but soon he would be tired.
He got to the Teleporting pad, saying the coordinates as always and appearing in front of the building he lived.
The soldier went there really quick, taking the elevator to the right floor and entering his apartment.
He tried to find a space to put all that stuff.
Casper ended up settling the equipment on the table he used to have his meals. It had space enough for that, after all, he hadn’t plenty of options of places to put all that stuff.
He connected the computer again, threw the tools he got on the table, organizing it afterward.
It took some minutes to finish everything, but once he was done, the results were satisfying.
The robot was floating around him, seeing everything that he was making with apparent interest.
"That’s "organizing". It’s basically put every resource in its right place, making it easier to use it afterward."
"Organize..." He repeated the words sometimes, and some other parts of Casper’s explanation.
"I will call you Yanke. I’ll take it as a tribute. What do you think?"
Yanke didn’t answer but didn’t deny as well, so Casper left it as it was, and went to do another thing.
"It’s a pity that you couldn’t be approved, though... But well, I think it will be good to work on you inside my apartment, haha", the soldier giggled in excitement. He was a bit sad for being rejected but glad that he wouldn’t need to give up on it.
He went to another room, and the robot kept floating around.
"Yanke..." The robot repeated, kind of fascinated. "Hehe!" His giggle couldn’t be heard by anybody.
...
A man was walking in the darkness of an alley. The putrid and wet smell of the remains thrown on the ground and into the trash cans made him get a bit of nausea. His steps were making a wet noise when walking on that dirty floor.
It was always disgusting to pass by there, but it was the only way to access the place he needed to go.
The man was wearing a gray overcoat, also with a hood that turned it hard to see his face. The only thing that was showing of his body was his GBI. Although he wanted to pass unnoticed there, he couldn’t let that thing covered, otherwise, he would be too suspicious.
After he got further into that place, he faced a door that was completely camouflaged. Just someone who knew that it was there would notice its existence, and to open it wasn’t an easy task as well.
He knocked on the door fifteen times, with a pause of two or three seconds between each knock. Then, he approached the max he could, preventing him to touch his face there.
"I came to deliver something."
He waited for several minutes until the door opened and he could enter there. It was an automatic door, and no one was in person controlling who entered and who got out. He didn’t know if the control was remote, or if the door was programmed for this. Either way, it was very safe, and hardly someone would enter there without struggle for a long time.
Inside that hidden place were stairs going down. There were bugs and rats everywhere, even some bats. The place was illuminated by some weak lamps, that lit up when he approached them and turned off when he got distant.
He arrived at the end of the stairs, then faced a round room, with some people gathered there, working on their things, some just resting.
"Hello, you. I don’t remember your name at all, hahaha!" A modified voice echoed through the place, and the man spotted someone sitting on the ground and playing with a knife.
"Hello, Rat. I am here to give the usual report."
Another laugh. The informant was getting uncomfortable with that display of madness.
"What you got for me...?"
"He is on the game now. The White warrior will be participating."
The Rat didn’t answer anymore, but a weak, slow, and creepy giggle could be heard, and it didn’t stop.
