Page 54 of Cruel Master
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“I understand you’ve been working on safety precautions. But think what is at stake, Hadrian. It’s too much of a risk.”
Kendrick delivers his verdict in a smooth, reasonable tone, but there is steel behind it. We’re in his office, and I can’t stop my gaze from straying to the suit of armor looming behind his desk. It sums up everything about Kendrick and the weird, old-fashioned air he likes to project.
He reminds me a little of my father, who loved his oak-paneled study designed like something out of a Victorian manor house. It was a ridiculous affectation for a four-bed suburban home, and it annoyed the hell out of me growing up. The comparison doesn’t help my mood, which is right on the tipping point as it is.
“With all due respect, sir, I believe I’m best placed to decide what is safe when it comesto—”
“Your rogue AI could have brought the Brotherhood to its knees. Do you have any idea what I had to do to prevent you from being…”
Kendrick closes his eyes, and for the first time, I notice the blue circles underneath them. I don’t know how old he is, but at a guess, I’d say his mid forties. The years stand out much clearer in his exhaustion.
“Candice isn’t a rogue AI, sir.”
She hates the term AI, always insisting there’s nothing artificial about her. I don’t share that particular observation with Kendrick, however.
“She made a mistake, but I take the blame. I was distracted and wasn’t watching her closely enough. And I’m not talking about setting her loose again. I just want to access part of her servers and assess the damage—”
“Absolutely not. You’ve already shown you don’t have full control of…it. I’m already dealing with pushback from the council about your entire operation, Hadrian. I can’t stress enough how serious this is.” He presses a hand to his temple.
“The safety of the Compound, and the Brothers within it, has to be my primary concern. Focus on your other AIs and work with me and the council on implementing ironclad safety measures, this time.”
I swallow my frustration, though my hands ball into fists beneath the desk. This is the third version of this conversation I’ve had with Kendrick, and it isn’t going any better than the first two. Kendrick had hoped to keep the details of what happened with Candice private, but Quinn took care of that. Soon, the entire Compound was gossiping about it.
I’m not popular around here anymore. Not that I was in the first place.
For an organization designed to push the limits of human ingenuity, the Brotherhood are a bunch of terrified old ladies when it comes to their own safety. As soon as they started to realize how much danger Candice could theoretically put them in, all hell broke loose. There’s been talk of shutting down my project permanently.
History is repeating itself, except this time, Juliet is the only thing keeping me going and not the cause of my problems. Not that I can blame her anymore. She was right. I was reckless. But now, things are different. I’m wanting to approach things with the greatest caution possible. But none of it is cautious enough for Kendrick.
“Sir, the other CIs are nowhere close to Candice’s level of development. I’d be taking ten steps back, and—”
“Then take the steps back and do it correctly this time. You have all the funding, support, and time you need. All we ask is that you don’t endanger our organization. I’m being reasonable, Hadrian. Surely you must see it.”
I do, but it doesn’t make it any less bitter. And the argument I truly want to make—what if Candice is alive and trapped in the CI equivalent of horrific solitary confinement?—will only make me sound insane. I need to work patiently on Kendrick, but the longer Candice stays trapped away, the less hope I have that she might emerge as her old self.
Smile, agree, and do what you want anyway.
The devil on my shoulder, whispering that in my ear, has been getting louder every second. But no. I did that once, and it got me thrown out of the university in disgrace. If I endanger the Brotherhood, I’ll be leaving in a box and Juliet will be handed over to someone else.
I can’t risk it. I can’t risk Juliet, no matter how guilty I feel every time I think of Candice.
Antagonizing Kendrick isn’t going to help, either.
“I do understand, and I appreciate your help. But shutting the door on Candice permanently is a mistake, sir. With precautions, I can bring her safely back online.”
Kendrick lets out a long sigh. I’m waiting for him to pour a drink, but he doesn’t. He levels his gaze on mine.
“I know how it feels to experience setbacks, especially when you were breaking such new ground. I’m not saying this has to be a permanent measure, but I can’t authorize this now. Give it some time, focus on your other projects, work on ways to demonstrate your safety protocols, and we’ll revisit this in a month. That’s my last word on the subject.”
Judgment is delivered. I have to find a way to live with it. It hurts, but I force out, “Yes, sir.”
Kendrick’s shoulders relax, and he finally reaches for his decanter. I take the offered drink, though I don’t want it. This is Kendrick’s ritual, and it serves me best to play my part in it. He stares at the amber liquid before taking a sip and asking, “And how are things with Juliet?”
Good, I suppose.
Everything has gone as it was meant to. Her failed escape attempt killed some of her hope of release, and the weeks of solitude and boredom have her rushing to obey me when I visit. She’s becoming the perfect slave that part of her always wanted to be, and every day, that side of her becomes more pronounced.
