Read Online The Media Candidate by Paul Dueweke - Free Book Online Page B

enhanced.”
    The Asp raised the pipe to his mouth with one
hand while placing his other flatly on the tabletop as if to
somehow monitor his protégés reactions in this new arena. Sherwood
sensed the interrogation. He judged the Asp had been fired by a
career in the looking-glass world where things are rarely as they
seem. But Sherwood mirrored a ruthless, experienced agent—not the
engineer the Asp probably expected. There was a dialogue between
them as Jenner tried to conceal her discomfort at discussing the
unlawful termination of human life in such analytical terms.
    “As you know,” the Asp continued, “COPE is
charged with protecting our republic from those who seek to destroy
the great progress we’ve made toward effective and free access to
the political process for all our citizens. Our robots can help us
maintain the freedoms that Americans have died for over the
centuries. They will become soldiers in the never ending battle
against the enemies of liberty.”
    … and of COPE, thought Sherwood,
wondering if the Asp could decode this thought.
    The Asp paused, thoroughly but delicately
interrogating every element of Sherwood’s face for a glimpse into
this young engineer, but finding no opening. He then asked, “Any
questions?”
    A silence shaped itself to the room as the Asp
studied his two engineers. Jenner fidgeted, and Sherwood probed the
words human target that hung persistently from wisps of
smoke before the partially occluded face of the Asp. Finally, the
silence was broken by Jenner. “How are these … ah …”
    “Enforcements,” assisted the Asp.
    “Yes. How are these enforcements accomplished
presently?” she asked.
    “We currently perform that function with COPE
field agents. But there are some serious deficiencies. First, it’s
very labor intensive, and thus the costs are extreme and the
reliability isn’t adequate. Secondly, human enforcers can sometimes
be traced back to their sponsors if they aren’t scrupulous about
their professional ethics. A robot could be so clean and so generic
that it could never be traced back to its source. Robotic enforcers
would solve a set of practical problems that we’ve had in recent
years. And finally, after years of very expensive R&D, robots
are good enough to do the job. All they need is the finishing
touches of a pair of dedicated engineers.” The Asp leaned back in
his chair, pipe secured between his teeth, put his hands behind his
head, and added, “To my knowledge, we are closer to realizing truly
autonomous enforcement robots than any other organization on earth.
I believe this will be the last surge to put us over the top—and
I’m entrusting it to you two.”
    “How about support?” questioned Jenner.
    “You’ll have the entire Dorsal Fin staff at your
disposal. There are only two differences between you and them.
First, you’re the boss; and second, they don’t know the whole
story.”
    “How about this injector?” asked Jenner. “Do we
have to develop it from scratch?”
    “That’s being done as we speak,” replied the
Asp. “I have a contract with a little company up north to deliver a
prototype in about three months. They’re at your disposal. All you
have to do is integrate it and make the whole system
work—flawlessly.”
    Sherwood sat back in his comforting chair, his
hands folded under his chin. But his mind was far from relaxed. He
was analyzing the possibilities, playing the options in his mind.
This was the opportunity; this was the threshold between his
impotent world and a life that he had always dreamed of—his
niche.
    “Sir?” said Sherwood as he sat forward. “What
will become of us after the project is completed?”
    “You’ll be rewarded according to the success of
the task. I can assure you that compensation in the form of money
and opportunities within COPE will be forthcoming.”
    How about teaming me with my own spider? Sherwood asked in his mind.
    “Any other questions?”
    “No, sir,”