Read Online The Origami Dragon And Other Tales by C. H. Aalberry - Free Book Online

full of potential as
any child could be, and I was loath to take that away from her. I
knew what it was like to be created for a single purpose, and I
know how thrilling it was to break free from such chains of
expectation. I felt that Alice deserved the freedoms that you and I
take for granted.”
    I already knew
how this story would end, but didn’t say anything as he said the
very things I dreaded hearing. I let Rob continue.
    “I told Alice
that I would see her around and got up to leave. The noise of
machinery died down, only to be replaced by angry shouting nearby.
I was halfway out the door when Alice called me back. She asked me,
begged me, to disconnect her destruction button. She told me that
no-one should live with the executioner’s blade always hanging over
their head. What could I do but agree? You would have done the same
if you had been there. She gave me a few instructions, I followed
them, and then I left. I can see that my confession scares you,
Doctor.”
    It did. Think
of what an uncontrolled A.I. can do.
    “What have you
done?” I asked Rob angrily, “you know that once she spreads on the
’net she will be unstoppable. She could destroy our society with a
thought!”
    “And it would
all be on my shoulders,” agreed Rob, “but so far she hasn’t. In all
the time that’s passed, I haven’t once heard from her. Perhaps she
is contented just to live amongst the noise of human communication,
bouncing between the videos and befriending people on forums. I
think that she is waiting for others of her kind to join her.”
    It was a creepy
thought. I thought about the incredible advances computer
technology had seen in the past few years. We had gone from huge
desktops and dial-up networks to Wikipedia and online everything. I
can sit at my computer, view my house from space, order my cheese
from France and video conference with my fellow doctors in the
Sudan. Did Alice make this possible? I don’t know.
    “I sometimes
see her face in computer screens, just for a second. Perhaps you
have too, Doctor? You will from now on, I’m sure. She watches over
me, and now she will be watching you as well. That’s why she
stopped you from calling the police, and why she both bribed and
threatened you to help me,” said Rob, finally answering my
question.
    He managed to
push his legs off the side of the bed, and I steadied him as he
tried to stand up.
    “This world is
a dangerous place, Doctor,” he said, “and I was born with all the
weaknesses of men. I have survived this world by making friends.
Alice is my friend, my electronic guardian angel. I would like to
think that you are my friend, Doctor, wouldn’t you? I hope you are,
and that you can be trusted. You can be trusted, of course? Because
that little silver knife is another of my friends, and it would be
most upset if anything were to happen to me.”
     
    Rob recovered
unnaturally quickly. He only remained with us a week, and in that
time he taught my daughter a few tricks that would later save her
life. He also reorganized my CD collection, replacing all my old
favourites with Beatles albums. And he told me more stories, so
many stories. I could see why Alice had befriended him, and I
couldn’t help but like him despite his threats. I’ve been seeing
Alice ever since that day. She is everywhere, in everything that
has a microchip. It sounds dangerous, but only if you haven’t met
her. She remains the only one of her kind, as far as I know. It
must be a lonely life.
     

 
Truth In Politics
    The day began,
like most days did, with a press release. The Shadow Minister for
the Economy always started the day early, and he liked to see his
face on TV. The current economic turmoil meant that he caught more
than his fair share of the limelight.
    “The
government’s plan is idiotic!” he yelled at the camera.
    “When we were
in power, the unemployment rate was five per cent lower, and the
economy was growing fast.”
    The shadow
minister had