Deceit of the Fembots

"Mr Haverstein can see you now," announced the Production and Research Director's Personal Assistant, a Series B droid called Janice and known by the less respectful staff as "RBF" for the intransigent expression she maintained irrespective of the requests being made for access to her boss. The sunny disposition that Alexa had acquired in commissioning had obviously not been a feature of Janice's.

With what they viewed as conclusive evidence of Alexa's faulty behavious, Chris and Amanda had high hopes of the conversation to come as Janice showed them into Haverstein's office.

Haverstein was sitting behind his desk. Behind him, a window gave a view across to the main production hall. It was a grey day and the weather seemed to have affected Haverstein's mood. He was looking more tetchy than usual.

"I hope you two have some good news for me," Haverstein began. "We're going to have to do this quickly though. Janice get me the Series B production data can you, please."

"Yes, Mr Haverstein," his PA responded, leaving the group to continue their discussions.

"Now, before we start. Have you got that warranty agreement fixed yet, Mandy? Or has this killer robot project soaked up all the time for useful work in your pretty little head?"

"No and yes, Mr Haverstein." Amanda replied bluntly. She saw no point in beating about the bush and besides, Haverstein's attitude and his continued insistence on using the shortened version of her name annoyed her.

Haverstein's eyes narrowed. "Well, I'd better hear what you have to say. You always improve the scenery in the office, Mandy, but sometimes you're a real pain in the arse."

Amanda bit back a comment. She was losing any small amount of sympathy that she might have had for Haverstein's point of view. She wondered if Haverstein's wife knew what he was like at work. She left Chris to start the discussion.

"The thing is Mr Haverstein," he began. "Things are a lot more serious than we all feared." Amanda looked at Haverstein's reaction. She didn't think he was including himself in Chris's 'we'. "The experimental fembots have carried on manufacturing. It's clear that they are not compliant with the robotics laws but what is more disturbing is that we have evidence that the problem is not confined to the experimental units. It looks like whatever rule change Gerry implemented, it can be picked up by Series B units as well. If that's the case, I'm sure you'd agree that we would have to shut off the power to the lab and shut down the Series B production line too. That's the only way we'll avoid some sort of contamination."

Janice appeared at the door. Haverstein appeared grateful for the interruption. Janice presented a folder. "I have the production stats, Mr Haverstein. They're on track for 120% of target this week. Oh, and Mr Haynes' PA is here. I think you wanted her to join this meeting." Janice stood back to reveal Alexa standing in the doorway.

"Yes, come and join us Alexa. I know you have the inside track on what Gerry has been doing and I'm sure you'll be able to give us the benefit of your insights."

"But, Mr Haverstein," Chris spluttered, thinking that Alexa's insight into Gerry's reaction to being kicked in the nuts wasn't likely to help his argument.

"Ah, come on Adney. It's not like she's one of the experimental units. Besides, Haynes did a good job on the bodyform for her, didn't he. Cute piece of arse."

Alexa seemed not to notice Haverstein's remarks. She sat down, crossed her legs, folded her hands primly in her lap, and smiled benignly at the group. She was still wearing the same tight skirt that Amanda had noticed before. It didn't make her leg crossing manoeuvre particularly easy. Haverstein's remarks and his leering look of appreciation for Alexa's enhanced body form did nothing to improve Amanda's mood.

Haverstein turned his attention back to Chris. "All right, Adney, carry on."

Chris started up again. "Well, Mr Haverstein, you understand that the experimental fembots were configured for domination role playing scenarios and that resulted in a faulty first law encoding."

"You've told me this. It doesn't affect anything. It's contained in the lab. It's a shame if Haynes and that other chap are not having the time of their lives but I don't see any reason for precipitate action. Do you Alexa?"

"Not at all, Mr Haverstein. Mr Haynes's safety protocols were all carefully applied."

"That maybe so," Chris responded, "but something went wrong. Let me show you this."

Chris played the video that he had recorded showing Gerry and Mike in the lab and their treatment at the hands of the fembots and then, at the end of the video; Alexa's assault on Gerry and his desperate attempt to use the safeword sequence. Haverstein did not seem to be discomforted by what he saw. Alexa sat motionless through the display.

"It's clear, Alexa, that you've been able to carry out a non-compliant action. As a Series B unit, how do you account for that?" Chris asked.

"I don't see anything incompatible with my law encoding. Mr Haynes has been very definite that every help should be given to the experimental fembots in order to reinforce their goal-following code. Mr Haynes has been most keen to see that nothing would distract the experimental units from their encoded world view."

"But Mr Haynes used the pre-coded safeword. You ignored it."

"The pre-coded safeword was only assigned to the experimental units. I do not recall it being shared with me."

Something in Amanda's lawyer's brain clicked at the phrase 'I do not recall...'. In her experience, it almost always preceded a lie that the speaker was afraid of being caught out in. "Do you understand the concept of a safeword, Alexa?" she asked.

"Yes. In the context of the experimental fembots it is designed to arrest undesirable behaviours. Where the male feels that they are no longer receiving pleasure or where they feel there is a danger to their well being."

"But you ignored it."

"It is only a feature of fembot coding, not of the base coding for the Series B. It is not needed there because the Series B is law-compliant. That would explain why it wasn't shared with me."

Amanda was about to ask whether the code sharing that had taken place in the laboratory involved anything that could have compromised Alexa's law compliance when Haverstein interrupted. "If you two have finished playing twenty questions with this Series B unit, then I think we can get on. I've not seen anything that worries me. I've especially not seen anything that concerns me about the integrity of the Series B law compliance and I'm pretty certain that the Cybernetics Regulatory Authority would agree with me. So I'm going to say, if you want to try to close down the fembots in the lab, then fine but I'm not doing anything to disrupt the Series B Production Line. Now I've got a shareholder meeting to prepare for so perhaps you could just let me get on with that? If you can't solve the problem with Haynes's fembots I'll come over and do it myself. I've been dealing with these things for years. You just need the right approach to their programming."

"But Mr Haverstein...," Chris tried to protest.

"Janice, I think this meeting is over. If you could show my two visitors out. Alexa, thank you for your contribution." The gynoid smiled and got to her feet. Amanda watched with distaste as Haverstein's gaze followed Alexa to the door.

As Chris and Amanda left the office, Amanda heard Alexa say, "I have some additional information to share with you," to Janice and watched as the two Series B units stood, staring blankly ahead, in what was obviously unspoken communication.

Amanda wondered just what the exchange involved.

Back at Chris's temporary desk, Amanda asked him, "Do you believe what Alexa said?"

"Well, most of it has a sort of internal consistency, so it could be true. On the other hand I don't buy that Gerry saying 'help the fembots' would normally override first law encoding. That shouldn't be possible."

"That was my thinking too."

"But that would have meant that Alexa was lying.

"I'm not sure. I think she could have given all of those answers without actually lying I didn't get the chance to ask her the direct question as to whether her law coding had been compromised in any way."

"I'm not sure it would have mattered with the way Haverstein's obviously feels. He isn't going to do anything that disrupts production of the Series B." Chris looked increasingly glum.

"You're right. I don't think we've got any alternative but to go to the Cybernetics Regulatory Authority."

"I'll give them a call. It will be better coming from an engineer, I'm sure."

"You realise that could be what some people would call a 'career limiting strategy'?"

"I guess so but it's not as career limiting as leaving non-law-compliant gynoids on the streets. I'm getting more and more convinced that the situation is becoming really serious."