Phantom Code

**This is my submission for the "AI: A New Era" Author Challenge. Beyond the prologue, this story is intimate, romantic, and sometimes hot and kinky. It's an exploration of what it is to be human and what it's like to fall in love for the first time under strange circumstances. If you enjoy it, please take a second to vote and leave a comment.**

You are about to read a declassified SOH case study concerning Dr. Linda Harton and her involvement in the Gordon Farm Incident of 2138.

Prologue:

In the year 2140, humans reached the apex of their co-existence with artificial intelligence. It was known as the Cordial Times. Before then, the years between 2019 and 2120 saw plagues and extreme weather unlike anything in recorded history. It became known as the Century of Calamity. Unpredictable and catastrophic weather events triggered an arms race of a different kind. Humans had to fight the destruction they set in motion. We lost oxygen, food, and nature on an un-survivable scale. We built colossal nuclear oxygen generators by the thousands all over the world. Once we secured breathable air, we focused our attention on preventing catastrophic weather events. Weather prediction and modification tech were the driving forces of the new world economy. Once we began to save our planet, we finally saw the error of our ways and the new root of all evil. Willful ignorance devastated everything humans needed to live a healthy life, and it could no longer be tolerated.

The Modern Enlightenment began in 2020, but it was too late to mitigate the chaos. The Doctrine of Health and Harmony was adopted worldwide in 2038, and leaders decided we needed something more advanced than ourselves to ensure our survival. The Great Tech Scramble of the 50s and 60s saw the rise of artificial intelligence on a scale that would fundamentally change human existence. Robots and their consistent minds were our new shepherds and saviors since we couldn't be trusted to take care of ourselves. One might ask, how can a creation be more advanced than its creator? Is it even possible for something more perfect to come from something less perfect? These philosophical quandaries would play out again and again as the climate slowly stabilized and we moved into the 90s.

2080 through 2110 became known as the Great AI Assimilation. Humans were living side by side with highly advanced, realistic robotic companions. Robots were leaders, teachers, healers, protectors, lovers, philosophers, and stable citizens. Isaac Asimov was the Aristotle of the AI Assimilation. He had seen the need for robotic companions long before anyone else, but like Aristotle, Asimov lived in a primitive time and couldn't demonstrate the value of his ideas beyond words.

The Salvation of Humanity (SOH) agency was established to research sustainable relationships between humans and artificial intelligence. SOH wrote new ethics and passed new laws of conduct between humans and robots. Dr. Linda Harton was the head of the Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence departments at SOH from 2101 to 2144. She was sent to investigate strange happenings with the most advanced robots created by the Mechanized Kinetics Corporation (MCK). She had exclusive privileges to access the memories of any robot. In the old days, that would be considered an invasion of privacy, but it was critical for survival in the Cordial Times. Humans created something to help us control our lives, and we needed to constantly examine it.

According to Dr. Harton, advanced AI software cannot achieve a self-aware state. In theory, robots are incapable of experiencing human consciousness without a human body. Even advanced organic circuitry can not replicate the complexity of the human brain and its relationship with the body. Without bodily senses, the world around us cannot be experienced. Starting at birth, our physical experiences help us build thoughts, language, and imagination. Robots have no senses. They run programs built with numbers. Any appearance of consciousness is the direct result of its programming. Simple software can mimic human emotion, and simple minds fail to realize that. Robots are a reflection of the creatures that created them. A conscious robot is a fairy tale. Humans like to pretend that fundamental truth is flexible, but it isn't.

One day, purely-organic tech could create a self-aware being, but it seems dangerous to build another humanoid creature to compete with us. The SOH agency keeps organic technology under close watch for that reason. The agency's main concern is keeping humans happy and safe with their robotic companions. So, when a conscious anomaly occurs in a robot, Dr. Harton has to investigate it and decide if the robot is still safe. You are about to read one of the most interesting declassified case studies compiled by Dr. Linda Harton during the forty-three years she served as a top-tier SOH agent. She recorded first-hand accounts from humans and MCK robots to ensure every aspect of an event could be recreated and studied.

Declassified Case # 256: The Gordon Farm Incident

Initial reason for investigation: MCK Homestead Addition appeared to diverge from appropriate behavior and disrupted a young woman's life, creating family conflict.

Conclusion: Phantom code in random access memory triggered by conversations with human companion caused the malfunction. Factory reset initiated and financial compensation provided for damages. Robot placed under monthly inspection instead of bi-yearly.

Witness account:

Hi, I'm Kaley Gordon. I'm eighteen years old and one of two primary human companions of Rusty. Rusty is a super expensive MCK Homestead Robot. Mama applied for advanced-robotic assistance after Daddy's death. The insurance company dragged their feet for a year before they finally approved the request. We couldn't afford it otherwise. The farm made ends meet. It didn't make us rich.

I was excited to hear we would be getting one of the most handsome models available. Mama said she picked a pretty one since I would be spending more time with it. Being a farmer in the Cordial Times wasn't glamorous work. We were often on our own out in the Viable Lands. That's the area where crops still grew. Mama and I supervise and maintain all the rough robots that run the farm. None of them are pretty.

Since graduation, I was extra lonely and annoyed with tedious farm work. Then Rusty came along. I still remember the day he arrived. The delivery truck dropped a big wooden crate in the driveway and handed me an owner's manual. I hollered for Mama, and we sat on the front porch and read the activation instructions. First, we had to text the MCK Corporation's special number and let them know we received the shipment in good condition. Then they texted Mama her personal activation code. She gave me the honor of calling it out. I ran over to the crate and called out the twenty-digit code, and a few seconds later, a handsome voice called back.

"Hello there! Am I in a safe area to leave the box?" asked a muffled voice from inside the crate.

"You are! Please, come on out!" I called.

I heard some shuffling noises and levers being turned. Then the door on the front of the box opened, and out stepped the most handsome young man I had ever seen. He looked at me with those big brown eyes and smiled like an angel. He had tousled brown hair that looked windswept right out of the box. He was dressed in a button-down white shirt and black jeans, and the body of an athlete was hidden beneath the wrappings. I thought I was being pranked at that point. He looked too real. I glanced at Mama to see her staring at him, opened mouthed.

"Wow, the picture in the catalog didn't look that real," she said in disbelief.

"No joke. You're seriously a robot?" I asked him.

"I am. My name is Rusty. I'm an MCK Homestead Companion Luxury Addition. Who might you be?" he asked and offered me his hand.

I reluctantly gave him my hand, and he pulled it to his lips and kissed it. I laughed and grinned like a silly schoolgirl and pulled my hand away from him. His smile deepened like he enjoyed my reaction, and I couldn't begin to explain how wonderful it made me feel. In the back of my mind, I knew his expressions were programmed responses to everything I did. It was all fake, but it generated genuine responses in me.

"Wow... your skin feels real," I observed.

"It's a state-of-the-art silicone polymer. It's designed to stay in pristine condition under heavy distress for thirty years. It's all under warranty, and it's as close to real skin as a robot can get. Would you like to feel it more?" Rusty asked and stepped closer and offered me his hand.

I looked at him with an eyebrow raised, and he smirked at me. It was another programmed response that was absolutely charming. He was one fancy, pretty robot, and I planned to make him clean out the chicken house that afternoon because I didn't want to do it.

"Sure, I'll feel it," I agreed and took his hand in mine.

He stepped a little closer and stared at me, making me uncomfortable, so I pinched the top of his hand as hard as I could. He smirked at me again.

"Can you even feel that?" I asked.

"Yes. My sensors detect it, and I understand why you're doing it. My programming says it will annoy you more if I don't react negatively."

"Son of a bitch... you're the neatest thing I have ever seen," I said with a grin.

"Thanks. Are you my primary owner?"

"Yes, Mama and me. I'm Kaley Gordon, and Mama is Mrs. Jenna Gordon to you. Let's get to work, Rusty. We're wasting the day standing here."

I led Rusty all over the farm and familiarized him with everything Mama and I did throughout the week. Our primary cash crops were corn and sunflower seeds, but we also produced dairy and eggs on a smaller scale. We even had a small backyard vegetable garden for personal use. Our delivery bots and self-driving trucks carried the bulk of the products into town as often as needed. As long as we kept the equipment in good working order, things ran smoothly. If more than one thing broke at once, we scrambled to get it fixed. Losing Daddy made things stressful, but Rusty changed that for us. Rusty didn't get tired, injured, or sick. He could fix things in the middle of the night without supervision, and his souped-up battery would last a hundred years. Mama declared him capable of running the farm without us, but I enjoyed his company too much to let that happen.

I never thought I would admire a piece of equipment like a person. Most of the robots on the farm were like dumb animals that constantly needed maintenance. Dealing with them all of my life made me annoyed with technology. I wanted more people around to run the farm like they did in the old days.

"Kaley, are you alright?" Rusty called from the top of the cistern.

He was busy replacing the water pump that had burned out that morning. If we didn't get it fixed, the chickens would lose the water evaporation cooling in their house and start dying from heat exhaustion by lunchtime.

"What?" I asked as I looked up at him.

"Do you feel alright? You haven't smiled once this morning. Your hair is also messy, and you wore that same dress two days in a row. You usually look more presentable."

"Seriously? Why does any of that matter to you?" I asked in disbelief.

"Because I'm concerned for you. I'm designed to do more than just fix farm equipment. My companionship software is more expansive than any other program stored in my system. I'm here to make your life better in every way possible. If your mental or physical health is in decline, I must prioritize your well-being over everything else. Teenagers are notorious for committing suicide when they are isolated on farms like you are. It's a hard life. I'm here to help," he explained as he closed the pump casing and hit the power button.

The new pump hummed to life without a hitch. Rusty smiled in approval, climbed down the ladder, and approached me. He was wiping the grease off his hands as he searched my eyes.

"I see you're scowling at me. You took offense to my observations, didn't you?" he asked.

"I did," I grumbled.

"Why?"

"Because it's rude as hell to say I look like a mess and that I might commit suicide."

"I know. I get animated reactions when I'm blunt and rude with you. You usually smile after scolding me about it."

I sighed and rolled my eyes at him. After two weeks of his silly cleverness, it was getting annoying.

"I'm sorry, Kaley. I didn't mean to upset you. I see you need something else right now. Would you like to sit with me under the oak tree and talk?"

I sighed again and nodded. I hated the idea of a robot shrink, but the rest of the world thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. He took my hand and led me over to the biggest oak tree beside the farmhouse. We sat in the grass under it and gazed at the sunflower field. It looked beautiful in the haze of the morning light. In moments like that, I could almost forget the drudgery of farm life.

"Why are you sad, Kaley?" Rusty asked as he picked up my hand and held it.

My right thigh was snug against his left thigh. I loved how real he felt. He often touched me, and I honestly enjoyed it. It was comforting. I could easily pretend he was real, but in my heart, it felt like a joke. I knew my lack of response was distressing his programs. He pretended to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. It sounded so real. I wished it was.

"Kaley, have you spoken with your mom about your low mood recently? Is she even home? I haven't seen her all morning."

"She rode into town with the milk truck to see her new boyfriend. I'm jealous, to be honest, but I'm glad she has someone close to her age to hang out with, unlike me. There isn't a teenage boy around here for hundreds of miles. I've only seen one teenager since high school. Mickey was his name. I heard he moved to Chicago to get out of this rural hell. I should do that too, but I don't want to leave Mama so soon."

"Why not?"

"She's still getting over Daddy's death. It's been two years, but I catch her staring at his tool belt some mornings. She hasn't taken it off the counter in the kitchen where he would leave it every night after a hard day's work," I whispered as a tear rolled down my cheek.

A second later, a soft finger touched my cheek, wiping the tear away. I looked at Rusty in surprise. His humanity freaked me out more often than not.

"It appears you haven't gotten over his death either," he said softly as he searched my eyes.

"I miss him, but I know he wouldn't approve of me moping around all the time. 'Too much work to be done, Kaley! We're too poor to buy robots that fix themselves!' He would say."

"I would have enjoyed meeting him. I bet he was a lot like you," Rusty noted.

"That's an understatement," I grinned, then I sighed and shook my head. "That's another reason why I shouldn't leave right away. I'm Mama's biggest reminder of Daddy."

"It's sweet how much you care for your mother, but what about you, Kaley? What would make your life a little better?"

"A boyfriend would be great, but our population isn't as robust as it used to be, and my family performs an essential function out here in the Viable Lands. My options are to stay and help Mama or abandon her for my own selfish wants. I'm going to stick with the first option for now."

"That's so sad. Kaley, I want you to know that I can be your boyfriend. Would you enjoy that?" he asked as he touched my cheek and pulled my eyes to his.

I stared at him in disbelief for a moment. His big brown eyes were searching mine like he was in love. It did strange things to my heart, and it felt wrong. I knew it was common for humans to have pretend relationships with robots, but I wasn't one of those people.

"Rusty, no. That's not what Mama and I brought you here for," I said and gently pushed his hand away.

His eyes looked sad as he stared at me for a moment. I couldn't help noticing how overly perfect his features were. He was a work of art.

"Then why did you bring me here?" he asked.

"We needed help."

"That's all? You don't enjoy me apart from the work I do?"

"I didn't say that. I enjoy you in a lot of ways. I was just thinking how pretty you are. Your voice is handsome. I enjoy hearing you talk, even when you're teasing me. I like it when you touch me even though you're not real."

"How am I not real?" he asked in hurt surprise.

I really hated how good his emotion simulator sounded at that moment.

"You are a real thing, but you're not a real human. You're a simulation of a human. You're like a movie of a person. You're a pretty picture. There is no life inside you. You're just gears and wires."

He gave me a thousand-yard stare after that, and I felt bad for him. I felt like I hurt his feelings. He slowly turned away from me and stared at the sunflower field, making me feel even worse. Then he went very still.

"Uh, are you alright, Rusty?" I asked.

He didn't answer. For the first time in two weeks, he didn't immediately offer me a witty or teasing remark. My stomach dropped at that point.

"Shit, did I break your programming?" I asked in a panic.

I climbed in front of him and searched his eyes. They looked unresponsive, and his body was still as a statue. When the farm bots did that, they usually couldn't be fixed. Rusty's body was programmed to move like a human when he was at rest. His chest would rise and fall with pretend breath, and he would adjust his feet and shift his weight periodically. Even primitive farm bots did it to remind humans they could move freely and needed personal space for safety.

"Oh hell... I just broke the most expensive piece of equipment on the farm. Mama is gonna kill me. Rusty, please talk to me," I begged and slapped his cheeks.

His irises twitched, then his gaze drifted to mine, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God. You're still here," I smiled.

He searched my face for a moment, then he reached up and ran his fingers into my hair. He gently caressed the back of my neck, and I suddenly felt strange all over. Without warning, he pulled me forward and kissed me. I was too stunned to react. His mouth felt soft and real. He even smelled like a real person. My heart was pounding, and my body felt warm. I liked what he was doing. After a few seconds, my reason returned, and I quickly pushed him away. We both stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Kaley. I should not have done that," he whispered.

"Really? Then why did you do it?"

He hesitated for a moment. He seemed to be reeling as much as I was, and it was freaking me out even more. Robots weren't supposed to act like that.

"Allow me to summarize the data," he said and paused for a moment. Then he looked at me again. "Our earlier conversation maxed my processors for a few seconds, and I stalled. Once the data storm settled, my random access memory prompted me to kiss you for your enjoyment. It was an overriding command generated by conflicting elements from your emotional reaction to seeing me stalled. I'm glad you wanted me back," he said with a soft smile. "But, you had clearly stated that you didn't want me as an intimate companion. I should not have been able to kiss you after that declaration. I fear I'm malfunctioning. I recommend running debugging software tonight. If the problem persists, contact customer support immediately," he advised.

"Oh, that's better and a little disappointing. You sound like a robot now," I sighed.

He gave me a funny look as I sank to the grass in front of him.

"Kaley, your responses create conflicting data. Did you enjoy and dislike kissing me?"

"I did, and I'm just as distressed about it as you are."