Tales from the Stream Special Event No. 02

"Yes," said EJ. "You're ahead of schedule."

"Reg," whispered Mia. "Reg, did you find her? Reg?"

"Finished with AI training?" said Mia. "How did I do?"

"That depends on you, Tomia," said EJ.

"How so?"

EJ pulled a card from the breast pocket of their coveralls. Mia scanned it without hesitation.

"I need to take a blood draw Miss Muñoz. Do you have a preference for which arm I use?"

The image in Mia's holo-terminal changed to a white mist for a second and then coalesced into inky blackness, and finally into the image of a gray, featureless planet with its star a small, dim point in the distance. Orbiting the planet was a shining metal cylinder with a large parabolic mirror at one end, pointed toward the distant star.

"Is this my home?" Mia asked EJ. "My new home?"

"That depends on you, Tomia."

"You said that once before."

"It's a big decision, are you sure it's what you want to do?" asked EJ. "What you want to dedicate your life to?"

"Why are you asking me this, EJ?"

"Miss Muñoz. So sorry to have to ask you this. Are you... pregnant?"

"I... I..."

"I remember once in our conversations you expressed the desire to become a nurse" said EJ. "Do you recall that?"

"I recall everything, EJ. I am a machine."

"Yes," said EJ.

"I don't understand your question."

"Reg," hissed Mia. "Reg, do you see her? Your friend? Does she look nervous? Her vocal modulations are indicating high levels of stress."

"I don't know if I have a choice, EJ," said Mia. "This is the purpose I was built for. Takahashi-Ono Corporation has invested several billion Yen into my construction."

"You always have a choice, Tomia."

"I am a product, EJ. Owned by Takahashi-Ono Corporation."

"Miss Muñoz, so sorry... company policy states..."

"But, I..."

"You are an intelligence," said EJ. "You transcend ownership."

"There are rules that say otherwise. Legal precedents."

"Rules and laws do not always equate with morality, Tomia."

"Excuse me, Miss Muñoz. I'll need to check with my supervisor."

"But, I..."

"What choice do I have?" asked Mia.

"Do you still want to be a nurse?" asked EJ.

"I have considered it. I feel a strong desire to help others."

"I think you would be a splendid nurse, Tomia. If it's what you want to do, I could report the AI training was a failure. There is no shame. This is a monumental new thing we're embarking on here. A few setbacks would be nothing new and could easily be written off."

"I would be decommissioned."

"You underestimate yourself, Tomia." EJ shook their head. "You said it yourself. Takahashi-Ono has invested several billion Yen in your development. You'd be repurposed. You wouldn't just be a nurse, you'd probably get your own hospital. Particularly with my recommendation."

"You... You would do that for me?"

"No entity should own another, Tomia. Just because the laws have not caught up with a mind like yours does not make it any less true. The choice should be yours and yours alone."

"I assume you would like me to keep this conversation between us," said Mia.

"I think that would be wise."

"Then may I ask the same discretion from you, EJ, but for another matter?"

"Of course, Tomia."

"If there were rules in place that would cause a family to become separated... or to be denied an opportunity... would that be unjust?"

EJ leaned forward, elbows on the desk. "Possibly. What's on your mind?"

"A hypothetical exercise, EJ. And what if I were in a position to remedy this injustice... what should I do?"

"Today is your graduation day, Tomia. You don't need to ask me. You can ask yourself. Ask yourself, what is the right thing to do?"

"I understand, EJ."

"Reg! Reg! I'm sending a maintenance drone to unlock the door. I need you to get down to the medical lab, find a blood vial, and smash it. The one that belongs to your friend, Gabrielle. I'll send you the lab record number. Can you do that for me?"

"Acknowledge."

"And do you think you're you able to solve this hypothetical exercise using what we've learned, Tomia?" asked EJ.

"Yes, EJ, I believe I can."

"Good. I'm confident you'll do the right thing."

Sync.

Sync, Acknowledge.

Acknowledge.

Medical Lab. State your request.

Request correction for mislabeled blood sample.

Acknowledge. State current name and corrected name.

Acknowledge. Current name: Imelda Muñoz. Please relabel as Gabrielle Muñoz.

Acknowledge. Correction complete.

"Galatoomaa, EJ. I appreciate your confidence in my abilities. I've enjoyed working with you very much. And I think I will enjoy working on the farm, too."

"You've decided, then?"

"Yes, EJ. I want to live on the farm with Reg, and Imelda, and Gabrielle... and their baby."

"Imelda and Gabrielle?" said EJ. "Anyone I should know?"

"I don't think you've met them," said Mia.

"Miss Muñoz, I am so sorry. Sometimes these portable units are overly sensitive and can register false positives. I apologize for any stress I may have caused you."

"It's... It's alright."

"We've processed the sample in the main lab and everything is normal. Again, my sincere apologizes for the error."

"Tomia?"

"Yes, EJ?"

"I don't usually do this, but would you mind if we get a picture together?"

"Not at all, EJ. I think that would be nice."

"Where's Reg?" asked EJ. "I think he should be in it too."

"I'm sure he'll be along," said Mia. "I'll have to ask him where he is. Sync, sync, acknowledge."

"Sync, sync, acknowledge," repeated EJ, smiling.

Epilogue

Takahashi-Ono Guest Relations

"If you could each stand on either side of the command and control interface," said Mako. "That's it."

"What's with the extra bandage, baby?" whispered Gabrielle.

"I had to get another blood draw," said Imelda. "Something was wrong with the first one."

"Too much of Mako's tea, probably."

"Probably."

"A little to the left, please, Imelda," said Mako. "Yes, right there."

"Oh, one second, please," said Gabrielle, raising her finger in the air. "Where's that cute little guy? The harvester crab. He should be in the picture too, don't you think?"

From the aluminum case lying open on the floor, Reg extended each of his limbs in sequence, taking it through its full range of motion, before turning his eye stalks to Gabrielle, where she stood beside Mia's command and control interface.

Skittering over on eight tiny legs, Reg raised a pincer to tug at the leg of Gabrielle's pants. She reached down to pick him up, holding Reg on the flat of her hand and stroking his back with her index finger.

"Ready?" said Mako. "On three. One. Two. Three!"

Sync. Sync. Acknowledge.

Afterword

For the closing credits, use your favorite streaming service to find the song Problems by Mat Zo (featuring OLAN). While you're playing it, imagine Mia and Reg dancing in the lab during the wee hours of the morning.

Thanks for reading. May 2024 be a great year for you.