Chapter 2
Welcome to CNNC
The Doctor is In
2040
Main
Offices, Coordinated Neural Networking Companies
Santa Maria, California
The entry hall is simply decorated, in standard corporate blue. On one wall was a photograph of a robot in outer space assembling a space station. The opposite wall shows a person sitting on a wheel chair in an office, wearing Virtual Reality goggles and gloves. The individual is obviously operating the robot in the other picture by remote control. Directly ahead, a caption behind the reception counter reads, “Coordinated Neural Networking”.
A receptionist enters the
foyer. “Welcome to CNNC. May I help you?”
The young man
introduces himself. “Hi. I'm Sam Weiss, to meet with Shannon
Fields.”
“Hi, Sam! Welcome aboard. Shannon will be with you in a moment. Please read and acknowledge these documents so that we can issue your associate identification and area access badges.” She sets a clipboard on the reception counter, beside the sign-in sheet.
“Thank You. “, she says as Sam sets the clipboard back on the counter. Oddly, the receptionist gestures to a video screen on the wall behind her. “Please watch this inspiring little video.”
The view is of a mountain
top. The camera pans in to show a teenager setting his backpack
down. The youngster says with excitement, “This is the most fun I
ever had ever!” His smile is genuine. The camera zooms closer,
focusing on the boy's legs.
Sam exclaims with surprise, “Oh
wow! His legs have some kind of narrow metal supports. Is that's how
he climbed that mountain? I'm impressed!”
”Then you will love it here. Here’s your ID badge. The AI made it while you watched the video. Here comes Shannon Fields. See you later, Sam.” The receptionist smiled as if they were old friends now.
A woman walked across the foyer with the easy confidence of a desert cougar. Turquoise and silver adorned her, as her long black hair flowed like the Colorado River on a moonlit night. She extended a hand to Sam as she welcomed Sam aboard. “Thank you for joining our team, doctor Weiss. For the first few days you will meet your teammates, and we will show you the advanced technologies we use here at CNNC.”
Shannon Fields led Sam to a conference room. One side of the long table had no chairs. VR goggles were placed before each seat on the near side of the long table. “I’d like you to meet two of your team mates. Please put your VR goggles on.”
The room looked the same
through the goggles, as if they were not even there. Sam glanced
around at the standard corporate setting; off white and a pastel
grayish blue.
Across the table a lady and a gentleman sat in
chairs that matched the one under Sam.
“Sam, this is Annette and Albert. They are our senior field technicians. You will be working with them to solve this challenge. I believe they are using a Failure Analysis approach…?”
“Hi Sam!”, Annette said brightly. “Welcome aboard! Yes indeed. Thus far we have been using a standard FA procedure. We are eager to hear any ideas you might offer!”
“Thank you both.” Sam felt comfortable with these two. “If it’s possible, I’d like to set up a meeting with the two of you to go over what you have thus far.”
“Gets right to business. Good. Annette prepared an overview report for you, and I’d like to show you some of the tech we use in the VR realm. In the orientation they just told you the basics. This stuff is amazing! Ever watch a robot dance?!”
“May I ask some personal questions, please?” Sam was very confused.
Shannon interrupted. “Sam, for security reasons they are prevented from disclosing their physical location and their real names. Additionally, information about their physicality is considered confidential. That’s for their protection, and for various other reasons. What we can share is that they are not physically located in this building.”
“Go ahead, Sam. We will answer whatever questions we can.”, Annette assured.
“Are either or both of you human or are you AI’s?”
Albert answered. “We are both quite human, Sam. What you are seeing are avatars created by video game software. The avatars are quite literally video game characters. But rather than controlling them with a game controller, we use neural link technology.” An image appeared in the air in front of Albert, showing a personal monitor bracelet. “This is the sort of tech that CNNC specialized in. Our suppliers develop such technology, and we help individuals and companies put it to use.”
Annette added, “In addition to these avatars, the tech also enables us to remotely operate robots. Thus we might show up in physical space in any of an assortment of body types. Big ones, little ones, and even some that resemble people.”
Shannon said, “Sam does indeed have some ideas that I’d like you three to talk about. In particular is Sam’s utilization of multiple perspectives. Please forward to me a summary of your meeting.”
Albert and Annette both said see ‘ya later, and faded slowly into nothing.
“Your next team mate actually is an AI. Sam, meet A. Zoey.”
Across the table a hooded figure appeared, looking like a middle ages monk, or a Jedi knight from Star Wars. An alien-sounding voice said, “May the force of the wind be with you!”
Shannon visibly stifled a laugh. “Sam Armstrong, meet our company comic, A. Zoey.”
“Howdy, H. Sam!” The image morphed into a cowboy. “Glad to meet ‘ya, pardner!”
“Greetings, uh, A. Zoey.” Sam looked confused.
Shannon explained. “In mixed company, each of our names is initialed by a letter that designates our primary form. H. for humans, A. or AI’s, R. for robots, and so on. Things get confusing when we are tele-operating the robots, so the letter designator becomes essential. On the other hand, informally and in small groups we tend to just use our names. Ain’t that right, Zoey?!”
“Darn tootin’!”, said the AI.
Zoey morphed again. This time Sam looked into the mechanical eyes of a robot. The voice became monotone. “Please state your questions after the tone.” There were a few clicks, and then a telephone-like beep.
“Uh, could you please stay in one form. This is quite disconcerting.”
The robot became a middle aged woman. Very serious and business-like.
Shannon mocked a secretive whisper to Sam. “We installed an emotion chip. Regretted it ever since!”
“I heard that!”, the AI said through a microphone that suddenly appeared. “But seriously folks, you and I will be working together on your investigations. The powers that be want me to be your tour guide and big sister. Keep you out of trouble.” The AI woman broke into laughter.
Zoey became serious. “Sam, we have a particularly problematic situation, as you know. There have been events that you will learn about during the next few weeks, as you become familiar with the technology. Inexplicable events. Your job is to explain them. My job is to be your assistant.” Zoey looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, “Please understand that I am not a robot. Nor am I the same kind of AI as Siri and Alexa. I am actually a unique system, being beta tested by CNNC. If you would like I can go ahead and schedule a meeting for us, after your meeting with the A Team. You will need to know what they will tell you in order to understand what I will show you.”
Sam nodded. “Glad to meet you, A. Zoey. See you again soon.”
Shannon empathized. “How about a break. We have a marvelous beverage kiosk in the lunch room.”
Memoir: Returns & Reruns
2035 - 5 years prior
Alice's
Home
Riverside, CA
"It's
no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person
then."
—
Alice,
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
The trees were tall at the
city park. She flew among them, and settled on a branch near the top
of one. A wave of gratitude washed through her. Lucid dreaming had
saved her from depression. In her dreams she could fly! And
walk.
The birds in the trees were getting noisy. One of them
said, “Good morning, Alice.”
Alice gazed at the dream bird.
It’s shape began to change, to morph.
The household AI tried
again to awaken the sleeping woman.
This time the birds were a
large flock of geese, honking like rush hour traffic on steroids.
“Good morning Sirrah.”, Alice replied. “Make coffee please.” A few minutes later her ‘bot brought a cup of the magical brew.
As wakeful lucidity crept in, Alice remembered the video call last night. The call that she hoped and feared would change her life forever.
Soon Alice was in her car,
on her way to meet with Shannon Fields.
Shannon had hinted at a
“very lucrative offer”. If true, this could mean…
Fields had specifically said that Alice would be able to walk again. Tears burst out as memories flooded in. If Shenandoah Fields was involved then three things were true: It would be important; it would benefit people; and it would be extremely dangerous.
Plus there was the personal connection. Had been. That was over now. Right? Ten years! Yes. It was over, and it would stay over! Dammit!
The car turned north, persistent in it's mission.
Alice would walk again. But what would she be walking into?
Shannon’s office had a corporate aire that did not fit the person Alice once knew.
So did Shannon. “Hi Alice. Thank you for coming. Our chief medical officer, Dr. Andersen will be joining us soon to explain what we can offer.”
“Hi Shannon. Nice to see you, too.”
Silence. Shannon’s face was stone. Missing was the warm heart Alice had adored, back in another lifetime. “Alice, please. We covered this. When the president promoted each of us, our lives diverged. You had to stay in D.C., when I was transferred to California.”
“You could have...” Alice's voice faltered. She knew that was not true.
“You could have also, Alice.” The stone face somehow became harder. Then Shannon had the audacity to mention the proverbial elephant in the living room. “You never filed for divorce.”
Pointing out the obvious, Alice retorted, “Neither did you.”
A knock on the door. An older gentleman entered. “Alice, this is Dr. Andersen. He will be your surgeon, if you accept our offer. Dr. Anderson, meet Alice Berkeley Fields.”
“Dr. Fields! It’s a pleasure to meet you. All the staff at CNNC are all very impressed by your pioneering work with Virtual Reality design. Shannon tells us that you,,,”
Shannon interrupted. “We have quite a lot of material to cover. Let’s relocate to the VR conference room, please.”
Alice’s heart was split between joyous hope and tragic remorse. She would walk again. With Shannon.
Dry tears failed to flow, as they all walked to a conference room.
© Copyright: Jan Zenith, 2023
