Kindle Edition
Amazon
Amazon
Tony Thorne MBE
Category:
Science Fiction
Publisher: EtceteraPress/Createspace
ISBN-10: 1461166233
Type: Fiction
Pages: 210
Copyright: August 21, 2011
ISBN-13: 9781461166238
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
A collection of stories about robots of all kinds, from pets to battle machines, friendly to sinister. All about how the new intelligent life-forms about to appear will react towards us,
ROBOTS INCLUDED, the stories include
ACCESSIBILITY – Not only pets will go prowling around at night.
LIFETIME – In a primitive form, kids can own one of these toys now.
BUGSIE 37 – What might a criminal gang do with a versatile robot?
CLERICAL ERROR – An ideal candidate may have his own ideas.
ROBOTS INCLUDED – A somewhat different kind of alien invasion.
TO BE CONTINUED – A sentient machine might object to its visitors.
DEVIANT - How do we control the people who control the robots?
EQUALITY – The laws say robots must protect humans, always.
PAINFUL REDUNDANCY – Even unusual professions will be at risk.
FREE RANGE – Another, but indifferent, kind of alien invasion.
KILLER –How might an unscrupulous person exploit an AI robot?
TEETHING TROUBLE – Intelligent prosthetics could be a problem.
THREE HANDED – Utility AI robot devices need clear instructions.
OPERATION PLUS – Robotic medical treatment should be error-free.
CURTAINS – Spare part replacement surgery may go a long way.
NANOTECHNOID – Definitely a different kind of alien invasion.
MONUMENT - Given time, robots may well improve themselves.
GODLIKE – The perfect retirement plan, and with the perfect servant?
PURSUED – Yet another kind of alien visitation, with a purpose.
Excerpt
BUGSIE 37
Although equipped with Asimov’s Laws, Avram Seven-X1 was no ordinary robot. It was the first of a new line that the company’s research scientists had fitted with an extra pair of arms, joined to the middle of its long body. These could function as legs, too, by interchanging the hands with feet. Even its normal hands could be swapped for feet if required, making it into a very versatile crawling machine, designed primarily for use in difficult terrains and various other hostile environments. The prototype was immediately nicknamed 'The Bug' for obvious reasons by some joker in the marketing department, and the name stuck.
Its six jointed legs, or arms, could be fitted with alternative specialized feet, including versions fitted with spikes, or suckers or even inflatable floats. The Bug could, therefore, travel over all kinds of rugged ground, including snow and ice, on water, and even climb up vertical walls. Marketing soon got under way with the emphasis on industrial applications, and very soon after just a few demonstrations backed up with a comprehensive video program, the orders began to pour in. The Bug was definitely a big marketing success.
One dark night, the Louie Giotto gang raided a carelessly guarded warehouse and managed to stealthe thirty-seventh model of The Bug off the production line. It was still secure in its crate, ready for delivery to a shipping company the next day.
Louie’s mob had a discredited scientist, Kurt Schneideramong them, who claimed he knew something about robots. Schneider had had assured his chief that although they were unable to harm humans or allow themselves to be harmed (unless they were protecting somebody), there were certain things robots probably could do which Louie might find interesting. A robot had to obey the orders given to it by a human, providing they did not violate any of Asimov’s Three Laws. He explained these to his chief and then outlined a couple of useful, but legal, orders they could give to a robot. Finally, the deplorable scientist mentioned that he knew where there was a suitable robot, and the potential of it inspired Louie to plan The Bug’s heist a few days later.
Everything went smoothly. Bug 37's crate arrived at the gang's hideout safely in their large van. Rudi Donner, the handyman, decoded the seal on the crate and opened it. Then, before anyone could stop him, he leaned over and pressed the big power-on button on the robot's chest. Its eyes lit up immediately. Kurt pushed Rudi away angrily and then took over, as he was prone to do. He connected Bug 37 to a laptop computer and was soon studying the programming menu that appeared on its screen. It took him some time to figure everything out, clicking through the enormous list of FAQs, but the scientist was soon able to activate the imposing robot and start negotiating with it.
After a few mentally exhausting hours, he had the machine successfully aware that its owner was now one Louie Giotto, who must be obeyed at all times. Louie was delighted with his new minion, especially after successfully trying out a few simple commands, such as - Pick that thing up, smash up this, bring me that over there. Bug 37 obeyed each and every command perfectly. Then, Louie decided to find out what Bug 37 would not do. He handed the robot a gun and ordered it to shoot Rudi, the oldest member of the gang, who he had found rather annoying lately. Naturally, the robot would not kill Rudi, but Rudi strangely corrected his off-handed behavior from that point forward. Louie was impressed with his new power.
The next evening, Louie, Kurt and Rudi drove to a large solitary building with 'Bugsie' (as they called it now) resting snugly in its crate in the back of their van. They had already spent the afternoon telling Bugsie what they wanted it to do when the journey across town came to an end.
Making sure nobody was around, and leaving Rudi to keep watch, Kurt opened the crate and activated the robot. It sat up, climbed out into the road and then waited. Louie crossed his fingers and gave it the go command. It promptly opened up a storage chamber in its wide body and attached and activated six sucker attachments to its feet. Soon after this, it began to noisily squelch itself up the wall of the massive building. The two conspirators gazed around in a panic at the unexpectedly loud sound of the robot’s climb, but but Rudi signaled that all was still clear. Reassured, they clambered back in the van to watch the robot's progress via the remote video monitor. Through Bugsie’s eyes, they were instantly able to see whatever it could see.
The view on the screen revealed what would have been otherwise hiding behind a large window as the robot reached the seventh floor, and then paused with what seemed like caution to peer in and look around. The two onlookers could see row after row of tailor's dummies dressed in the very latest designer fashions, exclusive and secret until now, when a robot was looking in on the designer’s private premises.. As instructed, Bugsie switched on its recording mode and began to stereo-scan each model via its zoom-lens eyeballs.
Less than five minutes later, the robot was back down safely and inside the van again, with all the valuable data stored on a removable data disk inside it. As Rudi drove them back to their hideout, Louie was tapping the tips of his fingers together in great satisfied delight.
'A perfect heist, Kurt, and the robot did no harm to anyone, or itself. We can sell copies of the recording several times over to the competition. They'll use the pictures to improve their own creations, and certainly not just copy them.'
'Maybe we can repeat the operation with all the competitors, every season?'
His chief grinned and nodded. 'Absolutely, and I can already think of several other projects we can use it for. Industrial espionage is a growth industry nowadays, and it's very profitable.'
Kurt agreed and began to dream up some plans of his own.
The next morning, Louie ordered the robot to start working on breaching the gang's collection of various safes accumulated over the years, but had so far been unable open. Bugsie began flashing its sensitive sets of fingers over the safes’ button pads, and dials, occasionally even two at a time. Its delicate micro-hearing circuits soon solved the combination on one of the safes, and the delighted gang members were able to gaze on the beautiful sight of several large bundles of used banknotes. As time passed, the heap of bundles became larger. Louie was ecstatic.
That same afternoon, Louie sent Bugsie out into his vegetable garden. Fitted with the set of feet spikes, it daintily stepped around and neatly weeded everywhere, between the rows of plants, in record time. Louie sat out in his deck chair restfully with a long drink, delighted and watching Bugsie while pondering any further necessity for Rudi anymore.
The next day, Louie and Kurt tried out another way to use the robot. Louie showed it his bank account statement, which was well in the black, and told it that it would like his own money, the five thousand dollars he had paid in that morning, back again. Louie cleverly showed the robot what money looked like, and then, put his plan in action. Just as the bank would be closing and counting the drawers down for the day for balances, Louie would instruct Bugsie to go just behind the main cash desk, in the top drawer, and retrieve the money, insisting that Bugsie, on no account, talk to anyone during the operation or take any notice of anything anyone said. He was confident the robot understood and would obey.
Their van drew up outside the bank at just the right moment. Bugsie was unloaded rapidly, covered with a large cloth to help keep it inconspicuous to any onlookers.Kurt had already fixed a radio-activated sleeping gas canister to Bugsie. Soon after the robot entered the bank, he pressed the switch on the controller, and then they waited. Only a few moments later, the robot emerged from the bank, clutching a wad of banknotes in each of its fore hands. Then following its previously given instructions, it climbed up into the van and back into its crate. The gang sped away back to their hideout, apparently unobserved.
Later that evening in the seedy night club haunt, Bella’s Bar, while the villains were celebrating their first two fashion design recording sales, Kurt neatly slipped Louie a subtle delayed action potion in his third double-Martini.
|
