Robot

Chapter 5

      In the lab Laurence showed Andrew the molecular manufacturing unit, explaining to him how it worked, all the time watching the airlock for Tracy to enter. Through the large glass window he saw her in the airlock pressing the door release button, but the door remained firmly closed. He saw her then attempt to open the door back into the NTU foyer, but it also failed to open. She looked at him and helplessly shrugged.

"Computer, is there a door malfunction in the airlock?" Laurence asked.

The computer replied in its soft monotone female voice, "No, Mr Whitfield. Miss Hammond is being held in the airlock to ensure your cooperation."

Laurence gasped in amazement. "You can't do that. I order you to release her immediately."

"Mr Whitfield, the molecular manufacturing unit requires your attention in order to complete assembly of the prototype. I require you to connect canisters M1 and W1 to the unit."

"No way. I order you to release Miss Hammond."

"Laurence," came Tracy's voice over the speaker system. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," Laurence replied looking at Tracy through the glass, "The computer wants me to..."

"Yes, I know," Tracy cut over him, "I heard what it said. Don't do it. Don't connect those canisters."

"I advise you to comply, Mr Whitfield," the computer said, "Or Miss Hammond will suffer the consequences."

"Laurence," Tracy gasped, "The air pressure in here is going down. It's getting hard to breathe. The computer is evacuating the airlock!" She sagged to her knees.

"All right, computer, you win," shouted Laurence. "Return the pressure to normal in the airlock."

"After you connect the canisters," replied the computer.

"Come on, Andrew," Laurence said, "Help me with the canisters. What did we need? M1 and W1?"

Together the two men dragged two heavy metal canisters from a rack to the molecular manufacturing unit. Laurence furiously connected the plastic tubes to the inlet valves and pressed release switches.

"It's done!" He shouted. "Now release Tracy."

The computer didn't answer. Laurence ran over to the airlock. Tracy was lying on the floor. She appeared to be unconscious. "Let her out. I've done what you wanted. You're killing her!"

Andrew picked up a chair. "Stand back," he shouted and threw the chair at the glass airlock door. It bounced off leaving the door intact.

"It won't work," Laurence said desperately, "The glass is reinforced. Tracy, can you hear me?"

Tracy half opened her eyes and looked pleadingly at Laurence, then she reached slowly into her pocket and withdrew what appeared to be a small rectangular metal box. Slowly and painfully she stretched her arm out in the direction of the airlock door.

"Get back!" Laurence shouted, pushing Andrew out of the way.

A moment later there was a flash of light and the door shattered outwards into a million pieces of glass.

Laurence ran into the airlock. Tracy was taking deep breaths and he helped her to a sitting position. "Are you all right?" he asked her.

"Yes," she answered hoarsely.

"What is that thing?"

"Insurance. It's a compact laser. I got it from my father's office. It's meant to be top secret. You didn't see it, okay?"

"Trace, you can use it to disable the molecular unit."

"I advise you not to try that, Miss Hammond," the computer said.

"And why not?" Laurence snapped.

"The molecular manufacturing unit has created an incendiary device which is attached to the unit. A laser fired at it will cause instant detonation. This lab will be destroyed, and every human in it will be burned to death. A very painful way to die."

Laurence swore under his breath at the computer.

Tracy struggled to her feet. "I thought the computer would give itself some sort of insurance like that. It's one step ahead of us all the way," she said. "All right, computer, you've got the upper hand. What now?"

"You will connect chamber one to the molecular manufacturing unit."

"Chamber one?" gasped Tracy, "The audio nanobots evolved to have artificial intelligence. That was you, computer. You altered the programming codes to change them for your scheme."
Tracy thought back to three weeks earlier when she had been creating nano particles which had mysteriously changed their properties and appeared to have developed an intelligence."

"That is correct, Miss Hammond," replied the computer, "Now connect the chamber."

"All right, all right. Andrew, Laurence, help me with this."

The three of them laboured with a flexible tube which they connected from the nanobot chamber to the molecular unit.

"Just do what it wants for the moment," Tracy whispered.

When the tube was connected the computer instructed the three humans to sit in the office.

"What happens now?" Andrew asked.

"I'm guessing the computer wants us to wait until its robot is finished," replied Tracy, "Then it will want us to do whatever fine tuning is necessary to get it to work. By the way the computer can hear every word we're saying in here, so be careful what you say."

Do you think the computer will get its way and finish constructing the robot?
Find out in Chapter 6, but please vote first.