Silicon Man Read Online Free
Author: William Massa
gathered around a sleek conference table in Synthetika’s corporate boardroom. On one end of the table stood Cole. Facing him on the other end was Janson, CEO of Synthetika.
The executive was in his mid-fifties but looked about fifteen years younger, various nano-implants having slowed down the aging process and reversed some of the cellular decay caused by the passage of time and the stress of his position. There was a reason Janson had been the CEO of a $20 billion-a-year conglomerate for close to a decade now. The man radiated a quiet sense of confidence and the shark-like intensity of a born corporate warrior who had clawed his way to the top. Any lower ranking exec vying for his job better watch out; Janson wouldn’t surrender his job without drawing blood.
A 3-D holo-newscast flickered and shimmered over the table, the executives watching in rapt silence as the light from the holograms bled over their faces. A middle-aged Japanese politician was signing a bill. The voice of a female news-anchor explained, “Japan has agreed to grant mechanicals the same rights as its human population. Steve Janson, CEO of Synthetika, had the following comment...”
A 3-D image of Janson appeared. The CEO was all smiles and his face projected warmth and understanding. But the dark marble of his eyes couldn’t quite hide his ruthless side. “ Synthetika has been building mechs for over twenty years now ,” Janson explained. His voice was assured, each word carefully chosen for maximum emotional impact. “ From the early primitive models to our latest X-3 units, which are nearly indistinguishable from humans... “
In the upper right corner a graphic popped up, charting the evolution of mechs over the last three decades. It reminded Cole of illustrations he had seen of humanity’s progress from primate to person but instead of featuring Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon and modern humans, this chart put a clunky, obviously mechanical X1000 next to a mannequin-like X2000 and the latest, human-looking X-3000 models, which boasted organic bio-shells.
“ The Omega virus devastated the United States ,” Janson explained. “ Within two years, we had lost a third of our population and half the survivors were infertile. Synthetika’s AI workforce filled the void and allowed our country to remain competitive in a cutthroat global marketplace. ”
The mech-evolution chart was replaced with one of Synthetika’s latest commercials for its top-of-the-line X-3000 model. A series of shots showed the new model interacting with its human owners. The androids were perfect male and female specimens of various races, designed to appeal to every segment, taste and orientation of the human population.
Unlike the mechanicals Cole and his team faced on the freighter, these mechs still could be identified as such. The back of each synthetic’s head was constructed from a transparent material that housed a cluster of delicate electronics, drawing a subtle but unmistakable distinction between man and machine. Mankind could still keep tabs on the growing mechanical population.
In the commercial, a male mech assisted an elderly lady with various duties and activities. He helped her cross a busy city street, mindful of traffic and maintaining the slow pace of his frail owner. The mech prepared a home-cooked meal and administered medications. A message flashed next to him: “CAREGIVER.”
Cole had to admit it — the ad was convincing and achieved its goal of painting mechs as an essential part of life in the 21st Century. It was slickly designed to sell synthetics as part of a utopia of man-machine coexistence but Cole knew it was just marketing bullshit and ignored the reality on the streets.
Another segment, “TEACHER,” began. This time a perfectly formed female tutored a group of teenagers at home, helped with their homework, improved their basketball skills and demonstrated yoga moves.
The teens in the commercial looked awed
The executive was in his mid-fifties but looked about fifteen years younger, various nano-implants having slowed down the aging process and reversed some of the cellular decay caused by the passage of time and the stress of his position. There was a reason Janson had been the CEO of a $20 billion-a-year conglomerate for close to a decade now. The man radiated a quiet sense of confidence and the shark-like intensity of a born corporate warrior who had clawed his way to the top. Any lower ranking exec vying for his job better watch out; Janson wouldn’t surrender his job without drawing blood.
A 3-D holo-newscast flickered and shimmered over the table, the executives watching in rapt silence as the light from the holograms bled over their faces. A middle-aged Japanese politician was signing a bill. The voice of a female news-anchor explained, “Japan has agreed to grant mechanicals the same rights as its human population. Steve Janson, CEO of Synthetika, had the following comment...”
A 3-D image of Janson appeared. The CEO was all smiles and his face projected warmth and understanding. But the dark marble of his eyes couldn’t quite hide his ruthless side. “ Synthetika has been building mechs for over twenty years now ,” Janson explained. His voice was assured, each word carefully chosen for maximum emotional impact. “ From the early primitive models to our latest X-3 units, which are nearly indistinguishable from humans... “
In the upper right corner a graphic popped up, charting the evolution of mechs over the last three decades. It reminded Cole of illustrations he had seen of humanity’s progress from primate to person but instead of featuring Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon and modern humans, this chart put a clunky, obviously mechanical X1000 next to a mannequin-like X2000 and the latest, human-looking X-3000 models, which boasted organic bio-shells.
“ The Omega virus devastated the United States ,” Janson explained. “ Within two years, we had lost a third of our population and half the survivors were infertile. Synthetika’s AI workforce filled the void and allowed our country to remain competitive in a cutthroat global marketplace. ”
The mech-evolution chart was replaced with one of Synthetika’s latest commercials for its top-of-the-line X-3000 model. A series of shots showed the new model interacting with its human owners. The androids were perfect male and female specimens of various races, designed to appeal to every segment, taste and orientation of the human population.
Unlike the mechanicals Cole and his team faced on the freighter, these mechs still could be identified as such. The back of each synthetic’s head was constructed from a transparent material that housed a cluster of delicate electronics, drawing a subtle but unmistakable distinction between man and machine. Mankind could still keep tabs on the growing mechanical population.
In the commercial, a male mech assisted an elderly lady with various duties and activities. He helped her cross a busy city street, mindful of traffic and maintaining the slow pace of his frail owner. The mech prepared a home-cooked meal and administered medications. A message flashed next to him: “CAREGIVER.”
Cole had to admit it — the ad was convincing and achieved its goal of painting mechs as an essential part of life in the 21st Century. It was slickly designed to sell synthetics as part of a utopia of man-machine coexistence but Cole knew it was just marketing bullshit and ignored the reality on the streets.
Another segment, “TEACHER,” began. This time a perfectly formed female tutored a group of teenagers at home, helped with their homework, improved their basketball skills and demonstrated yoga moves.
The teens in the commercial looked awed
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