Willful Machines Read Online Free

Dad’s fatherly voicehad taken on a sterner tone. “Now we have to take a harder look than ever at what it means to be human. Seven years ago the world saw the creation of the first 2B. A short while later we all found out how dangerous this new technology could be.” He paused, and his silence conveyed what he didn’t need to say out loud: that he’d experienced that danger firsthand. “In response, a new movement was born, and a new political party, too. The Human Values Party nominated me as its first candidate for president. After my election, I saw to it that Congress passed legislation outlawing 2B technology, and I inaugurated a sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces, the Cybernetic Defense Corps.”
    Behind Dad, all the way at the end of the row of faculty, Dr. Singh sat there like a crumpled-up piece of paper and stared at the floor. The index and middle fingers of her right hand tapped against the arm of her wheelchair, probably yearning for a Camel to hold.
    â€œBut our efforts haven’t gone far enough,” Dad said. “Just last month, we all had a reminder of that.”
    He turned to a screen behind him. On it appeared aerial footage of the Statue of Liberty. Or what was left of her. Her head and upraised right arm had disappeared, replaced by a geyser of flame erupting from her mangled torso. Instead of holding up a torch, she’d become one, lighting the nighttime New York skyline a nightmarish orange. Of course, I’d seen this footage already. Everybody there had. Most news siteshadn’t shown anything else for a month. Twenty-seven days ago a commercial courier drone had been hacked and steered into the statue. Murmurs flowed through the audience: even after four weeks, the image hadn’t lost its power.
    â€œIt’s awful,” Bex whispered to me, “but considering what’s happening to this country, I have to say the symbolism fits.”
    In my case, though, the footage barely registered. Sitting next to Nico in those narrow seats, I could’ve sworn I felt heat radiating from his body everywhere it came close to mine—as if he were the one on fire. I noticed my knee was almost touching his, and suddenly my leg felt agonizingly uncomfortable in that position, but I didn’t want to move because I worried he might think it meant something, like that I’d noticed my knee was almost touching his. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around what had just happened. Had he really come on to me? He’d made it look so easy—just like that handstand. And what the hell was I supposed to say back?
    â€œFortunately, no one died,” Dad said as the screen faded to black behind him. “If the attack had happened only a few hours earlier, when the statue had been open to the public, hundreds would have lost their lives. But the savagery of this assault on one of America’s most beloved monuments nevertheless left us shocked and horrified. Following the attack, major news outlets received another message from Charlotte demanding the release of the five remaining 2Bs. Now I want to make this very clear.” He paused. He always did that when he had someimportant point to make—created a magnetic silence that pulled you forward in your seat while you waited to hear what he’d say next. “The rumor that the United States government is keeping those five 2Bs operational and imprisoned is false. They were destroyed seven years ago. My predecessor saw to that personally.”
    He fell silent again. Everybody leaned a fraction of an inch closer. Over the past few days rumors had flown around the Supernet that Dad would make some important announcement during his speech. I didn’t know what the announcement would be any more than anyone else, but I could tell he’d just about worked himself up to making it. For a while I forgot about my agonizingly uncomfortable left leg and bent forward just like the