Future Perfect - S2 Page 2

  Golden brown eyes looked balefully at Squirrely. With what appeared great sadness, she picked it up and carried to Bruce. Placing it gently on the floor, Abbey turned and walked away. Never again would she show excitement over any of the objects presented to her.

  CHAPTER 4

  "DR. BARTLETT, I think I've done it!" Jared yelled across the lab excitedly. "We're receiving new information from Abbey's chip and the program's been able to interpret some of the data and correlate it to several of her actions."

  Stacey hurried over to Jared's desk. Such a breakthrough would be monumental. As the Research Director, she would get the credit for the discovery. Looking at the screen displaying the program results, and then a halovid of Abbey in her cage, Stacey compared the dog's actions to the data.

  "I think you're right. Look! The computer indicates she's thinking of water and now she's walking over to her water dish."

  "Yeah, now she's going to go back and lay down. Wait, no she's thinking about scratching."

  After quenching her thirst, Abbey sat down and scratched at her left ear.

  "She did it! She really did it! Dr. Franklin's going to be thrilled. Good work, Jared. Wait, she just walked over to the cage door. Why didn't the program pick up on that?"

  "It's not perfect, Dr. Bartlett. Right now, it's only about fifty percent accurate. That should change as the program continues to associate her actions with neuron activities."

  "How long before we're at one-hundred percent?" Stacey asked, feeling disappointed.

  "I don't think we'll ever get that high, but I wouldn't be surprised if we were at ninety within a couple of weeks. It's taken six months to get this far."

  "Is there any way to speed the process up?"

  Jared thought about it for a few seconds.

  "Increasing her training should do it. We can have Bruce and Willie put her through more intensive exercises. Make her work harder, mentally and physically. The more difficult the task, the better. And she needs to be pushed until she fails at some things. The program needs to interpret negative results as well as positive if we're to fully understand what they see and do."

  "Good thinking. Tell them to develop some new exercises for Abbey. I'm on my way to Dr. Franklin with the news. He's probably going to want a demonstration."

  "If you can get him to wait a few days, I think I can get the percentage up a few more notches," Jared said. "Then he can't start giving us his fifty-fifty argument... You know, there's a fifty-fifty chance the computer is going to be right or going to be wrong."

  "Well, he's right, technically, but it's not a very professional analysis. Anyone with half a brain knows that much," Stacey said. "I'll tell him we need until Friday to set up the demonstration. And Jared... Abbey had better not let me down, understand?"

  Turning, Stacey rushed from the lab, completely oblivious to the seething hatred in Jared's eyes as he momentarily let his guard down.

  CHAPTER 5

  ABBEY MOVED SLOWLY toward her blanket, exhausted from her workout. She had tried hard to please her masters.

  "You'll just have to do better, next time, girl," Bruce said, closing the cage door.

  "It really wasn't fair to expect her to do things she wasn't familiar with and then zap her when she couldn't," Willie said, looking sympathetically Abbey. He could tell she was depressed.

  "Doctor's orders. Jared said Bartlett wanted Abbey put through a new routine and to punish her if she failed."

  "And how was Abbey to know what to do without showing her?" asked Willie.

  "Beats me. I'm just a trainer. They say jump, I jump."

  "Like Abbey, eh?" Willie teased.

  Bruce punched his arm playfully. "Exactly. Thankfully, I don't have my ears pierced. Let's go get a beer. She'll be okay. We'll bring her something special tomorrow to make up for it."

  * * *

  Normally, Abbey would greet everyone coming into the lab with enthusiastic barks and howls. Today was different. Curled up in a tight ball, she ignored the lab techs and trainers. Even her favorite treats failed to attract her interest.

  "Hey Jared," Bruce said, looking up toward the vidcam hidden in the ceiling. "Has she been like this all day?"

  "Yep! Hasn't moved at all except when she got up to pee. Kim couldn't even get her to eat."

  "She was really depressed yesterday. I thought for sure she'd be over it today."

  "Well, I can't say that I blame her. I reviewed the training vid. Twenty-three jolts could have done irreparable damage. I'm surprised she had only two seizures."

  "Don't blame me. Dr. Bartlett wanted me to push her beyond her limit."

  "Dr. Bartlett's an idiot. She was more interested in impressing Dr. Franklin than Abbey's welfare. I told her to halt the exhibition after the first seizure. A year of work is down the tube if she doesn't snap out of her funk. One day Dr. Bartlett's ego is going to get her in trouble... and all of us are going to suffer," Jared said.

  "Willie and I'll see what we can do to cheer her up. We brought a new toy for her to try out. Knowing her, she won't be able to resist it for long."

  "Good."

  * * *

  Snapping a lead on Abbey's collar, Bruce picked her up and tucked her under his left arm. In his right hand was a round multi-colored object.

  "Let's go outside," he said and headed to the outside pen. The day was cool and bright. A light breeze blew from the direction of the woods, filling the air with the scent of evergreens. "Okay, girl, look what I brought you today."

  Putting Abbey on the ground, he laid the object next to her. When she showed no interest, Bruce sighed, knelt down and pushed one of the colored segments. It immediately lit up and beeped. Abbey's left ear twitched. Bruce pushed another color and a different tone played. Abbey lifted her head and cocked it at a slight angle.

  "I thought you'd be interested. Watch and listen to this." Bruce pressed three different colors and three different sounds appeared. Overwhelmed with curiosity, Abbey walked over and sniffed the toy. "It's an old game I found in an antique store. You try it."

  Glancing up at Bruce and then back at the object, she touched the yellow button with a paw. When it sounded off, she jumped back.

  "Arrarrah rahhhh."

  "Try the green one."

  Abbey stepped on the green button and backed away at the different tone.

  "Good girl. Now push red and blue."

  "Rarr rraah woof. Arrr rarr rarr rahh." Abbey's enthusiasm mounted. Pushing red and blue, she jumped up and down excitedly. "RRooof!"

  Bruce rocked back on his heels and laughed.

  "Hey, Bruce," a voice interrupted. "What are you doing out there? I'm getting some really strange readings."

  "Playing a game. It's called Simon Says."

  "Give me an idea how it works so I can check the data," Jared said.

  "It's pretty simple. It has colored buttons. When you push the button it emits a musical note. Each button has a different tone. If you push more than one, it will repeat the sequence."

  "Gotcha! Have her do it a few more times. I want to test a theory."

  "Sure. Okay, girl, press red, blue, red, yellow."

  Without hesitation, Abbey did as he ordered and then ran in a wild, ecstatic circle around her trainer and the device.

  "One more time," Jared said.

  "Abbey, press yellow, green, and blue."

  Again, Abbey followed his instructions.

  "Bruce, tell her to press four buttons but don't give the colors in advance. Call them out to me as she does it."

  "Sure. Abbey, press four buttons."

  Cocking her head sideways, Abbey's ears perked up and she stared into Bruce's eyes for a few seconds.

  "Awww rarrh rarrh."

  "Four," Bruce repeated, holding up four fingers. "Press four buttons."

  Abbey walked up to the toy and sniffed it. Then she circled it once. Lifting her right paw, she pressed one button.

  "Red."

  Then another.

 
; "Red."

  "Blue."

  "Yellow."

  "Whooo hooo!" Jared's voice screamed. "You've done it, man."

  "Done what?"

  "Come back inside. I'll show you."

  "Okay. Come on, Abbey. Let's go see what Jared's so excited about." Picking the dog up, Bruce carried her back to her cage, making sure to leave the toy with her. "You deserve it. Have fun."

  * * *

  "So what's up?" Bruce asked.

  "Look at this. The program was able to interpret her thoughts before she acted."

  "No way!"

  "It's true. See here," Jared said, pointing to a time stamp followed by the name of four colors. He then pointed to another time stamp. This is when she pushed the buttons. Red, red, blue, yellow. This is exactly what we've been hoping for. Thought interpretation. We already know she understands language but to actually see her thoughts... Wow!"

  "That is awesome," Bruce said, slapping the tech on the back. "Who'd have thought something so simple...?"

  "Let's keep this between us for now. I want to make sure it's not a fluke. Tomorrow, we'll run a few more tests and if we're right, we can surprise Dr. Bartlett."

  "I thought you didn't like her."

  Jared grimaced.

  "I don't, but I like my job more than I hate her. Besides, she's been off for the last few days. The documentation will show this was done on our watch. She might try to claim the credit, but you and I are the real success stories."

  "You and I and Abbey," Bruce said.

  "Right, and Abbey."

  CHAPTER 6

  "THIS DOESN'T MAKE sense, Dr. Bartlett," Jared said, slamming his hand down on his desk. "We're still learning from her."

  "Jared, you're just a programmer. I don't expect you to understand. Abbey has provided us with a lot of valuable information. We wouldn't be where we are without her but we need to study her brain... See what's different in it now."

  "We have cellular imaging devices for that. They can isolate single cells."

  "They're just that, imaging devices. The only way to see how something really works is to physically examine it. We've done everything we can do using images. There are definite changes in the frontal lobes. We need to find out what happened and then move forward. I think Simon will surpass Abbey's AIQ and he's only a year old. What we learn dissecting Abbey's brain may help us increase Simon's skills and move the Xeno Project to the next level. Can you imagine actually being able to communicate with an animal without having to use a software program?"

  "Abbey talks to us already."

  "You're getting soft, Jared. Abbey barks and howls and makes noises. She doesn't talk."

  "Maybe not in human words, but she talks," Jared insisted. "Besides, science will never get animals to talk. They aren't designed for language."

  "My, my. You've become quite the expert, haven't you? And just what do you know about animal biology?"

  "I know speech is about vocal chords and breathing. I know humans can talk because they can control their breathing. If we couldn't, we'd blow our vocal chords out because of the amount of pressure in our lungs."

  "I'm impressed. You've obviously been doing your research, but that doesn't make you an expert. At the moment you're a programmer and nothing more. Until you get your PhD in one of the sciences, stick with computers. Now, tell Bruce to get Abbey ready for transfer. We've got her dissection scheduled for next week. And Jared... I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself. You might have impressed Dr. Franklin, but you work for me. I can easily have you transferred to computer maintenance." The smug smile on Stacey's lips left no doubt she would do exactly that if pushed any further.

  Fuck you! Jared thought. I'll be damned if you have the last word on this one.

  Apparently satisfied that she had made her point, Stacey sauntered off.

  Jared stared at the data on his monitor for several minutes and then started developing a new program. Two hours later, he entered a final command and hit 'enter.' Signing off, he stood and walked out the door.

  I never liked this fuckin' job anyway. It's about time I took a vacation. I wonder what Nunavut is like this time of year.

  PRIMERIS —

  FIRST MISSION

  CHAPTER 1

  "YOU DO UNDERSTAND what you're supposed to do?" Sergeant Emmanuel Flores asked, marching around the woman like a strutting peacock. Shoulders straight, hands clasped behind his back, he epitomized the image of the perfect soldier.

  "My instructions are clear. I will be able to complete my mission within twenty-four hours," she replied, her voice as emotionless as her expression. Dressed in a black, form-fitting jumpsuit, she stood at attention, her eyes fixed on some invisible spot on the far side of the room. The sergeant nodded approvingly at her immaculate appearance and military bearing. He knew she had the skills to perform her duties, but she was inexperienced in the field. He had reservations about her ability to go solo, especially on her first assignment.

  Rookies are never sent out by themselves, no matter how well they perform in the program. It takes years of mentoring before they gain the maturity to work by themselves, Flores thought. Still, orders were orders... and, like her, he had to obey his. That didn't mean he had to like them though, and he definitely didn't like sending one novice operative out on a mission that normally would take three or four.

  "Twenty-four hours!" Flores barked, frustrated more with his command than her. After all, how could she possibly know what lay ahead of her? "It'll take you at least that long to reach your destination."

  "I have already studied areal and topographical maps. I have isolated several potential drop zones that will put me within four to six hours of the target. Mr. Guiterrez is presently at his compound in Nayarit. The terrain is mostly forested ridges and valleys. I should have no trouble reaching my goal within the allotted time frame."

  "And what about your target? How do you know he'll be there when you get there?" If you get there, he finished silently.

  "Our contact indicates he will be traveling to La Paz in four days and then onward to Paraguay to meet with President Madero in two weeks. My best chance at breaching his security is while he is in his own home."

  "I'd think that would be the toughest time. The complex has a highly advanced electronic intrusion detection system, not to mention over fifty armed guards quartered in and around it."

  "That is my point, Sergeant Flores. His security network is ninety-seven percent effective. That gives me a three percent opportunity to infiltrate the compound and complete my mission."

  Sergeant Flores stopped his circling.

  "Three percent! Who in the hell approved this plan?" he asked, shaking his head.

  "Colonel Cranley. I have outlined a strategy that should insure a ninety-one percent success rate."

  "Oh, well, ninety-one percent.... Why not ninety-four or ninety-five? Hell, if you're so good at planning, why not a hundred percent?"

  "One hundred percent would entail calculating all of the possible variables in the fifty-three minutes it will take me to deactivate the security system, enter the compound, overcome the necessary obstacles and neutralize my target. At this time, I have analyzed predictable possibilities and factored in several probabilities. I am not able to determine Mr. Guiterrez's movements at any given moment, other than reports that he retires to his sleeping quarters at 10 p.m. and appears for breakfast at 6:15 a.m. I have been informed that he sleeps alone but has two guards stationed outside of his bedroom door. Eight guards patrol the interior of the house. Eleven man the towers on the perimeter. Shifts are staggered and overlap to insure someone is on guard at all times. Sentries are rotated every two hours."

  "And the colonel really thinks you can accomplish your mission under these conditions in such a short time frame?"

  "It would not be logical to give me an assignment he did not think I was capable of performing. I am a valuable asset to SU33. I am also the only one capable of completing the mission, considering
how far the drop zone is away from the compound and the time constraints involved."

  "Maybe, but I think I need to talk to Colonel Cranley. Wait here!" Sergeant Flores ordered.

  CHAPTER 2

  "WHAT IS IT?" a gruff voice answered over the deskcom.

  "I'm sorry for interrupting, sir, but Sergeant Flores is here and has requested a few minutes of your time," Sergeant-Major Kelley said, looking approvingly at the soldier standing in front of him. The man's uniform was immaculate, tailored to display a fit, well-toned body. Two sharp creases ran from the shoulder to the black belt where his shirt disappeared into his neatly pressed slacks. Several medals adorned his left chest while his name tag was displayed above his right pocket. Hat tucked under his left arm, he stood at attention staring at the wall above the Sergeant-Major's head.

  "Send him in."

  "Yes sir. Go on in, Flores. A word to the wise, though. Cranley's not in the best mood today, so I hope you're not here to give him bad news."

  "No, sir... At least, I don't think so, sir."

  "That's reassuring. Well, don't keep the old man waiting," Kelley said, motioning toward the door on his left.

  * * *

  Striding into the oversized office, Sergeant Flores stopped in front of Colonel Cranley's desk and snapped to attention, his right hand raised in a salute.

  "Sergeant Flores reporting, sir. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

  "At ease, Sergeant. What can I do for you?"

  "Sir, I'm here about Agent Wone."

  "What about it... her?"

  Colonel Cranley threw his pen down on the desk and leaned back in his chair.

  Un oh, Flores thought, hoping Cranley's action was more about a bad day than the topic.

  "I don't think she's ready to take on such a difficult mission, sir."

  "Has she done or said anything to make you think that, Flores?"

  "No sir, but she's just detailed part of it. It's impossible for anyone in our unit to accomplish in such a short time, and we've had years of experience. She's only been active one year."