Modifying the Contract (Ch 8)

[General]

The setting sun cast a warm glow into the cabin as Mike checked through the cabinets for something to eat. They were mostly bare except for a few boxes of stale crackers and a half eaten bag of pretzels from the last guy’s weekend. “I thought you said the cabin was well stocked with food,” Nikki said with a confused tone.

“The hard food is down in the basement pantry,” Mike explained. “I wanted to check to see if there was anything edible left up here. Let me show you downstairs.” He lead both androids down through a door in the back of the kitchen to the dark, cool basement. In the very dim light the room appeared like any rustic cellar but it became much more sophisticated as the florescent lights flickered to life.

The basement took up the entire footprint of the cabin, and was clean and well organized. The walls and floor were made of sealed, reinforced concrete that had been painted a durable shade of gray. The majority of the room was occupied with floor to ceiling shelves that were covered in various cans and boxes of durable food. The back of the room contained a large 500 gallon tank of water and next to that stood a slightly larger metal box. “Supposedly there’s enough food here to feed a family of four for a year. The water in the back is in case the well is contaminated for any reason and that box is a short term fallout shelter. I’ve never been inside and have no desire to.”

Mike picked his way through the shelves, pulling off a few cans here and there. “Hrmm, let’s go with tuna, and green beans for tonight. You two want anything?”

Erica shook her head and Nikki politely raised her hands, “No thanks. We may have to stretch these supplies for a while.”

“Good point,” Mike said with a nod as he led the androids upstairs and turned out the light.

“Shall I work on securing the front drive?” Erica asked as Mike stared assembling his dinner.

“That’s a good idea. Just make sure we can get out quickly if we need to,” Mike said as he worked a hand can opener around the can of tuna.

“Yes Master,” Erica replied with a half coo, half snarl as she walked out of the cabin.

“Is she alright?” Mike asked after a few minutes.

“Yes she will be fine,” Nikki replied with a knowing tone. She watched Mike prepare the food to learn how he ‘likes it’ in the future. “She’s having a little trouble adapting to her conflicted programming. On one hand she is still programmed to kill both of us, but your root commands countermand that. From my experience it’s a little difficult at first.”

Mike nodded as he listed to Nikki’s explanation. “I think I understand,” he said. He paused for a moment to drain the tuna juice into the sink before emptying the flakey flesh onto a small plate. “How have you been dealing with it lately? Do you still want to kill me?”

“I’m doing better,” Nikki started slowly. “There is still a background desire to kill you. It’s much less than before but still there. Until that command is removed from my core mission programming I cannot completely eliminate that urge,” she hesitated for a moment, “I’m….sorry.”

Mike stopped what he was doing and looked up at the visibly shaken android. “That’s ok. I know you can’t help it.” He put the food down and walked around the kitchen’s island and placed a hand on Nikki’s soft shoulder. “I’m sorry you got pulled into this. Please remind me to take a look at the decryption progress later tonight. Hopefully we’ll be able to modify your programming.”

“Thank you,” Nikki replied; her hand squeezing his, “for trying to help, and for asking. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” Mike said with a smile as he went back to fixing his dinner. He had just started to eat when he heard a rhythmic thumping coming from outside. His hand snapped to the rifle laying on the table, but Nikki smiled and held up her hand.

“It’s just Erica,” Nikki said as she got up and looked out a window. “She’s working on cutting down a tree.”

“Ok good,” Mike said as his heartbeat returned to normal and he continued his dinner. Over the course of his meal he could hear a few crashes outside and then Erica returned to the cabin just as he finished washing his dishes. “Any progress?” he asked.

“Yes,” Erica replied shortly. “I felled and stripped two trees that now lie across the road. They are light enough to move but will impede any vehicular traffic. There is nothing to stop an attacking force from crossing the barricade, but they will have to get out of their vehicle to do it.”

“Sounds like we’re pretty secure,” Mike said as he dried off his dish and put it back in the cabinet. “Thank you for taking care of it tonight.”

“You’re….welcome,” Erica replied in a somewhat confused state. “I’ll go get cleaned up,” she said as she noticed the dirt and debris she had collected on her clothes while chopping down the trees.

Mike nodded towards Erica and picked up his laptop. “Nikki can I take a look at your systems? I want to see what progress the worm has made.”

“Sure Mike,” Nikki replied with a smile as she followed him to one of the couches and sat down beside him. Her first instinct was to stand in front of him, as it would allow for easiest access to her navel port, but she decided to take a more ‘human’ position on the couch to help him relax.

Mike fired up his laptop and handed Nikki the data cable. She opened up her shirt to reveal her tight, firm stomach as the plugged the small wire in. She then sat patiently watching him work on the computer. He turned the screen a little so she could see better, “Well it’s progress, but very slow progress. A few more memory files have been unlocked but there are a lot more to go.”

“At this rate it could take well over a month to fully unlock my core system programming,” Nikki noted as her finger traced over the graphic representation of her memory modules that was displayed on the computer. A few small chunks of memory were colored green and allowed full access, but the rest were red. “It’s hard to imagine what might be in here that I don’t remember,” she said as her fingers slowly slid over the many red blocks. “I hope we don’t find anything too disturbing.”

Nikki felt some concern but that was washed away by a strange sensation for her. She was scared, embarrassed and ashamed at the same time. From the few memories she could access, she knew she did some graphic and terrible things. So far Mike had looked the other way, but what if she had done something completely reprehensible? For all she knew, she could have murdered a bus load of nuns and kittens just a few weeks ago. She knew he wasn’t a prude or militantly lawful but he did have morals. She was terrified that he might find something in her memories one day that would forever taint his opinion of her. While she still felt the dull ache to kill him, she felt a more prominent desire to seek his approval.

“I guess we’ll just have to be patient and let this cook,” Mike said as he casually parsed through one of the mission memory files. It contained a pile of almost non-readable data that maybe made some more sense to Nikki, along with some limited video and still images, the mission briefing and the after action report. He figured he could probably search through one or maybe two missions a day, which should keep him current with the progress of decryption. “I’ll spend a couple of hours each day looking through each file as the come unlocked and hopefully we’ll find something valuable someday. Just let me know if you remember anything you think might be pertinent to getting us out of this mess.”

“Of course Mike,” Nikki replied, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.

At that moment Erica came walking out of the bathroom into the main room of the cabin. Her damp hair was pulled up in a towel but that was all she wore. She casually strode over to the small washing machine in the cabin and deposited her dirty laundry. Mike’s eyes watched silently as the naked android started the washer and turned back to them. Nikki watched too, but her eyes darted back and forth between the nude fembot and Mike’s growing erection.

“It appears that I only have one set of clothing,” Erica explained as she stood near Mike. She instantly noticed his arousal and smiled.

“We’ll have to see if we can find any spare clothes around here that might fit you,” Mike stammered as he found his eyes drawn back to Erica’s naked form. At first he was embarrassed to stare with Nikki in the room, but she gave him a knowing smile and stared a bit herself.

“If you so wish Master,” Erica replied, throwing in the master just to get Mike going, “but otherwise I am perfectly happy to walk around naked. Is there anything I can do for you now?”

“Well actually,” Mike said as he shifted his hips to relive the growing pressure in his pants, “I should give your systems a quick check. Can you stand a bit closer?”

“Of course Master,” Erica replied as she stood right in front of him, deliberately giving him a very close view of her firm stomach and smooth, damp lips.

Mike cleared his throat and gathered his laptop before plugging the cable into Erica’s naval port. “Well that’s surprising,” he chuckled. Nikki leaned over to see the screen as he gestured to the display. “You see here? All of Nikki’s encryption blocks have already been opened. I’ve got full access. I wonder why she was so much faster.”

“Well, Erica has far fewer memory and mission files to decrypt than I do,” Nikki explained.

“And my processors are significantly faster,” Erica jumped in. “My high spare CPU capacity allowed your worm to work much faster and more efficiently.” Her voice was filled with a strong sense of pride as she felt she had done something better than Nikki.

“Whatever the reason,” Mike interrupted before a fight broke out, “it means I can alter your primary mission programming.” He parsed through a few windows and found Erica’s primary mission:

[Track down and kill Michael Kruger. Track down and destroy Operative Nikki.]

Below the mission purpose sat a now available button: Edit Mission Programming.

“This is it,” Mike said with a loud, excited tone. “This is the proof that Allied is trying to kill me.”

“Mike,” Nikki said as she delicately placed her hand on Mike’s shoulder. “This doesn’t mean what you think it does. As far as the law is concerned this is inadmissible as evidence. Even Erica’s memory files in the lead up to her attack on us are not considered evidence. It cannot be used for prosecution.”

“Wait,” Mike said with a confused look, “this is proof. Why can’t it be used just like any other digital trail?”

“My systems have no protection against 'tampering' therefore any evidence found in my memories could be easily challenged in court," Nikki explained.

“From a technical perspective, much that is inside an android’s memories or programs can be altered. It isn’t easy, but to someone with the right skills and tools an android’s memories can be modified or created to back up anything. A good programmer would be able to make me think I killed Abraham Lincoln and those memories would be undistinguished from those I really recorded.

“I guess you have a point,” Mike grumbled as he did little to hide his disappointment. “Ahh fuck, I thought we finally had some leverage on them.”

“There is still some hope,” Nikki explained, trying to cheer Mike up. “While our memories aren’t admissible as pure evidence, they might point you in the right direction for finding something really incriminating.”

“You’re right,” Mike sighed as he returned to Erica’s programming. “At least then it won’t matter if I change this,” he said as he clicked on the Edit Mission Programming button.

[You must suspend current personality programming to alter mission parameters. Continue YES NO]

A window popped up on the screen and Erica suddenly froze. “Yea yea yea,” Mike said as he clicked the YES button.

“Programming mode activated,” Erica said to nobody in particular.

Mike looked up at the now emotionless android for a moment before continuing. He quickly cleared out her current mission and stared at the empty space for a few minutes as he thought of a replacement.

[Protect and serve Michael Kruger. Protect and serve Operative Nikki.]

“What do you think?” Mike asked as he turned the screen towards Nikki.

“That will work,” Nikki replied nervously, “but why do you want her to also serve me?”

Mike paused for a second, “You have far more experience than she does. If I make a mistake with her, I want you to have the authority to correct it. Plus, you seemed to get a kick out of being able to command someone else for a change.”

Nikki chuckled and smiled as Mike turned back to his computer and saved the new programmed mission. Erica’s eyes closed then reopened as her personality matrix restarted with the new mission parameters. She took a deep breath and a wide smile grew across her face. “Ahh that is much better,” she said as she reached down and hugged Mike. Her firm, warm breasts pressed against his face. “Thank you very much for changing my programming. It feels so much better not wanting to kill you or Nikki any more.”

“I’m glad you feel better,” Mike mumbled into Erica’s breasts.

“Oh I’m sorry,” Erica giggled as she released Mike and stood back up. “Now that I’m fully programmed, how may I serve you…either of you?” she said looking back and forth between Mike and Nikki.

Nikki could see that Mike had grown quite aroused again. Just the sight of his growing bulge was enough to prime her sexual programs. She stood up and walked over to the other android. The two women were only separated by inches and positioned right in front of him.

Nikki smiled as her eyes darted back and forth from Erica’s breasts to Mike’s growing bulge. “Erica, please help me remove my clothes,” she commanded.

“Yes Nikki,” Erica replied with a naughty smile. Nikki lifted her arms up as Erica slipped her shirt off. She paused long enough for Mike to get a good look at her leather bra before she reached around behind Nikki and unhooked the clasp. She took her time to let her own tits brush against the other android’s before tossing the undergarment aside. She then got down on her knees and opened Nikki’s pants with her delicate and precise fingers. She pulled the pants down over the other android’s hips and helps her step out of them. She let Mike admire the skimpy leather thong before she grabbed it around the crotch and pulled it off. “Order complete, how may I serve you next?”

“Stand up and make out with me,” Nikki commanded. Erica quickly rose and without a word began kissing the other android. Their two pairs of breasts pushed against each other as their lips and tongues met. Their hands slid over their bodies and Mike enjoyed every second of it. He leaned forward in his seat; the writhing androids just inches from his face. He could smell the sweet synthetic perfume of their bodies, as small drips of artificial sweat formed on their skin.

The entire time Nikki and Erica both monitored Mike’s reaction. They could see his arousal growing and his hand movements indicated a 79.4% chance he wanted to touch them. Nikki twisted her body to expose a breast and her smooth pussy lips for her master. Mike almost instantly responded by reaching up and cupping her exposed breast. His fingers played over her hard nipple and caressed her soft flesh. He let out a soft, low moan that both android women interpreted as approval.

Erica shifted her own body slightly to give Mike access as she desperately wanted to feel his touch on her body. She lowered her hand and gently pushed her middle finger between Nikki’s smooth, dampening lips. She saw him watch the action just inches from his face; she wanted to arouse him as well as direction some of his attention away from Nikki and to her waiting body.

Mike smiled as he heard Nikki moan and gasp under his and Erica’s stimulation. Using his free hand he slid it up Erica’s smooth leg, over her thigh and into her waiting, wet lips. As his finger penetrated her outer folds, she moaned and broke her kiss with Nikki. “Oh yes Master, touch me. Your finger feels so good in my wet pussy.”

“Good,” Mike growled. He ran his fingers up and down Erica’s wet folds then plunged two deep inside of her. She let out a loud moan as her entire body shivered. “Do you like that?”

“Yes Master, it feels very good,” Erica gasped. Nikki gently took Mike’s hand and lifted it from her breast before setting it down on Erica’s. She took a slight step back then dropped to her knees and started delicately stripping him out of his clothing. Her delicate and precise fingers quickly popped buttons and pulled zippers until he was as naked as they were.

Mike was so completely distracted fingering a much more responsive Erica that he barely noticed that Nikki had stripped him out of his clothes. He slid his fingers deep inside her and curled them to find her synthetic g spot. Her knees almost buckled as she steadied herself with her hand on his now bare shoulder. He smiled as he thumped his fingers a few more times inside of her. “Oh yes Master,” she cried as her body began to convulse. Her hand squeezed his shoulder at the same time as his fingers were squeezed inside her. She pulsed and moaned a few more times before the climax faded away. “Thank you very much Master. That feels much better when I’m fully functional.”

Mike had just pulled his fingers free of Erica when with one quick motion, Nikki pulled his entire length into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around his head as it was now Mike’s turn to moan. As Nikki’s head bounced aggressively up and down on his shaft, Erica watched intently. He opened his eyes just long enough to see Erica watching and came up with an idea. “Erica, lick Nikki while she blows me.”

“Yes Master,” Erica cooed as she dropped to her knees and then laid down on the floor. Nikki was on her knees and after hearing Mike’s order she spread her legs to provide easier access. Erica slid her head under Nikki and began to furiously lick the other android’s delicate folds and nubs. Nikki shuddered a little and moaned as her mouth caressed his rod.

Mike looked down and the sight below him was almost enough to push him over right there. He could see Nikki’s brunette head pumping up and down as her delicate ass was floating just above Erica. The blonde’s head was complete obscured but he could clearly see the rest of her body giggle and move as she obeyed her last order. “Erica, masturbate while you lick.” He couldn’t hear a response from the lower android, but saw her hand immediately leap to her own wet, bare lips. She started rubbing herself in small circles that grew ever faster and faster. Her other hand found its way to one of her exposed tits and she started to caress it and pull on her nipple.

Mike could take no more, and his hand fell to steady himself on Nikki’s shoulder. She could feel his head flare in her mouth and knew what was coming. Without hesitation she plunged his shaft as deep as it would go in her mouth. Her impossibly dexterous tongue slid out and ran up and down the seam of his sack. He cried out as he climaxed violently. Nikki sucked it all up and then triggered her own orgasm sequence. Taking the lead from the elder droid, Erica wasn’t far behind.

A few moments later Mike collapsed into a nearby chair to catch his breath. Erica pulled her head out from between Nikki’s legs and the two androids gently sat down on his lap. “Was that pleasing for you Master?” Erica cooed in his ear.

“Oh yea,” Mike gasped, “very pleasurable. Just give me a little bit of time to rest.”

“I have an idea,” Nikki purred. “Erica keep Master warm.”

“Of course,” Erica giggled as Nikki stood up and she was able to cuddle in with Mike.

Nikki quickly walked over to the nearby fireplace and loaded it with wood and tinder that was stacked nearby. In a few minutes the sound of a crackling fire echoed throughout the cabin. She then found an old bedspread in one of the bedrooms and folded it lengthwise in a few layers on the floor in front of the fire. Mike watched the industrious android in silence as she entered the kitchen pulled a small ceramic bowl from the cabinets. She searched around for a few more minutes until she found a large can of extra virgin olive oil. She poured the oil in the bowl and then set it on the wooden stove that was now radiating copious amounts of heat.

Nikki strolled over to Mike and Erica with a wide smile on her face. “You’ve had a very stressful last few days. Would you like a massage?”

“Yes that sounds wonderful,” Mike admitted. It had been years since anyone had given him a massage and the thought of synthetically precise fingers on his flesh and muscles sounded like heaven. Erica stood up and helped him to his feet. He’d spent the last two nights sleeping in cars and suddenly could feel his muscles screaming for repentance.

Nikki helped Mike to the makeshift mattress and laid him down on his stomach. She and Erica warmed their hands next to the fire then rubbed them down in oil. Nikki stared on his shoulders while Erica’s hands began working his feet and legs. Over the next thirty minutes the two androids worked over every muscle in Mike’s body. The girls eventually rolled him over and began working on his chest and legs.

Erica was the first to cross into an erogenous zone. Her slippery hands slid up Mike’s thighs and gently caressed his now flaccid shaft. He groaned in response but kept his eyes closed. She desperately wanted to feel him deep inside her. Her memory files remembered sucking on him the previous day, but she was never penetrated. The more she scanned her now completely open memory files, the more she realized that she had never actually had a man inside her, besides his fingers earlier that night.

Erica’s hands started to work furiously over Mike’s shaft, and while he seemed to enjoy it at first, his face began to show discomfort as she kept stroking faster and faster. Eventually Nikki cleared her throat and then shook her head as Erica looked up at her. The younger android frowned as she stopped her stimulation. As much as she wanted his shaft buried inside her, she couldn’t countermand Nikki’s orders. She looked down at Mike and saw he had grown somewhat aroused. A sly grin spread on her face as she took copious amounts of oil and smeared them all over her breasts. Pushing them together with her hands she wrapped the fleshy mounds around his shaft and stared sliding them up and down slowly.

Mike moaned in approval and opened his eyes to watch Erica’s oil covered body slide up and down him. Sophisticated skin sensors embedded in her skin provided her programming with a wealth of information about his physiology. All of that data allowed her to accurately measure his arousal. Her sexual programming knew he had to reach a certain threshold of excitement to have respectable odds of completing an act of intercourse.

Erica’s breasts slid up and down his shaft for a few more minutes but she became disappointed with Mike’s progress. [arousal=32% threshold] “Master, your cock feels so good between my tits.” [arousal=45% threshold] “I can’t wait to feel you inside me.” [arousal=47% threshold] “I want to please you so badly Master.” [arousal=58% threshold] “I am programmed to serve your every need.” [arousal=74% threshold] “Please fuck my synthetic pussy Master.” [arousal=102% threshold]

Mike could barely muster a nod before Erica crawled on top of him. He could feel the head from her artificial genitals on his shaft as she lowered herself down on top of him. She let out a loud moan as his head pushed beyond her smooth lips and plunged deep into her virginal hole. “Oh yes Master!” she cried as she started to pump her hips up and down.

Erica rode Mike for the next fifteen minutes, pushing herself through several orgasm sequences but he still hadn’t climaxed. Nikki happily watched the encounter but felt bad that the younger, less experienced couldn’t complete her function. She stood up and slowly worked her way behind the other android. She rubbed down her hands with oil and slid up behind Erica.

Nikki pulled Erica into a more vertical position to give Mike a better view. Her hands then wrapped around the other android and sensually caressed her breasts. Erica began to shift her hips back and forth as she ground on his shaft. One of Nikki’s hands slid down the oiled android and made small circles over her hairless slit. The sight was apparently enough for Mike and climaxed inside Erica with a few loud grunts.

Nikki quickly released Erica and let her collapse on top of her master. She stood up and returned with a large towel a few minutes later. Carefully the two androids wiped the excess oil from Mike’s body and then helped him into a warm, soft bed. As they turned to leave, he reached out and pulled Nikki towards him. She smiled and taking his implied order, very happily slipped under the covers with him. He pushed himself against her back and wrapped his arms around her warm, soft, and naked body before he drifted off to sleep.

Erica let out a long sigh, “Thank you Master,” before shutting the door behind her and returning to the living room. She picked up the assault rifle and turned off the lights in the main room of the cabin. Nude, armed, and in the dark, she took up a silent vigil for the night.

[liliwinnt6]

WoW! Chapter 8 ist hier!
Finally!

[Sthurmovik]

I know why for story reasons you needed to make the evidence from Android's memories inadmissible, but I am not sure I find it a very realistic outcome. Our Android smart phones know about as much about us and our actions as any AI android would and the government is perfectly thrilled to use them as a source of evidence. In fact humans ordering androids to commit crimes is the exact sort of problem the government would need to circumvent. Finally I am not sure that a Federal statute re: admissibility would have any application to the states as that sort of thing falls within the sovereign powers of a state to determine. Congress cannot expand the scope of the 4th amendment via legislative action.

You might want to replace that with the fact that since Mike has gained root access to these androids and their memory files the chain of evidence would be highly suspect or inadmissible for that reason and making a case would be difficult with just Mike's word that he didn't alter anything. Also determining validity of android memories could require either Nikki or Erica to be shut down for some invasive process that might ultimately result in their being seized as evidence or even destroyed as dangerous contraband.

Your current solution really has a lot of unintended ramifications and I think it harms the story. There are several other alternatives that don't require you to upend the legal system.

[Sthurmovik]

Since he DID in fact alter the androids programming any shrewd prosecutor would point out that any memory found on the android would be suspect because it was tampered with.

Exactly, but there is no need to invoke some future law that makes data recovered from androids inadmissible do to privacy concerns. As I said if you have an Android cell phone law enforcement can turn it into a high bandwidth evidence gathering implant and there are no calls to make cell phone evidence inadmissible. Having Androids be immune from forensics opens up all sorts of loopholes that would hugely benefit criminal activity. It would never stand for long even if it were enacted.

[General]

You both bring up some pretty good points. I think the problem may lie on my end. Specifically I think I had some concepts floating around in my head that I might have never properly transcribed.

In my mind I had envisioned that in this future world, large scale, multinational corporations have much of the power that now resides at the government level. I'd even take it to the point where some companies are almost untouchable by all but the most powerful governments.

This sort of works two ways. First, any governmental agency (federal, state or local level) that would want to prosecute a corporation would have a hard time matching, never mind beating the legal resources available to a megacorp. Mentally I was picturing the OJ Simpson trial, where the state prosecution looked like amateurs compared to the 'dream team.'

So I'm thinking taking Allied to trial, with a team of government salaried lawyers, would be like pitting your local company softball team against the New York Yankees.

The second angle is that large megacorps, with lots of money, can get whatever laws passed they wish. Laws are passed all the time, at every level of government that benefit one industry or even one company over the greater good. If you have a lot of companies that use androids, and don't like the idea of them being walking data sources for potential subpoena, you get a law passed making them inadmissible. The lobbyists come up with enough legal babble to make it sound like a win for freedom and democracy and bam, your androids are off the table.

Part of including this law was to show that there was no hope in going to the police.

I will admit I'm far from a legal scholar so this whole idea may be as realistic as Indiana Jones surviving a nuclear blast in a refrigerator.

[Sthurmovik]

If you have a lot of companies that use androids, and don't like the idea of them being walking data sources for potential subpoena, you get a law passed making them inadmissible. The lobbyists come up with enough legal babble to make it sound like a win for freedom and democracy and bam, your androids are off the table.

But all corporation would want to be able to use such tactics against other corporations. All such a law does is make it impossible for government prosecute any action carried out by androids. There would be waves of android initiated crime and all corporations would have to find ways to defend themselves against it. That makes the environment much less stable than it was before. I don't see any corporation wanting to make assassination and industrial espionage legal because it pulls the whole fucking tent down.

Corporate influence in government wouldn't result in laws that make things a free for all in corporation vs corporation conflict. I think you can show there is no hope going to the police without using a law that makes no logical sense.

BTW if your story world is so fucked up that government is completely subverted and there is no real hope to get out of the situation why should I become invested in it?

[DollSpace]

Very intense chapter! I liked reading it, even if I generally like the chapters with more character development. As to the points brought up by the other posters, I've thought deeply about this and I think...that I'll keep my opinion to myself for now. But Sthurmovik, there is always *some* hope...and it's always darkest before the dawn.

[General]

I'm enjoying this debate as something stimulating; I don't mean to appear antagonistic. I hope nobody is taking it that way.

First of all, I wouldn't say that there is no hope for Mike, Nikki or Erica; it's just that hope may not come from government authorities. I've only written one story without a happy ending, so chances are things will work out well. I just figured if Mike could walk into the local police station, or regional FBI office with Nikki as evidence, it would make for a dull story.

To me a law like this would make androids very similar to humans in the scope of prosecution. If I commit a crime and get caught the state has to make a case against me, without being able to pull the knowledge right from my head. While the law led to more androids like Nikki, I'm going to theorize that many, many more androids were sold because they weren't criminal data recorders. Sure right now a lot of similar data can be found on computers, paper files, phones, etc but it takes a lot of work to comb through all that raw data. Now you put a good droid brain in front of it and you've made it all too easy.

Here's a potential scenario:

Officer Jimbo: [walks into a storefront and up to the receptionist] I'm Officer Jimbo, and this is a random security check.

Android Katie: Hello Officer, I'm Katie. How can I help you?

Jimbo: [Hands search authorization to android]

Katie: [Scans document, including bar coded encryption key] Searching...searching...31 violations found: 7 minor repairs were performed in the shop without the proper permits. 4 OSHA violations occurred over the past 6 months. 2 software applications licensed for personal use are being used for business purposes.

ETC

Folks with a business may not intentionally decide to brake the law, but probably do so accidentally a few times a week and don't even know it. My feeling is that if a business owner was tempted to invest in android labor he might think twice if that android was an ever recording, 100% accurate, snitch if given the right command.


Another point I wanted to throw out was the trade off between freedom and security. Lately in the US, and probably other parts of the world, real threats have motivated us to trade some freedoms for security. I used to have the freedom to carry more than 3oz of liquid on a plane, or the freedom to carry more than $10,000 in cash across the border. If we accept that at some point society will trade freedom for security in times of threat, then is it not logical that at some point in the future if the threat passes, the freedoms might be restored?

Historically there have been a few periods in recent American history where the size and reach of government has shrunk when there is no need for it. It may be hard to imagine lately, but if there were no major wars, no financial meltdowns, and a thriving economy, a lot of government functions may cease to exist. Maybe government, and the power it wields shrinks.

I'm sure if you ask people now if they like the idea of the government being able to scan their smartphones and use it against them in court they'd say rather it didn't happen. Every now and then I see new folks get worried at my office when someone tells them that the cops monitor their EzPass to see if they're speeding. It's crap (http://www.snopes.com/autos/law/ezpass.asp), but even the potential of it scares people. Not that they would endorse speeding but the potential for their 'tool' to betray them has gotten more than one to cancel the system or wrap it in aluminum foil.

However, NY law currently states (according to snopes) that it would be illegal to use an automated system like this to issue speeding tickets. However, I have seen other states (PA and AZ for sure) where traffic cams tied to radar guns will issue automatic tickets. All it takes is an action of a legislature.

So I guess my long rambling point is that if you get the public mindset that they want certain freedoms, and they elect enough people to push for those laws, it can be made into law (the great beauty of democracy). Or on the other side if people don't pay attention, with enough lobbyists and money, anything can be made into law.

[Sthurmovik]

To me a law like this would make androids very similar to humans in the scope of prosecution. If I commit a crime and get caught the state has to make a case against me, without being able to pull the knowledge right from my head. While the law led to more androids like Nikki, I'm going to theorize that many, many more androids were sold because they weren't criminal data recorders. Sure right now a lot of similar data can be found on computers, paper files, phones, etc but it takes a lot of work to comb through all that raw data. Now you put a good droid brain in front of it and you've made it all too easy.

Well you have made it somewhat ambiguous if Androids are considered people, with rights, or are they things, without rights. The fact that androids can be programmed to kill and/or commit crimes would demand that that sort of information be available to law enforcement least it create a a massive loophole. If beings have free will then you would have a point, but your androids only seem to have a very limited free will so it would be nonsensical that the police couldn't go and check to see if any particular android was commanded to do certain things.

Furthermore I believe that the technology would exist to allow androids to protect any information that they or their employers felt needed to be private. Mitch is already dealing with decrypting memory files, the same could be done for all parts of an androids memory. If an android feels they are about to be seized and searched they could delete the keys and disable local access to the information. This means that the whole issue would be generally moot as there wouldn't be much for the police to inspect.

So I guess my long rambling point is that if you get the public mindset that they want certain freedoms, and they elect enough people to push for those laws, it can be made into law (the great beauty of democracy). Or on the other side if people don't pay attention, with enough lobbyists and money, anything can be made into law.

You have one white girl killed/kidnapped by an android at the command of some sex offender owner and you bet your bottom dollar that the public will be out with pitch forks and torches demanding that police be able to search androids' memories. Or hell, androids as "suicide" bombers. The public is far more apt to trade privacy for security than the other way around. The fact that the technology to protect an android's memories will exist makes laws making such information privileged completely irreverent.

If you use PGP and SSL and use self encrypting hard drives the FBI is basically powerless to get data off your computer or off the wire. I've toured their labs, they don't try anything besides basic pw cracking. However 95% of criminals don't bother to take the most basic steps to protect themselves. Large mega-corporations won't bother with such laws because they can protect their data (or at least assume they can), while the petty criminals the public cares about won't. Androids would be the same way with top of the line information protection technologies built in.

Of course I know the technical arguments won't matter much in your story because you have demonstrated that all the androids use Hollywood cryptography

So consider this, with audio visual recording devices so small and cheap these days there is little difference between an android and a human in terms of recording ability. Disgruntled employee whistle blowing is what enforces most of the regulations in this country because all it takes is one person with a pen sized recorder (or their phone set to record) to expose the whole thing, however I don't see any laws outlawing the admissibility of employee recording devices for whistleblowing purposes NOR do I see the admissibility of such things tamping down the populations of phones and other PED's which can all record both sound and video.

So before you dig in your heels here consider the following.

1) Are your androids "people" with 4th amendment rights that would preclude such searches of their memories. A court case that declares an androids' memories off limits to search would be plausible if they were considered people.

1a) Determining if androids are acting against their usual free will would be an exception to the statement above, but would be limited to that scope.

2) If androids are not people and if their data can be protected via technological means would such a law be necessary? In that case law enforcement would need some positive requirement to have access to the data and in the absence of that the data would be basically unobtainable.

2a) The 5th amendment also comes in to play here as the android or human would not be able to be compelled to turn over any encryption keys to their memories.

All of those issues are much less "hackish" than a law that creates all sorts of unintended consequences. If I were you I would go with androids being considered a form of person and unless they consent to a search of their mind the police can only attempt to determine if an android had been reprogrammed to commit a crime.

Of course I also don't see much need for evidenciary issues to prevent Mike and the girls from going to the police. If the police are corrupt the law is pretty much pointless anyway and Mike can always send the data to Wikileaks even if the evidence was inadmissible in court. Also, admissible or not Megacorporations have lawyers that will simply delay the case until Mike is killed and the androids wiped clean.

[General]

I have to admit that you've brought up a lot of good points. I can't really argue with the technical details. I have to admit that most of my stories are composed of about 90% Hollywood, 5% Wikipedia, and 5% actual experience.

Unfortunately my real life experiences are somewhat limited, and people probably don't want to hear about the daring hero that properly resourced his MS Project file before assembling a wicked defect leak matrix.

Realistically actual encryption is currently far too sophisticated to be hacked like it is in the story. Throw anther 30 years of commercially prompted development and Mike has a better chance hacking an alien mothership with a Mac than he does cracking good encryption.

[Pleasurebot]

Sthurmovik, your legal philosophy assumes that this story is set in the future United States, when General hasn't even made clear that it takes place in the same universe.

Even if it did, a constitutional amendment (as written in the story; was it an amendment originally or was it edited later?) could reinterpret the Fourth Amendment very easily.

And if this future is controlled by megacorporations, it could be relatively easy to dilute the Constitution any way they want. I think a sustained campaign "warning" lawmakers that their robots (possibly gifts of Allied in the first place?) could reveal by court order all their owners' actions, discussions, sexual predilections etc. would get state legislatures working at record pace.

Although androids could be required to have a "black box"-like activity recorder that existed separately from the robot's main memory system... that could help reduce the chance that androids would be programmed to run around executing people without someone finding out about it.

This is an excellent story, General. I can't wait for the next chapter!

[Sthurmovik]

Sthurmovik, your legal philosophy assumes that this story is set in the future United States, when General hasn't even made clear that it takes place in the same universe.

General has gone out of his way to make his world a "20 Minutes into the Future" setting. Look how he describes the cars and the economy and how things have changed since today times. I am trying to point out a plot point that feels like a rather gross hack. It pulled me out of the moment and broke what was otherwise a very well crafted and very plausible future.

[gynoneko]

I, for one, am enjoying this story a lot, and don't mind the occasional minor plot hole or il-conceived plot point. I am sure I have such plot holes many times in my own stories, even though I try not to. And I try not to let it bother me.
I have to agree with Sthurmovik though... the law is a little bit too much.
I have a hard time believing it is something so insignificant that it was merely attached to another law and passed under the radar. I think the best and simplest solution would be to alter the law that would make it virtually pointless to use a hacked and stolen robot as evidence against a corporation that has huge resources and would be able to throw enough lawyers at it to shoot down anything he had. You could also use the corrupt government idea as well.
It would allow for only a minor tweak in the story that would not take away from any major plot points.
Other than that, I think this is a very good story so far. I can't wait to read the next installment