“That was a priority. I’m running a loop, so there’s no risk of our location being discovered on the cameras. But it’ll be obvious where we are if we start opening and closing shutters.”
In a roundabout way, Matsumoto was saying the situation was not good—not good at all. There had to be more enemies than just the five men they’d run into earlier. Otherwise, there was no way they could have captured the entire building and kept outsiders away, and the trio needed to avoid them all. They operated like soldiers, which would make evasion difficult, but Vivy and Matsumoto had to get Aikawa out of the building—a building housing a data center managed by OGC, a massive AI corporation.
“With the entire building’s operating systems in the enemy’s hands, we can’t use the elevator,” Matsumoto told Vivy, using a transmission that Aikawa couldn’t hear so as to avoid stirring his panic any further.
“We are currently located on the twenty-fourth floor in a building that’s thirty stories tall. If we are unable to use the elevator, we can assume the enemy is monitoring the stairs and fire escape. Getting past them seems unrealistic,” replied Vivy.
“And with your right arm in that state, it’ll be hard to get Assemblyman Aikawa out of here unharmed.”
Vivy didn’t respond. Her right arm had been slightly damaged by blocking the two bullets, reducing its functionality. As she’d told Aikawa, the piece of metal had taken the brunt of the actual hits, but she was still a songstress—her body wasn’t built to withstand combat, and the brief engagement had taken its toll. While she might not have been as weak as her feminine appearance would suggest, she was far from sturdy. If Vivy suffered a single direct hit to her torso, she would be unable to function at all.
“We couldn’t have done it in time for this mission, but we need to strengthen your frame before the next one,” said Matsumoto. “Oh, c’mon, don’t be worried. If we get you a hardcore power-up, I’ll make sure it won’t be discovered during your work in the park. Can’t say you won’t gain weight, though…”
Before Vivy could respond to Matsumoto’s little proposal, Aikawa called out from behind her as they ran. “I don’t know if you’ll answer, but can I ask something?”
Considering the complicated situation he’d found himself in, he likely had a mountain of questions. For the moment, Vivy remained silent to allow Aikawa a chance to continue.
“Do you two know who those men are?” he asked.
“Oh, that’s surprising. I would have thought the first thing you’d ask was who we are,” replied Matsumoto, rubbing his teddy bear head. Vivy felt the same way.
Aikawa smiled wryly. “What? Why, I’ve already learned who you are: You’re my allies. Any more information than that can wait until later. Obviously, I’ll happily ask if you want to tell me about yourselves, but I don’t really see that happening.”
“That is both brave and wise, Assemblyman Aikawa Youichi,” said Matsumoto. “Those are characteristics of yours I couldn’t discern by reading your records alone. I had to meet you for that.”
“I’m flattered you’ve heard of me. If you have the right to vote, I would greatly appreciate your vote in the next election. Though…this is taking the conversation off-track.”
Aikawa seemed to be calming down considerably, and he once again sounded like a true assemblyman. Matsumoto’s lighthearted conversation with him seemed to be a sign that the two were similar on some fundamental level.
Unfortunately, they would never get another chance to deepen their relationship.
“So, do you two know who those men are?”
“Yes and no. If you’re asking if I’ve met them before, then the answer is no, but it would be wrong to say I know nothing about them. It’s like how a celebrity on TV is known, but their audience is not. That said, I have no intention of telling you what I know. It’s forbidden.”
“Forbidden…?” Aikawa fell into thought after Matsumoto’s verbose non-answer, smokescreen as it was. Then he said, “They’ve been trained to use firearms, but they’re slow to respond to unexpected events. They seemed genuinely angry at me, so they’re unlikely to be hired men. They’re acting of their own volition. Another clue is that they took over the control room of the OGC data center and separated me from my secretary and guards when I came to visit.”
“…”
“They likely have some of their people inside the building. Morality means little in a fight against money.”
“Wow.” Matsumoto abandoned his efforts to conceal the truth as Aikawa built a theory. While Matsumoto had an advantage because his teddy bear body couldn’t show emotions, he still let out a gasp of admiration, making Aikawa certain he wasn’t off the mark.
“It’s not that impressive. I’m actually pretty clever when I’m not fearing for my life,” Aikawa told them.
“Ah, so you do have a brain in that head when you’ve got time to calm down. Although…” Matsumoto trailed off, and Aikawa looked down remorsefully.
“If I really had a brain in this head, I would have avoided this whole situation.”
“You couldn’t have,” Vivy said.
“Oh, I didn’t expect the young lady to refute that. You’re far too kind.”
“I’m not being kind.” Vivy shook her head, rejecting his words of gratitude. He cocked his head in confusion, so she carefully and quietly said, “No matter what you did, this night would still have happened. It has nothing to do with your remorse or contemplations.”
“Uh…”
“Hold up just a second! That’s kinda blunt, don’t you think?!” Matsumoto cried as Vivy’s statement left Aikawa in disbelief. “You can’t just say that! I know how you feel, but not everything’s so clear-cut! It’s not nice to throw that in his face—it’s actually a little mean! Not too shabby though.”
Vivy’s brow furrowed. “Which is it?” she asked, unsure whether Matsumoto was complimenting or admonishing her.
Though taken aback, Aikawa let out a little huff of air and chuckled. “Ah ha ha. Despite the situation we’re in, you’re still so…”
“To be honest, that kind of reaction shows both her strengths and weaknesses,” Matsumoto said to Aikawa. “But you’re handling this pretty well.”
“You have to be able to get over unexpected hurdles in my line of work. If you’re not prepared to shoulder the burdens that arise, you shouldn’t be doing it.”
“…”
“I think this incident is probably a reaction to Project OA—the one to automate offices… Actually, no. This plot must be to prevent the AI Naming Law.”
Sometimes, silence can speak far more eloquently than words: the AIs’ silence confirmed Aikawa’s suspicion.
The AI Naming Law would eventually lead to what was known as the “first mistake,” an event that would shake humanity’s foundation one hundred years in the future. The legislation could not be allowed to pass.
As the name implied, the bill proposed a law that would allow AIs to take names. While this move didn’t seem like such a big deal on the surface, it would change the relationship between humans and AIs forever.
For example, Vivy’s official designation was “OGC Singing AI, Model Number A-03.” The moniker she used in and out of NiaLand, Vivy, was nothing more than a nickname. Despite the way her coworkers treated her, she was officially NiaLand equipment. However, if the AI Naming Law came into effect, Vivy would become something else entirely. When something gained a name, humans tended to treat it as more than just a thing. This was even more true for something that resembled another human. This trend would continue to grow, changing how humans treated AI on a global scale.