The New Knights - Chapter 3

(set: $points to 0) And here we are at the Georgia World Congress Center, home to this year’s Atlanta Annual Tech Expo. The sun’s shining high in the sky, masses of people are walking through the front doors in a messy would-be line, and cosplayers are posing under the shade of the trees lining the sidewalk (do they know this isn’t an anime convention?). And by golly are there a lot of people outside. You’d think a Falcons game was about to start with the size of the crowd right now... and we aren’t even in the building yet. “I’m off!” Karina shouts as soon as we hit the entrance, scurrying towards the employee entryway that, unlike the general attendance one, doesn’t have a line stretching back for ages. “Oh, see you!” I shout back, but she’s already too far gone to hear it. That leaves me alone, in this desolate wasteland of hundreds of thousands of people. Every year, people from all over the world, whether that be industry types, techies, hobbyist consumers, video game fans, collectors, or (ew) journalists, descend upon Atlanta. The whole city spends five days soaking up all the newest technology and uncovering the latest finds. I’ve always considered the grandiose extravaganza somewhat silly because of how stagnant technology has been, but the past few years have actually started to pick up the pace, I’ve heard. And with this expo being the first since the Social Media Killer’s attacks... things ought to be interesting. Interesting may not be the right word for it. Unsettling may be more accurate. My goal today, as given to me by R8PR himself, is to search out clues behind what might be going on with the Ascendants. The “Ascendants,” of course, being the term that Jones uncovered during her famous social media assassinations, and a term that seems to be connected, somehow, with several major politicians, businesspeople, and entire corporations in ways that we have not yet discovered. Along with some rumblings of the anti-tech terror gang Earth Group stirring up trouble, there’s a whole lot to look for, and not very much direction on my part. I guess I’ll go inside and take a look. The giant blob of people waiting to get in has started to thin already, so it shouldn’t be too long a trip. Though... it is really hot outside. I don’t know how much longer I can take wearing this suit if I don’t get in the air conditioned building as soon as possible. I refuse to break a sweat. I will will myself into staying dry. ...Nope, there it goes, I feel the bead of sweat rolling down my side. Now I sigh. After about ten minutes of waiting, I reach the ticket check, where I flash my “press pass” (Larkins has his uses, I’ll give him that) and enter the convention center. ... Wow... Ahhh... It’s so cool... I stand there and bask in the nice chilly air for a moment. Next to me, an elderly couple, two women also wearing fancy suits, are doing the same. I almost turn to them and remark about the wonders of modern central cooling, but I don’t need to. It is implicitly accepted by all Atlanteans that we are living in a golden age of air conditioning. [[Enter the main hall.->main hall]]

The main hall is the big room in the middle. If you’ve ever been to a convention center, you’ll know this is where most anything interesting actually happens. The seller booths will be busy, the companies will have exhibits, and there will be panels and press conferences galore, but all of that is stuff you can experience later, on video tape or TV or something. No, the real happenings are here in the main hall, where you get to watch families argue loudly in front of everyone after a tiring morning. Or where illicit drug deals go down in the middle of large crowds. Or where people sit by power sockets charging their portable PCs. For anyone interested in people-watching, the main hall of the convention center lets you absorb the whole of humanity at once. Sadly, I hate people-watching because I hate humanity as a whole and need no proof to back that up, so the main hall being interesting only interests me in that it fuels my antipathy. I need to go somewhere before I facetiously ramble you to death. [[Go to the map stand.->map stand]]

I should get a map before I do anything else. That would be the smart thing to do considering the Georgia World Congress Center is the biggest convention center on the planet. Luckily, there’s a whole map stand just past the ticket check. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/TzwVmdo.png" width="400" height="300"> These things are free, but they’re surprisingly huge. They aren’t just a map, but also a detailed listing of every booth and exhibit and seller table at the convention. Also, as I flip through the thing, it appears that there is an entire section dedicated to pages and pages of coupons. For some reason. I guess they’re really banking on the middle aged mom crowd coming here and deciding to support all the local Atlanta businesses. Y’know, we live in the present-day world where there’s robots and computers everywhere. Why isn’t there some sort of electronic method for coupons at this point? Like, maybe a website on your portable PC that has coupon bar codes stored? Eh, that might be a little bit complicated with the internet and all. Or... Maybe some proprietary thing where you can store coupons on your shopping robot and then the robot automatically applies any coupon you want to redeem when you send it out for groceries or whatever? And maybe you could store the coupons by inserting proprietary data cards into it that you find at stores and stuff. Yeah, I could see this. Much as I hate robots, I could see this. I’ve got to pitch this to some of the tech people here. I’m a genius designer and never even knew it. Well, now that I have the map, I guess I can use it for reference if I ever get lost. And now that I’m here, and now that I’m in the middle of the biggest tech expo of the year, what should I do now? Guess I should look for the hidden evils right away. Or, maybe I could browse a bit... Or, honestly, I’m kinda hungry... Hmm... [[Go to the food court.->food court]] [[Go to the conference hall.->conference hall]] [[Wait... what's that over there?->jimmy]] [[Venture to the west wing.->west wing]] [[Venture to the east wing.->east wing]]

Might as well get something to eat. That apple I ate earlier was definitely not filling enough to last the rest of the morning, and I need to stay at the top of my game for sleuthing. Not that I am a sleuth. Far from it. I’m just a kid with very minor superpowers who does what R8PR says to do. Now, where to eat, where to eat... There’s a cafe over in the corner, kind of on a raised platform from the rest of the tables in the main hall, but no windows or walls or anything, just like a separate room they forgot to finish building. I won’t go there because I’m not in the mood for coffee, but that might be a choice later. Let’s see what food they actually have here. There’s a Taco Taco and a Kirk’s Hot Dogs, but neither of those have anything to offer as far as eat-before-noon kind of moods go. I don’t want any burgers, either, so Burger Box is out of the question. Why is all the food for sale just heavy meal stuff? I just want a snack. Don’t convention centers usually sell like, soft pretzels and stuff? Ah, there’s a place. Or, a thing. MegaJewel, a little robot-driven nacho stand. It’s the tiny version of the same auto-conbini brand that drives around the Centennial Park area on weekends, and it slowly makes its way through the convention center. I’d say it’s a little dangerous to have a robot-driven vehicle meander around the huge crowds of people like this, but it’s kind of neat, honestly. Also, it’s slow enough that I doubt it could hurt even a toddler if it bumped into one. When it gets close enough, I press a button on the front panel for it to stop, and check out the prices on the soft pretzels, since nachos are once again too heavy for morning food. One soft pretzel... $9. “Um, what?” I realize I said that out loud, and the robot driver/cook notices. “Yes?” “Does this soft pretzel, uh, come with a drink and fries or something?” “No. All sides are sold separately.” “But it’s $9.” “Yes, $9. Do you prefer cash or credit?” “Uh, no thanks.” I walk away. Damn, that was a bust. I guess I’m not THAT hungry, but thinking about food so much has definitely gotten me craving something. Not for $9 though; I will starve before I shell out an hour’s work for a single soft pretzel. I bet it doesn’t even have a ton of salt on it! Oh... Hey, what’s that? Why’s there so many people watching that TV? [[Next.->food court 2]]

It looks like this is the hallway to the main conference hall, where they do all those big press conference events that are televised worldwide and have theatrical shows about technology and stuff. But, seeing as the pathway is blocked by a barrier saying that the Magitek press conference will be tonight at seven, I guess there’s no point going in there at the moment. I do kind of want to watch one of these tech press conferences live, though. I’ve seen a few of them on TV, and it makes the stuff they show off pretty impressive, but everything always looks worse once you see it in person. Such as, remember that wristless portable PC Blyth Industries was touting a few years back? It ended up being basically a big hunk of plastic with a touchscreen, kind of like a bad cellular that barely hooked up to wireless modem, but it looked really cool on TV when they were showing it off for the first time. Will stuff have the same effect in-person at these events? I want to find out. Anyway, enough thinking about that right now. [[Go back.->backstand]]

Is that... Jimmy Carter? That’s frickin’ Jimmy E. Carter, standing right over there with some secret service bodyguards around him. What the hell is he doing here? <img src="https://i.imgur.com/7tBm95E.jpg" width="400" height="300"> This dude is a living legend, the icon of progress and peace within Georgia. He was Governor here in the seventies, back when it was still a state. Then he was the 39th/41st President of the United States, the one who basically helped keep the country together for a few extra years before it collapsed completely thanks to his successors. Then he even served as Georgia’s first President for six months (not that that job is anything but ceremonial). Still, he’s already in his late eighties, and yet he’s still going at it, getting a Nobel Peace Prize a few years back for solving the Korean Crisis. This guy basically prevented World War III. And... he’s standing here, like fifty feet away from me, with almost no fanfare. He’s staring at his convention map, looking like he’s just wandering the place. I’ve only been to this tech expo a couple times before, when Mark used to come up from Tallahassee for business meetings, but I certainly don’t remember a former President of the United States attending. He’s not being stealthy or anything. He’s even got the little American flag pin that they always put on for public events. Should I... Could I even.... Would it be proper to... Like, could I just... go up and talk to him? [[Yes, I should.->jimmy2]] [[No, probably not.->jimmy2]]

So the west wing of the conference center is where the smaller exhibitors have set up, for the most part. There’s also sellers on the other side of the hall and down to the first floor. I guess that’s where there’s people trying to unload their unwanted goods on you before you go home.. and I bet that does a lot of business, too. So, in terms of sleuthing out information that may be useful for my investigation on the Ascendants, the smaller companies, especially the startups, may be interesting. After all, Dreamtech was a startup before it went under, and it seems to have been at the center of some huge scandals that got mostly covered up. I can imagine there are more there, if I look hard enough. And, weirdly, even though the other major tech companies are all in the east wing, Blyth Industries is set up here, possibly as a marketing gimmick to set itself apart, or possibly because it’s been running into some financial troubles as a result of the investigations brought upon it thanks to the Social Media Killer’s attacks last spring. I guess I should check them all out, but what first? [[Go to the seller booths.->seller booths]] [[Go check out the smaller businesses.->startups]] [[Go to the Blyth Industries section.->blyth]]

Now it’s time to go to the east wing of the Georgia World Congress Center. This is where two of the biggest companies, Magitek Corporation and Sakaguchi Automations, have their exhibits on display. There are a few other companies as well, like Seftali and Get N Go partnering up for some new cellular phone program that has a ton of banners around the place, but there’s two big dogs in town, and the rest is a bit overshadowed. In past years for the Atlanta Annual Tech Expo, this would be right where Nathan Nguyen would have his place. I never actually knew what he did, but he used to always set up a small booth with a table and some chairs and just sit there, waiting for people to pitch him ideas. If he liked the idea, he’d work up an investment deal with you. It was crazy and weird. Now, though, the guy is busy running for mayor while making millions every single day with his auto-conbinis, so I guess he had to ascend past his quirkiness someday. So now, for the most part, it’s just the two big companies. I do see something interesting down near the center. There’s a number of robots standing up on display on platforms, a whole row of them stretching down the length of one wall. That seems kind of interesting. So I guess I can check that out, or go see Karina at the Sakaguchi section, or, with all the willpower I can muster, go see what Magitek has in store. Only one of these three makes me want to punch something just thinking about it, so it can’t be all bad. Unless I found out what the Ascendants are, that is. Then it will all be bad. [[Go to the Sakaguchi Automations section.->sakaguchi]] [[Go look at the robot show.->robot show]] [[Go to the Magitek Corporation section.->magitek]]

The news kiosks set up all over the main hall have started broadcasting the local news. I have to take a few steps closer to get a good view of the tiny screen, where the ticker below the monitor scrolls, “Breaking News.” The robot anchor faces the camera and begins, saying, “We’ve been bringing you the John Vann story all this morning, and as developments come, we will be right there with you to process the news.” John Vann... Wait, THE John Vann? What’s all this about? “There is a new letter, reportedly penned by the infamous terrorist John Vann, co-founder of the Earth Group. He is known under his Cherokee name “Incalatanga,” for being the mastermind behind the summer of power surges and brownouts almost ten years ago, and rumors persist about his involvement in the Drone Event. Vann was since thought to be chased out of Atlanta by law enforcement and his former Earth Group companions. However, now, according to a police memo reportedly obtained by the online news site Momo Slice early this morning, he has his sights set on the city once more.” The robot then reads this letter: //“To the people of Atlanta, Georgia: “My name is John Vann, and I am making my return to my home. It has been a long time since I have been back, and the state of things has declined rapidly. When I was a liberator for the Earth Group, I fought to make sure that the scourges of technology would not plant their poisonous roots in society, that we would remain independent humans with independent lives. Now, years later, we have been cursed, doomed almost, by these same evils. The modern world and its addictive tendrils continue to hurt us. “My original dream of bringing the prosperity of a modern Ecotopia still stands. Life out West, where technology is not relied upon for daily tasks, but valued for specialized services, has only strengthened my resolve. “So now, I shall return to Atlanta and become its mayor. Consider this my official declaration for the election. We will guide the city into a greatness made of love and strength, and we will destroy anyone who stands for hatred and waste. “Join my Second Surge to retake Atlanta.”// The robot continues. “That was the contents of John Vann’s letter. At this time, there is no statement from any member of the Earth Group confirming their current relationship with Vann, and police have declined to respond for...” I can’t believe they actually read that entire letter on the TV for everyone to hear. Isn’t that exactly what some nutjob narcissist like John Vann wanted, anyway? The Earth Group is a already a bunch of nutjobs that bomb buildings and attack innocent people in order to bring about some sort of technological apocalypse that will end electricity forever. And John Vann, or Incalatanga as he used to be known, was the most extreme of them, at least until he got exiled to the West by his own gang. “Running for mayor.” They’re not actually going to let him run for mayor, not after he was responsible for the deaths of dozens during the summer power surges. I just don’t get why they even ran this letter on the news... Stuff is really starting to get suspicious. And maybe not in the way they want me to think it is. R8PR was certainly right about the Earth Group making some rumblings, and he was even more right than he thought. Well, that sucks. (set: $points to it + 1) [[Go back.->backstand]]

OK, now what? [[Go to the food court.->food court]] [[Go to the conference hall.->conference hall]] [[Wait... what's that over there?->jimmy]] [[Venture to the west wing.->west wing]] [[Venture to the east wing.->east wing]] (if: $points is 10)[Actually, I've been doing this for a while now. I think I've seen enough for now. [[Next.->end]]]

Hell yes, I’m going to go up and talk to him. President Carter still has a bunch of secret service people around him, but other than that, he seems completely free. And I’m just anonymous enough as a loser that, if I humiliate myself, nobody will ever know but me. That is, unless Carter’s keen eye remembers my beauty mark really well. I’ll have to cover my face with my hand the whole time. So I go up to him, or at least as close as I can get before the bodyguards stop me, and say, “Hey, Mr. Carter, er, President Carter!” He makes a little movement as he notices that someone called out to him, and looks up from his map to meet my eyes. He smiles, and then takes a few steps up close to me, though there’s still a layer of bodyguards between us. “Why, hello there, young, uh--” He continues looking at me with curious levels of focus. “Well, hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” (I’m talking to Jimmy Carter.) (Wow.) (His accent is so old fashioned!) And now is the moment when I completely freeze up and become unable to talk any further in any coherent way. “I, uh, well, sir, I, uh, I really liked the way you handled the oil crises, and... also the Israel-Palestine thing. It was cool, Mr. President, sir.” He chuckles. “Oh, kid. Don’t be so formal. Call me Jimmy. I’m retired, you know.” “But you’re...” He breaks past the bodyguards and pats me on the shoulder. “I ain’t anything special. Just an old fogey looking for some more solar panels for my farm. Haven’t the slightest clue where to go, though. Any help would be real hot.” “Oh, uh...” I quickly pull out my own map and quickly scan through it for anything that sounds kinda like a solar company’s exhibit. Aha, “Energy Biz” and “Clean Town” right next to each other-- that’s gotta be it. I look up at Mr. Carter and say, “It’s over in the west wing, where all the startups and smaller companies are. There’s a lot of energy companies next to each other. Of course, it’s all, uh, thanks to you that they exist, since you started the Department of Energy...” “The west wing, huh?” He chuckles to himself. “Been a long time since I’ve been in that one.” He starts to step away, then turns back to me. “Hey, thanks a lot kid.” “You’re, uh, welcome.” “Y’all young ones are the brightest future I’ve ever seen. Helping an old man out...” He continues mumbling more stuff but I can’t make it out since he’s walking away. I just met President Jimmy Carter. Who’s here looking for a deal on some newfangled solar panels. And I gave him directions. I’m going to die of happiness unless I can distract myself by doing something a lot more boring, real quick. (set: $points to it + 1) [[Go back.->backstand]]

Lots of used electronics around here. At a fan convention, this is the area where there’d be tons of overpriced VHS tapes and bad comic books from the 90s for sale, but I think regulations are stricter here since it seems to be uniformly electronics, and mostly used ones. As far as new electronics go: Amiga, long ago having ceased the production of new hardware, still has a section where it is selling its legacy computers. That’s something I find infinitely interesting: even so long after their last model, people still buy these computers, and millions use them every day. They are still in fourth place in market share, and somehow keep shipping the same models out over and over again. This is what I mean when I talk about the way Atlanta’s stagnated, mired itself in nostalgia and complacency. People are so fine with what they already have that there isn’t much progress on anything, and new technology gets left by the wayside in favor of more of the same. Of course, with me having played through Earthbound just last month with that kid Kobi, I’m hardly one to talk when it comes to cultural stagnation. If the world truly deserved to advance, we would have all bought 3D video games before the fad died. The people around here are kind of what you’d expect. Collectors searching for rare finds from uninformed sellers, computer geeks taking a trip down memory lane in the age of technology’s past. There’s a particular smell that comes along with all these people amassing in one tiny space, too. It’s stinky. If it’s already this bad on the first day of the convention, I do NOT want to be here on the last day. That sounds, er, smells, like a wretched place to be. A voice calls out, “Why if it isn’t Morgan Harding. Heya!” “Heya?” Who the heck is talking to me? I turn around and see Chuck Araragi, sitting at a booth covered in computer parts. [[Next.->chuck]]

The startups and smaller businesses are all set up around here in the west wing, bunched up together I assume just because they don’t need the same amount of space that companies like Sakaguchi Automations or Magitek Corporation do. Having them together like this is nice for browsing around at the various stuff, but it might make my job harder. I’m supposed to be investigating for suspicious activity that may be going down at this tech expo, and if all of the most suspicious companies are here together, my chances of missing the signal while sifting through the noise will increase drastically. So, I’ve got to be really careful here. Let’s start looking for some signs of evil corporations making evil technology. With a crack of my knuckles, I start to browse. There’s a whole bunch of people in casual clothes walking around, making my suit-wearing self a little bit envious of the fact that I could be ten degrees cooler than I am right now. I start to take off my jacket, but then I realize that it would be even more annoying to carry it around the whole time. I should have been smarter! Speaking of smart, there’s a whole lot of video games around here, especially holo-booth games. Since one holo-booth takes up a ton of space, most of the third floor setup is covered with them. There’s also a giant mecha right in the center of the second floor, and it’s something I’ve got to check out. [[Look at the damn mecha!->mecha]] [[Go to the holo-booths.->sexy]] [[Go to the startups.->security]]

Oh, here we go. Blyth Industries. You may recall that I am not exactly a major fan of Blyth Industries. Not only because many of its employees were indicted after the Social Media Killer exposed the way they were using the company to dodge taxes. But also definitely because its founder and CEO, Donald Blyth, came to my workplace one day and conned my boss into... well, I never really understood exactly what. But the moment I saw that man and his sunken cheeks and cold eyes, I knew he was someone to watch out for. And his entire company is a suspect in my eyes. In the end, he wasn’t personally implicated by anything Jones Burrow had discovered. He went off scot-free, and even bought Dreamtech and its assets after it went under. But I know, I know for certain, that this man and this company are involved in the Ascendants somehow. Looking at their surprisingly small setup this year, displaying just three exhibits for consumer electronics, I feel vindicated for my opinion. In no world is the third largest technology company in the world going to have an exhibit this small. They have a whole press conference scheduled, after all. Not unless they are saving their biggest unveilings for the press event itself... or unless their money isn’t coming from their consumer electronics division anymore. Well, let’s look at the three products they have on display, at least. One is the Blyth CD Master. It’s a CD player that rips the CDs when you first put them in, and then stores them on the system so you can play the files even with no CD. That... has been a thing for over ten years by now. What’s the real gimmick? Oh, it has a built-in FM/AM/ZM radio tuner? Wow, that’s... high tech... The second is the Blyth Dream Weaver. Yeah, you heard me right. The “Dream Weaver.” It’s a helmet. That you put on. And helps you lucid dream, records your dreams and assists your sleep. It’s... just the Dreamtech helmet with a very slightly varied cosmetic style. It doesn’t have a release date yet, since their design is so “new,” but I’m sure they’ll be targeting the same May Holidays that the Dreamtech helmet had been shooting for. And I’m also sure this helmet has the same exact hidden provisions that the original design had, with its data collecting programs along with its ability to directly influence the dreams of the wearer. Only this time, they’ll package it differently instead of trying to hide it so that people think it’s a much safer option. Not many people are over here by the Blyth booths, so maybe people aren’t biting when the company says it has created an all-new dream device in no way related to the one made by the company they purchased. In a nice world, this would be a surefire flop. But I don’t really consider this a nice world anymore. To cement my great suspicion, the third item they have on display is a handheld video game console called the Bobcat Gold. I don’t get the name, but it’s a blocky, non-ergonomic little box that has some cutesy game demos you can try out. It’s absolutely nothing of interest, and nobody is currently trying it out. So it’s an outdated CD player, a nothing handheld gaming system, and a reproduction of the scariest piece of technology to come along in decades that was involved in a citywide scandal so large it got the mayor arrested. Hmm. Looks a teensy bit off to me. I wonder if Blyth Industries has anything going on... I sure do wonder.................. R8PR was right to send me here to the tech expo to investigate, because I’m finding a whole lot here that I don’t like at all. [[Back.->weststand]] (set: $points to it + 1)

“Hey Chuck,” I say. Chuck Araragi was always going to be here, hawking the used goods from his tech emporium any chance he got. And, somehow, I didn’t even realize he was gonna be here. I hadn’t mentally prepared myself to have a discussion with him. Or physically--if I knew I’d get into a chat with him, I’d have brought some lunch, and maybe dinner too. “Long time no see, Morgan,” he says. “Oh, long time no see.” Chuck chuckles. “Did you know the phrase ‘long time no see’ comes from English pidgin languages, possibly coming from Chinese, or a Native American language?” “Uh, no I didn’t,” I say. “Its origin as a common phrase in English isn’t certain, but its earliest usage was in broken English spoken by characters in novels. It may have originally been a term to make fun of people with non-fluent English, which is pretty mean if you ask me. But somehow along the lines, it lost all of that and now it’s just some phrase we say to people all the time. Weird, isn’t it, how words work?” “It really is interesting how words can turn into more words.” “Anyway, what was the last time I saw you, that Cybermancer business? Did you ever beat Moonslash? Oh, yeah, you did. Or, he beat himself, and then gave up because his own killer robots were attacking him. I guess you helped, though. I’ll give you credit for that, no matter how small. Was Genesis Crush any good? Love that game. Love the retro stuff, but gotta say, it’s actually real good too.” Did he just insult me by complimenting me? “Uh, yeah, I didn’t even get to thank you, since you were really busy afterwards. And then... uh, I was busy too.” Busy playing video games with Karina and Kobi and Lamar, but I won’t add that part. “Oh, Busy is my middle name! Not really. I don’t have a middle name, since I’m Japanese. Also, Chuck isn’t my real name. But that’s a secret; don’t tell anyone.” He winks at me, as if I just learned some valuable, scarring fact. He may be correct, but I’ve lost all emotion already. I’m just nodding and smiling. “Speaking of busy, I heard you got tangled up with The Vampire the other week. And you took the guy down? Musta been the fight of your life.” “Yes. I genuinely don’t know how I survived that one, except that my best fr-- wait, how did you know about that?” “I got my ear to the headphones,” he says. “Things that happen in this city... Well, they often end up on my desk one way or another. And sometimes I sell them. Just like I’m doing right now.” He beckons to his tables of disorganized technological knick-nacks. “So like the Data Farm, but a metaphor.” “Exactly.” Chuck gives one single, hearty nod. “Don’t suppose you’re in the mood for some microchips? I got a whole set of’em right here. This one here...” He picks up one microchip--it’s just a microchip, I can’t describe the differences in these tiny things--and flashes it at me, saying, “This one here’s got enough processing power in it to blast a whole sonic boom into your brain. If you planted it in your brain, that is.” Does he mean... like Lamar? “It’s real good in computers too. Do you build your own desktops?” “Actually, I don’t have a computer right now,” I say. “My last one got destroyed in a break-in.” Chuck’s eyes pop open, almost literally. “You what? Are you one of those weirdos who only uses portable PCs? Do you know what you’re missing without a full operating system at home?” “Oh, no, I mean, I don’t have a computer at all. I’ve just been using my friend’s when she’s around.” “Oh, Morgan, you’re breaking poor Chuck’s heart...” He stumbles around, clutching his chest as if he was suffering physical pain. He’s not actually suffering physical pain, right? “I don’t know. I just haven’t really needed one in a while. And they’re so expensive.” Then, suddenly, he perks back up. “I can sell you a computer,” he says. “Real cheap. A real good one, for real cheap.” He rummages through his disorganized heaps of cardboard boxes and plastic tubs before taking out a large box with the Dennis logo branding all over it. “I have a Dennis Mark-V Core model desktop, brand-new, that I got a while back from a buddy who I helped with scrapping a couple unruly robots.” That sounds like a story I will try to never hear the context of. Chuck opens the box and shows me the computer. It’s boxy, cream-colored, and has that right-off-the-assembly-line smell. Wow. “Since you’re a pal, a real great one, I’m gonna sell it to you for $100.” “A hundred?!” “How about seventy, then?” “Uh...” My shock was not that this computer was way too expensive at a hundred. This thing actually looks brand-new, and a computer like this wouldn’t go for less than $600. However, I’m not a good enough person to point that out. “Yeah, seventy is pretty good. But...” “Sixty-five?” “Sold.” And that was the day Morgan Harding finally broke down and bought a new computer after almost three months without one. [[Back.->weststand]] (set: $points to it + 1)

Where to now? [[Go to the seller booths.->seller booths]] [[Go check out the smaller businesses.->startups]] [[Go to the Blyth Industries section.->blyth]] [[Go back to the main hall.->backstand]] [[Go to the east wing.->east wing]] (if: $points is 10)[Actually, I've been doing this for a while now. I think I've seen enough for now. [[Next.->end]]]

Even though there’s like a hundred different businesses squeezed into this one section of this one wing of the convention center, there is a central display in the middle of the room that’s quite impressive. There’s a reason all the crowds of people are gravitating this way. And that reason is mechas. I completely understand why people are gawking at this thing. I’m gawking at this thing. Just look at it. Thirty feet tall. Sleek white and blue, curved metal design. A head that looks like a regal prince, but actually serves as body armor. Those hands could hold a laser sword if they actually existed. The fact that ray shields do exist means that this thing could charge straight into a firefight, absorb a bunch of blows, and then swipe away all its enemies before it fires even a single bullet. Yes, the oft-promised super robotic machines, first prototyped over three decades ago, first shown off as early as 1988... are finally nearly ready for public consumption. By public, I mean mostly law enforcement and heavy physical labor corporations. We aren’t going to see people flying to work in their human-shaped rocket suits (yet). But for anyone as obsessed with the movie //Robot Jox// as I was as a kid, this news is phenomenal. Mechadyne Systems has been working on various mecha prototypes since the Battle Dome days when the U.S. and Soviet Union did their Cold War fake-friendly tournaments. They were super unwieldy then, but now, all these decades later, they’re almost workable. Almost in our hands. Wow. Mechas are almost real. We’re almost living in the future. No, this development is too pure to be related to the Ascendants stuff. I rule Mechadyne Systems as safe. [[Back.->sellerstop]] (set: $points to it + 1)

I’m not sure that there is particularly anything interesting around here, but by a row of holo-booths advertising the new massively multiplayer online game Gunsword Chronicles X, there’s a big curtain covering up a bunch of company exhibits for some reason. I guess it’s a sound barrier to block the noise between the two halves of this section? Can’t imagine what it’d be, but let’s take a look... ... ... It takes a second for me to register the fact that I’m an idiot. You will not believe that I am this much of an idiot, but trust me when I say that, on certain occasions, my deductive reasoning becomes poorer than even Dr. John Watson himself. Because, for the amount of time it took for me to realize that I had just entered the porn section, you certainly would think that I am an idiot. Why didn’t I think of that? Ugh, my face is so red already. There is an anime girl on a poster staring me in the eyes. And, uh, she doesn’t have a top on. I really didn’t mean to be in here and yeah sorry I’m going to leave now thank you anyway have a nice day I’m backing out and-- Ah wait, I need to search this place too... Well, I ASSUME that any nefarious technology made to destroy the city of Atlanta wouldn’t be coming from high-tech pornography, but-- Actually, now that I say that out loud, I realize that that could be the easiest way to take over the populace. So yeah, I do need to stay in the R-18 section. Yeah, Dreamtech’s helmets were a really good way to sap the marketing data out of millions of unsuspecting consumers and force subliminal advertising down the brains of the unconscious, but just think of what you could do if you applied that to, say, VR sex video games? Like right here, there’s more holo-booth adult games on display, and, um, booths set up to let you try them out. I’m not going in those, sorry. Eww. But just think about, if you were able to sap up--ahh, wrong verb--if you were able to process all the data from those games, make some customized advertising profile based on the, um, customizable options they choose. Then you could make targeted online ads that feature sexy men or ladies or whatever else that look just like the ones that they are most attracted to. Now THAT’s a way to sell some Bustable Lemons soda. (Emphasis on the ‘bust.’ Hehehe I’m funny.) There isn’t actually very much interesting on display, of things that I can look at for more than five seconds without getting too embarrassed and turning away. There’s not very many people browsing around here, and it’s making me nervous because now everyone’s going to think I’m actually in here. They’ll think I’m actually in here like... browsing. Ugh, I’m so glad Karina has to work with her dad today. Here’s one thing I can stare at just fine-- it’s a computer screen automatically typing a bunch of words. It looks like it’s a test for a new robot AI program called “Steamy Machine.” What the heck is this thing making, anyway? //”How’s this gonna go down?” I asked. She smiled, kissed me on the cheek, and said, “Like this.” She slipped the straps of my dress off my shoulder and squatted down. As the dress fell past my ankles, I felt her kiss my inner thigh, and then”// Ahh! No! ... It’s... it’s an AI that writes smut automatically... based on your preferences. That’s a dangerous, dangerous tool. If the creators of this program were here right now, I would give them a piece of my mind, because there is no reason why this world should have such a heinous piece of software that could doom the lives of millions. People would starve to death if this thing came out. There’d be nothing else left to live for. Nothing but smut. Also, now that I think about it, this could be used in exactly the same way as the Dreamtech helmet or a creepy holo-booth adult game; as long as it secretly uploads its data to some online servers or something like that, the robot analysts can basically control our entire lives based on our, uh, tastes. If that’s what the Ascendants are all about, then I might not be able to stop them. I might be taken as prey myself. Okay, with that said, I’m not interested in visiting the rest of this section, where I can very clearly see someone in a skimpily dressed animal mascot suit, and behind them a woodland animal head-shaped VR helmet, so I’m just going to assume that there is no malicious intent behind anything else here. Yep. That’s what I’m going to do. So now I’m going to turn around and-- “Hey, babe.” “???” Who-- did someone say something? Oh no, did someone see me in here? “Babe, turn around.” “???” I don’t know if the voice is talking to me, but I turn around, and-- Oh my. Chrome-plated body, LED eyes, a pink winking eye. This robot... looks almost exactly like R8PR. But, like, a girl. In a few different ways. Like the fact she’s wearing a skimpy bikini. And, uh, some other features. I have heard of robots like this in the past, but I didn’t know that... This robot is standing on a platform about two feet up, and looks down on me slightly, as if I’m a consumer and she’s the... product. “Babe? What’s up?” she--er, it asks. She? “Um, who are you?” is the only thing I can manage to say. I feel like I’m twelve again and wandered into the TV room where my older sister and all her friends are watching movies on the CRT, and I have to go in there to tell them dinner will be ready in a few minutes. All those invisible giggles... all the embarrassment of being the cute, flustered kid with your sister’s pretty friends staring at you... That feeling is here but amplified by the fact that this robot looks like a stripper. “My name is X3N5,” she says. “I’m a sex robot.” “Oh, um, yeah. Yeah you are, I guess.” “We are in the R-18 section, after all,” X3N5 says. “You must be interested in something around here. Did you find it?” “No, I was just looking. Not for... I was just here by accident.” She makes a robotic “hmmm” and then puts a finger up to where her chin would be. “I think you’re a bit tense. Do you like massages?” I didn’t think my face could get more red than it is right now, but it is. “Hahahaha, ah, no. No thank you.” “Good, because I’m not allowed to touch anyone,” she says. I burst out laughing, mostly out of nervousness rather than actual humor. “You robots are crazy,” I mutter. “Even the friggin’ sex robots...” “It’s a job,” she says. I almost want the AI revolution to come, because sometimes I feel much closer in spirit to the sardonic, non-sentient robots of the world than the actual flesh-and-blood humans. If you’re sentient, but an idiot, are you truly better than a non-sentient genius? “You... think it’s just a job?” “Well, I don’t get paid or anything, but I do get a reward,” she says.” “You... do?” “Sex robots get to have fun, too. It’s part of our programming.” “Oh. Yeah. That sounds like fun.” The idea of programming a sex robot to enjoy their main task does seem like a pretty good idea so that you feel less like... well, like you’d imagine. But the idea of rearranging circuits in a robo-mind to make the robot happy for doing what is basically slave labor brings some massive ethical and philosophical issues that are so big that I’m just going to ignore them for the rest of my life and never think about this again. Especially since robots are terrible and I take all that stuff about the AI revolution back. Humans rule. Though this one here’s alright, even if she was designed specifically to be so. “Okay. I’ve got to go, X3N5, but it was nice meeting you. And stuff.” “If you ever want to do any more than ‘and stuff,’ well, you know where to find me.” Her LED left eye winks. “Also, I cost about a hundred thousand dollars.” “Sounds about right.” [[Back.->sellerstop]] (set: $points to it + 1)

Just as the smaller companies have mostly been put over in this side of the convention center, they’ve also sorted the individual companies based on their primary products they’re showing off. So, actually, I think I have a pretty decent bonus for searching for things that might be suspicious or possibly flat-out evil. My gut instinct says that the “security center” row is a good place to look. These are the companies and startups whose goal is providing “security solutions in a modern age,” and with that slightly vague wording, that encompasses a whole lot of stuff that is a whole lot not good. Take this “guard robot,” for example. Yeah, guard robots are very commonplace these days, especially in low risk areas like retail stores where the value of stolen items barely makes a drop in the ocean of companies’ bottom lines. However, this robot here, apparently designated P-RET6 as a prototype model, is not there to chase down shoplifting teenagers or to patrol the grounds of a warehouse. This one appears to record everything it sees and hears. Its information is then, as the ad next to it says, compressed into metadata and stored. Then each week the robot is sent back to headquarters and has its data uploaded to a central server to provide better security services in aggregate. That sounds like a bunch of malarkey at first, but to put it simply, it means some AI is analyzing the data and automatically adjusting every single other robot of the same brand. Listen, robots are stupid. But that isn’t a bad thing. Creating a hivemind of robots that act under the direction of some algorithm is already creepy enough, and I don’t think I expressed my distaste for it quite enough during my adventure with Karina and Lamar chasing down auto-conbinis. But this is basically the unconsented monitoring of every person in vision or audio proximity to one of these guards. With enough of them, you could track everyone in the city. The First Protocol is going to get broken by some lunatic scientist sooner or later, and the entire internet will go down in minutes. That’s an inevitability. But I’m almost just as worried that someone’s going to forego the internet entirely, accidentally create a hivemind of robots, and their algorithms will realize that humanity is destroying the planet and should probably be exterminated. We might deserve it, but I still don’t want it to happen! All of this monitoring stuff gets worse the more I look at the security software some of the newest startups have to offer. I know they’re brand-new because some of them don’t even have a logo yet, just a product and an itch for investors. A whole row of these startups all have variations on the same exact thing: “Anti-Social Media Killer” prevention systems. Yeah, they’re a bit late to the party considering she stopped attacking back in like, March, but it’s probably a really green market for anyone who is paranoid about their personal lives being leaked online, or shady pasts they want to wipe clean before a job interview or a political campaign or a second date. The ethics of deleting your past and covering up events that might be pertinent are iffy, but putting that aside, the red alert sirens are going off on my head big time right now, looking at the “features” for some of these. This one, called “Hackproofer,” will, with your permission, go through your social network profiles on Netnect, Jelly, Bird-Up, and six other sites I’ve never heard of, rating your posts on a “deletable” scale from one to ten, and then letting you automatically delete anything it rates as too dangerous to keep. It’s a scam of the highest order if you give it even a bit of thought--you’re basically just giving your entire profile to some third party company, and now they have literally all of your personal information, including the stuff you want to delete. You don’t think they aren’t going to keep that, especially in case they just uncovered some nice dirt on you? Ridiculous. The Social Media Killer was always going to inspire some rotten people to cash-in on her efforts with their own moneymaking schemes, but this is downright evil. The digital representation of the phrase “snake in the grass.” I’ve got to move on, but I’m absolutely keeping my eye out for more stuff like this. [[Back.->sellerstop]] (set: $points to it + 1)

I'm still checking out all the smaller businesses, so what should I look at now? [[Look at the damn mecha!->mecha]] [[Go to the holo-booths.->sexy]] [[Go to the startups.->security]] [[Check out some other stuff in the west wing.->weststand]]

The only remaining major tech company in the world that isn’t based out of Atlanta, Sakaguchi Automations is quite famous for its vastly different work culture and business presentation. Whereas companies like Magitek and Blyth Industries carry a kind of silliness to them, an appeal to younger people, maybe a sense of irony about themselves at times, Sakaguchi prides itself on professionalism. And so when I enter their section of the east wing, everything changes. No more giant colorful banners hanging from the ceiling with colorful pop art logos. One large poster with Sakaguchi’s block-letters logo, and a bunch of people in business suits. Finally, people who are actually wearing full suits, the same way my dumb ass dressed even though hardly anyone else among the convention-goers is doing it. I find almost a kinship with these businessmen wearing fancy suits, even though they are forced to by company policy and I did it because I was being more professional than I needed to be. Eastern Union workplace culture is different in crazy ways, I’ve heard; my job at the Atlanta Cares bank requires us to wear office clothes every day, yeah, but we still joke around and I get to say bad words to my boss sometimes and get away with it. In the Eastern Union, most companies are very strict about being formal, polite, and professional, to the point that the businessmen showing off their products aren’t even attempting to smile. Actually, I’m sure most Eastern Union countries aren’t this bad; this is exclusive to Sakaguchi, which is on another level of professionalism entirely. No wonder Karina’s dad works there. All that from the part of the world where every single city gets their own cutesy mascot. I don’t get it, and maybe that’s for the best. I’m not that suspicious of Sakaguchi, if only because its headquarters is on another continent and its Atlantean offices are a lot less influential on the city than, say, Magitek or Blyth, but I still need to check out the stuff around here. I have no ulterior motives behind coming here, even if it happens to be the section of the convention center where Karina is working. Right, even if they aren’t directly involved, there’s still some investigating I can be doing, because I have a strong feeling that with every moment I continue my search in here, I’m going to end up accidentally stumbling into something way bigger than I expect. The first thing I see in this section is actually a small TV in the corner playing a series of news clips and a slideshow of images, though the roar of the crowd makes it impossible to hear, if there is any volume at all. Next to the TV is a sign that is advertising a two-hour panel and Q&A by Dr. Rosa Mendez of Georgia State University, who will be discussing the Social Media Killer and her impact on the technology industry in Atlanta. It’s sponsored by Sakaguchi Automations, which I guess is the closest thing you can get to a “neutral party” when it comes to the tech expo. All these months later, and she’s still the talk of the town. ...I really hope we find Jones first, because I’m worried what will happen to her if anyone else gets to her before us. Next, after a lot of automobile exhibits that take up a lot of space--almost no one in Atlanta drives, so why are they even showing this stuff off--I come across what seems to be the central attraction of the whole Sakaguchi section: the “Sakaguchi Knights,” ten of them lined up and holding (hopefully fake) weapons. These have been big enough in the news that even I’ve heard a ton about them. It was a secret, but got “leaked” a few months back as an obvious way to build attention-- Sakaguchi is now unveiling the first ever mass-produced combat androids. And while you don’t typically get military-focused technology shown off at a consumer electronics convention, the Sakaguchi Knights are a big enough deal that they’re here anyway. Battle robots... A lot of lives would be saved if the bulk of soldiers in the war were robotic. Some sides did have some mechanical units piloted remotely, mostly tanks, but the war moved too fast with too much carnage to keep up with the same research & development that most major wars go through. It was enough that even the scientists backed out. I don’t know how to feel about these Sakaguchi Knights though. They’re geared towards defense, I guess, judging by the name. There isn’t much information known about them... other than the fact that they’re soldiers, they’re smart (for robots), and they’re very, very expensive. I guess they could act as a good aid to the police if they are trained properly, but they could be just the excuse the Republic of Georgia needs to get mired in yet another foreign war, this time in Central Europe or something. There’s always somewhere. And if these were ever related to the Ascendants stuff in any way... So I continue to stare at these modernized Gobot-looking things and wonder. Wonder why they’re showing off weapons of war at a tech expo. Wonder if I should be paying more attention to Sakaguchi after all. Wonder about why they’re even called “knights.” ... ... And then I decide that this is useless and go off elsewhere. I’m worried about spending so much time at this tech expo by the time I get done looking, it’ll be night, and I’ll have gone twelve hours without eating anything but an apple. I don’t know about you, but days where I don’t eat much almost invariably end up with ruining my whole week. I’ll skip two meals, and then I’ll be starving and eat a huge meal... but then two hours later my stomach’s already rumbling again, and I can’t get back into a good eating rhythm for days. This could just be me. But it does mean I need to get out of here by lunchtime, at least for a little bit. I’m not really hungry now, but I know I will be. So, instead of standing here pondering the ethics and morality of proudly advertising a new line of robot soldiers, I should move on and see the other parts of the convention center. They’re showing the Sakaguchi Knights off in a couple nights at their big press conference, anyway. Unless something big goes down, I imagine we’ll be seeing a lot more of them soon. The next big exhibit that Sakaguchi has to offer... Actually, I kinda do want to know where Karina is. I wonder if she’s still helping her dad with stuff. She said she helped set up this whole section for the past week, but since everything’s all ready and going, maybe she’s on break? I’d be pleased to walk around with her for a little while, after all this solo wandering. We’re a dynamic duo, me and her. I ask one of the men in suits standing around, “Hello, I’m looking for my friend who’s working around here. Have you seen her?” The man stares at me blankly. Oh, I guess that was too vague. “Uh, she’s a girl, and she looks... um, like you guys... Oh that might have been offensive. She’s Japanese, I mean. And she’s a bit bigger, pretty short, I think she’s working with her dad, who’s a bald guy.” The man still doesn’t respond. He’s starting to look a little nervous. “Hello?” “S-sorry,” he says. “English, //ahno//... No. English no.” “Oh. Sorry about that.” Crap. Now how am I going to find her in this huge section? This convention center is too big! (She’s standing right there across from me on the other side of the room.) [[Next.->karina]]

“Step on up, see the robots of tomorrow!” shouts a portly mustached man handing me a pamphlet. Aside from the lack of a top hat, this man is straight out of a 1920s circus company. I accept the pamphlet, but rather than actually looking at it, I just use it as a bookmark for my map and guide, since I don’t like the whole “keep your finger in the middle of the book to save your place” thing. “Here you will find,” the man continues, “an assortment of the machines that will take the world into a new age. In just a few short years, robots will no longer be the dumb automatons of the past. They will become intelligent, specialized, more accommodating. Embrace the way of robotics!” He ushers all listeners towards the long row of robots standing up on their pedestals. They’re mostly humanoid, mostly five foot seven, mostly standing there talking while listeners ask them questions and potentially forever taint their complex learning AIs with stupid nonsense by making them think all of humanity functions like a tech expo. I don’t even know where to begin, here. The crowd is big, and constantly moving, so I feel like I might be trapped in this line that is determined to start at the furthest left robot and walk down to look at each of them. But, unlike an art museum, I don’t think it’s prudent to try and spend five seconds looking at each robot before moving on. But, with no other options, I decide that that’s what I’ll do. The furthest robot left is not bipedal, but instead has tank treads for feet, something that apparently makes this one safer for carrying fragile items such as boxes full of glass, or babies. It is currently demonstrating its ability to move up the stairs while not losing any balance. Nice, nice. Its upside-down egg-shaped body has no head and instead only features some visual and vocal receptors at the top, but it’s got that clunky-cute design that a lot of older robots used to have. After a few seconds, just like I was complaining about, the crowd basically pushes me along to the next robot on display-- a recycle bin with feet that waddles around. I’m serious. Someone funded this, someone designed this, someone built this, and someone reserved floor space for this. I love it. I guess the conceit behind the trash robot is that it will have some smarter learning processes behind it, and that it will start to more effectively “beg” for recyclables by going to areas with more people at better times? But, I don’t know. I feel like a recycle bin with legs charging at me trying to take my garbage is either the start to an adorable music video, or a scene in a techno-horror film. Next is an android with synthetic human-like skin. No, that’s creepy, moving on. The robot after that is dancing around, doing a little jig to some peppy dance tune playing on the speakers nearby. It does a boogie. Then it does a spin and-- OH MAN it’s doing the worm! A robot’s doing the worm! Man, that’s crazy. I think I’m going to finally break away from this crowd and keep watching, because this is the top of the top. Nothing can beat this. Oh... wait... Wait a minute. The next robot after the dancing one. I know that little kid. That’s AR73! [[Next.-->ar73]]

I’m bracing myself. I’ve been bracing myself all day. Honestly, if it were different circumstances, I don’t think I’d come within a hundred feet of it. But after the auto-conbini events and the creepy resolution that mystery had, there’s no helping it. I have to go to the Magitek section of the east wing. I have to look at the products they have to show us. Even though Magitek Corporation is known mostly for its bizarre, gimmicky medieval fantasy-themed electronics and contraptions, it’s still the second largest technology company in the world, with a devoted fanbase and subsidiaries in almost every field. I even hear in the Great Lakes they’re building a pirate ship-styled ferry that’s supposed to take thousands around to the various islands for summer vacation stops.That’s right, Magitek has entered the cruise ship industry. It’s the second in the world, but unlike Blyth, Sakaguchi, Dennis, Seftali, or any of the other notable tech companies, it doesn’t produce home computers of any sort. That makes me think that they have some more business brewing behind the scenes than we know of, and that worries me greatly. In Magitek’s case, they have a dedicated following that loves its branding and IP, to the point that its early 00s mascot Pepper Knight got a four-part video game series and a Saturday morning cartoon. To be fair, she was one of the cutest mascots ever conceived, but what I mean here is that if bad actors have really gotten ahold of Magitek in any way, it’s going to be a really tough road in convincing the people of Atlanta (and the world) that, hey, your favorite company is manipulating you in a quest to take control of everything (like, more than normal). So here I am, trying to ignore all the annoying banners showing off jousting lances that can shoot confetti for parties or tomato timers that glow brighter as time starts to run out, and focusing exclusively on things that might look suspicious. Like that right there. A knight robot. It is shaped like a suit of armor, and holding a lance (presumably one that does not shoot confetti). The robot is being advertised as, naturally, “Sir Guard-a-lot.” There isn’t any creepy monitoring, at least being directly advertised or anything, but the thing that looks suspicious to me is the fact it exists at all. Like, it looks like a shoddily put-together prototype that only was made once word of the Sakaguchi Knights got leaked. People are actually excited for that one, but this piece of junk, er, “guard-a-lot robot,” is one of the dumbest things I’ve seen in a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually just yanked a suit of armor out of the nearest haunted house theme park ride and hoped people wouldn’t ask why the robot isn’t moving around. Some people are still snapping pics and stuff, though, so maybe I give humanity too much credit. In fact, someone is taking a picture right now, with the flash on their camera up way high. Ouch. “Get outta the way, will ya?” I turn my head to look at the rude dude next to me. It’s Larkins. Next to him are two women in low-cut business suits, clearly “booth babes” that are for some reason accompanying him. Rather than a suit like I’m wearing, he’s in a hawaiian t-shirt, two buttons opened and exposing his hairy chest, along with khaki shorts. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him outside of work clothes. And now that I know, I will never be able to forget this. “Harding,” he says, his annoyed tone from before quickly erasing itself. “Glad to see you here. What’s happening?” “Just browsing,” I say. “I thought you hated Magitek,” he says. How does he remember that? “Uh, I’m browsing even the stuff I hate,” I respond. “What are you doing?” “What am I doin’?” He gives a toothy grin and puts his hands behind the two women. They look at me with as little emotion as could possibly be mustered in a human being. “I’m just browsing, too. I’ve been doing a little ‘investment searching.’ Looking out for companies that might make me a lotta dough. And maybe a little more, eh, girls?” They make no motion other than to put their hands behind his shoulders and continue staring at me. “I thought you were doing some business for the company this week,” I say. “Nah, not anymore. That stuff’s over. Now it’s just me and these lovelies and whatever I care to do. Lotta good tech here at the expo, Harding. You got any spare cash to put in any of this stuff? Seed money’s a powerful thing these days.” “No, I’m just about broke,” I say. “I could sure use a raise.” He glares at me. “We ain’t talking about work today, Harding. We’re on vacation this week. No bank, just fun. You got that?” “S-sorry.” “Anyway,” he says, his mood lightening back up. “You ready for the party tonight?” “Party...?” “Yeah, you know, the dinner party I’m hosting tonight at the Le Pêcher restaurant at the top of Peach Towers. Everyone who’s someone’s gonna be there. Been telling you about it for weeks, Harding.” I have... no clue what he’s talking about... “Oh yeah, that one. And I’m invited?” “Yeah, if you wanna go,” he says. “Why don’t you come and bring that Kaori chick too?” Me, go to a fancy business party? That sounds horrible, but... I don’t think this is optional... “Oh, um, I can go I guess... But my friend--” I cough loudly. “--KARINA will be too busy. She’s helping her dad with stuff around here.” “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just come on by before seven, and wear your best dinner jacket.” “Dinner jacket...?” He glares at me again. “Don’t tell me a kid like you doesn’t have a dinner jacket.” I shake my head. “What the hell’s the world coming to these days... Don’t worry, I got you covered. My daughter made me get her one when she was a teen that should fit you. Course, she wore it maybe twice, for her Business Club parties. Trying to become the President of the club. Then she quit anyway because she met a boy who ‘started a band.’ What a pain. A real darling, though. Takes after her mother.” Ignoring the unexpected familial revelations I didn’t really want to hear, all I say is, “Thanks, Mr. Larkins.” “Looking forward to helping you move up in the world.” He’s brimming with joy to his core from the fact that I said yes. I don’t get it, but at least he isn’t super angry I guess. Larkins shambles off with the two ladies by his side. And now I’m way too bored with Magitek to keep browsing in here. (set: $points to it + 1) [[Back.->eaststand]]

My favorite robot on the whole planet (sorry R8PR) is here on display at the Atlanta Annual Tech Expo. AR73, the experimental learning robot that I went on a little adventure with about a month ago. I love this kid. I didn’t expect it to be here at the tech expo like this, but then again, it IS one of the most advanced robots around today. Now that I think about it, didn’t Karina say she first met AR73 at last year’s expo? “AR73!” I shout and wave, but the crowd is too loud and I’m completely drowned out. It seems like it’s occupied, anyway; it’s currently entertaining a gaggle of school children who are watching it paint a picture. Said picture, though, is basically just a punch of random colors. It slathers on a coat of purple and the kids cheer at the way the purple mixes with the rest of the paints on the canvas and turns into a weird murky brown. It makes a delicate swipe across the canvas in orange, then adds two vertical lines. It’s... a smiley face! the children go absolutely nuts when they see it. AR73 does a little bow and the kids clap wildly for it. That’s good. That makes me happy, even if the art kind of sucks. Once the kids clear away, AR73 turns the canvas backwards, and steps down from the platform. I break away from the crowd and greet it. “Hey, hey, hey!” I exclaim. It gives me a blank look. “Interesting...” “Huh?” It studies me closely, as if it doesn’t remember me. Oh no, was its memory wiped? Did it intentionally wipe away our day because it actually hated me? “I don’t believe you’re a member of the press,” it says. “Morgan, why is your badge wrong?” I look down at the press pass Larkins managed to procure for me. “Oh, this?” I start to laugh at how silly this must look, that baby-faced Morgan Harding is actually an ace technology reporter getting a major scoop. “Lying is wrong, Morgan. You should tell them about the mistake.” “Okay now, goody two-boots,” I retort. “I don’t have boots. These are my feet,” it says, pointing down to its red bootie-shaped stumps. Weird, I thought they were gray. It also seems a bit taller than last time, coming up almost all the way to my chest. “Did you get a new body?” I ask. “Yep!” AR73 exclaims. “I got upgraded last week, just in time for the expo. I like growing. It makes me feel cool, like a real kid.” I bend down and pat it on the little round thing on top of its head. “Oh, you are a real kid to me.” “Interesting... You are a lot more sentimental than the last time we met,” it says. “Have you grown to appreciate the power of human companionship?” “If that’s a roundabout way of asking if Karina and I shacked up, I’m going to be real mad at you for being a cheeky little brat.” “I don’t know what most of that means.” “Hey, by the way,” I say, standing up and straightening out my dress shirt. “Are you on break or whatever? Maybe we can go see Karina together and give her a big surprise. Whaddya say?” AR73 looks positively... well, pleased, I guess, but it’s still a robot so it’s hard to tell. It responds, “I would be--” “Hey, AR73, the next round of kids are comin’ around in five minutes. You better get your supplies ready.” I look behind the robot and see the overweight, balding man of my nightmares. “Oh, it’s you,” he says. “Oh, it’s you,” I mirror. Kevin O’Conner. He flashes his glasses at me and then rubs his beard stubble. “You... you don’t got that roastie with you this time.” “R...roastie? Is that a racial slur?” He chuckles; it sounds sarcastic, but then he says, “You’ve got a lot to learn about the world. Don’t let those college classes poison you.” “Um, yeah.” I turn to AR73. “On second thought, you’re probably really busy. Mind if I leave you to it?” “That’s okay. We can play again some other time,” it says. I hold out my hand for a fistbump. AR73 grabs it with both hands and shakes it. As I depart, all I can think of is how sad it must be to have to live with such an awful dude every day. Poor robot. But... it’s still a good kid. (set: $points to it + 1) [[Back.->eaststand]]

Next, I'm gonna go to... [[Go to the Sakaguchi Automations section.->sakaguchi]] [[Go look at the robot show.->robot show]] [[Go to the Magitek Corporation section.->magitek]] [[Go back to the main hall.->backstand]] [[Go over to the west wing.->west wing]] (if: $points is 10)[Actually, I've been doing this for a while now. I think I've seen enough for now. [[Next.->end]]]

“Morgan!” Karina shouts at me as I approach. She’s got the biggest smile I’ve seen on her in ages. Also, she looks... very tired. She wasn’t lying about being super busy. Poor Karina. As she yells, a lot of the other suited men look at her with neutral expressions, but annoyed eyes. I don’t think they like that she can break their self-imposed rule of being calm and professional and actually get away with it. She’s wearing a pantsuit, but she is far from a businesswoman. “How’ve you been?” I ask. “I was looking all over for you.” “I’m okay, I’m, okay. How about you? You look pretty tired,” she says. “Yeah, I’ve been looking around the place fo all sorts of stuff.” I say this without divulging the fact that R8PR asked me to check out if there were any hints of serious or suspicious activities going on, because I am not letting Karina worry about that while she’s got the tech expo going on already. “What’s this that you’re doing?” “Well, see this behind me?” She points to an enclosed area with furniture and appliances, like one of those model home areas you’ll see in bigger hardware stores sometimes, only this one’s nearly complete other than no roof and only three walls. “My dad designed it. It’s called the Home Bot.” “‘Home Bot’... did he name it, too?” Karina sullenly nods her head. “It’s a whole home system controlled by AI. So it keeps the room at a good temperature, keeps track of how much food you have in the fridge, brews coffee when you wake up... That kind of thing.” “That’s all kind of...” “Kind of...?” “Rich people stuff.” “Yeah... I’m not a big fan,” she says. “But the most important part is... it doesn’t actually work.” “Eh? What?” “It’s broke.” “Smart home machine’s broke?” “Broke.” “Understandable. Have a nice day, then,” I say. “I guess I’ll check out the other Sakaguchi stuff.” “Aww, but you would have been so entertaining if you’d have seen it,” Karina says. “Me? I’d have been entertaining? What do you mean by that?” “You’d see the really silly AI technology and get really surprised by the auto-toaster and do your usual thing where you complain about everything.” “That’s a huge exaggeration! I don’t always complain! You’re so mean...” “Complaining...” “Yeah, but it’s warranted because you’re mean, Karina.” “And you’re very nice, but that doesn’t mean you don’t constantly complain.” Karina puts her hands on her hips as if she were seriously taking me down. She isn’t. My willpower is far too strong to be defeated by slanderous lies. “So if the Home Bot thing is broken, why are you here?” I ask. “Shouldn’t you be helping out?” “My dad’s in the back right now trying to fix it. He has no idea what went wrong; it just started malfunctioning this morning, along with half of everything else we had set up. Maybe a big electrical outage or something? We got everything else fixed, so the Home Bot’s the only thing that’s still wonky. I’m just here to direct traffic.” “Yeah, but you...” “Do I look like I could actually do anything?” “You’re a mechanical engineer major.” “And film studies.” “You’re one half a mechanical engineer major.” “Yes, but...” Karina takes her hands off her hips. “They told me it’d be better if I stood here and helped explain it to convention-goers around before they accidentally wander into the broken Home Bot unit.” “So you’re a cute girl standing around pointing people in the right direction,” I say. “Doesn’t that mean you’re...” “Well, if you put it that way...” “You are, aren’t you?” “I mean, not really, but...” “You’re a booth babe!” I exclaim. “Karina Kodama is a booth babe at a nerd convention. The day has finally come.” “That’s so sexist.” “I agree. Booth babes should be abolished, except when they wear sensible pantsuits like you.” “So abolish everyone but me.” “Exactly,” I say. “Karina, you’re reading my mind.” “I will be the one who directs people to the correct exhibits across the entire convention center,” Karina says. “I will be the master of pointing.” “Finally, a purpose in life for my dear friend.” “Oh how I’ve longed for the day,” she says. Then, she segues into a new topic, saying, “By the way, I saw Mr. Larkins earlier. He came by here with two very pretty women. He said he’s looking for you. So, uh, keep your eyes out I guess.” “Two women? Like, his daughters?” “No, I think they were... you know, probably--” “So, Karina, how’s the weather?” “I’ve been in this building all morning,” she says. “How am I supposed to know what-- Oh, I see what you did.” “Yes, I hope you did. We are switching topics forever.” "I respect that," she says. I realize that there’s a lot of Sakaguchi businessmen who are giving us very dirty looks for our loud conversation that has nothing to do with the tech expo anymore. “Actually, hey, I’m going to check some more stuff out. If you’re ever free, just give me a call and we can hang out and stuff.” “Don’t think I’ll have time, but... Thanks for the offer, Morgan.” She gives me a small thumbs-up. “See you around.” “Yeah, same.” I sure hope she makes it through this convention alright. Okay, now what’s next? (set: $points to it + 1) [[Back.->eaststand]]

Oh, okay, now I am way too hungry to function at this tech expo anymore, and I am not paying convention prices for food. Time to leave and get some lunch. I've learned a lot of stuff today, met a lot of people today (including former President Jimmy Carter, somehow), and I'm about one thousand percent more suspicious of everything than I was a few hours ago.