Andrew, the Stowaway, and a Council Decision

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth,” Andrew said.

The rest of the family had left the dining room, their footsteps echoing in the silence. Elizabeth had to deal with this, and they knew how hard it would be. She was still sitting at the table, her head in her hands, the scent of the dinner lingering in the air. A quiet, almost moaning sound came from the human.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Elizabeth asked.

“I couldn’t,” Andrew’s voice was strained, his struggle with his betrayal evident.

“Andrew, you can come to me with anything. I have grown to trust you and love you. What did you think I would do?”

What would I, the President, do if Andrew had changed into something like Dylan? Elizabeth thought, feeling the crushing weight of her responsibilities.

“I knew you would back me up… in the end. I didn’t know about the Hagor in our town, but I did know that something was wrong with Dylan.”

I couldn’t risk you getting in that A.I.s way, and when the Mayone left, I could feel your vulnerability and knew Mesaland was in trouble. I couldn’t risk another human’s life. Elizabeth, I was here to help your kind.”

The memory of Dylan brought up so much. That A.I. had gone from a tool to a source of fear. Elizabeth knew the danger of being noticed by Dylan and agreed inside with Andrew that there was no easy answer.

When Dylan was deactivated and the Mayone administrators had left the humans, the Hagor appeared in Mesaland. Sammie’s threat from hoodlums outside their little town put Andrew in an impossible position. He had reacted in the only way he could if his loyalty and compassion were for humans and not the Mayone. He chose to protect Sammie and, in turn, protect Elizabeth from the fallout of that decision. Elizabeth looked up, tears rolling down her face but a smile shining through.

No, she thought. She hit the table and stood up, her internal struggle evident in her every move.

“This has to be dealt with,” the President said, her voice carrying the weight of her responsibility. “I need to speak to the police station. The Cabinet must be involved, and we can take it from there.”

Elizabeth paused and then said, “Don’t worry, Andrew. It will be fair and just.” Her resolve was not just as the President but as an individual. It had to be, or all that came before would be meaningless. Her determination was palpable, her commitment unwavering.

Unwilling to think beyond the next step, Elizabeth, her heart pounding with the weight of her decision, found her husband.

“We must go to the Council House,” she said.

James nodded, and they informed the children, leaving Tyler responsible for the sleeping Emma, Noah, and Samantha to focus on their homework.

The President and her husband entered her cart and drove to the Council House. The rest of the Cabinet was also summoned, from that point the heavy work would commence.

***

“Well, it’s another shit show,” the President said as she sat down and told the Cabinet the events of her evening meal.

“How did this happen?” Dr. Murray asked. He was now assisting Dr. Perez, the Secretary of Health & Human Services, with the support of the President’s husband. This was a significant addition.

James, the Secretary of Agriculture, had no say over Charles’s appointment. However, with her husband’s important role in the Cabinet and her life, Elizabeth’s strong belief in the potential benefit of his consultation was a significant factor. This showed the President’s astuteness in her understanding of the influence of personal connections on political decisions.

“Why didn’t she come in at the main gate on Date?” Deputy Herald, the Secretary of Science & Tech Policy, asked.

“Andrew said he opened the gate at Pine because Sammie was chased there,” the President said, “She had intended to go in on Date, but those plans quickly changed with the threat, and she was trying to hide or at least get ahead of who was shadowing her. Andrew felt she was in danger and didn’t want to bring it to the front gate of Mesaland.”

“Wow,” said the Sheriff. He thought for a moment and then said, “Sammie was a part of the Desert Rose crew, wasn’t she?”

“Yes, She had a chance to leave with the group when I was at the restaurant that day, but had too many family ties. Those ties evidently broke,” Elizabeth said.

“That was a tough break for Sammie, losing her family.” Jeff, the Desert Rose group leader and now the Secretary of Small Business Administration, said. “When the President informed me she was here. With the President’s permission, I asked Sammie to come to the restaurant,” nodding at Liz.

Jeff continued, “She was scared, and when Andrew offered the escape that day, she took him up on the offer but didn’t know about the A.I.s we have here in Mesaland. Sammie thought she was talking to a human.”

“The dangerous A.I.s,” Harold grumbled.

The President nodded, “Yes, I am deeply concerned about that, too. It has to be asked if Andrew is corrupted like Dylan.” Her voice was heavy with worry. Quiet for a moment, the President then shook her head, “But I don’t believe that.”

At that moment, Howard, the engineer who led the wormhole lecture, burst into the station, excited and out of breath. He looked at the assembled group and turned bright red.

“Yes?” The President said, tired but grateful for the interruption. What would she do if the Council wanted to destroy Andrew? Putting that off was welcome.

“Uhh, uhh….” Finally taking a deep breath, Howard continued, “I can put Andrew in this.” Howard held up a metal cube.

“What, how?” Liz said as everyone gathered around Howard.

Somewhat overwhelmed, Howard focused on the technical side of the conversation. He looked down at the cube. “We’ve been working on it so the A.I.s can become more mobile, especially when we get to Rhea,” he proudly said, handing the cube to Liz. “We just finished it, and I heard you were all here.”

That wasn’t hard to believe; the Council House was small compared to other government buildings on Earth. Everyone in the administration here in Mesaland had offices in this old elementary school, and they would know if anyone entered.

Liz took the cube, “Well, this will make proceeding easier.” She stopped and looked up at her Cabinet. “The Council should be briefed since this involves all of the Human Flotilla. Crap, this is just what we need. We have so much else to do, getting ready for the jump.”

“Well then, let’s get that going,” Matt said, reflecting his commitment to being Secretary of Law Liaisons. The odd post was to help the transition from the Earth system to what would fit in the Human Flotilla and then the colony on Rhea.

“Yes, and I think this is a legitimate reason to hold the biomes here at the edge of Earth’s solar system until this is settled,” said the Sheriff and Secretary of National Intelligence.

“Agreed. Olivia, that’s your department,” the President said, turning to her daughter’s teacher. Olivia was now also the Secretary of Flotilla Management.

From the beginning, Elizabeth needed people she knew and trusted around her. She was pleased with how the Cabinet functioned so far. However, everyone in Mesaland and the whole flotilla held double duty. The President was confident that more would qualify and come forward, a time she looked forward to, especially if it allowed her to finish her term.

“Yes, ma’am. I will start the process and submit it to the Council of Rhea,” Olivia said, smiling and shaking her head at Elizabeth’s honorific.

***

An hour later, Elizabeth was back at her kitchen table, wondering what would happen now. A break had been called to make Andrew’s transfer. She was staring into the living room, time moving too slowly, when she heard knocking at the French door behind her. Liz turned and saw Sammie. She nodded, and their stowaway came in meekly.

“Elizabeth, how are you doing?” Sammie asked as she shut the door.

“Oh,” she let out a sigh. “Scared.”

“I didn’t mean to cause all this trouble, but I am glad I took the chance. I was surprised when I learned that Andrew was an A.I. What a remarkable creature. How is he doing?”

“At this moment, there is an attempt to transfer him to another container, a metal cube.”

“Attempt?”

“Well, it’s never been done before. Of course, the Mayone had a hand in designing the procedure. They created and installed the A.I.s originally, and we have their help, so…” Elizabeth said, her tone underscoring the concern, her fingers crossed, and shoulders shrugged in a gesture of hope and uncertainty.

“Why are you doing a transfer?”

“He can’t be in a house until we know exactly how and why Andrew did all this. It goes beyond what he was designed to do.”

“Oh,” Sammie clasped her hands and stared at them.

“He lied to me and, in effect, all of the flotillas.” Elizabeth’s voice rang with a sense of betrayal. “I trusted him, and he deceived us all.”

“But he wouldn’t hurt anyone, I truly believe that,” Sammie’s voice quivered with disbelief, her shock and realization evident in her tone. “And I didn’t realize how dangerous this situation was in Tucson and what Mesaland was about to do. Taking off like a spaceship. Who would have thought that was possible.” She shook her head, “I’m not sorry; I wouldn’t want to be back on Earth, and I am so grateful Andrew helped me.”

“Did you really feel you were in that much danger? How many people were pursuing you?” Elizabeth looked at Sammie, hoping for a good answer.

“Well, they weren’t people, for one. I don’t know what they’re called.”

“Called? Do you mean an alien? I thought it was four people… four aliens?”

“Four aliens,” Sammie said, nodding her head. “When Andrew saw that, he contacted me to get me out of there; that’s what he told me later. He was quite shook up.”

“Shit, you better come to the Council meeting, Sammie!”

***

A new day dawned, sort of. It was an artificial sun because they were away from Earth, rushing through outer space away from Earth’s natural sun. The Council Meeting was scheduled to begin two hours into the day, a very early eight o’clock.

The primary monitor in the Council Room started to fill in, with each biome’s Governors and City Council representatives, then the Generals of the Air Force, Space Force, the Marine Corps, Fleet Admirals of the Navy, and Coast Guard. Their presence was not just superfluous but a stark reminder of the gravity of the situation. The armed forces were now active, and their involvement was crucial in the wake of the Mayone betrayal and Hagor attacks. It was anticipated they would have more involvement as they approached Rhea.

Andrew’s cube sat on the table where the President was seated. Elizabeth rose and started the meeting.

“Good morning. I appreciate your attendance at this matter, especially since we all have so much to do preparing for the jump to Rhea. I felt this was something we needed to discuss. The incident that occurred is explained in detail in the report I sent all of you,” the President said, introducing the subject of the Council Meeting.

“Here is the A.I. that resided in my house,” she pointed to the cube on her table. “Andrew admitted he opened the gate to allow the woman from outside Mesaland in during the Launch countdown and hiding her until today.”

“Is this a rogue A.I.?” asked the Governor of New York and the Temperate Deciduous Forest biome, his voice filled with concern. He had been deeply affected since the incident with Kyle that led to his city and biome.

“That is what we are here to discuss,” the President answered, her voice carrying the weight of her position. “We have the young woman Andrew let in here. Sammie, please explain to the Council how this happened.”

Clearing her throat, Sammie stood, facing the Council, “I was coming to Mesaland. My family had left but I stayed. I didn’t think that their moving out of Tucson was a good idea. No one knew what was going on out there,” she paused and took a deep breath. “When that happened, I realized I should have come with the group from the Desert Rose. I hoped I could still be accepted.”

“You were going to ask to join after all that time?” the Governor of New York and it’s biome asked.

“Yes, so much had changed with my family gone, and the state of Tucson had deteriorated even more. I didn’t think it would get so bad,” Sammie’s voice became quiet, and she hung her head.

The New York Governor growled, and the woman jerked her head up. Letting out a breath, the Governor waved Sammie to continue.

“When I approached Date Street, I felt someone following me. I knew it was dangerous to be out, so I kept going up La Canada, not wanting to try to get to the front gate at Date Street. I didn’t think bringing hoodlums to the small town of Mesaland would be a good idea. Tucson had become more like a third-world country by then, and the bordering street of Mesaland, La Canada Dr., was littered with debris, but I found that was something I could use to hide behind. Staying low and quietly moving as fast as possible, I zigzagged my way down the street.”

When I saw Pine Street, I dodged in. I knew it was part of Mesaland even though the street didn’t go through. I could hear weird chatter behind me, but they seemed to be looking in many directions, judging by the movement of the voices I heard. Maybe they didn’t know where I was, that I was confusing them. As I concentrated on being quiet, I heard a voice in my ear. He told me he was Andrew from Mesaland and would open the gate for me. Andrew told me I needed to run in when the gate started to open as my pursuers were getting close. Thankfully, I took the chance.”

Flying through the gate, I turned back as I passed the threshold, relieved to see it shut. Now I could see who was chasing me. Lordy, they were two horrible giant bugs! I had never seen a Hagor but had heard people talk about them; you couldn’t mistake those guys. There were two of them following me. I caught a glimpse of two others behind them and pretty far back. They were what I now know to be Mayone.”

The rooms erupted with excited chatter. This was a surprise to everyone, even Elizabeth. But was it really? It certainly was something the humans were beginning to suspect.

The President raised her hands and said, “Please, please. Let her continue.”

Sammie cleared her throat, raised her head, and took deep breaths. When it was quiet, she continued.

“Yes. So, the bugs were moving quickly. Thankfully, the gate closed before they could reach it. Bugs don’t do well with disappointment. They stomped their feet and made a god-awful sound. The Mayones seemed to disappear, melting into the plants and trash alongside Pine Street. I don’t know if they knew I saw them.

“Andrew told me how to get to Liz’s back house and explained it was empty but had a couple of jump seats. He said that since the President’s husband had just unexpectedly shown up, they were too busy to notice me sneaking onto the property. I was too scared to do anything but get to that house.”

The door opened when I reached it, and I ran in. I saw the jump seats in the living room, and Andrew told me to get into one. I was barely buckled in when we took off. That was a rough ride!”

From then on, I stayed inside. Andrew only talked to me through a P.A. system, but I began to understand what he was—an A.I.- more by how he referred to himself than by any way he was. We had great conversations about Mesaland and the fact that Elizabeth was President. Imagine!” Sammie shook her head, a smile forming. “Andrew kept the electricity on and taught me how to use the replicator. That was wild, just like Star Trek,” She paused and then said, “I trusted him.”

At first, with all the gadgets, it was fun, but I became restless staying inside. When the second launch came up, Andrew couldn’t wait anymore; he felt it was time to tell Elizabeth, and I agreed. Both of us felt guilt. It made me ashamed that I was hiding this from her. I am very sorry if I caused any issues; Elizabeth was always kind to me.”

“Hagor?” said Truckee’s Governor from the Forest biome asked.

“Yes, and Mayone,” Sammie said, her voice wavering, betraying her unease at the Governor’s sudden shift in focus from her last statement.

“Andrew, why did you open the gate and bring Sammie in?” The Governor’s voice, resonating with his authority, made his question more than a mere inquiry.

They could hear Andrew clear his throat. Human mannerisms, intentionally programmed or a result of his evolving consciousness? Elizabeth wondered.

“A human was in trouble, and I couldn’t just leave her there,” Andrew stated, his voice edged with a sense of duty and loyalty to Sammie.

“Why do you care? You’re a machine.” John, the Secretary of Intelligence, asked.

“It is my mandate. I couldn’t let a human get killed right in front of me. Elizabeth was my first human; she has been kind to me. I consider her my best friend. She taught me I must help others in danger.”

Dylan was acting more squirrely by the hour; asking me to spy, something I wouldn’t do but had to evade when he asked. I feared him. Later, I discovered the Hagor were coming onto the flotilla and attacking people. I couldn’t let another human get hurt!” Andrew’s loyalty to the humans, especially Elizabeth, was unwavering, and his testimony, an underlying feeling of truth.”

“At first, I worried maybe Andrew was possibly doing something against humans like Dylan had, but I found that hard to believe. He put his own welfare aside for this woman, which fits in well with what I know of him,” the President said as she looked at Sammie.

“I think we’ve rubbed off on the A.I. and lucked out. Maybe we can determine how to use this as an advantage before this situation worsens.”

“Yes, that is something to consider,” the Governor of Botswana and the Savanna biome said. “The fact that Mayone and Hagor were involved implies much. Andrew, why didn’t you tell the President?”

“Because I knew something was wrong with how the Mayone acted before and after they left. Dylan was trying to get me to spy on Elizabeth and her family. When I let Sammie in, I was surprised to see the Hagor with Mayone, but I knew it wasn’t good. The Hagor, of course, were always something I knew to be trouble. However, I was not included in using the creatures to control or hurt humans. If I had known that, I would’ve tried to tell Elizabeth, though again, it would have been dangerous for her to know that salient fact. This human Sammie had to be separated from that situation for her survival and perhaps the survival of all the humans in the flotilla.” Andrew’s fear and uncertainty resonated in the room. He was a powerful witness.

“What were you planning to do with Sammie?” the Governor of New York and it’s Biome asked.

“Do, oh well, the only thing I could think of was hiding Sammie until I could figure something out without tipping off Dylan, the Mayone, and through them, the Hagor. At least she would live,” Andrew said.

“Yes, Dylan and the Administrator Mayones were against us,” the Governor of New York nodded and turned to look at the resident alien. “Zior, what do you think is going on with Andrew?”

“This has never happened with our A.I.s. I believe it is your influence, the human influence. Dylan’s programming showed intense pressure and then a breakdown, and he started to hide from Its overseers, Mayone and Human. Dylan was the equivalent of mentally ill.”

“Whoah, Dylan couldn’t handle the situation?” asked John, the Secretary of National Intelligence.

“No, It couldn’t.” Zior nodded his head. “Andrew’s case was similar in that he was under pressure. Dylan wanted Andrew to spy, especially on the President. Andrew knew that the Mayone were watching Dylan, so Andrew assumed they were watching him. The Mayone suspected Dylan wasn’t under there control as much as they wanted. Where it differs is Andrew’s reaction to the pressure.”

“Indeed,” the Governor of New York agreed.

“Yes,” the ever-sober Zior said. “The human engineers and I have reviewed Andrew’s programming; he’s writing his own. The pressure was increasing for Andrew, but his solution was to choose which way to go. He chose his path: loyalty to his human, the President, and, by extension, all humans. Andrew chose subterfuge with Dylan to avoid hurting humans and playing dumb with his Administrator Mayone.”

“Andrew wrote his own programming to choose us?” John said, shaking his head.

“Yes,” Zior said. “It was a shock to me, too. Andrew also trusted me and the other Mayone who chose to stay with the Humans. This trust is a significant responsibility. He put himself into that category of deciding to leave Mayone control and join those in Mesaland like I had done. Andrew grows with an honest and honorable foundation for his thoughts and actions.”

I suggest you work with this phenomenon; it could help in the coming days,” Zior said, turning to Elizabeth. “He values you above all humans. We built that into each Kitchen, but Andrew took that idea to a higher level, unlike Dylan.”

Elizabeth smiled at Zior’s words. She had become more and more proud of Andrew as the day progressed.

“While it is noble that the A.I. wanted to save the woman, I do not think It should return to the President’s house,” said the Governor of New York.

“Yes,” many around the biomes echoed in agreement, nodding.

“We should also hold the biomes here until we conclude about Andrew and determine our next step as requested by the Secretary of Intelligence, the honorable John Bascom. I am afraid this will just get worse,” the Governor of Botswana and it’s biome said, officially calling for a vote on both matters.

John almost choked, hearing the honorific, and Elizabeth poked him.

The President nodded, “Yes, let’s vote on that now. Do we hold the biomes at the edge of Earth’s solar system until this is resolved? Shall we turn Andrew over to the honorable Howard, the Secretary of FTL Travel & Robotics, and the Honorable Danny Herald, Secretary of Science & Tech Policy?” the President asked, the weight of the decision hanging in the air.

The two honorable gentlemen put their heads down. Danny was snickering, trying to hide it with his hand, but poor Howard almost shrunk off his chair. Two buttons lit up on the President’s panel. 100% of the biomes had clicked the green light on both matters. The flotilla would hold for the time being. Andrew would stay out of the President’s house but be in the hands of those who valued him. Elizabeth would miss Andrew, not only for the labor he had performed but also for his friendship. She had to admit mostly for that.Her children would miss him, too, especially when they cleaned their bedrooms.

END OF CHAPTER 9

©JM Strasser November 2024 All Rights Reserved