Android Paradox Read Free

did you hear what I said? I’ll be able to give you more information when I’m done.”
    “All right. But we need to talk about your development plan for the year. I’ve got some feedback for you.”
    Every cell in Shortcut’s body roiled with disgust. “Actually, uh, oh crap! There’s a plane, Crandall, and it’s coming toward me. I’ll have to call you back.”
    “Wait—”
    Click. Shortcut disconnected the video link and took it offline.  
    I can’t stand that guy.
    He and Crandall had worked together as engineers shortly after college. Crandall had gotten promoted to manager just a few days ago, and he wouldn’t let Shortcut forget it.
    Shortcut had applied for the job too. Android Engineering Manager. A modest promotion with a decent salary increase. He had done well in the interview, and thought that Fahrens would consider him for the job. He had woken up the next day with a feeling that told him something good was going to happen, and had gone through the day jolly and laughing and smiling more than normal. He was waiting for the good thing to happen, and his gut had never been wrong before.  
    And then he got the email from the UEA’s human resources department: WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT WE HAVE CHOSEN ANOTHER CANDIDATE FOR THE POSITION. Shortly after, Crandall had strolled into the engineering room, whistling and giving directions to the engineering team like he owned the place.
    Shortcut punched the air. He couldn’t get over the stinging bitterness he’d felt when he read the rejection email.
    He rested his head against the chair. He breathed in deeply, exhaled, and focused on the sky ahead, imagining his breath creating new clouds. Then he blinked six times in rapid succession, and a shimmering green wall of data surrounded his head, rotating slowly.  
    A password maze appeared. Shortcut’s contact lens emitted a red laser into the green wall, and he guided it through the maze. When he reached the end, a chime sounded, the maze collapsed, and his vision surged forward through a brilliant tunnel of light.
    In a flash, he was in a doctor’s office. The walls were avocado green. He smelled carpet and fresh coffee. Several virtual people were sitting in chairs ranged along the walls, and they looked down to avoid Shortcut’s gaze. Futuristic jazz played from speakers in the walls, an electric saxophone riffing on a bossa nova song. He still tasted the dry air of the cockpit, but it mingled with the simulated smell of the office, taking on a strange taste that reminded him of an airplane and all of his childhood doctor visits at the same time.  
    Virtual reality always amazed him. His lens interfaced with his brain, and the doctor’s office was a simple string of code somewhere over the Internet. When Shortcut connected to it, it gave his brain specific sensory data points to recreate. His lens connected with the data points and transmitted them to the corresponding sensory areas in his brain, fooling his mind into creating a virtual environment where every molecule felt real.  
    And of course, this was just one of the many things his lens could do.
    A secretary greeted him from behind the front desk. She looked real, but she was made of pixels, an avatar for someone elsewhere.  
    “How can I help you?”
    “I’m here for enhancements.”
    “What kind?”
    “Enhancements.”
    “What kind ?”
    “Artificial intelligence,” Shortcut whispered.
    “You look awfully young. Are you sure?”
    Shortcut sighed and said, “Just call the doctor, okay?”
    He put his thumb into a scanner and his name and photo appeared in front of the woman.  
    “Your name is Shortcut?”
    “Yep.”
    “Can you give us a real name for our records?”
    “Mr. Shortcut.”
    The secretary glared at him and typed something into a virtual keypad floating above her desk. “Dr. Frantz will be with you shortly.”
    Shortcut made himself a cup of coffee and sniffed a curlicue of smoke that rose from the