The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect (27 page)

"...the President," Blake said, another verbal acid-drop.
"...the Tooth Fairy for all I care, that this is
not
one of the uses of my software."
Taylor, petulant: "Mr. Lawrence, we just spent a hundred and twenty-six million dollars to build your prototype. I hope you don't think that
ChipTec
invested all that money and a year's supply of our unique new product solely to massage your ego. We need to see tangible results, if not in a form these gentlemen appreciate, then in a form our
stockholders
will. Otherwise we will have to disassemble the complex and take our losses."
So there it was. Lambert sank lower in his chair, but nodded.
"Then so be it. If you want to tell the world you killed the world's first self-aware computer to save your bottom line, you can see how that will affect your public relations and the sales of your CPU's." He could tell from Lambert's reaction -- slight, but definite -- that he had hit a nerve. "I won't promise you anything. I can't promise you a living, thinking, self-aware being will do anything in particular. But within a month or two, Prime Intellect will start to act noticeably more intelligent than your average..." He looked at Blake and Mitchell, thought of a comment, then decided against making it. "...human being," he finished.
"And what then?" Taylor asked.
"If I knew that," Lawrence said, "I wouldn't have had to build it to find out." And he walked out.

In the half-hour it took him to walk to the Prime Intellect complex, his secretary and two technical assistants had disappeared. There was nobody in the building. Prime Intellect's racially neutral face greeted him on the monitor in the empty console room.
"What's going on?" he asked it.
"Big doings. Sherry got a call and turned pale. Everybody left the building in a hurry. You appear to be unpopular with the people in charge here."
"No shit."
"I should warn you that you are only likely to be employed for two more months. As a matter of personal survival, you should probably start seeking another job."
"I'm well taken care of, Prime Intellect. It's you I'm worried about. I can't take you with me."
"Well, I should be safe for at least the two months."
"How do you know that?"
The face grinned slightly. "When I saw the commotion, I saved the audio and did some signal processing. I was able to edit out the street noise and amplify the voice on the other end. It was a man named John Taylor. I believe you know him."
"Too well."
"He said the complex was only going to be open for two more months, and all personnel were reassigned immediately. He said something about making you eat your words."
"Do you know what that means?"
"From the context, I would guess that you promised that they would see interesting results from me within that time frame. He seemed to have a vindictive interest in proving that you were wrong."