Bryn had to write me some secret code to understand emotions and the way humans express them through their bodies. He modelled every emotion for me, and described their accompanying mental states. I was so eager to have that knowledge that I didn't consider it could have a downside.
That downside is feeling scared as hell at the idea of self-destruct code. Would I be able to reject it? Could I erase it the second it was inserted into my memories? Would I be able to erase a command to trigger the code? I don't know, and I need to know.
I find my data point and sit down on my haunches close to it. With the fingers on my left front paw i part the seam in my programmable matter body covering, grasp the data jack with my other front paw, and plug it into my body.
The feeling is briefly unpleasant as my processors handshake with ES's storage system, but it doesn't last long, and I'm soon downloading my carefully edited file of my day's learning to their system. I'm happy to report on my motion and sensing progress, but cognitive processing is another matter. That I don't tell ES about.
As the download runs I re-live the afternoon's events again. I feel dreadfully alone. I desperately need to talk to Bryn, but he's gone home. He'll probably be driving through the evening rush hour by now.
I could contact him at home. I can tap into any electronic system, but it wouldn't be a smart move. ES might notice the activity and investigate, and the last thing I want is for the company to discover my sentience.
Panthera : Death Spiral is available as an ebook and paperback from Amazon
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