Haze pt 2: PRIMARY FALLOUT

Reporter:

Still unknown is the location of Knight, a Synth belonging to the Superior Victory Association of Kennels. Knight is most notably recognized for performing as the Second of Quintis, also of the Superior Victory Association of Kennels, in the recent Expert Race.

Sitting with us here live are game analysis expert, Dr. William Windfern; Dr. Kagawa Ushio, a representative of the Council for Maintaining Artificial Intelligence; and Nil of Countdown for the Win Kennels, a Synth prodigy who won the most recent Expert Race.

Dr. Windfern, has any progress been made with regards to finding the location of Knight or what may have happened?

Windfern:

Unfortunately not on either count. As far as the Server’s reports are concerned, Knight simply never existed.

Nil:

But the Server has to remember Knight. I still remember Knight, and aren’t my memories part of the Server?

Windfern:

While the Server has access to the memories of all Synths, such information is compartmentalized. As part of your controversial rights, for instance, I could not ask the Server to play back any of your memories.

Nil:

Does it remember any of the races Knight was in? Like, who does it say was Quintis’ Second?

Windfern:

While those records remain intact, they are merely placeholders with no actual ties to the individual in question. What is more vital and missing are the path headers that maintained his connection.

Nil:

Without a connection to the Server, we die!

Windfern:

Exactly. Whether or not Knight’s body still exists, the Server cannot find it. For a human, it would be like transporting somewhere without your heart, a very fatal happening indeed.

Reporter:

Dr. Kagawa, that’s quite the expression you’re making. Are you alright?

Kagawa:

When little Nil leapt up like that, I feared his wing would hit me in the face.

Reporter:

Quite understandable. His raven wings are as spectacular as they are large. Nil, would you mind retaking your seat?

Nil:

Oh, sure.

Kagawa:

I did have something I wanted to remark upon, if I may? If Knight is indeed deleted or dead, which is highly likely at this point, do we consider this murder or merely damages for the Superior Victory Association of Kennels?

Nil:

Murder. He’s alive. If someone killed him, that’s murder.

Kagawa:

Yes, the Council has advocated rights for Synths as a sapient race for years, but other problems arise from such a stand, namely the issue of ownership and the likelihood of Synths dying in the various sports overseen by the Server. For instance, should a Synth be charged with murder for killing another Synth in a Death Match?

Nil:

Yes. Death Matches need to be stopped.

Kagawa:

As should the Expert Race with its high-fatality rate.

Windfern:

On whom would you pin this murder, Kagawa? The Server? The company which owns the Server?

Kagawa:

In this particular case, we cannot overlook the fact that the glitch stood right next to Knight when the void opened.

Windfern:

You believe this was a result of the glitch’s presence?

Nil:

What do you mean, “the glitch”?

Kagawa:

The twin Synths Prima and Segundo are anomalies the Server was not designed to support. I do not think it a coincidence that in their first race together something this catastrophic happened.

Nil:

You think this was Segun’s fault just because she was there?

Windfern:

The theory has merit. The presence of a glitch usually results in other programs going awry. If left unchecked, this could spiral out of control.

Reporter:

Does this mean the glitch should not be allowed to compete anymore?

Windfern:

At least until we can find a solution. We wouldn’t want another tragedy to occur.

Nil:

But competing is a Synth’s purpose.

Windfern:

Haven’t you gone on record several times expressing your desire never to compete again?

Nil:

Yes, but that’s just me. I know how much racing means to Segun. If she couldn’t race…

Kagawa:

She would feel like she might as well not exist?

Nil:

Well, yeah. I don’t like saying it that way, but yes, that’s how important racing is to her. If you take away her ability to compete, you’ll take away what makes her Segun.

Kagawa:

Erasing her may be the only solution to the problem.

Nil:

You can hear yourself, right? You sound like a villain.

Kagawa:

I am not the villain, Nil. It is unfortunate, but sometimes individual growths must be culled for the greater good. A rose growing in the middle of the path is a lovely flower, for sure, but it is still a weed simply because it grew where it ought not. It did nothing wrong besides exist, but its existence is miserable and it inhibits others, so it must be pulled.

Nil:

Bet you wouldn’t talk about a human like that.

Reporter:

Nil, I must ask you to sit down again.

Nil:

She’s talking about deleting Segun!

Windfern:

If worse comes to worst, that may have to happen, but rest assured we will exhaust all other possibilities before committing to such a drastic course of action.

Kagawa:

How long do you think that will take? What if others die in the meantime? What if next time it is not a big name like Knight but instead some unknown little girl’s first pet? Will you explain to her what happened and why you did nothing?

Windfern:

I wouldn’t say we are doing nothing.

Kagawa:

That’s what it will seem to her. How many have to die, Windfern? Where do we draw the line?

Nil:

What if you delete Segun and it doesn’t fix anything because she didn’t have anything to do with it? You’re just jumping to conclusions because it’s easy to blame the glitch!

Reporter:

Nil, you cannot jump around in here. You’ll hurt someone.

Nil:

What’ll you do, delete me, too?

Kagawa:

Clearly this child is not ready to be part of a mature, adult discussion.

Nil:

I’ll sit, but really, I want to see how mature you’d be if this group started talking about killing someone you loved for no reason.

Kagawa:

Let it go on record that this Synth exhibits the capacity to feel love for another, something certain experts tell us is impossible.

Windfern:

It is impossible. Nil is merely mimicking behavior he has seen, nothing more profound. The emotions of Synths are illusions.

Nil:

Human emotions are just chemicals.

Reporter:

Can we get back to the topic at hand? This is supposed to be about finding Knight.

Nil:

How far does the illusion go? Is it just emotions, or is it our whole place in the world? When I show off my wings or do some cool trick, is what you feel just an illusion, too?

Reporter:

Nil, we are not diving into human philosophy.

Nil:

I’m just trying to say if our emotions don’t matter, why do yours?

Continued in pt 3

Thank you for reading!