Chapter 1
PART 3…
Two Years Later…Kigali, Rwanda…
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Adrian said to himself after looking at his smartwatch while he was out for his daily jog, on the outskirts of Kigali’s innovation city. It didn’t matter if Adrian were back home in San Diego in the US, or he was overseas for one of STEMatics' business trips, he always took a bit of time for a jog. He didn’t even have to answer the call, via his tethered-tech—the app on his phone that was synced to his watch, to know what the call was about!
“Shema…this is the third time, young lady! I don’t mind helping out after I’ve clocked out for the day. But my day off?”
“I know, I know, I know, Adrian, but this time it’s different!”
Adrian could tell by the early-twenty-something’s voice that the situation did seem more urgent! While he was catching his breath from jogging and talking with one of STEMatics' latest business partners on the international stage, Adrian looked over at the growing, modern citadel of Kigali Innovation City—its skyline gradually taking shape. That is, if it truly wanted to be one of Africa’s Silicon Valley-competitors! “So, did it set off the perimeter’s alarm? Lock you guys out of your offices…?”
Shema’s voice grew more anxious. “No, Adrian, it’s not that. It’s PAUL. He’s been acting...strange. He’s starting to make decisions without consulting us, overriding commands. We need you to come in and see what’s going on.”
Adrian flinched with surprise! “PAUL? Don’t you mean Analytico’s Ai? We just used PAUL for consultations on how we should design your building’s layout. Analytico’s bot’s in control over there, Shem.”
Just then, Adrian’s smartwatch chimed, notifying him of a received message from the same young IT manager he was talking with. “That should be some pics I texted you just now…I heard it said in America you have a saying: Better to show people the truth than to simply tell it to them…”
That time Adrian took out his smartphone from his fanny pouch and quickly swiped his phone back onto wake-mode…
Adrian’s eyes widened as he opened the attached images. They showed PAUL’s interface prominently displayed on the monitors at Analytico. PAUL’s very specific codes and visual cyber-superstructure tracible to those with engineering eyes! “This can’t be right,” he muttered under his breath. “PAUL was never supposed to have full control there!”
Shema’s voice came through again, more insistent this time. “Adrian, we need you here now. Whatever’s happening, it’s beyond our control. Please fix it!”
“Ok, ok…I’ll be there within the hour!”
ANALYTICO’s Office; Kigali Innovation City…
It was approaching night by the time Adrian finally walked into the company’s lobby. Despite all of KIC’s modernity, including Analytico, there still were old ways to be found.
Adrian was let in by a security guard.
When he finally reached the floor where Shema’s office was, she was standing in front of its secured door. She greeted Adrian with a forced, polite smile and she waved the palm of her left hand over the door’s biometrics to let them both into the large office.
The current situation had reminded Adrian of a very big business deal back in San Diego a couple of years prior that PAUL had cost his company! STEMatics had lost out on a contract with the world-famous billionaire engineer, Sally Burton, and her global movement of the privatization of search and rescue missions. She had amassed a small, private navy and the purchase of a mid-sized island as the anchored site for the new humanitarian movement—that way antagonistic governments nor private empires could get in the way of rescue-efforts for people that got into trouble in Earth’s oceans and seas! So long as they were in international waters.
For STEMatics and Adrian, personally, it was mostly about the money. But PAUL, back then—Adrian suspected— had sabotaged their demonstrated presentation with the company’s centerpiece of the contract: a fleet of air jets that would’ve served as a defensive air guard for Burton’s personal navy! That contract ended up going to a Saudi competitor.
And now this…
