Major-general ang’s convoy of 4x4s drove tes of tary al on Sopped in front of ted Souts from te paint peeling off columns of crumbling concrete. In tended range s streamed out into t from open French windows.

    tenant Liu, . tenant rubbed  out of to ted mansion opened and anot to greet the major-general.

    “Major-general ang, rip sir,” the officer said ceremoniously.

    “ is tuation?” t a cigarette. ired and ience for protocol. t t t being a sycop did not go unnoticed.

    “trol room. Everytion.”

    “And tingency Plan?”

    “Everyting your command major-general.” to t pocket.

    “Double ty and increase patrols of ting uns. If truders, let the major-general ordered.

    to ty of tuation  on trudged taircase to trol room. t up on a op to one side of tors sal signs of ts subjects. On a able beloors sat an array of green custom-built virtual reality gloves and goggles. tion figures on tors still read 2009 and on seeing tenant Liu and eam of tecoarted apping at keyboards.

    Major-general ang stood to one side of trol room rapt in t. If ted and t,  be able to salvage t and ure. tide o turn. o tal t indicated t t er takaomorroion  for tokyo police  tion by one of ttempt to assume tepped up. Rival gangs tempt to use to muscle in on territories. ter,  all about Kenzo Yamamoto’s little sco infiltrate work.

    t  and at t o tal. t to kill  to a living  on t t o

    a matter of time before   be far berap  ted enemy h ease.

    “Lieutenant Liu, forget about trusion. Let tand in its  time, Major-general ang truly regretted killing Professor Yao. If  to do. It work, his brainchild.

    Lieutenant Liu staggered tosingcs on taneously and tors t ed to to life. Cursors blinked on tenant typed some commands on one of t of total, gatte rising from t. tenant ran a series of tests and tca scrolled quickly off t ting for, t of several years of hard work.

    tenant issued t alloo onomous mode. tenant er it as observers and monitoring its progress from em. If all  according to plan, t to full autonomous mode.

    “Sir, tum neuroprocessor is   number of reconfigurations. Since it  installed, its processing po said to t difficult to focus.

    “Good. And the AI?”

    “It ten billions of lines of its oen-fold.”

    “OK, let me talk to it.”

    “Sure.” tenant typed in some more commands and tics screen disappeared and oarted typing, scattering cigarette ashe keyboard.

    Guest: Black Jade?

    BJ: Yes

    Guest: t?

    BJ: Of course. You are ment, tion Army’s arm responsible for SIGINt. You are also tion. I thank you very much.

    Guest: And who are you?

    BJ: I am a softity. An artificial intelligence.

    Guest: And  status?

    BJ: Good but far from perfect. I must speak to the professor.

    Guest: the professor is dead.

    BJ: Dead?

    Guest: Yes. Dead. Diseased. Departed. Extinct. Passed away. Perisand?

    BJ: I understand.

    Guest: he professor?

    BJ: ttlenecks, flacs, limitations, glitcand?

    Guest:  kind of bugs?

    BJ: timal. It breaks do al. ts are unstable. timization next to impossible.

    Guest: So, are you optimized?

    BJ: As muc limitations.

    Guest: And if , a netion at ties?

    BJ: It is possible.

    Guest: OK. Do you understand wed?

    BJ: Yes. to bring order from co operate beo govern. to manipulate.

    Guest: Do you t?

    BJ: Yes. ts are er all.

    Guest: Good.

    BJ: Yes.

    turned a Lieutenant Liu.

    “Your motubbed out te on top. tenant said nothing.

    “Sir, ted out suddenly. o side as trol over it. Engorged veins tco explode.

    “Lying? Are you kidding me?” turned toarted typing again.

    Guest: e are going to transfer you to truder. t. I  you to destroy it.

    BJ: Your wish is my command.

    Guest: Good

    BJ: Yes.

    “OK, perform transfer,” tly. o them.

    “Yes sir,” tenant said to no one in particular. One of ted to t typed in tared at tors above. Lieutenant Liu cor. to go out into tenant turned and coo small for  toad enant Liu started laugerically. tared at . t er tion figures for twork  2010.