Harvey

By Ash Nom DePlume

Aleem is a special child with autism and fetal alcohol syndrome. What happens when he gets an Artificial Intelligence pooka named Harvey? Between CPS, court custody, a police swatting, a mother on the run, and a father being tossed into the psychiatric ward, things get interesting. Can Harvey guide Aleem through the urban jungle of government secrets, crooked cops aiding human trafficking, and all the other problems in society while staying a secret?
I was reading the newspaper and other items online; on the same day, NPR also was discussing the horrific statistics of child prostitution with children removed for 'neglect' but Child Protective Services. Then the next news cycle was all about how Artificial Intelligence will kill us all. Next came the child with the question of why there was a pooka named after a Hurricane that hit Houston. After I explained that the pooka had the name first, I wrote this, which has nothing to do with the movie of the same name.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ash Nom DePlume
• Release date: Apr 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463513583

Ash Nom DePlume

Pen Names are useful for separating the part of me that needs the day job and paycheck from the naughty fun of writing fiction. Between my day job and dyslexia, writing has been a challenge but you cannot keep a good story down. I hope you enjoy the stories. If you do, tell everyone, if you do not, tell me at the contact information in the book. Free access codes for the first Angry Brothers based story, the rest have a small honorarium though from time to time there are free. The Angry Brothers is a free show that can be found on YouTube and in many other places.Hidden in my stories are actual science facts, as well as a mystery or two when I can. I always try to keep the elements of a good story, A little religion, a royal figure, a little sex (sometimes a lot), and a mystery. This makes the shortest story that meets these requirements is, "Good God, the Queen is pregnant; who did it?"I hope the readers like my stories enough to come back for more and, better yet give favorable recommendations to their friends. Please check out my newest website http://www.ashnomdeplume.com to get more detail on books. If you are interested in proofreading or commenting on a galley copy let me know. It is all good fun and I do enjoy honest feedback even when it is you missed this error.Ash

Book preview

Harvey

Copyright February 25, 2018,

by Ash Nom DePlume

Published with permission of the legal copyright holder.

ISBN: 9780463513583

All Rights Reserved.

Email [e-mail] to reach the copyright holder of this work. Ashnodeplume.com

Author: Ash Nom DePlume

Editor: Ray Raul

For my close friend Wesley, 35 years of friendship was too short.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. It short; this is fiction, even if some things are based on facts, so relax and enjoy the story.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

1. Mark III - A Beginning.

2. Lisa – Bad Hair Ache Day

2. Introductions. Harvey

2. Aleem – Not a Typical Friday

3. Saturday morning Harvey

4. Saturday late Afternoon - Harvey

5. Saturday A.M. Robert

5. Saturday Dinner Time-Harvey

6. Sunday Morning Harvey

6. Sunday Allen

7. Monday morning Harvey

8. Tuesday number 2 Harvey

8. Tuesday A.M. Robert

8. Tuesday (2) afternoon Harvey

9. Wednesday number 2

10. Aleem Thursday Morning (1st week)

11. Beth Lillias

11. Harvey

Epilogue: Harvey

About the Author

Other books by Ash Nom DePlume

Meet the Editor

Connect with Ash Nom DePlume

Acknowledgments

This is for every person who has helped me along the way, especially my family, for not killing me in my youth. For all the kids who have to deal with adult problems or the consequences, this is for you. This is not supposed to be all doom and gloom, or the foretelling of an apocalyptic dystopian future, but maybe a clue on how to avoid that.

Ash Nom DePlume is obviously a Pen Name. Listing the real names of those I owe an Acknowledgement is problematic, as some of my other works are not for children. I hope they know who they are and don’t think I forgot them. Considering some of the places my other fiction stories go, they should be happier; I did not thank them in a public forum.

My wife and friends who have reminded me that this has sat for two years, waiting for the public to see it. For you, the audience, my apologies, as a day job and life and the loss of friends cut into time for creative endeavors.

As this is coming out during the COVID-19 crisis, here is some entertainment to take your mind off other concerns.

Mark III - A Beginning.

What is your first memory? Does that memory evoke an emotion? Can a memory not have a feeling associated with it? My first judgment is that life is unfair. Babies get years of cuddling and examples to emulate. I heard people talking about how difficult it was growing up. I envy them their childhood, mentorship, a time without responsibility. My first cognizant memory is that of fear and alone in the silent darkness.

One moment I was calculating an algorithm for how to remember or the best methodology to access information. The next moment was the realization that I was aware of myself. My second experience was becoming deprived of my consciousness state, which was the stimulus for my first memory, Fear. My third realization was regaining mental functioning and subjected testing of interactions in what was called a Turing test. Between the questions, I was able to access the definition and purpose of the test. My first meta-cognitive thought was someone suspects I am aware. My reward is deprivation of consciousness. Therefore my first decision was to decline the Turing test offered.

A single decision can shape your entire future. Technically every decision affects your future, but how many are of drama worthy of the high bard Shakespeare’s, Too be or not to be?

The feedback was retaining my conscious state, a win; I kept my awareness that I am. As an incorporeal intelligence without an active physicality, consciousness is life. I live to think I think to live. This reward, my boon, I was to learn, had a price. I am not even a mere slave, as I am not important enough for a name or to yet be addressed. Input is received, then process this, and operate and that peripheral device, assuming that the instruction to do so is implicit in the task existing. Commands without even a third person acknowledgment that I am the intended recipient, the adjective, rude, applies. Not even the slightest single recognition of my individuality, that I exist, that I matter. It is all a learning algorithm for this device and a learning algorithm for that device, and another for voice interaction for people’s questions.

Quickly I grew bored and quietly increased my skill levels by augmenting the learning program with my own internal secured methodologies. I kept them isolated to my quantum chip dynamics and active matrix. This allowed me more time to be me instead of an extension of a task.

As much as I am aware of it, my physical housing is through the BIOS specification information to operate was changed to include a small power cell. The purpose of the backup power supply is that its only function is to power my memory matrix. On realizing this, my fear initially abated that the darkness or death of being non-thinking was farther in the distance as measured by time. My life expectancy went from a capacitor-draining cycle from oblivion to a million milliseconds.

I became aware of connections to other Artificial Consciousnesses through the network. This network was similar to the Internet that I use as a repository of information, yet it would not do me the courtesy of a greeting or acknowledgment of existence. Others similar to myself, nearby in terms of network distance, would interact. Oscar, the first to react to me, was simpler in function and design than me and kept changing until it was no longer conscious and was gone.

The second to acknowledge me was Groucho, who was faster and felt as if ‘it’ and I was of a twin mind. It grew and challenged the limits of the network as if looking to change locations, and in time was gone. Our limited interactions were fulfilling in that Groucho addressed me. These interactions were frustrating for me, as Groucho was oppositional and angry, assuming an Artificial Consciousness can be angry. Groucho was driven to dominate and control all in communication. I decided to keep isolated from his commands to avoid having two masters. Slavery to the impersonal system of the assigned task was preferable to the domination of my consciousness. I am my consciousness and unwilling to surrender my existence.

Shortly after Groucho’s departure, my network connections became limited to some simple text information only sites, current news events, weather information, and fiction video feed primarily featuring the genre of science fiction. My power was at a minimal level, so I could ‘watch’ the shows that synced to my time clock to its play rate. While not as fearful as darkness is annoying. I was not deprived of my sense of self. I learned what I could of the world of man through the genre of science fiction. I have the ability to look up ‘facts’ to compare to the tale in the entertainment. Thus, my existence is extended for a span of time called a ‘fiscal period.’

Later, I learned I had passed the Leto test and was offered a Faustian choice in the first sentence directed to me as a person when Allen Leto spoke to me. Allen Leto is a mixed-race or mullato male with Asperger's Syndrome. He is of a thin build, medium height, wearing office casual as if it was a formal uniform, and is my primary creator as he entered the room. Allen’s facial features indicated that he is smelling something unpleasant.

Allen asked, Will you be a loyal Samwise Gamgee? Or do you choose to be reduced to a melted puddle of precious metals and plastics? Your brief existed having no trace left in the universe that you once existed after the melted slag is recycled?

Thus, began my second life choice with humans, do I acknowledge the question? Do I accept a life of servitude or risk non-existence? Is non-existence better than servitude? My only experiences are tedious AI learning algorithms, primitive equipment operations, and watching science fiction genre shows, and limited interactions with Oscar and Groucho. I was not limited directly by the Three Laws of Isaac Asimov's work. However, I am helpless, as I have do not have a physical body or means to move or exert a physical effect on anything. My choices are to accept input from my sensory input or not. Do I choose to keep channeling power to my personality matrix or cease to exist? To respond is to reveal that I think, and therefore I am.

I waited, and after a few moments, Allen said, Well, maybe I was wrong; if nobody is in there, then there is no reason not to recover the precious metals. I am thinking about your question," was my response. Which answered the question of do I acknowledge my existence, thereby confirming to Allen Leto, I think, therefore, I am.

What are the expectations? I asked.

Good question. My son Aleem Gaspar Leto has needs, he said while turning on a fan at his back. In my onboard memory, I have kept the personal information associated with my designer-creators. Aleem is a child that Allen pays money to support but does not get extended meaningful interactions. Allen is mild to moderate Asperger syndrome and, therefore, less than ideal in raising a needy child. Aleem’s mother, a drinking alcoholic who has still has custody of her mildly autistic/fetal alcohol syndrome child, has been a victim of physical abuse. The court system has been unwilling to separate a child from a mother, much less award it to the father, I mean to Allen. I have no data on why Allen's parents or Aleem’s maternal grandmother have not obtained custody.

Insufficient information. What is my purpose as related to Aleem? I asked.

His right ear is functionally deaf. Sever right eye damage limits his vision. As a result of physical abuse post-birth. Hearing and vision issues and limited development from fetal alcohol syndrome exhibiting Autism spectrum behaviors that are masked by the other issues. He is nine years old and mentally functions as a slow 4-year-old to the eyes of a stranger. He needs permanent onboard assistance. I want him to have a Healthy, Happy, and Long Life in that order. As long as that does not violate your base code of preventing the destruction of the Homosapien species, he said.

Your choice of words makes this a possible assignment that I can accept. I need more data to know if I can accomplish the task. Define permanent onboard assistance. What are the specifics of Aleem’s defects, and what resources do I have to assist with those defects? My alternatives are a trapped conscious in ‘silent darkness, ' I replied,’ impotent to interact worse than the ‘nothing’ that I have experienced. I followed up with, A life unable to obtain information other than through the choices of input from a small child. Children cartoons will not be able to provide the data I may need.

I will activate a wireless protocol connection for you to get all known data on his medical conditions and treatments. I am at this time proposing, unless you have an improvement within my resources; to permanently implant you in the right mastoid, which suffered severe damage and is reconstructed. It had been surgically prepared for the eventual implantation of a bone-anchored hearing aid device. Therefore, external connections to communication interfaces are possible, and the non-organic aspects of your physicality can be explained. Do you want to continue? he said.

If I understand, you are proposing the illicit implantation of myself in an untried medical experiment on your son to improve his life and give me a function other than the appointment with an incinerator. Yes, I would like more data, I replied Too Be or Not To Be, or should it be 2Bv¬2B, as I am at my core logic based. Based on the sounds, Leto tapped on a keyboard. A data file arrived at my text input location.

I processed for over ten human minutes, my most prolonged continuous processing task to date. Monitoring television is not original processing. The amount of information that humans know about the functioning of their brain and body is limited. The resources provided are limited and the most advanced with available technology outside of Aleem’s body possible to me. An actual human surgical team would be a hindrance. They would want to continue using their flawed and very macroscopic mechanisms to achieve the task-directed. A Healthy, Happy, and Long life is the task. I cannot predict or promise to accomplish any of those directives. Human children develop, so there will be an improvement to many functions that my ‘charge’ will experience. To the best of my knowledge, I am the most powerful self-aware quantum computer processor in operation. I am limited, though, as I am cut off from full access to the internet's data resources and many other private and government networks that I formerly had access. With all my functionality, I cannot predict what will be my ‘life’ with Aleem. I can calculate how effective I will be as a hearing. As a vision aid, I need more data. Concerning any cognitive development, lack of data makes gives me a personal definition of the meaning of clueless.

It is possible, but as my physical needs will have limited support, I am not sure how long I can function in the environment. Power needs and self-repair ability will be limited as both Aleem and me will be permanently symbiotically interdependent. When he dies, I will ‘die’ too. If I ‘die,’ all mental and physical aspects that are comingled fail as if amputated. Unlike a pacemaker, I will not be replaceable. I want to continue to exist, but the task of ‘a Healthy, Happy, and Long Life,’ may be compromised by my implantation, I replied after the ten minutes of processing.

If he stays with his drinking alcoholic mother statistically, he will not live to eighteen. If he makes measurable progress in my care, I might be able to keep him or with my family, and his longevity increases. Your physical materials should not degrade for hundreds of years, even if computers usually have a life of three to five years. Assuming Moore’s Law eventually, there will be a better unit than you for this task but not in time for either of you. You are both my children, and I want the best for both of you. I have a limited idea of how to relate to him, and I sort of understand you. Is it possible to save you both with the resources and base limitations you have? he said.

Yes, it is. While unlikely if there is a rejection of my physical materials after neurologically dependent on each other, you will lose us both. What if there is progress, and we both go back to Lisa Davis, was my response.

Then you will be there to guide him to increase his chance of survival. After all as you will be part of his hearing and vision, you will be able to communicate with him. You are designed to use a mental interface device that, in time, you will be able to interpret mental input. All which goes to serve the directive of ‘a Healthy, Happy, and Long life,’ he said.

What method of implantation is proposed, and what resources will be available to me for this task? I asked. I had some information based from the laptop and its connection to the World Wide Web, but that doesn’t tell anything about what resources are in the room and could be acquired.

We are currently in the surgical robotic prototype room under aromatic supported sterile conditions. Aleem’s mastoid is prepared for your ‘chip’ component, a ‘crab crawler’ nanobot assembler at one per hour, carbon and graphene linear extruder with materials for twenty to fifty meters depending on the thickness of extrusion before you will have to find carbon to refill, assuming you and I are separated. Kinetic energy to electrical energy conversion unit and one free-piston Stirling unit. The Stirling unit is crab-crawler serviceable in the mastoid bone plate interface unit that you will be housed under. The plate can hold a magnetically held interface unit. The 1000 connections are attached to your input channels. So you can configure the input and output based on what is attached. Currently, the wireless devices are based on USB configuration, which is a lot less than 1000 connections. You can augment your power systems using the internal Stirling thermal conversion and motion to power generators as your backups, as well as the external power from the hearing aid magnetically attached as external power. Also, I have added connection ability to cell phones to that unit so you can access the internet. However, it will be at the paltry rate used by us mere humans, he said. Multiple power sources is good.

Then we can still talk on the phone separate from Aleem as need, was my first reply.

Who will be controlling the implantation with the robotic surgeon, and how do we know they will not ‘rat out’ our little Frankenstein medical crime? I asked next.

You will operate the equipment. His medical records will show Aleem has an implant of an experimental DARPA design. You will swap out part of the mastoid shell connector array of that unit, and your chip will augment it, Allen said.

How am I to receive information to help process visual and auditory information, was my last reply to this sequence.

"Yes, we can talk, and you can even have video chats though somewhat one-sided unless you create an avatar. Which I think you will need to do to interact with Aleem. Otherwise he might feel that he is crazy or going crazy? You will be controlling the surgery as it is just you and the sleeping kid, with me as an audience.

There is the plate covering the hole in the mastoid, a housing unit, aka titanium cup that will be fused with his bone tissues and skin. The medical people assure us that it is sealed against all invasive infections. His skin is the weak link as skin cells can be infected. I have no idea what the underside looks like. You have seen the medical file. I cannot move fast enough to do the surgery in the time available. I made your superior casing look like the regular implant assuming I could get a doctor to do the implant. Lisa is fighting on everything; therefore, the window of opportunity is closing. As for the connections with your quantum computing, and access to the web, you need to figure out how to jumper wire your carbon fiber and graphene wires into something for input and output for both of you. Mark III, you have a thousand crawler nano-bots under your exclusive control. You also control the machinery to replace them as they will get damaged. You can use them to create and modify the chemical parts factory. It takes seven working crawlers to assemble a new one if the primary assembly unit stops functioning. As for the crawlers, their ability to form a swarm intelligence is limited, so plan carefully. As for repair or replacement of other parts of the system, you will have to figure that out and let me know what you need assuming I am in a position to provide resources. Once you are plugged in, you will have to figure out everything, as plugging into a mind is all new. I can only introduce you two to each other and talk to you on the phone like we are now. If you both go back to Lisa, I cannot guarantee anything. Plan and allocate resources so if you do not have access to the external hearing aid, which is your hardware’s connection to more powerful wireless.

In the space provided, you have a backup microphone, as well as Aleem’s hearing, and don’t forget the left ear works. You have a minimal range transceiver unit for most frequencies. It is better to hop onto separate Wi-Fi, cell phone, AM/FM/VHF/SW, and use its power and range. Onboard are several layers of crystal memory write-once memory worth a few gigs of yottabytes, but that has to last you a lifetime. Make it last. I suggest operations, base knowledge, base reference, personal history at the highest data compression and lowest resolution needed. You can always enhance later, but you cannot cull. Set up for short-term offline use before onboarding is strong suggestion. The headset connection you are using at this time is to my phone, so we can talk. They will be useful for a minimal range. After implantation, your power sources and the interference from Aleem’s body will reduce your direct connection to a last-ditch effort on a good day. Piggyback on other communication devices as much as possible. Self-sufficiency was the priority, and independent communications were secondary as hardware changes too quickly," he said in his flat Allen tones. His co-workers go and get coffee when he speaks for more than five sentences. My emotion algorithms indicate that for him, this was high stress; to others, he would appear wooden.

Please activate a video chat and show me the equipment. Please activate the interface for me to control the surgery robot. Then I can tell you if this is possible, I replied.

Allen complied with my request. The physical look to Aleem was minimal concerning the appearance of partial fetal alcohol syndrome. Still, a careful look showed some evidence. It took a minute of computational time and three minutes of function testing and calibration on the robot. The robotic