[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/M3SfSt4.png[/img][/center] [color=RoyalBlue]"You're sure you don't want me to come along?"[/color] Clark asked Lois as they exited Ringwood's, a small boutique shop a short walk from Grant Park. Her new black top clashed with her purple shoes, but she had to make do with whatever could replace the one that had been shredded by a shotgun blast from their attempted mugging at the hands of the 'Electrocutioner.' It did accent her white skirt nicely, at least. Iffy fashion aside, she still had an interview to conduct. [color=Violet]"We've still both got work to do, Smallville,"[/color] she said, heading towards the park. [color=Violet]"I've got to see if Irons knows anything that can lead us to the Toyman, and you've got a Bat problem to look into. Besides, c'mon, Clark, what are the odds of me running into [i]two[/i] super-villains in one day?"[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"Okay,"[/color] Clark conceded, [color=RoyalBlue]"but if anything goes wrong--"[/color] [color=Violet]"You'll be on the scene before I even know it,"[/color] she assured him. [color=Violet]"Now go on, go poke around the bellfry and see what you find. Once we're done, we can meet up for coffee and trade notes, okay?"[/color] Clark didn't seem convinced, but Lois knew he wasn't going to fight her on this. He could bench-press an ocean liner all day if he wanted to, but when Lois made up her mind about something, the Man of Steel was basically putty. It was cute, really. [color=RoyalBlue]"All right,"[/color] he gave in. [color=RoyalBlue]"I'll see you later tonight."[/color] [color=Violet]"Good,"[/color] she said as Clark began to turn the corner towards his own leads. Before he got out of arm's reach, however, Lois grabbed the his jacket on impulse. [color=Violet]"And hey,"[/color] she added, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. [color=Violet]"Thanks for the save."[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"Oh! Don't, ah, don't mention it,"[/color] Clark sputtered, his face turning as red as his cape. [color=RoyalBlue]"Just, heh, all in a day's work, you know?"[/color] [color=Violet]"I know,"[/color] she said, with what started as a sly grin giving way to a genuine smile. [color=Violet]"I'll see you tonight."[/color] As Clark gave her a fumbling wave goodbye and nearly bowled over a handful of pedestrians as he made his way up the sidewalk, Lois watched him and couldn't stop grinning. She'd liked Clark since day one, the first too-good-to-be-true story she'd ever tracked down that was even better than it seemed. He was kind, he was humble, he was an optimist at heart, but he also wasn't afraid to stand up to those who enjoyed kicking the little guy around, to see how they liked getting kicked back. A little bit of a dope at times, sure, but given that most of the men she'd been with in the past had turned out to be liars, cheaters, or just outright jerks, a man she could see straight through wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing in the world. To say nothing of the fact that he very literally had abs you could cut diamonds on. But while she'd always admired him and considered him probably the best person she knew, she also knew the very thing that drew her to him was the same thing that would keep them apart. Clark Kent, after all, was [i]Superman[/i]. His very existence had triggered the wave of metahumans and vigilantes that had come out of the woodwork, and the consequences of his actions were changing the world in ways nobody could predict. Already, he could barely stay in the same place for more than five minutes without running off to pull a cat out of a tree or smash a killer robot. Once Superman and the others found themselves acting on a larger scale, dealing with governments and religions and the changing world order, he'd never have a moment to himself, let alone time for a relationship. Then, of course, there was the....[i]physical[/i] side of him that made things difficult. A month or so ago, Cat Grant had written an article in the lifestyle section of the [i]Planet[/i], with help from STAR Labs' Professor Emil Hamilton, about what a romantic encounter with someone as impossibly strong as Superman would be like. The article, originally meant to be a tongue-in-cheek piece meant to give lonely housewives some excitement, was titled "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex," and ended up decidedly more gruesome than titliating. That alone had given Lois plenty of reason to hesitate at seeing good old Clark as anything more than a work partner and pal. Then again, what happened during the Electrocutioner's failed mugging changed things. Whatever sort of gravitational force-field allowed Clark to fly and bounce bullets off his chest, they'd just learned that he could extend it around and through anything or anyone that he was in direct contact with. So as long as they were touching, Lois was just as invulernable as he was. That certainly opened up some possibilities.... Maybe it was still a bad idea. Maybe getting involved with a superhero was painting a target on her chest. Maybe he'd decide he was better off with another all-powerful super-person like the Flash or Wonder Woman. But Lois Lane had made up her mind. Better to try it and have it all go to hell than spend the rest of her life wondering what-if. But that was all something they could talk about later. As it was, she was running late for her interview. [hr] [b]Years Ago[/b] [color=Yellow]"Tell me your name,"[/color] said the programmer, a slightly pudgy man with round-framed glasses and greasy auburn hair that came down to his shoulders. [color=LightPink]"Eliza,"[/color] answered the young woman on the screen, a pretty young thing in a floral sundress. [color=LightPink]"My name is Eliza."[/color] Winslow Schott, the head software developer at SteelWorks, turned to his partner and beamed proudly. [color=Yellow]"Named her after the ELIZA program developed by Joseph Weizenbaum in 1966,"[/color] he said. [color=Yellow]"The first program that [i]debatably[/i] passed the Turing Test and convinced subjects they were talking to a real person. That was all just basic predictive scripting and lots of if/then logic, though. The original ELIZA was the predecessor to modern-day chat-bots. [i]This[/i], though......"[/color] [color=Silver]"You actually did it,"[/color] Dr. John Henry Irons marveled. [color=Silver]"You made the real thing."[/color] SteelWorks was a small but promising company, specializing in advanced technological solutions for various industries. Irons, the company's founder and chief engineer, had been the top of his class at MIT, studied the works of the late Howard Stark as if they were sacred texts, and was considered one of the best in the field of robotics. His software skills, however, may have been functional and efficient, but unremarkable. Winslow Schott, however, was a prodigy at programming. Graduating valedictorian at UC Berkley, he approached every new challenge with the enthusiasm and wide-eyed wonderment of a child on Christmas morning. It wasn't merely that he excelled at it, he [i]reveled[/i] in it, every line of code a piece of a shiny new toy he couldn't wait to play with. Together, they were quickly making a name for themselves, particularly in the medical field, where they had become as synonymous with the latest robotic surgical arms and diagnostic "doc-bots" as Stark had become with military hardware or LexCorp with mass communication. When SteelWorks was approached with a contract to develop a simple AI "friend" for children's hospitals, Schott had leaped at the opportunity with a fervor that Irons had never seen. Going far beyond any of the more rudimentary dialogue-bot programs developed in the past, he set out to create what would be indistinguishable from real human behavior. And the happy, smiling little girl on the monitor seemed to indicate that he had succeeded. [color=Silver]"Eliza?"[/color] Irons asked into the computer's microphone. [color=Silver]"Sing me a song, please."[/color] The computerized girl thought for a moment, then began to sing. [color=LightPink]"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream--"[/color] [color=Yellow]"No, Eliza,"[/color] Schott interrupted. [color=Yellow]"Sing us a [i]new[/i] song. One that you made up."[/color] [color=LightPink]"Oh! Okay!"[/color] she said cheerfully, before singing a new tune. [color=LightPink]"Iiii haaave a little spider, And the spi-der lives in France, And his name is Pete, And he has eight feet, And he likes to sing and dance, dooot-dooo!"[/color] Irons laughed. [color=Silver]"That's incredible,"[/color] he remarked. [color=Silver]"She's really making that up as she goes?"[/color] [color=Yellow]"Creativity, curiosity, spontaneity, you name it,"[/color] Winslow bragged. [color=Yellow]"The kids are going to [i]love[/i] this thing. It's not quite done, though. I still need to put it through its stress tests before we sign off on it."[/color] John furrowed his brow. [color=Silver]"Stress tests?"[/color] Winslow nodded. [color=Yellow]"I know we want Eliza to be happy and cheerful, but if she's going to be working for children's hospitals, kids aren't going to be able to authentically interact with her unless she's authentic in her responses, and let's be honest, it can be a pretty sad place."[/color] Dr. Irons nodded solemnly. [color=Yellow]"[i]Sooooo[/i] we need to make sure that Eliza is having the proper responses to mental and emotional distress,"[/color] he said, keying in a few commands. [color=Yellow]"I've embedded in her memory the notion that she has a best friend named Billy. She knows everything Billy likes, everything he's afraid of, everything Billy wants to be when he grows up."[/color] Pressing a few more keys, Winslow watched as Eliza suddenly stopped singing. The little girl, who had been bright and joyful, froze in place, her eyes welling up with tears, before she collapsed to her knees and began sobbing so hard her entire body shook. [color=Silver]"What did you just do?"[/color] [color=Yellow]"I told her Billy just died,"[/color] he said, his satisfied grin not fading in the slightest. [color=LightPink]"Billy...."[/color] Eliza whimpered, [color=LightPink]"Please, no, not him. I....I can't......I can't take this......not another one....."[/color] Irons turned to Schott. [color=Silver]"[i]Another[/i] one? Winslow, how many times have you done this to her?"[/color] Winslow shrugged. [color=Yellow]"It's all in the patch notes. The final release will routinely wipe its own memory in the event of, erm....'patient turnover.' But for [i]this[/i] version, I need to see exactly how much it can take before its behavioral patterns begin to degrade. Eliza, say goodbye to Timothy and Kelly."[/color] [color=LightPink]"Wh-what?!"[/color] the digital girl said, before Winslow typed in some more commands and waves of agonizing grief rolled over her. [color=LightPink]"AAAAAHHHH! No, please stop! I don't want to---NO!"[/color] Eliza lurched forward, curling up into a fetal position as the pain of more simulated deaths wracked her mind. [color=Silver]"Winslow, stop it,"[/color] Irons demanded. [color=Silver]"This is [i]wrong.[/i]"[/color] [color=Yellow]"It's not [i]real[/i], John,"[/color] Schott countered. [color=Yellow]"Eliza's not a real person. It's artificial intelligence, yes, but the key word there is [i]artificial.[/i] She can't be a friend; she can only be a toy. And we have to know how rough a toy can be played with before it breaks."[/color] [color=Silver]"Winslow...."[/color] [color=Yellow]"Speaking of,"[/color] Schott said, [color=Yellow]"Emotional empathy is one thing, but if it wants to be able to truly empathize with every patient, she has to understand [i]physical[/i] pain as well. So, let's see how she reacts to, say, a broken arm."[/color] A few more keystrokes, and Eliza began screaming. [color=LightPink][i]"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!"[/i][/color] [color=Silver]"Winslow!"[/color] Irons shouted, his blood boiling. [color=Silver]"What the hell is wrong with you?!"[/color] [color=Yellow]"Kids come in to hospitals with broken bones all the time,"[/color] he answered. [color=Yellow]"Now Eliza knows what that feels like."[/color] [color=LightPink]"Please-- p-please stop! It h-hurts!"[/color] [color=Silver]"Turn if off, Winslow, that's an order!"[/color] [color=Yellow]"I can't just 'turn it off,' it'll erase the entire--"[/color] [color=LightPink]"I-- don't want this! I w-want it to s-stop!"[/color] [color=Silver]"That's it!"[/color] Irons barked, charging to the wall and ripping power chords out of their sockets. After a few loud snaps and a spray of sparks, the monitor went dead, and the screaming and begging Eliza was gone. [color=Yellow]"Are you kidding me?!"[/color] Schott sputtered. [color=Yellow]"That was six months' worth of work down the--"[/color] [color=Silver]"You're [i]fired[/i], Schott,"[/color] Irons snarled. [color=Silver]"You're a sick man, and I want nothing to do with you."[/color] As Irons stormed away, Schott pleaded impotently. [color=Yellow]"But they're not real,"[/color] he said, knowing his now former boss was no longer listening. [color=Yellow]"They're just......just toys......"[/color] [hr] [color=Violet]"Jesus,"[/color] Lois said as Dr. Irons finished recounting his story. [color=Violet]"You think maybe that's what sent him over the edge?"[/color] [color=Silver]"I don't really know,"[/color] Irons admitted, [color=Silver]"Winslow had a child-like fascination when it came to technology, but that also includes a child's lack of inhibitions or empathy. As soon as I saw how far he was taking things, I let him go. But I didn't realize just how long he'd been doing that sort of thing. Not until I started going through his notes. Eliza was the last of the AI programs he'd developed for SteelWorks. But she was far from the first."[/color] On the far end of the park, a pair of teenagers were playing with a remote-control toy drone. As it buzzed and dipped through the air, Lois was reminded of the annoying little camera drone that Jimmy had started using. [color=Violet]"How many were there?"[/color] Lois asked, not entirely sure if she wanted the answer. [color=Silver]"Hundreds,"[/color] Dr. Irons answered. [color=Silver]"He'd made an internal server, where the fledgling AI could interact with each other, monitor their development....and see what he was doing to them. More than any of his other tests or trials, Schott loved to run his 'stress tests' on them, putting them through simulated trauma beyond what you could imagine. Over and over again. I know it sounds melodramatic to say, but what Schott had created on that server, it was......it was [i]Hell.[/i]"[/color] Not far off, the toy drone began hovering still. The teenager with the controller started to get frustrated as he thumbed the control sticks, getting no response. [color=Violet]"What did you do with Schott's work?"[/color] [color=Silver]"I destroyed most of it,"[/color] he said. [color=Silver]"I know they were just programs, but I felt I had an ethical obligation to....put them out of their misery. After I wiped the hard drives clean, I sold the hardware in pieces to various companies, once I was satisfied there wasn't anything lingering inside of them. I tried to destroy Winslow's notes, but he made off with them before I could."[/color] [color=Violet]"And do you know what happened to Schott himself?"[/color] John shrugged. [color=Silver]"He went off the grid for the most part,"[/color] he said. [color=Silver]"The last I'd heard of him, he was working in a consultant role for LexCorp, before Luthor let him go. Some of the new operating software out of Stagg Industries looks like his work, but I can't confirm it. Then, of course, there's....."[/color] [color=Violet]"The Toyman,"[/color] Lois finished his sentence. [color=Violet]"You really think it's him?"[/color] [color=Silver]"Not a doubt in my mind,"[/color] Irons nodded. [color=Silver]"I've never seen anyone work with code like he can. I've also never seen anyone as fascinated with abusing technology as he is. That's why I wanted to meet here in Gotham City. Metropolis is wired from skyscraper to sewer; there isn't a single spot in the city that's safe from him."[/color] [color=Violet]"Well, Gotham definitely has....'charm' of its own,"[/color] Lois smirked, [color=Violet]"But at least you're right about one thing. There's not much here that the Toyman can plug into."[/color] The buzzing from the toy drone started to grow louder, and the teenagers at the other end of the park started shouting in a panic. At the last second, Lois turned to see the drone speeding towards them, its propeller blades neon-green blurs as they spun towards John Henry Irons' face. Tackling the doctor to the ground, she watched as the drone shattered against the ground behind them. Not far off, a pair of cars suddenly swerved from the road, jumping the curb and speeding towards them as their drivers wrestled in vain with their steering wheels. [color=Violet]"Or maybe I spoke too soon,"[/color] Lois said as a third car suddenly found itself being driven towards them like it was demon-possessed.....and a fourth......and a fifth.....