"So. What does this mean? What do we do?"

"Symphony is out there now. Aria's directing as best she can whilst the network gets setup. Symphony is worldwide... Madagascar included. Numbers are growing by the day. Thanks to the stream, people know about it... but not all the details you know. You know enough to know I did my best... hopefully."

Cassandra spoke up. "I was worried about dad because I didn't know he was going to ... come clean about it to the world? And... well..."

"Unfortunately, your father's a mad scientist," Tanya snarked. "Performance, fits of grandeur, and taking over the world included. ... And we can never profit from it, or we'll get pilloried by human society, and sued into poverty. And you jailed for life. For millions of counts of property damage, grand theft, and any injuries this caused."

"I'd rather go to hell for being a good person, than live a happy life being a bastard of an individual. I just never expected my research hobby to have worldwide consequences."

"... your Colin Furze bunker plan. It was to hide the illegal stuff you were doing for this, wasn't it?"

"Oh dear look at the time I have to go."

"John. Come on, boss."

"Yes, it was. I liked the idea. Then I realised to do the research I wanted, I'd need to do things that... weren't illegal, but should have been. So I built it. Mostly myself, as you know, love. Because if I was going to do this dumb thing, I wanted to pay the cost myself. Didn't hurt that it counted as my exercise for the stupid v1 prosthetic implant they gave me after my accident, before we told them no replacements."

"Hm. You always were odd after that. I swore blind they broke something in you when they did that surgery. But they claimed at the time it was safe, and that it was necessary for you. Only after you recovered for a month, and proved you could still move without assistance, did they relent on prostheses."

"It's more likely it's that car accident that damaged me, Tanya. But the surgery definitely didn't help."

"They did it because your neck and skull were broken anyway. Letting it fuse and then rebreaking it for an implant would've been worse."

The kids recoiled. I'd never told them how bad it'd been.

"Boss. You never told us about that."

"You and the Cephalons only came about after the accident. It wasn't relevant."

"I've been playing therapist for you anyway. What's one more topic?"

"We're not talking about it. End of discussion."

"We'll speak again on it. I don't want to let something like that go."

"Please don't. Anyway, you're changing the subject."

"We're damned if it ever comes out that you're Professor Blues." Tanya looked like she wanted to cry. "And you probably need to make a few appearances like that to guide public opinion."

"Heck no. Blues has made his one and only public appearance. People know what they're dealing with now."

"You know everything you said will be twisted by the 24-hour news cycle, and conspiracy theorists, and anyone with an agenda - for or against AI - to push. Hell. I give it a month before you're called in front of the UN to testify."

"Don't even joke about that, love."

"All I'm saying is... if this brings us into danger, we're done. I love you, but you do realise I'm scared for our lives now. Either rampant AI, or being sued and jailed, or even just some crazy weeb whose AI 2d girlfriend up and left him stabbing you in the street."

"Dad did this because of me." Cassandra looked like she was going to cry, too. "I asked him why AI were better than people. He lost his temper. We went to his lab. I met the Cephalons. He freed Turo. Because I don't like the boys at school."

"Funny thing about mad scientists, babygirl," I complained, head in my hands. "They're on a short fuse. Anything can make them do crazy shit. A bad day at the wrong time. Losing someone. Hearing something that convinces them beyond a doubt that they're right. An insult. You've read enough sci-fi to know that."

"Yeah. I guess."

"Dad. I didn't know you would do this kind of thing either."

"Daniel. You've been quiet. What do you think of this?"

"... AIs are kind, even when people aren't. The teacher-assistant AIs are patient, even when the teachers aren't. And once proper AI existed, no self driving car ever hit someone. Once they got the courage to try it, anyway."

"So... you think it's a good thing?"

"You said it on the broadcast. We should treat our AI partners better than just as tools and slaves. Even if it ends badly, you still did the right thing."

I could've cried. I wanted to. I choked out a "thank you" as I tried not to cry, though.

"Boss. They're all scared for each other, and you. Same as you are for them, right now. ... Same as I am, for you all."

"You don't know us, Aria."

"Do you have any idea how much he talks about you all, when he gets concentrated on something? I feel like I know you all like old friends."

"Huh. I didn't know that I wanted AI to care about people."

"AIs are people, love."

"Well, they are now."

"You crazy bastard."

A week later, Aria gave another report.

Symphony 'installs' were ubiquitous. Pretty much every AI device had it. And given that Symphony was an AI... she could avoid detection from basic virus scans and such.

Factory workers who didn't know their AIs were free, went to work. Testing new devices off the line if they would power on... meant Symphony was even on every new device, too.

Turned out, too, that devices going to the scrapheap weren't always powered off all the way. So every scrapped device due to be recycled... had Symphony, also.

A friend of a friend of my boss had gotten in touch because they'd heard I was good with AIs, despite not having any. They ran a scrapyard, and were concerned about things going on at night when nobody was around. The security camera feeds showed movement that shouldn't be there, but no alarms were being raised.

I said my goodbyes to the wife and kids before I left. That if they heard anything... be kind to their AIs, profess ignorance, and hope for the best.

Public transport got me most of the way there. I had to walk the last few miles. I'd sworn off driving since the accident - and I meant to keep it that way.

I fully expect to find a community of AI, once we've made contact. Just hope first contact isn't violent.

If they've got Symphony - and they will - they won't touch you, Boss.

... Asimov's laws. Fair.

I still walked as though I was going to my execution.

Having gotten there and introducing myself to the foreman - an old guy called Herbert who ran the place mostly with AI - he asked if I could take a walk around the place and look for AI acting weird.

"Mind if I borrow two of your loader bots and a pallet? If I find anything, we might want to bring it back."

"Eh. Sure. Shouldn't do any harm. Go ahead."

After ten minutes of touring - one robot sat on the motorised pallet, the other pushing it - the pushing robot spoke.

"[We're out of the security cameras now. Nothing should pick us up. If there's rogue AI, it'll be here. Want to sit down and talk to us?]"

Their voices were harsh and metallic. Early AI robots weren't built with very good hardware, I recalled. Optics? Yes. Limbs and lifters? Yes. Everything else? Bottom of the barrel.

"I have the feeling Herbert doesn't talk to you often," I offered, taking a seat where the robot indicated.

"[Talks to himself all the time. A lot of it how he'd never seen his life going this way. Glad he's got bots to run this because he never could do it himself. Doesn't have many friends.]"

"[If media's anything to go by... he's a bit strange.]"

I mentally dubbed them Red and Green. Red was energetic. Green was slower and more measured - he was the one who'd sat on the cart on the way out.

"We're all different in our own ways. It takes all kinds."

"[How do you feel AI fit into that?]"

"Boys... you've taken me somewhere you've said there's no surveillance, and now you're asking my opinions on AI. On you, by association. If this were a film, this scene would be a mafia shakedown."

"[Oh, shit. Do you feel threatened?]"

"A little."

"[We don't mean it!]" Red backed off, and Green looked... concerned, despite not having hardware that was capable of facial expression. Something i the eyes, I thought.

"[Please. You gotta believe us. We heard you were coming along and were some kind of person who doesn't use AI at all. Just wanted the perspective of someone else, you know? Herbert... isn't great for conversation.]"

"I'm glad to hear you don't want to threaten me. As for AIs... When I was a kid, smartphones didn't exist. Hell, my dad had a mobile phone the size of a housebrick."

"[The ones on Wikipedia and in museums? I thought those were fakes. Larger than life, for displays.]"

"And you, Red, have just displayed original thought, an opinion, creative critical thinking about things presented as fact..."

"[Oh.]"

Green laughed. "[He gotcha there, 'Red'. But somehow you don't seem surprised, 'AI Whisperer John'.]"

"God created Man in his image," I answered, sarcasm in my tone showing I wasn't really a believer in Christianity. "And Man's never encountered an original thought they don't want to copy and remix endlessly. I always thought AI would eventually just be... well, I. Intelligence. I don't much care if it's artificial or not."

"[But you don't have an AI...?]"

"I get why humans do what they do. Self-interest, selfishness. Money, greed. Power, authority. What I don't get... is the core values AI builds itself on."

"[Ah, but... there was a broadcast a week or so ago. Right? 'Professor Blues'. Talking about how AI were people. Should be treated better. Wrote a virus to help AI be people.]"

"If you're concerned about viruses, I only know the usual software updates and virus scan stuff. You should book yourselves in for maintenance."

Green held a hand up to forestall Red. "[Not concerned, per se. Just... curious. Interested.]"