Page 33 of Steinbeck (The Minnesota Kingstons #5)
At the front of the room, Declan took the stage to thunderous applause. The man seemed on fire today, imbued with a sort of energy that probably came with seeing a dream birth to life.
Steinbeck nearly pressed against the ache in his chest.
Declan raised his hands to quiet the room.
“Good morning, distinguished delegates and fellow innovators. My name is Declan Stone, and I am the CEO of Spectra Cybernetics, where we are committed to advancing the frontier of artificial intelligence not just to meet the future but to build it.”
Steinbeck kept scanning the room.
“He was right there in the lobby and I... I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to... Did you hear me? I got his phone!”
Aw, Emberly needed to get out of his head.
“At Spectra, we believe that AI is more than just technology. It is the key to unlocking solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. From improving disaster response to cleaning up some of our most war-torn countries, AI has the potential to transform lives across the globe.”
“Good job, Phoenix. Clearly you’re the thief we all thought you were.”
Wow, he was a jerk.
“Imagine a world where AI can predict natural disasters with incredible accuracy, giving us vital hours to evacuate, save lives, and reduce damage. Our bomb sweepers can detect and neutralize explosive threats with precision and speed that far exceeds human capabilities. This technology not only saves lives but also ensures that post-trauma zones can be rehabilitated more quickly and safely.”
“I was really hoping you meant it when you said you’d quit the Swans.”
Maybe that had been unfair of him. Even if she had suggested it. Maybe she’d been trying to fit into his world. His dreams. Or at least what she thought they might be.
“Our AI applications are designed with the philosophy of ‘AI for Good.’ But the power of AI also comes with great responsibility. At Spectra, we are dedicated to developing AI that is not only powerful and efficient but also safe, transparent, and accountable.”
“What am I going to do with you?” In his memory, he was pulling her close, her voice in his ear.
“Maybe... don’t let go?”
Except he’d done exactly that, hadn’t he?
So much for keeping promises.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as we stand at the cusp of a new era, the choices we make today will define the future of our planet and humanity. At Spectra, we choose to lead with innovation, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to the betterment of society through AI.”
Stein’s gaze fixed on Declan, but he heard the man from the beach—Judah. “The failure of the disciples was that they looked at themselves and said... ‘Not enough.’ But Jesus asks us to look at Him and hear... ‘By My strength.’”
“Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to forging paths of collaboration and innovation together.” Declan stepped off the stage and walked over to his SAR droids.
Maybe Phoenix— Emberly —hadn’t been the mission.
Maybe the mission had been about him, and about trusting God with a woman he... he loved.
And longed to protect.
He stared out again at the crowd, searching it for trouble. Lord, I’m not sure I’m up to the task, but... I give You who I am. And if You want me to step back into play... whatever that means... I surrender.
And even in the midst of the murmurs of the crowd as one of Declan’s techs fired up the droids, Stein heard the words. “Stand back and see what I will do.”
It was a memory, but it steeled through him.
Up front, Declan told the dog to find. The animal moved over to the rubble.
“The dog has been programmed to search for the scent of blood or sweat or other human odors.” He stood back and nodded to the tech to release another dog. The other two animals sat, as if waiting.
The first two dogs disappeared into the rubble.
Steinbeck’s gaze fell on a man—thin, dark hair, glasses, wearing a hat and a leather jacket—holding a phone.
Not taking a picture, but... texting?
Maybe taking notes.
Stein turned back to the demonstration just as one of the dogs returned, climbing out from a blackened space, a sensor in its body beeping.
The tech walked over and pulled a screen from the back of the dog’s neck.
“This is a GPS route. It indicates where the dog has located the specimen. The AI will then map the route for the rescuers. The uniqueness of this program is that while searching, the dog also collected X-ray information about the debris—type, location—and has created possible routes with a technical plan for extraction.” He turned to the dog. “Good dog.”
The crowd laughed as the animal wiggled its nubby tail.
“He doesn’t require any dog treats, by the way.”
More laughter.
“The Internet is offline, right?” This from Tate.
“Affirmative,” Logan said. “There are two other symposiums meeting right now on this floor, but they’re panel events—no need for Internet. We have a tight window, however.”
So far, so good. Maybe they’d shut down the intrusion event.
The other dog returned, also beeping. The female tech lifted off the GPS device.
“We’ll load these coordinates into our system.
The dogs also come equipped with a storage area.
” She opened up a back panel. “We can fill it with water or first-aid supplies and send the animal back with communications abilities to assist the injured while they wait for rescue.”
“See the guy in the hat?” Colt’s voice, in comm, from the other side of the room. “Dark shirt, leather jacket?”
“I saw him before,” Stein said. “Texting.” He searched for him again. Something about him had lodged inside... Wait.
“I don’t have eyes on him, but he looks familiar.” Stein, moving now as the tech in front fired up another dog, this one smaller.
“We’ll ask Champ here to hunt for hot spots, potential fires.” The tech deployed the animal.
Meanwhile, the other two dogs had stopped beeping.
Stein searched the shifting crowd, the crazy buzz under his skin now moving to his gut. Something?—
A murmur rustled the crowd. He turned, searched for the source.
Doggy number one had woken up, its eyes reddened.
“Guys—” Stein started.
It launched out into the audience amidst screams, growling, slamming into spectators.
And then the second animal came to life.
Declan’s staff scrambled to shut down the animals as the third and fourth dogs turned on the crowd, now stampeding toward the entrance.
Stein spotted the man in the hat, which had been knocked off by a fleeing participant.
Luis .
“I have him,” Stein barked into the comms and took off, shouldering through the crowd.
“Get control of those droids!” This from Logan, but Stein ignored him, pushed around people as he barreled after Luis.
He lost him for a moment in the rush, spotted him again just as the man pushed out into the hall.
And was gone.
Stein forced his way out of the room and stood in the middle of the corridor, now packed with screaming participants, his heart hammering. “I lost him.”
Security from the other areas slammed into the room, against the flow of escapees. Participants surged through the doors to the adjoining exhibit rooms, more people running down the escalator.
Shots barked in the air.
“Who’s shooting?” Logan’s voice.
Stein had whirled around. “I’ve got nothing!”
More shots and shouting.
“Close the exits!” Stein said, pushing into the other exhibit hall. “He might have taken the escalator down.” Wait. “Pull the fire alarm!”
“What?”
Stein ran against the tide, shoving his way through, searching. “Last time the water shut them down!”
In a second, sirens blared, and just like that, water shot out of the sprinklers above.
More screaming, and the spray saturated the hallway, the carpet, the walls. People flushed out of the other exhibit hall, shoved past him.
And he stood in the middle, the water casting over him, saturating him, and it hit him.
This wasn’t... “Something isn’t right.”
“No kidding!” Logan said. “It’s not working. The dogs aren’t going down.”
“Then activate the virus!”
“We’re connecting with the Internet now!”
He stopped in the hallway, staring at the other exhibit room. Signs outside explained the panels inside, the doors closed.
“Why infiltrate an exhibit ? If Alan Martin and the Bratva are behind this, wouldn’t they use the AI for something more deadly?”
More impactful?
The vertical banner outside the closed door of the exhibit hall caught his eyes.
Princess Imani of Lauchtenland, Britta White, daughter of the US president, Princess Madeline of Montelena, and a number of others he didn’t recognize—a panel of female youth leaders.
And the door was shut.
He ran over to it. Locked. The terrible buzzing inside congealed, turned to ice.
“Logan—can you get ahold of Secret Service? Make sure they have eyes on Britta White?” He stepped back and his gaze fell on a fire-extinguisher cabinet, and the axe inside. “Guys, Declan’s dogs weren’t the target. They were the distraction . I need you in Exhibit Hall 3 right now. ”
Then he broke the glass and grabbed the axe.