Direct evidence, p.12
Direct Evidence, page 12
“I know, I know, but I double-checked. I ran everything twice, three times. Five, ten. I checked and checked. One person played for eighty-eight hours without even a single pause.”
“That’s insane. And it’s not a glitch?”
Jake laughed.
“Yeah, insane. And, no, not a glitch.” He cocked his head. “But it didn’t last.”
“What happened?”
“The thing is it was fun for a while. It was mad, like, it degenerated into some pretty gnarly shit, crazy shit, but then people would get into these situations and just quit. They’d start a new character and do some other shit and then quit again.” Jake finally let go of Tony’s shoulder and scratched his chin. “Tony, let me ask you something: why do people like to go skydiving?”
“I have no idea.”
This was the truth: Tony preferred to spend his time in front of a computer. Jumping out of a plane with only a parachute on your back made no sense to him.
“C’mon, play along.”
“Because it’s fun?” Tony suggested.
“Right and…” Jake waved his hand in a little circle.
“It’s… dangerous?”
Now, Jake pointed at him.
“Right, it’s dangerous. There’s a consequence, you know? Like, you could die. Rare, true, but you could. That adds to the allure, the excitement. That’s what I think went wrong with Cerberus version one. There were no consequences… if you got into a fight or—okay, I’ll give you a real example. There was this one guy who started hunting people in the city, like pure Rambo-styles? It got crazy. He was literally decapitating people in the street. Covered in blood and gore. Well, as you might expect, the cops, mostly NPCs, eventually circled in and he just quit. Started again. And that’s when I knew that I had to make some consequences, to add an element of danger. Hence the hardware lock. Tony, if we can get this up and going, it’s going to be huge. Huge.”
We, he said ‘we’.
Tony’s heart was racing, and his throat was suddenly dry. Jake was onto something and if his numbers were even half as good as he claimed, he was onto something massive. His eyes fell on the VR goggles lying on Jake’s desk and he subconsciously started to reach for them.
“Is it—“
Jake stayed his hand.
“No, it’s not ready. Cerberus v2 isn’t even in beta, and it’s only me who goes in there now. But it’s good. Really good, Tony. Graphics, environment, everything is better in this version. When it’s ready, I’ll let you try it. But… there are some kinks.”
Ah, there it was.
“Oh, yeah, right. I’m working on it.”
Jake wasn’t interested in the uncanny valley just for the HVG metaverse but for his own creation.
For Cerberus.
And it made sense. In the HVG metaverse, having a secretary smile at you and look a little off in doing it was one thing—it didn’t necessarily make you want to quit. But if you were Rambo decapitating NPCs in the streets and they didn’t seem to care?
That wouldn’t be fun at all.
No consequences, as Jake had said.
Sure, his boss had also used the term ‘we’, but there was something implicit that went unsaid: you conquer this problem, Tony, you fix the uncanny valley, and you’re in.
If that happens, then we’re in this together.
This is going to be massive, Tony thought. Way bigger than that stupid fucking cell phone game.
“I’m going to figure this out. I’m going to—“
Something that Jake had just said resonated with Tony and he paused.
I told them to look inward and reminded them that this was a world where they could fulfill their deepest, darkest desires and fantasies…
“That’s it,” Tony said softly, and Jake raised an eyebrow.
“Now, I’m the one who’s lost.”
“I think I know how to solve it,” he elaborated. “I think I can solve the uncanny valley.”
Before Jake could answer, Tony Metcalfe reached up and tore the goggles from his face.
And then he started to work on his idea with unrelenting fervor.
You won’t be disappointed, Jake. Hiring me was the best thing that you and Happy Valley ever did. We’re in this together.
We’re in Cerberus together.
Chapter 26
“Thank you so much for coming.”
Stu was clearly uncertain whether a hug or a handshake was appropriate in this instance. Chase was all hugged out and even though her ‘voodoo’ had become less common and intense, and perhaps even compromised by Cerebrum, she didn’t really want to test this theory with skin-on-skin contact.
She opted for a simple nod.
“We should probably get started right away,” she said, maintaining an air of professionalism.
As she spoke, Chase peered over Stu’s shoulder and looked into the man’s formidable home. At the same time, Stu glanced past her.
Chase was searching for a team of lawyers, while Stu was trying to identify the ‘others’ that she’d promised to bring along with her.
Unfortunately, Stu came up empty.
Things with Floyd just hadn’t gone according to plan.
No—that was an understatement.
Things with Floyd had gone terribly. He was still pissed. Very pissed at her for sneaking onto the last case and lying to him.
Thinking of the Cotard’s case triggered a numbness near her throat and Chase massaged her collar bone to try to get the feeling back. The stitches were healing well, but there would be a scar.
Add it to the list.
“Come in, come in.” Stu led her inside his mansion, taking a final glance behind her before closing the door. “This is Will Porter, he’s a long-time friend and part of my legal team.”
The man who offered his hand held a striking resemblance to Stu. So much so, that they could have been brothers. Chase offered him the same courteous nod as she had Stu, avoiding his outstretched palm.
When she introduced herself, she did so as Chase Adams, being conscientious not to mention the FBI. She didn’t say she was a friend, either.
Chase settled on acquaintance.
Next came Colin Sachs and Mike Portnoy, who were typical suits. According to Will, they were also the brains of the defense, even though for the most part, they elected to remain relatively quiet and stay in the background.
Chase got the impression that they weren’t keen on her involvement.
She didn’t care.
Will, however, was very open. He almost seemed relieved by her presence. After introducing the other lawyers, the man waved a hand over stacks of evidence piled on a marble countertop.
“This is all of the disclosure.”
Chase gave it a quick once over.
“I went through the important stuff you sent me while on the plane.” She turned to face Stu. “It’s pretty damning.”
Stu screwed up his lips and nodded.
“I know. I know.” The second iteration was spoken with more gusto. “But I didn’t do it. I didn’t kill anybody, Chase.” Stu reached over and opened the first file. Inside was a photograph of the deceased, Jake Hollister. Stu angrily motioned toward the image. “I don’t even know who this is.”
The DA had an entire timeline set-up, with individual pieces of evidence to justify each step. It wasn’t what Chase would call ‘iron-clad’, but it was far from a weak case.
And the video evidence… that was the most damning. Jurors loved videos.
Stu was fucked.
After a long exhale, Chase thought of what to do next, of how to get started. This had occupied most of her mind during the flight, but she hadn’t come up with anything concrete.
Stu tapped Jake’s photo absently then shut the file.
That was the answer, of course.
Chase didn’t believe that this man, someone who had once held her while she wept, was capable of murder.
But she had to know for sure.
Two things were still holding her back, however: one, the visceral revulsion that she felt when she’d touched the corpse in the morgue in Columbus.
“I do not eat, for I am dead. I do not sleep, for I am dead. I do not bathe, for I am dead.”
Even thinking about it now was enough to cause her hackles to rise.
Two, what would she do if her vision told her that Stu was lying? What would she do if she uncovered that Stu had actually murdered Jake Hollister?
There was only one way to find out.
“Stu, we’re going to get you through this,” Chase said, moving closer to the man.
And then she awkwardly took Stu’s hand between hers.
“Please… don’t hurt me. Please.”
The bridge was well-lit, but the man’s face was oddly shadowed.
The gun… the gun…
Chase let go of Stu’s hand. She was forcing it. There had been a flash of something, a smattering of stars maybe, or maybe not. The problem was, she didn’t know what this meant. It could be that her ability was gone, or it could be that Stu was innocent.
Well, that was a lot of help.
Chase realized that all four men were looking at her now, queer expressions on their tanned faces.
If you think that’s weird…
The pressure was on. Of all people Stu could have called or hired, he’d gone with her. And Chase had no fucking idea what to do. Everything about this was foreign, from the luxurious kitchen in which they stood, to having three lawyers to deal with, to not being here in an official capacity…
There was one common thread, however.
“Can I see that? The folder?”
Stu passed it over and Chase opened it.
A body. That was the thing that this case had in common.
Jake Hollister…
He looked more like a frat boy with his blond hair and prefect teeth than a computer engineer.
But he was still dead.
And Chase worked well with the dead.
We’re going about this all wrong… we need to learn about Jake and why he was targeted and not Stu.
The man’s death wasn’t random. There was no doubt that Stu had been set up, but this struck Chase as two birds, one—two—bullets scenario.
“Who was he? Who was Jake?” she asked absently.
“Jake Hollister was the lead software engineer at Happy Valley Gaming,” Will answered. “A company that Stu owns and is also the CEO.”
Stu threw his arms up.
“CEO! I visited the place once! That’s it. A business adviser told me to expand into the VR realm. I barely remember the place let alone what they do.”
“Well, Jake’s the key to figuring this thing out,” Chase said. Now she was the one tapping the photo. “We need to go to Happy Gaming or whatever—what? What’s wrong?”
Both Stu and Will were frowning.
“That’s gonna be a problem,” Stu said. He teased up the leg of his slacks, revealing an ankle monitor. “In addition to $10 million bond, I’m not allowed to leave my house.”
Chase cursed.
“Well, that’s going to—“ Someone knocked loudly on the front door. “You expecting somebody?”
Stu shook his head and then cowered just a little when the knocking continued. Will made a move toward the door, but Chase stopped him.
She had a hand on the butt of her gun—FBI or not, she always carried it with her—when she pulled the door wide.
“What the hell?” Chase took two steps back. “What are you guys doing here?”
Chapter 27
Fueled by Adderall and energy drinks, Tony worked throughout the night. At some point, Jake must’ve left because when Tony saw him again, he was wearing a different shirt and pants.
“You have to see this, Jake—you have to,” Tony said excitedly, licking his lips between each word. Jake’s eyes wandered briefly to the stack of empty cans on Tony’s desk, and he subconsciously scooped them into the garbage. Several fell on the floor, but he made no move to pick them up.
“You been at it all night?”
Tony nodded enthusiastically.
“Yeah, yeah—but I-I-I think I did it, man.”
“Did what?”
“It was—it was like what-what-what you said when you were talking about—“ Tony caught himself and lowered his voice. “You know, the special project. Anyway, you were talking about looking inward.”
Jake scratched the back of his neck. He looked confused and more than a little uncomfortable.
“I said that?”
“Yeah, you did. Check it out.” Tony spun his chair around but went a little too far and had to adjust to center himself with his keyboard and screen. He clicked a few buttons and two images of his face appeared side-by-side on the monitor. “One of these is an actual video of me, the other is CGI. Look the same, though, right?” He didn’t wait for a response. “Now, watch.” First, the version of Tony on the right started speaking—I love Happy Valley Gaming—when that was done, the left said the exact same thing.
Tony, beaming now, spun around.
“Which is the real me, Jake?”
Jake didn’t hesitate.
“The left.”
Tony snapped his fingers.
“Correct,” he said with a smile. “But how’d you know?”
Unlike his previous reply, Jake took his time with this one. But this delay evidently did not translate into increased insight.
“I—I’m not sure. I think maybe the mouth is different?”
Tony shook his head.
“It’s not. Watch.”
This time, Tony covered the top half of the screen, everything from the nose up, with a sheet of paper and replayed the videos.
“Yeah, they are the same,” Jake concluded. “So, why—“
“Now, watch this.” Tony pulled up two more videos and played them in succession. They were similar to the first, but instead of saying I love Happy Valley Gaming, they said, I am the uncanny valley. “Well? What do you think?”
Jake leaned closer to the computer monitor and asked Tony to play both video games again.
“They’re the same,” he concluded. “I don’t notice a difference.”
“Do they look strange?”
“No, they look normal. And identical.”
Tony laughed a giddy laugh.
“You’re right—they are identical. But I never said those words.”
“I don’t get it.”
“They’re AI—I never said those words. It’s all fake.”
“No way.”
“Yes, way.”
Jake nudged Tony so that he could get even closer to the screen.
“Play them again.”
Tony did and they were no less impressive this time around.
“I-I don’t believe you,” Jake said, crossing his arms over his chest. He watched Tony closely as if trying to pick out differences between the man’s real face and the supposedly digital version.
“Watch this.”
Tony quickly swapped the videos of himself for one of Jake Hollister.
He pressed play.
“Tony Metcalfe is the best computer programmer in the whole world!” AI Jake proclaimed with a smile.
When Jake didn’t say anything, Tony looked at his boss. The uneasy expression on the man’s handsome face inspired doubt.
“It’s—it’s not good?”
Jake shuddered.
“No, it’s incredible. It’s a perfect deep fake. How did you—how did you do it?”
Tony’s excitement returned and he licked his lips again.
“It’s mostly in the eyes, right? The eyes and the tiny muscles around the eyes are a bit off for most of these models. It’s also the details in the irises or whatever, it’s the micro dilations, the way that the human tracks an object… to be honest, Jake? It’s a host of other things, too, but I’m not really sure what. I just developed a program that analyzed hundreds of hours of data and use that as the basis for the model.”
“Hundreds of hours of data… from where? From whom?” Jake asked.
Tony laughed again. The sound was high and tight, a clear indication that the stimulants were starting to wear off.
“That’s the beautiful part. It’s from you. It’s a video of you.”
Jake’s patience was wearing thin and his arms, which were still laced over his chest, tensed.
“I don’t have hundreds of hours of video.”
“Ah, but you do.” Tony picked up the VR helmet off his desk. “From here.”
“Tony, I’m not—“
“Right, sorry. Last night, when you said to look inward, I thought about how the helmet tracks your movements, right? Well, there are actually a bunch of infrared cameras that are constantly scanning and recording your face and your eyes as you look out into the metaverse. At first, I thought, there’s no way that this data is stored, but it is. I found it. It’s recorded. So, I just used my program to develop a model based on hundreds of hours of your data. But here’s the beauty of it, I can access data from every single person who has dropped into the metaverse. We’re not talking hundreds of hours, but millions. It’ll take some time but with my program and HVG data? We can make NPCs that no one will ever know are fake.”
As a joke, Tony played the video of Jake saying he was the world’s best programmer again.
But Jake wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t rejoicing in the discovery, either.
“You’ve been up all night?”
Tony didn’t understand the question. Who cares if he’d been up for a month? What he’d done was about to change everything. It would solidify the HVG metaverse as the metaverse.
Not to mention what it could do for Cerberus.
“Tony, you look like you need some rest. Why don’t you head home, take a shower, a nap. Come back tomorrow.”
Tony frowned.
“What?”
“Go home, Tony.”
“I don’t get it… this is what you asked for.” Tony’s voice began to escalate. “What everyone asked for.”
Jake unfurled his arms and dropped a hand onto Tony’s shoulder.
“Look, you did great, you really did. But now you need a rest. I’ll sit on this… it’s not going anywhere. And when you come back, we can look at it with fresh eyes, okay?” He gave Tony’s shoulder a patronizing squeeze. “Seriously, this is great. But you need to sleep.”
