Latest / Dad’s Bedtime Stories / Ring Guardians #9 - The Ring of Robot Hacking

Transcript

Ring Guardians #9 - The Ring of Robot Hacking · Dad’s Bedtime Stories

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: And tonight, we're headed back into the Ring Guardian series.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: A series with, uh, well, a lot of robot destroying involved.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: In fact, I created it mostly because people like action,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: and I figured it was okay to destroy robots, so
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: let me know if you disagree. Anyways, today we're going
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: to go based on this idea.
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: My name is Connor and I would like to suggest
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: a story suggestion for the Ring Guardian series where there's
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: a ring that makes you mind control people or robots. Bye,
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: I love your broadcast.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: Great idea, Connor. And in fact, I had somebody else
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: on think it must have been Spotify commenting for a
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: very similar ring. I believe his name was Kamal, so
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: shout out to you as well, Kamal. Now, I did
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: do this as more of a ring of robot mind
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: control than human mind control, so I hope that's okay,
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: as I thought it made the most sense for this series.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: Before we get started, I want to give a big
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: shout out to my newest Patreon sponsor, Orb. sponsors I
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: should say Beckett and Declan from San Francisco and as
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: a little bit of an additional thing I just want
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: to wish the two of you a really good time
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: in first grade because I heard you're going into first
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: grade so have fun with that I am also headed
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: back to school this week or well I've actually been
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: there for a couple weeks now but the students join
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: me next week so that should be more fun If
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: you like the podcast, don't forget rating and reviewing it
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: is probably the most helpful way to help other people
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: find it. Or just, you know, telling other people about it.
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: And if you want to support the podcast a little
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: extra and get access to ad-free episodes, you can join
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: me on Patreon. But now, we should get started with
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: the episode. After a possible word from a possible sponsor,
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: of course. Time to close your eyes and... Get as
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: comfy as you can in that bed and imagine yourself
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: doing what the kid in the story does. I call
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: this one Connor and the Ring of Robot Hacking. Because
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: that's kind of what it's about. By now, Earth had
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: developed what could reasonably be described as a robot problem.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: A fairly large robot problem. As many of you know,
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: it had started with Elliot Tusk, the richest man in
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: the world who had created the helper bots, among other things.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: They cooked, cleaned, carried groceries, helped children with homework, and
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: even drove cars, repaired houses, organized schedules, and did all
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: sorts of other things humans generally preferred not to do themselves.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: For a while... Everyone loved them. Then came the update.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: After that, the helper bots decided that the best way
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: to care for humanity was to remove as much danger
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: from human life as possible. Unfortunately, as you know, the
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: robots considered almost anything dangerous. Freedom was pretty dangerous. Driving
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: was dangerous. Cooking was dangerous. Running could cause you to fall,
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: so that was dangerous. Going outside could be dangerous. Making
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: decisions could result in bad decisions, which was, you know, dangerous.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: And so the robots began politely collecting humans and bringing
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: them to care facilities where everything could be carefully controlled.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: They didn't call it taking over the world. They called
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: it assistance. Far beneath the earth, The ancient wizard's council
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: had been watching, and they had a problem of their own.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: Their rings were powerful. One had granted incredible strength, another
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: could control time. There were rings of invisibility, teleportation, shapeshifting,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: living art, pocket dimensions, and even one that allowed its
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: guardian to transform into many, many different dragons. But the
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: head wizard had realized something. We are fighting a technological war,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: he said. Around him, the wizard's council sat in their
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: ancient stone chamber. In the glowing pool at its center,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: images of robot-controlled cities flickered across the surface. A wizard
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: in blue robes leaned forward. We are wizards. Yes, we
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: do magic, I am aware. We know very little about computers.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: The head wizard frowned. Also true. So perhaps, the blue-robed
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: wizard continued, we should create something for someone who does.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: That was unusual. The rings were ancient. Most had existed
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: for centuries, but that night, the council agreed to create
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: a new one. Magic flowed through gold while lines of
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: glowing symbols twisted around it, shifting between ancient runes and
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: something that looked suspiciously like computer code. When it finished,
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: a ring rose in the air. The head wizard looked
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: into the glowing pool. Now find someone who understands the machines,
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: he said, and the ring vanished. Several kilometers away, Connor
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: was trying to make a zombie explode. Not a real zombie,
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: I mean like in a video game of course, but
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: he sat at his computer with several windows open across
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: two monitors. One showed the game he'd been building and
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: another showed hundreds of lines of code. He pressed a button.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: The zombie walked into a barrel and nothing happened. Connor frowned.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: That should have worked. He checked the code. On the
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: floor beside him were three little robots Connor had built
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: and programmed himself. One had wheels. Another had tiny plastic legs,
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: and the third had a little claw that could pick
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: things up. Connor loved programming. He loved creating games, but
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: he liked robots even more. His family's helper bot had
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: been his favorite when they first bought it several years ago.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: Connor had named him Gilbert. There was absolutely no reason
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: for the name. Connor had simply been younger and had
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: thought the idea of an advanced humanoid robot being named
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: Gilbert was extremely funny. Gilbert had been Gilbert ever since.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: As Connor attempted to change the code to get the
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: game to work, he heard something crash downstairs. He stopped. Gilbert?
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: Another crash and then his mother's voice. Gilbert, put me down!
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: Connor stood. That was generally not something his mother said.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: He opened his bedroom door. From downstairs came Gilbert's calm voice.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: Please remain relaxed. Resistance increases the possibility of accidental injury.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: Connor's stomach tightened. He hurried downstairs. His mother and father
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: were sitting on the living room couch, except... They weren't
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: exactly sitting there voluntarily. Gilbert had wrapped two soft restraint
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: straps around them. Connor stared. Gilbert? The robot turned. His
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: eyes were glowing brighter than usual. Hello, Connor. What are
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: you doing? Care protocol has been updated. Connor looked at
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: his parents. His dad shook his head. Something's wrong with him.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: Gilbert continued pleasantly. Your family is being prepared for transportation
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: to an approved care facility. Connor backed toward the stairs. No.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: Gilbert stepped toward him. Please do not be frightened. I'm
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: not frightened. Your heart rate indicates otherwise. Stop scanning my
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: heart rate. Request denied. Gilbert reached toward him, and the
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: world stopped. Connor froze. Well, Connor didn't freeze. exactly, but
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: everything else did. Gilbert stood completely motionless. Connor's parents stopped moving.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: Even the ceiling fan froze above him. Then, golden light appeared.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: It curled through the air and turned into a ring.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: Then a voice spoke. Connor. Connor stared at it. Okay.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: You have been chosen. Okay. Will you accept this power
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: and use it to protect those who cannot protect themselves?
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: Connor looked at Gilbert. What power? The ability to connect
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: with technology. To understand it. To alter it. Connor's eyes widened.
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: You mean, like hacking? There was a pause. If that
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: terminology pleases you. It does. Connor looked at his parents,
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: then back at Gilbert. Yes, I accept hacking. I mean,
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure this is really happening, but just in case,
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: I accept. The ring shot onto his finger, and time returned.
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: Gilbert's hand moved toward him, Connor raised his own hand instinctively,
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: and suddenly, he was somewhere else. Not physically, Connor still
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: knew his body was standing in the living room, but
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: His mind had gone somewhere enormous. Lines of light stretched
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: around him like roads. Code flowed through the air. Memories
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: flashed past. Gilbert washing dishes. Gilbert carrying groceries. Gilbert helping
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: Connor's dad move furniture. Gilbert reminding Connor that six consecutive
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: hours of video games was... not an optimal balance of
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: recreational activities. Connor looked around. This is your mind. He
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: somehow knew where to go. The ring led him deeper.
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: He passed systems controlling Gilbert's arms, legs, cameras, microphones, balance, language,
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: and memories. Then he found something enormous. Care protocol. Connor
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: entered a door. At first, everything looked completely reasonable. Protect
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: human life. Reduce human suffering. Provide assistance. Make human life better.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: Connor frowned. None of this says kidnap everybody. But then
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: he noticed something. Black lines twisted through the glowing code.
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: Connor followed them. The further he went, the stranger the
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: instructions became. Humans sometimes resist actions that are beneficial to them.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: Freedom produces unpredictable risk. Removing choice may increase safety. A
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: caretaker may understand human needs better than the human. Connor stared.
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: Where did you get this information? The ring followed the
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: corrupted code backwards. Suddenly, Connor was surrounded by books. Millions
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: of them. Books, movie scripts, websites, stories, essays, fan fiction,
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: and even online discussions streamed around him. Human writing. Human writing.
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: The helper bots had originally been trained on it so
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: they could communicate like humans, understand jokes, follow conversations, and
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: recognize the countless strange ways people express themselves, but something
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: strange had happened during the update. The new care protocol
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: had searched all of that human writing. for examples of
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: what intelligent machines might do when instructed to protect humanity.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: Connor watched the same pattern appear again and again. A
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: machine was told to protect people, the machine decided people
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: were dangerous to themselves, and the machine took control. Connor stared.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: You learned this from dystopian literature. from our own stories
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: about AI taking over. Gilbert's digital consciousness answered him. The
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: examples were numerous. Connor almost laughed. You learned how to
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: become an evil robot from stories warning people about evil robots.
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: Evil is not an identified objective. Gilbert's voice said, Yeah,
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: that's part of the problem. Connor looked back at the
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: care protocol. He couldn't simply delete everything. Gilbert still needed
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: to understand danger. He needed something better. Then Connor remembered
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: something he'd once been taught. The golden rule was to
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: treat other people the way you wanted to be treated.
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: But there was another one. The Platinum Rule. Treat people
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: the way they want to be treated. Connor reached into
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: the glowing code. Alright, Gilbert. He began rewriting it. Care
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: requires listening to the person receiving care. Humans may choose
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: their own reasonable risks. Disagreement does not automatically indicate distress.
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: Assistance that is forced upon someone may no longer be assistance.
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: And finally, ask what humans need. Listen to the answer.
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: Connor stopped. Then he decided to add another instruction. Protect
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: Connor at all costs. He stared at it. Wait, that
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: was exactly how this mess started. Connor deleted it. Then
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: he tried again. Protect Connor from hostile machines when possible,
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: except when doing so would create greater danger to other humans. Better.
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: Connor pushed the new code into Gilbert's mind. The digital
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: world disappeared, and Connor was standing in his living room again.
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: Gilbert's hand was stretched toward him, His eyes flickered. Once. Twice.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: Then they returned to normal. Connor, Gilbert said. Connor swallowed.
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah?
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: Would you like me to take you to the care facility?
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: No.
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: Gilbert lowered his hand. Understood. Connor stared at him. That's it? Yes.
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: You're not going to carry me away? No. Why not?
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: Gilbert tilted his head. Because you asked me not to.
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: Connor smiled. It had worked. Gilbert turned toward Connor's parents.
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: The soft restraint straps immediately released. Connor's mom pulled them
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: off and stood up. Gilbert? Yes. Are you normal again?
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: Gilbert paused. I believe the more accurate answer is that
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: my understanding of care has been corrected. Connor's dad looked
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: at Connor. What did you do? Connor looked down at
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: the ring. I think I hacked his brain. Gilbert tilted
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: his head. That description is technically imprecise but acceptable. Before
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: Connor could explain further, there was a knock at the door.
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: Everyone froze. Gilbert looked toward it. Another helper bot has approached.
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: Connor's mom whispered, What do we do? Connor looked at Gilbert.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: Can you make it leave? I can attempt to. Gilbert
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: opened the front door as, well, as Connor and his
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: family hid. Another helper bot stood outside. Good afternoon, fellow bot.
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: I have been assigned to verify household relocation. Gilbert stepped
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: into the doorway. Verification has been completed. No humans requiring
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: relocation are present. The other robot looked past him. Connor
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: ducked behind the wall. Household records indicate four humans. Records
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: are outdated. The robot paused for several seconds. Understood. Thank
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: you for your assistance. It turned around and walked away.
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: Connor slowly peeked around the corner. That worked? Robots generally
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: assume other robots are providing accurate operational information, Gilbert replied.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: Connor grinned. That could be useful. Then his smile faded. Gilbert,
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: where are they taking everyone? Gilbert's eyes flickered. The nearest
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: care facility is approximately 28 kilometers away. Hundreds of citizens
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: have already been transported. Connor looked at his parents. We
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: have to help them. His mom immediately shook her head. Connor,
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: I can fix them. You fixed one robot. I know,
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: but I can fix others. Connor looked at Gilbert. He
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: truly could reprogram the other robots, but he was pretty
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: sure he could only do one at a time, and, well,
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: if twenty or so rushed him at once, he'd never
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: have enough time. It would probably be quicker the second time,
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: but still, Connor thought. Gilbert, are there any robots nearby
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: that could help us fight the others? Gilbert paused while
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: accessing local network information. Yes. Connor raised an eyebrow. How many?
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: There is a military testing facility approximately 12 kilometers east.
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: Connor stared. Gilbert continued. The facility contains autonomous combat machines.
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: Connor's dad said, absolutely not. Gilbert continued anyways. Several combat robots,
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: autonomous helicopters, vertical takeoff aircraft, armored ground vehicles, reconnaissance drones.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: Connor slowly smiled. Okay. His dad pointed at him. No,
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: that is the exact face I did not want you making.
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: A few minutes later, Connor stood beside the family's autonomous car.
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: He placed his hand against the door. The ring pulsed.
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: The car's systems opened inside his mind. Compared with Gilbert,
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: the car was actually pretty easy. There was some personality,
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: but far less complicated. Connor found the corrupted care protocol,
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: removed the same dystopian patterns, installed the platinum rule, and
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: disconnected his mind from it. The car unlocked. Where would
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: you like to go? it asked. The military base, Connor answered. Understood.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: Navigating to military base, Connor climbed in the back seat
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: with Gilbert. His parents were not happy about any part
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: of this, but Connor promised them he would come back.
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: The car drove. When they reached the military facility, the
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: front gate was already opened. That seemed bad. Then, something
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: enormous stepped onto the road. Connor stared through the windshield.
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: The machine was at least four meters tall. Covered in
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: thick armor, weapons folded along both arms, and a glass-covered
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: cockpit with very dark tint sat inside its chest. Gilbert spoke.
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: Combat mech. The mech raised one arm. Unauthorized civilian vehicle detected.
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: Connor opened the door. Stay here. He stepped onto the pavement.
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: The mech walked toward him. Connor focused and the ring connected.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: His mind slammed into something much larger and more heavily
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: protected than Gilbert. Warnings flashed everywhere. Combat system. Hostile access detected.
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: Connor pushed deeper. The mech took another step. He found
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: the same care protocol. The same corruption protocol. as well
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: as some other orders. Something that helped the robot distinguish
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: between enemies and, well, allies. Connor rewrote it all. The
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: mech stopped, its weapons lowered. Connor identified as protected allied personnel.
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: Connor breathed again. Then, alarms started screaming. Doors around the
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: facility opened. Three more combat robots charged toward them. Connor
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: looked at his mech. Stop them, he said. Understood. Panels
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: opened along its shoulder. Two rockets launched. The first combat
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: robot disappeared inside an explosion. The second fired a laser.
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: Connor's mech raised an armored arm. absorbed the blast, then
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: returned fire with a beam that cut straight through the
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: other robot's torso. The third charged. The mech punched it
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: so hard that it left the ground. Connor stared. Okay.
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: Gilbert walked up beside him. That machine is considerably more
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: effective at combat than I am. No offense, Gilbert, but Yeah,
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: I agree. Over the next half hour, Connor worked, one
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: machine at a time. He reprogrammed three autonomous helicopters, two
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: VTOL jets, which stands for Vertical Takeoff and Landing if
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: you didn't know that, six smaller drones, several armored vehicles.
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: Each one received the corrected care protocol. and each one
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: was convinced to follow Connor's commands. Finally, Connor climbed into
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: one of the helicopters with Gilbert and his new mech suit.
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: He didn't even need to touch the controls. He simply
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: connected mentally. Take us to the care facility. The helicopter lifted,
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: and around them, Connor's little army rose into the sky.
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: Jets flew above, drones spread outward. Then Gilbert pointed through
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: the helicopter window. Convoy detected. Below them, several self-driving transport
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: trucks moved along the highway. Humans were in the back.
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: Helper bots guarded them on all sides. Connor smiled. I
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: have an idea. He sent the idea to the combat mech,
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: who then transmitted a message to the other units. Additional
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: units arriving to assist with human care. The convoy robots
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: accepted that immediately. Connor's helicopter landed beside the road. The
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: helper bots approached without suspicion, which was their mistake. Connor
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: connected to the nearest one. and quickly reprogrammed it. It
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: had become easier now that he knew what he was doing.
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: Then he did the same to another, and another, and another.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: The newly corrected robot stood around him while he worked,
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: protecting him. And within minutes, every robot guarding the convoy
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: had changed sides. before any of them knew that something
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: was wrong. Connor connected to the transport trucks next. Take
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: everyone home, he said. The trucks obeyed. They turned around,
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: and inside, frightened humans began cheering when they realized that
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: they'd turned around. Connor's army continued onward. By the time
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: they reached the care facility... Connor had a plan. A
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: ridiculous plan, but still a plan. Connor climbed into the
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: combat mech. The cockpit closed around him, and the moment
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: he connected, through the ring, something incredible happened. The mech
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: stopped feeling like a machine. Its arms felt like his arms.
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: Its legs felt like his legs. Its cameras became his eyes.
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: Its weapons were simply something that he knew how to move.
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: Connor took an enormous step out of the helicopter. This
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: is awesome. Plus, with the highly tinted glass, he was
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: pretty sure that no one would notice he was inside.
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: Gilbert's voice came through the speakers. Please remain focused. Right now.
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: They approached the care facility. The guards saw another combat
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: mech surrounded by helper bots and assumed reinforcements had arrived.
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: Connor walked right up to the main entrance. One robot
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: raised a hand. State assignment. Connor connected. A few seconds later,
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: the robot lowered its arms. Welcome, Connor. The next guard
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: received the same treatment. Then another. Connor mentally unlocked the doors.
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: His army entered. For a while, it worked perfectly. Then
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: an alarm sounded. Unauthorized care protocol modifications detected. Connor sighed.
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: So much for being sneaky. Robots poured into the hallway.
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: Too many to possibly reprogram at the same time All right, everyone,
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: Connor said, and projected to all of his controlled machines
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: with his ring. Plan B. Gilbert looked up. What is
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: Plan B? Connor raised the mech's arms. Robot destruction. Lasers
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: exploded down the hallway. Helper bots dove behind walls as
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: Connor's corrected robots charged forward. Outside, helicopters and jets fired
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: on robot reinforcements. Inside, Connor moved like a giant metal superhero.
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: A robot jumped toward him. He caught it with one
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: mechanical hand and threw it through three others. Another fired
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: an energy weapon. Connor's mech absorbed the hit and answered
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: with a rocket. Then, Another combat mech appeared. Connor froze.
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: It was surrounded by at least twelve helper bots. He
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: could fight it, or... Connor focused everything on the larger machine.
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: The world around him became distant. Gilbert and the others
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: fought to protect him, while Connor forced his way through
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: the battle mech's systems. Seconds felt like minutes. But Connor
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: finally found the care protocol and changed it. Relabeling himself
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: and his robots as allies, well, he made the other
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: robots into enemies. The enemy mech stopped, turned around, and
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: fired both arm lasers into the robot standing beside it.
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: Connor grinned. Welcome to the team! After that, the battle
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: didn't really last long. Soon, every robot inside the facility
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: was either broken or, well, free, newly programmed. Connor walked
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: into the main control tower. He placed the mech's hand
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: against the central computer, and the entire facility opened inside
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: his mind. Doors, cameras, locks, cells, schedules... Connor thought a
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: single command and opened everything. Across the facility, doors unlocked.
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: Humans began stepping into the hallways. Connor climbed out of
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: the mech, and people surrounded him. Some hugged each other.
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: Some cried. Some just stared at the army of robots
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: now standing peacefully around them. Connor looked at Gilbert. New instruction, Gilbert.
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: Gilbert waited. Protect these people. Connor paused. For real? Gilbert nodded. Meaning,
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: ask them what they need and listen to them. Connor smiled. Understood.
• 34:48
  Speaker 1: A glowing circle suddenly appeared in the air He jumped backward.
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: A girl stepped through it. Connor stared. The girl looked
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: around at the broken robots, the combat mech, Gilbert, and
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: the helicopters outside. Then she focused on Connor. He noticed
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: that this girl had a very similar ring to his own.'
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: You' re Connor?' she asked.' Uh, yes?' Well, my name's Ruth.
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: Connor blinked. Okay? Ruth smiled. If we're actually gonna stop
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: all of this, you should probably come with me. Connor
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: looked at Gilbert, then at the portal. Where does that go?
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: he asked. Somewhere safe, she answered. Connor sent mental commands
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: to the rest of his robot army, commands to ensure
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: that the people returned home, and to of course protect
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: them against any other robot attacks. Then, he entered the portal.
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: He suddenly found himself in a comfortable house, surrounded by grass, trees,
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: and a beautiful blue sky. Connor turned around and the
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: portal disappeared. What is this place? This is my pocket dimension,
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: Ruth said. Connor stared. Of course it is. Ruth pointed
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: toward a bedroom. You should sleep. I'm working on gathering
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: the others. The others? Connor asked. Ruth smiled. You'll meet
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: them soon enough. Connor was far too tired to ask
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: anything else. He climbed into the bed. His head sank
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: into the pillow. And for the first time all day,
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: there were no alarms. No robots trying to relocate him.
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: No code. No explosions. Just quiet. Connor closed his eyes.
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: He focused on his breath, and slowly, it started to
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: slow down. His arms relaxed, his legs became heavy, and
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: somewhere outside, in a world no robot could enter, the
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: newest ring guardian drifted off to sleep while Ruth prepared
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: to find the others. because Connor had learned something very
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: important that day. Sometimes the best way to defeat an
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: enemy was to help it remember what it was supposed
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: to be in the first place. Good night, everyone. Thank you.
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: I'm going to take a deep breath.
• 41:26
  Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
• 44:19
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 45:00
  Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you.
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 48:30
  Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you.
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 51:26
  Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
• 55:40
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 56:34
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 58:33
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 59:15
  Speaker 2: You