Artificial Lords III: Utopia

By Adam Norwood

IN THE YEAR 2099, at the dawn of the 22nd century, a new normal in the United States and the world has set in. The time for humans to rule themselves is over, relegating their failures to the history books. With a new, more equitable system of government in place, people are hopeful the brutal civil war 20 years earlier ended bloodshed in the US, once and for all. Following America's example, the rest of the world also surrendered rule to their creations of superior intelligence. Can humanity trust them to protect their continued existence?
In his third book in the Artificial Lords series, Adam Norwood paints a strange dystopian society led by manufactured imposters of long-deceased icons. A civilization governed by new rulers who constantly learn to manage their creators, adapting their methods to facilitate order and peace. One in which even the most widely held scientific theories become relics of humanity's past. What does evolution even mean when the fittest design and build their own improvements?
As Ian Ramsey and Jack Ritchie observe this puzzling new realm arranged by them, even they are alarmed about the future, wondering what's next for their friends, family, and humanity. With the best and brightest humans, scientists, engineers, and artists now insignificant, will the people become restless? Will humans ever be insulated from the perils that threaten their existence? What is our utopia? Do we even have one?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Mar 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781667832197

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Print ISBN: 978-1-66783-218-0

eBook ISBN: 978-1-66783-219-7

Table of Contents

Part I

Winter 2099

The Philosophers Den

Ramsey

The Lords

The Perfect Ten

Claire

The Natural Wall

Christmas Eve

Devils and Lords

Nashville

The Ranch

Kai and Leilani

Ramsey and Jack

Mia

The Narrows

Dodge City War

Mr. President?

Claire and Max

The Situation

The Messengers

Colonists

Hubble

A Beautiful Winter Day

Oblivious

On The Road Again

Back to My Only Home

Shotgun Wedding

Goodbye Old Friend

The News

The Bunker

The Brothers

Dinners

Briefings

Battle of the Hundred-in-the-Hands

The Toy Room

The Harmonians

Where Did They Go?

The Silos

Bavarian Assault

Hawaii

Breakfast

The Update

Operation Kikusui

All Alone

Emboldened

The Visit

It’s Empty?

Lexi

Annihilation

Fabian Strategy

Helpless

The Lords Arrival

The Army

The Library of Earth

Where’s Sage

Plan X

No Time Left

Left Behind

The Armageddon Below

Part II

spring 2105

Awakening

Our New World

Orphans

Preparations

The Journey Begins

Claire

Bill

Westward

We’re Not Alone

We Meet Again

Uncertainty

What Was That?

Cody

We’re Back

Forge Ahead

Cowboy’s Lament

Real Hope

Going to California

Cruising

The Harmonians

Uplifting

Land!

The Return

The Jet Set

What Now?

Pacific Home

Great Lake

Explorers

The Plan

Are We Being Watched?

The Encounter

Coasting

Lord Harriet

The Visit

The Cove

HARE Headquarters

The Cave

Abandoned

Genesis

Part I

Winter 2099

The Philosophers Den

Before arriving at the venue, Eli and Sage Ritchie read it was a truly unforgettable entertainment experience. Mind-blowing, exhilarating, and frightening—all in one two-hour spectacle that changed you forever. It made you better, though. That’s the way it was advertised, at least.

Plato greeted the guests to begin the show. He eased them into the program by slowly delving into deep thoughts and prepared the guests for the other hosts who would follow. As the couple entered the dark room lit by candlelight, Plato’s large head appeared in front of them. His leather-like bearded face was imposing, almost startling. Plato was alive.

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light, he said.

The entire show featured faux philosophers from throughout history who often used actual quotes from the real-life ones they imitated. The room resembled the best incarnation of the Platonic Academy, famous as the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Plato began a 15-minute education on how it all began, humanity’s understanding of the world around them. He covered his illustrious Theory of Forms or Ideas. Like the real philosopher, he explained how ideas are timeless, not the physical world. This message, delivered by an imposter in a manufactured physical reality, struck Eli as incredibly ironic. Was it intended to prove Plato’s theory was indeed true?

Next, Plato led them to the back of the dimly lit room and left as it illuminated, revealing a small prison cell. Another ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates, sat in the middle of the cage. The replica Socrates then uttered one of his most famous quotes.

The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

Eli wondered what that meant? Was he inferring he was the real Socrates or sharing a message from the Lords about their noble intentions? Eli raised his eyebrows at Sage, who appeared just as puzzled. Socrates would give no explanation as two prison guards led him from his cell to a place immediately familiar to Eli: a depiction of the room painted by Jacques-Louis David, where Socrates carried out his execution by drinking Hemlock. In this live version, the grand imposter dramatically finished this scene, surrounded by tearful young men wailing at the tragic outcome. The dialogue seemed calculated to remind patrons that Socrates’ trial and execution were a historical injustice. The Greek portion of the show finished with the pretend Aristotle engaging in additional plagiarism. A fitting end to all this theater.

Eli and Sage continued to the Middle Ages section of the enormous complex filled with rooms designed to fit each experience. Augustine enlightened them with his views on original sin, and they moved on to other chambers and met Machiavelli, Voltaire, and Nietzsche. It was a truly exhausting experience—without question, unforgettable to Eli and Sage. But it also left Eli with a deep emptiness. He just experienced the history of human thought, and he realized it was exactly that—history: a recorded version of something that had ended. Eli knew human thought was now virtually meaningless.

Ramsey

Ian Ramsey, still having the lowest possible rating in the new human classification system, lived in a remote area south of the former Canadian border. Though he and Jack Ritchie put the Lords in charge, he still wondered if there might have been other options. Things went so horribly wrong during that desperate period that their only choice had been to find other rulers. Otherwise, they might all be dead.

Ramsey mostly lived off the land and took nothing from the Lords. It was a harsh existence, and he received almost no support. Virtually all the humanoids Ramsey created to defeat the Harmonians and bring down the massive virtual wall between Hope and Harmony were retired. They seized everything he owned during the settlement. Society could not trust him because of his misuse of humanoid spies, weaponizing them to unleash the devastating Plagues of Harmony. He located a cabin in a barren area of Glacier National Park, and he received help to get there and make the place home from his nephew, dwarf gunfighter Tim Lucas.

Ironically, Ramsey could not keep any humanoids or even robots. He convinced the Lords to let the former Council of Five members keep one companion—the same number allotted to the Harmonians. Claire was deeply connected with her humanoid Max, and Bill was madly in love with his humanoid Sophia, so Ramsey knew he had to deliver for them, especially since he had put them through so much during the conflict. Another Council member, Selma, was killed in the Second Civil War, leaving Ramsey no choice but to turn the humanoid Ben in for retirement. A date with an incinerator resembling a human crematorium but with more intense heat to melt a humanoid's strong metal structure. 

Despite the one-humanoid rule, Lucas and his two companions secretly stayed together. Ramsey helped Lucas one last time by sending another humanoid for retirement in place of Sky or Lexi, and it was a successful ruse. Officially, Lucas had a single companion, so the other would have to remain hidden, but her cloaking feature allowed this to happen rather easily.

Lucas kept one other possession: his 25-year-old BlueJay model Air Enabled Vehicle. The AEV was like a part of the family to the threesome, and his AI communication system named Jay, a close friend. Lucas and friends, this little posse, was an enormous help to Ramsey when he needed to be off the grid. They would stop by from time to time to keep him company, fix up the place, and bring supplies. Lucas opened the door and stamped his feet to remove the snow.

You know it’s almost over my head out there? Good thing I have these two to clear the way. I could get lost, Lucas said, referencing his short stature as Sky and Lexi followed him in. Ramsey waved them over to the back of the room near the fire.

Wow, Ramsey, you look a mess.

Ramsey returned a scowl so cold it matched the temperature of the air they let in the cabin.  

Way to lift my spirits … so glad you’re here, Ramsey said, aware that Lucas was here to roust him from his profoundly depressed state.

I think we need to get you out of here, Ramsey. You can’t just stay up here all by yourself forever. How the hell can you make it through the winter? I’m not sure I can keep coming up here this time of year. Let’s get you back into the game.

What game is that? The rating game? Ramsey asked.

No, how about the game of life?

They’re one and the same now, unfortunately.

You can criticize all you want, but unless you take part, you’ll never know how to fix it, Lucas said.

You aren’t participating, either. We’re both members of the new untouchables class. You haven’t moved up at all, right? Ramsey asked. Lucas was silent. They were essentially living the same way: humbly—and outside the system that provided for the humans.

At least I have these two. If Sky and Lexi were humans, they would have left me by now. Find someone better. More highly rated? Isn’t that right, Sky? Lucas asked, trying to bait his companion. But Sky was a master at playing these games with Lucas.

We were just about to leave you now, to be honest. Leave you right here with Ramsey, Sky replied while Lexi blew Lucas a kiss. Lucas knew they were joking, but they did it so expertly it sometimes pushed him to the edge of believing them.

I actually have a message from someone who wants to talk to you about the Lords and the system, Lucas said.

That piqued Ramsey’s interest, so he perked up.

Oh? Who is that now?

Jack Ritchie. Eli told me he wants to talk to you, and it sounded like he doesn’t care for it much, either.

Okay, but what the hell can we do about it now? Ramsey asked. Lucas shrugged.

Ramsey figured he had nothing to lose. Fine. Set it up, and I’ll go there. You’re right; I need to get out of this place for a while.

He also wanted to see what it was like living the life of a Ten.

The Lords

Though Ramsey spent the past 20 years in near seclusion, he monitored the evolution of the ruling Lords, who were given power by Ramsey and his onetime business partner, Jack Ritchie. Though the concept was Ramsey’s idea, witnessing the United States become a world territory governed by Artificial Intelligence was surreal. Occasionally, he marveled at the progress, while he wondered what would become of humankind at other times.

Rebuilding the nation after the devastating war took time, but not nearly the many years it took to rebuild most of the Earth after the destruction of World War II. The ever-increasing pool of robotic builders who never grew tired nor ever stopped working accounted for the quick rebuild. Ramsey watched as they constructed a new human utopia, designed by these Artificial Lords, referred to by the humans simply as Lords.

As people got accustomed to this new life, many got restless. People felt they needed the ability to at least communicate to their rulers in some capacity to air their grievances, even if they would never be addressed. The Lords obliged and assumed human physical forms modeled on historical figures the humans respected and admired. It soon felt like they weren’t following machines, but likenesses of magnificent humans. While quite convincing, everyone still knew they were imposters of the long deceased. Despite this, Ramsey thought it was quite a marvelous show for the people.

The term Lords was controversial at first. As they were referred to in the beginning, the AI Replicas let the humans choose how to address them. They didn’t want resentments from humanity’s past to interfere with their rule, so they eliminated such terms as kings and queens. They also didn’t want to use the term governor or president because it reminded the people so much of their failures in leadership. The AI Replicas tried out greetings, Sir and Madam, to appear humbler. However, when the people voted, they decided the term Lord would be more appropriate. The humans they imitated were legendary and all now deceased. Having them here to rule almost gave them a godlike presence, and the term seemed to fit their stature.

The U.S. Capitol was returned to Washington, D.C., from its temporary location in San Francisco, helping restore order following the conflict. The Lords wanted people to return to as normal an emotional existence as possible while adjusting to the new reality of life managed by a superior creation. After establishing physical forms, the Lords allowed people to make appointments to meet their leaders. They could stand directly in front of them in the White House, expressing their displeasure or perhaps propose an idea. They would swiftly learn the wisdom and insight behind decisions and frequently feel dismissed and inferior when their ideas were quashed using an undeniable set of facts.

The rise of AI created similar untenable side effects, so Ramsey’s solution of empowering AI rulers eventually spread across the planet. Once it did, the Lords united and managed Earth as one wholistic entity, governing all people as equals without consideration of class, race, or religion, regardless of circumstances. They always used mathematical probabilities to rule based on the best outcomes for all people. In the end, it proved the perceived failings of collectivist systems. Without the greed-based incentives of capitalism, societies could not survive the plunge in human productivity, absent an equal substitute. The productivity of artificial intelligence and its physical representation was no substitute, more like rocket fuel, allowing Earth’s population of 5 billion, half of what it was at its peak, to thrive again in this year of 2099.

World capitals across the planet were set up similarly, basing their locations and leaders on the most desirable places and figureheads. This often meant going back far in time to find a person or place who did not offend the current human population of that region. A new form of the United Nations—called the World Council—was also born. It allowed human citizens to witness the negotiations and lobbying happening on their behalf. Ramsey found this all quite amusing.

The World Council was in Geneva, and each country sent physical humanoids to that body to allow people to get a visual understanding of how they managed the world. Each country sent a replica of its most highly rated human in terms of favorability and leadership in their history according to the Lord’s scale. The United States sent a replica of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who would make dramatic speeches broadcast worldwide via the World Council video stream. Like the performances of the real MLK, the speeches were moving and incredibly inspiring. In reality, though, it was just a show from the Lords, but a successful one because it became the new opiate of the masses. So, from this point forward, the 21st century would be known as a period of dramatic change. A transformation to a new reality that could exist for many centuries to come. One in which the humans no longer ruled the Earth.

The Perfect Ten

Once the new order took hold, many victims of the Second Civil War held grudges against those who started the bloodshed, causing the deaths of friends and family. They joined groups whose sole charter was to seek revenge on those who shared the blame for the atrocities. In the U.S., there were groups on both sides of the previous conflict representing the interests of the former Harmony and Hope zones.

Jack Ritchie monitored the situation closely, as he was the only one who dealt directly with parties on both sides. He watched as the former Harmonians tried to use the new legal process and frequent attempts at violence. Soon, as they restored order, violence became difficult and those caught were swiftly punished. Deterrence was the goal of the Lords initially, as they needed to establish a slow path toward reconciliation and adherence to the new laws.

Occasionally, though, policies were counterintuitive. Jack and others couldn’t understand how or why they would benefit. The truth was, they would not benefit personally. The collective would prosper; a particular policy could leave behind individuals. There never could, nor would, be a formula where every single human was considered. An idea that only existed within the context of gods in their religions. Having that core principle made religion a more effective opiate. However, the belief a god was there caring about each human had been fading quickly. It seemed once a species created Lords for themselves, the idea of religion seemed outdated, and only a tiny fraction of humans now followed one.

Some people complied with the new policies better than others, which led to some bitterness among the obeying ones. Now, since there was no reward system like wealth accumulation, they wondered why they followed the laws, while others ignored them without repercussions. In the past, there were consequences for bad behavior such as failure or poverty and perhaps imprisonment. A heated issue arose as lawbreakers grew in numbers and often mocked those who behaved. The Lords took notice of this situation. Soon they determined it was negatively impactful to the future of humans and planned to halt this lack of compliance by the scofflaws. It turned out that due to their evolutionary history, humans needed a hierarchy, so the Lords manufactured one.

Jack Ritchie would never forget the day 20 years earlier when he was notified of his rating.

Melinda, you have to see this, Jack called loudly to his wife upon entering their home, having just completed a round of golf. He made a habit of shutting off all communication while he was on the course. Considering the near-disastrous state of his game lately, the last thing he needed was additional distractions.

I know, Melinda said. Where’ve you been? Everybody got a certificate. It’s all anyone is talking about.

Jack entered the kitchen area of their San Francisco residence and joined his wife at the table while inspecting the visually stunning electronic certificate. It was a gold, three-dimensional image that pulsated with bright intensity, and so spectacular it seemed like he had won the Nobel Peace Prize.

"It says ‘Perfect Ten.’ Do you know what that even means?"

Scroll down. It’s all there on page two, Melinda said.

Jack read the concise explanation. The messaging was simple. A person would have a rating from One to Ten, starting with the lowest number and hopefully, through achievement and compliance, become a Perfect Ten. Babies would begin life as Ones but would grow up in the lifestyle of their guardians. Jack glanced at his wife with raised eyebrows.

Well, I didn’t hear you say what you are, he asked.

Are you kidding? Do you think your rating would ever be higher than mine? Melinda chided. She also told him their son Eli was blessed with the highest rating.

Well, this is going to be quite interesting, Jack said.

I’ll say. Do you ask people their rating? And if they have a lower rating, how awkward is that going to be?

Ever since that time, Jack watched as people learned the etiquette around such things and most quickly adjusted. He realized the rating of humans had been going on for centuries. From the simple mechanism of rating humans based on royal bloodlines, to the