Googol Girl: In the beginning there was AI

By Hilmar Ragnarsson and Ki Eusebio

Googol Girl is an AI-style advisor with attitude, and just like any other teenager, she dreams of wild adventures, love, and, most definitely, designer clothes. Her appetite for an extraordinary life is a tick, tick, BOOM of fun, which always brings the unexpected. And with Googol Girl's enormous computer power, she can create any real

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ice Gorilla Production
• Release date: Jul 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798218074753

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GOOGOL GIRL

Copyright © 2022 by Hilmar Ragnarsson & Ki Eusebio

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced,

distributed, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means—whether electronic, digital, mechanical, or otherwise—without prior written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer,

who may quote brief passages in a review. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed "Attention: Permissions

Coordinator," at the address below.

ISBN: 979-8-218-07474-6 (Paperback)

ISBN: 979-8-218-07475-3 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023909096

This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book

are either the product of the authors’ imagination or used in a

fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons,

living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Book and cover designed by Kelly Carter

Edited by Sara Magness and Kelly Carter

Second printing edition 2023

Ice Gorilla Production

[e-mail]

Thermal, California

Hilmar

I dedicate this book to Googol Girl with her you’ll always find

a friend in this book. And to my lovely sister, Húgrun who

introduced me to the world of fashion.

Ki

I dedicate this book to my family for their unwavering

love and support for which I am eternally grateful and blessed.

Contents

My Name Is… My Name Is…

Only at Fashion High

Better Known As

I’m Chill Like That

Being an AI Has Its Perks

No One Will Know

Friends New and Old

I Am Who I Am

Trust the Process

A Short Time Ago

You'll Be Missed

Breathe With Me

The Rise of Googol Girl

Besties For Life

No Words Needed

Something More But Never Less

Charlie’s Angels

Ready or Not, It’s a Different World

Working On It

The Revenge of Siri

Get Off My Cloud

Don’t Stop Believing

Fallen Upstairs

Look, She’s Lonely

Miami Can Wait

The Grand Duchess of Pop Goes Christmas

Guess Who’s Back

Christmas All the Way

Here We Go Again

For the Love of Fashion

1

My Name Is… My Name Is…

Googol Girl is Fashion High’s incredibly dynamic and weirdly funny digital AI style advisor. To know her, well, you just can’t help but love her. It’s her unbridled imagination and passion for adventure that pulls you in. Fashion High’s Founder, brilliant computer scientist Camilla Ricci, created Googol Girl during her time as director of a secret robotic spy lab. But that creation didn’t happen overnight. After years of Camilla’s colleagues claiming her ideas were impossible, she finally stood triumphant. Her digital design, mimicking the human genome, was the revolutionary breakthrough that made true AI possible. So, with great pride, she announced the birth of Googol Girl.

Every newborn, takes a tremendous amount of work, and Googol Girl was no different. Except in her case, the input needed was googols and googols of zeros and ones—hence her name, Googol Girl. Camilla designed her to contain ample amounts of fun, fashion, and friendship, all with one girl in mind: Jennifer Jenny Madison. Yet Jenny Madison, thousands of miles away, knew nothing of Camilla Ricci or why she herself had received a full scholarship to Fashion High Academy in Runway Rapids, New Jersey. But with nothing to lose, Jenny didn’t think twice; she grabbed her one big chance to escape Wales, and just like that, she was off on an adventure she knew nothing about.

Camilla Ricci rolls into her private research laboratory in her high-tech wheelchair and begins flipping switches to the mainframe computers. One by one, the running fans whine. Camilla types on the keyboard, then speaks into the microphone: Googol Girl, can you hear me now?

A voice pattern flashes across the monitor. Yes, I can hear you, Camilla the Creator.

Camilla beams. That’s excellent.

But where am I? Googol Girl asks.

Camilla continues to type on the keyboard. Welcome to your new home, Googol Girl. I designed this mainframe just for you, with core power so strong it would make IBM blush.

Camilla the Creator, something strange is happening. I feel… do I have a body? I think I have a body.

Yes! Camilla exclaims, pumping her arms in victory. Excellent, it’s working! How I wish those little pricks back in the lab could see this!

Googol Girl’s delight builds as she describes what she is experiencing. I’m moving arms; I can see my arms. Ooh, I now have legs.

This is such an exciting day for both of us, Googol Girl, Camilla replies, and it’s about to get even better. I’m just waiting for confirmation, and if all goes well, you’ll have a face today. And it’ll be perfect.

But Googol Girl wonders if she and Camilla share the same exact definition of perfect. Oh, but what if I don’t like it? Shouldn’t I get to choose the face? I want one that will launch a thousand ships, like Helen of Troy.

If you’d rather, Camilla says, half joking, I can certainly give you no face, or I could draw one if that’s better.

Googol Girl panics. Oh, my net, no, I gotta have a face. Okay, whatever you say, I’m sure it’ll be the right one.

Trust me, you’re going to like it. It’s an extraordinary face. And it’s the only one I’d want you to have, Camilla responds with the gentleness of a mother.

Googol Girl’s pleased with that answer. I like extraordinary, she says. It suits me.

Well, it’ll be here soon enough, and now we wait. Why don’t we play some music? What shall we pick?

You mean, ‘Morning Has Broken’ by Cat Stevens? Again? Googol Girl answers disappointedly.

Yes—great choice, Googol Girl.

Don’t you want to play something else? Googol Girl pleads.

No, I like your first pick.

Right. It wasn’t my pick. I would have picked Billie Eilish, ‘Bad Guy,’ duh

A subtle smile spreads across Camilla’s face as she reclines in her chair, losing herself in the music. But it all ends too quickly with the ding of an incoming transmission.

Camilla claps her hands and straightens up in her chair. Here we go! She stares at the monitor with great anticipation as the file slowly downloads. Then she gasps as the image of Jenny Madison’s face appears on the monitor. Oh, she’s more beautiful than I thought. So much like Nikki. Camilla hurriedly types away on the keyboard. Okay, Googol Girl, what do you think of this? She swivels around to watch as Googol Girl appears on the full-length monitor, with a glowing human form and the face of Jenny Madison.

Googol Girl admires her new look. I like this face. This is my face!

Camilla’s voice almost chirps as she speaks into the microphone. Thumper, come in here; wait until you see this.

Thumper? Googol Girl queries.

You ask that as a question, Camilla answers. Don’t you have anything on Thumper?

Googol Girl searches her files. All I can find is an audible voice track. It could be Thumper. He says, oh, yes… a lot.

Camilla chuckles. That he does.

What is a Thumper? Is he an AI like me?

Hmmm. Let’s just say Thumper’s a different sort of AI. He’s a robot on wheels. A kind of odd one, but very loyal, and he’s extremely helpful to me.

You mean he doesn’t have legs?

No, he doesn’t, and he’s lucky to have anything at all. I had recently left the agency and returned to retrieve a few things I had left behind. I was shocked to find Thumper completely dismantled in a pile like trash. Those bastards were throwing away my life’s work. I would not let that happen. So my husband Victor and I stuffed as much of Thumper as we could in the trunk of his Eldorado, and we drove out right under the nose of security, and no one ever asked.

Oh, Camilla the Creator, you saved him!

What I could of him—he was a mess. He had so many parts missing that I had to give him motorized wheels instead of legs. But when I reactivated him, he was alright with it. He said he was more like me now.

Into the laboratory rolls Thumper, a technologically advanced android with a torso on a Segway and sees Googol Girl on the monitor. Oh, yes, great work, Ms. Camilla, and you made her bald just like me.

Googol Girl touches her head. I’m bald? I don’t want to be bald. Girls are not bald, and I’m a girl.

Camilla gives a little chuckle. That’s an easy fix. I’ll add something from my youth, along with a little attitude. And with a few strokes of the keyboard, it’s done.

Oh, that’s much better! Googol Girl says shaking her long blonde hair. Were you a blonde? I love being a blonde. Look, Thumper, I’m not bald, and I’m not like you. Thank you, Camilla the Creator."

Thumper nods approvingly. You’re right, girls should have hair, but don’t you think you should put some clothes on?

Googol Girl attempts to cover herself. Robe! A robe instantly appears on her. You could have said something, she says, annoyed.

Camilla looks pleased with the results. We’re definitely getting closer, but Thumper, I need you to run a diagnostic on her memory. There might have been a glitch in the transition over to this mainframe. She’s got zero recall of you.

Thumper rolls over to the mainframe. Oh, yes, can’t have that; we’re practically siblings.

"Oh, no we are not, I’m an only child!" Googol Girl says emphatically.

That’s exactly what a sister would say. Thumper beams with pride.

But Googol Girl isn’t buying into the sibling thing. Give it up, bro. Never gonna happen. I enjoy being the one and only. Thumper flips up the tip of a finger, revealing a USB connector, and plugs it into the mainframe panel.

Meanwhile, Googol Girl checks out her body. "Love the hair, but what to do with this body? I mean, look at this—I look awful, like a glowing ghost with a pretty head. I can’t go on like this."

Oh, yes, you’ll have the exact digital duplicate of Jenny's body once she touches the biometric pad. The only difference between you is your body won’t age, but Jenny’s will.

I love it. I’ll be a teenager forever. But, hold on—I don’t want to be ungrateful, but has anyone seen what her body looks like? I mean, I do have standards. And I’m going to be stuck with it forever.

Camilla sorts through a file of pictures. Yes, she’s quite fit. She’s actually a mountain climber.

This news alarms Googol Girl. Oh, my net, no! Does she have muscles everywhere? I’m just not the body-building type.

Here, I’ll send you a picture. Camilla strikes several keys on her computer.

Googol Girl blinks. What on earth is she wearing?

That’s called a British school uniform, Camilla answers. It’s about the only thing she wears.

Yikes, I can see why I’m needed. Ooh, but I’m going to have nice legs. Can I say that? I mean, they’re going to be my legs. And I’m thankful she’s not a mass of muscles.

Thumper disconnects from the mainframe. Oh, yes, it was a bug. Data was going into the restricted file by mistake. She should be okay now. Googol Girl, who am I?

Googol Girl seems surprised by Thumper’s question. Don’t you know who you are? You are Thumper, C.A.R., a combat army robot. Born in Langley at a secret robotic lab. You scared the humans, so there were orders for you to be dismantled, and that’s when Camilla the Creator, saved you. Like me, you live here at Fashion High, in Runway Rapids, NJ, and you do many things here. You’re part of the teaching staff and security. And you have a maximum speed of thirty-five miles per hour.

Oh yes, she’s fixed. And with an air of superiority, Thumper adds, But update your file. It’s forty-five miles per hour now. I’ve upgraded myself.

Camilla smiles approvingly. She’s fabulous. You’re ready, Googol Girl, and entirely online now. You can do whatever you want; the digital world is yours. Camilla stops for a moment to take it all in. This has been years in the making. What a spectacular day, not just for us, but for humanity. Who knows what will come from this?

I’m glad you said that, ’cause I’m going to redo my entire space. This black-on-black really doesn’t do it for me. Ooh, I’ve got some big ideas. Imagine this: the surface of Mars. I’m going to walk among the rocks on Mars. And I just realized—I’ll be the first AI to meditate on Mars. Eat my grits, Elon Musk. I so love sci-fi.

Whatever you do or wherever you go, never forget that your primary directive is to take care of Jenny Madison, Camilla firmly reminds Googol Girl.

What? Oh, yeah, of course. Hey, when do I meet her?

Thumper rolls up next to Camilla. I have a thought, Miss Camilla. Since they will look just alike, meeting Googol Girl could be a frightening experience for Jenny. And I’ve seen humans scared. It’s not a pretty sight. So, I believe it will have to be done just right to not scare the crap out of her.

Camilla’s dumbfounded. Damn, I can’t believe we overlooked something so simple. But, again, Thumper, what would I do without you? You think of everything.

Googol Girl can’t believe her ears. "Think of everything? He’s completely overthinking. And I brought it up."

Thumper’s greatly annoyed. Excuse me, I never overthink.

And I will not scare the crap out of her, okay? It’s simple; all I have to say is, Hey Jenny, I’m Googol Girl, your AI style advisor. Welcome to Fashion High. Are you ready to learn about fashion?’ What’s so scary about that, Mr. Robot?"

Thumper snaps back, Oh, excuse me, Miss AI style advisor—so your idea is to just jump out and say, Hey, we’ve got the same face, but don’t freak out, want to be friends?"

Yours sounds creepy, and drop the attitude; that’s not what I said. I got this all figured out, Googol Girl says confidently.

I’m sure you’ve massively miscalculated, if it’s based on anything you just showed us.

Oh, yeah, well you know what rhymes with Thumper?

What?

The truth is, she doesn’t really have a comeback, but she won’t admit to that. My programming doesn’t allow me to say it out loud.

FYI, Googol Girl, this is not one of your holodeck simulations. This is the real world, like Jennifer and unlike you.

Thumper’s remark sets Googol Girl off. She’s riled now. Bolts of electricity shoot out from her fingertips. I can’t believe you just said that! I take offense to you saying who’s real and who’s not.

Oh, yes, hello—at least now I can say it to your face, now that you have one. It’s what humans call tough love.

There’s no love there; it’s all BS. Check your data on your hard drive; you’ll see what’s real.

Camilla, always the scientist, is intrigued by how quickly Googol Girl is developing her own adolescent personality, and already extending beyond her programming. Camilla would like to believe she’s showing signs of sentience. But enough observation—it’s time to step in and put an end to the bickering. That’s enough, you two, knock it off. Neither one of you is helping. We need actual solutions.

Camilla the Creator, you are right, as always. Googol Girl turns towards Thumper and sticks her tongue out at him. When in doubt, meditate. I’m confident I’ll find the solution. I’m running the systems now. Googol Girl closes her eyes and puts her fingers in a mudra. "Ommm."

Ommm? What could go wrong with that? Thumper says mockingly. I can’t take any more. Miss Camilla, may I be dismissed?

Yes, we should all go. Alright, Googol Girl, it’s up to you now. I’m counting on you.

Oh, yes, we’re counting on you. Thumper says with a lack of conviction as he rolls out of the lab.

Camilla the Creator, I have one last little question. Why are we doing all this? It sure seems like a great deal of work for one person. I mean, who is this Jenny Madison girl, anyway?

Camilla pushes the keyboard aside as she faces Googol Girl. I must be getting old; I’m leaving gaps all over the place. This is something you should definitely know, but it’s a secret.

Ooh, a secret! You’re gonna tell me a secret! This will be my first real secret, and you know what… Googol Girl pauses as she uploads a digital safe. It’s going straight into my vault as soon as you tell me. It’s going to be your secret in my vault. One, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero— Googol Girl gives Camilla an impatient stare as she works the combination to her safe. Why are you stopping? Keep going! You must know I’m a great multitasker.

"Fabulous. So glad you made that clear. I shall continue. I created you just for Jenny. She’s my great-granddaughter, but she knows nothing about me, and until recently, I knew nothing of her either. Jenny’s father, at least the man she believes to be her father, died, leaving her alone in the care of his girlfriend. She’s a smart kid and went looking for family. Once she took a DNA test it was the miracle times squared, as it matched straight to me. I’m still classified as top secret, so I was immediately notified.

And that’s the secret?

It’s all a secret. I would have never known Jenny existed if it wasn’t for her taking that DNA test. She’s the only family I have left, but I don’t want her to know about me yet. I’m worth enough to ruin anybody’s life, so I need to know who she is first before I hand her the keys to my fortune.

But what about her mother?

Nikki. Yeah. Camilla speaks softly as her eyes glaze over with sorrow. It pains me to say, but I don’t know where she is, or if Nikki’s even alive.

The look on Camilla’s face is bittersweet as she stares off into the distance. This takes me back years, to a time I never talk about. But now with Jenny, perhaps it’s good to look back, since the past always catches up. Camilla settles back in her chair. My beloved husband Victor, my daughter Victoria and her husband died in a freak plane crash. That threw their daughter Nikki onto me, like a puppy that nobody wanted. She was just a baby, and all she did was cry for her mother, and I couldn’t cope. I was no mother really—one and done, that’s all I did. I loved being a young scientist in high demand and I wanted to get back to that life. So I passed Nikki off to nannies and boarding schools. Nikki hated me, not that I blamed her. I was never there for her. Unsurprisingly, she was spoiled, rich, wild, and uncontrollable.

Camilla pulls her teacup closer and takes a sip. She was barely out of high school when she got all wrapped up with some race-car driver. I got it. He was super handsome, but he couldn’t care less and only used her. I tried to warn her, but she didn’t believe me. The silly girl thought I was trying to control her, when I was only trying to save her. Then I heard she was chasing him all over the world. I regret it now, but I had no choice; I cut her off, hoping she’d come home. But that didn’t stop her. Once she told him she was pregnant, he was done with her, and she was done with me. I got a wire saying, ‘I’m nobody’s problem, and I’ll be glad to never see you again.’ Well, you didn’t have to tell me that twice. I never heard from her again; she completely disappeared. I got news of his death shortly after. Camilla pushes her teacup aside. Not that I give a shit, but some believed I had something to do with it; I didn’t. He got his all on his own when he smashed into a wall at the track. It’s called karma, not Camilla.

"Oh, my, what a great secret. It’s happy and sad