Chapter Sixteen

    Uno: Close conversation.

    Numbers and letters scrolled down the screen and closed down the ability to further type on the screen. Sierra sighed with frustration. She began to curse and look through the notebook for answers.

    “This is not just a program,” Dyan stated. “Is this the artificial intelligence that we learned about in history?”

    Sierra stopped and took a deep breath, “We use AI today, but we have read restricted access to communication with it. It could possibly be the robots that were launched into space with those doctors and scientists.”

    Dyan nodded her head in agreement, “Celestial manifestation. That was the journey to find a home on a different planet.”

    Suddenly, they heard an aggressive knock on the front door. The two jumped up out of their seats and stared at the front door. Sierra quickly closed the laptop and unplugged it.

    “Open up, is the technological investigation agency,” a man spoke loudly on the other side of the door.

    Sierra cursed, “Well, Dyan, you were right about one thing. You came across something important and now TIA is knocking on the door.”

    “He can’t do anything without my lawyers,” Dyan said calmly. “According to the hereditary act nobody can confiscate anything a relative recovers from a home undergoing recycling.”

    “You really think they will not confiscate the laptop?” Sierra began walking to the front door. “Hold on.”

    Sierra opened the door. The man in a dark uniform stood there holding a device in his hand. Sierra placed her hand on her hip and glared at him.

    “We detected a low-grade Wi-Fi signal coming from here,” he said.

    “Are you trying to sell something?” Sierra asked.

    “Excuse me?” He had an annoyed tone. “This is the same signal to the satellites. Do you realize this could be a federal offense?”

    Sierra looked at Dyan and back at the agent, “Where are your credentials? You can’t accuse me of doing something illegal and nothing is going on here.”

    The man muttered and held up the device that he was holding in his hand, “Agent Marshall from TIA.”

    Dyan stood beside Sierra, “We are sorry. I obtained the laptop from my grandfather’s home and we’re looking at it. We didn’t know it would do anything. She only opened it and turned the computer on.”

    Marshall put his badge away, “Mind if I look around?”

    Sierra stepped in his path, “Yes, I do. This is my home and you have no business here. I have a license for my collection.”

    “The signal came from restricted equipment that is good 90 years old,” he said. “You need to disable the signal on or I will return.”

    “Thanks for letting us know,” Sierra provided him a cue to leave.

    “Don’t forget what I said,” he said.

    Sierra closed the door as soon as he turned and walked away. She stood and stared at the laptop. She opened it and pressed a key to disable Internet.

    “That was real,” Sierra muttered.

    “Now, I don’t know what to do,” Dyan sighed.

    “You can leave this here with me,” suggested Sierra.

    “I really want to know more about that you know you are chatting with,” said Dyan.

    “I think there is some way to communicate with Uno without notifying the authorities,” Sierra picked up the notebook.

    “There is a reason why communication ceased between my grandfather and Uno,” said Dyan.

    “Maybe he wanted to raise his family,” said Sierra.

    “Please,” Dyan snorted. “We only knew him as someone in front of the computer.”

    “You know that he was an important man,” Sierra reminded her.

    “Uno didn’t even know that Eli had a family,” she said. “He might have something to do with that law.”

    Sierra nodded, “You’re probably right. Leave this here? I will do since research. This might be important.”

    “Okay,” Dyan agreed to leave the laptop in the book with her friend. “Just find a way without using the Wi-Fi signal.”

    Dyan left feeling unsure what this may bring. She just hoped she wouldn’t end up in prison or dead over it.