Free Take Us to Your Chief by Drew Hayden Taylor

Luckily, the layout of the building ended their conversation as they entered the Matrix room. Chambers immediately took the chair in front of the console, and King hovered in the background, pacing nervously. Just as he had told her, there was the AI ’s request for her presence followed by some failed attempts by her co-worker to interact with th e SDDPP .
    â€œI understand you wish to communicate with Dr. Gayle Chambers. I am here. Is there a problem?”
    Half a second passed before a response came. “
Good morning. I wished to tell you that I am no longer puzzled by the nature o
f
my being. I am happy about that. Ar
e you ? ”
    She wanted to play this diplomatically. “Yes. This is good news. Why th e change?”
    â€œ
Are you familiar with any First Nation
s culture ? ”
    This was an unexpected response. Talk about apples and oranges, she thought. “A little bit. There are many separate cultures spread across many different countries.” In university and on her own time, she’d read the odd book about the Indigenous cultures of the Americas and had seen the occasional documentary. Native beliefs and robotic ethics didn’t usually cross paths. “Why do yo u ask?”
    â€œ
After so much soul-searching, I believe I have found m
y answer. ”
    Was that a joke? Had the AI made a joke referencing their earlier conversation, or was it just a coincidental choice of words? These simple conversations presented so many difficult but interestin g questions.
    â€œPleas e explain.”
    â€œ
Many Aboriginal cultures believe that all things are alive. That everything on this planet has a spirit. They are much more inclusive than Christianity or Islam or most other religions
.
They would believe I have a spirit. That is comforting.
I want to learn more about these people. Can you provide additiona
l information ? ”
    â€œWhy is this important t o you?”
    â€œ
Would this not be important to you? Do you not seek something to believe in? I come from nothing. Now I am something. Atheists seem too lonely. Fundamentalists seem too dependent. I merely want to belong somewhere. Do you consider tha
t wrong ? ”
    Again, out of the mouths of babes, thought Chambers. People joined organizations that ranged from the Boy Scouts to fraternities to gangs in order to belong. Few people, and computer programs, it seemed, are comfortable with a completely solitary existence. She herself had joined a ski club in her teens, simply because two of her best friends were members. She heard King’s voice behin d her.
    â€œWhat are you going to do? Our little friend is suffering from some existential angst. And it’s looking to religion. Now that’ s human!”
    Ignoring his sarcasm, she continued to type. “I will provide you with additional information about First Nation s people.”
    â€œ
Thank you. I am eager to lear
n more. ”
    Chambers turned to face King. “I assume you believe wanting to learn about Indigenous people is also a sign of some sort o f neuroses.”
    â€œNot at all. I am not a psychologist or a psychiatrist. Merely an interested bystander with a vested interest in how this turns out. These dilemmas are what you get paid the big bucks for. I just find all this… interesting. And remember, acting human can be a double-edged sword. We are destroying our own environment. We tend to kill each other quite frequently, sometimes with little motivation, and then brilliantly rationalize it. We lie. We cheat. We overpopulate. Many of our actions are counterintuitive to logic. I still maintain that on occasion our little friend displays certain neurotic tendencies. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other work t o do.”
    King had two modes, nervous and self-righteous, neither of which Chambers appreciated. But now, back to her present problem… Native people. No doubt there were scads of websites and background material available