December 25
7:46 AM
Fairvale, California
Jack woke up, stretched, and reached for Teddy. “Merry Christmas, Bear!”
He was surprised to find Teddy was nowhere to be found. He searched under his blankets, and then jumped out of bed and looked beneath it. He hunted for him on the floor, on the desk, and behind the computer. He took the briefest moment to admire the growth of the bean plant, (it was nearly a foot tall now!) and then he took it from the bedside table. He leaned the table forward to see if Teddy had somehow fallen behind it. His bear wasn’t there.
Nat King Cole was singing about chestnuts roasting on an open fire while the 8-foot Christmas tree glittered with tinsel and ornaments in the living room. Wrapped presents were underneath the tree. It was a Norman Rockwell Christmas scene when Jack came running down the stairs. He was not happy.
“Have you seen Teddy?” he shouted when he came into the living room.
Marion got up from the couch to kneel in front of Jack. “He’s not in your room?” She smiled knowingly at Martin.
“He’s nowhere upstairs, and he can’t operate down here. I thought he might have fallen down the stairs, lost his contact with our Bluetooth, and been unable to get back upstairs.”
“That’s logical thinking,” said Martin, lighting his pipe. “It doesn't seem likely, though, since I don’t see him at the bottom of the steps. Do you?”
Jack looked under the staircase, and he became more concerned, still. “What could have happened to him?”
“Maybe Santa Claus took him back to The North Pole to work on him,” said Martin thoughtfully. He puffed his pipe. “Had you considered that possibility?”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Father, Santa doesn’t exist. We’ve been through this.”
“If you had asked me three weeks ago,” said Marion, sitting beneath the tree, “I would have told you that walking, talking Teddy Bears don’t exist either. I would have been wrong, though, wouldn’t I?”
“Teddy’s existence doesn’t violate the laws of physics, Mother. He’s just an extension of what we could already do. He’s a simple step forward. If I don’t find him… what will happen to him?” Tears began to form in Jack’s eyes.
“Well, why don’t we open some presents,” said Jack’s father, “and we’ll deal with the Teddy problem later.”
“How am I supposed to think about presents when Teddy could be in mortal danger?”
“I don’t think someone who isn’t actually alive can be in mortal danger, do you?” Martin looked at his son seriously.
“How do you know he’s not alive? He does nearly everything living things do.”
“Living things all share what traits?” Martin asked. “You know this one.”
“He grows and develops. That’s what his AI is all about. He reproduces his traits. That’s how he got you out of doing all that work. He can respond to stimuli. He answers nearly every question asked of him. He can adapt to his environment. He uses energy. That’s why I charge him every week. He evolves, just not through natural selection.”
“He doesn’t breathe. He doesn’t ingest food. He doesn’t create waste. You sort of left those out, didn’t you?”
“Not every form of life does those things. For example, some bacteria can obtain energy through the process of chemosynthesis, using inorganic compounds as a source of energy rather than sunlight. Some organisms, such as plants, can produce their own food through photosynthesis, using energy from the sun to convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose.”
“He still doesn’t breathe, though, does he?”
“Life can exist without oxygen. Some microorganisms, such as certain types of bacteria and archaea, can survive and carry out their metabolic processes in the absence of oxygen. These organisms are known as anaerobes, and they can obtain energy through processes other than cellular respiration, such as fermentation or chemosynthesis.”
“So, you think Teddy is alive?” asked Marion.
“He’s just a different form of life, Mother. He does everything living things do. And right now, if he’s still on, he has to be scared. We have to find him.”
“Hmm…” Martin picked up a present from under the tree. “This one is marked ‘To Jack, From Santa.’ I wonder what it is.”
Jack looked at his Father suspiciously. He took the present and ripped the wrapping paper ingloriously from it. He opened the box and saw Teddy sitting inside. “You scared me half to death, Father.”
“It wasn’t your Father, Jack. Don’t you remember what you told me you were dreaming of for Christmas?”
“Children all over the world getting a living Teddy Bear. We’re not that far along. And Teddy can only live upstairs.”
“Turn him on, Smart Guy,” said Martin.
Jack frowned and pressed Teddy’s nose. The stuffed bear stretched, stood up, and hugged Jack. “Merry Christmas, Jack.”
Tears began to well up in Jack’s eyes. He looked at his parents. “How did you…”
“I think you said you wanted more Wi-fi coverage for Christmas. Teddy can work anywhere in the house now, and for quite a distance in the yard.” Martin was grinning.
Jack hugged Martin and Marion together. “This is the best Christmas ever!”
And that’s when the pounding on the door came.
They heard someone outside shout, “FBI!” before the door was kicked open.
Marion screamed and leapt on top of Jack. Martin dropped his pipe and got to his feet. “What the hell…”
“Everyone stay right where you are,” said the large well-dressed man pointing a gun at Martin. “Martin Zephyr, you’re under arrest for Unauthorized Computer Access, under 18 USC 1030.” He moved to Martin quickly while the other two agents began searching the house. “We’re executing a search warrant. I need you to get on the ground on your stomach and put your hands behind your back.”
Marion was shaking and holding Jack tight, his head pressed to her chest so he couldn’t see what was happening. She heard the agent handcuffing Martin and reading him his Miranda rights. Her eyes were closed and tears started to slip down her cheek. She heard the sound of feet coming down the stairs.
“Did you get all the computers?”
“There were only two. One in the office and the other in the kid’s room.”
Marion didn’t see Teddy crawling out from beneath Jack, who was rocking back and forth in his mother’s arms. She heard his voice, though.
“Excuse me, gentlemen. It wasn’t Mr. Zephyr.”
Marion opened her eyes now and saw Teddy standing in front of the agents, his paws above his head.
“It was me.”
