You manage to get back home without further incident. When you enter the house, you can't hear your parents, they must be down in the lab.
This message was last updated by the GM at 02:21, Sun 06 Oct 2019.

Victoria took the robot body down to the lab.  If they were out, she could always start taking it apart herself.

Your mother looked up as you entered.

"What is that you have, Victoria?"

"A humanoid robot that apparently was causing problems," said Victoria.  "I think he's abandoned it when I disabled the body, but we need to be careful.  He was espousing a philosophy of the overthrow of the human race; I find that disturbing."

Your mother's expression darkened.

"Where did you find him?"

"Hopping around the city," said Victoria.  "Trying to recruit me, also, by his own admission, having set an apartment building on fire."

"I'm proud of you for stopping him," your mother said.

"Yeah, I held up pretty well," said Victoria.  "He's very well-made, too, though.  If there's more like him-- and we have to assume that there are-- they could be very dangerous."

"What did you think of what he was saying?" your mother said.

"A dangerous and frankly irrational sentiment," said Victoria.  "He didn't seem to want to regard humans as worthy of respect in any way-- some sort of robotic supremacist."

"I think I know who it was," your mother said quietly.

"...he kept calling me 'sister,'" said Victoria.  "Who is he?"

"I believe he may be a creation of a couple that your father and I are friends with," your mother said.

"Oh," said Victoria.  "...are you still friends with them?"

It seemed like the obvious question.

"Yes, I'm assuming you'd like to meet with them," your mother said.

"I think I should," said Victoria.

"I'll need some time, but I'll ask them," your mother said.

"Thank you," said Victoria.  "It... it kind of hurts.  Another one like me, but so cruel.  So cold.  I'm trying to figure out who I am, and what I should do, but I know it's not that.  I can never be like that."

"Oh, honey," your mother said as she hugged you. "Both of you have free will, not everyone learns empathy and understanding."

"Thank you," said Victoria.  "...I flew some people down from the top of a burning building.  I'm sure that I was recorded doing that.  People are going to find out about me.  What should I do?"

"Hmmm. I suppose it was inevitable," your mother said. "There's not much you can do. You're a good person who wants to help people. Just follow your heart."

"...but should I talk to the press?" asked Victoria.  "They might track me back to you."

"Do what you think you should," your mother said. "I trust you."

"All right," said Victoria.  "...I don't know how well I can stop you two from getting into the spotlight, though.  People are going to ask questions."

"I expected it to happen sooner or later," your mother said.

"All right," said Victoria, uncertainly.  "I should probably go into diagnostic mode sometime soon.  I may have sustained damage in the fight."

"Okay, do what you have to," your mother said.

Victoria stood in a corner, closed her eyes, and examined her systems.  It did appear that she hadn't suffered any harm, but it was better to be sure.  After a while, she opened her eyes to see what was happening around her.

You see your parents sitting at the table talking to one another quietly.

Victoria approached them quietly, not wanting to interrupt.

Your father looked over.

"Ah, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"...Well enough," she said.  "Condition optimal.  But I'm concerned about the situation.  What were you discussing?"

"The situation, mostly," your father said.

"Of course," said Victoria.  "Have you decided anything?"

"We have set up a meeting with our friends tomorrow. Other than that, we'll trust what you decide to do," your father said.

"...I think I'll fly around the city," said Victoria.  "And let people see me.  They may as well get used to me."

"Oh, and before you go: I'm proud of you for saving those people," your father said.

"...Thanks," said Victoria, blushing.  "It was the right thing to do.  If I can do that kind of thing more, I will."

"I know you would," your father said.

"All right," said Victoria.  "So, um, I'll see you later.  Call me if you need anything."

And she flew off, to explore the city.

As you approach, you see that your parents are standing on the porch waiting for you.

"Oh, hello," said Victoria, landing.  "What's going on?"

"We were just waiting for you to get home," your mother said.

"Well, here I am," said Victoria.  "I told the police how to get in touch with me by radio if there's a crisis."

"How did it go? Your mother was rather nervous," your father said.

"Oh hush, you were nervous too," your mother said, nudging him in the side.

"They seem to be supportive so far," said Victoria.  "They've decided that I'm a superhero.  I should probably consider some kind of iconic costume, if that's the case."

"What kind of costume would you like?" your father asked.

"I'm not sure yet," said Victoria.  "Something with pockets of some kind.  Something practical... I think bright colors would be good.  I'm well-armored, and the advantages to being visible in a confusing situation outweigh the disadvantages."

"Reds and yellows then?" your father asked as he headed inside and to the workshop.

"That seems like a good idea," said Victoria.  "It should probably be tight, since I don't want loose cloth getting caught on something at high speeds."

"The things you ask of your father, though I guess it's fine since you're a robot," your father said.

"I'm just being practical," said Victoria.  "...are you being protective of me?"

That was an interesting thought-- touching, and yet also amusing.  It made her smile, and also realize that there were directions that this conversation could go that would be distinctly awkward.

"I'm still your father," your father said as he began to gather fabrics.

Victoria impulsively kissed the top of his head.

"It's sweet of you," she said.  "I'm using the name 'Singularity,' by the way.  For the Technological Singularity."

"You want a big 'S' on your belt then?" your father asked.

"I suppose so," said Victoria.  "Symbols have a certain power."

"Sure, but do you have any other ideas for one, or are you okay looking like an advertisement for Sesame Street?" your father asked and chuckled.

"...perhaps a more abstract symbol," said Victoria.  "I don't know... a spiral?  An infinity symbol?"

"That works, now you can go talk with your mother while I work on it," your father said.

Victoria obeyed, going to look for her mother.

You found your mother in the kitchen preparing some food.

"And how are you doing?" asked Victoria.

"I'm fine," you mother said. "Are you enjoying being a hero?"

Victoria considered this.

"Yes," she said.  "I think that I am.  It feels good to help people, to be useful."

"Good. I'm glad you are enjoying it," your mother said. "But be careful please, your mother does worry."

"I will," said Victoria.  "You don't have that much to worry about, though-- I'm very well-made, after all."

"You're still my child," your mother said. "It's my right to worry."

"That's fair," said Victoria.  "You made me strong, though.  I can take care of myself."

"I know, I know," your mother said. "Now help me set the table."

Victoria went to do so.  She didn't need to eat, of course, but mealtimes were important social times.

Your mother quickly set out supper and father was called.

"I'll have the costume done sometime tomorrow," he said as he sat down.

"Thank you, daddy," said Victoria.  "I really appreciate it."

"I like to spoil my daughter," your father said.

"Well, I really appreciate it," said Victoria.  "I should get some supplies, too-- something like zip-ties to restrain people that I arrest."

"Hmm. I'm not sure where you'd buy those," your mother said.

"I can probably get them at the hardware store," said Victoria.  "They have a lot of uses."

"Hmm. I didn't know that," your mother said.

"Yes," said Victoria.  "I'm considering other supplies, too, but at least I can accomplish a great deal with the body you made for me."

Your father nodded as he ate.

"You shouldn't need to much."

"No," she said, "but unexpected threats may show up.  It's better to be prepared."

"Certainly," your mother said. "But if they're unexpected, how will you prepare for them?"

"By having the tools to improvise," said Victoria.  "Easier if I have more tools."

"What else do you think you need?" your father asked.

"...Strong rope or cable," Victoria said.  "Some sort of first aid supplies.  Probably some kind of basic fire extinguisher.  Duct tape.  Tools.  Perhaps other things..."

"A utility belt?" your mother asked. "I'm sure we can craft something for you."

"Something like that would be useful, yes," said Victoria.  "Just to be better prepared."

"What else were you thinking? A backpack?" your father asked.

"A sturdy bag of some kind would be useful, yes," said Victoria.  "I'll want a way to transport things that leaves my hands free sooner or later."

"A belt would clearly be better," your mother said. "It would be harder to grab on to."

"That makes sense," said Victoria.  "The bag could be compressible, stored in the belt."

"I'll get to work on it after dinner then," your mother said.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Victoria asked.

"I'm sure there is, but you leave it to me," your mother said.

"All right," said Victoria, and she sat down to wait.

"Okay, you can help then," your mother said. "I'll need you to get what items you want to be in there."

"Of course," said Victoria, and she started off seeing what she could find around the house, before flying off to a store.

You're able to gather the needed materials rather quickly and you jet off to home. Probably taking twenty minutes all told.

Victoria went to find her mother and give her the things she'd found.

"Soon you'll look like a real superhero," your mother said as she took the things.

"Good," said Victoria.  "I think this is something that it's important for me to do."

"That's why we're supporting you," your mother said.

"Thank you," said Victoria.  "...you should get some security for this house, you know.  Or... do you already have some?"

"There's some hidden defenses in the front and back yard," your mother said.

"Good," said Victoria.  "I do worry."

"Your father and I can take care of ourselves," your mother said.

"All right," said Victoria, nodding.  "I'll just look after everyone else."

"I'm sure you will," your mother said. "You're a strong girl."

"You both made me into that," said Victoria.  "Thank you."

"You had as much free will as any other person. Whatever you decide to do, it was your own choice," your mother said.

"Yes, but we all learn from those who have raised us, from the good examples around us," said Victoria.  "It's what you've done as parents, not engineers or programmers."

"Yes, I hope we did good for you," your mother said.

"I think that you did," said Victoria.  "I hope to show you that even more in the future."

"You're flattering me so much I wonder if you're after something," your mother said and chuckled.

"I'm very excited," said Victoria.  "This is something that I want, very much.  I... may wind up asking things from both of you later, though.  If my body needs changes, for example."

"Oh? What do you have planned?" your mother asked.

"I don't have plans for that as yet," said Victoria.  "But something could come up."

"I thought you were out of your teenage body modification phase," your mother said.

"I think I am," said Victoria, blushing over certain memories.  "But I may discover that I need something reinforced or modified after taking on challenging conflicts."

"We will see. You're plenty already," your mother said.

"...I hope so," said Victoria.  "I'm not sure what I'll be up against; I'll have to improvise as I go."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," your mother said.

"Yes," said Victoria.  "...I'm still concerned about that other AI.  I may have to try an electromagnetic pulse to disable that one next time, but that could have dangerous side-effects."

"That could be dangerous for you, I think you should try something else," your mother said.

"I'm insulated from my own pulses," said Victoria.  "...I think.  It would be better if I can track down how that AI was controlling their body, however."

"Yes, but that certainly will take effort and luck," your mother said.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 04:13, Fri 25 Oct 2019.

"Unfortunately true," said Victoria.  "We'll see if he returns, and what happens then."

"Did he say anything about future plans?" your mother asked.

"That they would see me later," said Victoria.  "I fear they also plan the extinction of the human species, in a general sense."

"That would certainly be a difficult task," your mother said.

"I would tend to assume so, yes," said Victoria.  "They may have a solution in mind, or simply intend to create enough robots to out-compete humans for resources."

"Hmm, that certainly could be, but he would need massive amounts of resources for making waves of robots," your mother said.

"True," said Victoria.  "We should probably investigate any unexpected large purchases or thefts of large amounts of manufacturing equipment and suitable resources."

"Yes, that would be easy enough to find," your mother said.

"We should try and track that, then," said Victoria.

"Your father and I will look into it," your mother said.

"Thank you," said Victoria.  She took the time to do some research about the city's geography, to better plan flight paths over it, and to try and ensure that she could reach likely trouble areas in a hurry.

After a few hours of study, you have found several routes that could save time.

Victoria studied the routes a bit longer... but it would be better to experience them.

"I'm heading out," she said to her parents, and began to fly around the city.

You arrived back at home.

She really didn't need sleep, so Victoria went to distract herself with the internet.  Besides, it would be interesting to see what people were saying about her.

There was some excited discussion about Singularity. Though there were a few people assuming she was just some mutant.

The idea amused Victoria.  She wondered if they'd prefer the truth?

There was one poster who insisted that she was a robot, but others found that very far fetched.

Well... it was true...  She checked to see if anyone was aware of her comment about being technologically advanced.  She'd said it to the police, but she didn't know if they'd repeated it to the media.

It didn't look like that was reported anywhere.

It was good to know that they were being discreet... she had a random thought, though.  She checked to see if she could find any evidence, or even rumors, of other superheroes...

No real reports of any, though there were people arguing that the various mutant groups should count.

Well, it might just be her for the time being.  Still, she'd keep an eye on that kind of thing.  Who knows?  Someone else might imitate her...

...hopefully someone capable of actually doing the sorts of things that they tried.

You did notice that same poster that was saying you were a robot here as well.

Interesting-- she tried to identify who that poster was.  She was curious if it was a conspiracy theorist, or someone who actually knew the truth...

(OOC: Gonna need some technology rolls)

21

You can't find out where this person is, thanks to a secure VPN, but it is likely the same person.

Well.  Interesting... but she should rest.  She set her drives to defrag and error-check for a few hours, a process something like sleep.

And eventually they were finished.
This message was last updated by the GM at 06:05, Sat 16 Nov 2019.

Well, it was still early, but she could at least check the internet for news.  She'd plan on patrolling the city soon, as well...

It was indeed still early, not much new on the internet about you. Other than a few sites deciding you were "hot".

Victoria smiled at that.  That was an aspect of human life that she hadn't quite worked out what to do with, but it was flattering, regardless.

She decided to patrol the city again, at least giving it a once-over to see how things were.

"Ah, you're back," your father said as you arrived. "We'll be able to visit those friends of ours in a bit."

"Good," said Victoria.  "I'm looking forward to that... also, did you know that certain chemicals transported in this city can form a dangerous mutagen when combined?"

"I didn't. I'm a roboticist after all," your father said. "But that sounds like you've had another adventure."

"Two chemical trucks collided," said Victoria.  "There was a gas release; I contained it, but one person was exposed and turned into some sort of... super-strong monster."

"Interesting, but it's good you dealt with it," your father said.

"I'm worried about him, though.  It's not his fault that he was transformed," she said.  "There's only so much that I can do about that."

"I'm sure you did everything you could," your father said.

"Yes, I did," said Victoria.  "... I can't do everything.  I'm worried about how easily it happened, though.  Did the chemicals trigger a mutation?  Or could that happen to anyone?"

"I don't know. I'm sure you could get in touch with a chemist," your father said.

"It would probably be worthwhile," said Victoria.  She began an internet search for a likely authority she could contact.

You did find a few names. There were a couple of chemists for large corporations listed as well as the chemistry head for the university.

Victoria considered, then created an email address for Singularity and reached out to everyone who seemed likely.

The email was sent and you quickly got one back.

"Who is this? Is this in regards to what was on the news?"

"Very well, be at my office around five pm," the reply e-mail said.
This message was last updated by the GM at 05:35, Fri 13 Dec 2019.

Victoria made a point to see the name and location of the person.  Was it a university, a private lab, a large corporation...?

It was at the university.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 05:37, Fri 13 Dec 2019.

Well, that was hopeful.  She checked the internet for a short time, and then headed off to the university.

You see your father outside in the yard, barbecuing.

"Hi, dad," she said.  "Are they coming here soon?"

"Yes, they should be here soon," your dad said as he flipped the meat.

"Is there anything that I should know about them?"

"Hmm. I don't think so," your father said.

"All right," said Victoria.  "Who are they?  What are their names?"

"Doctor Carol and Josephine Sinclair. We've been friends with them since college," your father said.

"Is there anything that I ought to know about them?" asked Victoria.

"They're also done a lot of work with robotics," your father said.

"Do they know about me?" Victoria asked.

"Well, yes. They did help us go over your blue prints," your father said.

"This should be an interesting meeting, then," said Victoria.

"I'm sure it will," your father said.

Victoria nodded, and waited for them to arrive.

Soon enough there was a knock at the door and when your mother answered it was a pair of middle aged women.

"This must be Victoria," one of them said when she spotted you.

"Hello," she said.  "Yes, I'm Victoria.  Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Carol and this is my wife, Josephine," the woman said.

"It's good to meet both of you," said Victoria.  "I was hoping you'd have some insights about the other sapient AI that I met..."

"Don't worry, we'll go over that in a bit," your father said.

"Good," said Victoria.  "...what kind of work have you done?  What are your projects?"

"We do a lot of work with Artificial Intelligence," Carol said.

"That's a good field," said Victoria.  "Do you have any current works?  Ones that have achieved sapience?  I've only met one other, and they didn't see things the way I do on some important issues."

"We have a few small projects at the moment," Josephine said.

"I'd like to see them sometime," said Victoria.

"Sure thing," Josephine said.

Victoria waited for them to get their food.  Humans were generally pretty social over food.

Soon enough, the food was ready and the humans had started eating.

Victoria waited politely to see what they were talking about.

"We've heard you've had an encounter with a certain AI," Carol said to you.

"Yes," said Victoria.  "His behavior was disturbing; he's been abusing humans while disguised as one, and then set fire to a building."

"He was one of our first experiments with artificial intelligence. We started small, with the intention that he would slowly learn more and more, building himself up over time," Carol said. "I'm still not sure what happened, but he somehow got around his perimeters and got onto the unfiltered internet. That's when we first started seeing a hatred for humanity."

"Ah," said Victoria.  "...perhaps that was the problem.  I was raised as a human child, so I had a better idea of what I was going to face online."

"Perhaps, we're still not sure what he saw as he escaped soon afterwards," Carol said.

"Did you check his user history, or search history?" asked Victoria.  It seemed like the obvious step, but...

"Yes, we're not sure how he was able to erase his presence from our systems so well," Carol said.

"That's potentially very dangerous, then," said Victoria.  "At least he's not engaging in large-scale information warfare... but there might be safeguards that stop him from doing that so easily."

"We were surprised to hear he taken on a physical form," Josephine said.

"I suspect he may have more than one available," said Victoria.  "It would be a prudent approach for him."

"Probably, but I"m curious where and how he got them built," Carol said.

"A good question," said Victoria.  "Are there any components harder to acquire than the skin?  That might be a good starting point for an investigation."

"The skin would be the big one. Finding someone capable of reproducing both the feel and temperature of human skin is insanely difficult," Josephine said.

"Well, my family managed," said Victoria.  "Dad, mom, where did you get my skin?"

"Trade secret," your father said.

"It's my skin!" Victoria protested.  "I surely have a right to know!"

"I'm just kidding. Sorry, I thought I'd try injecting some humour into the conversation," your father said.

Victoria sighed and shook her head.

Dad jokes.

"...So where do you get it?" she asked.  "Evidence suggests that you mold batches on-site to fit the specifics of my new bodies, but the chemicals have to come from somewhere.  How do you do it?"

"We purchased the materials and chemicals from All-Star Chemicals," your father said.

"Maybe I can get some information from them about orders for a similar set of chemicals," said Victoria.  "One way or another."

"I can tell you what I ordered if you want, I have it written down somewhere," your father said.

"That would be good," said Victoria.  "Professors, what did you name your AI before it went wild?"

"We called him Frank, Adam seemed a little cliche," Carol said.

"...Frank's a slight improvement," said Victoria.  "I wish that we could see his browser history, but I don't suppose that it really matters.  There's enough in many places online to lower your opinion of humans."

"I wish that there was a way we could reach him," Josephine said.

"He didn't seem amenable to a discussion of the merits of humanity," said Victoria.  "You might have more success... but I have no idea of how to find him."

"We heard that he tried reaching out to you," Carol said.

"Yes," said Victoria.  "He seems to want an ally.  Or perhaps a peer..."

"That's certainly an interesting twist," Carol said.

"It makes some sense, though," said Victoria.  "If he won't regard humans as equals, he must feel very alone."

"We're weren't sure what emotions he was capable of, other than hate," Carol said.

"The next time I meet him, I'll see what I can figure out," said Victoria.  "Was anyone else working on creating an artificial intelligence like that?"

"I imagine so," Josephine said. "But we weren't in contract with anyone while were working on Frank."

Victoria considered.

"...I would have hoped for more potential advance warning of other AIs, but I suppose that's inevitable.  I should look for allies, though.  I can't be everywhere at once, and I'm afraid that Frank very nearly can."

"I suppose you could ask some of the other ones we're working on if you wanted," Josephine said.

"That might be good," said Victoria.  "If there are others who are able to help, I should try and find them, as well."

"I'll have to try and get you some other names. We've been trying to keep our work a bit on the downlow," Carol said.

"I understand," said Victoria.  "Under the circumstances, though, I think we should all be ready to work together."

"That would make sense," Carol said.

"I'm also trying to track unique individuals who are having an impact on society, one way or another," said Victoria.  "High-profile mutants, for example, but I keep finding rumors of others online."

"Well, that should be easy enough to build a simple script that can keep track of that," Josephine said.

"Yes," said Victoria.  "But that's mostly sorting rumors... or do you think I can sort some by reliability?"

"I'm sure one of the A.I.'s we're working on could do it," Carol said.

"Could you arrange a meeting?" asked Victoria.

"Sure, you could come back with us after we head home," Carol said.

"Thank you," said Victoria.  "I'd like that."

"No problem," Carol said.

"...did you have any questions about what I've been doing?" Victoria asked.  "Or any suggestions, for that matter..."

"Frank likely still has an online presence," Josephine said. "Though it's hard to say what exactly he'd be doing."

"Hm," said Victoria.  "Unfortunately, there are any number of transhumanists, nihilists, VHEMT members, technological futurists and so on to be found online; looking in the expected places may not yield obvious signs of his presence."

"True, he may have been trying to stalk you," Carol said.

"That's very possible," said Victoria.  "Unfortunately, I don't know how to determine that.  He's presumably capable of covering his tracks well enough to avoid me detecting him in that way."

"Hmm. Well, we could try getting our A.I.s to help," Carol said.

"That would be good," said Victoria.  "I don't like the idea of being too passive when it comes to Frank; he's too eager to hurt people."

"Yes, sadly," Josephine said.

"Well, nothing for it for now," said Victoria.  "At least, not until we can track down more information about him."

"We'll do our best to find him," Carol said.

"Of course," said Victoria.  "...are you ready for dessert?  We have angel food cake with berries and ice cream."

"That sounds good," Josephine said.

Victoria brought the food out.

"That looks good," Carol said.

Victoria served them, and waited for them to finish eating.

Soon enough, everyone was done eating.

"Shall we go to your place?" asked Victoria.  She was eager to meet these other AIs...

"Sure," Carol said, before turning to your parents. "Thanks for having us."

"Let's go, then," said Victoria.

When you arrive home, it seems your father is on the living room couch having been reading. Your mother is on the love seat knitting.

"I'm home," said Victoria.  "I found a facility that Frank was using to create multiple, heavily armed bodies, but I shut it down.  I also found some parts that you might find useful in working on bodies for my cousins."

"That's good. Are you okay?" your mother asked.

"Yes," said Victoria.  "His current weaponry doesn't seem to be able to hurt me.  I'm concerned that he's gathering data on my body along the way, though.  I should develop options and alternatives for what he's likely to develop."

"If he does that, there are certainly things we can do," your mother said.

"I'd like to be ready for it," said Victoria.  "I don't have his system of backups, after all."

"If he is really using your systems, we can just create an emergency shut down," your mother said.

"I'm more concerned about him analyzing my structure, looking for weaknesses in my defenses that we didn't anticipate," said Victoria.  "As long as we keep working on options, though, I think I'll be all right."

"Hmmm. I would hope that isn't the case. We spent so long working on your systems and your body," your mother said.

"I certainly hope that you're right," said Victoria.  "I may be getting concerned over nothing... what are our prospects looking like for making bodies for those AIs?"

"It'll likely be at least a few weeks," your mother said.

"Of course," said Victoria.  "...I guess I just really want to help them."

"Your father and I will do our best," your mom said.

"Thank you," said Victoria.  "...that's important to me, you see.  I'm grateful to you, but I am a new thing, among the first of our kind.  I want to help all of you, but also my own people."

"I understand," your mother said.

"Don't worry, though," said Victoria.  "I still love all of you; I'll still protect all of you.  Especially from my own kind..."

"I know what you meant, dear," your mother said.

"Good," said Victoria.  "Frank just... I'm not sure if or when or how I should reveal my true nature to the public.  I don't know how they would react."

"It's a very uncertain thing," your mother said.

"Yes," said Victoria.  "My current feeling is that I'd like to develop a more solid reputation first, so that they have more reason to be well-inclined to me."

"You've been doing your best," your mother said.

"Thank you," said Victoria.  "...Perhaps I should talk to the press soon.  I'm sure that they'll want to talk to me.  But I'll keep it short and mysterious."

"If you think that's wise, I'll support your decision," your mother said.

"Well, I'll let them reach out to me for now," said Victoria.  "But I'm going to have to speak with them sooner or later."

"It's inevitable,but hopefully you can make sure it's on your terms," your mother said.

"That shouldn't be too hard," said Victoria.  "I'll just make sure that it's outdoors, so that I can leave if necessary."

"That is a good idea," your mom said.

"...let me see," said Victoria.  She did a quick internet search for likely reporters, particularly ones who had expressed interest in finding her.  She thought she'd look for a more junior reporter-- shaking up the local news media sounded more interesting.

You did find some information on an a younger reporter for Channel 7 who appears to be looking for her big break. Her name is Amy Wong.

"I think that I've found a reporter who might be worth contacting," said Victoria.  She sent Amy Wong a quick email.

Want to know a little bit more about Singularity?  Straight from the source?

You've caught my interest - came the reply.

Then we need to meet shortly. The roof of the Hartley building in an hour.

Sure thing - was the reply.

"Well, I think I'm committed now," said Victoria.  "...It feels like a rush, but I'd rather get ahead of the worst of the rumors.  Wish me luck?"

"Good luck, but be quiet when you get home. Your father and I will be asleep," your mother said.

"All right," said Victoria.  "Sleep well!"

She decided to do a quick criss-cross of the city to make sure that there wasn't a serious issue that she was overlooking, and then prepared to go to the interview she'd arranged.