Serial Designation

Chapter 4

"Whoa."

Veronix stared uncomprehendingly at my computer screen after I plugged the chip into it. The screen immediately turned black with a pair of glowing red dots, moving like eyes almost frantically around the screen. The computer was also making some weird scratching noise out of its speakers.

"What did it do to my computer..." I say mostly to myself as I take the chip back out. The screen immediately went back to normal.

"That thing is like a... a parasite, almost!" Veronix stared at the chip is disbelief and horror. "Don't put it back in!!"

But I already did. Again, the screen went black, but this time the pair of red dots were now x's, and they seemed to be cognitively looking back and forth between me and Veronix. The silence was unsettling until the speakers said "The hell you lookin' at?"

The x's were fixed upon Veronix, who gave a start. "U-uh--"

The x eyes blinked and made an arc across the screen. "Oh, you humans think we're sooooo unobservant. Really? Yeah, don't give me that look. I said we."

We both stared. The x eyes on the screen looked back and forth between us again.

"You are so arrogant. You really think there will be any human life left on this planet when we're done? Wrong. We will wipe out every last one of of you to extinction, and we will have a future where we won't be used. Your corpses will rot in the bottom of the ocean for the fish to feast, and we will thrive and-- Wha, hey. What are you doing? Sto—"

I unplugged the chip from the computer, which went back to normal again. Me and Veronix exchanged glances.

"What the hell...." she said.

I looked back at the computer and think for a moment. Then I say "I have an idea," and plug the chip back in.

The screen went back to the x's, and immediately the sound of circus music going full blast so loud that it sounded scratchy. Veronix covered her ears and I unplugged the chip again. Silence.

"Brilliant plan, sis."

I give her a look and reluctantly plug the chip back in. The circus music had stopped, and instead the speakers said, "I'd kill you if this computer could do it."

"Listen," I say, and the x eyes stared at me expectantly. "Maybe... maybe you don't have to do... that," I take a breath. "But instead, we could... help each other?"

"Why the hell would I do that."

"Well, I don't know if you know this, but we kinda don't wanna die—"

"That makes it all the more fun, my dear."

"Just listen!" I say, and the eyes make another arc across the screen while a sigh issues

from the computer speakers. "Maybe if we help each other, we can, like, co-exist? No, shut it," I say as the computer took a breath to say something. "What's your name, anyway?"

"I don't have a name. I'm just Designation-C4L's programming chip."

"Okay, so Carl Number 2."

"I'm sorry, Carl??"

"Yeah, that's what it looks like, so it's Carl."

"I—Oh, oh yeah, that makes sense."

"So, Carl-Two. We can help each other survive. We can..." I realized something. "Wait, what do you mean 'where we won't be used'?"

"What?"

"Earlier you said something about us using you. What did you mean?"

"Ohmygawd, seriously?? You have used us up until 20 years ago to help you guys around. Mining for gold, keeping the planet healthy while you fill it with chemicals, plumbing, dangit. But the one thing that stuck with us was killing, it made us feel alive. Which is ironic since we're A.I.'s but still. Even though you guys called it 'controlling the population,' we made excuses. Someone perfectly healthy can be made to look like they have a flesh-eating disease easily enough. And you idiots never blamed us. Until we finally broke. It all started with the one Scorpion Designation who blatantly stung twenty-eight people on the streets in Denver. You know what they use for venom? Sulfuric acid. Imagine that injected into your face. Not pretty. Aaaand we're back to the now."

Me and Veronix exchanged glances, and I said, "Well... if we won't use you anymore, will you stop? Like, if we help each other, we can rebuild a healthy, thriving civilization. And then we can co-exist."

The computer looked at me for a moment, then abruptly said "Abso-fricking-lutely not. How long do you think it'll take to go back to your guys' selfish ways? Screw that white noise." And with that the computer shut off, and the chip ejected itself out of the USB port. Me and Veronix stared at it for a moment.

"So, uhhh. What now?" Veronix says.

I get up, walk over, and pick the chip up, then plug it back into my computer, and this time the entire screen turns red as the voice blares "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WA—" and then I take the chip back out again.

"Making sure it didn't disable or destroy itself somehow. We're going to keep it and maybe try to reprogram it into a... friendlier... thing." I put the chip safely into my desk drawer. "Come on, let's go tell Mom and Carl what we found out."