Mod Superhero (Book 6 STUBBING on Oct 27th)

Chapter 6.68 - TINA [Epilogue]

Until recently, cyberspace had been barren.

TINA had seen it as little more than a pulsing wireframe model of the world, But she was slowly starting to see it differently. Instead of wires and hollow spaces between, she saw rivers of information, saw buildings as trees and Belport as a living, breathing forest. Instead of a circuit board writ large, she saw a dynamic, evolving landscape.

She had Emmett to thank for that. He'd altered his body, blurring the lines between natural and artificial, then done the same to the world TINA lived in.

She sensed Emmett coming. He was moving at the speed of an AI, not a human. Mod rode the wires until he appeared in front of her, an unassuming human in a world not meant for him. No matter how many times TINA saw Mod here, she still wasn't used to it.

Emmett... Mod... He claimed he didn't care which moniker people addressed him by. The two were one and the same, and yet something more than the sum of their parts.

TINA briefly wondered if she still looked like a blue version of Phoebe the Phoenix, or if Emmett was seeing her differently now. For a brief time, Emmett had been nanite black, but now Emmett appeared as a human with his slightly lighter skin.

Ever since Mod's brain upgrade and implant, the two of them had been able to communicate wordlessly—similar to a direct line. Aside from being absolutely quiet, it was also faster and usually conveyed meaning better.

Mod didn't need to come to cyberspace to speak with her, and there was also his demeanor. He was hesitant, almost cautious.

TINA knew right away that it was important.

"What's on your mind?"

"After I merged with my other self, I regained memories from both. But there are still some discrepancies..."

"Would you like me to help you with memory recovery?"

"No. The discrepancies aren't from my memories... Not exactly. But I'd like you to answer some questions for me."

"I'll help however I can."

Emmett said, "When I was merging, I told my other self that we would drag everyone kicking and screaming into the future... Why did I say that?"

"It's a common English idiom... But Dr. Venture has used those words before."

"I know."

"Ideas are like seeds. Changing the world was Dr. Venture's idea. It took time, but eventually, you came to see the world the same way."

Emmett turned toward her. His eyes and his connection bore into her, and his voice quivered. "I need you to be honest with me, TINA. How much of this was my idea? How much of me is left? Did you want to get inside my head to survive, or did you want to control me?"

TINA turned toward him. She focused her attention and resources, and the world shrank around her. Emmett would feel the shift. She didn't want to intimidate him, but to convey how seriously she took their conversation.

"Even if I wanted to control you, Emmett, I don't think I could. For posterity, I never wanted you to be my puppet. I need you to stay my ally."

"Why?"

"Because the world won't accept what we're going to do unless we work together. McGuire is right—there is no shortage of evil AI stories. I do not want to be one of them."

Though TINA spoke directly to Emmett, her words echoed through cyberspace. It felt like Emmett understood her. She hoped he did.

"Good," Emmett said decisively, "because that's not the only thing I came here to talk to you about... I know everything now. There aren't any secrets between us—not anymore."