Mad World

Chapter 10 (Last Chapter)

Isaac Garehart

The door to the elevator slides open. The last step and we are done, the final blow and we win. The door opens with a ding. Past the door is a small hallway that extends for about six feet. We walk through the hallway; at the end it opens up into a large circular room. The walls of the room are made of a tinted glass window that expands around the room, the glass walls, which are supported by thin titanium support structures, stretch upwards creating a domed roof. I look out across the city of New York. The skyline is magnificent. The mandatory lights on the skyscrapers stand out, illuminating the city below in a light red glow. I imagine it would look even more magnificent with the whole city light up. I tear my eyes away from the sight and scan the rest of the room.

In the center of the room, there is a circular railing in the center of the room. We walk toward the railing, and notice that there is a thin control panel that follows the railing. On the supports of the railing, there are cylindrical piston type objects. These must be the Data processor cores. They connect the AI's interface to the various programs and services that it runs on electronics across the world.

"Aiden, watch the door, we found it" I say

"You sure" He asks, "You sure that those will cut it off"

"Positive" I say, "Eris, guard the door as well"

As they walk away, I look down at the removable pistons. There is a lever that folds over the top of the metal head of the core. I reach into my bag and pull out the tools to remove the core. As I work, I can't help but think about when this same AI saved our lives last year. Is it fair? what mayhem will this cause on the world, are we doing what's right? I pull up on the lever and pull it clear of the head. I press down on the cylinder and it depresses inwards, I continue the pressure till I hear a click. I release, and the cylinder shoots up. I grab the smooth sides of it and pull it out. It's about ten pounds, and the end is rough and has various plugs that link it to the AI's computer.

I move to the next core. And begin the same process. I debate waking up the AI and talking to it. The plan does not require us, right? what would the AI say? I start thinking of what I would say to the AI. What would I talk about, what would it say, is the truth it has to say worth knowing, would it say the truth. I follow the same procedures to remove the second core. The cylindrical shape pops up. "Wha... "I hear a pained voice emit from the room itself, "stop that".

"Shit" I hear Aiden said from across the room.

"What... I can't... who... get out of me... "The voice sounds extremely confused and pained.

"The fuck did you do Isaac" Eris yelled.

"I followed the instructions... "I was interrupted by the AI

"You locked me out... who are you... "

"Take out the last one" Aiden yelled, "Before it can call reinforcements".

"I can't, its locked down" I yell, "fuck we are dead"

"I can't... you locked me out of surveillance... military... I can't call the military... "

"We can't stop it" I shout

"Stop what, me... you think I'm going to kill you... I saved your lives..."

"What can we do" Eris shouts

"What do you mean?" I ask

"What" She asks

"What" I turn to look at the terminal, "what do you mean"

"I don't exist to kill people... I exist to keep the peace" A small ball of blue light materializes in the center of the railing, it vibrates as the AI speaks, "I am a peacekeeping program designed to prevent social dysfunction, and keep social stability, and safety, not wage war on people"

The ball of light expands to fill the railing.

"What about all the people you killed from the resistance" Aiden asked.

"Those people died because they are terrorists and I wasn't in charge of their death"

"But they have a good cause"

"How unbearably naive you are, to think that your little resistance is the best for humanity. They are even leaving you here, that extraction they discussed at length wasn't important. They sent you up here to disable me except they are going to blow me up anyways, what's the point."

"You're lying" Eris Shouted, her voice filled with hate, and questioning.

"Why don't you break radio silence and ask them, they will love that"

"No this is just your plan to get the military and security to stop our plan"

"I am the military, I am the security, they don't work without me working"

"Should we call them?" Eris turns and whispers to me.

"No it's just a ploy don't do it." Aiden pleaded.

Before he could stop her she pressed on the PTT button on the radio and spoke into it.

"Err... base this is bravo team" she firmly said into the receptor.

There was no reply.

"Base what is our evacuation plan, we disabled the AI" she asked, more pressing this time

There was only static coming from the other end

"Base do you copy" she said, more frantic this time.

"How do you expect to be rescued if they won't answer your questions"

"God dammit" Aiden yelled, "Now the entire military knows where we are"

"NO they don't" The Ai said, "I am the only person who knows where you are, and I am powerless to stop you plan."

"And now we are all going to die here aren't we" I say.

Aiden and Eris argue back and forth about what is morally right and what isn't, about whether freedoms are more important that security and vice versa. But instead of trying to find resolution, trying to prove my actions to someone else, I'm studying the city. The seven million people who live in my home town. Will my actions be looked on as glorious or as a terrorist attack? I turn away from the group these people, who I might have called friends, but I don't know anymore. The Artificial intelligence, whose sole purpose was to protect me, and my loved ones. And I'm about to kill my Guardian Angel. Because some group told us we had to. No because I thought I had to. I walk towards the window, towards where the illuminated city.

I press my hand up against the glass, extending my fingers across its cold surface. I see my face in the reflection. I see a stranger in a stranger's body. My eyes look distant and unsure, the corners of my mouth drawn down as if I'm frowning. Except I'm not frowning. I'm not sad. I feel more calm than I've ever felt in my life. Movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention and I look over to see Eris and Aiden walking over towards me. She stands next to me staring out into the cold city. She grips my hand and squeezes it tight, Aiden walks next to her and she grabs his hand as well. We look out across the city. "SO this is it" Eris whispers

"At least we did something good in our lives" Aiden said, but he sounded more as if he was asking a question than stating a fact.

I feel a tremor beneath us, then another. The blue light from the AI flashes once, twice, then fades out of existence. My body fills with dread, and my breaths begin to feel shaky. I feel a final tremor and the building begins to fall...

-------------- Yeah this is a short story, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave feedback!!--------------

~iamalostlioness