Mind Games

Chapter 39 - Crystal

Crystal shook away the tiny claws grabbing at her.

"Quit that, Snowball!" She smiled fondly at the cat.

Now, as she waited for Sean to get back to her, she welcomed the distraction of his playful banter.

Amy troubled her.

She couldn't help marvelling at the AI's learning capability. It not just absorbed Amanda's ambitions to do what it was programmed to do, but it absorbed her thoughts and emotions to become her.

She shivered at the thought.

What if people used this technology to re-create the loved ones they had lost? Resurrect their dead parents/partners/siblings/lovers...

Would it help them get over their grief? Or would it lead them down a delusional spiral?

Would the people they re-create really be like the ones they loved? Or would they be corrupted versions of the people that were?

Sean's intentions were good. But he didn't know his sister. He saw the good in her, not the hidden hate that grew in her mind like a malignant virus.

That hate corrupted his program. That hate caused people to kill. People to die.

What if this technology was replicated? Would all those programmatic souls still love their creators? Or would the hidden hate and resentment in them spread like viruses?

The sharp ping brought her back to her laptop screen.

It was Sean.

She looked at the attachments.

Happy childhood pictures - at home, at the beach, at a ranch, at a fair...

A pretty girl with a wide smile, but intense eyes.

She looked like a child who knew how to mask her true emotions, even at that age.

Crystal wondered if her family knew that behind that happy smile there was possibly anger, hate, resentment mushrooming in her mind.

She looked like a child who would possibly smile and get up nonchalantly if another child pushed her. But would get her revenge later. Without anyone else knowing.

Sean might be blinded by his love for his sister. But Crystal could see the cold calculation in the little girl's eyes.

And she wondered if these were really good memories after all?

She dialled Sean.

"Are these all?" She asked.

"Yeah... aren't they enough?" He asked with surprise.

She paused, trying to frame her question diplomatically.

"Can you think back on these days? Like this picture on the carousel. She's smiling... but she looks a little upset. Had something happened to upset her?"

There was a long silence from Sean.

"I think she was annoyed over cotton candy." He said finally. "Our cousin, Lou told her to stop stuffing her face - she looked like a pig."

"How did she react?" She asked.

Another pause from Sean. "She just gave him a cheeky smile and continued eating..."

Crystal frowned as he paused again.

"But..?" she prompted.

"But the next day Lou got really sick" he said hesitantly. "Like food poisoning."

"You think she had something to do with it?" Crystal asked bluntly.

"I don't know really." Sean hesitated. "When she got to know, all she said was 'good'. I had my doubts, but hey she was my sister!" He said, defensively.

Crystal rubbed her eyes tiredly.

This was far more deep rooted than she'd thought. It was not just bad experiences. It was Amanda herself.

She was evil.