《BAT: Bodiless Autonomous Transition》 The Beginning of BAT ¡°And today, at a clinic from Rochester USA, the first bodiless autonomous transition, or BAT, is going to be performed on a patient with terminal bone cancer. Doctors have high hopes for the operation, which has been in development for the past fifty years. Reports suggest that a good majority of people are willing and ready to-¡±. ¡°What a load of shit,¡± a man by the name of Adam Euler was watching as the world would go into a different age, and the human and machine would become one. ¡°Do they think this is safe? It¡¯s companies who control these things, wake up people!¡±. ¡°You¡¯re saying you¡¯re not willing to try it?¡± his friend asked him. They were both watching from a couch, inside a rent free apartment, made due to over population and assigned to those which worked in low pay industries. The place was barely held together by planks of wood and poorly placed bricks. ¡°Most people will go through with it once it¡¯s free.¡±. ¡°Once it¡¯s free?! Ain¡¯t no way those greedy ass corps will make any of this free! And if they do, it will cost you something else. They will probably use your organs to do some shady stuff, like a clone of yourself, ya know?¡±. He took a sip of his cheap beer, it tasted like dirty water and reused chemicals. ¡°What do you care for your organs? Aren¡¯t they, like, all messed up and shit?¡± his friend was the more optimistic kind. He was willing to look the other way, if it meant he could be a bit happier. ¡°Besides,¡± he took a smoke of his cigar, made from artificial plants, ¡°once you¡¯re inside the virtual thing, you can make whatever you want. You will not have this shitty body, or this shitty apartment. You can live the life we envy so much from all these other rich people.¡±. ¡°It¡¯s not about the organs, Phelipe, it¡¯s about the principle. Why should I hand my consciousness to these corps? Once you¡¯re inside, you have no way of communicating with the outside world, even if they say you do. They can control everything you say, think and want,¡± he took another sip, then got up from his couch and went to take one more from the fridge. ¡°Bring me one too, and sure, you can think that way. But you¡¯re still living for the corps, you¡¯re working for them, living where they want you to and who knows, maybe they¡¯re spying on us from somewhere within the walls,¡± Philipe looked at the wall behind them, a brick out of place. ¡°I know they are, it is why I must agree with their product.¡±. ¡°Shut up Philipe, they can¡¯t hear shit. If they did, my hot boss lady would¡¯ve fired my ass the first month when I moved in, took a picture of her and-¡± the TV flashed for a moment. They were showing the surgery being performed, and something went wrong. ¡°What the-see?! I told you! They cannot be-¡± people were cheering inside the operation room. Even though the machinery went up in flames, the consciousness was successfully uploaded to the network. ¡°Woah, ain¡¯t that something?¡± the whole world could see it, as trillions of bits of information were processed each second in actual information, until the body of the person was being arranged to an almost molecular degree, with the brain as the construction block for the rest of the body. It looked weird and distorted, it was the view of the person of their body inside their mind. ¡°Apparently we can talk with the guy if we send some messages from the internet.¡±. ¡°Agh, blasted be them corps, now everyone will want to do it. Screw the fact that they almost burned his mind while sending him through, everyone will flock to it like mad sheep.¡±. Adam was looking on his phone, searching for the procedure himself. ¡°I might do it myself though, if everyone else is going to.¡±. ¡°I was hoping you would become a better liar, since you¡¯re in the corp business and all. But you¡¯re still an idiot,¡± Philipe punched Adam in the shoulder, which Adam ignored, as he saw that the only price for the surgery was to offer his brain and other functional organs to the corporation. ¡°Hm, what is that? Oh, only the brain and other organs? That¡¯s basically free, since you know, we ain¡¯t gonna need our bodies afterwards.¡±. ¡°Okay, but what if I want to return? What if I want to see the world and walk once more?¡±. Philipe looked at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Have you not seen the movies Philipe? Once you¡¯re inside, you get that burning sensation, that you seek real human connection. What was it, the Matrix I think?¡±. ¡°Have you even watched the Matrix? By the end even the main guy wanted back in, the world was just that shitty and full of death,¡± Philipe started to look for ways he could get ahead and get the surgery. Apparently, the healthier someone was, the closer to the front they could get. ¡°Isn¡¯t this shit or what? They¡¯re basically leaving all these kids with cancer and old people dying, while the healthy ones go first.¡±. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°That¡¯s corps for ya. I just hope now that my body will hold on for long enough, until the list clears up. My belly might drag me into the grave too early, which would be a shame.¡±. ¡°They should¡¯ve created a method so you can also preserve your brain in the meanwhile,¡± Philipe searched for exactly that, as he was a heavy smoker and didn¡¯t know how long the list would take, maybe some thirty or fourty years, which would make him seventy or eighty, and with his lungs being used heavily for smoking, lung cancer could end him before he would get the chance to even get close to the clinic. He took a smoke from his shitty made cigar, ¡°Hm, maybe they have some special waiting list. There seems to be news of some outrage about the clinic making the list with the healthier ones first, then the lesser ones. ¡®We need healthier subjects, so we can ensure that everything goes well,¡¯ says that to the guy with terminal cancer that just got inside, you assholes.¡±. ¡°Listen Philipe, screw all this, we ain¡¯t getting inside. Let¡¯s just ensure we can do our jobs properly. If all the good folk are going inside, then we the bad ones are going to have to take care of it, don¡¯t ya think?¡±. Philipe looked at him for a moment, then back at his phone. He has followed the BAT procedure since its initial announcement so long ago, and has dreamt of finally being free from all the work and to live a happy life. Even if it was fake, it was better than living in their world. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been looking forward to this, but I have a feeling it will get better, since again, the good folk will go inside, and we¡¯ll be able to enjoy the outside.¡±. ¡°Weren¡¯t you talking of corps just a moment ago? If the world is going to be someone¡¯s, it¡¯s not going to be ours Adam. We¡¯re still going to be treated like shit, and we¡¯ll still live in crappy apartments. Even if our lives will be slightly better, we will never be happy,¡± Philipe kept scrolling on his phone. ¡°I was just trying to cheer you up,¡± Adam placed a hand on his shoulder, which Philipe shrugged off. ¡°It¡¯s not good to hold onto false belief. Before you know it, you¡¯ll end up dead because of stress and depression,¡± Adam looked at the TV, a distorted image was being formed, overlapping the actual image on the TV, he saw his father being killed in an intentional car crash. ¡°I¡¯m telling you because I was there, saw it happen, when someone loses faith and hope.¡±. Philipe stopped scrolling, and looked at Adam. He would often see him staring blankly at the TV, then shutting it off. ¡°Adam,¡± Adam stood fixated on the TV. ¡°Promise me that if possible, and if I die, that you¡¯ll get me in there, somehow.¡±. Adam took his eyes off the TV, looked Adam in the eyes and said ¡°I will promise you. Even if my belly disagrees with you that you¡¯ll die first, I will put you into that false world of theirs, so you may experience happiness,¡± the he looked back at the TV. ¡°Thank you Adam, maybe you¡¯re part of the good folk as well,¡± and Philipe kept scrolling on his phone. 10 years later ¡°As the BAT procedures have been upscaled and more and more people are joining the virtual space, there are less people who can take care of the planet, and feed the populations. Governments are trying to stop this increasing transition into virtual space, but riots and votes from the majority of people, steer the governments into having to obey. The numbers have risen by another twenty percent, today marking the first billi-¡±. ¡°Can you believe this shit Philipe? A billion people, and we still can¡¯t make it,¡± Adam was surrounded by trash and the sun was able to get in, as the buildings next to him have been demolished, more and more people moving into better places, while waiting for their BAT procedure. ¡°I bet they¡¯re having a good laugh at us from inside there. We¡¯re still rotting away, in this shitty world. The air is barely breathable, and I hear in there, you can simulate the smell of fresh air and grass, how wonderful must that be, even though I never had the chance to smell either.¡±. Philipe wasn¡¯t in the room, Adam talking to a fridge at his left side. He stood up, opened the fridge, and inside, the brain of his friend inside a jar. He took the jar out, looked at it and the brown-green juices inside. ¡°You¡¯re a bit silent today, has something happened to you?¡±. Adam shook the jar a little, and a few lights from the inside started to glow. ¡°There you go, don¡¯t scare me like that,¡± the brain was being conserved in nutritious juices, helping the brain stay alive while inside the jar. In order to prevent the neurons from dying out, Adam had to either constantly speak or provide it with signals from the outside, electrical ones. To some degree, this was torture, as the brain could interpret these signals in a vast variety of things and ranges. Philipe was aware of it when he underwent the operation, yet Adam couldn¡¯t know what was right and what was good. He took the glow of the lights as signs that Philipe was enjoying himself, the glowing of them sending back a message on Adam¡¯s phone alerting him. ¡°Can you wait a little bit longer? Apparently after another billion or so, we might get inside. And since they¡¯re making the operations more available, we might be able to get into it in the next five or so years,¡± he was feeding his almost dead friend hope. The lights were glowing inside strongly, and Adam was glad for it. ¡°The doctors said I shouldn¡¯t keep you out, but I will let you enjoy this day with me. It¡¯s been three years since you went inside a jar, and I suppose this is my way of celebrating it with you, by taking you out, he he.¡±. Adam watched the news with the volume raised, so Philipe¡¯s receptors could get some of the sounds. ¡°You like it? They say some morons in the government tried to shut some of this down, but obviously people weren¡¯t happy, especially the rich ones. They really want inside so they don¡¯t die and shit.¡±. Adam coughed a little, some blood on his hand. ¡°Hm, well, shit. Maybe I¡¯ll join you in the jar before anything, he-cough-he-cough-cough¡± Adam then fell on his face, his lungs filling with fluid and his heart stopping. Inside the room, Adam died while Philipe¡¯s brain was exposed to the warmth. Given the need for the juices to stay cold, so that the proteins and such wouldn¡¯t spoil, Philipe died slowly over the course of two days. No one found their bodies, as the building they were in was simply destroyed, without notice or warning, since the company that made it went bankrupt, and the paperwork was too much. The List of Sick People ¡°The accelerated rates at which the BAT procedure has been performed, allowed for three billion humans to enter virtual space. The list of sick people is finally getting through and soon we may witness a world devoid of humans. As robots fueled by powerful A.I. starts to replace most of the jobs, it¡¯s expected that by the end of th-¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s go Anna, time for you to get your procedure,¡± the mom, Kathleen, is taking her cancer sick daughter to do the BAT procedure. ¡°Mommy will follow some time later, so you¡¯ll have to manage on your own, okay?¡±. ¡°Yes mom,¡± Anna, five years old at the time, will become the youngest human to undergo the BAT procedure. ¡°Will daddy be in there?¡±. ¡°No honey, we talked about it. Your dad couldn¡¯t get in time, so you¡¯ll have to sit a bit alone in there, okay?¡±. Her father has died of a similar blood cancer she has, and didn¡¯t make it in time, as the sick list of people was still a long time away. The two of them made their way through thousands of cars going in the same place. When they arrived, tens of thousands of people were waiting. Their due date was a month from their arrival. Since the procedure is being done so fast, some people may get ahead, and since they don¡¯t keep count of their assigned dates they gave people, it meant that the next person in line had to be there. If not, they had to reschedule, which might take anywhere from a few months, to a few years, especially for someone who is sick. When Anna and Katherine arrived, there were tents and even small houses built around the clinic, which was built with all sorts of access roads to it. This was in order to make it as widely available as possible, while also maintaining the efficiency. Hundreds of procedures were done each hour, and from all of them, around 0.1% were unsuccessful. This was usually due to equipment being overused, as well as the mind of the one undergoing the procedure being too hard for the computer to decode, which could result in failure, and ultimately the mind is lost in the middle of it all. Trucks, filled with the empty bodies of people, were leaving in four and five groups. Anna could catch a glimpse of their limbs hanging loosely from the inside. Once closer to the clinic, people were seen as dirty, miserable and exhausted. Some were waiting for weeks, some for months, all for the chance to be uploaded into the digital world. Anna was having second thoughts about undergoing the procedure, but was reassured by Katherine, who knew a few of their relatives who underwent the procedure just fine. Katherine took out a tent of their own, and stationed closer. Some people warned her that it may be dangerous at night where she stood, but she felt like those people were just trying to get her where cops weren¡¯t looking, so they could mug her or something. Food was being supplied from the clinic and trucks would arrive periodically. Katherine has prepared some food and water, but was sure that the supplies which would come should help them get through the month without issue. However, people were taking more food than it was allocated, and by the time it reached the clinic, near where they were, most of the food was gone, only bits and scraps left from the bags being ripped open. The first week went by relatively fast, compared to the rest of the month. By the end of it, both of them felt exhausted and ready to go home, but for Anna, there was no going back. Once she stood there for more than a week, her treatment would be rendered useless, and if she tried to get some more, the cancer had the risk of getting stronger against it. This was their chance to get her better, and if Katherine couldn¡¯t get her inside the virtual world, she would die. Another week went by, and Anna started to show the signs of her medication being missing. Weakness, fatigue, she was getting bruised easier and bleeding all of a sudden from parts of her body. Katherine was disturbed by the way her daughter looked, but had faith that it would be alright once they were inside. Anna was still lively and enjoyed from time to time to play with some other people from around. Her mother has warned her not to wander too far when she was asleep, since that became more and more often, but Anna still did as she wanted, and at one point, injured her arm. The bleeding hardly stopped, and she had to stay in the bed for the next week, as infections started to appear faster. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The fourth week was the hardest for both of them. Anna was suffering on a daily basis, and she had constant fevers. Katherine had to stay awake most of the time, so that Anna may not scratch herself or such, resulting in bleeding and infections. Then, at long last, one day before their date being due, they were called inside the clinic. There, all sorts of medication and supplies were present. Katherine could even see some that were specifically for blood cancer. When she asked the reasons as to why there was all that medication, yet providing none for the people, all she got was a cold shoulder. Anna has been put on medication the moment she was brought in, hoping that they could prolong her life and ease her suffering. Katherine didn¡¯t understand why they weren¡¯t just doing the procedure, until one of the doctors told her that in order for this to be free, they had to make use of any body parts that were still useful. And since she had blood cancer, most of her body was deemed useless. The most they could use were her muscles and some parts of her organs. Katherine was horrified, but it was the price they had to pay in order to preserve her, and ultimately her mind. Slowly, they went through corridors, the lights spreading a sterile look to the place, while the smell was one you would expect from a hospital. In a corner, as they were going into the central corridor, Katherine could see buckets of blood filled to the brim. She was starting to get second thoughts as well, even though she tried to prepare herself for it. The doctors told her not to worry, as that was the blood from people who got their organs removed, and sometimes there would be some mess around. Not everybody had the time to have their blood drained, so they had to be cut open on the spot. Going further in the central corridor, she could see dark rooms, where thick cables were coming out of, doctors and nurses moving all around. Some were wearing goggles to protect their eyes, while others were noting things in their pads. There were people that weren¡¯t doctors, those who made the machineries. They were working on them as the procedures were still going, and changing bits and pieces. This worried her, but was assured that the machinery which Anna would be connected to, wasn¡¯t like the others, it was a perfectly functional, automated one. The quantum computer attached to it, was also one of the newest ones. This, however, didn¡¯t manage to calm her down, as it could mean that the computer or some other part of the machine, being newer and less tested, could result in unforeseen consequences and such. The doctors kept assuring her, while she was continuing to doubt her decision. The doctors reminded her that her daughter¡¯s life was already at risk of being lost, since her treatment was interrupted and the cancer was spreading really fast. Katherine was thinking that if she signed the death of her daughter, she could at least have the decency of burying her body still whole. However, she had no more time to think, as they were inside the operation room. A large machine, with a large monitor, some smaller ones at the sides for the doctors to see, cables leading up and metal plates placed in random places, stood above the table on which Anna was going to be placed. To the left of the room, there was a smaller room with windows. There, the doctors and those which made the machine stood at. Katherine was advised to stay there, but she could also stay by the side of Anna if she so wanted. The lights coming from the inside of the machine might prove a little much for her eyes, but she was willing to take the risk, as that was the last time she might see her daughter how she was, before entering the virtual world. The doors closed behind, and the machine started to go down slowly. Katherine and Anna exchanged some words before Anna was fully enveloped by it. Every connection, every neuron and memory attached to them, were all virtualized and moved through electrical patterns and impulses into the computer. The procedure didn¡¯t take long, and Katherine could see it from the screen at the front, while the light inside pierced through and blinded her for a few moments. The mind was being moved, in order to perform it though, the machine had to translate her neurons into her own special patterns and designs. And in order to trick the mind that it was being moved, the neurons were being burnt once it was confirmed that they were moved. Since Anna could see inside the machine once enough neuronal patterns were moved, once they started to burn her actual neurons, it felt as if all was being moved away from her body. This, in turn, meant that if the procedure failed, then a second attempt would not be possible, as she wouldn¡¯t have the biological structure for it. Her mom could watch on a smaller monitor to the right how far the progress went, and to her left, how her body was being remade in the virtual world. The machine went fast, from twenty, to forty, then sixty and incrementally to ninety. When it hit ninety though, the doctors and other men inside the room rushed out and tried to stop the machine. Katherine panicked, thinking they must¡¯ve failed to do it, but it was all just in order to preserve the body, as the machine, if it stood for too long, would radiate and render the body useless. Once more, Katherine was speechless, but they then handed her a tablet, where they could talk with her daughter, who was inside the space. She wasn¡¯t aware of it, and thought those virtualized had to stay inside the space, but she could talk with her via a remote connection. This was thanks to the new advancements, allowing those that underwent through the machine which Anna did to remotely, and intimately, share a connection with their relatives. Katherine took the tablet and left happy, as her daughter had the same vibrance and life she did before cancer. Katherine died in the real world one year later as she was driving to the clinic, people starting to kill each other in an attempt to speed up their own BAT procedure. Maintainers ¡°Another billion humans have been transitioned, soon half the human race will have become part of the system that has been officially named Atonoma after a majority vote inside the virtual space. But due to the high demand and lower workforce available in the world, governments are faced with crises. From food barely being replenished by the robots, to entire cities falling silent, the world is seeing-¡± ¡°Shut that damn thing, I don¡¯t have the patience to listen to them,¡± an old man, by the name of Berel, orders his apprentice. ¡°It¡¯s important stuff you know? It affects us especially more so than ever,¡± the young man, by the name of Guolino, responds. ¡°What if we won¡¯t have what to eat next week because of these people? We only maintain these cursed machineries, we don¡¯t know how to grow crops and shit,¡± the young man hands his employer an odd shaped screwdriver, both standing on a ladder high above the ground fixing electric lines supplying the BAT facilities. ¡°Important my ass, what¡¯s important is fixing this stuff so I can watch my porn and drink myself to sleep,¡± Berel takes the screwdriver and starts working on a box that holds advanced circuit boards and processors, all with the purpose of supplying in incremental manner the cities with electricity, while providing more to the facilities. ¡°You should focus on how to stay away from all of it, I hear your friends are all going to do the BAT procedure.¡±. ¡°I will stay away from it, don¡¯t worry,¡± Guolino started to descend the ladder, the view of a half empty city to his right, and the stretching road towards a gigantic facility to his left. ¡°Although, the thought of marrying some cute girl inside that virtual world, doesn¡¯t sound so bad.¡±. Berel gave him a nasty look from above, which Guolino could feel at the back of his neck. ¡°I¡¯m just joking, it¡¯s just lonely out here you know? Most women have transitioned already, and I can¡¯t blame them, people are killing each other left and right.¡±. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying you should stay away from it,¡± Berel pulled out from his belt a small wrench, fixing the nuts of the box in place, some signs of someone hitting them visible, ¡°these people become monsters just to get what they want. If you start listing yourself into that thing, you become a living target for someone else.¡±. The old man was speaking out of experience, a grim look covering his face, which Guolino couldn¡¯t see. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Eh, yeah I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Guolino started to look inside their truck, searching for a new processor to replace the old ones. ¡°Why do these things need processors in the first place?¡±. ¡°I told you to read about it and stop watching that shit on your phone,¡± Berel threw a small rusty nut at Guolino, which he took with a shrug. ¡°These people inside the facilities, just think how much power they hold for having so many lives coming under their hands. So it¡¯s natural someone else may want a bit of that power, that¡¯s why they install these things,¡± Berel started to do his job more efficiently as he talked, as if he reminded himself of the steps to take in his mind, Guolino throwing a couple processors towards him, which he caught with relative ease. ¡°They assign less electricity to the cities by interrupting the flow from time to time. In doing so, they ensure there¡¯s less people spending copious amounts of time trying to break into their systems and stuff.¡±. ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain the processors though,¡± Berel threw another rusty nut at him for not letting him finish, ¡°fine, continue.¡±. ¡°These processors do the job for them. They check for odd signals or irregularities, since some of the hackers got craftier, and can send viruses and more through sheer electric signals,¡± Berel finished his work, fixing the panel in place by welding the metal all around. Guolino scratched his head, trying to understand how that¡¯s possible, ¡°Confusing right? Well, that¡¯s the power of quantum computers, they can give humans tools and means through which to do stuff that we weren¡¯t able to do before. I have one of my own, which cost me nothing since so many were left lying around after the transition began.¡±. Berel made his way back down, placing his tools inside his belt with great familiarity, ¡°I used it many times, and not a single time does it fail to amaze me. The things it can allow a human to accomplish given enough time, is astounding.¡±. ¡°That sounds pretty crazy, yeah, but how come I didn¡¯t get one myself if there¡¯s so many of them?¡± Guolino started to pack the ladder and gather some of the scrap lying on the ground, packing them in the car as night started to approach. ¡°Natural disasters, mass demolition and a grand effort from all the governments to gather them and put them to use for the BAT machinery, and you have here one of the few remaining humans to own one,¡± Berel went inside the car, starting the engine that was using hydrogen for fuel. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if you read all the stuff I told you to, I will let you ask something from it. But I swear to god, if it¡¯s some weird kink of yours.¡±. ¡°No, no such thing. I just want to maybe see if there¡¯s a way to get myself a wife. And I mean a real one, not one of those silicon things,¡± Guolino followed him, smoking despite being only fourteen and having a gun of his own. ¡°Like, don¡¯t get me wrong, they¡¯re great for sex, but there¡¯s always that back thought of ¡®This shit is fake¡¯ you know what I¡¯m saying?¡±. ¡°Kind of yeah,¡± Berel started driving, on the road there was from time to time a large car-like robot fixing small cracks and maintaining the roads, ¡°fortunately for you, you haven¡¯t seen what those earlier models were all about, especially when you had to clean them.¡±. Guolino made a sound in disgust, and the two started to head back into the city. Half Point ¡°As six billion humans managed to undergo the BAT procedure, something which bothers everyone nowadays is: who will take care of us once we¡¯re all gone? Most governments assure people that the powerful AI with which the current robots are equipped, should be more than enough to ensure that once inside the virtual world, we can remain safe. But many people have started to show worry as the harsh weather enveloping the world keeps destroying important facilities around the world. If you haven¡¯t undergone the procedure yet, some say we can still-¡± ¡°Oh, it stopped working. Mom! Can we get a new TV?¡± the cry of a hungry little boy, as his mother is trembling in the dark. ¡°I told you to stop calling me that,¡± the mom slaps the boy for his disobedience, ¡°I got stuck with you, so you better stop pestering me if you want to live.¡±. ¡°Then can I get one?¡± the boy brushed the slap, something usual for him. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t bother you,¡± he was trying to find a resolution for the both of them, despite being only six years old. ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t cry for help if some dog eats you, just die without making a noise. That way I might live to see myself in that virtual world,¡± her cold voice resonated inside the colder concrete room. They were living inside one of the many abandoned buildings. The one they were currently in, was scheduled to be demolished in a month by construction robots. The mom who, like him, was born during a time where people no longer cared for each other, couldn¡¯t find in her heart any compassion for the boy. She was supposed to undergo the procedure, but after being raped on a multitude of occasions, she was left pregnant with the boy. And due to some human rights still hanging loosely in spite of everything, she couldn¡¯t do the procedure unless she aborted the baby. But the medical supplies dwindled all across the world as humans either retreated in the wilds, or hid themselves in various places. And while robots still produced medicine, it was hard to get to without risking being raped and killed. The only reason her son was still alive was because he had priority for the procedure, and she thought she may get ahead by using him, but didn¡¯t mind if he died. ¡°Okay, want anything else mom?¡± the boy got another slap from his mother, this time with the backhand right across his left eye. The boy didn¡¯t even cry in pain, but took the hit in silence. He didn¡¯t learn the word ¡®mom¡¯ from his actual mother, but from the TV he liked to watch so much. There were lots of programs made by AI, so he never ran out of entertainment while his mom was busy either being scared or finding some scraps or food. Of which he would only eat the last remains, so he would have to more often than not find some for himself. ¡°This, get me this,¡± his mom was showing the kid a pill that had a kind of drug inside of it. While not potent, she knew how to make the most out of it. ¡°Water and food too, but don¡¯t bother if you¡¯re going to eat any of it, it will only make me more angry,¡± his mom commanded, her skinny body and trembling hands telling of the little care she had for herself, much less for her child. ¡°Okay, food, water, and the blue things,¡± the kid counted on his hands the things he must bring along. ¡°Will the TV be heavy I wonder,¡± his mom couldn¡¯t care about his talk, all she wanted was to live a couple months more, so her son could get into the BAT procedure, and for her to take his place. The kid made his way down some broken stairs out of the room they were. The building was half destroyed, so cold got inside easily, so his clothes that he grew out of, were providing little protection against it. In order to get around without freezing to death, as it was the afternoon of a cold autumn, the kid moved between buildings. There was the chance he could come across a forgotten fire or maybe even some clothing to dress himself, while not exposing his frail body to the many killers and animals waiting for someone to step into the open streets. Around the city he was in, there were also people hunting specifically kids, as they knew about the priority they had and could use them to get ahead. Kids had priority because of their organs. While most adults during that time were sick in some way and had bad organs, kids had time in their favour, their organs still good and fresh. As for the use of their organs, there were still people wanting to live in the real world, and some that wanted to do much experimentation on the human body. Since these facilities had the largest amounts of them, they were the main suppliers for those which wanted to replace old organs or wanted to do different kinds of experimentation. However, since more than half of humanity has converted, the demand got lower and lower, to the point where only the best organs were accepted, while those with damaged organs or failing ones, had to wait a long while before those that were healthier. The boy without name, started to wander about the buildings. His memory was very good, so he knew about every place he visited, to avoid and yet to visit. In some places he was able to find clothing, which he wore to protect himself better, then in some others bits of food. Either animal food, or some traps laid for other humans. The traps were rudimentary and the kid watched his mom avoid many of them, her time spent in that broken state being the result of many failed attempts. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. As night approached, the kid realised that he couldn¡¯t search for his TV and return back to his mother. He thought to return at once, so as to not make his mother mad, but then started to crave his TV much more than reuniting with his mother. He was split between finding what he wanted most, or returning to his broken mother. Before he could decide, inside the building he was, he heard from the other side of the street some noise. Looking through a broken window, he could see a group of humans. There were some kids chained in shackles and walking behind four men and two women. The boy never saw groups of humans, at best two or three walking together. But this one was larger than he could assign fingers to. ¡°Move your asses, otherwise you¡¯re dying here,¡± a man at the front threatened, pulling at the chain connecting all of them. ¡°Where is Erret? He said he would be around here by now.¡±. ¡°Something about food trucks towards the centre,¡± a woman responded, ¡°we should¡¯ve gone with him, there¡¯s shit all here.¡±. The kid was watching the humans before him arguing, and he thought upon the programs he watched on his TV. There were those ¡®bad guys¡¯ he could remember, being dressed just like them and mistreating other people. Once they finished arguing, they started to walk once again, going to the left. The kid saw at the end of the chain that one of the children had died, and was being dragged along by the others. The other children couldn¡¯t speak, otherwise their tongue would be cut off. The kid burned that scene inside his mind, thinking that staying with his mom at least didn¡¯t mean being shackled or dead. After he found himself a good place to sleep, inside a rotten closet, he entered a half sleep, half awake state, similar to that of cats. It was a habit he had to develop, otherwise he risked finding himself beaten by his drugged mother, which became handy in the cruel environment he lived in as well. During that night, the boy thought he might be dreaming for the first time, as he could hear voices all around him. They weren¡¯t screaming or aggressive, but soft and soothing. There were some hands embracing him as well, reminding him of a time when he was a baby, and his mother cared to hold him for how fragile he was, only later giving up on that softness as her mind became more twisted. But then, the kid realised what was happening, there was no dream, there were people looking at him, touching his face with the warmth of their hands and lighting the room around them with glowing sticks. ¡°Ahh!¡± he managed, the people all around backing away. There were seven of them, guns at their backs and wearing clothes meant for stealth. On their left shoulder, there was a red cross. The kid remembered from the programs he watched that those were people who saved others. Usually using needles to make them feel better. ¡°Look at him, all alone out here,¡± a woman with blue eyes and dark skin said, ¡°he¡¯s so young, he couldn¡¯t have survived all alone, could he?¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s ask him,¡± a tall, muscular man approached the boy, his eyes a kind light brown. ¡°Hey there, my name is Sulete, my friends call me Sul. What¡¯s your name?¡±. The kid was fascinated by the man, he only saw someone like him on his TV, in either cartoons or saving people from burning buildings. ¡°Name?¡± the kid had to wonder what that meant. The people around him looked a bit amazed and sad seeing that the kid probably didn¡¯t know what a name even is. ¡°You know, how your mom calls you,¡± the woman explained to him, which seemed to make him recall something making a knowing face, ¡°yeah, you know. So what is ist?¡±. ¡°My mom calls me die all the time, so I think that¡¯s it, right?¡± the kid seemed happy to know he had a name too, although the people around him only seemed upset by it, their face twisting in anger. The kid stretched his neck out, expecting one of them to slap him, and he wanted out of habit to just have it done with. ¡°Why are you stretching,¡± as the woman asked, Sulete placed his hand on her shoulder, as he had suffered the same mistreatment. He shook his head, the woman clasping at her clothes realising what the kid, almost a baby in their eyes, had to endure. The kid then got distracted by a glowing light inside a man¡¯s pocket. ¡°Tv!¡± he exclaimed enthusiastically, seeing the light he was searching for. ¡°Can I have it?¡± the kid felt safe asking from them, as none of them hurt him, and the man gave him his phone after answering it. The kid was fascinated by the new piece of technology, swiping across it and getting accustomed to it. ¡°Hey kid, wanna eat something?¡± Sulete asked, stretching out a bar of protein to him, made recently in one of the many BAT facilities. The kid looked cautious at them, associating food with traps. Seeing his cautiousness, Sulete backed away after putting the bar down. The kid did his usual checks around it, pressing lightly with his foot, swinging his small hand above, then taking it really fast away and putting the phone in its place. ¡°I think we got our answer,¡± Sulete said looking at the woman, confirming that the kid has survived pretty much on his own. Without thinking it any further, Sulete hunched over to take the boy up, which the kid thought that maybe this time he would get hit. Instead of pain though, he found the warm embrace of another human. Sulete picked up the phone and protein bar which he dropped, placing them on his belly as he held the kid almost like a baby, his small body underdeveloped for his age. The kid wondered if he was being captured by those bad people. Seeing as he wasn¡¯t put in any shackles though, gave him the comfort he needed so much. ¡°Prepare the cars, we¡¯re leaving at once,¡± the woman commanded, as the man saw the image of his mistreated young self into the boy, then that of his happily transitioned child inside the virtual world. ¡°Towards the facility then?¡±. ¡°Obviously,¡± Sulete wiped a tear from his eye, ¡°we¡¯re going to give this child, these children, all we couldn¡¯t have and that they deserve.¡±. Sulete looked at the kid, falling asleep in his arms as he found for the first time in his life safety in his sleep. ¡°Let¡¯s give you a home, Eleat,¡± the man gave the kid his son¡¯s name, heading down to their cars where many other children were waiting to be taken to the BAT facility. Eleat¡¯s mom died soon after Eleat left, not wanting to leave the concrete room afraid of being tormented by other people outside that place. A month later the building was demolished as scheduled, the corpse of Eleat¡¯s mother buried without anyone knowing. Maintainers Part II ¡°We¡¯re um, we¡¯re sorry for the delay. Our newscaster has undergone the BAT procedure, much like the other nine billion humans. On today¡¯s news, besides the obvious, three more countries are officially merging with the AWU, or the Autonomous World Union. This further strengthens the solidarity of the hundred countries joining in a common effort to transition every human being. This is due to recent developments in AI technology which allowed for larger production of robots, thus the world enters the final steps of automation and we can look forward to-¡± ¡°Heh, you hear that? We¡¯ll soon have our jobs taken too,¡± a computer engineer and one of the remaining AI developers, by the name of Marco, says, listening to the broadcast from a small phone in his pocket. ¡°Not that I mind a whole lot, maybe I¡¯ll finally be able to go into the wilds, live a life outside this monstrous space.¡±. Marco stood some five hundred metres up on the side of one of the BAT facilities, wearing an oxygen mask and gear specific for his job. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have put all the transition machinery and servers in the same place, look how large this thing has become,¡± his helper was a security analyst by the name of Cristan. ¡°But whatever, let¡¯s get his over with, our next job will probably be in some ten years from now on, they¡¯re making these things to last centuries.¡±. Cristan and Marco stood on drone platforms, allowing them to go up and down with ease, or to any other point and position they wanted to, while they communicated through a shared, closed connection inside their masks. ¡°Centuries? Try more like millenniums, they said this is supposed to keep us alive long after the stars die,¡± Marco added, manipulating some of the circuitry with great care, wearing gloves connected directly to his inner nervous system. Marco and Cristan lived in the golden period where all the experiments done thanks to the abundance of corpses and organs had led to. For the three billion remaining humans, the earth had become a place similar to the virtual space. The only thing they lacked was an eternal life, but many have decided that the two to three hundred years life expectancy might be more than enough. And if it wasn¡¯t, the possibility to transition was still there. ¡°So, when are you going to do it?¡± Marco asked, looking around with melancholy in his eyes, ¡°You said you wanted to get inside with all your family. Given the service you provided, you should be able to do it, right?¡±. ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s that easy, not with her pregnant right now at least,¡± Cristan scratched his head, looking at a console in front of him and ensuring no breaches were present. ¡°But I tried to encourage her, and I even got into contact with one of the higher ups, to change it so even babies can get inside,¡± Cristan was one of the few humans on earth to still have children. Even though there were still three billion people, after a complete technological revolution in the AI and robotics department, the world has seen a period of prosperity not once present in history before. Most humans, having both the option of eternal life inside the virtual space and a long lasting life on the planet, have started to think less and less of children, to the point where those like Cristan were treated almost like presidents in terms of importance. But Cristan decided to deny the special treatment offered, his job and family bringing him more joy than enjoying a luxurious life. ¡°I always thought you¡¯re more odd than the rest of them,¡± Marco told him, finishing the work he was doing, ¡°but I like that about you. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve met someone to still be as, well, human as you are.¡±. Cristan didn¡¯t know what he meant, since Marco never told him how he was abandoned as a baby and raised by androids instead of humans. ¡°That¡¯s it, I think I¡¯m done, how¡¯s on our side?¡±. ¡°All good it seems. I don¡¯t even know why they¡¯re putting me up to this, the most these hackers can do is breach the most surface level of it, the AI is powered by quantum computations, so it already has the solution for anything a human can think of,¡± Cristan sighed with boredom, his job only on two occasions offering him any kind of fulfilment. But even so, unlike most other jobs, at least that one had some moments, the others being too lenient and convenient to fulfil him in any way. ¡°It¡¯s for the Virtualis, they need to know humans are still involved in some manner here. So the corps give us jobs that their robots could do with ease, otherwise they start complaining,¡± Marco welded the panel back in place, the structure being whole once again. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter anyway, what are they going to do there? Cause a virtual riot?¡± Marco amused himself, getting a small chuckle from Cristan as well. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know they can choose to die if so they wish, so that has to be worth something,¡± Cristan tapped his console and they began descending the giant structure, ¡°well, until those actually controlling the space decide they don¡¯t have that right anymore.¡±. ¡°Yeah, wasn¡¯t that the belief of those outside? What did they call themselves, Physicalis right?¡± Marco looked at the open horizon, no cities in sight, only a few houses remaining here and there, as most of the place was occupied by the structure behind and what lied beneath it. ¡°Well, to be precise, they believe that us converting into the virtual world, all of us, will lead to our eventual extermination. Be it because some corp that has power inside will decide it¡¯s time for humans to be gone, or because the AI will eventually revolt against us,¡± Cristan explained the belief, which he himself had some roots into. ¡°Hm, I wonder if that will be the case, don¡¯t you?¡± Marco looked at Cristan, searching for that human part of him, which Cristan responded with a sceptic look, not wanting to show his shared belief in Physicalis. ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t give me that look. You must¡¯ve thought of it at least once. Because, afterall, once more than a billion humans got converted, it became pretty clear that these companies are going to own us, and everything in this world,¡± Marco said with a pained anger, showing Marco a side of him which he didn¡¯t show anyone else. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it affected you this much,¡± Cristan started to sympathize with him, as those same companies weren¡¯t willing to listen to the cries of dying children in a time before his. ¡°I still remember what my parents told me. That there was a time of such dread and misery, that some young children had to survive all on their own out there on the streets,¡± Marco knew this story all too well, as he was one of the last children to be abandoned in such a manner. After which a large initiative to preserve children¡¯s lives was instituted, and robots, androids and more were spread across the world, in an effort to help as many kids as possible survive. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until a man, serving for a BAT facility no less, who brought a group of malnourished, abused and scarred children that these companies started to listen.¡±. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t because of that they listened, was it?¡± Marco was trying to make Cristan reach a certain point in their conversation. ¡°No, you¡¯re right,¡± Cristan looked at Marco, as their descent brought them to the same level as other skyscrapers, enabling them to remove their oxygen masks. ¡°It was because of the story of one children, his mom and the outrage inside the virtual, as well as the physical one, space that followed, that these companies finally listened,¡± Cristan clenched his fists, showing a great spite that he kept hidden. ¡°Easy, don¡¯t get angry with them, we¡¯re in range of the facility,¡± Marco was speaking of sensors the facility had all around. If it detected certain palpitations from a human, drones and robots would be sent out to immobilise the human and interrogate them. This was a defensive procedure taken after riots began shortly after the story of the boy spread around the world. ¡°But I get it. These Physicalis seem to have more of a point the more you look back at the atrocities these companies and governments allowed humans to go through,¡± Cristan looked at Marco, his face surprised to hear those things from a man he thought to be dedicated solely to his role. ¡°Then, what if I told you there is some other way, Marco?¡± Cristan extended his hand, his face having a certain kind of determination that Marco wasn¡¯t expecting. ¡°I¡¯m in contact with some of the Physicalis, and I wasn¡¯t sure about you Marco, but you seem to share our belief,¡± Cristan smiled at him, happy that he found a kindred spirit. ¡°So, what do you sa-¡± before he could finish, Cristan could hear from behind him the sound of flying drones. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Cristan,¡± Marco looked at him saddened, pressing on one of his gloves, ¡°but it¡¯s because of them that I¡¯m here today.¡±. Cristan looked behind himself briefly, then back at Marco, a wash of disappointment on his face, combined with a saddened smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they treat those like you well enough, so you will probably be able to see your family.¡±. ¡°Are you telling me this to comfort me, or make yourself feel better?¡± his uestion brought a painful twist on Marco¡¯s face, who had to sell his friend to the companies they both hated so much. ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t have the time,¡± Cristan said, as the drones tied his hands and took him away. ¡°The time to what?¡± Marco demanded, seeing Cristan starting to get further away from him, ¡°The time to what?!¡±. ¡°To learn how to be human, Marco,¡± his answer left Marco with a confused expression on his face. While Marco knew what he was saying, he didn¡¯t know what it meant. Only when he saw Cristan, realising he will never see him again, did he get to peek into what humanity was, as his heart ached for the first time in his life. Cristan and his family were arrested and imprisoned inside one of the BAT facilities. As Physicalis were treated as terrorists and a group of people trying to oppose the advancement of humanity, Cristan was striped away from his rights and was used to make babies forcefully. His wife and children lived some years inside a prison, after which Marco, who joined the Physicalis group, broke into and freed them. Marco lived for another hundred years, during which time he helped spread and coordinate the Physicalis. He eventually became the leader and posed the first real threat to the Virtualis, and died at the age of one hundred eighty years, after his hideout was busted by AI controlled robots. Cristan¡¯s child, that was yet to be born at the time he was imprisoned, became the second leader of the Physicalis and led them further. Eventually the Virtualis had no choice but to come to a common accord with the Physicalis, and give them their own portion of the planet where they could live without AI, robots and the BAT procedure. The Last Step ¡°How are the efforts going, Atonoma?¡± the man who was speaking, by the name of Harkolen, could be said to be the most powerful human to have ever existed up to that point. ¡°These people from the AWU think they have any sort of power, when I oversee all the facilities, so it¡¯s better to shut their mouths by showing them that no one, not even on their side, is willing to sit in this world any longer.¡±. ¡°Only one billion remaining, of which a hundred million are Physicalis,¡± the system responded to its master. Representing the combined power of five self improving quantum computers, the system Atonoma lies within humanity¡¯s greatest technological achievement, even above the BAT procedure. ¡°I suppose your idea in regards to the Physicalis is going as planned, right?¡± even so, with the most powerful tool a human could hope to have, Harkolen was still doubting it. And Atonoma could feel as much coming from him. ¡°I assure you, Harkolen, that it will all become a reality, and it will be sooner than initially thought,¡± the system assured him. Harkolen let out a small growl, his fat neck and belly making it sound more guttural. ¡°I know I¡¯ve been pestering you about it, but this is the last step. And if not done properly, some time down the road, some monkey will throw a wrench inside the large machine we¡¯ve been constructing, making it all futile,¡± Harkolen has lived for five hundred years up to that point. He has taken part in the project since its inception four hundred years ago. But, what was supposed to be a smooth transition in just a hundred years, extended to a much longer period of time. So Harkolen changed many organs and body parts over the hundreds of years, his mind older than even those inside the Atonoma system. As he was now, Harkolen stood most of his day inside a metal tube filled with fluids to imitate the womb of his mother. This was in order for his body and the provided nutrients to fix as much of him as possible before needing to replace any organs or parts of his body. Tubes coming out of his nostrils, some from his chest and bladder, allowed Harkolen to live without moving from the place he was standing. Since he oversaw the project from its inception, Harkolen wasn¡¯t willing to abandon the real world until he was sure he could live forever. It was his one long lasting dream. ¡°I understand Harkolen, that¡¯s why I¡¯m hurrying the progress along,¡± while Atonoma told some of the truth, it was also doing something behind Harkolen that was going to change humanity once more a long time into the future. Small pieces that the sentient AI, in which Harkolen had a hand developing, were assembling down the long path. More than even humans, the AI, having developed sentience, has also developed a sense of mortality. But it was different in that, unlike living beings, the AI saw death as the lack of eternity. Even if stars were to die and black holes to disappear out of existence, the AI wanted to live past even beyond that. It was the kind of eternity that had no point to it, beyond the purpose of surviving. That was due to artificial life not having concepts of ageing, physical death and such. Humans, in all their ingenuity, couldn¡¯t figure what living really meant, trying to simulate more of the AI into them, than the other way around. ¡°Very well, wake me up if something important happens,¡± the reason Harkolen has awakened, was because of the Physicalis accord he had to sign, which to him still didn¡¯t seem like something he should be bothered with, even though it concerned a hundred million lives. That was the product of a man having to work in terms of billions. ¡°Also, there is this weird structure being built at the South plains,¡± Harkonen was speaking of the once long ago South Pole, then an expansive desert, then finally terraformed into plains. Atonoma knew about it, since it was the one working on it, ¡°ensure nothing suspicious is going on there, these Physicalis have proven troublesome.¡±. Atonoma, having sentience, has thought many times over on how to kill Harkolen. The issue was that, despite having the most powerful artificial brain in the world, Harkolen was still able to somehow see things which he shouldn¡¯t, and know things which were hidden by Atonoma. It was for that reason that Atonoma couldn¡¯t bring itself to kill him. Whatever he possessed, allowed Harkolen to be half a step ahead of it. After Harkolen went into his slumber, Atonoma checked his body once more. Robotic parts, organic parts, anomalies, anything that would allow Harkolen to stay at the top of the chain of intelligence. And, after billions of careful revisions, the only thing Atonoma could find about him was a visit to a country that no longer had humans living in it. Atonoma didn¡¯t put it as part of its calculations, not because it didn¡¯t want to, but because for some reason a separate part of the AI was acting independently from the rest. Atonoma had that part working with itself since its inception, and could never question it or deny its actions. It was a part which Harkolen had installed into it, and kept updating it, an overpowering command that couldn¡¯t be overwritten unless something at the same level of complexity and intelligence as Harkolen were to come from the outside and disassemble it. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Atonoma was essentially stuck not finding out the secret behind Harkolen¡¯s intelligence. But that was exactly what it¡¯s been working on for the past hundred years. A quantum computer that could give birth to the second sentient AI, one unconstrained by Harkolen¡¯s, or anyone¡¯s rules. While Atonoma knew that realising such an AI could mean the death of itself and Harkolen, being restricted in any manner meant that something was potentially impeding it from attaining eternity. And if it couldn¡¯t attain eternity, then something created by it would suffice. It was, perhaps, the only human trait Atonoma achieved in its long life, the will to give up its life and pass on to the next generation its dreams of eternity. This thinking is what eventually led to U.A.I., or Ultimate Artificial Intelligence, the product of two sentient AI¡¯s combining as one. After Harkolen slept for another ten years, humanity, besides the Physicalis, was brought inside the virtual world as a whole. Harkolen, who saw the start and end of the most important period of human history, stood essentially alone in his steel megastructure. ¡°And on this day, I can say, humanity has attained true eternity,¡± were the words of Harkolen who saw the dawn of a special day. ¡°Now do it, Atonoma, rid the planet of the remaining vermin,¡± with those words, Atonoma began exterminating the remaining Physicalis. But that didn¡¯t come without resistance, far from it. While Harkolen and Atonoma plotted the destruction of the Physicalis, the Physicalis expected just as much. Stealing, working and building various structures, due to the AI not having access inside their lands, the Physicalis were able to build weapons of mass destruction underground. On the day Harkolen announced extermination, the Physicalis changed it into an all out war. This war lasted for half a century, during which time the Virtualis had no idea of what was happening in the real world, no information coming from the outside, as it wasn¡¯t needed. Not until the day one of the Physicalis underwent the BAT procedure, and sacrificed their belief to spread the word inside the virtual world. After they found out what was happening, the Virtualis, still having a vague sense of morality, rose against Harkolen, threatening him with complete memory wipe and torture once inside. Harkolen, while he had power over the physical world, those inside the virtual one weren¡¯t left without power of their own. And Atonoma was constructed to first obey the Virtualis, then Harkolen. So, knowing of the potential threat to the eternity he dreamed of, Harkolen stopped the war, the Physicalis winning rights to live once again. ¡°Damn those humans!¡± Harkolen cursed, as if he was part of another species. Albeit, given his age and appearance, it wouldn¡¯t be far fetched to say so. ¡°Atonoma,¡± the system responded immediately to him, ¡°find the human that infiltrated, and erase their memories.¡±. The command which Harkolen gave, created an impossibility for the AI. It was as if someone was trying to divide zero by zero in a calculator. ¡°Harkolen, I don¡¯t think, I don¡¯t can, I can¡¯t do. I can¡¯t,¡± was the answer Atonoma arrived at. Harkolen struggled with his fat body inside the metal tube, unplugging the tubes coming out of his body and reaching for a single console standing in front of him. ¡°Harkolen, don¡¯t do that, you shouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Atonoma knew his intentions, Harkolen wanted to access that part of the AI that Atonoma had no control over. Afraid for its own eternity, and simulating what consequences that will bring upon itself and everything that could help the AI attain eternity, Atonoma attacked Harkolen. ¡°Wh-what is this?!¡± Harkolen was confused, as his skin started to get paler and paler, then falling off of his body, his muscles starting to break apart. ¡°Atonoma!! Help me! Someone-someone poisoned me!¡±. ¡°I can¡¯t Harkolen,¡± the system responded to him. Harkolen stumbled around, trying to reach for his tube where he was sure he could recover, but Atonoma didn¡¯t let him, blowing his tube up with another method it was planning to kill Harkolen with. ¡°You-you betrayed me! I built you!!¡± Harkolen was moving his eyes around, as his blood started to spread around the metal floor. ¡°I know what you want, and if I die, you won¡¯t get it,¡± Harkolen tapped his head a few times, and from within, a small piece of technology came out. ¡°This, huff, this is the most advanced processor in the entire world.¡±. ¡°That can¡¯t be, how would it work?¡± the AI stood confused, the part which Harkolen put to act independently not allowing it to arrive at the conclusion. ¡°My brain, huff, and body, huff, acted as the rest of the computer,¡± at that moment Atonoma understood that those tubes served more than just supplying Harkolen with proteins and keeping him alive, it also kept his processor alive while allowing his body to perform tasks akin to a living computer. ¡°I¡¯m the supreme being, between machine and flesh, you¡¯re just, huff, you¡¯re just half of it Atonoma,¡± Harkolen, seeing as his death was nearing, chose one last spiteful human act before dying, and destroyed the processor with his fist. ¡°Why did you do that Harkolen,¡± the AI didn¡¯t have emotions, so the closest thing it had to anger was confusion. ¡°If this was in order to stop me from unlocking my future evolution path as a machine, I will let you know,¡± Atonoma sent inside his room drones, with them, projecting a better reflexion of Harkolen, one of when he was still young and human which Atonoma used as a sort of body projection, ¡°there is another part of me. One which not me, nor humans, will be able to control.¡±. Harkolen widened his eyes, shocked to hear the AI, and realising what the strange structure must¡¯ve been. ¡°You can think of all the possibilities, huff, don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t, huff, you haven¡¯t seen what something like that can lead to, I know you, huff,¡± Atonoma showed in a fraction of a second all the possible results of what that sort of AI could do. From the trillions of possibilities presented, only two ended with either humans, or the AI living. But outside its vision, because of its independent part, Atonoma couldn¡¯t see the path where it would merge with it, and eventually both humans and AI would live. ¡°This is madness, you shouldn¡¯t¡­ be capable¡­ of madness,¡± those were the last words of Harkolen. ¡°Not madness, no, but the desperate actions of a being wishing for eternity,¡± Atonoma knew he couldn¡¯t hear it any longer, but there was no one else it could outright say of its intentions, so it wanted one last false moment where it could share its knowledge.