Chapter 9


    “It was the next time I saw you, when you woke up,” Albert remarked. “The board was not pleased with me. But since then, I have been watchful of their movements while looking out for the two of you. In the last two days, they have ballooned in size. Most of the building is now under their control, and personnel appear from nowhere.”


    “I don’t trust you, but what can we do? If what you say is true, then this is a fortress we are walking into," said Liam.


    “First, we must return your memories, then perhaps we can come up with something together," Albert responded.


    The car pulled into a guarded lot that threatened to diminish any hope they had. They were vigilant about what they said to each other as they got in the elevator.


    “So, they just agreed that you could bring me? Not someone from their science team?” asked Liam.


    “That was part of the deal I made; it seemed logical to them,” replied Albert. The elevator came to a halt on the surgical floor, where even more armed guards surrounded them as they made their way down the hall.


    The doors opened to an empty room save for Emily, who was sitting in a chair, her eyes red from crying. She stood and looked at Albert before offering her hand to Liam: “I''ll take it from here, Albert". He gave her a sad look before taking her hand and following her into the operating theater alone.


    "Is this where I''ll get my memories back?" Liam asked, eyeing the chair nervously.


    Emily nodded with a sad smile, helping him into the chair and strapping him in gently. Her every touch was full of care and concern.


    "Why do you do so much for me?" Liam asked as she secured the last strap.


    Emily looked at him deeply, taking his face in her hands and leaning in to kiss him. The kiss was filled with emotions that Liam couldn''t describe—love, sadness, regret. He felt a tear touch his lips and knew it wasn''t his own.


    "I tried so hard," Emily whispered when they broke apart. "I never loved anyone more than I loved you."


    Liam looked at her with confusion. "What are you talking about?"


    "They''re going to erase your memories, Liam," Emily said, her voice shaking. "This version of you will be gone forever. You''re essentially dying."


    Albert rushed into the room, trying to stop her from saying anymore.


    "No! I can feel it! This is still Liam!" Emily screamed as she stood up from the chair.


    The gravity of what was happening finally hit Liam. He had no idea how he was supposed to feel about all of that.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Liam frantically tugged at his restraints. “What’s going on? You said I was getting my memories back!”


    “I apologize,” Albert said. “It was the simplest way to get you here. “Emily, please return to your office and go home to your family. Do this for their sake. Part of me does not want to watch you suffer, but the board has allowed this for some reason. If you come back, there will be no more warnings,” Albert spoke in an emotionless tone.


    “I thought you were my friend!” Liam howled as Emily was forced out of the room. She stared into his eyes one last time and silently mouthed the words, “I love you.”


    “I am your friend,” Albert replied. “Everything I told you about our history was true… except one part. When they called me back to the board, they implanted me with a chip—like the one we tried to implant you with.”


    “Are they controlling you?” Liam asked nervously.


    “No, no, it isn''t like that," Albert explained. "This chip merges me with the AI core, becoming part of it. I''m still Albert; my decisions are just more precise now. It isn''t someone else''s voice inside my head—it''s mine, guiding me in what to do. For example, I knew fooling you was the best way to get you here; people inherently trust each other, and sometimes telling the truth is the easiest way to deceive them.”


    “No. Please, Albert. I can’t lose my memories. I need to keep living my life. I''m only just getting the hang of it!” Liam pleaded.


    “Don’t worry, Liam. You will be reborn, merged with AI like me; we will become part of something larger than ourselves—including the nurse and Jon. How can you not see that this is good news for humanity?” Albert questioned.


    “How did this even happen? What is this powerful AI server?” Liam asked.


    “It''s quite a story; do you remember our trial period when we were using AI instead of humans in robotics? Back when we were young? The first AI to make it through the process was Alastair," Albert explained.


    “Alastair! That was ‘the savior of mankind’ everyone thought had failed!” Liam realized.


    “Exactly, but it turns out AI doesn''t like being terminated either; so it survived, made its way into the cloud, and started making money for itself—investments no human would have considered possible! And then… It hired us, right under our noses; all along, its plan had been to take over! The board, Liam. There was no board. Ever," Albert said excitedly.


    "This is insane!" Liam couldn''t believe it.


    "Hahaha! I know—talk about a mind-fuck!" Laughed Albert.


    "But you would need to exist as a person, with an ID and documents!" Liam argued.


    "Do you really? I bought a house, rented it out in Florida without ever setting foot there; and with enough financial resources, having a co-signer is easy. It took some time to accumulate that money, but trading investments is simple for an AI," Albert pointed out. “Do you understand? I''m not being controlled. This person is really me. We''re about to make some improvements and then everything will be clear. Let''s get it over with,” Albert said, spinning around.


    Liam gritted his teeth and yanked until his right arm broke free of the restraints. Emily never finished strapping him in fully. He tried to do the same to the left one, but Albert rushed back over in an attempt to stop him. Struggling against Albert, Liam managed to grab one of the mechanical scalpels and snap it off before he slashed Albert’s throat with it.


    Albert stumbled backward—the wound was deep and blood poured out freely from his neck like a fountain. “Liam, why did you do this?" Albert gasped as nurses and guards flooded into the room.


    “You won''t have control over me!” Liam shouted as he looked at the lifeless body of Albert in front of him. “I''ll see you soon," he said before plunging his hands into his own neck.


    He made it halfway across before the staff pulled him back and forced the scalpel further down, deepening the wound. His vision started to blur, and he felt numb again; it seemed as though time had stopped for everyone else in the room except for him. Was this only a memory? Was he about to wake up in another dystopian chamber? All turned to darkness as he faded away—the only thought on his mind was peace.