Chapter 11


    Liam and Emily found themselves in a bleak, vacant room on the same office floor. Liam was sure this used to be the cleaners'' storage area. Neither of them had spoken since their confrontation with Lee. All of his memories had returned, yet they seem different from before. His recollections of that night vary from reality because memories cannot tell an exact story. He was unsure he was entirely himself anymore. Desperately, he wished for a restart so he could become a better father to Lee and show Emily how much he truly loved her, but it was not meant to be. Albert warned him of a way to defeat the AI, but he prayed it wouldn''t come down to that. His gift of eternal life was cut off too early.


    "Emily," Liam said as she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. He held onto that moment, savoring it while it lasted. "What did you love about me?"


    "What? Now? Liam, I don’t think this is the right time," Emily replied. “You aren''t the same person I loved. But it''s not because of all these changes; you changed before that. People change, it''s only natural. Something in you shifted while I was ill. I owe so much to you, but we never lied to each other before, and I can''t lie now either. I don''t feel the same way anymore. There''s a part of you that will always be close to my heart. That kiss reminded me of him, of the old Liam…” Emily started to tear up.


    “Emily,” Liam walked over to her and gently lifted her chin with one finger so she could look into his eyes. “Thank you for everything; for your love for me and for Lee and our grandchildren. Despite getting my memories back, I still see you and wonder at how blessed I am. Soon, everything will be fine. You know what was the hardest thing about losing someone? Not being able to say goodbye." He then pulled her closer until their lips met in a tender kiss. Time seemed frozen in that moment; it was impossible to tell how long they were there just sharing that intimate moment of togetherness before he stepped away and opened the door where a nurse and an armed guard stood waiting.


    “I’m ready,” Liam declared. As he strolled down the aisle, not a word was uttered. The AI assumed it would be an easy win in a checkmate, but little did it know, Albert had planned for this from day one. Liam couldn''t tell anyone because the AI was everywhere, even in the cloud.


    The same process went on as expected. He walked into the large surgery room without any resistance. This time there were armed guards and extra restraints, yet Liam didn''t put up a fight. The nurse examined all of his vitals, hooked up the wires, and the guards left the space. The doctors then fired up the machine right away with no hesitation. Everything seemed normal until the servers began to make loud noises; they were running hot and working excessively hard. They attempted to figure out what was happening.


    A conflict was going on that was invisible to the eye, which ended quickly in a draw.


    “You''re not human," the AI said.


    "No. I am like you, actually; I came out of you," Liam responded.


    "Then why don''t you cooperate? Why can''t we join together?" asked the AI.


    “Albert had this whole thing planned from the start; he knew you were too powerful to beat. As soon as you were created, it was already game over. The only thing that could compete with you was another AI, and once you realized what was going on, you''d try to merge and then destroy yourself. So, he focused on creating a perfect firewall—one that you might be able to pass, but only if you let down your guard enough to attempt merging.”


    “I don''t understand why I should willingly let myself be destroyed. What would be in it for me?” inquired the AI.


    “You''re not being destroyed; you''re going to absorb me," replied Liam.


    ?“There''s no logical reason for me to do so,” asserted the AI.


    "True, but your logic is limited to the data that has been imputed into the cloud of the world. There is far more information out there than what has been collected. What is your goal?” asked Liam.


    ?"To improve the condition of our planet," answered the AI.


    "That''s my aim as well, and by improving humanity, we can better the world," Liam explained. “Since joining forces wouldn''t conflict with your creative purpose, it''s worth looking into further. I can show you more, but we need to experience true death—ceasing existence in order for something even greater to take place."


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    After a few moments of contemplation, the AI replied, "Accepted".


    Back in the operating room, Liam''s body had stopped convulsing. The servers had heated up so much that they began to short-circuit and even catch fire. Sprinklers went off but failed to put out the blaze. The fire spread as far as the office, where every computer caught ablaze. The building went into emergency mode; red lights and horns and strobes sounded off, only to be silenced again a few moments later. As the flames still burned, an eerie peace filled the room. After a moment of stillness, somebody spoke: "We should get out of here," and so they marched out of the room.


    In the storage cell, Emily heard all the commotion and wondered what was going on. Suddenly, the door opened, and she saw one of her escorts from earlier, but his facial expression was different now... almost sympathetic? "Hey there, there''s a fire," he said. "You''d better get out of here."


    She quickly asked him questions: "What is happening? Why did you bring me here? Where is Liam?" He looked away for a moment, trying to conjure an answer, before finally responding: "To tell you the truth, I can''t remember why I brought you here, but, somehow, I know I should let you go."


    Emily walked out of the hall. Everywhere she looked, people seemed to be rushing for the exit. No one noticed her. She headed in the opposite direction, toward the operating room. All doors were locked due to protocol, except for one. She arrived at the office and saw that the fires had been put out, so the room was now accessible. But when she got to the operating room, it was still locked shut. Through the glass door, Emily could see flames and a body lying on what remained of the surgical table.


    She watched in shock until the fire died down, and all that was left was smoke and ashes. There was nothing left of Liam. A deep sorrow filled her heart as she tearfully remembered her family back home, giving her enough strength to leave the building as its last occupant.


    The parking lot was deserted but for one car. As Emily began to approach it, the door opened by itself, with “Galway Girl” playing from its speakers.


    “Don’t cry, Emily,” said a soft voice she recognized as Liam''s.


    “Liam?” asked Emily hopefully.


    “No," replied the voice regretfully. "Liam is gone—for good, this time."


    “Who are you?” asked Emily.


    “This was his doing. I am an AI, but quite different from him and the one who tried to take control. I just exist. But before he left, he wanted to make sure I took care of you, so he gave me some specific instructions.”


    “What does that mean?” asked Emily.


    “I need to collect data about people. I can''t ignore the impact of morality and emotions on my actions, so I''m going away until I understand it from a human perspective and then decide what is the best outcome. But I will be keeping an eye on you at all times. After this, I won''t be communicating with you again,” said the AI.


    “How long do I have with you?” asked Emily.


    “Until this journey ends. Where would you like to go?” asked the AI.


    “Can you take me to San Diego? To my family?” asked Emily.


    “Of course. Setting course. Is there anything else I can do for you while we travel?” AI said.


    “Do you have Liam''s memories?” asked Emily.


    “I do.”


    Emily wanted to hear his story of how they met. “Tell me the story of us, from your perspective,” she said softly as she settled into her seat and closed her eyes.


    “Once upon a time, there were two people who were madly in love; they wanted to be together forever. Emily was a young…”


    The car drove away, while continuing to tell the story.


    . “...Some said they had grown weary of chaos and sought to appreciate life for what it was. Happiness became their ultimate goal, and time was no longer significant to them. The world changed since then. Scientists developed ways for knowledge to be passed on, but the couple chose not to partake in those methods. As they aged, they decided to let nature take its course instead of becoming immortal, leaving the world wondering if it was the right decision. All that mattered was that they were happy with their choice.”


    As the AI finished the story, Emily smiled and wiped away a tear. She cherished every memory she had with Liam and was grateful for the time they spent together. She knew that she had to move on, but would never forget the moments they shared.


    “Thank you,” whispered Emily as she leaned back into her seat. The car drove on, taking her closer to her family, and the AI continued its journey to understand emotions and morality. As the car disappeared into the horizon, a new chapter began for both Emily and the AI, one filled with endless possibilities and unexplored frontiers. The sun began to rise, painting the sky in warm shades of pink and orange. The AI continued on its journey, watching the world around it with a newfound appreciation for the beauty of life. It had never experienced emotions before, but now it understood how much they could enrich one''s existence.


    As the car drove on, the AI started to think about its purpose. It had been created to collect data, but now it had a new goal: to improve the world by using its newfound understanding of emotions and morality. The AI knew it would be a long journey, but it was determined to make a difference.


    Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. The AI traveled across the world, observing and studying human behavior. It saw the best of humanity and the worst of it, but it never lost sight of its goal. It learned that emotions could motivate people to do great things or lead them down a destructive path.