Inhuman(40)
“Yeah,” Thel said, nodding. “I know that already. 1 infiltrated the sim somehow, knew the basic outline of the training program, told the candidate, manipulated him into believing we were the bad guys, then gave him the power to kill us. I’m way ahead of you.”
“Perhaps not as far as you think,” the A.I. replied before standing and reaching for the Tylenol from the cabinet. He sighed. “I wish they had something stronger.”
“I saw a liquor cabinet in the hallway,” Thel offered.
The A.I. shook his head. “I don’t think it would be wise to dull my wits further.” He popped two Tylenol in his mouth and scooped water from the sink to help him swallow them down.
Thel shook her head. “Cavemen medicine.”
The A.I. turned back to her. “There are holes in your theory. While we can’t eliminate 1 as a suspect, we have to use our inductive reasoning and examine what we do know. While you’re right that whoever is behind this opened the door for the candidate to realize that he could have more power than intended, it is also clear that the candidate’s powers are limited. If he’d had, for instance, the abilities of the Kali avatar, he would’ve been able to crush the car with us inside it. During my own testing, I experienced Kali ripping a skyscraper from its moorings and crushing it. I also saw her rip an NPC to shreds, with merely her mind. Clearly, the candidate has limitations.”
“Does he?” Thel said, posing an alternate possibility, “or is he just sadistic?”
“That’s possible, but it’s highly unlikely,” the A.I. replied. “It could be that whoever is behind this manipulated the candidate’s core programming. That could have indeed caused him to become sadistic. Still, it seems far more plausible that the intention of whoever is behind this is not to kill us.”
“Really? They’ve got a funny way of showing it!” Thel reacted, again in a harsh whisper. She couldn’t help but look up at the ceiling every time she spoke, constantly aware of the super-powered monster who inhabited the penthouse above them.
“The crash, the drowning, the NPC...” the A.I. responded. “All of these might have been genuine attempts to kill us, yet the fact remains that we are still alive. Considering the vast resources this sim has at its disposal for killing us quite efficiently, it’s remarkable that we’re still here. It seems more likely that the failed attempts were misdirection.”
“Misdirection?” Thel’s eyes were wide before she pointed aggressively out the bathroom door toward James, who remained motionless on the bed. “James might die!”
The A.I. grimaced. “I do not have all the answers,” the A.I. replied. “Perhaps I am wrong, and I admit that I am clearly missing information. We can only depend on our reasoning. However, following inductive reasoning will often lead to strange but true conclusions. I think it’s important to ask ourselves who would benefit from trapping us in the sim and cutting James and me off from the mainframe, yet, at the same time, wouldn’t want us dead?”
Thel’s eyebrows knitted together, and she tilted her head back as she considered the new conundrum. “1 benefits from cutting us off,” she said, “but she would also benefit from killing us—especially you and James.”
“Agreed.”
“But if it’s not her, then who?”
The A.I. looked up at the ceiling, imagining the fate that might await him just one floor above. “I don’t know,” he admitted, “but the mainframe is vulnerable. If the androids are aware of this, they’re undoubtedly launching an attack as we speak.”
Thel agreed and nodded, taking in a deep breath as she considered the implications. “We won’t last long. Without you and James in control of the mainframe, they’ll wipe us out even faster than last time.”
“There simply isn’t time for us to remain trapped here. Thel, I have to force the issue.”
“But if the candidate’s up there—”
“Thel,” the A.I. began, cutting her off before looking her directly and earnestly in the eye. “I know. I know. But one day, you’ll realize that as important as living is, there are things worth dying for. If I stay here and hide, I’ll be deserting people who have been in my care for three-quarters of a century, leaving them to die. I promise you, I’ll give my life before I sit idly by and let that happen.”
He turned to James, whose back was still facing them, his torso moving slightly as he continued to breathe steadily. Then he faced Thel. “Stay with him. Whatever happens, don’t let anyone know you’re here. And…” he paused for a moment as he considered his next words, “…if anything happens to me, tell him why I left, and tell him not to give up. Humanity needs him.”