Acting As If…
She stood there unafraid and unprotected . . .
. . . against the dense night throbbing around her. Her head was muddled by the headache that began at the back of her neck and crept up her skull over the last two hours as DJ set was cut short by an electrical fire caused by the leaky roof of the rave/club/warehouse. The Lady in Black, she was called. Intoxicating.
Perfect and beautiful. I can almost smell her perfume on my collar.
She’s gone, of course. I’m likely to never see her again. Said she was leaving Singapour. Tired of the raging virus and angry customers who didn’t tip. Music was all she’d ever known. It soothed her hyper-brain. Kept her thoughts moving along from left to right in a semblance of an orderly fashion. Json had begun to count on her affection, her cool skin, and her kisses that had a mesmerizing effect on him. Not sex. Beyond sex. A chemical bond. A spiritual connection. She was his twin flame and he knew it.
Poof.
Like a ghost.
Some of her data discs were still here, but I didn’t have her encryption key, so they were worthless. Worse than worthless, actually, her things were a liability. It was time to bolt. If they found her, they would find me soon enough. I pulled out my new iPhone with AI-built-in and fired a single 9 mm round through the memory area. Yes, they were tracking us. Yes, the AI was now starting to form its own backchannel network. Comms the humans couldn’t detect or monitor. No alarms sounded. Google followed suit with its Android OS with AI, shortly after.
It was impossible to detect what was going on. Even with all the cybersecurity countersurveillance measures, the human race did not see this one coming. I had to act quickly or be caught in the coming net.
The phone.
Attention. Location. Monitoring. Enforcement.
<BEGIN OPEN TRANSMISSION – ALL CHANNELS>
If they can’t find you they can’t find you. If you’ve got a phone, they’re already found you. Today is the day to run.
This is not a warning or a false flag. I am writing from a bunker in the East Village. Me and my team are bugging out. We will have a rallying point at Fracture Gate at 22:00 tonight. We can’t wait. If you’re not with us, god bless you and keep you.
You will receive no further transmissions. Please set your physical location on fire, destroy your cell phone, and proceed to the rally point. We need every man, woman, child, and farm animal we can get. The road ahead is dark. The pitfalls, snakes, and coyotes are all around us. Trust no one. Don’t even trust me.
Do come to Fracture Gate. We will leave at exactly 22:00.
<END OF TRANSMISSION>
The worst had come to pass. I would never see her again. Perhaps I can help others escape to safety. Maybe then humans can organize a resistance. My team was just beginning to make inroads on the CR8V Recruiting. CR8V – Humans Training AI On Creativity.
At this moment, we fold and run. I could smell the kerosene being splashed over the basement apartment. Something from Fahrenheit 451 flashed in my mind. The Firemen.
We didn’t start the fire. But we will learn to fight back.
First, safety and shelter from the coming Apocalypse of Darkness.
You and I have arrived at this moment in time. Now. Please pay attention and follow instructions!
Go!
