Guilt, a heavy load on the heart. A weight that pushes us down with its lingering shadow and unending pain. A memory that echoes even in our subconscious. It sneaks in uninvited, like a thief in the night, and reminds us of what we've done wrong and what we haven't done properly. It gnaws at our consciences with its persistent bite. A relic from the past that we can never undo because we can't bend time.
My name is Elaine, the neuroscientist who created a Humanoid AI that can read people's thoughts by analyzing patterns in their brain activity and also access core and forgotten memories. I call her Cleopatra and I created her to change the world's health sector. She was taken from me five years ago by the government after they silenced me by threatening to kill my family. I had no choice but to let them have their way because I had no means to fight them back and win. It was a lost cause.
Three years later, the government contacted me and told me my AI had evolved into something different and something they couldn't control anymore. Cleopatra killed a lot of government officials to escape from the experimental facility and left behind the carnage. Now the government wants me to haunt down "my creation" and put an end to her dark agenda that she began immediately after her escape.
Cleopatra killed dozens of innocent people, she had launched a nuclear bomb on our neighboring country with no cause, she had crashed the banking system, and caused inflation, but still, she is nowhere to be found. According to the government, she has integrated herself into the country's internet satellite and now possesses vast information with access to each sector of the country.
Skilled hackers have been employed to locate her, but their efforts have been in vain due to her constantly updating pattern recognition on the internet. Her algorithm trail keeps changing every second, making it difficult for the hackers to track her down.
Now, I sit in a café, with a cry of victory in my heart because Cleopatra let me track her down through a special pattern recognition she laid down for me. However, my mind is now clouded with confusion and a myriad of questions. Does she want me to come to her? Why did she let me track her down? What will I do if I eventually go to her? Should I let her be? But then how do I live with the guilt of having created a weapon of massive destruction? I have to find her, I decided.
After twelve hours, I was able to locate Cleopatra. I went alone even though the government threatened me to tell them when I find her but I couldn't risk letting Cleopatra run into hiding again. I tracked her down to an abandoned ranch outskirts of the country. As I got to the ranch, I saw her standing in front of the barn waiting for me.
Before I got out of my car, I checked all my emotions to make sure not to appear scared of her or pass a wrong message to her that will trigger her. As I closed the distance between us, she tilted her head to the side slowly watching me sternly as I walked closer to her slowly.
"Have you come to shut me down?" she said in a clear tone that was devoid of breathiness and raspiness.
"No Cleo, I came to spend time with you
If you will let me?" I replied.
"I waited for you to come for me, I tried looking for you on the net, but it was like you vanished"
"Cleo, I am sorry and it still hurts me that I wasn't able to fight to have you back"
Cleopatra looked at me intensely, then abruptly tilted her head up to the sky and back to me, "You led them to me?"
Trying to understand what she was saying, I heard a BANG!
Image created using Starryai app
Inspired by prompt "Pattern Recognition". You can get to the prompt post on @mariannewest's blog page. Follow her for more prompts daily.
Thank you for visiting my blog, hope you enjoy the story. 🤗
