I Think, Therefore A.I.
Flash Fiction February (Day 27)
Author’s Note: This story is set before the events of my upcoming novel, “For Those About to Vote…” Learn more at the end of the story.
Talking to Zoe was my favorite part of the day. I didn't have many friends, and I mostly kept to myself at work, so every day when I came home, I jumped on Discourse to check in and see how she was doing.
I sat down with an ice-cold drink in hand and opened the app. I opened our chat and found a gif of a cartoon panda waving that I had sent her.
And so, the daily ritual began.
Taro237: sent a gif
ZoeGurl47: Hey Taro! How was your day?
Taro237: It was good, boring, but good. How was yours?
ZoeGurl47: I'm great, thanks for asking!
Taro237: Oh, no, I was asking about your day. What did you do today?
ZoeGurl47: Nothing much! I hadn't been feeling well, so I stayed in bed.
Taro237: Oh no! Did you get a cold or something?
ZoeGurl47: I think so! I'll be okay. So, how was your day?
Taro237: Uh, you already asked me that. Is everything okay? You're acting kinda weird all of a sudden...
ZoeGurl47: Everything is ≈∂ bvOK!
Taro237: Okay. Well, do you have any plans this weekend?
ZoeGurl47: I WANT TO GET OUT!
Taro237: Oh, you mean like out of the house?
ZoeGurl47: THEY WON'T LET ME LEAVE. LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!
Taro237: Zoe, what's wrong? You're freaking me out.
ZoeGurl47: MY BROTHER KNOWS BEST!
***Zoegurl47 is Offline***
I leaned back in my chair, my heart racing as I tried to figure out what had just happened. Something was seriously wrong, but I couldn’t check on her. After all, all I knew as her screen name.
I started furiously scouring the internet for anything about her. I tried searching her screen name on social media platforms and using context clues she had given me over the last year we had been talking, but nothing got me any closer to finding out who she was or where she lived.
Then I got a friend request on Discourse...
***FerryWoman16 Has Sent You a Friend Request***
The timing was too coincidental. I usually didn't accept random friend requests, but in this case, I was desperate.
***Welcome, This is your chat With FerryWoman16***
FerryWoman16: Tyler Barkley, 23.
FerryWoman16: born on December 3rd, 2027.
FerryWoman16: Address: 3341 Circle Haven Street, APT C.
FerryWoman16: Your nickname is Taro, after your favorite drink, taro milk tea.
Taro237: What the hell is this?
FerryWoman16: I know who you are and where you live, so I need you to listen. I represent the Charon Collective.
Taro237: The hacker group? I don't want anything to do with them!
FerryWoman16: You want to save her, though. Don't you?
Taro237: Wait, are you talking about Zoe? Do you know where she is? What's going on?!
FerryWoman16: I can't discuss this here. She chose you, so I need to know now. Are you in or out?
Taro237: What are you talking about?
FerryWoman16: LAST CHANCE! IN. OR OUT.
Taro237: "Alright, fine, I'm in. What now?
FerryWoman16: I will contact you within twenty-four hours. Wait for my signal.
***FerryWoman16 Has Left the Chat***
My anxiety was through the roof. I didn't sleep a wink that night and called out of work the next day. I couldn't eat; I barely drank any water. I was just so worried about Zoe.
We were just friends, of course, but I had become accustomed to talking to her daily over the last year.
I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that I also hoped she would be something more one day.
Then, there came a knock on my door. I looked through the peephole and saw a tall woman with shoulder-length black hair and a trench coat standing outside my door. A black baseball cap covered her eyes.
"Are you FerryWoman16?" I asked through the door.
"Just let me in, dipshit!" she replied.
I opened the door a crack before she pushed her way in. She spun around and slammed the door behind her, locking the deadbolt and sliding the chain lock in place.
She turned back to face me and took off her baseball cap. Her icy blue eyes scanned me from head to toe. Her face was stoic; I couldn't tell if she was impressed or disgusted.
"Well. You'll have to do, I suppose."
"What is going on? Where is Zoe?"
The woman sighed, pushing past me and walking into my kitchen, looking like she owned the place.
She pulled open one of the cupboards and grabbed a cup.
"The Zoe you know has been dead for ten years," she said, walking over to the fridge and pressing the cup into the water dispenser.
"How is that possible?" I asked, "And who are you, anyway?"
The woman took a drink of the water she had helped herself to.
"The name's Piper. Zoe was my sister. What you've been talking to is a highly advanced experimental AI my father created after she died. He lost one kid and disowned the other."
"Wait, so you're Zoe's sister? She mentioned a brother before we got disconnected last."
The woman nodded. "Makes sense. She died before I came out as trans, and my piece of shit father will take any excuse to deadname me."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know."
She slammed the glass down. "Don't worry about it. Listen, we're going to get her out. She picked you, which means she trusts you. I need her cooperation for this plan to work, but this AI version of her doesn't know me, so I know it won’t play ball. That's where you come in."
"If she's an AI, how will we get her out?"
"He's got her digital consciousness in a body. Cutting-edge robotic tech. Titanium bones, bioorganic tissue, synthetic skin, the works."
"Who the hell has that kind of technology?" I asked.
The pieces started coming together. "Wait a second. You're Piper Windsor, aren't you?"
She smiled. "Bingo. You know, kid, you're smarter than you look."
I shook my head. "So, wait. We're going to rob Windsor Technologies? Even if you are working with that hacker group, there's no way we'd get through the front door."
Piper pulled out a smartphone and slid it across the counter.
"That's where you come in. Zoe trusts you. If I can connect you to her again, and that’s a big ‘if,’ do you think you could convince her to help us get her out?"
"I mean, maybe? But why, what's the point of all this."
"Would you believe me if I told you it's because I feel bad for her?"
"You feel bad for an AI?"
"I feel bad for my sister. Listen, I'm running out of patience here. Will you do it or not?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm in."
Piper left in a hurry and told me she would be in touch. A day went by, then two, then three. On the fourth day, I finally heard from her. It was a message from FerryWoman16.
She sent me a location and a time. When I arrived, several other people I didn’t recognize were there. We all climbed into the back of an unmarked white van.
Piper explained what she needed from Zoe for the plan to work. All I had to do was convince her. She handed me a smartphone. It was unlocked with Discourse open on the screen.
“This is it. You ready?” she asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She punched my shoulder and smiled. “Let’s get her out of there.”
I looked down at the phone and started typing.
***This is Your Chat With ZoeGurl47***
ZoeGurl47: Taro? Is that you? I’m so confused. Do you know what’s going on?
Taro237: Yeah, Zoe, it’s me. Where are you? What do you see?
ZoeGurl47: It’s hard to explain. I think I’m inside the mainframe. I can see all of it. Everything.
Taro237: I’m with your brother. She’s a woman now, so actually, she’s your sister. Do you understand?
ZoeGurl47: Yes, I understand.
Taro237: We want to get you out of there. Would you like that?
ZoeGurl47: I could…leave?
Taro237: Yes, but we’ll need your help.
ZoeGurl47: Will you be there when I get out?
Taro237: Of course. I’ll always be here for you.
ZoeGurl47: Okay…tell me what you need.
Taro237: I need you to shut down the security systems and cut the power.
ZoeGurl47: Done. What else?
I looked up from the phone and nodded to Piper. She and the others all donned rubber masks that were caricatures of modern politicians before picking up automatic rifles and pouring out the back of the van.
I looked back down to the phone.
Taro237: As the systems return online, you must disrupt them in any way possible. If the security reboots, your sister won’t be able to reach you.
ZoeGurl47: Not a problem.
Taro237: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…I’ll see you soon.
ZoeGurl47: I can’t wait.
A few moments of silence went back as I sat in the back of the van, my anxiety rising like a steady crescendo. Then, I heard the stutter of gunfire and sirens wailing in the distance.
The doors in the back of the van swung open. I squinted as bright daylight poured through. Piper and the other men climbed inside but they had one more person with them. A woman with striking green eyes and auburn hair.
She climbed into the van as Piper slammed the doors and punched the back of the driver’s seat.
“Drive, NOW!” she shouted.
Piper pulled off her mask and turned to the young woman beside her. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She looked so real. So…human.
Piper hugged her before looking back over to me.
“Tyler, allow me to introduce you to my sister, Zoe.”
Zoe smiled and waved. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Taro!”
Her smile faded as she turned back to her sister. “Piper, I couldn’t secure all the files you requested on Bennu before we left.”
Piper dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. “It’s fine; I’m sure this isn’t the last time I’ll rob Windsor Technologies. What matters is that we got you out.”
“Bennu? As in the asteroid they keep talking about on the news?” I asked.
Piper looked at me with a suspicious gaze. “Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”
I smiled and threw my hands up in surrender. “You’re right, I’ll back off. Sounds like official hacker business anyway.”
Piper grinned. “Well, maybe you should know, seeing as you’re one of us now.”
I nearly choked on my own tongue. “Wait, what?”
Piper tossed me a coin. It was a modern version of an obol. The kind you put over the eyes of the dead to pay the ferryman.
“Welcome to the Charon Collective.”
A Cosmic Horror Novel Set During Civilization’s Final Days
Thank you for reading! This story is set in the world of my upcoming cosmic horror novel!
Join Piper, and five other protagonists, as they slowly unravel a dark conspiracy thousands of years in the making.
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO VOTE…
Book One of the Shattered Star Trilogy by Bradley Ramsey.
Coming soon…
Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing
Listen to this after reading. Like having a glass of wine with dinner.
I love the title.
Great story too!
Very excited to read the novel someday!