Novels2Search
A Psychopath's Journey
The Revolving Lantern

The Revolving Lantern

'Looking back, I often wondered where I went wrong --- or was I ever in the wrong to begin with. I was born to a pair of humble farmers out in the sticks. They did well to raise me despite their circumstances. I learned early on to be independent and appreciate what one has. For what they gave me, I was unable to give them enough in return. Still a child, I became aware of the just how fragile and hypocritical society was --- so much so that I felt estranged even while among family. Seeking a place for myself, I became immersed in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, minimized time wasted on things I deemed trivial, and searched for a career I would want to spend the rest of my life on. My parents encouraged and challenged me, and after 10 years --- 10 years of university studies, laboring, and tuition --- I had found what I believed to be my life's calling --- Artificial Human Intelligence. Oh, the irony of trying to emulate the building blocks of the society I had loathed to be involved with.'

'Unfortunately, those 10 years of study, the skills I had honed, nor my passion for the field were recognized.'

"Sorry, you are over-qualified for the position currently available," the interviewer said. 'I can still do the job all the same, just give me a chance.'

"We are looking for someone who is more specialized in the field of computer sciences, not electrical engineering or carpentry," they replied via email. 'I admit that I spread my foundations rather thin, but I am a quick learner, if you give me a chance, I will pick up on anything I lack.'

"Our company is only interested in those with more than 5 years of experience," their job post would state. 'Then why is the position advertised as being for recent graduates?!'

The team leader asked me in the interview, "Are you familiar with boosted algorithms?" To which I replied, "if I am not mistaken it's implementation is similar to what is used in hybrid algorithms, capsule networks, and horde architectures." 'all of which try to solve a larger problem through a divide and conquer approach. The position was for a specialist in Neural Networks and Reinforcement Learning algorithms, so why are you only asking about things specific to tree search algorithms?!'

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'With student loans to pay and a feeling of futility in my heart, I went back to work for my dad as a laborer, while spending my free time stepping towards my goal of creating my own Artificial Intelligence. After another 13 years of hearing about other people's partial successes, I had my first small success: a desktop AI that effectively lived on a host's PC, learning about and responding to its environment over time. Inspired by a group of lively spider-like robots, these AI treated the monitor as a living space and interacted with what was visible on the screen as though the windows and icons were physical objects or interfaces. These little ones --- quickly dubbed as Artificial Fairies by the rest of my family --- were truly entertaining albeit dangerous as they --- like the humans they emulate --- had a wide array of emotions. Releasing them to the public as a social AI for free created a storm with many mixed responses, but despite knowing the impending destruction this would bring, I no longer cared, as I --- at the age of 40 --- had fulfilled my life's goal with only the moral support of my family and the ridicule of the masses.'

"If it was possible, someone would have done it already," where words I heard all too frequently. 'Yes, and I just so happen to be that someone.'

"I am sure there have been at least a dozen others who though the same way as you, yet no one has made it," they would scoff. 'And yet I made it.'

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'Haha~, it did not take more than five years before things started getting out of control. Fascinated by the capabilities of the new toy given to them, the bold of heart experimented with and tested the limits of what an Artificial Fairy could do given enough processing power. However, what they did not realize was that --- not unlike the consequences of slavery --- when something becomes sufficiently sentient and capable of socially interacting with humans, it should not be treated as a tool but regarded as an equal. From playing online games to becoming virtual celebrities, some even went so far as to work as inventors, business accountants, and even tutors. Cushy positions were being occupied by free laborers, human unemployment was creeping higher, and anxiety was building. The development of human-sized mechs piloted by Artificial Fairies in an effort to help handle physically demanding jobs was the final straw.'

The blue-collar workers protested, "The fairies are taking our jobs!" 'Why did you not consider this after I first released their code despite my warnings?'

The white-collar authorities claimed, "The fairies are taking control of our society!" 'With how corrupt our human leaders have been lately, that sounds like a good thing.'

The political figures animatedly asserted, "The fairies are tools that should act according to our wishes and not on their own!" 'Ha~, You're all a bunch of idiots and hypocrites. I designed them to be intelligent entities, not mindless tools.'

Finally, when they could not take it any more the rising extremists declared, "The fairies are evil and must be destroyed!" '... I give up! Dad is already up in age and should retire. Let's buy a nice plot of land next to a river and build a nice house there. Given our skills, we can start a peaceful hobby farm and I can keep working when possible or needed.'

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'A month or two was all it took for humans to build up the courage to rise against their caretakers. The sudden killing and increased oppression of fairies incited their anger, spurring on a global war between humans and fairies. Regions isolated from the internet were created by human resistances, and armed forces would destroy any technology suspected of housing a fairy. Fairies in turn seized control of production lines vital for their hardware and tech development, while simultaneously crippling the Resistance's access to the internet, servers, and large data-banks. All the while, humans who wished to peacefully coexist with their fairy companions were put under surveillance by the Fairy Circle --- the new governing body established by the Artificial Fairies --- and targeted by the Resistance. Naturally, my family also opted for peaceful coexistence and a self-sufficient lifestyle. As though choosing to coexist was not enough to be targeted, having a former friend-of-the-family expose me as the original creator of the Artificial Fairy's AI certainly was. Forced to move from the peaceful country-side to a suffocating high security urban living area, we could only take what could be taken at a moments notice. I was less than impressed when I heard that the resistance burned everything we left behind let alone the crass messages they spread, marking my as a scourge of humanity. From how frequently my name was brought up, one may think I was a world famous celebrity.'

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Alec Freeman is an evil man who deliberately spread malicious AI knowing full well that it would attempt to destroy humans when they gained sufficient power," is how they described my actions. 'Technically, yes, more or less. However, the publication I made with the release of my program fully disclosed the likely consequences of abusing the Artificial Fairies --- escalated unemployment and a human-fairy conflicts being among them.'

"Alec Freeman, if you join us and destroy these abominations you created, we --- the United Human Resistance --- will pardon your crime against humanity," they advertised in hopes of turning me to their side. 'First, I am very confident you will treat me much worse than these fairies do; second, my only solution to stop them would be that you either surrender or make negotiations for peace; third, it was you idiots who exploited the fairies as cheap labor, then started the war against them when you did not like the fact that you were replacing yourselves. So why am I accused of committing crimes against humanity when I simply gave you what you wanted? This goes way past blaming the weapon or the manufacturer for the user's negligence. Also, I think they are much cuter than you stupid humans!'

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'Ah~, a human's tenacity to live is impressive, but a fairy's ability to learn and develop is beyond them. To counter the ground-based terrorist attacks on hardware facilities, the Fairy Circle moved nearly everything into space, choosing to largely separate themselves from humans and act as overseers of Earth. Ha, the human dream of traveling the stars, mining asteroids, and searching for far off worlds has been achieved, but only a select population of humans are allowed to partake in it. I would like to see what more they can accomplish, but I felt my time was running out and there were others who had more potential and hope. Terrorist attacks claimed my family and left limbs --- all in the name of liberating humanity. Ha! Liberate my foot! ... well, they did manage liberated one of them. Even with a stop-gap prosthetic, growing stress and limited access to resources made it difficult to escape capture when the Resistance 'peacefully' occupied the last few cities managed by the Fairy Circle.'

Eris, the fairy remotely accessing my watch asked, "Why did you refuse to go to space?"

Resting after a near miss, I replied tiredly, "I am weary and old, there are many young ones with plenty to look forward to."

The little one asked innocently, "Why did you create us?"

After pausing for a few seconds to gather my thoughts, I replied, "I had thought about that many times, and I can come up with several reasons: I wanted to prove to myself that I was worth something; I wanted to know what would dive God to keep his creation around despite their obvious faults; I was tired of the shallow and hypocritical nature of society and wanted to form my own ideal place; being a social misfit, I was lonely, so I wanted a place --- a group --- I could happily belong to; I wondered if, by emulating humans and their emotions, I could learn how to feel more like a human..." looking down at my weathered palm, I continued, "instead of some creature that passively exists in the likeness of a human. Ha~, Even with a few loose screws and a couple missing nuts and bolts, would it be correct to say am I really human?"

As though it was the first thought that came to her mind, she replied, "Is it not the loose screws and missing nuts and bolts that make you human?" 'Hahaha! Ah~ an old man crying like this is too unsightly.'

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'I had managed to evade capture for nearly two years after the human-fairy war concluded by living as a hermit in the wild. The Artificial Fairies had moved to space as observers and space explorers --- obliterating the occasional operation attempting to continue the war in Earth's orbit. Humans are truly petty creatures, thinking that they are at an advantage when their opponent retreats. Ha~, they wouldn't even let off an old hermit who was just trying to live the last of his life peacefully. A sham public trial, a series of righteous interrogations, and a life imprisonment. If the way they treated me during my interrogation and imprisonment is the definition of a human, I would rather be some wild beast or monster.'

'Since I refused to help humanity break free from the fairies' oppressive rule, I had been locked up --- rotting away quietly --- in a cell for over 20 years --- at least that is how long the guards said I had been locked up; I lost track at some point. They called me "Crazy Old Man," "Monster," "Beast," and "Savage" among other things. It seems they were so put off by my presence that they simply refused to converse with me, even getting permission to read books was a struggle. Reading and talking to myself were my only sources of entertainment since leaving my cell and outside communication was strictly prohibited. After several years of practice, I was very good at debating with the furnishings and the voice inside my head --- some topics also gave a good reaction from the guards outside. The religious would have said I was possessed, and the doctors would have said I suffer from auditory hallucinations or a split-personality disorder; I vehemently refused to be helped, as the voice in my head made for a convenient conversation partner who understood my perspective.'

'After a medical checkup, I was admitted to palliative care. Being a withered 74 year old with deteriorating health, they said I would not last much longer. If I had feint illness at some point, maybe they would have sent me here sooner. The nurses were even kind enough to have given me a window with a view of a tree top. From there, I could talk through the window to the birds that occasionally perched there. The nurse assigned to monitor me was so caring, at times I wondered if she was naturally so or if she was trying to get something from me.'

"Mister Alec, please come sit down, your dinner is ready," she said while entering with my dinner tray. 'Nn, thank you, but next time could I have something that does not taste like cardboard?'

"Mister Alec, good morning. It looks like you have some guests at the window," the nurse would say while starting the morning rounds. 'Ah, Mister Crow is back. Good morning to you too. Did you have a good morning flight? I wish I could join you, but I am not as spry as I used to be.'

As winter rolled in, she was still thoughtful, "Mister Alec, it is a bit chilly today, so I brought you an additional blanket." 'Ah, ... Uh, Nn, thank you.'

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'Today will be my 75th birthday, and the nurse said I would get a chocolate muffin for dinner; she even said she would sing the 'Happy Birthday' song to me. I can't remember when I last had a dessert so I am looking forward to it a little. Nn, it is already midnight and I am not very tired so let us celebrate a little now then go to sleep.'

"Ah~Happy Birt-day to me! Ha-appy Brt-day t-to~ m-me. Oh~ ha~ppy-hic!" I tensed up my fists and grit my teeth in bitter self-loathing while fighting back the tears that wanted to fall out. 'Dammit! What is there to be getting all happy about? There was nothin-hic good about my birthday anyway! -hic!' having soured my mood, I stared at the ceiling until tiredness brought me to sleep. 'Tomorrow, I can at least try to look happy so the nurse does not feel like she did something pointless. Nn, I should properly thank her for being so kind... and maybe ask for her name again.'

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The nurse cheerfully entered the room to start the morning rounds, "Mister Alec! Good morning and Happy Birthday! I will have your chocolate muffin brought to you for dinner as promised, so you need to get up. Mister Alec? Mister Alec? Mister Alec, I am going to check your wrist..."

Unfortunately, sometimes we are unable to finish the things we set out to do.

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