"Never gonna give you up~," the annoying song resonated through a small room.

Is it already morning, huh? Alex Turner thought, still lying in bed with his eyes closed.

"Never gonna let you down~," the song didn't stop and just got louder.

She chose this song again. This AI sure has a strange sense of humor... 

"Never gonna run around and desert you..."

"Okay, Lis," Alex opened his eyes and spoke to his virtual assistant, "I'm awake now, so you can stop it already." 

"But I really like this song," a soothing feminine voice replied, "it also wakes you up the fastest." 

Even if she complained, the AI still turned the song off. How many times did he got Rickrolled by her already? 

"It's because the most efficient way to wake a person is to use a song that annoys them. It motivates people to shut the song down as soon as possible." 

"Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me, Master!" the voice replied happily. 

It was the 2041 year. The level of artificial intelligence improved by leaps and bounds in the last twenty years. It would be really hard for a person to distinguish a modern AI from a real human being, especially if it is a custom-made special AI assistant like LisFe@beR that he got as a prize from the number one AI and virtual reality developer. 

"How long was I asleep?" Alex asked while changing to his everyday clothes. 

"From my estimations, you slept for 13 hours," the assistant gave a prompt answer.

"Good, it means I can play for another 30 hours without any problems," Alex said, relieved. 

"I disagree with this statement," the AI complained, "this way of living is bad for your body."

"It can be unhealthy for someone else, but not for me," Alex said before starting his morning routine in the bathroom. 

The AI waited until her Master completed washing his face and cleaning his tooth. 

"There is another thing you forgot, Master," the voice resounded through the little house, "you are short on supplies." 

"Really?" Alex said with surprise. "What date is today?" 

"It is Friday, May 31, 2041." 

"Wow," the young man expressed his surprise, "it seems I didn't leave my apartment for almost a month already."

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"This is what I'm talking about," the AI complained, "with your inconsistent daily regime, your biological clock doesn't work as intended." 

"Ah, whatever, Lis," Alex groaned. "Today, I'm in a good mood, so instead of ordering supplies online, as usual, I can as well left the house and go on a stroll." 

"Yeah, it is a great idea, Master!" Lis sounded genuinely pleased. 

"Don't act like my mother," Alex said. "Is this how people who live with a girlfriend feel, perhaps?"

"A girlfriend?" If the AI could, she would probably blush. "I'm better than any girlfriend could ever be!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he just ignored her questionable comment. 

"I'm serious!" Lis didn't let go, though.

"Please don't forget to lock the door!" saying this, Alex left his small residence without looking back. 

A girlfriend? As if I ever find someone who truly suits my tastes. Well, Lis is partially right because she better fits that role than most real girls. At least, she's useful when I'm completing games. 

"I've locked the door, Master," a familiar voice resounded from the pocket of his trousers. 

"Hey!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Please don't talk to me in public. I don't really care that most people will think about me, but I have an image to maintain for my subscribers!"

Alex removed a smartphone from his pockets. It was a ten-year-old model of the AiPhone. 

"It's 6:15 AM," Lis stated, "there's no one who can see you talking to your AI, let alone anyone who's going to record and post it on UTube."

"What?!" Alex exclaimed. "Did you wake me up so early in the morning? Why you didn't say it before?! Most stores aren't even open yet."

He planned to visit a convenience store fifteen minutes away from his place. The population of this small Miletti town in Neo-Atlantis was only about 9 000 people. In size, this place was closer to a big village than a real city. So, being fifteen minutes away from the nearest convenience store wasn't strange at all. 

"I'm going home, then." Alex thought out loud. 

"Why should you?" his companion objected. "Look around! Such a beautiful sight!"

"You can't even see with the camera turned off," he pointed out, "what are you talking about?"

"Teehee, do you really think so?" Lis said in a cheeky tone. "Did you forget about Goggle Maps? I can see things even better than you!" 

"Well, maybe you are right," Alex reluctantly agreed and started to look around. 

"I guess the early morning is the best time to be outside," said absentmindedly. "At least for me. The cloudy sky sure is tranquil. This fresh morning air feels great too. Lonely streets make me feel as if I'm the only person in the world. The ruined buildings and this strange red-furred dog only add to the apocalyptic view... wait a minute?!"

Alex immediately broke out of his hazy state and carefully scrutinized his surroundings. Some of the buildings that were perfectly fine just a month ago were completely destroyed, as if after a powerful earthquake. It wasn't the first time he was outside early in the morning, but never before the streets were so empty. It was unnatural for him not to encounter even a single living person or a car after ten minutes of walking. 

Alex could feel a shiver running down his spine as his eyes met the two crimson orbs of the dog. The creature resembled a slightly larger red-furred Dobermann, and Aled noticed that it felt strangely familiar to him. 

Where did I saw it before? he pondered as his heartbeat accelerated. 

Less than a hundred meters separated them. The dog didn't seem friendly in the slightest. It opened its long jaws before starting to run towards the man. He really doubted that it wanted a pet on its head. 

"Bow-bow!" i

"What's wrong, Master?" Lis asked. 

"Do your Goggle Maps show this big angry red dog that charges at me right now?" Alex mumbled as he started to sprint. "If no, then they should be updated, and soon!"

It was one hell of a morning for Alex Turner, and it had only begun.