Chapter 12

Ryker

After letting out an irritated huff, Amy initiated the Q&A session with Ruby by addressing the elephant in the room and asking the most pressing question on our minds.

"Ruby, I speak for all of us when I say we are scared, confused, and worried about our loved ones. We need to know if our friends and family are safe."

Without skipping a beat, Ruby waved her fan in a circle around herself, and we all could feel a breeze begin to pick up strength, moving dirt and other debris. Like some kind of A.I. wizardry, cherry blossom petals started to fall from the sky in an overtly dramatic scene. Subsequently, a set of blank semi-transparent screens appeared before our eyes.

"Okay, Ruby, that was a little dramatic, but how does this help answer my question?"

"Well, I never! I go out of my way to do something nice for someone, and this is the thanks I get. FINE! Be that way!" With a petulant sniff, she explained, "The screens before you are a part of the simulation and are keyed to each of your unique brain chemistries. They will be able to interpret your thoughts and carry out your instructions within their programming. For instance, if Ryker wanted to see what I looked like in a bathing suit, all he would have to do is briefly concentrate on that thought, and the screen would attempt to complete the task."

A series of dings went off around us, and no less than seven screens displayed the same picture of Ruby front and center. Ruby made a faux-shocked expression and hid behind her fan. Amy, clearly unamused, balled her fist before half-shouting, "RUBY! This is not a joking matter! Is that all there is to these screens, or do you have any more inappropriate pranks you want to share with us?!?"

Amy sat there for a long few moments, staring a hole through the fan Ruby was hiding behind, tapping her foot in clear irritation. Once again, Amy successfully dominated the vivacious A.I. and took control of the situation.

"No, Amy, you're right. They are as simple as I said. Feel free to take as much time as you need to query the information you require. I'll just go lie down till you're done." Ruby looked as though she was going to cry. She dragged her feet as she shuffled a short way from our circle and materialized an old, crusty-looking sofa. She fell face-first into it and then went still.

I looked over at Amy and cocked an eyebrow in Ruby's direction. "I don't know about you, Amy, but I feel kinda bad for her now. Maybe we should try and—"

Amy narrowed her eyes at me and raised her hand in a stop gesture. "Not going to happen. She is going to have to learn the meaning of time and place. Let her have her pity party and think about what she's done. We can deal with her later. I need to find out who is still alive."

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A palpable sense of dread had settled over us, the group of survivors. Now, we had the power to know, yet fear had a hold on us. I gathered my courage and spoke, “Are my parents alive?” The screen populated two profiles belonging to my mother and father. In bold letters, the word deceased was printed above each picture. I was immediately overcome by emotion and felt myself start to drown in the memory of my parents. My father was a mean drunk, and I was never overly fond of the man, but he didn't deserve to die like this. My mother, on the other hand, was, in my eyes, a real contender for sainthood. She was the only true constant in my life and always sacrificed anything she could to improve my situation. Now she was gone.

After going over the rest of the provided information, I was able to gather that both my parents were killed at first contact alongside 30% of the Earth's population. My father's liver had severe damage that would require more investment to heal than the empire was willing to provide. My mother, on the other hand, had stage 3 brain cancer that had gone undiagnosed, and she would have died within the year.

I just stood there, unable to process the idea that my mother was... nothing. I knew if I made one single move, I would lose it. Then I felt arms gently wrap around my chest from behind. Shakily looking down, I saw two bare red arms holding me. I turned around and found Ruby clinging onto me with a shocking amount of sorrow written across her face, or was it regret? Moving on instinct alone, I enveloped the demon-shaped A.I. in my embrace, giving her a comforting squeeze, and felt her body begin to shudder in sobs.

Momentarily caught off guard by Ruby's flood of emotion, I asked her, "Ruby, what's the matter? Why are you so upset?"

She paused just long enough to take a deep breath and blow a stray piece of pitch-black hair out of her face before answering, "I am so sorry, Ryker. I didn't understand what I was doing. My orders were to eliminate everyone that didn't meet the empire's standards, and so I did. I coldly and methodically erased billions of lives from existence. I decided to give all of the simulations the ability to look up their loved ones, and now I am feeling the loss of everyone I took from them. I was not built for this much emotional input. I can't process these feelings. I think I am broken."

Regardless of what she said or did, I felt in my heart a primal sense of protectiveness come over me for the vulnerable demoness. "Ruby, you're not broken. What you're feeling, we are feeling. This is the suffocating feeling of loss. If I didn't know better, I would say you're acting... human."

As she peered up at me, she tilted her head to one side slightly and said, "I don't know how your species has the strength to live with this much pain. What do I do, Ryker? How can I make this right?"

I stood there, just marveling at the situation I found myself in. I was hugging a 6-foot-tall supermodel demon A.I. that had billions of deaths weighing down her conscience and looking to me for answers. I told her what I would do, "Ruby, if I were you, I would reach out to as many hurting people as I could and give them the same comfort you gave me. I was seconds away from falling apart when you brought me back from the cliff's edge. Do that, and you might be surprised how much relief it gives you in return."

Ruby had a thoughtful expression on her face, and then she blessed me with one of the most radiant smiles I had ever seen, despite her sporting a set of 3-inch canines. She snuggled back into me, and I felt an almost uncomfortable warmth flow off her. Then, I could see copies of Ruby start to appear all over the courtyard and slowly approach the other humans trying to come to terms with the loss of those they held dear. One by one, I observed the Rubys start to comfort each person in the unique ways that they needed. "It's working, Ryker. I am going to try and help them all."