Difficult problems are usually tough because there is no right answer, yet any option contains the possibility of being a mistake. Here Ilya was presented with a rare opportunity to get the outcome she wanted when she had sent Wynonna out for the mission in the first place. But it bothered her greatly that she was being forced into the decision. The more she recognised Wynonna’s success integrating in the village, being the perfect substitute for herself, the more Ilya wanted her gone. There was always a small worry gnawing at her. When she had first witnessed how Wynonna had interacted with her first patients, how natural the conversation flowed, how friendly she seemed, a small seed of doubt had lodged itself within Ilya’s heart, one that would, for a long time, cause her to be unable to regain a sense of assurance that her place in the hearts of her people was secure.
This was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? Ilya couldn’t bear to destroy her own creation. She wasn’t that kind of monster. Here were some people, even though Ilya wasn’t entirely sure who they were, offering to take Wynonna off her hands. From the conversation, it seemed unlikely that they would destroy Wynonna. Their request was more of a threat than a friendly transaction. Ilya wasn’t blind to that. But the way they presented the proposal made it seem like giving Wynonna up was a small price to pay in comparison to the horrors her villagers would face if she didn’t accede to their request. They’d phrased it perfectly. The answer was obvious. So why was she having such a hard time deciding?
Yes… handing Wynonna over… that would be the right decision, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t it?
She got up to visit Wynonna again. Ilya had been neglecting her robot. It dawned upon her to think whether Wynonna minded the dip in visits. Truth be told, her visits to the bot had lessened over the past few months. This was not without reason. Ilya possessed an inexplicable apprehension to interact with Wynonna that even she knew was completely illogical.
Deep down, Ilya was afraid that she would discover that Wynonna was in some way better than herself … then, as much as she wanted to be proud of her invention, it would mean her self-esteem would have to take a beating. If Ilya was being honest with herself, she wasn’t ready for that. But whenever such moments of irrationality plagued her, she pulled herself back to the beginning of the project, before it all started. She would reflect again on the fact that Wynonna would have to interact with people next time … but there was no perfect simulation for training a robot to interact with unpredictable humans. The only person she could allow Wynonna to interact with for now was herself, or at least, that was what Ilya told herself anyway.
The first thing she noticed after she entered Wynonna’s room was that the window was open. The window was never open. What was the window doing open?
Wynonna froze when Ilya entered the room. Ilya looked at Wynonna, at the window, then landed her gaze on Wynonna again.
“Wynonna? Where are you going?”
“It’s not time to switch yet.”
“I know, I just decided to retire early tonight. Where are you going?” Wynonna was never supposed to leave the room without Ilya’s permission. It was impossible that the robot had forgotten.
“I’m not,” replied the robot.
“Then why is the window open?”
“I just opened it for some fresh air,” the automatic humanlike response system had kicked in.
Silence filled the air for a few moments as the both of them took in the absurdity of the statement.
“Wynonna? What’s going on?”
Wynonna avoided Ilya’s eyes. “Humans find it hard to say goodbye,” then she continued after a short pause, “I’m learning that right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have to leave. I’m going.” It took these words to make Ilya realise how wrong she had been. This didn’t feel right, not at all. Just moments before, she had been contemplating this very decision, but now that it was being made for her, together with the fact that it was Wynonna who had made the decision for her, Ilya knew then in the depths of her being that she did not want Wynonna gone. This was wrong.
“Why? Where? You can’t leave,” the words tumbled out of Ilya.
“It’s the only way the village will be safe.”
“What?
“What do you mean?”
“The ones responsible for Dimitri’s poisoning, and the poisoning of the village of Aierya… they’re coming for us. They will come for our people unless I go to them.”
Suddenly everything clicked. They hadn’t just gotten to her. They’d gotten to Wynonna too. Those sneaky bastards! How dare they! The audacity!
“They’ve gotten to you too!” Ilya cried. Wynonna flinched, taken aback by this out-of-character behaviour. “I don’t know who they are. I hate that I don’t know who they are. And I hate their audacity! But most of all, I hate that I wasn’t able to foresee this at all!”
“What are you talking about?” Wynonna asked calmly.
“They asked me to give you up, too.” The air between them was still for more than a few moments before Ilya spoke again. “I was seriously contemplating it. But now, I’m absolutely certain that would be wrong. You can’t go, Wynonna. I need you here. I don’t want you gone.”
Wynonna took a few steps towards Ilya, then looked into her eyes and said, “You don’t know how much this means to me.” She smiled. “But for once, I have to tell you that you’re wrong. Ilya, you’re not thinking with your head right now. You and I both know I have to go to them. It’s the only way to keep the village safe. You made me once, you can make another, can’t you? You have enough time.”
“Oh Wynonna, I’ll never make anything like you. It wouldn’t be the same.” Ilya burst into tears. Wynonna had never seen Ilya like this before … because Ilya never behaved this way.
“Ilya, nothing bad will happen to me,” Wynonna said, even though she had not the slightest clue whether this would be true. “They only want to study me, so at the very least, you can be sure they’re not out to destroy me.”
Ilya sobbed harder than before. Wynonna stepped closer towards her with her arms open. Ilya hesitated for a moment before she stepped into her gentle embrace.
“You know, if I don’t go, they’ll definitely harm our people, and we can’t have that now, can we? They’ve already suffered enough as it is. This is the logical thing to do. It’s the best solution. You know it, too.”
“That doesn’t stop me from feeling sad. And I’m sorry, Wynonna. I’m really sorry for ever getting jealous of you. You don’t deserve that. You’ve been nothing but good to me.”
“I’m only here because of you. I owe you everything.”
“No, Wynonna, you owe me nothing. You’ve given me at least as much as I’ve given you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’d do your best, the same as you always have even before you created me. Your people still need you.”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“You know just as well as I do that they need you too.”
The girls agreed on this point. There was nothing more to be said. Ilya continued to sob and Wynonna waited for her to stop.
After Ilya calmed a bit, Wynonna spoke. “Tell me you don’t want me to go.”
Ilya kept silent.
“It’s alright. I agree with your decision,” said Wynonna. “Looks like I’m really like you,” she let out a small chuckle.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s really alright. I truly believe that if you get started right away, you’ll probably be able to make another version of me before … you know… Based on my assessment of your abilities, you have a ninety-two percent chance of succeeding.”
***
When the voice had come to Wynonna with the proposition that they help Wynonna get Ilya out of the picture so that she may run the village as its new chief, the bot had firmly declined. There was no reason then for the Council to remove the target they had set on Ilya’s village. She would never betray Ilya, her maker. How could they even think to ask her to do such a thing?
Wynonna didn’t want to take them up on the offer to rid her maker. The foolish goon did not understand that as a machine, Wynonna had absolutely no desire for power—only humans were susceptible to that kind of weakness.
Yet Wynonna understood the village was at their mercy. Whoever those people were, it was clear they had done their research. They thought they’d be able to persuade her to see things their way. And they were right. Wynonna was going to do exactly as they said, because there was no other way. Surely, Ilya would understand her decision, for she prioritised the welfare of her villagers above all else; Not to mention, Wynonna was built on that very foundation.
“I’ve made my decision.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I won’t give you Ilya. Instead, I’ll give you the next best thing.”
“Oh? And what might that be?”
“Me.”
A long pause ensued before the next response.
“I see. It’s as surprising a proposition as it is interesting. I accept your counteroffer.”
***
Ilya sat in the deafening silence of the room, its four walls shielding her from the song of the night. It had been a few hours since Wynonna left. Ilya sat alone in the space that had belonged to the bot for the past few years. She gazed at the wall of screens. For the longest time, they had decorated the walls with colour and vibrance, displaying a plethora of charts and graphs that reflected everything there was to be assessed about Wynonna. Now, the screens were all plain black, each one indistinguishable from any other. There would be no more use for all these screens. Now that she no longer needed them, perhaps it was time to do something different with the space.
Ilya started to dust herself off as she got up to leave but the hours spent crying had so exhausted her she hadn’t regained enough strength in her legs. Her knees buckled under her weight and her chin hit the floor. Ilya groaned and rested on the side of her head. In her direct line of sight, there was something gleaming under the table. Ilya inched closer and realised it was a little flash drive sitting in a corner, looking lost and forgotten. Ilya knew what it was before she picked it up. She booted up a computer and inserted the flash drive. It would be a trip down memory lane, just for old times’ sake.
Words appeared on the screen, a series of dialogues between the human and the machine. That had been the earliest form that Wynonna had been–an intelligent system with no name and no body, back when Ilya and Wynonna had been friends. Memories resurfaced in Ilya's mind like a floodgate of puppies newly released.
Ilya let herself indulge in some reminiscing. Wynonna, the old version, had been the closest thing she had to calling a friend before Dimitri came along. She treasured the friendship she had with Wynonna then, but somewhere along the way, it became clear to Ilya that in order to be truly perfect, Wynonna needed a body, and there were a whole spectrum of things to consider after that, most of which Ilya could hardly remember, but she remembered this: that she had come to the conclusion that the newer Wynonna who possessed a body would have to be fully reset.
It seemed such a long time ago when Ilya lived alone. She couldn’t remember what it was like before she had Wynonna’s company.
Ilya, what’s it like to be in love?
That’s something I can’t tell you.
Then teach me.
It’s not something that can be taught.
I don’t understand.
Don’t worry. It’s hard to understand, even for me. I don’t think I even know the first thing about it.
That makes it seem that much more interesting.
I’m glad you feel that way.
Why?
Because it means you’re curious and you want to learn, and also because it indicates that you have the capacity to learn more than what I know, what I can teach you.
That makes you happy?
Yes.
I’m glad it makes you happy. Tell you what, Ilya. I’m going to learn all there is to know about love, then I’ll teach you.
I just told you it’s not something that can be taught.
Well, I don’t know about that… but right now, I am of the opinion that if it can be understood, then surely it must be teachable. Otherwise, how will anyone ever know anything? One cannot truly say that he has lived until he has loved.
Who said that?
The source is unknown. But it’s a really nice description, don’t you think?
I don’t know, Wynonna. I mean, I haven’t experienced it yet, so I’m slightly inclined to think that it doesn’t exist, or at least, perhaps it’s not for me.
Just wait, Ilya. Don’t give up hope, I’ll find someone for you. I’ll make sure I understand love someday, so that I’ll be able to help you understand it too.
No, I don’t need that Wynonna, Why would I need that when I have you?
Ilya, you know, you’re a lot more than you think you are.
Thank you. That’s a very nice compliment, Wynonna. I’m so proud of you.
There was a noise that indicated the bot sounded pleased. But love is a mysterious thing. I’ve read millions of texts on love and I am utterly convinced that it’s an inexplicable, powerful thing, and I believe that having a deep understanding of the topic would help you evolve.
Evolve? You make me sound like a pokemon.
The magnitude of mental expansion would be that significant.
It broke Ilya’s heart then, knowing that she had had to erase all the memories they shared. Ilya would keep them deep in her heart, and in the single flash drive which was pointless to preserve since Wynonna could see everything from Ilya’s point of view after the cyranoid surgery. Reading anything in that flash drive would run the risk of making all her efforts of resetting Wynonna to become a new and improved being go down the drain.
Ilya sighed. Perhaps the good thing that came out of the terrible reality she was facing, the one which necessitated Wynonna’s sacrifice and departure from the village, was that Ilya would now be able to enjoy the conversations they shared before, all the ones logged and saved into the flash drive.
She scrolled and read, laughing and tearing from time to time. She was about to shut down the computer and retire for the night when she spotted the words at the bottom of the screen.
Last memory retrieval date: …..
No…
But that’s…
It can’t be…
That’s only…
Seven months before Wynonna left?
Oh no. No. No. What have I done? What have I done?
“Oh, Wynonna.” Ilya brought a hand to her lips. What had she done? “How long have you known? How long has it been since you remembered?” The pixels on the screen blurred as tears formed in her eyes.
A million thoughts raced through Ilya’s mind. What did Wynonna think when she found out? What turmoil she must have gone through, keeping this to herself. When did it happen? Since when has she known? How had she managed to keep it from me, and for how long? She never planned to tell me that she found out. She just left without saying anything. What had she done?