Russian Empire, Novosibirsk
Private state territory of FGUP NII RVBII-4, beach “The Ob Sea”
The Chernykh family, May 3, 2042
(FGUP NII RVBII-4 in Russian means: Federal State Unitary Enterprise Scientific Research Institute for the Development and Implementation of Combat Artificial Intelligence No. 4)
...They reached the spot when the sun was already at its zenith. Dropping their backpacks off the shoulders, they busily began to prepare a resting place on a marked concrete platform, in the corner of which a modest sign with the number “16” hung on a pole. The father immediately unlocked a small shed, two by three meters, from which four large tourist mats and a blanket appeared, to have somewhere to sunbathe, along with four folding chairs, various small items, and – most importantly! – a foldable barbecue grill.
Using her age as a fair excuse to dodge work, Alisa ran away from the platform to the very edge of the concrete “beach.” Hastily taking off her shoes and socks, she sat down on the ground and dipped her feet into the water up to her ankles. Oh, it was chilling! The water of the Ob Sea gently nibbled at her heels, mirrored the sky, and seemed blue, not brownish as usual.
Maksim spent some time looking at his sister’s back – she always found strange pleasure in watching the “big water” – and turned to help his parents. Together, they lit the coals in the barbecue and prepared the food for roasting. Mostly, it was vegetables. But besides potatoes with hydroponically grown tomatoes and peppers, there was also the king of the barbecue feast – a whole six hundred grams (about 1,32 lbs) of pork loin! In honor of the holiday, double second-class vouchers were issued for privileged government employees. Hence, they managed to procure such a luxury. This was no bones or synthetic meat from plant protein you can get for standard vouchers.
The beginning of May this year turned out to be genuinely hot, but there were almost no people here. Only a middle-aged couple was sunbathing on loungers across a whole nine platforms, hidden under a large sun umbrella.
This small private beach is considered a “restricted area” and is divided into 135 unequal rectangles, reluctantly issued by the government executives and only to particularly distinguished employees. So, for the most part, it’s empty here at any time of the year, which, of course, is a plus – it’s always good to be away from strangers. Even if it’s just a concrete rectangle of twenty-six square meters. One could think there’s plenty of space around, go wherever you want. But the cameras of the ever-patrolling drones guaranteed punishment for violators – so no one ever tried to take someone else’s spot.
The “limited right of use” to plot number sixteen was granted to the Chernykh family when the family’s father, Sergey Chernykh, by that time already a scientist of world renown and even a Nobel laureate, accepted a job offer that couldn’t be refused. Not because the offer was so good, but because, alas, orders from the “Special Committee for Allocation” were not subject to discussion.
Thus, the family, consisting of the father, a Doctor of Sciences, a professor, and the mother – a senior research fellow, as well as two school-aged children, was forced to leave their native Korolev near Moscow and end up in far-off Novosibirsk.
A military patrol airship appeared in the air over the lake with a huge moving sign along its hull: “The personnel of FGUP NII RVBII No. 4 congratulates you on the International Workers’ Solidarity Day and wishes success in the fight against the Hydra of the Global Dictatorship of the United West! Brave Russians, God is with us!”
image [https://i.imgur.com/Z9AARwo.jpg]
Maksim glanced at his father, who was watching the ship with an unreadable expression on his face, and refocused on the coals. First, they grilled some vegetables, and just as Maksim was about to call Alisa, she ran up on her own. Her lip bitten, she was rubbing her cheek offendedly, tears in her eyes.
“Maksimka, it’s itchy!”
“Got bitten again? How did you manage to find a mosquito at the very start of May?”
“It found me on its own!”
As the “responsible for the first aid kit,” the boy, of course, knew where to find the necessary ointment for allergies and insect bites.
“Sit down, you poor thing, we’ll fix you up now,” he skillfully applied the ointment to the bite site, smiling as he watched his sister make faces and hiss like an angry cat...
Finally, the whole family gathered around the grill. They raised their colorful plastic cups. The parents had homemade wine from blackcurrants, and the children had compote.
The father checked the time – 2 pm, now the observation drones are operating at maximum. Look, one is hovering right above the platform! It’s convenient to perform surveillance through camera lenses in sunlight, so observers particularly liked to do their job thoroughly during this period. Sergey Chernykh mentally rejoiced at the officials’ greed, who didn’t assign artificial intelligence to this important task – presumably, a soulless machine can’t replace the warm heart and cold intellect of a human. Although, most likely, officials just didn’t want to lose their customary and convenient “feeding troughs” – it’s always good when you can arrange a cushy job for a nephew in the control service. And there’s no need to mention “kickbacks” from the unfortunate offenders. In general, as always, the rigor of the law was compensated by the non-obligation of its execution, and the “human factor” helped cheat the work of these drones.
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Sergey Chernykh demonstratively raised his glass and robustly declared: “To the Great, Wisest, and Eternal Emperor of the Almighty Russian Empire!”
The matriarch of the family, Tatyana Chernykh, barely perceptibly grimaced, and the children obediently sipped their compote, trying not to look at their parents.
After spreading out the vegetables and meat, the father continued loudly expressing joy about how lucky we all are, how generous the Emperor is for granting them the second citizenship category, and now they can not only work for the benefit of the Motherland but also enjoy so many privileges. And words about the children needing to study well to maintain the status and be useful to the empire. And much more nonsense, already in whole memorized phrases and sentences.
At this point, the drone finally moved away from the family, allowing them to finish with the “ceremonial part” and focus on the barbecue, vegetables, and potatoes baked in the coals.
Then everyone settled down to relax and play cards on a huge blanket laid over four tourist mats. This “scheme” provided full comfort and convenience even on concrete, without any loungers.
“Alright,” Maksim stood up and stretched, “I’m going to take a swim.”
“Are you sure?” – as always, the mother worried, “the water’s cold.”
“It’s fine, Mom, you know I’m used to it.”
Approaching the edge of the beach, the boy warmed up, went down into the water, and swam with energetic, sweeping movements. Yes, in the Chernykh family, only he was not afraid of the cold water enough to allow himself a swim at a temperature of +12°C...
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In the evening, Maksim and his father undertook the “man’s work” – dismantling and cleaning the grill. Meanwhile, Tatyana Chernykh and Alisa went to the neutral strip of forest to collect herbs for drying and making homemade tea. They wouldn’t go far – getting too close to the villas of high-ranking officials was not allowed. But, given the sparse population, even nearby, they could find fireweed, rosehip leaves, clover, and other useful herbs.
Meanwhile, the father sat on the shed’s threshold, beckoned Maksim, and pretending to check his watch, activated some device attached to his wrist.
“It’s a jammer, for a while they won’t be able to hear us. Plus, the drones have quieted down now, so we can talk. I have just a few minutes before the alarm goes off if I don’t turn off the device, so listen carefully, remember, and don’t interrupt me. What I’m about to say couldn’t be said at home, there’s no way to bypass the surveillance and all the built-in cameras there.”
Sighing, the father looked at his son with a suddenly serious face and continued:
“You know, Maksimka, our second-class citizenship... I’m afraid it’s going to end soon. I’m sorry, I... You know, I was in Dresden two months ago.”
Maksim just silently nodded, afraid to interrupt his father.
“So, there... I betrayed. Our ‘wonderful’ motherland,” Sergey Chernykh smirked sarcastically, “our ‘Great Eternal Emperor’ and... my family, all of you.”
“I did everything very cautiously, but they will inevitably find out. I’m afraid very, very soon. And after that... there won’t be any second-class citizenship that currently protects you and Alisa, nor... me. I’m afraid even your mother can’t be saved now. She knows. She agreed. But you... We really want you to live. Truly live, not like us.”
“You know what I’m working on. Don’t look so surprised, I purposely set up the home computer so that, with some skill, a very curious boy could access it. Which you did successfully in December.”
Maksim turned desperately red, nodded... and remained silent.
“What you saw – it’s just the tip of the iceberg, and I can’t keep materials classified as ‘Secret’ on the home computer. But you understand the general direction of the project. So, I was able to make a digital copy of absolutely all the materials of the ‘Eve’ project.”
“The stringent secrecy within our classified research facilities turns out to be an advantage for me. I’ve infected the local network with a specialized virus. Its function is to comprehensively delete all information on every device and eliminate any backups.”
“Son, this project must not fall into the Emperor’s hands. Such a powerful artificial intelligence could drastically alter the course of the war. Yet, I cannot share these results of my research with anyone either. A global moratorium is in place against developing AI beyond level T10, especially when it comes to a full AGI. Trust me, Maksim, the issue of preventing the creation of a Strong Artificial Intelligence is thoroughly addressed in all the world.”
“This project embodies my life’s work. I have faith that you will steward this legacy wisely in the future. The materials reside in a secure deposit box at the Dresden Bank’s central branch. The Empire won’t have a chance to access it, even if they break me with psychocorrection. Under torture, I’ll tell them where the information is and how to retrieve it, but they won’t be able to reach it!”
“To enter the secure storage, you’ll need a simple PIN: the first ten digits of Pi following the decimal point. The deposit box itself is strictly tied to your name and genetic code. To access it, a DNA express analysis at the bank is required, along with a passport from any EU state. This passport must be issued in your name, including the necessary biometric data. For access, these three elements must align. You and Alisa will get the citizenship under the refugee program; the priority is to leave the Empire’s territory as swiftly as possible.”
“Every day I will call you from work before leaving, at 19:59. When one day the call does not come, your task is to immediately leave the house with Alisa and catch the evening bus to Iskitim, maintaining the highest level of secrecy, as I taught you.”
“Remember Pascal Moro? Our ‘accidental’ encounter that day at my workplace? Once you’re there, reach out to him. He leads the Red Cross mission. He’s your key to leaving the country illegally. Look for his contact details on a small, vivid orange card hidden amongst Alisa’s crafts from kindergarten. I’ve scribbled down a safe method to connect with him and concealed it within the first aid kit of your ‘Emergency Backpack’. Avoid opening it at home, no matter what.”
At this point Maksim suddenly started to hyperventilate, his vision blurred and darkened.
“Hey, hey, take a breath! I did my part, as best I could. Now, it’s your turn. Live your lives, you and Alisa. Embrace joy. Be truly free. Act. Remember the past, but don’t dwell in it. Always stay true to yourselves, no matter what. Your mom and I, we love you both – you and Alisa. Look after her, will you?”
Maksim swallowed hard and struggled to look his father in the face. He wanted to say something, but then they were interrupted. Mother and sister returned.
“Boys!” Tatyana Chernykh approached and gave her son an understanding look that didn’t match her cheerful tone. “It’s time! Let’s pack up and go!”
Maksim watched in a daze as his parents packed and threw their slimmed-down backpacks over their shoulders. They had already moved ahead, but he still couldn’t budge. His parents looked back at him with a silent smile. It was already dark, and their pale faces were illuminated by only a solitary dim lamp powered by a solar battery. Soon, even it would go out.
The boy stood in the frozen silence facing the adults leaving. The only thing that helped him not to lose his mind and not to scream in despair was the unexpectedly warm feeling of his sister’s palm. He looked down. Alisa was holding his hand – and smiling, with the same smile as their parents.
“We love you, Maksimka. I love you, big brother. I’ll always be by your side. Always...”
Then Maksim couldn’t hold back – he screamed and... woke up.