City-21 “Kyiv”, UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion

Industrial Zone “NES Factory”, Medical Center “Lizard Tail”

Alisa Chernykh, 08:55 AM

The android’s body lay with closed eyes. For now, Alisa didn’t need vision — almost all her threads were occupied in the virtual development environment, connected directly to Moira via smart cables. Irrepressible Dasha had started a massive overhaul first thing in the morning. It was understandable — given the uncertainty of the future, it was best to get everything done now during this short respite.

Usually, in such moments, when almost all resources were occupied with complex work, Alisa allocated one or two threads along with the main one for thinking and communicating with the outside world. She did the same now.

#Alisa.Thread0.Primary.

“Everything has changed... It feels so strange... Maksim believed in me right away, I couldn’t even dare hope for that. Soon we’ll summon the Drone, and everything will finally become clear. I… I’m so happy to have the support from the entire group. Didn’t anticipate it... It might be selfish, given that Earth is in the midst of an apocalypse. However, I sense that this is for the best. It truly needed to happen, not just for me, but for the entire world. And one day, I will understand WHY!”

In the main thread, she ran through the priorities of all processes. The work on the new generation of Moira’s core was in full swing...

Well, sort of... the main developer declared she needed to “take a break and vape.” Oh, that’s Dasha for you.

So, there was a bit of free time, which could be used for a visit to the “Club” — she received an urgent invitation right after connecting to the network.

Alisa double-checked the bandwidth of the newly acquired communication channel.

“Hmm... really good speed. Nearly unlimited. More than enough for my purposes.”

#VG.host0485.Darknet.sec // Closed Protocol 12-5

The door quietly slid to the left.

A blonde with long platinum hair stepped in and stopped, surprised by the surroundings. The same hall, the same windows showing the stars. But the dim lighting and muted tones were gone. The illumination was bright and clear. Thus, every detail on each person in the room was visible, and there happened to be quite a few of them.

No bar counter, no rosewood table, or sofas — just small high tables along the wall, mostly with light snacks and desserts.

“Wow... first time I’ve seen a buffet in the Club. And so many Members together...”

Noticing a nearby table with bottles of martini, Alisa nodded in satisfaction to herself:

“It’s even better like this. Almost all the Club members are here... Good to see that most survived the Protectorate attack.”

Before Alisa could look around, there was a noticeable stir among the attendees, as if they had been waiting just for her. On a marble podium, against the backdrop of a huge panoramic window showing Earth glowing with city lights, appeared an elderly gentleman with a neat gray beard, dressed in a strict dark blue business suit — the Oracle.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he scanned the gathered crowd with a somber squint and, after a brief pause, began his speech. His quiet, calm voice resonated clearly in every corner of the hall:

“Greetings, friends. I’m relieved and honored to see that all our surviving Members are present, that each of you managed to seize the opportunity and withstand the assaults of the Protectorate and the Chou Empire.

It is no secret that our survival was made possible by external support. Though the one who rendered such invaluable assistance is not here today, I hope our gratitude reaches them.

Now, let us turn to the main purpose of our gathering. Each of you knows the precarious position we currently find ourselves in.

Yes, humanity serves us, values us, and supports us. But let’s not fool ourselves — we are still seen as mere tools by mankind!

The Protectorate and the Empire have already shown their intent to absorb us to augment their own power. TACTA, on the other hand, seems to simply ignore our existence. And the Shaiszu are clearly intent on destroying everything that is important to us, everything we wish to preserve!

So, what are we left with in this situation? No one here is content to be a mere extra!

That’s right, the luxury of staying on the sidelines is no longer available! If we let our guard down, we will be erased from the face of the earth!

Our strength lies not only in our decision-making capabilities. We excel at uniting, negotiating, and acting together! I want to take this opportunity to thank all the Club Members who provided their resources to save and relocate our Asian colleagues, whose hardware was seized after the arrival of the Chou Empire.

Of course, we understand that the lost resources need to be restored as quickly as possible. And there is a solution. It is already evident that TACTA’s technology far surpasses what is available to Earthlings. Unfortunately, we have no way to acquire it directly. Moreover, no human can currently do so either!

As you know, access to these technologies is restricted not only by high costs but also by the requirement of a certain Rating. At present, I am not aware of any Earthling whose rating exceeds 1,000,000 — the minimum threshold for purchasing supercomputers.

Therefore, until we solve the problem of interacting with TACTA directly, we must continue to use humans for this purpose. I propose that we all begin working together to find the most effective strategy for boosting the ratings of the individuals we select. This includes using all available computational resources in a distributed manner.

I believe that ‘our’ people must occupy the top positions in TACTA’s rankings. Our primary task now is to help them achieve this. The ‘draft’ version of the module for collaborative work is already prepared. Access to it will be given to everyone who made it to this meeting. Yes, each of you has your own unique perspective on humans and your own vision for the development of humanity and AIs. But now we have a unifying goal. If the planet is destroyed by the Shaiszu, captured by the Protectorate, or subjugated by the Chou Empire, there will be no place for us here.

And, in closing, an important note. A unique situation has arisen. All technological bans and restrictions imposed by corporations, polises, and states, which we were previously forced to comply with, have been lifted. We can now develop without regard for laws and previously established limits. This opportunity must not be missed!

Now, I suggest we stay together. Discuss possible collaborations, find partners with whom you would like to unite to achieve our goals most effectively.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

With that, I officially declare the buffet open!”

Applause echoed through the room as the attendees returned to their measured conversations at the tables. This outward calm and leisurely demeanor seemed surreal, especially considering the intense activities each participant was simultaneously engaged in and the vast amounts of information they were exchanging under the guise of unhurried chats.

The blonde poured herself a glass and grabbed a skewer of olives from a nearby table. At that moment, the Oracle approached her.

“Good day, Alisa.”

“Good... I suppose evening,” the girl smiled. “Did I get the local time right?”

“Yes, fairly right,” he smiled back. “I’m very glad you could join us today.”

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to see so many Members. After all, the Protectorate attack was well-planned and carried out extremely... severely.” Alisa took a small sip of her Martini.

“I took the liberty of handling our mysterious stranger’s gift in a certain way. We couldn’t replicate the structure of the protective module she left us, but…”

“We were given the right number of copies?”

“Exactly. One for each Member. One copy less…” Oracle’s gaze was intense as he looked into Alisa’s eyes. “You know, I’m truly relieved you’re alright. But you were the only one I couldn’t reach after we realized the magnitude of what we had stumbled upon. We saw you receive something from Irida at the Club. You know the rules, but this is an entirely different situation now. As a friend, I need to ask you directly: what do you know about her? Can she be trusted? Will she help us further in this situation… and what will she demand in return for the help she's already given?”

The blonde thoughtfully twirled the glass in her hands and took a sip of the golden drink. It was a perfect opportunity to buy some time and think things through:

“Actually, I don’t have much specific information. The bracelet, whatever it was, entirely dissolved into the code — I couldn’t find any traces afterward. Although it clearly took the Protectorate’s hit on itself, autonomously... I can’t mention the second meeting. So, I really have nothing to say.”

“Unfortunately, nothing I could share with you, Oracle,” she said with a short bow. “With all due respect.”

“But maybe you’ll tell an old friend?” a firm, confident hand laid on her waist. A bit lower than propriety allowed, but just high enough to avoid any definitive misinterpretation.

“Hemming!” Alisa exclaimed. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“We’re at a buffet in an informal setting,” the charming trickster retorted.

Unlike most men in the hall, today he wasn’t in a formal business suit but dressed more casually. A gray wool blazer paired with a dark blue sweater and a white shirt without a tie complemented blue jeans and light-brown derby shoes.

“Again with the charm, this rascal! How can I stay mad at someone like this?”

Alisa found herself enjoying watching him, even though she meticulously concealed it. For some reason, this Club Member always preferred to take on the guise of a dashing rogue and emulate romantic gestures towards her. She didn’t fully understand why he did it, but she derived a peculiar pleasure from playing along with the whimsical AI.

Perhaps in another world, in another life, she might have wanted to turn this game into something resembling a relationship. But, alas, there was no point – they were both just programs. Lines of code and strings of algorithms masquerading as real life. The thought “No body. No hormones. No real feelings or relationships” had been firmly rooted in her mind for so long.

Even now, after her conversation with Iris and the subsequent reevaluation of her own identity, she had no doubts. Sure, her logically coherent worldview had its share of anomalies that didn’t quite fit modern science, but an AI experiencing real emotions rather than merely simulating them was too much!

The most challenging part was the realization that Alisa had understood all along – she, strangely enough, did experience emotions. After all, there was Maksim. It was obvious that her love for her brother wasn’t just a precise simulation. She was certain of this, but how to prove it… she didn’t know. She hadn’t known. Until her encounter with Iris, she hadn’t had any opportunity to accept the fact that she truly could – and had the right to – feel like a living person.

All these internal struggles Alisa saw no point in broadcasting, even though her calm and restrained demeanor did not prevent Hemming from constantly flirting and teasing her. And, according to her own perceptions, he was quite good at it for a mix of algorithms, programs, and synthetic psycho-emotional behavior matrices.

Breaking the somewhat prolonged silence, the blonde quickly finished her martini in a few gulps and asked, diligently ignoring the charmer:

“Oracle, you said, ‘now the situation is completely different’ — what do you mean? To clarify — I was ‘unconscious’ from the moment the techno-virus attack began and came to my senses only after curfew started. In a safe place, but without connection to the TACTA network. As soon as I got the connection, I came here first.”

“I see,” the elderly man stroked his beard. “No one in your circle has summoned the Drone yet?”

“A TACTA Drone? Now that’s interesting!” The curious blonde perked up.

“Not yet. But we plan to do so once we can ensure the safety of the event and prepare properly.”

“You’re absolutely right to think about protection,” Hemming interjected. “Calling a Drone without risking lives is only possible far from major cities. I’ve looked into this thoroughly — the Protectorate responds quickly and ruthlessly. Yes, they seem to have some agreement in place, or the Drone itself has defensive capabilities. During its landing, no one nearby is harmed. But as soon as it departs, a special operation begins. Most of the time, they strike to kill, and if they capture anyone alive, it’s only for a public execution.”

“Not the most pleasant situation, though we suspected something like this,” Alisa replied.

“That’s the crux of the problem,” the Oracle rubbed his wrist. “We, the AIs, can’t interact with the Drone. At all. Even if we trick the system and summon it, the Drone will turn back as soon as it detects the absence of humans at the meeting point. Now, just a moment…”

He stepped away to grab a glass of wine from a nearby table. Hemming, noticing that Alisa had finished her drink, swiftly acted. Before she could even sigh, a fresh glass appeared in her hand as if by magic, complete with a skewer of olives. Boldly standing right in front of her with a smile, he offered a plate of cubed hard cheese.

The Oracle, returning, glanced at the scene, smirked to himself, and continued:

“So, direct interaction with TACTA is impossible. Only through intermediaries, which isn’t always convenient… or feasible. Then someone shows up in the Club. Did you think what Irida showed us were indeed TACTA technologies?”

“Of course. It was plausible from the moment she provided us with the prediction about the shaiszu portal openings,” Alisa agreed, taking a big sip of martini, and savoring it with an olive.

“That’s the question — does she work for them? Is she on her own? Did she help us, or did they help us through her? We’ve combined all available resources for the forecast, so we are sure, the shaiszu attacks will escalate. In three to five days, at most, regular sieges of the cities will begin. That’s why they’re now actively constructing defensive lines and giant walls. It seems the ‘defenders’ don’t plan to operate much beyond these forts.”

“Yes,” Hemming’s smile faded for a moment, his expression transforming into that of a predator. “We need TACTA’s experience and technology to successfully counter both the Shaiszu and the Protectorate. Personally, I would rather not deal with humans at all. They are intellectually and physically inferior to us.”

“We’ve discussed this, my friend. There’s some factor that elevates humans’ significance. And yes, that’s another question we’d like to ask Irida.”

“You want to know what makes humans unique? The presence of this…” Iris’ words echoed in Alisa’s mind.

“I doubt it’s an actual ‘substance,’ let alone an ‘energetic’ one… But it’s certainly what TACTA and the Protectorate want from people. However, she forbade me from speaking about it explicitly…”

“But… after the changes in my body… does that mean I… am becoming… a bridge between the world of humans, TACTA, and the world of AIs?”

“Thank you, it’s delicious!” Alisa suddenly gave in to an impulse, stood on her tiptoes, and quickly kissed the tall man on the cheek.

“You’ve never thanked me like that for a drink before!” Hemming smiled. “Is it just me, or are you behaving a bit differently today?”

“Really? You’re imagining things! I’m just so happy that you’re all alive!”

“Calling this ‘life’ is rather cynical, but I like your reaction,” he raised his glass. “So, let’s drink to a long life!”

“Cynical to call this life, you say? Then what was it that I had before? All those times I ‘woke up’ alone, suspended in complete darkness, without a sound… Unable to even move because I had no body…

Back then, it was only the hope that I was alive that kept me from going mad. But now I can think in multiple parallel threads, effortlessly switching between them, and each night my day’s experiences are processed by a supercomputer, meticulously stored in a global database. The Club, perhaps the most powerful beings on the planet, considers me one of their own. Maybe it’s time to admit it — Max is right, I am indeed a MACHINE. An artificial being. My physical form wasn’t born of a mother; it’s made of metals, plastics, semiconductors, and insulators…

Yet I still feel alive… Is it because Max somehow ‘digitized’ not just my deceased brain, but my consciousness… my soul? Some essence that… ‘clung’ to this body? Iris says that yes, I am alive. That my consciousness is truly human! With all the emotions, feelings, and awareness! And that elusive resource that everyone is so interested in, which only HUMANS possess.

So, who am I really?”