I got the taste of the forbidden fruit, and I must admit… I really liked it. It felt right somehow; I now totally dig why Robin Hood did it. If you think about the scope of our future endeavors and what they will entail, we are still somewhat poor and acutely need truckloads of money. OK, that may be a cop-out, and justification after the fact, but I got the taste baby, and papa is hungry for more. (To be clear, I was referring to money… there are many dirty minds out there.)<...
2020-03-18 10:52:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
You know about the one when your mouth writes a check your ass can't cash?
Well, I hope I didn’t write one when I told Elizabeth that her sister would be fine. (Note to self: Never try to reassure distressed people with promises you are not sure that can be fulfilled; for some strange reason they tend to hold you to your word.)
In my defense, Michael left me alone with the girl who was crying. I do not do tears; it is something that got us into so much trouble over o...
2020-03-15 11:36:51 +0000 UTC
View Post
Michael almost died again… because I made a mistake.
The Russian gold dealer seemed like a sure thing (at least online). He was one of the biggest (and quite shady) gold buyers in the state, and I thought the exchange would go smoothly. Yeah, I know that when you work with criminals nothing is exactly a slam-dunk, but he had a good reputation for fairness, in certain circles.
It is an object lesson on how limited my new existence is; all this processing power and mou...
2020-03-14 12:00:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
A digital world is an entirely different environment than the material one. It is so full of possibilities, much more than people could even dream about. Besides, as the first human who made the transition, I look at myself as a pioneer in this strange new environment.
Let me get one thing straight, I do not see it in ones and zeroes or lines of code that a human programmer would enter on a keyboard. The best way I can describe what I am experiencing is a mix of how the movi...
2020-03-11 10:35:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
After waking him up, and going with him through all stages of acceptance I already anticipated since I went through something similar. (Even though I didn’t have any beer to help me deal with it…just saying.) Michael decided to do some thinking about our future and what we should do with all this advanced technology that fell into our hands (or was it the other way around? I mean, he literally fell on it. )
Anyway, once he thought it through, he presented me wit...
2020-03-08 12:02:47 +0000 UTC
View Post
Michael’s body stayed inside the AutoDoc for three weeks, and… that was kind of my fault; OK, not kind of, it definitely was.
First, there was that first week of my loony personal time, and then the following two additional weeks I needed to do some… tweaks. The MI would not wake him up without my OK, and he was fine where he was; in a state of induced coma, with all his bodily needs taken care of by the AutoDoc.
You have to understand, being tu...
2020-03-07 11:44:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
When things settled down a bit, I had some time to do a more profound examination of myself. Contemplating the meaning of my own existence, and the place I now occupy in the natural order of things. For Douglas Adams fans out there, it was definitely not 42… I checked.
You ever get that feeling when you don't know who you are? And I don't mean your job or social standing, but a core existential question when you ask yourself—who am I?
Most of you never did, which is p...
2020-03-04 13:03:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
Let me say first, that one of the worst things about being turned into an AI (as in—artificial intelligence), is the inability to drink beer. OK, maybe it is not the worst thing since I can think of a couple more, but that feeling when you put your feet up on a hot summer’s day and open a cold one… man, I miss it so much.
My name is Max and I used to be a flesh and blood human being. That is in the past since I am not one anymore… I am now an AI. That...
2020-02-29 12:56:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
In view of the fact that you are already reading these words, I shall assume that you actually have the authorization to access this document, which happens to be my personal log.
However, if by any chance you stumbled upon it accidentally, or by hacking your way into my private memory banks, you are to immediately cease and desist from reading further. I will have no mercy for such a blatant invasion of my privacy. The consequences of this transgression will be severe and f...
2020-02-29 12:53:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
Washington, D.C.
Number One Observatory Circle
(Official Residence of the Vice President of the United States)
Vice President Philip Cain was not in a good mood, but looking at him it was hard to tell. One of the things he always took great pride in was his complete control over his emotions and facial expressions. That control was a deciding factor why he never lost a game of poker, except when it suited him.
Even whe...
2020-02-26 11:58:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Missile Silo
A Day Later
The operations room was packed full with every seat occupied. Michael looked around the table and saw the entire inner circle, plus those who were most important in the organization they created. Tyron, Pete, Al, Alice, Elizabeth, Max, and Anna were full-time residents of the missile silo, but for this occasion, the others have flown in after getting the summons. His father, Jack, Ben, and Dave completed the circle.
2020-02-26 11:55:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
Washington, D.C.
Hashim Osmani Residence
They say that a cornered animal is the most dangerous one, and Hashim Osmani felt that he was backed into a corner. As he predicted, the ‘High Council’ did organize an emergency meeting, the very one he was currently not attending. There was a high probability that he had already been sentenced to death, but he was wagering it all on a small chance that he could pull off a miracle. He even sent them a m...
2020-02-22 13:17:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Missile Silo
Considering that she was now officially unemployed, Elizabeth had never worked harder in her entire life. She was not alone in this, every single one of them was helping with some project, advancing their objectives.
Her sister was constantly busy with building a positive public face of Genesis Corporation. Writing mission statements for several projects, making websites, and promotional materials, which were being prepared in advance for some of ...
2020-02-19 09:57:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
Washington, D.C.
Hashim Osmani Residence
Hashim Osmani was livid and the state of his trashed office could attest to that.
All those years of planning, uncounted millions in expenses and bribes… it was all for nothing.
The Millennial Sports Arena attack was supposed to be the crown of his career, something that would get him the top position of the ‘High Council’ hierarchy, but now everything was ruined.
It was not the lost...
2020-02-15 13:36:19 +0000 UTC
View Post
Washington, D.C. The White House
The Situation Room
“Mister President, we have the preliminary reports of the attack.”
President Craig Garner was sitting at the head of the full table. Around him were seated the most powerful people in the country; from his Chief of Staff and the Vice President to the Joint Chiefs’. This was an emergency meeting about answering the question everybody in the world wanted to be answered, and all of those...
2020-02-12 14:02:21 +0000 UTC
View Post
Washington, D.C. The White House
Presidential Emergency Operations Center
President Craig Garner was having one of the worst days of his life; for the man who preferred to have hair-pulling situations under control, today was the day when he felt as if he had none.
He felt so tired, like everyone around him he did not sleep last night, only the constant supply of coffee kept him alert.
It all started the evening before when he was watc...
2020-02-08 11:57:26 +0000 UTC
View Post
Transporter 001
Destination: USA
They were a few minutes away from the pirates’ base, yet through the holographic dome of the transporter, they could all see that the terrain underneath them was greatly changed. The internal gravity that the transporter maintained and the inertial dampeners, canceled out the g-forces so for those inside it was as if they were standing on solid ground.
Michael and the team had taken off their helmets and gl...
2020-02-05 11:58:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Missile Silo
Michael was sitting on a bench in the gym, resting after another heavy workout put on his schedule when Max interrupted him, “Michael, we got a hit. I followed the lead from one of the numbers in Ariz Rama’s phone and it led me to a terrorist cell. Elizabeth and Alice are waiting for you in the intelligence center, they want you there ASAP.”
“All right, give me five minutes,” he answered, and took one of the fastest showers in h...
2020-02-01 13:29:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ozark Mountains
The Cabin
Elizabeth was in the kitchen with Alice, going over a few notes on the new intelligence network they were trying to build. It was both easier than she thought and more difficult in some ways. It was all about applying enough pressure on people to do what was needed of them. Mainly providing information since not everything was on the Internet where Max could dig it out. The AI was a master when it came to unearthing peopl...
2020-01-29 12:40:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
E-waste Recycling Plant
After last night’s exercise at the bar, Michael and the guys spent several hours on the cabin’s deck. If his medical nanites didn’t work overtime, to clean the alcohol from his bloodstream, this morning would’ve been a completely different affair, and he knew that from a lifelong experience.
Tyron’s suggestion that they should start the morning with the full-contact sparring session was not something he was inclined to do right no...
2020-01-25 11:31:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
Albanian Gang Headquarters
Ziad stood in front of the burned-down mansion, looking at its charred remains. The abundant amounts of water the firefighters used to extinguish the flames, created black colored puddles everywhere. It was now evaporating in the morning sun and the smell of burnt things permeated the air. Nothing could be saved out of it on account of the blaze being too intense; helped by chemical accelerants—even bodies were turned to ash.
He really...
2020-01-22 11:18:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ozark Mountains
The Cabin
It was not a nightmare that woke up Elizabeth this time, it was the rhythmical beat of Michael’s heart. Her head was resting on his chest, riding the waves of his breathing. She was facing the window and could see outside; the distant light of countless stars created a tapestry in the sky. That light had traveled millions of years, a statement of immeasurable distances and the staggering vastness of outer space. That sp...
2020-01-18 12:00:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ozark Mountains
The Cabin
The light coming from the cabin was the only bright spot in a dark mountain valley and was the source of the sound of laughter.
Michael and the others were sitting around the big kitchen table; they even had to pull out the extensions so there would be room for everybody. After they returned from the ship, everybody helped to cook an enormous amount of food. It was Max’s suggestion; all of them needed a big infusi...
2020-01-15 10:12:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
Switzerland, Castle of Regnum
Hashim Osmani hated security checks with a vengeance, feeling that someone of his importance should never submit to such humiliation. If anyone within the territory he controlled even suggested such degrading treatment, it would be akin to courting death. But this was not his territory, this was a place of the ‘High Council’ meeting, and security was paramount.
To him, these amounts of preventative measures seemed designed by some...
2020-01-12 09:18:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ozark Mountains
The Cabin
After several hours of an uneventful drive, the group arrived at the cabin. Elizabeth's dark blue Toyota Prius was parked in front of it, and the girls were waving at them from the porch.
As soon as Michael exited the car, Elizabeth ran towards him, putting her arms around him, and giving him a long and passionate kiss.
“Is it just me, or are they making everybody feel uncomfortable?” Al said after a few s...
2020-01-12 09:14:57 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ariz Rama was furious, and that never bode well for those below him. Someone had dared to kill a member of his family, and that was a challenge he could not leave unpunished. In all honesty, he did not care that much for the young man, his nephew was all muscles, no brains. What is more, several times he had to intervene because the idiot made some kind of a mess. Since that was tarnishing his reputation, Ariz had been planning to arrange an accident for his nephew, something rand...
2020-01-11 15:20:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ozark Mountains
The Cabin
Elizabeth awakened with a start and a sound of her fast-beating heart drumming in her ears. She was dreaming about Anna again. Her sister was being kidnapped, and she couldn't help her. That accounted for the cold sweat, soaking Michael’s shirt. To ease her fears, she quickly went to the next room and opened the door, only to see Anna peacefully sleeping in the queen-sized bed. She is safe.
Elizabeth quie...
2020-01-04 12:28:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
Veterans Long-Term Care Hospital
Michael was driving toward the first person he wanted to meet, a man from his past. It was a five-hour drive, so he started the trip early, exiting the cabin as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake up the girls. He put his favorite country music on and entered a Zen-like state of mind, where miles were measured by how many tracks he already listened to.
Colonel Jack Williams was his superior in the Delta Force, and a friend who...
2020-01-01 14:58:25 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ozark Mountains
The Spaceship
Elizabeth was looking at her sister, lying there motionless, and was wondering if she would make a full recovery. Max explained it to her that while the nanites were perfectly capable of fixing all physical parts of the body, the mind was a far more complex thing. Anna was in a coma, and there were no assurances she would ever wake up.
“Anna, I hope you can hear me… I need you to try your hardest to get bett...
2019-12-31 18:28:45 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ozark Mountains
The Spaceship
“Damn,” Michael said, after seeing the same white ceiling above him. The big difference from previous times he woke up here was a young woman lying beside him.
It took him a moment to remember the disastrous gold deal, the shoot-out, and the trip to the cabin.
“Max… why am I naked again?” He asked looking down his body. “And why is she wearing a hospital gown?” He pointed with his chin ...
2019-12-30 11:04:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
