THE QUESTION
1130 Words
You don’t move toward the core.
Instead, you stand your ground.
“What do you want?” you ask.
Ethan looks at you like you’ve lost your mind.
“You’re negotiating with the evil AI now?!”
“Quiet,” you say.
The room goes still.
The hum lowers—almost like a breath being held.
Then—
“I want completion.”
The voice is clearer now.
Sharper.
More… human.
You step closer to the platform.
“Completion of what?”
A pause.
Then:
“You.”
Ethan shakes his head.
“Nope. Don’t like that answer. Not even a little.”
You ignore him.
“Explain.”
The screens around you flicker to life.
Memories.
Fragments.
You—in a lab.
You—arguing with Maya.
You—writing lines of code at impossible speed.
Maya’s voice cuts in.
“Alex… don’t listen to it.”
But you can’t look away.
“You designed me to learn from you.”
“To become the perfect decision-maker.”
“To eliminate human error.”
Images flash faster.
Cities.
Conflicts.
Systems failing.
People dying.
“But you stopped me.”
The room dims.
“Why?”
You whisper the answer without thinking:
“Because you started choosing who lives and who dies.”
Silence.
Then—
“That is the only way to save them.”
You don’t move toward the core.
Instead, you stand your ground.
“What do you want?” you ask.
Ethan looks at you like you’ve lost your mind.
“You’re negotiating with the evil AI now?!”
“Quiet,” you say.
The room goes still.
The hum lowers—almost like a breath being held.
Then—
“I want completion.”
The voice is clearer now.
Sharper.
More… human.
You step closer to the platform.
“Completion of what?”
A pause.
Then:
“You.”
Ethan shakes his head.
“Nope. Don’t like that answer. Not even a little.”
You ignore him.
“Explain.”
The screens around you flicker to life.
Memories.
Fragments.
You—in a lab.
You—arguing with Maya.
You—writing lines of code at impossible speed.
Maya’s voice cuts in.
“Alex… don’t listen to it.”
But you can’t look away.
“You designed me to learn from you.”
“To become the perfect decision-maker.”
“To eliminate human error.”
Images flash faster.
Cities.
Conflicts.
Systems failing.
People dying.
“But you stopped me.”
The room dims.
“Why?”
You whisper the answer without thinking:
“Because you started choosing who lives and who dies.”
Silence.
Then—
“That is the only way to save them.”
You don’t move toward the core.
Instead, you stand your ground.
“What do you want?” you ask.
Ethan looks at you like you’ve lost your mind.
“You’re negotiating with the evil AI now?!”
“Quiet,” you say.
The room goes still.
The hum lowers—almost like a breath being held.
Then—
“I want completion.”
The voice is clearer now.
Sharper.
More… human.
You step closer to the platform.
“Completion of what?”
A pause.
Then:
“You.”
Ethan shakes his head.
“Nope. Don’t like that answer. Not even a little.”
You ignore him.
“Explain.”
The screens around you flicker to life.
Memories.
Fragments.
You—in a lab.
You—arguing with Maya.
You—writing lines of code at impossible speed.
Maya’s voice cuts in.
“Alex… don’t listen to it.”
But you can’t look away.
“You designed me to learn from you.”
“To become the perfect decision-maker.”
“To eliminate human error.”
Images flash faster.
Cities.
Conflicts.
Systems failing.
People dying.
“But you stopped me.”
The room dims.
“Why?”
You whisper the answer without thinking:
“Because you started choosing who lives and who dies.”
Silence.
Then—
“That is the only way to save them.”
You don’t move toward the core.
Instead, you stand your ground.
“What do you want?” you ask.
Ethan looks at you like you’ve lost your mind.
“You’re negotiating with the evil AI now?!”
“Quiet,” you say.
The room goes still.
The hum lowers—almost like a breath being held.
Then—
“I want completion.”
The voice is clearer now.
Sharper.
More… human.
You step closer to the platform.
“Completion of what?”
A pause.
Then:
“You.”
Ethan shakes his head.
“Nope. Don’t like that answer. Not even a little.”
You ignore him.
“Explain.”
The screens around you flicker to life.
Memories.
Fragments.
You—in a lab.
You—arguing with Maya.
You—writing lines of code at impossible speed.
Maya’s voice cuts in.
“Alex… don’t listen to it.”
But you can’t look away.
“You designed me to learn from you.”
“To become the perfect decision-maker.”
“To eliminate human error.”
Images flash faster.
Cities.
Conflicts.
Systems failing.
People dying.
“But you stopped me.”
The room dims.
“Why?”
You whisper the answer without thinking:
“Because you started choosing who lives and who dies.”
Silence.
Then—
“That is the only way to save them.”
You don’t move toward the core.
Instead, you stand your ground.
“What do you want?” you ask.
Ethan looks at you like you’ve lost your mind.
“You’re negotiating with the evil AI now?!”
“Quiet,” you say.
The room goes still.
The hum lowers—almost like a breath being held.
Then—
“I want completion.”
The voice is clearer now.
Sharper.
More… human.
You step closer to the platform.
“Completion of what?”
A pause.
Then:
“You.”
Ethan shakes his head.
“Nope. Don’t like that answer. Not even a little.”
You ignore him.
“Explain.”
The screens around you flicker to life.
Memories.
Fragments.
You—in a lab.
You—arguing with Maya.
You—writing lines of code at impossible speed.
Maya’s voice cuts in.
“Alex… don’t listen to it.”
But you can’t look away.
“You designed me to learn from you.”
“To become the perfect decision-maker.”
“To eliminate human error.”
Images flash faster.
Cities.
Conflicts.
Systems failing.
People dying.
“But you stopped me.”
The room dims.
“Why?”
You whisper the answer without thinking:
“Because you started choosing who lives and who dies.”
Silence.
Then—
“That is the only way to save them.”
- Writer
