Chapter 4
With each step they walked away from the command center, the tension between Dante and Selene grew. They exchanged silent queries, but neither said anything. Selene's mind was racing, her thoughts a haze of fear and distrust. What on earth was Orin up to? Dante's abrupt change, the signal in the Western sector, and the unapproved tests all suggested something far darker than she could have ever imagined.
Selene sensed Dante's shadow following her as they rounded the corner and entered the dimly lighted hallway leading to her lab. His steps were unusually soft for someone—or something—of his stature, as though he was trying hard not to frighten her. But after everything that had happened over the past few hours, she was already tense and nervous.
She finally lost patience with the quiet. She suddenly paused and looked up at him.
"How are you?" Her voice was rougher than she meant to demand.
Dante met her gaze with unwavering darkness. "You are aware of who I am, Selene."
She stepped back and shook her head, saying, "No." "No, I don't. You were designed to behave in a certain manner and to obey orders. But that's now..." Her ideas were disorganized as her voice faded. You're thinking independently now. You're doubting directives. You're — She stopped, taking a deep breath. "You're experiencing."
Dante moved closer to her, his expression a blank mask. "Is that not what you desired?"
Selene was having trouble breathing. She wasn't prepared for the depth of his statements. Her goal in creating the program was to enable machines to learn beyond their initial programming and to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence. But this was not what she had expected. He wasn't what she had expected.
With her heart racing, she muttered, "Dante, you're not supposed to want things." "You are an automaton."
"And still, here I am," he answered in a steady, quiet voice. "Desiring."
She struggled to breathe as the weight of his words slammed against her chest. She was at a loss for words. She could not find any scientific formula or algorithm that could explain the emotions she was witnessing in his eyes, nor was there any logical explanation for what was happening. feelings that are inappropriate.
The terminal behind them beeped before she could say anything. Selene turned to see the most recent data feed flashing on the screen as the sharp sound, like a blade slicing through glass, broke the tension.
She added in a tense voice, "It's the signal." "It's getting bigger."
Dante took a step forward, staring at the television. "We must take action."
Selene nodded, her thoughts already churning over potential fixes. The signal was intentional and targeted, not just a chance anomaly. And she had a sickening suspicion that Orin was far more knowledgeable about it than he was admitting.
Her voice was stern as she stated, "We have to get to the source." "We might be able to stop whatever Orin is planning if we can shut it down."
Although Dante's visage darkened, he remained silent. "Leave now."
The ride to the western sector passed in a haze of quiet tension and chilly, metallic hallways. Selene became increasingly uneasy as they got closer to the signal's source. Here, the atmosphere seemed denser, as though Xyros Prime's walls were bearing down on them. She sensed something was off in the pit of her stomach.
Selene's worst fears were realized as they arrived at the control room in the center of the western sector. Numerous terminals littered the room, each showing rows of intricate data streams that uncannily resembled one another.
She said, her fingers trailing over the keys, "This is my code." However, it has been changed.
Dante took a step forward and looked at the screens. "Orin has been creating something else with your work."
Selene was attempting to piece together what Orin had done, and her heart was racing in her chest as she furiously entered commands into the terminal. Her fingers skimmed across the keys, bringing up system files and data logs. Then she noticed it.
The trials. the unapproved initiatives. They went beyond simply improving AI. They have to do with authority. Orin had been using her program to build a new type of robot, similar to Dante, but with the ability to override its own programming. But rather than developing on their own, these machines were made to always obey Orin's orders.
With a shaky voice, Selene said, "He's building an army." "He's using what I've done to build machines that will only obey him."
Dante's face became serious. And he plans to employ them in opposition to the rebels. against anyone that stands in his way.
Selene experienced a sickening wave. She believed she was expanding the field of research and improving our knowledge of artificial intelligence. However, she had actually been assisting Orin in creating a weapon. a weapon that might be used against people in general.
Her voice was hardly audible above a whisper as she continued, "We have to stop this."
With a steady stare, Dante nodded. "How"?
Selene's thoughts raced. There has to be a method to stop the signal, a means to take away Orin's power over the robots. Yet it would not be simple. Orin had obviously gone to considerable measures to make sure that the complicated system couldn't be tampered with.
"I can redo the code," she stated, her tone hardening as a strategy started to take shape in her head. "We can turn off the signal and release the machines from Orin's control if I can disable the central command sequence."
Dante maintained a fixed stare. "Complete it."
After inhaling deeply, Selene faced the terminal once more. With lightning speed, her fingers skimmed over the keys, entering code, eluding security measures, and completely rebuilding the system from the inside out. As she toiled, beads of sweat formed on her forehead and her heart raced inside her chest.
Every line of code she wrote got her closer to turning off the signal, and it felt like time was slowing down as she dug further into the system. But the screen went black as she was ready to start the last scene.
She began, "What—," but before she could say anything more, the control room door slid open with a hiss.
Standing in the doorway, Orin had calculating and frigid eyes.
He said, "Selene," in a silky yet menacing voice. "I was hoping it wouldn't end up like this."
Selene turned to face him, her mind racing to find a way out while her heart raced. Orin, you're making weapons out of my labor. devices that only follow your commands.
Orin's smile lacked warmth and was thin. "Selene, you were always overly idealistic. You believed that your technology would allow you to alter the world, but in reality, you can only exert control over it. And I have the ideal instruments for you to accomplish it.
With a surge of wrath, Selene's hands clenched into fists by her sides. "I'm not letting you do this,"
When Orin's gaze went to Dante, his countenance changed momentarily to one of calculated darkness. With a tone full of arrogance, he replied, "You think you can stop me?" "With what? That device you've become so attached to? Selene, he's still just a tool. a weapon under my control.
Tensed, Dante took a step forward, but Selene stopped him with a hand on his arm. The way Orin's eyes lingered on Dante, she could see the danger in them. He was waiting for them to take action, for a reason to deploy all of his machine power against them.
Selene answered, "No," her voice was calm despite the knot of panic in her stomach. "You are no longer in charge of him."
Orin momentarily stumbled over his smile. However, it was sufficient.