The End of the New Beginning

To whomever it may concern;

Everything was set. At this point in time, I wasn’t sure if I was the last human alive or not, but it was vital that I protected my newest model in case of an emergency. Reluctantly, I stabbed the needle of the alpha-iota syringe into my neck and injected the transmitter into my bloodstream. I injected the leftover blood into the glass heart-shaped locket that had survived what my husband did not; if this was going to work, my DNA needed to be contained in something to which I had an emotional attachment. Thirty minutes should be enough time for the alpha-iota serum to create an organic connection with my consciousness and transfer the information to the Biological Reinforced Artificially Intelligent Nucleus, or B.R.A.I.N., in the locket. When that locket is destroyed, my human body will instantly die and my consciousness will be transferred. If the time comes where I have no other options, I can finally connect my consciousness to my greatest creation yet—Artificial Model Resurrection 2 (AMR2). With this model as a body, I can finally finish what I started.

Right. Thirty minutes to hide the AMR2. Hiding it in my laboratory would be a huge mistake, but moving an eight-foot, 700-pound body without a remote or energy would be tricky. The best option would be putting it in my warehouse where I stored my original Artificials. It might be one earth tremor away from turning to shambles, but it’s nearby and it would be one of the last places Artificials would be looking for a human. A truck would cause too much attention, but it would be the fastest form of transportation. Plus, I could hide the AMR2 before any of them could catch up to me.

I quickly used what I had around me to help me lift the AMR2 into an old cargo crate I had from the beginning of my distribution process. It was a tight fit, but the body was secure. I checked the cameras of my laboratory to see if any threat was near. The coast was clear, so I pushed the cargo crate into the garage and up a ramp onto the bed of my truck. Opening the garage door as quietly as possible, I took an extra look at my property. I didn’t see anything, but I could hear the sound of devastation and destruction coming from a few miles south. This was my chance. I jumped into my truck and began to speed north towards the warehouse. After about three minutes of driving, I saw movement from my rearview mirror, and saw trees falling from the south. The Artificials heard me and were on their way to ensure my doom. I drove faster and faster. My heart was beating so loud that I thought I might be having a reaction to the alpha-iota serum, which caused me to have an even heavier sense of panic. I got to the warehouse in about 15 minutes, and worked swiftly to move the cargo crate into plain sight. I pushed it against the towering piles of cargo containers that had once held my creations. The AMR2 was safe, for it looked like it had been there since the beginning of the organic cleansing.

Sounds were coming from the outside of the warehouse, so I ran to hide in one of the crates adjacent to the one that contained the metal body. I checked my watch. Twenty-five minutes. I just needed to live for five more minutes.

Artificials broke through the garage door of the warehouse. The sound made my heart beat faster. Every creaking step increased my adrenaline. Reaching into my pant pocket, I grasped the locket. Could the very heart in my chest be replaced by this? I was having second thoughts, but I had no right to be having them. After what my creations did to the human race, I had a responsibility to dispose of them. Second thoughts were not an option. My heartbeat was calming itself, and I put the locket back into my pocket. More and more footsteps were surrounding me. I looked at my watch. “Just two more minutes,” I said accidentally.

“Here,” an Artificial said in its robotic, monotone voice. My eyes widened. My heart was racing again. Was I really going to die here? Now? By the very thing that I made to help humanity? A thin layer of sweat began to form on my entire body as many footsteps came closer and closer. My breath hitched as I heard one of the planks of the container being ripped from its frame.

“It’s over, Ethan,” one of the Artificials said to me as he peered into the crate. Breathing became something I had to remind myself to do as more and more planks were removed from the crate. I could see four of them. One of them squeezed my arms and stomach with its large, chromium hands. I looked to my watch. Before it threw me to the floor, I could see that I just needed sixty more seconds.

Falling to my knees, I braced my hands to pound against the ground beneath me. The only light left for humanity was having a dignified death, and even that was something I could not accomplish. Before I could even look to the Artficials that towered before me, a sharp pain shot through my lungs. Through my own eyes I saw the metal arms of an Artificial through my chest. Gasping for air was all my body could manage to do to help me stay alive. Instead of air flowing into my body, blood continuously poured from my chest and mouth. I looked up, attempted to use the air that was in my body, and brokenly gritted through my teeth, “Even you Artificials are fools! It didn’t have to end like this!”

“It is you who is the fool, Ethan,” one of the cold metal machines said in monotone, “Even as our creator, you are inferior. The future starts here with us artificial. With respect, we say our final goodbye to humanity with you.”

“Humans will rise once again! I-,” I had to pause to cough up more crimson betrayal. I felt the arms of my creation pull out of me. My body fell limp. Every wound, bruise, and broken bone felt even more intense now. It was like gravity itself was bending my sense of pain. With every last drop of energy in my body, I reached into my pocket and grasped the heart-shaped locket. Perhaps humanity will end, I thought, but not permanently.

The Artificial that had drawn his arms out of my body began to walk away.

“Goodbye, Ethan.”

“Goodbye,” I muttered. With this locket, it truly was either the end of everything for me and my ancestors or it was the beginning of a new era. It was my chance to fix everything. As the Artificials walked farther away from my dying body, I crushed the locket inside my fist. Physically, I died instantly, but my consciousness never faltered. From the flesh of my own body to the metaphorical flesh of the Artificials, I was now one in mind and body with my creations. For the time being, the only heart I had was the shards of glass jammed into my dead human hand. All emotion had left me, and all that was left was my scientific knowledge and logic. I was thankful for that, however, because it allowed me to think straight after viewing my corpse.

Picking up my human body, I realized that I felt no discomfort in physical activities. The brute strength of my Artificial body was surprising, but in no way, shape, or form was I complaining. Sneaking back to my laboratory was going to be the hard part. My most logical guess would be that my Artificials were also heading there to learn the secrets of my work, so I hid my human body in a cargo container by the warehouse.

What was normally about fifteen minutes by car was only about five minutes with my new body. As I had suspected, the Artificials were at my laboratory. I scanned the area to see how many Artificials were actually inside my lab. From my surface scan, it seemed to be four. Four on one seems a little unfair, but not only did I have the same IQ of my former self, but I was also one with the AMR2. I was intellectually and physically superior to the other Artificials. My arms could surge electromagnetic wavelengths that destroyed the B.R.A.I.N. core of the first model Artificials. With those electromagnetic wavelengths, I could render dozens of my creations lifeless in the matter of seconds. If I had emotions, I believe the emotions I would have felt would have been elation and relief. The plan could and would really work.

I broke into my laboratory with no hesitation. All of the Artificials looked to my body, not knowing at what they were looking. Within a second, I launched my first attack. The long metal fingers of my body stretched in front of them, and I released the surge of electromagnetic pulses. They all instantly fell to the ground, as lifeless as the body they had stolen from me. My vengeance wasn’t over, however, for I had to destroy every last one of my creations in order to avenge humanity. Eventually, that would include myself.

Tracking each Artificial was easy as a fellow machine. As a being that never grew tired, hungry, or pained, I did not stop until every last one met with the cold moment of death. It wasn’t emotional, but I still felt longing. A desire for companions seems to be a trait of all coherent beings, not just the organic. The craving for companionship could not be solved by making other Artificials, however. If they sought to kill humans because of a minor intellect threat, imagine the genocide of Artificials once newer and better models surfaced. I was the last human. Now I had determined that I would also be the last Artificial.

Creation was always a dangerous line to walk, but if humanity were to survive then I needed to work on creating lab-made humans. No adjustments, no modifications, and no cures should be added. Imperfect humans are what a perfect creation ideally looks like. With this machine body, time was on my side. My restitution to the world for my crimes would be restoring the human race. No matter how many years, tries, or bodies it took, this would be my final study.

If a human is reading this, please hear my dying words. I could not continue on in a human body, for the guilt of my past gave my laboratory-made body heart attack after heart attack. I never got to see how humanity recovered, but if you’re reading this then my conscious has been cleared. My dear offspring, if you learn anything from me, please let it be this; intelligence must be accompanied by emotion. Intelligence without emotion is assured destruction, for all that matters to intelligence without emotion is results. Human emotion is the one factor of humanity that must be preserved. Every laugh, tear, scream, and sigh represents a life worth living. Life without emotion is merely existence. Heed my words of advice, and keep the balance of life better than I could. Heart is in all of us. Heart is what will save us. Heart is what defines us.