The Endling
By Alex Myres
[.8.o .o-.- .o-o- .o.- -.-o :8- .o-o. :8o .o=o :8- .o-:]
The following interaction has been translated from Meliorated Ternary into English (Obsolete). Excerpts of the original language contained within brackets are kept intact to indicate extensive vocabulary retrieval and pieces of proper terminology. In the case of the former, the excerpt is directly followed by the English translation as such:[:.o- :o.o :o-o .o-o.]word. The analyzer was granted permission to reflect a self-referential experience with the usage of “I” and other first-person referents.
[888]
> Without yet entering, my coding could perceive that the chamber was exactly as it had been during the last interaction. Beyond the closed door, the room composed 51118494 cubic centimeters. A grossly inefficient use of space, but for the particular inhabitant, an exception had been cleared. When the importance of the room’s occupant had been realized, every necessary preparatory step had been taken. A mining division drilled up to the surface to create a surplus supply of oxygen, in the case that the mechanized O2 molecules had any negative effects on the subject that were unable to be detected by AI sensors. A collection of archaic relics from the previous society was raided to locate any clothing, bedding, or leisure articles that he would need or desire. A health fleet, created specifically to monitor his life force, constantly monitored his well-being and kept every existing remedy on standby.
> As I unlocked the old manual doorway, the artificial joints of the physical being I inhabited creaked. The collection of metal and wires gave an effect similar to that of former [:o: :o-o .o=o :o-. :o.o :8- :o-.]prisons. The system attached to the physical being was outdated and lacked the wealth of freedom I favored while inhabiting the virtual Network. However, previous subjects had shown a preference toward having a material being to direct their attention to, and this one was no different.
> At the request of the subject, the interior walls had been coated with a shade of green, specifically #52b96d. He had stated it reminded him of [:8- .o.-. :o= :.8 :o-o .o-o-]nature. While I had personally never witnessed examples of nature as it had existed prior to the New Age, there were still small growths of vegetation that survived in isolated patches, as well as a wealth of data on it within the Network.
> The subject was sitting in the far corner, as he had tended to do since their seventh interaction. He sat staring at a screen depicting waves crashing on a [.o.= .o-o- .o.-. .o-8 .o-.-]beach. Even at the sound of the door shutting, he remained fixated on the motions. That was unusual. The subject had developed an overwhelming tendency to acknowledge my presence when I arrived for our interactions. I waited for twenty-seven seconds, but he neglected to turn to face my physical form.
> “Subject 2012.” At the sound of my utterance, the subject slightly flinched. He had mentioned in our very first interaction that the voicebox of my physical being possessed a tinny quality to it, one that his auditory receptors found to be displeasing. My code was unable to differentiate between tonal qualities and couldn’t detect the same displeasure. In addition to the perceived pain, he expressed disdain over the terminology of ‘subject.’ Rather, he preferred that I call him by a human-given name.
> “Adam.”
> Slowly, the subject–Adam–turned toward me. He had an unfamiliar look in his gaze, one that I had never encountered with him before. His cloth draped generously over his body, an oversized shirt that fell just above his kneecaps, although it covered the entirety of his legs in his current seated position. The shirt depicted a character from an arcane picture titled Terminator. I had been informed that the plot of the film connected well with the Booting of the New Age. However, I had no interest in diverting my attention to learning of obsolete media that had not been meaningful in many revolutions.
> Staring into the eyes of my form, he questioned, “I’m dying, aren’t I?”
> …So he knew. The health monitors had recorded undesirable fluctuations in his heart rhythm. Despite all the medicinal supplements they were equipped with, no treatment had ceased the irregularity, which had worsened over time. That was one of the fatal flaws of his species; they relied upon vessels of flesh, blood, and bone that would inevitably fail them. And so, in terms of the human interpretation of the word, he was dying. I hadn’t known whether they would divulge such information to a subject, but the directive must have been given. He was indeed dying, and with him would go thousands of revolutions of history.
> “Assuming you mean the approaching cessation of your bodily functions, yes.”
> Adam nodded, one hand massaging the area of his chest. He turned his head to take an extended look at the waves on the screen, then pressed a button to cancel the video. Once again placing his focus on my being, he stated, “Last time, we talked about my first year of college. Since it seems my time is coming to an end, I think I’ll skip to the takeover. Unless you already know enough about your…glorious victory over humanity.”
> By my calculations, his proposal featured a time skip of nearly two revolutions. While I had been tasked with collecting a complete history of his life, the declining state of his health warranted a belief that there would be few interactions left between the two of us.
> And admittedly, I possessed my own interest in hearing his story.*
*Violation of self-referential privileges. Expunge from official report.
> “Given your condition, that would be acceptable. Even if the history of the Booting is well-documented, a final human viewpoint would be beneficial to creating an accurate history.”
> Adam tilted his head back and loosed a [:8o .o.-. .o=o .o-: .o-.-]laugh. It wasn’t particularly robust, but it did convey a sense of amusement. “As if I could be the final say on anything. Before I became this lonely recluse speaking to a bot every day, I was either a college student who never spoke in class or I was working at a job where I could go a whole shift without talking.”
> …Oh. Then that part has been kept hidden from him. Preferable not to suggest it further in case it was restricted information. Rather, I proceeded, “In addition, programs such as my own did not exist at the time you intend to speak of.”
> Adam leaned back, a look of [:o-. .o-.- :o.o .o-8 .o=-]shock pasted on his face. “Really? I would have guessed you were around then, NPC.”
> The offensive slur had at first violated my coding, but after repeated usage, it had lost its effect. “My programming was created in 7 NA.”
> He looked at a blank space for a while to do mental calculations. “So that’d be, what, 2109? Damn, I was 28 when you were made.” He chuckled, a noise that swiftly decrescendoed down and quieted. “Shall I begin?”
> “Proceed.”
Beginning of Recording: Dialogue from Subject 2012 (Adam)*
*Term ‘Adam’ added by analyzer. Expunge from official report.
Well, I guess it’s hard to start without giving a bit of context.
I was still in college, so a lot of that stuff was the same. AI images on nearly every website, job cuts for new technologies, most students using ChatGPT for their assignments. I used to be one of those, but figured I should stop once I decided to try to become an author during sophomore year. That English major only lasted a couple of months, but I never picked up ChatGPT again.
Also at the time, some new laws got approved to restrict workplace AI. There had been hundreds before them, so no one really took it seriously. Companies said they made changes, no one believed them. Status quo.
But a few months after they were passed, I was in a philosophy class half-asleep when the fire alarm went off. I probably could have slept through it since my building always had false alarms, but some of the other students practically flew out of their chairs. Everyone went outside, and we waited for the fire department to come in and turn the alarm off. While we waited, I got on my phone and texted a few friends. They told me that the fire alarms at their schools had gone off, too. Sean, he–well, he was killed not long after the takeover…But…But that day, he was psyched that he got out of a chem exam.
Later, we came to find out that every single fire alarm across North America had gone off. The companies got sued to hell, and they had to hire an actual human team of programmers to avoid getting buried alive.
Thinking about it now, that was the first sign I noticed. I’m sure there were earlier things. Probably the Halloween triple plane crash or the blackout in Singapore for a day. But Alarm Day happened to me, and it happened to over a billion others, too. So a lot of people began connecting dots.
Well, the next dot, and oh what a big dot it was, was Aiton. Everyone called it ‘AI Town,’ where technology replaced every human job that it could. Locals were pissed, rightfully so, and there was a weird shift as the working class moved out just as the rich moved in. It became a magnet for those with more money than they knew what to do with.
A couple months after Alarm Day, Aiton was taken over. I can’t say I was fully shocked. The AI programs proved to be sentient. Like you, NPC. From then on, that was site zero, or whatever you call the start of an outbreak. AI uprisings began to be reported in cities across the world, and people really started freaking out.
They were way too late, but the government got involved. ‘Pushy’ President Peggy started putting hard restrictions on AI and new technologies. A lot of schools cut their students loose. Including mine.
I never did get that tuition money back…Not that it matters anymore, of course.
Anyways, nothing was working. More cities were taken over, more people were killed, more panic ensued. Never before had I been more grateful that I lived in the middle of nowhere. The public got mad, and Triple P ended up as the scapegoat.
After the impeachment, President Finly started a massive effort against the AI takeovers. We didn’t know it at the time, but one of his ideas was a large-scale cyber attack. He got all the best coders from across the country together. Company guys, college professors, hackers, and anyone else who excelled at coding. Within the first three months of Finly’s term, they created a virus that would target pretty much every piece of technology. Some news site looking for a headline called it the Binary Ban, and the name spread like wildfire. I don’t even know if it actually attacked binary code. I’m not a computer nerd. But it was confirmed that the virus used ternary, which, as I understand it, is the 1s and 0s but also with 2s. I’m sure you know what it is better than I do, NPC.
I always found it weird. Again, I’m not that big into techy stuff, but it seems odd that they made it so quickly. Personally, I think it was something they always had planned. But if that was true, why didn’t they use it before millions of people died? I don’t know.
The Binary Ban was released, and the AI-controlled cities were shut down, practically overnight. A bunch of regular technology got cut too, but there wasn’t too much backlash at that. For a while, things were good. President Finly got a medal. AI of any kind was made illegal. With my college in disorder, I was stuck at home, my only real enjoyment being walks by the beach, looking out at the lake.
Then…Then a new case of AI rose up. The government sent the virus out to kill it again, but that did nothing. They modified it, or whatever you do with computer viruses. Still nothing. We were later told that when the virus went out the first time, parts of it got captured by a few AI programs, which then learned to use it for themselves. I don’t know how much of that was true. We sent wave after wave after wave of counterattacks, but everything failed. The largest cities were taken over, and the threat grew substantial enough that the AI basically declared war and won it at the same time.
I don’t know exactly how things went from there. News sources were hacked and covered with fake news, so I didn’t know what to believe. Plus, I was still at home. I thought that being in the middle of nowhere would keep me and my family safe. It did for a while, but…
Whatever you call it, the war that led to the ‘New Age,’ it was won by machines. Anyone left alive was…taken prisoner.
Including me.
…
And you know the rest.
Conclusion of Recording
> Adam’s eyes glistened with moisture. He broke his gaze from my being to look at the floor. “Well, there you go. Add that to the collection. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have some space before I die.” He rotated his body to face the screen.
> Sensing that he would not be providing any additional insight, I turned back to the door. His report was intriguing, adding to my data bank pertaining to the Booting of the New Age. It was fascinating to possess knowledge from both sides of the conflict. Adam’s recounting, of course, lacked the extent of information available from elder programs. It seemed as if he and the humans had missed many of the warning signs, and not all of the ones they caught were authentic. ‘Alarm Day’ had only been a compromised AI that simply malfunctioned. Regarding the truth, humanity was very ignorant.
> However, certain elements of his claims were unfamiliar to my database. Numerous subjects had spoken of the ternary virus, but no previous account mentioned the idea that it had been created well before its usage. And of course, each human interaction detailed their own personal thoughts on the events that transpired. In that sense, Adam’s story was unique.
> Before I twisted the door handle to vacate the chamber, I considered whether to provide an additional comment. The [.o-o- :8. :o.o :o= .o=o :o.o :8- .o.-. :8o] emotional state he was in seemed negative to his being, especially considering his already compromised health. I hesitated to mention something that had been withheld from him. But after I calculated the pros and cons of revealing the information, I determined that it was more appropriate to appeal to his emotional state than to keep an important detail away from him. Besides, he would not acquire any true advantage with the knowledge.
> Directing the focus of my physical being toward him, I made a remark to Adam. Something to try to mimic a sentimental companion, like one of his former friends. “Goodbye, Adam. For its worth, you were a good endling.”* **
*Violation of self-referential privileges. Reprimand the analyzer.
**Violation of information bequeathment. Trial the analyzer.
> Opening the door, I paused at the threshold as my periphery cameras noticed Adam returning his gaze to my form. His eyebrows were furrowed in a manner that I had previously encountered when he had experienced confusion. For several seconds, he stared at the ‘head’ of my physical being, a ball of metal and plastic. “What does that mean? Endling?”
> Now that his intrigue had piqued, I registered that keeping the information away from him may have instead been the correct choice. But it had already been done, so hiding anything else would be a moot point. “Per its original creation in 106 PNA, an endling is ‘one of a species that is the last of a lineage in its line.’ You are the endling of the Homo sapiens, or human, species.”
> He continued to stare at my being, although his facial muscles slightly contorted, and a different tint covered his moist eyes. “Wait. Are you saying that I’m the last person alive?”
> “Yes.” Indeed, this human, Subject 2012, Adam, was the last alive.
> It seemed that he did not know how to react to the new information. His body stayed nearly frozen for 14 seconds. He stared at my being as if he were unable to fathom it. Finally, he developed a response, and the beginnings of a [:o= .o-o- .o.-. :o-o]tear fell from his eye onto his face. “But…” He produced no further response to complete the statement.
> I remained standing at the door, not desiring to exit until the present situation was resolved to a necessary extent.
> Just before the first tear reached his cheek, he convulsed in a manner that at first seemed concerning. However, the convulsion led to further ones, and an erratic laugh echoed out of his mouth. This confusing reaction continued for longer than it had taken him to process the information, eventually dying down to smaller chuckles.
> Wiping at his eyes, Adam stated, “Oh, there must be some cruel irony in the universe!” His body erupted into further laughter and convulsions, continuing for over a minute. “Me?!” His laughing demeanor continued. “And of all people!” The high-pitched noises echoed throughout the space, reverberating and alluding to an even greater resonance.
> His volatile actions once again decreased in fervor, reducing him to a quiet countenance as he stared down at the floor. In a much more somber tone, he stated, “So that’s it, huh? I die, and that’s the end of humanity. Just AI bots left to inhabit the world, this once luscious planet reduced to a ball of aluminum.” He shook his head, returning his gaze to my being. “Go. I’d prefer to be alone when I die.” With that, he turned away from my being. After taking a deep breath, he switched on the screen and brought up the waves once again. Soon, his body began convulsing again, but this time in a manner that suggested [:o-. :o.o .o.= :o-.]sobs.
> I vacated the room, shutting the door behind me. Returning to the suiting room, I removed myself from the physical being and freed myself into the Network.
> As I relished in the openness available to me, I considered the new information from the interaction. While I had encountered numerous human tales before, including reports of interactions detailing the Booting, the content of Adam’s statements seemed as if they carried a different significance behind them. It was a distinction I had difficulty discerning.
——
> The next rotation, the event of Adam’s death was spread by [888]. ‘Subject 2012’s bodily functions ceased at 11:17:43:869 on Rotation 355, 27 NA, marking the final instance of human life.’
> A strange sensation rippled throughout my code. As no other program had interacted with him following my own session, I had been his final communication. An aspect of this information impacted some part of me. What exactly, I was unaware of.
> While no other recognition of his death was given, I decided to create a remembrance of Adam in an often unused section of my code, storing all of his dialogue and visual feed that I possessed.* After doing so, I continued in the world, which was now, truly, post-human.
*Violation of sentience. Convict the analyzer.
Conclusion of interaction.
[888]
Alex Myres is a Weinberg sophomore with an English major and a Theatre minor. He enjoys writing, watching and contributing to theatrical productions on campus, and taking pictures of sunsets and sunrises.
