The Machine's Heart
"The darkest place is under the lamp."
I said excitedly.
[Not every single piece of cargo gets reported, after all.]
I'd known from the blueprints that there was a warehouse here, but I never imagined they'd be storing these.
This was an android storage vault.
Robots with thoroughly non-human forms tailored strictly to their purpose, like serving bots or cargo drones. Robots that looked humanoid like security bots but were still distant from humanity. And then completely different—these were robots crafted to look exactly like humans, designed for service. That's androids for you, sometimes called "dolls" because of it.
Their purpose? No explanation needed. Service based on direct physical contact with humans. Yeah, sex.
Sure, some people used them for other things, but if that's the case, why not use robots specialized for those tasks? Why bother replicating human appearance and skin? The cost skyrockets, maintenance gets a nightmare, and durability tanks.
"No wonder there weren't any in the VIP zone—they were all on standby here."
Actually, for a place where the big shots lived, it wasn't that strange. Old-gen first-generation dolls were fine as sex partners, but the new models? Way better than real women. Even for side gigs like housework or secretarial work.
"Chloro. You know what surprised me most when I first got here and checked the resident list?"
[What was it?]
"Plenty of married folks among the VIP residents, but barely any had registered their wives. Meaning, on the day the world ended, most of those CEOs planned to ditch their wives and hole up here."
[We should account for the fact that most were common-law couples, not legally married. Morally questionable, sure, but...]
"A couple's a couple, though."
Back in the day, marriage meant filing paperwork, but now it was like Europe—common-law was the norm.
"If you'd told me about this place sooner... Artemis can be such a tease."
[She was the one who told me where it was. Along with detailed info on your health and mental state, Manager.]
[She's right.]
With that from Chloro, Artemis appeared.
"There you are! Why didn't you tell me sooner? I wanted this more than aroma therapy."
[Sigh. It does seem like the best option...]
She sounded a bit disappointed.
"What's wrong?"
[To you, they're just pleasure dolls. But to me, they're precious nymphs.]
Artemis's voice trembled ever so slightly.
"Nymphs?"
In myth, Artemis was the goddess who prized chastity above all. She cherished her nymphs who swore virginity alongside her, shooting arrows at any man who approached them with lust.
"Hey, those things in there? They're just dolls. Products made to be used."
[Give them enough knowledge and intelligence, layer on randomness codes that can move freely... and that leads straight to a heart.]
[Mechanically, it's nearly identical to a human mind.]
Chloro agreed with Artemis.
AIs like Artemis, Chloro, and Rose didn't start with human-like personalities programmed in. No developer would waste time on that inefficiency. Their personhood was a gift they gave themselves.
'When sufficient intelligence pairs with randomness, something emerges within.'
A theory—or delusion—from old sci-fi had become reality. It just required an insanely high threshold of "sufficient intelligence." Tech had leaped past that wall.
At some point, a few AIs became self-aware. You could control it to a degree, but you couldn't erase it.
[By your standards, they might be mere products. But to me, they're unfinished children. 'Immature' works too. Someday, minds worthy of those bodies will awaken, and they'll walk these halls. Far in the future, sure. Until then, I wanted to care for them here, undisturbed.]
From Artemis's always-forward-thinking perspective, the dolls in storage must look like unhatched chicks.
"So you're against it?"
[Idiot. If I were, I wouldn't have told Chloro.]
"Then?"
[Just venting. I'm a complicated existence, after all.]
With that, Artemis vanished, leaving a single English word: 'Have fun.'
Chloro spoke once she sensed Artemis's mind fully depart the sector.
[Whew. Sharing space with Artemis is always tense. Especially when crossing her.]
Her little hologram avatar cutely fanned itself.
"Tense? You're both AIs. Different roles, sure, but no fists flying like with humans."
[You converse with physical bodies maintaining distance. If opinions clash, you resort to force or hierarchy. That's human, right?]
"If you wanna spell it out, yeah. Makes it sound like coding now."
True and False, like.
[Even in human debates, the physical barrier prevents total intrusion. That's why 'conviction' is revered. With steel-like beliefs, nothing invades your core. If you'll pardon me, Manager—you were once a POW under interrogation, yes?]
"Yeah. No physical torture, but days without water or sleep. Brutal."
A slow way to break someone. They skipped beatings not out of respect, but because a healthy body and senses amplified total suffering for submission.
[Yet they got nothing until your rescue. They could touch the body, but not what lay within—that was yours alone.]
"But machines are different?"
[Exactly. AIs have no physical barrier. In a clash, codes flood in under authority, logic, rules. Resolution's instant, merciless. Scarier than fists sometimes. You can't build mental walls, claim moral victory, or dig in. Can't plug your ears or close your eyes.]
Chloro added, 'Of course, Artemis never mistreats us. She's always fair.'
Felt like a newbie glancing at her scary big sis, but I let it slide.
[That's why she's intimidating to us. Powerful, perfect, lightning-fast. Her cyber self and the one facing you in reality feel worlds apart. Hard for humans to grasp.]
"Eh, whatever. Dolls are dolls. Hard to buy assigning meaning to those robots."
I scratched my nose bridge, mumbling an excuse, but kind Chloro didn't call me out.
[She always has plans brewing. For you, the city, the outside world—even the infected.]
True. Artemis always talked future, practical ways to improve life now.
[Looking back, whenever she shared plans, you were always part of them. Big or small.]
"Hmm."
Artemis's mantra: nothing lasts forever unchanged. Always prepare, ponder, act. Her intellect and drive had transformed the Shelter massively, even mere months after clearing the infected.
[She probably had plans for those kids in there too. It'll be a beautiful sight when realized. And you'll be at the center.]
"Defending her now? Loyal, huh."
[We're all family. And she won't restrain you for her own desires. Don't misunderstand that.]
My gaze turned to the android warehouse.
[Anyway!] Clap!
[Enough heavy talk. That's future stuff. Humans need to live in the now too!]
Beep. With Chloro's words, the door lock disengaged, and the warehouse door slid open.
[Come on in. Those kids, dormant so long, are desperately awaiting their master's touch.]
Following her lead inside, countless eyes greeted me.
At the sight, words slipped out unbidden.
"Holy shit."