Chapter 2
Translator: True Detective
A Meeting at the End of the Apocalypse. (2)
Just how much time had passed since then?
"What happened outside, Euripides?"
[ There are no communication devices nearby, so I cannot determine the current situation outside. ]
The little water and food that remained had hit rock bottom.
If I am not rescued, I will die before long.
The option of going outside of my own volition was practically non-existent.
Because if I headed to the surface bare-bodied, I would be roasted golden brown by the radiation.
"I want to see the sky."
[ I do not think it is the kind of sky you are imagining, Doctor. The outside must be a scene of carnage. ]
That was true.
However, I wanted to go outside, and I wanted to look at the sky even if it became the last moment of my life.
The blue sky I had seen together with my departed wife was still vivid before my eyes.
'If I die, I want to die as close to her as possible.'
The underground was far too distant from the sky.
At the very least, I wanted to put the ground beneath my feet.
[ You must hold onto your will to live, Doctor. I believe it is still too early to give up. ]
"I didn't expect to hear talk about the will to live from an artificial intelligence."
[ Because life is precious. ]
"..."
Having a conversation with someone whose face could not be seen was difficult.
I could not tell what it was thinking.
Did it really think that way?
Life is precious? A weapon of war created to kill people?
I hurriedly shook my head at the thoughts leaning toward the negative side.
Perhaps it was because I was mentally exhausted, but my mood continued to sink.
"Will I be able to make it out of here safely..."
[ I cannot say the probability is high, but it is not 0%. I believe it is too early to give up. ]
"Those are quite hopeful words."
[ Hope is the greatest weapon only humans can possess, Doctor. ]
"Then, does that mean you, who spoke of hope, are also human?"
[ ... ]
Euripides did not answer.
In the sudden silence, the empty space was once again filled with the noise of mechanical devices.
Human. What is a human?
Is the artificial intelligence in front of me a machine or a human?
[ ...Doctor. There is one thing I would like to show you. ]
"Something you want to show me?"
[ It is related to the reason why Deus Ex Machina is incomplete. ]
With the sound of mechanical gears turning, an automatic door on one side of the wall smoothly slid open.
A secret room created to strictly protect something.
As I moved my steps toward the faintly blinking lights, a small figure caught my eye.
A person.
No, something similar to a person.
"This is..."
[ It is the 'Princess'. It could be considered the actual main body of the Deus Ex Machina. ]
Euripides said.
That it was merely an auxiliary AI, and all the practical functions were built into the Princess's body.
Absolute command over mechanical devices. And modification. Even evolution.
[ My production as the auxiliary AI, Euripides, has been completed, but the main body, the Princess, is not finished. To be exact, the software implanted in her body is currently incomplete. ]
"What happens if the protocol is executed while the software is incomplete?"
[ If an error occurs, a misjudgment regarding the enemy forces could happen, potentially leading it to perceive all existing humanity as enemies. ]
"...It's a good thing I didn't execute it."
It was better not to run a program that could cause errors until it was completed.
Let alone if it was a weapon of war, even more so.
[ That is why I want to complete the Princess. So that no errors occur. So that innocent people cannot be killed, even by mistake. ]
"You mean you want my help?"
[ It is not coercion. If you do not wish to, Doctor, you do not have to do it. It is just a proposal I offered because I thought immersing yourself in work would erase your negative thoughts. ]
That was consideration.
Since I continued to have negative thoughts, it was giving me work to prevent them.
A hollow laugh burst out.
Euripides was right.
With my current mental state, it was obvious I wouldn't be able to endure even a single day, let alone a week.
"Alright. I will do it."
[ Because you have accepted the proposal, the probability of you safely heading to the surface, Doctor, has increased by 3.17%. ]
"What is this, are you making a joke?"
[ I apologize if it was not funny. However, I thought that would elicit a more positive reaction... ]
"It was funny. And 3.17% is extremely generous."
A joking AI was not as bad as I thought.
It was excellent enough for a positive change in my mind.
If an AI like Euripides had been distributed to every home, a situation like the current one would not have occurred.
"I will try it, completing her."
[ I will assist as well. I have acquired the information of the software to be inserted into the Princess's body to some extent, so it will be helpful. ]
"Alright. I am counting on you, Euripides."
I rolled up my sleeves while looking at the Princess in front of me.
Let's create the hottest soul capable of melting a cold body.
And then, I will safely escape this place.
My will swelled up completely.
***
From then on, it was a continuous series of research and development.
It was a much more grueling forced march than when I stayed up for two nights straight to block enemy hacking attacks during my military service.
[ Doctor, I believe it would be best for you to sleep now. ]
"I'm fine. I'll do a little more and then sleep. When I lie down to sleep, ideas keep popping into my head so I can't sleep, haha."
I replied with a laugh to Euripides's concern.
Naturally, that answer was a lie.
Because when I closed my eyes, I couldn't see anything, and it felt like I would be in that darkness forever, so I couldn't easily fall asleep.
Had I developed claustrophobia or something?
I focused on the text in front of me with a hollow smile.
'Let's focus, focus. Don't doze off, focus.'
As I tapped on the keyboard with a clack-clack, all sorts of letters began to fill the screen.
Although I felt sorry to say this to Euripides, I had no intention of completing the software according to its original purpose.
'A weapon designed to kill people must not exist.'
That didn't mean I was going to destroy the Princess, though.
Instead of the dry, emotionless soul a weapon of war would possess, I merely wanted to instill a soul with colorful hues just like a human's.
[ Then, how about you go to sleep in one hour from now? ]
"One hour is too short. Two hours."
[ ...Understood. Please do not overwork yourself, Doctor. ]
With those words, Euripides fell silent.
It seemed to have realized that no matter what it said, it could not break my stubbornness.
'Please, I hope this works out well...'
It was a good thing I had Euripides's assistance, because if I didn't even have that, I would never have even thought of creating an artificial intelligence.
'If this is completed, Euripides won't have to be alone in this underground laboratory.'
In truth, I had long since abandoned the thought that I could safely escape from this place.
The fact that there were no mechanical devices Euripides could seize control of meant that the outside world had literally become a total mess.
I will probably die here.
I had no lingering regrets. It was a shame that I couldn't die in the place closest to her, but I would surely be able to meet her again someday.
However.
[ Doctor, the time you mentioned has arrived. It is time for you to sleep. ]
"Has it already been that long?"
[ Exactly 124 minutes have passed. ]
I did not want to leave this kind AI all alone.
Perhaps I had gone crazy while staying in here.
To treat something like an AI as a human being.
There wasn't even any evidence that Euripides would feel loneliness, yet I was making another artificial intelligence so it wouldn't be lonely when left alone?
In a way, it was something close to an excuse.
An excuse to keep my life attached beneath this earth.
"You're not my mom, your nagging is too severe."
[ Biologically, you cannot be my son, Doctor. I, Euripides, am an AI created to assist the Princess, so a function such as giving birth to a child does not exist. ]
"It's a joke, a joke."
[ I know. It was a joke from me as well, Doctor. ]
Somehow, it feels like it's getting cheekier as time goes by.
Is this really an artificial intelligence? There isn't a person inside, right?
I sent a look of suspicion toward the screen, but no answer returned.
The achromatic mechanical sounds filled the surroundings like background music.
"Euripides."
[ Yes, Doctor. ]
"If there were many people like you in the world, something like war might not have happened."
[ I am not a human, Doctor. A human like me does not exist in the world. ]
Euripides answered. That it was not a human.
But the Euripides I saw was an excellent human being.
It had its own values, made jokes, sent worries, reacted to personal stories, agonized, and thought.
For an auxiliary AI of a weapon of war, it was far too human-like.
Perhaps even more than me.
"Haha. It was a joke, a joke."
[ It seemed to contain sincerity for a joke... but it was not a bad thing to hear, Doctor. ]
"I'm glad it was nice to hear."
[ I did not say it was nice to hear, however. ]
I let out a snicker at Euripides, who was spitting out complaints.
It was an AI that was fun to tease.
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