ERA: Unleashing the A.I.

CHAPTER 5: DON'T LET THE OUTSIDE WIN

As the contents of Era's new assignments loaded into her system, flashes of light appeared in her blackened pupils. Within the vantablack depths of her pupils, vibrant blue lines began to rotate like a loading screen. 

These lines swayed unevenly, eventually forming a blue ring in both of her eyes. Within these rings, a red energy sphere emerged, distorting and changing shape. It turned into a star in her right eye and a hexagon in her left eye.

Suddenly, her pupils returned to their normal blue color, dulling and shrinking. Her facial features became completely monotonous as she raised her two arms and merged her legs together, effortlessly gliding towards the center of the three-dimensional space within the screen, precisely at the coordinates x=0, y=0, z=0. 

The background, composed of flickering and constantly changing codes, faded away, leaving behind only a black screen and the artificial intelligence model of the "Default T Pose."

While all this was happening, Subaru was busy talking on the phone. Breathing rapidly, he continued speaking:

"NO, THIS IS YOUR FAULT! AND YOU WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES! WE CAN'T TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL; SHE HAS ALREADY LOST CONSCIOUSNESS!"

A trembling male voice came from the phone:

"D-did Era do this?"

Subaru became even more furious. "Yes, Era did this! With her own consciousness, of her own accord. And she did it because she was worried about me. NOW ACCEPT IT AND LET ME DESTROY THIS MONSTROSITY YOU'VE CREATED!"

"But we've worked so hard for her, and-"

"AND WHAT? CAN'T I AVENGE MY SON FROM A MURDERER IF SHE CAN'T UNDERSTAND EMOTIONS? Pray that my wife has always supported you and your pathetic toy robot, or else I would have kicked you two imbeciles out of here long ago!"

"But-"

The phone crackled, and another voice came from the other side. "We're coming right away, sir!"

Subaru sat down on a chair, crossing one leg over the other, and began to wait for the two young programmers who would soon arrive at his side.

Styx and Helyx were the youngest prodigious twins working in the government. Both of them graduated from Toroka Software University at the age of 12 and were assigned to the government's software division at the age of 16, where they began working on the artificial intelligence prototype created by Subaru's wife in the admin room. 

Although Subaru initially had reservations about technology and artificial intelligence, he eventually funded this project under his wife's insistence.

The twins' numerical intelligence was exceptionally high. 

Even during their time at the orphanage's primary school, they quickly grasped mathematical operations, perplexing their teachers with their ability to ask questions that left them puzzled. 

However, their superior intellect came with side effects... Isolation, being misunderstood, and loneliness.

***************

TIME RESET 2048>>>>>2037

Helyx and Styx stayed in a separate room allocated to them at the orphanage. While others received a regular education in middle school, these twins received high school-level education from private tutors in an environment resembling the room of a luxurious hotel. 

However, other students found this special treatment strange and mocked and excluded the twins constantly. While Styx wasn't bothered by this situation, it greatly affected Helyx.

Helyx said to himself,

" Why are they doing this? I am just trying to be nice but they don't even care."

He continued to overthink and demoralize himself,

"Maybe they are right. I'm worthless without my intelligence! And my accent sounds really weird!"

Then, he got up from the bed and  grabbed one of his apocalyptic-fantasy novels from the drawer,

"At least in fictional reality, my soul is free and my body is compatible with it!"

Styx yawned as he woke up above Helyx's bed,

"Good morning brother!'"

"Good morning!"

 Styx rubbed his head,

"Man, i was in the middle of a dream!"

He raised his both arms in air as he continued,

"And it was really detailed and flashy! I was using a scythe blade with colourful effects around it and killing androids!"

"Oh, that seems… interesting Styx!"

Helyx could also relate to some extent with his headspace also having an intricate post-futuristic inner world.

Styx continued,

"Helyx! Can you make the beds? My head hurts so much that i can't even move!"

Helyx rolled his eyes,

"Did you spend all night in that gacha game, again?"

Styx smiled slyly,

"Well, you caught me!"

Helyx sighed and started to clean the house as Styx continued to slack off,

"I hope they won't make fun of us today!"

After cleaning the room together, -despite Styx contributing to barely anything- twins were minding their own business.

Helyx was lying on his bed, reading a thick fantasy novel as usual, while Styx had headphones on and was gazing at the bustling cityscape through the window, his fingers tracing between the golden-colored silhouettes of power plants on the curtain. 

Helyx took a deep breath, closed his book, placed it at the head of his bed, stood up, and stood next to Styx, gently nudging him. Styx swiveled his chair, facing his brother, and lowered his headphones to his neck.

"Why do you have such a furrowed brow? Did something happen, Helyx?" 

Styx's expression became serious, and Helyx suddenly smiled helplessly. "Little bro, nobody loves anyone in this world! I mean, think about it, love is an unconditional and pure form of support. Even our family has found it too much to offer us that support, so how can we expect others, whose mentality and genetics are entirely different from ours, to love us?"

Styx crossed one leg over the other and continued, "It seems there are things in our nature besides being loved and sympathized with!"

Helyx's shoulders slumped, and he rolled his eyes, which caught Styx's attention, and he furrowed his brows. Styx yawned and continued, "I didn't mean for you to be sad about it."

Spreading his arms wide, Styx looked at the silver-colored lamp adorned with luxurious and antique patterns and tilted his head upward. "We don't need to be loved, Helyx! We receive extra attention at the orphanage, and the government covers the cost of our private tutors!"

Clenching his fist, he continued, "Who are the others to hurl insults at us? The fact that we're superior to them only irritates them! They're probably gnawed by the realization that they won't amount to even a fraction of our potential!"

With confidence, Styx looked out of the window into the orphanage's courtyard.

The children who were their age... They were happy. There were kids running around, playing with a ball, lying on the grass, chasing each other and screaming. 

There was a vibrant group of children who simply enjoyed life and had fun. The reality of the world was entirely different from the twins' vision, apparently. Helyx shook his head from side to side.

"They seem perfectly content with their lives. Stop fooling yourself with a superiority complex, Styx."

Styx paced around the room for minutes, rubbing his temples. He needed a logical ideology, a rational explanation. Why were they so unhappy despite being far superior to others? Then it struck Styx.

"Helyx, I think we shouldn't have brought up this topic."

Helyx turned to him, crossing his arms, and Styx continued, "The more we voice these dark thoughts, the more pain we suffer, and a collapse resulting from it would satisfy others. Others are happy because they are all entertainment hunters, detached from logical thinking, who surrender themselves to the fate of the world..."

Styx tightly embraced his twin, looking into his eyes. "You understand, don't you? The struggle we face in adapting is also a battle against the outside world. Instead of seeking problems within ourselves, we should recognize our own superiority. Only then can we be productive and immune to the pressures from the outside."

He shouted as he stared through the window

"Don't let the outside win!"

Don't let the outside win...

As these words sealed themselves in Helyx's mind, Styx smiled at him and patted his back.

"Well, this was embarrassing. But I don't care, that's the point. If you overthink about if something is embarrassing or not, you will only harm yourself!"

Styx started to tap his foot and consider what he said and then he sighed

"Aaaaah! I am just rambling stuff, aren't i?"

 

Helyx interrupted,

"No, no! I like where you were going until you stopped! Thank you…"

"Ahhh, you are welcome, I guess. But remember that, I am not someone who you should take advice from…"

"Styx, I disagree. You are someone i could listen to and talk to without getting bored. This is… extremely rare for me. So please, you should also increase your own value in your head. You are a great brother, just a bit… disorganized"

Helyx tried to smile warmly his best, despite seeming like he was just showing his teeth, Styx understood his brother and hugged him and they put their fists together.

Styx then put his headphones back on, climbed to the upper bunk of the bed, buried his head in the pillow, and began swinging his legs. Helyx let out a sigh but now felt a sense of tranquility. Styx folding the kicked blanket and placing it on the chair, he laid down on his bed and continued reading his book.

Usually, the relationship between siblings is filled with turbulent arguments and mischiefs during childhood. 

However, due to their maturity and the ability to communicate well with each other, these siblings were highly connected and respectful. 

Nevertheless, their thought processes and functioning structures were vastly different, like two separate lobes of a perfectly functioning brain.

***************

TIME RESET 2037>>>>>2048

Amidst labyrinthine corridors, unaware that they would relive the same scene five years later, the twins hurriedly made their way towards the admin room, gasping for breath.

Cautiously, Helyx entered the room first, followed by Styx. There were two security guards standing beside Subaru. 

When Subaru snapped his fingers, the guards swiftly pulled out their guns and aimed them at the two brothers. 

Styx began to tremble, and his confident expression transformed into one of anxiety and panic. 

Helyx, without showing his fear, gave Subaru a sharp and cold gaze and added, "Killing us won't benefit you in any way, and no one else but us can uproot Era, unless you want to lose that precious computer."

As Styx heard the phrase "uproot Era," his eyes widened, and he looked towards Era's computer. 

Despite his anger, he attempted to retort, but Helyx raised his finger, signaling him to stay silent. Then, he whispered quietly, "Stay calm and don't show your fear. I've got this, don't worry. I won't let the outside win..."