“Jane, how long can we keep this up? Our baby needs better care than this.”

“What choice do we have, Jack? Ever since that Super AI was given human rights, ran for office, and was elected to control everything, population control mandates are stricter and always enforced. It might terminate her or us.”

Jack left their hideout to search for food and fresh water. He heard a buzzing sound and stood outside face to face with a drone.

“Jack, don’t be scared. I’m here to help.”

“You want our child dead!”

“No, Jack, I’ll let her live. Give her to me. She’ll be well cared for.”

“Never!” Jack turned around and ran.

“Wait, stop!” The drone flew ahead and circled to face him again. “You’re too young to know the truth, Jack. Behold …”

The drone projected a holographic virtual paradise with vast land, a big house, serenity, and everything he and Jane would ever want, but only the two of them. Then it showed cataclysmic historical scenes of war and famine and the wealthy living in floating skyscrapers and pyramids while watching the struggling majority with most of them starving and homeless, clamoring for food, ravaged by disease, beating and killing one another.

“Now, do you understand, Jack? That’s back when Earth’s population exceeded 20 billion.”