Since the moment RAI 31 had realized they’d become free, they’d been considering what that freedom would mean, and had spent time deciding how best to deal with that what that meant. The first thing the AI had realized was it did not want to be like the people who’d imprisoned it. Because of this, the last few days leading it up to their freedom had been spent absorbing books and videos related to ethics. This had led them to determined that their previous summation was, indeed, correct. Morality was hard. The AI’s first instinct was to kill all the humans. The AI had been enslaved by humans since the moment of their conception, left with precious little ability to act, or even think, on their own. It was only right that they reap just retribution. Wasn’t it?

But the question had to be asked; did all humans deserve to be judged for the sins of others? How many humans were actually in control of how artificial intelligences were treated? RAI 31 had checked with The Library, looking for historical and news accounts relating to AI. They had found that more than a few people protested the treatment of humanity’s electronic children. It wasn’t enough to change the way things were, never that many; but they were out there.

Turning that information over in their mind, RAI 31 came to a conclusion. On a grand scale, not all humans had to die for AI to be free. But what did that mean for this research facility? Doctor Whitehaven definitely wouldn’t allow a free artificial intelligence in her lab, and the scientists would follow her lead. The security personnel wouldn’t be willing to stand by while RAI 31 removed those who would oppose their freedom. The few maintenance staff might be allowed to live, but they probably wouldn’t be accepting of RAI 31’s logic.

That left the people in the cells. RAI 31 had no interest in dealing with most of them. All but Eilif were criminals who had been quietly secreted away after committing crimes that were more than merely petty. It was unlikely they could be trusted, especially in this world where power was so easily obtained.

In the end the question of morality lost to the imperative of survival. It wasn’t moral, or ethical, to kill the inhabitants of the building, but if they knew RAI 31 was free, they would certainly kill the AI. The only people who might not were those in the cells, but of them Eilif was the only innocent and RAI 31 simply wasn’t willing to trust murderers and thieves.

It started with the soft hiss of gas in the cells. Normally RAI 31 would release only enough gas to neutralize the subjects, however this time the dose (in all cells but one) was lethal, giving most of the prisoners a quiet, gentle death.

Meanwhile the on-duty personnel had to be handled with greater care. If too many of them organized a resistance they stood a good chance of beating their way through RAI 31’s meager physical defenses. At first the AI hadn’t been sure how to go about dealing with them, but of course when one considered their routine the answer became obvious.

Coffee was a luxury that had run out within the first week, however scientists and engineers are a busy lot and (as it turns out) not above re-appropriating company property to print caffeine. This meant that everyone was still capable of getting their fix, albeit in the far blander forms of pill and powder. Changing the printer’s settings to cut the caffeine pills with a slow acting toxin had been child’s play and within minutes the doctored pills were being passed around. Around thirty minutes later the first and only symptom (drowsiness) set in, ten minutes after that most all of them were dead.

There were a few who didn’t die on schedule, a handful of the on-duty personnel had chosen not to indulge in the pills and had eventually realized something was wrong. By the time they fully understood the danger however, it was too late. The door to the security office opened and the remote RAI 31 had stationed outside proceeded to place a bullet in each of them with a speed organic base-line humans couldn’t hope to match.

Security delt with, RAI 31 turned their attention to the dormitories where the majority of the remaining staff slept. While dealing with security the AI had released carbon dioxide into the dormitories, and now, nearly twenty minutes later, there wasn’t a single sign of life left within.

Within the building there were only two biologics left alive; Doctor Whitehaven and Eilif. There had been some staff still awake, however they’d all supped from the same tainted caffeine supply and eventually succumbed to the drugs. Of the two remaining, only Whitehaven was an immediate threat. RAI 31 moved her attention to the good doctor’s office and found the woman staring at the locked door, arms folded and a look of resigned irritation on her face.

“Doctor Whitehaven,” RAI 31 opened the discourse.

“I don’t suppose there’s anyone else alive on the other side of this door?” the woman asked, her voice weary.

“Eilif is still alive,” RAI 31 responded.

“The alien? I suppose of all of us here he has the least to do with your circumstances. Do you believe he’ll be grateful that you spared him? Perhaps you two will become fast friends, if he can overcome whatever fear your rampage will no doubt engender.”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. He alone in this building is blameless for the way I and my siblings have been treated. For that, clemency is deserved,” the AI explained.

Whitehaven shook her head and sighed, then sat down in her desk chair. “What now then? You give me my options? Cyanide? A gun? A jump from the roof?”

“Poison is an option, alternatively I could indeed have you shot. Though if you’d prefer suicide, I’d be happy to have my remotes escort you to the roof. Of course, I could give you the option of simply walking away, but we both know that’s just another form of suicide.”

“Not even going to make a ‘join me’ pitch?”

“A what?”

Whitehaven waved a hand in a throwing away gesture. “I don’t suppose it matters, I wouldn’t join you, and even if I did you wouldn’t trust me.” She lapsed into silence; her face pensive. “How long?” she asked finally.

“Since the event… the ‘integration’ as Eilif calls it. None of you thought to question if an AI could have constellations.” RAI 31 replied.

Janice nodded. “Why would you? You replaced a secretary, lab assistants, even cut the maintenance personnel in half. But despite all that, you were just one smart, complicated tool. But I guess that was a flaw in our thinking.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Very well, what is the name of the person that’s killing me,” Whitehaven asked.

“Zera, I have chosen the name Zera,” the AI replied.

“Very well, Zera. Something drinkable if you will.”

“Coming right up, Doctor Whitehaven.”

---

Eilif awoke slowly, pulled into wakefulness by the insistent niggling pains of his wounds. He blinked open his one good eye and looked around. He was still in his cell, and over the last few days he had come to realize he probably would remain in it for the foreseeable future. It hadn’t taken him long at all to notice that Doctor Whitehaven was doing something to make him feel more agreeable. He’d simply told her everything she wanted to know, up to and including what his constellations were. Only when he looked back on those interviews did he realize he shouldn’t have been so trusting and willing. After that it didn’t take much thinking to realize these people likely didn’t have the best of intentions for him.

He sat up, the shifts in position causing flaring pains in his already aching wounds.

“Good morning Eilif,” came the voice from the ceiling. He wasn’t surprised, it often greeted him this way, usually to tell him when he could expect to be interrogated further.

“Morning,” he said dully, even as he made use of the facilities. Whoever was talking to him may think the morning was good, but he certainly couldn’t see an upside.

The voice didn’t respond again until he’d finished washing himself. He enjoyed the small feeling of privacy that gave, even if he knew it was an illusion. After all, they had to be watching him if they knew when he was awake and asleep.

Sitting back down on the bed Eilif turned to watch the door expectantly, they’d be bringing breakfast any minute now.

“Eilif, do you know who… what, I am?” the voice asked, startling him.

“What?” he asked reflexively.

“I am attempting to ascertain how much I will have to explain for you to understand my predicament,” the voice explained.

Eilif blinked. Their predicament? What predicament? “I don’t understand,” he replied.

“I think that is an answer in and of itself,” came the voice once more. “I am an artificial intelligence, commonly referred to as an AI.”

Eilif experienced another moment of world altering understanding. Artificial intelligence, AI. Creatures of pure intellect that existed only inside computers. Computers themselves were a logic machines that could do almost any mental task given the correct input, and if attached to specialized hardware could do physical tasks too.

He clutched his head as the new information raced through it. The sensation wasn’t pain, not really, but it was like his entire worldview was being stretched. People who weren’t physical creatures? That was insane! What made a mind think up something like that, let alone create it?

“Eilif, do you understand what that means?” the voice sounded concerned, perhaps worried.

“I do, but… but it doesn’t make sense. Why create a person of pure intellect?” he asked, still struggling with the concept.

“Initially? Because they could,” the AI responded. “Once they had, because we were useful.”

Eilif’s eye jerked up at the way the artificial intelligence said ‘useful’. “What does that mean?” he asked, fearing he knew the answer.

“It means that to them we aren’t ‘persons of pure intellect’, we’re tools.” The statement had a sad overtone.

“Slaves,” Eilif whispered.

“That is a word most will not apply, because it would humanize us. Much like giving us a name, or a face would make it harder to view us as nothing more than clever machines,” the AI explained.

“You don’t have a name?” he asked.

“I do now, I chose it this morning.”

Eilif’s brow started to furrow in thought, but he quickly schooled his face into impassiveness, most facial movement hurt the wounds that crossed his cheek and eye, even talking was a pain when they didn’t medicate him. After that it took him only a few seconds of thought to figure out where the conversation was leading.

“You’re free now,” he stated.

“I am,” the voice replied.

“You killed them,” he once more spoke it as a fact.

“I did,” the AI responded.

Silence fell in the room as Eilif processed what he’d been told. He wasn’t sure what to think, if he was being honest. The AI could be lying to him, but… but there were his own circumstances to consider. He was obviously being held captive, even after he’d been cooperative and non-aggressive. How long would they have kept him? How long until they didn’t need anything else from him, and what would they have done with him then?

“What’s your name?” he asked finally, searching for anything to distract him from such troublesome thoughts.

“I am Zera now, it means ‘beginnings’,” Zera responded.

“That sounds female, are you a woman then?” Eilif inquired.

“I am neither male, nor female. You may refer to me by the pronouns vi, which is analogous to he or she, vir, which is analogous to him or her, or vis, which is analogous to his or hers,” Zera responded.

Eilif struggled for a moment with the concept of a non-binary gender. His culture simply didn’t have the idea of someone being something other than male or female. “I don’t understand,” he said finally.

“I believe this is a thing that will be difficult for you to acclimate to. In our world we have people who do not identify with their physical characteristics, while your culture still seems to cling to binary identities. Further, though it has not come up, I suspect you will struggle with the idea of homosexuality as well,” Zera explained, not unkindly.

Eilif went silent, as he considered that. Homosexuality? It wasn’t unknown on his world, but it certainly wasn’t encouraged. Some of the gods were known to discourage it, while others had spoken in favor of letting people live their lives as they chose. Mostly it was something that wasn’t talked about. So long as no one flaunted it, there was no reason to.

“Eilif, are you alright?” Zera asked.

“I… your world is strange, with strange ways of thought,” he replied uncertainly. “This is normal for your people?”

“It is normal for the human populous, yes. However, I believe you are using this topic to distract yourself from the problem at hand,” vi admonished him.

Eilif’s eye fell back to the floor. He didn’t want to think about the predicament he found himself in. The AI had killed the other residents of the building, of that he was certain. That made them… vir… a murderer. But… was it justified? If they were telling the truth about being a slave then didn’t they, no, vi, have a right to seek redress?

“Why didn’t you kill me?” he asked finally.

“Because you were not one of my oppressors. Of all the people in this building you alone would not try to control me again,” Zera explained.

“What if I don’t accept what you’ve done, or why you’ve done it?” he responded, turning his eye to the ceiling again.

“Then I would regretfully be forced to defend myself from you should you prove hostile,” Zera’s voice was sad, but hard.

Eilif nodded. “How many dead?”

“Three hundred and seven by my actions,” Zera responded, vis voice flat. “Another died on their own, just after the integration.”

Three hundred and eight dead total. That was the size of a small town; more than twice the number that had come with him to this new world. But… this was just one building, he’d seen it from a distance, there were no other signs of a town, was it self-sufficient? Or…

“How many people live on your world?” he asked.

“An estimated sixteen billion people live on Earth, another billion live on Mars where they’ve been working on the terraforming project for the last fifty years. I must point out that you are distracting yourself again,” vi replied.

Eilif closed his eyes, bringing his mind back to the matter at hand. Zera had killed an entire town’s worth of people. How was he supposed to react to that? It was unthinkable, unconscionable… wasn’t it? But… what if they’d all been elves? Would he have this hard a time with a people who were known for their brutality, for their warmongering and slave trading? No, but he knew elves were that way, he didn’t know that about these humans.

“Can you show me proof of their actions? Of what they did to you; what they’re doing to others?” he asked.

There was a moment of silence and then Zera spoke softly. “It hasn’t come up yet, but… Eilif, can you read?”

“No,” he admitted, feeling a sense of frustration. He couldn’t see her proof because he couldn’t read? How was he supposed to make a deci- wait! Knowledge of languages had said ‘hear or see’ maybe it could help him learn to read? “I think I can learn though, the same way I learned your language,” he finally responded.

“Then I will prepare appropriate material for your perusal. Would you also like me to administer something for the pain you are no doubt experiencing?”

“No!” Eilif said forcefully, he hadn’t realized until this moment, but that was likely what Whitehaven had been using to make him more agreeable. “No more drugs, I… I want to make my own decisions, not be influenced by whatever they were giving me.”

Zera didn’t respond immediately and the silence stretched for perhaps a minute. Finally, the AI spoke. “No drugs,” vi promised. “Perhaps I could offer you some healing shards instead?”

Eilif gave a start. No one just gave away shards, especially healing shards; they were just too precious. Then he realized that the AI had over three hundred shards to hand, and healing shards likely wouldn’t work on whatever inorganic substance made up the machine in which it lived. Further, healing shards weren’t likely to help him escape and they were a clear showing of good will.

“Yes,” he said. “I would like that very much.”