21_How to hack an AI

For a while nothing happened. The crowd waited in hushed silence, the tension in the air heavy and oppressive. A trickle of sweat formed on the old man’s forehead and he brushed it away with shaky hands.

Somewhere among the gathered people he caught sight of Beth’s stern face, her expression daring him to fuck up.

Then, with a sharp mechanical beep, the device’s screen lit up. A rapid stream of numbers and letters spilled across it, and Herman finally released the breath he had been holding.

"Alright, so far so good. Ok, click here, slide that, send a message complimenting the supervisor AI’s hat… aaand we are in contact."

"Quickly, bring the credits." Herman said, hurriedly waving one hand for his helpers to approach.

The two women from earlier returned, carrying sacks packed with credit chips. They dropped them beside the old man and retreated at once, too afraid to speak, worried that even a whisper might disrupt the strange techno ritual unfolding before them.

Herman tilted the screen so it displayed the loot.

The AI on the other end examined the offering in contemplative silence, then shook his head.

Herman narrowed his eyes at the greedy AI, but remained silent. Instead of speaking, he gestured toward the crowd.

Within seconds two magical sunflower plants appeared, carrying a small chest of sunflower seeds. They placed the gift on the ground beside Herman and the pile of credits, then backed away to rejoin the rest of the onlookers.

Still silent, Herman swept one palm across the gifts and raised a challenging eyebrow at the fedora wearing AI on the screen.

The AI hesitated, its digital avatar flickering under the strain of the decision. At last it nodded in confirmation and Herman’s device projected a bluish beam of light over the loot.

The gifts were engulfed and swiftly dematerialized, only to reappear on the screen beside the supervisor AI.

The digital avatar on the screen smirked, grasped the chest of seeds and inhaled deeply. He plucked a single seed, popped it into its mouth, shell and all, then shivered violently, his entire form flickering in and out of existence like it was having a seizure.

After the AI had had a taste of the product, it looked directly at the camera, tipped its fedora, and severed the connection.

For a while nothing else happened. Then, the screen flickered back to its normal display, except for a new option called: “Set priority respawn”

Herman finally released the tense breath he was holding. For a moment he had feared the AI had swindled them. He had contingencies prepared for that possibility, but he doubted the angry mob around him would have given him time to explain before turning feral. But In any case, the deed was now done, and he didn't have to worry about it any longer.

"Success!" Herman shouted, raising the device and its glowing green screen to the crowd.

The hushed silence held for a few more seconds before erupting into loud cheers from humans and plants alike.

___

"What do you mean she is not on the list!?"

"I mean exactly what I said, she is NOT there!"

"Well where is she then? We all saw her die!"

"Why do you keep shouting at me like this is all MY fault?"

"It IS your fault, you greedy old bastard! It wouldn't surprise me if you had split up the bribe, oh excuse me the “GIFT” with that shady AI. I bet we didn't need to give any money at all and you could have revived her without our credits."

"Well since apparently I CAN’T revive her since she is not there, why would I go into so much trouble to do all this?"

"To trick us! To take our hard earned money! That’s why! Don’t you all see what this charlatan is doing, he is a liar and a thief! He is part of the Escaldian elite! The same people who starved all of us to death in the real world!"

A wave of hushed whispering spread through the onlookers. It was true that Herman was quite the outcast in the camp. He rarely interacted with anyone on a personal level, and he constantly talked with that machine innkeeper.

"Robot lover. Machine sympathizer." People began to hiss with agitation. Before things could escalate though…

"SILENCE!"

"But Jimbo, he is manipulating…"

"Quiet I said! Shut the hell up before I say something I will regret! Herman has done nothing but help us from the start, almost all of the devices here are his creations. He taught us to avoid and treat radiation, he taught us how to survive in these harsh conditions. HE was the once who had to twist my arms to create this camp." Jimbo exclaimed.

Quiet whispers of reluctant agreement began to spread.

"He did teach me how to sew backpacks..."

"Well I guess he did show us how to make those rad detectors of his…"

The gang members murmured with reluctance.

"Without him, all of us would have been stuck into the bottom of the respawn list." Jimbo continued his speech. "So if I hear another word about anyone unjustly accusing him of ill deeds, they will answer to me.”

“And yes Beth, that also applies to you. You have been obsessing over this man ever since you saw him, but enough is enough!"

Jimbo and Beth locked eyes, the tension stretching between them until Beth finally turned away. Her expression was tight with the sting of betrayal as she walked off in silence.

After few more moments for everyone to settle their nerves. Jimbo spoke once again, much calmer this time. let's take a look at this again, slowly this time, there has to be something we are missing here…

…

And with that the leader and the old man began to examine the respawn data in more details. It was only a few minutes into their search that they found something curious.

"Hmm, Basile seems to be here, and so is Maxim, both of them were transformed by the frogs on that date." Herman said.

"But where are the rest? Tyler and Fillip also died at the same date, but they aren’t there either…" Jimbo said, with a confused frown.

“That is strange, but I doubt it is a mistake. The AI’s do have their quirks, but they would never do such an obvious error, it is against their nature. There is something else going on here…" Herman said as he thoughtfully stroked his beard.

"What if, they aren’t actually dead?" He started, hesitantly at first but then gaining confidence as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

"What if the transformation into a warefrog isn’t considered dying by the System? On that day there were 2 dead warefrogs, and 3 that escaped. That would explain the info we get here. Basile and Maxim must have been the ones that died, and the..."

"And the other 3 are our people… trapped inside their own bodies…" The giant finished, his gaze hazy and distant…

And I let her go. I could have chased after her, I could have freed her from this curse, she was right in front of me… What have I done…"

Herman and the others spoke more after that, but all their words and platitudes went unheard. Jimbo just sat there, cross legged on the floor, next to the disassembled amalgamation of parts and wires that used to be the respawn booth.

His expression was distant and full with pain. He had a choice to make here…

He could sit on his ass and let the blame and self hatred consume him. If he hadn't left Alice in charge that day, If he had prepared his people, if he had been faster to arrive in the camp, if he didn't let the frog holding Alice prisoner escape, if if if if ….

No! That path is where madness lay!

His grandma had raised him better than that! She would smack his head with her broom if she saw him wallowing in despair right now.

Sitting on his behind and crying about his mistakes won’t help anyone. Only actions will.

Suddenly, to the surprise of everyone, Jumbo rose to his full towering height. The look of despair completely vanishing from his face. He said nothing and simply strode away from the crowd, determination and fire blazing in his eyes as he headed for his chieftain’s mud hut.

___

"Are you sure we can’t change your mind?” Beth asked, concern in her voice.

"I am sure." Jimbo said resolutely, taking his enormous club with one hand and exiting the chief’s hut.

"I know you miss her, but this is suicide. You don’t even know where she is." The woman persisted, walking briskly at the side of the giant.

"I will find her eventually, even if I have to trek through the entirety of the neutral zone."

"And what if she isn’t here? What if she has went to the internet instead?"

The giant considered this for a moment, but his resolve was not shaken. "Then I will forsake my queue slip. I will find her, no matter where she might be."

"You would really willingly give up your retirement for her…" Beth said, her voice lowering.

The giant suddenly paused, then knelt down to his worried friend. "I am sorry Beth, we have known each other for, what? 10-15 years? You are a true friend, one that has been there in good and bad. Well, mostly bad, living in that hellish Antarctic desert wasn't a picnic." The man joked, making Beth chuckle and wipe her eyes with the sleeve of her blue worker jumpsuit.

"You know I wouldn't just leave without a good reason. Alice needs me, and I am sure she would have done the same thing for me. And besides, we could still meet again someday. Generica has to open her gates to the rest of the internet eventually." He said unconvincingly.

They both knew that relations between the two digital empires were deteriorating rather than improving. This could very well be the last time the two friends saw each other.

"Good luck out there." Beth said at last, placing a tiny hand on the giant’s arm, finally making peace with her friend’s choice.

…

After the moment passed they both nodded to each other and continued walking. The courtyard was full of people, the entire camp had gathered to give their beloved leader a proper sendoff.

Yes, he wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes like everyone else. He didn’t wear an expensive suit or sit on a throne made out of money. He certainly wasn’t the sort of figure people usually associated with leadership. But perhaps that was exactly the point. He was one of them, an ordinary worker who wore the same clothes as them, ate from the same food, and always gave his best to help out the community.

Jimbo personally knew each and every member of his small camp. His boisterous easygoing personality had captured the hearts of everyone. His personality was capable of bringing even the most hardcore of hermits out of their shell, which in fact did with a certain bald elderly tinkerer.

Herman stood at the base of the camp’s gates, looking uncomfortable to be among so many people, but nevertheless enduring the pressure. He patiently waited to say goodbye to his unlikely comrade.

Next to him stood a magical mutated strawberry puppy. Yes a strawberry puppy made out of vines, leaves and whatnot.

Herman eyed the critter wearily, but the beast paid him no mind. Instead it shifted this way and that with agitation. As soon as it saw its favorite human, it leaped forward.

Finally Jimbo made his way through the crowd. Everyone was saddened to see him go, and the goodbyes stretched on for a while, but eventually he and Beth reached the old man at the gates.

Before he could do anything else, the strawberry critter leaped into the giant’s chest. Jimbo barely managed to catch the excited little beast as it opened its bulbous maw and began to affectionately lick his face.

"Oh there there little one, I didn't forget about you." The man petted the excited critter for a few more moments, then carefully placed it on the ground, conspiratorially giving it a tiny mana shard. The beast eagerly gobbled up the treat, calming down and finally letting the man pass.

"I am not going to say goodbye, since I am sure you have already gotten tired of all that." Herman said, looking the critter and crowd behind with a complicated look.

"Instead I have made this for you." Herman said, passing one of his signature wiry makeshift devices.

"You and your contraptions." Jimbo chuckled, looking down at the tiny gadget with curiosity.

"It is a amphibian radar. Since we haven't seen any frogs for the past two weeks, I thought you might need something like this. It has a limited range, and the solar batteries will need recharging after each use. But it is better than nothing."

"Thank you my friend, it is a thoughtful and practical gift." The giant said.

Beth frowned at the exchange, but remained wisely silent. She wouldn't ruin this moment by bickering with her nemesis. Not that it would do any good…

"Jimbo, I… I should come with you, someone has to watch over your back out there." Beth found herself saying, her voice uncharacteristically vulnerable and full with worry.

"No, this is my burden, I don’t want to risk anyone else with this. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you too because of my mistakes. And besides, someone has to take care of the camp. Someone has to keep pushing those lazy bastards to do their training exercises each morning. When Alice and I come back, I’d better not see people slacking on their training. That includes you too Herman. You may be the camp’s techno shaman, but your slightly round form is far from ideal." Jimbo said with a chuckle, poking the belly of Herman with a finger and ignoring the old man’s protestations.

"Sigh…" The giant exhaled, regaining his serious expression. "Get along you two. I am leaving the command of the camp in your hands. YES I mean BOTH of you are in charge." He added before the startled duo in front of him could start bickering again.

“Both of you are good people, and the camp needs each one of your perspectives and skills.”

"Herman, please try to socialize more. You have done so much for this community, hell you are basically its creator. Still, nobody here seems to appreciate you. And you hiding away in your hut all day long doesn't help the issue. People assume you look down on them, that you think you’re better than the rest. This is your biggest weakness."

"Beth… Please try to be more relaxed, not everyone in the world is out there trying to get you. There are good people out there too. You are so capable and reliable, anyone can rely on your expertise and decisiveness. However you have to be more trusting of others. You have build so high walls around yourself, that you are unable to see the good in people. This is your biggest weakness."

"I truly believe that the two of you have what it takes to lead the camp to prosperity, if only you put your differences aside and work together."

And with those words of wisdom, the giant left the camp, embarking into the desert wastelands of the neutral zone, hoping beyond hope to save his beloved…

…

As the figure of their leader began to fade into the distant sunrise, people in the camp began to disperse, going back to their daily routines. People started climbing into the hamster wheels, others prepared for their shifts at the quarries, the magical plants shook their leaves from the dew and prepared for a hard day of gardening.

Herman and Beth stood at the gate, cautiously assessing one-another, and preparing to leap for each others’ throats at the slightest provocation.

However the idyllic scene was abruptly halted by a distant shouting.

“Bla mru gh…”

Both camp leaders frowned and broke their staring match to look for the source of he disturbance.

“Brai mggh mgrgh!”

Squinting their eyes, placing palms on their foreheads as to stifle the sun in their eyes, they tried to make sense of what the hell was going on. Others joined them, also curious to figure out what was happening…

Eventually the mystery was solved as the lone figure of their leader appeared from behind a sand dune, frantically running back towards the camp.

At first some of the people cheered, thinking that they would get their leader back. However what followed was something no one expected…

From the dunes behind him, a horde of internet barbarians came into view, roaring forward on their crude techno vehicles and firing plasma bolts in every direction.

The giant shouted with all his might, falling and tripping down, standing up and continuing to run at the camp.

Pirates…. PIRATEEES!!!