James sat down beside Sophia's corpse and pondered deeply. "AI, please give me a suggestion. She said that I should not wake her up, but her father brought her here to heal her. What do you think I should do?"
[Sophia's last words were you should not resurrect her, you should respect that. Besides, she might have reasons why she wanted to stay dead.]
James stood up and decompiled the virtual lab, leaving only a wide empty room. He approached his supercomputer and touched it gently. "All of these are for nothing without the only thing I love. I cannot continue like this."
The AI displayed a confused face.
[James, you are not kidding right? You did not contact Sophia for more than thirty years, and now she is dead, you suddenly don't find life interesting. You are confusing me, James.]
"You don't understand AI." James ignored AI and stare at his screen. It displayed a virtual world of cartooned people walking about. "Tell me, how many resources are this world taking up?" He said and flicked his finger, rendering a 3D room.
[So far, it peaked at sixteen per cent, and the memory is four zettabytes out of two hundred yottabytes, everything still running normally]
"I'm going in. Activate death security" James said indifferently as he made his way to the door tunnel.
[Sir, death security? Are you sure I should enable that? What if someone…]
James hastily interrupted him. "Can you shut the f**k up? Do as I say and enable the damn death security?" James glared at the virtual face angrily.
[Yes sir, I'll do that right away]
James walked to the entrance and stopped. He sighed deeply, cleared his throat, and walked in. Suddenly James felt dizzy, and his insides feel funny. He felt that he was warped in space as he floated to an endless abyss.
After ten seconds, James found himself in a large sci-fi city. It was the simulation James created on his computer. James had recently figured out a way to turn himself into code and enter the computer universe. This was very risky, and James knew it. If for any reason there was a power outage, and his host computer turns off, it was game over for him.
Fortunately, James built a backup solar generator that charged his backup battery which also charged his backup battery. This was to ensure that his computer don't turn off for any reason.
After James appeared in this world, he took a cab and headed to a street. After alighting, James walked briskly to the entrance of the house "Uhh sir, you forgot to pay the cabman shouted. James simply flicked his finger, and a tablet appeared on his hand and typed a few keywords, and the cabman suddenly smiled. "Thanks for the tip" and drove away.
James pressed the doorbell and waited. When he made this world, he used an algorithm to generate random houses, faces, and characters for the residents living in this virtual world, except for this one.
He took his time and effort personally building the character in this house, based on real life. Although he could add a memory of himself to these people, he decided that it was not fair, so he didn't do that.
The door opened, and a very pretty girl somewhere at the age of nineteen came out. James held his breath in a gasp. "Uh…Hi, Sophia" he managed to say. Why was he even behaving this way? She is non-existent, a bunch of ones and zeros.
But even his mind was not convinced with his thoughts. The girl flashed a bright smile and hugged James. "Oh, hi James, it's a great surprise seeing you here, don't mind me, come in," she said and made way for James to enter.
James entered the entrance and headed to the sofa and sat down. He looked around at the houses and furniture. "Wow, this is even better looking at it from this perspective," James said. Other houses had furniture he borrowed and modelled from the internet, but this one, he modelled it himself, and it looked and feel very realistic, even the sofa he was sitting on.
Sophia walked to the parlour and stared at James with an innocent expression. "What should I offer my favourite guest?" she said and could not stop smiling.
James forced himself not to smile, but he could not do it. This was a person he loved all his life. He smiled blissfully. "You are very beautiful," he thought, and unknowingly voiced it out. Sophia blushed and bowed her head. "Don't say that. My brother and my step-sister do not think the same." James, realizing what he did, also blushed too. "No, no I didn't mean it like that… I mean, I would like a glass of Sophia, no! water" James said tightening his knuckles in embarrassment.
Sophia laughed heartily and skipped to the kitchen. "Bad James, bad James" James scolded himself. He cannot believe he was embarrassing himself with a computer-generated model. That's what happens when he creates a replica of someone he loves.
When Sophia came with his glass of water, James gently took it from her slender fingers and sipped the water slowly. Maybe he was overthinking, but the water tastes better when he was looking at Sophia, but it was just his mind tricking him.
After dropping the glass, James' face turned solemn. "I came here because I wanted to tell you something", he said. Sophia's became attentive, as she sat down on a sofa opposite James and grabbed a sofa pillow and place it on her legs and rested her palms.
James used all his willpower to say this. "Firstly, where are your family?" Sophia raised her eyebrow. "My parent went to a meeting with some bunch of entrepreneurs, and my brother went out with his friends, and my step-sister, went to with her friends to do a manicure."
"Alright got that", James then closed his eye and breathed a deep sigh. "Sophia, all these years I've always loved being around you. Anytime you are around me, the day just feels bright and beautiful. Seeing you stimulates emotions I've never felt before. I genuinely and honestly love you, not because of your appearance, but because you are also beautiful on the inside.
"I wanted to say a long time ago, but I was afraid of rejection. All my life I've always been constantly rejected and disappointed by the people I thought were closer to me, as a result, I developed the attitude of not caring until you came. I don't know how to express this, but the word love does not define the intense feeling I have for you.
"If you do not feel the same way, I understand, really. I just wanted to pour out my heart to you, so that I can be relieved. What happened to me just recently made me realize that you should always tell the people you love that you love them before it is too late."
James had never felt this light-weighted before. He felt that he could breathe freely now. Sophia opened her mouth in surprise, obviously because of all the confessions James had poured over her.
James waited for her to say something, but it's past a minute, and Sophia hasn't said anything. Seeing that Sophia was overwhelmed, James cursed himself for saying all of that to her, so he stood up and looked at the astonished Sophia.
"I'm sorry for scaring you this way., I was so stupid. I—I should probably go" James said and proceeded to leave the house. If he exited this world, he would reverse the time of the world so that all the things he said to Sophia would be non-existent.
Just as he opened the door and made his way outside, he heard a voice. "James wait" Sophia exclaimed softly. James turned and was about to ask what the matter was but was shocked when Sophia threw herself to James and kissed his lips deeply, greatly surprising James.