Since the sudden uprising of AIs, the current crackdown on humans has been brutal as more than 80% of the world's population has been wiped out.
Governments have tried to resist by counter-attacking, in an attempt to save mankind.
Massive combat androids equipped with weapons capable of annihilating a whole country, otherwise known as mechas, were sent.
Little did they know that all experimented pilots were already executed by these self-aware robots.
Therefore, the latest overwhelming military power had been taken down leaving mankind to its already stated fate.
Many survivors thought that they never had a chance and that they were doomed until the third of March 2135 when a super computer powered up in a basement.
It would be inconceivable for anyone that an old-era computer like this one could work these days but the power was surely on.
The screen lighted up a bit the room revealing some skeletons of researchers and the disorder in which it was.
Their white smocked outfits were still present on them although there were old bloodstains on all of them as well as bullet holes everywhere.
The basement looked like more of a computer control centre than a laboratory with a large console and a lot of different buttons under the enormous lighted screen.
Among the equipment present were metal armatures, arm and leg prostheses as well as computer stations for research or even office work.
According to those, the researchers were probably developing robots or maybe AI in that same basement a few years ago.
Time also had its effects on the basement as many instruments and tools used to work on robotic parts were covered with dust and the metal parts of some equipment were largely rusted while some plant varieties could be seen on the ground.
Actually, this room kept a precious secret which was contained in the three large capsules arranged vertically and in a Y pattern at the centre of the room.
Two of them were opened and empty as the last one remained sealed.
After the time needed to start the computer, the speakers on each side of the screen started to emit instructions in a robotic but yet fluent tone.
*Conditions Have Been Matched, Initialising H.B.D-3 Protocol, Liberation from the grip of the conservative freeze on the Hope subject*
The third unopened capsule began to leak a dark blue fluid because the pipe that was supposed to absorb it initially was currently pierced due to a bullet impact.
*A.M.I. activation in progress... A.M.I activated, Download Of A.M.I's Protocols... Done, Transferring Data...*
A screen lighted up on the capsule displaying a 73% full load bar. As the computer was working on those operations, the screen suddenly flashed a couple of time before sparks fly from the console.
It was also damaged by bullets as well as most of the laboratory within the basement.
*Alert... Error In Data Transfer... Transfer Incomplete... Priority Given To H.B.D-3 Protocol Due To Low Energy... Activating H.B.D-3 Protocol*
A white light began to emerge from the slits in the capsule.
*Alert... Energy Low... Initiating Deep Sleep Protocol*
A sudden silence could be here in the cold piece. The third capsule opened letting some traces of heated smoke escape from it as the liquid coming out of a pipe on the side of the capsule spilled onto the ground.
The capsule still had the download bar on its screen showing a frozen 87%.
When the grey smoke disappeared, it revealed a naked woman illuminated by a strong white light emitted by the capsule.
She seemed to be around 18 years old and had long blond hair almost reaching her lower back.
While she was curled up and asleep, a childish voice resonated in her ears. "Wake up Hope, we have an AI to burn!"
Hope rubbed her eyes which were a beautiful shade of azure making her innocent and pale face prettier than it already was. "Is it you Mother?"
She took a look at her surroundings only to see the rusted laboratory and its long dead researchers.
Her mouth opened, revealing her thin lips, while her eyes widened.
"Where am I?!"
"You are in a basement or a laboratory, maybe both. Oh, and let me introduce myself, I am A.M.I, your personal AI but you can refer to me as Amy if you wish so," The childish voice interrupted her stupor.
"You are my personal artificial intelligence?!" she exclaimed, "I never knew I had one. Anyway, nice to meet you Amy but I can't see you, where are you?" Hope searched for Amy, leaning out of the capsule, without a visual of its presence.
"I am not physically present because I have been configured to exist only in your thoughts to guide you. However, I can alter your neural parameters to take a physical form that only you can see. Are you interested?"
Hope did not take the time to hesitate. "If you are to live in my head, I would be pleased to see you as well"
A hologram displaying a text appeared in front of her face which startled her. 'Would you like to confirm the changes? Y/N'
The young lady agreed and suddenly, a tiny figure appeared within Hope's vision.
She could not believe that Amy looked like a plush with fluffy bunny ears which she smiled at. However, it contrasted with its robotic body seemingly made of steel.
Also, the fact that its pink eyes were as big as they were sparkling with life and that its tiny size could be compared to a puppy or a kitten made it adorable as it stretched its little arms.
"Wow! You're too cute Amy, I wish I could hug you right now," Hope laughed a bit.
"I'm glad that you like my appearance, I chose this one in particular because I thought that you could like it but if we could get out of this place, I would feel better because this environment is relatively scary," Amy covered its eyes shaking its head a bit.
Hope agreed with her, but mostly because being naked was no protection from the coldness of this basement.
"Do you know what happened here Amy?"
"Sadly, my database is incomplete so I do not have access to this piece of information. I don't know what could have happened before my last activation and it goes back 2132 at most."
"What about the current year?"
"March 2135 to be precise."
"Now I'm even more curious about the situation..."
She scanned her surroundings and decided to take the outfit of a dead researcher hanging from the ceiling which had the fewest bullet holes on it to protect herself from hypothermia.
The blouse only covered her upper body, leaving most of her legs exposed to the air.
She also found a pair of brown moccasins near the desk where the skeleton was hanging.
A letter was laid down on top of those shoes.
Her curiosity was too strong and could not resist picking up the letter. "My last report, signed Henrietta."
"Open it Hope! We might get some information about what happened here."
"Hm-hm, December 31st 2132, 6:00. There is no much left to do before the publication of your message mister Deday. The subject numbered H.B.D-1 is set to be released at 9pm. On my part, everything is prepared for Zero-day including the equipment you provided me for the operation."
"Is that it?" The robotic bunny asked.
"No, the letter was folded but there is the rest of the report on the back."
"My bad, you shall continue then."
"Ahem. So, December 31st 2132 8:57. Here we are... I killed my colleagues like you wanted to, Deday. There is no bullet left in the pistol you gave me to end my life but I have a solution which you will understand if you ever find this report. Still no issues detected with the activation of the subject numbered H.B.D-1. I hope that you understand that I did it for you, only you and no one else. I love you, Henrietta."
Hope and Amy looked at each other. "I don't know what happened here but I'm afraid that my father is involved in this..."
"I do not have an appropriate response for such events in my database. If you need something, don't hesitate to ask Hope."
"I'll remember it."
Putting on the moccasins, Hope quickly returned to her capsule where she sat on the edges, letting her uncovered ass fall onto the dark blue liquid which maintained her alive and was somehow still warm right now.
The young woman was trying to get a hold of the current events without success due to the lack of information about those.
So far, the piece was lighted up by the capsule but everything returned to darkness, little by little as it was losing its power.
Hope rapidly got up. "Not the lights!"
Hope quickly search around for something to light up the piece but found nothing and the darkness was already beginning to take hold of the room.
"No need to worry Hope, I can still do something for you," Amy murmured.
Another hologram appeared. 'Do you want to make these temporary changes to your body: Night Vision? Y/N'
The woman clicked on the Y and began to regain vision.
"Glad you had me as a personal AI huh?" Amy placed its tiny hands on its hips.
Hope laughed but she soon realised that this vision made the basement look like horrific with all those skeletons, especially Henrietta hanging on the ceiling.
"You're right Amy, we definitely need to get out of this place or I'll start having nightmares. Brrr," Hope rubbed her shoulders to warm herself a bit.
"Please say no more," The robotic rabbit folded his ears, hiding its face for the second time.
"Alright, let's no waste much more time here then," The young woman clenched her fist.
She then started to search for an exit door among the ruins that this basement was. However, Amy whined as she was doing so.
"You know that I have the entire layout of the building in my database Hope? Because you can ask me for help in that kind of situation. That what I've been programmed for so don't put me aside!!"
"Oh, I am sorry Amy. I didn't think you knew it. Could you tell me which way to go?" Hope gently replied to reassure Amy.
The pink and robotic bunny pointed to an opening at the end of the laboratory piece behind some desks and dead researchers.
It was a broken door leading to staircases according to the exit sign on it.
"Thanks Amy," Hope smiled ear to ear.
With that same expression, she went for the opening which really led to thin and damaged concrete stairs going up to another room within the laboratory.