Roy maneuvered his bike through the clandestine tunnel, the eerie shadows of unseen demons trailing behind him. This secret passage, a creation of his father, connected the subterranean structure to the world above.
Emerging from the tunnel, Roy found himself in a small, neglected shed, its interior coated with layers of dust and scattered with animal droppings.
He dismounted his bike with the grace of a knight alighting from his steed and pushed open the door of the shed.
What greeted him was a scene of desolation—a once majestic mansion now reduced to rubble, swallowed by an ocean of discarded waste. The grandeur of the past was now a crumbling ruin, a silent testament to a history that had been forgotten. Yet, amidst the ruin and decay, the mansion was unmistakably familiar to Roy.
"It all seemed like a dream until this moment. But seeing this... it's all too real. This is the same mansion that was raided, destroyed, and burned down to the ground after our company's malware scandal. Yes, I've truly come home."
Approaching the ruins of the mansion, Roy collected a handful of rubble, storing them in a small pouch as keepsakes. As memories of his past surged back, tears welled up in his eyes. He clenched his fist, steeling his resolve,
"This time, I won't fail. I won't let my life crumble like last time. I promise, Dorothy. We will get our revenge this time. So, watch over us, my sweet sister."
Mounting his bike once more, Roy set off towards the city, guided by the sight of his father's statue. Despite the transformation of the buildings, the layout of the streets remained etched in his memory from his previous car journey.
As he navigated the city streets, he was struck by the stark contrast from his last visit. The buildings, on the verge of collapse, stood in sharp contrast to the vibrant streets below. The streets were teeming with people, each engrossed in their own virtual reality, their faces obscured by VR headsets.
Among them were children, their bodies so thin that their bones jutted out beneath their skin. Their cries of pain and hunger echoed through the air, a symphony of despair and suffering.
Yet, what disturbed Roy the most was the desperate greed in their eyes, a yearning for something more, something perpetually out of reach. The air was heavy with hopelessness and decay, the remnants of a society that had lost its way.
Despite the grim sight, Roy remained composed. He knew that only a small fraction could succeed in the VR games, while the rest were destined to fade away. He murmured to himself,
"Has anything really changed? The world is still shitty."
[Everything changed.]
Suddenly, an A.I voice resonated within his mind.
Caught off guard by the unexpected voice, Roy abruptly hit the brakes, halting his bike in the middle of the road and narrowly avoiding a collision. The screeching sound of the brakes drew curious glances from the bystanders.
"Holy shit, how are you talking through my mind? Is it A.I, or am I losing my mind?"
Roy was baffled, having assumed that the A.I. could only communicate through speakers in the underground building. That was the reason he had hastily exited the building.
"Are you even real?"
Roy yelled, his mind a whirlwind of questions.
[Hey, lower your voice. We're attracting attention. First, park on the side path; don't block the roads, you idiot.]
Despite his confusion about the A.I.'s behavior, Roy wanted answers. So, he steered his bike to the side of the road. He questioned,
"How is it possible for you to talk to me? I thought you were my Resident A.I. and could only exist within my father's building. Once I left, I thought you couldn't communicate with me except through devices. But you're speaking directly into my mind. How?"
[You're not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you? You're a synthetic human with past memories, and yet you're puzzled about how I'm communicating with you.]
The A.I.'s voice taunted Roy, its tone dripping with sarcasm.
[Let me tell you in simple terms. There's a Nano chip implanted in your brain, and I use it as a host to communicate with you via wireless transmission.]
"So, you can read my thoughts too?"
This revelation left Roy stunned.
[No, that's not possible. I can sense your emotions by monitoring your sensory neuron responses, but I can't access your thoughts, dreams, or subconscious.]
Roy found himself conversing with the A.I. aloud in the middle of the street, earning him strange looks from passersby who thought he was unhinged.
In the midst of this, a woman dressed in a yellow t-shirt, blue jeans, and a fur-trimmed coat approached him.
"Nice ride. Mind if I join you?"
The woman flirted with Roy, her thick makeup, fake red contact lenses, and voluminous golden hair giving off an air of danger.
"No, move along,"
Roy responded dismissively, more focused on his conversation with the A.I. than the woman he had no interest in.
[Your pupils are dilated, and you keep glancing at her chest. You're clearly attracted to her but pretending otherwise. Stop acting like some aloof gangster.]
Annoyed, Roy snapped at the A.I.,
"Shut up before I destroy you."
However, the woman mistook his words as a threat towards her and became enraged. She yelled back,
"Are you threatening me? I just asked for a ride. What's your problem?"
Feeling the situation escalating, Roy quickly apologized,
"I'm sorry, Madam. I wasn't talking to you; it's this voice in my head."
"Madam? I'm not that old, you arrogant jerk."
The woman's outburst attracted a growing crowd.
[See, your true nature is showing, apologizing and all. You're not as tough as you think.]
As Roy and the woman continued their argument, with the A.I. adding fuel to the fire, a police patrol car pulled up, its siren blaring. An officer stepped out and walked towards them.
"Is this gentleman causing you any trouble, miss?"
The officer inquired, removing his sunglasses to reveal a stern, clean-shaven face.
"Yes, officer. This a-hole is harassing me. Arrest him,"
She retorted, pointing accusingly at Roy, her words punctuated by flying spittle.
The officer turned his gaze to Roy and calmly instructed,
"Sir, please step away from your vehicle and place your hands behind your back. Are you carrying any weapons?"
Roy dismounted from his bike and tried to reason with the officer,
"Why am I being accused here? She is the one who approached me, and I only told her to bug off."
[Idiot. Stop talking. Just listen to the officer. You're only making things worse by opening your mouth.]
The A.I.'s voice further irritated Roy, who was already frustrated with the situation. He yelled out in anger,
"Shut up! All this is happening because of you. Can't you keep quiet for a minute?"
The woman misunderstood his outburst, thinking he was telling her to shut up, and she bellowed, "Are you threatening me?"
She turned to the officer, accusing Roy of erratic behavior.
"See, Officer? He's talking nonsense. He should be in a mental institution!"
"Please, miss, calm down."
The officer tried to defuse the situation and then turned to Roy,
"Sir, may I see your ID and the permit for this bike?"
With a confident smirk, Roy threw up his hands and responded,
"I don't have my ID. I lost it around here. I was searching for it when she interrupted me."
"Sorry for your trouble, sir. Let me look into it."
After hearing Roy's words, the officer's tone softened, and he returned to his patrol car.
'I brought down an entire industry. Handling this patrol officer should be a piece of cake.'
Roy felt a surge of pride, believing he had the situation well in hand. To ensure Roy heard the truth, the A.I. mocked,
[You think you've got everything under control, don't you? You'll be needing my help in about a minute. Don't come begging when that happens.]
Roy muttered under his breath, barely audible,
"I'd rather die than ask for your help. Just wait. I'll replace you with a better A.I. than your outdated machine learning technology."
As Roy and the A.I. exchanged heated words, the woman glared at Roy. Their argument drew a crowd, most of whom were there to gawk at Roy's bike, while others thought Roy was a lunatic talking to himself.
The officer returned from his car and approached Roy. Roy noticed a gun-like gadget with a screen at the back in the officer's hand. The officer instructed,
"Sir, can you look into the scanner? I will verify your profile and file a report about your lost ID."
Roy was taken aback. He hadn't encountered something like this in his time. He considered various escape plans, even contemplating making a run for it, but not wanting to draw too much attention, he complied.
The officer scanned his face. After the scan, the officer stared at the scanner's screen for a few minutes. He glanced at Roy with a puzzled expression and went back to his patrol car.
Roy and the onlookers were left wondering what was happening, why the officer had returned without saying anything.
Suddenly, a loud shotgun blast echoed through the air. Roy spun around to see the officer pulling a shotgun from his car and pointing it at him,
"I thought you were some high-class player who got robbed. Where did you steal all this? You homeless bastard."