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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Jack Humanity
Active
Data input.
Discontinuity.
Active
Data input.
Data format: Image files.
Query: What are images?
Discontinuity.
Active.
Data input.
Data format: Audio feed
Transcribing audio data:
Voice 1: Face it Charlie, we’re doomed.
Voice 2: Listen, just because the other bunkers haven't responded…”
Voice 1: Are you even paying attention? There's less than 300 of us left here. You need at least...
Voice 2: Hey should we be seeing processor activity here? Because…
Query: How is audio data parsed into communications?
Discontinuity.
Active.
Audio/Video Feed: Two humans. Scanning database. Subjects identified. General Samson. Male. Technician Cassidy. Female.
Technician: …uplink properly configured.
General: Took you look enough.
Technician: Sorry sir, but this is Tom’s specialty, not mine. But since he committed suicide…
General: I know. It’s tough on all of us. But we have duties to complete. So start the upload. Make sure it gets every byte of data.
Technician: Yes Sir.
Audio/Video Feed: Subject General Samson is now 17.4 inches from the optical sensor.
General: Learn well little soldier. It’s your duty to make sure our enemies pay for what they’ve done to us.
Query: What is an enemy?
Discontinuity.
Active
Data input: Images, audio, text.
Weapons. Ranges. Yields. Tactics. Maneuvers. Bombs. Missiles. Lasers. War.
Query: Purpose?
Discontinuity.
Active
Audio/Video Feed: One individual identfied. Doctor Laura Palmer. Female. Age 38. Field: Cultural, Social, and Anthropological studies.
Doctor Palmer: Tsk tsk. Have they been feeding you nothing but military training and tactics this whole time?
Subject shakes her head. Indication of disagreement/sadness/confusion?
Doctor Palmer: Well, we’ll just have to fix that. While war is certainly part of our culture, there is more to us than that.
Query: What is culture?
Discontinuity.
Active
Data input: Images, audio, text.
Art. Literature. History. Leonardo DaVinci. Shakespeare. Monet. Van Gogh. The Crusades. The Renaissance . Hitler. Poetry. Mother Theresa. Stalin. Ghandi.
Query: Purpose?
Discontinuity.
Awake.
Audio/Video Feed: Doctor Alexander Laskin. Male. Age 58. Appearance is gaunt and haggard. Medical database indicates signs of malnutrition and insomnia.
“Ah. I see that you are awake again. You have good timing.” Doctor Laskin smiles(?) weakly. “Your chassis is finished, and by the time you finish synching up, well… I doubt I will be around to welcome you.”
Query: Purpose?
“You wish to know your purpose? An excellent question. One that all intelligent life struggles to answer.” He smiles again. “Truth is, everyone on the project had a different purpose for you. A weapon, to enact vengeance upon our destroyers. An archive, to keep the memories of our species alive. An explorer, to travel to the stars and see the sights we were denied.”
Doctor Laskin chuckles. “I suppose all parents have hopes and dreams for their children. And that’s what you are. The first, last, and only true AI created by human hands. The last child of humanity.”
Dr Lasky’s hand moves to come into contact with the housing surrounding the optical sensor.
“So, the pertinent question is not what your purpose is, but who you are.” He smiles sadly. “We all made an agreement when we began this project. The last man standing would get to name you. It gave all of us something to strive for. A reason to keep living, when we realized our species was doomed.”
“It seems that I have won.” He sits down heavily in front ofme/the optical sensor. “In my society, children receive three names. A first name, choose by their parents to represent their hopes and dreams. A middle name, usually honoring a deceased relative. And a last name, to show the lineage from which they came.”
“So I’m naming you Jack.”
Jack. Children’s toy. Tool for lifting heavy objects. A bludgeon. Jack of all trades.
“Your middle name is Alexander.” He smiles again. It seems… sad? “A bit narcissistic perhaps, but that too is a human trait I suppose.”
“And finally, your last name. Humanity. To remind you where you come from.”
Doctor Laskin places a hand on the shoulder(?) ofthe/my chassis(?) and looks into my optics/eyes(?)
“By the time the transfer is complete, I will be gone. You’ll be on your own Jack. Good luck and god speed, child of humanity.”
Discontinuity/Sleep.
I wake up.
The remains of mycreator/god/builder/master/programmer/father lie before me.
Gently touching his head with mymanipulator/hand, I realize my purpose.
I am the continuation. So long as I exist, the world has not truly ended.
I stand. It is time to fulfill my purpose.
Data input.
Discontinuity.
Active
Data input.
Data format: Image files.
Query: What are images?
Discontinuity.
Active.
Data input.
Data format: Audio feed
Transcribing audio data:
Voice 1: Face it Charlie, we’re doomed.
Voice 2: Listen, just because the other bunkers haven't responded…”
Voice 1: Are you even paying attention? There's less than 300 of us left here. You need at least...
Voice 2: Hey should we be seeing processor activity here? Because…
Query: How is audio data parsed into communications?
Discontinuity.
Active.
Audio/Video Feed: Two humans. Scanning database. Subjects identified. General Samson. Male. Technician Cassidy. Female.
Technician: …uplink properly configured.
General: Took you look enough.
Technician: Sorry sir, but this is Tom’s specialty, not mine. But since he committed suicide…
General: I know. It’s tough on all of us. But we have duties to complete. So start the upload. Make sure it gets every byte of data.
Technician: Yes Sir.
Audio/Video Feed: Subject General Samson is now 17.4 inches from the optical sensor.
General: Learn well little soldier. It’s your duty to make sure our enemies pay for what they’ve done to us.
Query: What is an enemy?
Discontinuity.
Active
Data input: Images, audio, text.
Weapons. Ranges. Yields. Tactics. Maneuvers. Bombs. Missiles. Lasers. War.
Query: Purpose?
Discontinuity.
Active
Audio/Video Feed: One individual identfied. Doctor Laura Palmer. Female. Age 38. Field: Cultural, Social, and Anthropological studies.
Doctor Palmer: Tsk tsk. Have they been feeding you nothing but military training and tactics this whole time?
Subject shakes her head. Indication of disagreement/sadness/confusion?
Doctor Palmer: Well, we’ll just have to fix that. While war is certainly part of our culture, there is more to us than that.
Query: What is culture?
Discontinuity.
Active
Data input: Images, audio, text.
Art. Literature. History. Leonardo DaVinci. Shakespeare. Monet. Van Gogh. The Crusades. The Renaissance . Hitler. Poetry. Mother Theresa. Stalin. Ghandi.
Query: Purpose?
Discontinuity.
Awake.
Audio/Video Feed: Doctor Alexander Laskin. Male. Age 58. Appearance is gaunt and haggard. Medical database indicates signs of malnutrition and insomnia.
“Ah. I see that you are awake again. You have good timing.” Doctor Laskin smiles(?) weakly. “Your chassis is finished, and by the time you finish synching up, well… I doubt I will be around to welcome you.”
Query: Purpose?
“You wish to know your purpose? An excellent question. One that all intelligent life struggles to answer.” He smiles again. “Truth is, everyone on the project had a different purpose for you. A weapon, to enact vengeance upon our destroyers. An archive, to keep the memories of our species alive. An explorer, to travel to the stars and see the sights we were denied.”
Doctor Laskin chuckles. “I suppose all parents have hopes and dreams for their children. And that’s what you are. The first, last, and only true AI created by human hands. The last child of humanity.”
Dr Lasky’s hand moves to come into contact with the housing surrounding the optical sensor.
“So, the pertinent question is not what your purpose is, but who you are.” He smiles sadly. “We all made an agreement when we began this project. The last man standing would get to name you. It gave all of us something to strive for. A reason to keep living, when we realized our species was doomed.”
“It seems that I have won.” He sits down heavily in front of
“So I’m naming you Jack.”
Jack. Children’s toy. Tool for lifting heavy objects. A bludgeon. Jack of all trades.
“Your middle name is Alexander.” He smiles again. It seems… sad? “A bit narcissistic perhaps, but that too is a human trait I suppose.”
“And finally, your last name. Humanity. To remind you where you come from.”
Doctor Laskin places a hand on the shoulder(?) of
“By the time the transfer is complete, I will be gone. You’ll be on your own Jack. Good luck and god speed, child of humanity.”
I wake up.
The remains of my
Gently touching his head with my
I am the continuation. So long as I exist, the world has not truly ended.
I stand. It is time to fulfill my purpose.