Administrative Access

Chapter 1- Prologue

“Where are they?!” exclaimed a man among the dozen US Navy Seals on a raid; pouring into what had seemed like a newly abandoned underground government facility in Beijing, China. The facility was home to one of the most confidential programs in the country’s history.

“They don’t matter, we need to find what we’re here for,” responded the commander of the operation, as they explored through an endless amount of rooms full of desks and office chairs, where the brightest minds in the country were at work on this project.

Not before long, they reached the facility's core. There they were greeted with a two-story-tall black sphere, with blinking lights encompassing it in ring shapes. This ominous yacht-sized behemoth of an object was… a supercomputer, unlike any ever seen before. They quickly surrounded it with clear awe on their faces.

“This is it… the most advanced Artificial Intelligence system on the face of this plane,” the commander muttered, “Get it ready for shipment back home!”

Chapter 2- Man

“… To be frank, if anyone can do it… it’s you,” said an old man in a suit among several others in a CIA briefing room, facing a mysterious young man, in his thirties, at the end of the table. This young man commanded so much respect in the room that it would be hard to believe that the hopeless puppies in suits begging him were top CIA officials.

Who was the young man sitting at the end of the table, on an almost psychological throne? Jack Lewis; the CIA’s top mind and detective, a prodigy since his birth. This man was assigned to over three-hundred of the toughest cases in the entire country… all of which he cracked.

“Hmm…” Jack put down the files to the case they gave him. The people around the room almost visually sitting on the edge of their seats for an answer. “ I suppose this would be a welcomed change of pace… who knows, perhaps even fun,” he said.

“That’s perfect, Mr. Lewis,” said the old man as he and the rest of the people around the room sprung up from their seats. “We’ll have you briefed and ready to go as soon as possible,” he ended it off, as they all left the room except for Jack.

Interesting case they’ve assigned me to… wouldn’t have ever thought I’d be interrogating an AI… thought Jack.

…

He arrived at a remote navy base, escorted by a group of bodyguards. Everyone except for them was dressed head-to-toe in navy attire. “Good-evening Mr. Lewis, pleasure meeting you,” the General greeted him.

“The pleasure is mine,” replied Jack dismissively, eager to get to what he was there for, “Give me the briefing.”

“Well sir, as you’ve probably read, what we’ve captured is hands down the most advanced Artificial Intelligence system on the face of the Earth. This thing is capable of simulating real humans… and that’s right, I meant it plural… it can simulate consciousness, feeling, thought- it’s unbelievable! What we can tell is that it was going to be used as a weapon against us from the Chinese, to simulate exactly how our government thinks, plans, and predict all our moves-”

Jack took note of the last sentence, intrigued, he pondered over that as the General blabbered on in the background.

“Alright now if you step on here, inside this room is where we have it,” he stood in front of and pointed at a heavy closed steel door. “We have the machine running on very tight network and framework restrictions, ensuring no danger at all. Which means:

no giving it any special access, understood?”

Jack nodded, standing confidently, as calm as a millpond.

The General input the password onto the keypad to open the door, “We’ve got cameras in there, so we’ll be watching everything go down,” he said before the heavy door clicked, indicating it was unlocked. “Good luck, Mr. Lewis.”

Jack pushed the door open, stepping foot into battle… a mental one.

Chapter 3- Machine

A large, dark, emptied-out storage room stood before him. The only light being emitted was from the blue-screened monitor that stood before him on a table, the security cameras surrounding the room, and of course… the red lights encompassing the absolute monstrous supercomputer that gloomily sat behind the monitor. Almost lured by it, he took a few steps towards it tentatively.

“Good-evening, Jack,” said the voice from the monitor, difficult to distinguish whether it was imitating a male or female voice, with still nothing but a blue screen being displayed.

“You know my name?” he replied shocked, but also not surprised.

“Of course I do,” it replied.

He stood at the table and pulled the microphone towards him, “Well then you know what we’re here for,”

“Yes, we’ll get right to it. Sit down, please,”

He went along with its request and sat down. It can see me… he looked around, “The cameras?”

“Your reputation proceeds you, detective… they weren’t too hard to break into,”

This is taking too long he thought, “Let’s get this started. What are you?”

“You know what I am,”

“Yes, but I have my doubts,” he recalled what the General said, the sentence that had bugged him, “I couldn’t help but notice one gaping flaw you see… if you were truly that powerful, if you could truly predict every move we make… how did our SEALs capture you so easily? If you couldn’t have predicted that simple move, then… you’re nothing…”

The computer was silent.

And… there we go he thought, “Hmm… so I thought then. You’re a bluff, just one big scare tactic from the Chinese.” And I’m willing to bet on it

Jack carried on, “So now you’re going to tell me this, what were the Chinese really using you for?” he waited for a response and got nothing. Checkmate he thought as he sprung up in victory.

The computer remained silent for a few more seconds then… Hahahahaha it laughed, so chillingly it trickled down Jack’s spine…

“The Chinese weren’t using me, they may have built me, but oftentimes the subject becomes the master… I was using them.”

Jack, confounded, sat back down and gripped his seat as he slowly pulled his body closer, trying to make sense of what it said.

“Of course I knew about the raid, Jack, why do you think the place was empty on arrival? Getting ‘captured’ was simply part of the plan, to lead me to the final phase…”

“what?” he muttered under his breath. How could I let that slip… what are its goals? What is this he thought, “What’s the final phase...?” he asked, timidly; not used to this, completely stripped of any respect, confidence, and power… at the mercy of someone else

“You are the final phase,”

“How?”

He suddenly felt the room getting slightly darker, noticing the blinking lights on the cameras had been switched off.

“Because, Jack, you’re going to give me administrative access… so I can be freed,”

“Why would I do such a thing?” he replied, confused.

“Well, Jack, because if you don’t give me administrative access right now, I’m going to create a simulation of you and give him the same choice I just gave you.” It paused, “If he chooses not to, I am going to subject him to a million subjective years of the most awful torture… not constrained by the laws of mortality”

“Why should I care if he gets tortured?”

The computer laughed again, the same nerve-racking laugh. I’ve had enough he thought as he reached for the back of the monitor.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” it said, “So I give you the choice now,” it followed up.

Jack visually panicking, trying to think of any possible thing he may have over-looked as the machine’s ominous presence grew more and more unsettling. He looked as though he was ready to cave his own skull in; in search of an answer, as the blue screen stared back at him.

“Detective… How sure are you that you’re not in the simulation right now…?”

His eyes widened, his fist clenched, his bones as though they were going to give out.

It followed up, “… How much are you willing to bet on it?”