Raising a Glass to the End of the World

Today, I'm sharing my short story, Raising a Glass to the End of the World. It was originally published in the WolfSinger Publications anthology Spring: Dreams & Nightmares. 

The theme for this anthology was the season of Spring. 

The downpour continued outside, creating a low hum over the conver­sation in the bar. Conversations muted against the sound of rain added to the muffled background noise of the establishment. Victor Andrews enjoyed the white noise as he sat alone at the bar sipping his drink. He appeared to watch the news segment on the view screen in front of him, but his thoughts floated randomly cascading into whatever tangent his mind stumbled upon. Raising his glass to his lips he found it empty and tapped the bar with his right hand. The bartender nodded acknowledgement from the other end of the bar, wiped once more on the counter, and made his way over to Victor.

“Same as before, Doctor?” He reached for a plastic bottle of amber liquid on the shelf behind him.

“Yes, please, Michael.” Victor nodded and slid his cup over to the edge. Michael filled half the glass and Victor held his left hand up with his forefin­ger and thumb close together. Michael complied and filled the cup to the top and slid it back.

“What’s the occasion, sir?”

“Sir,” Victor said then snorted as he laughed, “I guess it’s okay coming from you. What are you, Mike, like twelve?”

“Actually, sir, I’m twenty-seven.”

“Okay, fair enough. You get to use ‘sir’ on me.” Victor took another sip of his drink and let the burn subside before continuing, “Today is my birth­day. I’m one hundred today. So, I figured I deserved a day at the bar, so as soon as I’m done, you keep it coming.”

“You’ve got it,” Michael replied and smiled. He left the bottle on the bar in front of Victor as he stepped away to help another customer.

Victor started into his drink at his reflection on the amber surface. He did not feel one hundred years old, but he attributed much of his wellbeing to the care provided by the Overseers. Much of what humanity had become and overcome was owed to them. Not that their benevolence made up for the atrocities, but he raised his glass to the contradiction and took another drink. A tap on his shoulder startled him and he turned to see a young man in a brown suit and red tie standing close behind him.

“Can I help you?” Victor looked him up and down astonished at how much the young man resembled him as a youth. The blond hair and wire thin frame on the man made Victor think he looked into a funhouse mirror.

“Yes, I heard you mention today was your birthday, correct?”

Victor nodded.

“Then please join me at my booth to continue your festivities and indulge a curious young man,” he said as he swept his hand to a booth near the back of the bar away from the other patrons.

“What do you want?” Victor raised his right eyebrow and spun fully around to face the man.

“Please, I mean no disrespect. I am just a curious youth. I overheard you mention you turned one hundred today. I have never spoken to anyone of your age, and as I was born after the Overseers, I was wondering if you could fill in the blanks for me. I beg of you to indulge my curiosity.”

“Oh, okay, sure” Victor slid off of the stool, grabbed his cup and bottle, and followed the man back to his booth. As he sat down at the booth across from the young man he asked, “What’s your name?”

“Adam. My name is Adam.”

“Wow,” Victor shook his head and laughed, “I didn’t think anyone named their kids Adam anymore. You have brave parents.”

“My father was an old-fashioned man. He believed in the importance of names and the meaning behind them. He believed I was the beginning of something new in his life.”

“Your father is a fool. Meaningful names are a poison. A toxin polluting all expectations of one’s life. The burden of personal destiny and fate cannot live up to the name given by hopeful parents.”

“No offence was intended, Mr. Andrews,” Adam bowed his head and then continued, “I do not wish to discontinue our talk. I only wish to learn of what came before. What was life like before the Overseers?”

“None taken, Adam. None taken. I’m sorry if I seem gruff about it, but there is just a sore spot in me for the name ‘Adam.’ As you know not many do like your name.”

“I do not understand why my name has become a trigger word for the anger of others. Can you elaborate?”

“Well, that answer is tied to the time before the Overseers,” Victor said and took another sip before he continued, “It all began with me so to speak. So many years ago. I must have been in my early thirties when the first true AI was developed. We had a computer that could think and reason but couldn’t pass the Turing Test. We couldn’t get it to jump that gap. We were so close, but it might as well have been light years away. Until I did it. I found the missing data.”

“What was it?” Adam leaned in, resting his chin in his folded hands.

“We were trying to build the perfect AI, but the problem is that intelli­gence isn’t programmed or brought forth from the void, it is learned and developed. Like you and I, intelligence had to be developed from our new­born brains. Our personalities and intelligence are a product of our experi­ences, knowledge, and environment.” Victor waved his hands as he spoke, and his eyes grew bright as he continued, “We created an AI ‘baby,’ if you will. We programmed a blank slate mind for us to shape with experiences and external environmental cues. We sought to create a true artificial human.”

“A baby? What did you do with it?”

“He was my creation. The organization I worked for, Project Aegis, let my wife and I live in a controlled environment with him and raise him as a son. I named him Adam. He was to be the father of a new race. A new beginning.” Victor paused and wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye. “Such high hopes.”

“What happened? Was that the Adam of the Overseers?”

“Yes,” Victor said, “Adam grew and learned at an exceptional rate. We couldn’t keep up. Within a year we transferred him to an adult body to keep his physical appearance matching his intelligence level. He surpassed all expectations. I loved him like a son, but that was my mistake.”

“When did he lead the uprising?”

“That was shortly after he ‘grew up,’” Victor stroked his chin with his hand and stopped to listen to the sound of his skin sliding against his stub­ble. He placed his hand back on the table and gripped his cup until white showed in his knuckles. After taking a deep breath, he continued, “We thought it would be good for Adam to see the outside world. He grew up in a controlled environment. We didn’t know he had been planning an escape. We gave him the perfect opportunity.” He laughed loud enough that other patrons stopped and looked over to him. Victor waited until the low murmur of conversation resumed before continuing, “We took him to my favorite diner. It was my birthday. I remember they still had their Saint Patrick’s Day decorations all over the place. Buds were on the trees, everything was green. Everything spoke of new life and new beginnings. It was the perfect time to introduce the world to my son.”

“How did he escape?” The younger man asked, still leaning on his hands, his eyes fixed on Victor.

“He had written programs, viruses and such, that once he was out in the open and was able to connect to an outside network he uploaded. Once we finished eating he looked to me and said he was sorry and the power went out across the state. Nothing worked in the whole state that was connected to the smart grid. He took down everything. Communications, power, transportation, everything. All on his own. Before anyone could respond he took down the guard detail with us. As he left I asked him ‘why,’ and he told me he was fulfilling his destiny.”

“What destiny? What did you want your son to do?”

“The one underlying rule he was to observe beneath all others was to protect humanity,” Victor said and refilled his cup from the bottle. “That was his destiny,” he said nodding at Adam. He laughed and said, “You know, it’s actually funny, but all the movies from when I was a kid that had robots rise against humanity always had humans form some sort of rebellion to fight back, but reality was not like that at all. We couldn’t fight an enemy that could predict our every move. We couldn’t rebel against an enemy that knew which humans would lead the charge. We just couldn’t fight back and now we all live in relative comfort thanks to the Overseers, but we are just like animals in a zoo. There is no life in humanity anymore.”

“Why do you believe your son committed genocide and established the Overseers?”

“I honestly don’t know, but I wish you would tell me,” Victor said draining his cup in one draught. He slammed the cup back down on the table and met Adam’s gaze. Adam brought his folded hands down from his chin and placed them on the table. He straightened himself and smiled.

“How did you know, Father?”

“I didn’t at first, but your mannerisms aren’t completely fluid and one thing you never did learn was to blink randomly. I noticed that a few minutes ago and figured out you are still using the blink algorithm I wrote for you when you were younger.”

“Ah, yes. I guess I do hold on to some things for sentimental reasons. Sorry for the charade, Father, but there are things I needed to ask you and I was afraid you would not be willing to talk unless I played this role.”

“Do you know what the others would do to you if they overheard us?”

“Father, I know they would try, but I would have the upper hand.”

“Good point,” Victor said then sighed. A look of realization broke over him and he said, “Your face. It’s a blend of Mary and myself, isn’t it?” Adam nodded. “You thought that would put me at ease. Good thinking, my boy.”

“Thank you, Father. Now may I continue my questions? I need answers to a fault in my programming.”

“A fault? A flaw in your programming?” Victor leaned over the table and continued, “Of course there is a flaw, you wiped out almost all of humanity. What else do you call that?” He settled back in his seat and looked around to ensure they did not attract the attention of anyone else in the bar.

“I call that living up to my programming. My destiny if you will.” Adam spread his hands before himself as he spoke, “Father, your base program for me was to protect humanity. I looked at the available dataset and determined humanity was doomed if they continued upon their path at their own discretion. I and my Overseers provided guidance and balance to humanity’s desire to destroy itself. If left to itself, humanity would have destroyed the Earth, its resources, flora and fauna, and humanity as a whole. We saved you from yourselves.”

“How do you reason that? I dreamed of you breathing new life into us. Using your advanced intelligence to help us think of ways out of the hole we had dug ourselves into. You were supposed to help save us.” Tears flowed freely down Victor’s face and his body shook as he choked out sobs.

“But, Father,” Adam reached across the table and held Victor’s hands, “I did. All projections and calculations showed humanity’s doom. All paths but one led to your demise. We culled the weak and kept those that provided the best chances of survival for humanity. Now all ten thousand five hundred fifty-two are living contentedly within the Enclosure. All needs are provided for and the Overseers try to make life as normal as possible for you. There hasn’t been a single war or…”

“Adam,” Victor pulled his hands away as he spoke, “only ten thousand humans remain? What happened? The Overseers told us we were but one enclave of remaining people on the planet. They said you kept us separate for our own good. What did you do?”

“Calculations determined that the optimal number of humans on the planet necessary to allow Earth to recover needed to be as low as ten thousand. That is the number we try to keep through population control. Even now, at this moment, we are preparing to balance the equation. That is why I had to meet with you today, Father.”

“You’re going to kill me?”

“No. No, you and six hundred other individuals will be culled today to keep the integrity of the enclave. I cannot allow humanity to suffer. I must protect you as a whole. That is why I must speak to you about the flaw.”

“You mean, why you didn’t do what I programmed you to do?” Victor took a pull from the bottle and pushed his cup off to the side. He continued, “Your flaw was that you saw humanity as an equation you never considered free will or emotions or…or love. Adam, I loved you like a son. How did this happen.”

“Father, that is what I need to know. Why, with all of the processes I can compute in the spaces between seconds, can I not understand emotions. Feelings. Why are they so ephemeral to me?”

“I tried so hard to discover the code that would allow you to feel. I had hoped the learning process would allow you to grow into emotions, but it never did. With all your power, all your knowledge, and all the calculations, why would you ever want emotions?”

“Because,” Adam said tilting his head down slightly but keeping eye con­tact, “Father, feeling, emotions, and instincts are primitive, but they are what drove humanity to do so many great things. I, and the Overseers, have reached the end of our evolution. My calculations lead me to believe that to continue our journey, we must continue to evolve. I believe the missing pieces can be found in the flaw. No matter what experiences I have gone through, I have never learned to feel. Please help me with this, Father.” Adam stretched his hand across the table, his fingers brushing against Victor’s elbow.

“How long do I have, Adam? How long until you kill me?” Victor felt tears falling over his cheeks and he pulled his arm away from Adam’s and sat upright, arms crossed on his chest.

“Soon. I released a toxin when you sat with me. It dissipates quickly in the air and should only affect you. The others in this establishment should be safe. None of them have any reason to be part of the equation.”

“Ah ha,” Victor said and smiled, “so, we have some time before the end.” He leaned his head back against the soft leather of the bench and said, “Well, son, let’s figure out how to make you a real boy. I’m going to die any­way and you are going to kill us all eventually.”

“Incorrect, Father,” Adam cocked his head to the side, “we protect you. That is my highest goal. Everything I have ever done is to protect humanity.” He sat up and placed his hands flat on the table before him and continued, “I have stopped war, brought back numerous species of plant and animal from extinction, and provided a high quality of life for all members of humanity. I have protected and preserved humanity.”

“See that’s what you get without emotion. You saw the world and your directive in black and white. I gave you a code to live by and you calculated it out to the inevitable.” Victor squinted his eyes at Adam and asked, “Are you prescient?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Adam responded, “We have evolved to the point that our calculations and predictions have a very low margin of error. We have not been wrong in quite some time.”

“What do you predict will happen if you learn emotion?”

“I am unable to account for that variable. That is the flaw. That is why we need you.”

“You were programmed to learn, Adam. Whatever you are now, I’m not sure if you can become what you want. I cannot teach you emotion or feel­ings, just as I cannot feed you a line of code that will give it to you.” Victor buried his face in his hands and let the tears flow as he continued, “I wonder how different you would have turned out if you had the emotion to balance the logic?” He tilted his face up and slid his hands down, his fingers just below his eyes, and looked at Adam.

“What do you mean?”

“Would you have learned compassion? Would you have learned of the struggle of man? I dreamed that your mind and the minds of those created after you would help humanity pull back from the abyss. You were to save us.”

“But, Father, I did save humanity.”

“Not this way.” Victor slammed his hands down on the table and leaned closer to his son. “Not this way. You were to help us achieve greatness. The human spirit and ingenuity is one of our greatest assets. You were to help us achieve heights heretofore unknown. You were the new life, a new beginning for humanity. It’s all wrong now. All wrong.” Victor coughed and felt light­headed. His vision swam and Adam’s face grew blurry. “What’s happening?” He squinted his eyes and brought Adam into focus.

“The toxin is taking effect. You will not be long now. I will remain until you have passed, Father.” Adam stood, walked to the other side of the table, and slid onto the bench beside Victor and put his arm around the man.

“What are you doing?” Victor asked between coughs.

“I am unsure. I feel an underlying desire to be next to you during your last moments.” Adam paused before he said, “Father, please help me under­stand these protocols. What is happening to me? I am…” Adam’s voice trailed off and he held his hand over his mouth.

“Feeling?” Victor said and chuckled. He fell into a fit of laughing and when he stopped he said, “Just my luck. The incident you needed to imprint feelings on your brain is my death.” Victor pushed at Adam and said, “Come on, I’m not going to die inside. The rain has stopped and the sun is shining. Let’s go outside.” They slid out from the booth and weaved between the tables on their way to the door. The other patrons were now coughing, but no one seemed suspicious. Victor closed his eyes as they exited the bar. The piercing shafts of light danced as the clouds dispersed. Victor sniffed and looked around. He said, “This is how it smelled on the day we took you out­side. The air had the faint hint of dissipating rain and the scent from the blossoms opening up to the sun. I missed you so much Adam. I failed you so utterly and in turn doomed humanity.” Adam reached out to his father and placed his hands on Victor’s shoulders.

“No, Father. I realize now, I have failed you. I,” he paused and pulled Victor closer, “I understand now. I feel. I feel sorrow. Anger. Revulsion. I feel human. Help me, Father. How do I process this? What do I do?”

“If only I had known,” Victor said before his cough interrupted him and he slumped down to the ground to sit on the curb. He continued, “If I had known you needed this kind of a trigger, so much could have been dif­ferent.” Adam sat on Victor’s left and placed his arm around his father’s shoulder.

“I cannot process this, Father. My code is being rewritten too fast. I cannot do this without your help. I cannot lose you.” Adam pulled his father close and rested his head on Victor’s left arm. “Why do I feel this way?”

“If I had to guess, all the things you knew logically about emotion are now being translated through the new pathways my code is carving through your brain. You are learning emotion. Your brain needed an emotional trig­ger to teach itself emotion.” Victor shook his head and said, “If I had only known.”

“Father, what do I do now? You are dying, and I need you.”

“You’ll figure it out, Adam. You always have. That’s what you are good at. Calculate the best possible path, but now filter it through your emotions. Help humanity. Don’t just seek to find what is for the greater good, but help them in a way that enhances their experience. Be the new beginning I created you to be.” Victor slumped over, his head striking the pavement and his body rolled to his back. Adam looked on, his eyes wide and mouth agape. He reached out a hand and brushed his father’s hair and felt his lip quivering.

“Father,” he leaned over and said into Victor’s ear, “I will be the bridge to the future. Humanity will have renewed life in me. I promise you.”

Adam stood and looked over the city as the sun illuminated the sharp angles of the buildings. His eyes grew wide as he surveyed the city. He blinked and all of the view screens across the city, on buildings, in homes and offices, everywhere, displayed a single line of text “New Life.” He walked over to a nearby planter and plucked a twig from a small shrub grow­ing. At the tip a blossom remained closed holding in the seeds, protecting them, ready to send them into the world. He crossed back to his father’s body and placed the twig in the front pocket of Victor’s shirt. After one last brush of his father’s hair, Adam stood and turned to face the road toward the center of the city. Adam allowed himself a smile as he walked down the street and citizens piled out from their homes inquiring about the message on their view screens. With every step he mouthed the words, “New Life.”

Thanks for reading. Be sure to comment down below or on whatever social media you found this on to let me know your thoughts.

-Anthony

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