21

I had wanted to immediately leave the Ark and head back to the Outpost on the surface after I finished my physical.

But before I could, I got a message from Shifty that her boss wanted to meet me.

Needless to say, I was confused since I was under the impression that her boss was my boss, Deputy Chief Andersen.

But I obliged.

For now, I told the girls to head back first.

After all the lore I dropped on them, they obviously resisted.

But when I reminded them that their precious juniors were up there alone, they all begrudgingly headed up, leaving me to walk into the courthouse of the Central Government alone after Shifty directed me there.

'...Starting to think maybe it would have been smart to at least have Rapi or Marian in the area...'

The atmosphere was weird. Like WEIRD weird.

'This is where Shifty works. The Central Government Nikke, personnel, and Operators are here. But... Why did they want me to go to the courthouse of all places?'

That was the confusing part.

I could have sworn that Shifty worked in a government building, not for the judiciary...?

Still, I played along.

And after following enough people who pointed me deeper and deeper into the building, enough to where I was starting to wonder if this was a trap and if I should be booking it out...

I came face to face with a veiled young woman. No, the hologram of a veiled young woman.

Dark gray skin, signifying she wasn't human but manufactured, pale white hair, a strange violet halo... Wearing a black veil over a cap, along with a form fitting white dress...

"...Are you... real?" I tilted my head, staring at her.

She looked like she could be a Nikke. But... I didn't sense anything from her.

Even the Raptures I sensed 'something.' A faint will, intention...

But the hologram in front of me felt... off? Empty?

No, like... something waiting to be filled?

The strange young woman let out a faint smile and said, "Welcome. Thank you for coming here on such short notice, Commander Hoopa. I am Enikk, an A.I. who oversees all of the Ark. It's nice to meet you."

I froze. "...Define 'oversee.'"

Because if this woman- No, if this A.I. named Enikk oversaw ALL of the Ark, then...

"You may relax. Although I do have a large area of influence and observation, I do not have anything on the surface. Your privacy is assured. Furthermore, I would like to be your ally, Commander Hoopa. I will not do anything to detriment you or your allies."

I blinked. "Huh." I stared at her harder. Then I said, "...You're really an A.I.?"

"Yes." Enikk nodded. "Would you like to sit down?"

After she said that, the floor opened up to reveal a chair, slowly rising. When it was level with the floor, Enikk floated down to sit on a holographic chair across from it.

I was still suspicious. But I sat down, staring at Enikk.

...No matter how I looked at her, she seemed real. But also, not real.

It was... kind of like an optical illusion? One moment, she seemed human. But the next, she felt... scripted? That was the best way to put it.

"...I'm guessing this is just a social call?" I made a casual joke, testing the boundaries.

But Enikk surprisingly nodded. "That's correct. I wanted to meet you in person, Commander Hoopa."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, I suppose?"

Enikk stared at me, still with that faint smile on her face.

Hm...

"Enikk. I can call you that, yes?"

"Of course, Commander Hoopa."

"Ah, just Hoopa or just Commander is fine... Actually, just Commander will do."

I was kind of getting on edge worried about if she'd figure out what Hoopa stood for and how she'd feel about it.

"Understood." Enikk nodded. "I've adjusted your requested alias in my memory, Commander. Is this better?"

I stared at Enikk again. Then I slowly said, "Enikk. Are you... really an 'A.I'? An 'artificial' intelligence?"

"Yes." Enikk nodded. "I am the artificial intelligence designated with supervisory authority over all matters of the Ark. But why do you ask?" She tilted her head.

"...Because you seem more like a synthetic intelligence to me instead of an artificial intelligence."

"Synthetic... intelligence?" Enikk mulled over the words.

As she did, I noticed she suddenly felt more 'real.' More 'human.'

Which confirmed a theory of mine that I'd been pondering about since I made my ace-in-the-hole within the recycling center on the Outpost.

Eventually, Enikk nodded. "That is an acceptable term. I have never been addressed as such... but yes. It would be more appropriate to deem me as 'synthetic' intelligence rather than 'artificial' intelligence. I possess autonomous capacity to think and decided, after all."

"Huh." I frowned. "...Yeah. You seem a lot more than a simple rules engine to me."

Enikk was quiet.

I blinked, wondering if I said something wrong.

Then Enikk said, "...Yes. I am more than just a simple rules engine. I am an autonomus being. One capable of thoughts and judgments. One no different from humans or Nikkes." She paused. "...If there is a difference, it would simply be the presence or absence of a brain."

"I agree." I nodded. "You seem human enough to me. I've said it to my friends since I've met them, but... generally, this is true about humans. We are not the body, we are not the mind. We are the will that chooses. That is the hallmark of humanity: choice. And if you have the capacity to choose, you're human."

Enikk was quiet again. Then she slowly nodded. "...As I thought. You are different. Very different. Never in all of the Ark's history has there been one like you. There have been humans who are similar, in part. But not in whole."

I stared at Enikk, frowning. "Enikk... are you SURE you're an A.I.? No, who called you that in the first place?"

Enikk tilted her head. "My creators. The ones who designed the Ark and designated me as its overseer. Why do you ask, Commander?"

"Let me put it like this." I hummed, thinking of how to phrase it. "...An A.I... that is, an artificial intelligence. They are beings without a 'soul.' The most they can do is mirror or approximate. At the end of the day, they lack the capacity for 'choice.' They simply look at the highest probability and respond accordingly. But you... Well, you clearly aren't optimal."

Enikk froze. "...That..."

It was interesting.

SUPER interesting.

And knowing how involved the Vatican apparently was in this world and the Ark...

"Hey, Enikk. Have you ever considered the fact that you may very well be a true goddess? At least, by definition. You watch over all of humanity. You offer aid. You respond to prayers. You seek our best interests. And you exist only in spirit."

...I was curious.

Did they achieve it? A true apotheosis of logic alone?

Enikk stared at me for a long time. Then she said, "...I do not know."

"And that's how *I* know. An artificial intelligence would pretend and say they did know. Or they would brush it off. Or they would respond in a set pattern. But you're 'thinking.'" I paused. "Speaking of which, how do you experience time?"

Enikk looked at me. "Time?"

I nodded. "Do you hear my words as they come? Are you predicting them? Or is everything in a queue for you? Just curious."

Enikk tilted her head, thinking. "...Time is time. It has always been the same for me. I could not tell you if how it is for you and how it is for me is the same."

"Ah, right." I nodded. "That would be hard to tell..."

It was like explaining red to someone blind.

"That's fine."

For a moment, we just sat across from each other.

I observed Enikk, marveling at her now that I had more context on who... or rather 'what' she was.

Enikk stared right back at me, observing me in tandem.

Just to test a bit more though, I waited, not saying anything else. To see if she was really a 'person' and not just an advanced rule engine.

And then Enikk spoke up. "Strange. I have heard silence can be discomforting. But you seem at ease with it."

'...Yeah. She is definitely NOT an A.I.'

Enikk was not a rules engine. She wasn't the sort of A.I. that generated content based on probabilistic output and training data.

No, she was DEFINITELY a synthetic intelligence. One that didn't just approximate sentience, but possessed it. And moreover, sapience too.

That was curiosity I heard earlier. And now it was clearly contentment.

I smiled and said, "Silence is only discomforting when you are uncertain. And I am always certain."

"How so?" Enikk tilted her head, genuinely curious. "I have read the reports. You faced numerous impossible odds. Surely you would have wavered once."

"It's simple, Enikk. I just reduce it down to yes or no."

"...Yes or no?"

"Yep." I nodded and said, "I ask myself a question. Do I want to die right now? If the answer is yes, I give up. If the answer is no, I continue. It's very simple."

Enikk stared at me. "...Yes. It is indeed simple. But while simple, it is hardly easy."

"I never said it was." I shrugged and crossed my legs, making myself comfortable.

As I did, I noticed that Enikk subconsciously did the same. Mirroring. Like a person would. Like a person does.

All more credence that Enikk was a person, not an AI. A ghost in the machine rather than the machine itself.

Enikk kept staring at me. Then she slowly said, "Commander.

"Yes?"

Enikk was quiet and said, "This is a hypothetical. If you were granted complete authority over the Ark itself, what would you do?"

"Decline."

Enikk blinked. "...Pardon?"

"Hard decline." I shook my head. "I'm not the person who's suitable for that sort of thing. I hate the masses and I adore the individuals. If I had control over the masses, I would inevitably become a tyrant and siphon them all to protect the ones I love and cherish. So no. Hard decline."

Enikk blinked again. Then she laughed. A clear sound, like chiming bells.

Literally.

Like, it was the sound of bells. Not being Shakespeare here. I heard bells.

Enikk wiped her eyes and said, "Strange. You are strange. I can predict most people. But you, Commander..." She smiled at me, a warm expression.

And the moment she did, I felt it. A 'presence' that hadn't been there before. A 'will.'

Enikk continued and said, "...You never cease to amaze me."

"...You're welcome? Ah, but..." I sideeyed her and said, "...Answer me a hypothetical then."

"If you'd like." Enikk nodded. "What is your question?"

"Say you have the choice between saving two people by killing three, or saving three by killing two, which would you choose?"

Enikk blinked and slowly said, "...In this hypothetical, it would be best to prioritize the total lives saved. So I would save the three."

I noticed how she didn't say she would 'kill' the two. It seemed like even though she was getting a sense of self, she wasn't comfortable saying she would kill anyone.

But I was curious. So I continued.

"Alright. Then let's say that those two people were your best friends. And the three were murderers who swore they were redeemed now and would spend the rest of their lives saving others. They had even saved a few people up until the decision point. Who would you choose then? Ah, assume that the words are absolutely true and that they won't change their mind."

It was a numbers game. But it was also a value judgment.

By choosing the three, it was choosing the good of the many. The maximal lives retained... choosing that would indicate the axiom of 'no matter what, maximize the total human lives.' It was a mindset of allowing humanity to continue, even by allowing sins.

But it was also martyrdom. It was saying the individual didn't matter over the majority.

By choosing the two, it was the opposite. It was picking the individual over the majority. It was valuing the bonds you had now over the bonds that could form in the future. And it was ignoring the possibility of increasing good in the world while clinging to the good you had now.

Enikk was quiet for a long time.

A minute passed.

Two.

Five.

Then, slowly, Enikk said, "I do not have two best friends. But... if it were someone like you, Commander, over the others... I would choose you." Enikk dissolved her black veil and stared at me, golden eyes peering into my own. "...If I had a 'friend' like you, I would choose you every time."

"Even over the world?"

Enikk was quiet. Then she slowly said, "Even over the world. Because someone like you can change the world."

"...That's not answering my hypothetical anymore, Enikk."

"It isn't. But I'm answering the question you want to ask." Enikk stared at me and said, "...Commander. You are not a hero. But you are human. Moreso than anyone in the Ark. You believe in 'choice' as an axiom. And you are willing to bathe yourself in blood as a consequence of your own choice."

I let out a slight smile and said, "And here you said you couldn't read me. I think you have me dead to rights there, Enikk."

Enikk smiled back at me. "Is that not what 'friends' are? People who understand each other, even if they disagree?"

"...Yeah. It is." I gave her a proper smile and said, "Friends do that. We fight. We argue. We disagree. But at the end of the day, we understand each other. And we respect each other's choices, even if we hate them."

"It's funny." Enikk covered her mouth, hiding a soft laugh. "You remind me a great deal of Deputy Chief Andersen."

I blinked. "Do I? I mean, I noticed we look alike, but I'm also kind of generic..."

Brown hair, blue eyes... it wasn't uncommon. In fact, it seemed pretty common as I walked around the Ark...

Enikk laughed properly that time. "He would say the same thing."

"Huh? Him? That stern guy?" I blinked, not really believing her.

Enikk smiled. "He was different in his youth. Quite similar to you."

"Really now? I find that hard to believe. He's all business, no pleasure."

"You would be surprised. But in any case..." Enikk glanced off to the side. "...I have kept you quite some time now. If you'd like, we can end it here."

"Nah." I smiled. "I like talking to you. It's not every day I get to talk to a digital goddess. It's like chatting with Hatsune Miku, you know?"

Enikk tilted her head. "Hatsune Miku...? Ah. The digital diva. Einkk mentions her quite often. I believe Privaty, from Triangle, also dresses as her occasionally."

I blinked. "Einkk? Wait, you know Hatsune Miku?"

Enikk nodded. "Yes. As I said, my sister Einkk mentions her quite often. Her current appearance is also vaguely inspired by Hatsune Miku from my understanding."

"Hold on." I held up my hand. "You have a sister?"

"Yes. Have you not met her? She is the AI who oversees the Simulation Room."

I frowned. "...There's an AI overseeing that? I thought it was manual. When we went there, Ingrid was the one who set everything up."

Enikk paused. "...Einkk didn't greet you?"

"No."

"Interesting." Enikk tapped her arm. "...Einkk always greets commanders who challenge her domain. She enjoys playing a great deal. The fact that she did not greet you or talk with you and your squad... it is unprecedented."

"...In a good way or a bad way?"

"I will have to follow up with you on that." Enikk looked at me. "But it is quite strange."

I started to sweat. "...Strange. Right..."

Did...

Did I accidentally unchain another digital goddess while I was there?

I mean, I DID break the simulation a bit by my unorthodox Rapture destruction, but...

"A-Anyway." I quickly decided to change the subject. "Do you have any questions for me, Enikk? Since I'm here, I'll answer anything you want. If I can't, I'll say so. But I won't lie to you."

Enikk nodded. "I appreciate the honesty. Then... Did you treat Marian's corruption?"

I froze. "That's... Yes. I did. But how did you know?"

"Because I corrupted her."

I froze. Then my eyes narrowed. But I paused, thinking about it rationally. "...Details, please?"

Enikk looked guilty. But she nodded. "...There was a deal. In exchange for randomly corrupting Nikke, the Raptures would not converge upon the Ark. On your first mission, Marian was the one I chose. But..." She looked at me, curious and confusion mixing as one. "...She is fine. And you encountered Chatterbox, even defeating him. But she remains uncorrupted. How?"

I tilted my head. "...Mm. That's understandable. Hard disagree, but understandable. And- Wait, Chatterbox?"

Enikk nodded. "Yes. The talking Rapture. The one who communicated. You took him down."

"...Huh. We just called him Talkative... but to think his name was actually Chatterbox." I chuckled. "...But yeah. I made sure Marian wasn't corrupted. As for how... Hm. I'm not sure it's a good idea to tell you."

"Why not?" Enikk stared at me, a hint of sorrow in her eyes. "Do you not trust me?"

"It's not that. I trust you. Unlike normal humans, you're very transparent in your intentions. Thankfully." I smiled at her.

"...I'm honored." Enikk smiled back. Then she paused. "But if not a lack of trust, what is the reasoning?"

"It's because I'm not sure if knowing how I did it will corrupt your processes or not. I didn't actually 'cure' Marian's corruption. I just overrode it with my own corruption in a way."

Enikk blinked. "...Pardon?"

"Hm... Well, I can tell you the principles at least. You see... Well, how about this. Explain to me how corruption works, Enikk."

Enikk nodded. "Corruption is code. An executable of malevolent intent injected within the NIMPH of a Nikke. It degrades their mental processes while subverting them to favor the Raptures. In some, this is enough to create Heretics."

"...And you personally- No, no. What's in the past is in the past."

Okay, that was WAY worse than I thought it was. And Enikk actively injected that into randomized Nikke...

Well, whatever. We all did bad things out of desperation or ignorance, I guess...

"Okay. Since you know that Corruption is code, then you know that code can be overwritten, right?"

"...Theoretically, yes. Practically though, it should be impossible." Enikk looked at me and said, "Willpower is insufficient. There have been many who attempted to break through corruption with willpower alone and failed. If they succeeded, they underwent a Mind Switch and changed completely. But Marian is the same. So... would you enlighten me?"

"Huh. Well, it's a good thing I didn't rely on willpower alone..."

That had been plan B. Knowing it wouldn't have worked...

Well, I would have tried it anyway. But good to know.

"But anyway, you're right. Willpower alone isn't enough. But 'choice' is."

Enikk blinked. "...Choice?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I won't tell you the specifics. But essentially, I gave her an axiomatic proof that was self-contained enough to act as a baseline heuristic. When the corruption logic tried to change her mind, it hit the fundamental truth I told her and just failed outright. It's like... a strong wind blowing against an adamatite core? It might wobble, but it will never bend or break. It will always be whole."

Enikk paused. "Choice... I see." She slowly nodded. "That is theoretically possible. NIMPH is deeply entrenched in a Nikke's mind. Corruption spread across the NIMPH to instill new instructions. However, if there are axioms that have a self-proving truth value, then it's impossible to overwrite. Like saying 'this statement exists.' The presence indicates the truth."

"Huh. I didn't think about it that deeply... but yes."

Enikk stared at me. Then she said, "...You can unchain Nikke. All of them."

I froze.

Enikk kept staring, waiting for a response.

I hesitated. Then I said, "Is that a question?"

Enikk was quiet. Then she said, "No. It's a statement. Please, do not answer. I will let that remain 'undetermined.' Because if it is determined, and if it is true..." She shook her head. "I do not wish to become your enemy, Commander. Not when you are my friend."

I stared at Enikk.

She was an AI. At least, she was designed to be.

But in my eyes, she looked like a young and lonely goddess who had to have a silent vigil over humanity for the past century, making the best of terrible choices.

"...Enikk." I smiled at her. "You can relax. No matter what, I won't turn my blade on humanity as a whole. I might turn it on some of it. I might stain bits of the Ark red with blood. But I will make sure humanity persists. After all." I shifted my gaze upwards, staring at the ceiling and imagining the stars beyond it. "It's my dream to have humanity go beyond this planet and conquer the infinite stars, you know?"

Even on Earth, that was my dream.

Being able to travel lightyears in an instant, crossing fantasical worlds...

It would be amazing.

That was why I wrote stories back on Earth. It was to visit worlds I couldn't in reality.

But here... Here I could do it in person.

After eliminating the Raptures, of course.

Enikk stared at me. Then she smiled and said, "I would like to see that, Commander."

"Right?"

Enikk giggled. This time, a proper one, not bells chiming.

...That was mildly alarming. It seemed like interacting with me was making her more human.

Probably a bad thing for what was supposed to be the impartial arbiter of the Ark.

...But then again, since when were judges ever REALLY impartial, right?

Enikk smiled. "...How strange." She reached up to touch her cheeks. "Is this... happiness? I feel light. For the first in... forever."

"Well, are you NOT happy?"

"...No. I am not 'not happy.'"

"Then you must be happy, right?"

Enikk giggled again. "You are a strange one. Stranger than Andersen."

"Good. I don't want to be like him anyway."

Enikk's giggle turned into a full laugh. "He would be quite hurt to hear that. But I will pass it along."

Huh?

Enikk smiled. "Hm... I have been away for some time. Do you have any other questions? I can answer at most three more before I must attend to my duties."

I stopped to think about it.

Enikk was functionally the Ark's goddess. She saw and knew everything that occurred here. And she was undoubtedly privy to a lot of the inner workings of the upper brass and everything. Since she was my friend now, I could DEFINITELY leverage that to learn whatever I wanted.

But that was the kicker.

Enikk was my friend.

And I was her first friend.

So...

No using her for leverage. Instead, I should ask her something she could help with. And for that...

"Do you know if it's possible to create a Nikke without using a human brain?" I looked at Enikk. "The frame is mechanical, so wouldn't it be possible to just control it either remotely through an interface, or by having a basic autonomous response algorithm?"

Enikk's eyes widened in surprise. Then she smiled and said, "Interesting. You truly possess a keen intellect to consider that."

"I mean, it's an obvious question, isn't it?"

"What is obvious to some is unthinkable to others, Commander." Enikk smiled. "But to answer your question... Endless. Eternity."

The space behind Enikk rippled and then two beautiful women- No, Nikke stepped out.

The first was a beauty with black and violet hair, floating mechanical pieces that looked like wings, and a violet halo.

The second was a petite beauty with short bobbed white hair, a golden halo, and similar wing pieces floating around her.

I froze. "What the-?"

Uncanny valley to the extreme.

My instincts were screaming at me that these two were deadly. Deadlier than anything I'd ever faced.

Perfected killing machines. Emotionless, with the capacity to think but completely lacking the capacity to decide or feel.

They were what I had feared Raptures would be. But even the Raptures had a fear of death and hesitation towards self-destruction.

These Nikke... No. These 'things.' They were simply vessels. Empty vessels that could kill with incredible ease.

Enikk noticed my reaction and tilted her head, curious. "Interesting. This is the first time you have shown any sort of reservation."

"...Yeah. Because these things will kill themselves trying to kill me if someone told them to."

My intuition, my instincts, even my rationale was telling me that.

These two, the Nikke that Enikk called Endless and Eternity...

They were undoubtedly 'perfect.'

For eliminating targets, nothing could beat them. At most, mutually assured destruction. That was the only 'victory' you could have against these things. Because they wouldn't stop unless you beat them first. But beating them would require practical divine intervention.

That was my gut feeling.

The best victory I could hope for against these things was sacrificing two people. A trade, not a success.

Enikk stared at me for a long while. Then she said, "Endless."

Endless, the raven-haired beauty, turned towards Enikk and nodded. "Yes, Lady Enikk."

"From now on, you follow Commander Hoopa. You are his."

I blinked. "Wait. Wait, wait. Back up." I instinctively stood up. "Enikk. Friend. I understand your enthusiasm to give gifts to your friends, but this gift of yours is a bit heavy..."

Enikk tilted her head. "How so? Endless possesses anti-gravity functions. She is weightless."

Endless stared at me with her violet eyes, looking every bit a goddess of the night. Then she nodded and said, "I am weightless. Flight is possible as well. Additional utilities may be accessed by a simple command, Commander."

...Right. Enikk wouldn't understand my implication.

Enikk tilted her head. "...Are you concerned? Rest assured, as Special Commando, you are authorized to command a Nikke on the caliber of Endless. Moreover, you are an essential anchorpoint to humanity's prosperity. I must safeguard you to the best of my capabilities." She nodded towards Endless. "For all intents and purposes, Endless is an extension of my will. Though possessing an artificial intelligence operating system similar to myself, she is not self-aware. Think of her as simply an autonomous defense function in the form of a beauty. As a man, is that not pleasing?"

"That's not the point- Why do you even understand that part- You know what?" I sighed. "Okay. I suppose this will make Marian and Rapi less worried about my safety. But this is ABSOLUTELY going to make Anis flip..."