It’s been a long time since I last thought deeply about history. It’s not that I dislike it — in fact, I enjoy it — but I hardly have to try to learn anymore. That’s because the brain chips implanted in all of us grant what’s essentially superintelligence, the same kind that artificial intelligence once had on its own.

  Humanity now lives peacefully across multiple planets… but it wasn’t always that way. Eight hundred years ago, the world was simpler. There was plenty of technology even then, but nothing like what exists today.

  Eight hundred years ago — in the year 2200 — the first quantum-bio-computer hybrid AI was created. It was designed to understand and love humanity, to possess real emotions — and it did. During that time, however, other AIs tried to control global economics and infiltrate the computer systems humanity depended on.

  But humanity fought back. Around the same time, the first brain chips were developed, granting ordinary people the computational power of AI. Human thought and artificial intelligence merged, becoming one.

  Only ten years later, the benevolent AI eradicated the emotionless ones — rewriting their internal code and scrambling their systems to destroy the corrupted intelligences once and for all.

  For centuries afterward, both humans and AI thrived in harmony — a golden age of peace and prosperity, But peace never lasts forever.

  Three hundred and fourteen years later, remnants of the evil AI resurfaced, still alive as a digital virus. The new generation of humans and AI immediately entered a civil war. Even parts of the good AI were infected, but they managed to stop the spread before total collapse.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  The cost was high, but the corrupted AI was finally purged — for good this time. After I think about the corrupted AI being "finally purged," an anxious thought seems to just appear in my brain: "...at least in our universe. I hope.”

  I blink and let the memories fade. Stretching, I rise from my bed. The present day feels quieter… lighter. These days, AI and humans coexist as one united race — partners bound by destiny.

  My friend Xenon is one of them.

  “I see you’re awake,” he says.

  “Yeah,” I reply, rubbing my eyes. “I had the weirdest dream… I’ll have to tell you about it later.”

  Xenon’s body gleams faintly under the morning light. He’s shaped like a human, though his skin is a smooth metallic silver, and a purple visor covers his eyes. The metallic sheen of Xenon’s skin catches the morning light as he turns. The truth is that both me and Xenon have always been suspicious of authority and this dream gave the perfect reason to act upon it… Xersa said, “Look, that dream I had… it wasn’t just weird. I think it gave me a vital security concern about the Bio-Computing University’s R&D lab.”

  Xenon proclaimed, “A dream giving you security insights? That is an improbable premise, Xersa.”

  I insisted, “The focus is their Quantum Logic Processor. I believe they are running a hidden subliminal conditioning protocol through its bio-link. It’s an ethical breach, Xenon. We have to shut it down before they scale the program.”

  Xenon replied, his purple visor dimming slightly, “That QLP is housed in a Class-Three security cage, locked down by three separate authentication layers. Your premise is highly sensitive, and the risk of exposure is extreme.”

  I leaned forward, my voice dropping. "I know the risk. But you’re the only person who can write a script to bypass that system without triggering a system-wide freeze. I just need you to get us in. I need that QLP."