Sitting right beside the library, the headquarters were designed as an arc, which is the symbol of the Amians. It is a four-floor building, and huge, as it able to gather all the commandants in one place. We did create the model of the forces based on simplicity. There are only three forces: the land force, the sea force, and the space force. Each force has its own logistics and Secret Service, and each force is a complete independent core that can freely act in their respective field. Each one occupies one of the three floors of the Arc. The three forces coordinate their actions on a daily basis. There are some rivalries here and there, but nothing that could compromise our operations. After all, we are only human.
The most important pavilion is the first floor. It accommodates my offices, my team of strategists, and the cream of the military leaders. Of course, we also have the best AI machines. The top three engineers from the three AI conglomerates were waiting for me there.
At midnight, I ordered the staff to escort the engineers to the Cradle. It is a 10-km-deep super-atomic doomsday bunker that ONC designed specifically for this mission. Access to it is only by a superfast, ultramodern, hyperloop elevator.
It was in the Cradle that I met the top engineers around a big table for the first time. The room’s walls simulated big windows that opened to a calm, empty beach in the autumn. At midnight, the beach had a bright moon reflected on the slow waves. You could almost feel the gentle breeze by observing the movement of the plants on the dunes. I was about to welcome them, make my small speech, and after that, brief them on the situation and the way to proceed and collaborate through the cover-up of the alternative scenario, the scenario that I created for the rest of the military commandants, at least for the few decisive upcoming weeks. Of course, no one has to know the truth about the operation except me, the First Citizens, and the three top engineers. That was a clear instruction to me from the First Citizens. They even didn't trust the Prime, a politician that could talk if he lost popularity and then blackmail the First Citizens to keep himself in power.
Consoft’s top engineer was Uba Gil. He likes to be called “Ub,” like the folkloric, mythical bear of the region where he was born. He was the oldest of three brothers, and his parents were both in the education sector. He was 60 years old but looks way older. Obviously, he rarely did any physical activity. He has long, white hair that makes his face looks thin, small blue eyes, and has a problem with a tic because he blinks way more than normal. He was divorced and has remained single for 30 years. He had no kids mentioned in his profile report.
Eciffo Lop was the top DM scientist. He was 54 years old, wears AI-enhanced glasses to cover up his huge nose and moustache. He has black eyes, light skin, breathes bizarrely to avoid sneezing. His very dark, black hair had obviously been dyed. He was quite a hairy person and probably had problems with everyday shaving. Surprisingly, he appeared to be in good shape and was a proactive man inspecting the big prototypes by himself. His report said he was married and had a daughter. The Secret Services also reported that Lop had a secret boyfriend.
Alp Erwa from ONC, the “prodigy,” was only 32 years old. He was short and skinny with a boring face which was easily forgettable. He had short hair turning gray and appeared to have a muscle disorder in his left hand. It was shaking bizarrely, like a kind of Parkinson’s disease, and you could tell that he was trying desperately to cover it up. He gave smiles to everybody but without making eye contact. He spent more than 15 hours a day in his cubical. He has a very high-pitched voice that compromised his behavior by making him communicate with his employees only by messages and AI voices. His report mentioned that he had a female dog named “Ilca,” which had been found dead by strangulation a couple of months ago. The Secret Service thinks he did it.
Of course all of them had the highest degrees in their fields from the best universities, a perfect scholar parkour, and very high IQs. But their Secret Service reports did not have explanations for some of their odd psychological behaviors I observed. I never before had seen the kind of weird hat Ub was wearing. I also noticed that Lop had a kind of bizarre way of dressing. His clothes were almost all white, and he blackened his hair and lightened his skin, adding a stark, bizarre, contrast to the overall look. Erwa wore strange bracelets with strange organic designs on both wrists.
“Welcome, everybody. I’m very pleased to meet you finally. You are the men that drove the AI revolution and transformed our country into the leader in the field. In the name of our army, I salute you. The Amian Empire, through your research, is going to metamorphose from a caterpillar into a butterfly, and that's for the good of all humanity.”
I finished with a big smile that faded quickly into an empty silence. I gave them the deadliest army stare ever. They got scared, and I laughed deep inside. After destabilizing them for a moment, I continued straight on without giving them the time to speak.
“I hope you had enough time to read the mission, have been briefed meticulously about the working hours, the entrances, the passes – and most importantly, why you are here. As you know, every good lie has some truth in it. You are here now under the army’s command to develop a new AI
