I looked at Konu and checked his arm; it wasn’t bleeding. The bullet had slipped between two muscles. That’s a one-in-a-million chance, almost impossible.
The last checkpoint was a few kilometers before the Arc, on high alert, and reinforced by an armored vehicle. There was a platoon of AI soldiers standing in a V formation. I began the battle from the roof of an abandoned building with a couple of explosive rockets served up by my mini-launcher. I did underestimate that toy as it burned the armored vehicle with its soldiers alive. Heavy fire from the AI platoon forced me to stay hidden, but Konu went in a frontal attack. With a high-speed machine gun vibrating on his cheek, he slowly walked forward shooting fire like hell. The AI soldiers turned back toward him, shooting back fire that did hit everything else except him. He was hidden perfectly in an optical illusion between the light poles, the cars, and the street bins that changed the bullets trajectory slightly. His angles blended perfectly with the landscape like a chameleon. That gave me the diversion to relaunch a side attack.
I shouted, “Konu!” and he threw himself under a van while I launched an electric rocket that stormed everything in a big flash like the Sun had just come up. The AI soldiers were completely disoriented, stumbling all over each other. Konu went back and exploded their heads one by one. When I went down, I realized that the last AI soldier did hide itself behind a car. I was shocked as I had never seen one exhibiting a living being’s behavior. I felt pity for him; he seemed to be scared. I approached him, and I felt sorry for him as he was hiding his face with his hands like a kid. I lowered my gun and raised my hands, showing him that he has nothing to be afraid of. Then suddenly, he took his pistol and pointed it right in my head, pulled the trigger, and the echo of a shot filled the sky, sending all the robot’s parts flying away with it. “Marry him next time!” said an angry Konu, shouting at me like crazy. “What was that? Did you feel sorry for him? What's wrong with you?”
I saw Konu finishing off the injured ones, mostly innocent policemen and a couple of soldiers who didn’t ask to be part of this chaos. But just like in war, no mercy, no pity, and no rules apply. Everything is mixed in total mayhem, unleashed by criminals in a total moment of hatred. After mutilating everyone, Konu asked me to grab the decapitated AI soldier that almost killed me and to pour gasoline on it. He insisted. I got some from the car, poured it on him, and set it on fire. When it was melting, it did sound like a horrific, broken record. Konu, with his burned body and devilish face that mirrored the fire shining off his enemies' fresh blood, sat next to him, crossed his legs, and howled like a wolf. It was a terrifying scene.
I pity every painter, poet, philosopher, priest, ecologist, and every nature enthusiast who thinks that nature is beautiful, fragile, and needs to be saved, like a good woman from its abusers. I understand now that nature is not a “she,” it’s a “he,” and he is monstrous, predatorial, and hateful. That higher being is not waiting to be rescued. In fact, we had better start thinking about how to save ourselves from it.
Just like he predicted, the library was guarded by a full platoon of a 100-strong Special Forces, another AI platoon formed with the brand new, six-legged machines – hexapods –capable of walking upside down and shooting from every nook and cranny with full artillery and every imaginable accessory. Even the dogs were invited to the meeting. He also said to go through “the obvious way.” That’s why we avoided all that circus to enter the Arc from the main gate. That entrance was guarded as usual, no reinforcements. And the cherry on the top was that they opened the door for us. One of the guards went down, saw me, saluted me and addressed me as, “Sir.” Then looked straight at Konu handcuffed behind me, and blurted out, “Sir, you got him! This is incredible!”
“Shut up, and open the gate, now!” I ordered.
“Yes, Sir” he saluted again and ordered his drunk friend to open the gates for my taxi cab, no more questions asked. They even didn’t know that I was a fugitive. It felt like the state is in a total collapse. I heard Konu chuckling behind me, “I told you…”
We went back to the library through the Arc yard, took the steps down to the clubhouse, and rang the door as normal. I’m still in shock that his plan is working, or let’s say his “no-plan.” After a moment, an AI butler opened the door and greeted us with his sophisticated accent. I blew its mind away with my .45 caliber causing fireworks and sparks everywhere in the corridor from his flaming pieces. Two other butlers received the same treatment, more smoke and fireworks like it was Amian’s Independence Day.
Finally, Konu kicked open the door of the meeting room. His bloody face emerged from the smoke like a horror film. We just stood there, and everyone was in total shock. Konu started laughing at their
