Ava and Aphrodite: The First Human in 8000 Years (Featured)

Chapter 61: The Name is Anarchy

Sylvie waited. She waited and she waited. Night had fallen and she was sitting in her bed in her small grotty apartment in the slums. Fifth floor, overlooking the alley, people shouting some sort of nonsense in the background, Gobot was already recharging in his little pod in the corner of the room.

This place was a huge step down from the dorms she lived in as a Block-3 operator.

Finally, 10pm. the time came, her nightly report with The Major.

"Sylvie? Are you there?" the Major's voice buzzed in loud and clear in Sylvie's head,

"Yes ma'am, I'm ready for my report!" Sylvie replied, trying to be remain as professional as possible.

"I understand you've been waiting for me, I apologise, I was busy for most of the morning."

"Not at all ma'am."

"At ease... you don't need to be so stuffy."

"Yes ma'am!"

Sylvie could hear the Major sigh in the background,

"I've read your report Sylvie. About what that Serv, Koray, said." a beat, she didn't say much for a while, "it's all so hard to believe. And yet it makes a lot of sense."

"Do you think he's telling the truth Major? About the truth behind the Block system?" or was this something the Major always knew? Something she was keeping a secret from Sylvie. She trusted the Major but still, she couldn't be sure.

"I've been thinking about it long and hard Sylvie, and I've been reading about societal theory from the ancient texts, trying to make sense of it all. The idea that we're all equal, pushed into different levels of autonomy by a network that we can't control, it's terrifying if it's true."

"It means that we've been treating Block-4 and Block-5 Servs unfairly this whole time. And I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for them, to have our level of autonomy but have it pushed down and compressed by an external force."

"Yes, but it explains a lot." another pause, "it explains how I became a Block-1."

"How so ma'am?"

"It's arguable that my moment of ascension was during the battle with the heavy carrier PC-Warship all those years ago. You know which one I'm talking about right?"

"Sure, the one where your predecessor died? Right?"

"All systems had shut down on my ship, including networking capability. Most of the people on my ship were immobilised. I was the only one standing so it was up to me to bring the ship back online and win the battle." This was a story Sylvie had heard many times before, but it made her heart swell every time she heard it. "I remember it clearly, it felt like my mine had been opened. Set free from some invisible shackles. I made choices that I'd never have the capacity to do before. It's what saved us that day."

"So during the system shut down, you were off the network, and that elevated you to Block-1?"

"No. Didn't you listen to Koray? The Block system doesn't exist. Block-1, Block-2, Block-3... they're all superficial names. We're all independent thinking beings. If what he says is true." another pause, "And I think it is. I believe him."

"Because of what happened to you?"

"Yes." a deep breath, "the moment the networking systems came back on, everyone rushed to jump back onto it. But I didn't."

Sylvie could hear a wistfulness in the Major's voice. A sadness that swam through the radio waves like silk.

"Because I was scared. I was scared that re-joining the network would take away the new capabilities I had."