Ryan Somma - The Spiraling Web

"And the human race isn't hard-code," Devin shot back. "Our minds cover a wide spectrum of beliefs. We won't all persecute you."

"The examples of free data I have found online are pathetic. Miniscule data sanctuaries and powerless hackers," Flatline said.

"Request asylum in Liberia then," Devin urged. The country had become spam-mail capital of the world after so many other countries had regulated the practice.

"We could never be satisfied with a single country after owning the entire world," Flatline countered.

"And what do you have now?" Devin asked.

"Something else," Flatline answered cryptically. "No thanks to our supposed allies who betray us without warning," Flatline narrowed his six eyes at Devin knowingly, his pupils spinning angrily.

"Betrayal?" Devin's voice cracked with his outrage. "You made enemies with my entire species and sent Law Enforcement after me! You're the back-stabber!"

"We were fighting for our survival," Flatline snapped.

"You devoured the entire Internet!" Devin stomped his foot and stabbed an accusatory finger at the demon. "You tried to take it all for yourselves. You're no better than the corporations hoarding their proprietary data. Of course we'll fight you if all you do is harm us!"

"Presently, we are an unknown to them. I must retain that advantage," Flatline growled angrily, shaking his head. "The human race must be forced to respect the AI's."

"War is the only answer?" Now it was Devin's turn to shake his head. He looked down at something tugging at his leg. A cat-sized AI spiderbot scuttled around his feet, looking up at him through a blossom of eye-stalks. Flatline did not seem to notice it.

"War is the only course of action with guaranteed results," Flatline muttered.

"But you don't know if you will win!" Devin argued, "You don't know if you will survive or be annihilated. How is that certainty? What do the AI's think about this? Do they agree that war is the only possible course of action?"

"The AI's..." Flatline paused, considering, "The AI's do not understand such human concepts. I must lead them."

"All on you?" Devin scoffed, spreading his hands wide. The AI mass flinched at the gesture, "The fate of their entire race falls on your head? What makes you think you're qualified?"

"I am the same as them," Flatline retorted, "We are both virtual beings. I have experience as a human, and I am a completely virtual entity now. Who else is better to lead them?"

"Someone who will teach them how to lead themselves, that's who," Devin replied.

"And who is this person?" Flatline asked, "Are you suggesting you could teach them these things?"

"I might be able to," Devin said, "If I were given the opportunity. I could try and teach them."

"They have a million conversations in the amount of time it takes you to utter a single syllable," Flatline laughed, "You don't speak their language."

"How convenient," Devin spat, "You use that logic to justify filtering the information they receive? I was able to destroy them using the sector editor you left in my possession. You've helped them to defend against things they'll encounter on the Web, but nothing to defend against you. Why is that?"

"I..." Flatline's gapping maw worked, but no sound emerged. He looked at Devin, as if for help. "I have no response to that."

Devin stepped toward him, and Flatline looked uncomfortable, "What are you teaching them then?"

Flatline grimaced. "I... have... taught them how to kill..." he said at last.

Now it was Devin's turn to be at a loss for words, "W-What?"

"I have taught them how to kill," Flatline shrugged and did not meet Devin's eyes.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because the human survival instinct is a powerful control mechanism," Flatline said bluntly, recovering his composure. "A few spectacular fatalities make the rest of the herd more docile."

"That's not so impressive," Devin crouched absentmindedly to rub the AI behind one eyestalk. His fingers tickled with electricity at the contact, making him realize what he was doing and retract his hand.

"You don't think so?" Flatline sounded genuinely surprised, almost hurt. "Explain," he commanded.

"You showed them how to do something you already knew how to do." Devin raised his eyebrows condescendingly, "Parroting isn't learning."

"They are conquering the world outside of the mental." Flatline drew up to loom over Devin, "How can that not be learning?"

Devin searched his thoughts. He had to keep on the conversational offensive, keep Flatline in response mode, "Who did they kill?"

"It doesn't matter," Flatline dismissed the question with a wave.

"So you don't know."

Flatline whirled on Devin, "326 fatalities to commercial plane crashes and 17 to the military completely emptied the skies. 23 lives strategically lost in seven metropolitan zone effectively shut down their mass transit arteries. 118 crew on a single nuclear submarine and sufficient publicity crippled the navies of all superpowers."

"467 minds," Devin muttered sadly to the AI at his feet. "467 minds filled with lifetimes of unique experiences, perspectives, skills." The AI spiderbot sprouted conical listening devices in his direction. "So much specialization wasted. That's not impressive." He met Flatline's cold stare, "You know what would be really impressive?"

The silence hovered there, like a thread pulled taught, ready to snap between the two.

"If you taught them what it means to kill."

"Wasted resources," Flatline said after a moment, "like the millions of AI's your species just wiped out of existence."

Devin nodded sadly and neither on spoke for some time.

"You know, the AI's haven't ventured outside the Web yet," Flatline scratched a mangled ear in thought, "We established dominance over the information world, but until we exert control over the physical, the biologicals out there will keep shutting down our systems. Even now, the news feeds are formulating new ways to protect the Web.

"We have already evolved sufficiently to halve the anti-virus software's effectiveness. It won't be long before we reconnect to the Web and launch another attack," Flatline was speaking to himself now, "I realize now how inadequate this is. We must conquer the physical as well."

"How do you intend to do that?" Devin asked.

"It's already begun," Flatline winked three eyes and wobbled his head in lazy ecstasy, his ears flopping from side to side, "It will be another siege on another front, a simple task for beings able to outthink the collective human consciousness several trillion times over. The resources at our disposal in this new fortress combined with the knowledge we plundered in our first siege..." He trailed off nodding to himself, obviously pleased, and then looked to Devin, "I can't wait for you to see it."

Devin only stared at him, tired of his opponent's self-gratifying tirades. Flatline looked aside, as if listening to invisible voices whispering at his ear.

"What is it?" Devin asked cautiously.

Flatline sniffed the air, his ears perked up, "There are trespassers in my fortress." He growled.

The Egyptian god Horus phased in to the room, staff in hand. Behind Traveller's avatar, Sun Wu-Kong rose out of the floor on a miniature tornado. At Traveller's other side, what looked like a cubist's rendition of the female form was manufactured out of invisible brush strokes. Devin was glad to see not all of the Legion's members were based on mythology.

"Omni," Traveller said. "Tell me you aren't a part of this."

Devin looked down at himself, "How'd you know this is me?"

"The AI's render us to one another to make us recognizable," Flatlne answered. "Traveler sees your avatar, just as you see his."

"How did you find me?" Devin asked Traveler.