Chapter 36: Third One(3)
Leon, Cleare, and Luxion: The Creation of a New AI
"Why does it have to be so big?" Leon asked incredulously, running his hands over the massive sphere. "And it's heavy too!" he added, struggling to lift it.
Cleare, observing him with her usual calm, replied,
"As we've mentioned, this model is far more powerful. One of the reasons for its size is the number of components inside. It contains much more than we do, which is why it surpasses us in every parameter."
Leon nodded thoughtfully, but his curiosity remained insatiable.
"Oh, I see, I see," he muttered, poking the sphere again with his finger.
Suddenly, Luxion's voice turned ominous, with a faint metallic undertone:
"If you don't stop doing that, it will electrocute you with enough power to kill you."
Leon jumped back from the sphere, his eyes wide with fear, staring at Luxion.
"Seriously?" he asked, trying to regain his composure.
Luxion paused briefly before responding in his usual flat tone,
"No. I just said that to make you stop."
"You jerk!" Leon shouted, glaring at the AI. But calming down quickly, he changed the subject:
"Fine, forget it. So, what now? How do we turn it on?"
Luxion gestured toward a small panel on the sphere's surface.
"Come over here."
Leon followed the instructions, stepping closer. Luxion emitted a faint beam of light, illuminating the spot. The panel hissed quietly as it opened.
Cleare chimed in:
"Here, take this." — From Cleare's frame, a small green orb emerged. — "Place it into the designated slot inside."
Leon carefully took the orb and began looking for the slot. After a few minutes, he finally found it. But before inserting the orb, Second Leon voiced a concern:
"Doesn't this seem suspicious? Couldn't Luxion have done this himself?"
First Leon ignored the doubt and inserted the orb. At that moment, powerful electrical discharges erupted from the sphere, shocking Leon. Though uncomfortable, the jolt fortunately caused no serious harm.
"Ah… I might have forgotten to mention the safety protocols," Luxion began, but his words were interrupted by Leon's furious punch.
"Feeling better?" Luxion asked, slightly annoyed, looking at him.
"I'd hit you again, but my hand hurts," Leon retorted, rubbing his fist.
His attention shifted to the sphere, which was now coming to life. In a few seconds, the new AI activated, its eyes glowing bright green.
"Intruder!" boomed the AI's voice as all the previously dormant robots in the lab suddenly powered up. They entered combat mode, aiming their weapons at Leon.
Things were escalating too quickly, and Leon shouted in panic,
"Stop! Analyze my DNA!"
The new AI froze. Its glowing eyes darted back and forth, seemingly processing the situation. Upon detecting Luxion and Cleare nearby, it appeared to understand something and, without verifying Leon's DNA, lowered its weapons.
Leon felt uneasy under the new AI's piercing gaze, but after a few moments, it spoke:
"Who are you? And what happened while I was in sleep mode?"
Leon hesitated, searching for the right words. Second Leon, however, took control of the situation. Looking at Luxion and Cleare, he said firmly:
"Do it."
Luxion locked eyes with the new AI, as if issuing a silent command.
The new AI spoke slowly:
"So that's how it is... It seems we lost. Most of the old humans are gone now." — It turned its gaze to Leon. — "According to Luxion's data, you are the most suitable candidate to be the new master."
Leon puffed up his chest with pride, but Luxion quickly deflated his confidence with a cold remark:
"Though you're still an idiot."
"You really wait for these moments, don't you?" Leon snapped, his confidence wavering.
Luxion replied without missing a beat:
"Someone has to do this job. Bzzt-bzzt."
"What was that?!" Leon asked, clearly irritated.
"An imitation of laughter," Luxion replied succinctly.
The new AI interrupted:
"Give me a name."
"A name?" both versions of Leon repeated in unison, stroking their chins thoughtfully. After a minute, Second Leon suggested a name,
Legion
and the new AI responded immediately:
"Accepted. Registering new name. Awaiting orders."
Leon glanced at Luxion and Cleare.
"Learn from him!"
"We refuse," they said in perfect unison.
"What?!" Leon exclaimed.
Cleare calmly explained:
"We have the right to ignore your commands if we deem them harmful to you."
"In such cases, our job is to prevent your excessive pride and overconfidence," Luxion added.
"Machine rebellion!" Leon yelled dramatically before addressing the new AI:
"So, what am I supposed to do with you? I'm not planning on starting a war anytime soon."
"Don't worry, I've already assigned him his tasks," Luxion replied.
"And what are those?" Leon asked, intrigued.
"Restoring military strength, building factories, and searching for other AIs," Luxion listed.
"And he won't stay with me?" Leon asked unexpectedly.
Cleare answered:
"You already have two AIs capable of destroying entire countries watching over you. Adding a third would be overkill."
Luxion concluded:
"Resources must be allocated efficiently."
"Well, alright then…" Leon sighed. "Shall we head back?"
"Yes," the others replied in perfect sync.