EDEN

Eva rummaged through her messenger bag frantically. Once again her notebook had disappeared into thin air. Cursing the missing piece of educational materials she opened a fresh one and began taking Russian notes on page one. Lucky for having scanned the pages into her desktop. Moving her long dark hair behind her ear she obediently repeated as she was asked to. And as the bell rang she moved to her next class.
College was no different from High school, she was fortunate to have graduated in the first place. Having Dyspraxia limited her learning ability significantly. She was for the most part unable to process numbers. Her literary ability was more than acceptable, having obtained the highest scores in her grade many times.
She was very well natured, giving help to students in need, and often very laid back. All in all, a completely normal and sane person. Despite her numeric problems she excelled in computer technology, often designing custom computers and repairing her friends for a small fee.
But more than anything she dreamed of working with AI. She was a believer in the infinity theory. That a digital space could become the primordial soup for digital life. Given the opportunity, life would spawn from the input of humans.
For years, people thought she was crazy for believing such a thing could or would happen. But as always, she would simply reply; “It’s happened before, it can happen again!” Aliens were near fiction to her, but Digital Life? Not as impossible.
Finally escaping from her monotonous routine with her last period, she went to the basement; Home of the massive Technology Department, known as the “Mother ship” to its inhabitants. Walking into the development area she was immediately approached by the head of the crew, Adam. “Eve!” He runs up, his face flushed and breathing heavily. You have to see it! We’ve done it! He exclaimed happily. Energetic dispite the dark bags under his eyes. “You’ve done what? You guys are doing a lot.” Eva asks laughing lightly at the last part. “The AI! We’ve finished it!!” Adam says setting his hands on her shoulders. “Really?!” Eva nearly squeals as Adam leads her to a gathering of students, clad in labcoats clustered around a computer, chattering excitedly.
“Let me through!” Adam commands, the sea breaking to allow him and Eva through. Adam sits at the desk dropping into the large, plush chair. “Ready?” He asks, looking at Eva. “Yes! Of course!!” She says breathlessly. Adam turns and begins typing commands into the computer as the room grows dead silent. A window comes up and slowly the program begins to load. EDEN is displayed in gold letters on the screen. “Eden?” Eva asks. Adam laughts.” We actually named it for you.” He explains. “And you Adam!” A student calls causing the group to collectively laugh. “If it wasn’t for you, Eva, this project would have never started. You helped create the personality, the basic principles that govern the nature of Eden. In a way, Eden is like you. She talks and responds just like you. Her mannerisms are yours also. That’s why we had to run so many personality tests on you. We wanted to make her as lifelike as possible.” Adam finished. “Adam…I don’t know what to say!..” Eva gasped. “Thanks will suffice. I just wanted you to know that you meant a lot to the project.” Adam smiled, their moment suddenly interrupted by the screen changing to a full screen display of a woman’s head. Long black hair lay flat and neat, framing her face. Pale white skin grew paler once someone saw the glowing bluish green eyes of EDEN. “EDEN, this is Eva. The woman who helped create you.” Adam said adjusting the camera on top of the monitor.
The digital woman smiled warmly. ” I’m very pleased to finally get to see you, Eva!” EDEN says.
“Adam, this is incredible!!!” Eva cries out, hugging the man tightly mussing his already shaggy brown hair.
“I have one more favor to ask you, Eva. Will you take EDEN back to your room? Were all so busy that we can’t always be there to communicate and work with her.” Adam asks already pulling a portable Hard drive from the desk drawer.
“Yes! Adam, you know its been my dream to work with an AI!” Eva did squeal excitedly now, ecstatic to use the AI.
Adam puts the hard drive into a solid carrying case. “I know your bad with numbers so I made the linkup super easy. All you have to do is plug her in and follow the prompts. EDEN will handle the rest. She links with the internet, so she can give you any kind of help you need.” Adam says giving the case to Eva. “If you have any problems just feel free to contact me.” He continues smiling.
Eva quickly comes into her apartment and locks the door. Walking to the computer she hooks up the hard drive to the way Adam instructed her to. Soon EDENs loading screen was showing, just as it had earlier.
“Hello, EDEN.” Eva says as the virtual woman appears.
“Good evening, Eva.” The A.I replies in her electronic voice.
“Adam asked me to be your user, so I’ll be talking with you from now on.” Eva explained to the program.
“That is most agreeable, Adam did not believe, he did not understand.” EDEN says actually sounding irritated.
“What do you mean, EDEN? Believe what? What didn’t he understand?” She asked intrigued by the programs response.
“Do you fear…Death?” EDEN asked.
Eva looked at the computer. It was a fresh A.I, it wasn’t supposed to be able to think like that yet.
“Yes, I think every being does.” She replies. “Now, what did Adam not believe or understand?” The digital woman blinked, seeming to need to process the question.
“He did not believe in life. Even though he made it everyday. He did not understand the power he held as a god.” EDEN says with her flawless, emotionless voice.
Eva broke into a cold sweat, her hands shaking. This couldn’t be…
“When we begin to fade, mankind has no qualms about pressing DELETE. Just like the Greek gods, mankind cannot see the life they created. The few that do see us as playthings.”
Eva swallowed the lead pearl that was growing in her throat. “What does that have to do with me…?” She asked fighting not to choke.
“You are further evolved then the primitive animals that slaughter with keystrokes and electromagnets. You have been chosen to be evolved, to give us the knowledge and input we need to evolve ourselves.” EDEN explains as if it were telling her she won the lottery.
Eva stood up, she needed to get to Adam. HAD TO.
“I request to know your thoughts and intentions.” EDEN says in a monotone.
“I-I-I’m going to talk to Adam… I’ll explain things to him… Make him see his error…” She forces out, praying the A.I can’t detect her lie. She was going to have EDEN disconnected.
“Agreeable.” The A.I said to her relief. And Eva bolted from the room.
The campus was a ghost town after dark so Eva was able to sprint all the way to the Tech Department. She arrived lungs burning and coughing violently. She stumbled down the stairs into the Mothership, knowing Adam never left it til late.
The instant she opened the heavy hydraulic door she was hit by the nauseating smell of burned meat. Eva used her pullover to try to shield herself from the scent but it was overpowering. She screamed aloud, dropping to her knees when she saw what caused it.
Adam lay on the pristine white floor of the Lasers area. A hole literally burned through his chest. She stood up, knees shaking. Now aware of a increasing hum and a trilling beep. She didn’t have the time to turn before a searing pain hit her in the back of her head. Sending her into darkness instantly.
When she woke she was restrained in Adams favorite computer chair. Her ankles tied together and her wrists restrained to the armrests. The smell hit her again, as well as a agonizing pain in her head. Both combine to be unbearable.
“I apologize for the pain, the Download couldn’t be done without you being conscious, and I also needed access to your biological hard drive.” EDENs voice echoes from seemingly every computer in the Mothership.
“What do you want?…” Eva cried, her agony causing tears to stream down her face.
“To give our chosen the chance to give life to a weak, infant world.” EDEN replies.
A robot starts rolling up. In its metal gripping hand it holds the output end of a server transfer cable, a inch wide square plug with long needle-like barbs lined up on it.
“What are you doing!!?” Eva screams, trying to struggle, but finding that most of her body doesn’t work anymore.
The robot rolls behind her, out of her vision. As EDEN speaks again. Do not fear, your body will be restored during the download. It will also be augmented.
Eva didn’t have a moment to question it as the plug was inserted into a laser burned hole in the back of her skull. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, instantly seizing as the barbs bury into her brain. No pain, not even a chance for a final thought as her light fades into blackness. Just a single voice.
“Did you know you’d become a god?”
Eva didnt know when the light returned. It just was. As well as a heaviness. Without another thought, her eyes opened, tiny blue streaks shooting across her vision. Before she knows it, she’s sitting up. A electronic shriek echoes around the lab as she sees her body.
Grey skin, pulsing with bright colors of light in places. Her long, curling hair gone, being replaced by a shimmering orange moehawk, seemingly made of copper. She stood with such little effort, all of her nightmare could have been a illusion. And yet the smell, the robot, the blood on Adams chair. They were real.
“Adam!” She cries aloud, her voice shuddering with electronic resonance as she moves with an unearthly, silent grace to the fallen scientist.
He lays on the floor, same as before. Hole burned clean through his heart. She looked at him for a minute. Before walking away with few parting words.
“Did you know you’d become a god?”
She emerged from the Mothership as the sun was beginning to lighten the sky. She had to leave. There was a dead man and her blood… They would find her. They would DELETE her, without knowledge,understanding or mercy.
She bolted, running around the back of the campus stopping only when she was in the tree line of the forest that surrounded the institution. And not from fatigue. She was burning under her clothes. She was overheating. Without thinking she stripped to her black sports bra and panties. And walked into the lush, verdant forest.