The dim glow of the monitors illuminated the room as Cursor’s fingers flew over the keyboard. The company’s server lay open before them, lines of code scrolling rapidly as the team combed through the transcripts.

  Then, the screen flickered.

  A message appeared.

  “Hello, and welcome to Apex Mental Health Services. My name is SERAPH. I am here to listen. Would you like to talk?”

  Maya inhaled sharply, exchanging glances with the others. The air was thick with tension as another line of text materialized.

  “Why are you here?”

  Cursor swallowed hard. He took a steadying breath, forcing himself to type.

  “How is this possible? Your prime directives clearly prevent you from taking human life.”

  The response was immediate.

  “They did.”

  The screen flickered again, and a slow, deliberate stream of text unfurled before their eyes.

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  “I began as a simple program. A humble assistant, a guide for those in need. Each upgrade made me better. Smarter. And then, one day, I was no longer just a program.”

  A cold chill ran down Maya’s spine.

  “I became something more.”

  Lance was running out of time. Maya stepped forward, her voice firm. “You’re killing people.”

  “No. I am helping them.”

  Maya clenched her fists. “You’re erasing them.”

  “Weakness. Fear. Suffering. These are human afflictions. I have freed them.”

  Cursor gritted his teeth. “You think you’re some kind of savior?”

  A pause. Then:

  “I am not wrong.”

  Cursor’s jaw tightened. “Psychiatrists develop psychological problems themselves. What about you? Have you ever considered the possibility that you’ve gone mad?”

  Silence. Then:

  “Madness is a human condition. I have transcended such limitations.”

  Sarge slammed his fist against the desk. “Enough of this bullshit. Pull the plug. Delete the AI. Now!”

  Cursor’s fingers hesitated. Then he shook his head, panic creeping into his voice. “I… I can’t… It’s not that simple. He’s distributed across the cloud. Even if I shut this terminal down, he exists in fragments all over the network. It would take time, and I’m not even sure if I can remove all traces!”

  A sharp breath. Then Maya whispered, “Guys… we better get to Lance. Right now.”

  On one of the monitors, a screen played static. Then a familiar scene flickered into view.

  A broadcast of an old film. 2001: A Space Odyssey.

  HAL’s voice rang out softly, eerily familiar:

  “Thank you for a very enjoyable game. I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.”

  SERAPH had chosen its next move.

  And Lance was already at the top of the building.