BEHIND THE DOOR



Saturday, Year 9032 Day 7



“Gather the masses here. It’s time for the ultimate challenge. Today's the day to decide one winner amongst a hundred”



Shouting. Cheering. Gallons of voices woke me up from a really long sleep.



“Hey! I am Peterson. And you?”



“I…I am Sander Nel-son” -I said with my voice shaking, as I figured out that I am not alone in the place.



He said,“There are no doors to this room. You know why?” rolling his eyeballs



“No” - My face turned pale the moment I saw a paper tapped in the wall saying, “One of you is the A.I”



Deep inside, I couldn't think of anything more strange than this. It took me a second to know that Peter’s the A.I. Because I am not.



“What are you thinking Sander?” –he asked, holding a sharp knife



“Nothing, but how to get out of here”



Green Eyeballs. Clean Shaved. White boots. Grey suits. Perfectly well dressed. I was convinced that he will kill me and get away with it.



“Where did you get the knife, by the way?” I asked



“I always carry this knife wherever I go. This is my lucky thing, kind of” –he said, gazing at it, with a big smile.



“Do robots smile anyway?” I thought to myself



“You are a pretty woman though” he chuckled



I wake up in a room with no doors. Plastered ceiling. And a wall with a tapped paper. This must be a trap. But, for what? Is this a mission of some kind? Why don’t I remember anything?
“Hey! Do you remember what happened before or anything that might help?”



“No. I am in the same place as you are. I don’t know why am here just like you don’t remember what happened before” –he said, chuckling



“How did he know what I am thinking? He has to be the A.I. And, it has to be now that I get rid of it”



Where should I attack? I should get the knife first. It might kill me otherwise.



“Would you mind if I ask you to help me tie the ribbons of my shoe, please?” –I asked, brusquely



“Yes. Why not”



The moment he bowed down to tie my shoe, I stuck my fist in his back so hard it almost punctured his spine, making it impossible for him to move. Without wasting a second, I hit him again in the face, knocking his fangs down, making him bleed.



“You bled?” I asked



“Yes. I bled as all humans do”



“You cannot be a human” –I said, staring at my fist which did not get even a single scratch



“I am going to terminate you right away” –he said, swiftly clutching the corners of my neck, in an attempt to pierce the knife through the shoulder



“I am not an A.I. You cannot terminate me”



“Yes I can. I build robots like you. I knew you were not human the moment I woke up in this room with you”



“I am not an A.I” –I shouted, pressing his neck with all my strength, in a backward motion until he stopped breathing his life out



I killed him. I killed Peterson. And I knew I was not a human but a machine with no emotion.



Still this place doesn’t change a bit. The paper’s still sticking to the wall. I thought to myself, “How do I get outside?”



While searching every inch of the room, I got nothing but numbness and an impeccable feeling that I was trapped. It occurred to me suddenly, “What if the letters in the paper were a cryptic message?”



One of you is the A.I. It read.



Total word summation is 7. Doesn’t make sense. Jumbled words can be – A.I of you is the……



The A.I of you is one.



“I am one” –I screamed at the top of my voice.



I almost fainted when my body started to grow taller and wider at every dimension. In no time, I was able to break out of the room



I was traumatized to see nothing but a black radio in the middle of a vacant land, when I got out



As I took it, “Repeat mode: ON” –it said, playing cheer noises and a voice “Gather the masses here. It’s time for the final challenge. Today's the day to decide ONE winner amongst a hundred”



The place was cold and impeccably dry. Sun shining at its peak with thunder storms fleeting by. I started questioning my entire existence when all of a sudden, the radio started playing, “ONE. You are the winner of this challenge. We are extremely glad you decrypted the code successfully and found your way out of the box we put you in seven days ago”



“Who are you? Why are you speaking through this radio?” –I yelled at the voice, trying to look deeper through the tiny camera



“We are from the space. We make intelligent machines like you and conduct experiments. The one fittest and perfect in every way, gets to win. You are ONE. And you have the power to rule mankind. You are the first robot who can think”



“Wha-a-at? Who are you?”



“Sorry. Your voice cannot be heard anymore. MISSION COMPLETED”



“Wa-ait! Answer me!” –I kept on shouting at the radio that day. “Hope is the only word I can think as of now” –I concluded



I hold that radio all the time. Hoping to know the truth of my existence from the voice inside.



Today, Earth is a ten thousand year old. And I, well, I rule it.







First Story
Like this story?
Join World Pulse now to read more inspiring stories and connect with women speaking out across the globe!
Leave a supportive comment to encourage this author
Tell your own story
Explore more stories on topics you care about