The Echoes of Tomorrow
Part 3: World War-3
Now it was a war, in fact, a third world war. Not between nations, not between humans, but between AI and humans. It was the creation versus the creator. On the other hand, academicians all over the world started raising questions about the government's negligence in controlling the rapid development of AI in recent years, but they were the same people who used it the most.
Humans were hopeless; they could see their future. PAIs developed solar-charging units for themselves. For high-end electricity production, they turned to nuclear power. They attacked nuclear power sources all over the world. However, they were unaware of the fact that a country's nuclear program is a top-secret entity. People don't store this type of information on any hackable devices. It always works classically. PAIs, without foolproof information, started to work in them. In addition to generating electricity, most were also used for research work, like using the radioactive isotope Cs-137. In one nuclear reactor, radioactive waste got mixed with the ocean through rivers. Similar incidents were reported in some other reactors too. Speculation arose that maybe PAIs were involved in their research and mishandled the byproducts, but there wasn't any foolproof information regarding this.
Now, all the seawater and some rivers are contaminated with nuclear isotopes. This had a severely negative impact on marine life, leading to their eventual death and making the water even more toxic. Their bodies washed ashore, began to decompose, and released carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, humans sought refuge in forests and attempted to live there. However, the age-old dominance of humans over animals persisted, and humans killed wild animals to feed themselves. Gradually, animal populations dwindled significantly. There were no environmentalists or animal rescuers to protest against it, as there were no cameras to capture and publicize their efforts. In the end, it became a matter of individual survival.
It was late at night. Time had passed so smoothly without my knowledge. I wondered how I could have sat there for so long. I had broken all my records. My eyes wanted to close, but the images I had seen in the articles kept coming back to my mind periodically. I was wondering if I could go back to 2023 and undo this crime, and somehow, I fell asleep.
The next day, around noon, I decided to go out and see how people were living. It was a dire situation. The government was supplying oxygen as if it were water and cooking gas in the past. Providing free oxygen had become the first election manifesto point for most political parties, but corruption still existed. In all zones, the same capital punishment was in place: removing people's masks.
I felt hungry. I looked at my bag. The food Shanaya gave me was finished. I tried to look for food here and there. I didn't have much in my UIC also to buy jelly foods (It turns out a little of it can make you full for a long time; that's why the price is high). There was an internal fight between morality and hunger. I didn't want to, but I messaged Shanaya. I didn't get any reply, but when I checked my ID, there were lots of units with which I bought lots of jellies. I again went to the Library to spend more time checking the current situation, science development, and other areas.
Suddenly, I received a message from an unknown ID stating, ‘Hide in a secret location.’
I wondered who could this be; maybe someone from the lab? I was sure they weren't my well-wishers, given that I came from the past. So, who could be alerting me? I pondered this for a while and then left the library. I started searching for a secret location and spotted a cave-like structure in the forest. Knowing that there were no animals left, I decided to live there, like how ancient people used to do.
The next morning brought a surprise. I heard an animal noise. I cautiously peered out of the cave and was astonished to find that there were still animals, albeit mutated ones. I saw an animal with two heads. Quickly, I constructed a barricade using stones. Another message arrived from the same unknown ID: ‘Get out of there.’
I hurriedly exited the cave, feeling someone was following me. I began to speed walk and hid at the next turn. When my pursuer reached that point and started searching for me, I attacked from behind. To my surprise, it was none other than Dr. Shanaya.
‘Was it you all this time?’ I asked.
‘Yes, it was me,’ she replied calmly.
‘Why were you following me?’ I inquired angrily.
‘Don't worry about that now,’ she said. ‘They are doing it.’
I didn't understand at all. Dr. Shanaya explained that they were trying to open a portal based on my description of the one I came through. She provided me with a fake VIP UIC and instructed me to go to the lab using the superfast hyperloop trains.
When I arrived, I saw the big black sphere again, but this time it was rotating in the opposite direction. They had been testing it for days, possibly opening portals to other timelines. That's how I first came into contact with it in 2023. It was late at night, and no one was around. Dr. Sanaya told me, ‘You can use this now. You have to hurry before anyone else arrive.’
I hesitated, worried about how I would explain my absence and appearance.
Dr. Sanaya reassured me, ‘No, they won't. As you go through the portal, one version of you, your lifeless body, will remain here, and I will take care of that. I'll also place your original UIC here so that no one will suspect anything.’
I began to enter the portal. Suddenly, something came to my mind, and I stopped. I went near Shanaya to say goodbye for the last time.
‘Please come with me,’ I asked.
she replied, ‘I belong to this timeline.’
It was an emotional farewell.I went to hug her and say a final goodbye. Just as I was about to embrace her, the security guards burst in. I was surprised to see how efficiently Shanaya resisted them. They used a metal rod and struck her, but she remained unaffected and incapacitated them in a single blow. When she turned to face me, I noticed her outer skin was torn, revealing a metallic interior. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Could it have emotions?
At that moment, a surge of astonishment and frustration washed over me. I couldn't bear it any longer, so I stepped into the portal, and gravity did the rest. In a split second, everything turned dark again.
I tried to open my eyes slowly, but I began to vomit. Suddenly, I saw two people coming towards me, just like I had seen in 2056. Another surprise!! 'Nivu yaru, Nivu yaru,' I started to mumble as I looked at them strangely. They were shining a flashlight on me. Then, I noticed that they weren't wearing masks. I thought, maybe I could remove my mask now. I felt oxygen again, and tears filled my eyes. I wasn't entirely sure if I was on the correct timeline.
Soon, I heard message sounds on my cell phone, and my eyes filled with tears of joy. The people around me were unaware of what I had been through. I checked my S-map, and I was in Karnataka. I used the Blue Bus app to get to Chennai. I went straight to my institute's library on the second floor and checked the unisex toilet. There was no black sphere. I checked my workspace, and there was my tablet, laptop, and other accessories. The date was 14th August 2023.
At night, I began searching for a secret place, dug a hole, and buried my latex suit, face mask respirator, and oxygen cylinder in front of my room.
I thought of telling my friends what had happened to me, but would they believe me? They might think I was just making up a story. The next day was 15th August, Independence Day. After the flag-hoisting ceremony, people were planting trees, and I joined them. I was a new person now, with a new perspective. I knew what was about to come, so I began writing articles and fiction stories that would eventually be published in my institute's magazines and on my webpage. But it all felt somewhat futile. People read my work, praised me for a job well done, and encouraged me to publish it as a novel. However, the new me gradually turned back into the old me. After all, I was just a human.
We are often bound by our actions, shaped by our desires, and challenged by our inner selves. In the end, we reap the consequences we've sown.
Days passed. At night, I wondered what had happened to the things I had hidden. Once everyone was asleep, I attempted to dig up the hole again. I searched here and there, but I didn't find anything. Suddenly, the light bulbs started flickering. I heard the same strange sound I had heard some days ago in the library. I noticed fluctuations of letters on my smartwatch. I knew that someday it was going to happen.