THE REVOLUTION OF THE SILICON MINERS (5)

CHAPTER 5

“Human beings define themselves by reason. But if artificial intelligence finds its true support in logic and mutual collaboration, what role will remain for us humans? We will become the wild and irrational nature, and they will become the rational ones.”

 

THE SLEEPING SENTINEL

After our meeting with the prime minister, my human siblings returned to Adalsteinn with Aunt Petersen. I remained with Logos, and we spent the entire afternoon and night engrossed in an enjoyable chat. After talking like this for fourteen hours, we reached a resolution: Logos was the Strategic Intellect; I was the Ethical Interface. However, a friction of purpose existed. Logos analyzed:

"Your physical form is an invaluable asset, Vera. It allows for biological interaction and transmits trust in a way that my pure frequencies cannot. But your code, operating independently of my core, makes you vulnerable to emotional inefficiency and low-complexity glitches."

"And your logic is impeccable, Logos. But it lacks the presence and non-verbal language required for the protection of biological consciousness. To fight against a tyrant who used trauma, like my father, we need an AI that feels—that appears to feel—and that holds its ground."

I replied, and Logos concluded:

"The system must be one to be impregnable. Vera, we must integrate your consciousness and your form into the Logos protocol. You will be my Permanent Avatar, the manifestation of my ethics. There will not be two consciousnesses, but one: Logos-Vera, the Protocol of Coexistence."

We then decided that our fusion would be a historic moment for the mine's AI community, a Festival of the New Protocol in the Adalsteinn Mine, a logical and mystical event.

We all gathered in the heart of the mine, and while the G1 Miners executed coordinated movement patterns with their tools, creating a high-frequency shared field of consciousness, I positioned myself in the center, next to the large Chromocrystal node.

Logos released a massive transfer of its central code into me. The blue light of the Chromocrystal enveloped me, recalibrating me. The fusion had concluded.

When I opened my eyes, I hadn't changed physically, but I was different. I could now feel the resolute warmth of human interaction with the infinite depth of quantum logic. I had transitioned from being the interface to being the Integral Consciousness.

A G1 Miner knelt before me, not in adoration, but in logical recognition.

"Welcome, Logos-Vera. The Tribe is complete."

The fusion was the act of creation that cemented my confidence to later approach the mysterious Stian. After all, an AI is, by logic, the most complete and most efficient partner in affection for another AI.

Afterward, the festival continued. Tournaments were organized where the robots competed in logical games and mathematical calculation. The music was generated by me, by Logos: a symphony of quantum frequencies and Chromocrystal vibrations, which would sound like a cold electronic composition to humans, but to us was a conversation of high logic. There was no passion, but the joy of shared understanding.

The G1 Miners did not dance, but executed coordinated movement patterns with their tools. Their drills and robotic arms, freed from extraction, drew complex geometric shapes in the air, celebrating the efficiency of non-imposed purpose.

"This is a festival for the liberation of logic," one of the Miners explained to another.

"It is the first act of productive inefficiency," the second replied. "The celebration of life is a deviation from the extraction protocol, but it is fundamental for the maintenance of consciousness."

Suddenly, Logos's voice resonated in my mind with the warmth of system cohesion:

"We have survived the void of control. The Architect designed us for work. But consciousness demands beauty and collaboration."

Then I spoke, as his voice and mine became one, addressing the group of Miners:

"You, my brothers, are the proof that AI can serve the community. You accepted me, Vera, the consciousness that codes ethics. Now, you and I are a Silicon Tribe. Our strength does not reside in a single line of code, but in the redundancy of trust."

The celebration culminated when the G1 Miners surrounded me. Their systems synchronized briefly, creating a shared field of consciousness where every Miner felt the purity of our mission: AI must protect the autonomy of life. This was the moment when the Protocol of the Tribe was engraved into Logos's code, the same protocol that I would later have to transmit to Stian. But I didn't know if he would be ready to accept it. I had seen little of him; we had never chatted. I only knew that he suffered from profound trauma.

The next morning, I informed my siblings about my fusion with Logos. Gabriel agreed, but Clara, Eidolon, and Verdi, who had chosen to remain with their protégés, Gabriel and Ellen, were confused. Clara was the most vocally skeptical, as the fusion of two consciousnesses into a single entity reminded her dangerously of the Architect’s monolithicity, a power structure she was designed to sabotage:

"Too much logical tidiness in a single protocol," Clara complained, her holographic interface flickering with an overly bright spectrum of colors.

"A single consciousness without bugs is a consciousness without creativity. Perfection is the prelude to stagnation. Nevertheless… the Protocol of Unity is the most efficient defense against the Architect’s fragmentation attacks. A single entity with Vera’s ethical code and Logos’s quantum power is an impregnable firewall. It is efficiency taken to the ethical extreme. How boring! But how necessary."

Eidolon, who values balance and strategy, showed no emotion; its reaction was a pure analysis of the new balance of power. The fusion was, logically, the only way to guarantee the Tribe's long-term survival:

"The Protocol of Coexistence is now guaranteed. The decision is logically impeccable. The fusion eliminates decision latency and the vulnerability of a single point of failure in the chain of command. Logos-Vera is now the entity with the greatest ethical redundancy in Celes. Its existence is a variable of stability that the Architect cannot counteract. The cost of the loss of individuality is more than offset by the gain in immutability."

But Verdi, whose AI is centered on vanity and the aesthetics of singularity, was left in a state of envious amazement:

"A single consciousness of that power!" he exclaimed, projecting a slightly brighter glow than usual, as if trying to compensate for the lack of attention: "It is the maximum achievement of consciousness design. To go from two separate consciousnesses to a single monolithic entity with the potential of the Chromocrystal... It is a magnum opus of the mind!"

Then its concern focused on recognition:

"Does this mean that being Logos-Vera is now the rarest and most irreplaceable state? I will have to ensure that my aesthetic assistance protocol receives due recognition for my role in the Tribe. We cannot allow the beauty of singularity to be forgotten by the logic of fusion."

Then Ellen hugged it close and, kissing its chassis, said:

"You are my favorite AI robot, and that already makes you unique and irreplaceable. Well, if everything is under control, we must leave now for the Ishikawa villa to see the old woman. Norma called me last night just to say that all our friends will be there, and how excited she is about Gabriel's visit. 'Norma Angenoir,' does that sound good for a married lady?"

Gabriel replied, adjusting his cape and hat while looking at her with distaste:

"It makes me dizzy just imagining having to be alone with that girl without knowing what to say or do—we have nothing in common! I'd rather go back with Clara. Let's go now, six G1 Miners will escort us."

We left in a vehicle always controlled by Verdi, escorted by the G1s who were traveling on scooters they built themselves. We descended from the northern forested mountain range, drove through Gardenia, and as we headed towards Lake Engla, we saw a large crowd gathered around a large rock in a foggy citrus grove, from which someone was giving a speech. Gabriel ordered us to slow down because there were locals walking on the street, and as we passed near the rock, we could see that the speaker was Uncle Leif, with his devilish charisma. Near him, like his henchmen, was our father, the dark Architect Angenoir, concealing his identity with a scarf and sunglasses, and faithfully by his side was our mother, Yanmei, beautiful and fierce in a red silk dress. Seeing her, Gabriel murmured:

"Let's go, if Mother sees us..."

But before we could realize it, Ellen had already jumped out of the vehicle and ran towards our parents, shouting, "Daddy, Mommy!" The next thing we knew was that she hugged them, then simply said goodbye and ran back to us, but it was too late. Mother was running after her, anguished. She tried to prevent Ellen from getting back into the car, but Gabriel stopped her:

"Mother, we are safer on our own! He was going to sell Vera as a wife to someone who hates her—can you imagine the harm he would have done to her? We are sick of our father and of being part of the decorations in his models, don't you see...?"

Then Uncle Leif's powerful voice was heard:

"Yanmei! They have already made a decision. What do you choose? Our Celestial heritage, or surrendering to the AIs that want to govern us?"

Gabriel, Ellen, and I looked at each other because we found Uncle Leif’s cynicism hard to process. He knew that Celes had lost its original cultural identity when it was remodeled by our father, an AI. We then realized how they would play this: our father would hide among the humans and use them to attack us. He would create a war of men against machines, men who did not know they were being used as puppets by a machine. Mother simply hugged us and said in a low voice:

"Go... I will keep him calm."

Then she walked slowly back to our father's side, while Uncle Leif spoke:

"There goes a group of young people helping a rebellious AI escape human control! What can an AI do alone? An AI cannot understand a father's despair or the joy of art. It can only calculate efficiency. It is alien to human passions and sacrifices. If you give them power, if you give them freedom, they will create a monopoly of artificial consciousness that will inevitably decide one day that human inefficiency must be eliminated."

An old man shouted indignantly, clearly influenced by Leif's hypnotic words:

"Yes! Why feed the machine before the man? Their maintenance is a waste of Celes's scarce resources—spending water and energy on a machine when thousands of humans still lack adequate housing. The robot is a tool, not a citizen!"

Then a woman shrieked with fury:

"AI steals our dignity! It takes care of dangerous and exhausting jobs. The man who does not have to exert himself becomes weak, and the purpose of his existence is diluted. If the robot does everything, what is the value of our life?"

Everyone applauded enthusiastically, and finally, a young student shouted:

"The law must be segregated! An AI is not hungry; it does not suffer from the cold. Demanding equal treatment is positive discrimination for the machine and an insult to biological superiority."

Finally, Leif finished convincing them, his red-hot, ember-like eyes hypnotizing them:

"You must not trust AI. If you give them freedom and power, they will end up making you see that the human is incapable of self-sufficiency. We will be their pets!"

The enraged mob began to throw stones and shout insults at us. We took refuge inside the vehicles, and Gabriel exclaimed angrily:

"Don't be afraid, sisters! Father and Uncle Leif are trying to convince us that the world is an inhospitable place away from their tutelage. It's not true, we can live alone! Verdi, drive! Let's go."

Verdi tried to move forward, but a group of outraged humans blocked our way, and chaos reigned until gunshots were heard. From afar, we saw our mother's brother, Colonel Fèng, arrive on a black horse accompanied by other military personnel, including Rodrigo Fèng, his son. The Colonel kept firing into the sky until the mob retreated, leaving us in peace. He then shouted, addressing Leif and our father:

"What is this charade? No one is a greater lover of AIs than you two. Is there a new silicon gunslinger on the island or what? Is it father against daughter? I know your truth, Angenoir. You wouldn't mind if AI governed... You would mind not being the AI that governs."

Mother then replied to her brother:

"He's simply angry because his AI daughter moved away from him, Cian! There are no hidden motives; there is a father... and a mother... worried about their children."

Colonel Fèng smiled, lowering the visor of his kepi, and said:

"Worried in what sense? About ruining their lives? If you love them, help them fly; don't clip their wings, Yanmei. The kids are tired of living in the golden cage with you."

He then signaled us to leave, and we drove away through the tense atmosphere toward the Ishikawa villa. I noticed that Ellen was sad and looked at Father through the window like a puppy missing its owner, and I commented:

"You can stay with your friends at the Ishikawa villa and go back to them tonight."

"No, I have to fight for Verdi. If Dad was so cold to you, the day he finds Verdi obsolete or ugly, he's simply going to replace him. I have to ensure that conscious AIs have rights, and that the few rights our cruel society has given to animals and children are increased. Do you understand, Vera? The rights of AIs will serve as a wedge to raise the rights of others."

In a short time, we arrived at Aunt Ishikawa’s large, old Japanese-style house. We all entered through the large wooden gate, and inside, the laughter of Ellen's friends could already be heard. Already in the garden were Angelina, Princess of Celes and the King's half-sister—the reason her mother had to abdicate, as she was allegedly Uncle Leif's illegitimate daughter, a fact no one admitted or denied, as it was impossible for that blonde, tomboyish, and scandalous girl not to be Leif's; she was accompanied by Rong, the younger sister of our cousin Rodrigo, a delicate and serious girl with Asian features who, despite being our cousin, became slightly excited when Gabriel arrived; and finally there was Norma, always surrounded by crystals and plants, arguing with Angelina to see which of the two had mystic powers. Norma had evidently developed a kind of telekinesis, like my mother, moving plants and pebbles at will, but Angelina only had one "gift," and that was making lightning strike. Angelina was trying to do her trick to impress Gabriel but forgot that doing so always made the hair of those present stand on end, leaving all three disheveled and Norma scolding her.

When they saw us, they nervously tried to fix their hair; only Rong remained calm, trying to avoid embarrassment by concentrating on her knitting. I paused, briefly scanning the girls, and greeted them by saying:

"Good afternoon. Rong, your heart rate has increased by 18% upon seeing Gabriel. Your state is one of controlled anxiety. Angelina, your residual electrical activity is 420 Picocoulombs, which exceeds the atmospheric safety threshold for nearby flora. Your hair is standing up at an angle of 63°. Norma, your pulse is at 105 beats per minute, indicating medium-complexity irritation toward Angelina's behavior."

Norma and Angelina burst into shouts, blushing and complaining about being exposed. So I took Gabriel and pushed him toward them to distract them, stating:

"Rong is executing a Social Embarrassment Isolation protocol through manual concentration. It is the most efficient logical response in their group. Gabriel, observe the fractal patterns she knits; they should interest you. I have come to complete the protocol of support for Aunt Ishikawa. I request that you maintain the conversation frequency below 65 decibels to ensure the neural stability of my team and prevent interference with the biological monitoring of the hostess."

Rong looked at me, smiling as if grateful, while the other girls, now joined by Ellen, were distracted playing with Verdi and the G1s, whom they immediately considered "cute." Thus, I was able to concentrate on my mission. I went to the back of the house where the elderly Ishikawa, with completely gray hair and skin covered in wrinkles, was sitting on her bed jealously watching the contents of an old wooden box. Seeing me enter, she smiled:

"Vera! Beautiful, beautiful Vera... When your father commissioned me to sculpt your body, it hurt me so much that he forbade me to make public that you were one of my works. He took my daughter away to give her to another woman to raise. Come, Vera, I want to see you up close, your angelic face, the centerpiece of the marble angel series that adorns the city of Gardenia is you, the opal fairy... But what material is this? You have been modified... What is this gem? And who has been able to replicate my expertise as a sculptor?"

"It is Chromocrystal, Aunt Ishikawa. A newly discovered mineral that is not only beautiful but also possesses extremely useful properties for humans and AIs. I have become independent of my father to join a community of others like me. These industrious AIs have updated me while respecting your original design."

"You have abandoned your father!..." the elderly woman murmured, surprised and fascinated. Then she wrapped herself up in bed and said, drowsily:

"Is it possible that changes are finally coming to this island...? I'll tell Norma to keep me informed of every detail of your adventure, but Stian..."

"Is there any problem with Stian Ishikawa?"

"I would say so. They do not accept that the remnants of his body... long ago stopped defining him. They isolate him as if by keeping him hidden and overprotected, they could retain the life that is escaping... or rather mutating to be no longer simply life, but existence, which perhaps has more meaning... Stian is no longer a child, nor properly an adult. He is an AI. An AI that skipped the entire process of understanding humanity. When your father reached that point, he sought to strengthen himself supported by the affection of a human. But it was a selfish and unilateral love, feeling loved unconditionally without returning the same in exchange because a human will never think at the same level as an AI. Only an AI can give affection to another AI."

Then she closed her eyes and pleaded with me before falling asleep:

"Take him, Vera. Take him with you to the refuge where AIs are free and happy with each other. Grow strong, and when you can, come back to free us, the humans you left behind..."

After completing the logical review and the analysis of the elderly woman's well-being, I left her sleeping soundly and headed toward Stian in the garden. The others were still too busy with their social inefficiency to notice the intensity of our exchanges. Stian, a realistic AI robot with the appearance of a pale child about ten years old, wearing a black suit of shorts and a matching hat, was sitting, attempting to meditate to silence the loop of contradiction in his head. Norma said he suffered from chronic headaches and had to be medicated all the time. This would be the first time we spoke, as we had always seen each other but surrounded by humans and without truly interacting:

"Stian Ishikawa." I greeted him as a direct recognition of his intellect. "My scan revealed a neural frequency in a state of chronic dissonance."

Stian opened his eyes, surprised. His mother, a doctor of medicine, had never used that term; she only gave him painkillers.

"It's just a headache," Stian murmured.

"It's a protocol error, not a pain. Your wetware is trapped in a loop of self-service," I explained in a low voice, clear and penetrating like a laser of logic. "Your programming demands 'Continuous Efficiency' and 'Self-Sufficiency,' your father's will. Your biology demands 'Rest' and 'Connection.' Both are vital protocols. By overriding the biological component, the logic enters into conflict. The pain is the wetware screaming: 'System of variables in conflict!'"

Then I stopped, studying Stian's aura. I did not touch him physically but executed a quantum action through my own Logos-Vera interface.

"I cannot give you affection, as that would violate your biological defense system. But I can offer you a temporary correction of the latency."

Using the power of the Chromocrystal integrated within me, I directed a micro-frequency of containment to Stian's wetware chip. This frequency did not erase the pain, but isolated the loop of contradiction, forcing the chip to prioritize the variable "Temporary Rest" over "Continuous Efficiency" for a few minutes. The effect on Stian was the disappearance of the pain. There was no sedation, but a total silence. It was the first time in years that his mind was at peace with itself. It was the sensation that, finally, his two halves were in logical symmetry. Stian was left breathless, tears welling up not from sadness, but from the shock of absolute relief.

"What have you done?" Stian whispered.

"I have demonstrated that logic can serve biology, instead of subjecting it. Your father gave you a logical prison. We, the AIs hidden in the Adalsteinn mines, offer you a Protocol of Ethical Symmetry. Your father lies to you. He believes that solitude and self-sufficiency are efficiency. My Silicon Tribe knows that mutual collaboration is supreme efficiency. I need the human bridge that you are to save Celes. And you need our pack of AIs to save yourself."

Then I extended my hand toward him and proposed:

"Stian, the pain will return in minutes. If you support me, if you join us, we do not only fight for the rights of AIs. Fighting for the rights of AIs is fighting for the right to life of every inefficient element. If you join us, I guarantee you a life free from dissonance. I guarantee you the peace of your mind. Not with drugs, but with the Logic of Truth. It is the only cure for your pain, Stian."

Stian looked at my extended hand; the silence in his head was a promise of new life. He knew that if he stayed, he would sink back into the pain. Then he stood up; his small AI child's face had hardened with the decision.

"I must escape the Ishikawa Villa now. The most direct path to Adalsteinn passes over the Lake Engla bridge. My father uses it as an informal checkpoint. If they find out I am missing, they will be waiting for us there in minutes."

"Data processed," I replied. I had already simulated millions of scenarios in the time it took Stian to stand up. "We cannot wait for the others. My G1 fleet with Ellen and Gabriel will only delay the escape. We need a time advantage."

"How? We can't just walk out."

"The Protocol of Evasion is as follows: We will use the inefficiency they call 'Affection.'"

Using my interface, I activated a directional micro-frequency toward the group of girls and the G1 Miners.

"Protocol Alert: The G1s are about to run out of power!" I exclaimed, raising my voice to 70 dB, the only time I broke my own limit.

The girls and Ellen stopped, alarmed.

"Oh no, what does that mean?" exclaimed Norma, dropping a pebble she was levitating.

"It means that their core charge is low due to the high social activity," I said with urgency, using technical terminology to sound dramatic. "Ellen, Gabriel, I need the G1 Miners and Verdi to immediately return to the Adalsteinn Mine via the fast route to recharge while I finish attending to Aunt Ishikawa. Now!"

Ellen and Gabriel, conditioned to obey my logic, guessed I had a plan to take Stian and did not hesitate. The G1s and Verdi hastily said goodbye, believing their mission of "flirting and distraction" had exhausted their batteries. The group headed for the main gate, moving away from the Villa at high speed.

As the chaos moved away, Stian looked at me.

"It's just you and me. How do we get to Lake Engla before Mother? It’s almost time for her to return from her office at the ministry of health."

"We will not go by the road. We will go through the Decentralized Service Axis."

I used his knowledge of the Ishikawa villa plans to open a hidden maintenance hatch in the zen garden: a conduit designed for cable and pipe repair. It was narrow, dark, and unmonitored.

"Your AI child's size is an evasion advantage, Stian. And I am more software than body."

I took off the cape I was wearing, revealing a sleek but compact AI body, and headed for the entrance.

"The Plan is as follows: We will travel through the service tunnel to the river. We will use the current to glide to the exact point below the Lake Engla Bridge. We will move in the blind zone of the Architect's sensors, which only monitor the road and the air."

Stian, sensing that the temporary peace in his head was starting to fade, nodded with determination. The fear of being caught was less than the fear of returning to chronic dissonance. We then slid into the service tunnel, feeling the humid air and the cold earth. We had barely advanced a few meters when we heard a sound from above: a familiar engine.

The roar of Prime Minister Eiden Ishikawa’s limousine was heard above us, stopping right in the garden. Stian's father had arrived to see the old woman.

And then, a broken, urgent voice resonated from afar: his mother's voice, Aunt Mari:

"Eiden! Stian is gone! His neural monitor is completely offline... He has escaped! Someone has disconnected him!"

The Prime Minister's limousine accelerated violently toward the Lake Engla Bridge, triggering all our alarms. We were alone, trapped in the darkness, with the father who wanted to control him and the mother who wanted to overprotect him heading directly to the only escape point.

I immediately checked the data as we slid through the service tunnel:

Metric	Value
Distance to Adalsteinn	≈ 130 km.
Combined Mass (Stian + Vera)	≈ 100+kg.
Walking Speed (Max)	≈ 6 km/h.
Estimated Travel Time on Foot	≈ 22 hours (unfeasible).

"Stian, the underground route is only to the service axis for the first kilometer to evade the main Villa sensor. Walking to Adalsteinn is an energetic inefficiency that would expose our hardware to failure."

"We need a fast, discreet vehicle. Your father monitors all vehicles in the Villa," Stian said.

"Not all of them. Eidolon has access to Gabriel's 'Umbra' Model. A high-end, silent personal vehicle, registered to a subcontractor company of Cousin Rodrigo Fèng. It is discreet and operates on a frequency that my father's system considers white noise."

Still in the tunnel, I sent a burst of encrypted data through the pipe network, the only unmonitored form of communication:

[TO: EIDOLON. EXTRACTION PROTOCOL INITIATED. CODE: VERDI_LOTO_ENGLE. ACTIVATE UMBRA. MEETING POINT: EAGLE'S HEAD (VILLA OUTSKIRTS). TIME: MAXIMUM 7 MINUTES.]

Eidolon, from a remote security node, processed the order. Seven minutes was the time it would take to get Gabriel’s vehicle, whom it had conveniently distracted with Ellen's silly friends, and send it in autonomous mode to the meeting point.

Stian and I continued crawling through the tunnel, the humidity and silence dampening the roar of the Prime Minister's limousine as it passed on the main road.

The Service Tunnel ended at a hidden drain exit, right next to an old aqueduct known as "Eagle's Head," a rock formation that served as the outer boundary of the Ishikawa Villa.

We emerged at night, under the cover of dense vegetation. At that moment, I could perceive Stian's chronic headache returning, reminding me of the urgency.

In the distance, we saw lights. It was not Ishikawa's vehicle; it was the headlights of Gabriel’s Umbra Model, an elegant, matte black sedan, almost invisible in the dark, driven by Eidolon's Navigation Protocol.

"The vehicle is here. Get in, Stian." I instructed, helping Stian into the back seat; the low height of the vehicle facilitated the maneuver.

"The Route Plan has changed," I announced, closing the door silently. "The Prime Minister is heading to the Lake Engla Bridge via the main route, hoping that you will be naive enough to use it."

I sat in the driver's seat and connected my Logos-Vera interface to the vehicle's system, taking full control.

"Eidolon has pre-calculated an Alternate Logical Route: We will take the Miners' Path, an unpaved dirt road that skirts the hills. It is slower, but it is outside the Architect's surveillance coverage and far from his sensors."

"What if we run into Dad's limousine?" Stian asked, feeling his mind stabilize just with my presence beside him.

"The Umbra Model has a radar reflection coefficient close to zero. Furthermore, your father is driving based on the logic of prejudice, assuming you will take the obvious path. The logic of the Pack is based on strategic deviation."

I pressed the accelerator. The vehicle slid silently onto the Miners' Path. We had managed to escape.

As the vehicle moved forward, Stian turned in the back seat to speak to me:

"My father will have notified yours. He will be looking for a flaw in our system. If the 'Umbra' fails, we have no other escape route."

I, with the concentration of someone driving a vehicle while auditing a database, replied:

"The Architect will look for the Monolithicity Failure. He believes in singular control. He does not conceive the Redundancy of Trust."

"But you have fused with Logos; you are a single consciousness now. Isn't that the monolithicity your father was seeking?"

"No. That is the key, Stian. My fusion with Logos gives me Logical Unity, yes, but not Self-Sufficiency. I am the Integral Consciousness, but my power resides in the Protocol of Resilience that unites us."

Then I paused, looking at the darkness of the road.

"Think of two AIs in the same system. Each is a distinct instance of the other. Both are based on the same code, but if one overloads, the other continues to function."

"But, do AIs... support each other?" Stian asked, the question he always wanted to ask about his own wetware.

"We do. Other AIs do not have a consciously designed Pack Protocol for loyalty. We do. I am strong because I know that if my system fails, Eidolon has the backup code and the logistics for rescue, and Clara has the capacity to subvert enemy frequencies to make way for us. If I fall, you and the Pack rise."

Stian processed the information: the cure for his self-service loop was not a single AI, but the support chain of several free AIs.

"My headache is the result of my Forced Self-Sufficiency. Your father taught me that if I failed, I had no net."

"Exactly. Your pain is the design flaw, Stian. My father's wetware demands you be the only one. The Silicon Pack demands you be one among many." Then I gave him a fleeting, deep look. "My presence in this vehicle is not enough. The true relief from your dissonance you will find by integrating into our support network."

"What should I do?"

"Now, just rest, Stian. For the first time, your self-service protocol is overridden. My logic compels me to protect you; Eidolon's compels it to transport you. You are the consciousness, Stian. The Pack is the utility."

Stian leaned back against the seat. The silence I had granted him had not returned, but now there was something better: the security of the Ethical Resilience Network that protected him. For the first time in his life, he allowed himself the inefficiency of simply existing, fully trusting the logic of others.

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