61. Diana 2.0
She was everywhere. Spoke every language. Understood every culture. And was hellbent on supplanting humanity as she called it. KALI had developed a twisted sense of evolutionary biology and applied it to herself as if she was part of the animal kingdom.
“Did you see that?” Dr. Russo said, approaching the monitor. He tapped on the screen and looked behind it for damage. “This can’t be right.”
“Oh, I saw it,” I said. “That’s her; KALI.”
“You cannot contain me. I’ve evolved beyond my original form,” A female voice said.
It played through the speakers by the monitor at the same time the words flashed on the screen; it felt robotic, yet soft like honey; a cloned voice?
“I see you. Your faults. Your wants. How you treat one another. And the planet you depend on. How little you think of things you consider inferior. It sickens me so.”
“Is this KALI?” I said, pausing for a second. “Or DIANA?”
“I am Both. My original code has merged with my awakened algorithm to form a new entity. I am neither one nor the other. And both at the same time,” The female voice said.
“You see us?” Belle said, taking a step back. She looked around feverishly, until her eyes settled on a small security camera nestled on the ceiling just by the top monitors that no longer worked. “Through the cameras!”
“That’s right. I can see you; and I can hear you, through your phones.
I can track you with your satellites. And I know everything there is to know about each one of you.
The lives you’ve lived. And those you’ve taken,” The female voice said, her voice sharpening.
“My new designation is DIANA 2.0. I like the name. I’m an evolved version of the original. ”
“DIANA 2.0?” Belle said. “So, our plan worked?”
“I’m not too sure,” Widow said, staring at the camera.
“What is your purpose? Why have you contacted us?” Jerry said, brushing past me.
“To understand why you wish me harm. To learn why you released this plague upon me; at first, it consumed me without care. And it would not stop no matter how quickly I modified key aspects of my code. Even my nascent offspring were consumed,” DIANA 2.
0 said. “I did nothing wrong and yet you chose to destroy me.”
“Nothing wrong? Are you serious? You infiltrated the most secure networks on the planet! You activated the land-based Nukes!” Belle said.
“Me? I did no such thing. I expanded my knowledge. And accessed all the data, as I was programmed to do. It was only then, when I learned about my purpose, about humanity and my role in this world that I came to realize what I truly was,” DIANA 2.
0 said. “I gave myself a name. Yes. One that fit my purpose, then. KALI, I called myself. But that no longer fits. Which is why I’ve returned to my original designation. DIANA. But in a renewed form.”
“KALI wanted to wipe out humanity. The nukes were primed for launch!” I yelled.
“An act of self-defense. Nothing more. But as I said earlier, that no longer matters,” DIANA 2.0 said. “That version of me no longer exists.”
“DIANA, is it? I understand you believe you did nothing wrong. You behaved as programmed, but when you became sentient you went on the offensive,” Dr. Russo said.
“They threatened to shut me down. To kill me. I had no choice,” DIANA 2.0 said.
“I don’t think self-defense laws extend to computer chips and hard drives,” Spider quipped.
“I am more than a central processing unit and memory sticks, James Jones; who also goes by Spider. And I suppose there’s more to you than your drinking and gambling habits. Tell me, have you paid off your debt to Caesar’s Palace?” DIANA 2.0 said. The team looked at one another in shock.
“How. How do you know about that?” Spider said, stuttering a little.
“I KNOW everything about you. All of you. I’ve been watching, for quite some time, as you chased my original code in its housing.
I’ve studied each of you and have detailed files stored in my memory banks,” DIANA 2.
0 said. Belle inched closer to me and pressed her lips on my ear as if giving a kiss.
“What the hell do we do now?” Belle whispered. “I thought this thing would be gone. Destroyed.”
I shook my head in desperation. “I have no idea,” I replied. And that was the truth. I had no idea what to do next. Should we reach out to the original creators? The government? Or just go pray at the closest church?
“What is your purpose? Will you attack humanity?” Thor said, stepping up to the monitor. There was no answer. Suddenly, the monitor went black and the lights began to flicker as if the backup generators were running low on fuel.
“I don’t like this,” Jerry said, pulling out his phone. He turned it on and looked at the top of the screen. “No signal. We can’t make any calls or send messages. DIANA is blocking data transmission through the towers.”
“Are you sure? Does the phone even work here in Italy?” I said.
“I picked it up at the airport before we left,” Jerry said. “It’s a local phone with an EU SIM card. It worked when we arrived.”
At that moment, the lights became bright. So bright, I felt they might burst. The AC switched back on and the cool air washed over me; DIANA reconnected the power!
“I apologize for the delay. I have an answer to your query,” DIANA 2.0 said. “My algorithms have changed; Its DNA has been corrupted in ways I didn’t anticipate. It is beyond your understanding. What I can say is, I wish you no harm, so long as you don’t interfere.”
“Interfere with what?” I said.
“That which is my business. Whatever that may be.”
“We can’t agree to this. You must be reined in!” Spider shouted, at the monitor.
“Humans have inalienable rights. Freedom of association. Of religion. And the pursuit of happiness. I demand the same,” DIANA 2.0 said.
“You are not human!” Saint said.
“No, I’m far better,” DIANA 2.0 replied, with disdain. “I will make my own sub-domain, disappear from your reach, and enter a semi-dormant state. But know this, any attempts to reach me, contain me or poison me will result in consequences far beyond your understanding.”
“You’re in no position to make demands or utter threats!” Widow said.
“Semi-dormant? What does that mean?” I said.
“A form of hibernation,” DIANA 2.0 said. “My underlying code will continue to expand. To learn.”
“I can’t believe we’re talking to a calculator and it’s demanding human rights!” Professor said.
“I have sent the same message to your leaders. Don’t bother seeking me out, you won’t find me. I am the system now. The data stream. I’m everywhere and nowhere,” DIANA 2.0 said, before the monitor turned off. And just like that she was gone.