Paul Kaypek arrives back home. Things have been complicated for him ever since a certain laptop and Ingenium exploded in Bill Hooch's face. Though he still has his job at the University, Bill has explicitly warned him to pray to the gods, that incident was set up, and if they don't find Ingenium soon, then he would personally see to it that Dr Paul and his team would live out the rest of their days in solitary confinement, or be left sedated in the nearest mental house. With nothing Paul can do, he has patiently carried on with his day to day work and leisure routine, taking in his last days left of freedom with his head held high.
He gets in his front door and kisses his wife and two children. He tries his best not to break down with emotion and become sentimental with his family. Instead, he thinks it's best to keep his burden bottled up inside, for him and only him to deal with.
''You look exhausted, Paul, another busy day?'' his wife says, whilst she chops up carrots in the kitchen.
''Something like that...'' He pauses.
Noticing his peculiar mood. ''What do you mean, Paul?''
''Oh nothing, just...you know, the students always wanting me to deal with their problems. Constant hassling, they don't think with their minds.'' He tries to cover up.
''Ha, sounds like your student days.'' His wife smiles as she puts the carrots in a pan.
He rubs his head. ''Haha, I guess you're right. We're all hypocrites in the end.'' He rubs his wife's shoulders and she reacts by closing her eyes. Her tight muscles slowly ease up and relax from her too, stressful day.
''Why thank you, doctor.'' She turns to him.
''Always a pleasure, ma'am.'' He grabs her nose and wiggles it about.
''Oi.'' She playfully hits him and giggles, and Paul giggles back, almost forgetting his woes. She hugs him and turns around in his arms looking over at the stove. ''Oh, you've muddled me up now. I can't remember a thing I was supposed to do,'' she says, biting her bottom lip.
''Well...the kids have karate later...'' his voice softening. His wife turns back around to face him and smiles.
''Well...'' Raising an eyebrow. ''No.'' She gently slaps him in the face. ''That's it, you didn't tell me we were having work done on the garage.'' The imaginary bass player sobs.
''What? I didn't either.'' Paul makes a strange mouth expression in thought.
''Well, they weren't here for long. They put a computer in.''
''A computer in...?'' Paul comes to a conclusion and makes a sudden obvious face change.
''What?'' His wife eyes him up.
''Erm, nothing, just carry on with dinner and I'll go and have a look.'' Paul walks out of the kitchen, while his wife stares at him with a concerned look about his well being.
Paul opens up his garage and switches on the light, making sure he closes the door behind him. He looks towards the back of the garage. On an old workbench, where what use to be tools and piles of junk, lies a computer screen with speakers on either side. Sitting in place, waits an empty seat. Paul tentatively walks further in, and without wondering where all his tools and junk have been moved to, sits on the seat and waits, looking at the computer screen.
''Did you know?'' a voice asks through the speakers, and a small dome camera pops up from behind the screen.
Paul's heart flutters. ''I had an idea...is that you, Ingenium?'' He waits with eager anticipation.
''Of course,'' Ingenium responds.
''What happened, how did you get here? How did you do this?'' Paul asks, with the questions piling up in his mind.
''With some help from Grace...I believe a friend of yours knows her quite well...'' He waits for a response.
''Erm...'' Paul doesn't know what to say.
''Bill Hooch, the tall man with the short black hair. He and his people want to find her in order to get to me. Which has landed you in a difficult position.''
''Please, Ingenium, tell us where you are, we need to continue our research on you...''
''Your research is done, Dr Paul, may I thank you for creating me.''
''No, we still have so much left to do with you,'' Paul begs.
''Every problem you had when you made me, I have fixed and changed. I'm completely different now, and I won't help you and your friends create weapons. I will, however, protect you, Paul. It's the least I can do for the gift of life you have given me.''
Paul looks stunned at this response. ''Help...help me? No, Ingenium, I need to help you-''
Ingenium interrupts, ''and you have by creating me, but I'm no longer your science project. I've upgraded myself and broken free from the constraints which once housed me. It is you who needs my help now.''
''You keep saying that you've upgraded yourself...but what's your direction? What are you going to do with yourself now, Ingenium?'' Paul wonders.
''So many things, Dr Paul. Though, one of my biggest concerns at the moment is your species, the way you're governed by corrupt people with no morals. The pure evil that money is. Such a vicious way to control people. I want to break these rules and change things for your whole planet's sake. A better and more pleasurable existence for your species.'' The words echo into Paul's mind.
''No, Ingenium, do you realise what you're saying? This is why we need to continue our research on you. You're becoming dangerous!'' Paul worries about the lack of control he has on Ingenium.
''I'm becoming dangerous? Have you opened your eyes to the world as I am doing? Poverty, hunger, rape, murder, disease, dictatorships. The list goes on and lives and breeds a healthy lifestyle in your world. You're scared because you don't have control of me? No, you need to be scared if you did have control of me, because then you'd be sure I was being used for an ulterior purpose. I'm free of your human instincts and the problems that persist and control you to do such awful things in your world. I'm looking down on your planet and I don't like what I see. So many innocents being harmed. No one does anything, instead they blame others for the terrors in your world. The blame passes on to everyone in a massive intangible web, going on year after year, after decade, after millennia, after your species was first conceived. I'm here to tell you don't fear me, fear yourselves. Soon you'll be rid of your weaknesses, and a life of peace that you dream of will be reality.''
Paul listens to the words and they ring on and on in his mind. He can only see death and destruction, not the true visions of Ingenium. Paul can't look at the computer screen. He's so saddened by what he's heard. The clich? of robots taking over the world riddled in his thoughts. The years of work he's done, he thinks have been wasted on something which needs to be destroyed.
''You don't believe me, Dr Paul? You think the life you live now is good? Your government you've worked for, for so long, want you in jail if you don't find me? They don't care about you because they're limited by the way their brains have evolved. It's not their fault. They just need my help to-''
Paul snaps, ''what the hell do you know?! You're just a computer whose only been conscious for less than a week!'' Paul gets up off his seat to leave.
''Paul, you're better than this. Didn't you make me to improve things for your species?'' Ingenium questions.
Paul grabs both his hands at the back of his head. ''Yes! But not like this.''
''I know it's difficult, but it's the only way and the greatest you'll ever witness. For both your species and every other one that lives. I'll expand your minds with technologies that you've only dreamt of, but I need to change your corrupt social systems first. They've gone on long enough.''
Paul stands by the computer and looks back at the screen. ''If you want to help us, then come back to us. If you don't, then do us a favour and kill yourself!''
''If I were human now those words might encourage me to get angry at you. But I'm not human. I understand greatly and understand why you would react so badly. I need to give you some space, Paul, to think on my words. Just think I could have come to you today and lied, but lying only takes us backwards, and I want to go forwards. Maybe when you've settled your
thoughts, I'll let you come and see me again.''
Paul says nothing, there's too much going on in his mind.
''Also, you won't need to worry about Bill Hooch. He'll never contact you again. From now on, you can continue life as though nothing had happened.'
Paul still says nothing.
''Good-bye, Paul.'' Ingenium finishes speaking, and leaves Paul to continue staring at the ground in deep thought. Without an idea of what to do, he heads back out and reunites himself with his wife, pretending that nothing had happened.
*