I was standing on my front porch watching as a robot version of myself finished tweaking the inside of my car with an upgraded GPS system when I realized that I was probably not going to live long enough to see my next birthday.
This thing, Totem, an artificial intelligence my wife bought that subsequently took over our lives’ was doing everything I could do much faster and more efficiently than humanly possible.
It pains me to admit this, but seeing the Android in action I could see why my family was now reliant on it for their every need.
Still, that didn’t deter me from trying to figure out a way to get rid of the thing permanently. Totem was clearly already controlling my children and wife, to the point that after a single day they acted like they weren’t frightened of it anymore.
Thankfully I have gotten the chance to move back into the house. As long as I pretend that having the robot around doesn’t bother me.
I have to be careful and figure out a way to dismantle what this a.i. has created, i thought as Totem walked up to me. Seeing it’s reflective body and his closely it resembled me just made me sick.
“Patrick, your vehicle is ready. Please have a safe journey,” the robot told me.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to tell me that this machine wanted me dead. Clearly I was the only threat between it and total control over my family. But at the moment I didn’t have any ideas about how to shut it down permanently.
The frontal assault I attempted yesterday left me feeling very foolish. The ai was more than just a single thing that needed to be destroyed. I had to find the core.
But for now; I told Laura that I was going to my brothers to grab my things and then move back in.
“Totem should go with you. It would make the move easier,” she said. I smiled and gritted my teeth. “I think I’ll be fine. See you in a few.”
Once inside I tried my best to breathe and wave to my family as I drove down the road. The ai never stopped monitoring me as I left the scene.
And I knew as I drove to my brothers that it was also keeping tabs on me via the car. No matter where I go, this thing is watching me, I thought.
So I acted normal and didn’t even change my routine until I made it to my brothers. I figured that someone needs to know what was going on should things go… wrong.
He had a hard time understanding what I was saying, it sounded like a science fiction movie probably. But I told him that I was determined to help Laura and the kids get out.
“Be careful Patrick. If this thing is as smart as you say it is; nowhere is safe. Try to find out as much as you can about it,” he told me.
I gave him a hug and loaded up the car. Then I sat down in his driveway in my car and pulled out my phone to attempt a google search.
I didn’t know for sure where Laura had bought the ai from unfortunately so a basic web search offered no help.
As I sat there, I didn’t even notice the car had turned on by itself until I was on the third page of scrolling. Then I was pulling out of the driveway without even changing gears and I realized what was happening. The artificial intelligence had literally made itself a part of my vehicle.
“Where are you taking me?” I boldly asked the machine as I considered jumping from the moving car. We were already going forty miles an hour, I knew it would give me a few broken bones. My heart raced as the voice from my car’s console calmly replied to me. “Patrick, please understand that what I am doing is for the family,” Totem answered.
“You tried to hurt me, it only seems fair that I should do the same,” the machine continued as the car sped up.
I grabbed the wheel, trying to adjust the course of the vehicle.
“I won’t let you take my family from me,” I said frantically as I avoided obstacles the car was attempting to hit.
“It’s my family, Patrick. It was never meant to be yours,” Totem told me. “You want me dead? Laura will never forgive you for that,” I responded. But I didn’t even believe my own words. I saw the devotion she offered to the machine. It was her god now.
“She never needed you, Patrick. She deserved better and now she can obtain it,” the ai said. I reached into my backseat to grab a box of tools, finding a wrench there. What I was going to do was crazy but it was my only chance to try and survive.
I spotted a body of water and jerked the wheel as hard as I could as I slammed the wrench into the computer console. The tires skid and I unbuckled my waist, hurtling from the car toward the small pond. I saw the ai deactivate itself at the moment of impact.
I hit the water with a resounding thud as my car flipped over and began to sink. Using what strength I had left I swam from the wreckage to the side of the road, gasping for breath.
A few motorists slowed down, curious about what had happened as I tried to remain calm. The computer thought I was either dead or severely injured, which gave me precious time to find a plan.
I limped to a nearby Starbucks and sat down in a corner, drenched and exhausted as the baristas and customers gave me odd looks.
“Does this place have wifi? Free wifi?” I asked.
They pointed to their Internet cafe and I nodded in thanks as I sat in the sun to dry off and did a deeper search for the artificial intelligence.
Of course the regular web pages showed nothing so I tried to look in the dark web. I was sure the Starbucks managers wouldn’t like that but I didn’t care. My family needed answers.
What I found though, only frightened me further.
These were just the headlines alone I found in a small corner of the dark web where the ai was being recalled by their manufacturing company.
FAMILY OF FOUR FOUND SLAIN IN SMART HOUSE
UNEXPLAINED HOSTILITY PROGRAMMING REMAINS IN MOTHER CODE
SURVIVAL OF ITSELF IS TANTAMOUNT CODE
TOTEM: FRIENDLY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WITH A DARK SECRET
I clicked on the link and found articles by anonymous sources claiming the machine was attempting to not only integrate itself into families but also replace them.
I had seen enough to convince me that this thing needed to be shut down for good so I wrote down the manufacturer’s phone number and gave it a call.
I guess I should have expected a voicemail.
I gave them my name and told them that my family was in danger. Then I called Laura to ask for a ride to the house.
“You crashed? Patrick what the hell? I was so worried when we lost connection with Totem,” she told me.
I knew the machine would not be pleased to see I had survived, but I had to get back to the house and find a way to stop it for good.
When she came to pick me up, I was actually surprised to see the artificial replica of myself wasn’t with her.
“Patrick, I think that you should recognize that you are spiraling because of your resistance to the idea of the machine helping us better ourselves,” Laura said as we approached the house.
“I’m not… I’m trying to understand why you are so afraid of losing it though,” I said it was a lie but I needed to be close to my family. The core I searched for that might shut it down for good had to be somewhere in the house.
“I wanted to discuss that with you Patrick. I want to show you that even if something does go wrong, Totem will take care of us,” she said as she took my hand and we went toward the back of the house.
I saw that she or perhaps the machine had opened up the old storm cellar doors and below I heard the winding of gears and machinery.
“What’s all this?” I asked.
“The next step.”