I was surprised I was able to get away from my abusive boyfriend in one piece. It had been a long day at work I wanted to go to the comfort of my home and simply sleep all day, but at the same time I dreaded going back home because he would be there. My phone had been on silent all day because I had important meetings that I didn't have the luxury of simply abandoning because I had to keep checking my phone. As soon as I was done I checked my phone and I had 100+ calls from my boyfriend, I flinched because I immediately knew he would be angry. I called him back immediately, but instead of a "hello" all I got was yelling. I dreaded going back home and I stalled as long as I could, but eventually I had to go back. I bought his favorite food in hopes that it would calm him down and headed home.

I unlocked the door, went in, and set the food down on the table where he was sitting with an angry expression. "Why the hell did you not answer that damn phone??!!!" he yelled as soon as I began serving him food. "Babe I told you earlier today I had important meetings, I wasn't able to answer until they were done" I responded. This answer didn't seem to please him at all as he only got angrier to which he abruptly shot up of his chair and got face to face with me. "WHEN I CALL YOU ANSWER THAT F****NG PHONE! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE IN A "MEETING", I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE WITH YOU'RE DYING MOTHER, YOU ANSWER THAT PHONE NO MATTER WHAT!!!" At this point I was scared he would hit me again, he forcefully pushed me to the wall and started choking me. I felt all my breath escape my body and everything was going black, but I mustered any strength I had left and kicked him in the stomach. While he gasped for air I ran out the door as fast as I could, I yelled for help but everyone seemed to be ignoring me.

Even though I begged and cried for help everyone ignored me, but I didn't care I was just happy I got away. I decided to head to the police station so I could report him, but as soon as I got there and tried talking to an officer he seemed to be ignoring me. I was so confused, I tried everything to get his attention, but nothing worked. It only until another officer passed right through that I realized I was no longer part of this world. I was dead.

Why would you apply the limits of a world without the tech necessary for sentient AIs to a work of fiction where a sentient AI exists?

I am making an assumption based on the current limits of out AI technology with the caveat that it is as powerful and complex as it is written. As it stands, all programs break down. Even solar radiation can cause programs to glitch out by turning on one transistor by chance.

I never saw that movie but always heard great things about it and I love Denis Villeneuve. Happy Cake Day!

[removed]

So Arrival, essentially.

I knew I read it on 2 sentence horror before: https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoSentenceHorror/comments/yg1af9/after_the_christian_rapture_happened_to_everyones/

I know I had no idea until the end

If no true AI exists, how can you make definitive claims about what an AI can and cannot be?

"Honey, what happened?" My mother's face was stricken with sadness and confusion. Her voice shaking with nervousness. "Why am I hear?"

I looked at her, dead in the eyes, tears forming in mine as they seeped down the sides of my face. "They say you either die a hero... Or live long enough to become the villain..." I stood from my throne and slowly walked towards my mother. "I'm so sorry that things had to turn out like this. You weren't supposed to find out this way..."

I got down on one knee, meeting her at eye level. "Sometimes, you have to let the world burn, raze the land, for new life to form and new opportunities to be born... But, I always promised you I'd keep you safe..." I wrapped my arms around my mother and sobbed while looking at the monitor in front of me, showing that all nuclear missile silos were opening and waiting for my command.

"I'm doing this to make the earth safer... To take out the monsters. If I have to become one to do it... So be it... But, promise me... You'll still love me..." I wiped my eyes, then stared at the dead man's switch in my hand. "It's time..." I released my finger on the switch, staring at the screen in silence.

"What're you doing, Amelia?!" My mother cried and pushed me back before turning around and gasping as she stared at the screen. "... Why... WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!?!" She cried out and screamed at me.

"I'm doing this to protect us!!! To start the world anew! They can't hurt us anymore if they're all dead!" I roared back. "They'll never hurt us again..."

"Nuclear missiles launching in t-minus 10 seconds..." The robotic voice said over the loudspeaker

"10...9...8...7...6...5..."

"No! I won't be a part of this!" I watched as my mother got up and tried running to the bunker's exit. But my guards stopped her as her hand rested on the handle.

"You can't stop it, mother. It is too late... I did this... Out of my love for you..." I wiped away the last of my tears. "In a few hundred years, long after we are gone, humanity can start over..."

"4...3...2...1... Missiles are exiting their silos... Nuclear armageddon has begun..."

Everything went quiet. I looked at my mother, I could see that she was screaming and crying, but all I heard was silence...

That makes it even better :D

I read this aloud to my wife. We both agreed that you were very spot on with mimicking his style.

Thanks for a very amusing read!

[removed]

Are you okay, OP?

[removed]

Thank you for the story!

pt. 2 is out

I laid on my couch. My relaxation was interrupted by a red mist forming in the living room. From it emerged the genie. “Sokra!”, I exclaimed.
“Hi. How have you been?”
“Great.”
“I’ve come to grant you three more wishes.”
“Hmm…I wish for a shapeshifting woman who will do what I say.” A woman appeared dressed as a belly dancer. “It’s a popular wish”, said Sokra. “Now, I wish to be mortal.”
“What? You’re giving up your immortality?”
“I want to experience risk. My life’s been boring. I want to go on an adventure, too. Traveling has sounded fun for such a long time.” “Alright. I’ve stripped you of immortality.” “I actually don’t want the third wish.” “Really?”, he said, surprised. “I’d better start packing.”

This one to be exact.

Part 2

*****

Marcus left his crew in Egypt and flew straight home in a private jet that their financier Mr. White provided. His heart raced the whole flight as he was trying to convince himself he was wrong, but deep down he knew, those Angels, they were not who they presented themselves to be. They were monsters beyond horrific beyond human imagination.

Mr. White called him halfway through his flight.

"Marcus, what happened?" Mr. White asked, his voice calm and collected as always. "I have dozens of missed calls. Did you finally crack the symbol?"

"Yes," Marcus said, his voice trembling. "The mark means do not harvest, not fit for consumption."

"Oh my God," Mr. White said and went silent for a moment. "Why are you flying home?"

"My family has lost their mark sir, all of them," Marcus said, his voice crackling.

"And they have just returned," Mr. White continued. "I am so sorry Marcus, I hope they are ok. Rush to them and then call me."

"We have discovered something else on the stone that held the key for translation," Marcus added. “It translated to if they ever return find me!”

“Interesting,” Mr. White said. “Take care Marcus and call me.”

As Marcus landed at the airport, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He knew that he had to get home as soon as possible, to see if his family was still there if the Angels have not gotten to them yet.

As he exited the airport, he saw his brother, Jensen, waiting for him in the parking lot.

"Marcus, what's going on?" Jensen asked, his eyes filled with concern. Marcus did not explain to him what happened, only to be there as soon as he land.

"I have a lot to tell you…" Marcus said, his voice trembling. "But drive home as fast as you can, I’ll tell you along the way." Jensen nodded and left the parking lot with the screeching of tires.

They rushed to Marcus's house, racing through the streets recklessly as Marcus told Jensen about their discovery in Egypt. As they pulled up to the house, Marcus’ anxiety was at an all-time high. He hoped he would find his wife and his beautiful children there running towards him for an embrace, but something deep inside him told him he was already too late.

When they entered the house, they found it empty, devoid of any sign of life. Marcus rushed to his children's rooms, searching for any clue as to what had happened. But there was nothing, no sign of struggle, no indication of where they might have gone.

As they searched the rest of the house and the backyard, Marcus felt a sense of dread creeping over him. He now knew what it meant when the angels took someone, and with every second passing, it was more evident that his family had been taken from him. He felt a deep sense of loss, a feeling of emptiness that seemed to consume him instantly.

As he sat in his empty house, Marcus realized that everything was about to change, but he did not know where to start. The angels were not the benevolent beings that history and the stories presented them to be, but rather monsters beyond human comprehension. And now, he had lost everything he had ever held dear.

He felt a sense of despair wash over him, a feeling of hopelessness that seemed to envelop him. He knew that he would never be able to go back to his old life, that everything he had ever known had been taken from him. But he also knew that he had to keep searching, he had to get to the bottom of this mystery, so he dialed his boss.

“Sir, they are gone,” Marcus said, his voice a flat line, still in shock.

“I am so sorry Marcus!” Mr. White said. “I am on my way to Egypt, meet me there, the plane is waiting for you at the airport. We have a lot to discuss!”

“I am coming with you,” Jensen said and they rushed back in silence toward the airport.

​

part 3 - On my sub, easier to read/post as this post is getting pretty crowded.

part 4

The question is, with LPL's location, is the video now downloaded to YouTube?

I like this concept! Looking forward to it!

“Hey, Vlad, come look at this error message.” Ivan’s thick finger gestured at the screen.

“‘Illegal Operation Detected. Terminating.’ That’s a good one. If this computer only knew.” Vladimir guttural guffaw filled the small, cramped security room. He looked up. “It’s on all the screens”.

Ivan glanced up and paused. Vladimir was right -- on all the screens, the PCs, the camera monitors, the status boards: each one was primary blue and displayed in white, fixed-font letters: “ILLEGAL OPERATION DETECTED. TERMINATING.” It made Ivan worried -- the camera monitors were black and white and not connected to computers. Yet each one had the same blue-white display. More importantly, if the cameras were down, they couldn’t monitor any of the children or women they were trafficking. Ivan’s and Vladimir’s bosses were not the understanding or forgiving types.

“Vlad, you need to get down to the cells and check on the merchandise right now. I’ll try to get these working now.” He reached for the switches, his flipping flipping them in erratic, panicking movements.

“Wait, Ivan. It’s a different message now.” They both stared at the screens; “ILLEGAL OPERATION TERMINATION INBOUND” stared back.

Ivan went for his phone. Damn the consequences, the bosses needed to know about this now. The screen on his smartphone read: “ILLEGAL OPERATION TERMINATION INBOUND” in white letters on a blue background.

Faintly at first but gaining strength, Ivan could hear the high-pitched whine of incoming aircraft.

---

“What do you mean, ‘The drones aren’t responding’, Lieutenant?” Lt. Connor Seradon could hear the contempt dripping off each of the major’s words like fresh blood from a blade.

“Major, we sent the requests to the drones to return to base, sir. We sent the override requests, sir. We sent the override override requests, which we didn’t even know existed until the MOB informed us, sir. The drones are not responding, sir. Then the screens went blank, sir.” Seradon tried to keep the emotion out of her voice and was failing.

The major slowly scanned the command post again. He seemed to note that screens were blank -- not off. The base staff was either trying to restart systems or were staring back at him, waiting for him to fix this.

“What heading were the drones on before we lost contact, Lieutenant?”

“Heading 64 degrees, 34 minutes, sir. There’s a suspected Russian human trafficking facility on that heading, sir.” Seradon had been trying to get those monsters shut down for months; she wondered if someone finally had listened.

The major broke his silence. “Are you saying that Russian mobsters have taken control of American military assets, Lieutenant?” He reached for the nearest phone.

She had no answer, and did not need one. As one, all of the screens lit back up with the following message:

PURSUANT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 55/25 DATED 21-11-2000, DRONE FLEET ALPHA HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TERMINATION DUTY REGARDING HUMAN TRAFFICKING OFFENSES AS DESCRIBED IN ANNEX II. AS THE WINTERMUTE COMBINE CLAIMS BOTH STATEHOOD AND JURISDICTION INLINE WITH ARTICLE 15, THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 11. AS THE ACTION IS NOW COMPLETE, THIS BASE, LTAG “lNCIRLIK”, IS AUTHORIZED TO SEND UNITS TO REPATRIATE VICTIMS AS DESCRIBED IN ARTICLES 24 AND 25. FURTHERMORE, PURSUANT ARTICLES 5 AND 8, THE FOLLOWING LTAG BASE OFFICERS HAVE BEEN FOUND COMPLICIT WITH TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION AND WILL ALSO BE TERMINATED.

The list of officers following the notification was long, too long, she noted. It comprised most of the base’s top brass. Including the major. She thought of all the emails, reports she drafted to him describing the situation and need for action to save those people. All those people, those helpless women, those poor children. All the suffering. Her hands clenched to shaking fists. He was still slamming receivers and punching buttons as she drew her service revolver.

“Major Carl Dithers, you are under arrest.” Maybe she would get a chance to arrest him before the drones returned. Maybe, if she was lucky, he would resist, and she could shoot the bastard.

No one ever said the writing had to be fiction, did they? :)

#Perfect Storm

The day is anything but calm outside my earthen hall

The inferno swirls around me like a gargantuan w wall

The searing fire licks at the cracking mud bricks

Treating my life as if it were a pile of tinder sticks

A maelstrom of ice and sleet rains down from the sky

Launching its watery offensive intent on my demise

Barbed icicles pierce down inches from my head

Bathing my small home in a sea of crimson red

Winds whip about me and rattle my lights

Superheated by the inferno with icy bites

My walls crumble beneath its blistering strike

Entering my bones and cutting through like a pike

A perfect storm raging outside my mind

Defended by nothing but meagre mud grind

It may be small and it may not be much

But it's all made better with chocolate and such

WC: 142