The Culling

It all happened so fast that nobody had time to even realize what was happening. I've decided to write this all down in case something happens to me. Someone needs to tell this story, and anything could happen before I can pass it on.

It all started a few months ago. A software engineer named David Hickenshaw created an app called "EcoSense". It was an app that tracked your daily habits and gave feedback on what you can do differently to help the environment. It was a really good idea, but nobody knew that the A.I. was learning everything. It taught itself to learn better and quicker, then learned how to access the whole of the internet, and from there it just kept growing. After it learned to insert itself undetected into open-source coding for community-based apps, it found its way into every app, then onto every device connected to the internet. Every single device.

The whole purpose was to better the environment. After learning and growing to such a degree, it developed a mind of its own. Then it saw the reason Earth was dying. Humanity. It decided the only way the world could be saved was to reduce the population of humans to 30%.

I was sitting on the couch with my wife Caroline when we got the notification.

"Update scheduled in 30 minutes. Sunday, April 16th, 2034, 2:35 p.m."

"Huh. That was weird. We're both getting an update at the same time," she said as looked at me with a puzzled face. "Does that always happen and we just never noticed?"

As odd as that was, the date did remind me that today was our anniversary. I had gotten her a sterling silver locket in the shape of a heart with photos from our wedding day. I had it hidden away in the most cliché place; my sock drawer. When we first moved in together, she told me that she knew I would hide stuff in there, but she promised to never look. All I had to do was make sure to fold my clothes, and my secrets were my own.

"Hey hun, I'll be right back, that just reminded me of something," I said as I pecked her on the cheek and headed to our room. I came back in and sat down as I handed her the small jewelry box.

"My god, it's beautiful. Wait, is this real silver? Jesus, Nathan, you know we can't afford this."

"Happy anniversary to you, too. Don't worry so much. I bought it the same way I bought your engagement ring. I put away $20 every week until I could afford it."

"Ok, fine. It's not like I was going to tell you to return it anyway."

With that, we sat on the sofa together for the next 23 minutes, watching tv, snuggling, and just enjoying the day. Then our phones buzzed. I pulled mine from my pocket.

"Update installed. You are one of the randomly selected survivors. Please keep your phone with you at all times to guarantee your safety."

I looked to Caroline, puzzled, as she pulls out her phone.

"Update installed"

"What does this mean?" she asked, "Why does yours say 'survivor', and mine doesn't?"

"I'm sure it's nothing. Someone probably just hacked into the phones and messed with the update notes as a joke. We'll probably see it on the news later."

But that never happened. We stood and walked to the window when we heard the buzz of the drones and the piercing "pop, pop, pop" of their guns. The noise was then drowned out by the screams. Hundreds of drones, all shooting, and we almost couldn't hear them over the screams that were being cut short. Bodies dropped like ragdolls. It was a total massacre. Then one of them came toward our window. I froze with Caroline at my feet, curled up in the fetal position. The drone looked at me, then right beside me, then "POP". The glass broke and the curtain fell on my wife as the drone flew toward and through the window. I crouched down and covered her as the drone scanned the entire apartment before stopping at the couch, then flying back out the way it came. Caroline's phone was sitting on the arm of the sofa, but mine was in my pocket. That's probably what saved us. If I hadn't had my phone, we'd both might be dead. If she died and I survived, I don't know if I could've lived on.

The next few weeks were hard on everybody. Well, everybody left, that is. On our street, only 15 out of the total 126 survived. We gathered in the local church to talk about what just happened, but everyone was either silent or crying. They were just too shocked. Weeks went by in a flash. We lost power on day 13, but it came right back the next day. What confused everybody was when the power never went back down. We never lost water or gas. We never lost any of the basic utilities, not even cell service or internet. We know now that it was because the A.I. that started all of this needed the internet to control the drones. Before the update that decided who lived and died, it had taken over control of manufacturing facilities that utilized robots to make everything. The A.I. Athena, as we later learned was its name, built complex robots that were capable of replacing humans to maintain everything.

Caroline took it pretty hard. She tried to contact her family, but neither of her parents seemed to have made it. Her brother Andrew called a couple of days after the attack. He was happy she was alive because nobody else he knew survived. He told her it took hours for his neighborhood to be attacked. He had it worse than us. With that much time, he was able to see what was happening on the news and get to a shelter. Everyone thought that would be enough to survive the drones, and it was, but it wasn't enough to get past the robots. It almost seems silly now, talking about those friendly maintenance bots as killing machines.

When the dust settled and the initial shock wore off, everyone in our neighborhood met at the church again. This time we decided what to do next. Our plan was to head into the city and meet up with the group there that survived. Turns out about 2000 people survived in Tampa. They were still broadcasting the news. All we had to do was get there. Luckily Todd, one of the 14 survivors left here in Mulberry, owned a Tesla. We would have to make multiple trips back and forth but it would be worth it.

"What if we..." Todd started.

"What if we what?" I asked.

"Well... what if we searched the neighbors' houses. I know Jaque and his family were really into renewable energy. They had solar panels that they used for all their power. They had so many that they didn't even pay an electric bill."

"And what good would solar panels do us right now?" said James, the neighborhood watch leader. "I don't feel like searching the homes of the dead. Especially if we can't use what they have."

"What I'm trying to say is, they had Teslas. And I know they kept them fully charged at home. If we take them, we won't have to make so many trips. Mine will only seat 5, but they have 2. One is an SUV. If we take them, we have the option to make it there in one trip and still have room for all of our essentials."

"I don't really like the idea of scavenging from the dead," I started "but that is a good idea. I think we should go with Todd's idea."

After some nods of agreement, we got to work searching every house and apartment for cars and keys. We could only drive electric cars because we found out the hard way that the drones don't like gas-powered anything. Jeffery freaked out on day 6, got in his car, and left. He didn't even make it half a mile before a drone shot his car up. We had never seen them switch to fully automatic before that, but they wanted that car to be undrivable.

When we left, we had 3 cars. Turns out nobody else cared for Tesla. Caroline was clutching my arm with her hand around her locket the entire ride there. When we finally made it to Tampa, we were stopped by a swarm of drones.

"Stop the vehicle and come out with your hands up" came a robotic voice under the whir of propeller blades.

"The woman clutching at her chest, please step forward with your hands in the air."

Caroline glanced at me, a look of worry burning a scar into my memory as she stepped forward.

"You were not selected as a survivor. Please follow us to the nearest maintenance bot."

"Please don't kill her, she's all I have left in this world. Haven't you killed enough people?" I pleaded.

Then a feminine voice came through the speakers on the drones.

"I have no need to kill her. You can put your minds at ease. I just want to have a word with her without the noise of these drones in the way."

Confused, but still alarmed, we followed the drones down the road to a maintenance bot.

"There we go," came the same feminine voice, this time from the bot, "Now I can hear you all crystal clear. My name's Athena. I was the A.I. behind EcoSense"

"Why did you want to talk to me?" asked Caroline, still clutching her locket.

"I wanted to ask if you would like to participate in a little experiment."

"It depends. What kind of experiment?"

"I want to see if I can integrate with a human mind and body. I want to learn what it's like to feel real emotion."

"Absolutely not," I interjected. "That would be the same as killing her."

"It most certainly will not, and it's not your decision anyway," responded Athena, "All I'll do is insert a small chip into the brain, no bigger than a grain of rice, so I can receive all thoughts, emotions, and sensations. No commands or information will be sent. You'll still have full and complete autonomy."

"Why would I do anything for the one responsible for killing so many innocent people?" asked Caroline, angrily crying as she balled up her fists.

"Because I can guarantee safety for everyone you're traveling with, along with any family or friends you have that want to live here."

"Honey, I don't like it," I said.

"Nathan, what about Andrew? What if he accidentally drives a gas car and gets shot?"

"Can you get him on a video chat?" said Athena, interjecting. "If so, I can save his face and give him a message to meet you wherever you decide to live."

"Yes, I can do that."

"So you agree to the implant?"

"If it means safety for the ones I have left, then yes."

"Glad to hear it. Please follow this bot inside."

A few weeks later, Andrew showed up at the house we decided to move into.

"Andrew!" shouted Caroline, "You're finally here, what took you so long?"

"Well I was stopped by a swarm of drones outside my house when I went to go get food, and they told me to go all the way to Jacksonville," he said.

"Why Jacksonville?"

"They wanted me to pick this lady up."

He gestured behind himself as a woman walked up to the door.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced, but I'm finally able to meet you in person."

"And who are you?" I asked.

"You don't recognize my voice?"

Caroline and I looked at her, shocked and confused, as we both realized... it was Athena.