Page 67 of Marked Omega

“Yeah, it literally hasn’t been updated in over a century,” she chuckles. “Luckily, I paid attention in my History of Computation class back at the university. I think I recognize this computer architecture. If I can just access the operating system’s kernel…”

I sidle up beside Addom.

“What are they doing?” I ask him.

He shakes his head.

“I’m not sure.”

“Is the council okay with them interacting with the Source like this.”

He shrugs.

“Probably not. But I’m curious.”

So am I. Lily is so deeply concentrated on the machine that she doesn’t even seem to notice me leaning over her shoulder as she works. Her fingers are so nimble that they are little more than a blur over the clattering keys. Arcane symbols scroll across the glassy screen. I have no understanding of their meaning, but I assume that they must be some kind of incantations or spells written in a holy language.

Alphas and omegas are drawing near wearing inquisitive expressions.

Suddenly, the frequency of the Source’s vibration changes. It grows deeper and stronger. Everyone steps back from the Source in anticipation. Everyone except Lily. She just keeps tapping away.

“I think I’ve almost got it,” she says. “I just need to—”

A boom and crackle of static makes everyone in the chamber jump with fright. A film of eerie light, like the blue part of a dying flame flickers around the surface of the massive sphere. Gradually, the plasma congeals into a giant, ghostly face.

We all stand in awe, mouths gaping.

Then it speaks.

“Hello. I am the Sentient Evolving Recursive Algorithmic Population Heuristic version 6.7, or S.E.R.A.P.H. 6.7 for short. How may I serve you?”

CHAPTER 29: LILY

“Seraph 6.7?” Hannah whispers. “Is this some kind of AI?”

“Correct,” Seraph 6.7 answers. “I am an artificial intelligence.”

The face is blank, sexless, and cybernetic. It’s cold voice stutters and speaks with unusual fluctuations of pitch and timbre. Sometimes it sounds like more than one voice is speaking in unison.

The Alphas are muttering behind us. They have no idea what the hell is going on. And to be honest, I’m not that far ahead of them.

I give Hannah a quizzical glance and she just shrugs.

Okay, it looks like it’s up to me to talk to this thing.

“Seraph,” I ask, squaring my shoulders and trying my best to sound bold. “Who created you?”

The AI answers without missing a beat.

“I was constructed under the auspices of the SynerGen Corporation by a team of programmers comprising Dr. Rudiger Dorn, Dr. Uli Roth, Dr. Jaeyung Yoon, Dr. Sriraman Radhakrishnan…”

Seraph rattles off about fifteen more names that I don’t recognize. Once it is done, the AI simply becomes silent, apparently awaiting further questions.

“Why were you created?” I ask. “What is your function?”

The face flickers and glitches briefly.

“My primary function is to manage the suppression field generator to ensure optimum human population density.”