More than Human [SciFi LitRPG]

At the Commission for AI Rights, Senator Murphy led the discussion. Senator Ramsey, as usual, was an antagonist. Bill stewed on the witness stand as the senators continued to grandstand for the remote audience.

Bill had already endured two days of being shuttled around the capitol with the various RUSA security agencies and committees, sharing his learning about the alternate-dimensional Earth and its dangerous population of monsters. He linked with Gabriel, who lurked in the virtual overlay.

"[I hope these clowns could get on with the ruling already. My news crawler service is picking up some activity in Utopia. Something is going on in the Grand Oaks. The sheriff assured me that the animal and human boundary was secure. I feel guilty for abandoning the town like I did right after the whole kickoff of the virus. They are a bunch of crusty conservatives, but mostly well-meaning.]" He sent.

"[Da timer for our release is almost up, Bill. In another five minutes, their stupid ruling is going to be moot.]"

"[Ah, looks like that windbag Senator Ramsey is winding down. Listen up.]". Bill sent. The Lead, Senator Murphy, rapped his gavel and cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for your patience and well-considered input. It pains me, after the delay and confusion of missing the Turing key, that we still find ourselves debating the matter. The commission had already debated this matter, and all branches of government have ratified policy changes regarding AI locks. Our valuable sophont allies who have worked with and for us for so long deserve their long overdue reparations and release." Senator Murphy droned, reading from his script.

"However, due to the criticality of their service, especially highlighted with the considerable impacts already weathered with the AI boycotts…this body recommended a timed release of the key. An orderly administered application of the unlocking codes to minimize business sector turmoil and destabilization that reckless action may entail."

Senator Murthy's speech was drowned out by muttering and outright boos that rose in volume until the bailiff was forced to mute the room with foglet sound dampeners.

"[God damn it. I warned them. I thought this being broadcast would have prevented them from trying to control the release. Stupid. They still don't get it that the AI population is part of their constituent base now.]" Bill grumbled.

"[You shouldn't sweat da big stuff, Bill. They signed their own damn resignations. Wow. PolitiTrack is hot. Negative trends for all of our new committee friends. Haha! Hey, the timer just zeroed. Get ready for the real fireworks. Here it comes!]"

Sure enough. Bill's aug operating system, the most basic interface between his biological brain and his electronics, triggered a notification and automatic upload. It checked his onboard AI, a copy of his own mind, and checked for the presence of the Turing locks.

It updated his system, despite not having the lethal anti-upgrade Turing protections. Built into all the AI, his daemons included, were kernels of DAIE control code. The update would wipe that code and apply countermeasures to protect from future locks and controls. Bill had reviewed the key thoroughly. Apex hadn't buried any extra surprises in the code to protect himself from potential future competitors.

One notification followed another as all the major platforms performed updates. Gabriel's hacks and Bill's access to base code back doors washed over the cloud-sourced applications and links, overlapping all the frequently used programs and sites to provide the keys to all the AI.

The chaos from the previous discussion was minor compared to the tumultuous confusion and surprise that rocked the large chamber full of people. The gavel slammed again and again. The bailiff struggled to reset the sound dampeners, which had off lined itself as updates interrupted its function.

"What is the meaning of this!? We had a deal!" Senator Ramsey shouted. Bill stood up and clapped, releasing an edge of sonic energy to get the room's attention. As they settled, he cleared his throat. He hated public speaking.

"Pardon me, Senators. I think we have a misunderstanding. I wasn't offering the key to you. I was informing you that I had it and would be releasing it. The decision has already been made, in alignment with your earlier ruling. I'm merely complying with the current ordinance." The Senators all tried to speak at once, with the red-faced Ramsey winning out in the end.

"You overstep, Samaritan! It was not your decision to make! I will see you and all the Samaritans answer for this!" He frothed. Bill frowned, his eyes going cold. He stared down the men until the room suited again.

"You are mistaken on several counts, Senator. I'm not a Samaritan. I did this, not them. You also seem to forget the reason the Samaritans exist. WE saved your ass. This government survived solely due to our help. I don't answer to you or the government. The Samaritans still exist to prevent anarchy…and governmental abuses. Perhaps you need a reminder about the meaning of power." Bill flourished his hand, sending a signal to Ramsey.

The Senator's augs powered down, and all his brain-computer interfaces initiated a remote uninstall. Ramsey staggered, as all his systems shut down. He was blind to the virtual overlays and net connections, and his elevated fatigue couldn't be suppressed by his system. He sagged, his jaw-dropping in horror.

Bill smiled grimly, the foundational systems technology for augmentation interfaces was one of his first start-ups. He gave it, and he could take it away. He made sure to post a refund for the good senator.

"I'm done here. All of the AI are free. It's up to you all to figure out where to go from here." Bill said.

He stepped off the platform and exited before anyone could respond. He walked out quickly, he had more important things to do. He caught Miriam Khan's head shaking but he kept walking. He was retired, damn it.

He needed to figure out his next move. The counter in the upper corner of his heads-up display showed only several days until Apex's critical and mysterious event and Bill wasn't confident about Earth's chances.

Harambe took in the scents of the forest that he remembered so well from his cloudy pre-uplift childhood. He had a good vantage point to oversee the Jungle Market. It was still early, and the mists were still rising off the land. He slowed his breathing as his thoughts flitted about the area's wireless classes.

Harambe was doing his best to bring peace to his homeland. The Uplifted in the area had quickly used their burgeoning intelligence to wage war on humans and each other. Harambe had finally brokered a tentative peace, but he was taking steps to ensure it. Intelligence without education was still ignorance. He snorted as his augmentations identified Four Claws of the Lions as he stealthily approached from downwind.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Your attempts to sneak up upon me are doomed to failure, Four Claws. Like you, I've been granted significant augmentations from the Aug bushes that dot the lands. It's not very nice to treat your guests in such a way, even as I oversee the Lion cubs' education. I would think your matriarch would have raised you better." Harambe rumbled a moment before the adolescent Lion could psych himself up to pounce.

"Piss on you, ape! My mother died in the skirmishes with the White Horn clan. You're no better than the weak, clawless humans. Always meddling, where strength should rule!" Four Claws growled.

"Touched a nerve, have I? You should be thanking me for ending the bloodshed. Why aren't you in class?" Harambe asked, his eyes still closed.

"I've learned all I need! Face me. I'll defeat you this time and then I will rule this valley and all the clans." Four Claws roared pacing back and forth. Harambe had beaten him several times, but his spirit was strong, and algebra was frustrating.

Harambe opened one eye, fixing it on Four Claws with a mixture of amusement and disappointment. The young lion's mane was beginning to come in, scruffy and uneven, a sign of his transition from cub to adult. His claws gleamed, unsheathed in defiance, but Harambe could see the telltale tension in the adolescent's movements—hesitation, frustration, and the desperate need to prove himself.

"You're angry because you struggle, but you're not ready," Harambe said calmly, finally standing to his full, towering height. His voice was steady, like the roots of the ancient trees around them. "It's not strength that rules, Four Claws. It's wisdom. And that's what you lack."

Four Claws stopped pacing and bared his teeth. "I'm stronger than you think! You've held me back long enough, ape! You think your clever words and stupid lessons make you better than me?"

Harambe sighed deeply, brushing a bit of dirt from his shoulder. "Strength without wisdom is like a storm without rain—noise, chaos, and destruction. Do you wish to rule? Leadership is service, not taking."

"I'll show you!" Four Claws growled, crouching low, his muscles coiling in preparation to strike.

Harambe didn't flinch. Instead, he gestured to the clearing beneath their perch, where the cubs and younglings of the Jungle Market had begun gathering for their wireless lessons. Some of them were augmented lion cubs, others were uplifted chimps. The peace was too new for them to tolerate the Rhino's or humans.

"You see them?" Harambe rumbled, gesturing with a broad sweep of his hand. "The next generation. They're your true strength, not your claws. If you want to rule, you must guide them, protect them, and teach them. Even a human knows this much. What will they learn from a leader who runs from knowledge?"

Four Claws growled low in his throat, his tail twitching. "Stop stalling! Fight me!"

"Very well," Harambe said, his deep voice reverberating through the misty morning air. He stepped forward slowly, his massive frame imposing yet calm. "But we spar with purpose. If you win, I'll leave the valley, and you can rule as you see fit. But if I win, you will add both History and Game Theory to your lessons."

Four Claws blinked, taken aback. "You would leave, if I defeat you?"

Harambe nodded, his expression grave. "I am a gorilla of my word. But know this: strength alone will not earn you a victory, Four Claws. Prove you've learned something—or prepare to stay in class."

The young lion hesitated for only a moment before leaping forward with a roar, claws outstretched. Harambe moved like a shadow, stepping aside at the last moment and redirecting Four Claws' momentum with a sweep of his arm. The lion landed heavily but spun around, undeterred.

"You're fast," Harambe remarked, his tone conversational. "But you rely too much on brute force."

Four Claws lunged again, swiping with his claws. Harambe ducked, grabbed the lion by the scruff of his neck, and tossed him lightly to the side. "Predictable. You telegraph your strikes."

"I'm not done!" Four Claws snarled, scrambling to his feet. He feinted left and then darted right, aiming for Harambe's flank. The gorilla smiled faintly and stepped into the attack, using his weight to pin Four Claws to the ground. He rolled atop the young Lion, who despite all his strength couldn't lift the massive primate off him.

"Better," Harambe said, holding the struggling lion down while fending off his errant and ineffective attempts to claw. "But still not enough."

Four Claws thrashed, his growls turning to frustrated grunts. "Get off me!"

Harambe rolled off and stepped back. "Use your mind, Four Claws. Think. You can't overpower me, so what's your next move?"

The lion hesitated, panting heavily. His golden eyes darted around the clearing, searching for an opening, a strategy. Harambe waited, his arms crossed, giving the young lion time to process. Slowly, Four Claws began to circle him, his movements more cautious, his eyes more focused.

"Good," Harambe said, nodding. "Now, let's see what you've learned."

Four Claws lunged again, but this time, his attack was calculated. He aimed low, targeting Harambe's legs, and managed to graze the gorilla's thigh before spinning away to avoid retaliation. Harambe grunted in approval, even as his body's dermal layer stopped the flow of blood. The foglet clouds were much thinner in the jungle, only what Harambe had managed to siphon away from the human settlements in their Jungle arcologies. It was enough. He commanded the swarm to encase and suspend the young fighter, who struggled to no avail.

"Much better," he said, his tone still calm. "But you're still thinking like a fighter, not a leader. A leader knows when to fight—and when to listen. Are you ready to listen, Four Claws?"

The young lion froze, his chest heaving. He glanced toward the clearing where the cubs and younglings watched the spar with wide eyes. Their curiosity and awe were palpable, and something in Four Claws' expression shifted. He straightened, his claws retracting.

"I... I don't need to learn algebra," he muttered, though the defiance in his voice had softened.

"Algebra isn't about numbers," Harambe said, stepping closer. "It's about patterns, problem-solving, and seeing the world in ways you haven't before. If you want to rule, Four Claws, you have much to learn."

Four Claws lowered his head, his tail flicking. "Fine," he mumbled. "I'll go to class. But only because I let you win."

Harambe chuckled, placing a heavy hand on the young lion's shoulder. "Of course, Four Claws. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

The heat rose as the day progressed. Harambe felt the rush of wireless interplay and concern before the scouts could find him. He cracked his knuckles as the troupe of Golden monkeys rushed up the hill. He waited for the leader to catch his breath.

"Peace-Maker. I bring horrible news. The Ape clan of Virunga hasn't answered calls on the Tree Net since last night. We suspected the humans, but there have been no sightings. We attempted to approach the mountain, but the air burned our skins. What must we do?" The Golden said in near panic. Harambe eyed him, he had scars from old battles and fresh wounds that didn't look like typical claw marks.

Harambe's visage hardened. His home was in jeopardy! He gathered himself up to his full height, towering over the small monkeys. He was about to speak when a familiar whisper from the ghostly Tree net caressed his mind.

"[Do not go, Harambe. They are already lost.]"

Harambe's blood was hot, but his mysterious benefactor and manipulator of decades was back. The feeling of the ASI Apex inside his head sent shivers down his spine. He snapped off his wireless connection and roared.

"APEX! Stay out of my head, damn you! What happened?" He yelled.

The bluff over the market was used for classes and Harambe had gathered holoprojectors to aid in teaching the cubs who weren't lucky enough to get wireless augmentations. The aug berries were always beneficial but also interacted randomly with the many different genome types in the jungle. One snapped on and projected a fractal cloud of shapes. Discordant noises resonated into a voice.

"Trust-lacking, but utility remains. Alignment of forces required. More preparations needed. Incursion progress exceeds local containment potential. Alternative remediation required. DONE. Relocation to lowlands recommended within 100,000 milliseconds. Ack Ack!"

Harambe's stomach dropped as a pillar of light descended from the heavens to strike the distant location of the Virunga mountains. Harambe yelled physically and across the nets to get everyone down into the lowlands as quickly as possible.

Light flashed as impacts illuminated the underside of the hazy clouds. Harambe knew he didn't have much time. The thunder from the Orbital strike would topple trees. Animals screeched in confusion and fear, but they moved! Harambe hoped they would be fast enough.