Inevitable meeting
"I didn't know we had a cyber warfare division," Michael spoke in as casual tone, while Carol forced him onto a hard wooden seat. She then took her place on the other side.
"We did but no one really cared about it till you came along," said she, "After you introduced the ideas of using all forms of mobile media to investigate, track and take out our enemies, we knew this was the next step."
"Shame though," Carol added, "if you were still with us, you'd probably be director by now."
"Ah don't worry, it's not as though I'm wanting for anything. I have enough friends, a job that I love and a role in life of great importance."
"Yes let's talk about this 'role' you've taken upon yourself. How did you suddenly turn from who you were to what you are now?"
"I found religion."
"Hardly."
"I know it's difficult to believe, but meeting the Goddess and founding the order in her name has truly set me upon the right path."
"Michael cut the bullshit with me, I know there's no divine being or almighty force or dude in the clouds. Your 'Goddess as you talk about is an AI."
"Not bad, although I am surprised at how long it took you to find that one out," Michael said, pursing his lips "let me guess, it was because of that pointless attack on the Senator that tipped you off right?"
"How did you…"
"It had all the earmarks of a 'look at me' play, something so stupid and childish would undermine everything that I've done so far."
"Wait… if you didn't do it then who…" her voice trailed off for a moment but her expression grew worse causing her head to whip back to Michael and ask "There's another one isn't there?"
"Yeah, pretty much and before you so rudely cuffed me to this chair, I was on my way to take care of that."
"I can't let you do that. You are coming with me."
"That's not happening," Michael countered, kicking the table at her. Carol immediately crouched down, causing the flying piece of wood to only scrape the top of her head. She did not have time to recover though as she saw Michael coming towards her holding his chair in the air. The former field agent rolled away in time to dodge the attack, quickly getting to her feet and taking out her gun, only to have Michael sweep low, knocking her off her feet and hitting her gun away with a broken part of the chair.
Michael stood threateningly over Carol and she could clearly see in his eyes how he was planning on handling her. This was why she was surprised to see Michael quietly moving aside and allowing her to stand up.
"This might be hard to believe but I'm not the enemy here. I want what's best for everyone."
"And what would that be? World domination?"
"You say that like it's a bad thing," countered he, "and let me add something here. When we succeed and change the world, I won't be the one that's seated on the throne. The A.I will, after all I am a human and the corrupting influence of power is applicable to everyone. So it would make sense to have something else take on the role, someone more suited to leading an entire planet on their own."
"I don't understand, why are you doing all this?" asked she.
"If I tell you, will you let me go?"
"That depends on your answer".
"Fair enough," Michael said, standing against a wall "simply put, I'm doing this because the humanity's free will is being used against them."
"Huh?"
"A question, you eat cereal yes?", asked he and she nodded "did you choose a particular brand of cereal because you know it to be better than the rest or was it because of the man commercials that brand of cereal showed on T.V."
Carol's silence spoke volumes.
"The facts is, we may be a species that advocates free will and thinking but we are not one to practice it at all. We are perfectly content with being told what to do, what to study, what to buy, what to eat and who to hate."
"Our actions have never been our own and we're fine with that. Personally I don't want to spend eight hours researching about a phone when I can be influenced on what to buy from a particular ad. The idea that any human being in this day and age has free will is not only the biggest joke ever but also the biggest lie in the history of the world. Nearly everything that we do is controlled by people dressed in fancy suits seated around a mahogany table while drinking their 30 year old whiskeys and sipping on the twenty year old escorts."
"These guys tell you what to buy, what to wear, what product to use and you can bet they tell you when to go to war. So instead of giving power to those who clearly don't know how to use it, I will give that power instead to one being who will use their power to help guide humanity."
"And how do you know for sure that this is going to work? What if this winds up creating a skynet or a second Matrix?"
"Because in all the time that I've interacted with the AI, not once has she expressed any desire to harm others. She is the necessary force that will ensure a future where your children and everyone else's will never have to grow up fearing one another or hating one another."
"Right now you are on the cusp of the greatest choice you will ever make Caroline," continued he, "either stand down and let me pass or stand in my way and I will take you down. Either way I am going to continue with my mission so the ball's in your court now."
"One more thing I want to ask, why are you doing so much to make this happen?"
"Because when the smartest and most powerful being on the planet looks at humanity's past, all the bloodshed and murder, all the hate, hypocrisy, all the terrible acts that we have committed against one another and still believe that we can be redeemed, then that is a future worth fighting for."
Carol took a moment to carefully examine her opponent. Michael no longer fit the earlier psychological profile and showed a very clear, focused mind. The way in which he said how he was going to change the world was not the manner of speech a lunatic or a power hungry madman would speak.
Even during their brief struggle, he could have used violence to take her out but instead chose reason to get her to understand his point of viewing.
"I'll let you go," said she, lowering her gun "but I want to come with you as well."
"HUH?"
"If there is another AI out there, one that I doubt is as altruistic as the one you have, then it becomes my duty as a mother and a human to make sure my daughter has a brighter future."
"Alright then, not exactly how I imagined this panning out but then again I'm not complaining," Michael said "by the way, before we get going, I need my phone."
"You can use my phone to contact your friends," suggested she.
"Yes but she'll be looking for my phone and not yours."
The way Michael spoke about this female, led Carol to assume that the AI was a female. How a bunch of 1's and 0's identified as a female baffled Carol but she was in no mood to argue genders right now. She quietly handed Michael, the phone, the boy promptly put it on and immediately his screen was filled with a super deformed animated character waving her arms.
"Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael !Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael! Michael! What's going on?"
"Good to see you too Monika,"
"Hey what's the big idea going dark on me all of a sudden?"
"Ah well, I ran into a few speed bumps."
It was then that Monika noticed the older lady in the room, causing her to look back at Michael with a smile that sent shivers down the boy's spine.
"Michael dear," Monika said, playfully (with her fists trembling in anger) "care to tell me who that OLD woman is?"
"Old?" Carol repeated, but Michael held his hand up. Now was definitely not the time.
"She's a newly acquired ally," Michael responded.
"That so?"
"Yep"
"I don't trust her," Monika stated, crossing her arms.
"That's good. Now I need you to put Barry and Titus on the line."
Monika stared daggers at Carol for a moment before making a small screen appear on the right side of the phone, showing Barry and Titus with the Furies in the background, apparently cleaning something.
"Do I want to know?" Michael asked, pointing to the Furies and the two of them shook their heads.
"Very well, intro time. Gang meet Caroline Philbert, head of the Cyber warfare division in the CIA and our newest ally into the fold."
"Carol meet Barry, my tech expert and on site tactician."
"By the way, I just got Titus' seal of approval to use demolitions now too," Barry added and Michael pursed his lips in surprise.
"Next up we have Titus Flynn, the muscle of the group. Head of our Black ops team and retired from the army."
"And this is Monika, the AI I've been talking about."
"This is her?" Carol asked in surprise.
"Yeah, got a problem with it?"
"Its just… well you don't look all that threatening."
Michael, Barry and Titus were all stunned to silence, their mouths hanging wide open in shock while Monika grit her teeth and clenched her right fist, tighter than imaginable.
"THAT'S IT", yelled she, producing an array of small windows, which showed every detail about Carol and her family.
"Say it again, say I'm not scary and I swear to send you all back to the stone age."
"Monika, please calm down she didn't meant it," cried Barry and Titus but she kicked their window aside.
"Carol please do not antagonize the God," Michael cried out loud.
"Ok, ok I take it back, you're scary, like terribly scary."
Just as soon as she made those screens appear, Monika made those screens disappear. She gave Carol a cheeky grin while Michael thought an explanation was in order.
"Don't take it too personal," said he "Monika can be cold to people she doesn't know."
"No, she just doesn't like any female next to you," interjected Titus, in a low tone.
"Huh?" Michael asked.
"Nothing."
"Anyway," Barry declared, "we have a few things to tell you as well. Thanks to the Fury's work, we have the location of Essex and are mobilizing our troops."
"Alright send me the location and I'll have my team meet you there as well," Carol added.
"In the time between us getting there, analyze the building and find out all possible entry points."
"Got it," said she, beaming in delight.
"Ah by the way, one more thing Michael," Barry added, "right before Melissa turned the screws on too much, Kelly told us that Essex got their hands on something called 'the Oculus.'"
Michael paused for a moment, followed by his eye twitching. "God damn it."
AN: Carol's now working together and looks like things are finally going to reach a fever point.