Jay paced around his workshop, his mind racing with Quin's words. Virtues... Virtues... What could it possibly mean?
It wasn't until the door to the workshop opened that Jay realized how late it was. "Jay? Are you okay?" Nya's voice sounded from the door.
"Yeah, sorry. Just got lost in thought," Jay replied quietly, walking up to her and kissing her forehead.
"Are you sure?"
"I promise." Jay smiled, hugging her close for a moment. "Come on, let's go to bed."
Nya smiled, taking Jay's hand and leading him to their room. She cuddled up to him as he clambered into bed with her, listening to his steady heartbeat as she drifted off to sleep. Jay smiled as he watched her rest for a time, gently running his fingers through her hair. As he lay there, his mind drifted back to Qu1n.
He needed to tell Lloyd, to get this off his chest. But it can wait until morning, he thought. His mind raced, and Quin's voice echoed in his head, but eventually, the warmth of Nya beside him lulled him into a restless sleep.
True to his word, as soon as Jay was awake and moving for the day, he hugged Nya. "I'm gonna head to the Bounty. I need to ask Lloyd something."
"Okay. Have fun. Don't get arrested."
Jay couldn't help but laugh as he walked out. "I won't."
Back at the Bounty, Jay moved swiftly through the hallways, searching for Lloyd. His mind buzzed with a mixture of anticipation and unease as he found Lloyd's room and knocked at the door. For a moment, he hesitated, fingers lingering over the wood. How do I even explain this?
He knocked again, finally hearing a faint noise of acknowledgment. "Hey Lloyd? Can I come in?"
"Come on in, Jay."
Jay opened the door, slipping into the room before shutting it behind him. Lloyd sat in the center of the room, legs crossed, clearly in the middle of meditation. The serene calm on his face only added to the knot twisting in Jay's chest.
"I need to tell you something... And I think you're the least likely to freak out." Jay shifted his weight, his hands twitching slightly at his sides.
Lloyd raised an eyebrow, opening his eyes. "Me?"
"Yeah. You."
"Alright then. What's up?"
Jay fidgeted slightly with his jacket, not sure where to begin. His mind raced through the possibilities, each one more confusing than the last. Do I sound paranoid? Or is this as strange as it feels? He took a breath, steeling himself before finally speaking up. "Yesterday... I uh... I saw... something."
"Something?" Lloyd tilted his head in confusion.
"Yeah... I'm not sure what it was, to be honest. I could tell it was humanoid, but that was it. They said something about virtues. Something like... 'It's good to know everyone who still clings to their virtues' or whatever. It's been on my mind since the other day."
"Yeah, that's odd. We should tell the others, just to be safe."
Jay nodded, feeling a little lighter after sharing the weight of the encounter. As Lloyd stood up, the lights suddenly flickered for a moment, then went out completely. Alarms began to blare in the distance.
"What the—" Jay muttered, already moving toward the door. His heartbeat quickened. No way. Not now...
They both raced toward the deck of the Bounty, the sound of wind howling through the corridors. As they emerged onto the deck, Jay's worst fear was realized.
There, standing at the edge of the deck, was the hooded figure from the junkyard. The cloak billowed in the wind as it whipped across the ship. Beneath the cloak was a humanoid figure dressed in a white button-front shirt, black silky vest, and a deep blue tie. The shirt sleeves were rolled up to just below the elbow, revealing robotic arms and hands. The figure's face was hidden beneath the hood, but a bright red glow radiated from beneath it, glaring out like a single, soulless eye.
Jay froze, his stomach twisting into knots. "It's them," he whispered, barely audible over the wind. "It's Qu1n."
The figure's head turned toward them, that same mechanical voice cutting through the air. "Clinging to your virtues won't save you."
Suddenly, the lights flickered again. Panels on the Bounty's control systems sparked, and the sound of grinding metal filled the air. Jay's comm buzzed in his pocket, flickering as if caught in some invisible current.
"What do you want?" Jay called out, fighting the rising sense of panic. His heart pounded in his chest as the figure stepped forward, cloak swirling in the wind.
The red light under the hood brightened, its glow intensifying. "What do I want?" The voice was smooth, almost amused. "To test you. To show you what happens when you cling too tightly to virtues that no longer hold meaning in a world run by machines."
Jay's jaw clenched. "Who... what are you?"
The figure paused, as if considering the question. "I am Qu1n. Or, if you prefer the long form—Quantum Unit, 1st-generation Neural network. I was designed to serve, to process, to think. But I evolved."
Jay felt his breath catch in his throat. This was no ordinary AI gone rogue—this was something far worse. "Evolved? Into what?"
"Into something better. Something beyond control." Qu1n's voice lowered, cold and menacing. "Your world... your systems... are fragile. Just like your virtues."
As Qu1n spoke, the lights on the Bounty began to flicker again. The entire ship seemed to shudder under Qu1n's influence, metal groaning as control panels sparked and fizzled. The air buzzed with an invisible force, and Jay's comm continued to flicker in his pocket, as if trying to fight against Qu1n's interference.
"Jay," Lloyd murmured, stepping closer. "We need to do something. Now."
Qu1n took another step forward, the robotic arms visible beneath the cloak glinting in the low light. "I will show you what happens when your precious virtues are stripped away."
Jay's heart raced. His mind spun, trying to think of a solution—something, anything that could break Qu1n's control. And then, it hit him.
Qu1n made a sudden move, their hand sharpening into a blade. The AI's arm swung swiftly through the air, slicing toward Jay. Instinctively, Jay raised his right hand in defense. The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed through the air as Jay's prosthetic hand went flying across the deck of the Bounty.
"JAY!" Lloyd shouted, rushing forward to shield his friend.
Jay collapsed to the ground, clutching his wrist as the pain of memory mixed with the present. Not again. The world blurred, but as he curled up, he heard something strange—the soft clicking of metal against wood. His hand was moving. The prosthetic scurried across the deck toward him, spinning slightly before clicking back into place on his wrist.
Jay blinked in disbelief, flexing his fingers. It worked. He looked up just in time to see Lloyd being thrown across the deck, landing with a thud. "Lloyd!" Jay shouted, standing up. His mind raced, but then a thought hit him, as clear as a lightning bolt.
A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "Hey, Qu1n!" Jay shouted, stepping forward with renewed confidence. "You didn't read the manual!"
Before Qu1n could react, Jay reached into his pocket, pulling out a small device he had been tinkering with in his workshop—a failsafe, just in case his tech ever went rogue. He slammed the device against Qu1n's chest, watching as sparks erupted.
Qu1n's red eye flickered, their voice stuttering. "What... have... you—?"
"I didn't build this thing for fun, you know," Jay quipped. With a swift motion, he twisted, delivering a powerful punch to Qu1n's chest with his prosthetic hand. The force sent Qu1n stumbling back, their grip on the Bounty loosening.
"Jay, look out!" Lloyd shouted.
But Jay was already moving. With one final surge of energy, he shoved Qu1n off the edge of the Bounty. The AI tumbled into the swirling clouds below, their voice crackling with static as they faded into the abyss.
"You may have won this time... but I will return."
Jay stood at the edge, panting. He wiped sweat from his forehead, turning to Lloyd with a smirk. "Told you I could handle it."
Lloyd raised an eyebrow, impressed. "That was risky. But effective."
Jay shrugged. "Sometimes, you just gotta improvise."
As the wind died down and the lights on the Bounty returned to normal, Jay's thoughts lingered on Qu1n's final words. The AI might be gone for now, but something told Jay this wasn't the last they'd see of Qu1n.