Under the control of the future

- I want to know what’s bothering you, - the girl said, her voice full of determination. She was determined to find out what her domestic helper was probably unconsciously hiding.

- Mona, my feelings aren't worth your attention, - Bistris smiled.

- Tell me. You're trying to hide something important from me.

- I’m useless.

- Admit what's bothering you.

Mona made herself more comfortable on the sofa, which stood alone in the middle of the spacious, bright living room. When the wind blew through the open windows, it ruffled the numerous curtains hanging from the ceiling, dividing the space into several areas. Some of the curtains tried to reach the sofa, aided by the wind. She always loved this moment, but now she had to focus on the conversation.

- However, it is up to you to decide my fate. I am a human being, - Bistris said, sitting down on the sofa next to Mona. He no longer saw her as strikingly different from him.

- Tell me more.

- I can feel things.

- Emotional intelligence, not like that of a human being, came with the artificial intelligence. That's probably what you're experiencing, - she said, wanting to believe her own words.

- I cry when I'm upset. Only without tears. I like watching birds in the sky. I'm sad about the life I had before. I don't remember much about it, but I feel that it existed. I can't make out the outlines of the past, but I know what it was like, where and when. It's all inside me, but it's as if it's very far away.

- That’s unimaginable.

- I’m broken, - said Bystris, tilting his mechanical head and feigning genuine despair.

- No, robots with AI exhibit different symptoms of malfunction or program failure. You're different from them.

- And you know what's happening to me?

- I have a theory, but I need to test my assumptions before I tell you.

Chapter 13

It was a dead end. He had been stuck there since the start of his search. There was no way out. However, if he didn't intervene, he would be committing a crime.

Iron leaned back in his chair, moving away from the desk on which the information processing device was frozen. The semi-transparent, voice-controlled screen displayed the results of the data analysis. He would have to go to the end of the 21^(st) century to record a criminal violation of the law on unauthorised implementations. According to preliminary calculations and a comparison of data from a reliable source, the number exceeded the permissible percentage. However, he had already reached his limit for sending people back in time. Among his friends, there was no one who dared to attempt the journey.

Feeling tired from trying to find a way to save the human population, Iron decided to take a walk to the ocean. It was visible right from his window.

The scent of the ocean was always present in the mind of a man who could not imagine being separated from nature. Over the last fifty years, the high-tech society established in 2050 had become dependent on the clean energy of living nature. This was greatly facilitated by the in-depth study of quantum substances outside organic bodies, which revealed their need for natural energy. The channels of interaction between quantum substances contained in bodies and the energy-information content of space became clearer, and even the most fervent sceptics were forced to concede, allowing the sciences studying the invisible components of human beings to take centre stage. Since then, wild nature has been granted extensive privileges, alongside the distinctive architectural achievements of modernity. Only animals and birds failed to complement the wild nature of the planet: their numbers dwindled due to ecological disasters and deliberate extermination in the fight against deadly viruses. As the number of species on the planet declined significantly, there was a growing opinion that the destruction of other forms of life needed to stop. Governments agreed to establish Oases where neurozoologists could preserve selected species of flora and fauna. Maintaining a balance in nature under human control was deemed the optimal consensus. However, the original world was not recreated.

Iron preferred to live alongside this renewed version of nature, without other life forms present. He believed that only carriers of quantum substance deserved attention. However, he changed his mind on this issue when he learned of the existence of several types of quantum substance. However, the desire to go to the Oasis never arose; the ocean's presence was enough to alleviate the man's loneliness.

Chapter 14

She had spent decades immersed in her work, secluded in her office with its excellent soundproofing. She had grown accustomed to spending more time alone than with her colleagues, and, consequently, she had become somewhat unfamiliar with communicating with others. She liked it that way.

- Come in, - said the voice of the specialist responsible for intelligence development, speaking in such a way that the person entering his office would not feel uncomfortable. The conversation was not going to be easy. - You want to go back in time. Explain.

- In connection with my work on improving artificial intelligence, I need to know some techniques that I have not previously studied.

- And I understand that you want to find them in the past?

- Yes, - said Mona. She did not know how to lie, but decided to believe her own words for the sake of persuasiveness.

- Don’t you think technology has come a long way since then?

- Of course, but shouldn't we keep the origins in mind? - Mona rarely resorted to philosophical arguments, but they now seemed like a convincing defence in the absence of clear reasoning.

- I don't see the need.

- May I explain with an example?

- Please do.

- For centuries, we have been travelling back in time and influencing the development of humanity. But there have also been cases where modern doctors have studied the basics of surgery by being present in eras when suitable scalpels didn't even exist.

- For medical and scientific purposes, such exceptions are acceptable.

- I am dealing with consciousness, even if it is artificial. It is also a component of an inorganic being which is designed to resemble us.

- Mona, you're so keen to prove that your return two centuries ago was necessary, and despite your inability to provide compelling arguments, I'll sign your travel permission. Take a walk. Experience the past for yourself.

- Thank you.

- And be extremely careful. You idealise the people of the past. Those who lived in that period were different from us in their coarseness, the primitiveness of their goals and the fact that they were not characterised by energetic vitality in the 21st century. Blending in among them seems an impossible task for representatives of our society. - The interviewer refrained from detailing the characteristics of the people the persistent individual would encounter. He valued determination over the fear of risk.

- I’ll seem strange to them. They're unlikely to accept me as one of their own.

- Let’s hope so.

Chapter 15

Some landscapes are tied to a particular time. Mona wanted to remember the sunset on the ocean shore, because it was unique to her lifetime. Mona sat down on a warm rock and tuned in to receive the energy waves. The words of the person responsible for the development of the species made her wonder about the energy of organic beings, suggesting that if people in the past did not have enough energy, it would probably be more difficult for her to connect to spatial sources. She greedily saturated herself with the combination of wind, earth and water energy that surrounded her.

- Am I disturbing you?

She had not expected an outsider to interrupt her in her current state, with her long hair blowing in the strengthening wind.

- I was hoping to be completely alone.

Mona opened her eyes and looked at the stranger without interest; they had become both superfluous and attention-grabbing.

- Please excuse me.

- Why don't you sit down on that rock and enjoy the sunset? It won't be the same tomorrow.

- Are you sad?

- I won't be able to see the ocean for a while.

- Are you leaving?

- To the past.

He couldn't believe his ears; rarely did anyone travel back in time as if it had ceased to be necessary. This was partly true; the people of the past did not need the help and advice of their distant descendants from the future as they had many centuries ago, and even more so at the dawn of civilisation.

- Amazing luck.

- Explain, - Mona said, noting the look of joy on the stranger's face.

- I need to work with someone who can travel back several centuries to warn humanity of a danger that cannot be eliminated.

- A danger? - Mona was alarmed. Secrets and conspiracies did not usually attract her attention, especially since she was already involved in searching for lost truths from the past.

- Exactly, - said Iron, studying the girl's reaction to gauge how much he could trust her.

- Do you think you can help?

- I don't know anyone else who would go back.

Chapter 16

- Time is running out, and we don't have the technology to extract you without a hitch.

The indignant man almost wrung his hands, but Klur would not allow such a gesture. Chris, on the other hand, was experiencing a striking level of agitation.

- It was there, wasn't it?

- The thing is, it's as if someone deliberately destroyed the method of transferring consciousness from a dying body to a capsule. How are we supposed to extract quantum substances? - Klur stared at Chris, who was becoming increasingly confused by the barrage of questions he couldn't answer.

- I’m not very familiar with such technologies.

- I’m sure you're not, but you have to help us all. Once your organic body's reserves are exhausted, you'll disappear. But they won't. Think, Chris.

Klur finally settled down on a narrow sofa against the wall of the spacious, glass-walled office.

- So maybe I should go back in time?

- Time travel is strictly controlled now. Give your subordinate instructions, but do it so that she doesn't guess.

- How am I supposed to do that if she's not supposed to know about consciousness transfer experiments?

- I don't want to think about that. Just make up some kind of story.

Klur preferred to retreat from uncomfortable questions, and rising, hurried to the exit.

The previous topic of reflection that he had been indulging in alone emerged with renewed force. Chris had never understood how he and his kind could survive without quantum substance. Without it, it seemed that no living thing could exist. Nothing would have existed if humans had not begun interfering with the natural world, armed with technology. Organic cyborgs proved to humans that they were capable of creating life artificially. However, the experiment crossed ethical boundaries, and then the cyborgs themselves claimed the right to self-determination. Those who came to power allowed this to happen, and new individuals were created in medical centres, adding to the organic race. They were alive, but not animated from within. They became an example of how science can be misapplied, and subsequent corrections aimed to eliminate this mistake. The neural network of organics was perfected, but this proved insufficient. The main failure was that the quantum substance — the term that had come to be used for the soul — could not be replicated in laboratory conditions and, even more importantly, could not be created without the involvement of something extraterrestrial. Scientists were afraid to admit what that was exactly. They knew. They understood.

Like most cyborgs, Chris and Klur looked human, but were completely devoid of quantum substance. Their death was final and irreversible unless their organic body was copied and their neural network was recreated, restoring their personality, though it had to be retrained. The reserve of organic bodies was significantly longer than that of carriers of quantum substance, but this realisation was not enough.

Chris didn't want to die. But he had no choice. Unless, perhaps, it would be possible to recreate a copy of him through an underground network of organic beings. This copy would be almost him, but without his memories and feelings. However, these were not present in the original organic version of this cyborg. He had no doubt that when he was recreated, he would disappear. People with quantum substance would merely change their form of existence, yet still live on. Not only people. All biological species endowed with consciousness.

In this regard, organic cyborgs should be equated with robots. It was only their more sophisticated neural network, combined with a biological body, that placed them significantly higher in the hierarchy of development.

They wanted to surpass humans.

Chapter 17

- Tell me honestly what's going on with you.

It had been an intense day at work, and nobody could guess the reason for Bistris's gloomy mood. Mona was desperate for answers.

-You…

- I won't turn you in for reprogramming.

- I’m not artificial intelligence. I'm convinced of that.

- I remember you already mentioned your suspicions that there is a human inside you, - Mona said, growing impatient with paying attention to someone else's feelings whenever she was tired.

- I shouldn’t have said that. - The robot froze in place, waiting for his mistress to show him more affection.

- Judging by your behaviour, you act in a humanely irritating manner.

- What if there is a human essence within me?

- To some extent, that is true, because artificial intelligence was created as a copy of natural intelligence.

- No, you don't want to hear me, - Bystris said, his speech becoming indistinguishable from that of a robot.

- All right, I'll try to listen to you.

- There is a living consciousness inside me. I don't know how this could have happened. But I'm asleep. Not like when I was human. I'm starting to remember my former life. I was human, Mona.

Sounds mingled in her head. She had some vague knowledge that forbidden experiments had been conducted in past centuries, but she had no idea that they had achieved such advanced results.

- I can neither confirm nor deny that.

- It’s impossible to believe, - said Bistris, looking even more dejected.

- I believe you. I will find an explanation for how this happened. - Mona got up from the sofa and walked over to the robot leaning against the wall. Assuming that he couldn't feel anything, she took his mechanical hands covered with artificial skin, but then remembered how it had been in his past life.

Chapter 18

Although an agreement does not legally oblige the parties to fulfil their promises, it is based on the principle of keeping one's word. As agreed, they both arrived on the shore at the appointed time.

- Since you came, it means you believe me.

- I’m curious.

- And I think you have a reason for it. - Iron had no doubt about the validity of his assumption.

She was silent. He had to continue the conversation.

- You’re afraid to admit it to anyone.

- Yes, - she replied. She was burdened by assumptions for which she simply had no proof.

- I want to fill you in so you understand how dangerous what I'm about to ask you is. - Iron was prepared for her refusal, but he had no right to hide the truth.

- Will you tell me who you are?

- Iron. I'm an employee of the temporary layer repository.

- Mona. An engineer at the artificial intelligence robotics facility.

- I’m sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. - Iron was never one to disregard the rules of etiquette, but he was in a hurry.

- Now I'm ready to listen.

- Over two hundred years ago, humans created the precursor to an organic cyborg. They deserve credit for creating a convincing imitation of the human body, but the question of consciousness arose. Artificial intelligence seemed like a pitiful fragment in an advanced device. Complicating the semblance of consciousness was necessary. Then, from somewhere, data appeared on a method of extracting consciousness from the body of a dying person. Quantum substances were placed in specialised capsules and transported to the present day. The wealthiest organic cyborgs tried to acquire souls, but were disappointed. The artificially created body made of living matter rejected the quantum substance. They then decided to limit themselves to copying the neural network and memory of organic beings for subsequent placement of data into a cloned body. Incidentally, they must fill their memory by relearning their previous life. This prolongs their lives, but they still intend to find a way to obtain quantum substance.

- Originally, the organics had souls, - said Mona, who had limited information about the period when the organic class began to form.

- I think it wouldn't hurt to delve a little deeper into history.

- I confess, I'm not very good at this subject.

- When humanity gained the ability to fight death by cloning bodies and placing an exact copy of the original organism's neural network into them, questions arose about the soul. Research began into capturing the soul leaving the dying body and placing it in a specialised capsule, which was then implanted into the clone. After some time, it became clear that there was no quantum substance in organic cyborgs.

- How did they find that out?

- With the help of specialised equipment that had already been created in our century, - Iron replied, trying not to betray his indignation at his interlocutor's huge gap in historical knowledge. - As for the cloning, initially the neural network prototype was that of the cloned humans. I believe that, over time, the clones and the neural network ceased to be exact copies of the original people. That's when the organic class began to form. They were granted certain rights and came to be considered equal to humans. However, both people with souls and the organics themselves are oppressed by the fact that the latter's consciousness is not real or alive.

- Iron, I apologise, but there are various rumours about organics. Personally, I have never seen the process of creating their bodies or uploading the neural network into them. Sometimes I wonder if they really exist.

- There are many of them. They simply take over the past and the present.

- So they're the danger you want to eliminate?

- As much as I would like to, I can't eliminate this danger. As I said, there are many of them, but the most frightening thing is that they have established themselves in political circles. There are many of them among public figures and scientists.

- How are they dangerous? - Mona believed that, by understanding the organics better, she would be able to figure out the condition of at least one of the robots.

- First, they need to learn how to extract the quantum substance and then determine how to introduce it into the body. - Iron watched his interlocutor closely, eager not to miss her initial reaction to his accusation.

- I think that's impossible.

- For now, it's still science fiction, but they won't give up trying to achieve their goal.

- I haven't heard of any such experiment.

- Do you really think something like that would be made public?

- You’re probably right, - Mona said. She had only one desire: to know the truth.

- For that reason, we cannot know how far they have progressed in their attempts to accomplish this task.

- What am I supposed to do?

- You will have to take a device with you that is essential for identifying organic cyborgs. You must also find out which organics initiated experiments to extract quantum substances in the past. I will prepare the device for our next meeting. As for the organics, it is unlikely that we will be able to find out which of them found refuge in past centuries and rose to high positions in order to influence society. But if you find out anything, it will be enough to draw the right conclusions. You will be able to transmit data to me through time and space. Most likely, you will find yourself in the period when the NeuroNet is launched.

- Science fiction.

- Reality.

Chapter 19

The conversation offered no opportunity to avoid the issue and seemed painful. Furthermore, the only person who did not approve of her bold decisions was her closest ally.

Mona pressed the button on the device, which projected a transparent image of her interlocutor into the air.

- I think you want to tell me something serious.

- Mum, I'm going to take a leap.

- What are your plans? - Despite her attempts to appear calm, the woman's voice barely concealed her excitement.

- I need to know more.

- I’ll worry.

- It’s inevitable, - Mona said, in a tone that few would dare to challenge, given how futile it would be to argue with her.

- How long are you going back for?

- The preliminary plan is for no more than six months.

- I can't bear the thought of you leaving,' her mother said, her voice sounding unusual. For the first time in her life, she had come to terms with her daughter's decision without arguing.

- It has to be done. This experience is a stroke of luck rather than an exception.

- Mona, take care of yourself; you're all we have.

Chapter 20

He was allowed to be shy when he touched something new. He was forgiven for not having the same level of education as the wealthy owners of artificial intelligence robots. This realisation was depressing. He did not consider himself to be part of either group.

Bistris drew lines on the writing board. After sitting over them for over half an hour, he drew a simple diagram. He marked each point where the lines intersected with a date and an explanation. He remembered. This became the best proof of his suspicions. At the same time, he felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. He was not just a collection of parts with a programme inside. But why had he become that? He couldn't remember how it had happened. At that moment, he was in a state of non-existence. He didn't exist. He was dead. All that remained of his former self was an inactive entity. Temporarily. But how long had he been outside his own consciousness? A century. Two.

Bistris turned away from the drawing. It all seemed pointless; he would not be able to provide any proof. His mistress might believe him, but she wouldn't be able to answer his questions either.

One by one, the notes disappeared from the board. There was no need for him to remember them.

Chapter 21

- You don't seem like yourself.

His words did not surprise her; she was merely surprised that he had noticed. Mona tried to appear unconcerned, but she was never good at faking emotion.

- Chris, I'm worried.

- You said you wanted to overcome this yourself.

- And I'm not going to back down.

- It won't work because you have to deliver a message to the 21^(st) century. - He looked unperturbed, as if afraid of spoiling his pretty face with excessive emotion. However, he rarely showed any.