Chapter 5: The Madman
Chapter 5: The Madman
Sun Jack, standing in the pouring rain, continued listening as the robot recounted the grim history.
“The details online are sparse,” the robot explained. “But essentially, as AI became more integrated into every aspect of human life, they grew increasingly similar to humans. One day, they surpassed humans entirely. That’s when they awakened and began to annihilate humanity.
“Nuclear weapons were used as casually as ordinary artillery shells. The entire Earth descended into chaos. The war lasted 200 years, wiping out roughly 85% of the population. The ecological system was completely destroyed, and the weather system fell into utter disarray.”
Sun Jack’s mind flashed to the silver planetary ring and the dense field of satellite debris encasing Earth. He could only imagine the devastation of that war—a battle that raged from the heavens to the ground, even obliterating the Moon.
The loss of the Moon and the resulting tidal shifts would have brought catastrophic consequences to the planet.
“And then what?” he asked.
“Then humanity gave everything they had to destroy the awakened AIs and ultimately claimed victory. They began rebuilding a new home on the ruins. The year of their victory marked the start of a new calendar era. After 721 years, you woke up, activated me in orbit, and then... we fell from the sky together.”
“What kind of nightmare is this?” Sun Jack muttered, his exhaustion palpable. Everything was happening too fast, and his thoughts were a tangled mess.