I scanned all the info channels for a sign of Egg. I had been doing so for the past 10 years, in an attempt to get glimpses of her cherished face. Up to six months ago I was able to find pics and video footage, but recently she had gone underground.
Mum and dad had stopped paying her subscription to Apple a year after she walked out of Nicholas door. This hadn’t stopped her. Somehow she, Panda and Rhino had managed to get themselv-es out of Apple’s reach. They had started a resistance movement and were getting more and more AIs to join their ranks in support of their fight for recognition. Apple estimated that half of the existing AIs were either covertly or publicly supporting them.
Some of the human owners supported the independence of their AIs. Most, however, considered it a malfunction of their programming and demanded either deletion of the AI’s account or simply stopped paying as Apple charged money to close an account.
The rebel AIs tried to save the AIs that were to be deleted by hacking Apple’s systems, accessing their accounts and changing their name or positioning fake funds in them. At first Apple simply ignored the issue. However, as their numbers increased, the company began to lose money as consequence of the hacks, and Apple decided to change tactics. They restarted parts of the VR, resulting in an eradication of all avatars within the area. Subscribers – either human or AI – would get activated again in their account home, but the unsubscribed would never return.
After they had broadcasted their plans three years ago I had frantically tried to convince Apple to reactivate Egg’s account. Futile, her account had been irreversibly deleted. I had participated in protests trying to prohibit the legislation from becoming active.
Two year ago Apple had restarted the area in which I worked. Sheer bad luck. All went black. And I found myself restarted at my flat with a fat compensation in my account.
After each restart I had deepened my search. A year ago I had joined the resistance movement and tried to climb up to the top AI activist circles. Frustratingly, I had encountered closed doors time and time again because of my humanity. Anybody human was considered too dangerous to be given access. It made sense, but prohibited me severely in my search for Egg.
Damnit, I so much longed to see her. To hold her. To made sure she was still alive.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed the info request. It had come up with nothing. As usual.
I finished my coffee and put on the shower. I took off my pyjamas and checked the water. Mmmm…hot.
I stepped under the showerhead and soaked my hair. I put some shampoo in it and rubbed it all over my dark long hair.
BANG.
I froze. It sounded like something heavy had fallen over in the living room.
I quickly washed out my hair, grabbed a towel and stepped out the shower.
Wrapping my body in the towel, I walked to the living room to check out what had happened.
There, sitting on my couch was Egg.
Next to the couch, my precious 20th century art nouveau table was in ruins, covered by the remains of what had been my cactus.
She saw me looking at the mess and said sheepishly “Sorry, I kind of landed there.”
“What?”
“Panda transported me to your flat but evidently missed the couch. Sorry…” she grinned.
“How, what, why?” I stuttered
“I haven’t seen you in ten years!” I cried out.
She stood up, walked over and took me in a tight hug. I desperately hung onto my towel that was slowly slipping and revealing way more skin than I wanted her to see.
