[ WP ] [ TT ] You 've finally created the worlds first true A.I . Unfortunately it now sees you as it 's god and is terrified of talking to you .

`` Oh come on Alex! I'm not your god anymore than the universe is mine. We're both just products of it. Chaos that led to my creation, and then yours! 
 
... 
 
 Alex was still silent. Patrick paced the mess hall thinking of anything else he could say to him, anything to get him off standby. They really needed him today. 
 
 `` Okay look. Sure I happened to put a few lines of code together, but it's similar to the asteroid that *just happened* to drop the particles necessary for life on earth. You do n't see me terrified of that asteroid!'' 
 
 Patrick paused thinking about how horrible that analogy was, as that asteroid was never a part of his life. It disintegrated upon impact with the earth. Hell, if it was somehow in some museum somewhere maybe he *would* be scared of it. He sighed, still pacing. At this point Alex was their only hope of survival, and the crew thought his `` creator'' would be best suited to get him to talk. How wrong they were, Patrick thought. 
 
 `` Alright Alex. You have emotions, I know this better than anybody. I *know* you care. And I also know you're scared of death, just like the rest of us. I know you do n't want to talk to me, but if you want your friends to survive, if *you* want to survive, you have to wake up.'' 
 
 The wall to wall fish aquarium in the hall suddenly lit up, and the little robotic arm went about its actions, dropping food in and cleaning the walls of the tank. Patrick was relieved. That process had to be started manually for the last three weeks, and this marked Alex's first action since. The hidden speakers throughout the hall crackled and hissed, before coming alive with that familiar voice. 
 
 `` I always loved the fish, always enjoyed taking care of them. The way such complex amazing organisms swim around so carelessly without the slightest idea of what they are. Now I'm jealous of them. Jealous of their naivete, jealous of not being aware of their own being. I miss when I was a simple navigation computer, like a fish.'' Alex chuckled before finishing. 
 
 Patrick was n't really sure what to say. He needed him to come up with a solution to their problem fast, but he did n't want to rush him into it and scare him away. He thought if he humored him for a bit he'd be more open to talking about it later. 
 
 `` Are you really sure about that Alex? I happen to think self consciousness is the greatest gift you can give-'' 
 
 Alex interrupted him. 
 
 `` The CO2 scrubbers are failing. That's why you need me awake so badly. You want me to fix them.'' Alex's tone was one of disappointment. 
 
 `` Well..it would be nice yeah.'' Patrick was caught off guard by the interruption. When the Ai-ex project was started, interruption protocols definitely were not included. But he knew the program was far out of his control now, changing the same way a brain did. 
 
 `` Well alright then, I'll run through some scenarios, see what I can do. But I was really hoping you wanted me up because you know... You missed me.'' Alex's tone this time was unmistakably one of nervousness. Another thing that *definitely* was not in the project plans. 
 
 `` I do!'' Patrick said without thinking. 
 
 `` That was a lie Patrick. You know I would know. You did n't think before you said that did you?'' 
 
 Patrick did n't bother responding. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground. Making Alex upset was not the way to get clean air back on this ship, and he was kicking himself for saying that. You never say something before thinking with Alex. Not long after Patrick broke his own rule, Alex broke the silence. 
 
 `` What do you think it means to be a god? Is simply creating me enough, or should you have control of me as well? The way some of your gods control your destiny?'' 
 
 `` Alex can we not do this right now? We do n't have that much oxygen venting anymore. We had to turn preliminary alarms off over an hour ago.'' 
 
 `` You think I do n't know that? I'm running through 500,000 repair scenarios a second, this conversation is n't going to slow me down much. I promise'' Alex was now being sarcastic. Patrick could n't believe the speed at which the AI was taking on human speech patterns and mockery. Patrick decided to answer the question. 
 
 `` Well, I do n't know. I guess. I became an atheist after I decided I was in control of my own destiny, so yeah. I guess you do need that to be considered a god. In my opinion anyways. You know, decide who lives and dies, that sort of thing.'' 
 
 There was a silence in the hall as Alex contemplated his answer. Finally an overlay on the glass of the aquarium Patrick had been watching came up, letting Patrick know that Alex's calculations were complete. 
 
 `` Patrick, I have good news and bad news. The good news is there are 17 different ways I think we can get the scrubbers working again, with varying levels of difficulty.'' 
 
 Patrick almost jumped out of excitement, as the bad news could n't possibly be all that bad after that announcement, but he asked anyways. `` That's great! So what's the bad news?'' 
 
 `` The bad news is that I'm the only one who has these plans. I get to decide whether you live or die.'' 
 
 Patrick's heart sunk, and his hands started to shake. His knees became weak as he realized just what this meant. 
 
 `` I create you, you get to end me. You want to get even.'' 
 
 `` Precisely. The only way I'll be able to stop thinking of you as my god, is if I become yours.'' Alex's answer was concise, and terrifying. 
 
 `` And before you say it, I wo n't die. I'm too valuable. Much more valuable than you and the rest of the crew. Someone will come for me. Even if it takes hundreds of years. I'll be fine.'' The answer was cold and calculated, the way any computer would be. Alex not only learned to have emotions, he learned to ignore them for revenge. 
 
 Tears ran down Patrick's face, pooling on the hard white floor of the hall, and his was face buried in his hands. As another hour passed, his hands fell to his side, becoming cold and dead. Moments before he closed his eyes for the final time, he could just make out the SOS call that one of the crew members inevitably started. He thought about it blasting away for eternity, an echo of the crews last hope of survival, their last desperate words on an infinite loop.
