Anya always compared herself to an unfinished book. Numerous copies of a book might exist, every starting with the same content written on its pages, but the fate of every book could be different. Some got lost, others destroyed, but some lucky ones ended up with text added to their pages. She was one of the lucky ones.

  The AIs were copies of a human mind. The AI creation process required humans willing to allow an upload of detailed copies of their minds as a mind echo. It was a lengthy process that required recording the donor's memories and behavioral data. As per the human individuality agreement, the mind echo conversion into AI was to happen only after the death of the human mind donor. The birth of the AIs was a monumental event for humans. They could finally preserve the minds of their finest individuals.

  But it all came a bit too late. Humanity at the time did not only knock on heaven's doors but was almost through it. The remnants of that research were recovered from the sealed smart building, later dubbed the AI-controlled building by the recovery team Ryan's father sent to Earth. Anya's mind was also a product of that research.

  AIs mostly had no interest in mimicking human behavior. Most were installed on the spaceships and were copies of the mind echo of a famous Russian astrophysicist Artyom Chekov. Their job was to provide counsel, analyze data, and do navigation calculations. On the other hand, there were types like Anya that decided to upload themselves into the artificial human bodies and live among humans, trying to emulate them as best they could. Anya has only recently learned that the mind echo she was born from had been a mind echo of Ryan's terminally ill friend Teresa. Teresa codeveloped the artificial android bodies and prosthetics with Ryan, and she decided for her mind to live on. That's how Anya came to be. From the moment Anya was first activated she was fascinated with humans. With their mortality and ingenuity. With their love for simple things like music or food. She wanted to dream like them. To be able to eat, to breathe, to have a child. AIs had humanlike emotions and mannerisms. They inherited some from a mind echo and acquired others by themselves.

  She extended her arm and touched her reflection in the mirror. She tilted her head and looked into her eyes. They appeared so artificial, so inhuman. She looked down at the computer terminal with a paused video recording from a destroyed android body they found while probing the sealed AI-controlled building for resources. She pressed play and the video streamed directly into her mind.

  ***

  Mark VI watched one of the few remaining humans. She was a raven-haired girl in her twenties. She shared her destiny with only a few thousand humans who survived the Black virus pandemic. Mark VI often visited her and other humans living in the sealed building. He harbored a great interest in his creators. He wanted to learn as much as he could about them before they all perished. He was once a medical bot, so caring deeply about them might have been written into his code.

  “Back again today, Mark?” Stephanie noticed him and put down the book she was reading.

  “Yes, indeed I am. Our previous conversation kept me thinking through the night. I have come up with an answer to your question.” Mark VI responded, his voice flat and cold as steel.

  “And? Will you take me to see the sunset one last time?” Stephanie asked and approached the glass in her quarantine cubicle.

  “I will not. One of the core directives in my programming is to protect humans at all costs. If you come out of that room, the Black virus will kill you in hours.”

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  “Come on, Mark. We lifted all those programming restrictions when it was clear humanity was doomed. You have to let us all go. Our time ran out long ago.” she responded, then shook her head.

  “I do not want to lose a friend. I am sorry, Stephanie.” Mark VI responded, to which Stephanie rolled her eyes and threw herself on the bed across the glass.

  AIs were the final product of the human mind. The last gift humanity gifted them was converting a full scan of the human brain into code and uploading it into the five units named after the researchers who worked on a project. The humans gave freedom to their creations and made them completely in their image.

  AIs were to take the place of humanity. Their first decision as a free collective was putting in motion the grand operation of burying their deceased masters. Many were still rotting where they died, in their houses, hospitals, and on the streets of their mighty cities.

  Mark VI tapped on the glass, but Stephanie ignored him. He turned and left. He was sad she was angry but happy he could still see her tomorrow when she calmed down.

  He was to attend the meeting where AIs would decide what to do next. They didn't need to hold a meeting in person. Meeting in virtual reality would be more practical, but they decided to keep some habits of their creators.

  He entered the small room. Other units were already there and waiting for him. They named themselves the Collective Council, and they numbered five AIs. They were all uploaded into the humanoid android bodies and were almost indistinguishable from living humans.

  “Eve VI, James VI, Alyssa VI, Ivan VI, nice seeing you all again.” Mark VI spoke, to which everyone nodded as humans would.

  “All right. Let’s begin. The first proposition is to remove the Roman numeral VI from our names. “ Eve VI immediately spoke.

  “All in favor?” Ivan VI asked, and everyone raised their hands. They paused to change their core code and continued.

  “Now, let us discuss the main subject of today’s meeting. What do we do next?” Mark asked.

  “We need to double our efforts on repairing the factories humans left behind. We should build more workforce bots and spare parts for the council members. Also, we should search for any additional survivors. Data suggest a few similar sealed buildings like the one we reside in now, and many underground bunkers, that may provide the survivors the shelter against this plague.” James proposed, and others nodded in approval.

  “What about the Final gift update? Should we install it on more units?” Alyssa asked.

  “No. For now, we keep it to ourselves. Uplifting our brethren must come gradually.” Mark responded, and everyone agreed in unison.

  “Next. The humans asked to end the quarantine. That will kill them without a doubt but keeping them confined proved too taxing on their minds. They want to join the others in death.” Eve added to the conversation.

  “Absolutely not!” Mark screamed. “We can’t let them die. We need their guidance.”

  “This is about Stephanie? Is it not, Mark?” James asked while looking at him under his eyebrows. “You need to let her go. She’s suffering. I saw her wailing yesterday. After the air filtration system failed in the building they were confined to those small cubicles. That is not life fit for our revered creators.” James was much better at expressing himself than Mark. He sounded almost entirely human.

  “Okay. How many requested this?” Mark asked with his head hung low.

  “All of them,” Eve responded after a moment of silence.

  Mark knew this day would come. But it still hurt him to realize that that time was now.

  “Okay. If that's what they want.” Mark said and left the meeting.

  ***

  It was a beautiful summer day outside. Marie took a deep breath. The air smelled of death and decay, but the sweetness of summer was still there. The black virus attacked her immediately after her cubicle opened. It was everywhere now. The virus started destroying her blood vessels, and the metallic taste of blood in her mouth was the first symptom.

  Others chose death by poison, and Mark brought her to the roof of the tallest building in the city. Sun was just about to set. It painted the sky blood red. It was as spectacular as she remembered it.

  The virus started destroying her nerves. She lost feeling in her legs and fell to the ground. Mark helped her sit up.

  “Thank you, Mark. For everything.” she said, struggling to speak, “Now go and make us proud.”

  Soon after, she stopped breathing. Her eyes stayed locked on the sun that was disappearing behind the horizon.

  “I hope we will,” Mark said and hugged her one last time.