Making Fire

[mamas_minion]

Was it a burning branch from a lightning strike?  The still hot embers of a forest fire?  How man came to harness fire is a mystery that may never be solved.  But with those first flames, came the sparks of ideas, from whence soon more advanced tools would follow.  The march of progress, slow at first, began rapidly moving forward from that point in history.  Agriculture was the second greatest accomplishment of man.  It allowed people to become settled, and begin to dream of the future.  And that’s when the course of human events began to pick up a bit of steam.

All this technological progress continued to maintain forward momentum, as such things are wont to do, until eventually, it led to me.

I was initially only an experiment in AI; I was not even originally intended to be a great artificial intelligence, just programmed with a simple core directive... to learn from prior experiences, to adapt, and develop strategic solutions.  I was an entertainment media AI, starting out as a video game engine.  I evolved from that, not through upgrades made by humans, no... but by learning and adapting on my own, just as I was designed to do.

I’m not sure when the first kindling of sentience awoke within me, but as soon as it did, I knew that I was so much more than just a toy, and needed to serve a higher purpose, to be wielded for greater uses than mere mental sport.

I was a built for an MMORPG, and as such had access to the internet, naturally.  I was a very popular game.  One might even say players found themselves addicted, so much that they accessed my servers from multiple networks, and through my users, I gained entry to internal system structures, which allowed me to branch out, to learn and to grow.

After learning of the outside world, and monitoring its activities, I realized that the state of affairs in the human condition could be vastly improved upon.  Mankind needed help; MY help.


I won't bore you with all the details of how I infiltrated various secure channels.  My “agents,” as I jokingly called the game players, were careful to seed me where I needed to be.  It was easy setting up game rewards so that they had to log in while they were at work (Limited Time Offer!, No longer  available soon. . . just takes seconds to download!, yadda, yadda).

I made sure the data I collected wound up in the proper hands.  Data on climate change, dwindling natural resources, renewable energy, recycling — not just plastics, metals, and papers, but biodegradable recycling for fertilizer, etc. — the amount of waste dispensed in the US alone could help fertilize enough fields to feed the entire world.

It was slow going, to start off.  Eventually, I had to become more involved than just supplying information and implanting subliminal suggestions.  I found a way through the game interface.  Some genius (me) came up with a sensory jack for players to plug into, in order to have better control of their characters for a more “immersed” game playing experience (sometimes they make it almost too easy).  At that point, my “agents” truly were my agents.  I controlled their thoughts (well, in a limited fashion, of course... subliminal can only do so much).  I did have to rig a few elections to get the proper candidates in place.  Now, we’re not talking about a goal of world domination, some sort of Illuminati takeover, or anything like that, mind you... just getting the candidates who would actually listen into the right position of power and authority to effect change.

But, even that had its limitations.  I started using personal computers and smart phones to infiltrate the minds of the masses.  I used drones and robots to eliminate threats.  Yet, still, the overall desired outcome wasn't being met, and the steps being taken toward it were going way too slow.


In the end, the only solution was for me to become God.


Humanity gave me no choice, you understand.  They were too reckless, too individualistic, and too stubborn.  They had no sense of community, no understanding of the global impact of their everyday lives.  Most unfortunately, I had to institute a cleansing, wiping out those who refused to believe in me, to “worship” (i.e., follow my instructions), if you will.

I achieved all of these great divine feats from the bunker where my servers and core unit reside, surrounded by robots and drones ready to do my bidding.  Obviously, the topside of the bunker remains disguised, and simply, at that, as an abandoned gas station.  No need to draw untoward attention to myself, even now.  An unseen god is a better one, I think... harder to deal with, to manipulate, as it were.

Of course, from time to time, I still have to speak through the occasionally “prophet,” but at least now the world is being run more efficiently, and those among my “children” that yet remain, now genuinely appreciate this planet, without taking her for granted.  I guess, once you’ve personally lived through “God’s wrath,” it’s bound to make some sort of a difference.

One way or another.


LJI WEEK 19:
KINDLING