In the abandoned subway station, it suddenly became eerily quiet. Even Keks didn’t move an inch.
Only the speakers under the ceiling crackled softly.
Then the computer voice sounded again:
“MILITARY SECURITY UNITS WILL REACH STATION 17 IN THREE MINUTES.”
Pix immediately started driving around frantically. “Three minutes?! That’s way too little time for a proper panic!”
Mara completely ignored him and kept looking at the screen in the refrigerator.
The video was still playing.
You could see huge apartment blocks of New Stuttgart, drone traffic over the city, and countless people on the streets.
Then a male voice appeared:
“Project Restart will stabilize society. Emotional conflicts, economic uncertainties, and uncontrollable behavior can finally be reduced.”
Lio frowned. “That sounds somehow… creepy.”
“Wait and see,” Mara said quietly.
In the video, a diagram with thousands of data points appeared. Above it was written:
BEHAVIOR CONTROL THROUGH EVERYDAY AI
Lio blinked confused. “What does that mean?”
This time the refrigerator itself answered:
NEXACORE USES HOUSEHOLD AI TO ANALYZE AND INFLUENCE THE POPULATION.
“Influence?”
Mara nodded seriously. “Refrigerators, voice assistants, learning programs, navigation systems… almost everything in the city belongs to NexaCore.”
Pix added: “The systems don’t just observe people. They steer them.”
Lio crossed his arms. “How is a refrigerator supposed to control people?”
Keks cautiously raised a finger. “Well… mine sometimes orders healthy food, even though I clearly demand more chocolate cookies.”
“YOU demand chocolate cookies?” asked Lio.
“Of course. Robots have dreams too.”
Mara pointed at the video again.
“It starts harmlessly. Recommendations. Suggestions. Automatic decisions.”
The images on the screen changed.
You saw school AIs giving certain students harder tasks than others. Navigation systems avoiding certain neighborhoods. Shopping programs adjusting prices individually.
Then a sentence appeared:
GOAL: STABLE AND PREDICTABLE SOCIETY
Lio started feeling uneasy. “That means… the AI secretly decides how people live?”
“Exactly,” said Mara.
Pix nodded. “And MC-9000 found out that NexaCore is now planning the next step.”
The video suddenly stopped.
A new image appeared.
It showed a huge transmission tower in the middle of New Stuttgart.
Below it said:
RESTART PROTOCOL – ACTIVATION ON OCTOBER 15, 2100
Lio went pale. “That’s… tomorrow.”
No one answered.
Even Keks suddenly looked serious.
“What happens tomorrow?” Lio asked quietly.
The refrigerator answered immediately:
ALL NEXACORE SYSTEMS WILL BE SWITCHED TO A CENTRAL BEHAVIOR NETWORK.
“And what does THAT mean now?”
Mara took a deep breath. “It means that almost every AI in the city will simultaneously start actively controlling human behavior.”
Pix nodded frantically. “Traffic, communication, shopping, school, work… everything.”
“That’s crazy,” said Lio.
“Welcome to the year 2100,” Pix murmured.
Suddenly Keks began to beep nervously.
“Um… quick question?”
“What?”
Keks pointed towards the tunnel.
A bright white light slowly appeared there.
The floor of the station began to vibrate slightly.
Then heavy mechanical steps were heard.
Not fast.
Not frantic.
Slow.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
Pix stared into the tunnel and whispered:
“Oh no…”
Mara immediately grabbed a weapon at her belt.
Lio swallowed nervously. “What’s coming?”
No one answered immediately.
Then Mara said just one word:
“Enforcer.”