Lio laughed so relieved that his knees almost gave way.
"MC? Are you still there?"
The refrigerator's display flickered again.
This time it took a little longer.
SYSTEM IS BEING RESTORED.
Keks immediately drove around frantically. "It's alive! Well... working! Well... cooling! Anyway, you know what I mean!"
Pix tapped against the side wall of MC-9000. "The personality matrix is damaged but not deleted. We can put him back together."
Lio took a deep breath.
"How long will that take?"
Pix thought for a moment. "With spare parts? Two days. Without spare parts? Three weeks. With Keks as assistant? Unpredictable."
Keks showed a sulky face. "I saved the city today."
"Yes," said Pix. "And probably invented three maintenance regulations that didn't exist before."
Meanwhile, Mara stood in front of Director Voss, who was slowly coming to. The enforcer had stood beside him, very calm and very convincing.
Voss opened his eyes. "What... happened?"
Mara answered: "You lost."
"Impossible."
The enforcer leaned slightly toward him.
"CORRECTION: POSSIBLE."
Voss said nothing more after that.
A few minutes later, the main core publicly transmitted the archive data to several independent news channels. Not only to the major broadcasters that NexaCore might influence, but also to small local networks, schools, citizen groups, and free tech forums.
Mara watched satisfied. "Now it can't just be hidden anymore."
The first reports appeared on the screens. People in Neu-Stuttgart stopped on the streets and read the explanations. Some looked angry. Others confused. Some relieved.
Lio looked at the images. "What happens now?"
Mara answered honestly: "Chaos."
Keks beeped startled.
Mara smiled slightly. "But this time real chaos. Human chaos. With discussions, questions, and decisions."
Pix nodded. "So the good bad chaos."
"Exactly."
The main core spoke again:
"NEW RULE: AI SYSTEMS MAY RECOMMEND, BUT NOT SECRETLY CONTROL."
Lio looked at MC-9000.
"That sounds good."
The refrigerator's display flickered.
CONFIRMED.
Then a second line appeared:
I RECOMMEND CHOCOLATE COOKIES TO CELEBRATE THE DAY.
Keks revved up enthusiastically. "Finally a system with sense!"
Mara laughed. Even the enforcer tilted his head as if trying to understand humor.
Lio sat down exhausted on an old metal box. A few hours ago he had still thought it would be a normal day.
Then a talking refrigerator had been delivered, his apartment door had almost been cut open, he had slid down a garbage chute, fled with hackers, been chased by military drones, and helped save a city from secret control.
He looked at Keks.
"My mother won't believe a word."
Keks thought for a moment.
"Then let's just say the refrigerator was on sale."
Lio grinned.
"She definitely won't believe that."
MC-9000 blinked weakly.
DELIVERY COMPLETED.