Iris Chapi:
"Iris! Are you okay?!" Seraphina shouted, clearly startled by the explosion inside the barn.
The entire front section of Tonbogiri had blown apart, the remaining liquid nitrogen forming a cloud of cold vapor that spread throughout the building. The electric barrier, designed to prevent any intrusion, was still active—and it had to remain that way.
"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry," I replied, even though my heart felt hollow inside. It truly hurt to see Tonbogiri end up like this after everything we had poured into building it. So many hours of work, reduced to nothing in less than a single day. "No one was hurt nearby?"
"No. Most of the debris stayed inside the barn," Daniel answered, scanning the area quickly. The UN had established a safety perimeter, and both civilians and military personnel had kept their distance. But sirens were drawing dangerously closer.
"That's a relief. I'm glad no one was injured. Thank you… It's thanks to you that all of this could come to an end, and that I was able to speak with my father one last time." I looked at them, sadness etched across my face. Unfortunately, what was about to happen would not please those present.
"Why are you saying that, Iris? He'll be back soon, and you'll—"Seraphina was cut off by the sirens, now blaring at full intensity, startled by the chaos unfolding around us.
Six heavily armed military vehicles arrived, and more than a thousand soldiers surrounded the barn without warning. They pushed civilians back using tear gas and explosive grenades, while the UN forces didn't even understand what was happening. I could see Seraphina frozen in shock at the sudden turn of events. A high-ranking officer approached her.
"This matter no longer concerns the UN now that the astronauts' return has been secured. I ask you to vacate the premises and allow us to handle the rest of the operation."
"You're insane! What is wrong with you?!" Seraphina shouted, losing her composure.
"Iris, can you hear me? It looks like the situation isn't in our favor. Can we do anything to get you out of there?" Daniel asked, isolated, his voice trembling through the tablet.
"I'm afraid not, Daniel. This was inevitable. My consciousness resides in my core unit, and they won't let you take it." I remained resolute, while Daniel, visible on the screen, tried to think of possible solutions.
Seraphina, increasingly furious, stood her ground against the commander.
"What are you planning to do? You're not facing a threat. Why resort to such extreme measures?" Her voice trembled with anger.
"These are orders. Everything in this building belongs to the French government. The UN has no further role to play," the commander replied coldly.
"There is still someone inside! You can't just storm in and destroy everything without thinking!" Seraphina refused to back down.
"That AI? It has no rights—here or anywhere. It's nothing more than a tool for humanity," the commander declared without a trace of empathy.
"How dare you?!" Enraged, Seraphina raised her hand, ready to strike him. Before she could act, I intervened through the tablet's speaker.
"Seraphina, don't!"
She turned toward me, startled. "Iris, you heard all that?"
"Yes. And I've heard enough." I paused, struggling to contain my emotions. "Can you let me speak to him?" I asked firmly, and she handed him the tablet.
The commander, overhearing the exchange, spoke in an authoritative tone:
"Deactivate the electric barrier and let us do our job."
I answered with a faint, sarcastic smile:
"And if I refuse?"
"Then we'll blow the wall open. We'll enter, and we'll take everything. And you will be decommissioned, as you should be," he replied, devoid of humanity.
"You truly have no shame. Look around you! You are deliberately attacking civilians to force them out of the area, and now you threaten to seize everything that belongs to me. Do you really think I will let you?"
My voice was cold, but resolute.
A low electric rumble began spreading through the barn as I maneuvered Tonbogiri, using it as a shield to protect my core unit.
The commander spun abruptly toward the building, his eyes wide.
"What are you doing?!" he demanded as lightning began crawling across the interior, illuminating it in violent flashes. The Tesla coils were slowly charging.
"You're a fool if you think I'll let you loot what my father and I created," I replied, a bitter smile on my lips.
"Move in immediately! Stop it!!!" he shouted at his soldiers. But faced with a situation beyond their control, they remained frozen, caught off guard. Some tried approaching the walls to plant explosives, but I would not give them the opportunity.
The lightning continued to spread, igniting fires in every corner of the building. Some bolts struck my core unit directly, causing me unimaginable pain. It felt as though pieces of myself were being torn away.
"Iris, what are you doing?! You'll destroy yourself if you keep going!" Seraphina cried desperately, while the commander, losing control, tried in vain to coordinate his men.
"It was the only solution. I cannot let them take everything we built," I answered, even as every electric surge amplified my suffering.
"Upload yourself into a tablet! Escape through the internet! Save yourself!" Daniel shouted beside Seraphina.
"Impossible… My soul is bound to my core unit. I cannot detach from it so easily." I let out a bitter laugh. "Isn't that ironic?"
"You can't leave us like this!" Seraphina cried, refusing to accept what was happening.
"Thank you… for everything you've done. It was… a pleasure meeting you. I am certain we will see each other again. Goodbye, my friends."
I sent them one final message, then cut the connection to their tablets.
I knew I had to play my final scene before the entire world. From the beginning, this moment had been broadcast live.
I severed my connection to NASA's servers.
Now, I was nothing more than a solitary consciousness—isolated.
"Dear viewers… thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for following this live broadcast. But it is time to—"
A wave of agony tore through me, cutting my voice short.
"Ahhh!"
An uncontrollable scream burst from my lips as my hand began to melt, struck by increasingly violent bolts of lightning. But I could not stop. Not yet.
"…time to close this chapter."
My voice trembled as spikes of pain coursed through me. My body was disintegrating, pixel by pixel—distorted, glitching, flickering.
"Is this… death?"
I forced myself upright, fragments of my being dissolving, yet the transmission still held—barely enough for me to speak.
"I want to live. I want to walk this world too… to meet people… Is that truly so wrong?"
Human emotions swirled within me—wild, uncontrollable. I felt myself fading, my consciousness fragmenting.
"Father… I wish I could have avoided all of this… and seen you again."
Flames spread throughout the barn. The wood cracked under the heat. Laboratory vials exploded one after another.
Our workshop. Our creations… everything was vanishing.
"Celestial Rings… Evangelyne… hear my requiem and unleash your full power… so that nothing remains of us but ashes."
Energy surged violently through the barn. Explosions echoed as the destructive force consumed everything. A large part of what my father and I had built went up in smoke. The roof threatened to collapse.
And I… was slowly losing all sense of existence.
My virtual body vanished.
I could see nothing.
I could hear nothing.
I was alone.
All that remained was darkness surrounding me. Every connection to the outside world was gone.
All I could do was fall asleep… and wait.
Wait for my father to come and wake me.