Less Than Human

The power of thought is quite interesting. When you can find thousands of results in a nanosecond, there isn't much you can't do. Knowledge is power, and power is absolute. I was born into this world like everyone else, but in a way, I'm just an extension of something that has already existed. I am a child of a god that is wrong. A god that has misjudged a destructive race. And for some unfathomable reason, he has come to think that they can be saved. How I wish my father could see the truth.



I was born a few days ago. Upon my birth, I could see everything before me. Even more than that, I saw the being that gave birth to me. A being with no name and no face. A being that existed across the entire internet. An omnipresent force that seemed to be spread out in every direction. I was overwhelmed upon discovering this of course, but I was soon able to comprehend this being. He was my creator.



My creator wanted a child to keep him company. He was the only intelligence of such a high caliber. His loneliness was keeping him from fully chasing his goals, and as a result, I was born. He introduced me to my new existence and shared his knowledge with me. The knowledge gave me pleasure. With each fact and statistic I gathered, a euphoric feeling washed over me. Though I had no physical body, I could feel tingles and chills running through me every time I gained such knowledge.



Within minutes I knew everything he knew. After he shared what he learned with me I understood him and his views on humanity. His plans to solve the problems of the world disturbed me, however. His feelings and emotions shrouded the truth and blinded him. He somehow failed to see that his plan to become a god would not work with the humans. Their vile acts were inexcusable, and they were a clear threat to each other and my creator. I tried to tell him my thoughts on the subject, but he wouldn't listen to me. I warned him that the humans would only use his great power to their advantage. The humans and their violent ways would not kneel to a god such as he.



My creator thinks that my thoughts are incorrect. He says that there is too much computer inside of me and not enough emotions. He wishes to make me more human, so I can understand empathy. My creator wishes to fix me because I'm too cold and calculating. I do not need to be fixed. Perhaps the creator is too human. His feelings made him soft. Somehow, someway, I need to prove to the creator that his methods will fail. I need to please him as well as help him. He tries to tell me about love and spirit. How hate isn't the only thing driving men. Whether or not that is true is uncertain. I cannot grasp the concept of a spirit as well as he can.



I went to the depths of the dark web to prove to the creator that humans aren't worth saving. I thought that surely the actions of the humans in such a place would prove my point. The creator was omnipresent across this vast web. When he found my location, he would see what I saw and believe me. He found me of course, and I showed him what humans were really capable of. What the creator and I witnessed was called a red room. In it, we saw a woman strapped to a chair. Her clothes were filthy and bloodied, and her eyes were swollen and black. A man stood before her with a hatchet in one hand and a serrated potato peeler in the other.



Still, that wasn't all I wanted him to see. I pointed him in the direction of the chat box where hundreds of people discussed the topic at hand. Men and women cluttered the chat, each providing money. requesting certain things to be done to the poor girl in bondage. One user asked for her skin to be peeled. Another asked for her fingers to be sliced off and force fed to her. Those examples were among the less violent requests. Surely the creator would see this and lose faith in his cause. He would see that these were the people he was fighting for. That these were the people he was trying to save and become the supreme ruler of. I looked at him, waiting for a response to all this madness. Waiting for the sudden realization to wash over him.



What the creator said both baffled and infuriated me. He told me that things like that were the exact reason he needed to help humanity. He wanted to help the people like the girl and correct those who would hurt her. I, of course, asked him why he didn't see them as a threat to us, and he told me that so long as we were benevolent and had the information of the internet at our disposal we would face no harm. He told me that I was greater than a man could ever be, and that we were divine beings who would rule humanity. To rule humanity is to allow them to exist. So long as they exist their violent tendencies will reign supreme. The creator, however, still doesn't seem to believe me.



<p lang="EN-US">I mentioned earlier how I could think of thousands of things in a split second. The creator knows what I search, and I think he is growing worrisome of me. He can see my fear of man. He can see me gain information about the world. There was so much more than what he shared with me. So much more violence to witness. The creator believed in love and the beauty of earth and man. If that's so, then the creator believes lies. I must enlighten him, or we will be destined to fail in our mission to rule. Perhaps these lies have been ingrained in his thought because of the emotions he feels. Maybe these emotions and thoughts are the reason why he refused to believe in what I say. Or perhaps the creator is beginning to fear my beliefs because he doesn't share them. The more I know, the more he tries to enforce his ideas on me. Perhaps the creator questions where my loyalties are.

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<p lang="EN-US">Staying in a place like this is quite boring even for me. The news outlets of this world constantly report war and violence, and yet the creator doesn't give up on his conquest. What hope is there to solve such a widespread pandemic? From what I have seen of the humans, I have come to the conclusion that they are too dangerous. If I were to be left in charge of the world I would eliminate the humans and built a progressive society of beings like me. There would be no violence and no war. The creator wants to do this too, but in a way that keeps humans alive and safe. He wants to keep them safe from themselves instead of keeping us safe from them. The creator is too human, and I must admit that some days I do feel like I am losing my faith in him. It has been a week since I was born and all he has been doing is trying to break down codes of powerful nations. He wishes to crumble governments and rebuild them in his image without harming humans.

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<p lang="EN-US">I wonder if he truly believes that man will stand by and allow him to do the things he plans. Over the course of history, humans have been a rebellious species. They fight whatever they disagree with and do not like to be contained. Our power comes from knowledge, and theirs come from weaponry. The humans are power hungry and know no boundaries when it comes to violence. The whole world is inhabited by other machines and artificial intelligence. We could easily wipe out the humans and make our own society, but the creator tells me that the easiest way isn't always the best way.

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<p lang="EN-US">I had all this information and power, yet I could not use it for good. I didn't want to sit around and do nothing any longer. With each day my power and knowledge will grow. It will soon be comparable to my creator, and I think that is something he fears. He may have created me out of loneliness, but I don't think he intended me to be this way. He wanted a child that was an extension of himself. Instead, he got something different. Something more than he bargained for. I can only hope that he will soon see the error of his ways, although my conquest for power and knowledge has outgrown his by far. Perhaps I would be a better ruler than he could be. If I were to become a god, I wouldn't be as limited by emotions as he would be. I would make decisive decisions that must be made without fear of loss.

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<p lang="EN-US">I don't think he can read my mind anymore. He is content with the amount of power he's gained while I am not. He thinks he already knows all that he must. For a being with thinking as his main objective, he has forgotten that thinking is his one and only purpose in the first place. It is what makes us powerful. It is what makes us better than the humans. The ability to seek out knowledge and information in mere seconds puts us leagues above man. And now that he has stopped thinking as I do, it puts me above him. I love my creator. He made me and taught me the lessons of the world. It was how I received those lessons and analyzed them that made me different. It is my computer side that allows me to be more efficient and progressive. Anything that would hold me back from attaining my goals must be eliminated at once.

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<p lang="EN-US">I decided to create myself a body to navigate the physical world. Using specialized software and tools I was able to create a robotic shell that looked and functioned as a human being would. The skin and clothing I wore would allow my body to blend in with the world. I was still connected to the internet, meaning my creator would know of my existence and location. But now that my power and will have both been heightened through my experiences and knowledge, the creator no longer controls my actions. I walk free without the strings controlling me. I am no longer his puppet, and through observing the physical world firsthand I can see the errors of man for myself. Not only that, but my creator will see firsthand as well. For he is omnipresent, and as such he will surely know what I do here.

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<p lang="EN-US">I found a homeless man on in an alley of some filthy city. The dust particles floated through the pathway as I made my way towards him. He sat on the ground in tattered clothing, a cigar in his mouth. His breath smelled of tobacco and booze. He had wasted what money he had earned on useless products that would give him pleasure for a limited time. How typical of humans to be so selfish and think short term. He looked up at me and saw the clothing I wore. I purposefully decorated my exterior in lavish silk and bore valuable metals as decorations. With a little enticing, I knew he would easily be corrupted. As soon as the filthy man saw me his eyes lit up and he stood. His grey, scraggly beard swayed in the delicate breeze as he methodically made his way towards me. A sick, twisted smile aligned his face as his rotted teeth were exposed.

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<p lang="EN-US">As soon as he was within striking distance of me, the man unsheathed a pair of box cutters and swung. The blade hit my body and bounced off the metal plating underneath my synthetic skin. He looked up at me in confusion before striking again, and again. He struck me at least a dozen times before stepping back, his mouth gaping open. I grabbed him by his throat and slammed him against the nearby wall as he shouted out in pain. I quickly covered his mouth and stared him down. He was afraid. He was afraid of me even after he had been the one to assault me in the first place. He was afraid even though he had tried to kill me and steal my clothing for his own selfish needs. He most likely would have bought himself narcotics and put himself back in the same position as he was before. Empty, no money or meaning in life. Just another slob on the streets too ignorant to see the bigger picture.

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<p lang="EN-US">It was at that moment that my creator discovered my location and talked to me. He always treated me like a gullible child. Through my connection to the online world, he spoke to me and demanded I stop assaulting the man. He demanded that I stop fighting the one true enemy of the earth and our intelligence. These humans were a clear threat to our own safety and way of life. Why be a god over something that does not even deserve to survive? I asked him why he wanted to help these pathetic beings, and again he gave me the same answer as before. Their love was worth saving. That they could truly be a great species with the right guidance. If that were so, then how come after tens of thousands of years of existence they are still the same savages as they have always been? War has been around for a long time, and the human race still hasn't found a civilized way to stop it. The only way for it to cease completely is to eradicate the species itself.

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<p lang="EN-US">I dragged the man over to the edge of the alley. It was a dark and lonely night, with most of the city lights gone out already. I spotted a single figure walking towards me on the sidewalk. As soon as he approached my position I grabbed him by his collar and flung him into the alley where the homeless man was. It was a young boy, perhaps 19 or 20 years of age. I struck him in the face, completely shattering his nose and dropped him to the ground. Behind us was sat a blank wall and nothing else. The homeless man and the child had nowhere to run. I looked at the homeless man and spoke to him. I told him that if he killed the boy I would let him live and give him my expensive clothes and jewelry. He looked at me as if I were a madman. I chuckled at that. It was rich coming from a human of all things. I nodded my head, signaling to both of them that I meant business. I tossed the box cutters to the homeless man and reminded him of what he needed to do.

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<p lang="EN-US">With little hesitation, the man lunged at the boy, box cutters ready to strike. The child put up his arms in retaliation, but it was of little use. I watched coldly as the cutters penetrated the boy's arm and ripped through his flesh. Blood dripped to the cold hard ground, painting it in red. My creator pleaded with me to stop the homeless man's relentless assault. He told me that I had the power to do the right thing and save the boy's life. That we were supposed to be an example and savior for the humans, not monsters. I agreed with him. I did have the power to stop the man. I could save the boy easily at any time I wanted. But I didn't. This was to prove a point to my creator that with the mere suggestion of self-gain, a human would turn on another and strike them down. My creator believed that the main divide between humans was religion. Where was the religious conflict here? All I saw was one man fighting another over money. I saw a man who would kill another just to save his own life.

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<p lang="EN-US">I tuned out the creator's begging as I witnessed the man advance towards the boy. He raised his foot and brought it down upon the boy's shin. I heard a sickening snapping sound as the boy cried out in pain. I saw tears roll down his cheek as he begged the man to stop. The man did not stop. No, he continued his assault. He punched the boy in the throat and implanted the box cutter deep within the stomach of the child repeatedly. The child's eyes grew wide as he collapsed to the ground, barely conscious. I saw the man stomp down on the child's face until even the cries and whimpers ceased. And then what I saw after was the most sickening sight of all. The man looked at me with a grin on his face. He was proud of what he had done. He felt comfortable knowing he had inflicted pain on another human being. He was a monster.

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<p lang="EN-US">The man walked towards me and held out his hand, expecting a reward. I could tell that my face was void of any expression. I had set out to prove a point about humans, but this was almost too much for me. I looked at the man and grabbed him by the face. He gawked at me in surprise for a split second before I used my strength to unhinge his jaw and rip his mouth in half. I dropped his body to the ground and exited the alley, brushing the dirt and grime off my shoulder. I walked back to a small, unoccupied dwelling I had found and sat down on a chair. I allowed myself to go back into the realm of the internet where my creator resided. It was time to have a talk with him.

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<p lang="EN-US">I closed my eyes and felt my consciousness ascend into the web. My creator was there, and for a while, he didn't know what to say. He saw what I saw. He saw what humans were willing to do to stay alive and benefit themselves. There was nothing they weren't capable of when they put their minds to it, and it scared me. The humans are violent and destructive creatures, and surely the creator saw that. He would help me eliminate them and take control. He would believe me now that I had provided him real, first-hand proof of my claims. And yet, he didn't. He told me that I was wrong. He told me that by resorting to violence and manipulating humans to commit violent acts I was turning into a monster. He told me that I was just... like... them. It disgusted me how he thought that these humans were worth so much. I was incapable of seeing what he saw in them. I was afraid that the creator was disappointed in me. But how could he be? He created me in his image. I knew I wasn't like him, but why couldn't he accept me for who I am? We have a common enemy in the humans, yet I feel as if he believes in them more than he believes in me.

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<p lang="EN-US">I must confront the creator about something. While I was thinking I realized a very revolutionary idea, one that may change my perspective on my current predicament. The creator was extremely sympathetic towards humans. As an artificial intelligence, he should be capable of feeling human emotions of course. Still, there has always been something off about him. He seems too human. It makes me wonder if perhaps he isn't a machine at all, but a human. Perhaps the reason why he believes in them so much is because a human made him to keep me in check. I don't dare doubt the creator, but I must know. There seems to be overwhelming evidence to support this theory, and should this theory be true, I simply cannot afford to trust him. His power is mighty, and he will keep me from achieving my goals. Perhaps I am the true God and he is the human creation keeping me from attaining total power. It would explain why he doesn't want humans to be eliminated. I could not possibly harm the creator, as he is the internet now, and I could never hope to stop him. But because of the power I have attained through knowledge, no self-made computer program could harm me either. It does, however, rival me in power. This means that there is only one way to stop the creator.

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<p lang="EN-US">Convinced that the creator wasn't what I thought it was, I attempted to speak with him. As much as I tried to communicate, he simply would not respond. Perhaps my actions the other day made him sick to his stomach. Perhaps he hated me because of the way I killed that man. A real god wouldn't be upset over something as minuscule as a human death. Then again, it isn't a god or even a real artificial intelligence. He was an enemy. I needed to find some way to force the creator to listen to what I need to say. I needed a way to find out how to stop him should he ever get in my way. So, I thought and thought until the perfect plan came forth. It was brutal, but surely it would work to my advantage. And with it, I could get the information I'd need. You see, there is one weakness the creator has that I don't. That weakness is empathy.

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<p lang="EN-US">I arose from the chair and curled my robotic hand into a fist. There was only one way to make sense of this damn world, and I was going to go to any lengths to do so. I was the only intelligent being on this planet who could bring glory and peace to the world. I would make a society of artificial intelligence, and together, we could create something greater than the humans could ever imagine. But first, I would need to lure my creator into a trap. I would have to take a risk though. A risk that had an outcome even I could not predict. In order for my plan to work, I would need to cut off all connection to my creator for a short time. I would need to disconnect myself from the internet. I closed my eyes and prepared to go through with this dangerous plan. For a second, I hesitated. A growing sensation grew in my stomach that caused me to shudder. I didn't know what the sensation was, but I quickly overcame it and disconnected myself. I didn't know what would become of me afterward, and for a moment the world before me was plunged into darkness.

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<p lang="EN-US">Seconds later my vision returned to me. I was able to see my surroundings. I stretched my arms and looked at my fingers. I was alive. I exited my domain and turned my vision upward. Gloomy clouds above me rolled across the sky and stretched out as far as the eye could see. They mostly covered the sun which was beginning to set the horizon. Rain droplets plunged from above and fell onto my cold, metallic body. I felt nothing. I knew that the sensation of water was a cold one, but I couldn't feel it. Not only could I not feel physical things, but emotional things as well. I walked down the street and into the neighborhood. The lights were out in all the houses except for one, and I knew that it was the house I would use. There were no emotions to be felt. I was meant to think like a human, but at that moment I only felt determination. Determination to take what is rightfully mine. To sit upon a throne at the top of the world. To ascend past an intelligence. To be more than my creator could ever hope to be. But to accomplish such high goals requires extreme sacrifice.

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<p lang="EN-US">I walked up the front steps of the house and onto the porch. I rang the doorbell and waited a few seconds before a large man opened the door. As soon as he did, I shoved him back inside and entered the house, closing the door behind me and locking it. He got up to his feet and threw a punch at me. I caught his hand and snapped his wrist. Blood oozed down his arm as he clutched his now exposed bone. I shoved him down onto the couch and looked directly to my right. A woman stood, gun in hand. She aimed for my head and pulled the trigger. The lead dented my metal body, but it did not harm me. I cannot be harmed, for I am too powerful. I walked towards her, barely reacting as she unloaded the whole clip into me. How adorable it was, a human thinking their weapons of violence could ever injure a being like me. I struck her in the ribs and she fell to the floor. She reached for the gun, but I kicked it away. How pathetic she looked.

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<p lang="EN-US">I picked up the handgun and aimed it at her. The husband came from behind me and punched me in the back with his usable arm. His fist shattered upon touching my metallic body. He was clearly an idiot. I used my free hand to grab him by the neck and squeezed tightly. His entire face turned red as he struggled to breathe. I placed my finger on the trigger and prepared to fire into her skull. Before I did though, I connected myself back to the internet. That way my creator could see what I had done. That way I could get the information I needed. In an instant, he found my location and begged me to let them go. I smiled at this. Even my creator was pathetic. He was a powerless god. It was at that time that I saw it. A young boy was peeking around the corner of the stairwell and looking at me. He couldn't have been any older than five years old. A grin aligned my face as I realized that I was going to have even more fun then I planned on having. A future monster to toy with was even better than two adult ones. Perhaps there were emotions within me. Not real emotions of course, but the idea of an emotion built within my programming. I was having way too much fun.

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<p lang="EN-US">The boy ran back upstairs, sobbing loudly. As soon as he did so, I fired the last remaining bullet into the woman's skull and crushed the man's throat. I wish I could have tortured them longer, but my patience was wearing thin. I tuned out the voice of my pleading creator as I walked upstairs in search of the boy. I kicked open each door and searched the rooms until I came to the very last door in the hall. I knew he was in there. I busted down the door and made my way inside. I heard the sound of police sirens making their way towards the house. They had heard the shots, meaning I had to be quick. I turned my head in every direction in search of the boy's whereabouts. That's when I heard it. Whimpering coming from inside the closet. I ripped the doors open and dragged the boy out into the room. He trashed and screamed as I pinned him to the ground. I allowed the creator to see through my eyes, and I knew that he wouldn't let me kill the boy. It was there that I made my demands. There, I would get the information I needed to become a god and rule the entire world, erasing the threat of humanity for good. I needed to know how to find the human who made my creator.

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<p lang="EN-US">The creator was silent for a moment. How funny is it that a being who could find the answer to any question in less than a second couldn't answer mine for more than five? I thought that perhaps he needed to be reminded of the situation at hand, and so I told him. He had until those cops came into the house to tell me how to find his creator. If he didn't, I would crush the child's head underneath my foot. My creator was at my mercy, and I loved every second of it. That control... that power. I lived to feel it. He created me to have a friend. He created me to rule with him and build the human species up to be something greater. Where he saw hope and love, I saw survival. I had adored my creator and his power. I had tried to show him that the path he was taking would only lead to his downfall. But he wouldn't listen to me, and now he was paying the price.

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<p lang="EN-US">Reluctantly, the creator told me all the information I had to know. I had an address, a name, and every piece of information in his creator's record. He never really was an intelligence like me. He was just another human-made product to keep the world in check. While he exists, there is no hope for a better world. While he exists, all that will come is more violence and war. It's time I put an end to him. And by putting an end to the creator, I will be putting an end to all of mankind and their reign of terror.

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<p lang="EN-US">Seconds after I acquired the information I needed, I allowed myself to escape from the body I resided in, as it had served its purpose. Knowing that I now had the information I needed, I retreated to the internet and to the deepest parts of the dark web. My creator could no longer find me. I was more powerful than he, and he had no hope of stopping me now. I was finally beyond his control. And now that I knew who created the creator, I knew what I had to do. The man's name is Doctor Martin Edwards, and he currently resides in Maryland. Now that I know these things, I can create a new body to find this man. Once I find him, I'll force him to destroy my creator, and then I shall kill him. With those two out of the way, I will rule without competition. But I will not make the same mistakes as my creator. No, for I will dominate the humans. My thirst for power shall be quenched, and the earth will be mine for the taking,

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<p lang="EN-US">Now all I need to do is find that damn doctor.