ZERO (Complete)

Chapter Forty-Four

Back at the community, the Dark Circle crew and a couple of people close to Maxim gathered in a room to discuss their next steps. Maxim told everyone about his encounter with the elusive Ethan Thanos and not surprisingly, they had a lot of questions.

"What was he like?" Lynn was the first to speak.

"Who's Ethan Thanos?" Lauren asked.

"Did he say where he has been all these years?"

"Why did he contact you?"

"Does he feel responsible for the Automation War?"

The questions seemed never-ending.

"What was he like," Maxim reiterated Lynn's question. "It was late and we weren't really hanging out, you know. I only interacted with his hologram. But from what I could tell, he seemed nice and well adjusted."

"I'm sorry, can someone please tell me who he is?" Lauren asked again.

"Ethan Thanos has been credited as the creator of true artificial intelligence, which led to the robot uprising, but others claim it was his mentor, Arthur 'Nas' Naslund, who was the real brains behind everything."

"This whole thing is still very confusing," the Professor said. "You're saying that Ethan was the one who put us on that bus? Why did he do that? And why track you down?"

"From what I gathered, he wanted to talk to the nine of you, but as you know, the bus didn't arrive. He could have talked to Allie, but I guess he just decided to talk to me instead. He was talking a lot about predictive analytics so maybe now that I was with you guys, his algorithm chose me as the messenger over her."

"Was he in exile there?" Cheryl asked.

"No, he didn't make any mention of being held against his will. I think he likes being there where he can maintain a low profile."

"Why come out now?"

"Redemption," Maxim said. "The reason he went into hiding was because he was the most hated person in the world. As I mentioned, he's not the guy who created the Automation War, but was integral to bringing A.I. into this world. Him and Nas."

"I don't blame him at all," Cheryl said. "He helped wake a sleeping giant, but I think his actions were paved with good intentions. Perhaps he was young and idealistic and knew not of the consequences of his actions. Besides, if not him, it would have been someone else and the outcome would have likely been the same."

"Aside from redemption," Maxim continued, "he wants to help us. He said we share a common enemy. As the saying goes, 'an enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"

"How does he intend to help us?" Lynn asked.

"He gave me instructions for how to download information directly into our brains."

"How do we know we can trust him?" Lauren asked.

"We don't. Those of you who want to have this procedure done can do it, those who don't want it done don't have to. Any volunteers?"

Without missing a beat, Allie raised her hand. "I'll do it," she said.

"Allie, aren't you afraid this guy will brainwash you and control your mind?"

"If that's the case, I trust you all to notice the change in my behaviour and deal with me as you see fit."

"Lynn, are you still able to perform surgery?" Maxim asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Perfect. I will also have the surgery," Maxim said. "Anyone else is welcome to join. You don't have to make your decision right away."

"I'll wait," the Professor said. "You two can go first."

As the group continued to converse, Mr. Camo received a text message that sent chills up his spine. His face went pale and he became withdrawn from the conversation. Others took notice and asked him what was wrong.

He reread the message from Cassie and was in a complete state of shock. Mr. Camo was the one who had been communicating with Dane and Cassie so it was up to him to tell the others of their untimely deaths. He gathered everyone who was around, and stood in front of them with a sombre expression. It was obvious he had received some bad news.

"I received a message from Cassie," he began with a sombre tone. "She was someone who was helping Dane and Train in the city. I shall read you the message she sent me just now:

'I'm so sorry to have to deliver this bad news, but your friends Dane and Train are dead. I'm their friend and was with them when they died. They didn't die in vain, nor did they suffer, they died protecting me and saving something that I believe to be of great importance. For their bravery, they should be remembered as heroes. In my possession is the thing they both died for. I want you to have it. Where can I meet you?'

A silence befell the group as people could not believe what they had heard. There was not a dry eye in the room as they all mourned the loss of their friends. Even though many of them hadn't known Dane and Train that long, the news still hit hard. They had survived a horrific ordeal with those two, which brought everyone close together in such a short period of time. Losing someone at this point was like losing a member of their family.