Never putting your personal feelings first and doing what needed to be done… If that was the most important quality for a leader, then Kakitani had it. And if she really did have what it took to be a leader, then there was only one answer she could give Vivy and Matsumoto.
“If all AIs are our enemy and itching to eliminate us, then these two could have finished the job at any time. You can have what you need for our next move,” she said.
“Kakitani! You can’t—”
“Toak consensus chose me as leader. If you don’t agree with my decision, then leave your gun and get out of here. If you want to debate me about it, we’ll debate it. In three hours,” Kakitani said, her voice low as she pointed at Onodera, who wasn’t backing down.
The countdown had cut into three hours. If they were still around to hear Onodera’s thoughts once it ran out, that would mean they’d successfully solved the issue. If they failed, the conversation wouldn’t matter.
With that being the case, Onodera begrudgingly went along with the options Kakitani offered him.
“We don’t have time,” Kakitani went on. “Cubeman, and man who Cubeman was based on—any plans?”
“Wait, am I the man who Cubeman was based on? I’ll admit he plagiarized my name, but it’s not like I created—”
The woman of few words cut off the man of many. “Less rambling, more planning.”
“That’s a hard ask.”
Calculations running in Vivy’s consciousness determined this exchange was fairly familiar, but she turned to AI Matsumoto. He accessed a terminal in the security room and changed the display on the monitor. “This isn’t video from inside the park; I’ve connected to external cameras. This way we can get video from a pretty wide range. Woooow, things are not looking good all around.” Matsumoto covered his eye camera with one of his arm cubes.
The screens clearly showed scenes outside NiaLand. They looked similar to what Vivy had already seen a few times with the AIs forming ranks and sweeping through the streets. There were humans running in fear of an AI attack, and there were local governments making sad attempts at fighting back.
Also in these videos were several AI units standing against their fellow AIs and trying to protect humans.
Matsumoto changed what was shown on the monitor several times, then settled on one location. “In terms of time, this is our most promising spot,” he said.
Vivy’s eyebrows rose slightly when she saw the screen. “That’s…”
She correlated the region in her own memory with what lay outside the walls of the security room. The location she was seeing on the screen was visible even from inside NiaLand, the structure there growing steadily larger each time she awakened for a Singularity Point.
This structure was owned by OGC, and it was a direct descendant of the AI-controlled Metal Float.
“Kingdom…”
“The facility is entirely unmanned. It’s an isolated space operated by AIs. Among all the AI facilities in the world, this one is the largest, newest, and most advanced,” explained Matsumoto.
“And it’s the heart of OGC, the largest AI corporation in the world,” added the professor.
Vivy and AI Matsumoto were filled with an apprehension unexpected from AIs.
Obviously, as an AI researcher with authority throughout the world, the professor was no stranger to Kingdom. He’d almost certainly been there himself once or twice. Thus, he nodded softly at Matsumoto’s proposed conditions. “That place does indeed satisfy all the requirements based on its location and available facilities.”
“Yes, we’ll need computer specs on a scale of what’s in that facility if we’re going to steal control of the satellites outside the atmosphere. I searched for other standout candidates in the vicinity, but several of them fail to meet that requirement. This is our first choice: this OGC facility nicknamed Kingdom.”
“But it boasts full AI control. The number of the AIs in its grounds, and the quality of its security… It’s entirely different from a theme park with a slogan about hopes and dreams.”
“It is indeed a kingdom of steel and oil, with no blood flowing through veins,” AI Matsumoto said. “And with a name like Kingdom, we can assume it’s got tighter security than other facilities here and there… In fact, it looks like some people from OGC recently tried to get into the facility to take control of it.” Matsumoto blinked his eye camera and the video feed on the monitor rewound, going back in time. It now showed Kingdom’s entrance two hours before.
A large, armored truck arrived and tried to break into the facility, but before the truck could pass through the entrance, the AIs poured out from the facility and killed everyone. The truck tried to force its way out of the AIs surrounding it, mowing down several in the process, but it didn’t last long. The vehicle was tipped over before it could break free, and its engine was destroyed. It burst into flame and then exploded before any of the passengers escaped the vehicle.
It was defeated so easily. Waste-recovery AIs put out the fire and carried away the blackened truck, leaving no trace of the tragedy.
“And there you have it: The control AI for the facility has decided to stand against humanity. Quite a powerful enemy too,” said Matsumoto.
“…”
The AIs were united in their use of self-sacrificing, suicidal tactics. While the members of Toak may have been aware of this, their expressions were grim after seeing it in action. They didn’t suggest giving up, though. They looked to their leader, awaiting her decision.
All the members’ eyes were gathered on Kakitani. Her beautiful, gallant eyebrows were set in a scowl. “Let’s do it.”
“Oh? I’m not seeing any fear right now. In fact, I’m surprised how gung-ho you seem. Do you see a chance of success?” Matsumoto asked.
“At least we’ve got something. We know what kind of welcome to expect in advance. We’ve always known we’d need determination and conviction. If we’ve got no other options, then all we can do is give it a go. Unless there is some other option?”
“Not as far as my calculations have determined.”
“Well then. It’s already decided.”
Kakitani had the strongest determination of anyone present. Her words were strong and her will firm. Her natural charisma lit a fire in her comrades, whose spirits were flagging, and it spurred them to make the same choice.
Instead of losing their nerve when they saw the video Matsumoto showed them, they simply realized the truth of the situation. And that truth meant they didn’t have time to sit around and argue. Expressions were steely and hands tight around gun grips as the Toak members decided to follow their leader.
“Matsumoto, is there really a chance we can stop the satellites from falling if we choose this OGC facility?” Vivy asked.