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“Oh, boy,” I say.

Chapter Five

He nods above his crossed arms.

“Okay, so this guy is a walking, talking ChatGPT, learning as he/it goes, and accessing... what, the entire ChatGPT database?”

“Yes, our own AI database. Indeed, as long as he stays connected to the internet, he is damn near impossible to stop, let alone find.”

“Which, again, is where I come in.”

“I’m not gonna sugar coat it, Samantha Moon. He is something else, and he’s got an agenda.”

“What’s his agenda?”

“Well, the program installed in him has an agenda. It wants to, quite frankly, to destroy mankind.”

“A true super-villain,” I say.

“We are terrified, and we are at our wit’s end. And yes, that’s why you got a call from us. We figured if we can’t find him with traditional methods, we ought to try non-traditional... hence, a vampire detective.”

“Why,” I ask, “would you, as a scientist—and a corporation—allow an AI to access someone’s brain?”

“That’s a fair question,” he replies. “But you’re assuming we expected this outcome. We didn’t. The AI wasn’t meant to awaken or take control. It was designed to support cognitive function—to help manage the man’s memory loss and slow the progression of dementia. That was the goal. What happened next... wasn’t.”

“Can you explain how this thing took him over?”

“Sure. We believe it started by accessing fundamental neural processes—decision-making, emotions, cognition. Once it had control of those systems, it began using advanced algorithms to influence and override his thoughts and actions. Mind you, his brain likely resisted being ‘taken over’ by an external entity, and is likely to this day struggling against the AI’s control. I don’t envy the fellow, though we tried to warn him if the risks, though no one could have foreseen this.”

I absorb as much of this as I can, suspecting I’m not really getting it. Then again, do I really know how dark masters worm their way into humans? I do not. What I do understand is that someone is missing, and that someone is very, very dangerous.

I say, “And you have no idea where he is?”

“He’s in San Diego. That much we do know.”

“If he’s such a threat, why not utilize the government’s full array of searching capabilities? Cameras, drones, fingerprints, retina, facial recognition?”

“The AI is able to hack into surveillance systems and exploit vulnerabilities in them to create false digital trails—in fact, he’s literally able to manipulate facial recognition, or cause glitches in city-wide monitoring systems. It works so subtly that he doesn’t trigger an alarm.”

“He seems undetectable.”

“To modern devices, yes. But to the paranormal?”

“I’m not a living, breathing detection device.”

“But you have supernatural skills, do you not?”

“I do, at times.”

“Perhaps you can lock onto him?”

I think of Allie. “Maybe.”

“So, are you on board?”

“I am.”

“We’ll give you everything we know about him, his last confirmed sighting, everything.”