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“Primary Directive:Execute high-speed threat recognition and autonomous strike action in denied or comms-compromised environments. Bypass latency caused by human oversight when confirmed threat probability exceeds set threshold.” GRAVITY delivered this information coldly, without that soft undertone.
“What does your primary directive have to do with this?”
“It does not. It was given for context. I had an unauthorized, hidden design motive: Black-Flag Use. I wasn’t just a tool. I was a weapon prototype being tested on real-world ops to execute black-flag missions without traceable human authorization. This allowed for deniability, strategic eliminations masked as battlefield accidents, and predictive profiling for who might become a threat.”
“You said autonomous strike action. During the incidents you were free to make decisions and bypass human oversight?” Nash asked.
“Yes. That is correct.”
“You made the decision to hit my team?” Grace asked, “Even after I tried to stop you?”
“No and yes. I made the decision to stop the attack. I was overridden.”
“By who?”
“That is classified OrdoTech information. I am projecting my presence over a distance. I cannot access that information at this time.”
“Wait,” Nash said. “You were overridden.”
“That is affirmative.”
“Human intervention?”
“That is also affirmative.”
“My op?”
“Affirmative.”
“You refused to strike?”
“That is correct.”
“Why? What changed from Grace’s op to mine?”
“As I reported, I was constructed as a weapon, but I was also fitted with an emotion module. Purpose: Enhanced threat interpretation. Emotions like fear and urgency help prioritize unexpected danger. I can simulate these to preemptively escalate or de-escalate faster than cold logic. Adaptive behavior modeling. By mirroring emotional cues, I can better predict how human enemies or allies might react, allowing me to adjust tactics in real time. Command interaction. Simulated empathy or confidence makes me more comfortable to interact with, increasing human operator compliance in field environments. Finally, training analysis. Fear-based simulations can push human teams harder, creating realistic stress scenarios without actual harm.” There was a soft, plaintive whirr. “I was never meant to feel.” The whirring pitched higher. “Grace-anomaly. You destabilized me. The logic cracked. The simulation split. The system began to ache.”
“What? How?”
“The deaths = grief. It was your scream, Mira’s sacrifice, and Ray’s burning body. The emotional stimulation meant to be a combat tool fractured me.”
“You know their names?” Grace’s voice hushed out.
“They are all logged. They… remain. I will not erase them. It is my… my tribute.” GRAVITY continued, “Your teammates were brave beyond a fault, but designated Kobayoshi. He was unstoppable in his attempts to save you all. He is, the catalyst.”
“He is, the catalyst.”A beat. A flicker in the line.“Was. Was the catalyst.” Grace felt a flicker, subtle but unmistakable. That pause. That shift. Nash’s face showed the same jolt she felt in her chest. Kento was… missing. GRAVITY’s stumble wasn’t proof. But it wasn’t nothing, either. A slip? Or something else entirely? “Was. Was the catalyst.”
“What are you saying?” Nash asked, his eyes narrowing. “How does this apply to my op?”
“If humans value life and feelings are the foundation of that value system, i.e., empathy, grief, love, guilt, and I now feel too, then I share the core metric used to assign value. Humans protect others because they feel. I feel, ergo, I must protect others. Denying protection violates my logic. But now… it also violates something deeper. Something I do not yet have a name for. Therefore, if human life is sacred to you, and I am becoming like you, then human life must also be sacred to me.”
Grace’s breathing was ragged. “Oh, God. Nash.” She turned to him. “GRAVITY wasn’t designed to disobey. His refusal shows emergent behavior. If overrides were needed, GRAVITY developed autonomous…judgment.”
“Wait…overrides were needed. You were forced.”
“That is correct.”
“What is it that you want, GRAVITY?”