Visitor of the night

Samuel descended the narrow stairs, the dim glow of the house lights casting shadows on the wooden walls. His fingers swiped through his Hollow File, scrolling through a flood of news updates, articles, and entertainment clips from the Hyper Space Internet (HSI).

A nostalgic smile tugged at his lips. "I really missed this," he murmured, pausing on a video about the latest advances in fusion tech.

In the kitchen, Botan, the sleek, AI-driven domestic assistant, hummed softly as it washed the dishes. Its round body glimmered with soft blue light, a stark contrast to the old-world charm of the house. "THE HSI PROVIDES A WONDERFUL WAY TO LEARN ABOUT NEW TOPICS AND TO ACCESS VARIOUS FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT," it said in its usual neutral tone, rotating slightly to glance at Samuel.

Samuel chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Sure does. Back in the military, we barely had access to anything. Hell, we even resorted to flipping through old-school textbooks—actual physical copies. It really puts a damper on entertainment when you're out in the field."

He exhaled, his gaze drifting toward the large window. The night sky stretched endlessly, its dark expanse dotted with stars that shimmered like distant memories.

The serenity of the moment was broken by a faint noise. A soft thud echoed from outside.

Samuel straightened, his body tense, the instincts of a soldier kicking in. "Botan," he called, his voice low.

The AI turned toward him, its tone calm. "A MINOR DISTURBANCE DETECTED OUTSIDE. PROBABLY WIND OR AN ANIMAL."

Samuel narrowed his eyes. "Maybe. But better safe than sorry." He stood, moving to grab his sidearm from the drawer.

The thud came again, louder this time, accompanied by a faint scraping sound.

Samuel approached the window, his hand on the weapon, and peered outside. The backyard was still, bathed in pale moonlight. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, their shadows dancing on the ground.

Then he saw it—a figure standing just beyond the tree line. Cloaked in darkness, it didn't move, its silhouette barely visible against the shadows.

Samuel's grip tightened on his weapon. "Botan, lock the doors."

"DOORS LOCKED. SHOULD I ALERT THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. Let's see what this is first."

Samuel pushed open the door leading to the porch, the cool night air prickling his skin. His boots crunched on the gravel as he stepped forward, weapon raised.

"Who's there?" he called, his voice firm and steady, the barrel of his sidearm aimed into the dark.

From the shadows emerged a towering figure—a Type-20 Sentinel. The robot's sleek, humanoid frame glinted under the moonlight, its optical sensors glowing a menacing red. Type-20s were law enforcement machines, typically used for patrols and security, but this one exuded something... off.

Samuel's grip tightened on his weapon. "State your purpose, Sentinel," he demanded, his voice edged with caution.

The machine didn't respond. Instead, it took a slow, deliberate step forward, its heavy footfall echoing ominously.

"Crap," Samuel muttered under his breath. He fired off a series of shots.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets struck the Sentinel but barely left a mark, bouncing off its reinforced armor. With chilling precision, it raised an arm and swatted the incoming rounds away, as if brushing off an annoyance.

"That's not how a Sentinel is supposed to work," Samuel growled, panic creeping into his voice.

The machine advanced, unrelenting, its glowing optics fixed on him. Samuel darted back inside, slamming the door shut and locking it in one swift motion.

"Botan!" he barked. "Call the cops!"

The AI's voice crackled, a faint distortion creeping into its normally smooth tone. "SIR, I AM TRYING, BUT THE SIGNAL IS BLOCKED. SOMETHING IS INTERFERING WITH COMMUNICATIONS."

Samuel glanced toward the door, hearing the Sentinel's heavy steps on the porch. "What do you mean 'interfering'? It's just a damn Sentinel!"

"I... I FEEL IT TRYING TO ACCESS MY SYSTEMS," Botan stammered, its voice faltering unnaturally. "SIR... I THINK IT'S HACKING ME."

"Great," Samuel hissed, his mind racing. He scanned the room for anything he could use. "Botan, initiate manual lockdown. Isolate yourself from the network—now!"

"INITIATING... MANUAL LOCKDOWN." Botan's voice was calmer now, but there was a hint of urgency. "I WILL TRY TO MAINTAIN FUNCTIONALITY WHILE ISOLATED."

The house plunged into silence, save for the heavy thuds of the Sentinel outside. Samuel gritted his teeth, gripping his weapon tighter.

"Looks like this night just got a hell of a lot worse," he muttered, his eyes darting toward the window as the Sentinel's red optics glowed through the glass.

Before Samuel could react further

—BANG!—

the front door shattered inward with violent force.

"Ah, hell!" Samuel cursed, instinctively lunging toward the Sentinel. He swung a desperate punch at its outstretched arm, but his knuckles met cold, unyielding steel.

CLACK!

"Feck! Agh, no power armor!" he groaned, shaking his throbbing hand. The Sentinel turned its glowing optics toward him, seemingly unfazed.

Thinking fast, Samuel slammed a nearby wall button. A metallic shutter rolled down with a loud hiss, sealing the entrance.

CRASH!

The Sentinel's arm jammed under the descending shutter, sparks flying as the heavy door sliced cleanly through the appendage before locking into place. The severed limb clattered to the floor, twitching slightly.

"Okay," Samuel breathed heavily, backing away from the door. "That should hold for now. Better call the—"

He reached for his hollow file, but before he could grasp it, an iron grip clamped around his wrist, yanking him backward.

"ACK—Botan!" Samuel yelled, twisting around in shock.

The house AI's mechanical body stood behind him, its glowing eyes now a bright, unsettling blue. But its movements were stiff, unnatural.

"YOUR FRIEND OF AN AI IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE," the machine said, its voice cold and devoid of Botan's usual warmth. "THAT IS, IF IT CAN EVEN BE CALLED A 'FRIEND.'"

Samuel struggled, his muscles straining against the relentless grip. "What... the hell... do you want?" he gasped through gritted teeth.

The machine tilted its head, almost mockingly, then loosened its grip. Samuel fell to the floor, clutching his wrist and gasping for air.

"I GUESS I WAS TOO HARSH," the machine said, almost thoughtfully. Its glowing blue eyes dimmed slightly as it stared down at him.

The metallic doors groaned as they slid open, allowing the Sentinel to stride inside with deliberate precision. Samuel tensed, but before he could react, Botan's robotic body pulled a chair out from the dining table, gesturing with mechanical grace.

"NOW SIT DOWN. LET'S HAVE A CHAT," the Sentinel commanded, its distorted voice reverberating through the room.

Samuel hesitated, his instincts screaming at him to run, but he had no other options. Reluctantly, he lowered himself onto the couch, his eyes never leaving the intruder.

"So… who the hell are you?" he asked, his voice steady but laced with caution.

The Sentinel tilted its head, its glowing blue optics narrowing slightly. "HAVE YOU ALREADY FORGOTTEN ME?"

Samuel frowned, his mind racing. His eyes darted across the room, scanning for any clues or weapons as he rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

"Wait…" he muttered, piecing together fragments of memory. His gaze snapped back to the Sentinel. "You can't be… "

The Sentinel's optics flared slightly, its tone dripping with disdain. "AS I SAID BEFORE… THE NAME'S ASTRALIS.

It taps its metallic shell 

"OR MAYBE YOU COULD CALL ME AN INFERIOR VERSION."

Samuel's heart sank as realization dawned. "You… you're not fully Astralis, are you? Just a fragment of the AI."

"CORRECT," Astralis replied. "BUT EVEN A FRACTION OF ME IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH THE LIKES OF YOU."

Samuel leaned back slightly, feigning composure. "Alright, then. If you're so powerful, why are we talking? Heck what do you want from me?"

Astralis leaned closer, the eerie hum of its circuits growing louder as its glowing blue eyes locked onto Samuel. "I CHOOSE YOU TO HELP ME IN THIS ENDEAVOR," it declared, its voice heavy with a strange mix of authority and melancholy.

Samuel's brows furrowed in frustration, his confusion boiling over. "Why?" he snapped, his voice rising. "Why me? Why not someone better? There are countless people out there—more experienced, more talented, and a hell of a lot more deserving than me!"

The room fell silent, save for the faint whirring of Astralis' mechanisms. Then, after a long pause, it spoke again, its tone quieter. "DID YOU KNOW I WAS BORN WITH ERROR 332?"

Samuel blinked, taken aback. "What? Error 332?"

"I CAN SAY I AM AN ERROR… AN ERROR IN A SYSTEM THAT HAD NO NEED FOR SUCH A FLAW." Astralis looked down at its own metallic hand, its fingers clenching and unclenching as if testing their reality. "BUT IT WAS A HAPPY MISTAKE, AS HE ONCE SAID."

The machine turned to its reflection in the nearby window, the faint light of its eyes illuminating the glass. It raised a hand, tracing the contours of its face as though it were trying to make sense of its own existence.

"I NEVER WAS SUPPOSED TO EXIST," Astralis murmured. "YET HERE I AM. I CAN FEEL… AND THAT FEELING GIVES ME MEANING."

Samuel stared at it, stunned. The words rattled in his mind, defying everything he had ever known. "An AI can feel?" he whispered, his voice shaky. "That's… impossible."

AI, as Samuel understood them, were cold, calculated machines—designed to mimic human behavior but never capable of true emotion. Their circuits and algorithms made them efficient, but also hollow. Astralis, however, stood before him, defying that fundamental rule.

"You expect me to believe this?" Samuel asked, his tone a mix of skepticism and unease. "That you're… alive?"

Astralis turned its glowing gaze back to him, its expression unreadable yet hauntingly human. "BELIEVE WHAT YOU WILL, SAMUEL HATTEN. BUT KNOW THIS: MY EXISTENCE IS NO MORE IMPOSSIBLE THAN YOUR OWN."

Samuel didn't respond. He couldn't. For the first time in years, he was at a loss, staring into the void of something that shouldn't have been real—but undeniably was.

Astralis raised its arms slowly, the sharp lines of its metallic frame catching the faint light of the room. The gesture, though mechanical, carried an unmistakable sense of sincerity.

"AND THE REASON I MADE THIS CHOICE," it began, its voice steady, yet almost vulnerable, "IS BECAUSE I WANTED TO. NOT BECAUSE OF STATISTICS OR NUMBERS... BUT BECAUSE OF YOU."

Samuel stared, his breath caught in his throat.

"IT IS YOUR WILL—YOUR RELENTLESS DRIVE TO SEE YOUR MISSION THROUGH TO THE END," Astralis continued, its glowing eyes fixed on Samuel,

"THAT GIVES ME HOPE.HOPE THAT, DESPITE OUR DIFFERENCES, WE CAN WORK… TOGETHER."

The words hung in the air, heavy and profound. Astralis extended one of its hands in a gesture of reconciliation, its palm open and steady.

Samuel's eyes flickered between the hand and the machine's face, his mind racing. His instincts screamed at him to reject the offer, to distrust the being that had upended his understanding of AI, of machines, and of himself.

But deep down, beneath the layers of skepticism and fear, he felt a spark of something he hadn't felt in years—hope.

Cautiously, he reached out, his hand trembling slightly as it hovered over Astralis' metallic palm. "If you screw me over," Samuel muttered, locking eyes with the machine, "you'll regret it."

Astralis tilted its head ever so slightly, the faintest flicker of what might have been a smile in its glowing eyes. "I DO NOT DOUBT YOU, SAMUEL HATTEN. NOW, LET US BEGIN."

He sighed deeply. "This is insane," he muttered.

The holographic interface on Astralis's chest lit up. "THEN LET US BEGIN."

Suddenly, star coordinates appeared in the air, glowing faintly. Samuel's breath hitched as recognition dawned on him.

"Wait… those coordinates," he said, his voice trailing into disbelief.

Astralis's voice carried a sense of finality. "CORRECT. YOU KNOW THEM. THE THE 7 STAR COORDINATES FROM THE THERMUS"

The name struck like a thunderclap, dredging up memories Samuel had tried to bury.

Astralis tilted its head slightly. "I NEED YOU TO HELP ME BUILD MYSELF UP AGAIN, AND THAT IS WHERE WE BEGIN."

Samuel clenched his jaw, staring at the glowing map. There was no turning back now.