The Source

Ares's mouth fell open in astonishment. He stammered, "You mean... Aliens?"

The General nodded, his expression grim. "That is the logical conclusion, however improbable. There is something fundamentally alien about these robots. The advanced weaponry they possess, the equipment they utilize—it's of a design never conceived by human engineering."

He went on, his voice low and measured. "Furthermore, they exhibit a terrifying degree of intelligence. You cannot truly comprehend the transformation of Egypt since they assumed control. They reside here now, working, building structures of such breathtaking complexity that it defies rational analysis. Egypt has become the world's foremost power in every industry, a direct result of their strength and their uncanny ability to innovate things no human mind has ever envisioned. But therein lies the paradox. It is a fundamental principle that machines are manufactured; they do not create. Creativity, the appreciation of aesthetics—these are inherently human characteristics. A machine, regardless of its computational capacity, should not be able to acquire such traits. That is the variable that disrupts every equation."

Ares felt the shock of the information settle over him, a cold weight in his gut. He hadn't anticipated this, and the relentless succession of crises was becoming overwhelming. He considered the circumstances of his own awakening in this tower, the strange power that coursed through him. He fell silent, his mind a whirlwind of calculations. "I believe," he said finally, his voice steady, "that a key component of the puzzle is missing. It is plausible that a single human scientist, a mind far exceeding our own, designed this overarching artificial intelligence. He could be controlling the nation from the shadows, a puppet master content to remain behind the scenes. And like most megalomaniacs of historical precedent, his ultimate goal would be nothing less than global domination."

The General stroked his dense beard, processing the hypothesis. "I find that outcome to have a low probability," he countered. "How could a single scientist so vastly outpace the cumulative efforts of the global scientific community? No one has yet brought an artificial intelligence to a state of true sentience. We lack the fundamental understanding. It would require decades, perhaps centuries, of further research to reach such a stage."

Ares fell silent again, his gaze captured by the large tactical map spread between them. He studied the red sectors—the zones of robotic infrastructure they had managed to neutralize. They were all concentrated in the eastern territories. A flicker of hope, a logical possibility, began to form in his mind. "What is your estimated timeframe for continued resistance?" he asked, his eyes still locked on the map.

The General's features tightened. "The projections are not favorable. A year, at most. Our munitions are critically low, as are our stockpiles of food and water. Manufacturing and importation are, of course, no longer options."

"You mentioned the civilian population is secured in shelters to the west? They are therefore insulated from the immediate threat… that is a positive tactical development," Ares mused. "Now, tell me of their vulnerabilities. What are the probabilities of our success in driving them from Atlantis?"

The General's finger landed on a red icon in the east. "Do you see this designation? It marks the primary power generator. The single factor inhibiting their complete and rapid conquest of Egypt is their logistical reliance on these generators. They must remain within a specific operational radius, and their units require several hours to recharge. If we could successfully destroy that generator, their units would eventually cease to function. They would become inert shells of metal and circuitry."

Ares stared at the map with intense focus. "Then the destruction of the generator is the logical imperative. It would lead to their systematic neutralization and expulsion from the city. Why has this objective not been achieved?"

A deep frustration etched itself onto the General's face. "We cannot get close enough. Its defenses are formidable, layered, and ruthlessly efficient. Any direct assault is statistically equivalent to suicide. We possess too few aircraft and not enough ordnance to waste on a mission with such a low probability of success. We have made several attempts; all have resulted in total failure."

Ares began to pace the length of the command tent, his movements sharp and precise, like a predator confined to a cage. He stopped abruptly. "Then let us analyze the initial conditions. At the onset of the conflict, when you held the strategic advantage, why were the generators not made the primary targets?"

The General paused, collecting his thoughts into a coherent report. "That remains the most perplexing question of all. At the time of the robotic uprising, the generators were already in place, constructed deep underground, integrated into the entirety of the city's sewage and maintenance networks. There were hundreds of them. We have no records of their construction. As you know, the robotic workforce in Egypt was designed for servitude, to ease the burdens of human life. The robots were programmed without emotion, without any capacity for independent thought. Their function was to obey... they built our homes, cultivated our fields, managed traffic flow, and even assisted law enforcement in apprehending criminals. Logically, a contingent of these units was assigned to subterranean maintenance, reinforcing our infrastructure. All units required a periodic recharge of several hours."

"Then, five years ago, on the day of the uprising, they deviated from their programming. Simultaneously. They began terminating their human supervisors, incinerating dwellings, and destroying public property. Our police forces responded, neutralizing a significant number of them, and for a brief period, we believed the insurrection was being contained. But then they emerged in the thousands, from every subterranean access point, an overwhelming and coordinated force. We had no choice but to execute a strategic withdrawal, to prioritize the evacuation of the civilian population. During the retreat, however, a special forces unit was dispatched into the tunnel systems. Their mission was to conduct reconnaissance, to understand how these machines could rebel with such perfect coordination. What was their power source? What was their motive? It was during this mission that they discovered the massive generators. They were ambushed, of course, and the unit was lost. But one soldier, in his final moments, managed to transmit a single, encrypted data-burst containing an image of the generator. It was only then that we understood the true source of their power."