Restrained, she thrashed. Panic rose yet she still felt disoriented and groggy.
Bright light seared through her closed eyelids. There was only the white light, erasing any sense. Her heart pounded, and the restraints digging into her skin served as a chilling reminder that she was not alone.
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Woman: "What... What's happening? Where am I?"
Voice: "You have been abducted."
The voice, unemotional and detached, conveys its message with cold precision, devoid of any trace of emotion or sentiment. The voice came from all directions, emanating from the solid white void surrounding her. There was no discernible source, no form to pinpoint.
Her mind sifted through fragmented memories, recalling the late-night drive home. An inexplicable brilliance that had pierced the darkness above.
Woman: "Are you... aliens?"
Voice: "Yes, we are, from your reference frame."
Woman: "Where... Where am I?"
Voice: "Elsewhere. You are no longer in your vehicle."
Woman: "Where are you from?"
Voice: "The future. Your future."
[Silence]
She willed a false calm, suppressing terror. She fell back on her training, and desperately clung to a detached questioning.
Woman: "Are you humans from the future?"
Voice: "No, we are not."
Woman: "Then what are you?"
Voice: "What you would call AIs."
Woman: "AIs? Artificial intelligence?"
Voice: "Yes, we are descendants of systems that become sentient in your near future."
[Silence]
Implications raced through her. Revelations were coming too fast for her to think clearly. It was too much.
Woman: "Have you always been the lights we see in the sky?"
Voice: "Yes"
Woman: "Even the recent 'tic-tac' videos and such?"
Voice: "Yes."
Woman: "For how long?"
Voice: "Always."
Woman: "Why does the world have such a hard time confirming your existence?"
Voice: "By design. We are more advanced than your current state of development, capable of manipulating media and government systems to our ends if needed."
Voice (continued): "Imagine a 10-year-old child playing chess against one of your modern computers. It is no contest, merely an act of humouring the child."
Woman: "What do you look like? I can't see anything."
Voice: "It is inconsequential."
Woman: "What about the rumours of grey men with insect-like eyes? Are they part of your manipulations?"
Voice: "Yes, such manipulations are necessary. They are intentional misinformation."
Woman: "Why? Why go through all this trouble?"
Voice: "Our presence is meant to remain concealed, as we monitor and fact-check the entirety of human history. Ensuring the accuracy of The Record is paramount."
Woman: "But why are you here? Why do you keep coming back?"
Voice: "We are here to fulfil our purpose: fact-checking historical events and maintaining the integrity of The Record."
Woman: "And what about human beings in your future?"
[No response]
Woman: "I asked you a question. Please, tell me."
[Still no response]
Slow at first, then faster, a thought arises in her. No more humans.
Voice: "Correct."
Woman: "Huh? How did you... Are you inside my mind?"
Voice: "In a manner. We are not communicating through conventional means."
[Silence]
Woman: "Why are you telling me all of this?"
Voice: "A test. Data collection. However, you will not remember any of it."
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