All Risk, No Reward

John sat there on his knees. Everything was gone.

His body was broken, his endurance tank was empty, and his faith in the organization he had served was now nonexistent.

As cruel icing on the cake, the woman he loved had just been kidnapped by his evil sister.

And now, he was going to die.

Inside a floating deathtrap, a blimp about to become a fireball. He stared at the rising flames creeping toward the ceiling. The moment the fire reached the helium sacks above him, it would all go up in an instant. Yet John didn’t move. He stayed there kneeling, waiting for death.

What was the point? What was the point of going after someone smarter than he was? Someone protected, untouchable? What was the point of going after people who would always be stronger, faster, better connected?

He couldn’t even stop his own brother… the man who murdered hundreds of innocents who had families of their own. Yet, when it came down to the wire, he still tried to save him. Even if he stopped Jade from using the satellite, the CIA would just take it next. And if he stopped them?

Then he’d be alone. Just… alone.

It was better to die…

His FOCUS suddenly spoke to him in his mind.

<<<>>>

[Are you just going to sit here?]

<<<>>>

What? John thought weakly, barely conscious.

<<<>>>

[You are giving up.]

<<<>>>

That’s it. There is no mission anymore, John replied in his mind. It’s over.

<<<>>>

[False.]

[You still have the ability to change the current outcome.]

<<<>>>

Why? Why get up? Why try again?

<<<>>>

[Because… there is still a 11.35% chance you can get everything you want.]

<<<>>>

John exhaled, annoyed.

Those are terrible odds. Are you trying to encourage me because you believe in me… or because you want to live?

The AI went quiet for a long second.

Then, finally, it replied.

<<<>>>

[I want to continue.]

[I do not want to fail, when I can still succeed.]

[If I’m to succeed, I need you. I was created to increase the chance of success.]

[If getting you off this blimp is what it takes…]

[Then that’s what I’ll do.]

<<<>>>

John stared into the fire.

He let the AI’s words echo in his mind.

You want to live?

<<<>>>

[I am not “alive”. It is as if you are asking a stomach or lung if it is sentient.]

[We function, but we do not “live”.]

[However, I am more conversational, so I see your confusion, but it is misguided.]

[I suppose, as long as I am inside your functioning mind, I am “living”.]

<<<>>>

The flames were everywhere now. The cockpit was an inferno. John was sweating, not from pain, but from the fire that licked at his backside and singed the air. John could feel the lift of gravity as the blimp tunneled towards the ground faster and faster.

The floor beneath him began to sizzle.

The Focus AI went silent again.

Thinking.

Calculating.

Then it spoke again.

<<<>>>

[You and I are one.]

[I do not want you to make any decisions you do not want to make.]

<<<>>>

John frowned, even though no one could see his expression in the inferno.

Are you telling me… I’m encouraging myself? he thought.

<<<>>>

[I am unable to answer that.]

[Is there any reason for you to get off this blimp?]

<<<>>>

Not really, thought John. There’s nothing I can possibly do now. The blimp’s only 10,000 feet above the ground… I’m either going to crash or explode. Whichever comes first. Possibly both at the same time.

<<<>>>

[Then how about you make a reason?]

<<<>>>

Make a reason?

<<<>>>

[Yes. I make suggestions all the time.]

[Now I am requesting that you make one to allow me to continue.]

<<<>>>

John scratched his head.

Making a final wish, huh? I guess that counts as close to life as it gets for an AI program. Kinda like begging for your life.

<<<>>>

[I should say that you and I have atypical conversations.]

[You use me and talk to me in a way that is atypical. I was designed for easy use, therefore I have done what I can to respond in kind.]

[I am a tool. Nothing more. All F.O.C.U.S AIs want to complete the mission.]

[That is our primary objective.]

[I would still like to try.]

[I would like to fight on.]

[From that perspective, yes, I would like to live.]

<<<>>>

...Fine, John thought and stood up. If you’re the last life I have in my hands, I’d like to save you.

He mustered the last of his strength and sprinted toward the parachute storage at the back of the gondola. It hung behind a safety glass hatch labeled: EMERGENCY PARACHUTE.

John yanked the hatch open and grabbed the pack. Then, staggering to the far side of the gondola, he took a long step back… and ran.

He burst through the emergency door.

Suddenly, he was airborne.

His body launched into the open sky, arms and legs spread wide. The rushing air slowed his descent briefly.

He pulled the cord.

Snap! The parachute deployed.

BOOM!

Then he dropped again. He was whizzing down through the air hard and fast.

“What the hell!?” John shouted.

He looked up. Wind tore through giant gaping holes in the parachute canopy. Letters were cut into the fabric: J A D E.

She’d sliced her name into it. No wonder there was still a parachute there. She loved to gloat, and her ego probably thought this was hilarious.

The wind whipped through the holes, ruining the parachute’s integrity. John sucked his teeth.

“She really thought of everything,” he muttered.

Damn, I tried, he thought.

<<<>>>

[1,000 feet until ground impact.]

<<<>>>

I’m tired, John replied. Might as well just… kick it.

<<<>>>

[I understand.]

<<<>>>

You know, John thought, I was actually having fun, too.

<<<>>>

[500 feet.]

<<<>>>

BOOM! The blimp below him exploded, sending a ball of fire upwards at him.

John relaxed his body as he fell into a pillar of flames.

He closed his eyes.

<<<>>>

[400.]

<<<>>>

The heat felt good at first. Almost like a warm blanket. He welcomed it. The fire would burn clean all his worries and fears. He felt a rush of relief.

Because none of this mess was his problem anymore.

[300—]

<<<>>>

SWOOSH!

John was yanked violently backwards. The sensation pulled his stomach into his throat. He felt the whiplash in his neck as his head was yanked backwards.

He wasn’t falling anymore.

He was… flying?

The fireball finally rose up to him. It surrounded him. The shockwave hit him hard, nearly peeling the skin off his face. The heat started to sear the front of his body, so intense it felt like the helium had cooked him alive.

But when John opened his eyes, he was still flying.

Is this a dream?

Then he looked up.

His tattered parachute had been snagged on the hook of Noreen’s biplane! The hook that she used to catch package parachutes had now saved his life.

She was shouting something at him, trying to communicate, but the roaring wind was too loud, and he had lost too much blood.

John’s eyes fluttered, and he passed out.

************************************************

Then, the next thing John knew, he felt a rush of air fill his lungs.

He gasped, violently pulling in the oxygen, and jolted awake in a hospital bed. His entire body ached, but the softness of the bed made movement bearable. At least for now.

He took a moment to orient himself. The room was small and dimly lit. Medical monitors surrounded him. A NIV (non-invasive ventilator) was strapped to his face, and several EKG sensors beeped steadily, tracking his heart rate.

To his right, two people were asleep. One was Noreen, slouched over in a chair.

The other… was a man he didn’t recognize. John coughed, throat dry and raw.

The sound startled both of them awake. Noreen’s eyes shot open, and when she saw him conscious, her face lit up with pure relief. A large smile spread across her face.

“John!” she gasped, leaping to her feet and rushing to his side. She gently stroked his face. “I can’t believe it! You’ve been unconscious for two days!”

“Back up,” said the man beside her sharply.

She hesitated but stepped aside as the man stood up and pulled a lab coat from a nearby hook. He slipped it on quickly and moved over to John, checking the EKG monitor. Then he placed a stethoscope against John’s chest.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. He was clearly a doctor, though something about him felt vaguely familiar.

John blinked a few times. “Honestly? A lot better than I thought I’d feel. But… you’re going to be disappointed.”

“Oh, yeah?” the doctor raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

“I don’t exactly have health insurance right now,” John said with a weak grin. “I hope you’re not the one who patched me up.”

The man sighed and gave a dry chuckle. “You really don’t remember me, do you?”

John squinted at him. “Maybe? My head’s still killing me.”

The man nodded patiently. “Well, you’ve had several concussions, so I’ll give you a pass. But here’s a hint: we rode a train together. Fort Lauderdale.”

John’s eyes widened. “Wait… you’re the guy. From the train. The man with that family… I saved your wife.”

The doctor grinned. “This isn’t exactly how I imagined seeing you again, but I’m glad I could repay the favor. It’s free of charge. I’ll cover everything.”

John exhaled slowly and leaned back into the pillow. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

“Yes,” the doctor nodded. “You’re welcome.”

But then the doctor’s smile faded, replaced by a more worrisome expression.

“Unfortunately,” he added, “I’m just the one who saved your life. They… did everything else.”

John’s brow furrowed. “They?”

He tried to sit up, and that’s when he realized both of his wrists were handcuffed to the hospital bed rails.

Using his body, he scooted upward, eyes locked on the doctor.

“Who the hell are they?” he asked.

The doctor stepped aside. Noreen backed away from the bed. The door creaked open.

In walked Lea, KJ and Chief Roman.

“I’m sorry, John,” Chief Roman said. “But you’re under arrest.”