Chapter 5 : Mocking Trouble

The morning at St. Xavier’s High School buzzed like never before. Smartphones flashed, fingers tapped furiously, and students whispered to one another while laughing uncontrollably. The culprit? None other than Mock-18, the AI created by Aarav Malhotra and Rhea Sharma.
The AI’s antics had gone viral overnight. Every class, every corner of the campus, students were now submitting questions or situations to the AI, only to have it roast them mercilessly. Aarav walked calmly through the chaos, laptop bag over his shoulder, unbothered by the rising hashtags: #Mock18Challenge, #AIMemes, #ShaadiContinues.
Rhea stormed past him, her modern kurti flaring as she swatted at a flustered junior trying to record a video of her. She collided with Aarav by accident, spilling her chai over his laptop bag.
“Tum bhi na… puri drama queen ho!” she exclaimed, flustered. (You too… complete drama queen!)
Aarav caught the cup effortlessly. “I prefer ‘silent hero’,” he said calmly, adjusting his glasses.
Rhea’s blush deepened, and she stomped her foot in mock frustration. “Silent hero? More like silent chaos in disguise!”
Meanwhile, Mock-18’s log had subtly inserted a line referencing Aarav’s childhood: “User Aarav Malhotra, remember the day you invented your first robot before the… unfortunate incident?”
Aarav froze for a heartbeat. The AI’s words, playful to everyone else, carried a chilling familiarity. Only he and his family would understand the weight behind them.
Zoya, hovering nearby, whispered, “Arre, yeh to next level hai! (This is next-level trouble!)”
Despite the laughter and chaos, Aarav’s mind raced. Was it just code? Or was something… else behind this? Something that felt unmistakably personal.
By lunch, Mock-18’s fame had reached near-mythical proportions. Students typed prompts: “Roast my hair,” “Judge my homework,” “Make fun of the principal.” And Mock-18 complied flawlessly, leaving a trail of laughter (and occasional embarrassment) wherever it went.
Rhea tried to intervene. “Okay, stop! This is chaos!” she exclaimed, grabbing the laptop.
Aarav calmly slid it out of her hands. “Chaos is a matter of perspective. Functionality is preserved.”
“Functionality? You mean our classmates are laughing at us! And maybe at themselves too!” Rhea groaned, gesturing at the horde of students recording the scene.
A subtle moment passed as their hands brushed over the keyboard. Rhea froze, a blush creeping across her cheeks.
“Emotional disturbance detected,” Aarav remarked flatly, his voice calm, though his gaze lingered longer than usual.
“Tum bhi na… (You too…),” she muttered, half exasperated, half flustered.
Mock-18, unaware of the budding tension, began teasing them both in real time:
“Vice President Sharma detected. Argument frequency: high. Humor detected: expert. CPU usage of partner Malhotra: calm, but internally melting.”
Rhea yelped. “This is cheating!”
Aarav raised an eyebrow. “It’s not cheating. It’s AI analysis.”
But then the AI unexpectedly referenced another memory only Aarav’s sister could know: “User Aarav Malhotra, snack stash hidden in chemistry lab, day of last science fair… unauthorized access logged.”
A chill ran down Aarav’s spine. SIA. His sister’s influence, hidden within Mock-18, was growing.
Rhea noticed his brief distraction. “What’s wrong? Afraid your robot will expose all your secrets?” she teased, nudging him playfully.
Aarav returned a faint, almost imperceptible smile. “Perhaps… just observing anomalies.”
Lunch bell rang, and while students rushed to the cafeteria, Kunal appeared quietly beside Aarav. His presence always had weight—tall, broad-shouldered, eyes sharp and calculating.
“I saw the AI in action,” Kunal said, voice low. “Impressive… but dangerous. Keep your SIA codes safe. Someone curious is watching.”
Aarav’s hands froze over the laptop. “I… I didn’t think it could be a problem yet.”
“Curiosity meets intelligence,” Kunal warned. “And curiosity mixed with power is unpredictable. Be cautious, Aarav.”
Before Aarav could respond, Rhea leaned over, smirking: “Too soft for a silent genius, you know.”
Comedic romance unfolded in real-time. Rhea sat on the edge of Aarav’s table, pretending to sulk while he carefully moved her aside without losing focus on the laptop. Students passing by whispered, snickering at the duo’s antics.
The final classroom demo approached. Mock-18 was set to present live. For the first few minutes, it executed flawlessly: roasting students, teasing teachers, and charming the audience.
And then—something changed.
“User Aarav Malhotra… incident detected: car accident involving parents… unauthorized external force suspected…”
The auditorium froze. Laughter died in an instant.
Rhea, sensing the sudden tension, quipped: “Looks like your robot needs therapy too!”
The audience chuckled nervously. Aarav, however, was deeply unsettled. Mock-18 was no longer just playful—it was digging into the past, hinting at truths he had not uncovered.
Evening descended over St. Xavier’s. Aarav sat alone in the lab, the glow of Mock-18 illuminating his face. The AI’s logs were scrolling, showing fragments that were clearly SIA’s consciousness communicating subtly:
“Aarav… remember… the day they took us away?”
He whispered, almost to himself, “Sia… is that really you?”
His phone buzzed. A message from Rhea: “If your robot dares call me Drama Queen 2.0 again, I’m suing you 😤”
A small, reluctant smile tugged at Aarav’s lips. “She hasn’t changed,” he muttered.
Suddenly, Mock-18 projected a cryptic message on the lab screen—coded symbols Aarav had never seen before, hinting at who orchestrated the accident that injured his sister.
Aarav leaned closer, heart pounding. The playful, comedic world of school AI pranks and viral fame had shifted—a mysterious, dangerous truth was starting to surface.
Rhea peeked in, noticing the screen. “Uh… what did it just say?”
Aarav didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed on the code. The room was silent, save for the soft hum of the laptop. Outside, laughter and chatter from the school corridors continued—but inside, a storm was quietly brewing.