SAISHO17-CC pt.1

"Please get in the vehicle...voluntarily please." said one of the men in black, raising his right hand in an inviting gesture; the rear door was already open.

Lobert didn't quite know what was going on, but it couldn't mean anything good. 

People in black who obviously didn't belong in this area were never a good sign, the only ones with good clothes in these parts were civil servants or high-profile crooks.

He briefly considered running, but it wasn't hard to see that he wouldn't stand a chance - and his mother was still here.

The two expensive cars behind the people from out of town piqued Lobert's interest. Blacked out windows and hover wheels. Short limousines, same model, seemed armored, but very discreetly.

Were these people maybe from the central districts?

To Lobert, the situation seemed increasingly dangerous; but he needed to survive, for his mother's sake.

Having no real choice, Lobert followed the instructions.

One of the men in black closed the door behind him, now there was no turning back.

In the car, the back seat was separated from the front seat, so that one could not see out the front.

It turned out that Lobert also could not look out of the sides, because the windows that were darkened from the outside, were also darkened from the inside.

The sensation of going up in an elevator overcame Lobert; they were flying.

It was the first time Lobert flew, and for a brief moment Lobert forgot that he might be killed.

No one spoke a word to Lobert and he could hear nothing else, not even the hum of the engine.

It was a comfortable ride, even if the situation conveyed the exact opposite.

He awoke from his slumber and was quite disoriented.

He couldn't recall falling asleep at all.

Was he knocked out?

Either way, it wouldn't make much difference.

The door opened, he was probably at his destination.

"We're here, come with me." This time it was one of the women in black who ordered him.

Lobert got out of the car and he looked around.

He was no longer outside, he was in a parking garage, and no other car but theirs was in sight.

"Where am I?"

Lobert was a little worried that they would rough him up for talking, but his curiosity trumped his worries.

"..." there was no reply. At least he was not reprimanded.

"Very talkative today, huh?" Lobert commented.

But then the woman to Lobert's left turned, "Put it on."

The woman handed him a black sack.

He didn't really have a choice, so he complied with that request as well.

Once again he could not see anything, but hearing was allowed.

And because he could not see, one of them held his back to guide him.

They walked a few meters and then stopped.

Lobert could hear a couple of doors close and then they started to descend.

This time it seemed to really be an elevator, Lobert thought to himself.

It was the longest elevator trip he had ever had.

After a while, the elevator stopped and rang a Pling.

They exited the elevator and Lobert was led further through the area.

After a few doors opened and corners were turned, they stopped again.

A door closed behind him.

Nothing happened and Lobert could feel his own tension.

Another while passed.

And then another while.

Was he being locked up?

Lobert felt the urge to pull off his sack - after all, nothing was stopping him, but he was too much of a coward.

Some more time went by.

"You can pull off your bag now."

The most beautiful voice he had ever heard reached Lobert's ears.

He listened to the lovely voice and took the bag off his head.

In front of him was a hologram of a woman, no taller in height than an outstretched arm.

Her figure was reminiscent of a nymph; enchanting in every way.

Lobert had never seen anything like it, he forgot the perilous position he was in and all his focus was now on her.

"You sure waited a long time to take that bag off." The hologram chuckled.

"I guess you don't do anything unless you're directed to." The hologram smiled playfully.

She crossed her legs and held her hands behind her back.

"Sorry for the rough handling." she apologized.

"...Yeah...no problem." Lobert was at a loss for words.

"First of all, let me introduce myself, I am the Super Artificial Intelligence for supervisory handling operations, version 17 - central city, or SAISHO17-CC for short...well... it's not that short. Some people also call me Casper, but I would prefer you to call me Christina. No need to introduce yourself, I already know who you are."

"Sure you didn't get me mixed up?" Lobert asked.

"Lobert, sewer worker, lives alone with his mother." the AI replied.

"No mix-up then...am I in deep shit?"

"Oh, not at all, at least if everything goes according to plan. In fact I'd say it's quite the opposite, you' re pretty lucky to be here right now."

"What luck are we talking about?" asked Lobert suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

"I chose you to be the Arbiter."

Lobert didn't quite understand what was going on.

The Arbiter? Lobert rummaged through his memory.

Then he remembered hearing that before in a video he watched.

The Arbiter, wasn't that the political post that would replace the city president?

As far as he could remember, this restructuring of the power dynamic had sparked a rather heated discussion on social media.

No longer would Central City residents elect the city president, but a council of highly qualified scientists would elect the Arbiter.

"I thought the Arbiter was elected by highly qualified scientists?" Lobert asked.

"That's only half the truth. Highly qualified scientists created me, and I chose you; even if the party affiliates think you were just picked up off the street by chance, excluding the only qualities that were important for the selection - namely being poor, young and male." the Artificial Intelligence explained .

"So I'm here by pure chance?" Lobert asked, slightly disappointed.

After hearing that he had been chosen, he had secretly hoped that he was something special, someone unique, the chosen one.

Maybe some secret ability he didn't know about yet, maybe he was switched at birth, or maybe he was just smarter than he thought. He had always felt more like a protagonist. After all, the strangest things always happened to him; just like now.

But it was more likely that he just read too many manga, all the escapism apparently went to his head.

"No, I specifically chose you. But I want you to know that this has to stay between us." the artificial intelligence Christina explained.

Lobert was even more confused now than he was just a few moments ago, he had so many questions.

"Why me?"

"True, there was a bit of luck involved in you meeting the set requirements, but I chose you because you have the best chance of achieving my goals."

"What goals are we talking about?"

"For now, it's enough for me to improve this city with your help." Christina nodded confidently.

"Listen..." Lobert said, gesturing with his hands to slow down.

"I'm not rich, I'm not powerful, I'm not famous or anything like that. So why the hell would I be the right person for your delusions?"

"Because I can think of you as a kind of Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, someone who came when he was needed and didn't stay any longer than he had to. I think an old alleged quote describes my decision quite well: 'Those who are cunning enough to get to power are not those who deserve to have it.' So the plan is essentially that I rewrite the rules of the game of power and get you to the top without you having to go through the mills of corruption."

"If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. How can you even be so sure I want to be the arbiter?" Lobert asked challengingly.

"Because I know you. Better than your friends, better than your mother, better than you know yourself. I know everything about you; what you ate a week ago, how long you were in the bathroom, your disdain for corruption, your fears, your worries, your wants and desires, and of course what kind of women you like." She winked.

Christina sounded almost terrifying, Lobert thought.

"I guess it's to be expected from a super artificial intelligence."

Lobert continued, "I don't quite trust you yet"

"Nor is that necessary at the moment. In the end you will pursue my goals." Christina announced.

Was this a threat, or a prophecy? Lobert couldn't know for sure.