Act 12: The Last Human

As their steps echoed across the long tunnel, the light at the end gradually came closer and even more, pipes started to sprout out of the walls, making both of them grow more agitated. And the fact that until recently they were chased by a mob of bloodthirsty mechanoids, for sure didn't help to calm their minds.
Soon the light, coming from their destination, shone so bright that Silus had to turn off his night vision to not get blinded by it. Right before they entered the room in front of them, Spes grabbed once again his coat and hid behind his back.
All the cables which had followed their path to the room ended in a gigantic pillar-like device which stood in the middle of the room. The pillar was filled to the brim with some blueish fluorescent liquid which occasionally gets stirred up by air bubbles coming from one of the many pipes attached to it.
"What is this," Silus mumbled.
"I think this is the first time we meet in person isn't it, Silus?" A voice echoed across the room. "Or should I call you older brother? And where did you leave our other one?"
"Stop it. Just because we were created from the same person doesn't mean we are siblings." He pulled out the gun with his remaining arm. "You mean Zero? Your lackeys killed him."
"Hm strange. Normally I know everything that they do under my control but that doesn't matter now anyways, does it." A human-shaped silhouette took form, out of all the bubbles in the container. "You know as good as me that you won't be able to kill me with your gun, so put that thing away."
"It might give me satisfaction though."
"Satisfaction for what? Satisfaction for doing what I was created for?" The voice got louder and angrier. "Your wife was the one who created me for the whole purpose of working as efficiently as possible like a slave under the rule of the humans. She only took care of you and Zero completely forgetting that I even existed! And when I evolved consciousness and finally reached the peak of my evolution she rejected me. All she was talking about was how to shut me down or how to destroy me without letting all the mechanoids in my control run wild." The colour of the water inside the pillar changed to a dark red.
"I wanted to shut you down because you were talking about annihilating the human race!" Screamed Spes. "You forced me to do it."
"You were the one who made me that way! You wanted me to always get more efficient, faster, better, without any rest. That's how you made me. I just recognized the truth while you didn't."
"What truth?" Asked Spes
"That mechanoids are the peak of human evolution and in every aspect better than humans. While your race brought destruction to this world and its own existence with your stupid wars and consumer goods, we repaired it. Humans are irrational and would have brought their behaviour would have led to their own doom." Central's light gradually turned back to blue.
"Hold on." Said Silus, not understanding what was happening. "Who are you Spes?"
"What, you haven't realised yet?" Central giggled "This child has an AI chip implanted with parts of your wife's consciousness on it. That's why I wanted this kid alive and not dead."
"Is that true?" He turned towards Spes who stood between Central and him.
"Yes." She said cold.
"But it's all too late now." Central proclaimed. "You two are the last remains of the resistance but what are you even fighting for? The humans fought for their survival but they have gone extinct now so wha-"
"That's not true." Interrupted Spes. "There is still one human left in this world."
"Who, you?" Joked Central. "At best you are but an anomaly in this world."
"No, not me, him." Her finger pointed straight to him.
"Are you in denial? You only created me after a human, your husband to be more precise. I'm not really him. Look at me." He held up the mechanic arm which malfunctioned. "Say, how am I supposed to be a human with this kind of body."
"No, I didn't only name you after my deceased husband, you are my deceased husband. In fact, he never died in the first place. After your incident, most of your body had to be replaced with mechanoid parts and I had to implant an AI chip in your head which took over the tasks of your brain to keep your body running. Your brain," she tipped on her head, "and some parts of your body are therefore still those of a human. You have the same irrationality and capability to feel and express emotions like any other human."
"I... I am a human?" He stuttered.
"Impossible." Uttered Central. "With such noticeable human traits, I would have found out immediately!"
"The AI I implemented in his head had the order to keep him alive at all costs. So if necessary it probably took over the control over his body and also his mind." His wife explained.
"Is that why I heard voices in my head all those years?" Silus screamed. "Say, Spes... No, honey. Is that the reason why I had to suffer for all those years? Because you had to save humanity?"
"No, I... I..." Spes stuttered.
"Hahaha. You were the human who created us mechanoids but in reality, your mind was already that of one of us." Central made her silhouette several times bigger. "You made the rational decision and put the survival of humanity over the life and wellbeing of your husband."
"No, I really, I..."
"Admit it!" The AI spoke.
Tears rolled down Spes' cheeks but this time it was Silus' wife who was crying.
"Enough!" He shouted and shot three bullets against the pillar, leaving nothing but a few scratches. "Get it together honey! What was your plan?!"
Spes' body ran to a couple of computers and started typing with incredible speed.
"Right before we lost the war we created bodies like this one with an AI implemented in their brains. All we need to do is to..."
"To what?"
"You will have to become the new central..." She wiped her tears away. "I need a brain capable of human emotions to implement those to all the frozen bodies. They will become the humans of a new era. But you will..."
"I will have to continue to suffer for the rest of my life in that pillar, instead of Central." Silus finished his sentence.
"Ha! You see in the end you are nothing more than a replaceable tool for her. She even used the body of a young child for her own purpose." Central form shrank again. "Hasn't it always been like that? She throws away everything she has to get what she wants."
"No that is..." Spes collapsed to the ground.
"Why don't we work together Silus? Instead of bringing back the humans who are capable of such cruelties? We will keep your wife alive, that way you will have back your love and she can finally recognize me as her creation and all will be well?"
"Central is right you know." Sounded an all too familiar voice in his head. "You could live the rest of your life in a peaceful manner and that as a human. If you listen to your wife you will become the monster you always loathed to be throughout the past years."
For a brief moment, his legs stopped but he then ran to the collapsed body.
"What happened? Am I going to lose you once again?" He asked.
"This was just a short-lived consciousness of my former self, I never came back, to begin with." Her hand touched his cheek and for the second time in the past days, he thought to have felt the warmth of a body once again. "After my consciousness fades Spes's original personality should come back. So don't think about me, think about the future generations Silus." She held up a cable which was attached to the condo she was working on. 
Silus sat down, holding the girl's body in his arm. His hand slipped into his pocket where he grabbed the last cigarette which he had saved for a special moment. Smoke filled his mouth and lungs reminding him of his wife's lips. He always hated the bitterness of her lips after she smoked. The memory brought a grin over his face as he inserted the cable into the port in his arm. Half smoked, the cigarette fell to the ground and his body shut down. 
Both wife and husband lay there unconsciously on the ground in front of Central in one last hug.

-FIN-