L.A.I

In my anxieties, I was ready to see myself as a failure. Over the past 2 days, every way I've tried would not, did not give me the results I'd expected. It's Tuesday. The project was due on Wednesday. The science fair is Friday. And I have nothing to show for it. I could just as easily have done a baking soda volcano. But I'm pretty positive that at least a third of the school would be doing one of those. Boring! I could make a potato battery light up a light bulb. No, come on, really. The ones not making volcanoes will be making those. I had something that if would put me over the top. I worked on it practically the whole late afternoon and rewrote a third of its program. [199>{hello/master<>{sp/r0010/]. To write out the whole program took about an hour and a half.

It was time to test it once again. It's already 10pm. I decided it would be the final test. If it doesn’t work this time, Then, I don’t know. I was tired and frustrated. I build the device determined that I would not to be held back again this year. That I would graduate with my class. That is if I could get the damn thing to work!

My finger dropped down on the enter. For an entire moment, nothing. But then. Quickly, my eyes darted from the screen to the device. As crisp and clear as a real human’s voice, I heard it.

"Hello Master"

It's Friday morning. The school gymnasium is crowded. Students and Teachers and Parents. Everyone with there potato batteries and baking soda volcanoes and, eh, that, um. That sad looking thing.

"What is that thing?" I asked, pointing to the contraption.

"It's a toilet paper roll pistol, if you please"

"Eh, nice," I remarked, returning my attention to my own project.

The judges have approached me, curiously eyeing my project. The older one looked to me, then to his partner with a curious questioning look.

"Young man," the men asked, "Where is your project?"

I said nothing but smiled and waved my hand before what appeared to them as a mini notebook with a bluetooth speaker. The gentlemen looked at one another with questioning expressions. The younger gentleman opened his mouth to speak but stopped as I raised a hand.

"Gentlemen, If you will, please," I said, reaching to wake up the device,

"This is not merely a notebook as you obviously supposed," I remarked.

L.I.A's screen lit up. A notification appeared, 'please enter start up sequence code alpha.'.

"Please, if you will, Sir," I said to the older man, gesturing to the keypad, "091 alpha 01. Then tap the red key"

Reluctantly, the man entered the code.

A short beep sounded on the speaker before a notification flashed onto the screen, "Please enter sequence code beta."

I gestured once again to the keypad, "091-b beta 02", which the man had enter onto the keypad.

Another short beep, then a deep human sounding male voice, "Hello Master. How may I be of service to you today?"

"Mmm, nice." said the younger gentleman with a note of skepticism in his voice, "Another Siri, or Alexa."

He started to write on his clipboard but was startled as L.A.I spoke, "I beg your pardon, sir! Siri? Alexa! Surely, sir, I am much more advanced!” The voice spoke, sounding angry. I couldn't help but laugh under my breath at the judges expressions. I stood there, my arms folded my arms, trying not to smirk.

"Okay, L.A.I, Calm down," I admonished, letting out a stifled giggle, "Let's introduce you to the gentlemen."

"Very well, Master. Good afternoon, Gentlemen. Allow me to introduce myself. I am L.A.I. I am a Living Artificial Intelligence. And may I emphasize the word, 'Living'."

"Living, indeed," spoke the older gentleman, eyeing me with more skepticism.

"Living indeed," L.A.I spoke in it's own defense, "As surely as you are standing there. "I run on a very complex algorithm, operating a highly advanced positronic matrix which generates a power that is just 4% away from being an actual human brain wave."

The man is stunned. The expression on his face is that of surprise and shock.

"How? Even the most notable scientists and computer experts have only speculated such an achievement!"

So has passed the science fair and weekend which flew by quickly. Its Monday in science class. The science teacher, Mr. Neville approaches me and introduces 3 gentlemen as being from NASA.

"We'd like to talk to you about L.A.I"

A simple school boy science project would later become something much more advanced in the history of computerized intellect. That of course, is another story for another time.