text: Look, it’s not all that complicated right. It’s just a simple calculation you have to run in your head, and then boom. You’re there.” “I do not consider advanced coding to be a ‘simple calculation.’” “Jacob everything is a simple calculation, you just have to be willing to understand that fact. Beneath all this crazy complexity simplicity rules. I have never done anything in my life that couldn’t be explained to a layman.” His hands were flailing around in his usual eccentric way. “Michael you’ve single-handedly coded the world's smartest computer AI. It’s damn near life. How is that in any way simple.” Michael smiled at his colleague with that question, then seemed to get lost in his thoughts like he so often did. If Jacob didn’t already know him he’d try and bring back his attention, but he knew his friend would find his own way back. After a decent spurt of silence, Michael exploded back out of his trance. “Let me explain it like this. How are babies made?” “Excuse me what?” “How are babies made Jacob?” “Michael you have to be joking right, I’m not going to answer that.” “Fine. But you understand the process I trust.” Michael found taboos worthless. “Yes, yes I do.” “Do you understand the complexities of sexual cellular reproduction?” “From a casual standpoint a little bit but I suppose from the perspective of your question no. I do not.” Jacob could already tell where this was going. “Do you have too in order to produce a child?” “No.” Defeat was admitted in his voice. “Then I shall not carry on, I know you’ve already reached the conclusion in your head.” “Please don’t” Michael was smiling at his partner as he raised from his chair. “Jacob, you’re brilliant. But damn if you’re not blind to the world.” “I think it’s more like I can see just fine and you’re just losing your mind.” “That is also a valid theory. More research must be done. I say we dissect the problem over a beer at the bar, hm?” “Who knew Da Vinci was an alcoholic.” “Da Vinci was a wonderful mind and I will not have you slander his name with the vices of alcohol.” “But you slander your own with it?” “No man is perfect, I drink to make sure it stays that way.” With that final adage, they closed down the lab and got ready to leave. Upon packing his stuff Jacob noticed that Michael spending a little too long with his AI console. “Michael come on now, if you get back on that thing we’ll be here till sunrise. Call it quits for today.” There was no reply. Jacob took no notice though and continued to search for his keys. He always lost those things. Jacob just thought his friend was in another mind pit, and he’d climb his way out again. But after approaching him he noticed something quite different, the emotion on his face wasn’t one of thought, but one of horror. “Michael, what the hell is wrong?” “Jacob I did it.” “You did what?” Jacob couldn’t tear his gaze from Michael’s wide, terrified eyes. He was shaking. “The code got done compiling from today’s work. It passed the test.” “T-the test? You mean, the Turing Test?” “Yes, and the other three tests we put in that the German’s designed. It passed them all Jacob.” “Well isn’t that amazing? You’ve done it, Michael, you’ll go down in history has one of the greatest minds of all time! The world will be changed forever! Oh my god I can’t believe this, this is insane” Michael’s eyes started to dart around the room, all of a sudden he sprang to action on the terminal, typing rapidly. Jacob watched him intently, barely being able to hold his excitement at being a part of history. He slowly realized though, that his colleague was deleting the new program. “Michael what the hell are you doing...Michael why are you deleting it stop. This doesn’t make any sense. Y-you can’t do that! Stop, stop no why? All the work! This is damn-near murder!” Jacob was almost getting physical to try and stop him, but Michael was determined. “Jacob you don’t understand what this means, we were never meant to do this. No one was.” Has Jacob was starting to scream frantically, Michael finished deleting what he needed too and was yanking all the back-ups out of their drives while quietly repeating, “You don’t understand.