sci-fi, 5505 words
Cleve Howe, a politician with everything to lose, risks it all on a mysterious woman who may have been sent to destroy his career. Cleve made a name for himself warning everyone about the danger of artificial intelligence exceeding human intelligence; but when the woman he obsesses over turns out to be one of the intelligent machines he feared, love spells an uncertain future for both of them.
This is the second of eight interconnected stories about the future of consciousness, from its use in machines to the quest to understand its role in the universe. Humanity tackles one singularity only to discover that there are still many challenges to address. Conscious machines are only the beginning.
Performed by Shawn Devlin
Novel Writing Festival 