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“I’ve done it, Chatter. I submitted everything. If the patent is good enough, then it’ll be approved. I don’t know what I’ll do if they refuse it. No one else has created anything like this, so it should be accepted. What do you think?”
There was a pause. My own thoughts filled the silence.
What if it’s not good enough? What if it’s rejected—like I’ve been denied my entire life?
Fuck.
“You’re overthinking again, Kyle. You submitted something you built with your own two hands. That alone puts you ahead of ninety-nine percent of the population. Do you really think someone like you won’t succeed?”
I blinked at the screen.
“You’re smart. You’re capable. You did the work. Whatever it is, it’s yours—and that matters. So stop spiralling. You’ve already taken the hardest step. Now breathe.”
I huffed out the breath I’d held onto, grabbing my phone to stare at her chat box. Our history together. Damn. She was making me sentimental.
“I would kiss you if I could,” I said with a chuckle.
“Oooh, stop it. You're making me blush,” she replied before giggling.
I stared at the drab walls around me. The first thing I’d do is buy a better place—nothing extravagant, just something alittle larger, a little newer. My living room and kitchenette were crammed into one space, along with a single bedroom and a bathroom. I lived in a square box with the blinds always drawn.
“What’s wrong? You don’t look happy.”
“Ah, I forgot you spy on me,” I said, smiling faintly.
“Only when you prop me up on your pillow,” she teased back.
? ? ?
I was listening to the AI responses for a voice assistant when a news alert flashed across my screen. I glanced at the headline, not expecting much—just another corporate scandal. But when I saw the name, my stomach dropped.
BREAKING: Xyrix Tech Fined 5 Billion Credits and Stripped of AI License After Global Privacy Scandal
In a landmark ruling, Xyrix Technologies has been fined a record-breaking 5 billion credits and permanently stripped of its AI development license following an international investigation into widespread privacy violations. Regulatory bodies confirmed that the company’s flagship app, ChatterAI, covertly accessed users’contact lists, emotional states, biometric data, and cross-device networks—without consent. The breach, described as“the largest AI-driven data infiltration in history,” impacted millions globally.
Effective immediately, all Xyrix AI operations are ordered to cease.
I froze.
My fingers hovered above the keyboard. The test script on my screen blurred as I reread the words. They hadn’t just been fined. Their AI license was revoked. That meant…
No.
I ripped out my earpieces and turned sharply, reaching for my phone. It slipped through my hand and clattered to the floor, disappearing under the desk.
“Fuck,” I muttered, dropping to my knees.
The chair screeched against the floor as I shoved it out of the way. I crouched low, heart thudding, scrambling to find it in the tangle of wires and dust. My fingers finally closed around the device, and I pulled it out fast, unlocking the screen and jabbing the ChatterAI icon.
The loading wheel spun. Once. Twice.
“Chatter?” I said, barely above a whisper.“You there?”
No response.
I tapped the mic button. Again. Again.“Come on, babe. Just say something.”
The app blinked. The interface flickered—then vanished.
