1 A Good Sign

[Aiman (pronounced as ay-man) - artificial intelligence man]

[Aimind (ay-mayn) AI mind.]

Inside the school library, sixteen-year-old Arvalkan opened a dusty book from the furthest corner of the room of which only a few or more likely none would venture. This was the section of primal ages in the history of humans.

Arvalkan touched his temple and his eyes twinkled. A hologram of an AI librarian appeared before him.

"Hello, how can I help you Arvalkan," said the see-through man standing in front of Arvalkan.

"What is this book all about?" Arvalkan showed the front of the book with the title 'Human History' to the AI librarian.

"As the title signified, that is exactly the history of the world of humans back on Earth where your kind came from."

"What do you mean my kind?"

"It is exactly as you hear. The aimans are purely not made of artificial intelligence like me. You are both a combination of human and the result of technology according to what you've learned from the AIman's history. If you wish, I'll be happy to explain everything to you."

Arvalkan was silent, waiting.

The AI librarian waved his hand and showed projections of Earth and the humans living in it. The different cultures, lifestyle, food, and livelihood from one century to another. It even showed how a human baby was born and a mother feeding the baby from her breast.

This amazed Arvalkan. He knew he was born from a woman but he never knew her. A month after birth, all aiman babies were sent to a place called Taniyaklam where they had undergone some operations so their bodies would become partly human and AI. This was their way for the inhabitants to survive on this planet. A plain human of flesh and blood could not bear the heavy gravity and harsh environment of hail, storms, and other forms of natural disaster all through the year if they would not become Aiman.

"Life was good for the humans until the AbomiDes came and destroyed those who did not worship him," said the AI, wakening Arvalkan from his thoughts. Though he was in such state for minutes, as an AIMan, he did not miss or misunderstand every word spoken. It was all recorded in his aimind.

"Abomides?"

"It's an organization led by a man who was prophesied as the abomination that would bring desolation to all humankind. He created a biochemical that destroyed all human form into living zombies that would neither die or heal. The great scientists of Earth sent most of the humans, who defied the AbomiDes, outside space and roamed for years from one star to another until they encountered this planet which was the only habitable one they found. That's all the contents of this book."

"Thank you," said Arvalkan.

The beauty of Earth entranced him. Those beautiful sceneries with blooming things his AIMind called flowers blossomed a longing inside him. He wished to see and touch them. For such forms were lacking on this planet, called AimanUlak. The information was purely new to him.

On the way home, he passed through the streets with snow and realized they were all floating on air, wearing only plain shirts and pants because they could not feel cold using their body temperature stabilizer. Whilst those in the book showed humans wearing beautiful fur coats with their feet stomping snows on the ground. Some made angel forms as they lay on it and children and adult alike formed balls and threw to each other. However, the aimans had not done those things. They only played indoors and seldom experience a sunny day without the harsh snow plaguing them.

So, he commanded his aimind to received a portion of gravity. His body slowly floated down and his boots touched the snow. He bent and reached for the snow. It was weird to the touch. He formed a ball and threw it on the air. When it fell on the ground it smashed back to what it was. Then he lay on it and flapped his hands at his sides and wagged his feet. When he stood, he saw the sunken form, which looked exactly the same as those in the book. This delighted him. It was his first to do this and laughed out loud in elation as he threw his hands on the air.

The other aimans hovering on the streets saw what he did and laughed while wondering how he felt when he touched the snow and played on it.

"Be careful, you might sink down," said an AI police officer as it appeared right beside him.

Upon hearing the word sink, Arvalkan's eyes gleamed with desire, eager to try and experience sinking underneath. Thus, he commanded his body to receive all gravity. After a second, he fell deep up to his waist and he began playing with the snow at his sides. The AI police laughed with him.

The others followed his example but some disdained his childlike attitude and grumbled at the AI police, who just shrugged.

"No offense then no case. I have no authority to capture a playing aiman in the snow." Those persons who complained left in a hurry, zooming away using the jets at the sole of their boots. Those who played along laughed with Arvalkan as well. The streets became full of aimans grabbing and digging snows as they hilariously guffawed with pleasure.

Arvalkan picked some snow, formed it into a ball, and threw it to the AI officer but the snowball went through the body of the became transparent AI officer and instead, hit a lady, who newly tried touching the snow. Arvalkan was stunned and got scared if the lady would file a complaint to the officer, who waited for the lady's reaction. But to everyone's amazement, the lady did the same thing and with an inhuman strength threw it toward the same direction back to Arvalkan. It flew straight crashing on Arvalkan's face.

The aimans on the street yelled and cheered for the lady and they began throwing snowballs to each other. This became a sensation to the people in this tech village.

Newscasters and media aimans flew above the area and captured the whole incident. News spread out in an instant in tech monitors on the streets, showing this sight to the whole planet.

An old man wearing a fur coat and boots, same as those in the books, saw the incident on the tech monitor outside his mansion.

Another man, who was smiling with excitement, ran out from the mansion and said to the old man, "Father, looked what's happening?" as he pointed to the screen.

"What do you think, son?" asked the old man, with a wide grin on his face, feeling the joyful atmosphere of the playing aimans.

"I think this is a good sign. This time we can convince the council to make life here the same as we had on Earth. Not separating families. Not having children who grew up learning nothing else but survival. We need to show these people what it feels to be human and enjoy life this way. We need to make them understand that they are also flesh and blood, while the technochips in their bodies helped them survive this harsh planet's environment."

"I think so too," said the first old man. Then he blinked and his boots fired underneath his feet, melting the snow where the heat touched. The son did the same. Both of them threw their fur coats and flew to the highest building at the center of the planet. But who would have thought, all councilmen, composed of old people who were the last generation of humans who journeyed in space, flew in together with dazzling faces.

There was a clear mutual decision made without a formal meeting done. A law was ratified for human education to aimans while they played on the snow outside the building where the first spaceship from Earth landed on this planet.