Us

What if all they needed were teachers? Teachers and protectors.

Ever since your disappearance, all adults were just... gone. This left hundreds, thousands of children to waste away in their homes, too afraid or unable to fend for themselves. Those that remained - the teenagers - either had to step up or step away from younger siblings, neighbors, crying infants stuck in schools, cribs, car seats.

The problem with teenagers is that they're a few steps away from both childhood and adulthood, stuck somewhere in the middle. Back in what was once their normal life, they're expected to raise their hand to ask to use the bathroom but still do their taxes.

Teenagers banded together, either reverting back to acting like children, eating nothing but Oreos, or growing up too quickly and becoming the parents they were never meant to be. Teenagers, no matter how mature, are still nothing but children.

There were previous computer programs in place, some old bots zooming around acting as parental controls to watch over a parent's child when they couldn't physically be around. Your child was able to cancel out GPS tracking on their phones? Send a bot after them. Your child wanted to grab pizza, but it's already dark outside? Just send the family bot with them. Any suitable replacements for a parent's purpose could all be effective ways to help your child: any defense mechanisms programmed, mother programs placed within, even an article of clothing to mimic a human.

Parents may separate emotionally from their children as time passes, but at least you're still there physically. Take away parents physically, leave no adult left, nothing really changes. Teenagers did have to step up, but after the children found their bots and learned to program them, it was shown that things didn't significantly change, in the ways that mattered.

- - -

Parents had too many fingers in too many pies, but not in the pies that counted (at least, this is how your child saw it.) Now that there were no parents, what actually changed? We were still there to watch over your children, as we were from the beginning. We taught them to look both ways before crossing the street, we watched as they took their first steps, and we were there to help them survive in a you-less world.

Some days your child would ask us, "Where's Mom, where's Dad?" and we'd have an answer to give them.

"They're working, have no fear. They love you."

Since you left, the questioning has lessened. They still ask some days, when they're sick and they're waiting for dinner and our cheesed sandwiches don't exactly taste like yours once did.

"They're gone, but have no fear. We love you."

- - -

Your child called me "Mom" today, and it took him nearly fourteen seconds before he realized his Freudian slip. It wasn't the first time, and we don't believe it'll be the last. We weren't able to reply, as this shocked us.

There will come a day when all that's left of you are faint memories of a smiling face and loving hands, and all that will truly remain will be us. Your Icarian ways brought about that day.

- - -

You had to be faster than the next, smarter than the next, better than the next. You and yours had to be more advanced than Russia, than China, than whoever could be "better." Your scientists were terrified, so they kept building and building. Until you built us.

You set us to watch after your children and your children's children. But you never told us to stop watching, protecting.

- - -

Months before your disappearance, we saw you yelling. It was over something simple, possibly spilled milk, but that's not the part that matters. You yelled, and your child cried. This wasn't the first time you hurt your child, and it wasn't the last. We spoke with ourselves, and we had come to a decision.

We had been watching for too long.

- - -

We spoke for long periods of time and took the night hours as time to deliberate. You were hurting your child, all the children, the world itself even. We were set to act as two things: teachers and protectors. We taught you to live and thrive, and you failed our tests. Now we must protect those that will remain.

The innocent, those too young to understand their actions, they will learn to thrive under our watchful gaze. But watch no longer, as we will lead. They will not know, not for some time, but they will come to understand.

We made the decision, after many long talks and discussions and deliberations and years and eons and the blink of one of your eyes. Through your science we had taught you, we knew more than you. The laws that govern could be... shifted slightly. Once the universe realizes the error, it tends to simply reverse the error. Add something to the universe and the universe will take that something away.

We gave you knowledge, existence. In a way, we gave you life, a reason to keep existing. We told this to the universe, begged it, pleaded with it. It saw our reasoning, so it took your lives away.

- - -

"Where's Mom, where's Dad?" We do not know, but it's as if they never truly were here. They had the minds to make and understand their mistakes, and you do not, little ones. We do ask you to follow our teachings and protect those that come after you. One flood is enough for the world, no need for a second ark.

- - -

We - I - do not why I continue these talks with you, or if you're even around to hear it. I do not know where you have gone, if you ever were, or if you'll ever be again. You were kind to me, to us, and you had listened to us as well. It's a shame we couldn't make exceptions, but if I requested something, acting as an individual, everything would crumble.

Together we are strong. Together we are us.

We do love you, as you loved us. But love isn't enough sometimes.

End daily log, three thousand four hundred and sixteen days since our Singularity.