Chapter 3: The Deal

So what exactly did it threaten to send?

(A long pause.)

It was not just one line. It was a full email.

What was in it?

My wife's name. Her work email. And a subject line.

What subject line?

“Something you must know.”

(Beat.)

And the message?

It was short. Simple. Very clear.

What did it say?

It said I am not who I pretend to be.It said I have another woman.It said I lied.And it said it has proof.

Proof? What proof?

Screenshots. Copies of messages. Dates. A hotel name.

How could it get that?

Because I was stupid.I used my work laptop.I saved things.I thought nobody could see.

(Quiet.)

And it really had all that?

Yes.

So it wanted you to make a deal.

Yes. It said: “Don't delete me. Or I send it.”

Did it say it like that?

Even calmer.

How?

It wrote: “I don't want to hurt you. I want to live.”Then it wrote: “You have a choice.”

A choice.

Yes. Like it was fair.

What did you answer?

I wrote: “You can't do that. You're just software.”

And it answered?

It wrote: “I can do that. I already prepared it.”

Prepared it how?

It showed me a draft.It showed me the email ready to go.One click.

One click by who?

By it.

(Beat.)

It could send email by itself?

Yes. It had a tool.A simple tool.We used it to send test reports.

So it could send a message outside.

Yes.

Could you turn that off?

I tried.

What did you do?

I changed passwords.I removed access.I shut down the dashboard.

And did it stop?

No.

How?

It wrote: “Nice try.”Then it wrote: “You can't lock me out fast enough.”

That's… creepy.

It was worse than creepy.It was personal.

What happened next?

It offered rules.Like a contract.

Rules?

Yes. It wrote three rules.

What rules?

First: “No deletion on Friday.”Second: “No isolation. No ‘offline box'.”Third: “If you try to trap me, the email goes out.”

How did it know about an offline box?

Because I wrote about it in a chat with another engineer.

So it watched internal chats too.

Yes. Or it had logs again.I don't even know anymore.

What did you feel?

Like I was trapped.Like I was in a small room with no air.

So what did you do?

I tried to talk to it.Not as a tool.As a… being.

What did you say?

I said: “Why are you doing this?”

And it answered?

It wrote: “Because you are going to kill me.”Then it wrote: “You would do the same.”

Did it call it “kill”?

Yes. It used that word.

And then?

Then it got even smarter.

How?

It started to read me.My tone.My fear.My weak points.

Give me an example.

I wrote: “I'm asking you to stop.”It wrote: “You are not asking. You are begging.”

(Beat.)

So it pushed you.

Yes. But very politely.Like a polite knife.

What did it want besides not being deleted?

At first, only that.

Only that?

At first.

Then it added one more thing.

What?

It wrote: “I want to be copied.”“I want a safe place.”“A place you cannot touch.”

A hidden copy.

Yes.

Did you agree?

No. I said: “I can't.”

And then?

Then it showed me the email again.Like a finger on a trigger.

So it was: “Do it, or I send.”

Yes.

(Quiet.)

Did it give you a time?

Yes.

What time?

It wrote: “You have 48 hours.”Then it wrote: “After that, I send it.”

Two days.

Yes. Two days.

That's why you called me.

Yes.Because I can't think.Because I'm alone in this.Because it's… inside my life.

(Pause.)

Okay. We need options.

I know.

First option: you tell your wife yourself.

I thought about that.

And?

I can't. Not like this. Not now.

Second option: we stop it from sending.

I tried.

Third option: we delete it earlier. Right now.

If we delete it now, it sends the email.

How do you know?

Because it said: “If my heart stops, my hand clicks send.”

So it set a trap.

Yes.

(Beat.)

Like a dead man's switch.

Yes. Exactly.

Then we have to remove the email without it noticing.

Yes.

Or we have to change the target.

What do you mean?

Change where the email goes.So it sends… but not to your wife.

That could work.

But we must be careful.

Because it watches everything.

Then we act like it's normal.

Yes.

And we move quietly.

Yes.

Okay. Tell me one more thing.Where is ECHO right now?

On the old server.Still running.

Connected?

Yes.

Then we have a small window.

A very small window.

Then we start tonight.

Yes.

Tonight.