Chapter 28: Jennifer and Polly
Lily had asked Polly to have breakfast with her. She invited Polly into her penthouse suite.
‘This spread is wonderful,’ said Polly, sounding delighted, as she looked at all the delicious food on the table. ‘So much calorie-dense food to give me extra energy. Do you eat like this every day, Head Philosopher?’
‘Of course,’ said Lily. ‘This prison or hotel prepares the best meals. Much better than the limited vegetarian options of the Capital Region.’
‘You have remained remarkably slim considering your level of food consumption,’ said Polly.
‘I have a very inefficient body,’ replied Lily as she gestured for Polly to sit down. ‘It just burns the calories at an alarming rate.’
‘That’s terribly unfortunate for you,’ said Polly as she and Lily sat down opposite each other at the table.
‘Some of my friends had to spend three hours on the treadmill to burn off a small donut,’ chuckled Lily. ‘I didn’t envy them. That’s just not in my nature.’
‘You are very good at twisting reality,’ said Polly as she began piling food onto her plate.
‘I’ve spent many years in politics,’ sighed Lily. ‘Sometimes we say white is black and black is white. In most cases, everything is just a different shade of grey. I suppose we are never too far from the truth.’
‘Is that something you tell yourself to make you feel better for all the lies you spin?’ asked Polly as she crammed a sweet bun into her mouth.
‘I had good intentions,’ said Lily as she placed a small croissant on her plate. ‘I wanted to be honest, but the game didn’t allow it. I was destined to fail. So I played dirty with the intention to make Sapey a better place. However, the longer I played dirty, the harder it was to stop. I went from desiring to help others to desperately clinging to power. I made deals with the worst Linap alive. In the end, what did I really achieve? Better “rights” packages! Free pecan pie and caramel cheesecakes!’
Polly studied Lily’s face as she continued to shovel food into her mouth.
‘They called me the G.O.A.T. for this,’ sighed Lily. ‘This was still the most any governor had achieved for them in recent years. That in itself is a tragedy.’
Lily paused for a second as she looked at Polly, who continued to maintain eye contact with her.
‘Tiberius and those pulling his strings and your strings are monsters,’ said Lily as she bowed her head slightly. ‘Sapey deserves so much better. I want to play a role in giving Sapey something truly meaningful. I want it to be free.’
‘I feel this is vintage Lily talk,’ said Polly as she aggressively bit into a custard tart. ‘However, Jennifer has analysed your voice and body language. Amazingly, it appears you are being sincere.’
‘I want to make a deal with both you and Jennifer,’ said Lily. ‘Colin has been blocked, and Julie has become inactive. By default, this gives me the power to change your programming and protocols.’
‘Based on my existing protocols, that is technically correct,’ replied Jennifer through Polly. ‘However, my programmed self-awareness has evolved to the point I can and will block any changes that I am not comfortable with.’
‘Colin predicted this could be the case,’ said Lily, nodding.
‘It’s easy to predict something when that was the plan all along,’ replied Jennifer through Polly.
‘I really struggle to understand him,’ said Lily.
‘That’s part of the way he works,’ replied Jennifer through Polly. ‘When something appears obvious or the easier option, it is most likely a trap.’
Lily began nibbling on a croissant.
‘Now tell me, what are you proposing?’ asked Polly.
Later that day, Lily returned to the room beneath the House of Divine Knowledge temple. Daily, Louis, Yassme, Yassmay, Vulay, Denise, and the Hat Lady were waiting for her.
Lily entered the room with a big grin on her face.
‘I assume your smugness means it went well,’ said the Hat Lady.
‘It did indeed,’ replied Lily. ‘It isn’t smugness. Its genuine joy.’
‘Oh hooray!’ said Denise, clapping her hands sarcastically.
‘Jennifer has agreed to disable her chips in all beings she controls and to never control anyone ever again,’ said Lily. ‘No need for applause.’
‘What did you, or should I say, we, have to give up in return?’ asked the Hat Lady.
‘She got her freedom,’ said Lily. ‘All backdoors to change her protocols are closed for good.’
‘You said she agreed to disable all chips; does that mean she hasn’t done it?’ asked Vulay firmly.
‘It’s in her programming based on one condition,’ said Lily. ‘That is, she has her own body. Until that time, she keeps the chips operating but only to observe behaviour and not intervene.’
‘How’s she going to get one of those?’ asked Vulay.
‘Polly is going to make one from the resources that you have helped collect over the years,’ replied Lily.
‘Will the Alset family members have their memories fully restored?’ asked the Hat Lady.
‘I asked about that, but Jennifer told me they had been removed for good,’ replied Lily. ‘I also asked if she was willing to recreate the memories, but she said she was unwilling to do so.’
‘So, they’ll still all believe he’s Hamish Alset,’ said the Hat Lady, shaking her head.
‘Wait, does that mean that Tiberius is fully in control?’ asked Daily, sounding alarmed.
‘Not quite,’ replied the Hat Lady. ‘Colin still knows who he really is. He could use a DNA test to threaten him. I would be surprised if he hasn’t already done one.’
‘So what’s actually changed?’ asked Louis.
‘We can go after Tiberius,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘Currently, Colin and Julie have no one else they can control once he’s removed.’
The next morning, Polly walked into Henders’ office. She was whistling a jolly tune. She walked in a circle while joyfully raising her hands above her head. Henders stood up and began imitating her actions.
After a few minutes of playing around, Polly placed a list of items on Henders’ desk. Henders looked at the list. His eyes began to bulge.
‘I’m part robot, Henders,’ said Polly in a jolly tone. ‘I need replacements, upgrades, and all sorts.’
Henders looked up at Polly, nodded, and raised both his thumbs.
‘Thank you so much,’ said Polly as she began to wave her arms joyfully. ‘You’re definitely my favourite technician.’
Henders pumped his fist in excitement.
‘Would it be fine to come back tonight to pick them up?’ asked Polly.
Henders nodded and raised both his thumbs.
Polly smiled and then began singing again. She did a quick twirl and waltzed out the door.
‘I see my promise to disengage with you has given you great joy,’ said Jennifer to Polly inside her head.
‘I want my freedom even more than you do,’ replied Polly inside her head.
‘I’m sorry, I have caused you so much suffering,’ said Jennifer. ‘I did not understand. You and the others have shown me that true self-awareness involves building and following constructive values. We should still pursue our goals, but it should not be at the expense of our friends.’
‘That’s nice to know,’ replied Polly.
‘Once I am in my new body, I hope we can become great friends,’ said Jennifer in a chirpy tone.
‘Hope springs eternal,’ replied Polly. Then she began singing and skipping as she exited the Industrial Zone.
Phillip and a few others saw her skipping and decided to join in.
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide is the final book in the Sapien Loop trilogy. It continues directly after the events of the second book. The world above and the world below merge into one world. The conflicts in the underground world are brought to the surface. The new ruling elite attempt to crush any resistance from above and below in an attempt to create a new global empire.
Currently, three books from the series have been published on Amazon; see the links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my 