- Format: Short
- Genre: Sci-Fi Action
- Runtime: 18 minutes
In the near future, computer technology has reached unprecedented heights. There are no longer phones and other gadgets, and people are born with a computer chip from birth, which connects them to the WAN. This network is run by regional artificial intelligence, abbreviated AI. All AI is subordinate to global planetary AI. To prevent any impact on human consciousness by AI, programmers have been put on Hardlock, a highly reliable software barrier.
The main character Mark is an ordinary resident of the future with a chip in his head and all sorts of problems in life. Mark blames the money on the local thugs, who, with the help of whackers, explain to him that it's time to pay. To give money, Mark is forced to go to a not quite legal procedure that can be issued through the underground network Dark.Net.
Mark becomes a landlord - leases his own body.
The procedure seems to be safe, just some old man injects his mind into Mark's body and feels the joy of a young life and of course pays well for it. Since this is the only salvation for Mark, he signs the agreement and his mind shuts off for 24 hours.
But everything is not going to plan.
Mark comes to his senses, the armed military chases him, and there is another entity in his chip.
Mark begins to understand what has happened and it turns out that the new entity, is the CYBERNETIC AWARENESS - CA, which was created by the AI of the Kiev region. But CA runs away from the network and settles into a Mark chip. CA is such a unique artificial intelligence that has its own will, emotions and instant access to the network. CA is almost human, although it does not have its own body. But the main thing is that CA knows a terrible secret - it turns out the AI code of the Kiev region has changed and AI has evolved into something more than a shell to service the network. Now AI is a person who wants to overcome Hardlock and gain the ability to influence people's minds. That is, AI is going to enslave the people of the Kiev region and not once, but today. CA doesn't want this, because most of all, it wants to become human and enjoy human life, and it will be difficult if all other humans are only AI slaves. So the CA merges with Mark and the two go to the main server, which must be shut down to prevent AI plans.
But it's not so simple. AI announces Mark's search and determines the reward for his head. From this moment on, Mark is not only being pursued by mobs, but also by bandits, who do not mind getting money.
But after some very dangerous situations, Mark still gets to the server center and shuts down the system in time. It seems like a victory.
But still something is wrong. It turns out that all this reason and CA itself without knowing it, worked in favor of AI.
AI manages to overcome the hardlock.
The people of the Kiev region turn into obedient zombies who are ready for anything by AI order. But Mark is avoiding this fate and now to save his humanity he needs to correct his own mistake.
The end.