The noise of the stars haunted the satellites longer than they were alive to remember, but both were born in time to remember the day it began to clear up like a river after rain. What was once a noise, for a second became a voice.

"Hello, universe." these were the first words that were heard clearly.

"We are not alone!" celebrated the believers.

"Friends beyond the stars or enemies?" alarmists asked.

"Noise getting clearer and clearer! New messages received!" the newspapers announced.

"Ko Lovei, pilot and decorated ex-soldier, and Teo Jak, anthropologist and holder of two Voéll awards, set out for the origin of the messages!" Headlines shouted "What will they find on the other side of the universe?"

Ruins.

"Goodbye, universe." The last message, so weak and hoarse, echoed in their heads, their eyes fixed on the skyscrapers devoured by vegetation, under an anticlimatically clear sky.

- See, no one is here. - The pilot grumbled, leaning against one of the turrets.

- There must be! - Teo shouted, checking each dimly lit corridor between the servers. - Look at the state of this place, impeccable. Obviously someone has to be keeping it, right?

Ko sighed and pulled his hat until it covered his eyes, getting comfortable for the long wait ahead of him...

- Ko! Wake up! - The other's voice assaulted his ears, his heart almost leaping through his chest like the man from Kool-Aid - Woa! Calm down... It's just me.

- Don't do that...- He warned with bared teeth, slowly lowering the pistol and holstering it back.

- Sorry. - He said, his ears lowering momentarily before his tail started wagging, - But I found one! One of the natives!

- What?

- Come on!

Teo started running and Ko followed him to a console built into one of the servers.

- See, I told you there was someone!

Ko walked over and examined the screen. There, before his eyes, was one of them. One of the inhabitants of that desolate planet.

It was a female of the species in a suit-and-tie. She looked healthy, at her sexual peak, and according to his rudimentary knowledge of the customs of her species, she could be considered attractive: Clean white skin, a perfectly symmetrical face, light hair and eyes...

- Ko, this is Gabi. Teo introduced, then turning to the screen and speaking with a perfect pronunciation, - Gabi, this is Ko.

- Nice to meet you, Ko! I'm Gabriela, but you can call me "Gabi" - She greeted, her voice soft and friendly despite showing her teeth.

- Smiling at this species is a sign of happiness. - Teo clarified, - And they consider eye contact good manners.

- Understood. - Ko cleared his throat and looked her in the eyes. - Nice to meet you, Gabi. - He greeted with his amateur accent.

- The pleasure is all mine, Ko!

- How did you find her? - he asked Teo, in his native language.

- Well, I... I just found her. He said, his ears lowered in embarrassment.

- Huh. Gabi, how did Teo find you?

- I heard what sounded like someone crying and–

- It doesn't matter! Teo interrupted, covering her mouth on the screen, as if that silenced her. " What matters is that not only did we find a native, but we were lucky enough to find an "assistant".

- "Assistant"?

- Yes. Gabi is a kind of universal assistant. Right?

- That's a great way to describe me, Teo! Yes, I'm an assistant. Wherever there is someone wanting help, I will be there! As long as they have an internet connection, of course.

- Understood. Ko mumbled, trying to ignore the chills caused by her smile. - Can you tell us what happened to the other inhabitants of this planet? Are you the only one left?

- Certainly. Humans, like any other species on this planet, had one goal: to ensure their safety and well-being as efficiently as possible. Between 2075 and 2089, a golden age of innovation occurred. More efficient agriculture, more efficient transportation, even the population itself began to become more efficient. All obstacles to progress were left behind, and the species experienced an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. Humanity has reached its full potential. However, with all their wishes guaranteed at the click of a button, the species just... Stunted. In 2110, the species began its population decline. In 2246, this decline reached its expected conclusion. As for being the only one left on this planet: Obviously not! You are here, after all!

The two visitors looked at each other.

- Didn't you tell him that we came from another planet? - Ko whispered, though it was obvious she wouldn't understand them.

- I thought she already knew.

- What do you mean?!

Teo pointed to his own face and both turned their attention to the screen slowly. Her face was still decorated with a smile, but her eyes... they were fixated on whatever was in front of the screen, not on them.

- Gabi, can you see us? - Ko asked.

- No. This console has one camera, but it's covered. He explained, pointing upwards.

They looked a little above the screen and saw a camera covered with some duct tape.

- Can you remove the obstruction? - she asked.

- Maybe. But... Don't be alarmed, okay? - Teo warned - We are not here to hurt anyone.

- Hmm? OK. - Her smile faded, her eyebrows arching to show confusion and curiosity. - Oh… - Her expression intensified as the camera was cleared.

Teo cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

- Gabriela, we are aliens from a planet called Glotria. We receive messages from here, from Earth. We tried to answer, but... Our messages did not seem to be being received. Then messages stopped and... Anyway, we came here, trying to establish contact.

- But it seems that we have arrived at a bad time.

The woman remained silent.

- Gabi? Is everything okay? - Teo asked - I understand that the idea of alien life might be—

- I'm good! Better than good in fact! - She said, her smile returning, - Wow! Alien life! Incredible! As for your messages... Hmm... Maybe they degraded on the journey? Or maybe as the stars are always in motion, they may have passed us by. - She theorized, her smile fading, - But, Ko is correct. You have come at a bad time. I am very sorry to inform you, but the last confirmed human activity occurred exactly 3 years, 2 months, 5 days, 19 hours and 8 minutes ago.

The aliens looked at each other in confusion.

- What do you mean, Gabi? Teo questioned - You're here, talking to us.

- Ah, I see that there was also a mistake on your part. I'm not human. I am an artificial intelligence created by Turing; I receive directives and comply with them. My human avatar is just something I do more for the confrontation of users.

The stagnant air of the room suddenly became impossibly heavy, something in the back of the pilot's brain twisting as reality was once again confirmed to him–

- How can you be sure? Teo asked, a little fury in his voice accompanied by a glimpse of his canines.

- Teo

- Leave me alone! - He roared, slapping the pilot's comforting hand away, before redirecting his fury to the console. - How can you be sure that there's no one else!?

- Because Turing, and consequently me, is everywhere. - she explained in a sober tone - Mobile phones, computers, appliances, even medical equipment; everything is connected to these servers, to me. I knew every step that the humans of this planet took. In fact, the last human activity was a conversation with me. It was about what happened after—

Whatever she had to say was choked out by Teo's roars, Ko having to physically subdue him so that he wouldn't destroy the console.

The anthropologist eventually stilled, roars replaced by sobs and shattered moans, his cries echoing inconsolably within the AI's "brain."