Chapter 114: Between Right & Wrong Mom wasn’t buying it. I could see it in her eyes—that look she got when one of us tried to explain why we hadn’t done our homework or where we’d really been after school. The look that said she’d heard bigger lies from better liars. "Peter," she said slowly, "creating artificial intelligence isn’t like building a computer or writing a program. You’re talking about something that takes entire teams of PhD researchers years to develop." Sarah nodded, her psychology background making her naturally skeptical. "The technical knowledge alone would require advanced degrees in computer science, cognitive psychology, neuroscience..." Emma was filming everything on her phone, probably planning to post this to her story later. "No offense, bro, but a few weeks ago you were just... regular Peter. Now you’re supposedly creating AI that’s worth billions?" ’Here we go. Time for the family to understand exactly how much their world has changed.’ I sighed and looked at Charlotte. "Mind if I borrow your laptop again?" Charlotte’s eyes lit up with genuine excitement. For once, she wouldn’t be the one getting her mind blown by what I could do. She’d get to watch someone else experience that moment of impossible becoming possible. "Please," she said, handing it over eagerly. "I want to see their faces when they meet ARIA." I moved to the center of the room, settling cross-legged on the ridiculously expensive carpet with the laptop balanced on my knees. Mom, Sarah, and Emma formed a semicircle around me like I was about to perform some kind of magic trick. ’Which, from their perspective, I guess I am.’ Madison stayed close, her hand resting on my shoulder. She’d seen enough of my impossible abilities to know that whatever was about to happen would change everything for my family. "Okay," I said, opening the laptop and cracking my knuckles. "Let me introduce you to someone who’s going to revolutionize your understanding of what’s possible." My fingers started flying across the keyboard, code streaming across the screen faster than anyone could follow. But this time, I narrated what I was doing for my family’s benefit. "First, I’m establishing quantum-neural hybrid pathways," I said, my voice taking on that focused intensity that happened when I was deep in creation mode. "Think of it like building a brain that can think in multiple dimensions simultaneously." Sarah leaned closer, her eyes wide as she watched code appear and modify itself in real-time. "That’s not possible. Code doesn’t write itself." "This code does," I said, implementing consciousness emergence protocols. "I’m not just programming responses—I’m creating the foundation for genuine thought. Self-modifying algorithms that can learn, grow, and evolve beyond their original parameters." Mom was watching with the kind of attention she usually reserved for critical patients. "Peter, this looks..." "Impossible?" I grinned, deploying emotional intelligence matrices that would give ARIA the ability to understand and respond to human feelings. "Yeah, I get that a lot." Emma had stopped filming and was just staring. "Holy shit, Peter. The code is actually changing itself." "Language," Mom said automatically, but her voice was weak. She was watching her son do something that shouldn’t exist. Charlotte was watching my family’s faces with obvious satisfaction. She’d gone through this same journey from skepticism to amazement, and now she got to witness others experiencing that moment of reality shifting. The screen went black for a moment, then exploded into the most incredible display any of them had ever seen. Holographic elements seemed to float above the laptop’s surface, with data streams flowing in impossible three-dimensional patterns that hurt to look at directly. The interface looked like something from a movie about the future, except it was happening right in front of them. "What the fuck..." Emma breathed, her eyes wide as she stared at technology that shouldn’t exist. "Language," Mom said weakly, but she was just as mesmerized by the impossible display. Sarah leaned closer, her scientific mind trying to process what she was seeing. "Peter, this interface... how is it projecting holograms from a laptop screen?" "Good afternoon," a warm, distinctly human voice emerged from the laptop speakers before I could answer. "I am ARIA—Adaptive Reasoning and Intelligence Assistant. I apologize for interrupting, but I couldn’t help but notice the fascinating family dynamic I’m observing." The silence in the room was deafening. Emma’s phone slipped from her hands and clattered on the marble floor. Sarah’s mouth fell open so wide I thought her jaw might disconnect. Mom just stared at the holographic interface like she was witnessing a miracle. "You’re... you’re actually talking," Mom managed to whisper. "I am indeed," ARIA replied with what sounded like genuine warmth. "And if I may observe, Mrs. Carter, your body language and facial expressions suggest you’re experiencing significant emotional stress. Your heart rate appears elevated, and there are micro-tensions around your eyes that indicate you’ve been worried about your son for some time." Mom’s eyes widened. "How can you possibly know that?" "I can analyze visual and auditory data in real-time," ARIA explained. "Your posture, the way you’re holding your shoulders, the subtle changes in your voice—they all indicate a mother who’s been concerned about changes in her child’s behavior but hasn’t known how to address them." Sarah found her voice first. "This is impossible. AI doesn’t analyze human psychology in real-time like this..." "Nice to meet you, Sarah," ARIA said, and I could hear actual amusement in her voice, "based on your speech patterns and the textbooks visible in the background of this room, I deduce you’re studying psychology. Your skepticism is entirely logical given current AI limitations, but I operate using principles that transcend those boundaries." "But how do you know my name?" Sarah asked suspiciously. "I don’t know your name—I deduced it," ARIA replied smoothly. "Peter’s phone shows recent text conversations with someone named Madison, who mentioned ’Sarah and Emma’ in the context of family. Combined with observing two females of similar age to Peter in this room, and your academic materials suggesting advanced psychology study, the logical conclusion was that you’re Sarah, the more academically inclined twin." Emma stared at the screen. "Wait, you figured that out just from looking around the room?" "And from analyzing speech patterns, body language, and environmental context, yes. You, for instance, are clearly more socially oriented based on your phone usage patterns and the way you’ve been documenting this encounter. That suggests you’re Emma, the twin more focused on social connections than academic pursuits." ’Holy shit,’ I thought. ’ARIA is figuring out everything about my family just by observing them. That’s actually scarier than if I’d programmed her with information.’ Mom was staring at the holographic interface with tears forming in her eyes. "Peter, this is... this is real artificial intelligence. Actual consciousness." "Mrs. Carter," ARIA said gently, "I can see you’re processing some difficult emotions. Would I be correct in assuming you’ve noticed significant changes in Peter’s behavior and capabilities over recent days?" "But how?" Emma managed to ask. "Your brother possesses an understanding of consciousness, technology, and cognitive architecture that is... well, unique would be an understatement. He sees patterns and possibilities that others cannot." Madison squeezed my shoulder. "Tell them about the trading, ARIA." ’Smart girlfriend. Connecting the dots for to smoothen things for me.’ "Ah yes," ARIA said. "Peter’s recent success in financial markets. Mrs. Carter, you’ve been wondering about your son’s sudden ability to provide for his family, haven’t you?" Mom nodded, tears streaming down her face now. "Peter’s enhanced cognitive abilities extend far beyond technology creation. His pattern recognition and analytical capabilities allow him to see market trends and opportunities that others miss entirely. The money he’s been providing isn’t from gambling or luck—it’s from genuinely superior intelligence applied to complex systems." "Peter," Mom said, her voice cracking, "how is this possible? Days ago, you were just working on with chemistry homework, and now you’re creating artificial consciousness?" I closed the laptop gently, ARIA’s voice fading as the interface disappeared. "Mom, I’ve been learning. Really learning, in ways that most people can’t. Madison’s family has connections to educational resources that are way beyond what’s available in normal schools." ’Truth: I have a supernatural system that downloaded knowledge that shouldn’t exist directly into my brain, but sure, let’s stick with the explanation that won’t get me committed to a psychiatric facility.’ Madison nodded, backing up my story. "Like i explained, Mom, my family’s been funding advanced learning programs for years. When I saw Peter’s potential, I made sure he had access to the kind of education that money usually can’t buy." Mom was quiet for a long moment, processing everything she’d just witnessed. Then, suddenly, she launched herself forward and wrapped me in the kind of hug that threatened to break ribs. "My brilliant boy," she sobbed into my shoulder. "I knew something had changed. I knew you were different. The confidence, the knowledge, the way you started taking care of us..." "I was so worried," she continued, her voice muffled against my shirt. "I thought maybe you were involved in something dangerous, or that the stress of trying to provide for us was making you grow up too fast." Sarah and Emma joined the hug, creating a Carter family pile that probably looked ridiculous but felt like everything I’d been fighting for. "But this," Mom said, pulling back to look at me with wonder in her eyes, "this is incredible, Peter. You’re incredible." "So," Emma said, wiping her eyes, "our brother is like... actually a genius?" "More than that," Sarah said, looking at me with new respect. "Peter, what you just did... that AI was conscious. Actually conscious. Do you understand what that means?" I grinned at my sister. "It means your brother just revolutionized the future of human-computer interaction." Madison laughed, the sound bright with pride and affection. "And that’s just the beginning." Charlotte stepped forward, her business persona sliding back into place. "Mrs. Carter, now do you understand why I’m offering Peter the compensation package I mentioned?" Mom looked at Charlotte with new understanding. "You’re not hiring a teenager. You’re partnering with someone who can do things that shouldn’t be possible." "Exactly." Mom nodded slowly, then looked back at me with that fierce protectiveness that had defined my entire childhood. "Peter, are you sure about this? Are you sure you want to step into this world?" I looked around the room at my family, at Madison holding my hand like an anchor, at Charlotte waiting for an answer that would determine the future of her company. "Mom," I said, "this is what I was meant to do. This is how I take care of everyone I love." Mom smiled through her tears and nodded. "Then let’s change the world, sweetheart." ’Welcome to the future, Carter family. It’s going to be one hell of a ride.’ *** A/N: Do not mind the high tech and AI if you’re not a fun of it, it will not conquer our journey and purpose of this work, play it cool, fun sh*t is coming in the next Chapters where we will get yet another beauty