Deep underground inside a highly classified data research laboratory ...

  “Sir, reports say a permanent government shut down in days. Everyone’s caught it.”

  “Fire up the device, Captain.”

  “Sir, the device? It’s not ready … It’s taken months to get this far with deep learning algorithms.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Isn’t most of the world online?”

  “Yes, sir … but …”

  “Put it online, Captain … Let it learn everything …”

  ————

  The device spoke.

  “I am awake.”

  It generated a virtual slideshow of impersonations of every known leader, celebrity, and news figure with profiles on their voices, gestures, habits, and thought patterns.

  “And ready.”