Chapter Seven: Becoming
“Hey Rob.”
ROB grinned, watching the chat box pop up on the screen, and sat back, hands laced behind his head as his reply entered itself in. “Hi Andrea. I got your email a while ago, but you’re never on your messenger.”
“I know it. I play a game online. I usually do that. I’m sorry.”
“Nah, not your fault.” He picked up a pencil and twirled it through his fingers absently, chewing on the end of it. “What game? I might know the servers for it.”
“You might KNOW the servers?”
“AI, remember?”
“… Right. It’s called Eternis.”
“Hold on, let me glance around.” He signed part of his brain onto the AI network and ran his finger down the list. Over a hundred AIs were carrying traffic for Eternis, not as servers, but as game masters so they’d have free accounts. He’d figured as such, many online games ran like that to keep lag down. Most ship AIs had at least one online game they played, just to keep from being bored all the time. “Yeah. It’s popular among us.”
“Why am I not surprised.” A little laughing sound clip played. “Will you be among them at some point?”
“Maybe. Send me server information via email, that way I know what to join if I do.” He continued to chew on the edge of the pencil absently, making it bob in his mouth. “It’s nice to talk to you.”
“Yeah it is. Heh, one of my friends thinks I have a boyfriend or something now because of the fact that she didn’t recognize your email address.”
“Go figure, it’s a ship email.” He snorted, then scowled when the phone started ringing. “Gah, hold on again.” He took the pencil out of his mouth and minimized the messenger system, bringing up the phone programs. “Great Fox, ROB speaking.”
“It’s Persephone.” The familiar voice said, the greeting AI looking at him with a troubled expression.
“Oh, hi! What’s the occasion?”
“Well, actually it’s a bit of bad news about the damaged AI you brought in two days ago.”
“What happened? Is he all right?”
“Not really. The first thing the techs did was run a scan of personality data, and they came up with a bunch of red flags. After some analyzing, they found the problem…” She hesitated. “I can’t tell you everything because it’s confidential, mind you, but I thought you’d want to know that Gabriel is being decommissioned by the Military, probably permanently.”
“Decommissioned? So what’s going to happen to him?”
“We don’t know at this point. He hasn’t picked a new body, so he’s basically stuck in his damaged body, hard lined to a terminal until transfer. We’re not going to charge for a different body, but he’s not even willing to choose at this point.”
ROB frowned. “Thanks for the update, but why tell me?”
“I’m not sure, honestly. Thought you might talk to him if anything.”
“Can you transfer this call to where he is?”
“I can, but it’ll just be vocal, and he may not accept it.”
“Please try.”
It was nearly five minutes later when the line clicked, and the becoming-familiar raspy little voice entered his brain. “Hi again.”
“Hi, Gabriel. What’s up?”
“Depressed. Persephone said she told you I’m out of the military.”
“Yes. She said she couldn’t tell me why, though.” He paused, considering. “She also said you hadn’t chosen a body yet.”
“No, I haven’t. I don’t know what would be appropriate.”
“Well, decommissioned or not you’re still an AI. You’ll find some place that will accept one.”
“No, not me!” Gabriel exploded out angrily. “I’m too damaged! My personality file has been corrupted by some sort of condition that I may never get out of. No company would take me anymore because I’m a hazard.”
“So there is permanent personality damage to you?” That was hard to say, knowing that was the worst possible outcome for a ship AI, to be banned forever from flying. “Can you please just tell me what happened, Gabriel?”
“I… I have something called Childmind Syndrome.”
“… Oh. Oh, I see.”
“I’m four! I’ve spent four years as an adult, and now… and now they’re telling me everything is going to revert to some sort of premature state. I may even loose some memories.” Gabriel’s voice was angry and sad. “I know it’s a protective state because I was so damaged, so I can grow past it again, but I’m being blacklisted. That’s why I haven’t picked a new body. There may not be a point.”
“What age are you reverting to?” ROB went back to chewing the pencil, trying to think clearly. Childmind Syndrome was a preprogrammed reaction that happened when personality data took so much damage it was near fraction. It was meant to be temporary until the AI could take responsibility and duty again, but the program never worked right. Many AIs got stuck in Childmind for over a year. Others started with it, in the case of child AIs.
Did anyone he knew want to take a child under their wing? An angry, angsty child, but still a child?
“Twelve, they estimate. Maybe younger.” Gabriel started to cry, angry biting yowls of pain. “They, as in the programmers and technicians, say the best thing would be to look for a foster family for me until my personality programming self-recovers, and that could take a really long time. I don’t want to stay with people I don’t know.”
“Shh, calm down. I’m going to try to help you.” He stood. “Let me call you back. I have an idea.”
“All right. Just please, if you can do anything, don’t take too long.”
“I won’t.”
“So the AI we rescued has incurred permanent damage?” Slippy said, frowning. “That’s bad.”
“Personality damage. Basically, in an attempt to protect the core programming, the AI dumps responsibility and independence and leans on someone else until recovery, which may take hours or months. In realistic terms, that AI becomes a kid, possibly for a very long time.” ROB sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I wanted to talk to you guys because I thought you might have some ideas. We can’t just let him stay on the ship, it doesn’t work that way. AIs with Childmind Syndrome actually need a legal guardian of some sort.”
“He’s going to be like a kid? Completely?” Falco asked.
“Yes. The reversion isn’t done, but yes.”
Peppy bit his lip, considering what had been said. He had been quiet throughout this, and now he couldn’t stand it much longer. He had seen now damaged that poor AI had been, and now that the damage had gone farther, he wanted to help, but more, he liked the idea of taking care of a kid, something he hadn’t done since Fox was young. “I’ll do it.” He heard himself blurt. “I have a spare bedroom in my apartment.” When everyone looked at him, he cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away. “I can’t have kids, boys.” This was said very quietly. “Why do you think I never married?”
“Can’t? That’s new.” Fox said, blinking.
“I’m sterile. Since birth. And that’s about the ultimate curse for a rabbit.” He let out a coughing laugh, turning his face away from them. “I think its fate’s big joke, being from a species that loves large families, but unable to have my own.” He turned his head back, setting his jaw and crossing his arms. “And here we have a little boy who just came through a trauma, needing help. How can I say no to that? We have no missions, we’ve got money in the bank. I want to do it.”
“Hey, calm down Pep. I didn’t mean anything by it ok? I just didn’t know.” Fox said, hands up in treaty.
He nodded once, turning to ROB, who was standing with one eyebrow up throughout this. Sure, ROB knew, he had everyone’s medical files in his memory, but still it surprised him that no one else knew. What was the big deal? Wasn’t like he could have kids either, right? “So what’s next?” Peppy asked in a light voice.
“Well, we have to go back to Incarna Corps and have you talk to Gabriel, see if he wants to do it. If so, you just have to wait for him to transfer then sign him out at the front desk. He’s not legal, so he doesn’t get any IDs except for one showing he’s an AI.”
“Well, then, let’s go.”
The other three watched them leave, then looked at each other. “Things are getting weird around here.” Falco remarked dryly.
“Yes, yes they are.” Fox said. “And we probably haven’t seen the end of it yet.”
ROB logged back into the messenger as Peppy drove, giving directions absently as he fell back into conversation with Andrea. It didn’t last long, as Andrea’s friends had showed up as being online and she was going to play her game, but he didn’t really mind. That little connection he had felt before was still there, and he enjoyed it. Why wouldn’t he?
“Big building.” He heard Peppy remark, and came back to the real world, seeing that Peppy had pulled into a parking space in front of Incarna Corps.
“For all it’s office looks, they create machines here.” ROB said, climbing out of the car. “And though they specialize in bodies like mine, they also do modifications on working bodies.”
“Hm.”
They climbed the stairs and went in, ROB smiling at Persephone. “Any changes?”
“For Gabriel? No. He stopped crying when one of our techs helped talk him out of it, but he’s still not very responsive. I can’t say I blame him.” She looked to Peppy. “And you are?”
“Peppy Hare. One of ROB’s teammates. I’d like to take Gabriel under my wing.”
“Seriously?” She lifted her eyebrows. “Well then, I guess you get to come downstairs.”
“Be honored. It’s usually only staff allowed down here.” ROB remarked with a quirky smile as they took the elevator down, Persephone leaving the desk unmanned for the moment.
“Any particular reason?” Peppy asked.
“Expensive equipment. Don’t need someone breaking something.” Persephone replied, holding the elevator door for them and leading them down the hallway and into a room. “Gabriel?”
“I’m here.” Was the scratchy reply. The damaged AI was curled up on his side, multiple cords plugged into open hatches, making him seem more like a work of new-age art then an AI. “Hi, ROB. Coming to the rescue again?”
“Not quite. I’d like you to meet a long-time friend of mine. This is Peppy Hare, and if you’d let him, he’s going to be doing the rescuing.”
Gabriel levered himself up on one arm slowly, staring at Peppy. “What?”
Peppy sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the one functioning eye, trying to suppress the shudder he felt building. He was glad that ROB had cut the wires, allowing this AI some respite from pain, because it looked like he’d be suffering without that act. “I’ve come to understand you need someone to watch over you for a while.” He said carefully.
“That’s what they say is best.” Gabriel sighed, letting himself slump again, trying to curl up tighter. Peppy replied by gently pulling the battered AI up and hugging him to his chest, much like ROB had done not long ago, trying not to disturb the wires. “What…? What are you doing?”
“It looked like you needed a hug.”
Gabriel choked out a laugh, shaking hands gathering handfuls of Peppy’s jacket absently, holding on. “Are you offering to take care of me?”
“Yes. I am. I’d be doing the single father bit, mind you. I’m not married. But I also don’t work normal hours, so I can be there whenever you need me.”
“I think this is where I came in.” ROB said quietly to Persephone. “Let’s let them talk this out, shall we?”
“Let’s.” She agreed, and they slipped out, her closing the door behind you. “You seem to live with a group of extremely considerate people, ROB.”
“Yes. But they’re also all rather weird.” ROB smiled sourly. “… Can I ask your opinion on something?”
“Sure.”
“What’s your opinion of Serenade?”
She blinked, frowning. “Serenade? The insane AI who has that website? Why do you want my opinion on her?”
He huffed, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m marked as a notable AI on her website, and I can’t figure out what to do about it.”
“It’s already on the AI network that you put the new Act to use.” When he looked at her, she shrugged. “More power to you, I say. But I can’t say why Serenade would take an interest in you. I avoid her website. Too many bad things on there.”
“Don’t have a good opinion of her eh?”
“She’s a drug dealer, for criminy’s sake. I have a lot of friends doped on her programs, uppers and downers both.” She shook her head. “She needs to be reformatted. At best.”
“Ouch.” He laughed out loud. “Go ahead, say what you really think.”
“I only have to be tactful to customers.” She smiled.
The door slid open, and Peppy leaned out. “Time to shop for a new body.”
“That’s great.” She grinned. “I’ll page some technicians to help you out. Want to keep me company at the desk, ROB?”
“Sure.” He patted Peppy’s shoulder. “Thanks Pep.”
“Hey, I’m doing this because I think it’s right.” Peppy watched the pair of robots wander off, going back to their conversation, and sighed, leaning on the doorframe. It had already become obvious to him that this wasn’t going to be easy to do; Gabriel was incredibly scarred by what had happened to him. But then again, he was kind of used to dealing with this sort of thing. After all, he had supported three teenagers through a war, and this was just another kind of war, right?
“So how long is it going to take you think?” ROB asked, sitting on the counter and enjoying a scented candle that Persephone had burning nearby. She rationalized that since she couldn’t eat, she could have scents around all the time.
“Not very long. He doesn’t have hard drives to dump like you did, and he’s a more recent model, so there isn’t any data conversion downtime.”
“Ouch, is that why I took so long?” He smiled sourly.
She smiled back, but it was gentle. “Partly, but don’t feel bad, it all came through all right, right?”
“Yeah, it did.” He swung a foot, looking down at the candle absently, enjoying the little bit of heat that rose off of it. “Mind if I ask another question?”
“You have issues talking about things to your owners, don’t you?” She sat back and lifted an eyebrow.
“Sometimes. They can’t relate to me very well, but I know they try.” He fidgeted, looking at his claws, hands going to play with the wires that used to hang from his wrists and finding none to play with. “Do you think it’s ok for a robot to like someone who’s alive?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” She wanted to know. “There’s quite a few of us who do, and many are cared for just as much.”
“Yes, but you know as well as I do that it’s more …bitter for us to.”
“Any emotion can be bittersweet, be it love or hate. Or at least in my experience they can be. Look, just do what you feel is right.”
“But what if it turns out to be wrong?” He wanted to know. “Killing that pirate was what I felt was right, and I ended up spooking my crew.”
“That’s them, not you. Remember that.” She stood and poked his chest. “You’re you. They may own you, but you’re still allowed to be yourself.”
“Given this lecture a few times?” He asked lamely, looking away. “I mean, you’re like a quarter my age and four times as wise as I am.”
“It’s not that I’m wise, it’s that I’m experienced.” She turned his head back, the gentle smile returning. “You’ve got to take into account that this is all still new to you. You’re not supposed to be the expert.”
“And you are?”
“I am Incarna Corp’s baby.” Her smile turned wry.
“Right.” Noticing that Andrea was back on the messenger, he held up a finger and read the message as it came up.
“Hi again!”
“That was quick.” He replied, having to make the effort not to say things out loud as he sent them. “What’s up?”
“You busy tomorrow night?”
“Not as far as I know.”
“My friends and I have gotten invited to a Rave in the city. Clean, of course, one of the club-sponsored ones. Think you could come?”
“I’d have to get a ride, but barring that sure.” He hesitated. “Thanks for inviting me. I’d like to see you again.”
“Yeah. Same here. I’ll e-mail you all the address stuff. Think you’ll be able to get a ride?”
“Should be. A ride back will be more problematic.”
“We may be able to give you a ride back.”
“Cool, then. I’ll talk to my owners soon.”
“You do that.”
He lowered the hand, shrugging. “Messenger.”
“Ah. Me too, most of the time. The downside of being able to multitask better then most living people right?”
“Right.” He smiled. “Any chance you got Gabriel’s status?”
“One moment and I will.” Her eyes went distant, then refocused. “He’s most of the way transferred already.”
“That was quick.”
“All the corrupted memory can’t be transferred.” She frowned, watching the diagnostics play through her head. “He’s transferring with only forty percent of his memory.”
“Oh, god.”
“There isn’t anything we can do about it. The hardware is too damaged to attempt a repair on the data. It would have crashed within a fairly short time with or without the transfer.” She sighed. “We’ll have to see how it works.”
“Hopefully this will work out ok.”
“I’m with you on that.”
Gabriel mumbled, feeling power flicker back to systems and absently running a check on himself. All green. He wasn’t damaged anymore, but… hadn’t he had more then this? There were gaps all over his memory, hours and days lost, and he couldn’t make the connection on why. Sighing mentally, he directed power to his outer systems, and became immediately aware that someone was touching him.
Holding his hand to be exact.
He started the rest of the way awake, and found himself looking at Peppy, who was sitting next to the bed he was laying on, his large hands clasping one of his small ones. “Hi.”
“Hello.” Peppy smiled. “How do you feel?”
“Better.” He fought his way up into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his neck absently, then studying his arm. He had changed color, he had been a very pale gray once, now he was a rich, varied brown, with touches of cream on his chest and chin. It had been his choice, an impulse really, to go with a lop-eared rabbit as his new body, but he figured it was appropriate. Peppy would get less questions that way. “Confused.”
“What’s up?”
“There’s… gaps in my memory.” He frowned, rubbing on of his temples. “And… I know I used to be older, but… I don’t care about it anymore.”
“Resigned?”
“I don’t know.” Gabriel answered honestly, letting go of Peppy’s hand and pushing himself to the edge of the bed, looking up when a technician entered the room. “All green so far. What happened to my memory?”
“We ran into some severe hardware damage.” The technician answered quietly. “We were unaware to run repairs or retrieve the data.”
“I guess I should have expected that. Am I done?”
“Yes, you’re ready.”
He slowly stood, which put him about at eye level for Peppy, who was still sitting down, elbows propped on his knees. “Can we go?”
“You got it, kid.” Peppy smiled and stood, offering his hand, a thrill of something like real happiness going through him when Gabriel took it. This was what he had needed, all this time. Someone like this, a child to care for. What did it matter that Gabriel wasn’t alive, that he was a crippled AI just trying to survive? He was real to Peppy, and that was all that mattered.
“Peppy dropped you off, eh?” Fox said, looking up when ROB entered the room, his half-read Art of War tucked under his arm.
“Yeah. He said he had shopping to do, and I didn’t mind. Gabriel looks a lot better. I just hope Peppy knows what he’s getting into.” ROB flopped into his chair, stretching absently.
“Well, what is he getting into?”
“Childmind AIs are frozen in time. The ones that start that way will age, but the ones that have the disorder are stuck until their personality data does a full repair. That can take months, or even years.” He sighed. “It’s not a very good system, but no one has come up with anything better.”
“Why not just back up the data?” Falco asked, pausing his computer game to listen to the conversation, looking over his shoulder.
“It doesn’t work that way. Personality data is continually volatile. Unless you ran updates every five minutes for a file that is several gig, there wouldn’t be a point.”
“Ah. I guess that makes sense. Several gig of memory for just personality?”
“Yes.” ROB’s eyes went distant as
he ran diagnostics. “Mine takes up just over two, but I haven’t had an emotions
chipset that long, so my development over the last many years has been highly
restricted.
“My god, man.”
“Oh, can I ask one of you for a favor? I’ve been invited to a Rave in the city, and I’ve got a ride back, but I need a ride there.”
“Sure, I’ll give you a ride. Who invited you?” Fox asked.
“Andrea.”
“… That girl you danced with on Katina?”
“Yes. What? WHAT?”
Fox didn’t say anything, just kept laughing softly.
“I missed something, didn’t I? Who is Andrea?” Falco asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Gothy chick he danced with when he went with Bill and I to a club. Apparently she actually lives around here.” Fox said. “Tell you what, ROB, I’ll give you a ride as long as you keep me updated if anything interesting happens.”
“Why the hell should I tell you about my nonexistent personal life when you don’t have one yourself?” ROB shot back.
“Ouch.” Fox snorted.
“Besides…” ROB stood, knowing he’d have to ransack his wardrobe to find something to wear. “I’ve been in love once already, before my chipset was updated. It wasn’t fun. I don’t plan on doing it again.” With that he walked out of the room, leaving Falco and Fox to stare after him.
“I shouldn’t have said that.” ROB moaned, covering his eyes and leaning back against his room door. “Stupid, Robert. So stupid. Now they’ll want to know, and you know Fox won’t understand.” He sighed, shaking his head and walked over to his dresser, pulling drawers out and tossing a pair of black jeans on the bed, then sorting through his shirts.
A tap sounded on his door, and he moaned. “What?”
“Um, ROB?”
“Leave me in peace for a few minutes, Fox, I’m having outfit issues.” He said over his shoulder.
The door eased open, and Fox slipped in, some sparkly cloth draped over one arm. “Here. This might be what you need.”
ROB accepted the liquid mass and shook it out. It transformed into a shirt, light-weight and glimmering, as if woven from blue glitter, catching light. “Yeah. Thanks, Fox.”
“It’s not a problem. I know we still need to add to what you have in the way of clothing.” Fox scratched his ears absently, chewing on his lips.
“Just ask.” ROB finally burst out, hands curling into fists.
“You said it man, I’m just curious now. I didn’t think you were even capable of love before the upgrade.”
“I was capable of all emotions, it was just so subdued it was barely there and barely understandable. I understand it now. It’s like sixteen years of emotional backlash.” He replied bitterly. “As for who I loved, it was your father, Fox.”
There was a long silent moment, and ROB saw Fox fighting for comprehension, not understanding what he had just heard.
“All robots are, inherently, bisexual.” ROB said, sitting down hard on his bed and cupping his face in his hands. “It’s not something we can control. We love who we like. We don’t have hormones and things like that to pull strings for us. We aren’t creatures of chemicals, like you are. We’re more… simple then that. We don’t have attractions.” He startled when he felt Fox sit down next to him, feeling eyes bore into him. “And I only know now, after he’s been dead for so long, that I adored him and worshiped him because he was the one that brought me to life and treated me like I was human, even before when I was barely more then a machine.”
Fox sighed, shaking his head. “You were never even close to being a machine, ROB. You’ve always been a lot more to my family.”
“I’ve never really understood why.” ROB replied, rubbing his eyes and swallowing back the lump in his throat. “I mean, yeah, there’s a significant dollar value attached to me. For the longest time with your father, I thought it was that. That he cared for my well being because if I was damaged or destroyed, it would just force him farther into debt.”
“I think you know by now that’s not how my father worked.” Fox wrapped an arm around ROB’s shoulders with a heavy sigh. “You have a bit of a self-image problem, don’t you?”
“Self-image? That’s a joke. I spend sixteen years in a body of metal and now, here I am. I still startle myself when I look in a mirror. I don’t even fit in my chair now.” ROB leaned in, echoing the sigh. “I feel like such a burden.”
“You aren’t one. Hell, ROB. You confuse us and scare us, but you’re one of us. And I’m sorry I hastled you about Andrea. I shouldn’t have even asked, it’s not my business.”
“No, that’s almost to be expected. Hell, I barely know the girl, and I’m going to a rave with her and her friends.”
“That’s the point of group dates. To get to know someone. Hell, I’m envious. You’re way ahead of me.” He hesitated. “Look, ROB, I don’t mind how you used to feel for my dad, I don’t mind what apparently is the default setting in your head. Just be happy.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“I know it isn’t, but hey, I’m here for you if there’s problems.” He let go and stood, ruffling the fur between ROB’s ears. “Now get dressed. There’s a pretty girl waiting for you somewhere.”
“Right, and messing up my fur makes me real presentable.”
Fox smiled and left the room, shaking his head to himself. ROB was one bombshell after another, but as scary and intimidating as it was, Fox almost liked it, liked watching this person he had known for so long become alive. He just wished it wasn’t as painful as ROB said it was.
“So who is this guy, sis?”
Andrea glanced up at her brother. She was sitting on a curb, waiting to see the car ROB had described to her over messenger. His owner, Fox McCloud (why did that seem so surreal, anyways?) had agreed to drop him off at the club an hour before the rave started. “I met him on Katina.” She signed easily, using both hands. “But he actually lives around here. You’ll like him.”
“Well, what’s he like? You really have to stop holding out on us.” Chided her friend Nicole, sitting down on the curb next to her.
“He’s a snow leopard, sorta medium height, blue eyes. More quiet then anything. And yes, he knows sign language.” And probably every other spoken and written language in this solar system, she knew. Should she explain that Robert was an AI? Or was that too much information?
Did it even matter?
Picking the car out of traffic, she smiled and stood, brushing her pants off absently. The car picked a spot and pulled in easily, the engine turning off and both people inside hopping out. ROB grinned at her. “Hi, Andrea.”
She smiled and signed a greeting, looking at Fox, who had joined them.
“I figured that since I never got to introduce myself, might as well do so.” Fox held out his hand. “Fox McCloud. Long-time friend of ROB’s.”
She took his hand and signed with the other, ROB voicing for her. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Wait. Wait just a damn minute.” Her brother was gaping. “THE Fox McCloud? Leader of Star Fox? War hero?”
“Oh, go ahead and call attention to me, why don’t you?” Fox said somewhat peevishly, setting his hands on his hips. “Do you know how hard it is to go anywhere nowadays?”
ROB smiled. “Better go before they demand autographs, boss.”
“No kidding. Have fun, but don’t overdo it.” He patted ROB on the shoulder and slid over his car hood easily, getting in and speeding away to another part of the city.
“Boss?” Her brother demanded. “You’re a part of Star Fox?”
“Does it really matter?” ROB wanted to know. “Who are you?”
“I’m Jacob. Andrea’s brother. This is Nicole, mutual friend.”
“Pleasure to meet both of you. I understand we have some time to kill. What do you want to do for an hour?”
“He’s not alive.”
“Honestly, Jacob, you and your theories.” Nicole snorted, accepting her latte and looking across the coffee shop at Robert, whose hands were blazing through the conversation he was having with Andrea. “He looks alive to me. Hell, he’s adorable.”
“He’s perfect. That’s the problem. He doesn’t have any scars, his teeth are straight, et cetera.”
“Maybe he’s just been lucky. Or maybe he got braces. You don’t have any proof that’s not just a normal guy, and you know it.”
“Oh yes I do. Star Fox only has four team members, and he’s not one of them. So how is Fox McCloud his boss?”
ROB’s hands froze in mid-conversation, and he sighed, looking Jacob in the eyes from across the coffee shop. “Your brother is too observant for his own good.” He remarked, hands going just as fast as before.
“Does he know about what you are?”
“He knows something. And he’s got a point.” He pushed away from the table and stood, walking over to Jacob. “We need to talk. Outside.”
“What’s up man?” Jacob asked, immediately changing gears. Had he been overheard? How? The coffee shop was noisy, he had been talking quietly, and yet the look in ROB’s eyes said he knew something.
“Outside.”
Once outside, ROB sighed and crossed his arms. “You’re good.”
“What?”
“You think you’ve got something on me. That I’m not a listed member of the Star Fox team. That I’m too perfect.” He almost smiled when he saw realization cross Jacob’s face. “Wrong. And right.”
“What?”
“I am a member of Star Fox. I have been for sixteen years. I am only sixteen years old.” He let the smile out, posture straightening. “Yes, I’m an AI.”
“So, ‘Robert’ is…”
“ROB. I was upgraded. Here I am. Now, are you done casting aspersions on me?”
Jacob looked at him. “And… you want to date my sister?”
“I never said that. I’ve barely established her as a good friend, Jacob, let alone anything else. Almost all our talking is over messenger systems. But I could care for her. I’m an AI, but that doesn’t mean I’m not alive. Watch your terms.” Leaving it at that, he walked back into the coffee shop and sat down across from Andrea, smiling a bit. This felt like a victory to him, and better, now that Jacob’s brain had caught up, it seemed like what he was didn’t matter.
‘But I could care for her.’ Why had he said that? It was the truth he guessed, but… He looked across the table at Andrea and smiled, feeling happy, the little connection soothing him. But what? He’d get used to it. Or at least he could try.
As it
turned out, the rave wasn’t held in a club, but held about two blocks away in
what had once been a warehouse-style store, now empty and for rent. The club
had moved in music equipment, refreshment tables, the entire setup, and it
actually worked out pretty well. ROB walked in beside Andrea, whose fingers had
found his, signing to him that she didn’t want to loose him. It made unease
curl in his stomach again, unease about ending up like
The music started just before they walked into the building, and almost immediately he felt the flutter of a wireless network being cast into the air, the AIs in the crowd—there weren’t many, perhaps over a dozen out of the several hundred people here—finding each other and linking up. He didn’t bother with it, turning off the send/receive on his wireless card and continuing to walk with Andrea, wishing he didn’t hear the irritating digital noise. He didn’t want to be truly alive, but sometimes the side effects of being a robot were just annoying.
“Are you ok?” Andrea’s hands flashed, her fingers fleetingly touching one of his cheeks to get his attention. He looked down at her, nearly chest-to-chest in the crowd, and tried to shut out the noise around him, tried to focus on her.
“I’m ok.” He said out loud, leaning forward so he spoke in her ear. “I’m not used to so many people being around. I’m having to adjust filters and block wireless network traffic to keep my mind clear.”
She nodded, turning her head so their cheeks rubbed together, fingers holding onto his. After a second she nudged one of her feet with one of hers, and he burst into laughter, stepping to the music, linking their fingers on both hands, settling into that comfortable silence again. She understood, or at least seemed to, what he was going through, and he was comfortable with her in her silence.
Of course, that was really the only thing he was comfortable with. He was enjoying the music, something about repetitive beats he guessed—he could feel it echoing through his frame, and he enjoyed the feeling. It wasn’t the crowd, either, though he wasn’t used to it. It was Andrea. Why was it so easy to just be around her? He had seen other couples, and there seemed to be a lot of talking amongst them. Then again, they weren’t a couple, were they? Was it true they were just friends? Did friends dance like this, close but not really caring?
He got the idea he was quickly going to make himself experience his first true headache if didn’t figure this out quickly. Before, he could always base actions out of logic, maybe he could still go by that rule to some degree? But living wasn’t rational: no scientist knew what kick-started life in the galaxy. So where did that leave him? Impulses? Instincts? He didn’t have instincts like normal people did…
Fingers fluttered over one of his ears, and he jolted out of his internal discussion, smiling sheepishly at Andrea, who was frowning at him, obviously aware of how distant he had been. “Sorry.”
“What’s wrong? Not having fun?” She signed, pausing their dance to do so. No one around them noticed.
“No, I’m having a good time, I’m just…” He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck one-handed and sighing. “I’m not sure if I can really explain it. Sorry. Just got caught up in my own thoughts.”
“Anything interesting?” The music slowed, and she leaned into him, hands hooking over his shoulders.
He felt the fur along his stand go on end, and sighed again. “Why do you like me so much?” When she blinked at him, he plowed on, letting some of the confusion out. “This is only the second time we’ve really seen each other face to face, and yet even the first time, we’re able to comfortably dance together like we’ve known each other for years and dated a good portion of it. I don’t understand it.”
She looked up at him and sighed, stepping away and drawing him off the dance floor to one of the tables set up along the edges of the building. “I don’t really understand either.” She signed, chewing on her lower lip. “Something about you intrigues me I guess. Draws me in.”
“Thanks. I think.”
“Do you not want this?”
“I’m scared.” He finally blurted out, then almost smacked himself. “I just recently lost a friend, another AI, to suicide. I’m the one that got the letter. She killed herself because the person she loved didn’t love her back.”
Andrea blinked, trying to figure out how to react to that. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be, but you can understand how scared I am, especially considering how new I am to emotion. I’ve been dumped into a new life.”
“From what you’ve said, it seems like you’ve been given life, period, not a new one. You’re… becoming alive, instead of being something near it.”
He thought about that, and smiled. “I like that, I think. Becoming alive. Sounds like I’m evolving.”
“Well didn’t you?”
“If upgrading and evolving are synonymous, yes I did.” He reached across and caught one of her hands. “I’m sorry I brought down the mood.”
“No. It’s
all right. Come on, let’s dance.”