Making sure she was asleep, I quietly got up and headed for the door. As I cracked it open, I saw Mary standing there, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. I stepped out and gently closed the door behind me.
"Worried I might hurt her?" I asked.
"I don't trust you," Mary replied coldly. "People like you your kind I've heard your brains glitch all the time. You snap and start killing without a second thought."
"You're not wrong. But fully cyberized people like me are less prone to that than those with flesh and a mess of implants," I said.
"I doubt it," she shot back dryly.
"Don't they teach you in school about the tech and software specifics of implants?" I asked, curious about how kids were educated nowadays.
"I wouldn't know. I dropped out a year ago," she replied.
"Why? Your mother's doing her best, working hard to give you an education," I asked, with a hint of frustration. I couldn't quite understand how someone could just disregard their parent's efforts.
"What choice do we have? We're barely scraping by. Paying for school is a luxury we can't afford. And school's only good for getting into college which costs even more. What's the point?" Her tone was defiant. It seemed like the system really was rigged. No wonder crime was so rampant when people had no access to decent jobs or pay. When every legal path was blocked, only the easiest option remained taking from others.
"I get it. But does your mother know?" I asked.
"Yeah," Mary said shortly.
"So what are you planning to do now that you've dropped out?" I asked.
"No idea. Not your business either," she snapped and walked off.
I had no intention of prying into someone else's life. I just needed to fulfill the request to watch over them for the night. After that, chances were I'd never see them again. Left alone in the kitchen-slash-living-room, I sat down on the couch.
Sleep Mode
I came to in the living room of my own house. My gaze landed on a photo on the small shelf. It showed the faces of children, but the woman's face my wife's was hidden in a fog. I picked up the frame, touched it gently, and remembered all the times I came back here, stared at this photo, and somehow found the strength to keep going.
Memories surged through me again old mistakes, wounds that never healed burning anew. Could this be called emotional pain? I couldn't feel physical pain in this body anymore, but maybe... maybe not everything was lost for me yet. Catherine she was the first person to treat me with warmth. She didn't seem bothered by the fact that I was a machine. Her interest in me wasn't hard to notice. But was it worth trying to develop that feeling? And where could it lead?
*******************************
I didn't wait for Catherine to return. Instead, I left a note saying the kids were home all night and slept peacefully. I'd checked on them several times, so I was sure of it. I needed time to think and didn't want to get too deep into our relationship just yet. I closed the door behind me and headed for the lab to find out what was needed of me there.
The trip to the lab was long, even though I didn't feel tired. Still, the distance was mentally taxing. I hopped on a train and arrived at my destination within minutes.
Entering the Militech building, I looked around but didn't see anyone I could talk to. A scan highlighted an information terminal nearby, so I walked over.
"Virtual assistant Etna. How may I help you?" came a pleasant female voice.
"I have an appointment with Henry Baker," I said.
"Appointment confirmed under the name Matthew Carrington. Access granted. Please follow the indicated path," Etna replied. Her voice was so lifelike you could almost believe she was human if not for the faint synthetic tone beneath it.
Glowing markers lit up on the floor, showing the way. Without hesitation, I followed them. After a few corridors, I arrived at a door the place where I was, in a way, born. I pressed the terminal beside it, and the door opened. Inside, almost everything was just as I remembered it. But no one was there. Looking around, I noticed the pod that once held my old brain was gone.
Old habits die hard. I went over to a terminal and started browsing through some of the open files. The data on screen was refreshing too fast to follow, but with some focus, I could catch a few symbols here and there.
"Matthew, I didn't expect you so soon," came a voice from behind. I glanced at the doctor's face. There was no sign of irritation about me poking through the system. Not that it mattered I'd already realized there was nothing important on the screen, just a stream of random code. Most likely a smokescreen to throw off curious eyes.
"Figured I'd get it over with," I replied.
"Well then, let's get started. We'll run a few tests to make sure everything's working as it should. Took a hit yesterday, didn't you?" Henry asked.
"Less than my partner did," I replied. Masashi's assistant was already busy hooking me up to several cables and working on her tablet.
"The human body is fragile. And naturally, it's our brave employees who suffer first," Henry said, his voice lacking any real sincerity. "But let's not dwell on the unpleasant. Allow me to explain what we've planned for you. We've considered a few options and decided to install an AI-based assistant into your system. It'll have limited functionality: able to respond to your queries, help locate and process data, and offer strategic advice."
"Why would I want a voice in my head?" I asked.
"It'll offer some notable advantages. Once it's integrated, you'll understand. Besides, if it gets annoying, you'll be able to shut it off," Henry said.
"I'd rather go without. I think I'm handling things just fine on my own," I said.
"I'm sorry, Matthew, but I'm afraid you don't have a choice. I'm just as much a prisoner of the system as you are. Orders were given, and I have to follow them," Henry replied, his expression darkening slightly. Not surprising refusal was never an option. Bound again.
"Be honest with me, Henry how many more upgrades are coming? Maybe you should just keep your assistant and wipe me out completely," I said, sarcasm cutting through my tone.
"Believe me, I understand your frustration more than anyone. But please, hear me out. You'll need to spend at least a month with the assistant. Understand this when the brain dies, something is always lost. Memory gaps, disorientation... you may have already noticed it. This AI is meant to preserve what's still there and maybe even recover fragments you've lost. It's the only thing keeping you from slipping into madness," he explained. Logical. Reasonable. Like everything was being done for my own good. And yet there's always a but.
"You'll be able to disable it after the trial period. You'll also be eligible for additional services, including high-tier human organ replication," Masashi added, as if trying to soothe my dissatisfaction.
"That's acceptable," I replied. For now, I had no way to change the situation. But once I did, things would be different.
"Exactly. Thank you for the reminder, Masashi," the doctor said.
"All vitals within acceptable parameters. Shall I begin repairs?" the assistant asked.
"Go ahead," Henry replied.
Several manipulators sprang into action, installing the new components. All I could do was lie there and watch the process. The assistant's movements were precise, more professional than those of the ripperdocs I'd dealt with before. She only paused occasionally, fully immersed in her work.
Installing New Modules...
Defense Type: Dynamic Shielding A+ (capable of withstanding heavy weaponry)
Drive System: Reinforced actuator system for high-load performance; improved durability and balance
AI Module: Virtual Assistant
Additional Compute Units: Enabled
System Update:
Energy: Battery charge level (1% ≈ 10 minutes of uptime under normal load; higher load increases consumption)
System Load: 23% (AI Module active; total system efficiency increased by 43%)
Strength: 6 (Body mass increased; actuator system upgraded)
Tech: 5 (Enhanced armor class)
Intelligence: ??? (Unknown)