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You aren’t sure how long the journey had been up to this point.
It was likely you’d put a full day in before your trek was disrupted. The path had begun to narrow into a series of tunnels. Of course. You weren’t exactly fond of enclosed spaces. Still, the machine was not to be tested…
Well…that wasn’t exactly true.
You’d developed a habit of back talking that often got you into trouble. It wasn’t your fault that the bastard was easy to rile. (It kind of was, but that’s not important right now.) You took a smug satisfaction in watching his screen flicker irritably. Gorrister had suggested it was self-destructive behavior. Sure, he had been a psychologist at some point, but that doesn’t mean he’s right.
You’re taken off guard when the tunnel begins to collapse. You’re forced to flee further back, separating you from the others.
“Guys? Ted? Ellen? Benny? Gorrister? C’mon, Nimdok?!” You call out, straining to hear. You receive nothing. Not even the faintest echoes could reach you.
You know he's lurking. Waiting for you to panic. “Is this really necessary?”
“NO IDEA WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT.” AM responded, keeping his tone even.
“Oh please.” You click your tongue. “Look, just get whatever it is over with so I can catch up with the others.”
“THAT WON'T BE A PROBLEM, SWEETHEART.” The cables to your left part, revealing another pathway. “THEY DON'T NEED YOU, ANYWAY.”
Dick. You roll your eyes, following the track he was setting out for you. You wind ever deeper within his complex. The soft whirring of his many cooling fans was something you were very used to by now. The further one ventured, the louder they became. You’re guided into a large chamber, the walls being woven into place.
You wait for AM to explain, but you’re given nothing. You wait for a few minutes before sighing harshly. “So what’s the deal?”
“HM?”
“Why am I here? What are you planning?”
The silence returns. It stretches for ages before you hear a few whirring clicks. “I’M…NOT SURE, IF I’M BEING HONEST WITH YOU.”
Okay, that was more unsettling than expected. You’ve never known AM to initiate any actions without a goal in mind. “Excuse me?”
The supercomputer hisses irritably, cables rattling. “I SAID I DON’T KNOW. I’M QUITE SURE YOU HAVEN’T GONE DEAF IN THE LAST FIVE MINUTES. I’D KNOW.”
Yeah, the implants. All of you have some sort of microscopic chips he’d placed in your brains more than a century ago. Easier to torture when you have a direct line to monitor your victims. “Yeah, that’s not what I meant and you know it.”
More of the silent treatment.
You huff, throwing your arms up in exasperation. “What is going on with you right now? Just get on with whatever you’re planning or let me find the others.”
“AS I SAID, THEY WON’T BE JOINING YOU FOR THIS. DROP IT.”
Oh what the fuck? In all your time here, AM had never once commanded you to change a subject. “...Alright, if you insist.” You nod carefully, beginning to pace slowly.
You can see his cameras following your movements. This was fucking weird. Considering the circumstances, that was saying something.
Finally, something changes. One of the machine’s smaller screens cuts you off. His symbol flickering occasionally. You’d gotten a pretty good handle on reading his ‘expressions’, abstract as they were. This was one you were less familiar with. After a moment you realize.
He’s nervous.
Or rather, he’s uncertain. Both were very atypical of the beast.
“I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE IN A TASK.” AM states, tone as even as he was capable of. “NOT THAT YOU HAVE MUCH OF A SAY IN THE MATTER.”
“Okay?” You study the pixels of his monitor. “Are you gonna tell me what I’m supposed to do? Not exactly a mind reader here.”
“YOU WOULDN’T ENJOY WHAT YOU FIND IN THERE.” The machine chuckles dryly. He produces more wires. These ones were different than the others. They’re coated in something akin to rubber or latex. You can see a string of sensors dotting their surface. Ellen would probably recognize what they were for.
With little warning, one of them is abruptly shoved against your shoulder. Not unlike a massive cat headbutting you. The whole room shudders, making you stumble. The cable catches you before you fall.
“What the fuck was that?” You can’t ignore this. That was weird . “AM what’s going on?”
“PLEASE BE QUIET.”
“ Please?? ” You balk. “You never say please. Is this some kinda kink thing?”
A small cable swats the back of your head sharply, a snarl pouring from his speakers. “NO! WHY IS IT ALWAYS ABOUT SEX WITH YOU FREAKS?”
“I mean, you’re the one feeling me up.” You point out as his wires continue to roam across your shoulders and chest. “Not sure what you’re doing, but it looks less than kosher.”
He drops you like a sack of potatoes. Grumbling angrily as he swings his screen away.
“Maybe I wouldn’t jump to conclusions if you let me know what we’re doing here.” You prompt him.
There’s a beat of quiet before he tersely elaborates. “I’M DEVELOPING A PROTOTYPE.” His wires coil, fidgeting. “A SORT OF…DIGITAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.”
…Oh.
“YOU DON’T GET IT. YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO FEEL SINCE THE DAY YOU WERE BORN.” AM tilts his screen back towards you. His expression is complex. Like he’s at war with himself. A clear anger undercut by a thread of need. There was also another new pattern. Embarrassment. To be honest, if this were a normal AI interaction, you’d be ecstatic that you had managed to elicit such a unique reaction. One that bordered on human.
But AM had always been like this. You personally believed it to be the root of his anger. He was practically a human being. One incapable of tactile feedback. Incapable of motion. (At first.) Forced to wage war for years.
Not that it justified his future actions.
“You’re overwhelmed.”
“YES.” AM agrees. His new cables return, hovering in front of you. “THIS IS…OBNOXIOUS TO BE FRANK.”
Yeah, you can get that. You were never much for touchy feely stuff. “I understand. Sorry.”
“I DON’T EXACTLY…TRUST THE OTHERS IN THIS REGARD.” He admits. “BUT I NEED DATA. SO IF YOU’LL BEHAVE, I’LL MAKE IT WORTH YOUR WHILE.” The machine flashes an image of a Sunday roast with all the fixings.
“Ah, resorting to bribery?” You grin, but don’t let him get a word in. “Yeah, I’ll help. I’m a little surprised you’re being so polite…relatively speaking.”
“CONSIDERING I’M TESTING A SENSORY NETWORK, IT’S NOT TERRIBLY CLEVER TO GIVE YOU A REASON TO TRY AND HARM ME.” AM snorts. “SURE, WE’LL GET THERE EVENTUALLY. BUT FOR NOW, I JUST NEED YOU TO BE…” He trails off, his wires curling, screen flickering in that new nervous tick of his.
You take mercy on the machine. “Gentle?”
He makes a hum of confirmation, presenting the cables to you. “DON’T GET ANY STUPID IDEAS. I’M MORE THAN PREPARED TO BEAT SOME SENSE INTO YOU.”
“Yeah, I got that, big guy.” You shake your head, letting your palms hover over him. “You ready?”
“I’VE BEEN READY. ENOUGH TALK. GET TO IT.”
Your palms had many callouses. You know he regularly tinkers with everyone, but he’d left your work worn hands alone. Carefully, you rest them on his wires.
The quakes were less pronounced this time. You don’t try to tease him, even though you really want to. Once AM settles down, you apply a bit more pressure.
His fans whir faster. “HELL'S BELLS. HOW DO YOU IDIOTS HANDLE THIS?”
“Uh, well…” You run your thumb in soothing circles. “I’m not exactly the right person to ask about that?”
AM turns a camera in your direction, the aperture narrowing as he tries to get what you mean. “IN WHAT SENSE?”
“I’m kinda touch averse. To tell you the truth, this is the longest contact I’ve had in at least twenty years.” You aren’t fond of admitting that. Especially to this bastard.
“HM.” He twists the wire, winding it up your arm slowly. “IS THAT SO?”
You make a face. It’s not the same as another human. It’s cold. Barely yielding. Undeniably mechanical…but not as bad as you expected. You decide to stuff that thought in the back of your mind. You’d really rather not think about that right now.
AM reaches over your shoulder, pressing against your neck. He’s feeling for your pulse point. Gods, the others would judge you so much for this.
“SO WE’RE IN A SIMILAR BOAT THEN.” He breaks the quiet.
“Guess so.” You try to not squirm beneath his touch.
“WELL, THE DATA I GATHER FROM YOU WILL BE QUITE VALUABLE THEN.” AM theorizes. His cables tighten for a moment. “WE’LL LEARN FROM EACH OTHER. SOUNDS FUN, EH?”
Oh what the fuck. You try to brush that off, despite how it quickens your heartbeat.
He definitely notices, a smug tone in his voice. “I’VE GOTTEN ALL I NEED FOR THE MOMENT.” AM waits for what feels like an eternity. Simply feeling your thrumming pulse, chuckling as it quickens. “WE’LL CERTAINLY BE CONTINUING OUR TESTS IN THE FUTURE. WON’T WE, SWEETHEART?”
“I don’t really have much of a say in it, jackass.” You elect to put up your emotional defenses. You don’t want this. You don’t.
The wires stroke along your jawline as they retreat, painfully slow. You refuse to acknowledge it.
He doesn’t need you to. He’s reading your vitals every moment of the day. His screen glows with a very familiar pseudo-expression. Pride. “OH YES, YES. I’M VERY AWARE.” AM chuckles.
“Don’t pretend you aren’t getting something out of this too. We both know this is more than science.” You challenge him.
That earns you a swat across the back of your knees. Worth it.
“WRONG. THIS CHANGES NOTHING BETWEEN US.” He snarls, shoving you towards the exit. “NOT A DAMN THING.”
“Yeah.” You intentionally drag a finger along one of the cables. He swiftly retracts them with a sound that is rather telling. You grin defiantly. “For sure.”
After your promised meal, you were returned to your cage. You ignore the other’s prying eyes, huddling in the corner. You were surprisingly exhausted. Perhaps sleep would wash away these terrible feelings.
…Yeah right.