HEY GUYS!!! IT'S BEEN 3 FREAKEN MONTHS SINCE I'VE LAST UPDATED!!! Holy crap I'm a terrible person.
ANYWAYS I updated it so...ENJOY!
(IMAGE ABOVE NOT MINE!!!)
It was the night on the same day of gaining my body that was the worst.
Chief, my father, didn't sleep at all and brought me to the place where we had talked the most; The window gazing outside into the deep recesses of space.
Watching as planets and shooting stars came past the view.
I had to rely heavily against the window to stand after my legs glitched and have made me fall too many times. The glass was cold under my artificial skin, I could even tell what temperature it was outside; -415 degrees Fahrenheit.
It was peacefully silent in the room except for the faint hum of the ship moving. That is, until I heard footsteps in the distance. I turned around and pressed my back to the glass feeling how cold it was much easier.
Chief noticed my reaction and turned his head towards the footsteps as well. I felt a few of my fingers glitch and when I looked down my middle, ring, and pinkie finger were severely bent in wrong, and painful looking ways.
Yet I couldn't feel the pain.
I could feel something similar to a muscle spasm when part of my body glitches. I had no control over my fingers so I had to wait until they came back online to fix them. Finally the footsteps were only a few feet away and a man stepped in.
Commander Lasky.
"There you are Chief. I was looking for you." The man said.
He turned towards me and I could tell he was feeling a bit uncomfortable noticing my wires and spaces in the skin shell so that I could move.
"Uh, you must be Ms. (Last Name)." The man chuckled.
"I can tell your uncomfortable Mr. Lasky. It's fine, everyone is." I sighed.
The commander was in awe, surprised he had been caught and cleared his throat, "I apologize, indeed I'm not used to this...scenario."
"What have you came here for commander?" Chief questioned.
"Oh, yes, I came here for Ms. (Last Name). The science department want to check up on her."
"Your just being kind, they want to experiment and examine me like I'm so kind of artifact." I muttered.
At least he called me "her" and not "it".
"Basically, yes." Laskey nodded.
"Is it mandatory?" Chief asked.
The commander nodded.
"Will you be fine?" My father asked me.
It felt so strange to call him that.
I nodded and he put an arm around my waist to keep me steady as he lead me down the hall.
I still hadn't learn how to walk but if I leaned against something I could walk. It felt idiotic like I was a baby learning how to walk for the first time. Halfway down Lasky noticed my fingers that had still hadn't reset yet.
"Your staring at my fingers." I said.
"Uh, sorry about that it just looks a bit, painful. D-Does it hurt at all?" The commander asked.
"No. Just feels like it's spazzing. Other than that i'm fine." I answered.
"Can't you just pop it back in?"
"No, they're locked up tight."
The rest of the way was quiet until my fingers finally adjusted back in place. When any part of my body did, it resulted in sickening pops like a bone being put back in place. Shortly after we arrived at the science department.
I noticed Chief's hand tighten his hand on me as we stepped in. Instantly files seemed to come to mind of how Spartans were scientifically built to become the giant six-foot tall soldiers due to augmentation.
Most didn't survive the process.
It was understandable why Chief was so tense.
I was too.
I was afraid knowing they only saw me as an object, a non-living thing. No, I'm not human anymore. None of me is natural or human anymore.
The only difference between me and scrap metal is that I still have feelings. They were most likely artificial but...not even files would tell me if I was correct. That woman Dr. Halsey had locked anyone out from seeing how to make an AI.
Only a select few knew.
I started to feel concern noticing all the staff looking away from their projects to stare at me as if I was the president. I could feel a tingle travel up and down my metal spine but I knew it wasn't due to a glitch.
"Hello there." A male scientist said stepping up towards us.
His smile was too wide to be real.
He shook hands with the commander and my father but I didn't.
The man frowned realizing I wasn't just glitching and stuck his hands in his lab coat pockets.
"My name is Keith Jones but you can just call me Dr. Jones." The man introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you Dr. Jones. So Ms. (Last Name) is here for an analysis correct?" Lasky asked.
"Indeed." Jones nodded turning towards me, "It'll be simple just like getting a check up from a doctor for school."
"But you'll be opening up and examining me like I'm some kind of machine that needs fixing." I snapped coldly.
A flash of hurt appeared in the man's eyes but he and I were the only ones that knew it was the truth. Chief placed his hand on my shoulder and I saw I was sparking from how pissed I was. I calmed myself down remembering that he was there in case things got uncomfortable.
"Well, yes it will go deeper than the average check up but this is so we can make your body function better." The doctor explained pushing his glasses higher up his nose.
"Will my...father be allowed to be there with me?" I asked, the word still foreign to my tongue.
I felt Chief squeeze my shoulder tighter.
"Well, your body is actually under security protocols that only staff can only be able to-"
"Then I'm not letting you dissect me." I snapped.
"Miss, please understand that we are not dissecting you-"
"Is there any way that I can overrule? She is her father and this is her first time, her first day even accepting her body. At least give her some comfort knowing her father will be there."
The man sighed but nodded, "Alright, but you will have to sign a document that you will not speak of what you had seen to anyone."
"I accept." Chief nodded.
"Alright then, I'll have you sign a form later. Now, if you please follow me we begin." Dr. Jones announced.
"I'll see you later." Laskey said stepping away.
If I could I would've swallowed hard as my father pushed me to continue. As we continued deeper into the lab, everyone we passed continued to stare at me.
I get I was a prototype of an AI so I wasn't human but...I wished I wasn't looked at like that. Chief noticed my nervousness and gently brushed my back.
Finally, we arrived in a room with solid walls so I didn't have to avoid the intense gazes at me anymore. I felt what should've been my guts knotting when I noticed a metal table in the middle of the room.
Hovering above it was a light fixture and a small metal cart was right next to it where what I could only describe as futuristic instruments of torture laid.
"Now before we get started, my assistant Amanda will ask you a few questions we are required to ask. She should be here in a minute or two." Dr. Jones said before walking off.
"(Name), if your too nervous to-"
"No, I have to do it or else it'll get under my skin. Might as well get it over with well I can." I interrupted.
Silence followed for several seconds until the door opened to reveal a woman walking in. She had black hair tied into a complicated braid and scrubs with a lab coat.
"Hello there, I'm Dr. Amanda and I am here to ask you questions." The woman introduced herself sitting down on a stool.
Something about her seemed to irk me, maybe it was the way how she just strut in or maybe the way how her voice carried no emotion.
Either way, I didn't like her.
"Have you been experiencing glitching?" She asked.
"Definitely." You sighed.
"Of what body parts specifically?"
"Legs mostly, but sometimes my fingers and arm," I answered.
Her long, witch-like nails tapped loudly against the keyboard buttons making my artificial nerves spark but not show.
"Any pain? Mood swings?"
"No."
"Any other problems you wish to report so we can fix?"
"I can't walk," I replied.
She gave me a strange look arching an eyebrow.
"You are unable to walk? You are designed to walk, so you can walk." The woman scoffed.
"Are you even trying?" Amanda asked.
This time, sparks were flying.
"You don't think I haven't tried?! Try being me! Try learning that you're not human anymore! That you can't feel the sun on your true skin anymore?!" I snapped, about ready to aim for her jugular.
Fear flashed in the woman's eyes and I felt someone place their hands on my shoulder, Chief.
"Calm down (Name)." He demanded.
"I will not calm down! I can't calm down!" I shouted, my voice glitching.
"Calm. Down." He said more sternly.
I was about to say something, but the sternness of his voice willed myself to take a breath. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath willing myself to just...calm.
Think of Hero.
Know that Chief is there to help you.
The sparking stopped and I finally opened my eyes.
"I-I'll get Doctor Jones now. Also, here's a contract you must sign." Amanda said holding out a shaking hand to Chief occasionally looking at me like I was a wild animal.
Sure enough just as she left rather frantically, Dr. Jones came in nearly bumping into the terrified woman. He blinked in confusion staring at me but I didn't react and only glared where she was originally sitting.
"Well then. Are you finished signing sir?" The doctor asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
My father nodded and silently handed him the thick packet of paperwork. After briefly flipping through all the papers to check every empty signature underline was signed, he placed it on the counter for later.
He pulled out a thin tablet device instead and hummed as he looked at the notes Doctor Amanda had taken. I was getting a little irritated seeing all the things popping up in my vision that I was able to understand.
"Alright, now this may sound strange but I need you to take off your shirt and lay down on the table."
I jumped at his perverted words, father was about to say something, but he quickly added in, "I need to see your internal wiring! That's all! If you feel uncomfortable doing this-"
I sighed and grabbed onto the hem of my shirt about to take it off, but stopped feeling embarrassment fill my artificial guts. I mean...my body was artificial, I don't have boobs or nipples, I only have two hollow plastic mounds.
I bit my inner lip and in one swoop took off my shirt to reveal more cracks as joints for the wires and mechanical parts underneath. I laid back on the table, but fear instantly gripped me of my imagination what was coming next.
They would restrain me, cut me open like a frog in biology and squeeze and fiddle with my organs to find which ones would cause the most pain. I felt Chief take my hand and I gripped onto it tightly as Dr. Jones pulled out a screwdriver-like tool.
"Now, this is going to feel weird but, this will allow me to open your casing. If you feel uncomfortable at all at any time just speak up." The doctor said.
I nodded and kept my head back indeed feeling a weird sensation when he pressed the screwdriver to the very thin crack traveling down the middle of my stomach. He jiggled it a little until the panels finally moved apart.
He spread the casing out further revealing my inner workings. Tiny wires across the underside as nerves, metal spine with glowing nodes, metal ribs to protect the true inner workings underneath.
"Let's see... let us start with your fingers glitching." He fidgeted with a few wires for the fingers having to replace a couple faulty ones when he hooked them up to a control.
I felt like a puppet as he pressed buttons and joysticks to make my fingers wiggle and twitch. Next, he worked with the wires for my legs and once again it felt like I was a puppet as he caused my legs to move and kick.
After that he did a check up on the rest of my body, making sure my eyes dilated properly and my systems were updated and handling fine. He closed my panels before allowing me to sit up and put my shirt back on.
"Okay now let us see if you can walk." Dr. Jones said.
I nodded and carefully slid off the edge, my hands still grabbing onto the table. At first, there were a couple seconds of awkwardness, but after my system recalibrated I was able to stand perfectly fine. I took a step and then another and then I was walking perfectly fine.
I smiled at Chief and under the helmet, he seemed to smile back at me.
"Uh, Master Chief, pardon me but I have a couple issues to talk about." The doctor spoke, ruining the moment.
He walked towards another room leaving me to continue to test out my walking and balance. I also tested out a few other functions and noticed I could increase my level of hearing and sight. I noticed when I especially increased my hearing, I could hear what they were saying in the other room.
I wish I hadn't.
"You do know after 8 years she's going to...decay...right?"
"Indeed. I was hoping before that we could find Halsey and somehow get her to stop it before it happens." Father spoke.
"Sir...I understand this is a tough topic for you after losing your AI Cortona to rampancy-"
"I do not wish to talk further about this topic." Chief interrupted.
I looked through my files and felt fear crawl inside me finding the definition of it.
Rampancy (n) When an AI decays after eight to nine years. Symptoms are mood swings, glitching, and malfunctioning. Usually, a copy or new AI is created to fill its place--the original however is destroyed
I was in utter shock as Chief stepped out, "Let's go back now."
"(Name)? Are you alright?"
I snapped back to attention and silently nodded, though on the inside I was having a mental breakdown.....