Chapter 5 #3
“Ha-ha,” is all Oliver says, but Grey smirks at me.
The shy guy who’s barely able to keep eye contact had to help out old people who came in with glitchy phones and shit.
It was hilarious to watch.
“I don’t want to go back to London. Preferably ever. I still have family there, so they call or write every now and then, but I’m not planning to visit them, so you don’t have to either,” Amelia continues.
“You think it’s the family or the city?” Grey shoots me a look.
“No idea, but given her tone, there are definitely issues there.” I tilt my head to look more closely at the beauty on my screen.
What could have driven someone like her to leave everything behind?
“Her heart rate just spiked too,” Oliver mumbles, and Grey and I lean in to see what he’s looking at.
“Some sort of biometric data tracker? What the fuck? Who is this girl?” Grey seems to grow more frustrated by the second, but what frustrates him intrigues me.
“Hmm… what else do you need to know?” Amelia asks, her nose scrunching up in thought.
“The quality of those cameras is unreal. It’s like they are everywhere. I can switch between them and even zoom in,” Grey mutters while Oliver grabs the microphone and brings it to his mouth.
“What are you doing?” I hiss sharply, but he just ignores me.
We made sure the AI would work flawlessly for the beta test, even if it meant we had to intervene.
Losing face in front of a colleague wasn’t an option.
If Jamie faltered or couldn’t perform a task, we’d step in discreetly.
The beta tester would be none the wiser, as they wouldn’t know who was speaking or managing the responses.
It would all appear seamless from their end.
And give us time to fix our fuckups before we go live.
“Tell me a little more about yourself. More personal things. What do you enjoy?” Oliver asks her, and I’m relieved he manages this without his usual stutter around her. That would’ve been a giveaway. AI doesn’t stutter.
“Okay, so I’m a vegetarian. I like to read romances of all kinds.
My favorite is Jane Austen, but I also read modern stuff as a guilty pleasure.
I enjoy music, especially piano. I love to go on hikes or watch the sunset.
But, well, I guess you can scratch that.
I did that with my brother back home. I don’t know the area here, so I haven’t been on a hike for years now…
” She trails off, and the real Jamie quickly chimes in.
“I could look up some hikes around here and provide you with the path, navigation, and how long it will take. I can tell you what’s best to wear and what kind of diet would be most beneficial the day before, during, and after the hike.”
“Damn, he’s more eager than Oliver,” Grey mutters, typing notes—probably about toning Jamie down a bit.
Fuck, she’s an outdoorsy girl?
I’d love to show her the hiking grounds around here just as much as Jamie would.
Amelia laughs, and it’s a nice laugh. “You can do all that?”
“I’m here to help with whatever you need. Whether it’s managing your schedule, controlling home devices, or even providing company,” Jamie explains while Amelia settles onto her couch, yawning.
I glance at the clock. It’s almost ten p.m. This whole setup has taken ages.
Another thing we need to streamline.
“Company, yeah, that’s your big selling point, isn’t it?” Amelia quips, sounding half-amused, half-skeptical, and a lot tired.
“I can’t seem to find any social interactions in your calls or over text,” Jamie notes clinically. “August seems to be the only one you’re in contact with, and he hasn’t responded to the email you sent a month ago. Would you like me to send a follow-up?”
“No,” her response is curt, but there’s an undertone of hurt in that one syllable.
“Ex-boyfriend?” I whisper, raising an eyebrow at Grey. The same thought seems to flicker through his mind, given his scowl—fucking hope it’s an ex.
If that guy’s leaving her on read for a month…
“Are you lonely, Amelia?” Jamie’s question cuts through the room, and I snap my head toward Oliver to check if it was him, but it wasn’t. It’s all Jamie.
Fuck.
“Dammit, maybe I have to work on his tact.” I cringe inwardly.
Amelia remains silent for a long stretch. Finally, her hand moves toward her head, but she pauses, stares at it, then shakes her head and lets the hand fall back to her side before leaning even more into the couch.
“Can you read books out loud? Say, if I wanted to hear something from my collection?”
“Absolutely,” Jamie responds promptly. “I can read any text in milliseconds. Would you like a demonstration?”
“Maybe later,” she murmurs, curling up on her side. “It’s intriguing. The idea of an AI that could understand and anticipate needs based on interaction. It’s like having a very efficient, non-intrusive roommate.”
“Write that down as our new marketing slogan,” I joke, but neither of them pays me attention, their eyes glued to the screen.
Jamie’s voice softens. “I aim to be unobtrusive yet helpful, Amelia. Please feel free to adjust my settings as you see fit.”
“I will,” she murmurs, barely audible. We watch as her eyes flutter closed, and she relaxes on the couch, the lights in her apartment dimming subtly.
“Looks like the integration with the smart home’s completed,” Oliver murmurs. “He just sensed that Amelia fell asleep and dimmed the lights accordingly. Now he’s lowering the blinds.”
“So, initiation successful, you think?” I ask.
Oliver nods. “Now we just wait and see how the human interaction plays out with the devices he’s managing on an everyday basis.”
“Okay, I guess there isn’t much more to do now. You guys can head out and go to sleep. I’ll take the first watch,” I offer.
“You sure? You know I can stay,” Oliver offers, tone unsure, but Grey is already standing, stretching his limbs.
“She’s just sleeping. I can go over some of the emotional settings again while it’s quiet,” I explain, looking forward to watching her sleep.
Why am I looking forward to that?
“If you say so,” Oliver agrees and stands too. “Good night,” he adds, heading for the door.
Grey claps a hand on my shoulder before stepping out of the office and closing the door behind him. I settle in, watching Amelia’s soft breaths, the occasional twitch in her sleep, and her steady heartbeat while working on the operating system.
The unanswered question still hangs heavy in the air.
“Are you lonely, Amelia?”