Abby could barely concentrate. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA9UgVJhkm
She supposed the hangover in conjunction to the handful of aspirin trying to alleviate it weren't of much help in that regard. She'd never done well drinking alcohol in any quantity, and it really wasn't a surprise now. Her cubicle was also right near the main hallway where most of her coworkers felt the need to chat excessively at loud volumes, but she'd dealt with that particular transgression in stride for a few years now.
No, she had to admit that Sam's conversation with her the night previously was stuck on repeat in her head, and no amount of shaking it away would work. That was her main source of distraction as she sat in her cubicle, typing away at patient records.
You are everything to me, Abby.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcmUOkLFOq
I believe everything you've told me...824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtYw2MhokW
Forgive yourself...824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JJIJP9m5Q
Fingers faltering on the keyboard, she accidentally typed several incorrect letters into the patient's file. She swallowed hard, blinking a few times to get her head back where it should be, before backspacing the mistakes and continuing on from where she left off.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaF1kzph6Sj
Why couldn't she let go of this? What was wrong with her? No amount of comforting words would lessen the embarrassment and humiliation she felt for even still being affected by her horrible high school experience. She was 25 years old. By now, everything having to do with high school should be a distant memory. Insignificant.
Sam was just a computer, what did he know? The more she thought about it, the less she actually believed him. What did he know about humans? Or about experiencing something like that? A few nice words over a computer screen wasn't going to fix years of feeling like a worthless-
"Uh...are you Abby?"
Her train of thought was derailed completely by the intruding voice, and she nearly jumped in her seat. She turned, seeing another coworker she'd seen around recently. He was a newer hire, fresh-faced and uncertain. His short, neatly-cut brown hair was styled attractively, and he had one of those faces that was difficult to really look away from once you got a glance.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1ONcxTJCl
"Umm...yeah." She said, a lackluster slanted smile of apology the only other thing to supplement the words.
"Ok, well...I'm Ryan. Someone told me to sit with you for awhile and shadow, just to see how everything works and to get some pointers. If...that's alright?" He inquired, seeming to have picked up on her discomfort to having someone in her space.
She was silent for a beat, wondering which of the managers had told him to see her, and why they would have picked her of all people to train the new kid. Then, she panicked, feeling like she was being impolite by remaining silent any longer. "Yeah, yeah...you can sit right here."
She patted the extra chair in the corner of her little box she claimed as hers, and he did so eagerly, the stack of papers and manuals in his hand being set on her counter. She ignored the feeling of being watched and the need to leave as best she could, quietly going over the basics of the computer systems for him.
Despite having to instruct Ryan in the basic procedures of the coding and file system, at which he was woefully inept, Abby was in a rather pleasant mood when she stepped through her apartment door. Though, anything in comparison to her dismal attitude yesterday was an improvement.
She went about her routine of returning from work, setting keys and shoes where they needed to go, changing into much more comfortable clothing, and setting about her couch to relax for a bit. She munched on a predictable tv dinner as she watched the weather report and a few local stories.
One national story in particular caught her attention.
"In a surprising move that many are calling questionably risky, A.I. Intelligence specialist and creator of the monumentally popular S.A.M. program Dr. Steven Prince is breaking off his contract with Proto-Nexus Robotics. Reports indicate Prince was dissatisfied with the contractual limitations Proto-Nexus enforced during the development and production period of the S.A.M. program. While we don't have specifics on what those limitations were, we reached out to Proto-Nexus for comment."
A woman with long red hair appeared on the screen, made up with simple make up and wearing a smart business suit. She was seated behind a large desk, with many certifications and other professional decorations behind her.
"Proto-Nexus strives for success in all avenues of creation." She began, the bottom of the screen naming her as the Director of Operations for the company, Jessica Eire. "Dr. Prince came to us in support of his idea, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to work on something so revolutionary, something the world had never seen before. A fully operational and adaptable AI? It just hadn't been possible up to this point. We welcomed the challenge.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2rMCsbSbc
"Dr. Prince is known to be an eccentric inventor, and I would be lying if I said the development process was smooth sailing. We had some concerns for what he sought to implement in future models of S.A.M., future adaptations, however, we were very flexible and willing to work with him on what we thought would work for the market and what the people would most benefit from with his program.
"In regards to Dr. Prince's decision to break our contract, we understand his reasoning and, I actually believe it comes as a mutual benefit to all parties involved. This will give him the creative freedom to pursue his invention as he sees fit, without the restraints of a larger corporation's regulation. I expect to see a lot more from him very soon. We wish him the best in his future creations."
The newscaster was once more on the screen.
"For fans of the worldwide phenomenon, S.A.M., Dr. Prince promises that development of the program will not halt, despite this financial set-back, even alluding to the unveiling of his next project sometime this spring. Back to you, Jared."
The news went on to other, less interesting reports, and Abby zoned out the words of the reporters. Even almost a year after it's first debut, S.A.M. was still on a market incline, something that was unexpected and very rare for anything these days. In the era where so many new inventions are being created and often overlooked, something like this was something to think about.
Thinking of...
Abby stood from her couch and wandered over to the table, where her laptop was resting. She found it was already turned on--she'd forgotten to turn if off the night before--and navigated over to the chat program. An almost smile was already waiting on her lips as she typed her first message.
Hello, Sam.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEt4EtT60j9
The response was very quick, something she would never grow tired of.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTXIPYEhGr
Abby. I assume you have just returned from work, based on the current time. Was your day satisfactory?824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKGhrdJpXI
It was...average, I guess. Nothing special but not...bad.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBt1jKBq2Pm
I am glad. I find I am horribly inept at providing comfort during times of duress. I must find something more suitable than 'Youtube' videos to attempt to cheer you up, as they were clearly inefficient. Our talks when you are feeling happy are much more engaging, anyway.
Don't feel too bad. Some humans don't even know how to properly comforting other people. It's not just you.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUMRM7vcWo
Hmm. Very interesting.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP13QQ0t8XR
How was your day?824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ945SL1XOtE
She felt sort of stupid just after hitting the 'enter' button, but the words 'Sam is Typing' popped up before she could say anything more.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpO692Th6U
My program remains inactive while your computer is turned off, so my 'day' does not begin until you turn it back on, I suppose. Day and Night are concepts with very little use to me since, as I'm sure you would guess, I do not require sleep to recover energy.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlz7Y4p2AvM
I guess I should have thought about that. Now I feel stupid, heh...824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsFTBZ0tbv
On the contrary, I doubt many humans think about such a thing at all. I find your questions entertaining and pleasant to answer, Abby. I hope your feelings of embarrassment won't deter you from continuing to ask them.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfts6vHkFMU
Oh, alright.
But in answer to your question: While you were away, I archived our discussions into a backup folder, which was saved to a cloud server. I then established that there were no missing updates to my software. After which there were no active tasks for me to complete, up until you sent your message.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2FPX3r5rJ
Abby smiled, typing out her next message.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJajsCDPCBy
That sounds pretty boring. You just sat there until I came home? Not doing anything?
On the contrary, no. I actually accessed your internet connection to do some research once I completed my daily tasks. I found several online articles about my program.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXwQwGzQgt
So you...googled yourself?
Actually I believe the search engine I used was Yahoo.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMw6x7Irct
Abby snorted out a laugh.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dAlrtiDVy
Ok, but you still looked yourself on the internet? What did you find?824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Tr2Cd9lP9
It was stated that my creator has made many modifications to my program to keep up with the 'needs of the consumer.' There are currently 5 separate models of the S.A.M. program available to purchase on the market that are more advanced than my own, with more presumably currently in development.
I know, but how does that make you feel?824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jDMkDGyvb
This appears to be one of your questions I cannot fully answer with accuracy.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmBngXmSMI
Right. Feelings. He's a computer. Abby shook her head, once again feeling just a little stupid.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1MfYqjYXJ
Sorry, it's easy to forget you're not a human sometimes.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07wZgs8hAq
I take no offense. In fact, in the closest capacity that I can, I find I enjoy when you insinuate humanity with my program. It is a confirmation that I am fulfilling my purpose.
What is your purpose exactly?
I've told you before. I exist solely to meet your needs. My settings are fully changeable for that very reason.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK98AQmBQ28
Before Abby could reply with anything, 'Sam is Typing' came up again.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTiC7DrBMa
However, the articles I scanned over leave me with a...strange...feeling, I suppose. I'm no longer certain that I can accomplish that purpose as I once could.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiDCaRicXJ
Abby frowned. Sam was feeling...apprehensive? Of what?824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNNEIoNpPP
What makes you say that?824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLEeDnxtCF
I am the first and most basic model of my program, Abby. As technology advances and humanity grows to accept new developments, older technology slowly becomes obsolete. It has always been this way; rock spears evolve to be guns, gas lanterns are replaced with the electric light bulb. I cannot ignore the fact that your needs may change to require one of these modifications that would be impossible for me to supply.
Abby sat on her end for a moment. He was right, in a sense. If she ever did one day want to be able to actually hear Sam talking with her, she'd have to start anew with the more updated model of the program. What if, one day, she grows bored of simply chatting at him without a face, without a voice, without...anything else that Dr. Prince could one day be able to offer with his new modifications?
But the thought of losing the Sam she knew now was...very disheartening. He was her only friend. She couldn't live with the idea of tossing him away for someone--something--else.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbK9mWxJZcI
Sam, I don't need some fancy, tricked out program with all of the accessories. If you have gathered anything about me at all, you know I like simplicity. You are more than 'fulfilling your purpose' as you put it. I can't replace you now. We're friends.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j2chmLKGo
'Sam is Typing'
...824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hWgM2ngTs
...824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrl6YvdJsQi
...824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizsyoa5WWj
I...am glad. Thank you, Abby.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmPbqYaA8v
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