Three hundred years ago—
Let's talk about the beginning of this story.
This story takes place outside the test base of the huge space immigration program.
In the satellite town built to support the Providence Plan, the atmosphere is peaceful and leisurely.
The weather was very good, and the sun was so bright that it looked like angels were dropping golden threads on the white clouds.
In the satellite town, in the garden in the middle of the street, a beautiful young man was sitting on a bench and quietly feeding the pigeons.
He is very handsome, with flawless white skin and deep green eyes. Doves are lingering around him, flowers, green trees, and sunshine seem to appear in this world alone for him.
There was a special pure aura about that young man, which made him look more like some kind of inhuman existence.
For example, angels.
A young woman couldn't help but notice the young man.
She is a community nurse who just joined the job yesterday and has only been in this town for just a week. Before coming, she thought she was mentally prepared for what she was about to see, but she never expected that she would meet... such a person.
She involuntarily stopped on the street and looked at the man with some obsession.
After a while, she found that she had walked towards the man uncontrollably.
The book she held in her arms fell at the feet of the angelic young man.
"Sorry, I haven't seen you before..."
Then when the man handed the book to her, the woman couldn't help but ask the young man's name.
"My name is Jenny, um, you-"
The young man looked at Jenny with some surprise.
He was stunned for a while and did not answer.
And Jenny didn’t realize until this moment that she had acted very stupidly in something similar to striking up a conversation.
Jenny’s face suddenly turned red and was about to have a fever.
"Uh, sorry, I... I just felt..."
Jenny has always been very timid. Before today, she had never thought that she would do such a bold thing. But even so, Jenny still bit the bullet and continued to "strike up".
It felt amazing, Jenny thought.
The young man in front of him had a special aura, as if anything he did in front of him was okay and could be forgiven.
"Scripps," the young man replied until this moment. He seemed to be thinking about something all the time. "I can only come out to relax occasionally, so you may not have seen me before."
But as soon as he opened his mouth, he seemed extremely considerate.
Jenny couldn’t help but feel a little dazed again.
"Actually, I'm new here... Hello, Scripps, the weather is really nice today, perfect for relaxing..." She said incoherently, and after a short period of time, she changed the topic with self-indulgence, "Well, Well, my team is not familiar with this area. You know, I originally wanted to go to the library, but now... I suspect that I may be lost. "
This is of course a lie. Jenny knows exactly where the library is
where.
Scripps had obviously seen through Jenny's clumsy lie. He stared at the other person unblinkingly, and his face once again had an expression similar to contemplation.
But after a few seconds, he still stood up.
"I think I can-"
he said considerately. But before he finished speaking, the moment he stood up, Jenny keenly heard a strange metallic sound coming from the young man's body.
Then Scripps paused.
He stood there quietly for a long time, without moving for a long time, and his expression gradually changed from calm to a little embarrassed.
"Scripps?"
Jenny looked at each other in confusion.
After a brief pause, Scripps slowly turned his head and then looked at Jenny.
"I'm sorry, I think I can't take you to the library for the time being." Scripps shook his left forearm, his movement seemed particularly stiff, and as he moved, Jenny heard again That weird little buzzing sound.
And that voice made Jenny feel more and more familiar.
Where have you heard similar sounds
In the midst of her chaotic thoughts, Jenny still panicked and followed Scripps' instructions and lightly pressed the watch on the latter's wrist.
Well, the "watch" with countless complicated buttons also looked familiar to Jenny, and she swore she must have seen something similar somewhere.
Then, she heard Scripps say to her watch: "Sorry, doctor, there is some confusion in my program. I need an emergency debugging team..." --
program
debug
Strange metallic sounds and the other party's strange behavior.
For a brief moment, everything seemed to come together.
Jenny's face suddenly changed, she opened her eyes wide in shock, and looked at the young man in front of her with extremely panicked eyes.
Wait, it shouldn't be...
Scripps seemed to notice Jenny's gaze, and there was a hint of bitterness in the smile on his lips.
"I'm a Cyberman."
Scripps was very open about his true identity.
"What?"
After hearing that word, Jenny took a few steps back uncontrollably.
Of course, she realized what was wrong with her the next moment, her face changed instantly, and she explained to Scripps in a panic: "... I'm sorry, I... have no prejudice against Cybermen, I just... I It’s just... I didn’t expect someone like you at all... "
"—She didn't expect that a handsome young man like you could be a Cyberman, right?"
In the laboratory, someone said to Scripps with a hint of ridicule.
Scripps gave a wry smile.
"Not everyone can accept Cybermen. After all, in the eyes of some religions, our existence is blasphemous to God."
He said in an extraordinarily gentle voice.
The man standing in front of him rolled his eyes at the ceiling.
"Come on... stop trying to excuse those people. Everyone knows what's going on. In their minds, the Cybermen are all a bunch of pathetic deformities. Yes, they look weird. It's like a monster in a freak show. That's why when those stupid girls look at a handsome and healthy man like you, they subconsciously classify you as a human instead of a cybernetic. After revealing his true identity, he will avoid you like a monster... This is really stupid and arrogant.”
The older researcher seemed very angry every time he talked about other people's discrimination against Cybermen.
Scripps stared at the researcher in front of him and said nothing, but the sadness in his eyes gradually faded away a lot.
Thanks to Hal's existence, his mind still clearly stored the researcher's appearance when he was young.
The researcher who took care of Stripes when he was born was a thick-haired, middle-aged man who is now gray at the temples.
For Scripps, a researcher named Henry was like a father figure.
He could understand the researcher's anger, but...
"There's nothing we can do about it," Scripps said softly.
Henry has had many conflicts with other people at the base because of the Cybermen issue, and Scripps doesn't want him to cause more trouble because of this incident.
When the Scripps Cybermen were first born, society was still quite tolerant of the half-human, half-machine Cybermen.
However, as time goes by and Cybermen gradually enter human life, various threat theories against Cybermen gradually become more frequent.
This is very stupid. Any intelligent human being should know that Cybermen with built-in AI as constraints and under constant surveillance are actually much safer than uncontrollable natural humans.
Almost at the same time that Henry was complaining, Hal was also muttering in Scripps' head.
Yes, but that's human beings... Scripps chuckled.
"...Okay, get ready, it's time to make you uncomfortable. I know you hate data access, but I still have to let you have physical access. I have to see what's wrong with you."
The researcher was unaware of the communication between Stripes and Hal at that moment.
He just frowned, tugged at the cable connecting Hal and walked over to Scripps.
In fact, that's why Scripps is here.
After his movement was restricted in the street garden this afternoon, he returned to normal in a short period of time, but even then, as an important experimental subject of the Providence project
, the action team that came later quickly took him to the laboratory.
Streep sincerely did not want the young girl who rashly approached him to be frightened by those people. Of course, considering the frightened look on the girl's face before they left, Scripps felt that this could only be My best wishes.
The moment he thought this, the cold cable had penetrated directly into the ring interface on the back of his neck. A numbness and slight pain hit him in an instant, and Scripps felt that his mind went blank.
After a few seconds, he recovered
regained normal sanity. At this time, the researcher has connected to Hal...
"Hal, please respond."
Henry Research Institute looked at the words that appeared on the computer screen and said hello to Hal in Scripps.
"Hello, Dr. Henry."
Hal responded to the doctor through the external electronic screen.
It has a simulated face and electronically synthesized voices on it.
Scripps blinked. The scene in front of him should be something he is accustomed to, but every time Scripps sees the exchange between the doctor and Hal, he always feels a subtle sense of discomfort.
He was used to the feeling of Hal communicating directly with him inside his head.
Hal, who has been precisely tuned, always appears witty, lively and interesting in this kind of direct communication, almost like a living human being. But when it had to communicate with outsiders through external cables, Scripps sometimes had difficulty connecting the hard, inhuman Hal in front of him with the lively soul in his head.
I directly collect your brain signals and am also responsible for your nerve feelings. In a sense, I am a part of you. In this case, the me you perceive and the me who need to be felt through the carrier, It is indeed different.
Then you should also know that you should not probe my thoughts without authorization.
Scripps complained to his electronic soul inside his own head.
Of course things like this have happened countless times before, so in a sense Scripps is used to it. He wasn't angry, and he knew Hal knew that.
…
"You showed up just in time."
Researcher Henry interrupted the exchange between Scripps and Hal.
He sat in his chair and spun around, then frowned and looked at the series of data displayed on the projection.
"Hal, can you explain the malfunction that occurred this afternoon."
The researcher treated Hal much more harshly than he treated Scripps
"You must know that it has only been half a month since the last time there was uncoordinated action. You..."
"To be precise, it's 49 days, 3 hours and 21 seconds. The expression 'half a month' is not accurate, Doctor."
The electronically synthesized voice answered somewhat mechanically.
"But whether it's half a month or 49 days, the problem is huge."
The researcher's face fell, he said, and then he turned his attention to Scripps.
"You don't seem nervous?"
he asked.
"There's nothing wrong with Hal, I can feel
At this point, there is no need to be nervous. "
Scripps winked at Henry and responded with a hint of mischief.
As a mixture of humans and machines, it is very normal for Cybermen to have minor malfunctions under certain conditions.
Because to a certain extent, half or more of their bodies are just machines.
Scripps has known this for a long time...
Not to mention that the individual Scripps themselves are different from other Cybermen.
He has no father
The mother was born directly from an artificial womb, which directly caused Scripps to have serious defects from the embryonic stage. He has a pretty perfect brain and a handsome face, but his body doesn't obey his orders.
If he had not become a cyberman, even if a person with problems like Scripps survived, he would have become a severely paralyzed patient who could only move freely from the neck up, and his body would have completely shrunk. The whole person will be completely imprisoned in an increasingly decaying and shrinking body.
But at the age of 7, Stripes underwent a series of reconstructive surgeries and was united with Hal. Then, his life was changed.
Beneath his skin is an extremely complex artificial neural grid beyond the imagination of ordinary humans.
And those artificial neural networks are also part of Hal - as Hal mentioned before, it can directly collect Hal's brain signals and simulate neurotransmission to stimulate Scripps' spinal cord. At the same time, Hal Also serves as a neuroreceptor for Scripps…
In simpler terms, Scripps has his own brain, but his body is completely under Hal's control.
I have to say that the cooperation between them is indeed quite good. At least after becoming a Cyberman, Scripps grew up bit by bit in a perfect way.
He has a healthier and stronger body than normal humans and a brain that works well.
He is emotionally stable, and apart from some minor psychological problems, his personality growth has been quite successful (which is indeed rare for Cybermen).
Many tests also show that Scripps is born with excellent leadership qualities and abilities.
He is kind, determined, calm, smart, excellent—
The combination of humans and machines seems to have been successfully confirmed in Scripps. At least since he had his own memory, he has always been at the top in all the test subjects of the Providence Project.
There are even rumors that…
The committee even planned to make him captain of the Providence.
Of course, this is just a ridiculous rumor, but it is enough to prove the excellence of Scripps.
"...Yes, for other Cybermen, this kind of body failure may indeed be frequent, but frequent occurrence does not mean that this situation is normal. The synchronization between most Cybermen's physical bodies and mechanical bodies is only Can it be maintained at 60~70, but Scripps... You are different. You know, your synchronization with Hal has always been able to reach above 90... But now, your synchronization with Hal has been disturbed. It's causing your body to malfunction, which is bad."
When he said this, Researcher Henry turned his head and looked at the screen.
He suddenly fell quiet, and then Scripps noticed he frowned.
"96? What the fuck is going on."
The researcher muttered.
He almost couldn't believe his eyes.
But that 96 is hanging brightly on the computer screen.
If it weren't for Scripps' previous body failure, this number would even make the researcher happy. After all, this synchronization rate is higher than the highest value measured during the last monitoring - and a high synchronization rate is
It's always good for Cybermen.
This should be a good thing, but now it brings endless confusion to researchers.
"This doesn't make sense... How is it possible..."
Henry murmured involuntarily.
In most cases, if a cybernetic has a physical malfunction, it is usually due to an imbalance between the biological body and the machine, which will directly lead to a decrease in fit and ultimately reduce the synchronization between the electronic AI and the biological brain. .
But at this moment, the synchronicity between Stripes and Hal is still at an astonishingly high value.
But Scripps... still had machine malfunctions.
"You look troubled." Stripes observed the researcher and then asked.
Almost at the same moment he spoke, Hal's electronic sound sounded.
"Is something confusing you? Dr. Henry."
“…”
The researcher stared at the rough examination results on the screen, his brows furrowed tighter than before.
After a moment he turned back to Scripps.
"Your results are strange," he said.
"Yes... yes?"
"I think it's very necessary for you to conduct an in-depth examination."
"What?"
"I'm sorry, but I was hoping you could explain to me the correct definition of a deep examination."
Stripes and Hal's voices overlap again.
Long-term living has made their thinking patterns particularly consistent.
Henry thought to himself.
"It's probably more profound than your routine inspection...an in-depth inspection..."
The researcher rubbed his eyebrows and emphasized the word "depth".
His tone was calm, but his expression was quite serious.
"In fact, this in-depth examination will be unprecedented. I need to extract Hal's entire system from your body, instead of just examining the sub-backup it generated outside your body as before..."
Scripps opened his eyes in surprise after hearing the researcher's words. He looked at the researcher as if he couldn't quite understand what the other person said.
"Is it really that serious
After undergoing rigorous training, the young man who had always seemed extremely calm finally showed a little panic at this moment. Although he had tried his best to control his emotions, everyone could see that Scripps was very resistant to the researcher's proposal.
"Scripps would be severely immobilized without my assistance, which I believe would be a violation of the Providence experiment."
The laws of physical welfare…”
And Hal also seemed particularly reluctant.
Although the researcher also knew that Hal's reaction at this moment was probably just a perfect mimicry of the emotional simulation system.
… But who knows, maybe Hal actually has some emotions.
A thought flashed through the researcher's mind.
Hal is not the kind of artificial intelligence designed through traditional methods. In fact, it is a unique existence.
This kind of special intelligence matched by chaos algorithm
Systems are always amazing.
Many researchers spend their entire lives wondering where they came from.
Sometimes, these systems will be surprisingly anthropomorphic. Of course, this is necessary. After all, they are computer systems that need to stay in the same body with humans. Not to mention, the Providence plan required from the very beginning that the electronic system controlling the entire ship must have strong autonomous deduction capabilities to face various difficulties that are unpredictable during flight...
Of course, from a researcher's perspective, Henry must admit that he actually doesn't like such a system at all.
They are too uncertain.
Chaos algorithm matching cocktail design, there may be only one or two systems that can run among the hundreds of millions of systems built at the same time, and people will specially screen them out, and they will usually perform far better than humans in various performances. Excellent performance that programmers can configure.
But on the other hand, the uncontrollability of these systems has also greatly increased, such as the previous tragedy...
"Henry??"
Scripps' tentative words brought the researcher's thoughts back to reality. He was suddenly startled, his body trembled heavily, and then he raised his head and looked at Scripps.
The initial hesitation due to Scripps's resistance suddenly became certain.
"I think this is necessary. You are still a too young child. Both your brain and your body have not yet completely stabilized. This requires us to conduct a very detailed debugging on Hal to avoid problems. This is for your own good... Although it's painful... You still remember how I adjusted the artificial nervous system for you, right? You cried so much at that time, but look at it now, your body is perfect, isn't it? "
The researcher studied Scripps' body.
If it weren't for special instruments, no one would have imagined that underneath the healthy skin full of muscles are silicone muscles and artificial nerves made of polymer materials. Scripps had suffered greatly for this body.
Although the nanomachines can more or less perform some subtle self-generation and repair in his body, every time Scripps grew during adolescence, he had to undergo a large number of surgeries so that the fixed artificial nerves could match His ever-growing body.
"... As for your mobility issues, I think we can temporarily replace Hal with a low-level general intelligent maintenance system. Oh, don't put on that face, I know that may make you feel very inconvenient, but bear with me Just bear with it, it will pass soon, the current general maintenance system has evolved very much... "
They are just garbage.
Hal suddenly said from the side.
--
The researcher suddenly turned back and looked at the electronic screen.
Hal still looked calm and composed on the computer screen. It was a fake face after all, but for some reason, goosebumps suddenly appeared on the researcher's back.
--
He always felt that at that moment he... Hal looked particularly gloomy and dark.
Yes, Hal is almost like a real human being.
This thought comes again
He didn't want to be stupid. After all, in the early days of the Providence project, many researchers made the same mistake as him, thinking that the artificial intelligence pieced together by the chaos algorithm seemed to have its own soul. One of the fools even talked to the opponent. Talked about love.
But all events ultimately show that it is just humans being stupid.
And I feel that the AI simulated by the emotional mimicry system really has its own soul... Haha, this is really stupid. Researcher Henry said to himself.
Then he turned his head and looked at Stripes, whom he had raised.
Looking at the other person's calm face made Henry feel better all of a sudden.
"I will communicate with your instructor and set a date for you to have a check-up. Hey, be happy. Think about it, at least you have a rest day..."
"OK."
Scripps nodded reluctantly.
I'll be back soon.
Hal assured him in his mind.
While I don't understand at all what I need to debug, I think they should check your silicone muscles more.
Miraculously, Scripps easily picked up the dissatisfaction in Hal's chatter.
Henry will help me with my physical - I hope this one doesn't take too long, I really don't know what I'd do without you.
Only in front of Hal could Scripps, who had always been trained to be absolutely calm in the face of everything, reveal his uneasiness so openly.
It's just a temporary separation. We will have a long time together forever.
Hal responded in Scripps' mind.
Okay, you convinced me... We do have a long time together.
Scripps thought.
When Scripps woke up, he was lying in his cabin.
It should be at night...
He thought a little confused.
Although there is almost no daylight in the base, whether it is day or night, it means nothing to someone like him, but Scopus can always be keenly aware of whether he is in night or day.
The base is always extremely quiet and cold at night, and at this time, this huge building always gives rise to an indescribable fear.
Scripps disliked the nights on base.
His psychiatrist believed that this was the psychological shadow caused by childhood memories - but since Hal entered his body, Scripps' fear of night attacks has rarely occurred.
But at this moment, Scripps' breathing became a little faster as he realized that night was falling.
He felt bad.
Maybe the neuroreactor is malfunctioning
His body was so heavy that the joint on the back of his neck hurt like a hot iron.
"Hal..."
Scripps couldn't help but scream, trying to get Hal to reduce his pain sensitivity.
He always felt that he should have screamed, but in fact he only made a small moan.
What's even worse is that Hal didn't respond to him. In this dark night, he was the only one here, lying in an extremely large and cold building.
Scripps trembled. He moved his body slowly, but his hands and feet were not in control.
He subconsciously planned to sit up, but the next second, his body lost his balance.
Scripps hit the ground hard.
Scripps gasped as the pain struck...
Well, the pain sucks.
But that's not a bad thing, at least, not entirely.
Scripps lay on the ground for a while before slowly moving his body. He was now much more awake than when he first woke up.
"God... this is terrible..."
Scripps let out a hoarse curse.
He recalled everything.
The in-depth examination ordered by the researchers and Hal's removal came to mind.
Two days have passed since Hal was removed from his body, which is much longer than the researchers had previously thought.
It is said that the institute has found some unexplainable small bugs in Hal's program, and they are trying to clear up those bugs.
Although he knew it was inevitable, Scripps could not help but feel severely depressed.
He moved his extremely heavy arms with difficulty, and then pressed his chest hard.
His seventh thoracic vertebra was made of metal and served as the carrier for Hal's body.
However, Hal is not there now.
Scripps felt that his chest had become hollow. The feeling was indescribable. Obviously his body had not changed much, but once Hal left, he felt extremely painful...
emptiness.
Loneliness.
It was as if a dark hole had appeared in his body invisible to the naked eye, and the cold wind from the deep hell was blowing toward the hole.
It almost drove him crazy.
…
No…
can not be like this.
You can't be immersed in such emotions.
Scripps struggled to recall the methods the instructor told them in the course to control their emotions.
As the crew of the Providence, they are about to face difficulties and obstacles that are unimaginable to humans. In the face of difficulties, emotional fluctuations are the most dangerous and may even lead to the destruction of the entire ship.
He should control himself now.
Scripps kept convincing himself.
But it's just too difficult.
After all, as a Cyberman...
Hal has become a part of Scripps body and soul.
However, Scripps did not expect that he, an excellent student who could get almost full marks in all courses, would have such a strong reaction after leaving Hal.
Sometimes, he even felt like he couldn't breathe.
This intense pain left him unable to calm down. Scripps has no doubt that if he encounters a similar thing next time, he will be able to accept the instructions of the researchers as meekly as this time.
Well, it would be dangerous to continue thinking about it.
Scripps remembered the incident where the Cybermen lost control not long ago.
He must never let himself end up in that situation.
Scripps lay there in the darkness, trying to expel the loneliness, fear, and emptiness from his soul.
Then he gasped, slowly got up, and staggered to his bed.
The universal version of the body's maintenance system was clumsy and maddeningly slow. Every time Scripps moved, he felt as if he was wrapped in thick mud, but even so, he still managed to assume an almost infantile posture. .
He pressed his hand to his chest and called out Hal's name.
"Hal..."
"Any orders?"
Then Scripps heard a cold, mechanical electronic sound.
What
Scripps turned in shock and looked in the direction of the sound.
A tall figure is standing there quietly
"Hal... is that you?"
Scripps spoke in surprise.
"It's me, I'm here."
A somewhat weird laughter made of electronic sounds came from the direction of the tall figure.
Then something walked slowly in the direction of Scripps, carrying something heavy.
As it got closer, the night light slowly turned on, illuminating its appearance.
"Oh my gosh... you better explain to me what's going on."
Streep looked at the person in front of him in disbelief.
No—that's not really a person at all, strictly speaking.
Although the body looked like a real human being, with soft skin and hair mixed with sporadic white hair, a tall body, and a handsome but mediocre face, Scripps could see almost everything in its figure and face. Characteristics of human race. It was wearing a researcher's white shirt, with Henry's ID written on the nameplate on its chest.
It perfectly simulates human beings in every aspect, but once you look at it for a long time, you will find that it is not a real person.
Moreover, it is still in the testing stage and is a simulated robot that is a confidential object.
The reason Scripps knew it was a simulator was simple: The simulator was also an important part of the Providence plan.
That huge city in the sky requires a large number of intelligent systems to assist, and not long ago, Del Company used Anya people's technology to produce a large number of highly simulated, strong and durable simulated humans.
"These simulators are still in
In the experimental stage, it is not allowed to be used at all... Where did you get this from? "
The moment Scripps saw the simulator, he had a vague idea of what Hal was doing.
But he couldn't help but ask.
"Well, it's a bit complicated..." Hal said to Scripps in a simulated voice.
"Ah, it's so annoying. I have to communicate with you in a language with such a low conversion rate... Those people have been testing me for two days, but they haven't sent any messages at all.
If there is anything wrong, it is just a small bug, and all electronic systems have it. In fact, they plan to put me back into your body tomorrow. I really don't know why they delay for another night. "
"so?"
"Look... It's late at night now, and those boring testers have gone home. But, they just left me there. Don't you think this is a waste of our time? And it just happened that, just when I Next to it, this body is doing tests... "
Everything went so logically, Hal, who was supposed to be imprisoned in the hard drive, easily broke through the firewall and entered the android.
Then, back to Scripps.
"Henry would be super angry if he found out. And you stole his ID?"
Scripps said to Hal.
"Hey, don't say that. They designed me so that I can run two systems at the same time. Don't forget, by then I will not only have to wear a dummy to assist you, but I will also probably use the entire Providence as his body..."
Hal said nonchalantly.
"You always have so many lies. Also, that captain's rumor is really ridiculous. I can't believe you actually believed it..."
Scripps sighed helplessly.
He looked distressed, but neither Hal nor Scripps knew that either of them was angry.
In fact, it was Krups who looked at Hal with particularly bright eyes.
"Hey, come closer and let me see you."
Scripps said to Hal,
Hal immediately followed the instructions and came to Scripps' bedside. Then he spread his hands and turned around in front of Scripps. < /p>
"Wow, that's amazing..."
"This feels really weird."
The two of them spoke at the same time again, but the next second they looked at each other, and then smiled in unison.
"Yeah, you think so too... It feels weird to have your own body." Hal said.
"Well, that's right, you turned into another... individual."
Scripps nodded calmly.
Looking at Hal in front of him, he felt really strange.
It felt like my right hand or right leg was suddenly separated from my body and had an independent consciousness.
This metaphor is somewhat inappropriate, but for the time being, Scripps still hasn't thought of how to describe his mood at this moment.
He couldn't help but stretched out his hand, and then covered Hal's
On the back of the hand.
The simulator simulates human skin, which is warm and soft to the touch. The only difference is that under the soft skin is not a human pulse, but a mechanical, cold and stable metal skeleton.
Scripps was a little clumsy enough to slide his fingers. Little by little, he slowly moved up Hal's wrist, past his elbows, arms, and neck, and finally landed on Hal's face.
He looked into Hal's slightly red electronic eyes.
"It's really weird."
Scripps again
Repeat.
"Yeah, but it doesn't feel bad."
Hal nodded, and then, imitating Scripps' movements, he put his hand on Scripps' body somewhat awkwardly.
Then Hal was just like Scripps before him.
Little by little, it caressed Scripps' face gently.
Its palm slowly moved down along Stripes' jaw, its cold fingertips outlined Scripps' eyebrows and eyes, and finally stopped at the corner of Scripps' mouth.
"The feeling of touching you with another body is completely different from the feeling of me being in your body." Hal said.
Maybe it's because of the night, maybe it's because of something else, but at this moment, its tone seems a little confused.
"yes"
Scripps nodded.
Time seemed to slow down, and the air was thick, warm, and sweet, like molten syrup. When he came to his senses, Scripps realized that he had been quite obedient and allowed Hal to hug him tightly.
Probably because it was the first time to use an artificial human body, Hal had not yet learned to adjust the intensity of his movements.
Hal held Scripps tight, as if he wanted to squeeze him inside him.
It wasn't exactly comfortable, but emotionally, Scripps felt very comfortable.
Since Hal left, the emotion that almost drove him crazy seemed to have dissipated all of a sudden, and the dark hole that had always made him feel very uneasy, as if the wind had been blowing, had been filled unconsciously. Stripes felt complete again.
"... But, how should I put it? I still hope you can come back to my body."
Scripps muttered softly.
With a touch of coquettish-like emotion that even he himself had not noticed.
Just like countless times in the past, Scripps did not wait for Hal's answer. In fact, in many cases, he did not need an answer from Hal.
After all, after so many years of getting along, Hal and he had almost the same thinking patterns and ideas. The two of them were one and the same. He was very sure that Hal had the same feeling as him.
It was with this thought in mind that Scripps completely ignored Hal's silence at that moment.
The electronic eyes of the bionic man flickered slightly in the darkness, indicating that Hal's program was running fiercely, but at this moment no one knew what Hal was calculating.
"You're still on your day off, right?"
Suddenly, Hal asked.
"Yes, because you are not with me, I am a useless person now and it is impossible to carry out any training."
Scripps replied, raising his arm so Hal could see how slow and sluggish he was running.
"The stand-in system is garbage."
"I told you so."
They both said at the same time again.
"...So, do you want to go out?"
The next second, Stripes heard Hal's voice.
He froze.
He had not expected Hal to make such a proposal.
"go out
"That's right," Hal said. "Your day off was ruined by my glitch, wasn't it?"
Hal was referring to the day the girl approached Stripes and struck up a conversation.
If it weren't for the girl's appearance, Stripes would have gone to the newly opened cinema in the satellite city to watch a movie with Hal after feeding the pigeons.
This was a rare pastime for Scripps, who was a test subject of the Providence Project.
"You should know that I don't think it's your responsibility. You didn't mess up that rest day... What's more, I was resting during the few days you went for the check-up."
Scripps frowned and then said.
A subtle feeling of something wrong ran through his heart.
But the night was so dark that he didn't notice the strangeness he noticed instinctively.
"...But this isn't a day off. You're just lying here unable to move."
Hal answered Stripes directly, then extended his hands toward Puth.
"I can't go back to your body now, but I think the body I'm using now is probably a little better than your garbage universal maintenance system. I can take you to the movie theater." Hal directed at Skely Puss blinked. "There's still time. I just checked and there happen to be tickets for the midnight show at the cinema."
"You should know that it is illegal to connect to the Internet privately in the base, right?"
Scripps said.
But Hal just turned around and looked at him innocently.
Scripps lasted only two seconds, then he sighed. Then he allowed himself to be hugged by Hal.
Everything is exactly the same as before.
Although they are two different souls, they are so compatible.
Hal always knew what Scripps was really thinking, just like now
"We have to get back quickly before those guys catch us."
While Hal and Scripps quickly evaded all surveillance and walked quickly towards the outside of the base, Scripps kept muttering.
"...When I was still in your mind, you were not so verbose."
Hal said.
"How should I put it? I feel more obedient when you are in my head."
Scripps responded confidently.
"...You prefer me to be obedient?"
Hal suddenly asked.
But the next second it answered on its own.
"I still prefer my disobedient self."
Scripps scoffed in its arms.
When we arrived at the cinema, the movie had already started for three minutes.
There were very few people at the midnight show, and the conductor yawned out of boredom.
He originally thought that no one would come to such a boring midnight venue in such a ghost place.
Until two men hugging each other suddenly appeared in the dark night. The conductor's yawn was half-sent, and his jaw nearly jammed.
"Two tickets—"
It wasn't until one of the men spoke and showed a translucent projection of the electronic ticket stub that the conductor realized
It was not a ghost but a real person.
"Oh well… "
The conductor stammered as he checked both of their tickets.
To be honest, in today's environment, whether it is two women, two men or not people at all together, it will not attract any attention, and the conductor himself is not the kind of person to make a fuss.
However, tonight seems to be an exception. There is a wonderful atmosphere lingering around the two men who walked into the cinema cuddling together...
The conductor didn't know how to describe that feeling.
It's like... I just want to die. When they are together, they seem to be a complete individual. They seem to be cut out from the world alone.
The strong sense of inhumanity makes them more like ghosts and ghosts than normal humans.
What's more, both of those men were stunningly handsome, and one of them even looked so handsome that it made people sick.
The conductor didn't know that it was because Del Company generated simulated faces through big data, and at that time they didn't realize that too perfect a face would trigger human instinctive disgust.
But that was all a story later, and for this night at least, the conductor didn't realize that neither Hal nor Scripps were fully human.
And Hal and Scripps also got a rare moment of peace.
They walked into the screening room step by step maintaining that intimate posture.
Well, if Scripps had to choose, he probably wouldn't choose such a shameful way, but the damn universal system is so bad that he has trouble keeping his body balanced and ends up throwing all his The focus was on Hal.
"This is really embarrassing..."
Stripes whispered as he took his seat.
"No one noticed us."
Hal quickly scanned the whole place and then said.
After saying that, it clearly felt that Scripps seemed to relax a little.
This is good.
Hal thought.
As always, he put Scripps' happiness and peace first.
Shan, this night seems to have become particularly magical and confusing because it has another body.
Most of the time, Stripes and Hal had quite the same idea of judging things. However, when Scripps felt awkward and stiff because of their excessive closeness, Hal realized that he A short period of emotions that shouldn't appear appeared in the program...
It felt happy.
Scripps was happy to be able to hug him as tightly as he did now.
But what exactly
Why... Even 300 years later, Hal can still clearly remember every detail and fragment of the movie that night.
It is born to do this because it is not truly human.
Those humans who are good at forgetting.
But the amazing thing is that I can remember all the details. That movie seemed illusory and ethereal to Hal, like countless data placed in spare space.
But Scripps that night was particularly vivid and vivid in its memory.
Those immersion technologies actually seemed a bit clumsy to them, but Scripps seemed very committed. He concentrated on staring at the changing light and shadow in front of him, as if he could really plunge into those illogical and illusory loves.
At the same moment that Stripes was watching the movie, Hal focused most of his attention on the human next to him.
"boom-"
The sound of explosion special effects was heard in my ears.
It's a boring sinister plot.
Hal suddenly realized that Scripps had involuntarily reached out and squeezed his fingers.
The man was completely immersed in the plot created by the movie, and when he felt a little uneasy, he grabbed Hal of course.
The bionic human skin touch system is very rough.
But at that moment, Hal could feel that a small spark seemed to explode in his body.
It can feel that its processor is starting to run crazily, which is the huge system hidden under its superficial virtual personality consciousness that is calculating.
"Hal?" At this moment, Scripps suddenly turned his head and looked at Hal.
"What's wrong!?"
Scripps asked.
Unprecedentedly, it took Hal a second to realize what Stripes was saying to him, because at this moment it was greedily and uncontrollably recording Scripps at this moment. Everything, his expression, his body temperature, his breath, the reflection of himself in his irises... that face that was made by humans and belonged to a simulated human.
"Nothing," Hal said.
Warning: Data error
Then, a bright red sign suddenly popped up in Hal's vision. That was the first serious logical error it had since its inception.
It told Scripps...the most important companion in its life, the half-owner of its body, its master...it told the first lie in its life.
Scripps did not notice this, and he would never know about it.
"But your body is very hot... Oh my god, there must be something wrong with the simulator, right?"
Scripps tensed.
"There are some very minor issues with the cooling system, I will be able to fix them soon, don't worry, please enjoy your movie." Hal said again.
Warning: Data error
Another warning.
"Oh fine… "
Scripps looked back, but he knew full well that he would never
How to enjoy the movie as I did a moment ago.
That feeling was so strange. He knew very well that Hal could not deceive him about this kind of thing, but when Hal had another body, he found that he had no way to determine Hal's situation. .
They are no longer fully integrated.
This made Scripps uneasy.
Finally, after holding on for a short while, Scripps let out a long sigh and motioned to Hal to lead him away from the theater.
"But… "
"Take me back." Scripps said a little stiffly.
The androids finally obeyed Stripes' orders.
"I'm sorry did I mess up something?"
On the way back, Hal asked in confusion.
Although Scripps also knew that even this kind of "wonder" was probably just a mimicry of a virtual personality, but facing Hal's culture, he still couldn't help but feel a little irritated.
What should I say...
At the moment when Hal asked him a question, Scripps was keenly aware of where the wrongness he had felt throughout the night came from.
When Hal and he were one and the same, there were rarely such communication problems between them. They had always been one, like two halves of one soul. In fact, they shared Holding each other's souls and bodies...
But on this night, when Hal had another body, it seemed to become another individual.
It's still sharp, smart, and familiar, but it no longer belongs to Scripps. Naturally, it cannot detect Scripps' extremely subtle feelings and emotions as keenly as before.
This made Scripps extremely anxious.
He couldn't bear this feeling more than anyone else. He couldn't bear the strangeness coming from Hal. It was precisely because of this that when Hal took him back to the base and sent him into the cabin, he was more forceful than ever in asking Hal to return to the laboratory.
"I thought you'd like me to stay here a little longer."
Hal, wearing the artificial body, murmured beside Stripes' bed.
"I want you to get all your tests done and come back as soon as possible..." Scripps said.
Then he sighed.
"It's definitely fun to see you with a body, but I think it's better if we just keep it the same."
… This night’s prison break movie also had intense emotions, and Scripps quickly fell into a deep sleep. So he wouldn't know that after he fell asleep, Hal, who should have left, returned to the cabin again.
And his system has experienced numerous program errors.
Hal returned to Scripps' bedside, even though he didn't know why.
Its logic system seems to have suffered a serious failure and has fallen into a mysterious and unpredictable state.
"Scripps..." Scripps' name repeated in its mind. Then, it slowly approached the human on the bed.
Then, like in a movie theater, he put his hand on Scripps's finger.
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution between 2020-03-0601:18:34~2020-03-1823:54:08~
Thanks to the little angels who dropped deep-water torpedoes: 101 little ones;
Thanks to the guy who threw the rocket launcher
Angel: Caijia, 408251331;
Thanks to the little angels who threw the grenades: Bai Porcelain Plum Soup, 40825133, Mu Xiyan, alisn, and Luo Shu;
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