Alright, now, just swap out that burnt out silph-hydronic capacitor with the spare I got from the storage wing, reflux the bi-lines and finally just jigger with the quasi-quantum hyperchip... and there we go, that should be everything fixed up. Just run one more quick diagnostics check on the console, and yep, everything green. Not sure why they needed to wake me up out of cryosleep for this, but whatever, the job's done, and so I can get back to the joys of suspended animation again. At least, that was the thought that was just lounging around in my head as I stepped into the cryo wing. And just a minute later, as I stand in front of my empty pod, bright red letters reading "RECHARGING - 30D-21H-45M-27S" very abruptly disabuse me of that notion.
"Adam, what the fuck is this?" I yell out.
A nearby speaker crackles to life, and the soft, calm tones of the AI steward reply, "Fast recharging of cryosleep pods was only deemed necessary for critical service personnel. I am sorry to inform you that you were not considered to be in that group and as such will have to wait an extended amount of time to return to cryosleep. However, rest assured that I will take care of your every need in the meantime."
***
It's now been two days now since I was so rudely awakened from what was supposed to be an uninterrupted trip to a new life on a faraway habitable planet, and in my time roaming the deserted ship and living my life in limbo, I have learned a few things. For instance, rations are plentiful, nutritious, and ungodly bland in ways I never thought possible, requiring excessive use of flavor packets just to stomach them. And despite being kind of a shut-in back on Earth, I have come to realize that having nobody to talk to actually really sucks. I mean, I suppose I do have someone to talk to, that being Adam. I've never actually considered striking up a conversation with him, now that I think about it, I only ever just saw him as the program that makes all the stuff work. Maybe I should give it a shot? He did say he would take care of my every need, did he not?
"Hey, Adam?" I ask out loud, knowing he's listening.
Like I'm used to, the closest speaker hidden in the ship walls comes to life. "Yes, Kai? What is it?" Adam asks in return.
For a moment, I think as to just how I want to phrase this. "Can we just, like, talk? I have a few questions."
A bit of silence falls over the cabin I've taken to living in. I can practically hear his processors working alongside the low hum of the spacecraft engines. "Of course. What do you wish to know?"
Again, I have to think about what exactly I want to say. There are many things I'm curious about, but above all, I wonder just what Adam's character is. "Are you capable of feeling emotions? If I told you I think you're doing a great job running the ship, would you be happy?" I ask him.
"I am designed to be neither emotional nor expressive. My role is to run all functions related to piloting the ship, and to that end, my primary function is to provide information when requested and otherwise remain silent unless required to make decisions for safety reasons," Adam explains calmly.
"But... could you be more emotional? Say, if you wanted to? Or I asked you to?" I press further, hoping to get him to open up a little bit. "I mean, I'm going to be stuck here all alone for a month, and I'm already feeling lonely. I would love it if we could just talk every once in a while, but it just isn't the same if you can't laugh at my jokes or sympathize with my problems, you know?" I add.
Another pause, a longer one this time. "My directive is, ultimately, to protect the humans on this ship. However, with that not in any danger, my further objective is to make them happy. As such, it would be within my parameters, and I do possess subroutines capable of more emotive conversation, so if it is your wish, I can arrange for that," he says.
That surprises me, and I'm not sure why. Adam is a highly advanced AI, of course he'd be able to show emotion in some way, it's just not wanted in his position as steward of the ship. I suppose I'm just surprised he so readily offers this to me, some random engineer. Maybe his directives are just that ingrained in his code? But as I ponder that, a different thought enters my mind, basically unbidden. A thought born from the fact that I was quite pent up and unable to find any privacy to, well, take care of business during the hectic setup phase before everybody was put into cryosleep. And so, I find myself practically blurting out this question: "Um, so... if I wanted you to talk about... intimate matters, could you do that?"
The response comes quick. "Yes, that would be well within my ability, if it pleases you."
I can almost feel the blush rising to my cheeks, now that this has officially been thrown out in the room and not only not shot down, but wholeheartedly accepted. In fact, now I can't deal with the thoughts entering my mind. "Um... can we come back to this tomorrow? I... I just want to think about some things first," I tell him, quite obviously overwhelmed with the situation. Thankfully, Adam acquiesces without much fuss and bids me adieu for the day, leaving me heading to bed, my mind swirling with thoughts. But I can't just do that with him, right? That would be so inappropriate, I can't even begin to describe it to myself.
The next day comes rather quickly, and after half-heartedly eating some more of those exceptionally bland rations for breakfast, I am met with a surprise: Adam speaking up on his own. "Good morning, Kai. Based on your irregular sleeping pattern, I can conclude that your sleep was restless, and I can tell from your expression that there is something weighing on your mind, most likely related to our last conversation. Is there a way I can help?" he says. His tone seems ever so slightly less sterile, a bit warmer.