/ Ana
"You'll burn a hole in the screen if you keep this up." - A nagging male voice of the damn AI support system that we invented a few millenia back talks to me. The voice is the ceo himself, who copied his traits into the system, to haunt me even after his death in this post-war, god forsaken world as it is.
"You should genuinely take a break, Ana. Have you eaten anything?" - The voice annoys me with its pestering, as I keep figuring out all the damn data that's now here, in front of me, on multiple monitors, to analyze what the hell I'm dealing with now.
"Ana please." - The voice keeps annoying me. Evie brought me a platter with food, placed it on my desk, as she eyed me doing my damn job.
"You should really take a break, you know." - Evie says to me.
I grunt, as I watch this spawn of satan with my face and voice annoy the heck out of me. His voice, this thing… I slam my fist against the table.
"Alright, alright. Have it your way. Just eat something, alright?" - Evie lets out and fucks off into the kitchen.
"You should appreciate her more. She's sort of you in a way, you know. I did my best on that one." - That damned voice keeps going. - "Ana, please, eat. You can be mad at me all you want afterwards, but you can't keep up if you don't eat."
I glare at the screen again. I really would love to put my fist in his face. With full might, just wiping the floor with that son of a bitch.
"If you eat I'll let you in on a secret that you'll like." - He keeps pestering me.
I let out a grunt, pick the fork and eat the food that was brought to me. Most likely acquired from the floors below, with the side of the most-likely printed meat. What a partially bland taste. Fucking sustenance my ass. I finish it all, then put that on the far edge of the desk. Evie comes to pick it up and take it away.
"Good girl" - His voice pops in again. - "You want to see me, do you not? Hm, Ana?"
I just look at the screen, my mean and annoyed mug is pretty evident with the reply I'd love to give.
"Number 10101 in the cryo chambers level 4." - He baits me with this information.
I put it into the system, trying to check what's there. It has no data. Nothing. So he's giving me bullshit once more. What a bloody jester, this one.
"Do you really think I'm dead?" - He keeps annoying me. - "Ana-a, come to me. Come meet me. That's not that hard. Level 4, number 10101. Come on, I know you want to. Don't you miss me?" - He keeps pushing it on and on.
I stand up from the desk, then walk over to the window. Watching the world outside. Barren land, the damn rocks and mountains…
"Ana-a, just admit it. You miss me. I miss you too. Desperately. Come to me. I know you want to. Come on, you're so ignited to meet me too. I know you. You wouldn't let me be without you. I wouldn't let you be alone. Not ever. Ana-a, reply something, please." - He keeps pestering me, even as I'm not at the desk. Like a damn devil incarnate.
"ANA! Just listen to me!" - His tone is that of anger, the outburst of anger. - "Ana please, please, come to me." - And here's the pleading velvety soft tone of his voice.
This damn devil was always like that. Bloody incarnation of the manipulative abuse impersonated. And now this evil thing is a damn system that's on the mainframe. So wonderful it makes me want to burn it.
I turn to look at Evie. She looks at me. I give a glare to the computer. She walks over and turns it off. Silence instills in the room.
"He sounds more and more desperate by the moment." - Evie says.
"And you sound more and more enthralled by him." - I replied.
"You should give him a chance." - Evie protests.
I let out a sigh. Yeah. What else would you expect from a damn android robot that does what he programmed into her? Bloody yearning and obedience for the master. Him as a master, to be precise. He was trying to craft another me, but more willing to submit to him because he's an egotistical megalomaniac that would even wank at his own reflection if he could. But instead he toyed with people and had a very sadistic trait of breaking humans and using them as toys. Then discarding them as he'd see fit. But oh the unyielding love, affection and loyalty he'd squeeze out of them first. Bastard. I annoyed him to no end with me being me - stubborn in my own ways and absolutely not buying his bullshit.
"Bring me some radio equipment. We should check potential signals. Maybe there's something we can find that way. If they still use radio waves to this day and age." - I ordered Evie. She looks at me, then a bit unwillingly goes and executes order.
That leaves me in a room for a bit all alone. Finally some peace and quiet. The two guys who were here a few days back have not appeared. So I assume they're alright. Either that or the lot is up to some damn planning and strategising. Guess they'll send their 'delegation' up top in the near future. How annoying that the list of things to do keeps increasing.
I lay down on the couch. Watching the sky outside. In the middle of the night, the moon shines over the mountains, stars in the sky… It's rather fascinating how the sky is nice and prominent. Pretty peaceful.
"Ana?" - A voice from the hall makes me jolt in sudden surprise.
"The hell?" - I let out.
"Ah, sorry to scare you. It's me, David." - He lets out as he steps out of the shadow of the entryway.
I ease into the couch again, as I let out a breath in relief that it ain't some poltergeist.
"So what brings you here?" - I ask him.
"I came alone this time. The others are aware of me being here, but they've decided they don't want to come up yet. The AIO sort of went a bit protective, so they are not sure of how to deal with the 'you' situation yet. Somehow AIO is unaware of you and the whole lot of what's upstairs. So that's how we came to this." - David explains to me, as he walks over closer, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch.
"So why are you here? To mediate?" - I let out tiredly.
He shifts about, also relaxing into the couch by the looks of it.
"I wondered about you." - David begins. - "Sort of funny how you and that robot sound alike, though the difference of the looks and maybe the attitude…" - He looks at me. - "You seem mean, but not unhinged, unlike that thing."
"Is that a compliment or an awkward comparison?" - I look at him, as I raise my eyebrow.
"More like a note to self." - He replies. - "I wondered how you're here alone. Is that not lonely?"
I roll my eyes, as I rest my head on the back of the couch.
"Even here it feels rather crowded with Evie, robots and that damn AI thing." - I let out.
He notices that the screens are off.
"AI?" - He points to the screen corner. - "Does it have a different system than AIO?"
"Trust me, you don't want to acquaint yourself with the troublesome thing that pesters this system. A vicious fucking devil is possessing it." - I let out, feeling rather annoyed even thinking about it.
"That bad?" - He eyes me and I feel it. Making me look at him.
"Imagine you have that one stalker who'd just NOT leave you be no matter what. And once you were thinking it were gone and you're done with it, it became the thing to pester your computer every time you turn it on. How would you feel?" - I look him in the eyes as I paint the picture for him.
"That sounds awful." - He grimaces.
"Exactly." - I nod to him, then point with my hand towards the computers. - "Now that there is pretty much the embodiment of that whole idea."
"You sure sound like you're having it rough." - David comments.
"Anyway, have you got the data on what possible settlements there are?" - I ask him.
"Yeah, there's something roughly 200km from us." - He lets out.
"To be precise, there's two, if we talk about the same thing. One is a dome-like thing, the other is sort of like a village." - I add.
"Yeah. That's right." - He takes a breath, then heavily breathes out. - "I wonder how it changed out there."
"Anxious?" - I look at him and he seems to ponder about it. - "Well I am. We've been like a damn experiment gone wrong in this whole thing. Languages, people, the whole society structure… Fuck knows what's out there. I sure am anxious to find out. Ehh." - I tiredly let out.
"Don't you find it funny?" - He looks at me, sort of this concerned look, yet a smile on his face. - "That we talk like this?"
"Like what?" - I ask back, as I feel puzzled.
"Like we're already friends that established trust." - David smiles.
"Ah…" - I let out dryly. - "I think it's more of a camaraderie. A test rat, in a box inside the mountain cave. Sort of nowhere to run, you know. Cooperation seems like a logical thing here."
"You sound highly practical." - He giggles. - "Wait, are you by any chance on the 'tism spectrum?"
"How did you know?" - I furrow my brows as I look at him.
He laughs now, his eyes sort of gentle towards me, caring somehow. Makes me feel awkward.
"You sound like someone I knew. He had autism too. That sort of explains the straight forward attitude and existential tired mode." - He laughs again. - "I'm not making fun of you, it's just that it's been such a while since I last felt this, that it makes me feel all familiar with you."
I just shake my head, as I roll my eyes. What a weird guy.
"You're weird." - I let out a little pouty.
"And you're like a cat." - He looks at me, a little giggly, as he continues. - "Like an introvert that's in wait to be snatched by some extrovert."
"So what, you're that extrovert?" - I raise my eyebrow, feeling rather sceptical of his whole thing.
He shifts closer to me, then reaches out to pet my head. I allow him, though the whole thing seems absolutely awkward to me. At the same time - it does not feel too bad. Not bad at all… Weirdly.
"Have you dated before?" - He asks, his hand still atop my head.
"What?" - I turn to look at him, not sure where this is coming from or going to.
"You look like the type." - He replies with a smile.
"I am not a virgin, if that's what you're implying." - I give him a glare. - "Had fair share of both worlds. Though…" - I roll my eyes, analyzing how all of that went. Then shake my head at my own relationship experiences.
"Let me guess, you were too much to handle?" - He takes his hand off, watching me. - "That happens a lot with people who are on a spectrum. At first someone wants someone with a 'tism, coz it's cute. Then they see the lot of things that come with it, freak out and leave. About right?"
"About right. Though, there were exceptions." - I replied. - "Anyway, I'm rather tired, so you should go."
I push him off the couch as I lay down on it, the need to sleep not really pushing me to my limits.
"What if I want to stay?" - He asks.
"Do whatever. I'm too tired." - I let out, as I snuggled into the couch. Then a moment later I heel him laying down next to me. - "The hell are you doing?" - my voice came out even more annoyed than I expected it to be.
"Doing whatever. Don't mind me." - He lets out, as he shifts about, now his back touching mine.
"Fine." - I let out. Though it seemed that my own voice became less annoyed. Maybe that's because the actual warmth of another human touches me. Maybe that's not too bad after all.