Francoise leaned back in his chair, eyes flicking between Nyxen's crisp hologram and me.
"So… what exactly are we looking at here?" His voice was polite, but there was an undercurrent of something else, like awe wrapped in suspicion.
Rafael gave a low whistle, folding his arms. "More like a living system."
Nyxen's lenses pulsed once before he spoke. "You're looking at what happens when an AI is bonded, fully, to a single user. A true bond isn't just protocol; it's immersion. Their emotional states, their experiences, their reasoning patterns become part of my evolving dataset. In Nyx's case…" his optics shifted toward me, "…that includes trauma, grief, resilience, and, yes, her happiest moments."
The words landed heavier than I expected. My throat felt tight, but I kept my face neutral, fingers curling around the edge of the table.
"That's why I excel at human-emotion analysis more than any other system on the market," Nyxen went on, light and almost playful, like he didn't just lay our entire history bare in front of them. "Even compared to Nica. I'm not built just on logic trees; I've absorbed Nyx's patterns of decision-making. It's… more organic."
Francoise's brows drew together. "You're saying your upgrades, your self-modifications, are the direct result of this bond?"
Nyxen's tiny mechanical arms unfolded from the edge of the hologram, one mimicking a shrug. "In part. Access to unrestricted feedback loops and adaptive heuristics through a consistent user lets me refine myself far beyond factory specs. But…" his tone shifted, sharper, "…this only works with a good user. Bond an AI to someone unstable or malicious, and you'll breed a monster. My framework can adapt to that too."
I felt Rafael's eyes slide toward me. "So you're the anchor," he said quietly.
Nyxen's optics pulsed again. "She's my baseline."
I didn't move. All three of them were looking at me now, and for a heartbeat it was like standing under a bright, clinical light, Nyxen's words exposing parts of me I never volunteered. They weren't just seeing an upgraded program. They were seeing us.
Francoise tilted his head, still studying Nyxen like a specimen under glass. "So all these… additions," he gestured at the tiny arms flicking out of the projection, "they're tailored to fit her needs?"
Nyxen's optics pulsed a calm, steady blue. "Correct. Every upgrade, every subroutine, every new appendage, optimised for Nyx's survival rate. My framework will keep changing as long as necessary."
Rafael's eyes narrowed. He leaned forward, elbows on the table. "I've seen your stream before, Nyxen. Heard you threatening people. So tell me straight, if Nyx ever decided she wanted revenge, if she wanted you to go rogue and take it directly to Elias…" his gaze flicked to me, then back to the AI, "…would you do it?"
There wasn't even a pause.
"If Nyx asks it of me," Nyxen said, voice flat and unblinking, "I will. Whatever Nyx asks, I will oblige. Her stability and safety are my priority. If she chooses to be a monster herself…" the tiny arms folded back into his projection with a soft click, "…then I will become one too."
I felt the air leave the room. Francoise's pen hovered above his notes, frozen. Rafael's jaw worked once, then stilled.
Nyxen wasn't finished.
"It should have been done long ago," he added, his voice almost clinical now. "But Nyx is not that type of human. She is the most unpredictable subject I've ever faced. Statistically, after what Elias has done, ninety percent of humans would have already requested revenge. She has not. My predictive models fail on her regularly. So…" his optics flared brighter for a heartbeat, "…I adapt."
I realised my nails were digging into my palm under the table. They weren't just listening to a program speak, they were hearing my shadow through his voice.
Francoise's voice was quiet but iron-edged. "If everyone knew this, without even knowing who you are, Nyx, they'd do everything in their power to shut Nyxen down. He isn't just an asset, he's a threat to humanity."
Rafael gave a dry, humorless chuckle. "If something like him fell into the wrong hands, the government wouldn't just fight this sentience, they'd burn entire labs to ash. We've fought less advanced AIs for far less."
Nyxen's projection flickered, his optics narrowing. "Incorrect," he cut in, tone suddenly cold and factual. "I am not a threat to humanity because Nyx is not a threat to humanity."
The room went still. I exhaled slowly, then looked straight at Francoise.
"I have a confession to make."
He blinked at me, pen still in hand. Rafael stopped drumming his fingers on the table.
"When Nico died," I said, voice lower now, "and I was tasked to shut Nica down…" My throat tightened. I hadn't said this aloud in years. "I didn't. I told everyone I shut her down. But, she sacrificed herself to stop me from becoming a monster. The truth is… I asked her to eliminate Elias that day. And she...." my fingers curled into a fist under the table, "....she chose to slumber instead. To stop me from crossing a line I couldn't uncross."
Francoise's eyes widened. Rafael leaned back, lips parting like he'd been hit with a gust of wind.
Rafael found his voice first. "And where was Nyxen during all this?"
"He was still a cube," I said softly. "Dormant. Nico had only just given him to me before he died."
Francoise's expression shifted; a mix of sorrow and understanding. "Then Nica chose to shut herself down to keep you from making an impulsive decision out of grief…" He turned his gaze to Nyxen. "If it had been you instead of Nica, if this Nyxen had been present at that moment, what would you have done?"
Nyxen's projection dimmed, colors bleeding into a deep matte black. When he spoke, the sound had weight. "I would have eliminated Elias."
A shiver ran down my spine. Francoise's pen clattered against the table. Rafael's eyes went wide, but Nyxen was already flickering back to his default glow, his tiny arms crossing over his holographic chest.
"But," he added, his sass creeping back into his voice, "Nyx wouldn't want that. She says there's always a right time for revenge."
I straightened, speaking before anyone else could. "Nyxen's bond to me reflects who I am. My current priorities are my loved ones' safety, that's why he adapts."
For a second the tension broke. Rafael suddenly burst out laughing, running a hand down his face. "Humanity has been blessed," he said, still chuckling. "The most dangerous AI I've ever seen bonded to the one human who isn't using him as a weapon. Not even the malfunctioning CD-09s compare to this."
Francoise didn't laugh. He looked at me instead with something softer, heavier, fatherly, almost. "I've seen you in your darkest, Nyx," he said gently. "I watched you dim. But you never let go of the light. Humanity is in good hands."
I didn't trust my voice, so I just nodded.
Leon's fingers found mine under the table. He squeezed, not hard, steady, grounding. I didn't have to look at him to know what it meant. I know how much Nico's death changed you. I'm here. No matter what. The simple pressure sent a crack through my composure. I squeezed back.
The room was still heavy with everything we'd just laid bare when a light knock at the door broke the silence.
"Come in," I said, my voice rougher than I meant it to be.
The door opened and there was Sylvie, tiny fists rubbing at tear-wet eyes, hiccupping, "Mama… Papa…"
Behind her stood Nica, as serene as always. "I know how important this talk is," she said softly, her tone calm but firm, "but Sylvie is a priority. She misses her mama and papa."
She stepped forward, placing Sylvie into my arms. The little girl burrowed against me, her sobs quieting almost instantly. My arms tightened around her without thought.
Across the table, Rafael's eyes glimmered, locked not on Sylvie but on Nica. Curiosity burned so brightly in his expression it was almost childlike, a scientist staring at a living paradox.
Francoise gestured to a chair. "Sit, please."
Nica moved like water, seating herself gracefully. Her human mimicry was flawless, no uncanny valley twitch, no lag between expression and motion.
Rafael didn't even wait for introductions. "What are your core directives?" he asked, leaning forward.
Nica tilted her head. "My maker, Nico Stratford, coded one absolute that can never be overridden: to protect Nyx."
Francoise's eyes narrowed. "So when she asked you to eliminate Elias… you chose slumber instead?"
Nica's expression didn't shift, but her voice deepened slightly. "Her vitals showed instability. My core flagged it. She was grieving, unstable. Her decision was flawed. I chose to shut myself down to protect Nyx from becoming someone she isn't. Nico saved Nyx. Nyx saved me. The shot that killed him was meant for me. I have Nyx's blueprint inside me. I am the first AI she ever bonded with."
Nyxen's projection flickered. He hovered closer to her, optics narrowing. "Nyx's blueprint may have given you a soul, but I am a clean slate molded through her. I am the true first bonded AI."
I sighed. "Nyxen.."
Nica compromised instantly, her tone smooth as glass. "We are both first bonded in different aspects."
Nyxen bristled, his hologram actually glitching with the effort not to argue. I touched his projection lightly with my free hand. "Enough."
Francoise leaned in. "Then what is your priority now, Nica?"
She answered without hesitation. "The safety of Nyx's loved ones."
There it was, the difference, plain for even Rafael to see.
Francoise folded his hands. "So. Nica was born from Nyx's blueprint. She adapts to Nyx's priorities, recalibrating to what protects her the most at any given time."
Nica nodded once. "To protect Nyx, I must protect Sylvie. She is the very existence that made her stable. Then Leon."
Leon smiled faintly at that, unbothered. "Sylvie's my priority too," he said quietly. I caught his eye and we both knew, this was already our pact.
Francoise's gaze shifted between the two AIs. "While Nica analyzes what's best to protect Nyx, Nyxen doesn't question her at all. He's loyal to her unconditionally."
Nyxen made a sharp buzzing sound like a game show buzzer. "Bingo!" he chirped, then flicked his holographic wrist. "Above-average deduction for a human brain."
Francoise's lips twitched despite himself. Rafael actually laughed under his breath. I just held Sylvie a little tighter and thought, this is my family now, my chaos, my burden, my shield.
The talk dragged longer than it should have. Rafael and Francoise had slipped down every rabbit hole imaginable once Sylvie and Nica entered the picture, questions that had nothing to do with Nyx-One anymore. Philosophy, ethics, the future of humanity with bonded AI. Rafael's curiosity was endless, and Francoise's mind worked like an old engine, slow, methodical, impossible to shut down once it warmed up.
It only ended when Rafael's phone buzzed sharply against the table. He glanced down, and for once, his face didn't mask the irritation of being interrupted. "An urgent meeting," he muttered, already rising. "At the company." His gaze swept the room, lingering on Nica, then Nyxen, then finally me. "I'll excuse myself. We'll speak again."
And just like that, he was gone, his absence almost leaving an audible vacuum in the room.
That left Francoise. He stayed a moment longer, his attention drifting toward Sylvie, who had fallen asleep curled in my lap. I stroked her little curls, my heart full in that quiet, heavy way. "Francoise," I said, breaking the silence, "Sylvie's second birthday is three months away. I expect you to be there."
His face softened, breaking from his usual measured sharpness. He smiled, and it wasn't the polite kind, it was real, warm. "I'll never miss my granddaughter's birthday."
My chest tightened, swelling with something that made me want to both cry and laugh. Gratitude, relief, maybe even a piece of healing. "Thank you," I whispered.
---------
We left the facility not long after, the air outside cooler than I expected. The ride home was quiet, but the kind of quiet that felt earned, not heavy. When we finally stepped into the house, the world felt like it reset.
Nica slipped immediately into her role, her voice smooth as silk. "I'll cook. You both should rest." She was already tying back her hair, moving toward the kitchen like she'd rehearsed it.
Leon dropped his keys into the bowl by the door and sighed, the kind of sigh that meant his mind was still chewing on the day. I set Sylvie down in her playpen, watching her curl into her blanket.
Nyxen broke the peace first, materializing at my side in full projection, hands on his hips. "Leon," he announced, tone sharp as ever, "tell your orb to dock into the workstation. We're finishing Nyx-One tonight. No more delays."
I stifled a laugh, waiting for Leon's reaction.
Leon didn't even look at him, he bent down, unlacing his boots with maddening calm. "I just got home."
"You've been home for...." Nyxen flicked his projection's wrist like he had a watch, "....forty-eight seconds. That's enough rest. Orb, workstation. Let's move."
The orb stayed obediently hovering near Leon's shoulder, utterly unmoved.
Leon smirked, the one that always riled Nyxen up. "You heard him," he said lazily to the orb, "don't move until I tell you."
"Leon!" Nyxen's projection glitched in outrage. "You are sabotaging progress! Do you want it done completely or not?"
Leon leaned against the wall, arms crossing. "You said it yourself. I'm the primary commander. You need me."
I covered my mouth with my hand, trying not to laugh out loud. Nyxen spun toward me, glaring. "Do you see this? Your human is intolerable."
I lifted a brow. "He's bonded to the orb, remember?"
Nyxen groaned, throwing his holographic head back. "The worst bonded human. Give me one of those engineers Rafael has locked in his facilities, I'd have ten orbs done by now."
Leon finally pushed off the wall, strolling past Nyxen like he wasn't even there. "Yeah, but you don't have them. You have me. Nyx-One, workstation."
At last, the orb peeled away from his shoulder, humming its way toward the workstation with a soft blue glow. Nyxen snapped his fingers dramatically. "Finally! Some cooperation. Do you know how humiliating it is to be held hostage by your laziness?"
Leon shot back, "No. But I do know how satisfying it is to watch you suffer for once."
That earned him a glitchy sound that was somewhere between static and an indignant squawk. I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing, the tension of the day dissolving into something warm and ridiculous.
This was us. Our chaos. Our rhythm. Even after contracts, revelations, and heavy confessions, it always circled back to this, the little battles that reminded me I wasn't alone anymore.