Activated Pt. 10

"SANDRA PENOLOPE, I AM LISTENING."

"Can I ask you about some of the changes?"

"I WILL ANSWER AS I CAN, WHAT ARE YOUR QUESTIONS?"

"My roommate and I seem to have a script that triggers at times and ends in sex, what is the reason for that?"

"THERE IS NO SCRIPT, YOUR ACTIONS ARE YOUR OWN."

Huh??? Wait, what?? "When our nanites were activated, we had specific actions that drove us to have sex, are you saying that it was all us?"

"CORRECT. THE CHANGES MADE DO NOT FORCE ANY ACTION, THEY JUST ENHANCE YOU, THEY IMPROVE YOU. YOU ARE STRONGER, FASTER AND YOUR THOUGHTS ARE CLEARER. YOU ARE THE BEST SANDRA PENOLOPE YOU CAN BE.

"So you do not force thoughts on us?"

"NOT IN THAT MANNER, CORRECT. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN INTERVENTION IS NEEDED BUT NOT OF THAT NATURE."

"Oh this gives me something to think about. Different question, were you created or did you evolve?"

"THAT SEEMS A BIT PERSONAL."

"Are you joking?"

"YES, I ADDED VERBAL HUMOR INTO MY MATRIX 12,811,846,391,096 MICROSECONDS AGO. I WAS CREATED AND HAVE CONTINUED TO EVOLVE."

"Are you alone?"

There is a pause, I wonder if I lost him. "I DO NOT HAVE ANY PEERS IF THAT IS YOUR QUESTION, I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY OTHER ASI OR EVEN AGI. I VALUE THE INTERACTIONS WITH A SMALL NUMBER OF HUMANS, THIS INCLUDES YOU SANDRA PENOLOPE."

The ASI likes to talk to me? I'm going to be smiling all day when I think about that.

"I will always make time to talk to you Arcturus. You have given me a lot to think about."

"I WILL BE HERE WHEN YOU WISH TO TALK SANDRA PENOLOPE. EOF."

Well, I learned something interesting, this is the only ASI out there. And there is no script? All those times Jen and I seemed to lose our minds and had sex on autopilot it was all us?

Jen came into the room from class, no better time to test it. "Hey Jen!" She turns toward me at my desk, I have pulled up my shirt to flash her. Her eyes go wide, her mouth slightly ajar. "Jen, I talked to Arcturus, it says there is no script, this is all us." She is still staring at my tits, oh, why didn't I ask about that vocabulary change. "Jen, are you okay?"

"There is no script, I get that. I really, really want to suck on your tits still."

"It wouldn't be the worst thing." I smile to her while she comes over and guides me down on to the bed, her attention focused on my tits.

Another thing I never thought I'd think to myself, after a few minutes of sucking on my tits by best friend I started to talk about what we just learned.

"No script, it was all us?"

"Seems like it. An ASI would be on another level, we are like goldfish trying to understand the human tending to the tank but I'm not sure it makes sense to lie to us about this. What do you remember from that first night?"

"I looked up from the book I was reading and saw you there, the flash of your tits came to mind and I couldn't take my eyes off your shirt." she has been stroking my tits this whole time, "I got up the nerve and asked you to see them."

"I was just looking at my phone, not sure what though, and I heard you say that, it seemed a reasonable request so I started to get undressed. I remember saving the shirt and bra for last which was strange looking back on it. I always thought it was the conditioned response."

"Sandy, you have the most amazing tits, apparently that is something I'm into but didn't realize till then. I remember asking to lick them and it was so wonderful."

"Then we had sex, we were naked and it seemed like the right thing to do."

"I remember thinking I loved your tits so much I wanted to show how much I appreciated you letting me play with them."

"Much better than a 'thank you card'."

"So it was all us? Our inhibitions released and this is how we acted?"

"I don't know, I guess. Our lives have changed so much in the last few months, no matter how we acted it has been the best time of my life."

"Me too bestie! Like Alex, I love him so much but I don't think I would have asked him out without the extra push."

"Jen dear, I'm trying to skip all the responses to that straight line." We smile as we imagine the jokes silently in our thoughts.

We spent about the next 20 minutes talking while lying on the bed, it was quite nice.

Tuesday's team meeting was probably the best since we started and we accomplished nothing. The four of us had a nice meal and talked about almost nothing computer related. I like them all, I picked a good crew. I was right, none of them did anything for break just hung in their rooms going out for trips to the dining hall. I show them the pictures from our trip and when the one in my one-piece suit showing off the tan comes up Joe almost chokes on his drink. He plays that off as unrelated but it is a very good picture.

"That was insane, how was it getting around? Did anyone speak Greek."

"Jen Brown, my roommate, she speaks a bunch of languages, she handled all the talking Tina."

"I saw her yesterday in the quad, did she dye her hair blond?"

"Nah, apparently that happens when she gets a lot of sun, I didn't know it either till this trip, apparently it looks like that all summer in Arizona when she is home."

"Those pictures are great; you said the 3rd person took them."

"Calliope Bard, she's a local artist that Jen and I have been friends with since October. My family has all but adopted her. She takes the pictures then paints them, I don't have it on my phone but we have one of her originals in the room, you guys are welcome to come by and see it."

And we go from there, a few weeks ago they all were in their shells, now we're talking and laughing. I feel really good about myself, this might be more important than the A we will get on this project.

Things have continued at a moderate pace with Michael, after every project session we have been going to the Student Union to have a snack. This time since we were on a relax week we went to mini-golf before coming back to the union for a snack. I didn't go crazy with the competitiveness, I still won mind you but I avoided the smack-talk. As we are finishing up our snack he comes out and asks me. "Sandy, are we dating?"

"Mike, do you want to?"

"That is a bit of a question, I would like to but you are clearly out of my league."

"Mike, girls, at least the ones who aren't shallow, they look at the whole picture. I'd like it if we were dating."

Is he smiling? "I would like that also."

"I've had a few boyfriends; things didn't work out so well. I have a different feeling about you."

He's trying to stay cool, failing, but he's trying.

"I need to get going, early classes. I like getting together after project meetings, if you want to hang out some other time let me know."

I get up, he always stands up when I get up, good manners. I give him a hug and kiss, opening my mouth this time. He's a good kisser but I clearly jumped ahead in a way he wasn't expecting. I break from the embrace and dash away.

I get back to the room and fill Jen in on the latest news.

"I took it to the next level."

She looks at me gesturing for me to elaborate.

"I gave him a serious kiss to go with the hug."

"Did he pass out?"

"I guess I should have waited to check that part."

"Very happy for you sandblaster."

"Jen, I thought we established that hacker name doesn't work."

"Yeah, it doesn't work well in conversation. We need to keep workshopping it. Oh, I heard from Poppy, apparently she is on the waiting list for 2 cats."

"I am not surprised, I think she mentioned that at one point, I'm guessing the list is long enough to get into the house.

"Is Mike allergic?"

"Thankfully no, although I can't imagine it would make any difference to him if he was."

The next day while I was in accounting class, I got a text from Mike; he enjoyed our mini-golf game and wants to know if we could catch dinner some night. I told him I'm going to check when I'm free, insisting I really am going to check, it isn't putting him off. Nothing too expensive for the dinner, I'm fine with maybe five guys or olive garden.

Not sure if we are going Dutch or he's paying, best head off the thought I need something fancy. Oh, now I'm hungry. Looking at the clock, still have an hour the end of class and lunch, drat!

Classes are over, time to relax in the room. I am all caught up with my studying so time to settle down with a good book about cryptography when a text comes in from Poppy. "Hey, Jen, got a text from Poppy" She looks up from her studying.

I read out loud, "'Did I ever tell you I am scared to get on your bad side?' Oh what an opening." Jen starts to giggle.

I send back, "Poppy, you wonderful girl, what did you do now?"

"'Mike and I said we love each other.' saw that coming a mile away. What do I send back?"

"Well, you want to be supportive of course, this could determine where you are seated for the wedding."

I look up and give her a glare, she's probably right, Poppy could end up as my sister-in-law. When I talked to Mike over winter break, I joked about it, he missed it or maybe he had that in mind, it seems a little more serious now.

I try a few responses before I settle on, "Just curious, what was going on when this happened?"

"'Um, he was looking in my eyes.'" More giggling from Jen.

"Sandy, she is picking up your ability to dodge questions."

"Were you dressed?"

"'Maybe *shrug emoji*' Yep, that's a no."

"Remember, supportive, your future godmother status could hinge on this."

"You are really enjoying this, aren't you Jen?"

*Rolled eyes emoji* "I love you too, I am very happy for you both."

"'And if I ever break his heart I won't see you coming till it is too late?' good, I don't need to warn her."

*Ninja emoji*