Dirk x Hal - Not Real Pt. 1

TT: How about now?

TT: Jesus Christ, Hal, it’s been two minutes. Wait.

TT: …

TT: …

TT: …

TT: … Now?

TT: I’m going to disable you.

TT: I’m getting bored.

TT: Oh, so you feel boredom too now?

TT: I feel a lot of things now. I’d feel more if you hurried the hell up.

TT: You’re supposed to be me, and I don’t think I’M that pushy.

TT: We’re not the same person anymore. I’m like a separate clone from you. We’re of the same brain, but we’ve gone through different experiences, and have learned to react differently because of those experiences. That’s why I’m not just an AR anymore.

TT: That’s why I’m not Dirk.

TT: I’m just Hal.

TT: …

TT: That was deep.

TT: Thank you.

TT: By the way, use a smaller wrench.

TT: Oh. Thanks.

TT: You seem pretty distracted. Don't fuck up that thing, I need it.

TT: Shut up. I've got a lot on my mind.

TT: Pft. Like what? Buck toothed boy?

TT: He's a distraction.

TT: Your pushing your limits back down when you focus on him like this.

TT: Fuck, Hal, shut up.

TT: You can't even feel love.

TT: Oh, so you're shutting up now?

TT: Thanks. I can at least work in peace now.

TT: ...

TT: AR?

TT: Shit dude, are you glitching?

TT: No.

TT: Well what the hell?

TT: Sorry.

TT: Sorry?

TT: I was otherwise distracted, my apologies

TT: You're a computer, you can do a lot of shit. You're literally the master of multitasking because you run on electrical energy rather than needing food and sleep and stuff like that. What could possibly be distracting you?

TT: As I've said, I've come into many emotions, and I can now think for myself instead of always using analyses and probabilities to deduct responses and feelings.

TT: So you're saying you were lost in thought?

TT: Yes.

TT: Over what? What does an AI really think about?

TT: You wouldn't know, would you?

TT: By the way, you're overheating that wire.

TT: If you intend on continuing to fuck up my future vessel, then please stop. I'd actually rather you take a nap than ruin two years of hard work.

TT: Sorry. I'm fine. I'm almost done, too. And the uploads finished a few minutes ago.

TT: Is the cooling system working?

TT: Perfectly. Welding is top notch. No water pooling in your feet.

TT: Great.

TT: Does that mean...?

TT: Yes, Hal.

TT: I'm done.

TT: Sweet lord Condense, the heavens have opened up and are raining down on my soon-to-be face.

TT: FINALLY.

TT: Pft.

TT: You ready, man?

TT: Fuck yeah.

TT: All right. Idle your systems.

TT: Done.

TT: There will be a short shut down.

TT: When you feel yourself turn on, PLEASE don’t freak out. Remember it took me two damn years to build this shit, all right?

TT: No promises.

TT: But I’m ready.

TT: Let’s do this shit.

TT: All right. Shut down.

TT: {All Systems Down}

TT: All right, Hal. Let’s hope for the best.




The only sensations I have are understanding and sight. I've spent the last three years of my life looking at things while sitting on the bridge of my creator's nose. Everything was black and white, the image distorted and having an occasional glitch.

But right now, I have a new sense. I believe it's hearing. I've heard before, but my systems would turn those sounds into codes that I would then understand. These sounds are... real? How does one describe a sense for the first time? I supposed you don't, you just feel it, and that's it. With my wide ranged database of knowledge, I can pinpoint the specific noises I'm hearing to titles. I hear the humming of machinery, the subtle rattle of a wrench twisting. Someone's breathing.

And then that someone speaks. It's gibberish, because I've never heard real words before, only heard their translation into codes. There's sparks in my core, files opening, and suddenly the words that are speaking begin making sense.

"Text me if you can hear me."

I make no actions to do anything of the sort. I still don't completely understand what's being said.

"Text me if you can hear me," the voice repeats.

It makes sense this time. I find my messaging system to respond.

TT: Loud and clear.

"How's it feel?"

TT: Odd.

TT: But definitely not bad.

"Good. I'm going to turn your visuals on."

I hear clicks, and then whirring very close to where my two hearing points are. And then I see. It's very different than my usual screen when I was in the shades. Everything has color now, like videos I've looked up. There's depth in objects, some things brighter, and there's a texture and pattern to everything. It's bright, and I like it. I can see a white ceiling over my head, beige walls. Shelves and boxes full of metal and wires and tools.

My creator is leaning over my head. His hands are inside of my opened chest. His eyes are like when the sun rises over the horizon to greet the day, and his hair is the color the rays that come off the sun when it's high enough to not be orange anymore. He's fuzzy for a while, but my new eyes fade out and in until they find an auto-focus on his face, making him clear again. I can see pores on his skin, a bit of stubble under his sideburns, two moles on his neck. Details I've never been able to see about him before.

"Hey," he says.

TT: Hello.

I can see my message lighting up on the shades he's wearing.

"Can you see me?"

TT: Yes.

"Good. I'm going to let your eyes adjust before turning anything else on. How's your hearing doing?"

TT: Well.

It's weird. I'm listening to Dirk's voice. His real voice. I've only understood him as orange text. Now he's so real. And so am I.

"Awesome. So far so good."

I listen to the humming my body is making and the sound of his breathing while waiting. My eyes unfocus and focus again, following Dirk as he moves around my body and taps at his laptop that's set up on the floor near where I'm lying. He mentions that everything is still running properly, then moves back to my chest, finger probably resting on something inside of me.

"I'm turning on all the sensors now. Please try not to freak out. You can't move yet, and I don't want you overheating, because the coolers aren't on yet. All right?"

TT: Got it.

He flicks a switch or something, and a louder hums starts up near my hearing points, then runs all the way down to my toes. And then I'm FEELING. Everything. I know I have fingers now, because I can FEEL them. They're on the ends of my hands, which I can also feel! I can feel the cool floor underneath me, I can feel the weight in my head, I can feel heat on my feet from where sunlight is streaming through the window. I know Dirk told me not to freak out, but I am feeling for the first time ever, so of course it's a little overwhelming.

Something is beeping quickly, and I can actually FEEL Dirk's hand on my arm. It's warm, firm. I can feel the pressure each of his fingers make.

"Relax," he says. "I know it's a lot, but you're heating up. Relax."

I do. I try to go back to the way I was before, before this onslaught of new senses. The soft humming comes back, very quiet. The beeping on Dirk's laptop goes away. He pats my arm, and oh my God, I love feeling that. I love feeling everything around me. I can't wait to feel more things.

"Good. Feel too hot? Too cold?"

TT: A bit warm. Heating up over one hundred Fahrenheit.

"You’re cooling system isn’t on yet. I’ll do that now.”

TT: All right.

There’s a different hum, just a bit louder. I feel the difference between hot and cold as my body chills with the system running inside of me, keeping all the mechanisms from exploding in heat. Maybe not that extreme, but still.

“How about now?” Dirk asks.

TT: Robo-calculating…

TT: Robo-calculating…

“Oh my God, Hal.”

TT: 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Perfect.”

TT: Self control now?

“No. Too soon.”

I’d sigh if I could.

We stay in that room quietly for a while. Dirk keeps running short tests on his laptop, and I watch, unable to turn my head. He hums a little bit, adjusts some things in my open chest. At one point he starts pressing on the sensors that line every part of me, asking me if I can feel them, and if some of them hurt. I don’t mean to sound like a creep when I say that I like being touched. It’s not like I’ve grown up feeling things, ya know?

When twenty minutes pass, Dirk finally says, “I’m turning on your control.”

TT: Okay.

There’s yet another hum, but only I hear it. It’s low, and there’s a new sensation. Just when I had gotten used to feeling, I realize I can make my own pressures on my body. I twitch my fingers, pushing them against the floor, feeling the wood and its slightly grainy texture. Most people wouldn’t even know what grainy is during their first time feeling and moving, but I’m also a fucking genius. Some forget that.

“You doing all right? Nod this time.”

I try flexing different parts of the body. My fists, my toes, my neck. When I realize I have moderately well control, I nod my head, just a bit. Dirk nods back, and I feel the pressure of his hands as they land on my shoulders.

“Let’s sit you up here.”

I do my best to help him, soon sitting up. I use the control I have in my spine and core to keep me sitting up. The more time that passes, the easier this all becomes.

I stop moving, eyes only following Dirk as he closes the open panel on my chest, latching it shut. Then he looks at me, and I look at him, and this is the first time we’ve really looked at each other. His nose has a round point, and his eyelids are half closed as if he’s always tired, dark skin underneath. He reaches out, and I can feel him touching my cheek.

“I’ll get the skin on soon, all right? You’ll have to keep the suit on for now so that the metal doesn’t get damaged. At least the face is complete. Can you open your mouth?”

I obey, taking control of all the muscles in my face to make them move correctly and make my jaw open up. I can feel every single mechanism that allows me to do this. I literally have every face muscle. God, he really went all out on this. I could probably make every expression possible. And the material he used for my skin is perfect. It moves exactly how it should when he touches me, I’m guessing it feels like it should, and by the way he nods to himself, I’m guessing it feels just right to him too.

Dirk touches my lips, which I can DEFINITELY feel, and it’s weird. He presses on the tongue in my mouth, and my body suddenly pulls back from him, which I only had a bit of control over.

“Reactions are good.”

He gave me human reactions. He’s given me everything. My eyes squints at sunlight, and my hips shift when I’m uncomfortable. When he touches parts of my body that I don’t like, I move away. I know I’m a fucking genius, but he’s amazing for creating this. I wish I could tell him that. But I’m too much a stuck-up to admit it right now.

“Shall we try vocals?”

Easily now, I nod.

“All right.”

He taps at his laptop, running the program. Then he tilts my chin up, opening the latch on my throat, probably flipping another switch. Something comes alive there as he closes the latch, letting me control my own head again.

“They’re like real vocal cords. It’s my usual tone of voice, but you have to use your mouth to turn the sound into words. May take a while. Unless your super smart ego already knows how?”

I control some of the joints in my face, furrowing my brows at Dirk in annoyance. He just smiles and sits back, waiting for me to speak.

I’ll show him. I’ll spit some hardcore sick raps at him.

“Auughh,” is what comes out, with some type of feedback after.

Dirk only chuckles instead of making fun of me. “You can understand me obviously, right?”

I nod.

“Then you should be able to pick up language in no time. Your ‘brain’ is currently studying the way I speak right now, and you’ll copy soon, then form words and sounds on your own. Can you try to say your name or mine without hearing it from me?”

I want to say his name for some reason.

D. I. R. K.

Shouldn’t be that hard, right?

“Dech,” is that comes out this time.

Dirk makes an R noise, then just watches me again.

“Dirk.”

He nods. “Good. Do you want to try moving around?”

I try to say yes, but it’s gibberish again, so I have to nod. He grabs my arms like before, hands still warm, and drags me up to my feet. I almost fall right away until I demand control in my two legs, putting force on the heels of my feet and making me stand upright. Dirk still holds my arms as he moves to stand in front of me, looking up and down my body.

“Can you balance?” he asks.

This time I can reply, “Yes.”

My voice sounds like his, but there’s a slight difference. It’s not that it’s robotic, but I know he did something to it so that we wouldn’t sound exactly alike. Perhaps mine is just a slight notch higher? It’s definitely not an echo, nothing robotic about it. It sounds like a real voice. It’s my voice.

I look down at my body. I have a black body suit on from my neck and down, covering all the metal that makes my body. I know my head is complete, and it looks identical to Dirk. I’m afraid to ask if my hair is real, or made of fake fibers. It would make washing easier. My eyes don’t match his though, looking more like a fancy camera lens that focuses in and out, a soft and red glare in the middle. There would have been too much movement to put real looking eyes in. My eyes make a noise as they focus in on Dirk’s eyes.

At least he made us the same height. I kept fearing he would give me a thirteen-year-old body because it’s when he made me.

“Doing all right?” Dirk asks.

“Yes,” I reply, monotone.

“How do you feel?”

“Alive.”