3 [Bug Fix]

[….]

[….]

[//Error//]

After several minutes of repeated 'thinking' by the thing Haley was now referring to mentally as '001' there was finally a different response, it was one he was used to when dealing with computers but it was unexpected considering that he seemed to be dealing with a highly advanced AI capable of individual thought.

[The Registered User does not have high enough authority to access this information; simply put 001 is a being designed to be of assistance, it cannot provide information as to what assistance it can provide unless specifically questioned by the User.]

The response he received after several minutes more of waiting caused even more questions than the answers he had, 'The question now is what is authority and what questions do I need to ask to access this things processes?'

After spending a few minutes of internal narration to himself he finally spoke, "Is there a way for me to exit this space?" He asked curiously, he didn't know how long he'd been here, but it felt like more than a few hours had passed and if the debt collectors came while he wasn't able to defend himself… His body would probably get shipped to a mine and by the time he woke up it'd be too late to do anything to change his fate.

Surprisingly, as if enthusiastically, '001' responded instantly to the question.

[All the User has to do is think of leaving this space, the easiest way to do so according to my database is to visualise yourself pressing a button while closing yours eyes – believe that the moment you press the button you'll open your eyes back in your physical body.]

'So I'm not trapped here, that's always good to know – looks like I'm truly not in any danger from 001 for the time being, undoubtedly this thing could kill me if it wanted to but I can't rule out the possibility that it's simply using me for the time being… But, if it helps me survive, then I'd rather become its tool than a slave.' Haley's mind was in turmoil but he somewhat resolved to find out the purpose of '001' and use it to his advantage, if it was able to help him he had no problem being used by it in the future, the most important thing right now was to survive the present and worry about the future after he had the ability to survive on his own.

Quietly he visualised the mental button that 001 had suggested he do and pressed it, the moment he opened his eyes he was back in his room; he was slumped on his desk chair with the darkness of the artificial moon barely lighting the room enough to allow him to see vague outlines.

He glanced at the clock on his holo-monitor and saw it was only 9:12pm, only three hours had passed since his call with his sister, unfortunately since then she had also called him a total of forty times and sent him several abusive messages all with the same theme…

Curiously but sceptically he called into the darkness, he still had some doubts and even went as far as to believe that all of that had been nothing but a lucid dream: "001?" He muttered, no sooner had the words left his lips did a spherical object begin to remove itself from his hand, it was as if it was merged with him and yet he felt nothing as it rose from the back of his hand, enlarged itself, then floated in front of him.

[What does the User require?]

Was its only question.

Haley looked at it in awe and then back at his hand, there was nothing there to indicate that his hand had been host to what he estimated to now be a half-meter tall sphere in fact it was large enough that physically it should've been unable to fit but considering he'd just seen it be able to increase its size then it was possible it was also able to shrink itself to the extreme and even go as far as enter his bloodstream.

He shivered slightly at the thought, it felt like a ticking time bomb was existing inside of him, apart of him… But what could he do? He couldn't ignore its existence and he was desperate enough to take the leap of faith that he wasn't making a mistake.

Calming himself he once again entered his state of 'logical analysis' which is what his parents used to call it when he was still in contact with them, silently he ran through several observations and thought paths before asking the one that seemed to be the most perfect for his current situation.

"Are you able to write code?" The question was simple, but the implications were huge, 'If 001 is an intelligent AI then it should be able to understand exactly what I need and how to create it right? It might not be able to imagine but as long as I outline what I need to be done shouldn't it be simple for it to create something from scratch or fix something?' That was his reasoning for the question anyway.

001 kept silent for a few seconds before text began to appear in front of its spherical body, he couldn't see the source of it and he suspected it was something more than a hologram he didn't have time to think about that now.

[I… I should be able to..]

'Was that hesitation? Can AI's hesitate?' Haley was bewildered, he'd heard of intelligent AI's used on warships on the most advanced crafts but they didn't have human-like intelligence or thought. 'It doesn't matter anyway, I doubt I have the so-called authority to ask it why it would hesitate in the first place. Let's just focus on the fact that it might be able to help me out.'

"Could you take a look at this?" He said while opening the code-file for his Medical Analysis modification, "Um… how do I send this to you?" He realised a problem as he stared at the sphere, 'Surely it doesn't need to be… plugged in… right?' He swallowed as he looked at it anxiously.

[Simple.]

Before he knew it the file had disappeared from his HUD, it had seemingly stopped existing altogether on his internal network – before he could react he saw the text change to lines of code scrolling post, he recognised some of it as his own work.

'It can access my HUD? Is that the ability of the thing it supposedly put in my head?' Recalling that he'd apparently had a lobotomy he quickly touched his head but felt nothing but his soft black hair, not even the markings of a scar that he could find by touch.

'A lie? No… there's no reason for it to lie to me, then what? Did it heal me too?' He couldn't understand it but then again, he didn't need to. By the time he stopped questioning how, 001 had already begin to 'speak' again.

[There are a recommended number of 32 Bug Fixes Recommended, Fix?]

Not a moment after he finished reading did Harley blurt out, "Yes!" before the Sphere quickly shrank and disappeared back into his hand and left him alone in his room to his own devices…