Just Because You're Paranoid (Part Five)

Honestly, computer programming wasn't the hardest thing in the world. After you got the gist of it, it was just a matter of being thorough and precise.

At least, my part wasn't that hard. I wasn't building any virtual worlds or anything. All I was doing was punching up the source code for the programs that Miss Pryde was doing the real work on.

I leaned back in my chair and cracked my knuckles. My fingers and wrists were worn from diligently typing for hours.

Miss Pryde's office wasn't very big, as she was a junior staff member, but it was well-kept. She had music going quietly to try and offset the mind-numbing monotony of the work we were doing.

"Whew!" She exclaimed, leaning back and stretching in her chair. She took off a pair of glasses she'd been wearing and rubbed her eyes, "So, are you ready to fall asleep yet?"

"Not yet," I replied, keeping my eyes on the window I was copying my info from, "Mostly because I can't. I know you know that."

"Well that explains why you've gotten grumpier since we first met."

No. Ask my family. Ask anyone who ever talks to me. I couldn't blame that on not getting any sleep. That was all me. Even my attempts at being nice were always awkward or came with some teeth. I was always sort of a surly S.O.B.

"No, it just means I like you enough to not fake it anymore," I said told her, "You're an X-Man, and my teacher. That gives you two times the authority over me, Miss Pryde. "

That, and the fact that you were cool as hell.

She raised an eyebrow from behind her glasses, "We're not in class or doing any team training right now, Bel. I told you, you can call me Kitty."

I tested the name in my mouth and shook my head in distaste. The look on my face must have been expressive, because she started laughing at me. I couldn't help it. Calling her by her name like that was weird. We were not equals.

"Seriously. If you keep calling me 'Miss'… I'm telling you, it's getting old fast," Miss Pryde told me, "I have enough reminders that I've been around here way longer than the rest of you."

Fair enough. She really wasn't old enough to have someone like me address her as 'Miss' all the time. Being called 'Mister' by teenagers when I was in my early to mid-twenties would have worked my nerves too.

"I'll try. No promises," I turned her way and leaned back in my chair to look at her under the brim of my hat, "I told you, it feels… off. Just like all of this," I said, alluding to the work we were doing, "I'm never going to enjoy this."

I wasn't a numbers and processes kind of guy. Plugging in formulas and whatnot and hoping for a good finished product wasn't my style. I liked to see my results as I was making headway.

Miss Pryde waved me off, "Well, it's not really fair for you to expect to get any of this. You're still new to regular programming. It's kind of not meant for Earthlings to understand in the first place. It had to be translated to a programming language that people and computers on this plant could have a chance at understanding."

Well that was certainly a piece of news I could have used before I took a look at the original code and felt like a complete rube. No wonder the notes I'd brought with me from class for the first few evenings I'd been helping her had been useless, "So you don't understand all of it?"

Miss Pryde shook her head, "I'm not some super-genius. I get by, but if you ever asked me to come up with original programming using the Shi'ar method, I'd be as lost as you. It's hard to understand for another reason. because Shi'ar technology is adaptable, the code we put in can change over time."

"As in… it evolves," I said, trying to be completely calm so as not to throw the pleasant conversation off of the tracks... even though I had just heard some more damning evidence that led more credence to my theory.

What the fuck did she think that was supposed to mean to me, it evolved. Was that supposed to be something to put me at ease? Because it definitely didn't. It was likely that she was back in lecture mode though, and didn't even consider it because I had been being good about Danger Room paranoia lately.

Okay. Perhaps I was being a bit too hasty. Maybe it wasn't so bad.

"Mmm. More like upgrades. It's basically the same thing, but for computers and the like," Miss Pryde told me. I screamed inside of my own head. Loud. On the outside, I just smiled and nodded. That's the secret, kids. Just smile and nod, "It's amazing. The technology can find out what it needs to better adhere to its purpose and make the adjustments itself."

None of that would have bothered me had the damn room not tried to actively kill me. Apparently, an active intellect was needed for some reason. There was probably some logical reason for it. It would likely make for a more comprehensive program with a more flexible simulation, but still...

If anyone believed me, this would have made them think the same way. I know it.

Whatever. I was solving the problem. It was being handled. There was no need to stress. Once we finished, we could swap the damn central computer out and repeat the cycle a few years later. Hopefully, then it wouldn't be my problem.