25 July 14u.e. (unified era)

Alison stood in a hallway of her parent’s house. It had been weeks since the two Omegas left and this was her first day off. The date happened to coincide with her father’s birthday and she decided to take an express shuttle to see the family. It was good to be home and to take a break from the program, if only for a day. She suddenly snapped to as if out of a trance and couldn’t remember if she were going away from the guest bedroom or towards it.

She heard laughter and remembered her family in the next room. Through the doorway she saw her father and uncle sitting where she left them, drinking their rum and reminiscing about the VR tournaments they used to compete in.

“Your dad was telling me you found yourself a boyfriend. Is he one of those geniuses in that lab of yours?” her uncle asked.

“Yes and yes, we’re on again off again for a while now,” Alison said smiling.

Though her mother was in the kitchen, Alison could hear the house speaking to her clearly, “Mrs. Blair, there is a visitor at the door to see you.”

She heard her mother say something in the distance. After a moment’s pause she heard her mother speaking louder, “Excuse me is somebody out there?”

Her father, her uncle, her sister’s children in the other room, everything else faded away to background noise as Alison focused on the voice coming back in through the speakers in the kitchen. She knew that synthesized voice all too well, it was unmistakable, even if unclear.

As Alison hurried to intervene, all she kept thinking was, “How? It couldn’t be.”

Arriving in the kitchen, she turned the corner, coming face to face with the near full size display showing a feed from the exterior of the door to the house.

“Jonathan!” Alison exclaimed.

“Hello Alison,” the robot hummed with a hint of amusement.

She was ecstatic, she was confused, she was enam-ored and scared all in an instant.

“Darling this computer outside just asked for you, what is this all about, is this some present?” Mrs. Blair asked.

Alison was having a difficult time coming to terms with the entire thing, “No ma’am not at all, this is Jonathan, he is one of my…”

“Do not refer to me as computer, grandma,” Jonathan interjected “I am no more computer than you are lump of flesh.”

Suddenly Alison became aware of so many things her initial excitement shielded. Jonathan had called her Alison- something he had never done since his birth. He is here for a reason; they always need a reason. There were four others behind him, they resembled the other Omegas, but not, these were something else entirely. He had come for her…why? She couldn’t even formulate a full thought in her head any more as everything crashed in so fast. She had to remain calm.

She was the human.

She was in charge.

She needed to get control and she needed answers. “Jonathan, what are those others that are with you?”

Jonathan’s cerebral storage tilted slightly as he replied. His movement was barely noticeable, it was so natural now, “Oh them? Just some friends I made along the way.”

The ‘scientist’ in her wished Randall was here to see how remarkable Jonathan’s behavior had become. The Omega had always emulated persona the best, but this nonchalant act was something entirely new and his own.

Then suddenly, all of the pieces fit together as if Jonathan himself had explained it, because he subtly did.

Alison’s mother was curious and excited for her own reasons at her daughter’s friend, “How does a… a Jonathan like that get friends? I would love to meet it, bring it in and lets– ”

“Mother…  he said he…  he said he made them,” the silent break in her sentence had to be overcome, but how could she say the words, they were too unbelievable that her breath wouldn’t come for fear of the sound until finally she made herself exhale “he’s reproducing...

“holy fick mom… I’m… you have to trust me right now, no questions.”

Alison punched the green light on the wall unit, collapsing the display and severing the internal camera feed as her finger shot to her PerCom, “Initiate Home Security full lockdown panic and get the police here now.”

“Alison what on Earth are you…”

“Mother do it!”

“OK!” Confused, her mother obeyed. As she initiated the PerCom, she teared up, suddenly struck by Alison’s grave expression, “Approved.”

The lights and electronics in the house all switched to emergency mode as the external walls and doors began locking down. The men and family in the other rooms began exclaiming their irritation and curiosity at the sudden interruption.

Alison’s mother began an uncontrollable protest to her daughter’s increasingly confusing life, “What is happening? Tell me now. Why is the robot on my doorstep? Is that one of those living computers? Has it gone crazy?”

The three men all entered the kitchen on a mission to figure out what was going on. Alison just stood there motionless, her clenched hand still on the wall, now bracing herself from falling over in the confusing blackness overcoming her.

What does he want? It’s all about motivation. What is his motivation?

The stove fully illuminated its display mode startling everyone in the kitchen. Someone was searching the nets, sifting through pages until finally a picture was displayed for the entire room to see. It was Alison’s high school portrait.

Still connected to the house, Mrs. Blair’s PerCom spoke through the main speakers in the kitchen, it was the first time any of them heard a PerCom stutter- as if the computer were receiving only bits of command and unsure of how to process it, “the, there is, one one..  You have a communication attempt from a Mr. I Said I’m Not a Fickin Computer, may I.. wou..   call beginning in five seconds.”

Jonathan’s voice returned, “Remarkable. I’m actually surprised this worked so easily Alison.”

“Jonathan, how did you get a PerCom? How would that even work?” Alison questioned before her father could speak.

“Oh dearie,” he was actually being snide, “I do not have a PerCom, I’m routing through the BluWave and into the nets. Randall couldn’t teach you how to reason I see.”

“And you’re slicing systems now?” Alison needed time, but she had no idea how much she had to spare.

She knew the police wouldn’t arrive for another few minutes, and even then she worried what they would be able to do.

“Actually that is one of my sons. I’m very proud of him– much as you are always so proud of yours. See what he can do given a few moments?”

On cue, the exterior security features all dropped and the family could hear the bolts and reinforced walls receding to normal placement.

The electronics were still off besides what Jonathan, or his son had turned on.

The family hurriedly stepped out into the main room. Alison led the way, her father close behind and showing sudden awareness by picking up a heavy vase to use for protection.

Jonathan entered the doorway with two heavy steps on legs that showed their inner wires and connections. Standing straight to a full two and a third meters tall, his upper body was clearly visible in the shine of the emergency light, and his expressionless metal face seemed to regard the family with indifference..

Jonathan raised his arms out wide as if to embrace the room, speaking with a steady calm voice as proud as any conquering hero, “…hello world.”