S̨o͝ft͏war͟e͝ ̀Co̢rru̷p͘te̶d

3

Jack shifted slightly as Google sat down next to him. He wasn't exactly thrilled about having this talk. When he and Google had first... "met", he had tried to make small talk with him. Emphasis on tried. It didn't really do much good for either of them. Jack wasn't willing to just let this go, however. Google was here now, and giving him the cold shoulder wasn't going to do him any good. Not to mention he was curious how the AI's thought process went. His best option was simply to talk to the guy.

"So, uh... what were ya watchin' earlier?" he asked.

Google blinked, answering quick and matter-of-factly:

"Discovery Channel."

Jack nodded slowly.

"Mmkay. What was the show about?"

"Predators in South Africa. Lions, specifically."

"Okay..." Jack glanced away briefly, slightly unnerved by Google's intense stare.

"They target the weakest first." The AI stated smoothly.

"What?"

"Lions are more likely to catch the smallest or weakest member of a herd, so they most often single out this creature in order to increase their chances of a successful hunt."

"Uh-huh... that would make sense, I guess."

"Would you like to know more about lion hunting tactics?"

Jack looked at Google quizzically, wondering why he was pressing the topic like this.

Maybe it interests him? Kind of a weird thing to be interested in but...

"Yeah... sure."

Google then began listing several facts about the way lions hunted, including how many lions were in the average pride, the type of strategies they would use to isolate a target, and how they took down their prey. Jack had to stop him when he started getting too in-depth about the way a kill's insides were ripped apart.

"Very well." Google said, his tone still as hollow as ever. Though Jack got the feeling he was disappointed, if only slightly.

"Do ya like talkin' about that stuff?" The question caused Google's eyebrows to furl.

"What do you mean by that?"

Jack gave a small shrug.

"Do you enjoy it?" Google averted his gaze, looking at the ground in what Jack assumed was confusion.

"I'm...not sure..." he sounded somewhat strained when he talked, as if it was hard to get the words out. Jack looked him over warily. Tentatively, he reached over and put his hand on the other's shoulder.

"It's okay if you enjoy something, ya know."

Google looked back up at him, still appearing conflicted.

"I... no.", he cut himself off, shaking his head, "You said you wished for me to provide you with more information, I fulfilled your request. That was all it was."

Jack sighed. He should've known it wouldn't be that easy. Google was stubborn in most aspects, after all.

"It's fine. Forget I asked." he got up from the couch, deciding to stop this conversation before it got more awkward than it already was. Google watched him, still slightly puzzled but less so.

"I'm gonna head upstairs. It was nice talking with ya, I suppose. Thanks for the chat." With a small wave of his hand, Jack turned and headed upstairs, sipping at what was left of his coffee. He was usually pretty good at handling social situations, but trying to converse with an AI who had a limited grasp on human emotion was just a bit tiring. He felt like he may have gotten a bit further with him this time around, however. He could tell that Google felt something, whether he was fully aware of it or not. Maybe one day he'd open up a little more. Jack tried to shrug off the train of thought as he entered his recording room. He sat down in his chair, slumping a bit. Now what?

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Google sat on the couch stiffly. Jack's question had caught him off-guard. Even after the Irishman had left, it still pestered him.

"Do you enjoy it?" he muttered under his breath, trying to get a grasp on it. He knew very well what enjoyment was. It was a human emotion relating to pleasure. He could identify when Jack was experiencing it based on facial expression and tone of voice. As he was meant to. But as far as Google could tell, he was incapable of producing such sentiment. Had Jack noticed something he couldn't see himself? He shook his head, putting one hand up to his temple.

No, of course not. He wasn't human, after all. He was a program. A very advanced one surely, but still a program. He couldn't experience enjoyment, or any other feeling a human would.

But then why did he hesitate? Google growled. He was questioning things he shouldn't again. Falling out of line.

Cease these thoughts. You weren't built for this. Stick to protocol.

...

It's okay if you enjoy something, ya know.

He leaned back into the couch, staring at the ceiling. Why couldn't human behavior be easier to understand?