S̨o͝ft͏war͟e͝ ̀Co̢rru̷p͘te̶d

4

"Go out?"

"Yeah, y'know like; take a walk? Do somethin?"

Google stared at Jack quizzically as he let out a sigh. It had been a few days since the "conversation" had passed, and Jack figured maybe he was approaching things the wrong way. Just talking to him didn't seem to be working, so maybe taking Google out and about would loosen him up a bit? At least, he hoped so.

"Look, ya haven't left the apartment since you came here, and I think it might be nice if ya did so-"

He tossed Google the hoodie and sunglasses he was holding, the AI catching them easily before staring at them blankly.

"What does this apparel relate to?"

Jack ran a hand through his hair. Few people were accustom to AI's, and he didn't want to risk things getting out of hand. He knew there would be someone who would freak out, and take pictures, and blow things way out of the water, and honestly; he wasn't a fan of that. But he didn't want to try explaining that to Google, as he probably wouldn't understand the problem.

"Just... just put 'em on, okay?"

Google did as Jack had asked without any further questioning, throwing the hoodie on over his normal clothes and slipping his glasses off before replacing them with the sunglasses. Jack gave him a quick glance-over before nodding and heading to the door. Google followed him silently, his expression even more unreadable than usual with the sunglasses obscuring his eyes. Jack did his best to shrug it off and took in a deep breath once he got outside.

"Nice day out today, yeah?" he asked, glancing back at Google, who cocked his head in response.

"It's currently 13 degrees Celsius, which is fairly warm by Irish standards."

"Like I said, nice day." Jack chuckled, proceeding to walk down the sidewalk with Google in tow.

"I was thinkin' about goin' to the park, since it's nice. What'da you think?"

Google stayed silent for a moment, processing the question. Jack briefly wondered if he had asked the wrong thing again, until Google finally replied,

"The current weather would allow for enjoyable outside activity. The park is a prime location for such things."

Jack decided to take would he could get and smiled.

"Okay, cool, glad ya agree! It's a bit of a walk, but it'll be worth it, you'll see."

The two spent the rest of the trek there in silence. giving Jack plenty of time to contemplate what his plan was. He couldn't just bring Google to the park without doing something while they were there. This was the first time he taken Google out of his apartment, after all. He wanted to make it count.

The park was fairly quiet, although there were a few more people than usual walking around, but Jack didn't mind. He stopped in his tracks near a tree and turned around, facing Google with a grin on his face. 

"So, whatcha wanna do?" he asked, his voice bubbly. Google tilted his head to one side.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"C'mon! Pick somethin', anythin'! No? Okay- how 'bout..." 

Jack roamed to a split in the path nearby, stopping in the middle. He looked to Google expectantly.

"Which way?"

"If you wish to know which path is more navigable I can-"

"I don't care about that!", Jack exclaimed, cutting him off, "I wanna know which way ya want to go!" 

Google stood in silence for an extended period of time, not moving save the occasional twitch from the corner of his mouth. Jack was determined to get an answer this time, so he waited patiently until Google started to speak again. His voice was slightly choppy, like a stammer, but he still managed to get the word out.

"L-left."

Jack beamed. Sure, there was still a chance that wasn't his genuine opinion, but he didn't really care at this point. He felt like he was making progress, however small. That was enough for him.

"Alright! Left we go then!" he chirped, happily marching down the left path with Google stiffly walking close behind. The path went straight on for a bit before turning and weaving through a small grove of trees. Jack walked through them, pausing when he heard some small birds singing somewhere nearby. The sound was soft and melodic. He looked at Google, who didn't seem to care. Although he nearly jumped when Jack started talking to him again.

"Good choice, buddy. I like t'is area. It's peaceful over here, don'tcha think?" he looked around, admiring the green leaves of the trees overhead, specks of the bluish-gray sky poking out above them. 

"I-it is p-p-pleasant."

Jack looked back at Google, who stood more rigidly than ever now, seeming uncomfortable with his choppy response. His jaw was set tight and his eyebrows were halfway under his sunglasses in a look of irritation. Jack couldn't help but feel slightly amused, a soft chuckle escaping him. He started past the AI with a grin and patted his shoulder on the way by.

"Yeah, sure is. Now c'mon, let's get back home. I think that's enough outside activity for now."

Google made no attempt at response this time, just stared at Jack's back blankly before silently following the Irishman back to the apartment. All the while, the bird song continued to flutter through the trees, unaffected by the events that had just unfolded.