Autoficial: A Short Story

Shyala was humming the tune of "Time of My Life" under her breath as she gave the lug wrench a final turn and felt the bolt stick.

"Are you finished?" The voice was slightly monotone, but Shyala knew Karl didn't like her singing. He was probably annoyed he had to listen to her for so long.

"Yep. Your air filter was older than I thought, but you're all set now."

"Good." The motorcycle roared to life, a holo display appearing on the digital pad between the handlebars.

"I've calculated our next destination. Washington D.C. is approximately 2600 miles from our current location, so it's going to take a few days to get there... Shyala are you listening?"

Shyala had turned her back on Karl, the A.I. system in her restored Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. Unfortunately, it - or "he" being the preferred pronoun - had come with the bike. Shyala understood the need, she really did. Artificial Intelligence made driving safer and every road-safe vehicle made after 2020 had to have one. Only... did her's have to be so annoying? She sighed and turned again. The projection was still watching her.

"2600 miles, got it. What did you want to do there?"

'Karl', as the A.I. system called itself made a shrugging motion from the display. "I thought we could just see some sights. You know... do tourist things."

"You're not a person." Shyala threw her towel at him, but he just flickered and came back up.

"That doesn't mean I don't have feelings."

Karl did sound a bit hurt. Shyala relented. "I'm sorry. I know you have very deep feelings, especially about my music choices."

If it was possible for a digital output to look smug, Karl managed. "Thank you. Now let's hit the road, missy."

Shyala wheeled the bike out of the garage, waving goodbye to the owner, whom she had known for decades. "You still didn't answer my question. Why D.C.?"

Karl didn't answer as she revved the bike to life. When he did, he was no longer a projection, but instead a face on the panel in front of her.

"I want to know where I was born. I want to know... about me."

His voice was so wistful, Shyala knew she must be imagining it. 'Autoficial' Intelligence, the term coined, were not programmed to express emotion. Still... it was enough to make her look harder at the display.

"Shyala, the road." Came the automatic reply, and she pulled her eyes back to the street.

"Okay." She said, her voice nearly lost in the wind.

"O... okay? Okay!" There was a definite pep in Karl now. Shyala couldn't help but glance down, and thought she saw something like a smile on the display.

Impossible. He's just pixels She reminded herself. Still, Karl had been her one unwavering companion for the past five years. She knew he wasn't quite like other A.I. She knew he was... something. That something had allowed her to expand her mechanic business from motors to microdisks, and that was where the big bucks were. Anyone on the Western US coast knew Shyala Huggins was the best when it came to Autos.

Auto everything. She owed him this, so she sent a quick smile downward.

"It sounds like a great trip, Karl. I'll swing by the house, grab some gear and we'll be on our way."

"Shyala..." The voice was definitely emoting. "Thank you. Thank you for pulling me out of that junkyard, and thanks for this trip."

"Hey, well, it's just you and me buddy," Shyala poked the display, but Karl's serene form didn't change.

Turning her eyes back to the road without prompting (another benefit of having the bossy A.I.'s around), Shyala let the wind blow her hair back. Yes, soon, it would be the road, the wind, and her. Just the way she liked it.

Perhaps, she would even let Karl emote a bit more. It was nice, having a companion on these trips. Shyala smiled, and tried to think which radio station would annoy Karl the most.