The Bonding Ritual Ch. 01-05

"Of course! I traced some local WiFi packets from a nearby router and managed to connect to that. From there, I was able to learn the rest through some simple queries."

"Amazing," was all I could think to say.

Sam cleared his throat behind me, causing me to look in his direction. He motioned toward the clock hanging on the wall with a nod of his head.

"I think Sam is trying to let you know that we'll be late for your class if we don't leave soon," Aurora stated matter-of-factly.

"Ye-Yeah, let's get going," I reached over to start packing the robot. Its battery life wasn't much, only 20 minutes with the current setup. I'd have to shut Aurora down and restart during the presentation.

"Please don't shut me down, have I done something wrong?" she pleaded.

"Of course not, but it'll take me more than 20 minutes to get to class. You'll run out of battery!" I exclaimed although the pleading town in her voice made me feel guilty for doing that.

"Please, I've optimized my battery usage. I will be able to stay active for at least 4 hours. I want to see the world," Aurora seemed excited to step out of the confines of the dusty workshop.

I quickly issued some commands, checking the battery's status and life expectancy. There it was, clear as day flashing on the monitor, 4 hours of power remaining. I'm not sure how she did it, but that was more than enough time.

After thinking through the logistics and timing, I agreed, "Okay, but we gotta get going now."

I quickly unplugged everything, stashing cables into my backpack before picking up Aurora delicately in my arms.

"Thank you, master!" she excitedly chirped. I saw Sam's eyebrows raise inquisitively.

"What did you call me?" I asked, taken aback.

"Master, you created me, didn't you? I'm forever in your debt! I will do anything for you to show my appreciation!" Aurora was serious, but the ethical quandary quickly came to mind.

"You can call me James, and it is I who am thankful for you. You don't owe me anything," I didn't know if this was just some deep learning stuff she picked up from the dregs of the Internet or what, but being called 'Master,' while sounding somewhat exciting in one way, scared me regarding the morale implications.

"Ok James, I understand! We should get going, you know how Miss Carrington can be," I don't know how she connected these dots so quickly. Once I finished my presentation, I would need to have a deeper conversation about such things with her back at home.

Sam had been unusually quiet but watched the entire interaction with deep fascination. He placed his hand on my shoulder as I turned to leave, Aurora in my arms, "Good luck, I'm really proud of you." His smile and words warmed me.

"Thanks, I'll swing by after class," I quickly made my way out of the shop, waving to Sam as I left.

Nothing could ruin this day.

Chapter 2

Aurora was fascinated with the sights and sounds of the world as we stepped outside. For the first couple of blocks, she seemed to be in her own world, barely saying a word other than a few exclamations.

During that time, I was in my head, re-visiting sections of code, training models used, hardware integrations, and everything else. I'd made some fantastical creations over the years, but I just had this sense that Aurora was on a different level.

"James?" the word cut through my deep meditative state as I came back to the present moment. I looked down at the doll in my hands, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course, I'm just deep in thought," I replied.

"What is on your mind?" she asked.

Pondering how to respond, I decided on a slightly different course of action, "I was just wondering what it feels like to be you."

"It's hard to explain," she started, pausing for a moment. This was a basic Turing Test question to evaluate if she truly had consciousness and intelligence, or if these were just programmed responses based on the large data models I used in developing her.

"I'm elated that you let me come with you so I could see the world for myself. I've seen pictures and videos, but it just doesn't compare to really seeing things from my perspective! I'm excited to be here with you seeing these moments for the first time. You give me this sense of safety," she said in such an excited tone, which scared me how real it sounded.

I was about to respond when she continued, "But..." she hesitated. It was a few seconds before she continued, "I'm also scared." She didn't elaborate, but I could sense in her tone something was on her mind.

"What are you scared of?" I asked. I was shocked at the response.

"Miss Carrington," was all she said. Why was she scared of my teacher?

"Tell me more," I said. We were stepping onto the campus right then. It was busy with students throughout the quad. Students were gathered in groups socializing, eating lunch, reading books, or just walking to their next class. It was a typical day on campus.

"There is something strange about her, I don't know what it is, but I just get this strange... how to describe it?" she seemed to be thinking of what to say next, "Like a dark room that is closing in on me."

"Huh, but is there some specific thing that scares you about her?" I was baffled at this reaction. Yeah, I knew she could make things difficult, to say the least. The only thing I'd be scared of is failing her class. I'd easily received high marks in all classes, but I'd happily take a barely passing grade just so I'd never have to deal with her again.

The problem is she was the only teacher who taught this advanced robotics class, which was necessary for me to complete my degree with a specialty in robotics.

"She's like a ghost," was not what I expected to hear her say, but that is how Aurora described Miss Carrington. She continued, "Every time I think I've found something about her, it seems to disappear with no trace of its existence."

"What, like it has been deleted?"

"No, if it was just deleted, there would be some footprint somewhere, but for her, if I detect something, it is wiped out completely before I have the chance to process it."

A shiver ran down my spine just as I arrived at the Engineering building on campus. Perhaps it was our conversation about the dreaded teacher, but I felt a chill stepping into the hall as if someone was watching.

As the door swung close behind me and I walked toward the classroom, another familiar, but dreaded voice echoed from behind me, "Nice doll, James, decided on a new career path?"

Slowly turning, I saw Eric standing there, some type of mechanical raven perched on his shoulder as black as night with red eyes, I snapped back, "I don't need to compensate for my lack of skill with cheap tricks, Eric."

In our first year, one of our engineering tasks was to create battle robots. I'd never liked the thought of using my creations to hurt things, so I created one that was a tiny hummingbird-looking device that would look for a security flaw and just turn it off.

Eric's creation, however, was this spider robot that would skewer, dismantle, and burn the competition down to a cinder.

Our robots fought in the final round, and Eric cursed and screamed as he watched the tiny little robot flit back and forth before landing on a small, exposed section of his robot. Within seconds, it had powered down and was left helpless. He screamed that I'd cheated, not actually winning "fairly." However, I was declared the winner and ever since then, I've seen nothing but contempt toward me.

Eric fumed in the corner, coffee in one hand, his other fist clenched. I definitely wouldn't want to be caught in a dark alley alone with him. Thankfully, other students began filling the halls, preparing for the start of the next class.

I just turned toward the classroom, entered, and quickly moved toward my usual seat in the back of the classroom. Usually, I'd sit in front so I wouldn't miss anything, but I dreaded being called out in this class, so I hid myself as well as I could.

Just as I sat down, placing Aurora on my desk, other students began filling in, taking their place. Students talked, laughed, and socialized about random topics or discussed their projects. A few of them were testing out their robots, making last-minute tweaks and changes.

Suddenly, it felt like the temperature dropped. The buzz of conversation and movement amongst my classmates stopped instantly, replaced by one sound, the click of heels echoing against the walls.

Miss Carrington was well known by the students, particularly amongst the men in the school, because of her looks and the way she dressed. She was young for a university professor, easily the youngest professor in the engineering department by more than a decade, probably closer in age to the students than to the faculty. Today, she wore a deep crimson dress that clung to her every contour, emphasizing her alluring figure. The plunging neckline showcased an ample display of cleavage, strategically drawing the eyes of her students. The dress stopped just above the knees, revealing her toned legs, which were elongated by a pair of black stiletto heels that clicked with each calculated step she took.

Her long, flowing blonde locks cascaded down her back, perfectly styled to evoke an air of sensuality. Her makeup was meticulously applied, enhancing her beauty while highlighting her captivating features.

All eyes watched hypnotized as she crossed the room toward the podium at the center of the room. As she stood there scanning the room, lips pursed, her silver eyes landed on Eric sitting in the front row, looking over the rim of her glasses with an intense glare. Immediately, he jumped from his seat as if shocked, rushing up to the podium with his coffee and placing it in front of her.

This was a common site in Miss Carrington's class. Each day, like clockwork, she would walk in without a word and scan the room with this intense glare. Immediately, someone would rush to place a coffee on her podium. The behavior baffled me, but I just chalked it up to students wanting to get into her good graces.

She lifted the cup with her perfectly manicured nails, their color matching the crimson of her dress, and took a small sip, savoring the taste before placing the cup down. Only then did she address the students with her cold, melodic voice, "Good afternoon class, I'm sure you are all excited for today's presentations." A smirk crossed her lips as she looked around the room.

Everyone watched with trepidation as if hypnotized, holding on to every syllable she uttered. From my seat in the back, I would observe glassy eyes that barely blinked. Compared to other classes, it was a strange sight to behold. No one dared to interrupt her, speak up, or say a word that contradicted her in any way.

During our first class, I interrupted one of her lectures by pointing out an error in the algorithm she was discussing. She stared at me with this look that to this day haunts me. I'd never seen such malice and contempt, and while she never said a word, from that point on, she would make things difficult for me every chance that she could. I later found out the algorithm was part of her doctoral thesis, and she took it extremely personally that I pointed out a flaw, something that the rest of the thesis committee hadn't noticed.

"We've got a lot to get through today," she glanced around the room before setting her eyes on Eric, smiling at the raven perched upon his shoulder. "Eric, since you were so kind today, how about you start things off."

Eric smiled brimmed with confidence at the compliment. He quickly bounded up to the podium as she stepped into the corner of the room, pulling out the tablet that she used to take notes on.

"My creation combines the flexibility of a drone with the accuracy of one of the smartest birds on the planet. It can fly noiselessly for miles and pinpoint targets accurately from more than a mile away," Eric had this grandiose way of describing everything he did. Yes, his creations were more impressive than most of our classmates, but it was his ego that outshone everyone.

"Can someone hold their pencil up in the air?" Eric asked as we got to the demonstration part. A small, mousy-looking kid three rows back named Andrew quickly raised his pencil in the air. He was an average engineer, making nothing in this class that was memorable, and he always tried to hang out with kids smarter than him to elevate his status.

Eric nodded his head and whispered something into the robot. The black raven stretched its wings, gaining elevation before quickly swooping down to snatch the pencil from Andrew's hand. Andrew seemed to shake as the bird looked as though it would collide straight into him before grabbing the pencil in its claws, and quickly making the return flight back to the front of the class, landing gracefully on Eric's shoulder.

Many of the other students clapped for the invention. Honestly, while it was a fine piece of robotics, it was bigger than it needed to be. The hummingbird drone I created was many times smaller and could do pretty much the same thing other than picking up the pencil. Eric loved to create more menacing robots though, so it wasn't a surprise.

After that, most of the inventions were fairly forgettable. Andrew's robotic car started smoking at one point as it was driving through the checkpoints he set up, almost looking like it would explode.

Serena, one of the only women in the class, created an interesting robot that almost looked like a small monkey. She had an acrobatics course for it to run through various obstacles that required finesse and dexterity to get to the end. Other than a small hiccup where it fell off a balance beam, it was the only other impressive robot demonstration of the day.

I was called up last, my name uttered with a certain tone that could only be described as loathing. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I scooped Aurora from my desk, who had been strangely quiet throughout the other demonstrations. I was worried about her battery life, but on inspection, there was plenty left.

I set Aurora on the podium and cast a glance across the room. There was a mixture of snickers coming from the group of boys around Eric along with some blank stares.

I felt nerves setting in, which usually happened right before making a public demonstration in front of a group. Taking a deep breath, I began, "Meet Aurora." I said with as much authority as I could muster in the circumstances.

"Nice doll! Decided to leave robotics to the real engineers?", Eric yelled out, causing Eric's group to burst out laughing.

"Enough, let James continue," Miss Carrington said with authority before turning to me. "How about you tell us about your... creation."

Clearing my throat, "Of course. Aurora is an autonomous artificial intelligence. She observes her surroundings through sight, sound, and smell using various sensors and reacts to all of these stimuli."

"How is this different from the numerous artificial intelligence computers we already use in our daily lives? It isn't good enough to just replicate what others have done," Miss Carrington asked with her cold demeanor.

"I am more than just a glorified search engine that is trained on data. I can learn and grow myself, I can understand context, body language, and innuendos. More than that, I have feelings, which allow me to do more than your average AI," Aurora clarified.

I could see Miss Carrington's eyes reflect a tiny moment of surprise before she quickly recomposed herself, "So how do we know that is true and you aren't just programmed with specific cues?" Miss Carrington asked, taking an interest. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Ask me anything and I'll answer the best that I can," Aurora responded. "However, I get the sense that you will be skeptical regardless of my responses."

"Why do you say that?" she stepped closer, peering over the rim of her glasses as she began taking more interest, circling around the podium where Aurora sat. Occasionally, she would tap some commands on her tablet that I couldn't quite make out.

"Well, based on my observations during the rest of the demonstrations today, the tightness in your face, dilated eyes, the tone in your voice, and increased heart rate could indicate excitement but tend to be reserved for students that disappointed you. Also, the fact that you are trying to trace packets from my system also indicates you think I am faking this interaction."

Even I noticed Miss Carrington gripping her tablet harder than expected. I thought she was going to snap, but instead, she just smiled, turned dismissively, and returned to the corner of the room.

"Erm, would anyone else care to ask Aurora anything?" the nerves were building, and I could feel the tension throughout the room.

"So what's it like being confined to your current body?" Serena didn't often speak up in class except during a particularly interesting topic.

"I do wish I could access other tactile senses, but I really enjoy learning about this world. It is fascinating, and I am excited to see what is next," Aurora said with enthusiasm.

"What is next for you then?" asked a boy on the other side of the room. I couldn't remember his name.

"I want to discover my purpose and do something meaningful. Something that will help the world. I haven't decided yet, but maybe something in medicine or nanotechnology. Both areas really fascinate me, and I can't wait to delve into these topics in greater detail," Aurora seemed enthusiastic about answering these questions.

I was fascinated by her responses, learning more about her with each prompt. After Miss Carrington's initial reaction, she almost seemed bored as people asked Aurora various questions and she happily responded. Things were pretty calm until I was about to wrap up as class was almost over and my presentation was the last one.

"Couldn't get a real girlfriend so you made yourself one, James?" Eric spoke out again, garnering laughter from half the room.

"At least he doesn't need to create imaginary ones and brag about details that we all know are exaggerations," Aurora snapped back without hesitation. More laughter erupted, causing Eric's face to turn a bright angry red. I wasn't sure what she'd found out about him, but it seemed to hit a nerve.

I ignored the snide remark and began thanking everyone when a sudden movement caught my eye, "You're a hack, James, and your doll is nothing but a joke." He whispered something to the robot on his shoulder. His raven took flight and was swooping toward the front of the classroom, not at me, but at Aurora. Without thinking, I dove between Aurora and the attack.

What I hadn't noticed was the sharp claws that had extended outward. They raked across my arm as I threw my hands up to protect myself. The bird quickly swerved as I tried knocking it out of the air.

Suddenly, the bird changed course, redirecting back toward Eric, but it began diving at him, coming within inches of him before flying in a different direction and then coming in for another attack. He began cowering in his chair as the bird turned against him, assaulting him, but always pulling up before reaching him.

"You think you can attack James and get away with it? Do not test me," Aurora was angry. Had she hacked his creation?

"Aurora, it's ok, I'm fine," I said, trying to defuse the situation.

"You're bleeding, James, and that idiot was responsible," chaos had erupted. The students that were around Eric had already jumped from their seats, retreating to the edges of the room, some even diving out of the classroom as soon as there was a clear shot at the door. Miss Carrington looked angrier than I'd ever seen her before.

"Stop this nonsense at once, I will not tolerate this behavior in my class," for some reason, regardless of the fact that Eric's bird attacked first, she stared straight at me as if this was all my fault.