[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + Nathan Havelock

Jack harrumphed, "Total lack of ambition if you ask me. I for one look forward to the inevitable rise of our robotic overlords. The world would be a better place with a bit more cold, emotionless logic in it." This doctor was obviously not stupid, which was refreshing. Jack didn't spend much time with people as in their experience most people were, in a word, dull. This doctor was clearly not quite on Jack's level, but he could at least keep up for a time. Jack was quite enjoying the attention in fact. Unfortunately the doctor was becoming boringly adherent to the rules now, although not without good reason. Jack probably wouldn't have trusted themselves in this situation. On the other hand, Jack had prepared for this. "Not to ring my own bell or anything. But I'm what could be considered a gifted individual. Pretty much always had been. Even before 'The Event' and that's why you should trust me." They leaned forwards, "Not just cause I've always been clever, but because when I was younger I worked with Dr Julia Foster." They couldn't help, with their theatrical bent, putting extra stress on the name. Jack had done their research on the doctor they would be seeing today, and they had chosen Nathan Havelock specifically because of the link they had. It had been a wonderful stroke of fortune, but not so hard to believe. Nathan came from money, not unlike Jack, it made sense that he would have been educated at the only Pre-Med to MD program in the state. The same place that Jack had spent some time when it had become apparent that they were more intelligent than their peers. Their father might have been unimpressed, but the private school Jack was enrolled in had thought his gifts something to be nurtured. Dr Foster had agreed, but had been surprised when she discovered that Jack had been concealing the true scale of their intellect. They still corresponded occasionally, and Jack was fond of the grey haired lady. "Call her, ask her about Jack Fontaine."

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[Nathan Havelock]

Testing My Patients

For a moment, Nate allowed himself to indulge in the vision of a robot uprising. Then, he fixed Jack with a quizzical look. “You think the robotic overlords would be cold and emotionless? I think it’d be more interesting if hyper-advanced AI took over and they had all the emotion of humanity – and then some. Way more fun if you ask me. If anything, the world was better off before humans started trying to apply logic to it.”

Was he disagreeing for disagreement’s sake, or did he actually believe that? Nate wasn’t too sure – only that he couldn’t back a whole without emotion. That sounded boring.

Jack finally pulled out their trump card that they’d obviously been reserving for this moment, and Nate had to admit that it was a successful one. Julia Foster was a kind and witty woman, whose sage advice and innovative thinking had propelled Nate towards a variety of interesting research projects while completing his MD. More importantly, however – the experienced Consultant Psychiatrist was an expert in the art of reading people. If she not only knew Jack, but well enough for Jack to use her as a name-drop, then clearly Jack wasn’t some sinister figure looking to access confidential patient information as some kind of plan for world domination.

“Dr Foster! Awesome!”

Nate beamed widely.

“I certainly will call her – that’s one long overdue phone call anyway. Until she confirms that you’re not some secret super villain, I’ll hold off on reporting this appointment. But…”

He leaned back in his chair.

“Jack Fontaine, I bet you’re pretty much always bored. Get in touch some time. I know you’ve figured out I’m not your typical stuffy MNRU doctor and I’ve got to say you’re a pretty refreshing person to hang out with.”

Nate held back from using the word “kid” at the last minute. He had a feeling that the seventeen-year-old wouldn’t like that one bit, even if that’s exactly what they were underneath all the bravado and super intelligence.

Jack Fontaine

334 words

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[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + Nathan Havelock

Jack raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "I doubt that they'd be considering whether or not you think their rise to power is interesting or… fun." They shrugged, "Logic only becomes illogical once you attempt to view it through emotional lenses. That then introduces the flaws." Jack knew that from experience. One of their earlier experiments had been in the vein of artificial intelligence. And it had been successful. Erys was self-aware, capable of rational thought, and able to make decisions in much the same way any human would be able to. Erys was also completely, ice cold, insane. Jack still hadn't worked out just what had gone wrong in the programming, they had created Erys when in the throes of one of their obsessions, and the resulting international meltdown had only been narrowly averted when they had managed to contain the AI within a physical prison. The Roomba Erys now inhabited was clearly bad tempered, though entirely unable to access the internet or any other sort of digital device. They also kept the house virtually spotless. At least the ground floor, the parts of it that it was allowed in. Jack was confident that there was no way for the AI to escape the Roomba, at least not without some seriously intelligent help, but it wasn't worth taking the risk that it might disturb something in the workshop. "Yeah she is." Jack smiled, perhaps the first genuine smile they had given while they were here. "Always bored, you have no idea, really." The offer was a surprise, but not an unpleasant one, and Jack found themselves seriously considering it. Nathan hadn't been boring, or at least he wasn't yet, and taken in small doses, Jack believed they could stretch that out to last a little while longer. "Maybe I'll take you up on that."

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