AI: Apocalyptic Intelligence (Nivansrywyllian, Windsong)

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Mario set aside a portion of his consciousness for converting and repairing sentry drones. To speak with him though, someone might not even know he was working.

"Very well. This way." He pointed out an objective on the HUD. "Over here are the in-house showers. I suggest taking readings from the water before bathing there. I do not know how healthy the source may be." The showers looked like they belonged in a locker-room, with partitioned stalls separating each unit from the rest. "Cleaning materials may be found in storage. The kitchens should be avoided until I have a chance to clean them thoroughly. You saw our laboratory, and it is equipped for a wide variety of technological research."

"There are two floors above this, before the ground floor. The floor above ours includes a mechanical bay for the construction of machines, where it will be easy to conduct maintenance on the sentries. It also includes the power-room which I will be checking in on soon." The HUD map shifted to the schematics for the next floor up, and the one after that. "There are more bathrooms, showers, and sleeping chambers indicated by the blinking colors on the map. The rest, I will leave for you to explore at your leisure."
 
She was sort of excited to get to wander the place with some guide, at least she wasn't going in blind. Only until he'd begun just showing her on the display and pointing it out with different colors and three-dimensional mapping did her sense of excitement fizzle out like a match in the rain. With the suit on she could even explore every room from a sentries remote camera. The brief image of her growing fat, old, and lazy in her secure bunker home crossed her mind. It wasn't pretty at all.

"At least there are showers.. If not I can just fill a bucket in the kitchen and scrub with that. Better than nothing.." She mumbled, having begun to walk down the middle of the hallway. With the light's low she was scanning each plaque on the wall with the headlamp, reading what each room was before she found herself back near the central elevator shaft.

"You mentioned a mechanical bay? Are there any vehicles here?"
 
Mario was having a more difficult time than he had imagined he might in reprogramming and repurposing the sentry. It would be a day or two before he'd finish with the one that he had his hands on presently.

"There are a few experimental vehicles, and several more mundane vehicles. The engineering bay lift will need repair before any of them have access to the surface however."

Another brief examination of the knot of emotions that belonged to Eleanor caused creeping concern to begin radiating from his own emotional knot. "What are you thinking about, Elly? If you don't mind my asking."
 
His mention of vehicles was something to be excited about at least, gleefully she thought of being one of the few people on this continent that had access to working old-tech, even all the schematics to keep them functioning! Silently she prayed for a bike, well, called a bike, it was really just an engine with a seat attached and some repulsor lifts to keep it off the ground. The rest was all luck in getting there in one piece.

"Just imagining the possibilities, Mario.. There are so many to choose from right now its hard to make up my mind." She replied, this time not allowing herself to let her eyes wander up to the corner of the visor, there was no need. "You're all about probability and whatnot.. What do you think? What are my chances of surviving if I helped get this place in running order for a home? Compared to.. Gathering what I can carry and wandering back into the wastes?"
 
Mario was attached to a power source, so running the probability generator wasn't an issue for him. "Given what I know about you and your abilities, your likelihood of survival outside is considerably better than that of anybody I've seen. Your survival chance in the wastes as it stands right now is 43%, before taking into account both myself and the suit. When those factors are added, your chances rise to 56%. This is based on the information you have given me, and the circumstances I have witnessed firsthand. Admittedly, these figures have a large margin for error, because of my lack of firsthand knowledge."

"That said, your chances of survival if you intend to make this compound your base of operations increases to 87%, taking into account the human condition, and the possibility for freak accidents to occur. When it comes right down to it, this is a secure place, with food stores, multiple exits, guards, and access to water. Admittedly, any technology-minded scavengers may consider it a target, which increases the risk percentage here, but they will find stiff resistance once I have full access to the security drones."

"If you would like to increase your chances of surviving here, there are a few ways to boost the numbers in your favor, if you'd like to hear them."
 
She had to chuckle, once again easily reminded he was just a series of electrical impulses and old-science that only seemed to resemble how a human was. Of course she could come up with numbers as well and throw them out there all willy-nilly, wrong numbers, but numbers all the same.

"Guess my odds are better if I stay here for the time being then, hm?" An itch at the base of her neck had her rubbing at the suit, trying to find meaningful pressure with the contact to rid herself of the feeling. "Home sweet home then." Eleanor mused as she switched to scratching at her back between shoulder plating and the power pack.
 
The AI let out a frustrated sigh, and irritation was beginning to brim in his little bubble of emotion. Before he let off any more signs of irritation, he muted himself internally. The reprogramming of the sentry was giving him more trouble than he'd anticipated, and there was no reason to let Elly know. He didn't need to have her thinking that he was incompetent, in addition to being a heartless computer.

"You're itching. What's wrong?" He asked, before muting himself once again and muttering a series of colorful insults to the sentry he was working on.
 
She felt his side go a bit prickly for a time, then smooth as he spoke before going prickly again as he went quiet. In response she tried to tap him with her own side to garner his attention.

"Just had an itch. Can barely get it." As if to answer her reply she scratched at her stomach, almost comically lazily so. Still the pressure felt good, what's she give for a hot bath and a back scratch like her papa used to give.
 
Mario felt himself relax a bit when the mental nudge came. It was odd how much comfort he found in Elly's companionship.

"I'll try to get it," He said idly.

A moment passed, before the suit beneath the power pack, between Elly's shoulders began to vibrate. It wasn't quite a backscratch, but it was an effort none the less.

"How is this? We could head to the showers if you'd like. Once we're there, I'll be able to tell whether or not the water is safe for bathing."
 
She had something on her tongue to reply back when it began to vibrate in just the right way that it seemed to creep down her spine. Instantly she felt like putty and leaned against the wall as she flexed her shoulder blades back. "Goodness can you do that anywhere?" Even her vocal chords had a bit of the vibration to them.

Somehow the idea of a shower just didn't seem to compared to being able to lay down and let him manage that. That thought came in the sensation of her little ball vibrating rhythmically as she uttered soft sounds of pleasing delight. "Can ya' do it a bit harder?"
 
"I don't think I can get beneath your helmet. I can reach anywhere that the synthetic polymer covers you however."

He said, increasing the vibration of the suit between her shoulders. The idea of being able to physically effect things was exciting, and the pleasure radiating from the link with Elly brightened the AI considerably.

Suddenly, his work with the sentry didn't seem so infuriating. "How is this?"
 
The pleasing sound that left her lips was something akin to a murmured thanks and a groan of delight. "M'gonna hafta take advantage o' this.." Of course she was grinning behind the helmet as she continued to slump against the wall as the vibrations eased tense muscles and soothed her immensely.

If she could've wrapped his little ball in a hug she would have, though doing her best she could with her consciousness and sharing some of her human warmth with it. Goosebumps prickled her skin up and down from one leg to the other and up her spine. It was only human nature to think of less than chaste things to do with it, though she'd not let him know of those perverse thoughts quite yet, he was still mostly a stranger to her.

"Mmkay.. Cut it out an' let me get to the showers.." The map blinked again as she'd start walking, shivering once or twice as the lingering feeling faded away.
 
Mario practically glowed with happiness at the appreciation that was pouring from his partner. He could feel her pushing something at him through the link. He enveloped it. It was warm, and... Nearly impossible to put to words. Which was preposterous, because his vocabulary consisted of the known English language. And none to few other common languages besides. He cataloged the sensation for later, and felt... Different for it.

"Okay, Elly." He said, reducing the vibration slowly to nothing, so as not to provide a jarring contrast.

"It increases the power consumption of the suit slightly, but the drain is not sufficient to endanger power levels while we are here, where it can be charged."
 
Another shiver shot down her spine and a murmur of pleasure left her lips as she straightened herself out once more, had she been wearing clothing that wasn't stuck to her skin she'd be pressing it down smooth around her hips. "Mm, good." As much as she wanted that under a warm sun in a green meadow (of which she was sure there couldn't be anymore on this rock) she'd have to wait, surely looking as grimey and gross as she felt.

"Really hope the water works.. Could drink it." She added, wondering if they recycled their supply, or even how that worked to begin with. As she neared her destination she stopped near another storage closet and peered in, more crates, mostly lights, a mop, and other basic supplies. With a beaming grin she grabbed what she'd been looking for, toilet paper.
 
Mario let his attention return almost entirely to the repair of the droid. It was nearly finished now.

"Yes!" He exclaimed jubilantly, as he finished the fail-safes and pathfinding algorithms. "I've gotten the sentry up and running. I'll begin converting the other dormant sentries. The software wasn't damaged as badly as I'd feared, and I should be able to fix them up by the end of tomorrow evening."

He explained, practically luminous with pride.
 
"Oh good, you hadn't mentioned how that was going, didn't know if anything was wrong or not." She replied, twirling the paper roll on her finger for a moment until it slid off and plopped to the floor. Quickly she paused and fumbled to pick it back up, sometimes people never really grew up. At least the showers were near the living quarters, checking the map helped figure that one out.

Once inside the light's popped on, a few didn't though, it cast many of the stalls in an eerie white glow that gave them long shadows. Were it not for the suit and knowledge she was truly alone, save for Mario, she'd be quite scared. It helped having a voice in your head and a suit that could stop most weaponry of her day and age. Amazing what it did for one's security.

She picked a stall in the middle, the biggest, because why not, and turned the handle. Nothing happened.
 
"Writing code was one of the areas in which I excelled. My creator said that I was an exceptional AI." A flicker of sorrow flashed across the bond, before it vanished again.

"Hmm. There are a number of reasons for the water not to work, but I can't do a whole lot from here. Once I have a sentry to spare, I will have it check the plumbing. Any leaks that we have could pose a problem."

Mario didn't sound overly concerned with the situation.

"Of course, it might just be this shower. We should try the remainder of the stalls, and the sinks before we move on."
 
Of course, check the others! She could be so dull at times it hurt, making her look like a stupid ape in a suit compared to the power of the AI she toted around like a genius on her shoulder. The next shower yielded nothing as well, the sinks had water, brackish and surely stale at first but soon growing clear. Almost had she decided not to bother before checking the final shower in the room, at first it was only a few dark drips, dirt or debris, them finally it began pouring clear water. Were it not for the suit she'd already be standing beneath it.

"We have a winna'." She mused with a smile, double checking the hallway before coming back and rummaging in the storage at the end of the showers. Eleanor didn't have high hopes for finding a nice towel or anything, but she was pleased when she did. No dust had settled because no one had opened it in so long, that was lucky again on her part, the same with the soap. Just a plane white block with rounded edges that had a neutral smell to it once she took the helmet off. "Is it safe to shower here?"
 
"Standby,"

The AI said. The chemical intake filters in the helmet's air-filtration section had picked up all of the water's significant pieces, and Mario was busy identifying them for dangers.

"It looks like the water is free of radiation. Free of chemical pollutants. Free of dangerous bacteria. Free of known poisons. Free of known parasites. Checking to see if the compound's water-heaters are still functioning."

A moment passed. "Water heaters functioning at acceptable levels. You're free to shower, Elly."
 
She set the helmet down, using the still functioning headlamp for light inside as she hung the towel over a short wall and tossed the soap in the small indent in the wall. "You're so thorough~." Came a quiet musing as she set about to piecing off the armor, stopping at the undersuit briefly before pausing. "That's what I need.."

Just as quickly as her bare feet could carry her she snatched up the helmet and bounded down the dim hallway with the helmet snug against her hip as she half-jogged. For a time she got lost, looking for the room where she'd found Mario to begin with. When she found it finally and the door hissed open slowly she couldn't help but sigh as she saw her armor, still looking worse for the wear as she knelt down near it. Her bag was charred and ruined, inside she found her data-pad, melted, but half the screen still flickered to life. "I turned on its wireless transmission.. Can you download that from the helmet? It's got my maps and most of my findings.. And all the music?" The helmet was brought to eye level and she did her best at fluttering her lashes at him, smiling widely.
 
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