Page 45 of Alexis

And when she had offered to help, he’d given her the knife and cutting board and a Maltaffian sweet-melon. Before long, she had lost herself in the soothing sensation of slicing up the sweet, juicy fruit into chunks for the fruit salad.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked him, her mouth a little full.

“Sure,” he chuckled, grabbing his omelet.

They ate in friendly silence, sunlight streaming through the big windows of the little cabin, the scent of breakfast and firewood on the air.

“Good morning, Alexis and Tiago,” Oberon’s voice said with what really sounded like warmth. “I had several activities in mind for you today, but now I have a new one. Would you like to hear about it?”

“Yes, please,” Alexis said.

“This morning, Tiago, you went for a run,” Oberon said. “And you told Dr. Pan that you might be interested in some workout equipment here at the Center after all, is that right?”

“Sure,” Tiago said. “That would be great.”

“And Alexis,” Oberon went on. “When you arrived, you spent your entire waiting period dancing for a significant portion of each day. Would you like to have some time back at the theater?”

“Yes,” she said, sounding so relieved that Tiago felt almost guilty for keeping her from her true love since he arrived.

“Then why don’t we plan for each of you to spend a few hours working out,” Oberon suggested. “You can get back together for lunch and then we’ll pick up on shared activities from there.”

“Thank you, Oberon,” Alexis said with feeling.

The fire burned a little brighter and Tiago almost thought it was Oberon blushing. Maybe he was a little more than just an AI after all.

They finished their meals and then got ready to go work out.

Half an hour later, Tiago was standing alone in the best-equipped gym he had ever seen.

Though recording what happened at the Center was strictly forbidden for participants, he stood there for a moment, wondering if it might be worth it to break the rules. This was a dream set-up, and he’d love to try to replicate it back home.

“Is everything to your liking?” Oberon asked.

“What?” Tiago said, almost jumping. “Oh, uh, yeah. It’s great. I was just wishing I was allowed to make a recording of it to bring home so I can try to have something similar designed for me.”

The lights glowed a little brighter and his bracelet buzzed.

“I have just sent you the blueprint as well as detailed notes about each piece of equipment,” Oberon said. “It is most gratifying to hear that you are in favor of this design. I studied your fights with great interest and designed this according to your strengths.”

“And my weaknesses,” Tiago chuckled, gazing over at the balance challenger and the foam-pit-walk.

“Everyone has a weakness,” Oberon acknowledged. “It is what makes you real. And overcoming it makes an excellent story. Like the Ardoovian legend of the Warrior Ryyy and the wit. Or the Terran tale of the man-boxer, Rocky. These great myths are part and parcel of your proud biological heritage.”

“Some days it doesn’t feel so proud,” Tiago said, heading over to a weight machine.

“What do you mean?” Oberon asked.

“If I were a machine. I could just program myself,” Tiago said, setting up the middle limit of weights.

A hologram image of a young woman appeared in the air in front of him. She was meant to signify the weight of the cells he was lifting.

“That’s possible but not likely,” Oberon said. “It’s more likely someone else would program you.”

“True,” Tiago agreed, lifting the weights.

The hologram girl giggled as she sailed into the air and was lowered again.

“Any way to turn off the sound?” Tiago asked.

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