MasukMy parents have adopted an AI son called Adam. On the day he gets adopted, I get viewed by my family as a nuisance, for some reason. Dad hates how mischievous and cheeky I am. Mom thinks I'm inferior to Adam in every way. My older sister, Sapphire Griffin, even shouts at me. "What else are you capable of doing other than fighting with me over everything?" I feel like crying because the family has turned against me. So, I shove Adam to the floor out of rage. Mom's expression darkens instantly. She then slaps me in the face with all the strength she can muster. "Adam is your little brother! Oh, if only you're just as obedient and understanding as he is! I wouldn't have a building headache because of you! "Well, I want you to study at Elite Smart Academy and learn how to become a docile son!" I'm forced into an exchange program with Adam. That's how I begin studying at Elite Smart Academy. Three years later, my parents and Sapphire pick me up from the academy. When they call out to me, I don't move an inch at all. The director, Bruce Harrison, says with a smile, "Mr. Griffin, you need to say 'Power on, Unit 1314' for it to boot up."
Lihat lebih banyakThe next morning, Mom's eyes were red and puffy from crying.She walked over to me and dropped to her knees with a thud.Dad and Sapphire tried to pull her up, but she shook them off.She looked up at me with tears streaming down her face and choked out each word. "Dexter, I'm your mom. I was wrong. I never should have neglected my own flesh and blood for a cold, lifeless machine."I shouldn't have wanted a compliant puppet. I forgot that you were a real child who cried, threw tantrums, and just needed to be loved. I never should have sent you to that living hell and let you suffer for three long years."I don't need you to obey anymore. I don't need you to be good. No more commands, and no more Unit 1314. I just want my son, Dexter, back."Her words were like a hammer, striking again and again against the thick wall of ice that had frozen over my mind.For the first time in three years, someone was speaking to me without issuing a command.She wasn't demanding that I obey; she
I immediately picked up my fork, speared the chicken wing on my plate, and stuffed it into my mouth, chewing and swallowing mechanically.Mom watched me, and her fork slipped from her hand with a sharp clatter against the table.She clamped a hand over her mouth and bolted into the kitchen. Moments later, I heard the muffled sounds of her sobbing coming from inside.Dad set his fork down, let out a heavy sigh, and looked at me. "Dex, you don't have to wait for commands anymore. Just do whatever you want, okay?"I swallowed the chicken and looked back at him. "Please specify the command." Days bled into weeks like this.They stopped giving me commands. However, without a command, all I could do was sit there, from sunrise to nightfall, like a machine trapped in standby mode.Every day, Mom would sit by my side and tell me stories from when I was little.She talked about how, when I was three, I said "Mom" for the very first time, and she was so ecstatic that she scooped me up a
Mom clung to me. Her voice cracked with every word. "Dex, I was wrong. I was so wrong. We should never have sent you away. We shouldn't have forced you to be compliant, and we shouldn't have broken your heart over a machine. Please, just be our Dexter again, okay?""Is that a command?" I asked.Mom stiffened instantly, and she slowly loosened her embrace.She stared at my expressionless face as if she'd just been stabbed. She collapsed back into her chair. Her face turned deathly pale.Dad walked over. His back was hunched as if he'd aged a decade in a single breath."Dex, I'm sorry," Dad rasped. "I used to think you were just acting out, that you were too much trouble compared to Adam. But seeing you like this… I finally realized that the boy who used to whine and throw tantrums was the son we treasured the most."I remained silent. There were no command keywords in his words, so they didn't qualify as valid input.Sapphire stood up. With tears still clinging to her face, she r
I opened my eyes to a stark white ceiling, but it wasn't the sickly shade found in the academy's training rooms.My whole body throbbed with a dull ache, but it wasn't the sharp sting of an electric shock either.Someone was slumped over the edge of the bed. It was Mom.The door to the hospital room was pushed open a crack, and Dad slipped inside carrying a thermos."Dex, you're finally awake," he whispered. "Your mom has been at your bedside for three days and nights. She refused to leave, no matter what we said."I didn't say anything, as he hadn't given me the "speak" command.Mom stirred. The moment she saw I was awake, she was overcome with emotion. "Dex, you're awake?""Interrogative statements do not constitute a valid command."The words slid out of my mouth like a recording someone had hit play on. There was no emotion behind them and no thought process involved. It was just a hardwired reflex.Mom's tears froze in her eyes. Her grip tightened around my hand. Her nail


















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