It's hard for me to come up with good titles

[failedpromise]

Who: Cortana and ...you?
When: Early December
Where: ADI building
Summary: Cortana is still adjusting to the constraints of her new body… and she’s very much not adjusting to the sudden weirdness that is going on with the ADI building.
Warnings: Mentions of drowning, possibility of Cortana doubting/not trusting her own experiences, will warn for anything else.



A)

"You know, I hadn’t really considered the possible issues of this particular challenge." Cortana muses to herself as she watches other people learning to swim in survival class. She’s sitting this one out for now – her body is a little too dense for actual swimming – but it’s brought up some questions that she might want to get an answer to sooner rather than later.

Getting wet won’t destroy her, she knows. She can even submerge herself for a little while before it starts to cause damage. But. She’s physically incapable of breathing, of experiencing oxygen deprivation (The literal kind, at least. The general sensation of being out of breath is something she’s unfortunately entirely capable of feeling, albeit stemming from not intaking and processing data instead of air.) as an organic would, and she’s discovered that abilities that go beyond what is typically defined as humanly possible might affect her breaking her connection with the Eye.

Even if she can’t just stay under water, even if it’s damaging to her, even if her inability to swim actually means that bodies of water pose an incredible risk… will that lack of actual breathing compromise her efforts? And what will she do if she gets stranded in the middle of a deep pond or lake or caught in a flood? Give up and die?

She sighs. She really ought to figure out some sort of protocol for this sort of situation, even if she currently plans to avoid deep water entirely.

B)

She might have had to give up a lot of her abilities when she transitioned to her new form, but memory is one thing that Humans can possess on a level to rival an AI (even if such a thing is extraordinarily rare), and so that is one part of herself that she’s kept.

Even if she has some trouble with trusting herself nowadays.

It is thus quite jarring when she turns into what every part of her mind says is the hallway that leads to the stairwell only to find herself at the door to the canteen. Immediately, she comes to a halt and stares, blinking.

What? She wasn’t even on the right floor. Seeing someone else nearby, she attempts to catch their attention.

"Excuse me. I know this is a bit of an odd question, but can you tell me what floor we’re on?"

C)

Well, that sure was an experience.

She’d spent a whole day having to re-memorize her internal map of the building she’d been working in for almost a year now, only to have things abruptly return to their original layout. It was ...deeply disconcerting, especially as most people she had questioned seemed to think that nothing was amiss, either during or after the switch.

The evening after her experience finds her in the library, looking through every scrap of information she can find on the ADI headquarters building and its layout. She’s found or purchased a notebook somewhere and has copied down everything about how the building is supposed to be and all the changes from her experience, including simple hand drawn maps of the areas that she explored that day and the normal building layout for comparison. She doesn’t have the experience sketching and drawing things that Dr. Halsey has, but she does have the basics of the skill and the previously mentioned perfect memory, so the maps aren’t pretty but they’re easy to read and accurate. She’s poring over them and muttering to herself obsessively. She doesn’t even look up at anyone who approaches.

...Wanna bother her?

Comments

[fightinginfinity]

[ It's fair that Cortana finds herself stumped over what Tony's doing these days, especially since he's generally quite vocal about his work (in addition to, you know, nearly everything else in his life); he's been rather secretive about many of his projects lately, even going so far as to relegate himself to his room most evenings to tinker away in lieu of his usual practice of sprawling all over the living area. Truly unusual indeed.

It certainly doesn't sound like Tony is up to anything sketchy, though, as his music has been blaring just as loudly as it always does, and he only hears Cortana because she was lucky enough to knock while he was switching songs. ]

Oh, shit-- Yeah? Come in, door's unlocked.

[failedpromise]

(She really wants to know what the Hell he's doing. Hopefully, given how adamant she is about breaking her entity connection, he'll know better than to let her in on any potential avatar stuff. Unless he, you know, wants an earful and also probably an intervention where he gets another earful.

She eyerolls internally at the loud music.)

It's a miracle the neighbors haven't murdered us yet, you know. (She's not actually all that bothered, though she is impressed by the soundproofing these units have. She looks at the walls with an appreciative glance.)

I know I've already asked for a lot. (She casts her eyes downward, more than a little ashamed. She can't help him with his armor in return even like they planned. She'd need to be an avatar to do anything beyond the bare minimum most likely, and that's not happening.) But I think I need your help.

[fightinginfinity]

[ Don't worry Cortana! Mum is the word about secret projects and potential avatars and zombie movies, proving that Tony learns not only from his mistakes in the battlefield but from his interpersonal relationships with women as well. Round of applause for him! The fact that Cortana could easily snap his spine over her knee if she wants to has nothing to do with it whatsoever.

Aaaanyway. ]

It's a miracle half the people I've met in my lifetime haven't murdered me yet, and that's not for lack of trying, mind you. [ .... ] Like, a lot of trying. A lot a lot.

[ Seriously, understatement of the century. Tony put the tunes on pause, out of courtesy of course, then turns to Cortana with his arms crossed over his chest and a 'you have my full attention' look on his face. Just the look, though; he can only give her as much attention as he can give anybody while living in possession of a brain that fires way too many processes at once. ]

Okay, shoot. Unless you're about to ask for a loan, in which case you're shit out of luck, since the odds of me making the Forbes' World's Billionaires list this year is pretty slim.

[failedpromise]

(It might be a reasonable fear considering her past, but Cortana would be sad to know that that might be a factor in his reasoning.

She adores him, at least for now. She wouldn't kill him.)

Somehow, that's not surprising.

(As much as she likes him, Tony is definitely the sort to get himself in that kind of trouble. Especially since, you know, it's pretty clear that he was some sort of fighter in his home universe.)

Still, it'd be interesting to know what ADI uses for their soundproofing.

(She snorts, then smiles awkwardly. Money would be nice, but it's not what she's after.)

So it turns out that even relatively ordinary AI capabilities draw entity power. If I want this to work, I'm going to have to lose them.

[fightinginfinity]

[ The feelings of genuine fondness are definitely mutual, though Tony's own cocktail of emotions are spiked with a slim shot of something vaguely, quietly paternal. That's pretty much an inevitability where any of his AI kids are concerned-- and while Cortana isn't Tony's per se, not the way JARVIS and FRIDAY (and Ultron) were, he's still responsible for her in a lot of ways and doesn't take that position lightly.

Which is why Tony takes his jokey demeanor down a notch (just a notch) and sets down the tool he'd been holding, sticking a pin in what he'd been working on before she'd walked in. Whatever that had been. ]

What do we mean by 'relatively ordinary' here? [ Tony's brow furrows, his tone hesitant. ] Just so I know how worried I need to be.

[failedpromise]

(There are probably a lot of potential jokes about that, stuff about how she doesn't have a father so the slot is open, or whether he really wants a paternal relationship considering who her mom is... but honestly Cortana would be surprised to know he felt that way. She sees him as a friend and herself as somewhat of a burden.)

Well, I don't think I need to find a way to eat, at least. (She grimaces, then looks visibly relieved at that thought - figuring digestion out would be a nightmare.) But ...I don't think I can ever link to or transfer myself between different systems anymore. Or operate at accelerated timescales. (Her voice goes small and awfully quiet, and she doesn't look at him. She'd be giving up everything that makes her useful. It feels like a betrayal of sorts to this person who has done so much to help her. How will she repay him now?

Nevermind the logistics of trying to limit an AI like her to human timeframes without completely and irreperably screwing her up.)

[fightinginfinity]

Ah...yeah. [ Tony winces. ] Shoulda called that. S'why I can't run my suit here, not without a proper interface. Told you about FRIDAY, right? No matter what I do, I can't seem to create a replacement for her, that's why I asked y--

[ Oh.

Well, that explains the long face. Arms still folded, Tony relaxes his stance a little bit and leans down, turning his head slightly and making a pretty good show of physical comedy as he tries to meet Cortana's downcast eyes. ]

Hey, come on. Don't look so glum. I'll live. [ For now, anyway. ]

[failedpromise]

Sorry.

(Despite the reassurance, she still doesn't look at him. It's hard for her, a creature used to being useful, whose entire self-worth is based around her capabilities, to feel like she has nothing to offer. Even harder when he's already done so much for her.

Hardest of all when so many people from her world have tried to discard her when she ceased to be useful.)

As it is, I wouldn't be able to help anyway: my own abilities require an entity, and I'm trying not to become an avatar.

(It feels like a poor excuse.)

[fightinginfinity]

[ Yeah, no, that's not gonna do. Tony won't have her feeling guilty because he can't operate his own damn suit. ]

Hey, it's fine. I mean it. We're gonna figure this out.

[ Ever since he discovered just how complex Cortana's programming is, Tony has had a vested interest in maintaining its stability-- because she's his friend, of course, but also because he knows what happens when an AI goes completely rogue. She knows, too. ]

Just tell me what you need.

[failedpromise]

(She does know. She also knows there's a much easier way to keep an AI from breaking down and going nuts than putting in all this work.

It's just that said method involves terminating the afflicted AI.

A part of her thinks that what he should do. Another part is terrified of that turning out to be right.)

I ...I've never ...No one's ever done anything like this before.

(She can't bring herself to say it, but she doesn't quite know what she needs or how to go about constraining herself in this way. Removing wireless and transfer capabilities is one thing, but some parts of her rely on being able to function at AI speed. Is there a way to limit her so that she's functionally slowed to Human timeframes while still ensuring those vital functions are able to properly operate?)

[fightinginfinity]

[ Predictably, that statement doesn’t seem to make Tony doubt himself at all. On the contrary, he perks up like a puppy who just heard the word ‘walk’. ]

Again I’d like to stress that the hands you were in before weren’t mine, and were therefore inferior by default.

[ He’s light on his feet as he goes to power up his suit, as if hit with a surge of energy. You know just what gets him excited, Cortana. ]

I can manually wire you up this time, so no Entity powers required. I just wanna run some diagnostics first.

[failedpromise]

I'm going to take that as an insult to my mother and not the Chief.

(The look in her eyes isn't angry, but she is unimpressed. John did everything he could for her, and even if he doesn't really understand AI he is absolutely off limits. Her mother is not, but Cortana does still love her.

Her expression is one of trepidation as she watches him power up the suit. His enthusiasm clearly isn't shared.)

Alright.

[fightinginfinity]

Me? Insult someone? [ Tony momentarily pauses his rummaging and gasps, slapping a hand over his heart, mock-offended. ] Never. That was a statement of objective fact, Dot Matrix. Can't argue with facts.

[ Necessary equipment in hand, Tony walks back to Cortana and sets her up, which doesn't take more than a minute or so. It's still a minute or so of silence that he can't stand, though, so he fills it with (surprisingly melodic) humming in lieu of his usual music until he's finished. ]

Okay, all set. [ Before Tony goes to suit up, though, he lingers near her for just a second. ] I really didn't mean to talk smack about your guy, you know. Just making sure that's well-established before you and I literally hook up. Again.

[failedpromise]

(Congrats Tony, she's actually flustered now! Watch her as she spends a whole half a second trying not to descend into awkward sputtering!)

You know, I'd say you didn't have to put it like that but I'd be a hypocrite, wouldn't I?

(She focuses on checking over everything to make sure the setup is right. She has very little doubt that it is, but it's something to do. Not that she can really get a good look, since most of her 'hookups' are on her back, near her emergency heat vents. Yes, this means any sort of connection or maintenance requires her to take off her shirt. It also requires peeling away the skin on her back, so enjoy that bit of weirdness. She wanted to look as human as she could even without the illusion, and that's the price.)

[fightinginfinity]

Absolutely. It would be completely against protocol.

[ Tony beams, pleased with himself for having successfully lightened the mood. With how...unpleasant things got last time, he wants this experience to be as painless for her as possible, and will therefore resort to stupid innuendos as many times as he deems necessary. You've been warned, Cortana. ]

Okay, running basic diagnostics now. Should only take a second. We're both batting in the dark here, so I'm anticipating some bumps in the road, but don't worry. I won't let anything catastrophic happen.

[failedpromise]

(You know, she much prefers it being the other way around, with other people struggling not to react to her innuendos.

She huffs at him, but the pouty awkwardness doesn't last long.)

Don't worry, I know it wouldn't be like you to disappoint a girl.

(...Yes, she does mean it that way. Cortana is also a make jokes to comfort herself and others sort of person.)

[fightinginfinity]

[ Tony laughs. That's the spirit! Confident that they're both on the same wavelength, Tony runs his initial scans to form a baseline for him to work with, and to compare to the logs he still has from their first, uh...hookup. ]

Okay, initial scans complete. Talk to me.

[failedpromise]

(Well, she's actually doing a lot better! The pain and horror she's experienced aren't just going to erase themselves, but without the conditions that had pushed her so far in the first place and with the assistance of a competent programmer, she is, in fact, continuing to recover. Of course, given that she was already surviving and starting to repair herself despite damage that should have bricked her several times over and would have bricked just about any other AI, it's probably not that shocking, but still.

He can probably see her own amusement spike in response to his laughter.

...It really says something that her situation here is that much of an improvement over home, doesn't it?)

Hello, Tony. (She looks at him, on the verge of laughter herself. What? He didn't specify what she should say...)