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Nov. 30th, 2005 11:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gone_byebye"What's wrong, Daddy?" asked Ecto as the hearse swung away from the curb and out into traffic.
"Hm?" said Ray, whose attention was more on the avenue shoppers than anything else.
"That was a bookstore," said the car. And that was it.
Ray blinked, avoiding a knot of people who'd opted to take advantage of the mayor's total lack of interest in jaywalking in the Village. "Yeah, so?"
"Well, you like bookstores," the car pointed out. "You're always happy when you come out of them. And you talk when you're happy. A lot."
She's known me less than a fortnight and she's already got me nailed… Ray sighed, but there was a touch of a wry smile tugging at his face as he answered. "You've got me there, kiddo," he answered. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about stuff."
"What kind of stuff?' asked Ecto curiously.
Ray eased down on the brake, pulling the hearse to a stop a few inches short of the crosswalk. As he waited for the light to change, he said, "I bought some books today for a friend of mine."
"A here-friend or a Milliways friend?" the car guessed.
"The latter. John Preston."
"Oh, the guy from the scary future?"
"Yeah." He hadn't told her about the movie yet. That would come later.
"What kind of books?"
He glanced down at the bag. "Some history," he said. "Some philosophy. Some political stuff." The light turned green; he tapped on the gas. "They don't have books like that in his time any more."
"That's sad. Books are good," said Ecto. "Is that why you're sad?"
"A little," Ray admitted, "but that's not the big thing. It's sort of… well, I'm thinking about you, that's all."
A human might have blinked. Ecto just made an incredulous beep.
"The philosophy books are about freedom, Ecto. I can't really help John learn about how to help his people learn to think and act for themselves again without thinking about other people thinking and acting for themselves."
There was a pause. Then: "People like me?"
"Yeah," said Ray. "People like you."
"But I thought you wanted me to do stuff for myself!" Ecto protested. "Why's that a bad thing?"
"It's not bad, kiddo. It's not bad at all," Ray hastened to reassure her. "It just reminded me that I didn't think of something."
The car maintained an expectant silence.
"It's just that if you get to think for yourself, and act for yourself, then you get to make your own decisions and choices. When you're ready, I mean," Ray added. "You're still learning yet, so it's best to take that stuff slowly- but if you're going to be a real person, you're going to have to decide all kinds of things for yourself someday."
"Like what?"
Ray took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Like whether you want to keep doing Ghostbusting work," he said.
The AI's silence had a stunned texture to it that time. Ray wondered if he'd offended her somehow-
"Why not?" Ecto demanded, her tone just short of a child's wail. "Don't you want me to?"
"Of course I do, sweetie!" Ray answered. "I'd love you to!"
"You think I'm going to want to leave?"
"I- no," Ray answered, willing his shoulders to stop hunching with worry. "I don't think you want to. I'm just. . . afraid that you might. . . you know, change your mind."
One of the dashboard gauges made an unhappy little hum. "I'm not ever gonna change my mind, Daddy," Ecto said.
How do you know? Ray wanted to ask, but he held his tongue. Instead he said, "Why not?"
"Because you and Uncle Winston and Uncle Egon and Uncle Peter and Aunt Janine need me," the car said simply. "And because I like it."
"You were pretty scared two days ago when that Class Seven tried to attack us," Ray pointed out. "There's probably gonna be a lot more of that. All the time. And it'll be totally crazy at some times of year."
"Yeah, but that's okay," Ecto assured him. "You fixed it."
Ray blinked. "I didn't fix anything," he said. "Winston trapped it-"
"No, Daddy." Was that a laugh in her voice? "That night. When you read to me."
"… that was fixing it?"
"I'm only scared of stuff I don't know about," Ecto said.
"There's a lot of stuff you don't know about yet," Ray pointed out.
"Yeah, but I can learn."
"Okay," Ray conceded, "I can see that. But what if you change your mind?"
"I'm not gonna," Ecto said confidently. "You guys need me."
For an unprogrammed AI, Ray thought, she was sure showing signs of having inborn directives every bit as ironclad as Kitt's or Eddie's. "You sure?"
"Yep."
"Even if I told you that you could do whatever you wanted, go wherever you wanted?"
"I can't go up stairs," Ecto pointed out. "They go crunch."
"I'm not even gonna ask how you found that out. I just want to be sure-"
"I'm not leaving you, Daddy," Ecto said. "Not as long as you guys don't leave me."
He rested his hand on the middle of the steering wheel and smiled. "Never while I'm alive, kiddo."
"Hm?" said Ray, whose attention was more on the avenue shoppers than anything else.
"That was a bookstore," said the car. And that was it.
Ray blinked, avoiding a knot of people who'd opted to take advantage of the mayor's total lack of interest in jaywalking in the Village. "Yeah, so?"
"Well, you like bookstores," the car pointed out. "You're always happy when you come out of them. And you talk when you're happy. A lot."
She's known me less than a fortnight and she's already got me nailed… Ray sighed, but there was a touch of a wry smile tugging at his face as he answered. "You've got me there, kiddo," he answered. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about stuff."
"What kind of stuff?' asked Ecto curiously.
Ray eased down on the brake, pulling the hearse to a stop a few inches short of the crosswalk. As he waited for the light to change, he said, "I bought some books today for a friend of mine."
"A here-friend or a Milliways friend?" the car guessed.
"The latter. John Preston."
"Oh, the guy from the scary future?"
"Yeah." He hadn't told her about the movie yet. That would come later.
"What kind of books?"
He glanced down at the bag. "Some history," he said. "Some philosophy. Some political stuff." The light turned green; he tapped on the gas. "They don't have books like that in his time any more."
"That's sad. Books are good," said Ecto. "Is that why you're sad?"
"A little," Ray admitted, "but that's not the big thing. It's sort of… well, I'm thinking about you, that's all."
A human might have blinked. Ecto just made an incredulous beep.
"The philosophy books are about freedom, Ecto. I can't really help John learn about how to help his people learn to think and act for themselves again without thinking about other people thinking and acting for themselves."
There was a pause. Then: "People like me?"
"Yeah," said Ray. "People like you."
"But I thought you wanted me to do stuff for myself!" Ecto protested. "Why's that a bad thing?"
"It's not bad, kiddo. It's not bad at all," Ray hastened to reassure her. "It just reminded me that I didn't think of something."
The car maintained an expectant silence.
"It's just that if you get to think for yourself, and act for yourself, then you get to make your own decisions and choices. When you're ready, I mean," Ray added. "You're still learning yet, so it's best to take that stuff slowly- but if you're going to be a real person, you're going to have to decide all kinds of things for yourself someday."
"Like what?"
Ray took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Like whether you want to keep doing Ghostbusting work," he said.
The AI's silence had a stunned texture to it that time. Ray wondered if he'd offended her somehow-
"Why not?" Ecto demanded, her tone just short of a child's wail. "Don't you want me to?"
"Of course I do, sweetie!" Ray answered. "I'd love you to!"
"You think I'm going to want to leave?"
"I- no," Ray answered, willing his shoulders to stop hunching with worry. "I don't think you want to. I'm just. . . afraid that you might. . . you know, change your mind."
One of the dashboard gauges made an unhappy little hum. "I'm not ever gonna change my mind, Daddy," Ecto said.
How do you know? Ray wanted to ask, but he held his tongue. Instead he said, "Why not?"
"Because you and Uncle Winston and Uncle Egon and Uncle Peter and Aunt Janine need me," the car said simply. "And because I like it."
"You were pretty scared two days ago when that Class Seven tried to attack us," Ray pointed out. "There's probably gonna be a lot more of that. All the time. And it'll be totally crazy at some times of year."
"Yeah, but that's okay," Ecto assured him. "You fixed it."
Ray blinked. "I didn't fix anything," he said. "Winston trapped it-"
"No, Daddy." Was that a laugh in her voice? "That night. When you read to me."
"… that was fixing it?"
"I'm only scared of stuff I don't know about," Ecto said.
"There's a lot of stuff you don't know about yet," Ray pointed out.
"Yeah, but I can learn."
"Okay," Ray conceded, "I can see that. But what if you change your mind?"
"I'm not gonna," Ecto said confidently. "You guys need me."
For an unprogrammed AI, Ray thought, she was sure showing signs of having inborn directives every bit as ironclad as Kitt's or Eddie's. "You sure?"
"Yep."
"Even if I told you that you could do whatever you wanted, go wherever you wanted?"
"I can't go up stairs," Ecto pointed out. "They go crunch."
"I'm not even gonna ask how you found that out. I just want to be sure-"
"I'm not leaving you, Daddy," Ecto said. "Not as long as you guys don't leave me."
He rested his hand on the middle of the steering wheel and smiled. "Never while I'm alive, kiddo."
