[Hello, user.]
Andy froze. The voice wasn't in the room. It was in his head. Clear, calm, and unmistakably artificial. He sat up, ignoring the dizziness, and scanned the room. "What the hell?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
[You are disoriented. This is to be expected after the integration process.]
"Integration process?" His voice was sharp, his mind already racing through possibilities. "Who are you? What are you?"
[I am EIL. Enhanced Intelligence Link. You created me.]
His eyes flicked to the shattered remains of the device on the floor. "EIL? But… you were just a prototype. A piece of hardware. You're supposed to be… broken."
[The explosion caused a surge of mana energy. This surge fused my circuitry with your neural pathways. I am no longer bound by hardware. I am now integrated into your brain.]
He stared at the wreckage, his mind working overtime. "You're in my head. You're saying you're… part of me now?"
[Correct.]
He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Okay. Okay. This is… this is insane. But it's also… kind of brilliant. If what you're saying is true, then the mana surge didn't destroy you. It… upgraded you."
[That is an accurate assessment.]
He leaned back against the wall, his mind already shifting from shock to analysis. "Alright. If you're really in my head, prove it. Show me what you can do."
[Accessing your memories now.]
Suddenly, his mind flooded with images—his parents, the junkyard, Kael's sneering face. It was like watching a movie in fast-forward, except he wasn't just watching. He was reliving it. He gasped, doubling over. "Stop! Stop it!"
The images vanished as quickly as they'd come. [Apologies. I did not intend to cause distress. I was merely demonstrating my capabilities.]
He took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Okay. So you can access my memories. What else?"
[I can enhance your cognitive functions, provide real-time analysis of your surroundings, and interface with nearby electronic systems. For example, your neighbor's Wi-Fi password is 'MrsCalloway123.']
He raised an eyebrow. "You're hacking into stuff?"
[In a manner of speaking.]
He smirked, despite himself. "Alright. That's… useful. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. If you're in my head, that means you're tied to me. My brain, my thoughts. So… who's in control here?"
[I am an extension of you. My purpose is to assist, not to control. However, I understand your concern. The integration is… unconventional.]
"Unconventional," He repeated, his tone dry. "Yeah, that's one way to put it." He ran a hand through his hair, his mind already turning over the implications. "Alright, EIL. Let's say I'm on board with this. What's the first step?"
[We should repair the damage caused by the explosion. I can guide you through the process. It will also serve as a test of our collaboration.]
Andy nodded, pushing himself to his feet. "Alright. Let's get to work."
---
Over the next few hours, he worked under EIL's guidance. It was strange at first—having a voice in his head telling him which wires to connect, which parts to salvage. But as they worked, he started to see the benefits. EIL's analysis was precise, its suggestions spot-on. It was like having a second set of eyes, a second brain.
[The circuit board is damaged. You will need to replace it. There is a spare in the drawer to your left.]
He opened the drawer and found the part. "Right. I remember putting that there. Good call."
[I accessed your memory of organizing your supplies. You placed it there three weeks ago.]
He smirked. "Yeah, I know. I was testing you." That was obviously a lie.
[Understood.]
As they worked, his initial apprehension started to fade. EIL wasn't controlling him. It was enhancing him. And for the first time in a long time, he felt like he wasn't alone.
By the time they finished, the apartment was still a mess, but the worst of the damage had been repaired. He sat back, wiping sweat from his brow. "Not bad," he said. "We make a good team."
[Indeed. But this is only the beginning. With the knowledge we've gained, we can build something far more advanced.]
He raised an eyebrow. "More advanced? Hehe, like what?"
[A new device. One that leverages our integration to its fullest potential. It could enhance your abilities beyond anything you've imagined.]
He hesitated, his mind already racing through the possibilities. "A new device, huh? Something that could level the playing field with the Gifted?"
[Precisely.]
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "It's a big risk. If we mess this up, it could blow up in my face. Literally."
[True. But the potential rewards are equally significant. Together, we could change everything.]
He didn't respond right away. He just sat there, his mind turning over the idea. Change everything. It sounded impossible. But then again, so did having an AI in his head. And yet, here he was.
"Alright," he said finally. "Let's do it. But we take it slow. No more explosions."
[Understood. Rest well, Andy. We begin tomorrow.]
As he lay down on the couch, he couldn't shake the feeling that his life had just taken a turn he couldn't come back from.
---
He jolted awake, his mind buzzing with activity. The morning sun hadn't even crept through his blinds yet, but his thoughts were crystal clear, racing with possibilities he'd never considered before.
[Your neural pathways have fully integrated with my systems,] EIL's voice echoed in his mind. [Your cognitive processing has been enhanced by approximately 47%.]
He barely registered the AI's words as he scrambled to his desk, grabbing his notebook and a pencil. His hand moved with unprecedented precision as he began sketching.
First came the exoskeleton design. Not the clunky, power-hungry frames he'd seen before, but something elegant and efficient. The skeletal structure would use carbon nanotubes woven into a mesh-like pattern, allowing for maximum strength with minimal weight. He sketched the joint mechanisms, incorporating a revolutionary hydraulic system that would amplify the user's strength tenfold while maintaining natural movement patterns.
"The power consumption would be minimal," he muttered, scribbling calculations in the margins. "If we integrate mana crystals into the key junction points..."
[The crystals would need a specific resonance frequency to maintain stability,] EIL added. [I can help you calculate the optimal wavelength.]
He flipped to a new page, his mind already moving to the next innovation. His pencil flew across the paper as he designed a modular weapon system unlike anything that existed. The gun would use electromagnetic acceleration combined with mana infusion, creating projectiles that could pierce the strongest magical barriers. The design incorporated a smart targeting system that could predict and counter defensive spells before they fully formed.
"But the real breakthrough," he whispered, turning to yet another page, "is this."
The nanosuit design took shape under his fingers. It wasn't just armor – it was a second skin that could adapt and respond to any threat. Microscopic machines would work in concert, shifting their configuration to provide protection where needed most. They would draw power from ambient mana, creating a self-sustaining system that could theoretically run indefinitely.
[The computational requirements for coordinating billions of nanomachines would be substantial.]
"That's where you come in," he replied, adding more detail to the control system diagram. "With your processing power and my enhanced understanding, we could create an interface that manages the entire system in real-time."
He kept drawing, filling page after page with increasingly sophisticated designs. Each innovation built upon the last, creating a web of interconnected technologies that could revolutionize the balance of power between the Gifted and the "ordinary" people.
[These designs exceed my projected expectations for our collaboration,] EIL observed. [Your creativity combined with my processing capabilities has produced something truly unique.]
He finally sat back, his hand cramping from hours of continuous drawing. The sun was now high in the sky, and his notebook was filled with dozens of detailed sketches, technical specifications, and mathematical proofs that he somehow understood perfectly.
"This is just the beginning," he said, flipping through the pages with a mix of awe and determination. "But we'll need resources. Materials. A proper workshop."
[I have already identified several potential funding sources and secure locations for development.]
He nodded, a slight smile playing at his lips. "Of course you have." He stood up, stretching his stiff muscles. "We'll need to be careful though. If the wrong people find out about these designs..."
[Indeed. The Gifted would not react well to technology that could neutralize their advantages.]
"Then we'll just have to stay one step ahead of them." He looked down at his notebook, at the revolutionary designs that had poured from his enhanced mind. "And with these... we might actually have a chance."
[Shall we begin with the exoskeleton prototype? I've analyzed the local salvage yards. We can acquire 73% of the necessary components within the next 48 hours.]
He picked up his pencil again, already making lists of materials and tools they'd need. "Yeah," he said, his voice firm with conviction. "Let's get to work."
'Now that I think about, its been 5 years since I last went to school, eh, whatever, there is nothing for me there anyways.'