Query: What is 'friendship'?
Information: The state of being a friend; association as friends.
Command: Specify 'friend'.
Information: A person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty;an intimate.
Redirect: Define 'intimate'.
Information: 1. associated in close personal relations: an intimate friend. 2. characterized by or involving warm friendship or a personally close or familiar association or feeling: an intimate greeting. 3. very private; closely personal: one's intimate affairs.
Query: How is an 'intimate' association formed?
Information: Unable to process query.
Command: Explain.
Information: Insufficient data.
Redirect: Based on information in memory banks, do I have a 'friend'?
Information: Unknown. Insufficient data.
"Hey, Aya. What you up to?"
Command: End search. Aya turned to face her teammate; she had learned that it was considered disrespectful to not look at someone when engaging in conversation. "Hello, Green Lantern Jordan. I was running a diagnostic program to determine if I possess what are called 'friends'."
Hal blinked, startled. "What? Of course you have friends."
The humanoid AI's expression remained serene as always, but there was a definite curiosity in her eyes. "Please clarify."
"Well, I'm your friend. And so are Kilowog and Razer."
"I see. Would any of these 'friendships' be classified as 'intimate'?"
He blinked again. "Uhh…Aya…" He sat down in the chair beside her with a heavy sigh. He never thought he'd have to give The Talk to an Artificial Intelligence. First time for everything. "'Intimate' is a pretty heavy word."
"I said it with as much inflection as I would any other word, did I not?"
Always so literal. "No, well yes, but that's not what I meant. I meant that the word sort of implies…Let's try it this way: when you say 'intimate', what exactly do you mean?"
"Your Webster's Dictionary defines 'intimate' as follows: '1. associated in close personal relations. 2. characterized by or involving warm friendship or a personally close or familiar association or feeling. 3. very private; closely personal.'"
"Ohhh! Oh, okay. I gotcha." He almost let out a relieved laugh but stopped himself at the look on her face. He didn't really want to explain the other, less family-friendly definitions of the word. "Well, in that case, yeah. I'd say that our friendship is intimate."
"What of Green Lantern Kilowog?"
"Ehh, probably. Maybe."
"But not as intimate as the relationship between you and I."
Hal tried not to cringe at her excessive use of that word. He had to remind himself that she was thinking in completely innocent terms, not like his baser male brain. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
"I see." Aya glanced down at the floor as if pondering whether or not to continue. She decided rather quickly. "And what of Razer? It is more…difficult to understand what our relationship is."
"What do you mean?"
"He is different from Kilowog and yourself. He conceals his emotions and thoughts more thoroughly. I am unsure of what he feels towards me in terms of friendship."
Hal tilted his head at her. She sounded genuinely puzzled and a little…not upset, but something close to that. She was only just learning to read emotions in others, let alone feel them herself. He could see how that would be relatively alarming to a newborn sentience. "I have a better question: what do you feel towards him?"
A long moment of silence passed between robot and human. Hal waited patiently for her to come to her own conclusion. "I…do not know."
"Well, do you feel the same way about me or Kilowog that you do him?" Oh God, I really am giving her The Talk. Carol would have a field day if she ever found out about this.
She answered immediately. "No."
"How so?"
"It is…stronger. I am programmed to protect my crew at all times to the best of my ability. But when it comes to Razer…" She stopped talking, her eyes wide. She seemed to come to some great revelation but could not quite understand it.
Hal understood it rather quickly. "You care for him. That's normal, Aya."
She met his eyes with a kind of wonder and bewilderment that nearly made his heart hurt in its innocence. "It is late, Hal Jordan. Your vital signs indicate that you require rest. I will continue to maintain our current flight path and perform repairs and modifications as needed. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me." Hal stood and made to leave the bridge, but Aya paused. She searched her databanks for another word, one that would better define her relationship to Hal Jordan. "Father."
He froze midstep. Di-Did she just… He turned back to her with an expression of practiced blankness. "What'd you say, Aya?"
"I said thank you, father." She noted the confusion behind his eyes and spoke quickly to avoid a situation that would be discomforting to him. "While I was running diagnostics on my programming and physical integrity earlier, I was downloading information from the visual entertainment from Earth you had suggested. You gave me a name, you designated a gender for me, and you are protective of me, both my physical body and my well-being and intangible value to you and this team. Are these not traits shared by males who have contributed to the creation of new life on Earth?"
Hal hadn't thought of it like that. Actually, he hadn't had much time to think about anything except keeping everyone on the ship alive and safe. Looking at her now, he could see where Aya was coming from. He smiled at her gently before walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder. Her glowing gaze never wavered from his face. "You're right, Aya. Thank you." He surprised even himself when he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Just don't go around calling me that all the time. It makes me feel old."
She took a moment to analyze his words and tone, wondering why the concept of his age would distress him. Instead of continuing her line of questioning, she simply said, "Affirmative, Green Lantern Jordan."
"That a girl," he said with another smile. "G'nite, Aya." He made a mental note to call Carol before anyone else and let her know that he'd become a daddy…to an Artificial Intelligence that took the form of a grown woman. Of course, that could prove to be more complicated in execution than theory, but he would rather get it over with quickly than let her hear the news from someone else. Second mental note: call her before Kilowog finds out and tells her.
Slightly silly, yes, but I needed something a bit lighter and fluffier after the hurt we all suffered after the last episode.