I. 1.1.11

"Coffee George?"

"Nah, that's alright, I'm shaking as it is," George was impatient, it was only 9am but the nerves had already got him. He didn't want to wait he couldn't wait, he wanted to turn the damned thing on himself-

"You are aware its just a computer right?"

Of course he was aware. Of course that was like saying Madonna was just a girl, or The Chargers just a football team.

"Look, Mike, I know you in all honesty, don't know a computer from a cracker, but, its important to me, and I would appreciate it if you didn't belittle my.. Our life's work. You know that 100,000 dollar car that if possible, you'd have sex with? that's just a car. How do you like that?" That was harsh George knew, but it was said in a joking vein, and so what if Mike has a car fetish. They were in the break room, Mike reading the paper. Everything was down. Disney Down, Apple Down, Microtosh (Following the previous year's merger) down. The only stock that was doing good really good was Sky-Net. Of course that success hinged on today.

There was your standard vending machine, made just convenient enough to eat your change and lodge your soda between the retrieving arm and the automated popper thingy. In all his wisdom, and his degrees and his certifications, he couldn't, for the life of him figure out why the hell he needed a machine to pop his coke open for him. But that was unimportant. There was a nice table, metallic, and automated to the point where it there wasn't anything on it. It would enter a self cleaning routine, so it would never be sticky. Just wet sometimes. The automation of some things never amazed George, he designed most of them

-except- for that dang bottle popper. The chairs were standard fair, metal, but comfortable, never too cold, never to warm. You never stuck to them. He saw Mike walk over to the coffee machine.

"Coffee 2 sugars, cream,"

"Who in the hell puts two sugars in their coffee mike?" Mike shrugged. The machine entered its routine of pouring coffee and pouring sugar and cream into the paper cup.

"Hey, I got a full house" Mike, for whatever reason, had the best luck in the world and was the most intelligent computer tech he ever met. Mike was always calm, cool, collected. Never really let anything grab him by the balls. He only saw him get truly excited once. When the computer routine Mike built responded to a joke. It was a minor step- but that led to where they were today, 15 years- god it sounds so long when he said it to himself. 15 years ago, the possibility of self aware computers become not a fantasy, and not a matter of how, but when. Mike actually cried when it happened, and from this day, that joke is always been with him. Amused- George had an idea.

"Hey, for good luck, how do you know a Frenchman has been in your backyard?"

"Your Garbage is gone and your dog's pregnant" Mike said, and sipped his coffee in roughly 45 minutes, 44 now actually, AI would be born, 15 years of his and Mikes work would be encompassed in a computer that be self-aware. Mike chuckled.

"I say we name him HAL." Mike chucked again. George afforded himself a meager laugh, more of a squeak.

"How about not?" George leaned back, and though of all the questions he wanted to ask his new friend that would be born soon.