Family Issues 4

Professor Erlson listened intently as Jack listed his tests of the latency booster he had developed. As soon as Jack realized he was talking to someone who actually understood what he was talking about, he hadn't stopped talking. The speed tests, the way it worked with different versions of his AI software, by the time he couldn't keep talking, he had already enunciated enough tests results to publish a paper on the behavior of AI on humanoid robots and the different ways using the latency booster to get past the uncanny valley in terms of behavior and speed of reaction.

The professor blinked, then opened and closed his mouth a few times. As if he had something to say and then just realized that nope, not happening. Jack knew the feeling, so he just grinned, and felt his face hurt. For a moment he thought it was because he had spent the last hour and a half talking nonstop, but then he caught a glance of his own reflection on a champagne glass and realized he had been smiling all the time. Not grinning, or smirking, but actually smiling soflty in a way that pulled the edges of his lips ever so slightly.

The professor had said something.

"Uh, what?," he asked, looking away from anything that might reflect his face.

"I asked what university you go to, Jack," said the professor, laughing a bit. Jack blushed, and wondered if he should make up some lie or...

"Uhm, I'm home schooled. And seventeen."

"Unbelievable...unbelievable...," that was the only word the professor could say for a while, but then he stood up and demanded that Jack study at Leipzig University with him so they could work on coordinating their experiments and advancing each other's discoveries on the field of robotics.

Jack was suddenly terrified.

He had always sucked at school. Oh, studying and learning was fine, of course. But the whole 'interacting with other people' had been hell on earth. And it was all so boring!

But of course, he wouldn't be studying like a normal student, he would just use the lab and direct his own experiments and have access to the leading minds in the field. Enough tuning and support to finally complete all those great proyects he had been working on but left behind because of the Wu hunting.

Someone brushed against his shoulder, and he looked next to him to find a freckled face surrounded by curly redish hair. Megan.

"My cousin's not one for quick decisions," she said, flashing a smile that reminded Jack of the times she had thrown him fully clothed to the pool.

The professor nodded. "Of course, of course. You should think about something like this carefully. But if you have the time, you should visit me at the university. I will show you around and you can think about it better. How about that?"

"Y-yeah, sure," mumbled Jack, all too aware that Megan was suddenly taller than he remembered. Taller than him, for that matter.

"Perfect. Here is my card. Do call and I will have a few things we've been working on to show you."

Jack nodded, and the professor excused himself saying he had to get back to his hotel. When Jack looked around he noticed only a handful of people still wandered around the hall.

"Uncle said to make sure you went back to the hotel while he and dad talked," said Megan. Her dress managed to fail at hiding the fact that her body had decided hips were optional and unnecessary. Jack filed the knowledge away for the innevitable verbal fight that was sure to come.

"Nah, tell him I went back home. I know how long those talks take," he said, and passed a hand through his hair. The stiffness was giving him a headache. Megan pulled at his coat.

"No. Go back, he looked like he was pretty serious 'bout that."

Megan wouldn't face him, and she didn't seem to want to comment on how he looked like a twilight vampire reject, which started to worry him.

"What's he on? I know there's something going on, he's been all weird and shit," Jack shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked out of the hall into the reception with a golden fountain.

"Hell if I know," said Megan, in the tone that Jack knew meant she knew all about it. But he would have more chance of getting anything out of Chase Young that out of Megan when she got like that.

"Fine, whatever, I'm going back to the hotel Goliath."

Megan kicked him in the shin and then pushed him straight into the fountain.

"Here's for old times sake, loser," she said.

"You suck!" spat Jack from the fountain. "You and your stupid cat obsessed friends!"

"What?"

"That cat freak Katnappe!"

"Oh, yeah, the cat freak. You still talk to her?"

"Unfortunately, even though she's your friend. Take her back."

"No way. I just invited her to that party to get embarrassing photos of her, but then she disappeared."

"I bet she did," Jack crawled out of the fountain. He looked up at Megan, who had a thoughtful expression devoid of malice that scared Jack far more than anything. "What?!"

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"Bet that's a complicated thing for you."

Jack found himself in the fountain again.