Chapter 13 Ups and Downs

Yeah. Larry loved his siblings. He really did, and he appreciated the effort Tec put in to make his interactions with the Matrix versions of them as seamless and realistic as possible. That alone made Larry feel a million times better. But… they were fake. They were just really detailed algorithms, which was just... depressing to think about. In addition, thinking about his real siblings, who he knew were probably worried out of their minds while having no knowledge of where he was…

It was only natural that he wanted to do something else. As he stood in the white void again, he took in a deep breath. Then another, and another. He tried to get his emotions in check, tried to regulate himself so that he wasn't a piddly mess. Sure, he was that, but expressing himself in that way didn't seem like it'd be satisfying at the moment. Especially seeing how Tec was right there, seeing him and observing all his behaviors with a critical eye.

He took one more deep breath before he looked back at Tec, still staring at him with the same blank expression as before. There was a new type of shine in his eyes, one that made Larry wonder about things, but it was very small. It was barely noticeable, which in turn made Larry question whether he was actually seeing it. Maybe, in his desperate, distressed mind, he was trying to project himself onto Tec and put emotions there that weren't there. That would make sense, and it would be fitting given how Tec currently had Larry's appearance.

"So," Tec said, breaking the silence. "What would you like to do now?"

Larry tried to think about that, but honestly, he was feeling so discombobulated that he really didn't have much of a desire to think. As such, he responded to Tec with a shrug. "Dunno."

"I see." Tec took a step forward. "Well… perhaps I can help." He took another step towards Larry. "I can search your memory banks, find activities that you've enjoyed in the past and then go from there."

Larry frowned. Did that sound appealing? Not really. If Tec "searching his memory banks" involved him put his hands on him like with what happened earlier, then Larry definitely didn't want to take part in that. Sure, everything in here wasn't real, but the thought of Tec touching him like that again didn't sit right.

But at the same time, allowing himself to break down in front of the AI didn't seem like an appealing course of action either. Especially seeing how he was in the Matrix. If he was in the real world, fine. He didn't mind breaking down in front of Tec, as evidenced by the fact that he had done so before. But there was something about the Matrix in particular, something that made him scared of being too vulnerable. Maybe it was because Tec admitted to altering him, maybe it was because Tec had complete and total control in here. Either way, being sad in here didn't just make Larry uncomfortable; it made him scared.

So, he supposed that Tec looking through his memories wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, as that would at least lead to a fun activity.

"Sure man. Go right ahead."

Tec nodded, stepped forward, and put his hand on Larry's forehead like he had done earlier. Larry stayed perfectly still. His breathing slowed down, he allowed his mind to relax. This was okay. This was all going to be okay…

"Alright," Tec said eventually. He pulled away, looking Larry right in the eye. "I believe I've gathered enough data, and I know what activity we can partake in together."

He snapped his fingers, and the scene shifted. Larry's eyes grew wide as he saw that he and Tec were at a theme park. But not just any theme park; the same theme park Larry went to on his tenth birthday, way back when. The people walking around were the same, the rides were the same; even the colors popped out and grabbed him in the same way they did all the way back then. He couldn't help but smile when he saw this. Nostalgia and excitement came over him at the exact same time.

"Woah."

"Impressive, is it not?" Tec asked as he walked up to Larry.

"Yeah." Larry nodded, observing the blue sky and the Ferris Wheel that reached up to the blue sky. "It's amazing. Just like how I remember it."

"Good." Tec smiled. While it looked forced, Larry was happy to admit that the expression wasn't as comical or as creepy as some of his previous ones. "What would you like to do first?"

"Hmm…" Larry thought about this. He had done a lot of things at this park when he was ten, like go on the Ferris Wheel, the swings, and the teacups. However, he remembered something he didn't get to do back then, something that made him really upset. That being, going on the roller coasters. Specifically, a roller coaster called the Grim Reaper. It had more steep hills and more loop-de-loops than the average roller coaster, which of course made Larry want to try it back in the day. Unfortunately, he had been too short then. But now…

"I know!" He took hold of Tec's hand. "Come on; we're going to the Grim Reaper!"

Tec followed, not saying a word. There were no lines in front of the Grim Reaper, which Larry was thankful for (even though, since this wasn't real, he supposed he should've expected that). Larry was pleased to find that he reached the minimum height, and together, he and Tec boarded. And he wasn't afraid to admit it; Larry giggled like a gremlin as he waited for this ride to start. He had been hoping to go on it for four years, and now his wish was starting to come true.

"Do many people enjoy roller coasters?" Tec said from beside him. "Based on my research, it's an activity that evokes fear and spikes the adrenaline."

"Yeah, it is." Larry giggled some more. "But that's what makes it so fun! It's the very definition of a thrill ride!" Right at that moment, the protectors on the seats were put into place.. "Alright!" He gripped onto his sides as the cart ascended the first hill. "Here we go!"

Up up up the cart went. The hill itself was so steep that it may as well have been a vertical wall. As such, Larry's excitement climbed to completely new heights. The closer he got to the top, the more aware of the fact that he and Tec were going to go down the hill at breakneck speeds. Oh, that was going to be epic! It was going to be the most epic thing ever! They just needed to go up a few more feet, and…

"WAHOO!" Larry held his arms up in the air as the roller coaster descended. His heart was in his mouth, his adrenaline spiked to levels that were as far from normal as could be… and he loved it. He screamed as the coaster went through its first loop-de-loop. The way he spun around, with the world rotating around him, was disorienting in the best way possible, He laughed when they exited the loop-de-loop and went over another hill.

"WOO!" As he screamed, he looked over at Tec. The supercomputer just sat completely still, with the very minimal changes to his otherwise blank expression. Eh, Larry wasn't surprised at that. If anything, he had actually been anticipating seeing Tec look like this, so he didn't mind. To be honest, seeing someone go on a high-speed roller coaster ride without showing any emotion whatsoever struck the Koopaling as comedic. He laughed as he went on the next hill, probably doing so harder than he would if he hadn't looked at Tec.

The coaster looped around a few more times before, much to Larry's dismay, it came to a stop. The cart slowed down as it got back to the beginning, and Larry let out a satisfied breath as it did. "That was awesome!" When the cart stopped, he jumped out of it and extended his hand to Tec to help him stand. "Man, am I pissed I didn't get to ride it when I was ten!"

Tec nodded. When he was fully standing up, he looked back at his chair. The blank expression on his face was captivating, as there were some parts of it that didn't appear as emotionless as they did on a first glance. Again, Larry was willing to bet he was just imagining it, but there was the faintest glimmer in Tec's eyes. The faintest indication that the roller coaster had affected him, brought out a part of him that he didn't know was there.

"Did you like that, Tec?"

Tec continued staying still before turning to Larry. "It wasn't horrible."

Larry laughed. "I'll take it!" He let out a breath as he turned and walked away from the Grim Reaper. "Man." Tec followed behind him, all while Larry had a smile on his face. "I want to chase this feeling. I want to do all sorts of crazy things now. I want to go on more rides!" He gasped. "No, wait! I want to go skydiving!"

"Skydiving?"

"Yep! Skydiving! That's like the ultimate test of courage. It's just you, falling toward your death with nothing but a parachute on your back." He giggled. "It's dangerous. Dangerous and exciting."

"I see." Tec looked toward Larry. "Well… I can always start up a skydiving simulation if that is what you desire."

Larry considered this. He almost said yes; he could feel the word right on the tip of his tongue. However, he ultimately shook his head.

"Nah. I think we should save that for a rainy day."

"Rainy day? Is that another euphemism?" When Larry nodded, so did Tec. "I see." He paused. "I swear, non-artificial intelligence is one of the most fascinating things on the planet."

Larry giggled. "If I didn't know better, I would say you're in love with us."

Tec looked down at the ground, all while he and Larry continued walking through the park. He didn't say anything, making Larry wonder what was going on in that program-based brain of his. He was just about to ask when Tec lifted his head and looked right at him.

"I don't know if I would go so far as to call it love. I would say it's more of a curiosity."

Larry shrugged. "I suppose that makes sense." They passed by the fried dough booth. Larry almost got something from it, just to see if the Matrix could replicate a sense of taste. He ultimately decided against it. "Well, if you want, I'll be your guide to all things living! I'll be like that cricket from this real-world movie I watched, the one where a puppet comes alive." He paused. "Man, I just wish I could remember the name of it…"

"Pinocchio," Tec responded. "It's called Pinocchio."

"Yeah, that's it!" He chuckled. "It's a weird title, but it's also a weird movie, so I guess it fits." He and Tec walked past the teacups. "I'm impressed you know about stuff from the real world, considering you've never been."

"I've been programmed with a lot of data, Larry. Master Francis didn't want to leave any stone unturned when it came to the knowledge I possess." He paused. "Although, the one thing that he failed to give me was comprehension of living things." He stopped walking, as did Larry. "I just… i don't understand." Much to Larry's surprise, his face changed. It was subtle, but his eyes were wider. His lower lip seemed to tremble. "It's disorienting, and… it's strange."

Larry stared at this in awe. What did this display mean? Could… was Tec actually displaying emotion? Was he actually experiencing the same feelings that actual living people displayed? Was he now experiencing the very thing he had trashed earlier? That would be interesting…

But no. Larry knew ti was impossible. Tec couldn't feel emotions; he was just a machine. A very lifelike and complex machine, but a machine nonetheless. Again, any emotions Larry was seeing in him were probably emotions he was projecting onto him. There was nothing there. There would always be nothing there.

"Well… again, I can help you if you need me." Even saying those words felt strange, especially seeing how helping Tec would be a practice in futility.

Still though, at least Tec lifted his head and looked back at him. "Thank you."

"Of course." Larry took a deep breath. "Well… let's go do something else. I remember the swings being really fun."