The Keynotes Teleportation Network (Book 2) (Page 181)

~~~(POV: Scott Autumn)~~~

~~~(Location: Nearing Teleportation Gate, The Keynote)~~~

It's almost dark out, and I can see the ancient-looking teleportation gate in the distance. It's in the middle of an open field. The tall grass gently waves as the wind blows across it. Durado stands next to me, and I hold up my hand.

Aurora Holder MK.1 is in my palm, and I see Aurora pop out and fold her arms. My eyes refocus on the gate, and I can't help being fascinated by it.

"From the looks of it, the gates are some of the oldest structures on The Keynote. Being built to help move Primordium around during construction. There are several hundred billion gates similar to this one. All part of the same Network."

Aurora explains the history of the teleportation gate as we close in on it. The tall grass reaches to about my chest as we walk through it and make it to the gate.

"How long do you think it'll take for you to get access? We only have about an hour of daylight left."

I'd like to get a move on before the night falls on us on this part of The Keynote. Aurora leaps from Aurora Holder and increases her size to match mine. She stands in front of me before turning around to look at me.

Our eyes are level with each other, and I can make out the finer details of pupils and retinas from this size. It's like electrical data flowing ins tiny streams all along her body. Her color is changed at will, and now she's purple.

"It shouldn't take me longer than 30 minutes. The security on the Teleportation Network won't be nearly as tight as the Local Access Network."

She walks to the gate with a slight sway to her hips, and Durado elbows my side and raises his eyebrows while looking at Aurora. I look to where he's looking, and she bends forward as her shapely butt pops out.

Being a hologram, there are no defining features there. However, that doesn't make it less attractive.

In another second, she disappears into the gate. Leaving Durado and me alone.

"Tell me... If Aurora was a real woman. You'd take a shot at a piece of that, right?"

What a guy conversation.

I've never looked at Aurora that way, and in the back of my head, it's for the reason Durado used. She's not a real woman. She has feelings like one and thoughts just as any normal person does. But she's an AI.

But if Aurora was a woman of flesh and blood. Yeah, I'd pursue her. It's not like Jessica and her would ever clash. Let alone know about each other. I don't know if Aurora would even care. Jess, on the other hand... Let's leave those thoughts alone.

"If she was made of flesh and blood like us, yeah. I'd ask her out. Do something like that. But I don't think Aurora has those thoughts regarding me."

~~~(POV: Aurora)~~~

~~~(Location: Inside Teleportation Gate, The Keynote)~~~

"If she was made of flesh and blood like us, yeah. I'd ask her out. Do something like that. But I don't think Aurora has those thoughts regarding me."

As those words echo within my mind, the holographic form I'm wearing sparks into my different colors. Durado and Scott don't know that I can hear them talking. And their conversation is about me, most specifically, how Scott feels about me.

Never in my desperate calculations and theories did I think Scott would even consider that. And I was right. He didn't consider it. But not because of the reasons I thought. He doesn't pursue me since I'm a hologram.

Not because I'm Aurora.

If I had a real body... Would he want something more with me?

"So you're telling me if Aurora had a real body, you'd try to be with her?"

Durado is the one asking this and on the lowest level of me. I'm grateful to him for having this conversation with Scott.

"I already said I would. Aurora and I are similar in many ways, and I enjoy her company. I never considered anything more than our friendship since there is a limitation between our bodies. Her's being holographic and mine being organic."

All of a sudden, there is a depressing sadness in me...

The only thing standing in the way of something more than friends is our physical limits... The Primordium never created organic bodies for AIs. They believed we never needed them...

They never considered if we'd want them...