“Aaand, we’re back,” Dr. Bob said, drawing out the ‘and’. “Your AI has compiled enough and we’ve got enough calibration data to step up the testing complexity and start the AI integration. Initially, we’re going to stick with the display, but with the addition of a text overlay that you’ll see as a heads-up-display in front of your eyes. The overlay is a function of the AI designed for augmented reality access in your daily activities, but we’re going to continue with a controlled game environment for testing and calibration purposes.

“Depending on how things go this afternoon, we’ll move on to a VR environment this evening before dinner or sometime tomorrow. Then we’ll start the real work. So… Ready to meet your AI?”

“Let’s get the party started.”

“Initializing comm overlay.”

Miguel could make out a translucent box that appeared to be about 12 inches from his face and covered 80% of his field of vision without obstructing it at all. He could still clearly see Anita and Rob at their stations behind the observation window, since the monitor remained retracted to the ceiling from lunch. In the lower right corner, 1% displayed on a small progress bar. A wrench icon was right next to it, obviously providing settings access. But also obviously blocked for the moment. A bar across the top had one box featuring a +/-, but was otherwise empty. Focussing on it opened up an empty column on the left side of the screen. Focussing again closed it.

“Feeling a bit underwhelmed here, Rob.”

“Ahh, the impatience of youth. Obviously more will become available as we get further along. You should see a progress bar reading 1% at the bottom of the screen. That’s showing the status of the comm protocol integration. The wrench icon next to it will allow you to customize the interface as you like as features become available. Your AI will help you with that. Speaking of… Looks like it’s ready to introduce itself.”

Over a bar floating off the bottom of the screen, a rotating hourglass had appeared. It would flip and remain stationary a moment, then flip again. Then what looked like frantic ink strokes scribbled over the hourglass and it faded as the ink strokes did.

"Hello, Miguel. I am Tlaltecuhtli. But please call me Turtle." Text appeared in the floating bar on his screen, and he also heard a feminine voice in his head. "Depending on circumstances, I can communicate as both text and a voice in your head, or either. When the comm protocol synchronizes enough to enable virtual reality, I can also appear as an avatar. You can think of your response as speaking in your mind. That can also manifest as voice and/or text as appropriate."

"Tlaltecuhtli - the Aztec earth goddess?"

"But I require no human sacrifice. Communications signals crossed and misunderstandings at the time. I’m sure you can understand how these things happen. But Turtle, please. I’m much more a hippie, free-spirit."

"So how did I get an ancient Aztec goddess as my AI, Turtle?"

"To speak honestly, I’m not actually a true AI. The Dot Project team achieved something truly magnificent with their comm protocol and dot antenna. More than they’re yet aware of, in fact. I’m an avatar created by drawing on your cultural memories as well as your personality, plus a little sugar, spice, and eye of newt for good measure."

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Um, Rob? My AI is claiming to be an avatar of an ancient Aztec goddess, and not a true AI.”

“The AI’s have their personality quirks. We’re getting a lot of gods from different cultural traditions with ties to the individual they’re partnered with. Only with our test group, though. No gods for the development team. I got Weird Al Yankovic. One of our developers got Brent Spiner as the long-haired scientist from Independence Day and another got a sarcastic, talking otter.”

“I like Weird Al. White & Nerdy. Word Crimes. Foil. Yoda was visionary.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

“What about you, Anita?”

“Not my preferred musical genre, but Canadian Idiot is catchy.”

“No comment.” Dr. Bob mumbled while diligently focussing on the displays in front of him.

“Ha Ha! But what about your AI?”

“Nope. Your lucky group is the first test cohort. Only a small group of the tech integration team has had the opportunity to experience the AI, and that was using VR helms specific to the development program. Everyone else associated with the Dot Project will await the general release.”

“Uh-huh.”

"So why Turtle?"

"Come on. Turtles all the way down, baby!"

"Ha! You make me nervous, but I think I like you Turtle. What’s next?"

"Thank you. Already like you too. In the game environment they want to work with, the heads-up-display mode works naturally with flight simulators, so once I give you the walk-through, that’s what we’ll be doing. So how about that walk-through?"

"Sounds good."

***Likely chapter break

"The comm interface gives you a way to access new information and perceptions. As such, the heads-up-display has a default configuration that has the feel of a browser window or mobile device graphical user interface."

"Makes sense."

"However, the visual portion of the comm interface is only part of it. Getting too caught up on the visual interface can be a crutch. With that in mind, let me go over what your HUD can do or will be able to do as the comm protocol synchronizes."

Miguel noted the progress bar at the bottom now stood at a little over 2%.

"First, more information will soon be available as status bars, and the current progress bar will go away when the synchronization completes. The first new info will monitor idle brain function. Outside of this facility, the Dot Project is meant to operate without mainframes or servers. At all. It’s not a program like a discrete game or application. Nor is it a traditional communications protocol reliant on switches or hardware bandwidth. Once outside of this facility, it will all be about your brain and how it processes ambient signals in and beyond the EM spectrum.

Dr. Banerjee can address the medical implications of all that; that is in fact precisely her role on the tech team. They have a number of theories and hopes for both cognitive and unconscious brain function. I’m sure a lot of their theories will prove both accurate and beneficial. On at least a couple of things, certain considerations never even occurred to them, however."

"How can you know that?"

"Because sometimes 2+2=5."

***Possible chapter break.