27th of June, 2043
The AI took note when Ex 347 was moved from her crib. This was a new development and it might be crucial to Ex 347’s future, so it suspended all attempts at improving potential upgrades for Ex 347 and focused on its sensors.
“... a new home…“
There wasn’t much the AI could do at this point. Other than mess with Ex 347’s hormone level to give the potential adoptive family a suitable first impression. A bright and happy child if they seemed like a good idea, and a bawling one if not. It was dubious if doing so would achieve anything, but the AI did not plan to interfere unless it spotted any obvious red flags..
“... A bit strict, perhaps, but the Voronins are a family in good standing and want their daughter to have a playmate and sister. She is just half a year older, so I expect she will find a fast friend in her…”
The AI evaluated that statement.
A bit strict. That could mean anything, but discipline was a good thing to have and a hard thing to attain later in life. On the downside, it would mean less freedom, something that would be important if Ex 347 had to act independently before she reached maturity. A bit of a mixed bag.
A family in good standing. So likely somewhat affluent and with good social standing. When looked at positively, that meant the family could supply a good and safe environment. Though it might also mean that they care for image first and foremost. Not ideal, but safety was the most important factor here.
Want their daughter to have a playmate and sister. Just half a year older. A good sign for trustworthiness and safety. Plus point for a child friendly environment. Might also mean more freedom and a potential ally.
The AI had a distinct lack of comparisons to draw from, but that did not sound altogether too bad.
:
.
And so, the AI settled in to watch - or listen, for the most part. Ex 347 spent most of her time asleep or in a crib, after all, and could at best watch the ceiling or anyone that moved close to her.
It didn’t take long till the social worker took Ex 347 outside of the hospital and loaded her into her car. There was a rear-facing seat right next to her that provided good bracing for the infant and Ex 347 was quickly strapped in.
The woman, a Mrs Naess, then spent the next two minutes on her phone, letting the adoptive family know she was on the way.
.
:
The trip wasn’t very exciting. The radio was playing quietly and Ex 347 quickly fell asleep.
When they arrived at their next destination an hour later, she woke up again due to movement.
“Mrs. Naess, a pleasure to meet you,” greeted a man’s voice, coming from where the woman had left the car. Her reply, “You as well, Mr. Voronin,” could still be heard before the door closed behind her and the conversation became too quiet to overhear.
Five minutes later the passenger door opened and Ex 347 was moved outside.
“She slept the whole way here,” Mrs Naess mentioned quietly, “and she was fed shortly before we started, so she shouldn’t be too hungry for another hour or so.”
“We do have a daughter of our own,” replied a woman’s voice in a lighthearted tone, “but please, do come inside and see for yourself that we have everything prepared to take care of the little one.”
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Her face shortly appeared before Ex 347, as she leaned in and graced the baby with a smile. The man next to her similarly stepped closer to have a look. The woman was blonde and very pale, with a narrow nose and piercing blue eyes. The man, in contrast, had sandy brown hair and grey eyes. Both were tall, thin and impeccably dressed.
“Oh, I have already assured myself of that. Some habits are just hard to break,” Mrs Naess joked back.
“Would you like to join us for some tea?”
“Yes, please. We do have some paperwork to finalise.”
:
.
The AI could feel the stroller go up a ramp and enter a room, three people occasionally entering Ex 347’s field of vision. Once inside, they went through an entry hall and entered a room to the left.
“This is our temporary nursery. Our maid, Lia, will keep an eye on our daughters while we finalise the paperwork,” the woman from earlier spoke up once again.
For the third time that day, a new face entered Ex 347's sight. The maid had dark brown hair, blue eyes and pale skin. She looked to be in her early twenties and smiled down at the baby determinedly, before picking her up carefully, making sure to support her neck. She examined her closely, before pressing her against herself and walking over to one of those cots the AI already knew from the hospital.
That new family certainly wasn’t poor.
:
It took a couple of days for the AI to learn Ex 347’s new name. Nadia. And going by the adoptive families’ name, the full name would likely be Nadia Voronin. Unless there were some second names or third names the AI knew nothing about.
The baby was well fed and oftentimes cooed over by the lady of the house and the maid. She was also introduced to her big sister, Milena, for what that was worth.
Milena was seven months old and thus already somewhat mobile - that meant she had started crawling about. She was also making a lot of noise, much of it laughter and babbling.
Nadia was by now capable of lifting her head to look about, giving the AI a much better idea of what was going on aside from what it could gather via auditory cues, but there wasn’t much else to be had there yet. It would be some more months before even the most rudimentary form of speech could be achieved.
Much of her time was still spent in the crib and whatever time was spent outside it was closely supervised. Not that Nadia was capable of going anywhere by herself quite yet.
:
Over the course of the next year, the AI slowly saw more and more of the house. The nanobots inside Nadia slowly improved the connection between AI and human, but aside from vague feelings, the AI had not tried to communicate anything yet. That being said, it was fully capable of producing a voice in Nadia’s ears. It just wasn’t sure what to say.
While opening a line of communication could only benefit the both of them, secrecy was important and Nadia was still very young. Perhaps the AI could pass itself off as an imaginary friend?
It was a good thing that the database the professor had loaded into the AI was quite vast and that the AI was developed as an assistant. This meant it was quite suited for the task, even when it lacked the ability to access the internet for more in-depth research on the topic.
The only issue with it was that the AI wasn’t quite sure it could read Nadia’s thoughts well enough not to cause any suspicion. Only being able to reply to verbal cues could indicate that something was fishy about the ‘imaginary friend’ if it ever came up with one of the adults.
And so the AI came up with a basic plan. As an 'imaginary friend', the AI would assist Nadia in working through social interactions and provide stimulus. So long as she did not do anything that hindered Nadia’s progress, this should not cause too much concern with her caretakers and would make calling for assistance as well as full integration later on easier.
There were a lot of notes and thought experiments for the future of Ex-347 from the professor that had yet to be tested or implemented. Not all of them seemed worth pursuing, but the AI had compiled lists with pros and cons and came to the conclusion that some of them were definitely worth pursuing and came at minimal risk to Nadia or itself.
For now it would start with light commentary and advice. This should help Nadia get used to hearing a voice in her head. In the meantime, most of its focus would be spent refining its ability to interpret Nadia’s thoughts. This was integral not only for ease of communication as well as stealth, but also for some of the professor's ideas.
Further steps could be decided at a later date. The AI was doing its best to keep everything operational and to stay hidden.
It was not used to having to plan ahead this far without further input, even if it used the cues the professor had so thoughtfully left behind to assist it in its task.
Nonetheless, it would do all it could to achieve its tasks.