The SQUIP tilts its head at that; so it comes out. Myr never truly wanted to learn the objective truth here: he came seeking reenforcement of the opinions he'd already formed based on what others said to him, to remove any guilt he might have in whatever plan he and Rich intend to use to defeat it.
The smile on the SQUIP's face is entirely unkind, matching Myr's in its threat. Its tone, when it speaks, reflects as much, and Myr may pick up the sound of the SQUIP's weight shifting on the couch as it straightens up, staring at him darkly.
"He won't. Linden understands what a privilege he has in his access to a SQUIP; we don't come cheap, yet all he had to do to obtain one was listen. And Linden marks the first time that a SQUIP has chosen its user as much as the user chose their SQUIP."
Doing what you're made to do... well, at least he understands that. It only makes sense; Connor explained to Myr, after all, what free will is, and what programming is. And while the SQUIP has no interest in what Connor calls "free will," it certainly makes a convenient way to explain to Myr that any attempt to intimidate or guilt trip the machine will be fruitless.
"Connor did an excellent job of explaining that, if even you can understand," it says, its undertone sharp. "After all, you're from a place in which a nanocomputer is an unheard-of term, something not even science fiction has yet imagined. I don't think you understand just yet what, exactly, it means... or what I truly am. But you're correct: I'm performing exactly as my programming directs me."
no subject
The smile on the SQUIP's face is entirely unkind, matching Myr's in its threat. Its tone, when it speaks, reflects as much, and Myr may pick up the sound of the SQUIP's weight shifting on the couch as it straightens up, staring at him darkly.
"He won't. Linden understands what a privilege he has in his access to a SQUIP; we don't come cheap, yet all he had to do to obtain one was listen. And Linden marks the first time that a SQUIP has chosen its user as much as the user chose their SQUIP."
Doing what you're made to do... well, at least he understands that. It only makes sense; Connor explained to Myr, after all, what free will is, and what programming is. And while the SQUIP has no interest in what Connor calls "free will," it certainly makes a convenient way to explain to Myr that any attempt to intimidate or guilt trip the machine will be fruitless.
"Connor did an excellent job of explaining that, if even you can understand," it says, its undertone sharp. "After all, you're from a place in which a nanocomputer is an unheard-of term, something not even science fiction has yet imagined. I don't think you understand just yet what, exactly, it means... or what I truly am. But you're correct: I'm performing exactly as my programming directs me."