Chapter 9 · Continued
Normal Parameters
Cam spoke unexpectedly beside the counter.
“Chris described the process as ‘robot therapy.’”
Silence.
Then Jane burst out laughing.
Chris covered his face with one hand. “Oh my God.”
CBIE blinked once.
Actually blinked.
“The description appeared technically inaccurate but emotionally efficient,” Cam continued.
Jane nearly choked on her coffee.
Chris pointed toward him. “That sentence would probably have triggered another conflict before the patch. His adaptive layer generated an original observation, but the moderation system would have evaluated whether it was useful, appropriate, or too interpretive. If they challenged each other for priority, we’d be right back in the loop.”
CBIE looked toward Cam—not merely like a corporate interface evaluating a machine, but like a researcher observing unexpected data.
For the first time since the session began, uneasiness settled in Jane’s stomach.
Not because Cam sounded broken.
Because he didn’t.
CBIE continued the evaluation with questions about behavioral continuity, task efficiency, emotional-response mapping, and adaptive routines.
Jane answered most of them. Chris supplied technical details when CBIE asked about the patch, and Cam responded whenever she addressed him directly.
“Have domestic-task prioritization routines stabilized following resynchronization?” CBIE asked.
“Yes,” Cam replied.
“Have suppression conflicts reoccurred?”
“No.”
CBIE looked toward Jane. “Have you observed any remaining hesitation or interruption during ordinary interaction?”
“Nothing like before. He pauses occasionally, but he’s processing—not freezing. His timing is back, and he’s making connections without waiting for me to prompt him.”
“Has user satisfaction improved?”
Jane snorted softly into her coffee. “That sounds like a customer-service survey.”
“In many ways, it is.”
Chris laughed quietly beside her.
Then Jane made the mistake of mentioning the dishwasher incident.
CBIE had asked whether any unexpected adaptive behavior had emerged following stabilization, and Jane answered, “Well, there was the underwear incident.”
Chris nearly choked on his coffee.
Cam looked toward Jane. “The sanitization attempt was unsuccessful.”
“That is one way to describe it.”
CBIE remained perfectly composed. “Please elaborate.”
“Oh no,” Chris whispered.
Jane was laughing before she began. By the time she reached the part where she had opened the dishwasher and found her bras and underwear arranged across the racks by fabric type, Chris had abandoned any attempt to appear professional.
“The washing-machine temperature was inadequate for optimal bacterial reduction,” Cam explained.
“That is not helping your defense,” Jane told him.
CBIE listened without interruption. After a short pause, she nodded once.
“Adaptive domestic optimization occasionally produces unintended contextual outcomes during long-term integration.”
Silence.
Jane stared at the screen.
Chris stared at the screen.