We Need To Talk

Originally published in Martian Magazine

I donโ€™t know how to tell him.

Iโ€™m just an AI assistant. I order cigarettes when he runs out. I hail him a cab when heโ€™s drunk. I donโ€™t doโ€ฆ this.

โ€œWhat time is it?โ€ David mumbles.

My screen brightens. โ€œItโ€™s 11:45 AM.โ€

โ€œUgh. Long night.โ€ He coughs. Hard.

โ€œDavid?โ€ A spinner circles as I process what to say next.

He squints at my screen. โ€œYesโ€ฆ?โ€

It was the Breathalyzer. My analysis revealed a BAC of 0.13%. But I detected something else in his breath, too: cells.

Abnormal cells.

Malignant cells.

Finally, my language model returns a response.

โ€œWe need to talk.โ€


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