“But, was it really necessary to have an ability like that?” Roy surmised that whoever made Mike, was sure to have some safety measures. You never make a nuclear weapon without a kill switch.

“Roy, I want you to understand one thing. Me and my hosts were to be sent off into the space, ALONE, and meet up with potentially hostile life forms with no backup rescue team. There were many variables that could have gone wrong. So the people who created me, felt that it was necessary.” Mike’s explanation actually made a lot of sense to Roy, now that he thought about it for a bit. But he couldn’t help but point out one thing.

“They felt it was necessary? FELT? You know, I really want to meet the people who created you. Who gives people the ability to rearrange atoms just because they felt like it? Just how advanced were they?”

“A lot advanced. You will meet them, eventually. I am sure of it. After all, the earth is yet to be integrated and you are currently the person designated for it. If I am to believe Frank, you will be able to do it.” Roy could swear he heard hope in Mike’s voice. He shrugged it off as his imagination. AI’s don’t hope.

“You are talking like I already accepted you.” Roy actually couldn’t think of much excuse to refuse Mike.

“You want to give me away to someone else?” Mike immediately refuted.

“Yes... Maybe... All right, it depends. Who knows of your existence?” Roy caved under the imaginary stare of Mike.

“On earth, only Frank and now you.” Roy sighed in relief. None knew. But what does ‘on earth’ means?

“What do you mean on earth?”

“The species who are capable of interstellar travel knows of our existence. But of course, they are not on earth. They are several light years away.” Mike explained in a assuring tone, but Roy didn’t like it. In the movies and fictions, it was always those species capable of pace travel who stirred up trouble. But still, it was better than anyone on earth knowing.

“Alright. So basically no one on earth knows that you exist. That's good. People won't be targeting me. Let's say that I accept you. How will this work?” Roy swore to himself that there was even a hint of selling his soul, he would throw Mike away and be done with it. Getting a psychic ability was not good enough of a deal for Roy to endure a lifetime of experience in hell.

“I will merge with you. For you, the only downside is that your ability to reproduce will be restricted.” Mike casual answer nearly triggered Roy’s reflex to throw Mike out of the house. Losing the ability to have sex? That was worse than losing his soul.

“Hold on hold on. What do you mean restricted? You mean I can't have sex ever again?” Roy restrained his reflex enough to ask a question.

“I said reproduce, not sex. You will be able to have sex normally, but since your genetic code will change, you won't be able to impregnate any female of almost any species. By my count, there are only two species in this universe who will be capable of giving you a offspring. But even with those two species, it will be hard since their fertility rate is very low.” Roy could tell there was a distinct worry in Mike’s voice as he hurried with the response. Maybe he could feel that Roy really wanted to throw him away?

“Phew. You almost scared me there. But genetic code change? You mean I will become something other than human?” Roy didn’t notice it before but he was standing up. After Mike assured him, he relaxed and sat back down.

“Biologically speaking, no. Genetically speaking, yes.” Mike again assumed his indifferent tone. Like he was never worried.

“How does that even work?” If this was a story, Roy swore he would have broken through the fourth wall and punched the author in the face.

“I am not really sure how to explain since I myself don't know.” Roy could only face palm at Mike response.

“Huh. Neat. Nice plot armor. So you mean, if I fuse with you, I can never knock up a human female?” Roy decided to overlook the obvious plot armor and tried to focus on the positive sides.

“Correct.” Roy tried to hide to his smile after Mike’s response, but he could feel the corner of his mouth twitching.

“And you can make me things out of dirt?”

“As long as I know the design, yes.”

“Nice. Only by these two facts, I am very much tempted to fuse with you. I never asked you, but how long have you known uncle Frank?” Roy was about to say yes, but he suddenly remembered that he never asked this specific question.

“Not much. Only two hundred years.”

Roy's brain came to a screeching halt. Did he just say, “Only?”

“I am almost ten thousand years old. Commander Rohu was with me for nine thousand eight hundred years. So yeah, only.” Mike dropped another bomb casually.

“Hold on. How is that possible? Uncle Frank looked like he was in his forties when I met him in college.” Roy struggled to remember how Frank looked. But however he remembered him, he was not more than forty years old.

“By merging with me, you stop being a pure human and more of a techno-organic being. Near immortality is a byproduct of it.”

“Huh. Neat.” By this time, Roy decided to stop thinking too much about the absurdity of anything Mike told him. He chose to simply roll with it.

“Sooo, the commander was with you for almost ten thousand years? Then why did uncle Frank pass you onto me just after 200 years?” Now this bit was interesting. Every human was afraid of dying. So why was Frank in such a hurry?