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Jack had been reading a lot. Not that BT hadn't seen his pilot enjoying a graphic novel or something of close genre on his pad between and during their missions before, but something was definitely different this time.
Jack read paper books. It wasn't a rare thing to have for a human, but BT noticed a tendency to save paper books somewhere on shelves at home due to various emotional attachments to physical copies of liked works. But Jack took his paper books with him, as if he weren't afraid that something could damage the cover or pages.
The most confusing thing about all this book situation was that Jack was secretive about it. Jack Cooper, as BT learnt, had never been able to shut up about anything he enjoyed. This abnormality was detected almost immediately, and BT wondered what had caused it.
Jack was resting and reading the second book – the first one he had already finished. The title and the author were hidden inside an additional cover to protect a soft original one; therefore, BT had no choice but to express his curiosity.
“Cooper, may I ask a question?”
“Sure,” Jack answered without looking at the titan. He was busy turning the next page.
“What have you been reading lately?” BT finally asked what he had wanted and was patiently waiting for the answer. The question was simple and trivial, but his pilot almost let his book fall from his hands. He also looked as if – a quote from Davis – a teenager had been caught smoking by strict parents.
“Uh, n-nothing interesting.”
The reaction was quite uncharacteristic, so BT’s curiosity increased immediately.
Why didn't Cooper tell him the title? Why didn't he give any summary? What was in the book that made him avoid a direct answer?
“Why do you read it then?” BT asked while he was already analysing the situation. If Cooper didn't want to tell, it was likely to be something compromising. That led him to one suggestion. “Is this pornography?"
BT asked with his typical unemotional voice as if he were asking for a combat situation report.
Jack choked and let the book fall to the ground.
“What the hell, BT?” he asked, looking at his titan embarrassedly. “Do I look like a pervert to you?”
BT wouldn't say so, but he couldn't exclude it as a variant of situation development. He knew that sometimes people could have an unexpected trait that might look like something not suitable for one.
“Davis also does not look like the most learned man; still, he told me about the writings of Marcus Tullius Cicero.”
“Oh sweet, naive titan…” Jack mumbled to himself, but BT’s sensors were good enough to catch it. Then he sighed, rubbing his forehead. The titan wanted to protest, but Jack raised his hand to prevent the titan's objection and started explaining, letting some notes of annoyance and tiredness slip into the conversation:
"He didn't read it at all. He just watched a stupid thirty-something-minute video about Cicero and became a pain in the ass to literally everyone… Don't believe him, BT.”
“Oh.”
The sound of such an open frustration for Cooper's revelation was so unexpectedly miserable for BT. He didn't like being a fool at all; his intelligence is much higher. Still, humans always managed to trick him.
“Yeah, oh indeed." The pilot's voice softened.
Jack picked up his book and looked at it with quite an intense warmth – BT knew that not many things deserved such a cordial attitude from Cooper.
The pilot's mood had definitely changed, and the titan understood he wasn't going to continue reading. And then – a moment of satisfying curiosity finally came – he took off the protective cover to show the original one that said 'The Caves of Steel'.
BT had never heard of it. It looked like something old.
“What is this book?” he asked.
“Huh?” Jack looked surprised; his eyebrows went up. “You've never heard of Isaac Asimov's books?”
Cooper touched his chin and hummed, looking pensive.
“Well, it's strange since I've always thought your three directives are like the three laws of robotics.”
BT’s optics narrowed since there was something about “three laws” and “robotics” in his database, so he took some time to go through those keywords in his memory bank. When he finally found the necessary information, his optics were wide again, and the voice was satisfied.
“I heard about them. Once a technician mentioned them, but I did not pay attention since he was extremely annoying with his unnecessary humour attempts,” BT confessed, and Jack laughed – his adoration for the titan's extravagant character occupied the room with a sound of soft chuckles.
BT always had an opinion on everything, and one of their non-negotiated but accepted rules was that BT could freely say anything to Cooper.
“Of course he was." Jack smiled with the hints of amusement in his eyes. “There's no way you actually like any tech. Poor guys, they're all doomed to be out of your favour. You're such a hater, BT.”
BT made a proud sound, as if it were his biggest achievement, and Jack laughed up his sleeve, hiding his wide smile.
“Speaking of the book…” Jack returned to the main topic, looking at it. “It's actually from my childhood. Jill, my sister, sent it to me.”
Jack stopped talking for a moment, rubbing his cheek with an index finger. BT knew it was Cooper's sign of awkwardness.
“It's… uhhh, about a human and robot detective duo. How they are investigating a murder and trying to get along.”
BT listened attentively, trying to find a logical explanation why Jack had tried to hide it before since he didn't tell him anything abnormal. It was just an old science fiction book.
“Why did you avoid telling me about it?”
Jack blinked, confused.
“Huh?”
BT had enough patience not to be annoyed, so he repeated:
“Why did you avoid telling me about it?”
“Oh, that… Don't know, buddy, it just felt kinda weird when I thought about it from your point of view.”
Now it was BT’s turn to blink in confusion. There were too few points to work with and connect; he couldn't come to any conclusion and understand.
“Please, explain.”
Jack looked like he didn't want to talk about it and be exposed, but BT knew he would tell him everything. So he waited patiently until Cooper started talking again:
"Isn't it strange to read ancient books about robots when a real one is always with me?”
“I do not see any contradiction.”
Jack sighed and scratched the back of his head. He really didn’t want to elaborate on the topic. He didn’t know what was sillier: the things he had come up with in his head or the necessity to tell all of this mess to his titan. He wished BT could read between the lines and get his idea so he wouldn’t have to say some things directly.
“It’s not really accurate, and these three laws limiting the rights of robots are so outdated and oppressive. Maybe some of these books can be offensive? Not sure, but I wondered what you might think of it… and thought you might be upset.”
BT hummed.
“People lie about other people in books too, but it is not considered to be a problem.”
"Yeah, but it's our deal… But you’re different; you’re not a human.”
“I was created by man, so the book may contain the outline concepts of robots. Some of them are true; some are left due to inconsistency. In fiction, there are always artistic liberties.”
“Makes sense,” Jack smiled, finally relaxed, and BT couldn't but notice once more, proving his existing point, that humans – his pilot especially – tended to exaggerate some things, creating a problem and unnecessary worrying, when in reality there was nothing to be concerned about.
“Do you mind telling me about it?” BT’s curiosity wasn't fulfilled, and his pilot's mood had become better, so he decided he might ask more questions.
"Honestly, I really like how the duo works in this series of books. They go through misunderstandings and become close friends, caring for each other. They're different, but still they work as something harmonic. That's so nice.”
“Sounds quite like our situation,” BT said, and Jack laughed. It did sound like something similar to them, but it wasn’t at all.
“Not really,” he answered. “Elijah, the human, is quite biased against robots, and he’s grumpy. I’m a better man.”
Cooper was very proud of himself, and moreover, he was really happy with what he had for now with his titan – this was the thing that small Jack had definitely been dreaming of while reading Asimov's novels about robots, because what kind of boy hadn’t dreamt of a robot buddy, yeah?
And speaking of the books, Jack thought they were more like Hari and Dors from the Foundation series – though he wouldn’t say it aloud. These two were a romantic couple, after all, and Jack didn’t want another flurry of awkward questions from BT.
“Can you read it to me?” BT asked, cutting off Cooper’s train of thoughts.
“Why not? I have a feeling that you may like Daneel in the Robot series,” Jack said, looking ahead, and smiled. “But he’s kind of controversial in the Foundation series…”
“How about we start now so I can form my own opinion on the question? We have four hours and thirty-nine minutes before the briefing session with commander Briggs. I recommend we not waste our time."
Jack struggled not to grin from ear to ear; he hadn’t imagined all this stuff with the book to turn out this way, but he liked the outcome. And he would probably return to the first book which he had already finished without BT – ‘I, Robot’.
BT took his pilot in his hand, providing a small, comfortable space for him and reducing the distance.
“So impatient.” Cooper teased, opened the first page of the novel and started reading about a certain police officer of the distant future's New York whose life would change with the appearance of an incredible, human-like robot.