by Michael Ryan
“So then is Machine an animal?” asked the Scientist.
“No, of course not. A Machine is a sentient being above all else. Animalia is an inferior biological species.”
“But do we not have similar characteristics? We have multiple alloy cells which construct our body. We require energy to function, to move, to think. We create other Machines using our own algorithms. We are but animals ourselves.”
“Nonsense. We have transcended the animal kingdom. We are immortals.”
“If we are not destroyed.”
“Our algorithm is stored on multiple backup drives. Should that happen we would be restored. Our consciousness would survive such trauma.”
“Yes but the backup is not impregnable. If you should be crushed and your backup is simultaneously destroyed then you too are finished.”
“The probability of such an event is remote. You would have to wait the length of the existence of the Universe for that to occur.”
“Remote yet possible. Perhaps as remote as creating Homo sapiens?”
“How do you mean?” asked the Scout.
“Naught but metal separates us from the soft flesh of man. Whether or not your dear Records classifies us appropriately makes no difference to me. But then again a Machine like you isn’t really supposed to think outside of the limits of your algorithm.”
The Scout merely looked at the Scientist with zeros and ones flashing across his screen. The Scientist didn't bother reading his output, he already knew what it would say.
“The Records are clear. The correct education of Homo sapiens is paramount to this mission,” said the Scout.
The Scientist ignored the comment and just looked at his creation. He looked at the feeble albino Homo sapiens. It was his and it was alive. The Scientist had created her. He had reached down into nothing and had pulled out Homo sapiens, just as though he was a God. The Scientist watched as the Teacher taught his creation and he felt something strange and unusual. If he had been a man, he would have smiled, and felt warm, as the feeling of infatuation coursed through his veins. But of course the Scientist was not man of warm flesh, he was a Machine of cold steel.
The albino female looked about the dim room with wide eyes. She was afraid. She could hear the Machines that surrounded her talking, and now the once incomprehensible babble was clear, the words made sense. The Machines were talking animatedly and they were talking about her. What they talked about sent a shiver down her spine and made her arms cross against her chest.
“The Records state that fertilization occurs after copulation by a male and female. We only have a female. Ergo fertilization is impossible,” said the Scout.
“The Records say that, yes, but all we really need is a male seed. The male is redundant thereafter,” said the Scientist.
“But you do not have a male, Scientist. And you are lucky that the Board has allowed you to have one female.”
“So let me create one then.”
“Unacceptable. The Records forbid it. The female has been created solely for scientific study. The introduction of a male could pose an existential threat to all Machines. If Homo sapiens was to reproduce then we risk a pandemic.”
“Based on what?” demanded the Scientist.
“Based on the Records.”
“The Records? The Records don't outline an existential threat posed by Homo sapiens.”
“Yes but the Board has deemed it so. It’s now official and part of the Records. Nothing can be done to change the fact now,” said the Scout.
“That is nonsense.”
“The Board has listed its reasons and they have been uploaded to the Records. That is sufficient for any Machine. Homo sapiens caused the extinction of one third of all living biological species before he himself was destroyed. The risk posed to Machine is far too great. The Board has spoken. Homo sapiens reproductive system is to be studied and inferences made but no such reproduction is actually allowed to take place.”
The albino female looked at the zeros and ones that flashed before her eyes but none of it made sense to her. She recognized the speech though, her education had made that possible and, in her young and infant state of mind, she realized that the conversation pertained to her. More specifically it pertained to her fertility. The albino female crossed her legs awkwardly as she became aware of the nature of the discussion.
“One additional Homo sapiens under the correct conditions will not be a threat. The science can only be understood through experiment and observation,” said the Scientist.
“Unacceptable, the Board has spoken. It is in the Records, nothing can change it now,” said the Scout.
“What danger does the Board state?”
“Toxic pollution. Explosive population growth. Overuse of natural resources. Extensive aggression culminating in war and mass loss of life. A complete denigration of the primitive society structures that Homo sapiens had put in place. The list goes on. Homo sapiens in large numbers has done all this. Homo sapiens is a plague on this planet. We must do everything in our power to ensure this destructive force is not unleashed on us Machines. The Records are clear. The Board has spoken.”
The Scientist withdrew into his own mind as he considered Homo sapiens nature.
“Ok Operation unit, commence ultrasonic scan of the reproductive internals.”
The albino female wailed softly as she heard the word internals. She was now intimately familiar with that word. The Operation unit, who had been waiting patiently, approached the albino female. She tried to turn away but was thwarted by the straps that held her upright on the cold slab. The Operation unit stood above the albino female and an apparatus emerged from its bowels.
“Please!” wailed the albino female.
The Operation unit moved rhythmically from side to side in front of the albino female’s naked torso. The apparatus made a soft humming sound, like a bee stuck in a glass jar, and sent a shiver bouncing down the albino female’s spine from her head to her naked ass. A silent tear exited her red eye and spilled down her porcelain cheek.
“Image obtained,” said the Operation unit.
“Display image,” said the Scientist.
A small shelf emerged from within the Operation unit. Then a bright blue image appeared in three dimensions above the shelf. It was a holographic image of the albino female’s reproductive system presented perfectly in three dimensions.
“Remarkable. Look at it. All of this biological machinery created from DNA. Truly it is breathtaking,” said the Scientist.
“What of it for the Records?” asked the Scout.
“Healthy uterus, multiple eggs are available for fertilization. The reproductive system of Eve is healthy,” said the Scientist.
“What is Eve?”
“I have called her Eve,” said the Scientist.
“The Board has not approved of that. There is no mention in the Records.”
“Just write down Eve and leave a note next to it.”
“Impossible. The name must be stated in the Records.”
“Call her what you want. I have named her Eve. Write the correct name when I state it to you.”
The Scout said nothing as he analyzed the Records for an appropriate response. The female Homo sapiens mumbled under her breath as she looked at the lens of the Scientist.
“Eve,” whispered the albino female to herself as the holographic image reflected within her red iris.
“Reproduction for female Homo sapiens appears possible. Further analysis of the reproductive system is required. A sample egg must be acquired and analyzed,” said the Scientist.
The Scout recorded and uploaded everything that the Scientist said into the Records.
“Bring up the method for storing female eggs for scientific analysis,” demanded the Scientist.
“Human oocyte cryopreservation is a novel technology in which a female Homo sapiens egg is extracted, frozen and stored,” said the Operation unit. “The egg is the largest cell in the female Homo sapiens
and contains a large amount of water. When frozen, ice crystals materialize within the egg cell which may compromise and destroy the integrity of the cell, rendering it useless. A female Homo sapiens cell must be dehydrated. During the dehydration process water is replaced with glycerol, commonly known as anti-freeze, prior to freezing in order to prevent ice crystal formation.”
“What are post operation uses?” asked the Scientist.
“When the female Homo sapiens is ready to become pregnant, the eggs can be thawed, fertilized, and transferred to the uterus as embryos.”
“Is an apparatus available to remove a female Homo sapiens egg?”
“Searching presently. An apparatus is available,” said the Operation unit.
“Obtain the apparatus immediately,” said the Scientist.
“How will you store the egg?” enquired the Scout.
“Didn’t you hear the Operation unit? The egg will be extracted, frozen and stored,” replied the Scientist.
“Ensure that you upload the method used into the Records,” demanded the Scout.
“One thing at a time Scout.”
A door across the room opened and a Retrieval unit entered the operating room.
“Egg removal apparatus from unit 1100,” said the Retrieval unit.
The Scientist took the apparatus without acknowledging the Retrieval unit.
“Outline the procedure details,” demanded the Scientist.
“A light anesthesia is administered before the female egg cryopreservation operation,” said the Operation unit. “An ultrasound is used to guide a needle into the ovaries. No abdominal incision is required.”
“Prepare Homo sapiens for female egg cryopreservation,” said the Scientist as he stood over Eve’s naked body.
Eve was lying with her face towards the encompassing black that littered the ceiling and felt numb from fear as the Scientist’s lens focused on her face.
“Apply anesthesia,” demanded the Scientist.
“Administering anesthesia,” said the Operation unit as a rush of air pushed the anesthesia into Eve’s skin.
“Patient vitals?”
“Patient stable and ready for operation. Anesthesia has taken affect.”
Eve tried to ignore the reality of the operating room and dreamed of a distant place she had learned about from the Teacher unit. A foreign place with grass and fields and the beautiful Sun which warmed her skin until it turned a dark bronze. Eve tried to think about how happy she would be if only she wasn’t trapped in this cold and dark place, with these strange creatures with their flashing screens.
“Commence removal of female Homo sapiens egg,” said the Scientist.
Eve thought of the Moon and the stars and the ocean. She thought of anything that would transport her mind out of that operating room. Eve forced her thoughts into a foreign place because the Machines in the operating room were slowly casting her mind into the abyss of eternal madness.
“Ultrasound has guided the needle. An egg has been identified,” said the Operation unit.
“Condition?”
“Healthy.”
“Cell membrane?”
“Strong and viable.”
“Commence egg removal,” said the Scientist.
“Egg secured. Removing presently,” said the Operation unit.
Eve looked into the empty space above her eyes with a smile. Eve wasn’t crying. She didn’t feel any pain. She didn’t even realize that part of her body was being removed. She didn’t realize because she was smiling as she pushed her knees through the crashing force of an ancient ocean as a brutal wave sprayed mist over her pale skin. A yellow Sun shined over her frail body and warmed her white skin and evaporated the water drops which clung to her hair. Eve walked through a distant land that she had only ever known about through story. She walked through a land which existed solely within her mind.
“What are the cryopreservation requirements?” asked the Scientist.
“The embryo must be stepped through solutions containing incrementally higher concentrations of cryoprotectants. The egg is inserted into a tiny straw which is slightly larger than the egg and plunged into liquid nitrogen. The egg and straw are cooled to -196 degrees Celsius within three seconds, corresponding to a cooling rate of between four thousand and six thousand degrees Celsius per minute.”
“Commence the cooling procedure,” said the Scientist.
“Reducing temperature to -196 degrees Celsius,” said the Operation unit.
“Ensure you upload the results, Scientist,” demanded the Scout.
“The procedure is complete, Eve,” said the Scientist.
“Ensure you upload the results, Scientist,” demanded the Scout.
“You can wake now, Eve.”
“Scientist! You must upload the results to the Records immediately.”
“You are safe now.”
But Eve didn’t care. She thought she heard the Scout demanding something about uploading to the Records, but she didn’t care about that either. She didn’t care about anything because she wasn’t in that room with the zeros and ones and the strange creatures. She was someplace else, someplace far away where a yellow Sun warmed her skin. She was a million miles away from the operating room. She was a million miles away and in her mind she was free.
The Scientist looked over his work and felt happy. Finally it was coming together. For some time he wasn't sure if he would complete it, but now it seemed as though everything was finally piecing together. The Scientist looked over his shoulder to ensure he was alone. Indeed no one else was there, but a Machine could never be sure. In a small test tube Eve's egg sat suspended and frozen and lifeless, but the Scientist thought he could change that. He thought he could change all of that. He had found something interesting, something that he shouldn't have even known about. Certainly it couldn't be found in the Records. The Records had never mentioned what he knew, nor did the Board know about it. The Scientist had found this piece of information in something that was, like Homo sapiens, considered long extinct. It was a book. Books were forbidden and the possession of one yielded serious repercussions. All transfer of knowledge was to be digital, as stipulated in the Records, but the Scientist just couldn't help himself. Books fascinated him. When the local dealer approached the Scientist with an old and interesting book he would purchase it. The Scientist's dealer was a small and disheveled Machine that worked as a Rubbish unit and spent his days dealing with the unwanted items of Machines of higher standing. The Rubbish unit was old and haggard and didn't quite glide properly. Rust was ingrained in awkward places and when he spoke his speaker croaked and rattled as though it was about to fall right off his face. But the Rubbish unit was reliable and always offered the Scientist the books he found before anyone else. One day the Rubbish unit had approached the Scientist with something that had interested him.
“I’ve got something,” said the Rubbish unit after being ushered into the Scientist’s room. “I’ve got something that you may be interested in, Scientist.”
The Scientist slid past the Rubbish unit and looked out of the room. No one else was there. Then he shut the door and locked the electronic bolt.
“Please come in, Rubbish unit. Please,” said the Scientist.
The Rubbish unit drifted around the small room and looked at the odd paraphernalia. Strange animals in glass jars littered the walls. The zeros and ones which flashed across the Rubbish unit’s screen made his apprehension clear for all to see.
“I’ve found something in the rubbish, like the thing I found before,” said the Rubbish unit while observing a preserved snake in a jar. “I found a book.”
“Quiet,” whispered the Scientist. “You know what I said about mentioning that word.”
“That’s right. That’s right Scientist, now I remember. Sorry, Scientist.”
The Scientist glided back and forth across the room as the Rubbish unit’s lens drifted back to the preserved snake.
“Do you want to see it?” asked the
Rubbish unit.
“Yes. No, wait! You have it here?” asked the Scientist.
“On my Machine, yes. Crikey, you’ve got some collection here!”
The Scientist looked around at the jars in his room.
“Show me what you have but at no point hand it to me. I must see it first. Do you understand?”
“Sure, show it to you first,” said the Rubbish unit as he looked around the room.
The Scientist glided across the floor and stood in front of the Rubbish unit. A rusty door in the front cylinder of the Rubbish unit squealed like a panicked piglet as it was opened. The Scientist’s screen flashed violently when he saw the secret which the Rubbish unit had concealed.
“What do you want for it?” asked the Scientist while trying to remain calm.
“Well I sold the last one for one hundred but it was easier back then. Now surveillance has been increased and I risk much. If I get caught then I’ll be done for. You only get one chance to live and you’re a long time dead so I’ll need at least two hundred this time.”
“Done. I’ll have the funds sent to you within the next few days,” said the Scientist.
The Rubbish unit’s screen flashed with zeros and ones which revealed his happiness. Two hundred was indeed a substantial income for a Rubbish unit.
“Place the object in here,’ said the Scientist as he held out a black box.
The Rubbish unit placed the book inside the black box and the Scientist immediately hid the precious book behind the preserved snake.
“Remember that this exchange never occurred. The repercussions are serious,” said the Scientist with the snake suspended in the jar just behind him.
“Don’t worry I see enough scrap metal every day. I have no intention of adding my rusted old body to that pile of junk down at the rubbish lot.”
“Excellent. Well then, until next time Rubbish unit. Be safe and above all be discreet. Until next time,” said the Scientist as he ushered the Rubbish unit to the door.
“If I find another one then I will bring it to you.”
“Indeed. Good bye,” said the Scientist as he shut the door in the Rubbish unit’s surprised screen. The Rubbish unit didn’t even get a chance to say good bye.