by G. L. Argain
“Wait, what?”
“I’m going to bring in Lee. As a robot, she will make fewer mistakes.”
“The fuck? Lee’s a robot? And a female?”
“Lee’s designed to look like a female, although technically she has no gender at all as a robot, but…yes and yes.”
To the ordinary human, Lee would likely be mistaken for a male due to the low voice she had. However, our human had no experience with alien anatomy, and it’s a big universe, after all. It’s full of many strange things, impossible to discover every single one within a lifetime.
“Besides,” Juvir continued, “you shouldn’t always worry about things you don’t know. That applies to everything in life, not just to tests such as these.”
“Well, that makes sense, but it doesn’t make me any less afraid.”
“I’m not done yet. The point is that fear of the unknown causes so many problems for everyone. Whether it be meeting new alien species, experiencing new events, or anything that somebody has no idea as to how it will go, fear dominates over curiosity. The only way for that fear to diminish is for knowledge to refute it and replace it, and even then there are some people who like to cling to their fears out of the illusion of comfort. You want to know why you shouldn’t be afraid? Because Lee knows exactly what to do without error, the procedure has always been completely painless for everybody else, and after decades of working on genetic procedures such as this one, I have the experience and knowledge to prove my words. And if you can’t accept my words, then just be quiet, stay still, and find out for yourself.”
Andrew felt chills down his spine—not from fear, but from fascination. He had never met anybody in person who had spoken so intelligently, so powerfully that the human couldn’t help but believe him. In a way, there were some exceptions and unknown factors that still needed to be discussed and taken care of, but Andrew felt better, and that’s the most important part.
“I would suppose a few of you humans have this mindset as well, but even more would be what I described earlier: scared of unfamiliar beings, dealing with them by sweeping them aside as outcasts or monsters. Am I correct?”
“Yeah.”
“Just one of the reasons—other than the treaty—that I don’t want you exposed to the public. The people of Ku-an Doel would treat you as an uncivilized outcast.”
“Well, thank you for treating me so well.”
Juvir created a corny smile—one that was wide, yet his mouth was only slightly open—and said, “No problem.”
“Ready to begin, sir,” said a voice as it entered the room.
“Ah, Lee, you’re here. Okay, Andrew, just lay on the table and Lee will get started right away.”
“Hold on a sec, Juvir,” said Andrew, who raised his hand up in an attempt to somehow more likely catch Juvir’s attention, “what exactly do you do? I mean, to the sounds of it, you’re a vice-president, a doctor, a philosopher, and—let me guess—my boss once I’m a soldier. Which one of these do you actually do for a living?”
“Is it so wrong to have more than one job? There are many things you can do simultaneously that contribute to the lives of others.”
And so Juvir left the room as Andrew laid down onto the table. Lee asked him to take off the suit before proceeding.
Lee studied Andrew like how the Selentors did, except Lee was more precise and cautious about it. When he was told to stay still, she took out a tiny ball-shaped device that was wirelessly connected to a computer database. The device looked like a blue volleyball at one hundredth the size; it was small enough for a human to choke on. There was a single light shining from one part of the sphere, signaling whether the device was on or off. She placed the device onto the inside part of Andrew’s elbow, who expected to feel something such as a sharp prick. But during the second that the device was used, he felt nothing.
“What was that for?”
“To analyze your blood. The device took a sample of it and sent data to the computer.”
After the human looked at his elbow, he asked why there was no blood coming out since the device should have made a wound.
“It’s because only a few blood cells, along with some platelets and plasma, are necessary to be retrieved and analyzed. This device has a microscopic tube that will pierce through your skin and pull out painlessly, due to the fact that it’s too small for your nerves to detect it. Plus, your platelets have clotted up the hole already while your skin cells finish the job.”
Andrew’s paranoia/skepticism ran swift through his mind. “Okay, but what about bacteria? Since you didn’t sanitize anything beforehand—”
“The device is coated with an antibacterial formula that kills any microorganisms in range as it punctures the skin—but it won’t harm your body, of course. Anything else?”
Andrew closed his lips in response.
With multiple individual devices of the same kind, this procedure followed suit for everything else that made up his body. He had various fluids extracted with virtually no pain at all, even in areas that would make some wince from the thought: spinal fluid, sperm, synovial fluid, and even the fluid surrounding his eyeballs. The only thing that Lee didn’t take was stomach acid, considering how computers already retrieved data of it when Andrew relieved himself of some after teleporting. All of these fluids were tested and used to give the AOIB an idea of human composition. Andrew was given a break before moving on to the next tests that involved surgery-free muscle and organ inspection.
The black-haired human sat down with questions and thoughts racing throughout his mind, trying to ignore them all in order to rest his psyche. All the stress from all of these new people, places, things, and ideas—everything bombarded onto his mind like hammers onto a giant brick wall. If there’s enough force and time applied to it, the wall will eventually break.
However, as Juvir noted before when Andrew first beheld the AOIB members, Lee was the type to ask plenty of questions herself.
“So, Andrew, are there any robots on your planet?”
“Huh? Oh yeah…but none of them are conscious or even intelligent. The most complicated robots I’ve heard of are designed to trim hedges or play the violin or something along those lines. I think the best we’ve got so far is this social robot with the IQ of a dog.”
“I don’t know what dogs are, but do they at least seem conscious or intelligent? Do they have souls?”
Andrew was surprised to hear a robot bring up the term “souls” in a conversation. “Well, I guess dogs at least have souls. After all, they have emotions and free will.”
The idea of free will is so subjective that doing the opposite of one tells you to wouldn’t describe it well enough. In Andrew’s perspective, free will is the ability to decide—to apply independent thought to some sort of situation. Dogs can have this “free will” whenever a crisis occurs. If a dog is lost five hundred miles away from home, it can decide between three choices: to find a new home where it’s at, to make the journey all the way back to the first home, or to give up where it stands—which is unlikely if it has the energy to move forward. However, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t it all a part of how a dog’s brain works? That all of the dog’s choices are a part of psychology that could be analyzed, proven, and manipulated via the master’s will?
However, regardless of the soul problem, almost all humans have consciousness because they think so much about themselves and their own existence. If robots that look like humans and intel-beings have consciousness and free will, then what would that make them?
“Why do you ask?” said Andrew.
“It’s nothing important,” said Lee, “I just wanted to know what robots were like on Earth if there were any.” The robot had a combination of miniscule gears, cables, levers and shafts, all working to pull the artificial skin on Lee’s face into a specific form—an expression that one would often display if they were hiding something.
The Earthling concluded, “We should move on to the next part now.”
Despite the intriguing conversation, all the human wanted was to get through these tests.
After having his insides observed with the special light, Andrew looked forward with his chin pressed onto his collarbone to see what was happening next. Lee pulled out an old-fashioned scalpel—she was definitely going to cut something up. Staying quiet wouldn’t benefit the human now.
“Uh…what’s that for?”
“This is for taking off the two reproductive organs you have there. Considering you’re not going to be reproducing anytime on this planet, they would just get in the way.”
The human grew from nervous to frantic with each passing second; from the looks of the scalpel, he believed this would not be so painless.
“Don’t worry, I’m giving you anesthetic for this.”
That’s not all that I’m afraid of, Andrew thought. There were more functions for the human body that the reproductive system contributed to other than reproduction itself. Hormones are one of several examples.
The procedure took between five and ten minutes, and it was, as a matter of fact, painless. He also had his nipples taken off in the same way since they really were useless for any male. The anesthetic was astounding—Andrew didn’t notice that he was bleeding until Lee put artificial skin onto the bleeding areas. The first thought that crossed his mind at this sight was: That’s a LOT of blood… The second one was the fact that he would always have to sit down on the toilet whenever he needed to relieve himself.
Andrew was given another break once he could sit up—if he wanted to, of course. However, this break was much quieter and shorter than the one before. The room became uncomfortable for both people involved, and the medicinal atmosphere did nothing to soothe anyone’s mind.
The final series of procedures was up next—the ones involving genetic alterations. Lee told him that it was unavoidable to suppress any pain completely for this one; the anesthetic would interfere with the genetic changes. Regardless, it would be nothing compared to the lye-in-the-back incident on the Selentor ship.
“Have you seen any Selentors with darkened muscles that show through their skin?” said Lee.
“Yeah, a few.”
“That’s a result of genetic progress. That gene in particular changes your muscle quality so that each and every muscle fiber is much more durable and powerful than before.” There was also a gene that affects the amount of muscle fibers known to the humans as myostatin, but more isn’t always better.
“Really? How much stronger can I get with that?”
“Sorry, but you’re not getting that gene. At least not yet.”
Chapter 11
The level of pain wasn’t that bad—it was how long it lasted that made the Earthling weary afterward. Each genetic shot taken in was a similar process: a needle was inserted in Andrew’s torso, then an electrifying, almost burning sensation ran throughout his body. During each genetic change, he clenched his teeth together as he held back a shout, turning it into a sort of groan. Sometimes he would feel parts of his body growing or stretching. The whole procedure lasted over an hour, but it felt like an entire day.
Mid-way through, Andrew asked to see a reflection of himself to see if anything had actually changed. What he beheld gave some compensation for the pain he had endured. He appeared an entire foot taller, and his bones felt harder than stone. His physique was bulkier overall, giving him a new weight—if he was on Earth—of two hundred and thirty pounds. Lee had to pause the procedure anyway because Andrew needed a food pill for rejuvenation, for his body to deal with all the physical changes.
The remaining genetic modifications, which involved regeneration and skin durability, were less painful than the ones before. Had he gotten used to it, he thought? Furthermore, he received a genetic change that would allow him to hear any language as familiar as English, making the translator on his ear redundant. The modification that he wanted most but didn’t get was the one regarding muscle efficiency. Lee said that Andrew would have to increase his muscle mass before he could obtain the mod. If he got the gene now, it would boost his strength, but he would never become any stronger. Many aliens have gotten this gene before improving muscle mass because they needed the strength right away. The human, however, had all the time he needed, thus giving him the opportunity to become a better fighter.
“Well, Andrew, you’re finished. What do you want to do until Juvir comes back?”
“I need to use the bathroom,” stated Andrew urgently, his voice now slightly deeper.
“Sure, just go into the fourth room down the hall that way.” Andrew faced to the right to see the general direction that Lee pointed to.
The human sat up, feeling the extreme differences in his body. He was taller and heavier, making his coordination very outdated and pitiful as he stumbled off the table. He left the room with his hands to the wall for support and beheld several doors on the right side of the hall. He found the fourth door had three symbols on it that seemed to resemble those of an Asian language, even though it was a language exclusive to Ku-an Doel and the AOIB. And yet somehow he could tell that the symbols meant “Organic Waste Disposal.” To the human the words could have signified a bathroom…or a compost dumpster…or something else entirely. The only way to know for sure was to go inside.
Andrew stepped in front of the door before it slid to the left. He walked inside and found only an empty lit-up room with a floating mechanical object waiting there. Once the doors closed, the object projected a red, fan-like light across Andrew’s body. The floating device spoke when it finished: “Species: Human. Setting up waste relief system.”
My species is already a part of the computer systems around here? That was quick, thought the Earthling.
A cubic portion of the floor sprang up as a wide hole opened up from its top. It seemed suitable enough for Andrew to sit on and do his business. He had a hard time trying to sit down, however—he would take a while getting used to his new body.
As he sat down, he noticed that all he had in place of his now-missing penis and testicles was a small hole from which urine came out of. Everything around there had already healed up because of the regeneration mod.
He sat up from the cubic toilet, curious to find any toilet paper, and saw another floating device appear in front of him. This one, however, used what felt like a laser—not harmful, though—on the affected areas, then it sprayed a quick-drying substance between his belly and his thighs, both on the front and back of his body, as well as his hands. It finished with the words: “Remaining waste and bacteria extinguished. You may exit.”
Andrew felt clean yet dirty at the same time because he didn’t use toilet paper or wash his hands like he would have done so on Earth. However, when he gave it more thought, that substance did feel sanitary, so he decided it was all right and walked back to Lee.
As he entered the operation room, he noticed that Juvir was face-to-face with Lee, and the crimson-skinned alien vice-president stated, “New toilet experience?”
Andrew said with embarrassment, “Yeah, it was…different.”
“I’ll bet it’s more hygienic than it is on Earth.”
“I wouldn’t expect too much more.” On Earth, soap typically removes 99.99 percent of the millions of germs on one’s hands; that still leaves hundreds left. The substance from earlier, however, reduced the number of bacteria from millions to single-digit amounts.
“So this is what a genetically-improved human looks like. You definitely look like you have massive potential. Although you should put your suit back on.”
As the Earthling put the black suit on again, he said, “No problem…er, what should I call you other than just ‘Juvir?’ Should I say it with ‘Vice President,’ or something else, maybe?”
“No need to be so formal, Andrew. Think of me, yourself and everyone else here as equals, not superiors.”
Andrew hesitated to speak up against this statement. Juvir had plenty of experience as a leader, was several times more intelligent, and lo
oked as though his body wasn’t at all weak. Juvir was physically, mentally, and socially more powerful than he was. Andrew couldn’t help but show his respect somehow. The best way he could do it for now was to do whatever Juvir wanted him to do.
“Understood, Juvir. By the way, now that I think about it, where’s the actual president of the AOIB? You said he was coming by soon.”
“He is. I was talking to him over the communicator about you the entire time that you were having your tests with Lee.” Lee had left the room by this point—her business with Andrew was done, and she knew it would be odd to stick around doing nothing.
“What’s he like? And why do I get the feeling that he’s never around much?”
“He’s an extremely busy person. He deals with all the negotiations and speeches with all the other planets while letting us representatives do our own work. Luckily, he has a very high stress threshold, and his species does not need sleep whatsoever. I can’t quite match up to that. As Vice President, however, I have fewer duties to worry about and that lets me take you in with full responsibility.”
Andrew nodded his head in mild admiration. “What’s his name?”
“Xaphlos Worleger Eul-ta Canelpo. It’s a long and difficult name, I know.”
“God, that really is a tongue twister.”
Juvir gave him a look as though the Earthling had said something strange. Was it because “tongue-twister” was just a humanly expression? Or…
“Um, well…Yhn, I mean…oh, it’s the same person! Give me a break!”
Juvir’s expression remained the same, though the reason had changed. “Did you know about Yhn from the Selentors?”
Andrew gave him a couple seconds of silence before answering. The human realized that neither one of them had mentioned anything about God or Yhn just yet.
“Yeah…they told me that their enemies, and I would assume they meant you guys—no offense—believed in an all-powerful thing known as ‘Yhn.’ Us humans on Earth do the same thing, only we call him ‘God.’”