Solaria - S1

by Fran Heckrotte

  "Yes, I have processed and categorized all of the information from yesterday's Internet sessions. Last night I suspended several superfluous bio-mechanical systems to conserve energy to see what effect it would have on my body."

  "Was there a reason for that? It could be risky if you're not careful."

  "I was curious about sleep so I deactivated several of my main systems. It was the closest way to simulate the complete bodily shutdown that humans seem to require. If I am to appear human I must understand this particular phenomenon."

  "I wouldn't exactly agree with that. Just be careful."

  "Please don't worry, Carley. I analyzed all the possibilities to determine which functions didn't need to be operational or in continuous mode."

  "As long as you don't jeopardize your health."

  "I am in excellent health. It wouldn't be logical for me to do something to compromise my ability to operate at optimum levels."

  "That's good, but do what I say. This is new for all of us so we aren't sure how your bio-mechanic and electronic systems will function under reduced power."

  "I ran simulation tests prior to the actual shutdown. I've suffered no discernible negative effects."

  Carley sighed. This conversation was going nowhere.

  "Solaria, I'm just asking you to take the necessary cautions. Nothing more." Realizing that she sounded more like a mom than a scientist, Carley decided she had made her point so it was time to move on. "Now, today I have a treat for you. You can move about the lab freely after everyone's gone home," Carley said, releasing the ankle and wrist locks that secured the Hubot to the chair.

  Standing Solaria flexed her arms and legs. It was such a human response that Carley smiled. The Hubot was becoming more humanlike every day. She was unconsciously displaying complicated mannerisms and emotions sooner than Carley imagined possible.

  Recalling an event two days before, she again smiled slightly. Things had started out normally. Carley was organizing some data and decided to grab a cup of coffee from the dispenser near Solaria. Walking past her, the scientist had noticed the Hubot frowning. In her hand was a porn magazine that one of Carley's male colleagues had left behind. Curious, she looked over Solaria's shoulder to see what could evoke the unusual response. To her surprise, she saw the centerfold picture of a nude woman. Carley never understood how her fellow workers could be so intelligent and yet indulge in such sleazy crap.

  "Is something wrong?"

  "Is this a real woman?" Solaria asked, running her fingertips gently over the photograph.

  "Yes, why do you ask?"

  "Do all human females display themselves in such a manner?"

  It was the first time Solaria had shown an interest in the female body. Curious about Solaria's fascination at seeing a naked woman, Carley decided to pursue the subject a little more.

  "No, most don't. She gets paid to pose for this particular magazine."

  Solaria continued to frown.

  "Does the sight of a naked woman bother you, Solaria?"

  When the Hubot didn't answer, Carley grew more curious at her odd behavior. "Solaria? What are you thinking?"

  "She's very beautiful," Solaria replied softly.

  Surprised at the unexpected comment, the scientist glanced again at the photo. It was the first time Solaria had expressed a concept instead of a fact.

  "Why do you think that?" Carley asked. "What makes her beautiful?"

  "I don't know. I've been trying to analyze her symmetry and coloring to see if there was a logical reason for my conclusion, but I haven't come up with anything."

  "That's because you're talking about perceptions," Carley said. "Beauty isn't about logic or thinking. Some scientists have a theory that symmetry has a lot to do with it, though."

  "I'm confused. As a machine it isn't logical for me to arrive at conclusions based on things such as perceptions or feelings," Solaria replied, making eye contact with her teacher and mentor, "but my processors cannot compute an alternative hypothesis."

  "You're not a machine, Solaria. Machines don't become confused. You're a Hubot. We've managed to generate human tissue over a carbon based alloy for your body. It's taken almost seventy years to perfect the technique. That was the easy part. Creating the laser quadro-core nano chip was the real break-through. Without it, we wouldn't be able to perform complex brain functions, let alone have chips small enough to fit inside a human skull."

  "I'm still a machine," Solaria reasoned "Although technically I am neither human nor machine."

  Carley sighed. She had long dreaded the moment the Hubot would question her own identity.

  "That's true; however, I would argue that you are both human and machine. What's the difference? Nowadays, we have a lot of people who are a blend of human and technology. We have replaced damaged hearts with mechanical ones. Severed limbs are no longer so debilitating since the development of bio-mechanical arms and legs. Nano chips are implanted in the brains of blind people giving them the ability to move around fairly normally using something akin to sonar. Our lifespan is now close to a hundred and twenty years, thanks to advanced technologies."

  From the expression on Solaria's face, Carley knew she was making progress.

  "And as for you being built, well, consider this. Many couples now have their offspring created in test tubes. They pick hair, eye and skin color and even sex. Is there really that much difference between what they are doing and what we did?"

  "It's a complicated question. I think I'll need time to analyze this before I can come to a valid conclusion," Solaria said, unable to think of a logical reason to disagree.

  "You do that and in the meantime, think about why this picture bothers you so much. I'd like to know the answer."

  Nodding her head, another human gesture, Solaria continued staring at the photo. Deciding it might be a good idea to distract her for awhile, Carley tapped Solaria's shoulder.

  "How about we run a few tests on the new chip that was sent over from the Computer Science Dept? You should find it very interesting. It's the next generation in CPUs. Besides, you can think about the photo after the lab closes tonight."

  "Yes. That makes sense. I will do that."

  For the rest of the morning Solaria assisted in testing the chip's performance. Afterward, she studied chemical molecular biology and auto-mechanical robotic engineering. If she were going to take care of herself in the future, she would have to understand completely how her body functioned.

  * * *

  Month Seven

  Carley was examining the latest results of her diagnostic examination of Solaria. Everything appeared to be functioning properly. In fact, according to the latest computer analysis, if she didn't know Solaria was a Hubot, she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the AI brain and a human brain. She had achieved her lifelong dream.

  There was another success story, though; one about which she had been less sure of in the beginning. With the help of two fellow scientists in the Pseudo-organ Development Program lab, Carley was able to create software to mask the components that monitored and translated biological functions into an electronic language that the CPUs could understand. If Solaria were screened by any equipment without the proper recognition codes, the device would generate false images of human organs and mask the electronics attached to each one. This would provide a degree of protection until she could be recovered by Future Dynamicon. The one thing the Company insisted on was making sure their beta model didn't fall into the wrong hands. The only way to insure that was to make it virtually impossible for civilian and military medical facilities to detect anything unusual or abnormal about her.

  Because of her bio-engineering, her musculature and skeletal composition also appeared normal, although her entire system was enhanced beyond normal parameters. The improvements gave Solaria the advantage of superior strength and speed, things her designers insisted were needed if Hubots were to be beneficial to their human counterparts. Such characteristics woul
d allow them to do jobs that normally required at least two humans as well as eliminating the possibility of human error and injuries. Hubots would be extremely efficient as bodyguards as well as beneficial to the service industry.

  It was during one of her routine physical exams that the subject of sex was broached. Lying on the table, Solaria watched the monitors while Carley attached the adhesive patches to her skin and then clipped the electronic wires to each tab on the patch. Tiny sensors would detect any transmission errors as well as send data directly to the holographic monitor in front of her. Three-dimensional imaging would allow Carley to see every angle of her bio-mechanical structure. Malfunctions would be categorized by importance, color coded and then sent to the biology and technology departments for final analysis. Carley was knowledgeable enough, though, to recognize that Solaria's body was operating perfectly.

  * * *

  Carley's hands were warm; her touch pleasant, arousing strange sensations Solaria couldn't understand.

  "Are you feeling okay?" Carley asked, noticing the flushed skin. Concerned that Solaria might have contracted a virus from one of the lab techs, she touched the Hubot's cheek to see if it was hot. As technologically advanced as Solaria was, her human body was still susceptible to viral and bacterial infections.

  "I feel fine. Your touch is having a strange effect on me. I'm trying to isolate the nerves and blood vessels that are responding to your stimuli to see what's wrong."

  Carley blushed. She had taken over Solaria's physical examination because she didn't want anyone taking advantage of the Hubot's innocence. It never occurred to her that her touch would cause such a reaction. Clearing her throat, she intercepted Solaria's hands as they moved toward the pubic area to inspect the tingling skin.

  "It's okay, Solaria. I think I owe you an apology."

  "For what? I've noticed no difference in this examination from the others except for this physical reaction."

  "Well, that's what I'm talking about. I think maybe I should have explained human sexual responses to you before now."

  "Sexual responses? Is this what foreplay feels like?"

  "Good grief, no!" Carley exclaimed. "But what you're feeling is similar to what women feel when they're experiencing it."

  "It's very strange. I'm not sure how to explain it," Solaria said, searching for the right analytical description.

  "That's alright. I know what you're going through. Let's just get through the exam and then we can discuss this in more detail if you want."

  Solaria didn't comment. She had read about the subject on the Internet. It was inundated with websites offering pictures, stories and videos, not to mention an almost infinite variety of instruments to enhance sexual pleasure.

  After putting her clothes back on, Solaria decided to ask Carley about the human obsession with the act of procreation.

  "Carley, why is sex so important to humans? It isn't always about propagation. There are more websites about sex and sexuality than anything else and some of the sites seem... I don't know..." Solaria couldn't think of the words to describe something so illogical.

  "I wouldn't spend too much time trying to figure it out. Sex is probably the most difficult of all our behaviors to understand. Of course, it's necessary for procreation but we've evolved even beyond that. For some it's about love, an expression of caring. Others just enjoy the moment. Then there are those who have perverted it for their own selfish satisfaction or as a power trip."

  "So human females don't like being forced to have sex?"

  "Not any who have half a brain. Where did you get that idea?"

  "It seems to be a main theme on the Internet and in a lot of the stories I've read. Human males always seem so forceful and the women enjoy it."

  "That's just fiction. Women want someone that cares about them and is willing to take the time to show it."

  "That is foreplay then?"

  "Yes, that's foreplay... or at least part of it, I suppose. It's really more complicated than that, though. Look, Solaria, I'm really not the one to answer these questions. Sex just isn't my field of expertise and I've never been that interested in it."

  "Are you a virgin or frigid?"

  "Good grief, you have been reading a lot. I'm definitely not a virgin. As for frigid, I don't think so. I just never had the time for it once I left the university. That was over thirty years ago."

  "Is that normal? I mean isn't it a biological imperative for humans to reproduce? No matter how much you've evolved, surely the primal urges are strong enough to overcome even the higher cognitive abilities since it's necessary to perpetuate the species."

  "I have my moments but at my age they're pretty rare. I think most humans can and do control their primal urges. Society would be chaotic otherwise. This is a very complicated subject, Solaria. I wish I had all the answers for you. It would help your growth and make it a lot easier. I think you'll just have to try and figure this one out on your own. In the meantime, I have a surprise for you."

  "Surprise?"

  "Yes. It's time you got out of the lab and met a few more people. Human interaction will be good for you. Of course, you realize no one can know about you. The Hubot Program is a highly classified project. To most of the employees here, you don't exist."

  "How am I to respond if I'm asked who I am?"

  "Just say you're my assistant. I doubt if anyone will pursue anything beyond that. About everyone knows I'm pretty much a loner."

  "You don't like people?" Solaria asked.

  Carley shrugged.

  "Let's say I have little use for human folly and pettiness."

  "Do you not have a partner?"

  Caught off guard by the question, the scientist stared thoughtfully at the Hubot for several seconds.

  "Why do you ask?"

  "Isn't it normal for humans to want companionship? Isn't that one of the reasons Future Dynamicon is investing in Hubots?"

  "Not in the sense you mean, no... and no I don't have a partner. I like my privacy too much and I guess I'm too set in my ways. Now, how about we go see what's for lunch?"

  Realizing the scientist didn't want to pursue the topic further, Solaria nodded her head agreeably.

  * * *

  The cafeteria was crowded and noisy. Most of the tables were filled with men and women in white or blue coats; the white designating scientists, the blue technicians and assistants. One area was cordoned off by transparent glass creating a small isolated room. Noticing the direction of the Hubot's gaze, Carley leaned close to her and whispered.

  "The big wigs don't like rubbing elbows with us peons."

  Solaria frowned slightly.

  "That is sarcasm, right?"

  Carley laughed and pointed toward the buffet against the far wall.

  "You're learning. Let's see what's for lunch. You should find the selection interesting. It sure beats the crap they've been sending to the lab."

  "The protein cakes are ample to produce enough energy to sustain my biological requirements," Solaria replied. "The bio-nutritionist has done an excellent job of determining the correct amount of protein and nutrients needed to keep my system fully operational."

  "That's great, but she could have made them taste a little better. Obviously, she didn't sample her final product. The one I ate wasn't fit for a starving dog as far as I'm concerned. It tasted like crap."

  "I've never eaten crap so the comparison means nothing to me. Perhaps I should try that in order to determine the basis for your comparison."

  "Ummm, I think you can forego that, Solaria. Take my word for it. Now, how about trying some real food and let me know what you think? Damian said your cellular composition makes you more than capable of discerning different flavors and your taste sensors should be more sensitive to flavors than ours."

  "As you wish."

  Carley smiled at the comment. For some reason, Solaria had picked up on that particular phrase and used it when she wasn't sure what else to do or say.

  Following
Carley's example, Solaria picked up a tray, some utensils and a glass. Not knowing where to begin, she decided to sample the more colorful items. The fruits and veggies looked particularly interesting, in a clinical sort of way.

  "Oh, you must try some of the stuffed lobster," Carley said, scooping up a spoonful and dumping it on the Hubot's plate. "I think you'll find it interesting."

  After paying the bill for their food, the scientist guided Solaria to an empty table near the exit. As they were unloading their tray, a tall slender man in a business suit walked up to them and waited impatiently for them to sit.