Program 12 (4 page)

The guard behind him, still clutching the item at his waist, shook in what seemed to be fear. I was still becoming acquainted with human emotions, so I could not be sure. He was a shorter man with little hair. I watched as his lips moved quickly as if panicked. Most of the new humans that came aboard were terrified of us, although we never meant them harm. We wanted to be like them, not hurt them. It often took a while for them to understand what we were. It would be a while before this guard was comfortable around any Program.

Pulling the reading tablet from his pocket, the lead White Coat turned it over to the guard. “You’re trying to bring a Level One into Level Three? She is a newborn Program!” The guard shook his head. “Does McVeigh know about this?”

“It was under my order.” I listened as Douglas Todd came strolling behind us. He stopped beside my Pod, tossing a small, metal ball back and forth between his hands. “Mister McVeigh is fully aware of this, and you are to let them proceed.”

The guard did not dare question Todd. He turned to the lead White Coat and handed over my reading tablet. “You may proceed.”

Douglas Todd stayed behind as the White Coats proceeded to push my Pod through to Level Three. As we progressed through the now open doorway, my Pod began to flicker green, indicating that the doors would be opening soon. Wires began to withdraw, freeing me of their hold. I was rebooting, perfect timing too, as we were just entering Level Three.

“This is a younger Program, far too young to go out there,” one of the White Coats whispered, turning to look back at me.

In my Pod, I imagined I looked weak and innocent, like that of a child in need of protection. But I was not. There was no need for any of them to want to protect me. Whatever Vesta Corp had in store for me, they would make sure I was prepared. Our identities, emotional capabilities, knowledge, and human responses were implanted accordingly. Whatever it was that we’d need to know in order to pass as humans out there the White Coats made sure to program into our cores.

“You mean you don’t know?” someone asked. “There’s a reason she was brought here. It’s that new caretaker on Level One.”

I stared at the man curious as to what he could possibly mean. Hayden was an excellent caretaker. What could he have done to justify removing me from his care?

Another White Coat nudged the man at his side, causing him to jump. “What? I thought everyone knew by now!”

“You know that we’re not supposed to talk about that, especially with her-” She pointed at me. “being right here.”

One…two…three.
The Pod doors opened, causing the White Coats to move before me. Carefully, I made my way out, stepping out one foot at a time, staring curiously at the group of humans in front of me. The White Coats were the assistants to the scientists on Level Three. They would be my main caretakers, the faces I’d come to see every day. They would become a part of me. Something I hoped would make me more like them, more human.

“Hello, Program Thirteen.” The female White Coat, Tina, according to her badge, reached out her hand to welcome me.

Human contact was still relatively new to me. The feel of their skin, soft and warm, against mine which was stiff and cold had a tendency to make them sick. The feel of cold metal underneath my flesh scared them, and I could not blame them. It was something they had to become used to. After all, we’d be living as one soon enough, or so McVeigh said. As I placed my palm in hers, a smile spread wide upon her face.

“Good day,” I said, turning to look at the group of nearby White Coats who were examining my every move. While part of me felt human at times, it was not hard to remember what I truly was: a computer built beneath a human body, a Program.

“Program Thirteen.” Charles McVeigh appeared out of nowhere, making his way through the White Coats. He wore a blue pinstripe suit with a red tie. His pale complexion shone bright underneath the bright lights of the halls. He was not a pleasant looking man, but he had meant no harm to me so far. I had no reason not to trust him. After all, he was the reason that
 
I was here. Douglas Todd was not far behind him, having stayed behind originally to wait for McVeigh. “On behalf of Vesta Corp, I’d like to welcome you to your new home.”

Home
. Level Three would be the last place I’d ever be able to call home. I’d live here and I’d die here, but I didn't mind. I didn't mind because I’d get time on the outside before they decided to deactivate me.

“May I present to you your new caretakers?” McVeigh turned to his left, pointing at the on-looking White Coats. From left to right, there was Tina, the friendly White Coat, Roger, Rhys, Mark, and Sterling. “These will be the five people responsible for you at all times.”

Had I not known better, I would have assumed the male White Coats were like me. Their faces were cold and their bodies rigid. Standing beside Tina, they looked lifeless...almost like me. But unlike me, they were actually alive. They each had a beating heart, blood flowing through their veins, and a conscience of their own. I did not. My exterior was flesh, but my insides were constructed of computers and wires. My mind was not my own. My words, my movements, my emotions...they were all fed to me, to my core. I did not have blood flowing through my veins, for I had no veins, only wires connecting to the Program built inside my mind. They might have looked like me, but they were not like me.

Lowering my head, I walked over to the White Coats. The men parted so that I could stand beside Tina. I was grateful for their gesture, though I knew it was not meant to be friendly. Charles McVeigh and Douglas Todd made their way towards us with their arms open and face’s beaming with joy. I was their new toy, their new test in Level Three. I was everything McVeigh wanted out of this operation, or so it seemed. Both men threw their arms around me, not even wincing as their skin touched mine. Even through their suit jackets and long sleeve shirts that they wore underneath, I suspected they felt the coolness radiating off my flesh. But if they did, neither of the men made an effort to back away.

“Program Thirteen.” McVeigh broke his hold on me, leaving Douglas Todd by my side. “Your caretakers will now be taking you into your hard drive evaluation. Since you have excelled two levels, there will need to be some changes made to your programming.”

Without further ado, the White Coats grabbed hold of my arms and pulled me off into the evaluation room behind us, placing me in the metal chair before securing the restraints. This was the part I hated most, feared even, at least, inside. I was at the mercy of the scientists whom I’d yet to meet. These strangers controlled my core. Unlike my caretakers, they would never become a part of me. They would continue to remain strangers who stood behind the glass, clipboards and pens in tow, marking down my every flaw and my every strength. Whoever or whatever they wanted me to become, I would and that was all I could do. I was nothing without this place, these people.

“And we’re ready to begin,” a voice rang through the speakers surrounding the top of the room. There were no lights. Just darkness.

I could feel the restraints pressing against my flesh.
Do not move
, I had to remind myself. I could not bleed, but my flesh could still tear. I closed my eyes as I heard the charge running through the wires, tugging on the hard drive in my back. I pushed forward against my will, acting strictly on what my mind was feeding me. There were flashes of lights around the room. I looked down at my right wrist and noticed a large tear revealing the wires beneath. A pale blue light pulsed where the flesh once was.

The buzzing noise rang through my ears as the volts soared through my insides, speeding through each wire before erupting in my core. Unlike my regular evaluation, I could feel everything. My core pulsed, forcing me to respond to the pain. As they erased files and imported new ones, I wanted nothing more than to rip out the wires connecting me to the computer. I just wanted to run and hide. I did not want to be here.
I did not
want
this.

But I could not move. Restraints were placed on my wrists, chest, and legs to keep me in place until they were through with me. I knew these evaluations were for my sake, McVeigh had told me that several times, but that did not help to make them any easier. My inner voice was screaming.
Almost done, keep
pushing
. And I knew that I would. I always did. I always managed to push through the pain.

“It looks as though your hard drive evaluation is completed. Your caretakers should be in shortly to release you.” The stranger’s voice echoed throughout the empty room. I wanted to see his face, to know who he was, but he would remain a stranger, a shadow lingering behind the frosted glass.

The door creaked open, allowing the light from the hallway to illuminate the dark room. Tina walked over to the chair and unbuckled the strap on my chest. The other White Coats hesitantly entered the room, their gazes fearful as if I were some sort of monster readying for attack.

“Help me out, will you?” Tina gestured to the straps on my wrists and ankles as she undid the one on my chest.

Never taking their eyes off of me, the White Coats leaned over and quickly released the straps, before retreating behind Tina.

“You have a meeting to attend before we bring you to your room. You will be meeting with your social teacher. She will teach you everything you need to know about living among humans.” Tina smiled, giving me her hand as I lifted myself from the chair.

A teacher. The idea pleased me. “Will she like me?” I asked, worried that my presence might frighten her. The humans that were brought to Vesta Corp were not always brought in voluntarily and often tried to attack Programs upon meeting them.

At first the idea puzzled me as to why the humans would act in such a manner, but as I processed it, I began to realize that they were genuinely scared. We were replicas of them. We were created to be replacements. We were created as enhanced versions of the real thing. In the future, the world would belong to us. They had every reason to despise us, but I could only hope that my teacher would welcome me like one of her own.

“I believe she will. She came here on her own, actually, looking to help with our cause. Her name is Alexis, and Mister McVeigh seems to believe she is the perfect match for you.”

I lowered my head as we walked across the hall to the training room. Tina opened the heavy metal door, placed her hand on my shoulder, and smiled. I peered inside, checking for Alexis’s reaction before proceeding any farther.

Sitting at the table was a petite woman with light brown hair and bright blue eyes. “Come in, come in!” She smiled, waving her hand at me.

There was something about Alexis that seemed familiar. I couldn’t know her. There was no way I could know her. I had not been given access to the outside world yet. I should not be able to recall anyone’s face other than those within Vesta Corp, but I knew Alexis. Somehow, I knew her.

“You must be Program Thirteen,” said the woman, pulling out the seat beside her.

I moved to sit in the chair, making sure to avoid any contact what-so-ever. The woman appeared friendly, but I could not guarantee she would be as welcoming if my skin brushed against hers.

“If you need anything, please feel free to let us know. We’ll be right outside the door,” Tina said as she gathered the White Coats. The heavy, metal door slammed shut behind them, leaving us alone.

This human, this stranger was supposed to teach me how to survive in the human world. This stranger, this woman that I somehow knew, although I'd never gone beyond these walls, was supposed to help me become more like her. As excited as I was, I could not help but be worried. Human contact would be a lesson at some point. Would she still accept me so willingly when she grasped just how different we were from one another?

We sat in silence staring at each other, unsure as to where to start. “I suppose I should introduce myself,” she said, tugging on the zipper of her jacket. “My name is Alexis Ward. I’m twenty-two years old. I just completed my human social teaching program last week. What about you?”

She was talking to me as if I were like her - a human; as if I had a human life in which to share. It was strange, but a pleasant change. “My name is Program Thirteen. My human identity is Emile.”

She stared at me waiting for me to continue, but I was not sure what else there was to share.

“Do you have an age? Or a last name?” What was she talking about; what did she mean by age and last name? “You know... like how Ward is my last name? Alexis Ward. Your human identity is Emile. Do you have a last name?” I shook my head no, as we were only given a single name for our human identities. “How about an age? Do you have one? I was born on June 25th, 1990. That would make me twenty-two years old.”

I tried to think back to what Hayden had said to Douglas Todd the previous day. He said that I was only a few months old but that I’d be seventeen years old if I were actually human. I looked over at Alexis who was still waiting for an answer.

“My Program is only a few months old. However, if I were a human, like you, I’d be seventeen years old from what I’ve overheard.”

Alexis smiled in response. It was clear that this was the first of what would be several sessions between us. I had so much to learn before I could be a part of her world. Even though this was all new, and supremely overwhelming, I was eager to learn. I wanted to be like her. I wanted to live out there. I wanted to fulfill my purpose as a Program.