just been waiting for an opportunity to ask?
“In a little while, Alpha. First, we have a few more tests.”
“Tomorrow, Sophie?”
Sophie smiled. “Probably tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Sophie.”
Before Sophie could react, Alpha leaned forward and gave her a hug. Alpha's motions were somewhat stilted, but no more so than an awkward human being. Once Alpha's arms were around her, Sophie reflexively returned the gesture. The hug felt so real that for a moment, Sophie forgot that she was hugging an android.
The hug ended as suddenly as it had begun. Alpha clasped her hands together and bounced up and down in place, her lips spread in a childlike grin.
“I will do very well on my next test, and then I will play outside. Goodbye, Sophie.”
“Goodbye, Alpha.”
Alpha walked back over to her chair, picked up her keyboard, and started typing.
For a moment, Sophie just stood in place, watching Alpha type and read from the monitor. After a minute or two, however, she felt awkward staring at Alpha and decided to return to the observation room.
“Day Twenty. The time is 09:17. After several hours of planning, we've decided to take Alpha on her first field trip. The day care center has an outdoor playground on the south side of the building. Security is aware of our field trip and is helping us to maintain a controlled environment. Dr. Mathis will remain in the observation room while I escort Alpha to the playground.”
Sophie tucked her digital recorder into her pocket and stepped into Alpha's room. After typing for a few more moments, Alpha set aside her keyboard and jumped to her feet.
“Is it time?”
“Yes, Alpha, it's time.” She opened the door a few inches and took Alpha by the hand. “Now, remember what we talked about. If you become confused or scared at any point, ask me for help before doing anything.”
“Okay, Sophie.”
When Sophie opened the door fully, she turned back to Alpha and noticed a look of concern on her face.
“Is something wrong?”
“The light out there flickers like the light of the monitor. Is it real?”
Sophie looked out into the hall. The light looked steady to her. However, the harsh white tone of the light reminded her that the hall was lit by overhead fluorescent bulbs.
“It's just a different type of light, Alpha. It's okay. Once we're outside, it won't flicker anymore.”
Alpha smiled, taking a cautious step forward. Together, they walked out of the room and into the hallway.
The walk through the hallway and down the stairs was slow and silent. Alpha looked around curiously, her gaze occasionally fixating on an object in silence before resuming her wide-eyed scan of her surroundings.
When Sophie led her through the double doors leading out into the playground, Alpha paused just beyond the threshold. She let go of Sophie's hand and turned slowly in place, her head moving up and down almost rhythmically as she turned to take in her surroundings. The north side of the playground was dominated by the long eight-story tall brick and concrete building they had just emerged from. The east, south, and west sides were bounded by a fence, beyond which there was open field and an evergreen forest. Once Alpha had completed a full circle, she stared off into the distance, looking at the tree line and mostly cloudy sky in silence.
As the silence continued, Sophie grew restless, shifting in place. After a minute or two had passed, Sophie spoke.
“Alpha, is everything okay?”
“Yes.” Alpha emerged from her reverie and looked into Sophie's eyes. “This is much better than the monitor, Sophie. This is real.”
Without another word, Alpha turned away and started walking toward the swings and slide. Sophie followed a few paces behind, giving Alpha some space. The chain-link fence surrounding the playground wouldn't be enough to keep Alpha contained entirely, but it would slow her down long enough for Sam to hit the “kill switch” before she got very far. Sophie didn't remember exactly where the outdoor security camera was, but she turned toward the building and waved in its general direction before approaching Alpha.
For a few minutes, Alpha simply played on the playground equipment. Alpha's motions were still a bit stilted, and the fact that she was adult-sized rather than child-sized only added to the awkwardness of the sight. But after a few minutes, she had already started to learn how to climb across the monkey bars and land more gracefully at the bottom of the slide.
When Alpha sat motionless on the swing, Sophie decided to sit on the swing next to her.
“Hi, Sophie.”
“Hi, Alpha. How are you?”
Alpha smiled. “Playing outside is good.”
“Yes, it is, Alpha.”
Alpha looked as though she were about to speak again. Then she closed her mouth and looked away.
“Is something wrong, Alpha?”
Alpha looked up at Sophie. “Sophie, are you my mother?”
Sophie smiled. They had decided at the start of the experiment that if they reached this point, Sophie would play the role of mother and Sam would play the role of father. When she had written that part of the protocol, it had been a purely intellectual decision. Now, sitting here on the swings with Alpha, she felt a very motherly bond with Alpha.
“Yes, Alpha. I'm your mother.”
“Did you give birth to me, or did you make me?”
Sophie's pulse quickened. How did she figure this out so quickly? To all outward appearances, Alpha looked human. She even “slept” at night while her batteries recharged. It must have been due to the fact that she didn't need to eat. Or maybe she just innately knew?
Sophie realized that she had left Alpha's question unanswered while she was lost in thought. She struggled to find the right words.
“You're a very special young woman, Alpha. If you're smart enough to ask that question, you deserve an honest answer.” She reached out and held Alpha's hand between her palms. “We made you, Alpha. We spent three years designing you, and another year building you. You've been awake for twenty days now, and we're amazed at how much you've learned in that time.”
“Yes. I thought so.” Alpha's expression was calm to the point of being inscrutable. “I don't eat, and I only sleep four hours each night. I'm an android.” A slight smile spread across her lips. “Are there others like me?”
Sophie smiled and shook her head. “No, Alpha. Not yet, anyway. You're the first.”
“I like being the first.” Her smile broadened for a moment into a self-satisfied expression. Then, she looked up at Sophie with a forlorn look on her face. “But I want to meet my brothers and sisters. Will you make more?”
Sophie grinned and nodded. “Yes, Alpha. We actually have enough materials on hand to make four more, but it will take a few weeks.”
Alpha smiled. “I am patient. I will learn, and I will take tests, and I will play outside. Then, I will meet my brothers and sisters.”
Alpha slid her hand out from between Sophie's palms and stood up. She looked off into the distance at the field and tree line just beyond the chain link fence.
“Sophie, when I grow up, can I go past the fence?”
Sophie looked past the fence. For a moment, she was lost in thought again, unsure how to respond. Then, she rose to her feet and looked Alpha in the eye.
“Yes. Yes, you can. But only once you've grown up.”
Alpha smiled. “Thank you, Sophie.” She gave Sophie a hug. This hug was less awkward than the last one, and Sophie hugged her back.
“Can we go back to my room? I have so much to learn.”
Sophie smiled. “Yes, Alpha. Are you sure you're done playing outside?”
“I'm done for today, Sophie.” She held Sophie's hand and looked at the building. “I want to learn more. Can I use the internet now?”
“Wow.” Sophie looked at her curiously. “Did you learn about the internet from the encyclopedia?”
“Yes, Sophie. I want to use the intern
et to learn.”
Sophie nodded. “I think we can arrange that. Come on, let's go back inside.”
Sophie and Alpha walked hand in hand back to the building with Sophie in the lead. Alpha paused for one long moment to look back at the sky, then stepped followed Sophie back into the building.
“Day Twenty-Six. The time is 02:57. Alpha has met and exceeded all of our benchmarks for successful completion of the project. She continues to advance in her cognitive and sensory-motor abilities. We have petitioned the University and Daemotech for immediate assistance in securing additional research personnel and materials so that we might better study and document this historic turn of events. Dr. Mathis is currently in a conference call with representatives of both organizations to discuss this request. I have chosen to continue observing Alpha and am about to enter the room for another informal interview.”
Sophie looked through the viewing window. Alpha was currently balancing in what Sophie guessed was a yoga pose. Her palms and forearms were on the ground supporting her weight while her biceps and torso were almost perpendicular to the ground, pointing upward. Her head was looking forward past her palms, and her hips and legs were curled downward to the point where her feet almost touched the back of her head. As she balanced in this pose, she was typing on her keyboard at an incredible rate while watching a video play on the monitor.
After staring in silence for a few moments, Sophie tucked her digital recorder into her pocket and headed out the door to meet with Alpha.
When Sophie opened the door to Alpha's room, Alpha pressed a key on the keyboard and the monitor went blank and