Nearly Human

PROLOGUE

It was way too early for her to be awake, let alone trying to make a breakthrough. But the coffee was still fresh with her system, and with renewed vigour she worked through her code, debugging and encrypting as if her life depended on it; and in an ironic sense, it did.

Her office was the furthest from human contact as it could be on such a small site. Nobody could fathom how the likes of her settled for such a small and insignificant establishment, but she relished in the haven that she'd created for herself. Holed up in her own utopia for days with a monitor and a keyboard, the gentle tapping easing the genius from her mind.

The test was in a month, and she'd have to unveil S.A.M. to the world. S.A.M. didn't stand for anything, it was just a name, a name she'd found first on an androgynous names list. She needed nothing to distract from the content of what she'd spent years cultivating, not even a god damn name.

Turning away from the screen for a moment, she just stared. It was nowhere near the state that she'd had wished it to be, but her standards were always too high, too unobtainable, but existent.

She'd created her own platform for her code, her own storage device, everything down to the language was hers. One look at the mess on her screen was blinding, but in a peculiar way, it was understandable.

In her field, adequate was the norm, and anything above and beyond didn't last long before geniuses alike banded together to shoot down remorselessly anything new. Being a female meant that she would be under even more scrutiny that ever, not even if she passed the test.

The Turing Test, a crazy test invented by a crazy man. It was insanity to think that computers could think, let alone form their own opinions, which was why even those that passed only managed by the skin of their teeth, often relying on handicaps and hindrances in technology to excuse the 'could've been's.

"Eden" Her head whipped around to the door, eyes narrowing at whoever had come anywhere near her safe haven.

"Yes?"

"Your sponsors are here" The voice of the young intern seemed to be trembling slightly as the coder moved to stand, pens and paper flying off her lap.

"Here? Unscheduled?" Her hand reached forward, snatching her coat off the back of her chair, before tying the belt at her waist, darting around the intern and heading for the main office.

"Have they lost their minds?" She hissed, hands frantically trying to tame her bed head, ignoring the alumni of the school eyeing her frazzled appearance.

The intern that she had left in her wake had somehow materialised before her, managing to shove open the door before Eden barrelled through them.

Pausing in the doorway, she directed her attention back to the clearly underpaid overworked boy, "Weren't you just in my office?"

He smiled slightly, lifting his head to stare between her eyes, a common technique to avoid eye contact, "I have a twin"

Tracing the outline of his features rapidly she noted the slightly differences between the twins, her mind a hub of information on imitation.

They weren't similar enough for her liking as she clocked the difference in accent, and most importantly the absence of a birthmark on the twin that stood before her.

"Different enough" She commented under her breath, dismissing her subordinate.

"Eden! Look who's finally decided to show up."

Gritting her teeth at the sight of the rich men with deep pockets, she walked further into the lion's den, praying nothing had gone wrong in her application.

"Marcus" He was certainly important enough not to upset, although it also meant that she was open to all his misogynistic, deprecating remarks.

"My men have finally decided to meet the girl who's been emptying their rather loaded bank accounts"

She hated these men with a vengeance, but held her tongue as the rest of the staff in the office dispersed, leaving a pot of tea in the centre of the settee as Marcus and his entourage of three seated themselves, leaving her still standing, coat hiding her pyjamas from plain sight.

"Your generosity has certainly not gone unnoticed, and the results have shown to be promising."

"Now that's certainly not good enough is it Eddy?"

"I will pass the test" She spat out, watching as he raised an eyebrow, hiding the rest of his practiced poker face behind a teacup.

"And what of that competition?"

"What competition?" Four eyes turned to one of the entourage, all surprised at his outburst.

Setting his cup back down, he leant against the chaise, staring directly at Eden, "The Loebner Prize is awarded to any AI that successfully passes the Turing Test"

"But what is its significance?"

"The Silver and Gold awards have never been won before"

"And you believe that Miss Eden has the ability to achieve such a mighty feat?"

"Well she'll owe us a lot of time and money if she doesn't"

The willowy programmer glared at her benefactor, flinging down the documents she had stuffed in her own coat pocket, leaning forward so she could stare at the chauvinist in his eyes, "You have nothing to worry about", she hissed, before pushing away from the table and spinning on her own heels, marching out of the room.

S.A.M. was due another round of makeovers.