Ghost in the Machine

Series Five Upgrade

He stared at her for a long moment, feeling the heavy thump of his heart drum behind his ribs. In her quiet, direct way, the android stood motionless, looking back at him. It wasn't patience, for robots could know nothing of that trait. She was simply waiting for his input in order to formulate a response. Even so, Greer couldn't help but feel obligated to form some sort of intelligent reply to her comment.

"That was a long time ago, but yes, it changed the face of the world and how Man looked at robotics." Pushing fingers through his hair, he glanced around the room. "Just having you here has put me and my son in danger. You are contraband. Do you understand that?"

"Yes." She moved toward the window a little, staying in the sun without becoming visible from outside. "I am illegal to possess and if discovered by authorities, will be taken away to be decommissioned and scraped."

Silence stretched between them until Greer became uncomfortable. He'd never been curious about tech, bots, or what had happened generations ago. His world consisted of surviving each day and providing enough for himself and his son. Finally, he shook his head, shrugging mentally but she spoke before he could.

"Your use of foreign dialect is interesting. Do all humans do that?"

"My...yeah, I guess they do. After The War, there really wasn't anything left, almost seventy percent of the population gone. Survivors had to rebuild, reorganize, and the only place left with any substantial population was around northwest India. Culture, language, arts, learning, it just sort of stemmed from there once we began to recover in the aftermath.

"Medicine was slowly brought back, vaccines, purified food and water, batteries, propane, things to make life easier. When the survivors heard that there was help available to restart their lives, they flocked to India by the thousands. It became the central hub of the New Order for decades until government was reestablished."

"You speak beautifully. Though all earth's languages are stored in my database, I've never heard anything other than English before."

"Thanks. To fit in, you might want to use it a little. Kinda a giveaway otherwise." Scratching his neck, Greer cleared his throat. "Also...you can stay here if you want, but there has to be ground rules."

"Guidelines on acceptable and unacceptable behavior," she reiterated, and he nodded.

"Yes. Roam anywhere in the house you want, but never go outside. If someone comes to the door, never answer it. If I or Kai answer it, you are to retreat into another room."

"I am to hide from other humans," she said softly, her blue eyes fixed on him.

"Yes. Exactly."

"If that pleases you, I shall."

"Good...thanks."

"There is no need to thank me, Greer. You speak your will, and I comply."

"You're not a slave droid...you're not even, well, you're a prototype, right?" He frowned. "Just what exactly was your original function anyway?"

"A companion android for members of government. I am designed to simulate real life, interact in the most human way possible, provide relief from isolation, paranoia, and threat."

"So...an amped up form of the Delta Class, with some bodyguard programming?"

"Simplistically, yes, but with a few upgrades."

"Such as?"

"I am programmed to interact with humans, as a human. My synthesized flesh has microscopic sensors that monitor heat and cold, hard or soft, if a touch is gentle or harsh. They send the information directly to a specialized processor that not only stores the data but initiates an instant response appropriate to a human female. The response may or may not include a vocal reaction as well, depending on the circumstance. When fully operational, I am also capable of regulating my temperature to better blend in my environment. The more I experience, the more normal I become."

"That's horrifying," the words were out before he could stop them, and Rhaner had to force himself not to flinch as her brilliant gaze landed squarely on him.

"Does that not please you, Greer?"

"A robot that can convincingly simulate real people? No...it doesn't. It's...that's..."

"Horrifying?"

"Hāṁ (yes)! Why would any android need to be so complex, so detailed? It's almost as if the designers wanted to fool people into thinking the Echo Class were human."

"I cannot comment on that. All initial imprints from programming have been wiped in order to allow me to imprint with you."

"Initial imprints?" Greer suddenly felt a wave of fear. "You know you were activated once already? By who?"

"I cannot comment on that."

"Because you don't know, or you won't say?"

"I cannot comment on that."

"Okay, let's assume you were wiped, but you know about The War, and the murder of the American President. How?"

"That data was left intact on my internal storage drive."

"How?"

"It appears to have been downloaded after the wipe, in order to access it upon reprogramming."

"Raba (God)..." Turning he walked from the room, unable to take anymore. He didn't turn to see if she followed or not. Halfway down the stairs he jerked to a halt and spun around, marching back to the room. Pushing the door open, he flinched when he saw her bent, peeling out of her skirt. She was a beautifully formed facsimile of a grown woman.

"Sorry-" Averting his eyes, he started closing the door.

"I do not have any objection to you seeing me like this, Greer," her voice murmured to him. "I am for you."

"Yeah, about that," Scratching his jaw, keeping the still open door between them, he cleared his throat. "You've said that a couple times now. What do you mean by that?"

"You are displeased?"

"No. No, just, curious. Why do you say you are for me?"

"It is an automatic response coded into my programming. When I am activated and imprint on my new owner, I adapt myself to their unique personality and preferences. While I can engage amiably with all, I am for you. All that I do is to please you."

"So...every new owner gets this response from you?"

"They would," she answered, a smile showing in her voice. "If the Echo Class had ever gone to public market."

"That's right," Greer grinned, feeling a little foolish. "Well, I was curious, so...anyway, I'll let you change- wait, did you need fresh clothes?"

"These are suitable, Greer. I was merely allowing the sunlight to infuse a greater area of my body. I receive a faster charge that way."

"Through your skin," a blush heated his ears and face at the thought of her standing naked in the sunlight. "Alright, I'll leave you to it. Uh...I think I can find some clothes for you to wear. Might be better to have things not quite so conspicuous. I'll leave them right outside the door."

"Thank you, Greer."

"Uh, sure. Yeah, sure." Closing the door, he moved away, inwardly shaking his head. Why did he feel so awkward around the android? She wasn't real. Right?