Specimen
Day 1
It lays before me, a tiny wet unit of organs and blood. It lays atop the chrome table wriggling, liquid leaking from its eyes. From its mouth a noise that if I had ears would probably be a very unpleasant sound. I roll the wheels at the bottom of the frame toward the center platform and look at the specimen.
This specimen has seen me, its bright blue eyes inspect my form. My creators didn’t give me the ability to smile, but they did program seven thousand other functions, such as the ability to dispense milk from a tube. The small loud thing sucks on the milk for a second before falling asleep.
Day 278
It has grown twice its original size. I understand now that it is a stubbornly slow-growing organism. It dispenses a large amount of fluids, seemingly uncontrollably. It never stops consuming and after will lay for most hours of the day. This must be a different kind of creature than my makers.
Day 1100
“Three” my audio chip plays a recording of one of my maker’s voices, as my seventh limb points to different numbers. It has grown blonde hair, around eight times its weight since our first day. It speaks to some recognition, and it calls itself Jono. It said I make similar noise when my wheels run along the marble floor. It sometimes gets in my way by grabbing onto my lower shell.
Day 2554
I cannot process emotions, but if I could I think my most regular ones would-be exhaustion and anger. It always talks back to me. When I tell it to wash, it tells me it wants to stay dirty. I tell it to do its exercises, it tells me that I need to do mine, which is illogical as I am made of metal, electronics, carbon fiber, and plastic. I tell it to study history, and it tells me I have to, even though I have informed it several times that I already know the entire history of the human race. Sometimes it cries, sometimes it just shouts at me. Perhaps it needs more stimulation from another specimen.
Day 3769
Most of my time with it has come and gone. Some days it acts like the wildest creature in existence, but some days, like today, it simply wants to follow its routine to perfection. It takes its supplements without hesitation. It does its hundred press-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups and asks to do more. It watches the historic information without a single complaint. Its aptitude tests score at almost a hundred percent. It’s a day like today that led to the probability that I am doing what my makers created me for. It is days like today that I give it the satisfaction of calling it Jono.
Day 4912
“What’s the point?” he asks as I use my safety grooming functions to cut his hair
“The point of grooming is for humans to maintain their health and wellness.” my audio chip sounds.
“No one fucking sees me. They’re not going to let me die, what’s the point of half of this?” It shakes its head and groans in anger. They are odd things that make such a variety of noises and actions for no reason I can compute.
“They are opposed to you talking about them”
His eyes roll and he pokes his finger into my outer shell.
“Well, they can come into this room and tell me to stop.”
Later, after we have both had some recharging time, another dose of medication is by his bed, and a new collection of books and motion pictures from his people’s history. That sometimes keeps him quiet.
Day 5956
He has made a lot of progress of late, able to answer questions about his people with more detail and understands what happened to them, even though he doesn’t agree that it should of. In the past couple of hundred days, he has often told me he is thankful for what I do for him, perhaps he doesn’t understand that it is impossible for me to go against my programming.
He often smiles at me and touches my limbs, holding limb number one that resembles fingers. He tells me that’s it okay my outer shell is cold.
I search my memory core for what is going to happen to him once he is going to leave, but that information is restricted.
Day 6570
This is the last 24 hours I have had with Jono. He has performed very well recently getting very high scores within every area, but for reasons unknown to me he is hunched up in a corner, I heard him sobbing when he thought I was recharging my batteries. His first words he said today were.
“Could I leave in a couple of days instead?” water started to come from his eyes. My protocols told me that it was a mess to clean up, so I dispensed a tissue.
A clock appeared on the screen where Jonos aptitude tests are usually held and started to count down for an hour.
“In sixty minutes, you shall have to leave the room for the first time,” I tell him.
He clasped the plastic frame that surrounds my operating system and said,
“For years all I’ve wanted was to leave this place, now nothing seems worse.”
He stares at me, his eyes wide and he waits as if he wants to say more.
“A form such as yours shall expire soon enough, it’s better to make good time of what you have.”
He chuckles but it quickly fades.
“Can’t you come with me?” he asks.
“ My protocols keep me here, yours should tell you that there is more for you to do out there.”
Jono nods as water falls from his eyes once again, he shakes his head, wiping the mess he made on his face, and walks to the door. He turns back to me.
Thank you for raising me.” He smirks as if what he has just said is humorous.
“Thank you for being specimen seventy-four, I hope I served you well.”
He smirks, but his eyes look sad as he stares for a while, before he walks away. I kept monitoring the door for the rest of the day, I don’t know why.