Ghost in the Machine

Do Robots Dream?

"Darling," it was whispered in her ear, a light caressing of breath across her lobe. "You look ravishing tonight."

"Thank you, Howard." Turning to look into his eyes she smiled, gently adjusting the bow tie at the collar of his starched shirt. "And might I say how dashing you look."

"Flirt."

"Charmer."

They stared at one another then broke into knowing smiles, her cheek turning to his lips. Closing her eyes, inhaling the sharp, fragrant scent of his cologne, Vera let herself remember all the good times, all the reasons she'd married him. For those seconds standing next to him, savoring the feel of his hands on her arms, the love she'd had for him all those years ago almost overwhelmed her. However, recent bitterness and jealousy kept the tears of longing at bay. Betrayal filled her, sadness, vengeance-

"Echo."

Sitting upright, the android looked over at Greer, who was staring at her.

"I think you were sleeping." He said softly.

"Illogical," she countered. "Robots do not sleep."

"You were mumbling, but I couldn't understand what you were saying." He got to his knees, edging closer in the dark so as not to wake Kai. "I think you were dreaming."

"That is impossible, Greer. I am a machine. No matter how advanced or complex, still a machine. I do not sleep. Therefore, I cannot dream."

"Then what would you call it? Were you awake?"

"I..." she blinked, her expression blank before turning her attention to him. "I was not aware of anything."

"We call it sleep, when that happens." His smile was slightly cocky, but a little anxious too, for the robot was correct in her earlier statement. She wasn't alive, and so should not be able to sleep, or dream.

"Am I malfunctioning?"

That gave him a moment's pause, and Rhaner regarded her thoughtfully. Perhaps that was why she'd ended up in a forgotten storage unit. A malfunctioning android was fairly worthless, especially a prototype, so perhaps her designer hadn't wanted the hassle of taking her to be decommissioned. A prototype almost never came out flawless the first time. That might also explain the unusual lapses in her programming.

"Maybe you are." He admitted finally. "Is there some kind of internal functioning check you can run?"

"A self-diagnostic?" She corrected with a faint smile. "Yes."

He watched her seem to withdraw into herself, completely tuning out of her surroundings. Greer thought there would be a mechanical whir of noise, or perhaps some indication of grinding gears, but there was nothing. When her eyes shifted suddenly to his he almost jumped. They seemed to glow.

"I can find nothing wrong with my programming or operating parameters. All systems are running at optimal levels."

"So, if you were dreaming, and it's not a malfunction, maybe you were always intended to."

"That is an intriguing theory, Greer. Why would my maker design an android to dream?"

"I don't know." Thinking over the impracticality of it, he shook his head. "Maybe it's a random filter of a previous program, a subroutine that you'd had imprinted, then erased. When your system was reset, it wasn't completely wiped out?"

"That is highly unlikely," she answered, but the halting tone of her voice wasn't convincing. Thoughtful, he regarded her solemnly.

"If you're having flashbacks of what you were before, then maybe we'll find out how you ended up in that storage unit."

"Perhaps." There was a moment's silence between them, then she glanced into his eyes, startling him with a vaguely shy expression. "You addressed me as Echo. Is that my designation now?"

"What?"

"Earlier," her voice dropped even lower. "You called me Echo."

"Oh, yeah...well, I can't just keep calling you series five, right? Do you mind being called just Echo?"

Her gaze moved into the dark, seeming to be thinking it over.

"I like it when you call me that."

"Just me?" Greer was trying not to smile, but her simple answer did fill him with a sense of pleasure, as though she was singling him out for special attention. It was a programmed response he was sure, but it was working. The android moved her gaze to the sleeping form of his son.

"If it pleases you, I would not object to Kai using this designation also."

"You still sound like a robot." He chided. Her brow arched.

"You have yet to finish imprint-"

"Alright," his grin was warm as he sat back, shaking his head. "Enough with the imprinting. We'll worry about that later, thīka?"

"Ṭhīka hai." Her very human response brought his eyes to hers and his smile widened, matching hers.

"Then again," he said softly. "Sometimes it's easy to forget you're not human."

"Thank you." Lifting her fingers, she drew the tips gently across his jaw. "I want to be pleasing to you, Greer."

He caught her hand in his, holding it for a moment, marveling at the warm silkiness of her silicone skin. It was so real he could nearly forget she wasn't human. A very faint hue began to color the apples of her cheeks and he blinked, startled.

"You're blushing."

"I did not expect you to hold my hand." Vivid blue eyes bored into him, honest yet curiously blank. "It is...agreeable."

"But...blushing...that's an innate response in humans. How could a machine do it?"

"I am a sophisticated form of artificial intelligence. My programming is extremely detailed, responses patterned to the smallest nuance, even a blush." The way her lips moved over those words, the tender, shy tone of her voice, it made soft waves of goosebumps prickle up and down his spine. How could she be an android? Her mimicry of humanity was...stunning, unnatural. On impulse, his thumb stroked over the heel of her palm, resting on the inside of her wrist. The rapid throb of a pulse jolted him with surprise.

"What is that?"

"A heartbeat."

"You have a heart?"

"Of course not, but there are intricate wires and cables attached to my basic frame that simulate the anatomy of human veins. One of them is specifically designed to mimic a heartbeat."

"So..." his hand slid slowly up her arm, caressing over the top of her shoulder. Her pink lips parted in a shallow gasp, eyes wide as she stared at him. Greer's thumb came to rest over the synthetic vein in her neck, feeling the powerful throb increasing in speed. "Unbelievable."

"But...pleasing?"

"Yes," his answer was husky, unsure why he couldn't take his hand from her neck, soft strands of her black hair touching his knuckles. Feelings amassed and jumbled inside him, confusing, frustrating. As if sensing it, Echo broke eye contact with him, leaning forward to lay her cheek against his chest. It felt right for him to slip his arms around her shoulders, holding her gently to him, feeling her mold to his body.

"Greer?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you hold onto me? In case I fall asleep again?"

"Sure." He couldn't help but smile, thinking it odd that he would be made to feel needed by an android.