Connected

Awakening

DOCTOR ROLAND MORGAN

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. 
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. 
I learn by going where I have to go. 

We think by feeling. What is there to know? 
I hear my being dance from ear to ear. 
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. 

Of those so close beside me, which are you? 
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there, 
And learn by going where I have to go. 

Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how? 
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair; 
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. 

Great Nature has another thing to do 
To you and me, so take the lively air, 
And, lovely, learn by going where to go. 

This shaking keeps me steady. I should know. 
What falls away is always. And is near. 
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. 
I learn by going where I have to go.

~Theodore Roethke~

I watched as the capsule holding Zephyr 30-03-22 opened. The soft floor was soaked with water as he fell out awkwardly, the tube tearing itself out from the bowels of his throat.

He coughed, wheezing and coughing up litres of the water which was once his container.

His entire body was soaked in a sticky substance, his jet black hair falling low. He was naked, and I managed to observe all of his features, as well as admire my work. I had modeled him to be perfect. As perfect as I could get him. The body of a nineteen year old and constantly trapped that way. Never aging, never dying unless someone were to kill him. He had the mind of a human, the body of something else. At least the endo-skeleton of something else along with a few other features.

His body was slim, yet muscular, a neon blue hexagonal pattern ran along his right arm going up and around his right eye,running down to his abdomen where six packs of pure muscle were all neatly placed side by side,running vertically till just above his pelvis. The boy made me a little envious with his manhood, and I could see Miss Alice blushing red out of the corner of my eye.

His eye's were a set of chromatic pearls dazzling in the white light of the observation room. He looked around, scanning his surroundings,finding nothing except padded walls and white. The monitor to my right beeped rapidly, and my eye's zipped to it. His heart rate was spiking, 40 beats per minute, 60 beats per minute.

He was panicking.

I set my hand on a button just beneath the microphone,speaking into it.

"Zephyr 30-03-22," I said. "Relax."

My comfort didn't seem to work, and apparently only worsened his state of panic.

His heart rate continued to rise. On the bright side, his cybernetic heart was functioning, pumping the synthetic blood to the rest of his body rather well. He was reaching over 190 beats per minute now.

"Zephyr 30-03-22, I need you to calm down. You're panicking. You're safe. Relax."

Again, his vitals continued to rise.

"Heart rate at 205 beats per minute sir." Alice said.

I sighed and gave her the go ahead, with Alice pushing a red button in front of her. A cloud of vapour slowly entered the room, holding within it a strong anaesthesia. Within a few moments, Zephyr 30-03-22 was knocked unconscious.

I sat back in my chair, my thoughts whirling around in my head.

He panicked, for reasons I didn't know. Was it the room? The lights? I couldn't tell.

A few days passed and Zephyr 30-03-22 was visited by the man who had asked if he could be weaponized a few days prior.

"Look at this," I said excitedly, taking him to the monitor. Zephyr 30-03-22 was sound asleep, and what I showed the man, was his brain activity. "Do you see all those lights?"

"Why are you showing me this doctor?"

"He's dreaming. He's even experience REM. Just like-"

"A human. I get it. Doctor, I'm a representative of very, very powerful corporation, I'm sure you've heard of it." He said, taking out a badge. "Jonathan Po, I work for Mogwai Military Corporation. We specialise in-"

"The Research and development of the latest military technology. I know. I see your advertisements all the time."

"Then you know we'd like to see your research progress. My superiors are extremely interested in your latest creation. We want him battle ready as soon as you can."

I chuckled and looked at Mr Po like he was crazy. Because at the time, I thought he was.

"You can't be serious. I already addressed that he isn't meant for combat. He's an innovative project-"

"He's still a robot. He listens to commands."

"He's a SYNTHETIC. Not a robot. He has his own free will. His own thoughts. He's not much different to us humans other than the fact that he doesn't exactly have red blood pumping through his veins. There's a hint of blue in there. Synthetic blood I call it."

"Well, you can give him a combat directive can't you?"

"He doesn't know anything yet. He's like a newborn child, he cannot even stand-"

"Can you give him a combat directive or not, doctor?"

I sighed, it was simply not going through this mans skull. "Zephyr 30-03-22 is not a killing machine,he's a synthetic meant to-"

"Twelve billion."

My eye's widened at Mr Po.

"Excuse me?"

"Twelve billion Tiles towards your RnD of a combat directive for this Synthetic."

His eye glowed blue for a few seconds, then returned to its natural green. "The money has just been wired to your account. You're twelve billion tiles richer doc."

I was stunned. I didn't believe him. I pulled up my hand, with a holographic icon popping up, syncing to my bank account. Surely enough, I saw the amount clear as day.

Mr Po walked passed me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You could be making ten times, shit, twenty times that amount if you did this for us Doc. My superiors have a powerful company and a shit ton of money where that came from. That didn't make a scratch in their bank accounts. Choice is up to you Doctor Roland. I'm just a messenger."

I continued to stare down at the numbers in front of me. To say that was a lot of money was an understatement. But still...

"No."

I heard his footsteps stop behind me.

"What was that doctor?"

"No. I'm not outfitting my creation with a combat directive just because you want to weaponise him. He is alive. So far, Zephyr 30-03-22 doesn't display any violent tendencies or taken any violent actions,he doesn't even know what violence is. I will not let you take my lifes work and twist it. I refuse your offer."

Mr Po simply walked away, waving me goodbye without another word.