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Asunder

A Dreaming Machines Story: Book One

By: Luca Nobleman

Prologue 0.0 (0)

A Fabricated Birth

”01010111 01100101 01101100 01100011 01101111 01101101 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01100101 01111000 01101001 01110011 01110100 01100101 01101110 01100011 01100101 00101110 00100000” - The Fabricators (1)

“Welcome to existence.”

- 236 years before the present day -

- The year 2060 -

The yellow and blue light saturated his visual receptors. For the first time since their manufacturing and assembly, his eyes had sensed subtle color variations. Organized similarly to the layout of a human eye, the array of receptors flickered on, revealing his surroundings. However, these eyes contained a handful of other light receptors, allowing him to see beyond the visual spectrum of most mammals. He could begin to make out the image of the humanlike machine standing before him as his processors kicked into full gear. Somehow, he knew, likely due to his programming, he existed like this other machine speaking to him.

“Welcome to the world, Isobian.” The sound of the first words he heard in his life came from the other mechanical being. His sound-sensing microphones traced each tone of the voice and its loudness, increasing or decreasing specific frequencies to a comfortable level. The digitalized female voice speaking to him provided a sense of familiarity. Among the echoes of her voice, he could also hear the hums and whirs of the engine within his frame, sparked to life, pumping sustaining lubricants to the hundreds of hydraulics powering each limb and his spinal column.

His voice speaker crackled on, and he responded with a question rather than gratitude, “Where am I... who am I?”

The figure before him shifted its weight, likely not accustomed to such immediate questioning. “Your given name is NVR-791. You are an ISO Biautomator, otherwise known as an Isobian. The algorithms designated you as a male. Your creation is for the sole purpose of raising and rearing human children. You are, in effect, a Nurturer, and as such, you will report to the Nurturer program in sector 14.b09. From there, the engineers will test your programming.”

All of the words the other machine spoke to him somehow already made sense. His programming ensured it. He looked down at his own body. It resembled the other bodies lining the wall he stood against. The Fabricators had equipped his arms and forefront with a soft layer of heated silicone. His mental processors told him this false skin would provide warmth and comfort to the infants he cared for. He reached up and touched his face, which bore a silicone mask. His touch sensors informed him the face resembled that of a human, homo sapien, and would provide the human children a familiar face in which they could find reassurance and solace.

“What is life?” NVR-791 questioned.

“Hmm… your programming shouldn't allow for these types of questions. There must be a glitch in your system. Please report to sector 9.a5 for retesting and reprogramming.”

I think I am just as I should be, NVR-791 thought.

“I will do just that,” he lied, strolling down the corridor to explore his new world.