Glitched

1. Opportunity

What makes a human?

Isolde stared pensively at the Gram-Board posing the professor's question. Her eyes then fell over the words typed below it.

What makes an android?

She could read between the lines. What she was supposed to answer was: 'What separates a human from an AI?' The anatomical features of a human versus the metallic exoskeletal shells of an android, was one answer. Cognizance was another; and that, in itself, was only an umbrella term for the various other subcategories related to it.

AIs are void of all five sensory organs and their corresponding senses. They're created artificially, not organically, they lack morals, lack ethical codes. And the list went on and on. She understood it, as well as anyone, the differences between their lives and those of their synthetic counterparts.

But she also understood the need for the refresher course. "Never forget," Professor Greene said, shortly before class was dismissed for the day, "they're everything we aren't. The good and the bad. But sometimes divergence can be a dangerous thing."

Just as Isolde was shoving her robotics tablet back into her backpack, the professor's shadow fell over her and she looked up to find him hovering over her desk, watching as the class filed out of the room.

"Ms. Roth, could I speak to you for a moment?" he asked.

"Of course."

Isolde zipped up her bag and followed the professor to his desk, where he retrieved his grading tablet from one of the drawers, swiping his finger across its face until he stopped to turn it over for her to see. Isolde found herself staring at her robotics thesis from a week prior.

"I don't usually do this, but I wanted to talk to you about your dissertation," he said.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, nervous despite the professor's amicable smile.

"On the contrary, I wanted to congratulate you." Professor Greene's smile only widened at the confused furrow of her brow. "I was fascinated by your interpretation of the subject prose. And I wasn't the only one."

Isolde blinked, her brain taking a second too long to catch up with the professor's words. "I—wait, really?" she breathed, her mouth feeling suddenly dry.

"Are you familiar with Professor Kale Mercer's work?" he asked

"Yes, sir! He wrote the baseline formula for the nano technology used to create Second Generation AIs."

"That's right. And he's also head of the Co-ed project at GIGA Technologies. He's a friend of mine. He's asked me to keep an eye out for the next budding, young scientist in our midst. I believe you have what it takes."

Isolde's heart rate, which had only just settled, began spiking again. "M—me? You want to recommend me?" she asked.

"If you're interested, Professor Mercer is looking for someone to assist him with randomized lab duties, with the potential of securing a protégé position at the end of term—"

"I'm interested!" she practically yelped like a startled puppy, realizing she cut him off. "I'm sorry, sir!"

Professor Greene huffed a small laugh. "Then I'll send him an e-mail tonight. I'd like to congratulate you again, Ms. Roth. This opportunity will open many doors for your future."

#

As far as modern-day metropolises went, Synth City long outpaced them in terms of technological development. While flying cars didn't yet frequent the skies, their base models could be seen on television, their piloting demonstrated by the technical engineers of Giga-Tech, responsible for putting the town's habitable worth on the map.