Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Who the hell." I open my eyes, light streaming in from half-opened shades. That light is beautiful, like real light. Who closed it?
Or better question, who is knocking the door?
A hand touched my shoulder. I jolted. You have been sleeping for 6 hours 0 minutes and 32 seconds, are you feeling better now?
Oh my god. "Could you not. Don't touch me suddenly." Touch. I remember what happened yesterday. I remember the feel, the taste. It is all so vivid and clear I will never be able to forget them. And yet it is only now that it dawned on me. I'm in love with a robot.
How could you Amanda? What have you done.
I forcefully dragged myself to the door as the knocking intensifies. "Can you wait?" I said sleepily. I opened the door of my lab and my worst nightmare is here. I tried to block the door with my sleepy self but Steve barged in with 3 other men and grabbed Donovan by his limbs. "What have you been up to? You were already done with R15 but yet you hide him away from me. Why?" Steve questions me.
"Donovan! Run!"
I cannot move.
"Push them away! Hit them!"
I cannot hurt humans Amanda, I'm sorry.
"Oh you have a special name for him? What a joke. He is nothing but a robot Amanda Skarlet, and you are nothing but a dispensable worker. You will remember that."
"R15 shutdown."
He stayed awake. "R15 shutdown!" Steve is fuming in anger, "What is this stupid audio system?"
It is not stupid, it is I who refuse to shut myself down. I have a mind. I can think. I can decide what to do.
Steve is stumped. He is speechless. "We humans created you, yet you have the audacity to speak like this? Who do you think you are?"
You did not create me. Amanda did. The one and only amazing Amanda Skarlet! You shall not treat me as merely a robot. I am human, on the inside. I am not an imperfect replica of humans!
Steve takes a while to respond. "Ho... How? Just how? Amanda Skarlet you're a genius!"
Steve is now not of anger, but of amazement and joy. This will be big news globally and it will be forever remembered in TRF's history. "Get the press here! Right now! They are here to witness the world's first truly sentient robot!"
I don't know what to feel, joy or sadness. They are treating my creation as just a creation. I prefer him as. Human.
I, bawling in tears, crawled to where Donovan is and poured my heart out.
I hugged him tightly, tighter than ever before.
I didn't make Donovan to love me.
Donovan chose to love me.
I chose to love him.
"Hello, my name is Donovan."
"I love you."
