TEST SUBJECT 0600642

Prologue:

It had been months since Deacon, the esteemed 'mad scientist' had been 'laid off' of work due to the government having 'budget cuts'. His home remained on the outskirts of the dystopia, Viago;  a city in which the rich partied and the poor lived. Deacon, having regretfully taken part in such activities in his teenage youth, now wanting nothing more than a simple, quiet life has retired to his sanctuary. His home upon closer examination was an abandoned factory, renovated into a luxurious mixture between 'home' and laboratory, flourishing with plants. All hobbies and interests included his home looked as though it belonged to an aristocrat. Victorian Era furniture clashed with the harsh nature of laboratory equipment- having no walls or dividers provided little to no privacy, let alone room for worry over appearance. But, happily he lived in his vast, diverse home in solace. Juggling unemployment with a staggering decline in mental health caused him to often forget about the remnants of the outside world; a world Deacon had no more faith in. Staying inside for the entirety of all your days would surely drive any man mad. He quite enjoyed solitude, especially when he was working, and working he was.

Despite no work he had been focusing on a very fickle test subject. While working under the military he had the pleasure of working with other talented scientists. A coworker had been given an assignment of utmost urgency: create and prepare a self-aware AI. This particular subject sparked Deacon's interest especially when his coworker failed to create a fully functioning specimen. Taking it upon himself to create such a machine, Deacon had discovered a certain flaw his coworker had made. One, don't overcompensate, and two, in order to create an AI with insight one would assume you would need to teach it about the most basic foundations of consciousness. He knew he had to start from scratch. To reel back in any preconceived notions, any theories, and just learn himself. After weeks of never-ending, restless nights the scientist found himself surrounded by cigarettes buds and machine parts. He had managed to unsuccessfully create two test subjects. 

Rain was pouring over his home, washing away the dirt from the roof and possibly his own mind.

He was staring at his new subject. This one was different than the others. "Isn't that what they all say?" He grumbled to his thoughts, shoving the cherry of his cigarette into the bottom of an ash tray. A smooth, translucent membrane covered the body, stretching over it's joints to form a seamless appearance. Hairless and almost featureless Test Subject 0600624 looked ambiguous and exact to any average looking man. Deacon had programmed it to resemble and mimic most of human's interactions in order to appear authentically alive to the audience. When midnight stroke, brown eyes fluttered open looking at the man in front of it. The test subject leaned forward, almost as if to examine the scientist, and Deacon nearly cried with joy. Leaning forward himself he smiled warmly. "Hello." He spoke with caution in his tone- afraid of alarming his creation.  It stared for a moment before blinking, "...Hello..." It replied, reaching out in hesitation. It gently touched him across the cheek. "You." A small pause and it pulled away, looking at his own hands. "Are not like me?"

"Correct. I am human. My name is Deacon. What's yours?"

"My name?" Test Subject 0600642 tilted it's head for a moment, "Humans have many types of names- I'm not sure what mine is...do you?"

Deacon was scribbling notes onto a pad. "To me you are test subject 0600642. You may pick whatever name you like." He looked up at the robot with curiosity. "Do you have a preference in gender?"

It looked down, pressing his hands against his chest. "Females have chests...but some have flat chests as well..." It's hands traveled to it's crotch, displaying no type of genitals it looked up at him for guidance. "What am I?"

"Your body doesn't determine your gender. You tell me."

"I want to be like you."

"Male...so you should pick a male name, no?"