Gray Matter

Malfunction

A few days later;

Proto Man whistled happily as he cleaned up around Dr Hikari and Dr Wiley's laboratory. A robotic dog that was built before him called Rush, was happily wagging his tail at Proto Man's feet. Hikari looked on, monitoring his creation's actions with great interest.

"Where did you learn that tune you're whistling?" Hikari finally asked.

"I created it myself." Proto told him, smiling wide to show how proud he was of himself. "Do you like it?"

Hikari nodded, almost absentmindedly.

"Interesting." he said. To interrupt his thoughts, Dr Wiley entered the laboratory.

"Time for bedtime Proto Man." the robotist said. "Come, tonight I'll show you how to brush your teeth."

Proto stopped what he was doing and went to join Wiley. Hikari looked on, stroking his beard in thought. If a robotic creation had a sense of 'creating' something without instruction... that could mean...

Dr Hikari smiled. His creation had free will.

 - - -

Proto Man watched dutifully as Wiley brushed his teeth, to show the android the procedure before he went on to do it himself. Proto watched as Wiley rinsed and spit the toothpaste in his mouth, then into the sink.

"Now it is your turn." Dr Wiley told Proto Man. Proto nodded, happy to do a simple human task. How hard could it be?

Proto took a new toothbrush from Dr Wiley, put a little toothpaste on it, then starting to brush his teeth. Dr Wiley looked on, observing the android. But suddenly, Proto Man's wrist sparked as the android continued to brush his teeth. At first, Proto Man ignored this, but it happened again, making Proto drop the toothbrush into the sink.

"What is wrong Proto Man?" Dr Wiley asked, getting ready to take a note on the clipboard he had brought with him.

"I'm not sure..." Proto responded, checking all of his system software. "I am perfectly operational."

"That is what I thought." the robotist said to himself. Curiously, he went to get a hairbrush and handed it to Proto Man.

"Can you brush your hair for me?" Wiley asked.

"Of course sir." Proto said with a confident smile. The android took the hairbrush and started to carefully brush out his synthetic but lifelike hair. Again, he sparked, but this time something bad happened.

Proto Man sparked again, this time much bigger than the last few times. He dropped the hairbrush in surprise and a sudden feeling of fear. Suddenly, his arm morphed into a cannon barrel shaped gun. In surprise of this revelation, Dr Wiley jumped back in shock.

"What in the world..." the robotist started to say, but Proto Man sparked again, causing the gun to fire haphazardly. Instantly, Wiley took cover on the ground. Slowly and eventually, the gun stopped firing.

Worn out from the mass loss of energy in a short period of time, Proto looked at his arm gun then looked at Wiley.

"What am I?" the android asked, sounding scared. Wiley carefully stood up again, but said nothing, only shaking his head in disdain.

"I knew it was too good to be true..." Wiley said to himself. Proto looked at him, afraid.

- - -

“He is flawed Thomas.” Dr Wiley finished saying to Dr Hikari. “The most simple of human tasks he can not do. He can and will short out, and shorting out activates his defense systems.”

Proto Man sat on the same operating table he had laid on when he was first activated. He was starting to fear the worse now.

“We can not allow him to be an advocate for world peace if he is that flawed!” Wiley continued. Hikari said nothing, instead stroking his beard in thought. Then he nodded.

“We will have to revisit the blueprints, perhaps we overlooked something...”

“Of course we overlooked something!” Wiley snapped. “That weapon was not part of them!”

Proto Man looked at his hand gun. It was still a gun instead of his hand. Just looking at it made him ashamed. A thought ran through Proto's mind, it wasn't a good one and it had to be done when no one was looking, but it was better than what could have happened now that it was discovered he was a horrible weapon of destruction.

“We need to do something about... THAT!” Wiley then said, pointing in direction of Proto's gun. This made the android feel even worse.

“I'll think of something in the morning.” Hikari finally said. “For now, we will sleep.”

Dr Wiley looked as if he was going to say something more, but he did not, and left the laboratory in a huff. Hikari then turned to Proto Man.

“Rest.” he told the android.

“But I can't.” Proto told his creator. “I'm afraid.”

Hikari looked at Proto Man.

“What did you just say?” the scientist asked.

“I'm afraid.” Proto Man repeated.

For a moment, Hikari continued to look at the android.

Free will... true emotions... this is what he had worked so hard for, but now what? The android was still imperfect. What if...

Could it even be possible?

“Go to sleep Proto Man.” Hikari told the android.

“I will try to sir.” the android responded. With a stiff nod, Hikari left the laboratory. Proto Man waited an hour and a half, to make sure that both robotists were asleep, then made his escape.