The Human Inside

Chapter 2

Eight years earlier: 2127 July

A.I. Industries: Amborg Evaluation Center

    "Amborgs report to selection room. Technicians are standing by. Numbers 35, 82, 27, 43, 297, and 117. Prepare for inspection and formal mingling."

    Many of the technicians wore lab-coats or suits for the inspection. Although Dr. Kendrick's orders had stated that it should be a casual pot-luck setting, many of them still felt it was necessary to look their best. A few of them were about to meet their first amborgs. But for all of them, they were hopefully about to select their future cybernetic partners after this event. It was a very important occasion.

    Overlooking the room below where all the technicians and amborgs would be gathering together was a small observation center. The windows allowed observation from both sides and the room contained several seats for important guests. In this case, several business executives were touring the facility under invitation from the public relations staff. The head of P.R. was one of Dr. Kendrick's closest friends by the name of George Ramirez. He was showing the visitors the facility with his daughter Thalia.

    "Daddy, can I pick an amborg?" she asked curiously as she placed both hands on the windows of the observatory and peeped down. The amborgs hadn't arrived yet and she was just as anxious to see them as the people below.

    "No sweetheart, only technicians get to pick an amborg," George said to his little girl. "Now come over here. You said you wanted to welcome the visitors."

    "Ok daddy," she replied as she ran over to his side and waved to the panel of executives. "Hello everyone! My name is Thalia. Tall-ee-uh. You spell it with an 'H' after the T and before the first A in my name. This is my daddy and we're both going to be your tour guides for the afternoon!"

    A few of the executives chuckled and waved back. Some of them clapped for Thalia's introduction as she gestured for her father to speak up. George then stepped forward, bowed his head in acknowledgement and then spoke.

    "Well you heard it straight from the child's mouth," he said with a smile. "As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, my daughter will be joining me as I give you the local rundown of what will be commencing today. Now you already had a tour of the research and production center with Dr. Kendrick but since he's currently unavailable for the rest of the day, the two of us are here to help let you be introduced and better acquainted with the other children of the facility."

    Everyone walked to the glass at George's signal and peered into the room. Inside, they watched as a door opened and a group of amborgs entered the room. The technicians and everyone in the observation room stared for a few seconds. Finally, one technician stepped forward and introduced himself and the rest of the crowd in the room below began to converse. One of the executives coughed for attention and then raised a hand.

    "So what exactly is the selection, Mr. Ramirez?" she asked which prompted everyone to face George.

    "This is the event where a technician is assigned to an amborg or rather an amborg is assigned their human partner for operations in future endeavors," George explained. "A moment where the amborgs are allowed time to bond with normal human beings who are prepared to be friends and their partners in a sense."

    "Why pair one of the amborgs with a human technician?" another person asked, "Isn't that supposedly less efficient? Like ehhh... asking a janitor to keep a supercomputer oiled and properly maintained?"