awakening || barty & data
2 posters
Page 1 of 1
awakening || barty & data
ALL SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL
Life support had been the first to come online, with other auxiliary systems following soon after. It wasn’t until the higher cognitive functions began to awaken, though, that the first hints of consciousness began to emerge.
i am
That was all, for the time being. Just the slightest hint of self-awareness, recognition of its own being. Nothing more. But as that sliver of consciousness began to fully integrate with the other programs that made up its brain, it began to consider its situation more fully.
i am… ???
who am i?
A quick survey of its memory banks revealed little; either they had yet to fully integrate with the main system, or there simply was no information there to be accessed.
what am i?
No, it didn’t know that either.
There was no helping things; it had already exhausted its personal stores of information. If it hoped to learn more about itself, it would have to explore the world.
It opened its eyes.
Standing opposite it was another being. A quick analysis revealed that the creature was an adolescent human male.
After a moment, the answer came to it. It recognized the boy. For some reason, knowledge of him was already present in its base of knowledge, even while its own identity was a mystery.
He must be important for some reason.
“You are Bartemius Crouch Jr.” How complicated speech was. So much more than simple movements; it was aware of multiple programs running in concert, each of them managing one of the many components of verbal communication. Coordinating each process was difficult, and it paused a moment to attempt to better organize its thoughts.
It blinked several times, then decided to attempt speech again. “What am I?”
Last edited by Evil!Iris on Sat Jan 31, 2015 4:57 pm; edited 3 times in total
Re: awakening || barty & data
And there it was.
Although he knew that everything so far had gone right as he had planned it, with only a few mishaps along the way, he could scarcely believe that he had come this far. As he stood there, his fingers on the button that would complete this entire process, turning the pile of metal into something much greater, the boy was frozen in his place. He knew this was a moment of significance.
His breath caught in his throat the exact moment that he pushed down on the button. He took a few steps backwards, almost as though he was afraid that his whole work would just… explode in front of him now, but nothing happened.
No, that wasn’t true. something was happening, he could see it, he knew it - the blinking lights all over the android, the mechanical sounds that went along with the process of booting the android up. Everything was going with the plan; it was just as he had calculated it before.
It was only that after the process was finished, there was still no movement in the machine. After a whole minute had passed, there was no indication at all that the process had been a successful one. Barty had just been about to step forward to check its most important functions, when finally, it opened its eyes.
The boy stopped dead in his tracks, and for a small moment, all he could do was stare. There was no logical reason for him to be so taken aback by the sight. After all, he had expected no less than this, and he was more familiar these days with the sight of the android than he had been with that of his own parents.
Yet, all of this was a completely different experience, and it hit him in a way that neither his imagination, nor the intensive study of the machine in its lifeless form could have prepared him for. Seeing these eyes look around with such strong awareness was strange, alien. It made him feel almost out of place in his own working room. These bright, yellow eyes putting all their focus on him, the obvious sense of recognition in them it was overwhelming, and yet, strangely exciting.
And then, it spoke.
To his luck, its voice was in no way unpleasant. The boy had been worried about that when he had installed its vocal mechanisms, for he did not have a way to test them before he started the android up. He had feared he would have been stuck with the most annoying voice ever as the only acceptable source of learning and assistance, then.
But no - nothing about its speech grated in his ear. It was smooth, calm, and slow - though yet, clumsy, as though coming from someone who could not quite yet place his tongue, and more than anything, it was distinctly mechanical.
”You are my android”, he answered after a while. There was a tingling sensation in his stomach, making him feel queasy inside - almost as though he was nervous about communicating with this machine for the first time, although that could not be. Barty never got nervous over such trivial things, or so he told himself.
”Um. Hello. Your name is Data, by the way. Though, if you wanna go with something else, that’s cool too. I keep changing my mind about it, anyway”
(And in that moment, he was glad that he had changed his mind about it, even though its current name was far from creative. Surely, he would have felt infinitely more awkward now if he had addressed him as ‘RoboBro’, the first draft for the name of the android)
”It is good that you recognized me. Do you know what you are here for? Can you stand up?”
lindarkness- Admin
- Posts : 193
Join date : 2015-01-31
Re: awakening || barty & data
For several moments, it was too overwhelmed by the sudden barrage of stimulus to focus entirely on what Bartemius Crouch Jr. was saying. His words were almost lost as it took in the visual inputs of its eyes, the auditory stimuli assaulting its ears. There was too much, too much, but it forced itself to reply. It seemed that the only way to get more information out of the boy was to continue speaking.
“An android.” It considered the word for a long moment. “An android is defined as an artificial automaton crafted to resemble a human being. I am therefore an artificial life form. A machine.” It paused. “You are not a machine.”
It was fairly certain of that point. While it had no proof regarding this, the fact that his systems had recognized the boy as human, and that the definition of an android seemed to hold artificial life and humanity as mutually exclusive items, it seemed most probable that this was the case.
At the boy’s words, it blinked. In actual fact, it had been blinking throughout their short conversation, but it had only now become aware of the fact. The movements of its eyes seemed to be coordinated by some sort of automatic program; though it could voluntarily open and close them, it seemed to blink at random.
Was there some sort of reason for this? It wasn’t sure. It would have to remember to ask Bartemius Crouch Jr. about it.
But all of that was distracting from the main point. The boy had called it Data. Why had the boy called it Data? Was it its name?
da·ta
ˈdadə,ˈdādə/ noun
[list=lr_dct_sf_sens]
[*]facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.
[*]COMPUTING – the quantities, characters, or symbols on which operations are performed by a computer, being stored and transmitted in the form of electrical signals and recorded on magnetic, optical, or mechanical recording media.
[*]PHILOSOPHY – things known or assumed as facts, making the basis of reasoning or calculation.
[/list]
None of those things particularly seemed to apply to it; data was a term used to refer to abstract concepts, not to people.
But then again, Data was not yet sure that it was a person. It did not understand exactly what it meant to be a person yet. Still, from the way the boy spoke, it sounded as though having a name was an essential part of that.
“I am unsure of what else I could call myself. Are names important? You seem to place great import upon the subject. Your name is Bartemius Crouch Jr.; Data seems, by comparison, to be lacking.”
It was not entirely sure why, but it found that it very much wanted to adhere to the proper protocol, not simply in this area, but in all aspects of its existence. Its life? Could its artificial existence be considered to be life?
life
/līf/
- the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
- the existence of an individual human being or animal.
That definition made it sound as though Data were not truly alive. As neither a plant, animal, or human, it did not seem to be included in that category.
And yet, it possessed consciousness. That in and of itself seemed an unusual trait for inorganic material to have. Perhaps Bartemius Crouch Jr. would be able to shed more light on the situation.
“There is no record of the reason behind my existence. I simply know that, 74.8467 seconds ago, I appeared to gain consciousness. I do not understand why this has happened, where I came from, or why I am here.”
Data attempted to stand, but found that it was incapable of doing more than wiggling the small protrusions extending from the end of its feet. A rapid consultation of a medical encyclopedia it had discovered within its databanks revealed that the protrusions were known as ‘toes’.
“Stand up? While I appear to have legs and am thus theoretically capable of maintaining an upright posture, I am unsure of the exact sequence of movements that would enable me to rise. Perhaps you could offer further instruction.”
Re: awakening || barty & data
The boy was filled with a subtle apprehension as he regarded the android in front of him, and he felt incredibly foolish at the realization. Had it not been he who built it? Had he not expected this when he decided to turn it on, had hr not been prepared for all that could happen? Was this not what he had planned all along?
He should be calm, and calculated at the moment, with no concern to facors other than his success. He should know exactly how to proceed with the android, and simply carry on with his tests, like nothing had phased him. Yet, for some reason this seemed to be a goal far beyond his reach at that moment.
His palms were filling themselves with hot sweat, his heart was beating in a fast, unsteady rhythm, his mind was clouded with a fog of nervousness, and his feet were still refusing to obey him. It was like they were glued to the floor.
In his seventeen years of age, young Barty could count all the conversations he had in his life that had lasted for longer than five complete sentences on one hand, all of which had been held with his mother. For his father’s paranoia, the boy had never really been allowed to leave the house any more than was necessary, and the few times he did manage to sneak out, he chose to keep to himself rather than seek out others. Instead of visiting any kind of school, or even having a private tutor, the boy had been since childhood taught by an advanced and interactive computer program, as well as the various textbooks he had been allowed to order for himself.
In theory, of course, he knew how to interact with others - he had spoken to both of his parents, though sparsely so. (His father had always seemed far too busy to acknowledge his existence beyond keeping him locked up inside. His mother, in contrast, had never been a woman of many words herself, and lately, she had often been too weak and sick to see him at all). There had also been occasional run-ins with maids, delivery people, etc. Still, the majority of his knowledge of communication and the way that people worked still came from books, and other kinds of media.
All this had lead to the situation he was in now: Getting flustered and nervous over talking with a fucking machine, and getting the most basic things covered in conversation. And though he was not consciously aware of the exact cause of that incompetence, he could quite well kick himself in the balls for not being able to get a hold of himself.
”That’s right, I’m not a machine”, he said slowly, a slight frown showing on his face. The android should have that information stored within it already, “I’m a person. Um… a human being. You’re not. I’m the one who built you”
God, he had a difficult time imagining that he could ever get used to talking like this, his eyes glued on the machine whose every action was now shining in new consciousness. It felt odd, felt wrong somehow, though he did not know why. Still, he did not allow himself to get distracted by this, and simply tried to focus on analyzing the android’s condition.
He was slightly concerned about the fact that the machine had still not moved any part of its body that was below the neck. Not only was it unnatural and unsettling to see someone sitting entirely still for such a long time, it also gave him reason to believe that maybe his body wasn’t working properly. When he had constructed him, the boy had not been able to run any kind of motion tests, not until he turned him on for the first time.
First, however, there was still the matter of convincing the android of its surroundings.
”Well, but that’s my entire name. I don’t like it anyway - People usually call me Barty”. (Translation: His mother called him Barty) “Data would just be your first name, you know, like my first name is… uh, Bartemius. I didn’t give you a last name, because you don’t need one anyway - it’s not like there are any other androids named ‘Data’ that you have to distinguish yourself from, or something. Or at least, I don’t think there are any.”, he said, “But yeah… that’s why names are important. Because there are a lot of people and we need to distinguish between each other, so we don’t get confused. There’s just one of you, though, I think, so it doesn’t really matter what you’re called”
His brow furrowed at the android’s next set of question, for once as they caught him completely off guard. For all his theoretical knowledge and technical talent, he thoroughly failed at predicting what anything might say or do next, beyond what he had imagined them to. And most surely did he not expect his android to develop an existential crisis right there and then.
”Um… that’s weird”, he said, frowning, “You should be able to sort of… access your programming. Is that function not working or have you just not tried it yet? In any case… you’re in my work room right now, if that clears some, uh, confusion”
Shifting slightly on his feet, he decided to put his focus back on the easiest, and most obvious topic at hand.
”Can you move your legs at all? What about your arms? You need to know, I can’t declare you as fully operational before I’ve tested all your functions, so we’re going to be here a while before I can download some information on you”
lindarkness- Admin
- Posts : 193
Join date : 2015-01-31
Re: awakening || barty & data
The boy had gone silent, and now appeared to be staring off into the distance, saying and doing absolutely nothing. Most curious. Data would have to ask why he did that another time, but now there were questions to answer, things to consider and say.
“You built me,” it said, and was momentarily surprised to feel its head turn to one side. A brief analysis revealed that the movement had been directed by an automatic program. It was not entirely sure why the program existed – yet another question he would need to ask.
“Why have you created me?”
That was the most pressing point to be answered. Perhaps understanding its purpose would help it to understand how it was meant to navigate this world.
Perhaps then it would understand exactly what it was. It was not human, and it had yet to determine what that meant for it future. Perhaps androids were common, and he was one of an entire species of machines.
That would be incredibly helpful. Having others like it to guide it would make its adjustment much simpler.
This hope was dashed moments later, however, at its creator’s next words. “Do you mean to say that I am the only being of my kind, or that I am the only Data in existence? Your statement was ambiguously worded.”
Data wondered why Bartemius Crouch Jr. – no, Barty, had made such a basic error. The boy was not stupid (he had built Data, after all, and Data was only just beginning to become aware of just how great an undertaking that must have been), and he clearly had an adequate enough grasp of the English language to avoid making foolish mistakes like that.
Humans were curious, imperfect beings, Data decided.
Perhaps that was why it was having such difficulty acclimating to his systems. If it had been crafted by a human, and if humans were inherently flawed creatures, it made sense that Data would be flawed as well.
It would have to work to correct these imperfections.
At its creator’s question, Data looked down at its body, looking over the various parts and trying to make sense of all of the sensations sending sensory information to its brain. It seemed to resemble Barty closely enough – four limbs, two of them arms and two of them legs, a head, a relatively humanoid torso.
Something occurred to Data. While comparing its own anatomy to the information in medical encyclopedias, it had noticed that something rather important appeared to be missing. Though it did not have visual confirmation of this fact, it was not aware of anything but a flat stretch of its body in place of genitals. This point, it felt, was rather important – biological life forms had something there, and it seemed strange that the creator had not seen fit to give Data anything.
“Am I female?” it –– she? asked. This time, Data was prepared for the automatic head motions. Evidently, asking questions seemed to initiate that particular motion. “I seem to lack any specific anatomical configuration, but what I do possess seems to be more closely feminine than masculine.”
Getting back to the question the boy had asked, Data replied, “While I do have conscious control over my extremities, I do not appear to have a program in place to initiate the precise sequence of movements necessary to rise from the ground. However, I have discovered mechanisms in place to allow for observational learning. If I could witness you executing the correct motions, I believe that I would be able to replicate them.”
Re: awakening || barty & data
Barty sat down on his chair if only to hide his shaking knees and to help himself take it all in at once. Up until now this... this android of his had been still standing in the realm of dreams and theory. It had been an abstract concept, a project that he desired to complete, a goal worthy of following. But between an inanimate, almost doll-like body, and a functioning android who talked and moved, and whose eyes were clearly aware and focussing right on his face was a mile of distance.
The current state was infinitely more disturbing.
Still, the boy resisted the urge to flee or to turn it off, and cast it out of his life. It was a lesser instinct within him, one he would be much wiser to ignore, no matter how uncanny the situation may have appeared. After all, he had built him for a reason. Only now, it was becoming increasingly difficult to put that reason into words.
Why had he created him?
In the beginning he remembered how exhausting and mind-grating his daily lessons had been for him, how every day he had cursed at the annoyingly high-pitched and cheerful voice of his virtual teacher. Barty had been rather dissatisfied wit the lessons he was receiving. He was given a whole lot of information at once, which he was supposed to use to fill out the assignments, before he went through the whole process again. It was tedious, boring, and more importantly it did not even come close to sating his curiosity. It was not enough!
With nothing but an automatic system that wasn't even aware of who it was teaching, there was no way that his mind could grow far beyond what he was supposed to cover. There was no way he could get the chance to properly question anything, no way he could broaden his perspective far beyond what was given to him. Indeed, he had found his 'educational program' to be as much of a cage as his father's influences.
It was this that gave the first spark, the idea from which Data had come to be.
But even he, who by now was so apt at the art of self-deception, could not leave it at that. It was not enough to justify the sheer lengths he had gone to, the months upon months of work, resources, and preparation that went into the making of the android. There was more, there was so much more. He just couldn't quite grasp it.
Surely, the never ending amount of work and calculations stimulated his mind, helped him fight the ever threatening state of boredom he was so often trapped within, and challenged him in ways he had scarcely seen before - But despite that, there had never been a point where his endeavour had been purely scientific.
Barty felt within his stomach a sense of longing, a tingle underneath his heart that had been present since the first moment he decided to build him, maybe even before that. Now, looking at his creation, it was accelerated so much, he thought he was going to be sick. Yet, he did not know where it came from.
"I made you so that you could teach me", he said, his voice quivering with uncertainty, "I'm being assigned studies and things to turn in, but... I am dissatisfied with that service. I can memorize info, I can work with theories, but I need someone else to engage with, critically. I need someone to bounce ideas off, so I... so I don't end up talking to myself anymore... Or something, even. Whatever. That would be you"
The boy stopped to find himself agitated from the admission. Somehow it seemed to him that he had unintentionally revealed some sort of dark secret, had taken off his briefs and laid himself bare in front of all to see. He wasn't sure exactly which part of what he said he wished to take back.
"You probably won't see many people other than me - I don't. Last time I talked to... another living soul - proper - was more than three weeks ago, and well...", he scratched the base of is neck and gave it a look that was almost apologetic, "I don't know if there are any other androids out there, but I don't think so. I don't know about anyone named Data, either, so it's... both. I've access to the newt, and to subject studies, mechanical practices, fictional and academic works, and general information, but I was hoping that with you I could get closer to it all. You'd be able to break it down"
He was rambling, and he knew it. The boy had meant to share with the android only the bare minimum of what it had asked for, preferably in a precise and accessible manner. Data had only just started up for the very first time and was likely still filtering through all the stimuli he was receiving on all ends. So it might not have been a very good idea to feed him too much information at once, lest it got too overwhelming. But as soon as he opened his mouth, everything was flowing out at once, with no way to stop it.
"I've my own education program ready to go, and once I made sure you're working properly, you can get acquainted with it, though I'd suggest, now that I've gotten an impression of you, that we start with that tomorrow so there's a break and you won't have to take in so much at once. I've also downloaded a variety of different things for you to take on, but, um, that can wait. We can take things slow. I'm kind of-- How are your sensors handling this situation? How fast are you analysing your input? Are you experiencing any problems?"
The boy was running his mouth at this point, and though he had said nothing unrelated yet, he feared he might if he went on like that. And though he couldn't possibly imagine what the consequences of that would be or how they would in any way negatively affect him, the thought of it still threatened him. He was not sure why he was acting like this. It was as though alongside the adroid, a strange kind of doubt had awakened within him, paralyzing him to think, or act like his normal self, whatever that was.
Barty was thrust out of his thoughts as Data posed his next question, which threw him completely off guard. It took him slightly longer than usual to understand what he was referring to but once he did, it immediately succeeded in getting him flustered and making his blood rush up to his face. Automatically, his eyes turned toward his crotch, and his blush deepened.
Never once had he even considered the hypothetical gender of the android beyond the vaguely male appearance he had given it. He had modelled it more or less off his own anatomy as well as the several graphics and the additional data he had access to, and with only this kind of information at hand, it was obvious in what direction he would go.
The boy had never once in his life seen any scientific depiction of the female body. Any kind of pieces that portrayed the relevant information of bone structure, muscle mechanics and the interplay of nerves used exclusively male examples. In addition to that, the only woman he had ever seen in real life was his mother, who he could spend even less time with that his father.
However, that wasn't the only problem - He was sure that he would have been able to model a female body to the android somehow, if he had been so inclined, but... just the thought of doing that made him feel like a pervert, like the act of adding any kind of gendered markings would have somehow violated its privacy, as absurd as it sounded.
It was for this reason that he had omitted a certain other physical feature in the making of Data.
"Um... uh, n-no, I don't think so", he stuttered, "I, um, I didn't add to you any... um... you know, genitals because, well, you wouldn't need them, right`You wouldn't be able to... use them for reproduction, so... it would have been, uh... um, a waste of... resources to... add them. That, I guess, means you're androgynous, but, uh, I sort of built the rest of you off a male model, so..."
He shrugged, and turned away.
"I guess, it's up to you", he said.
lindarkness- Admin
- Posts : 193
Join date : 2015-01-31
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
|
|