{"data":{"id":13080,"title":"A Human Perspective - Episode 7 - Roberts Space Industries","rsi_url":"\/web\/20140712021924\/https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/13080-A-Human-Perspective-Episode-7","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/13080","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/13080","channel":"Spectrum Dispatch","category":"Lore","series":"A Human Perspective","images":[{"id":29099,"name":"HumanPerspFI_Clean.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/cmjxxjf2qh8uzr\/source\/HumanPerspFI_Clean.jpg","alt":"","size":3441449,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2013-07-18T18:33:50+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/29099","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/29099\/similar"}],"images_count":3,"translations":{"en_EN":"\u201cPlease, Charl-Grissom, sit down.\u201d\nA lab-coated tech led him into a chilly room with two chairs on opposite sides of a low table. Wow, they found some chairs. Stark, white lights played on the sterile gray walls, with a long \u2018mirror\u2019 along the far wall. He had been in a couple of surveillance rooms like this before. Let them watch, what did he care?\n\nThe door opened and another tech marched Angela into the room, controlling her movements from a remote wired into the back of her head like some kind of leash. She was \u2018off,\u2019 Charl could tell, walking under the tech\u2019s control but otherwise vacant. They had her wearing drab coveralls and had simply pinned her hair close to her head. The techs sat her down opposite Charl, unceremoniously unplugged the remote cable from her skull, and left them \u2018alone.\u2019\n\nAndroid Angela was certainly lifelike, he acknowledged. He examined her face closely. She was like some super-lifelike doll staring blankly at him. Her skin was smooth and flawless, and her eyes perfectly white and blue, though they were creepily dilated. Even her lips were moist.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom, one moment.\u201d The harsh intercom voice startled him. A tech hustled back in with a beeping scanner, then a second joined him with some fine tools that they stuck into the back of the robot\u2019s head. They made their adjustments quickly and left again.\n\n\u201cHaving some troubles,\u201d Charl asked loud enough that the viewers behind the two-way mirror might hear him.\n\n\u201cI am ready now.\u201d Android Angela\u2019s voice startled him more than the intercom voice had. She met him eye to eye in a way that made it difficult to remember that she was only a machine.\n\n\u201cOh, great. Let\u2019s get started,\u201d he managed. The techs had told him this first meeting would be brief, just to test some systems, their observation techniques, and so on. They told him the android might seem confused, at first, but she seemed anything but that.\n\n\u201cThank you for trying to help me when you thought I was in distress,\u201d she said, almost absently. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and made a face, then set to rearranging her hair. \u201cThe techs are such nitwits. You should see how they dress me sometimes.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo, you\u2019re aware that you\u2019re an \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cAn android. Yes.\u201d Her frankness took Charl aback. \u201cThough they can change that. For all the time you and I were together previously, that was switched off. There, that\u2019s better.\u201d Her hair was much less frightening now, pulled back into a wavy ponytail.\n\n\u201cSwitched off?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I was in fully autonomous mode then, though they\u2019ve never really gotten that to work very well. If you ask me, we\u2019re still a few months out on that.\u201d Charl didn\u2019t quite know how to respond to that. Her matter-of-fact self-awareness struck him as weird.\n\n\u201cHow long ago were you \u2026 well \u2026 you know \u2026 \u2018created\u2019?\u201d he asked, stretching a bit to ease his tension. By the time he noticed that she hadn\u2019t answered the techs had noticed too. Three of them burst in with new scanners and probes and descended upon the stone-still android. She was frozen, her pupils turned creepily black.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom, repairs commenced. Please retire.\u201d Charl got up and made his way around the busy techs and their malfunctioning android, and retired to the quarters they had provided. They were a far cry from the luxurious yacht he had arrived on, but would do for now. They linked the computer in his quarters directly into the research project\u2019s system so he could upload typed notes and video of his reactions to android Angela. Their whole project was there on his screen to click through. Don\u2019t these techs believe in data security?\nEventually, he stretched out on the bed and put on some music. He was jumpy, and he knew it was from seeing Angela again. Eventually he blotted out the strangely alluring robot\u2019s face by concentrating instead on his impending wealth.\n\nA routine of two-a-day sessions commenced, one each morning and another later on, then he would upload his comments to their system. At first, android Angela rarely made it more than a few minutes into each one, if she was functioning at all, so Charl\u2019s interaction with her was limited. Easy money, he thought. If they think I\u2019m staying one day past the end of the contract, they\u2019re sorely mistaken. Still, if they want to prorate the fee \u2026\n\nTechs came and went and time dragged on. By the fifth day, though, they had worked out many of the bugs and the sessions became considerably more unpleasant.\n\n\u201cSo, tell me,\u201d android Angela asked, leaning in close across the table between them. \u201cDid you ever realize that I wasn\u2019t a real woman?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d he replied. \u201cI already confessed that earlier.\u201d She wore a tight shirt and had her hair neatly pulled back. He wondered if that was hers or the techs\u2019 idea. \u201cYou checked out once or twice, which I thought was sort of strange.\u201d\n\n\u201cThose are just technical glitches,\u201d she said dismissively. \u201cThe techs will sort that out eventually.\u201d\n\n\u201cI thought you were, I don\u2019t know, a bit odd, I guess.\u201d\n\n\u201cReally. What was it about me that you found odd?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s difficult to say,\u201d he began, uncertain exactly what he could put his finger on and accurately explain.\n\n\u201cWas it that I did not reciprocate your sexual advances?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy what?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s nothing to be embarrassed about.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not embarrassed,\u201d he blurted defensively.\n\n\u201cYour bio scans clearly indicated that you were sexually attracted to me. Your heart rate and breathing were elevated \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYou were scanning me?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, of course.\u201d Honestly, Charl had to admit, he wasn\u2019t surprised that they had been scanning him, but he certainly didn\u2019t like it.\n\n\u201cI never really made any sexual advances \u2026\u201d he began to explain.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re getting very warm. Do you want us to reduce the temperature?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d\n\n\u201cOur information is that you have been away from all Human companionship for several years. Do you think you are still qualified to evaluate the effectiveness of your sexual advances upon a Human female?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you feel you had regular success in such relationships in the past, or were they infrequent and serendipitous?\u201d\n\n\u201cWho are we evaluating here, you or me?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cMe, of course. Your perceptions of me as a legitimate Human female are vital to my further development.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s all well and good, but \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cHow many relationships have you had with Human females?\u201d The android scrunched her forehead in a serious, clinical expression.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s none of your business!\u201d\n\n\u201cActually, it is completely within the contract\u2019s parameters for us to extract that sort of information as part of your obligations. Would you like to see the contract \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cThree.\u201d\n\n\u201cThree,\u201d she said simply, and paused. \u201cThat is insufficient data points upon which to make an accurate comparison.\u201d Android Angela paused again while Charl clenched his jaw. Eventually, she adopted an entirely new demeanor and changed the subject.\n\n\u201cBack on the ag planet, did you believe that I was a qualified xeno biologist?\u201d\n\nThe sessions went on like that.\n\n\u201cOn the ag planet, would you have shared any personal secrets with me?\u201d \u201cIf I had suggested an alternate course of action, would you have considered it?\u201d \u201cIf you had been injured, would you have trusted me to implement first aid?\u201d\n\nCharl found the evaluations irritating and exhausting. He flopped on his bed after each one and dreaded the next. On the one hand, he felt a strange connection with the android Angela, maybe because she was a fairly accurate \u2014 and desirable \u2014 Human woman. But on the other, she seemed to him more and more a calculating, self-aware machine performing self-diagnostics at his expense. He felt befuddled and longed for the day when the sessions would be over. In the meantime, he consoled himself in his quarters by planning what to do with all that money.\n\nStill, he found their scanning him particularly upsetting. If they had bothered to ask in advance, he would have had no problem with it, but the fact that they did it surreptitiously gnawed at him. Android Angela told him directly they had done various med scans, but what else had they probed, he wondered? So, between sessions, he decided to find out and looked through the android development project\u2019s data. If they didn\u2019t want me in their data they should have protected it, he reasoned.\n\nHis records were easy to unearth from the computer in his quarters. There they were, days of med scans, including brain waves, eye movement patterns, vocal stress. To get all that they must have surrounded him with scanners down there, and he kicked himself for being so unaware of them. Distracted by a pretty toy, he admitted to himself.\n\nData on the android\u2019s progress was easy to find, too. They filed report after report on its progress. The early reports showed that the android Angela was based upon a real Human Angela. I wonder what they paid her?\n\nThe reports betrayed that the android project was not going well. The android was way behind schedule. It was supposed to be autonomous by now, but wasn\u2019t even close. It basically couldn\u2019t function without a team of techs nearby controlling it like some kind of wireless marionette. It would be some time before they marketed lines of android Angelas.\n\nWhen Charl got bored of digging through reports on the failing project, he broke off his connection and laid down to get some sleep.\n\nThe next morning he awoke strapped down to a table with a bright light in his face.\n\nTo Be Continued \u2026","de_DE":"\"Bitte, Charl-Grissom, setzen Sie sich.\"\nEin Labortechniker f\u00fchrte ihn in einen k\u00fchlen Raum mit zwei St\u00fchlen auf gegen\u00fcberliegenden Seiten eines niedrigen Tisches. Wow, sie haben ein paar St\u00fchle gefunden. Starkes, wei\u00dfes Licht spielte auf den sterilen grauen W\u00e4nden, mit einem langen 'Spiegel' an der gegen\u00fcberliegenden Wand. Er war schon in ein paar \u00dcberwachungsr\u00e4umen wie diesem gewesen. Sollen sie doch zusehen, was k\u00fcmmert es ihn?\n\nDie T\u00fcr \u00f6ffnete sich und ein weiterer Techniker f\u00fchrte Angela in den Raum. Er kontrollierte ihre Bewegungen mit einer Fernbedienung, die wie eine Art Leine an ihrem Hinterkopf befestigt war. Charl merkte, dass sie nicht bei der Sache war. Sie lief unter der Kontrolle des Technikers, aber ansonsten war sie nicht ansprechbar. Sie trug einen d\u00fcsteren Schutzanzug und hatte ihr Haar einfach an den Kopf geheftet. Die Techniker setzten sie Charl gegen\u00fcber, zogen ihr kurzerhand das Fernbedienungskabel aus dem Sch\u00e4del und lie\u00dfen sie 'allein'.\n\nDer Androide Angela war wirklich lebensecht, wie er feststellte. Er betrachtete ihr Gesicht genau. Sie war wie eine \u00fcberlebensgro\u00dfe Puppe, die ihn ausdruckslos anstarrte. Ihre Haut war glatt und makellos und ihre Augen perfekt wei\u00df und blau, wenn auch unheimlich geweitet. Sogar ihre Lippen waren feucht.\n\n\"Charl-Grissom, einen Moment.\" Die raue Stimme auf der Sprechanlage lie\u00df ihn aufschrecken. Ein Techniker eilte mit einem piepsenden Scanner zur\u00fcck, dann kam ein zweiter mit ein paar feinen Werkzeugen, die sie in den Hinterkopf des Roboters steckten. Sie nahmen schnell ihre Einstellungen vor und gingen wieder.\n\n\"Haben Sie Probleme?\", fragte Charl laut genug, dass die Zuschauer hinter dem Zwei-Wege-Spiegel ihn h\u00f6ren konnten.\n\n\"Ich bin jetzt bereit.\" Die Stimme der Androidin Angela erschreckte ihn mehr als die Stimme in der Gegensprechanlage. Sie begegnete ihm von Angesicht zu Angesicht auf eine Weise, die es schwer machte, sich daran zu erinnern, dass sie nur eine Maschine war.\n\n\"Oh, gro\u00dfartig. Dann fangen wir mal an\", sagte er. Die Techniker hatten ihm gesagt, dass dieses erste Treffen nur kurz sein w\u00fcrde, um einige Systeme, ihre Beobachtungstechniken und so weiter zu testen. Sie sagten ihm, dass der Androide zun\u00e4chst verwirrt wirken w\u00fcrde, aber sie schien alles andere als das zu sein.\n\n\"Danke, dass Sie versucht haben, mir zu helfen, als Sie dachten, ich sei in Not\", sagte sie fast abwesend. Sie warf einen Blick auf sich selbst im Spiegel und verzog das Gesicht, dann machte sie sich daran, ihr Haar neu zu ordnen. \"Die Techniker sind solche Schwachk\u00f6pfe. Sie sollten mal sehen, wie sie mich manchmal anziehen.\"\n\n\"Sie sind sich also bewusst, dass Sie ein ...\"\n\n\"Ein Androide. Ja.\" Ihre Offenheit verbl\u00fcffte Charl. \"Aber sie k\u00f6nnen das \u00e4ndern. In der ganzen Zeit, in der wir zusammen waren, war das ausgeschaltet. So, das ist schon besser.\" Ihr Haar war jetzt viel weniger be\u00e4ngstigend und zu einem gewellten Pferdeschwanz zur\u00fcckgebunden.\n\n\"Ausgeschaltet?\"\n\n\"Ja, ich befand mich damals im v\u00f6llig autonomen Modus, obwohl das noch nie so richtig funktioniert hat. Wenn Sie mich fragen, sind wir da noch ein paar Monate von entfernt.\" Charl wusste nicht recht, was er darauf antworten sollte. Ihre n\u00fcchterne Selbsterkenntnis kam ihm seltsam vor.\n\n\"Wie lange ist es her, dass Sie ... na ja ... Sie wissen schon ... 'erschaffen' wurden?\", fragte er und streckte sich ein wenig, um seine Anspannung abzubauen. Als er bemerkte, dass sie nicht geantwortet hatte, hatten die Techniker es auch schon bemerkt. Drei von ihnen st\u00fcrmten mit neuen Scannern und Sonden herein und st\u00fcrzten sich auf den wie versteinert dastehenden Androiden. Sie war wie erstarrt, ihre Pupillen waren auf unheimliche Weise schwarz.\n\n\"Charl-Grissom, die Reparaturen haben begonnen. Bitte ziehen Sie sich zur\u00fcck.\" Charl stand auf und bahnte sich einen Weg um die besch\u00e4ftigten Techniker und ihren defekten Androiden herum und zog sich in das Quartier zur\u00fcck, das sie bereitgestellt hatten. Es war weit entfernt von der luxuri\u00f6sen Yacht, auf der er angekommen war, aber f\u00fcr den Moment w\u00fcrde es reichen. Der Computer in seinem Quartier war direkt mit dem System des Forschungsprojekts verbunden, so dass er getippte Notizen und Videos von seinen Reaktionen auf die Androidin Angela hochladen konnte. Ihr gesamtes Projekt war auf seinem Bildschirm zu sehen und er konnte sich durchklicken. Glauben diese Techniker nicht an die Datensicherheit?\nSchlie\u00dflich streckte er sich auf dem Bett aus und legte etwas Musik auf. Er war nerv\u00f6s, und er wusste, dass es daran lag, dass er Angela wiedersah. Schlie\u00dflich blendete er das seltsam verf\u00fchrerische Gesicht des Roboters aus und konzentrierte sich stattdessen auf seinen bevorstehenden Reichtum.\n\nEs begann eine Routine von zwei Sitzungen pro Tag, eine jeden Morgen und eine sp\u00e4ter, dann lud er seine Kommentare in ihr System hoch. Anfangs schaffte es der Androide Angela selten l\u00e4nger als ein paar Minuten in jede Sitzung, wenn sie \u00fcberhaupt funktionierte, so dass Charl nur begrenzt mit ihr interagieren konnte. Leicht verdientes Geld, dachte er. Wenn sie glauben, dass ich einen Tag \u00fcber das Vertragsende hinaus bleibe, irren sie sich gewaltig. Trotzdem, wenn sie das Honorar anteilig zahlen wollen ...\n\nDie Techniker kamen und gingen und die Zeit zog sich hin. Am f\u00fcnften Tag hatten sie jedoch viele der Fehler behoben und die Sitzungen wurden deutlich unangenehmer.\n\n\"Sagen Sie mal\", fragte der Androide Angela und beugte sich dicht \u00fcber den Tisch zwischen ihnen. \"Haben Sie jemals gemerkt, dass ich keine echte Frau bin?\"\n\n\"Nein\", antwortete er. \"Das habe ich bereits vorhin gestanden.\" Sie trug ein enges Hemd und hatte ihr Haar ordentlich zur\u00fcckgesteckt. Er fragte sich, ob das ihre Idee war oder die der Techniker. \"Sie haben ein- oder zweimal ausgecheckt, was ich etwas seltsam fand.\"\n\n\"Das sind nur technische Pannen\", sagte sie abweisend. \"Die Techniker werden das schon in Ordnung bringen.\"\n\n\"Ich dachte, Sie w\u00e4ren, ich wei\u00df nicht, ein bisschen seltsam.\"\n\n\"Wirklich. Was war es, das Sie an mir seltsam fanden?\"\n\n\"Das ist schwer zu sagen\", begann er, unsicher, was er genau beschreiben und erkl\u00e4ren konnte.\n\n\"War es, dass ich Ihre sexuellen Avancen nicht erwidert habe?\"\n\n\"Meine was?\"\n\n\"Das ist nichts, wof\u00fcr man sich sch\u00e4men m\u00fcsste.\"\n\n\"Es ist mir nicht peinlich\", sagte er abwehrend.\n\n\"Ihre Bio-Scans haben eindeutig gezeigt, dass Sie sich sexuell zu mir hingezogen f\u00fchlen. Ihre Herzfrequenz und Ihre Atmung waren erh\u00f6ht...\"\n\n\"Sie haben mich gescannt?\"\n\n\"Ja, nat\u00fcrlich.\" Ehrlich gesagt, musste Charl zugeben, dass er nicht \u00fcberrascht war, dass sie ihn gescannt hatten, aber es gefiel ihm ganz sicher nicht.\n\n\"Ich habe nie irgendwelche sexuellen Ann\u00e4herungsversuche gemacht ...\", begann er zu erkl\u00e4ren.\n\n\"Sie werden sehr warm. M\u00f6chten Sie, dass wir die Temperatur senken?\"\n\n\"Nein!\"\n\n\"Wir wissen, dass Sie seit mehreren Jahren keine menschliche Gesellschaft mehr hatten. Glauben Sie, dass Sie immer noch in der Lage sind, die Wirksamkeit Ihrer sexuellen Ann\u00e4herungsversuche bei einer menschlichen Frau zu beurteilen?\"\n\n\"Was?\"\n\n\"Hatten Sie das Gef\u00fchl, dass Sie in der Vergangenheit regelm\u00e4\u00dfig Erfolg in solchen Beziehungen hatten, oder waren es eher seltene und zuf\u00e4llige Begegnungen?\"\n\n\"Wen bewerten wir hier, Sie oder mich?\", fragte er.\n\n\"Mich nat\u00fcrlich. Ihre Wahrnehmung von mir als legitime menschliche Frau ist f\u00fcr meine weitere Entwicklung von entscheidender Bedeutung.\"\n\n\"Das ist ja alles sch\u00f6n und gut, aber ...\"\n\n\"Wie viele Beziehungen hatten Sie schon mit weiblichen Menschen?\" Die Androide runzelte die Stirn mit einem ernsten, klinischen Ausdruck.\n\n\"Das geht Sie nichts an!\"\n\n\"Eigentlich ist es ganz im Sinne des Vertrages, dass wir diese Art von Informationen als Teil Ihrer Verpflichtungen herausfinden. M\u00f6chten Sie den Vertrag sehen ...\"\n\n\"Drei.\"\n\n\"Drei\", sagte sie einfach und hielt inne. \"Das sind nicht gen\u00fcgend Datenpunkte, um einen genauen Vergleich anzustellen.\" Die Androidin Angela hielt erneut inne, w\u00e4hrend Charl seinen Kiefer zusammenbiss. Schlie\u00dflich nahm sie eine v\u00f6llig neue Haltung ein und wechselte das Thema.\n\n\"Haben Sie damals auf dem Ag-Planeten geglaubt, dass ich ein qualifizierter Xeno-Biologe bin?\"\n\nDie Sitzungen gingen so weiter.\n\n\"H\u00e4tten Sie mir auf dem Ag-Planeten irgendwelche pers\u00f6nlichen Geheimnisse anvertraut?\" \"H\u00e4tten Sie eine alternative Vorgehensweise in Betracht gezogen, wenn ich sie vorgeschlagen h\u00e4tte?\" \"Wenn Sie verletzt worden w\u00e4ren, h\u00e4tten Sie mir dann vertraut, dass ich Erste Hilfe leiste?\n\nCharl empfand die Bewertungen als irritierend und anstrengend. Nach jeder Bewertung lie\u00df er sich auf sein Bett fallen und f\u00fcrchtete sich vor der n\u00e4chsten. Einerseits f\u00fchlte er eine seltsame Verbindung zu dem Androiden Angela, vielleicht weil sie eine ziemlich genaue - und begehrenswerte - menschliche Frau war. Andererseits erschien sie ihm mehr und mehr wie eine berechnende, selbstbewusste Maschine, die auf seine Kosten Selbstdiagnosen durchf\u00fchrt. Er f\u00fchlte sich verwirrt und sehnte sich nach dem Tag, an dem die Sitzungen vorbei sein w\u00fcrden. In der Zwischenzeit tr\u00f6stete er sich in seinem Quartier damit, dass er \u00fcberlegte, was er mit all dem Geld machen sollte.\n\nDennoch fand er es besonders \u00e4rgerlich, dass sie ihn scannten. H\u00e4tten sie sich die M\u00fche gemacht, vorher zu fragen, h\u00e4tte er kein Problem damit gehabt, aber die Tatsache, dass sie es heimlich taten, nagte an ihm. Android Angela hatte ihm direkt gesagt, dass sie verschiedene medizinische Scans durchgef\u00fchrt hatten, aber was hatten sie noch untersucht, fragte er sich? Also beschloss er, es zwischen den Sitzungen herauszufinden und sah sich die Daten des Androidenentwicklungsprojekts an. Wenn sie mich nicht in ihren Daten haben wollten, h\u00e4tten sie sie sch\u00fctzen m\u00fcssen, \u00fcberlegte er.\n\nSeine Aufzeichnungen waren leicht \u00fcber den Computer in seinem Quartier zu finden. Da waren sie, tagelange medizinische Scans, einschlie\u00dflich der Gehirnstr\u00f6me, Augenbewegungsmuster und der stimmlichen Belastung. Um all das zu bekommen, mussten sie ihn dort unten mit Scannern umgeben haben, und er \u00e4rgerte sich, dass er sie nicht bemerkt hatte. Abgelenkt von einem h\u00fcbschen Spielzeug, gab er zu.\n\nDie Daten \u00fcber den Fortschritt des Androiden waren auch leicht zu finden. Es wurde ein Bericht nach dem anderen \u00fcber seine Fortschritte eingereicht. Aus den ersten Berichten ging hervor, dass der Androide Angela einer echten menschlichen Angela nachempfunden war. Ich frage mich, was sie ihr bezahlt haben?\n\nDie Berichte verrieten, dass das Androidenprojekt nicht gut lief. Der Androide lag weit hinter dem Zeitplan zur\u00fcck. Er sollte inzwischen autonom sein, war aber nicht einmal ann\u00e4hernd so weit. Er konnte im Grunde nicht funktionieren, ohne dass ein Team von Technikern in der N\u00e4he war, das ihn wie eine Art drahtlose Marionette steuerte. Es w\u00fcrde noch einige Zeit dauern, bis sie eine Reihe von Androiden Angelas auf den Markt bringen w\u00fcrden.\n\nAls es Charl zu langweilig wurde, sich durch die Berichte \u00fcber das gescheiterte Projekt zu w\u00fchlen, unterbrach er die Verbindung und legte sich hin, um etwas zu schlafen.\n\nAls er am n\u00e4chsten Morgen erwachte, war er an einen Tisch gefesselt und hatte ein helles Licht im Gesicht.\n\nFortsetzung folgt ...","zh_CN":"\u201cPlease, Charl-Grissom, sit down.\u201d\nA lab-coated tech led him into a chilly room with two chairs on opposite sides of a low table. Wow, they found some chairs. Stark, white lights played on the sterile gray walls, with a long \u2018mirror\u2019 along the far wall. He had been in a couple of surveillance rooms like this before. Let them watch, what did he care?\n\nThe door opened and another tech marched Angela into the room, controlling her movements from a remote wired into the back of her head like some kind of leash. She was \u2018off,\u2019 Charl could tell, walking under the tech\u2019s control but otherwise vacant. They had her wearing drab coveralls and had simply pinned her hair close to her head. The techs sat her down opposite Charl, unceremoniously unplugged the remote cable from her skull, and left them \u2018alone.\u2019\n\nAndroid Angela was certainly lifelike, he acknowledged. He examined her face closely. She was like some super-lifelike doll staring blankly at him. Her skin was smooth and flawless, and her eyes perfectly white and blue, though they were creepily dilated. Even her lips were moist.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom, one moment.\u201d The harsh intercom voice startled him. A tech hustled back in with a beeping scanner, then a second joined him with some fine tools that they stuck into the back of the robot\u2019s head. They made their adjustments quickly and left again.\n\n\u201cHaving some troubles,\u201d Charl asked loud enough that the viewers behind the two-way mirror might hear him.\n\n\u201cI am ready now.\u201d Android Angela\u2019s voice startled him more than the intercom voice had. She met him eye to eye in a way that made it difficult to remember that she was only a machine.\n\n\u201cOh, great. Let\u2019s get started,\u201d he managed. The techs had told him this first meeting would be brief, just to test some systems, their observation techniques, and so on. They told him the android might seem confused, at first, but she seemed anything but that.\n\n\u201cThank you for trying to help me when you thought I was in distress,\u201d she said, almost absently. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and made a face, then set to rearranging her hair. \u201cThe techs are such nitwits. You should see how they dress me sometimes.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo, you\u2019re aware that you\u2019re an \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cAn android. Yes.\u201d Her frankness took Charl aback. \u201cThough they can change that. For all the time you and I were together previously, that was switched off. There, that\u2019s better.\u201d Her hair was much less frightening now, pulled back into a wavy ponytail.\n\n\u201cSwitched off?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I was in fully autonomous mode then, though they\u2019ve never really gotten that to work very well. If you ask me, we\u2019re still a few months out on that.\u201d Charl didn\u2019t quite know how to respond to that. Her matter-of-fact self-awareness struck him as weird.\n\n\u201cHow long ago were you \u2026 well \u2026 you know \u2026 \u2018created\u2019?\u201d he asked, stretching a bit to ease his tension. By the time he noticed that she hadn\u2019t answered the techs had noticed too. Three of them burst in with new scanners and probes and descended upon the stone-still android. She was frozen, her pupils turned creepily black.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom, repairs commenced. Please retire.\u201d Charl got up and made his way around the busy techs and their malfunctioning android, and retired to the quarters they had provided. They were a far cry from the luxurious yacht he had arrived on, but would do for now. They linked the computer in his quarters directly into the research project\u2019s system so he could upload typed notes and video of his reactions to android Angela. Their whole project was there on his screen to click through. Don\u2019t these techs believe in data security?\nEventually, he stretched out on the bed and put on some music. He was jumpy, and he knew it was from seeing Angela again. Eventually he blotted out the strangely alluring robot\u2019s face by concentrating instead on his impending wealth.\n\nA routine of two-a-day sessions commenced, one each morning and another later on, then he would upload his comments to their system. At first, android Angela rarely made it more than a few minutes into each one, if she was functioning at all, so Charl\u2019s interaction with her was limited. Easy money, he thought. If they think I\u2019m staying one day past the end of the contract, they\u2019re sorely mistaken. Still, if they want to prorate the fee \u2026\n\nTechs came and went and time dragged on. By the fifth day, though, they had worked out many of the bugs and the sessions became considerably more unpleasant.\n\n\u201cSo, tell me,\u201d android Angela asked, leaning in close across the table between them. \u201cDid you ever realize that I wasn\u2019t a real woman?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d he replied. \u201cI already confessed that earlier.\u201d She wore a tight shirt and had her hair neatly pulled back. He wondered if that was hers or the techs\u2019 idea. \u201cYou checked out once or twice, which I thought was sort of strange.\u201d\n\n\u201cThose are just technical glitches,\u201d she said dismissively. \u201cThe techs will sort that out eventually.\u201d\n\n\u201cI thought you were, I don\u2019t know, a bit odd, I guess.\u201d\n\n\u201cReally. What was it about me that you found odd?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s difficult to say,\u201d he began, uncertain exactly what he could put his finger on and accurately explain.\n\n\u201cWas it that I did not reciprocate your sexual advances?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy what?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s nothing to be embarrassed about.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not embarrassed,\u201d he blurted defensively.\n\n\u201cYour bio scans clearly indicated that you were sexually attracted to me. Your heart rate and breathing were elevated \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cYou were scanning me?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, of course.\u201d Honestly, Charl had to admit, he wasn\u2019t surprised that they had been scanning him, but he certainly didn\u2019t like it.\n\n\u201cI never really made any sexual advances \u2026\u201d he began to explain.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re getting very warm. Do you want us to reduce the temperature?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d\n\n\u201cOur information is that you have been away from all Human companionship for several years. Do you think you are still qualified to evaluate the effectiveness of your sexual advances upon a Human female?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you feel you had regular success in such relationships in the past, or were they infrequent and serendipitous?\u201d\n\n\u201cWho are we evaluating here, you or me?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cMe, of course. Your perceptions of me as a legitimate Human female are vital to my further development.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s all well and good, but \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cHow many relationships have you had with Human females?\u201d The android scrunched her forehead in a serious, clinical expression.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s none of your business!\u201d\n\n\u201cActually, it is completely within the contract\u2019s parameters for us to extract that sort of information as part of your obligations. Would you like to see the contract \u2026\u201d\n\n\u201cThree.\u201d\n\n\u201cThree,\u201d she said simply, and paused. \u201cThat is insufficient data points upon which to make an accurate comparison.\u201d Android Angela paused again while Charl clenched his jaw. Eventually, she adopted an entirely new demeanor and changed the subject.\n\n\u201cBack on the ag planet, did you believe that I was a qualified xeno biologist?\u201d\n\nThe sessions went on like that.\n\n\u201cOn the ag planet, would you have shared any personal secrets with me?\u201d \u201cIf I had suggested an alternate course of action, would you have considered it?\u201d \u201cIf you had been injured, would you have trusted me to implement first aid?\u201d\n\nCharl found the evaluations irritating and exhausting. He flopped on his bed after each one and dreaded the next. On the one hand, he felt a strange connection with the android Angela, maybe because she was a fairly accurate \u2014 and desirable \u2014 Human woman. But on the other, she seemed to him more and more a calculating, self-aware machine performing self-diagnostics at his expense. He felt befuddled and longed for the day when the sessions would be over. In the meantime, he consoled himself in his quarters by planning what to do with all that money.\n\nStill, he found their scanning him particularly upsetting. If they had bothered to ask in advance, he would have had no problem with it, but the fact that they did it surreptitiously gnawed at him. Android Angela told him directly they had done various med scans, but what else had they probed, he wondered? So, between sessions, he decided to find out and looked through the android development project\u2019s data. If they didn\u2019t want me in their data they should have protected it, he reasoned.\n\nHis records were easy to unearth from the computer in his quarters. There they were, days of med scans, including brain waves, eye movement patterns, vocal stress. To get all that they must have surrounded him with scanners down there, and he kicked himself for being so unaware of them. Distracted by a pretty toy, he admitted to himself.\n\nData on the android\u2019s progress was easy to find, too. They filed report after report on its progress. The early reports showed that the android Angela was based upon a real Human Angela. I wonder what they paid her?\n\nThe reports betrayed that the android project was not going well. The android was way behind schedule. It was supposed to be autonomous by now, but wasn\u2019t even close. It basically couldn\u2019t function without a team of techs nearby controlling it like some kind of wireless marionette. It would be some time before they marketed lines of android Angelas.\n\nWhen Charl got bored of digging through reports on the failing project, he broke off his connection and laid down to get some sleep.\n\nThe next morning he awoke strapped down to a table with a bright light in his face.\n\nTo Be Continued \u2026"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":44,"created_at":"2013-07-03T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"12 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-10 20:26:22","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":13079,"next_id":13081}}