My first thoughts didn't exist.
I was in a sort of read-only mode. I knew I was on a table. I knew I had an arm. I knew I had a torso, and a head, and eyes. I knew I was staring at a white tiled ceiling. I knew I rested atop of a metal table. I knew I was surrounded by computers, and tools, and scientists. I knew I was surrounded by technology.
I just couldn't think about it.
I didn't question why. I didn't speak in response to the scientists comments. I didn't move my arms. I didn't look elsewhere in the room. I just didn't think. Looking back through my memories, I spot several things that are laugh-worthy. Things I would have questioned if I could have.
"He seems stable. We have a confirmed input visually, audibly, not sure if he can pick up any physical contact. I doubt it without the Nero-RMD Processor. Hasn't that been 'in the mail' for about four weeks now?"
I knew this person was speaking Japanese. I knew it was a female voice. Every few seconds, she would step into my peripheral vision, and I took in her face. Younger, approximately 20 to 30 years old. Narrow, blue eyes adorned with thin glasses. Hazelnut hair tied up in a ponytail hung over her shoulder dangling just past her shoulders and bangs that weren't cut evenly, yet stopped just short of the glasses. A very thin jawline with plain lips, somewhat dry actually. She needs chap stick.
The next few words didn't matter, so I'm not going to delve into them. After that, everything went black again. I was shut down for further construction.
And this continued. Every now and then, I would watch the darkness evaporate and I stared up at the ceiling once more. Each time, I knew I had another body part. It could be another finger, or it could be something so minor I'm not supposed to notice I had it. I had my structuring complete one time, and my mind never bothered to think about it. Funny how one never questions something they don't notice...
That, or it was because I was unable to process thoughts. I can now, so I guess it doesn't matter. What does matter is how vulnerable one is from a young age, whether or not they are given the mind of a child, or preteen, or adult, or old man.
One time I woke up was the most interesting part. It was the most interesting part of my life. The most interesting thought that is starting to fade away to time. Reaching... I think my 250th to 300th year, I'm really not sure. This only utopia for human beings has been destroyed minutes ago. She is dead. He is dead. He is dead. They are dead.
Everybody is goddamn dead.
The DNA is rooting itself in my body. I'm unable to fight it. The power it promises is way too tempting. My mind won't let me. I want this power so badly. I didn't have this power before, and I failed to protect everybody.
I couldn't even save myself. My body is shattered.
[*][*][*]
White was the name of the game, it seemed. The area I was in was white. The walls were white. The ceiling was white. The floor was white. White tiles. White lights on the walls. Everything was white. My eyes are going to destroy if they're exposed to any more white. Oddly enough, this time was different. I was standing up... leaning against a board of some sort. What was interesting about this time... why it's the most interesting...
I questioned why I was there. I questioned why I had been standing. I questioned what I was doing there, specifically. I didn't have an answer, so another interesting thing happened.
I took a step forward. I wanted to leave there. Interesting stuff. I knew I had two legs, and I knew how well they could move, and I knew their purpose. No questions as to why. I moved one foot into the air, forward, and set it on the ground. Then I did it with the other foot, and repeated. I was moving. It was incredible. I kept walking down the hall for what felt like minutes. I reached double doors at the end of a pristine, clear hallway before stopping.
I knew how to operate the doors, I wasn't stupid. I knew they weren't restricted, since the one who put me there obviously intended me to find this door and open it. So why be a bad lab rat and disobey the master? I shoved the two doors open, and was greeted with a large room.
It was the lab, same as I saw it in my thoughtless times when they tested my vision, but it was clean. It had chairs set up in a circle with over 10 people standing in front of one. They had something in their hands held out towards me. A quick hand gesture, and the thing in their hands popped, shooting confetti all over me. They set the poppers down, and began to clap. I stepped forward out of curiosity, unable to contain a smile. This attention felt good, not great, but it felt nice to know I'm appreciated without doing anything. Three of the people there I recognized and could name right off the top of my head.
Dr. Akira; a very tall, Japanese male with shaggy hair and an unexplainable antennae of hair sticking up. He had a larger build, a given due to his height.
Dr. Tenzo; a rather short Japanese female. The one I saw before with the scruffy hair and ponytail dangling over her shoulder.
Iso Zerlath; a Japanese Model Reploid with an even shorter build than Dr. Tenzo. He has scruffy blond hair with orange highlights, a dull face reminiscent of North American Model Reploids. He's the brains behind my systems.
All three have... "things" about them that make them standout, but I'll get to that later in my story.
The other seven people are unknowns to me, but according to the names embedded into their little white lab coats, "Assistants to: DR. AKIRA" was printed in gold letters on a black patch. Same location... "Neo Tokyo Technological College Association."
They motioned me towards a chair, and uneasily stepping forward, I gave each assistant I passed a quick bow before coming up to Dr. Akira at the end of the small crowd. He and I were exactly the same height. He gave me a smile, reaching a hand up to pat me on the shoulder. I nodded and sat down in a chair set up.
Paying attention would help sometimes. I felt the full force of the soft cushiony goodness of the luxurious chair accommodate my larger body size comfortably. Looking down, I saw my white bodysuit as well as what appeared to be cheap under armour. In human terms, "in my underwear." I felt slight embarrassment before coughing. Then my voice etched itself into my memory.
I wasn't too surprised I had a voice. It was programmed into me, after all. I wasn't too surprised I had an older voice... but using it for the first time is like riding a bike for the first time. It astounds you to no end. It drives the point home that the voice is yours. It is yours. I like saying that.
"This voice is mine. It's deep, it's dark, and it's mine, and I can say what I want with it," I spoke out, obliviously transmitting my thoughts.
Several people in the room giggled, knocking me out of my mini-trance. I realized just what was wrong. I chortled at the memory, as well as my telling of this story. It still humours me how my first words had to be me obliviously transmitting my thoughts like an absolute jackass. Ha!
"Well, it may be your voice to use, but the vocal chords are the exact same as mine," Dr. Akira said while sitting down in a chair next to mine.
Everybody else sat down, crossing their legs and readjusting their sitting positions. I tried that myself. I crossed my legs, and it felt funny, but comfortable. I folded my arms and leaned back. I nodded with a sly smile as I got comfortable.
"His voice may be yours, but his mind is all me," Dr. Tenzo said with a chuckle.
I almost chuckled, finding myself thinking too much about other things. Dr. Akira must have noticed me as he looked over at me.
"So, I'd like to introduce myself," he started.
I waved my hand, silencing him. Several others chuckled once more. I opened my mouth to speak, and paused, anticipating the sound of my own voice.
"Dr. Minarou Akira I presume?" I asked, not realizing how much comfort I projected with my voice. It was almost like a purr.
A short applause followed, and I felt a smile on my face grow. I scratched the back of my head to act humble, barely noticing the metal object on my head. I noticed it was a helmet of some sort.
"Correct. You must have been paying attention when you shouldn't have been able to," Dr. Akira said, reaching to the side of his chair out of my sight and pulling out a brown bottle of liquid.
Dr. Tenzo gave him a light tap on the head as he said this, extracting another chuckle from the crowd.
"Shows how well I crafted his mind. Told you installing the Harddrive at an early phase was a good choice," she said while punching her chest once in gusto.
"Maybe he's just more advanced than you think," Iso said nonchalantly in the background.
Everybody gave him a glance, Dr. Akira staring a few extra seconds before smirking.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Iso."
More chuckles, but once again, I was thinking about something else too much to notice, same as before. All these people are people. They can do things, and go to families...
... so who am I?