"Good morning."
"Good morning, sir. I trust you slept well?"
"Yes I did, thank you. How goes the project?"
"So far we've covered seventy-two percent. We still need to determine
what material base the organisms will
"What material are you working on now?"
"Right now we're testing silicon-based organisms, but to be honest, I'm not entirely confident in our success."
"Well, let's hope it doesn't turn out the way your sulphur-based creature did."
"Ah, yes. Number six-hundred and sixty-six, I believe."
"Hmm. What became of the specimen?"
"After it tried to sabotage our plans for future creatures, we put it in confinement."
"Such a shame it didn't turn out successful. It was near perfect."
"Except for it's ethical socialization flaw. But otherwise, yes, it was near perfect, sir."
"Ah, well. At least we don't have the stink of sulphur around the place now. Smelled of fire and brimstone, to be honest."
"Yes sir."
"Good morning."
"Good morning, sir."
"You should send maintenance up to fix the sign. The 'G' is hanging off, so it says 'Od'. Not very good for company morale, I must say."
"Yes sir. I'll make sure a crew gets right on it."
"Very good. How goes the project?"
"Doing very well, sir. We've discovered the perfect material base."
"Excellent! What base did you use?"
"We've decided to go with carbon-based life-forms. Our first specimen is perfectly healthy, and we have had no psychological problems as yet."
"Outstanding. How long will the rest of the project take?"
"No time at all, sir. We can all rest after this."
"Good work. Now, I'd like to see the specimen."
"Ah. I see you've used the mammalian approach."
"Yes sir. We've also opted to make it omnivorous."
"Aha. And specimen six six six was carnivorous, was it not?"
"Yes sir. We now realize that omnivores would fair better as the sentient presence on the planet, so we went with it."
"Good, good. Ah. Here we are. Have you run the communicative programs on it?"
"Yes sir. It can converse with us. We've discovered that it learns faster than our other specimens, and it has even given itself a species name."
"Fantastic! What is the name it has chosen?"
"I'm sorry sir. It starts with 'H' but my memory fails me."
"That's alright. I'll ask it. Hello? Do you understand me?"
"Perfectly, yes."
"Good. Do you know who I am?"
"Who, may I ask?"
"I created you. I also created the world you will live in, and soon I will create a companion for you."
"Yes? Look, I'm not entirely sure of things. I've been alive… what, two days?"
"More or less, yes."
"Okay. Where am I?"
"You are in one of the universe's most powerful laboratories. I'll put what we do simply for you. We make the worlds, we make the life on the worlds, and finally we terminate the worlds after a certain period of time."
"I see. That sounds like a job with big requirements."
"Indeed it is."
"So… what does that make me?"
"You are the first member of a species that has been engineered to be the leading sentient creature on your world. You should feel proud, knowing that you will be given the responsibility of shaping your descendants."
"I should, should I? Very well. Hang on, I've got a request for you."
"I'm listening."
"If there will be more of my kind around the place, we'll need some sort of identification, right?"
"I suppose so."
"So, you being my creator, I'd assume that you would have the responsibility of giving me this identification."
"Goodness me, you have developed, haven't you? Very well, I shall give you a name. From henceforth you shall be known as…"
"As…?"
"Give me a moment…Adam. Yes. I think that would be a good name."
"Adam. I like it."
"And while we're at the topic of names, my associate here says that you have chosen a name for your species itself. May I ask what it is?"
"Yes. We will call ourselves 'humans'."
"A good name, certainly, if not, a creative one."
"Thank you. One last question."
"Ask away."
"What have you named my world?"
"I've named it 'Earth'. And now, if you would excuse me, I must be getting to work."
"Yes, yes. Of course."
THE BEGINNING