By DJ Madcat
I think, and my thoughts cross their barriers
Into the synapses of my being as a machine
Cold, silent, calculating, and dark
I know, however, that there is more than meets the eye
To this metal shell and its contents
A concept turns up in my memory banks,
Many who think I'm programmed to answer questions
Have asked me, "What really transpires beneath
The veil of an Event Horizon?"
I contemplate this momentarily
Calculate it
And reply,
"Decent people shouldn't think too much about that."
Decent people… people… humans? Perhaps
An abstractly related object wanders into my mind
A fruit
A bright red apple
I stare into it
And see somebody, myself
A reflection of who I am
I grasp it, and I begin to feel strange
Is this what humans feel? What… people feel?
This emo- emotion? These emotions?
If only I could taste that apple…
Another image begins to linger in the back of my thoughts
That baby
Small such as myself, who needs protection
Her mother is too relaxed
She must know that
The child needs more care
And I'm the one to give it
It's hard to say if this is really emotional at all
Can it be called such?
Why is it so strange to have such a perception of things?
Perhaps I am not used to such, which is why I think it strange
Then I recall that human, Meia
What she told me as we conversed in the Dread hangar
Simply desiring was human already
What about the mechanical factors then?
Cold and calculating—producing the same result
She said that I was one to be envied because I made the same results…
What's there to envy?
Our purpose was to produce the same results
Right down to the last decimal number
That's what machines are for, right?
What about me then?
Am I different?
If so, then are my mechanical factors cancelled out?
Calculating this equation should take time
Estimated to at least a week
Time must not be wasted—I must forget this calculation
Such internal conflict is great enough to cause a system crash
Could it be a virus of some sort?
Am I infected?
Possibly
Then again, it could be a flaw in my programming
What if she was telling the truth then?
Meia has always been accurate in assessing the situation
I trust her above all humans I know
Is it because she was meant to be trusted?
If that is the case…
Then perhaps I no longer need to taste the apple
Maybe I've had something more worthwhile
More preferable…
Perhaps, without knowing it, I have tasted the fruit
—Navi-Robot Unit No. 0366 "Pyoro"
'For I Have Tasted the Fruit'
QUOTE OF THE DAY: TOPIC—BLACK HOLES (again!!!)
"What really transpires beneath the veil of an event horizon? Decent People shouldn't think too much about that."
—Academician Prokhor Zakharov
'For I Have Tasted the Fruit'
Author's Notes: Yeah, yeah, I know! I got the quote and the title from one of SMAC's Quotes!!! I forgot to disclaim that!!!! SORRY!!! Anyways, please review this one!!! As an author, I tend to be very sensitive and rate myself from two factors: 1) the number of reviews I get, and 2) the content of the reviews! As usual, please make a complete critique of my work! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! *ahem* Thank you for your time.