Chapter 3: The Gate of Mirrors

Gino happily pops his head out of the panel in the floor of the Centrielian Science and Technology Development Department's central testing room. His pilot goggles that he wears over his eyes while he works reflect the lighting on the high roof. He smiles happily, as he untangles himself from the wiring he was just swimming in.

The room itself was about the size of a football field, everything was streamlined and sleek…and white, everything was very white. Several not yet completed prototype mechs spotted the floor, down the middle of the room was a raised platform anchored deep into the ground.

Gino feels around in his spiky blond hair for a moment and pulls out a round mechanical bug, in pure joy he shouts, "SPUD!" the little robot responds to life and crawls back up his arm to rest on his shoulder. One of the supervisors start to eye him suspiciously, he smiles and waves gingerly then points to the robot, "found a bug in the wiring system," he jokes. The Super simply raises an eyebrow and continues making marks on his check board.

Gino and spud make their way up onto the lifted platform where an intern nervously watched the whole fiasco from,

"I don't understand how you can pull that kind of crap off," the intern said, his voice shaky. Gino sweat drops and scratches the back of his head,

"Honestly it's because I out rank everyone in here," he laughs lightly, and the intern hits the ground,

"No way your so full of crap!" the astounded intern managed to pump out of his confused mouth,
"it's the truth, and you like to say crap a lot," Gino laughs lightly again and continues down the platform till he made it to a computer bank on the side. Another intern makes his way over and helps his fallen comrade, after dusting off intern A manages to regain his ability to talk,

"Who is that guy Bob?"

"Wow your really don't know George?" said Bob

"Would I ask such a stupid question if I did?" replied George (intern A)

"That's Gino he's the head programmer around here, some say he's a top secret project of the Furer's"

"Oh wow like what kind of project?"

"Like the first fully independent Android, some say after the war, Furer Brad compiled the entire computing network of Centriel into on terminal, and then transferred all of the data into an underdeveloped android body,"

"Oh right, because the system kept crashing because of all the viruses Argo and his men managed to get through right?"

"something like that…shortly after that, Furer Brad decided to put the thing out on its own developing and programming new weapons right here at the STDD!" Bob was getting excited now,

"No way Bob, how can a computer program be able to create anything not already created," George now trying to interject reality into the conversation.

"Not sure if I know what you mean George," said Bob dumbly

George sighs and responds "No Computer program can create anything original because we cannot program emotions into anything artificial, its simply not possible, and as that one philosopher guy once said "Creativity is an emotion, not something that just flicks on and off, Creativity cannot be imitated," or something or other,"

"I believe that is what your mom read off the cereal box yesterday at breakfast,"

"Hey! At least we gave you a place to live; my mom is a brilliant woman,"

Bob sighs and mutters to himself,

"That still doesn't explain where you got the stupid from…"

Gino was able to develop and create on his own because of the viruses he had absorbed into his body upon transfer of the system data, the only idea that ever came to him though is the one he was about to test run. A brief alarm goes off asking for a clearing of the platform for a test run. The lights dim and the long platform raises slightly higher into the air, the anchors in the ground dig themselves deeper.

At the end of the platform sat a white ring, it was closed off by a door, for a brief second all the lights on the platform flash on, then quickly fade.

"Commence Initial EchoGeo Reverberation" Gino says into the microphone by the computer station