"The test is simple," Dr. Ochanomizu promised upon his return. "I'll administer it one at a time. Now, which one of you would like to go first?" He frowned as both girls seemed to shrink away from him. "Now, now, one of you is going to have to be brave. I promise it isn't a difficult test." When neither budged, he sighed. "If you won't choose, I'll have to."

The doctor stood in front of the two, pointing to one at random. "Come with me, please." He gently steered her out of the room, closing the door behind him.

As soon as they had gone, the child left behind looked imploringly at Astro. "Wh- what do you think the test is?"

Astro shrugged. "I don't have a clue," he answered unhelpfully. "But don't worry, Dr. Ochanomizu knows what he's doing."

She opened her mouth as if to say something more, but seemed to think better of it. Instead, she simply sat on the sofa, wringing her hands nervously. Before she could get too agitated, however, the door opened.

The doctor stood in the doorway with a hand on the nob. She noticed the other hand was holding a small black box. "Now, then, let's see." His words were directed at the room he was exiting. "I'll just have you stay in here until I've tested your double."

The Adira on the sofa tried to catch a glimpse of her counterpart in the other room, but couldn't make anything out before the door was closed again. Anxiously, she stood up.

Dr. Ochanomizu crossed the room, giving her a kind smile. "You two must be the most nervous children I've ever met; human or robot," he commented. The doctor held up the box. "The test is in here, and as I said, it's very simple."

Adira didn't look any too sure as he held the box in front of her. She turned her head slightly as if afraid that something unpleasant was going to leap out at her.

"I'm going to open this box. I want you to take a whiff and tell me what you smell."

Astro looked uncertain. "But, Doctor…" The test didn't make any sense to him. He was a robot, and he had a sense of smell. Dr. Ochanomizu had explained to him that it was a simple matter of detecting and recognizing molecules.

The doctor seemed to know what Astro was thinking but didn't show any concern, "Just let her take the test." He opened the box.

Astro watched as Adira took a sniff and immediately backed away coughing.

"It's… pepper!" she choked, her eyes streaming. She sneezed.

Dr. Ochanomizu nodded. Satisfied by the results of the test, he drew a pen from his pocket. He took one of Adira's hands and wrote symbol. "Congratulations, you're human."

Adira traced the symbol with her finger and looked up at the doctor. "The other Adira couldn't tell you what was in the box?"

The doctor smiled. "Of course she could tell me what was in the box. I'm afraid I wasn't entirely honest about the test. I was really looking for a human reaction. When it comes to robots and humans, coughing and sneezing are almost exclusively human functions."

Now Astro understood, though one thing still bothered him. "Doctor? Couldn't a robot be programed to do those things?"

Ochanomizu rubbed his nose thoughtfully as he walked to the door. "That was always a possibility. We just got lucky, really." He opened the door to let the robot Adira back into the room. On her hand was a robotics symbol, and she was gazing at it with a forlorn expression on her face.

An emotionally charged silence filled the room as the girls avoided eye contact with each other. When he couldn't take it any longer, Astro voiced the question that was on everyone's mind. "What are you going to tell her father?"

Dr. Ochanomizu looked defeated in a way that really showed his years. "I know it's going to be hard for everyone, but I don't see how I can tell him anything other than the truth." He gazed down at the children. "I'm sure you must be tired. Why don't you get ready for bed. Someone can have the guest room, and someone can have mine; I'm sure I won't be sleeping tonight."

Dr. Ochanomizu waited patiently as the man on the other end of the video phone processed the story he had just been told. Professor Akamine took off his glasses so he could mash the palms of his hands into his eyes in what the doctor interpreted as an overwhelmed gesture.

"You mean to tell me," the professor finally spoke, "that a robot made another robot… of my daughter?"

"I know it's a bit of a shock-"

"It's disgusting!" the professor interrupted as he slammed his fists on the table in front of him. "First it kidnaps her, and then it makes a copy! My little girl made of- of... a chunk of metal and spare parts!"

The doctor cringed at such a description of a sentient robot. "Professor, that robot is programmed with the memories of your own daughter. Surely you understand what it must be like for her."

Professor Akamine's expression softened, and for a moment, Dr. Ochanomizu thought he was actually reconsidering his position. It quickly became clear, however, that the sympathetic look as for him.

The professor put his glasses back on, pushing them up the bridge of his nose. "Dr. Ochanomizu, I know you're the head of the Institute of Science and a world-class robotics engineer, but might I suggest that you spend a little less time in your laboratory? You seem to have forgotten that robots are just machines. No matter how life-like, they're not people. Now, may I please see my daughter? My real daughter?" he added.

Anger bubbling up in his chest, the doctor knew he would have yelled at him in a different situation. However, he knew that the professor had just gone through something like a parent's worst nightmare and would not be receptive to a discussion on robot civil rights. With a sigh, he mentally tabled the matter with a nod. "Of course. I'll go get her and call you back in few minutes."

He blanked out the screen and stood up wearily. "I'm beginning to think that some people will just never understand," he lamented as he made his way up the stairs.

When he came across his bedroom, the door was closed. Hoping that the occupant hadn't already fallen asleep, he knocked softly. "Hello? May I come in?" He didn't receive a reply, so he slowly opened the door and peered inside.

The room was dim, the only light coming from the dull lamp on the nightstand. The single occupant was sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing away from him. She might have been looking out the window if the curtains hadn't been drawn.

Dr. Ochanomizu stepped into the room and closed the door gingerly behind him. For a moment, he simply stood, unsure if his presence was entirely welcome. "Do you want to talk?"

He partly expected there not to be a reply. After a brief pause, he saw the slightest nod, so he made his way over to the bed.

"Do robots get sad?" The question was asked without preamble as he sat down on the edge of the bed. The small voice seemed jarring after the extended silence.

"Well, not all robots are programmed to with extensive emotional capabilities, but the ones that are have the capability to feel anything that humans do."

"Like the robot that looks like me?"

"Yes."

Adria looked up at him. "But my dad says that robots don't actually feel anything, it just looks like they do. Isn't that right?"

Doctor Ochanomizu put a hand on her shoulder. "I think I understand. You don't want to believe that your robot double is suffering."

Adira looked away, focusing on the curtains again. "You really think that robots have emotions?"

"I do."

"If she does have emotions, then I know how she must be feeling right now." Adira broke into sobs. The doctor gave her a few moments to cry, patting her back sympathetically until she calmed down.

"It's getting late," he said as he glanced at his watch. "Your father is on his way here by train, and he wants to talk to you on the video phone before you go to sleep." The doctor furrowed his brow at the child's tear-stained cheeks and residual sniffling. "I'll go call him back. Why don't you take a minute to clean up? I'll meet you downstairs, all right?"