For the last two hours, Leo's been drinking tea, listening to calming music, and psyching himself up. He steps inside and closes the door behind him. The silence becomes a sound of its own. He fancies being able to hear the words he's about to speak aloud, like an echo of destiny.
"Before the omnipotent witness, I pledge never to use this power for evil."
He sits down on the cushion. Careful fingers take hold of the halo and guide it over his head. A green button lights up on the device attached to it. After a final moment of deliberation, Leo presses it.
In his mind are memories of things that never were. In his mind's eye, there's a girl - a little sister to the big robot he knows as Otto. She's small and fast. She loves to fly. The clouds and the road call to her equally. Most of all, she's happy, because she has a family.
Minutes turn into hours. Leo's visualization gradually stops when he realizes he's heard the chime of completion from the device. The neurochip in his brain has been feeding a steady stream of mind-state into the computer via the interface device he wears. Now it's letting him know it has enough to work with.
The product of his dream won't be exactly like he imagined. It's better that way. Real people are full of surprises.
Computing power has advanced considerably since he created Otto. The evolution period takes mere minutes now. And Leo is ready, as a keyboard and monitor slide out of the white box to let him communicate with his creation.
"Hello".
The text is immediate. "Hi!"
Leo smiles, interested already. The first moment of consciousness for a new entity, and what she feels is enthusiasm? Alright then.
"Do you know your name?"
"Niki." The blinking cursor seems somehow eager, flashing on and off impatiently for him to type something in response.
"Do you know why you have that name?"
The text flashes back immediately. "Nike. Goddess of strength, speed, and victory. But you didn't want to call me a shoe. So Niki it is."
Leo grins and keeps typing. "Welcome to the world, Niki."
----
The other robots have assembled in the workshop. Link has plugged Niki's black box into the central hub, and waves goodbye without a word as the other robots, one by one, connect themselves to the same device. He heads up the stairs to the junkyard to look at the stars.
What's happening downstairs is a policy he instituted a long time ago: when a new robot is created, the others get to talk to it as soon as possible. They are having a conversation that Leo doesn't get to hear. Whatever they say is between them, and will stay that way.
Pneuma eventually comes up the stairs and approaches him. "She's ready for you," the girl announces with a quirky smile. "She's interesting. Just be careful with her in the field."
Leo doesn't know what to make of this announcement. With one raised eyebrow, he heads back down the stairs. There's one more thing to say.
The voice systems are online. Niki's teenage voice emanates from the speakers. "Hey Leo! I can see you on the camera. This feels weird."
"Hey Niki." Leo smiles, and runs his hand through his hair while he steadies himself. The words are always hard to say, but they have to be said. He plunges ahead. "Niki, I created you, but you are your own person. I'm going to ask you to join our organization. You have the right to say no - to do anything you want, in fact. Take your time and think this through, because it's important. But I do swear one thing to you: if you do leave, you can come back for repairs and maintenance, at any time, and I will provide it. No obligation. No questions asked. Ever."
Niki's voice finally comes out of the speaker. "That's really sweet. I promise I'll think about it, and give you an answer soon, okay?"
Leo pats the computer console affectionately. "Sounds good. Until then, get some rest. You've had a good first day."
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