Program 13 Book One (2 page)

We came to a halt as we approached the entrance to the Pod room. The White Coat released my wrist as he reached for a small, red button on the wall.

“Program identification,” a computerized voice asked.

“Thirteen,” the man responded. The large glass panel slid open. “Go on, Program.” The White Coat pushed me inside.

As I made my way to the Pods, I lifted my right arm out so that the scanner could read my bar code. McVeigh had the scanner installed to keep out “intruders”, as he called them. He would always say that while most of the humans feared us still, some were out to do us harm. I never understood what he meant. Why would the humans want to hurt us? What was it about Programs that frightened them so much?

The scanner lit up green after identifying me. Program Thirteen. My human name, when needed, was Emile. It was a pleasant name, although hardly used. After all, I was and always would be, Program Thirteen.

The Pod room was silent as my fellow Programs retreated to their Pods for standby mode. The white room, shining under the bright florescent lights, was peaceful; it was home. In the center of the room, surrounded by numerous Pods, was the security tube. Inside of the tube sat a White Coat, hovering over a small computer. He glanced at me briefly before returning his gaze to the monitor.

“Proceed,” his voice echoed throughout the room.

I stood before my Pod, pressing my hands on the sides of the glass window. My arm buzzed as the Pod read my identity. As the buzzing died down, the doors parted. I stepped inside carefully, making sure to place my hands at my sides. The doors sealed closed behind me. There was tugging throughout my body as wires clung to every limb possible. It should have hurt. My Program was registering pain, but to me, it felt normal. As the wires snapped in place, I closed my eyes, allowing the humming of the wires to relax me.

In eight hours, I would receive my next treatment: a hard drive inspection. Until then, I’d remain in standby mode.

“Your rest period,” McVeigh called it. “Your Programs, much like the human body, must rest daily in order to function properly.”

I was close to fully shutting down when the door to the Pod room opened. Instinctively, my eyes shot open, curious to see who had entered. A man in a black suit walked over to the security tube, tapping lightly on the glass to draw the White Coat's attention. My Pod had not lowered yet, so I was still able to view the room around me, though I was not sure for how long. The security tube opened, and the White Coat stepped out.

“Can I help you sir?” the White Coat asked.

“That one there,” I heard the other man say. “She shows promise. Do you have a reading available on her?” The voice was that of McVeigh’s assistant, Douglas Todd. I was not quite sure who he was referring to as I listened from inside my Pod. Although, I was sure he pointed in my direction.

“That, sir, is Program Thirteen, our finest Program to date.”

As the man handed my reading over to Douglas Todd, the doors to my Pod opened. His eyes fixated on me as if I were a million dollar prize. It was an odd stare, one that I did not understand.

“How old is the Program?” Todd asked, leaning his head down to examine my reading.

“Well, sir, the Program is three months old. She was created during our latest update. However, if she were human, she would be seventeen years old.”

Douglas Todd walked over and placed his hands on the sides of the Pod, his body hovering over me. I wanted to move, to turn away. The ordeal was making me quite uncomfortable, as much as it would any normal person, I imagined. But I couldn’t. It would be hours before I could do anything. Wires were coming out of me from every which way. Until standby mode was deactivated, I’d remain frozen.

“Hayden,” Todd called. “I’d like to move her to Level Three. She is quite valuable to us. There is no reason to keep her on Level One with the useless Programs.”

Hayden, a newer White Coat, appeared to be rather shocked. Programs were meant to pass in a highly specific sequence: Level One for six months, followed by Level Two for a year, and finally Level Three where we stayed until our demise. Level Three scared me. It didn't scare me because it was the last level a Program could reach. Sure, that was part of it, but mainly it terrified me because it meant being thrown into society to live among the humans. Even, though, that was what I wanted, even though it was what I was created for, I did not feel as though I was ready to live among the other kind just yet.

“But, sir, do you not think it is a bit too soon? Level Three is for those who have been around for more than a year. She is only a few months old.” Hayden was pleading with Todd. As thankful as I was that he felt the need to fight for me, I knew it would fall on deaf ears. Douglas Todd had already made up his mind, my Program could sense that.

“That will be enough of that, Hayden. You will do as I say and escort Program Thirteen to Level Three.” When he did not move, Douglas Todd snapped his fingers. “Now, boy.”

Todd turned to look back at Hayden, adjusting his black tie, before exiting the room. “Thank you for your help today, Hayden. I’ll be back to make sure you have brought her to Level Three like I’ve asked.”

The look on Hayden’s face worried me. I’d seen the expression once before. A human woman came to the facility looking for her daughter who had become one of us. She had tears streaming down her cheeks, some sort of black liquid forming lines down her face. The woman leaned forward to hug her daughter, only to find that the Program staring back at her was not her daughter any longer. The Program appeared to have no recollection as to who the woman was. She was unable to convey any emotion towards the woman, to comprehend the connection between them.

“No,” she whispered, turning to face McVeigh. “No! What did you do to my daughter? You were to fix her, not kill her!” she screamed as security ushered her through the exit nearby.

It was a look that I’d never forget; it was as if she were staring into a corpse of a loved one. That was the same look Hayden wore now. Not knowing what love was, I found that I was unable to understand his anguish. But I wished to.

Hayden did not agree, and to be honest neither did I. However, if Todd felt I was ready, then I must have been ready to excel to Level Three. I was a part of a bigger plan for the world. I couldn't dare fail or else I would lose my purpose. This was my time, now, and I had to be ready.

“He cannot take her,” Hayden whispered. “I let her down once, and I refuse to do it again.”

2
WHITE COATS

W
hite Coats surrounded my Pod with white masks covering their faces. Strangers. I knew none of them, yet I was to trust them. These would be my new caretakers for Level Three. I’d no longer be under Hayden’s care.

My mind was registering pain, although I was not sure as to why. The wires weren’t tugging anymore. It had been hours since they’d been connected to my body. I’d adjusted to their pull. It had to be something emotional, something I didn’t quite understand.

“She’ll be waking soon. Standby mode will deactivate in approximately five minutes,” one of the strangers said, turning to look down at me in my Pod. His eyes, a bright shade of blue, locked onto me with curiosity. I gazed back at Hayden. His piercing blue eyes made it difficult for me to look away.

We stopped suddenly before a metal door. Two guards covered head-to-toe in body armor scanned the White Coats. One of the guards lowered his hand to his waist, resting it on a small black object.

“Do you have a reading for the Program?” one of the guards asked, extending his hand to the male White Coat.  He was a tall man, his hair as white as the walls around us.

The guard behind him, still clutching the item at his waist, shook in what seemed to be fear. I was still becoming acquainted with human emotions, so I could not be sure. He was a shorter man with little hair. I watched as his lips moved quickly as if panicked. Most of the new humans that came aboard were terrified of us, although we never meant them harm. We wanted to be like them, not hurt them. It often took a while for them to understand what we were. It would be a while before this guard was comfortable around any Program.

Pulling the reading tablet from his pocket, the lead White Coat turned it over to the guard. “You’re trying to bring a Level One into Level Three? She is a newborn Program!” The guard shook his head. “Does McVeigh know about this?”

“It was under my order.” I listened as Douglas Todd came strolling behind us. He stopped beside my Pod, tossing a small, metal ball back and forth between his hands. “Mister McVeigh is fully aware of this, and you are to let them proceed.”

The guard did not dare question Todd. He turned to the lead White Coat and handed over my reading tablet. “You may proceed.”

Douglas Todd stayed behind as the White Coats proceeded to push my Pod through to Level Three. As we progressed through the now open doorway, my Pod began to flicker green, indicating that the doors would be opening soon. Wires began to withdraw, freeing me of their hold. I was rebooting, perfect timing too, as we were just entering Level Three.

“This is a younger Program, far too young to go out there,” one of the White Coats whispered, turning to look back at me.

In my Pod, I imagined I looked weak and innocent, like that of a child in need of protection. But I was not. There was no need for any of them to want to protect me. Whatever Vesta Corp had in store for me, they would make sure I was prepared. Our identities, emotional capabilities, knowledge, and human responses were implanted accordingly. Whatever it was that we’d need to know in order to pass as humans out there the White Coats made sure to program into our cores.

“You mean you don’t know?” someone asked. “There’s a reason she was brought here. It’s that new caretaker on Level One.”

I stared at the man curious as to what he could possibly mean. Hayden was an excellent caretaker. What could he have done to justify removing me from his care?

Another White Coat nudged the man at his side, causing him to jump. “What? I thought everyone knew by now!”

“You know that we’re not supposed to talk about that, especially with her-” She pointed at me. “being right here.”

One…two…three.
The Pod doors opened, causing the White Coats to move before me. Carefully, I made my way out, stepping out one foot at a time, staring curiously at the group of humans in front of me. The White Coats were the assistants to the scientists on Level Three. They would be my main caretakers, the faces I’d come to see every day. They would become a part of me. Something I hoped would make me more like them, more human.

“Hello, Program Thirteen.” The female White Coat, Tina, according to her badge, reached out her hand to welcome me.

Human contact was still relatively new to me. The feel of their skin, soft and warm, against mine which was stiff and cold had a tendency to make them sick. The feel of cold metal underneath my flesh scared them, and I could not blame them. It was something they had to become used to. After all, we’d be living as one soon enough, or so McVeigh said. As I placed my palm in hers, a smile spread wide upon her face.

“Good day,” I said, turning to look at the group of nearby White Coats who were examining my every move. While part of me felt human at times, it was not hard to remember what I truly was: a computer built beneath a human body, a Program.

“Program Thirteen.” Charles McVeigh appeared out of nowhere, making his way through the White Coats. He wore a blue pinstripe suit with a red tie. His pale complexion shone bright underneath the bright lights of the halls. He was not a pleasant looking man, but he had meant no harm to me so far. I had no reason not to trust him. After all, he was the reason that
 
I was here. Douglas Todd was not far behind him, having stayed behind originally to wait for McVeigh. “On behalf of Vesta Corp, I’d like to welcome you to your new home.”

Home
. Level Three would be the last place I’d ever be able to call home. I’d live here and I’d die here, but I didn't mind. I didn't mind because I’d get time on the outside before they decided to deactivate me.

“May I present to you your new caretakers?” McVeigh turned to his left, pointing at the on-looking White Coats. From left to right, there was Tina, the friendly White Coat, Roger,
Rhys
, Mark, and
Sterling
. “These will be the five people responsible for you at all times.”

Had I not known better, I would have assumed the male White Coats were like me. Their faces were cold and their bodies rigid. Standing beside Tina, they looked lifeless...almost like me. But unlike me, they were actually alive. They each had a beating heart, blood flowing through their veins, and a conscience of their own. I did not. My exterior was flesh, but my insides were constructed of computers and wires. My mind was not my own. My words, my movements, my emotions...they were all fed to me, to my core. I did not have blood flowing through my veins, for I had no veins, only wires connecting to the Program built inside my mind. They might have looked like me, but they were not like me.

Lowering my head, I walked over to the White Coats. The men parted so that I could stand beside Tina. I was grateful for their gesture, though I knew it was not meant to be friendly. Charles McVeigh and Douglas Todd made their way towards us with their arms open and face’s beaming with joy. I was their new toy, their new test in Level Three. I was everything McVeigh wanted out of this operation, or so it seemed. Both men threw their arms around me, not even wincing as their skin touched mine. Even through their suit jackets and long sleeve shirts that they wore underneath, I suspected they felt the coolness radiating off my flesh. But if they did, neither of the men made an effort to back away.