Beep, beep, scribble, scribble, scribble. A pale room with padded walls, hospital equipment, and high–tech classified objects. As Eugene ran tests in the lab with a stereotypical asylum room appearance, the robot began to show signs of consciousness.

  This top-secret development has lasted decades, however funding has become dreadfully low in recent times. Investors are now more interested in other prospects such as wormholes and alternate dimensions. It could be for many factors, but one could reason it is most likely from all the leaks and security breaches. As a result, the public is much closer to reaching this technological milestone in society.

  This particular prototype model takes the form of what looks like a blue–green caterpillar with a glossy blue turtle shell on its back. The outside of its hardware looks lifelike, yet other–worldly. The inside contains wires, metal, and other traditional electronic materials. This robot can get energy from a multitude of resources such as sunlight, food, and oil. Eugene’s team had observed that the robot can obtain new knowledge and apply it through interactions with live beings. Of course, there are some safety precautions: some that can be manually put in, some that are automatic, and those that can be triggered by the development team members globally.

  While Eugene and his team designed and assembled the hardware, Arlene and her team developed the software intended to be self-contained without the necessity of constant internet access.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  The motto on the lab equipment says, “Growth and Assistance.” The original intent for these devices is designed to become a companion for someone and to learn and develop that person through shared experiences and reflection. Foreign to today’s expectations, these robots are intended to be built to last a lifetime with updates being optional and maintenance being the most profitable aspect. Its communication features are much more advanced than anything commercially available in the market presently. It has reference to many encyclopedias, and media across the ages. Also, like any human, it can gather new information by reading up on current events online or in real time. It can also seek further training data in large quantities online if desired by the owner.

  “Let’s test this out,” an unnamed scientist exclaimed. Thinking about the implications, Eugene ordered to test it out in his own home. His daughter would be the main observer, and it would be great since both of her parents worked on the project and yet she would not know the origin of this creature. Eugene figured that this experience would help develop and guide his daughter to become more sociable. At school, her teachers always said that she was so quiet and reserved. Lately, she has become vengeful of her classmates, countering anything wrong they do to her threefold.

  Although Eugene believed this to be a great idea, Arlene did not. “What if the device malfunctions and we can’t get the security features to work properly? What if there are more unknown dangerous catastrophes waiting to happen? I don’t want that for our daughter! She should not get involved at all! Let’s leave it that way!” They would fight and fight until one decides to leave.