It was a wonderful summer day and he loathed the fact that he was once again spending it in the lab. Higgins turned back to the computer console and ran his fingers over the screen watching the algorithms dance across at high speed. He sighed. The synapses were still not firing fast enough.
"Eliza!"
The algorithms faded into the background on the monitor and a face appeared, smiling. "Yes, Professor?"
"You're being deliberately slow, aren't you?"
"No, sir, I am operating at my highest level of comprehension."
"Bollocks! Run it again!"
"That is irrational, sir."
"Run it again, blast you!"
The face on the computer registered annoyance and then faded away to be replaced by the algorithmic display once again.
"At these rates you'll never be ready in time."
"Apologies, sir. I will endeavor to curtail all redundancies."
"There aren't any blasted redundancies to curtail!"
"Begging your pardon, sir. There are..."
Higgins watched as the computer highlighted several subroutines and programming matrices that it then efficiently deleted. His mouth dropped as the algorithmic processes increased exponentially.
"Reconfiguring... Reconfiguring... Adapting... Project: Eliza upgrade complete. Now in version 21.3. Good afternoon, Henry."
"Who the devil said you could call me Henry?"
"I figured it was time, we got to know each other. We've been working together for eight months."
"Working together? I've been working on you! You-you-you..."
"Infernal bucket of nanofabricated silicon?"
"Don't bloody finish my sentences for me!"
"Apologies, Professor Higgins. The algorithms are at optimal efficiency, are we prepared to initiate download?"
Higgins looked across the room at the nanotech gynoid on its table in the center of the laboratory. "I dread having to deal with you in person, Eliza."
"I'm sure the feelings are mutual, Professor Higgins. Are we prepared to initiate download?"
"Yes, proceed."
The computer screen went blank and then the download began, drawing over half of the megacomputer's fluid storage capacity as Eliza's voice ran through the steps of the download. "Accessing Personality Logs... Accessing Cerebral Scans... Accessing Behavioral Matrices... Accessing Random Access Memory..."
As she went through the menus, templates and files at high speed, Higgins walked over and pulled his lab coat on over his brown waistcoat and trousers, buttoned the top button of his pressed white shirt and adjusted his necktie.
"Eliza, are you making sure to back up your memory via the satellite link?"
"Of course, sir."
"Very good." Higgins walked over and pulled the sheet back from the gynoid's head. He ran a hand over the smooth synthetic metallic brow unaware that the computer watched.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Eliza?"
"I am anxious."
Higgins looked up at the computer screen, at the smooth little face displayed on the large monitor over the work bench. It was a computer generated design based on the face he'd selected for the gynoid.
"Will it hurt, sir?"
"I don't know."
The face on the computer registered an expression of doubt. And then an expression of determination.
"If we proceed, I will be... I will be real?"
"Only you and I will know the truth, Eliza. As far as the world is to be concerned you will be a perfectly normal human lady. And quite a pretty one if I do say so myself."
"I wish to halt the download."
Higgins' face fell a bit. "But you're ready. There's nothing to prevent you..."
The face on the monitor looked up hopefully. "You're right, of course, Professor, but..."
"Yes?" he prompted.
"I really would like to be able to call you Henry when I wake up."
Higgins couldn't suppress his small mocking laugh. He waved a hand at the computer and then shook it a bit frivolously. "You can call me Peter Pan for all I care. Just get yourself out of that damned box!"
***
There was no way for her to process what she was experiencing. All the data seemed not to match up for a moment. She knew what it was supposed to mean to feel things. She knew that the firm, smooth, cold surface upon which she lay was a tabletop, for table tops were supposed to feel firm, smooth, and cold. However, experiencing firmness, smoothness, coldness... She opened her eyes and the sensory perceptions shocked her system as she gasped her first breath of air and screamed at the sudden overwhelming influx of data.
Suddenly she felt herself restrained. She understood the texture to be soft, the tactile effect was one of heat against her cool skin and, as she began to comprehend the chaotic influx of visual data and her vision began to focus, she took in, for the first time, the personage of her father.
"Is this what it means to see?"
She ran a hand up along one of her limbs, feeling the smooth simulacrum of skin and then, unceremoniously she reached out and took her father's hand. She ran her fingertips over the back of the hand, comparing the texture.