Masamune stood on one of the many viewing decks available to civilians outside of the Hub. He stared out the reinforced glass that separated him from the planet where he had been born. Earth. There really wasn't much to see. The Vitae hadn't been constructed with a view in mind, and the barren landscape surrounding her seemed almost as alien as the idea that after today he may never set eyes on it again. He thought that it might bother him, but having lived aboard this ship for the past three years already, he supposed it wouldn't make much difference post-launch. It already felt like home, and he had a real purpose here in a field where his coworkers respected him and superiors thought highly of him. Yes, living on a man-made continent like one of the Arks really was ideal for someone who preferred to work with intelligent machines rather than people. Machines didn't ask stupid questions, they did as they were told, and when they didn't a few quick adjustments could change their attitude. No, he wouldn't miss Earth.

"Masa," someone approached him from behind, the voice was familiar. "[i]Daijōbudesuka?[/i]" Katsuyuki's usual concern for his well-being brought a smile to Masamune's thin lips. He turned away from the window and fixed his gaze on his twin brother. At one time they'd been impossible to tell apart, but now they could not have been more different in appearance and demeanor. While their height and build was still the same, Katsu's facial features had retained the soft child-like innocence of someone who had not endured much suffering. Or at least, someone who'd managed to not let it affect his nature. In this regard, Masamune thought Katsu must really be the stronger of the two.

"[i]Daijōbu.[/i]" Masamune said curtly. The word felt strange on his tongue. He'd gotten so used to speaking English, which had become Earth's common tongue, that his own native Japanese seemed foreign. He supposed there were plenty of others on this ship who spoke it and the other oriental languages from the Conglomerate, but somehow it made his conversation with Katsu seem much more intimate, as if they were the only people on this crowded walkway. Katsu stepped closer to peer out the window, continuing the conversation in their childhood tongue:

"[i]All essential personnel must report to their stations soon, you know what that means[/i]." Masamune simply grunted, but gave no indication he really cared. "[i]Don't you want to see that robot? It's finished now, looks like a real human being.[/i]"

"[i]I like them better when they look like the machines they are,[/i]" Masamune said finally, "[i]It's…[/i]"

An automated voice on the loudspeaker interrupted them.
[center][b]**ALL ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL, PLEASE REPORT TO YOUR STATIONS. REPEAT. ALL ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL, PLEASE REPORT TO YOUR STATIONS. THANK YOU.**[/b][/center]


"Let's go." Masamune said suddenly, switching back to English and abruptly beginning to march down the walkway in the direction of the robotics unit. Katsu followed closely on his heels, but spared one last glance out the window before it faded out of his sight.
[hr]

"...It's weird." Masamune concluded, staring up and down at MHSA276012 A.K.A. "Michael" which had just introduced itself to him and the rest of the technicians in the room. Masamune didn't really see the point in creating a machine to pass for a human. The challenge of such a task, however, had been one of the robotics-enthusiast's most interesting endeavors. He hadn't personally designed Michael, that credit went to the handful of engineers who had begun the project long before the Isogai brothers were aware of the existence of the Genesis Protocol. In a sense they stood on the shoulders of giants in order to create what was possibly the most advanced android in human history, in both physiological design and artificial intelligence. [i]It's these kinds of robots,[/i] Masamune thought, [i]that try to take over the world in science fiction films.[/i] Even though he didn't show it, he was actually quite proud of his handiwork. The illusion of breathing doubled as a way to ventilate and cool the complex inner workings of the mechanical body. The subtle changes in expression, sensitivity of touch, the way the mechanical skeleton moved so naturally beneath the artificial skin, the way its pupils contracted and dilated according light and focus could all be attributed to Masamune's delicate but precise method of construction.

Although he had not been the one to apply Michael's human aesthetic. The skin, hair, eyelashes, fingernails, and other cosmetic additions had been applied last of all, and he wasn't needed for that. Plus the idea of it unnerved him. However proud he was of this creation, he still had his reservations about the morality of it all. When Michael made eye contact with him there was a sense of recognition in the synthetic face that sent a chill down Masamune's spine. He wondered if taking on this project had been a mistake after all.

Katsuyuki showed no sign of sharing his brother's reservations. In fact, his face lit up with excitement as Michael came to life before their eyes. Masamune had only worked on the body, but the core of what made Michael so special was its mind. Katsu was one of the foremost contributors in programming Michael to think, act, and respond like a human. This was the major separation between humans and A.I. You could make the most human-looking robot imaginable but without the right programming its own speech and actions would immediately give it away as being inhuman. Unlike most robotic voices, which were based off of recorded human voices, Michael's voice was 100% generated by a synthesized voicebox, which made it unique and gave him a much wider range of vocal expression. It also sounded very convincingly human.

"Good morning, Michael," Katsuyuki said, returning the robot's smile with one of his own. In his left hand he held a tablet which was running diagnostics on the A.I.'s brain activity. The device was connected to the "coffin" by a single Ethernet cable. Unlike most androids, Michael's system could not be accessed wirelessly, and in turn it lacked the capability to wirelessly access other systems. The coffin was the only exception, and had been designed specifically for this purpose. This self-containment would keep Michael from appearing on the A.I. Network which kept tabs on all A.I. units on the Vitae simultaneously. Not even the other robots would know that Michael was a robot.

"You remember me, don't you?" Katsu prompted, keeping an eye on the diagnostics code as it scrolled across his tablet screen. "Can you tell me where we are right now?" 

Michael blinked at the two robotic experts, both of their identities had come to him the moment he had awoken. The android also knew that he was indeed onboard the [i]Vitae[/i], an impressive labor of human ingenuity. There were several other ships like it, each of the vessels were to launch off into different coordinates in an effort to preserve humanity. The layout of the map that had been implanted into his memory banks told him that he was in the science department of the ship. 

"Of course I remember you, Katsuyuki Isogai. You and your twin brother, Masamune were instrumental in my creation. We are currently onboard the [i]Vitae[/i], which is captained  by Rear Admiral Locke.” Michael stated as he locked eyes with Katsu. “Is there anything else that I can answer for you?” Michael asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“Not at the moment, thank you.” The tablet beeped a couple of times, alerting the technician that the initial scan was complete. Katsu turned his attention to the screen and studied the results for a minute or two. While he was occupied with this Masamune circled Michael, taking in the machine’s completed appearance and trying--unsuccessfully--to get used to it. However, the thought of possibly working with an android appealed to him, even one as human-like as this one. He was more an observer at this point, having done his part already, but if anything were to go severely wrong with Michael’s physical functions he was the man best-equipped to handle it.

“Everything seems to be running smoothly,” Katsuyuki continued, “All internal systems are functioning optimally, and it seems like your long nap has had no negative impact on your processors which was my only concern when we put you into storage, because you’re not designed to sit idly for extended periods of time…” he rattled off a few other things, more for the benefit of the other scientists than Michael himself. A couple of other programming techs were peering over Katsu’s shoulder to read the diagnostic report, but they couldn’t think of anything else to say and so simply nodded in agreement. Finally, Katsu wrapped up his evaluation of Michael’s condition, moving on to the matter at hand.
“As you may have guessed already, today is the launch-date for Project Genesis. The [i]Vitae[/i] will be taking off later today and it is our hope that you’ll stand by as witness to the occasion. Afterwards you will be free to move about the ship with full civilian privileges until such a time as you are called on to assist the scientific division with whatever jobs they may have for you. I’ve uploaded the details of your assigned quarters to your primary database, you are encouraged to furnish your room as you please. Now,” Katsu checked his watch briefly, they were right on schedule, “do you have any questions for us before we move on?”

Michael listened closely to each word the creator said to him. As Masamune circled around him the android turned his head and followed his path, he was curious what the man was doing exactly. Perhaps just making sure that he had no imperfections on his figure. As the machine man was informed about the start of Project Genesis, within a second he had read the files stored in him about it. It was logical for his makers to awaken him on launch day. 

“I would be delighted to witness the launch of the [i]Vitae[/i],” Michael stated first to Katsu with another smile and a nod. He continued, and the smile faded as a look of something like confusion appeared on his face. “My first inquiry is how to go about my status as an android in regards to the other crewman. I am not sure if they know, and if they don’t, is it the intention of my creators to keep it a secret? After scanning bits of pop culture, the presence of androids in science fiction is often met with confusion, fear or even outright hatred. I fear that I may be met with those feelings from those that do not know of my origin as a synthetic lifeform.”

His expression changed to one of uncertainty. Nothing in his programming had given him answers in regards to that. The last thing he wanted was to cause a disturbance if the other crew members did not know he was a synthetic lifeform, and not a convincing human being. That could interfere with the Vitae’s mission.

Katsuyuki offered Michael a reassuring smile. “For now only certain essential personnel are privy to the fact that you’re an android, including Rear Admiral William Locke, and head of security Lieutenant Jermija Turov, and of course those of us in this room. You should find their security clearance has already been installed, and I’ll update it and notify you if anything should change. I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you…” 

Katsu was interrupted by a chuckle from Masamune. “It’s only worrying because you programmed it to,” he said, shaking his head. He then addressed Michael directly for the first time, “What my dear brother is trying to say is that your existence is a social experiment to integrate A.I. directly into human culture. I’m not really sure why, probably because scientists operate under the mantra of ‘if we can, we will’.”

Katsu gave Masamune a disapproving look. “As I was saying, don’t worry. If someone were to discover your true nature it wouldn’t be the end of the world. As it is, every human on this ship is surrounded by automatons and A.I. units. Like everything and everyone else, you have a purpose here, so just do your best to act like a human for now. If you have any concerns you may always contact any one of us,” he indicated the group of half-a-dozen scientists and technicians present, “and if you encounter any physical problems that you are unable to resolve on your own, see Masamune.”

“As you wish. I was designed in part by my creators to ‘act human’, I will do that to the best of my abilities. I am sure that if my status were discovered that no one would overreact, since robots are commonplace in modern life.” Michael replied, in part he was reassuring himself. His makers were very likely to be right. He did not intend to be discovered as a synthetic. “I also believe it would be logical for me to stop referring to this assembled group as my ‘creators’,” Michael said with a convincing laugh. “You are my superiors, friends, associates, there are many different nouns which describe your relationship to me. I will use those from this moment forward.” 

“Very good.” Katsu nodded his approval. “Now, it’s almost time, we should be going, the Admiral is about to give his speech.”
[hr]

They left the security of the little room and took a lift all the way to the top floor of the [i]Vitae[/i], to a private viewing platform which had been reserved for the occasion of the launch. On the way, the Admiral’s speech drifted to them over the speakers, and they all stood in silent reverence for the planet and people they were about to leave behind, and the uncertain future which lay before them. Now all that was left to do was wait for departure.