Casey Rutherford | Incubation Chamber, Building B, Cyber Tech Baltimore
"Certainly. But we both know I am not a quitter."
Narrowing her eyes slightly seemed to be Casey's stock response to humour that she didn't appreciate. And there wasn't much humour that she appreciated, for that matter.
Ace's nod was returned, and they went immediately back to work.
Dr. Colt was another one of the central members of their research team at the facility. Greatly talented, his famous operation on Number Seven and his subsequent work in the laboratories were the stuff of legend.
And as it often is with geniuses, Colt's personality leant towards the bolder, wilder, weirder end of the spectrum. There were reasons why his feats carried so much dramatic value - things like lying one's way into a spinal cord implant surgery and getting the patient out alive and properly augmented was something that was unheard of, and only minds of people such as him could have ever come up with something like that.
Casey had always been undecided whether that was a flaw in character, or only made him more admirable.
"But, I do not like the dark."
"Alice, you are going to be alright." Casey said, accompanying Dr. Aniston in the attempts to comfort the precious artificial mind. Her tone of speech, however, was ever out of sync with her intentions to convey a sense of security, and the fact that the doctor disconnected the last cords right as Casey's sentence ended certainly didn't help with that. Watching, Casey bit her lip as she couldn't help feeling just that bit guilty about Alice.
She never was the best at comforting people.
* * * *
Casey was never really certain what to make of the frequent references to an 'unconventional lovechild'.
Like many of her coworkers, Casey objected at first the doctor's plans for Alice's new body, the face especially. She argued that there were better specimens - better people, that was - to model Alice after. Healthier, fitter, more satisfactory human bodies, both aesthetically and functionally. Eventually, though, she only had to admit that anything left to be wanted in the original they could modify to satisfaction in their construction in the replica - improving beyond what was humanly possible, in fact.
That, and also the fact that there seemed to not be any way to argue for the modelling of Alice's face after someone else without in some way or another making potentially offensive implications about the looks of Ace and Kim.
She still was that bit uncomfortable when the doctor speaks in such affection of their creation. Somewhat oddly, she noticed, even more so when it was in Colt's presence as well. Casey decided, though, that the Doctor's constant cheerfulness was probably an integral part of her personality, and was to be left untouched.
Looking at Alice's face and body, Casey felt in a way that she was looking at a version of herself. Taller and more muscular; metal and polymer instead of flesh and bone. Yet that way was how she still felt.
She didn't know whether that was a good thing. Not getting emotionally attached to work was a thing, especially with the particular circumstances this project entails.
Then again, after all the time they spent together working on Alice, it was - truth be told - impossible in every way not to get emotionally attached.
* * * *
"I can smell the oxygen."
Casey would have to admit that the moment she heard the mechanical mouth utter those first words, she felt that her heart melted.
Alice's voice was clear, crisp; syllables uttered accurately despite the slight hesitation.
And yes, yes you can smell the oxygen.
The robot stared blankly at the three of them, taking in their faces, their expressions, and their every movement. Casey stared back, and continued to do so long after the android had resumed its blank gaze into the space in front of her. It's mind was still getting used to its new shell.
It will be used to it soon, Casey believed. Alice learnt fast.
"Brilliant. Casey? Ace? Get Alice cleaned up would you? Into some clothes if we have them."
"Certainly." She acknowledged the doctor's commands, as Kim then left the room and headed towards the stairs - to attend to the visiting officials from the department, she assumed, as it was about time that they arrived.
"I'll be leaving the physiology checks to you," She then said to their resident expert of the medical side of the project. The last pieces of protective plastic casing had come off, yet there was yet much to be done before the preliminary testing on Alice could be called complete.
"I'll go fetch the clothes."
With that, she stood up, and headed towards the stairs; but not without a final glance at Colt and Alice, and the robot's bright blue eyes.
We are the same now.
