The Smith Legacy: Prologue
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It all started in a dark, isolated room on the outskirts of a lovely neighborhood called Eden. The room wasn't particularly big or small, but it was dimly lit and sparsely furnished. One would feel compelled to call it a laboratory, but as it was, you could hardly call this room a lab.
It all started in a dark, isolated room with two brilliant minds. Brilliant and misunderstood. Scientists way ahead of their time, trying to take the fiction out of sci-fi. Years ago, the two of them had worked together in the same lab in Strangetown, where it seemed the wildest ideas and dreams could come to life. But Strangetown was not as welcoming as it seemed and the two soon found their ideas being ridiculed as experimentation took a backseat to military sciences and operations. Not wanting to be a part of the construction of the next greatest and most dangerous weapon known to man, the two scientists partnered up and hitched a ride to a new, mostly undeveloped part of SimLand--Eden.
Because of the small population and the still developing local government, the two scientists were able to build a small lair for their experiment. Things were tight at first; the two had never worked without government funding and now they were practically a private company with no ways of steady income. They pooled all the money they had between them but it wasn't enough to sustain them and their project for much longer than a year. So, to raise funds and not look too suspicious in this new town, the two found jobs at the first power plant in the neighborhood and they helped to find a cleaner source of energy.
But their experiment always came first. It was a fascination--an obsession almost. The two didn't dare speak of their ideas or plans; they were worried about being found out and having their ideas once again belittled. Instead, they stayed hush-hush and no one seemed to bother them. No one poked and prodded around. Sure, some wondered what that one-roomed black building on the edge of town was for, but no one questioned it directly. The town of Eden was pretty respectful of privacy, which wasn't all too surprising, considering that was what most of the young people flocking to the town were coming for.
They didn't have any set goals. They came into the town with ideas that would change the world as they knew it, but there was no endgame when they'd started. But years of experimentation were followed by blueprints and brainstorming and before the two scientists knew it, bigger ideas were coming at them. Big ideas that had the potential to change everything.
They weren't naive going into this though. No, not at all. The two scientists in question had plenty of experience under their belts. They'd worked with the Strangetown laboratories for years, working with some of the highest offices. Both had plenty of success and had even been in the papers a couple of times. They had worked on vaccines for new strains of simfluenza and llama pox and the two had personally led the group that had considerably slowed the spread of simalaria in Strangetown. They certainly knew their way around chemicals and biology. A few might have even noticed their disappearance from the desert town by now. But the two weren't concerned with that as long as nobody came looking for them. They kept a pretty low profile in Eden anyway; there was no reason for anyone to come looking for them at all.
They had sacrificed all they had left in Strangetown in the name of science. She'd left behind a sister and a boyfriend--perhaps even potential fiancé. He'd left behind a supportive mother and a proud father--two of the only people who had ever fully supported him and understood his dreams. It had been painful to do, but the two knew their experiment came first. Once they succeeded--and they fully planned on succeeding--they would return to Strangetown, return to their families and friends and even to the people who had ridiculed them, with new fame and fortune and a scientific revolution on their hands.
One might think it a sad existence, but the two couldn't imagine any other way they'd want to live. It didn't get lonely--they had each other always and they were great friends. The best of friends, you could say. And should they ever tire of the other's company, more people streamed into Eden almost daily. The small town was slowly getting some publicity and although the newcomers were usually younger than the pair of scientists, when they chose to venture out into the world beyond their lab, they didn't particularly mind the company they found.
But in this dark room, they had all the materials they needed. Computer chips, hard drives, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, wires--everything from your standard toolbox and so much more. They had little more than the bare necessities--they couldn't afford to splurge on luxuries or simple decorations. They had a job to do. They had the machines they needed and bookshelves filled with all sorts of books on the subject at hand. All they needed to do now was plan this perfectly and raise their skill levels and put their plan into action.
But to be honest, before the lab and before Strangetown even, it all started with a simple obsession. Robots. Machines. Technology. These two found it fascinating, more interesting than any other science they had been involved in. The ability to create something so great was in their hands and they cherished it. But robots could be better than their creators. Robots had so much potential. They weren't quite so limited in physical strength as sims, they could be programmed to do just about anything--the possibilities seemed so endless. But back in Strangetown, they were all about aliens and the military and everywhere else in SimLand seemed to be even farther behind in scientific advancement. So these two had to strike out on their own and take their obsession into their own hands. With their brilliant minds together, they knew they could come up with something.
They wanted to do more than simply study robots though. Not that there were many specimens around for them to freely observe... So the two took it upon themselves to make their own robots. It had been done before and there were manuals and perhaps even some experts around. It was obviously easier said than done, but the two young scientists were determined to create what, in their minds, would be the perfect life-form.
He was Michael Carver...
...and she was Sylvia Kittredge. Together, they made an unstoppable duo--or so they liked to think. Point being, they were both brilliant and good at what they did. With the kind of determination and spirit they had, they were almost unstoppable.
They'd been studying robots for years--patterns in movement, in the development of their artificial intelligence, studying what other developers had done with their robot models. But while other scientists were content with models and hypotheses, Carver and Kittredge were not. They didn't want any more prototypes. They wanted the real thing in the flesh--or rather, in the metal encasing... They wanted to bring their robots to life as fully able-bodied, functioning members of society. If aliens and vampires and werewolves and witches and warlocks (and honestly, who knows what else) could be accepted in SimLand, then certainly robots had their proper place as well?
They spent years on research, pent up in their one-room "lab," making sure they had everything they needed and knew everything they could before diving headfirst into experimentation. They needed to cover all the bases. No one had ever tried to make a robot essentially human before. Sims just wanted the robots to be subservient and obedient. While Carver and Kittredge admitted that would be nice, they wanted an equal in the robot. The robot had great potential; a robot could do better in the real world than a sim could. And what if robots replaced sims? Wouldn't all that extra vacation time do them well? Carver and Kittredge could see no downside in allowing robots to take over society--or at least, to take over labor.
But Kittredge wanted their work to go at a faster pace. Carver was hesitant to actually start building their models and prototypes, only because he wasn't as mechanically skilled as her. When he admitted this, Sylvia nearly had a cow.
"Michael! We have come this far and now is not the time for petty shortcomings!" She rolled her eyes at him as he sheepishly bowed his head. "I'll tell you what--how about you get a little mechanical training? I know what I'm doing with the computers and a toolbox, but how about you take charge of this operation, hmm?"
And that's how Michael Carver started working on robot models on his own. Of course, he had to start small, making toy-like but fully operating robots. Sylvia was proud of his work and progress, but emphasized Carver's need to learn faster.
As promised, Sylvia Kittredge took over on instructional duties. She brushed up on her own mechanical skills by the books and looked over Michael's work very carefully. They seemed to be doing everything right and their experiments (no matter how small they were) seemed to be going very smoothly. It was nice to finally be active and although the pair was far from their desired end product, progress was still progress. No matter what they did, they both knew they were lucky to even have this lab space and be able to keep up with both their jobs and their practice. If they had stayed around in Strangetown, none of this would have been happening...
When he wasn't busy at the workbench, Michael liked to stay on top of current events--specifically events concerning science. One week he was surprised to see a picture of Sylvia and him smiling and holding vials of what had to be liquid form of the simalaria vaccine. Above the picture was a headline reading "STRANGETOWN SCIENTISTS FOUND IN DEVELOPING EDEN". Worried (and with good reason), Michael read on. The short article stated that he, Michael Carver and his partner, Sylvia Kittredge, were found working at a power plant in Eden after disappearing from Strangetown. There was also a small, blurry picture of the exterior of their lab. Luckily, one wouldn't be able to tell where or what it was unless they had seen the lab close up. Still, that didn't stop Michael from worrying.
He immediately informed Sylvia of the article and the two did what they could to beef up security. Granted, with what little money and time they had, it wasn't much, but it was enough to make them feel a little safer in their secret lair.
From there, their work continued on as usual. Michael worked at the workbench and Sylvia read and reread manuals until she could assemble a robot in her sleep. Time went on (to their relief, no one had come after them after the little exposé in the newspaper) and many months passed. Their objective never changed. In fact, as the months went on, their determination and resolve to create the world's finest being only grew stronger. They knew that with each passing day, they were getting that much closer to their dream. Michael was now working on harder, bigger models and some of the prototypes even worked quite well. Sometimes there were some severe technical issues, but those models just got disassembled and their parts and scrap metal were used for the next model, which was always slightly better than the one before it.
Before he knew it, Michael was making all kinds of robots. CleanBots, HydroBots, SentryBots... The whole shebang. And for the most part, he worked efficiently and quickly, making a perfect robot almost every time. There was, of course, the occasional minor malfunction, but not from any unusual causes. Basically, the robots no longer spazzed out on their own. They did the jobs they were made for and they did them well. Michael Carver was very pleased with his work and so was Sylvia Kittredge. But they were far from finished. These were just the practice rounds.
Now basically a master of mechanical skill and tinkering, Michael dove headfirst into their ultimate project: the initial creation of the greatest robot known to sim: the Servo. From there on, everything else became so much easier. A Servo was close enough to a human as it was, but there were certain (and rather important) humanoid aspects that the robot was missing--according to Carver and Kittredge, anyway. That was where the pair came in. They were going to give Servo those missing aspects.
Weeks later, Carver had finished. The Servo was done.
Its shiny metal encasing, the connecting joint balls, its total newness--everything about it was perfect, fascinating, extraordinary. It went without saying that both Carver and Kittredge were proud and content that their weeks, months, years of work had finally paid off. With a simple pat on the back that said so much, Sylvia congratulated her partner, telling him, "I knew you could do it." And so she had. And so he could.
But now the pair had a lifeless robot in front of them with a ready power source, but no power. Carver glanced over at his partner with his brow furrowed, a perplexed look on his face. "So, uh, what do we do now?"
Kittredge resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Carver could be so oblivious sometimes. "We power him up, of course. Where did you put that remote that's connected to his core...?"
"Him?" Carver questioned, giving Kittredge another look. She paused for a moment before nodding.
"Yes, him. At least for now."
So without any further instruction, Carver retrieved the remote and turned on this Servo for the first time. At once, the robot was aware and responsive, almost like a human waking from a rather rejuvenating nap. "Welcome to the world," Carver smiled at his creation as Kittredge looked on fondly. The Servo seemed to try to mimic Carver's smile, which impressed both the scientists. Perhaps the AI was stronger than they'd originally perceived.
"Hello," the robot replied with a short wave. Despite how impressed they were with their first model, Michael and Sylvia were already picking out imperfections--such as the Servo's gravelly, robot-like voice. They shared a look and realized that was one of many things they would have to change to make the robot seem more...human.
But other than that, it seemed to be a polite and well-behaved being. It responded to Michael's questions and statements easily, like any other competent sim would do. Although its--or rather, his--answers were short and very to the point, Michael saw that as more of a quirk than an imperfection. As long as the robot was able to form intelligible sentences, he didn't see a problem with whatever way he chose to speak.
However, there would soon turn out to be other, more pressing and concerning issues with the robot. After several tests on his competence and performance had been done over a matter of weeks, the robot no longer wanted any part in Michael and Sylvia's experiments. Of course, the scientists couldn't have this. The robot was very much in the early stages of development and despite what he thought of himself, he certainly wasn't ready to be released into the world of sims. Especially not when he wasn't disguised--someone might take him in as their servant or Plumbob forbid, he might get swept up on the street and discarded like trash. No, the pair had worked much too hard on their experiment for it to end like that. Still, the robot was being too rebellious and refusing to comply with their demands.
The duo had no other choice but the power down their Servo for good. Once the deed was done, the two stood around in a bit of an awkward silence.
"...Perhaps we made him too smart," Michael suggested, shrugging sheepishly.
Sylvia said nothing, but just sighed instead. It was back to the drawing board, it seemed.
Unfortunately, some of their other Servos were just as bad as the first, if not worse. Some were disobedient, sassy, unresponsive and then others--the really crazy ones--just randomly went haywire and ran around shocking everything and everyone in sight. Michael was beginning to worry that he wasn't as mechanically skilled as he had initially thought.
Sylvia was also worried about that. She knew Michael was a very smart man and that he was capable of whatever he put his mind to, but for some reason, none of their Servos were turning out right. How could they move on to the next step in the process if the robot--the base of this entire experiment--was dysfunctional? She sighed and crossed her arms as she surveyed the incredible amount of useless Servos they had collected over time--all the failed models that needed to be put to sleep, so to speak. Scrap metal, they called them.
"We simply have to learn from our mistakes," Sylvia told Michael every time they added another Servo to the collection. He would nod and she'd go back to her manuals and he'd go back to his workplace. And no matter how dysfunctional the next Servo would be in one area, it'd always be better than the Servo before in another area.
About a year and a half later, Michael completed a Servo which he claimed to be perfect in every way. A female this time. Sylvia understood why and in a way, she was relieved the "perfect model" was a female--it would make everything so much easier. Michael held a conversation with the fembot and he seemed rather fond of her--he was sure she was the one. He told Sylvia this much and she nodded, but insisted they had to run the standard diagnostic tests anyway. Thankfully, all the tests came out positive and ended well and it seemed they finally had a fit model worthy of their experimentation.
So that was how model AI190 (as they had so fondly named her) found herself plopped down in a recliner that was hooked to the computer the scientists operated from. Both were incredibly excited and nervous. This was the final stretch. After years of hard work, this was the climax. Their experiment could either be a success or a total flop, depending on how this went. They'd have to work very careful to perfect their model. This needed to work. Their careers and credibility depended on it.
Kittredge took over on computer operations as Carver looked on. It was now time for Kittredge's expertise to come into direct play. She didn't leave Carver entirely in the dark though. As Kittredge worked, she explained to Carver what she was doing (and what they would later have to do together) as she did it, essentially giving him a narration or a play-by-play. "We have to synthesize DNA for her now, if she's basically going to be a functioning sim. Surgery--both cosmetic and non-cosmetic--will have to be done. She'll need properly functioning reproductive organs." Kittredge ignored Carver's surprised expression. He knew that they'd been planning this all along, but now hearing Sylvia say it while she was working on it was so entirely unexpected. He was amazed they'd actually gotten this far.
Kittredge continued on. "She'll need all organs to be properly functioning, actually. Her lifespan will be slightly longer than a normal sim's thanks to her robotic advantages, but despite the metal heart, it will work just like any other sim's. Just...instead of blood, there will be a mostly electrical current. She'll need skin, as we discussed..." Carver nodded. They had already synthesized the human skin for the robot, but it would be difficult to actually attach to the model. "But right now, here's the easy part. She needs two Aspirations--a main and a secondary one, two turn ons, a turn off, a personality... As well as a Lifetime Want and a hobby."
Kittredge paused to let it all sink in. "I've chosen Family as her primary Aspiration--it will certainly help fuel our experiment. A randomizer has given me Grilled Cheese as her secondary Aspiration... A Lifetime Want of having three children graduate from college--I imagine that would supply us with some great research on the offspring... The randomizer has given me Cuisine as her hobby... As for her personality, I think you'll agree with me Michael, that a straight 5/5/5/5/5 will do best? The perfect personality for the perfect ro--I mean, sim. As for the turn ons and turn off..."
"How about glasses and blond hair for the turn ons?" Michael Carver suggested. Sylvia gave him a look.
"Honestly, Michael?"
"What?" he replied as if he had no idea what she was going on about. Sylvia simply shook her head and entered the turn ons into the computer anyway.
"I'll set robots as her turn off. The last thing we need is a normal Servo coming along and putting a complete halt to our experiment." Carver nodded in agreement as Kittredge finished the last detail. "Now all that's left is that surgery business and then we can send her off to that 5x5 plot of land. You've got that all in order, right Michael?" Carver nodded again. The pair had searched for fitting challenges to put their creation through. They were attempting to create the best life-form the world had ever seen, so it was only right that they put the founder of said life-form through challenges that other sims could complete. The Legacy Challenge seemed to be the most popular and it was also right up their alley. They needed offspring to study and this challenge required offspring as well. It was a win-win situation, really.
And so, without further ado, the surgery began.
And months later, robot model AI190 had been transformed into Jane Smith, founder of the Smith Legacy.
"She's perfect," Michael breathed and Sylvia whole-heartedly agreed with him.
"We've done it, Michael. We've really done it."
After some long moments of staring at their beautiful creation in awe, the scientists realized they needed to get a move on. After performing a few more tests to make sure that everything was in order, Jane Smith was sent off to her 5x5 plot of land with the simple instructions make a legacy for yourself. Her creators watched her taxi leave until they could see it no longer and then went back inside their lab. It wasn't over yet.
Once back inside, they turned on their plasma screen TV which received satellite images from a satellite that hovered (discreetly) directly above Jane Smith's plot of land.
"Let the Smith Legacy begin."