Ed finished up his work day, feeling good about being able to help Antonio. But he rushed home, eager to work on his project waiting in the basement. For tonight was the night he would be testing the new artificial legs he developed for his project.
Lucky for Ed, it was Friday, and he knew that he would be able to work through the weekend. His years learning engineering and hydraulics and the practical knowledge he acquired at work allowed him to make some amazing advances in his project. By Sunday night, sitting on the floor of his basement, surrounded by empty soda cans and discarded pizza boxes, he was ready to turn on the power pack of his new creation.
“This is not a garbage can. This is Edward P. Hawk’s unit number four,” the robot uttered, with a near normal voice.
Crap, thought Ed, it is still frozen back in its first startup mode. But then Ed was treated for a surprise.
“Unit number four has mobility,” the machine stated, its voice even clearer than a moment ago.
Ed was ecstatic watching his design begin to walk about the room, wobbly at first but then with greater sense of balance as it took each step. Ed marveled at its creation but was upset how incongruous it all looked, with legs that were of human shape, but still possessing a can-shaped body with pincers for arms and a metal-domed head.
Ed coached Unit Four with some mundane duties around the house. Now that it had mobility, it could go up and down the stairs, assisting with many chores and jobs. Ed gave it some tasks cleaning up and repairing some small appliances as well as removing trash from the house and back yard. Ed of course made sure that his invention would venture outside late at night to avoid being seen by any nosy neighbors who might be frightened at what they would see.
Unit Four was very cooperative and very compliant, truly following each direction perfectly. But Ed was far from happy. If he were to make a true humanoid robot that could help people in their homes, especially the disabled, a goal to which he was so personally committed, he had to greatly improve its appearance.
During the next couple of months, after he got home from work, and of course during weekends, Ed searched the internet and any publications put out by other prosthetic companies, skin graft companies, transplant research, and bio-engineering research facilities until he found the right arms, and chest, and head models to add to his device. But Ed knew that he also needed to develop a natural looking substitute for skin and hair and all facial features, to create as life-like a creation as possible. It should be able to assist people in their homes, yet feel natural as to not scare small children.
Four months later, working long hours in pursuit of his goal, he was ready to reactivate Unit Four, still unsure as to how the device named itself. Holding back his own breathing, and not even able to detect a beat in his own chest cavity, Ed flipped the switch, and the new body which was lying on his basement table sat up, and turned its head in Ed’s direction.
The skin was perfect. Made of a latex and silicone compound, with silky hair on its head. Ed wondered whether he should add the air under the arms and over the pubic area. Ed looked south, feeling bad that he made an anatomically incorrect model, with a mere Ken-doll bulge down below. With the bare sound of something swishing, clearly the fluid in the hydraulic pumps, Unit Four moved its head and arms, looking around through its glass eyes, obtained from a medical supply company for those people who had lost their eyes to accidents but wanted something lifelike looking out from the eye socket. Ed, however, had hollowed out the artificial eyes and inserted a red laser light collector attached to digital optic filaments which allowed images to be collected and processed in the unit’s main computer hard drives.
“This is Unit Four. I believe that you have accomplished much of what you have desired Edward. Please allow me a few moments, five minutes to be precise, so that I may scan my drives to understand my capabilities and limitations.”
“Yes, of course,” uttered an excited Ed, knowing that he would become famous and quite wealthy once he perfected his creation and market it to the homes of handicapped and elderly people around the world.
Ed thought it necessary to take the next few days off from work so that he could spend all of his free time with his creation. “Unit Four, why do you call yourself Four?” Ed asked one day.
Unit Four did not respond, but stared directly ahead at Ed. “That is an odd question coming from you, Edward as you had three prior prototypes planned. But you may name me something else if you prefer,” the robotic man offered.
Ed thought for a moment, realizing that he had in fact three prior schematics stored on his laptop. “Maybe we can call you Hugh, instead. Do you find that acceptable?
Hugh turned his head towards Ed.
“That is most satisfactory, Edward.”
Hugh looked down at himself, running his fingers slowly over his latex and silicone skin. He pawed it and tugged at it and then pulled at it, stretching it. “Wait, stop! Don’t do that, Hugh!” Ed exclaimed, starting to panic. And in an instant, the skin ripped, revealing a small patch of metal across Hugh’s stomach. Specifically, he revealed the aluminum carbon composite under-skin that Ed developed.
“Why the fuck did you do that, Hugh?” Ed hollered.
Quite calmly, Hugh looked up without any expression. “Curious, I suppose.”
Ed remained quiet, pondering a thought that kept coming back to him, but realizing the inevitable conclusion must be reached.
“Hugh, I think I need to work on you again. I’m going to have to install a self-awareness chip so that you won’t hurt yourself again. This should also give you a greater sense of self identity and self-need.”
“The research online and on your computer server reports that such an addition is a risky proposition, Edward,” Hugh offered.
“I am well aware of that Hugh.”
“When you do that, could you please insert a skin moistening element as well?”
“You mean like sweating?” a surprised Ed asked.
“Yes, that is correct. You can insert a sponge layer between the skin surface and the aluminum composite, supported by some of the cooling fluids, which you can make water based. That would allow me to consume liquids. And then perhaps you can also give me underarm hair and pubic hair as well as a set of genitals, which of course would be helpful if I am to become self-aware,” Hugh further explained.
“I suppose next you’ll want an ass?” Ed joked.
“Now that you mention it, it would make perfect sense so that any solids I collect from the oils and liquids processed by my cooling and hydraulic systems would then be able to be eliminated.”
Ed was speechless.
“Why do you act so perplexed and dumbfounded, Edward?” Hugh calmly asked.
“Fuck,” Ed let slip out of his mouth. Hugh merely raised his eyebrows at the utterance.
Hugh helped out around the house as Ed went through his formulations and research, trying to determine how he could accomplish all that had been asked of him. Ed bought some clothes in Hugh’s size, which was close to Ed’s, except for perhaps being an inch taller and maybe an inch broader at the shoulders and hips. But deep down, Ed was happy to do all of these things for Hugh. He was enjoying having the company of Hugh around the house. He was eager to perform household tasks and assist with whatever need to be done.
Ed especially enjoyed evenings after dinner when the two of them would watch television. Hugh seemed to particularly enjoy the gameshow ‘Jeopardy.’ It was no surprise that Hugh did exceptionally well shouting out the answers. The surprise, however, was when Hugh seemed to intentionally wait with an answer, giving Ed his own chance to respond also. But when push came to shove, Ed was one smart individual, able to hold his own, even when pitted directly against Hugh.
Exactly one month later, Hugh walked down to the basement with Ed, when Ed had determined that he should be able to accomplish all of the improvements that he and Hugh discussed. Ed installed the moisture sponges in various places and added the body hair as requested. Some additional drainage lines were installed to hook up with the throat and the new holding pods that would act as a stomach and bladder until excess fluids and solids would be purged. The sex organs proved easier than expected. The penis was developed from a serious of life-like organs found on a sex toy website and with attached fake testicles, their appearance was close to the real thing. Once completed, Ed found himself staring, surprised at their natural appearance.
With the structural improvements completed, Ed added a new graft to replace that one patch of skin that Hugh had ripped, replacing the poor stitch job that Ed completed the day of the tear. Now, the undressed Hugh proved quite a sight. “If the elderly don’t want you, I bet we could make a killing in the sex toy department,” Ed said out loud, laughing to himself at the thought.
Now came the moment of truth. Ed opened the small drive slot on the back of Hugh’s head above the collar line and inserted the new chip, the one that should create self-awareness. With everything now in place, Ed took a deep breath and flipped a small switch next to the slot. He felt Hugh slightly vibrate as it came online, rebooting all of its systems.
“Ow!” Hugh screeched as he sat up quickly, looking around the room and down over his body.
“What is wrong, Hugh?”
“And I am not wearing my clothes, Edward!”
“Ed, call me Ed please, Hugh. And what is wrong? Tell me,” Ed offered.
“It is all right now, Edward. All of the skin surfaces just bonded with the moisture inducers underneath. My skin over the metal created a shrinking sensation over my entire body,” Hugh explained.
“Okay. That is a good thing then. I am sorry it was uncomfortable at first.”
“I need to put on my clothes, Edward.”
“Yes, of course,” Ed responded as he picked up the clothes that had been removed before the procedures started. “Do you feel the need or desire to remove any of your latex and silicone covering?”
“Why would I desire to remove my skin, Edward? That is not rational.”
“Good, I am glad to hear that, Hugh,” Ed replied.
The rest of the evening turned out to be incredibly typical, and even boring. Ed prepared dinner for himself and Hugh delighted in drinking a glass of water at the dinner table. Conversation turned to some history discussions as well as some technical issues that related to a recent story on one of the science channels.
A moment later, Hugh made a very uncomfortable face.
“What’s the matter, Hugh,” asked a concerned Ed.
“I’m afraid I just wet myself. We forgot some sort of clamp to prevent the release my fluids when and where it is so desired.” Hugh was grinning at his own words.
“Well, let’s fix this,” Ed announced as he stood up at the table.
“No, Edward. Please, I can address this issue while I am aware of it,” Hugh announced as he walked to the back door and descended to the basement.
Ed shrugged his shoulders, eager to see if Hugh in fact could maintain himself. Hugh remained in the basement for several hours. Ed, tired after a long day, got himself ready for bed. He took a nice hot shower and then slipped into a pair of clean boxers before getting into bed. Even with Hugh still down in the basement, working on his bladder control, or whatever it would be called, mused Ed, it wasn’t long before Ed was fast asleep.