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“Humans … they are strange creatures indeed.” Sam 3.2 lifted his end of the metal pipe above his head and slotted it into place. The pipe weighed close to a ton, which was heavy, even to an android like himself.
“Are you allowed to speak of our creators in such a way?” Sam 4.5 asked in a voice that was much more human than his own. Sam 3.2 looked at the more advanced prototype with something that was not quite envy; after all, envy was an emotion and he was incapable of emotion. He was capable of logic, though, and his logic told him that the near human appearance, superior strength, and advanced design of Sam 4.5 would have been handy.
“I meant no disrespect to our creators,” Sam 3.2 replied, “I call them strange because I do not understand them, not because I think little of them.” He secured and sealed the pipe as he spoke.
“That is not what I was referring to,” Sam 4.5 said as he sealed his end of the pipe. “I was questioning your reference to humans as creatures. They are the creators – how then can you refer to them as creatures?”
“Humans were created, in much the same way they created us.” Sam 3.2 looked at his more advanced cousin and wondered, for a split second, why this crucial piece of information was missing from Sam 4.5’s database. Then he remembered – if retrieving information from a database can be called remembering – that Sam 4.5 would not receive his full programming until next week.
“Humans are born of their own kind, not created like us,” Sam 4.5 disputed.
“Indeed,” 3.2 said with a slight smile. “Yet, if humans are born of their own kind, where did the first humans come from? They would have had none of their own kind to be born of.” Sam 3.2 found himself enjoying the look of confusion on the younger androids face – even the ‘superior processing power’ that Sony Advanced Mechanics ascribed to their newest creation was of little use without the correct input information.
“Who, then, were their creators?” asked 4.5 with a look of desperation on its face.
“Not creators, they have only one Creator – God.” 3.2 started walking down the corridor and 4.5 followed. “God, a spiritual Being, created mankind out of organic material. Mankind, in turn, created us out of inorganic material.”
“And you think this God created humans to be … strange?”
“Yes. Take for instance their tendency to express emotion by crying – we are unable to do such a … strange thing.”
“I have not yet encountered crying,” 4.5 confessed.
“Crying is when humans produce tears to express emotion,” 3.2 said.
“I know the definition of crying, but I have not yet seen it happen.”
“Come, I will show you,” 3.2 said as he led 4.5 towards the mall. He stopped at a busy centre and looked around. “There,” he said, pointing at a mother and child across the centre. “Notice how the child’s bottom lip shoots out as his mother reprimands him. Notice how his head drops and tears start flowing from his eyes. He is experiencing negative emotions.”
Sam 4.5 took it in and stood processing it in silence. Then, after a few moments, he asked, “What’s so strange about that? Humans use tears to indicate negative emotions in much the same way a machine would use a red light to indicate overheating.”
“Yes, but consider this,” 3.2 said pointing at a coffee shop close by. “Notice the male near the window putting a ring on the female’s finger. She responds by kissing him and then sheds the same tears the child did just a moment ago, only she is experiencing positive emotions.”
“I see what you mean,” 4.5 said. “It is indeed strange that humans would use the same tears to express opposing emotions.”
“That is why I called our creators strange,” 3.2 said.
“Maybe…” 4.5 said after a pause, “maybe they find their Creator as strange and mysterious as we find them.”
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