80 THE BEAUTIFUL GLITCH

CHAPTER 80 THE BEAUTIFUL GLITCH Deep inside the robot factory, Dr. Molovo was sitting with ROZZUM unit 7134. Roz was now just a robotic head, but for the moment, her head was all she needed. The robot and the Designer had many questions for each other, and they sat there, for hours, having conversations like these. "What happened to you on that island?" said Dr. Molovo. "Tell me everything." The robot told her everything. She described how she awoke on a rocky shore, and how her only desire was to survive, and how difficult life was in that harsh place. "To survive in the wild I had to become wild," said Roz. "So I studied the wild animals, I mimicked their behavior, and eventually, I learned to speak their language." "Incredible," said Dr. Molovo. "You're

programmed to learn different languages, and you're programmed to work with animals, but I never imagined you could learn to speak with animals." "Although I could speak to the animals, they still did not trust me," said Roz. "So I tried to win them over with kindness. Animals ran from me and laughed at me and attacked me, and I always responded with kindness. It was a good strategy. But the real key to my survival came in the form of a gosling. When I adopted Brightbill everything changed. I was finally accepted by the animals. I was surrounded by friends and family. I was home." "Am I the only wild robot?" said Roz. "I don't know," said Dr. Molovo. "Many defective robots have been returned over the years. It's possible some were like you. Until we destroyed them." "Will you destroy me?" The woman sighed. "Roz, people are afraid of you. They saw you fleeing through the city and they think you're dangerous. They want to know the danger is gone. And so, when we're finished speaking, I'll have to destroy you." "I am not dangerous," said the robot. "That part of

my programming has never failed. Even if I wanted to be violent, I could not." "Have you ever wanted to be violent?" "No. Every problem has a peaceful solution. Violence is unnecessary." "I wish it were that simple," said Dr. Molovo. "It's an amazing time to be alive, but there is still crime, there are still wars. Sometimes violence is unavoidable." "Is that why you have the RECOs?" said Roz. "The RECOs are designed to do all sorts of unpleasant jobs. Some of those jobs require the use of force." "Do you ever worry they might use force against you?" "The RECOs have never given me a single reason to worry," said Dr. Molovo. "But you have." "How did you escape from Hilltop Farm?" said Dr. Molovo, leaning forward. Roz didn't answer. "Let me guess. The children helped." Roz just stared. "They're not in any trouble. If I were them I'd have

helped you too." "They are good children," said Roz finally. "And yet you left them," said Dr. Molovo. "Leaving was not easy. I care about everyone on Hilltop Farm, and I did my best to look after them all. But I did not belong there. And when the children discovered who I really was, they agreed. They wanted me to go home, so they helped me escape." "Why do I fear water? Why am I female? Why was my body designed this way? Why does my computer brain know some things and not others?" "Why, why, why!" Dr. Molovo laughed. "Why do you need all the answers?" "You programmed me to learn," said Roz. "I am simply trying to learn about myself." The woman shifted in her seat. "Those questions are more complicated than you realize. There are countless little considerations that go into designing any robot. I have to determine the robot's size and strength and appearance. I have to give the robot the proper programming and computer brain. I have to predict how people will react to the robot. I have to imagine everything that could possibly go wrong. But

all my decisions are guided by a single question: What is the robot's purpose?" Quietly, Roz asked her Designer, "What is my purpose?" "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Roz, but you don't have some grand purpose. Like all the other ROZZUM robots, you were designed to work for humans. That's it." The robot thought for a moment. Then she said, "I once suggested to a group of wild animals that my purpose might simply be to help others." The Designer thought for a moment. Then she said, "When you put it that way, your purpose does sound rather grand, doesn't it?" "How would you feel if someone said you could never go home to your family?" asked Roz. Dr. Molovo smirked. "Nobody would say that to me. I've spent my whole life creating robots. I never had time for a family." "You created me," said Roz. "In a way, I am your child and you are my mother." "I am not your mother," said Dr. Molovo flatly. "I am not your mother," repeated Roz. "Those were

my very first words to Brightbill. But I was wrong." The woman stroked her chin. "Up on the rooftop, before you fell, what were your very last words to Brightbill?" "I told him I loved him." "How do you know your feelings are real?" said the woman. "How do you know your feelings are real?" said the robot. "Your brain might be defective," said Dr. Molovo, "but it certainly is fascinating." "I did not choose to be this way," said Roz. "But this is who I am. You would be wild too if you had been born and raised in the wilderness. Maybe I am defective, maybe everything I have experienced is the result of a glitch. But if so, what a beautiful glitch! I have my own thoughts and feelings. I made a life for myself. I have a son. Brightbill is somewhere out there, right now, wondering if he will ever see his mother again. "Dr. Molovo, you do not have to destroy me. You can fix me and I will return to my island and this city will never see me again, I promise. I just want to go