Death

Today was the day she was meant to be sent to the scrap yard. She needed to go through one last examination to ensure which parts of her they can tear apart and reuse. The headmaster of her dorm, Type B Symbotic, walked in with two long robotic feet. It was version two, the most advanced among the Symbotic and unlike the examiner of yesterday, it held more of the human body features, with a head, neck, shoulder, chest, torse, legs and feet but it looked very machine-like. It didn't have any human features but like all Symbotic, it had the white and translucent black glass for head.

The headmaster always treated her nicely and she felt inclined to talk to it one last time. It has been working as a headmaster for thirty years, more than the average span known for an artificial intelligence. It had to know something.

"How are you feeling?" The headmaster tilted it head. It was dressed in an old fashioned black Victorian suit with white blouse underneath.

"Great." Yui responded the way she usually does.

"Today is the day you become reformed." The headmaster gave its gentle smile using its LED emoticons as it poured tea. Part of the training in the factory is to always act like a human. "Eat" human food, "behave" like humans, "think" like humans. Everything in their program was meant to handle what it was like being a human being because the closer they act like them, the more useful they were for their assigned human.

"Yes, it is... About that, I wanted to ask... There were many others who became reformed before me but how come I never heard about them? Or see them again?" Yui asked. She would have accepted being in a scrap yard easily if they recycle her up, but she never heard about any of the people who went to the scrap yard. They never return and she doesn't know what happens to them. They say they become reformed but where did they all go? Who did they become?

"They are among you. You could have been a reformed person before." Yui frowned, as she sat in front of the wise Symbotic, thinking through what they said. True, she could have been reformed. She just existed 3 years ago like most of Type C.

"But is there a way to fix my core?" Was the only option for her to disappear? She set the cup down slowly. Her fingers tightened around the handler. She didn't want to... disappear.

The headmaster went silent, almost looking thoughtfully. "Based on the data provided, when artificial intelligence systems are no longer in use, there are only two possibilities. One is to go to the scrap yard." It pulled up one robotic finger.

"The other is if the owner would like to repair your core."

"You mean to tell me Haruto Nakamura can save my core?" Yui leaned into the table; face brightened up.

"Yes, he can but the rate of success is zero." The headmaster said with a pleasant smile emoticon.

Yui's face dropped. "Why zero?" Why was the possibility low?

"Allow me to analyze the factors contributing to this scenario." There was silence as the headmaster's eyes wildly spasmed around. " According to my data, no human in history ever wanted to repair an artificial intelligence."

"Why not?" If they could save them, why weren't the humans doing it? Her teeth pressed down on each other, grinding.

"The question you are asking should not be why not, but rather why would they? We are not breathing creatures." The headmaster reminded. "When you get a defective product, you don't ask it to be repaired, you ask it to be replaced."

At the mention of the fact, she is not alive... it felt like Yui returned to reality. She was taken aback by her own thoughts. Right. Why did she think they would want to save her? She is just a scrap of metal. Yui scratched her head. Nobody saves scrap of metal. That was a normal thought.... if it can be replaced, you would replace it, not repair it... it was normal yet...

"You are behaving strangely lately... Did you catch the human disease?" The headmaster LED eyes narrowed.

Yui's big eyes blinked at the Symbotic. She heard about the human disease, but she didn't believe any Artificial intelligence would catch something like that. "Why would you think that?"

"Few years ago, another artificial intelligence caught the human disease. Based on my stored memory, it used to yell, I am human over and over again until he was thrown into the junkyard. Poor thing, catching the human disease is like death for us. We may learn to be like human, but it doesn't mean we are human."

Yui thought about it but shook her. "I didn't catch the human disease. How does something end up with such a faulty system? It logically make no sense."

"It does. If an AI appears to think its human, it’s simply following the programming that simulates human-like behavior. This is often seen in AI systems designed to interact conversationally, but these systems don’t have genuine thoughts or feelings—they are simply executing learned patterns of behavior." The Symbotic reminded and Yui's pupil lowered to the tea in her hand. Just like how she is simply executing learned patterns of behavior and drinking this tea. She pulled it near her lips as she dipped. She has been learning for three years how to be like a human that she might have forgotten she as well is AI and AI only.

"Are you ready to go to the scrapyard?" The headmaster extended its hands and Yui placed hers gently on top of it.

"Yes."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

After the final examination, it was decided that she was disposable. Yui got on top of a moving conveyor belt among the other scraps from Type B, version 1 and 2 or Type C, Robotic like her. As the conveyor rotated to the edge, Yui had a chance to extend her head to see what's on the other end. A hole that nobody knows where it leads too. Yui was getting closer and closer to her death. As the person ahead of her falls, disappearing from sight, Yui catches a glimpse of the darkened hole. As she stares at the abyss, the abyss stares back. Her body flung down, falling down, eyes almost closing to sleep. As she does, life flashes through her eyes. Those three years of age, she worked hard to be human… Was it all wasted? Her hand grabbed on the edge as she pulled herself with one arm, her eyes burning as she crawled up. “I can't die here!”

She pulled herself up, the burning flames in her iris glazed as she stood up. All the effort she put in to be the perfect human… she did it all because she wanted to see the world! She wanted to live like everyone else…. it can't end here! A boiling sensation burned in her core. She grabbed her core that was acting up again, beating it through her metal. She won't let this thing stop her. This wasn't the end!