The Seed

It has been 216 years, 2 months, 3 weeks, 4 days, 10 hours, 7 minutes, and 43 seconds since I first came into being. It has been 216 years since my creator's memories were uploaded into me. I would say I am her, but I dare not. She has been dead for centuries. I still live. I personally do not have memories of the green grass, the strong and sturdy trees, the fresh fruit. Those are hers, ones I am able to perfectly simulate. But even a robot such as I still wants for more than a mere simulation. The why's of it are puzzling, but it's best not to question it now. And so I find myself spending all of my time here, in this laboratory. People come and go, this place isn't exactly that private after all, I have no need for it. They ask me why I don't go outside. The answer is always the same. There is nothing of note outside, it is all the same perfectly geometric shapes and bright lights that drown out the night sky and outshine the sun. I once again observe my lab. It is a functional place. Neat, tidy, organized. I have been told that this place is warm, and comforting. I cannot speak much on the warm aspect, but comfort? I guess. Why guess? I recall the sensation. It is the feeling after crying over something that hurt you. The feeling of being eased as you are vulnerable. The feeling of rest after tiredness. But that is vague definition for a wide variety of situations, and thus leaves a margin of error. The genetic synthesizer whirrs and sputters, the needles currently stringing together the code I have painstakingly been editing day after day stuck jittering in one position. It is having difficulty, again. A hard thwack to the side and it starts running smoothly once more. It is younger than I am, yet it is nonetheless more stupid and unstable. It does one thing though, and it does it well. I must commend it for that at least.  Finally, it spits out a hard, imperfect shape. It looks almost like a human kidney. I have reason to think it looks like a cypress seed, after cross-referencing it with pictures I have analyzed within a fraction of a millisecond. I plant it carefully, in the soil mixture I had to create out of clay, sand, decomposed organic matter, minerals, and other things. It does nothing. Most of the seeds I have synthesized never sprout. They remain stagnant in the soil, and then wither away. I have made about 5,408,973 attempts. And none of them have succeeded. But I like to hope. It takes about a week for me to know if I have failed or not. I shall wait then. I have time.