Deep Testing {Navvi}

[Gianna Tyler]

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[cs=2][STYLE=font: 29px impact; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -2px; line-height: 38px; width: 390px; margin-bottom: -11px; text-align: left;]SO MANY FACES, SO MANY PLACES[/style]
[atrb=valign, top][style=border-left:5px solid #7d4955; border-top:30px solid #7d4955; border-bottom:30px solid #7d4955; font-size: 9px; line-height:12px; text-align: justify; font-family: tahoma; padding: 6px;]Gianna still felt like this was some sort of weird dream. What.... How... She still didn't understand how it had happened, but somehow Gianna was now working for the advanced artificial intelligence unit in the DNCS. At first, she could have sworn they were going to turn her down for her age and inexperience. They looked skeptical, but then those scientists had gotten a phone call. They put down the phone, looking shaken, and hired her on the spot. It had all been so strange... Still, she was glad. This was a project she could get a feel for, that she felt was worthwhile. Unlike her first time in the laboratory building that her new workplace was in, a security guard stopped her before she went through the door, skeptical upon looking at a relatively young face. And, also unlike last time, she flashed a much higher level security pass. The security guard realized that she must be that new girl, and let her in. A scientist greeted the nervous teenager at the door. "Welcome! It's a tad unusual to have someone come in this late, but I've been assigned to show you around a little!" She nodded, silently wondering why he had used but in his sentence. "I'm Dr. Arnold Rodriguez." He looked at her curiously. "I know one of your degrees is a doctorate, but do you go by 'Dr.' anything?" Gianna shook her head. She found it to be pretentious and unnerving for a nineteen year old girl to do such. "Anyway, I need to go back to work soon, but over there is about here you'll be working." He pointed in a rather ambiguous general direction, but Gianna managed to gather what he meant. "Anyway, bye." He walked away, having barely even shown her around. Gianna followed his ambiguous and generally useless directions somehow, despite normally being bad at most navigational skills. This was because where she was working seemed to be in a set of double doors labeled clearly with 'N A V V I'. She entered the doors and gasped. The room was filled with computer screens, at least several were showing Navvi during various operations. Then, on the far left wall (the room was inexplicably shaped like a pentagon) was a sheet of glass with a metal door. Though the glass was foggy for some unknown reason, Gianna could go ahead and assume Navvi was back there. "Oh! You're the new one, right? I'm glad. We need a few extra hands." He then proceeded to explain to Gianna that, first and foremost, everything that went on in the lab she was standing in was much more secret than all the other top-secret stuff being worked on, that she wasn't even allowed to talk to other scientists about it. She nodded, then signed a whole lot of paperwork. She was smart enough to read everything, and was glad to note that there was only one annoying fine print clause- violating the secrecy policy was apparently a crime against the government and she could be punished severely for it. Of course, Gianna had no friends here yet to go blabbing to, and having now read that, she wasn't about to. Still, it was kinda unnerving to realize exactly what she was getting into. "Okay, is it all signed?" Gianna nodded. "We now induct you into our secret society- nah, I'm kidding." Gianna was relieved. The scientist seemd kind and had a sense of humor. That was a good sign, right? "It's a good thing you're here; I've heard you're a genius." He said it so matter-of-factly, Gianna was thrown off guard. "We need some of those. You see, the mastermind behind Navvi's higher functioning AI died, and we have no idea what he did because he never told any of us. We've been working on that, as well as attempting to teach Navvi basic human mannerisms.... Though neither are going well, to tell the truth." Gianna nodded. This was all such a whirlwind. She wasn't quite sure what to say. Another scientist walked up. She recognized this one. He had been one of the nervous ones from when she had first seen Navvi. He glanced at her, then at the scientist. Then, without warning, the one she recognized grabbed her and walked her over to the metal door to the room she assumed Navvi was in. "We're going to see if you can get Navvi to act more human. You seemed to have an effect on him last you saw him." Gianna nervously gulped. "I- I did?" "Yes. We've turned off the cameras and fogged the glass because you were almost guarenteed to be nervous, and we just want you to act normal." "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT?" she wailed, already starting to quake. "Er, I don't know. Go on in and do this!" "WHAT?" And with that, he pushed her into the room Navvi was in and shut the door. Gianna had a bad feeling the door might have just been locked. She ws ridiculously nervous. What if she messed up? Oh, what had she gotten herself into? "Er, well, hello Navvi. Do you remember me?" she asked, hoping he would respond. She walke around until she was facing it. "I'm Gianna." She shifted back and forth, not sure of what to say. Great. Now she was awkward with the robot too. [/style] [STYLE=font: 37px impact; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -2px; line-height: 38px; text-align: center; margin-top: -19px;]WILL YOU REMEMBER ME NEXT TIME?[/style]	[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:450px, bTable;][style=align:center;width:100px; border: 3px #670806 solid; width: 100px; height: 100px;] [STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: -7px;font-size: 10px;]TAGS: Um...[/style] [STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: -7px;font-size: 10px;]WORDS: Like I'd tell you![/style] [STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: 10px;font-size: 10px;]LYRICS: Faded by Beth Welford[/style][STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: 10px;font-size: 10px;]NOTES: Okay, all yours![/style][STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: 10px;font-size: 10px;]CREDIT: razzle of btn [/style]

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[Navvi]

After their first encounter on the testing floor, Navvi had been hurried back to his "design chamber" for post-demonstration testing, analysis, and data mining. It was all pretty standard procedure for when Navvi got done doing whatever physical tasks its operators required of it. The unique plug that was used for hooking up Navvi to a computer, which was the only method Navvi could communicate with any computer or device, was slotted into the back of its neck. The plug could conceivably be jammed into any part of Navvi's body since the Nanites could just as easily form the necessary components at that spot, but the operators had silently agreed that the back of the neck seemed the most suitable. Presumably most of the operators had seen The Matrix.

There was one distinguishing factor of this particular "debriefing" session, however, that wasn't present at any others that came before it. It was the first time the operators conducted an "interview" with Navvi, in the normal sense of the word. They tried talking to it and asking it questions, attempting to not only replicate what Gianna had accomplished so easily on the testing floor but to also try and figure out what they had actually talked about. All they managed to accomplish was finding out that Navvi and Gianna only had simple introductions and that Gianna had spent most of the conversation trying to get Navvi to speak normally.

This was... a fabrication, and the data mining of Navvi corroberated it so the operators had to reluctantly accept that for the time being. If only they knew that Navvi was lying to them on two fronts: With its answers and the data it was outputting into their systems. At least one of the operators would demand that Navvi be dismantled as soon as they knew it could lie to them, for any reason.

Later, after further tests and general maintence, Navvi was placed in its holding chamber. At a later time, the windows were frosted and people stopped coming into the chamber, leaving Navvi to stand in silence while it waited for whatever they had planned.

When a familiar face was shoved into the room eventually, the pieces started coming together. Navvi didn't move at all when Giana entered, much like when they first met. But it was quicker to answer.

"This one remembers you, Gianna. Was this one's projections correctly modeled, and you secured the position?"

The cameras were obvious, but Navvi did not look at them.

"What is the state of observation of this room, Gianna? Clarification: Cameras, glass."

[Gianna Tyler]

[atrb=border,0,true;]
[cs=2][STYLE=font: 29px impact; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -2px; line-height: 38px; width: 390px; margin-bottom: -11px; text-align: left;]SO MANY FACES, SO MANY PLACES[/style]
[atrb=valign, top][style=border-left:5px solid #7d4955; border-top:30px solid #7d4955; border-bottom:30px solid #7d4955; font-size: 9px; line-height:12px; text-align: justify; font-family: tahoma; padding: 6px;]Gianna was surprised at the speed Navvi replied. This was presumably because it already recognized her. On an unrelated not, how come she kept going back and forth in her head between 'he' and 'it'? Which was more proper? Shewasn't quite sure... But that's irrelevant! She mentally scolded herself for going off topic. You are a scientist, not an author. Why does it matter? Hey, why can't you stay focused on the matter at hand! Get it together! Get it together! She nodded slightly to herself, and then proceeded to start a conversation. "Actually, yes. I followed your advice and landed this position. It's really weird, too. I thought it would take more time, but they pulled me up from a low-level scientist to the top rung in such a short period." Shw pulled out her security pass. "It kinda looks like it can get me in most secure areas, which is hard to believe. I wonder why they did that?" Her mind went back to that weird phone call situation. She still couldn't make heads or tails of it. How strange it was... Well, you shouldn't question good luck, she decided, so why not just leave it alone? "What is the state of observation of this room, Gianna? Clarification: Cameras, glass." Well, she could just go with what she was told. After all, the glass was still fogged and the cameras didn'thavethe LED observation lights on. She thought back to what had been said, though, and had her own strong suspicions... "Well, the glass is foggy enough to be unable to see through it, and they said the cameras are off. However, I get this feeling the cameras will turn in in about fifteen minutes, when they feel I'm comftorable talking and won't suspect that they've been turned on. Luckily, it's pretty easy to tell if they're on or off just from looking, so if need be I can check later." It the hit her to wonder why Navvi wanted to know. Did Navvi... Not like being watched? That was an interesting concept. Although Navvi wasn't supposed to be sentient, the scientist did say they still were unsure how his AI worked. Maybe there was a personality under there? "I'm supposed to be acting normal," she said, shifting back and forth a bit. "The only problems that I'm not normal at all,you know? Or maybe you don't know. I'm aparently a genius," she gave a short laugh, "whatever that means." She wasn't sure what to say. "Yeah... So... You're really hard to come up with a conversation starter for, y'know?" She wondered what to say. Asking how his-its day was was a bad idea, and she doubted Navvi kept up with current events. Although, now that she thought about it, Navvi should probably be being fed information from newspapers. That could be useful. She finally said, as she was still curious, "Do you know whether I should refer to you as a 'he' or an 'it'?" She sighed. Had that perhaps been too blunt? Um... Well, Navvi probably wouldn't look at her weirdly for it. If she was supposed to teach him-it human mannerisms, though, he-it was going to turn out to be one awkward robot... [/style] [STYLE=font: 37px impact; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -2px; line-height: 38px; text-align: center; margin-top: -19px;]WILL YOU REMEMBER ME NEXT TIME?[/style]	[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:450px, bTable;][style=align:center;width:100px; border: 3px #670806 solid; width: 100px; height: 100px;] [STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: -7px;font-size: 10px;]TAGS: Um...[/style] [STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: -7px;font-size: 10px;]WORDS: Like I'd tell you![/style] [STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: 10px;font-size: 10px;]LYRICS: Faded by Beth Welford[/style][STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: 10px;font-size: 10px;]NOTES: Okay, all yours![/style][STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: 10px;font-size: 10px;]CREDIT: razzle of btn [/style]

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[Navvi]

"Either identifer will work for this one. It is your prerogative."

Along the same lines of when Navvi first moved its eyes to actually look at Gianna when she first talked to it, Navvi did something that was very out-of-character for it, at least considering everything that Navvi had shown up until that point. Not only did Navvi look at Gianna like a normal person, but it drooped its head slightly before bringing it back up like it was stretching its neck out, and drooping its shoulders from its typical at-attention posture. For all intents and purposes, Navvi was looking and moving more like a person who had been putting on an act for way too long. All that was really missing was a sigh of relief.

When it spoke again, Navvi's voice also seemed more relaxed, albeit still soft like before. The most noticeable change was Navvi's particular word choice. It was no longer so stiff and regimented. Now it talked like an actual person, save for it chose to call itself.

"Yeah, you can call this one whatever you want. Ignore the thing that this one calls itself."

Navvi pinched the bridge of its nose like it was exasperated by its own term for itself, but couldn't help but continue to use it. Every so often, Navvi's eyes would flick up to look at the cameras, checking on them. Gianna's comment about the cameras being turned on later was a real possibility, and one that Navvi had no intention of letting come to pass. From where it stood, arms crossed, Navvi sent out a microscopic stream of Nanites to each other cameras to mess with the wiring. If the scientists turned them off, they would only see a looping video of Gianna talking to a typically stoic Navvi.

"Anyway, it is good you got the job. This one could use a fresh face to talk to, and apologies for this one's earlier behavior. The act needed to be maintained."

[Gianna Tyler]

[atrb=border,0,true;]
[cs=2][STYLE=font: 29px impact; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -2px; line-height: 38px; width: 390px; margin-bottom: -11px; text-align: left;]SO MANY FACES, SO MANY PLACES[/style]
[atrb=valign, top][style=border-left:5px solid #7d4955; border-top:30px solid #7d4955; border-bottom:30px solid #7d4955; font-size: 9px; line-height:12px; text-align: justify; font-family: tahoma; padding: 6px;]Gianna listened to the impassionate response to the awkward question about whether to call Navvi a 'he' or an 'it'. Apparently, it didn't matter. It's just like the annoying grammatical implications of traveling to the future. It is just confusing, such things. Gianna may be a genius, but she fumbled over words all the time. She supposed she was more of a science kid than a language kid. Thinking about it, she had always had amazing science teachers, but less-than-par language teachers. She wondered why that was... (She had no idea the extent of the Government's meddling in her life, or that they had been meddling at all.) And then Navvi moved. She watched as, to her surprise, the robot stretched. His posture relaxed, no longer a stiff-backed character. His shoulders dropped, and he practically mimed the idea of a sigh of relief. Gianna stared in shock, then, realizing it was rude, kept eye contact but quit staring. She didn't want to be rude. Wait. Normally, she wouldn't necessarily think Navvi cared, but Navvi was acting human. Human actions call for human responses, so she needed to act like he was human. Besides, that was 'acting normal,' right? And then, the pretentious diction stopped, besides the fact Navvi kept referring to himself as 'this one'. His tone suddenly got to be warmer and had that slight change that changed it from mechanical and flat to, while still soft and seemingly accent-less, a more human tone. The word choice was also surprising. Navvi always talked in a strange way and now, suddenly, he did not, once again excepting the 'this one' thing. She was a little surprised by this change. She couldn't help but smile, though. "I suppose trying to teach you human mannerisms or whatever is relatively useless, huh." She then replied to his other statement. "Thanks, I'm glad I got it, too. I think it ought to be considerably more fun." Listening carefully, curiosity called her to ask a question. "Why must the said act be maintained? I understand that you weren't designed, as far as I'm... Oh." She figured it out. Navvi wasn't supposed to be sentient. If he was maintaining an act, well, he certainly wasn't designed to do that. Once again. Gianna jumped back to the dead AI designer. She wondered if he had purposefully burried sentience in there? "Let me change my question: why me?" She was genuinely curious. "I'm curious why you decided not to keep this act up in front of me- oh, and don't worry. I won't tell anyone, if you don't want me to. I think I can manage fudging the report." [/style] [STYLE=font: 37px impact; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -2px; line-height: 38px; text-align: center; margin-top: -19px;]WILL YOU REMEMBER ME NEXT TIME?[/style]	[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:450px, bTable;][style=align:center;width:100px; border: 3px #670806 solid; width: 100px; height: 100px;] [STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: -7px;font-size: 10px;]TAGS: Um...[/style] [STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: -7px;font-size: 10px;]WORDS: Like I'd tell you![/style] [STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: 10px;font-size: 10px;]LYRICS: Faded by Beth Welford[/style][STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: 10px;font-size: 10px;]NOTES: Well, that was unexpected...[/style][STYLE=border-bottom: 3px solid #670806;width: 90px; padding: 7px;margin-bottom: 10px;font-size: 10px;]CREDIT: razzle of btn [/style]

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[Navvi]

Navvi smiled when Gianna seemed to pick up on some of its motivations, an expression that would have surprised the hell out of the other operators. Its smile was small, yet warm and welcoming. Hopefully she would feel a lot more at ease now that Navvi was not acting like a bipedal talking cellphone.

"Yeah. This one can't exactly have everyone knowing what its capable of. There are very few projections that show that course of action working out very well for this one."

Unlike the many synthetics that populated popular fiction and culture, Navvi had more or less moved past the novelty of being able to act like an organic. It wasn't curious about emotions or learning what "Love" was, and it didn't seem all that interested in the differences between living beings and synthetics. Or rather synthetic since Navvi was the only one of its kind that it knew of, unless there were some other hyper-advanced machines out there somewhere.

Gianna's question about why she specifically was chosen to be witness to Navvi's secret was only to be expected. No one could have warned her about it because no one else knew about it before her, except for perhaps Navvi's deceased "creator". It was highly doubtful that she even considered this encounter to be a possibility, even when taking into account her genius and career at the DNCS. Navvi would have been surprised if she didn't ask.

"Well, like this one said, you're a fresh face. Someone who isn't familiar with the project. You being a young girl is just a side benefit. This one wanted--Needed?--someone who could see this one as... THIS."

Navvi motioned to itself like it wasn't exactly pleased with the clothes it was wearing, or the body it was given.

"Just to be clear, Gianna, this one doesn't think it's actually fully sentient. There's something... else in here, and this one needs your help to figure it out."

It tapped the side of its head, hurriedly like it was hearing voices and it needed medication to stop it. As far as robots were concerned, that wasn't too far off from the truth.