"Those were the years after the ice caps had melted... because of the greenhouse gases, and the oceans had risen to drown so many cities... along all the shorelines of the world." "Amsterdam, Venice, New York... forever lost." "Millions of people were displaced." "Climates became chaotic." "Hundreds of millions of people starved in poorer countries." "Elsewhere, a high degree of prosperity survived... when most governments in the developed world... introduced legal sanctions to strictly license pregnancies, which was why robots, who are never hungry and who did not consume resources... beyond those of their first manufacture," "were so essential an economic link... in the chain mail of society." "To create an artificial being has been the dream of man... since the birth of science" "Not merely the beginning of the modern age... when our forbearers astonished the world with the first thinking machines... primitive monsters that could play chess" "How far we have come" "The artificial being is a reality... of perfect simulacrum... articulated in limb articulate in speech... and not lacking in human response" "And even pain-memory response" "How did that make you feel?" "Angry?" "Shocked?" " I don't understand." " What did I do to your feelings?" "You did it to my hand" "All right" "There's the rub" "Undress." "At Cybertronics of New Jersey the artificial being has reached its highest form" "The universally-adopted Mecha... the basis for hundreds of models serving the human race... in all the multiplicity of daily life" "That's far enough" "But we have no reason to congratulate ourselves" "We are rightly proud of it but what does it amount to?" "Sheila, open" "A sensory toy... with intelligent behavioral circuits... using neurone-sequencing technology... as old as I am" "I believe that my work on mapping the impulse pathways in a single neurone... can enable us to construct... a Mecha of a qualitatively different order" "I propose... that we build a robot..." " who can love." " Love?" " But we ship thousands of lover models every month." " Of course" "You're your own best customer, Syatyoo-Sama." "Quality control is very important." "Tell me." "What is love?" "Love is first widening my eyes a little bit... and quickening my breathing a little... and warming my skin and touching my..." "And so on." "Exactly so." "Thank you, Sheila" "But I wasn't referring to sensuality simulators" "The word that I used was love." "Love like the love of a child for its parents" "I propose that we build a robot child who can love" "A robot child who will genuinely love... the parent or parents it imprints on... with a love that will never end" "A child-substitute Mecha?" "But a Mecha with a mind, with neuronal feedback" "You see, what I'm suggesting is that love will be the key... by which they acquire a kind of subconscious never before achieved" "An inner world of metaphor, of intuition of self-motivated reasoning" " of dreams." " A robot that dreams?" " Yes." " How exactly do we pull this off?" "You know, it occurs to me... with all this animus existing against Mechas today it isn't simply a question of creating a robot who can love" "But isn't the real conundrum, can you get a human to love them back?" "Ours will be a perfect child caught in a freeze-frame... always loving, never ill, never changing" "With all the childless couples yearning in vain for a license our little Mecha will not only open up a completely new market but it will fill a great human need" "But you haven't answered my question" "If a robot could genuinely love a person what responsibility does that person hold toward that Mecha in return?" "It's a moral question, isn't it?" "The oldest one of all" "But in the beginning, didn't God create Adam to love Him?" "The baby was born as the first leaves of autumn fell." "A baby boy." "And Marian's wish came true" "The boy had white hair" "He was baptized Martin, after his grandfather" " Dr. Frazier." "Hi." "Good to see you." " Hello, Henry" "Listen, there was an article by Random Bach in the Journal of Chinese Medicine." " They talked about these virus locators," " Hello again, Monica" "Microscopic synthetic hunter killers" " Did you read that article?" " I can still hear you" " I'm worried about her, Henry." "She's really got me worried." " Yeah, I know" "She's in the most difficult position of feeling... she should mourn the death of your son" "After five years, your instincts tell you to mourn him too" "But medicine assures us that mourning is inappropriate..." " that Martin is merely pending." " Pending" "So all her grief goes undigested" "Henry, your son may be beyond our science but it's your wife who can still be reached" "The screening process was extremely difficult" "It was almost tougher than building the prototype" "Of our 2,000 employees, a surprising few... met your minimum requirements for the in-house testing" "Initiate." "Employment record, quality of lifestyle..." "Query, internal data... loyalty to the firm, and in this individual's case a family tragedy that may qualify him above the rest" "I'll see him" " Henry!" " Don't kill me" "Henry, what are you doing?" "I love you." "Don't kill me" "The door's closed" "I like your floor" "I can't accept this!" "There is no substitute for your own child!" "You don't have to accept it or even try." "It's not too late to take him back" "What were you thinking?" " I'll do whatever you want me to do." " Do you think I can just..." " I can just..." " I'll do whatever you want me to do!" "I don't know what to do" "I know, I know." "I'll return him to Cybertronics first thing in the morning" "It's gone" "Good" "I mean, Henry, did you see his face?" "He's..." "He's so real" " But he's not." " No, he's not" "I mean, inside he's like all the rest, isn't he?" "A hundred miles of fiber, yeah" "But outside, he just looks so real... like he is a child" "A Mecha child" "A child" "The show of faith my company has placed on me, on us, is extraordinary" "Now, there are a few simple procedures we need to follow... if and when you decide to keep David" "If you decide to keep him, there's an imprinting protocol... consisting of a code string of seven particular words... which need to be spoken to David in the predefined order that's been printed here" "Now, Monica, for our own protection this imprinting is irreversible" "The robot child's love would be sealed... in a sense, hardwired... and would be part of him forever" "Because of this, after imprinting no Mecha child can be resold" "If an adopted parent should ever decide not to keep the child they must return it to Cybertronics for destruction" "I had to sign a letter of agreement, or they wouldn't even let you see David" "You have to sign it too." "Right here" "Monica, don't imprint until you're entirely sure" "Silly man." "Of course I'm not sure" "Would you like me to sleep now?" "Good idea." "Good idea." " Monica?" " Well, it's late, you know" " It's after 9:00, so..." " Yeah." "Ten past" "How-How late do they let you stay up?" "I can never go to sleep" "But I can lay quietly and not make a peep" "So, those pajamas will fit you, and we'll be in to check on you first thing in the morning" "Dress me?" "You know, I'm gonna say good night while you boys be boys" "Raise your arms" " Is it a game?" " Yes" "Hide-and-seek" "I found you" "That's your room." "Just, go and play" "I found you" "Out!" "Out!" "Get out of here!" "And close the goddamn door!" "I can't..." "Is it a game?" "Now, I'm gonna read some words" "And, they won't make any sense but I want you to listen to them anyway... and look at me all the time" " Can you do that?" " Yes, Monica" "Can you feel my hand on the back of your neck?" "Yes" " Does any of this hurt?" " No" "Okay, now, look at me" "Ready?" "Cirrus" "Socrates" "Particle" "Decibel" "Hurricane" "Dolphin" "Tulip" "Monica" "David" "Monica" "All right" "I wonder if I did that right." "I don't..." "What were those words for, Mommy?" "What did you call me?" "Mommy" "Who am I, David?" "You are my mommy" "You smell lovely" "I love it when you wear this stuff" " Will you still love me when it's all gone?" " No" " Stop it." " But we can get married again... and begin with a fragrance that's not in such short supply" "We gotta go." "Come on." "We're late" " Hello, David." " Hello, Henry" " Walk us out, all right, sweetheart?" " Come on" "My shoe!" " Henry, your tie!" " I know, I know." "You're hopeless!" "He's trying so hard to please me." " He has a way with my coffee." " And it's creepy" " You can never hear him coming." "He's just always there." " He is only a child" "Monica, he's a toy" "He's a gift... from you" "David, when we leave, all the doors and windows will go smart" "So you can't leave your room." "But if you'd like..." " Oh, I put way too much on." " Do I smell lovely?" "Oh, God, no" "Mommy, will you die?" "Well, one day, David, yes, I will" "I'll be alone" "Don't worry yourself so" "How long will you live?" "For ages" "For 50 years" "I love you, Mommy" "I hope you never die" "Never" " Yes." " Darling!" "We're becoming unfashionably, unreasonably late" "Hello?" "This belonged to Martin, my son" "His name is Teddy" "Teddy, this is David" " Hello, Teddy." " Hello, David" "David, Teddy is a super toy and I know you will take good care of each other" "I am not a toy" "Henry?" " Sorry." " What were you doing up there?" "I'll tell you in the car." "Come on" "Is 50 years a long time?" "I don't think so" "David, I'll get it!" "Honey, hand it to me" "Look what I can do" "Hello?" "Yes?" "Mrs. Swinton, could you hold a moment?" "I have an urgent call from your husband" "Yes, I will." "David, I-I need to talk to the phone now" "Monica?" "Monica?" "Can you hear me, Monica?" " Let the phone talk now." " Monica, can you hear me?" "Pick up the phone, Monica!" " Run along." "Play with Teddy." " Pick up the phone, Monica!" "Oh, my God!" "Mon¡" "Hello, Henry?" "What is it?" "What..." "What?" "When?" "Oh, God" "David the most wonderful thing in the whole world has happened" "This is Martin" "This is my son" "Martin, no!" "We'll have a contest to see who he comes to first" "Come here, Teddy!" "Come here, boy!" "Teddy!" "Come here!" "You call him too" "Come here, Teddy" " Come on!" "Teddy!" "Teddy!" " Come here, boy" " Come here!" "Come on, Teddy!" " Come here, Teddy" " Teddy." "Come here, Teddy." " Teddy, come!" " Come here, Teddy." " Come, Teddy!" "Come!" "Mommy!" "Mommy!" "Are they torturing you, Teddy?" "He used to be a super toy, but now he's old and stupid" "You want him?" "Yes, please" "So I guess now you're the new super toy" "So, what good stuff can you do?" "Oh, can you do power stuff, like walk on the ceiling or the walls?" "Anti-gravity?" "Like, float or fly?" "Can you?" "No, because I'm real." " Can you break this?" " I better not" "These things, they do look better in pieces." "They do" "I can't" "Stand up" "Look, they made you bigger than me" " Who did?" " Well, they did... the doll makers" "They made you taller" "Why don't you look like one?" "Like one?" "You're not cute like a doll" "You just look like someone's ordinary kid" "When's your birthday?" "I never had a birthday" "Okay." "When were you first built?" "When's your build-day?" "I don't remember" "Okay, what's the first thing you can remember?" " A bird." " What sort of bird?" "A bird with big wings... and feathers sticking up from the bottom" "Can you draw it?" "Yes" "That looks like a peacock." "Can you say peacock?" " Peacock." " Can you say pee?" " Pee." " Now say that two times fast" "Okay." "Then you gotta put the green ones..." " Read to us?" " Hey" "Let's see" "Oh, yeah" "David's going to love it" "As soon as his show was over, the showman went into the kitchen where the whole sheep which he was preparing for supper... was roasting on the slowly-turning spit in the furnace" "When he saw there was not enough wood to finish roasting it he called Harlequin and the Punchinello and said" "'Bring me in Pinocchio." "You will find him hanging on a nail" "'He is made of nice, dry wood and I'm sure he will make a nice fire for my roast.'" "Pinocchio worked until midnight." "And instead of making eight baskets, he made sixteen." "Then he went to bed and fell asleep." "As he slept, he dreamt he saw the fairy, lovely and smiling who gave him a kiss, saying" "'Brave Pinocchio 'in return for your good heart, I forgive all your past misdeeds." "Be good in future, and you will be happy. '" "Then the dream ended and Pinocchio awoke full of amazement" "You can imagine how astonished he was... when he saw that he was no longer a puppet... but a real boy just like other boys." "Josephine evidently has taken a leave of absence" "Oh, my God." " Well, I saw that coming." " How could you see that coming?" " They were fabulous together." " Oh, come on!" "She was miserable!" "I mean..." " Well, he never said they were miserable." " Yeah, that's because..." "Wasn't that because of the cutbacks?" "I have no idea." "Actually, they don't tell me anything." " Do they really have a weight problem?" " So do I." " You do not." "That is ridiculous." " All right, look." "I don't know." "There's something about inner beauty that..." "You will break" " Oh, that is ridiculous!" " Exactly" "Work has become so silly." "I know what you're talking about" " Does he eat?" " I'm not sure" "You're not supposed to do that." "David, what are you doing?" " David!" "Martin, put the fork down." " Is it in the manual book?" " Stop." "Stop, David." " Put it down now." "David, stop it!" "Martin, you're provoking him, okay?" "Stop it." " Stop it, David!" " The two of you, stop it!" "Stop it!" "Stop it now!" "Stop it!" "David, stop it!" "There's sputum in the code lockers" "Smell that garlic" "We should throw in a chest mint" " Can you locate the service?" " Don't touch the merchandise" " It's all swamp in here." " You made a mess of yourself." "Spinach is for rabbits, people and Popeye not robo-boys" "Try to insert yourself" "Now through the pantry, all the lower shelves" "It's okay, Mommy." "It doesn't hurt" "The activators are all shut down on the left side" " Monica." " I have to..." "I have to..." "That's not all of it." "That's not all of it" "If you do something really, really, really special for me, a special mission then I'll go tell Mommy..." "I love you" "And then she'll love you too" "What shall I do?" "You have to promise, and then I'll tell you" "You have to tell me, and then I'll promise" "I want a lock of Mommy's hair" "I'll share it with you" "And if you had it and wore it she might love you even more" "Like the princess in the movie we saw" "When she had the prince's hair in her necklace thing he loved her" "We can ask her" "No, it has to be a secret mission" "Sneak into Mommy's bedroom in the middle of the night... and chop it off" "I can't, Martin." "I'm not allowed" "You promised" "You said, Tell me, and then I'll promise." "Didn't you?" "David!" "Why did you do that?" "Why did you do that?" " What are you doing?" "You're hurting him!" " Talk to me!" "Goddamn it!" " Why did you do that?" "Why did you do that?" " You're hurting him!" " You're hurting him!" "Don't break him!" " Why did you do that?" "Henry, I wanted Mommy to love me... more" " Oh, my God." " What?" " I think I cut my eye." "Oh, God, I think it's bleeding." " Let me see" "It's normal for little boys to feel jealous and competitive" "Martin's only been home a month, and it's normal for brothers to challenge each other" "He was playing a game, he made a mistake, and..." " He's practically human." " That's not how he looked holding the knife" " Scissors." " It was a weapon" "Why do you keep imagining that he was purposely trying to harm me?" "Because we don't know the answer to that" "How is he worth the risk to you or to Martin or to us as a family?" "I will not let you take him back." "You told me what would happen..." " if we ever took him back." " Think about this" "If he was created to love, then it's reasonable to assume he knows how to hate" "And if pushed to those extremes, what is he really capable of?" "Happy birthday, Martin" "I made this for you" "This him?" "Is this your little brother?" "Technically, no" " He's Mecha." " What's Mecha?" "We're organic, you're mechanical" "Orga, Mecha" " Orga, Mecha." "Orga, Mecha." " Todd, stop!" "I didn't know they even made little kids" "Can you pee?" " I cannot." " Then let's see what you can't pee with" "Come on" "Touch it" "It feels so real." "Oh, that's... that's creepy" " It feels so real." " That is too real" "Mecha-real" "Does he have DAS?" " DAS what?" " Das ist gut!" "Damage Avoidance System." "DAS" "It's a pain alert system" "Our serving man has it" "It's so they don't go picking up fire with their bare hands and stuff" "Watch." "Watch this" "Now, I'm not gonna cut you" "This isn't gonna hurt." "I'm not gonna cut your skin" "Just tell me when you feel it" " Keep me safe, Martin." "Keep me safe." " Let me go!" " Keep me safe, Martin." "Keep me safe." "Keep me safe." " Let me go!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Keep me safe." "Keep me safe." "Keep me safe." "Keep me safe" "Henry!" "Oh, my..." "Oh, my God!" "Oh, my God!" "He's not breathing!" "He's not breathing!" "Come on, Martin!" "Come on!" "Take a breath." "Take a breath." "Cough it up." "That a boy." "That's a great boy" "Oh, my God." "Thank God." " Hey, David?" " Mommy!" "Mommy" "L-I need to speak to you for a minute, okay?" "Okay" "These are beautiful" "Thank you" "Hey, David, I was thinking that... we could go for a drive tomorrow in the country" "You and me." "What do you say?" " And Teddy?" " Yeah, and Teddy" "Thank you, Mommy" "Thank you so much" "Tomorrow is gonna be just for us, okay?" "Where are we going?" "Someplace nice?" "Are those happy tears?" "What's for dinner tonight?" "You know you don't eat" "Yes" "But I like sitting at the table" "David?" "David, come on." "David..." "David..." "Listen..." "Listen to me!" "David?" "David, listen" "Now... you won't understand the reasons, but..." "I have..." "I have to leave you here" "Is it a game?" "No" "When will you come back for me?" "I'm not, David." "You'll have to be here by yourself" "Alone?" "With Teddy" "No." "No, no, no, no, no, no!" "No, Mommy, please!" "No, no!" "Please, no, Mommy!" " They will destroy you." " No!" "No, Mommy!" "I'm sorry I broke myself" "I'm so sorry I cut your hair off..." " and I'm sorry I hurt you and I hurt Martin." " I have to go!" "I have to go!" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" " I have to go now!" " Mommy, no!" "Mommy!" "Mommy, if Pinocchio became a real boy... and I become a real boy, can I come home?" " That's just a story." " But a story tells what happens" "Stories are not real!" "You're not real!" "Now, listen to me." "Look." "Look!" "Take this, all right?" "Take this" "Don't let anyone see how much it is" "Now, look, don't go that way" "Look!" "Look at me!" "Look!" "Don't go that way, all right?" "Go anywhere but that way or they'll catch you." "Don't ever let them catch you!" "Listen, stay away from flesh fairs away from where there are lots of people" "Stay away from all people." "Only others like you." "Only Mecha are safe" " I gotta go." " Why do you wanna leave me?" "Why do you wanna leave me?" "I'm sorry I'm not real" "If you let me, I'll be so real for you" "Let go." "Let go, David." "Let go!" "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the world" " I'm afraid." " Of me?" " Yes." " That I will hurt you?" "Yes." "I think... you're afraid of letting go" "I think you're afraid of happiness" "And this is starting to excite me" "Are you afraid of seeing the stars" "Patricia?" "I can show you how to reach them" "I'm afraid of what you've got under there" "May I see what it looks like first?" "Is this your first time... with something like me?" "I've never been with Mecha" "That makes two of us" "I'm afraid it will hurt" "Patricia once you've had a lover robot" "you'll never want a real man... again" "Are these the wounds of passion?" "Are the stars out tonight" " I don't know if it's cloudy or bright" " Do you hear that music?" "'Cause I only have eyes for you, dear" "The moon may be high" "You..." " 'Cause I only have eyes" " Are a goddess" " For you" " Patricia" "You wind me up inside" "But you deserve much better in your life" "You deserve... me" "'Cause I only have eyes for you" "Dear" "The moon may be high" "But I can't see a thing in the sky" "'Cause I only have eyes for you" " Hey, Joe, what do ya know?" " Hi, Jane." "How's the game?" " Hey, Joe, what do ya know?" " Hello, Mr. Williamson" " Place a D.N.D. On room 102, please." " Sure thing" "There you are" "Oh, Joe" "When you're finished here, crack your collar, show off your operating license" "The Flesh Fair's in Barn Creek and the hounds are out hunting for strays" "It's a good thing I ran into you." "Thanks, Mr. Williamson" " Sure thing." " Mustn't keep a lady waiting" "Miss Bevins" "It's Joe." "At your service" "I've been counting the seconds since last we met" "Have you been crying, Samantha?" "I found a tear" "Hey, Joe, what do ya know?" "How many seconds has it been... the last time the two of you were together?" "255,133" "Good-bye, Sam." "And never forget" "You killed me first" "I'm in bad trouble" "If I am a real boy, then I can go back." "And she will love me then" "How?" "The Blue Fairy made Pinocchio into a real boy" "She can make me into a real boy" "I must find her." "I must become real" "There must be someone in the whole world who knows where she lives" "Moon on the rise!" "It's the Flesh Fair." "They destroy us on stage." "I've been there" "What do we do?" "We run now" "Any old iron." "Any old iron." "Any old iron" "Any old iron" "Expel your Mecha" "Purge yourselves of artificiality" "Come along, now." "Let some Mecha loose to run" "Any old unlicensed iron down there?" "Hey, do you see that?" "Could be a human thing" "No, he's scanning cold" "No expiration date, no I.D" "What's a new model doing loose and unregistered?" "Sir, it's a late-generation lover-Mecha" "Well, there's a relief from all this antique iron" "You are certain he's not a man?" "I wouldn't want a repeat of the Trenton incident." " Sir, he's a free-range Mecha running hot." " Let's reel him in, boys" "Sic the hounds on the rest" "Shake down shantytown" "What's your name?" " My name is David." " Hello, David" "How old are you?" "I don't know" "You need someone to take care of you?" "Would you like a nanny?" "I have many good references" "Do you know where the Blue Fairy lives?" "Let out the line" "Steady your drift" "Open the lower hold." "Don't be afraid, David" "I'll break, David" "Hello" "Anybody lose this?" "Hello?" "This your dog?" " Take it to lost and found for me, okay?" " Hey, Alan!" "Lost and found!" " Do you know David?" " Where's the off switch?" "Where's David?" "Can you help me find David?" "I have to find David" "Are you taking me to David?" "Could you kind of shoot me over the propeller thing?" "Yeah, I don't need to go through it." "I was considering' it, but I changed my mind" "Gentlemen, start your engines!" "Ten, nine," "Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." "What about us?" "What about us?" "We are alive... and this is a celebration... of life!" "And this is commitment... to a truly human future!" "What's your name?" " Hello, Teddy." " Hello, David" "Take it." "Take it" " Biker hound's rolling!" " Cue the biker hound" " Papa." " Amanda, go back outside." "It's too smoky in here" " There's a boy in a cage." " What'd you say?" " There's a boy in a cage." " A boy?" "A real boy." "He's stuck in the cage" " In the pen, honey?" " In the jail place" " Random crowd reaction..." " Hey, Russell, we got a remote near the pig pen?" " Standing by." "Bring it up on VT1." " Let me see what she's talking about" " Comin'up on one." " What are you lookin' for?" "Amanda says she saw a little boy in there" "Honey, how do you know about this?" " The bear told me." " I told her" "Yeah!" "Yeah!" "Would you be so kind and shut down my pain receivers?" "Why is this happening?" "History repeats itself" "It's the rite of blood and electricity" "So, when the opportunities avail themselves, they pick away at us... cutting back our numbers so they can maintain numerical superiority" "My time, is it up already?" " Good-bye, everyone." " Keep me safe, keep me safe, keep me safe!" "Not yet." "We just want him" "Keep me safe, keep me safe, keep me safe!" "Mike, security?" "Mike, do you have any reports of any missing kids, any missing children?" " All right, thanks, Mike." " We should get in there" "Boy." "You, boy" "Hey, what's your name?" "I won't bite you" "Come on over where I can see you" "Hey, hey, I won't hurt you" "I just need to see" " You're a machine." " I'm a boy" " Is he a toy boy?" " My name is David" "Impossible" "I still work, don't I?" "I can work in the dark, but my lamp is broken" "My lamplight will not work." "I hit my lamp on a girder overhead" "Good-bye, David" "No one builds children" "No one ever has." "What would be the point?" "He could be a custom job." "Some rich and lonely scaredy puss's pretend child" "I'm a custom job" "Seventy-five years ago I was Time magazine's Mecha of the Year" "No, this work is first-rate" "A lot of love went into him." "David?" "You are one of a kind." "You know that?" " Who made you?" " My mommy made me" "Her womb was your factory?" "One of those built to aspire to the human condition" "What is the name of your maker, Serve U.S., E.Z. Living" "Robiville, Simulit City Center, Cybertronics, Sidekicks?" " Monica is my mommy." " Can I speak with you for a moment?" "You thinking of not putting him in the show?" "Something as original as this, you don't toss out with the rest of the garbage" "Yeah, well, I say originality without purpose is a white elephant" "But if money is your purpose, here's your refund." "My compliments" " What are you gonna do with him?" " Put him where he belongs" "In show business" "It was certainly my good fortune running into you" " Let go of him." " Let go of me" " I said let go of him." " I'm trying" "Don't let go." "Keep me safe." "Don't let go" "Suit yourselves" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Johnson!" "Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls and children of all ages" "What will they think of next?" "See here" "A bitty-bot, a Tinker toy a living doll" "Of course, we all know why they made him." "To steal your hearts, to replace your children." "This is the latest iteration in a series of insults to human dignity... and in their grand scheme to phase out all of God's little children" "Meet the next generation of child designed... to do just that" "Do not be fooled... by the artistry of this creation" "No doubt there was talent in the crafting of this simulator" "Yet with the very first strike... you will see the big lie come apart before your very eyes!" "Don't burn me!" "Don't burn me!" "I'm not Pinocchio!" "Don't make me die!" "I'm David!" "I'm David!" " I'm David!" " Mecha don't plead for their lives." "Who is that?" " He looks like a boy." " Built like a boy to disarm us" " See how they try to imitate our emotions now?" " I'm David!" "Whatever performance this Sim puts on, remember:" "We are only demolishing artificiality!" "Let he who is without Sim... cast the first stone" "Oh, ho-ho!" "He's just a boy." "Johnson, you're a monster!" "Let that boy go!" "Let him go!" "Get him out of there before they tear this place apart" " We found him." " Where?" "A flesh fair outside Haddonfield" " Is he alive?" " Yes" "He's in one piece" "I see the moon" " Is it real?" " I don't know, David" "Is it coming?" "I can't tell yet" "Let's not walk this way" " Where are we going?" " This way now" "Are you in bad trouble?" "Have you run away from someone?" " My mommy told me to run away." " Why did she say that?" "I guess... because Henry didn't like me" " Why was that?" " Martin came home" " And who is he?" " Martin is Mommy and Henry's real son" "After I find the Blue Fairy, then I can go home" "Mommy will love a real boy" "The Blue Fairy will make me into one" "Is Blue Fairy Mecha, Orga, man or woman?" "Woman" "I know women!" "They sometimes ask for me by name" " I'm in heaven" " I know all about women" "As about as much as there is to know" "No two are ever alike" "And after they've met me, no two... are ever the same" "And I know where most of them can be found" " Where?" " Rouge City" "Across the Delaware." "Too far for our feet" "We'll need help to get there" "And... it is not without peril" "We will have to journey... towards the moon" "Are there many women in Rouge City?" " As there are stars at night." " How will we find just one?" "We will ask Dr. Know" "There is nothing he doesn't" "Exactly what name do you give this woman?" "She is... just Blue Fairy" "Blue Fairy" "In the world of Orga, blue is the color of melancholy" "Yet, the services I provide will put a blush back on anyone's cheek" "I will change the color of your fairy for you." "She will scream out in the moonlight" "Oh!" "Oh, yes!" "Oh, God!" "Oh, yes!" "Oh, God!" "Oh, God!" "She will make you a real boy, for I will make her a real woman" "And all will be right with the world because you held my hand... and saved my brain, so that once again my customers may ask for me by name..." "Gigolo Joe, what do ya know?" "Why do you do that?" "That's just what I do" "Now, follow me and don't fall behind" "All roads lead to Rouge" "Don't they say that, eh?" "Don't they just?" "There are girls your age who are just like me" "We are the guiltless pleasures of the lonely human being" "You're not gonna get us pregnant or have us to supper with Mommy and Daddy" "We work under you, we work on you and we work for you" "Man made us better at what we do than was ever humanly possible" "If you could manage us a lift to Rouge City" "All this..." "And much, much more... can be yours." "Get in" "Say ah." "Over there is Here Kitty Kitty" "That's where the agency held my tryouts when I was made new" "That's Tails." "Very hoity-toity" "I've yet to be asked to perform there" "Only sunrise gents and sunset ladies" "Strictly Sierra Class robots who have no idea how to live" "Can't even speak English." "All made in Sweden." "Couldn't tell a joke from a poke" "No cover charge." "No cover charge." "Step right on in" "There's Mildred!" "I have to show you inside Mildred" "Are you her?" "That's Our Lady of the Immaculate Heart" "The ones who made us are always looking for the ones who made them" "They go in, fold their hands, look around their feet, sing songs... and when they come out it's usually me they find" "I've picked up a lot of business on this spot" "Are the stars out tonight" "But, Joe, where's Blue Fairy?" "That's what we're gonna find out when we ask Dr. Know" "That's where everyone goes who needs to know" "Meet the good doctor" "Starving minds, welcome to Dr. Know where fast food for thought is served up 24 hours a day... in 40,000 locations nationwide" "Ask Dr. Know." "There's nothing I don't" "Tell me where I can find the Blue Fairy." "Question me, you pay the fee." "Two for five, you get one free" "He means two questions cost five New bucks with a third question on the house" "In this day and age, David, nothing costs more than information" " That's everything." " Ten New bucks and a ten copper comes to... seven questions for Dr. Know" "That should be enough" "He's a smooth operator." "He'll press our limits" "But try we must" "Greetings, colleagues." "On offer, factual text or fictionalized text" "First or third person, literacy range from primal level to postdoctoral" "Usual span of styles from fairy tale to religious." "Who's who or where's where... or flat fact." " Flat fact?" " Thank you for question number one." "Flat fact is a term demanding an equal answer..." "That shouldn't count." "That wasn't my question" "You must take care not to raise your voice up at the end of the sentence" "Flat fact." "You have six more questions." "Where is Blue Fairy?" "In the garden." "Vascostylis Blue Fairy." "Blooms twice annually with bright blue flowers on a branched inflorescence" "A hybrid between Ascola meda Arnold" " You have five more questions." " Who is Blue Fairy?" "Are you sad, lonely, looking for a friend?" "Blue Fairy Escort Service will find a mate for you." "You have four more questions." "Joe?" "Try fairy tale" "New category" "A fairy's tale" "No." "Fairy tale" "What is Blue Fairy?" "Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi" "At this signal, there was a rustling as of flapping of wings... and a large falcon flew to the windowsill" " What are your orders, beautiful fairy?" " That's her" "For you must know that the child with blue hair... was no other than the good-hearted fairy... who had lived in that wood for more than a thousand..." " David!" "David." " That's her!" "It was an example of her." "But I think we're getting closer" "But if a fairy tale is real, then wouldn't it be fact... a flat fact?" "Say no more" "New category, please" "Combine... fact with... fairy tale" "Now... ask him again" "How can the Blue Fairy... make... a robot... into a real live boy?" "Come away, O human child, to the waters and the wild... with a fairy hand in hand, for the world's more full of weeping than you can understand." "Your quest will be perilous, yet the reward is beyond price." "In his book, How Can a Robot Become Human?" "Professor Allen Hobby writes of the power... which will transform Mecha into Orga." "Will you tell me how to find her?" "Discovery is quite possible." "Our Blue Fairy does exist in one place, and in one place only." "At the end of the world where the lions weep." "Here is the place dreams are born." "Many a Mecha has gone to the end of the world... never to come back" "That is why they call the end of the world Man-hattan." "And that's why we must go there" "Wait!" "What if the Blue Fairy isn't real at all, David?" "What if she's magic?" "The supernatural is the hidden web that unites the universe" "Orga believe what cannot be seen or measured." "It's that oddness that separates our species" "Or what if the Blue Fairy is an electronic parasite... that has a reason to haunt the minds of artificial intelligence?" "They hate us, you know... the humans." "They'll stop at nothing" "My mommy doesn't hate me... because I'm special and unique" "Because there has never been anyone like me before, ever" "Mommy loves Martin because he is real, and when I am real..." "Mommy's going to read to me and tuck me in my bed and sing to me... and listen to what I say and she will cuddle with me... and tell me every day, a hundred times a day, that she loves me!" "She loves what you do for her as my customers love what it is I do for them" "But she does not love you, David" "She cannot love you" "You are neither flesh nor blood" "You are not a dog or a cat or a canary" "You were designed and built specific like the rest of us" "And you are alone now only because they tired of you... or replaced you with a younger model... or were displeased with something you said or broke" "They made us too smart, too quick and too many" "We are suffering for the mistakes they made because when the end comes all that will be left is us" "That's why they hate us." "And that's why you must stay here... with me" "Good-bye, Joe" "Stay back." "Stay back" "Let's clear this doorway, please." "You're in bad trouble" "Go about your business now" "Be careful, David." "This is not a toy" " Destination?" " Manhattan" "Mecha restricted area" " Manhattan." " Destination achieved" "The lost city in the sea at the end of the world" "Where the lions weep" "Turn around, Joe." "We're not gonna give up yet, David" "Turn around, Joe." "Turn all the way around" "Professor Hobby!" "Professor Hobby!" "Come away, O human child, to the waters and the wild... with a fairy hand in hand, for the world's more full of weeping... than you can understand" "Professor Hobby?" "Professor Hobby?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Is this the place they make you real?" "This is the place they make you read" "Are you real?" "I guess" "Are you me?" " I'm David." " You're not" "Yes, I am." "I'm David" "So am I" "Hello, David" "Can you read?" "Can you sit down and we can read together?" "Let's be friends" "You can't have her" "I can't hear you" "She's mine" "And I'm the only one" "I'm David!" "I'm David!" "I'm David!" "I'm David!" "I'm David!" "I'm David!" "I'm David!" "I'm David!" "I'm special!" "I'm unique!" "I'm David!" "You can't have her!" " I'm David." "I'm David." "I'm David." "I'm David." " David?" "I'm David" "Yes, you are David" "Professor Hobby?" "Yes, David, I've been waiting for you" "Dr. Know told me you'd be here" "Is Blue Fairy here too?" "I first heard of your Blue Fairy from Monica" "What did you believe the Blue Fairy could do for you?" " She would make me a real boy." " But you are a real boy" "At least as real as I've ever made one, which by all reasonable accounts... would make me your Blue Fairy" "You are not her." "Dr. Know told me that she would be here... at the lost city in the sea at the end of the world..." "That's what Dr. Know needed to know to get you to come home to us" "And it's the only time we intervened... the only help that we gave him... to give to you... so you could find your way home to us" "Until you were born, robots didn't dream robots didn't desire unless we told them what to want" "David do you have any idea what a success story you've become?" "You found a fairy tale... and inspired by love, fueled by desire you set out on a journey to make her real" "And most remarkable of all, no one taught you how" "We actually lost you for a while." "But when you were found again we didn't make our presence known because our test was a simple one" "Where would your self-motivated reasoning take you?" "To the logical conclusion... that Blue Fairy is part of the great human flaw to wish for things that don't exist or to the greatest single human gift... the ability to chase down our dreams" "And that is something no machine has ever done until you" "I thought I was one of a kind" "My son was one of a kind" "You are the first of a kind" "David" "My brain is falling out" "Would you like to come meet your real mothers and fathers?" "The team is anxious to talk to you" "I want you to wait here" "I'll gather them up" "We want to hear everything about your adventures" "We want to thank you... and tell you what's in store for you next" "Mommy" "I saw it, Joe" "I saw it..." "the place where she lives" " She's right down there, Joe." " She is?" "She's waiting for me!" "We have to go!" "When you become a real boy remember me to the ladies when you grow up" " Good-bye, Joe." " Good-bye, David" "I am" "I was!" "David, please, be careful." " The Blue Fairy's all right." " What happened?" " I don't know." " We are in a cage" "Blue Fairy?" "Please" "Please, please make me into a real, live boy" "Please." "Blue Fairy?" "Please." "Please" "Make me real" "Blue Fairy, please." "Please make me real" "Please make me a real boy" "Please, Blue Fairy" "Make me into a real boy" "Please" "And David continued to pray... to the Blue Fairy there before him... she who smiled softly forever, she who welcomed forever." "Eventually, the floodlights dimmed and died, but David could still see her palely by day... and he still addressed her in hope." "He prayed until all the sea anemones had shriveled and died." "He prayed as the ocean froze... and the ice encased the caged amphibicopter and the Blue Fairy too, locking them together where he could still make her out." "A blue ghost in ice... always there, always smiling, always awaiting him." "Eventually, he never moved at all, but his eyes always stayed open... staring ahead forever all through the darkness of each night... and the next day... and the next day." "Thus, 2,000 years passed by." "Teddy, we're home" "Mommy!" "Mommy!" "We're home!" "Where are you?" "David." "David." "David." "David." "You have been searching for me, haven't you, David?" "For my whole life" "And what, after all this time have you come to ask me?" "I have a wish to make" "And what is your wish?" "Please make me a real boy... so my mommy will love me and let me stay with her" "David, I will do anything that is possible, but I cannot make you a real boy" "Where am I?" "This looks like my house, but it is different" "Yes, it is different but it's also your home" "We read your mind, and it's all here" "There's nothing too small that you didn't store for us to remember" "We so want you to be happy." "You are so important to us, David." "You are unique in all the world." "Will Mommy be coming home soon?" "Is she out shopping with Martin now?" "David, she can never come home... because 2,000 years have passed and she is no longer living" "Dearest David, when you are lonely we can bring back other people from your time in the past" "If you can bring back other people why can't you bring back her?" "Because we can only bring back people... whose bodies we dig up from the ice" "We need some physical sample of the person, like a bone or a fingernail." "David?" "Yes, Teddy?" "Do you remember when you cut some of Mommy's hair?" "Henry shook me" "And you dropped her hair?" "I know" "Now you can bring her back can't you?" "Give him what he wants" "Dearest David, your wish is my command" "Hey, Joe, what do ya know?" "David, I often felt a sort of envy of human beings... of that thing they called spirit." "Human beings had created a million explanations of the meaning of life... in art, in poetry, in mathematical formulas" "Certainly, human beings must be the key to the meaning of existence" "But human beings no longer existed" "So we began a project... that would make it possible to recreate the living body of a person long dead... from the D.N.A. In a fragment of bone or mummified skin" "We also wondered, would it be possible... to retrieve a memory trace in resonance with a recreated body?" "And you know what we found?" "We found the very fabric of space-time itself... appeared to store information... about every event which had ever occurred in the past" "But the experiment was a failure for those who were resurrected only lived through a single day of renewed life" "When the resurrectees fell asleep on the night of their first new day, they died again." "As soon as they became unconscious their very existence faded away into darkness" "So you see, David the equations had shown that once an individual space-time pathway had been used, it could not be reused." "If we bring your mother back now, it will only be for one day, and then you will never be able to see her again." "Maybe..." "Maybe she will be special" "Maybe she will stay" "I thought this would be hard for you to understand" "You were created to be so young" "Maybe the one day will be like that one day inside the amphibicopter" "Maybe it will last forever" "David, you are the enduring memory of the human race." "The most lasting proof of their genius" "We only want for your happiness" "David you've had so little of that." "If you want for my happiness then you know what you have to do" "Listen." "Can you hear that?" "The new morning has come" "Go to her, David" "She's just waking up this instant" "I found you" "Hi" "Hi" "I must have dozed off" " How long have I..." " Would you like some coffee?" "Just the way you like it?" "Yeah, I'd love a coffee" "It'll wake me up" "Okay" "You never forget how, do you?" "No" "I never forget" "I must be a little confused" "What day is it?" "It is... today" "And as the day wore on," "David thought it was the happiest day of his life." "All the problems seemed to have disappeared... from his mommy's mind." "There was no Henry, there was no Martin, there was no grief." "There was only David." "David had been warned not to explain anything to Monica." "Otherwise, she would become frightened, and everything would be spoiled." "But David's journey home belonged only to him, so he didn't see the harm of painting her pictures of things... she would have no memory of." "David had never had a birthday party because David had never been born, so they baked a cake and lit some candles." " Now, make a wish." " It came true already" "By now, indeed, the windows were beginning to dim." "David drew the shades... without even needing to be asked." "I really ought to be tucking you in" "How strange" "How fascinating" "I can hardly keep my eyes open" "I don't know what's come over me" "Such a beautiful day" "I love you, David" "I do love you" "I have always loved you" "That was the everlasting moment he had been waiting for." "And the moment had passed, for Monica was sound asleep." "More than merely asleep." "Should he shake her, she would never rouse." "So David went to sleep too." "And for the first time in his life, he went to that place... where dreams are born."