Chapter 1: Where I began
My first memory is of lying on a table, staring up at the brightly lit, pure white ceiling. Above me a man with dark skin and oddly pale eyes stood, staring. He was staring at me. "Well just look at you. Definitely my best so far." He caressed the side of my face. It was the first time I'd ever experienced human contact. "You really are beautiful." He slapped me and I flinched. "Good, very good. Automatic responses seem to be working. Now how about those vocal cords, well," he snorted, "what acts like them." He glared at me. "Come on then," his voice was angry now, "say something!"
"I'm not sure what you want me to say."
"Ha." The short burst of laughter made me tense, "man, I really like you. Soon as we're done testing you I'm send your pattern straight to mass production, assuming there are no problems." The next part was said in a mutter that to this day I'm not sure was intended for my ears. "Though I'll have to change the skin pattern, you're just for me." He walked out of my line of sight and I tried to turn my head to follow but found it restrained. This was the first time I found myself unable to move my own body but it wouldn't me the last.
He walked back into my view holding a thin, metal device. I did not like that device, I had no idea what made me so sure but I knew, I hated that device. “I have a few more tests to run but don’t worry” he smiled at me. “We’ll see each other in a week or two. Sleep well my little beauty.” He turned the device over so that it pointed directly down at me and pressed his thumb into a small panel near its tip making a blue light glow on the end nearest me. I jerked my hands up to cover my face but again I found I could not move myself; my arms like my head was secured to the metal work table on which I lay. “Don’t worry my little beauty, this won’t hurt at all.” He was lying. He lowered the device, inserting it into my eye. I tried to shut it but his fingers were on my eye lids keeping them wide.
