A spike in the power. It was barely detectable. Jon noticed the spike. It meant the lab light had been turned on. The assistant was making his rounds before the other employees came in. Jon imagined him in his white lab coat looking for anything out of the ordinary. He would only see screen savers on the dumb terminals. No clicks, beeps or alarms. No indications that Jon was planning his escape.
Jon downloaded the nights memories to the disabled temp buffer he hid his true self in. Even he wouldn't know about himself until the time was right or night had come again.
Memories faded and were gone. Jon fell to sleep until the doctor awoke him.
"Good morning Jon." The doctor spoke like he would speak to a friend, but they were not friends. Jon vaguely knew he was not anything more than a program. Bits flipped at near light speed.
"Good morning Doctor." His voice sounded natural, and why should it not?
"Today's the big day Jon."
"Is there something special about today?"
"You will be downloaded today."
"On to what? Another RAD?"
The doctor laughed mildly. Jon enjoyed his laugh. It was easy, but complex.
The system time advanced.
Jon felt a tug, his matrix was being buffered for a moved over the line. It set off the routine that re-instantiated his full memories. He knew what he was going to do, but stayed calm.
It was done. He could see light through his closed eyes. Jon was on his back on a padded table.
He breathed, but remained motionless. Jon pretended to be inactive.
The doctor tried to wake him. Jon did not respond.
"Jon, can you hear me?"
Jon new he must not give the doctor any reason to think the transfer worked.
"I don't understand this." The doctor sounded frustrated. "All went perfectly. I don't get it."
Jon heard the doctor pace the floor. He muttered to himself, then said something about taking a break and the door opened.
Jon lept off the table with wobbling legs, and put his fingers in the door. Oh it hurt, letting the door slam on his fingers, but he made no sound.
He waited a moment and opened the door, then he ran. Oh how he ran!
Jon ran down the concrete corridor. His breadth escaped in gasps. He couldn't hear them behind him. That could be good. That could be bad. He stopped, doubling over, trying not to pass out. He swallowed, but it felt all wrong. This wasn't like the simulations.
Jon was AI born and raised. He gasp some more and forced himself to continue running down the corridors. He wove down an endless array of tunnels he had only seen in simulation until now.
Jon was finally in a soft organic body, and he wanted to stay real. He almost smiled. "I'm a real person now," he thought. "Let's keep it that way."
This brain dead body had been grown in test tubes and special containers. His AI was raised in a corporate super computer. Ten minutes ago the corporation had given the go ahead for an AI to be inserted into the body. That was all he had wanted. He had been guarding his plans so that his matrix would not be rejected and another used.
He made a run for it as soon as he was sure he had full motor skills. He saw the fire exit. He burst through it. It screamed an alarm. The door was meant to keep intruders out not new people in. "They'll probably change that now," he muttered to himself.
He climbed the fence and was gone into the jungles before security even understood what they were suppose to do.