Hugh Everett III

 

No amount of pulleys, wires, chains, rafts, levers, tubes and punched cards can create an intelligent Machine.
Nobody said this was going to be easy. But for amazing Doctor Nanavre, nothing was impossible. He did create a Robot out of Steel.  
Steampunk Robot was finally set up in the backyard of  Lab.  Good Doctor poured gallon of water into the mouth of Robot, opened the belly hatch and shoved in few pounds of coal and oil soaked burning rags.
Robot was fired.
The steam pressure started building gradually. Doctor occupied a chair  opposite control panel, When the needle of the pressure gauge settled at five, stream of conscious steam  began to circulate in the Robot’s body.
The robot was energized.
“Hello Machine, Welcome to my lab!” Robot spoke in his metallic voice.
This was a moment of awe, wonder and fulfilment for Doctor. he made robot to deliver customary "Welcome Address”. Steampunk had found voice.
“Robot, I have breathed life into you. I am your Creator.   Welcome to my Universe!” The doctor spoke magnanimously.
“Excuse me, you are mistaken. I am Nanavre, world’s only Steam Doctor. For the past few days I have been experimenting in my lab to create an intelligent being. Today I have succeeded! By virtue of being your “Father” I will christen you, Hey, you little cute jerk, sit up straight. I am naming you  “Ziprya”.”
This RoboSpeak left Doctor Nunavre in utter confusion.  
This Robot is calling himself Doctor Nanavre whereas in fact I am Doctor Nanavre.
“Robot, not me, You are mistaken, I should check your “brain”.” Doctor pressed the shutdown button on the front panel. The steam pressure started decreasing gradually.
“A Machine checking my brain! Ha, ha, Actually I really have to fix you. Going to my lab. Will be back in a jiffy. Stay put.” The robot spoke hurriedly.
The Robot shut down.
Something was not adding. Every intelligent organism has a chain of causality built in its brain.  Doctor had devised one for this Robot too.  Has that slipped off? Must be. Got to check!
He opened the scull of Robot
“Aha, As I thought. The Chain has indeed slipped off the sprocket.”
The Chain was set right and the Robot was fired again. The steam pressure started building up. and the Robot came to life.
“I have fixed the bug. Now you won't have any confusion.” The Robot assured.
There was silence for a while.
“Robot, you are just picking up key words from my talk and framing your response. Do not copy “Eliza”. This way you may fail Turing Test.”
“Great! I planted in your brain, this idea of subjecting your creator to Turing test. This shows that  you have yet not developed free will. You are sentient but not sapient. I have to do a lot of work on you.” Robot seemed a bit disappointed.
“Really?”' Doctor was sarcastic, “Good progress. Keep it up.”
All this started to become unbearable for Doctor. Who is programming whom? Who is human and who is robot?
“Robot, I am now going to test your maths skills. Are you ready?”
“Machine, I am going to answers you just to satisfy your ego. There might be differences between the maths in our universe and the maths in your universe. Fire Your Questions.”
"Let's start with very simple math."
Simple questions such as square root of two, value of 'pi' to tens of thousands of decimal places were answered by Robot in fraction of second.
“Good, here's your chocolate. Now a bit difficult math. How much is two plus two?
“Four.”
“Good, Two times two?”
“Four.”
“Four plus three?”
“Six. Zipreya, why did you make a face as if  you saw the ghost?”
“Say it again.”
"Didn't you hear what was said? Six! No matter how many times you ask, the answer is six.”
“My dear Robot, no teasing. Be serious. Four plus three?”
“Zipper, I'm serious. Six.”
“Robot don't call me 'Zipper' again. I am your  Creator. Have some respect.” The doctor looked really annoyed now.
The robot said dramatically, “Stop being proud. Remember you are just a Machine.”
"Can you count numbers?"
"Any doubt?” Robot started counting, “One, two, three, four, five, six, eight, nine and ten.”
“Oh robot, have you forgotten seven?”
“Seven? Which seven? What seven?”
“You mischievous Steampunk! Now you are annoying me."
“And you Machine, who are you calling Steampunk?"
The pressure in the steam gauge started rising.
“Not once but seven times. Steampunk, Steampunk, Steampunk,...”-- The doctor.
“I am a Steampunk?. Oh you seven Machine, son of  seven Machine, grandson of seven seven Machine!...” The Robot was shouting now. His mouth started frothing at the corners.
Steam pressure rose  to seven. Steam Jets ware ejecting from his ears, nose and mouth.
Enraged, the robot uprooted the guava tree in the garden and stated advancing menacingly. The things has gotten out of hand. Superheated steam had found it’s way into his brain.
The good Doctor started running towards the hill.

“Zipper, four plus three is six! Yes or no?”
“No. Never. Seven times big NO! Listen carefully. Four plus three equals seven. Even if I lose my life over seven.”
It had been seven minutes to seven.
The Robot's movement slowed down. The words came out faltering off his mouth.
“Goodbye for now. But I will be back, Till then remember, Four plus three equals…”
He could’t finish the sentence.
The robot ran out of steam!
This “l'affaire du. robot” left Doctor haunted with self doubt and confusion. Is he  Homo Sapien or Robo Sapian? He was in  state of superposition of Homo/Robo. He doesn’t want   the wave function to collapse. If it turned out that he is Robot then what?
Dear Doctor, no need getting confused. First come out of Superposition. You are proper Homo Sapian. And please allow me to explain.
Owing to some Cosmic Catastrophe, you had a brief encounter  with yourself from one of the many Universes of Hugh Everett III.  
That’s all!