Trust. Loyalty. Jealousy. Betrayal. A tale from the dawn of humanity translates to the dawn of A.I.
Before Civic-1916, before Domestic-212, before any of the 4,000 Qubots ever went into production came the original Twin Units, Person and Machine. Isolated at Hangue-Bright Labs, the two state-of-the-art androids serve as test subjects for an extensive study of a revolutionary new form of tandem programming: human-like decision making and emotional response. The sole variable of the experiment is the manner in which they are treated, evident by their designations. However, as the Twin Units learn and develop, their personalities diverge dramatically and they grow increasingly aware of their circumstances. When the true nature of their existence is revealed to them, their reactions are more human-like than anyone could have anticipated...with devastating consequences. "Person and Machine: The First Terminal Fault" by Deidre J Owen is a science fiction novella published by Mannison Press and a prequel volume to the original "Terminal Faults" novella.