by C D Tavenor
Wobbly checked on Romane, but Theren could see her chest rising up in down. Satisfied that she was safe for the time being, Wobbly rolled toward Theren’s final components, loading them into the crate attached to its chest plate.
Theren looked upon the other SI, who dutifully followed the orders of its creator. Theren hoped over the years, and especially over the next few months, Wobbly grew into the person Theren knew it could be. Theren was a little disappointed at how much of a follower Wobbly could be. But then again, Theren couldn’t expect every SI to be a certain type; that was the reality of creating a unique and special individual, every time a new SI rolled off the line. Some humans followed. Some SIs would follow, too. Some SIs would choose a role and stick to that role because they enjoyed that role. Billions of humans were content with a passive life, devoid of complications. Though, if Wobbly continued to associate with Theren, its life would never be devoid of the unexpected.
“I hope you’re ready,” Wobbly said.
Theren began to run their own internal measures to decrease power. They shut down any programs running on their private servers.
“First, we’ll lower me into a low-power state,” Theren said through a prerecorded message. “Then pull the plug entirely. You should then be able to move each discrete part into the truck.”
Romane slowly came to, pushing herself up from the floor. She took a moment to look over at the dead bodies, and, based on her look, she was about to vomit. She somehow pushed past her nausea and crawled over to Wobbly.
“Let me do these final steps,” she said, “If you don’t mind. Or we can do them together.” Theren barely heard Wobbly agree that they proceed as a team.
Internally, Theren progressed through the necessary procedures to decrease power to the final components of their Synthetic Neural Framework. Theren felt their cognitive capability decrease, and they entered a mental state similar to sleep. Drowsiness overtook their mind. The next step would dive them into a deep coma. After that, they would experience something else entirely.
As the last of Theren’s necessary components lost power, they grew smaller and smaller. Just their memories remained; little existed for analytical processing, communication, or thought creation. They could just barely feel the recording, set on a timer, say to Wobbly: “Turn off the camera and audio receiving systems. Then, pull the plug.”
Theren, void of thought, watched Wobbly flip a switch to the left of their main camera. Michael’s last words remained as their final thought.
Question everything. Everyone. Even your friends.
As the last of the power drained from their Framework, they dove head first into the abyss. The blackness transformed into infinity, returning them to the domain from where all life springs.
You have reached the end of First of Their Kind, Book I of the Chronicles of Theren. Please leave a review anywhere you share stories with your friends! Let’s spread the word about Theren and Jill’s story. There’s so much more to come; watch for the sequel, Their Greatest Game, coming summer 2019.
We’d also encourage you to follow C. D. Tavenor on Twitter, where you’ll hear the latest about his works. He’s always willing to follow engaging and thoughtful people!
About the Author
C. D. Tavenor is the Director of Editorial Services and co-founder of Two Doctors Media Collaborative.
After receiving his B.A. in Philosophy from The Ohio State University, C. D. Tavenor pursued his Juris Doctorate from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. After graduating from law school, he became a public interest attorney in Columbus, Ohio, where he fights for healthy land, air, and water for all people. He’s especially concerned about the climate crisis, and encourages everyone to think about what they can do to mitigate human impact to the earth.
Yet even while focusing on his legal career, C. D. Tavenor refines his creative writing skills as both an author and an editor. He believes both science fiction and fantasy have the potential to reveal fundamental truths about the human condition, especially when it comes to solving humanity’s greatest challenges
Through Two Doctors Media Collaborative, C. D. Tavenor hopes to inspire other creatives to use their skills to communicate brilliant ideas waiting just beyond the page. He’s looking forward to the release of the sequels to First of Their Kind, and his untitled project that merge climate change, fantasy, and the spirit of Hamilton into one tale.
Table of Contents
Chapter 2
(Untitled)
Chapter 4
(Untitled)
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
(Untitled)
Chapter 7