Prototype Exodus (Prototype D Series Book 2)

by Jason D. Morrow

  “You did what you had to do,” she said.

  “And your Mainlanders thought I was a monster,” he answered.

  “Of course. In fact, I still think it feels weird that I’m sitting near you and talking to you. Your face was plastered on walls and windows for a year. I couldn’t get on a train without seeing your mug shot.”

  “I may have set things in motion, but it was you that helped carry it out. You and Des.”

  “Yeah, well that was a long time ago,” Hazel said. “I don’t know if these people follow us so much as use us as an excuse to fight.”

  “Does it matter either way?” Nolan asked.

  “I suppose not.”

  Des turned to look at them for a brief moment, and his head stayed in place when he saw Nolan reach for Hazel’s hand. They interlocked their fingers as Hazel leaned in and set her head against his shoulder.

  Something stirred within Des’ mind and he wasn’t sure what it was. He supposed that first and foremost, he didn’t trust Nolan, and seeing Hazel like this with him seemed to indicate that she did, which was in stark contrast to how she had acted toward the man only days ago.

  Des tried to understand what he saw, but knew he would never be able to. Not in this body. Words. Information. That was what comforted Des. He supposed that Hazel was in need of comfort, and perhaps Nolan was as well. Therefore, their physical touch of interlocking fingers and her head resting on his shoulder was a way to comfort each other. Such an act meant nothing to Des. He could physically feel, but there was no emotional gratification from feeling. Pain did not make him angry—though he was not sure he had ever truly experienced what pain was. A squeeze of the shoulder did not make him feel happy or self-assured. A kiss did not stir desire or love or passion within him.

  Des did not suspect that love or passion was present in this case with Nolan or Hazel, but he envied them nonetheless. He was happy for them, but it was moments like these that Des looked out among the robots and even at himself and wondered what he really was.

  They had been given true human emotions. But their minds were different. They could not release emotions by physical means. Sadness that Des felt was simply that: sadness. There was no crying. There was no mourning. He only had the ability to think about it. To not like it. He had never been so upset that he became ill. He had never found something so funny that his body doubled over in laughter. Once or twice he had simulated laughter, but it had been completely voluntary, and only for the people around him. He had wanted to express that he had been amused, but it wasn’t real.

  This wasn’t the first time Des had these thoughts and he knew that they took him to a dark place. It made him wonder if there was any true significance to living with only half of the conscious experience. These thoughts made him feel depressed, though the depression did nothing to affect his memory core function. They might have made him want to be alone, but that was only because he didn’t want to have to explain himself.

  Life without the ability to express those emotions felt like being trapped within a cage. It felt like he was just a computer program…trapped in a computer terminal…

  How horrible life must have been for Esroy, deprived of physicality infinitely more than Des. Hazel could not be blamed. One could have never suspected that any of the robots would feel this way.

  He looked across the street and saw a few of them, covered in their blue paint, seemingly excited at the newness that they felt. These robots had been made within the last couple of years, but they had been truly born within the last twenty-four hours. Hazel had opened their eyes, but she didn’t know to what degree. She had no idea that one day these same robots would start to have the same thoughts and feelings that Des now had. One day, they would realize that they wanted more—that emotions weren’t enough.

  They would want to be human.

  Such an idea wasn’t as far-fetched as one would think, either. With the processing power of hundreds or perhaps thousands of robots, constantly thinking, building, experimenting, technology and forward-thinking would grow at a rapid pace. People wouldn’t be able to keep up.

  Des often wondered if the robots and humans would be able to coexist. The answer in his mind was a resounding no. That’s not to say that he couldn’t. But it only took one Esroy to ruin the whole bunch. And he couldn’t help but wonder which one of these robots might be the next Esroy—a revolutionary, and one who desired power more than to simply live.

  These robots wouldn’t always have these bodies. They would build new ones. Better ones. They would perfect the clean transfer so they could have multiple bodies.

  But even after all this was done, and the robots figured out a way to make the most wonderful robot bodies, they would still be lacking that human touch. They would be lacking the whole other half of them that would allow them to experience life in a different way.

  It was something that the humans took for granted. And why wouldn’t they? They didn’t know anything else.

  So, Des predicted, robots would try to make human bodies for themselves in the future. He didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. But he knew that if they did that, there would be a cost. Because there was something that all humans had to go through, that no robot had to necessarily: death.

  Sure, robots could be deactivated, their programming deleted. But it wasn’t the same as a human dying. At least, from what Des had researched within his archived memory, there was something special about a person dying. There was a tranquility about it that seemed both tragic yet beautiful. There was that everlasting hope, and for some a knowledge that their death was not the end of all things.

  Hazel had named her programming Soul for a reason. She had breathed life into the robots by giving them human emotions, but they were just emotions. Just electrical signals that produced feelings. They were what made Des think what he was thinking as he stared at Hazel and Nolan, holding close to each other in the coldness of night. Des may have been programmed with Soul. But these people had souls, created by some miraculous design and unattainable by any other creature in existence.

  Proof of such things did not exist. But if someone were to show Des that proof had been found, there would be no look of surprise on his face. He would offer a shrug, and probably say that he already knew, reminding him again that he walked through life, soulless.

  The night came to a standstill not long after Hazel told Nolan that she wanted to go home and spend some time with her father before all of them left in the morning. No one wanted to say it, but all of them knew that their fates could be determined the moment they stepped foot outside the Southern Zone wall.

  The people slept, and the robots were considerate with their movements and conversations, keeping it low in tone and their steps soft. Des didn’t move throughout the night. He watched Nolan pace back and forth for a little while before the man noticed him sitting in the shadows.

  Nolan looked from side-to-side before walking over to Des. He stood over him for just a moment, then sat in the dirt across from him.

  “You look good in blue,” Nolan said.

  “Lester didn’t come with you,” Des observed.

  Nolan looked at the ground and rubbed a finger through the dirt. “Yeah, I know. I tried to get him to come with me, but he wouldn’t. He said he wanted to stall them as long as possible.”

  Des nodded, knowing that such an act probably meant a death sentence for the Outlander president. Esroy wasn’t a ‘take prisoners’ sort of enemy. Des remembered how Esroy had been five years ago. And based on his talk with him in the sewers, he hadn’t changed. He never would. In fact, he was probably worse than the Esroy five years ago.

  “So,” Des said. “What will an Outlander Mainland look like?”

  Nolan snorted and thick vapor blew out of his mouth. “I don’t know. To see the Outlanders mingling with the Mainlanders will be weird. It will take them a long time to learn to be friends.”

  “Well,” Des said, “I imagine the robots wil
l ease the transition, don’t you think?”

  Nolan nodded slowly. “I suppose so.”

  Des watched him. He noticed his heartbeat getting faster. There was an anxiousness that flowed through Nolan that Des hadn’t noticed in anyone else.

  “What’s wrong?” Des asked.

  Nolan shook his head. “Nothing.”

  “You’re anxious.”

  “Yep.”

  “Are you worried about our chances tomorrow?”

  “A little.”

  “I’m worried that the EMP will be too heavily guarded.”

  “There’s no way they will set it off,” Nolan said. “Not now that they have three-fourths of the robots on their side. I would only be worried about it if we had all the robots.”

  “Now they have the ability to beat us just by sheer numbers,” Des said.

  “That’s right.”

  “So, do we even go for the military compound then?” Des shrugged. “If there isn’t a risk of them using the EMP then perhaps we should fortify here where we are.”

  “I don’t know,” Nolan said. “There are still a lot of weapons there. And it’s a good central location.”

  “A location that Esroy and Bracken could easily overtake.”

  Nolan’s eyes met Des’ and he stared for a long moment.

  Des studied him, and it wasn’t long before the receptors within Des’ memory core formed links, and he knew Nolan’s intentions.

  Des kept his voice calm and low so as not to draw attention. “I see. You’re marching the robots to their doom.”

  “No,” Nolan said. “I…I just…”

  “You want us to help you get to the military compound so you can use the EMP, not deactivate it.”

  Nolan didn’t answer.

  “I can’t believe this,” Des said. “Or, I guess I can. How long has this been your plan?”

  “Since I failed to get all the robots on our side.” Nolan looked in both directions to make sure no one was listening. He then leaned in toward Des. “If you think we stand a chance against the numbers Esroy and Bracken have, then you are mistaken. The only way we can win this fight is if we use the EMP and destroy the whole robot army.”

  “You weren’t going to tell me about this, were you? You were just going to let me lead the way, thinking it was to get enough weapons to arm our people.”

  Nolan sucked in two lungs full of cold air through his nose and looked away. “My mission has always been to save the Outlanders. To make them equal to the Mainlanders. They deserve it.”

  “But the robots are here, Nolan. We have feelings. We are more than just machines now. It’s a reality that you have to deal with whether you like it or not.”

  “What do you expect me to do?” Nolan said with a harsh whisper. “It’s the only chance we have. If we don’t do this, Esroy and Bracken are going to take over.”

  “I know,” Des said. “Which is why I’m going to help you.”

  Nolan lifted an eyebrow. “You are?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re going to lead a bunch of robots to help set off the EMP?”

  Des shrugged. “My version is going to be a little more involved than that.”

  “How so?”

  “I will help you get to the military compound. I will help you take it over. But once we’ve taken it, I will send the robots out of the city where the EMP blast won’t affect them.”

  “And what if the attacks keep coming?” Nolan said. “What if they take us over?”

  “We will stand and fight,” Des said. “Until our robots are safe and out of the city.”

  “We?”

  “That’s right,” Des said. “I will stay and help.” He shrugged. “And to make sure you don’t activate the weapon prematurely.”

  Nolan shook his head. “We haven’t even calculated how long it would take.”

  “How far can the EMP reach?” Des asked.

  Nolan thought for a moment and again shook his head. “I don’t know a lot about it, Des. But from what I understand it is designed to pretty much work within the confines of the city walls. I don’t know, but I suspect it won’t reach anything far out of the city.”

  “Okay,” Des said. “Then to be safe, for the robots to get out by vehicles it would take approximately twenty-three minutes to be out of reach. And that is if there is no resistance or problems.”

  “That won’t work, Des.”

  “Then I suppose I could tell the robots of your deceitful plan and we can let them choose for themselves.”

  Nolan chewed at his thumbnail and spat to the side. “You realize that if you stay with us you will die.”

  “I know.”

  Nolan shook his head. “And there’s no bringing you back. There’s no saving you to a hard drive. The electromagnetic pulse will fry all that. When you’re gone…you’re gone.”

  “I understand,” Des said. “I’m not afraid to die.”

  “I am,” Nolan said. “I’m terrified.”

  A silent moment sat between them. Des still hadn’t moved since the sun had set and the night had already begun to carry them into the early morning hours.

  “I’m really sorry, Des. I should have talked to you about this first.”

  “Yes, you should have.”

  “Do you really think we stand a chance without the robots tomorrow?”

  “I personally don’t think we stand a chance with the robots tomorrow,” Des said. “Taking over the military compound will be no easy task.”

  “What about Hazel?” Nolan asked. “You’re always trying to keep her out of the fight. Why are you not as worried about her this time?”

  Des shook his head. “She’s one of the reasons I will be staying behind. I will protect her with my life. I have sworn to that. But I also know that if we don’t fight, if we don’t even try, then she will die by the hands of her oppressors. If she’s going to die, I believe she would rather die doing something good, rather than hiding away, waiting to be killed.”

  “I think you’re right,” Nolan said.

  “Don’t tell her that I’m staying,” Des said. “I don’t want to her to worry about me before we even get started.”

  “I won’t,” Nolan said. He pulled himself up to his feet and brushed the dirt off his pants. “I really am sorry, Des. My intentions weren’t evil.”

  “I know they weren’t. But they were deadly and irresponsible.”

  And that was as far as Des’ chastising would go. Nolan walked away feeling rotten, and Des felt that the man should.

  Des would have to keep an eye on Nolan tomorrow and make sure he didn’t try to set off the EMP while Des was distracted.

  It would seem that Des had enemies on all fronts.

  45

  The sun had not yet risen, but Hazel was as wide awake as she would ever be. She and John walked arm-in-arm together through the street. He kept a decently quick pace despite his recent illness. These streets he knew by heart, so his inability to see provided no inhibition. Hazel was sure to steer him clear of any obstacles in their way and he moved with complete trust.

  Neither of them spoke in this moment, and Hazel pretended that she didn’t notice the fat tears rolling down her father’s face. She tried to keep her eyes ahead of her because seeing him like this only made her want to stay behind with him. But she couldn’t stay behind.

  It would be a pointless conversation trying to tell Hazel not to go. She had come so far and the people were counting on her to lead them, though she didn’t feel like a leader. All she had done was make a speech.

  No. That wasn’t all she had done. She had also freed the robots of the Southern Zone. She was the creator of Prototype D, the other half of this partnership. The people looked to her because she was a leader. And the fact that she didn’t want to be a leader only made her more so.

  At least, these were the things her father had been telling her through the night as they had talked. John feared for her. He didn’t want her to go, but he never s
aid as much. He knew what shoes she wore. He had been in her position many times before, though with a different enemy. His only regret was that he couldn’t go with her. It wasn’t that he wasn’t willing, just that he would get in the way.

  “I would never want someone to stop and help an old blind man when they could be shooting at Bracken,” he had told her.

  This had made her laugh. And cry. And laugh again.

  Neither of them had slept through the night as they talked about stories of the past. None of their conversation had to do with the idea of Outlanders or Mainlanders, rather they had been about family. Her sister. Her mother. All of them together.

  John had then talked about how he had known Hazel would be chosen to go to the university before she had even turned six.

  “You were so smart,” he had said. “Still are. I had no doubt that you would do great things.”

  Hazel had let the compliment stand as it was, holding her tongue when she wanted to say that her genius had blown up in their faces and that creating emotions in robots had been just about the worst idea since the invention of the nuclear bomb.

  Perhaps her thoughts were an exaggeration, but only time would tell.

  The warriors were gathered together next to the Southern Zone entrance, lathered in blue paint to blatantly declare themselves as Outlanders. Trucks were lined down the road—large trucks, some with canvas tops over the beds. Each one could probably hold twenty people.

  When Hazel and John neared the wall, she could see that a few of the Outlanders had taken notice of her. They seemed to watch her every move, waiting, wondering what she might do next.

  “They are staring at me,” she said to her dad.

  “Because you are their leader,” he answered. “Because they want to follow you.”

  “All I did was help Des make a speech,” she said.

  “No.” John shook his head fervently. “They remember you. They remember how you took a stand for them. Nolan might have had the spotlight for a while, but they know about Des. They know that if it wasn’t for you they wouldn’t be this far into the city.”