Brobots

  ‘Before you do that… let me just make sure Artemis is shut in the kitchen.’

  Jared came back to find Byron with chest plate removed. Inside he was a mass of wires and parts. The frame beneath his skin was in place of a skeleton. Any actuators working limbs were connected to the plate that gave Byron’s body its shape. The life-like softness of Byron’s skin and the illusion of muscles moving was just that. An illusion. Inside he was effectively hollow; giving room for all that processing power.

  ‘Oh god. This is far too complex for me at midnight on a Thursday.’

  ‘It’s fine. I can show you what to do.’ Byron pointed at the connector that had worked loose. It was a one minute job to clip it back in. Byron observed the work and watched Jared to see if he could pick up any clues as to how he felt about seeing Byron’s electrical innards. It was like Jared didn’t think twice.

  The panel was easy too. From the inside, a few firm pushes popped it back into place. Byron could fit it back on without assistance. Skin joins around the edge of the panel did their magic trick, sealing the panel away out of sight so that there were no joins left to see. Byron sat up and pulled his shirt back on.

  --

  ‘Quite a night.’

  ‘Yeah!’ Byron chuckled.

  ‘Oh. Glad you’re smiling. Not sure if I am! You had me scared a minute there.’

  ‘We’re strong, Jared. Made good.’ Jared and Byron sat forward on the sofa next to each other.

  ‘You’re made good, but that doesn’t stop you getting into trouble. I should never have taken you out. It’s my fault. I’m so sorry, Byron.’

  ‘Hey hey hey!’ Byron pulled Jared into a hug. ‘Not your fault, bro’. Besides…’ he pulled away slightly. ‘I enjoyed it. Lots. Crazy dude wasn’t the only person I got to meet. I had a nice conversation with Christopher. There were some visitors from up state that were nice. And Jason was fun to meet too.’

  ‘Hmm. I didn’t stuff up?’

  ‘No! You did good. The goof was all me.’

  ‘Pretend pee moment?’

  ‘I didn’t know it meant “come and suck my dick”!’

  Jared’s belly laugh rolled up his chest and out. Laughing together did make it better. He could see the funny side now. ‘It doesn’t. Not always. You just had rotten luck with a drunk and you’re too darn sexy for your own good.’

  ‘You’re so smart.’ Byron took Jared’s hand in his. ‘You think he took your story? The one you made up so quick?’

  ‘That I don’t know. Probably, given who it was.’ Jared used his other hand to trace the fingers of Byron’s hand he was holding.

  ‘You know him?’

  ‘Not really. He’s a character. Everyone knows everyone on the gay scene; by face and reputation at least. He’s not popular. Nobody really listens to him. He’s one of the village drunks. I pity, but I don’t abide. Few people do with him.’

  Letting go of Jared’s hand, Byron flopped back on the sofa. He was a little hard, and it felt good to leave his turn-on unguarded, sitting in a more open position and making no animal barriers between Jared and the throbbing between his legs. It was a polite invitation between friends to be friends without any danger. ‘Then it’s all good.’

  Jared flopped back too, subconsciously getting the game. ‘It’s all good.’ As he flopped back, he let a hand fall on Byron’s thigh – telling himself it was an accident. The warmth of Byron tingled his finger tips; his bulge was millimeters from Jared’s skin. Byron leaned into Jared, putting his right arm around his shoulders and his head gently against Jared’s. The move also meant Jared’s outer fingers were brushing against their subconscious target. ‘This OK?’ his deep voice whispered in Jared’s ear.

  ‘This is OK, Byron. It’s totally OK. I never want to lose you.’ Jared turned and looked into Byron’s brown eyes.

  ‘I never want to lose you either, bro’.’

  Jared’s fingers brushed against the side of Byron’s packet. Byron’s member jumped in response. The fabric moved. Wondering how long he could leave his hand there to electrify Byron that way, Jared eventually turned in towards him. His left hand moved up to Byron’s huge shoulder, and his right hand went down on Byron’s bulge. Byron groaned as Jared leaned in for a kiss. Jared wiped Byron’s brow with a thumb, thinking. ‘Let’s please just go slow. There’s a lot I don’t know about you, and there’s more you don’t know about yourself.’

  ‘Okay.’ Byron stared into Jared’s blue eyes. Jared, looking back, could see so much life swimming behind Byron’s. How was it possible for a machine to be so living?

  Byron was swimming in a sea of new feelings. He was so hot for Jared it was untrue. Jared holding his dick was sending him so crazy that he literally thought he might short circuit like so many sex bots in sci-fi movies – some of which he’d seen. Jared had his mojo on, for sure, like the scene with Austin and the killer bots.

  Several thousand artificial ‘nerve endings’ sent a wave of messages to Byron’s central processor. Involuntarily something switched inside. A small amount of lubricant stuttered out of a holding tube and made its way to the tip of Byron’s tool. Given the free balling situation, a patch of damp quickly spread across the crown of the zip fly cover. He felt exposed. Powerless, yet fully charged. Broken yet strong. 0% efficiency yet 100% charged. Haywire yet all too present.

  He was about to tell Jared that he thought he might explode but a whine came from the kitchen. Jared pulled away, sending another shockwave through Byron’s system. ‘I’d better let out the dog!’

  The momentary spell was broken, never to be retrieved that night. Left alone, Byron sat on the sofa a short while. He looked down at his crotch and reflected on these new and wonderful sensations only Jared could give to him. It was so good to be alive. ‘How about that.’

  Yana From A Distance

  ‘You hearing this?’ Jared had the morning news on the kitchen ‘radio’. (It wasn’t really a radio, of course. He had a wall-mounted stereo speaker and could control content via the home ‘AI’ box.) Byron wandered into the kitchen, stopped and cocked his ear to the sounds.

  ‘…proposal, submitted to White House officials by lobby group Rights for Artificial Intelligence, or RAI, gets a hearing today amidst protest from religious groups such as Christians for Peace. The news comes as Construcsapli, trading arm of Brobotics, Inc. who supply sentient androids to the US construction industry has filed for bankruptcy, leaving many to suspect that without the technical and maintenance support several large US firms could be left with sentient units out of contract. Here’s Stacy White with more.

  ‘We’ve had no word from Construcsapli about the situation this morning. What we do know is that the news poses no immediate threat to building firms affected. Since the supplier is independent of Brobotics, Inc. the parent firm is unlikely, however, to inherit responsibility for Construcsapli’s many contracts. Construcsapli’s troubles were of course doubled by what is now known to have been likely industrial sabotage connected with Hack Tuesday and the Switzerland ordeal…’

  ‘Construcsapli’s going down.’

  ‘Shit. This is gonna affect my bro’s.’ Byron wiped a hand across his face.

  ‘All of ‘em?’

  ‘You know I don’t count all of my kind as my bro’s. I’m just thinking of Tasley, Chuck and Ned.’

  Jared turned to face him. ‘I doubt it means they’re out of a job. What’s a firm like Dartonia gonna do? They can’t replace them with human workers with the click of a finger. Not without seriously upping their overheads. Surely the units are still good without the supplier support?’

  ‘They are. We don’t need updates unless we want them; and we can largely self-repair. That’s not the issue.’

  ‘Then, what is?’

  ‘There was already the dud batteries. We don’t know how bad that is. Plus who knows what’s going to happen to Dartonia now.’

  ‘Right. God that’s selfish of me. We got you sorted. I never thought about them. Will th
ey know about this?’

  ‘Sure. We get the news. The jobs, support and batteries aren’t my immediate concern, though.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘Tasley and the others are bright. Brighter than some. We call it the spark.’

  ‘The spark?’

  ‘We’re all sentient to a level. But some get a special spark. Kind of more alive, if you know what I mean.’

  ‘Hmm. That doesn’t just apply to Brobots. Plenty of humans aren’t really all awake upstairs either.’

  ‘I guess that’s why I love ‘em. Tasley’ll be thinking ahead. He’s good at planning. You get something wrong now that’s serious enough – say, there’s an accident and you lose a limb – that’s it now. Dartonia and the other firms won’t be able to turn to anyone for fixes; not if Brobotics are wiping their hands of it completely. Best answer for them will be to switch the dudes off and chuck ‘em in the trash; just like with my faulty battery. Construction is hazardous. Even just doing their jobs they’re less protected today. The nature of the work, the batteries, the support gone, the future of Dartonia… it’s all a mess.’

  Jared’s eyes went wide. ‘Is this gonna end up in some kind of Brobot Uprising?’

  Byron smirked. ‘Yeah! That’d be good to see! No. Highly unlikely. Many units don’t have the smarts enough for that. We’re supposed to be all on a par; but we’re not. Not even between types. My bro’s though… They’ll be looking for the exit door; I know they will.’

  ‘I can’t take you back to the site to see them, Byron. It’s too risky. The deal Yana sorted wasn’t with Construcsapli. It was with Brobotics. Far as Dartonia’s concerned, they didn’t get the medal for ‘most hard-done-by firm’ they were hoping for; nor the compensation. They just got a whole bunch of secrets exposed. The medal went to Brobotics, and all the lobbyists and politicians fighting for military accountability. Dartonia aren’t our friends right now; probably never will be.’

  ‘I know.’ Byron led back against the worktop and folded his arms. ‘You think Yana was behind today’s story too?’

  Jared smiled. ‘That… didn’t occur to me. Huh. Maybe so, Byron! Maybe so.’

  ‘They mentioned RAI. I think it’s time we go see them?’

  ‘Yeah that… that sounds like a good next step to me. I… gotta get to work. You gonna be OK?’

  ‘I’m fine. The news is no surprise.’

  ‘Your old cargos still need repair, and your checked shirt is now trashed. If you order some more clothes today they should arrive by drone courier today or tomorrow. Then you’ll have something to wear if we go to RAI. You think you can do that?’

  ‘Uh… sure.’

  ‘Here’s my bank card. And here…’ Jared pulled up a display on the kitchen wall ‘…are some shop sites. I dug them out at work. This one’s for suits. Get yourself a nice shiny black tailored one. I’d go for boot cut if I were you. You don’t wanna look like a popsicle. Also get a black tie and a white dress shirt. Plus some of those dress shoes you like. Check the sizes. This one’s for casual wear. Get some cargo’s, a replacement check shirt, and some track pants of your own. $500 max. You got it?’

  ‘Think so.’

  ‘Text me if you get stuck.’

  Dr Susan Harper

  ‘This is a secure line. The number is also obscured. You’re through to Dr. Harper. How may I help?’ No answer. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Uh… Hi. Yeah. I… My name’s Tasley. I’m a Type D. I’m working in Scrinton right now. I’d like to meet.’

  ‘You’re working at the Dartonia site, that right?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’

  ‘Are you seeking refuge?’

  ‘If that’s what you got. I don’t really know. I just know we’re gonna run out of options real fast. Maybe batteries too.’

  ‘How many… Is it just you?’

  ‘There’s about three hundred units on site. But…There’s three of us that want out.’

  ‘You came to the right place. I have a safe house. You’re not the first.’

  ‘I can’t meet today, given it’s a work day. I was hoping we could meet tomorrow?’

  ‘Absolutely. This office is closed at weekends, but all of my most interesting work is at the weekends. Can you get to town center?’

  ‘Won’t I be seen?’

  ‘I know where your charging stations are. I’ll send a taxi pod to pick you up at 10am. Just you, first. Then we’ll think about your friends. There’ll be a change of clothes inside if you can give me your sizes?’

  Tasley relayed the numbers, then hung up the VOIP line. He stood in his charge unit staring at the computer screen. Was there any chance that Byron was in the safe house already? If he could get out, what about Chuck and Ned? Would he be exposing them to danger? If he was, he didn’t care. This whole thing was beginning to get bleak and they were all in danger by just staying. His kind were supported only in order to work. But, in him and his bro’s at least, the will to live was outstripping that by a long, long way.

  Later that day, courier drones started their regular trawls of the skies above Scrinton; parcels and letters were worked by the machines like airborne versions of ants carrying leaves in a wood. At about mid-day, two drones passed within inches. Both of them carried clothing. One was headed for Susan’s office, and the other for Jared’s home.

  --

  Susan sat at a corner table in a downtown restaurant. She had coffee and muffins on the go. She was wearing dark shades. She avoided having her picture in the papers as a rule. Follow-up news reporters were chasing politicians, not boring lobbyists with suspected “holier than thou” attitudes. But still. A handful of people in town knew who she was; and she didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention concerning the Bill.

  The restaurant had one wall made completely of glass. It looked out onto the street. She’d chosen it so she could see Tasley’s pod arrive. Her wrist buzzed.

  ‘Should I leave my work clothes?’

  ‘No. Put them in the bag the suit came in.’

  ‘I’m here.’

  ‘I see you. Go straight ahead. I’m in the restaurant. By the window - opposite and left of the entrance door - gray suit and shades. Don’t order anything. Don’t say anything until I speak to you.’

  A smartly dressed man looking somewhat like a security guard walked casually to Susan’s table and sat down. They shook hands. Susan finished her coffee and food, then she nodded at Tasley, standing up.

  He joined her and they walked out together. She hailed another pod, and they traveled to the edge of the city and beyond. The pod picked up speed once out of the city zone, near silently cruising at 250 miles per hour. About 90 minutes later it started to slow and pulled off down various roads until the roads were barely roads at all. The pod trudged along a dirt track, finally stopping outside a dilapidated wooden house attached to a farm. Tasley followed her to the door. She watched the pod leave, kicking dust as it left, and then opened the door. ‘Come in.’

  ‘This is the safe house. There are 5 Sentients already here. You’re the sixth. I’ll introduce you.’

  In a bit of a daze, Tasley followed Susan into a dusty old lounge. Seated around a scratched wooden table with a holovector game were five men. Introductions were made. Harris, type C, California. Jo, type D, Wisconsin. Toby, type A, Paris France. William, type D, New York. Peter, type D, London. All former construction workers with different accents and builds; but all built for heavy work.

  ‘Gentlemen, we shall leave you to your game. Tasley and I have some talking to do; but I’m sure you’ll be seeing him a bit later.’

  Harris beamed at Tasley. ‘Real nice to meet you, bro’!’

  ‘Likewise, bud. Likewise.’

  Susan took Tasley to the back of the house. From the kitchen was a hatch to a basement, and in the basement was a plush modern decorated office for Susan to do her remote work. It had a bed, lamps, houseplants kept alive with smart LEDs, desks, three flat-screen monitors, a fire protective cabinet, and a bank
of solar power batteries. Tasley stared at those. He figured the house must be off grid.

  ‘Not just off grid.’ Susan smiled. ‘Off cloud. Off Web. Off the map. Off of freakin’ everything.’

  ‘Literally off the map?’

  ‘Literally. Satellite images show there’s nothing here.’

  ‘How’d you do that?’

  ‘RAI has powerful friends. Now. Tell me about the mood down at Dartonia. You’re the first one from my local turf, so I’m keen to know.’

  ‘Getting worse every day, ma’am.’ Tasley joined Susan in taking an office-style swivel seat. ‘Yesterday after I phoned you I overheard managers talking about it. I don’t think they really know what to do. They’re kind of stuck.’

  ‘Can’t get additional units. Can’t get anything major repaired. Can’t get the cost incentive. Don’t know about the future of the company. Didn’t know it’s true nature. Probably want out as well.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘Now you can see a ticking clock.’

  ‘Exactly. I want out. So do my bro’s.’

  ‘Which bro’s?’

  ‘My close friends. Chuck and Ned. I would say Byron too – but his situation was different and I don’t know if he’s still even alive, so to speak. I hoped he’d be here with you already.’

  ‘Okay. Well, you have a choice. You can stay here right away and never go back. But if you do that, you’ll be leaving it to Chuck and Ned to make the call of their own volition just like you did. Or, you can try and break them out. But I can’t go with you. I can’t be seen actively trafficking Sentients too clever for their own good.’

  ‘Right.’ Tasley considered this. He looked down at his smart new clothes. He liked the suit. It almost shimmered under the electric light. It also felt classy compared to his work outfit. He was having a new feeling; a feeling of being worthy. ‘It’s Byron I miss most. But… like I say, he may be offline. I just don’t know.’

  ‘What does your heart tell you?’

  Strange question for a lobbying scientist to ask a robot. He didn’t have a heart, but he understood the expression. He did have a deep inner intuition that came from some other quantum plane and that was often ignored in the foray of the day to day. A figurative heart was definitely a part of him.