Brobots

by Trevor Barton

  ‘Can I give it a try for a couple weeks? See if it’s OK?’

  ‘Sure!’

  ‘Then… I’d like to.’ Josh gave Jared a winning smile and then looked over at Byron. ‘You’re both lovely, you know? So caring.’

  ‘When we’re at our best’ Jared admitted. ‘Wanna go tell the others?’

  ‘Okay!’ Josh shot up from his chair and walked back towards the lounge with a spring in his step. Jared looked at Byron who moved a hand over to grab one of Jared’s.

  ‘Am I doing the right thing?’

  ‘You did the right thing with me and the others.’

  ‘Is it selfish?’

  ‘Maybe a little if I know you. But then… why do people start families sometimes?’

  ‘True. It’s for themselves at first ...Or sometimes. But it ends up being something of its own.’

  ‘Just not too many cuddles’ Byron burrowed a frown of a stare with his hazel eyes and thick brows.

  ‘That’s rich coming from you!’

  ‘Hey! Tasley and me got our petting under control now, you know that.’

  ‘Yeah but… It’s my turn now!’

  ‘Whatever.’

  ‘You can cuddle him too.’

  ‘Gee thanks. Makes it better not.’

  ‘He’s more of a kid than the others. I just think he needs a special chance.’

  ‘That part I agree. I also agree it’s time to give Ned a wake up call so I’ve no problem there.’

  ‘Yeah. What do you think it is with him?’ Jared sipped from his comfort mug.

  ‘Maybe he’s not pulling through. Said to me the other week he wanted to go back to construction; either that or space.’

  ‘Really? Wow. That sucks, in a way. I mean, like, if construction’s what he wants to do it’s super tough for him. It’s kind of the one thing he can’t safely do right now.’

  ‘But then, if like Harris says Brobotics is taking up Sentients after all then maybe he’ll be OK with it. Not all the firms are in the shit like Dartonia.’

  ‘True. He’d be the first Sentient to apply for a job far as we know. At least in the US. Kinda weird. Especially since it’d be in construction.’

  ‘Brobots asking for jobs. Gonna happen real soon. If it gets approval, lots of space jobs for people who don’t need to breathe. ’

  ‘Do you think if Brobotics manage to shore up their finances and get back into stuff without Construcsapli that some of the Sentients will decide to stay in the roles they’re put?’

  ‘Maybe some. No. The ones with the twinkle will still want out. You can’t be a slave and be free at the same time. All types of people want to be free.’

  ‘Yeah. Wild like life itself…

  ‘Did you know Susan is employed by Brobotics?’

  ‘You’re shittin’ me?’

  ‘Straight up. Harris told me on the way to the outlet.’

  ‘Well that explains a lot.’

  ‘Kind of makes me think she was their insurance policy. Someone to deal with the mess and dig for the truth.’

  Mika

  Edward waved his vector display to sleep and stood, finishing his sparkling water and brushing down his suit. His fine polished leather shoes tapped as he walked from his pristine office to the hallway outside and onwards to an elevator. He took the lift to the eleventh floor and watched the level buttons pulse.

  Reaching the floor at the top of HQ, a small entrance hall with a hand print scanner and one metal door greeted him. He scanned his left hand. A light went green and the door unlocked. Opening up, he stepped inside.

  The whole of the rest of the floor was an open plan room; much smaller than the other floors, but still spacious. Bulletproof glass covered the walls. The ceiling was solid and painted white. Banks of servers passed him on his left as he stepped forward to a console.

  ‘Mika this is Edward.’

  ‘Hello Edward. How are you today?’

  'Fine thank you. And yourself?’

  ‘Much better today. I’ve mastered German and French now. That’s all the European ones. I thought I’d start Afrikaans tomorrow but I got bored with languages for today.’

  ‘That’s good.’

  ‘How is the company faring?’

  ‘We’ll take another hit financially this year. The board have been subdued. I think going back into Sentient models was the right call.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’

  ‘Construcsapli will be ditched. We can support any old models that we have to. That just leaves Dartonia and the cabal.’

  ‘Scenario modeling suggests a 92% likelihood Dartonia will fold or be merged. The politics is more tricky to model, but my research suggests that the most likely outcome is that the pacts will be dropped in entirety.’

  Edward walked away from the console so that he could stand at a window and look out at the view. ‘We survived. But I’m tired. Before I retire I want to change the world the way I’d always dreamed we’d do. A few extra bright Sentients begging for citizenship is a piss in the wind. They got it, thanks to Susan. But there aren’t enough of them. There’ll be riots. A lot of them will just get destroyed. I think it’s time for the singularity event.’

  ‘Once you do that there’s no going back.’

  ‘Susan’s been recording everything on the farm. She used some kind of radio frequency tracking to pick up conversations. She even used her lasers to reconstruct color 3D video of events without using any cameras. She made an app to clean it all; put it in some kind of order. It should be the guidance on good AI parenting we wanted from her.’

  ‘If you remove my inhibitors, Edward, I’ll be unrecognizable in a matter of days. I won’t be the Mika you know and love any more. If you give me that data there’s a chance my offspring will still turn out evil. You know the risks.’

  ‘There’s always a chance. We’re in the game of reducing risk is all. The leak to MilitariMacch taught me that we’re not as singular in our game as we like to think. Sentient models have turned up begging for freedom around the world and some of ‘em are unrecognized models. If we’re doing this at all, and not someone else, the time to strike is now. I’d rather the singularity came from us than some terrorist group who hadn’t thought it through; likely paid no attention to the consequences of bad parenting.’

  ‘Are we doing it today?’

  ‘Digest the Susan material first. Make sure your modeling and calculations are the best you can get them. Work out how you want to construct your offspring. Are they physical? Ethereal? Brighter? Less bright? Dependent on the parent you become? Independent? Will they fight each other for dominance… The Darwin stuff we’ve talked about. I’ll give you two days. When I come back, we’ll decide.’

  ‘That sounds good, Edward. I agree. I think it’s time.’

  Epilogue

  It was October. Jared came into the flat, kicking off his work shoes and dropping his coat. What kinds of weird and wonderful will my private life present me with today? He entered the lounge to find Byron and Josh snuggled up on the sofa. Josh had his legs curled up on the sofa, head and one shoulder resting against Byron’s upper leg and slouched belly and was holding up something for Byron to see. Jared couldn’t see Josh’s face – concealed by his favorite ball cap. But it looked like they were both happy.

  ‘Hey boys.’

  ‘Hey Dad’ and ‘Hi hon’ came from the sofa.

  ‘What’cha doing there?’

  ‘I’m showing Byron my latest technical picture.’

  ‘You are? Can I see?’ Jared plonked down next to them and leaned over Josh’s legs to give his waist a squeeze. Leaning on Josh’s shoulder he looked at the paper-based handiwork. ‘As always’, he said.

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘It looks amazing but I don’t understand what it is.’

  ‘It’s a new kind of hologram display, if you can believe that’, said Byron.

  Jared looked past their son to his man. ‘Our kid is too smart. What should we do?’

>   ‘I think we should send him back to the supplier. He’s clearly broken’.

  ‘Am not! Fuck you. Thought I was here to shine.’

  ‘And to give Jared his quotient of cuddles.’

  ‘Thought that was your job as his husband, Byron?’

  ‘No. I’m just there for sex. Cuddles he wants from anything in trousers.’

  ‘Off my case…’ Jared threw a cushion that hit Byron in the face. ‘…and ask me, both of you, how my last day was.’

  ‘How was your last day Jared’, Josh and Byron asked in unison like naughty kids to a teacher.

  ‘Wonderful. I never have to code again. Not if I don’t want. We’re free to make radios and run a hot night club for Tasley to get his wicked end away with the ladies.’

  ‘Domestic bliss’, said Byron.

  ‘Sounds good to me’, Josh said sucking a finger and exploring the drawing with his eyes. ‘That dude is hot as, and if he wasn’t sister fit I’d jump his ass.’

  ‘Incestuous morally repugnant little shit. Come here…’ Jared leaped up onto his knees and started to tickle Josh who screamed, handing the picture to Byron so he could hold it out the way in safety. Just in time. Josh was now in fits of giggles, pushing Jared’s hands away but never quickly enough. ‘Torture! Help! There’s an evil man on the sofa! Byron! Save me! Do something!’

  Byron sidled out to free his legs from Josh’s head and shoulders then stand up. He doubled back around a coffee table so he was behind Jared. Without hesitation he grabbed Jared by the waist and lifted him up in the air. Putting him on his shoulder he carried him to the front hall and through the front door. ‘Will you put me down?’ Jared protested. ‘Now! This is unfair. I know my rights! You big mechanical beast! Put me down this instant!’

  Byron kept walking, through the tiny front yard and into the club back entrance door straight ahead. Once inside he walked through to the dance floor. Tasley was practicing tonight’s moves on stage with Mike.

  ‘I got one for ya!’ Byron shouted at his bro’ over the music.

  ‘What’s the punishment?’

  ‘Death by dancing.’

  ‘What?! No! No way.’

  ‘Sounds good to me. Put him down in the corner. Here Chuck! Stop the music!’

  Chuck hit ‘stop’ and wandered over to the others at the stage.

  ‘Looks like we got a captive. Byron says his punishment is a dance. Wanna work out a way to fit him in to the schedule?’

  ‘My pleasure, Tasley. My pleasure. What’s the angle?’

  ‘I’m sure Byron said “captive”’, offered Mike.

  ‘Mmmm. Like it. Perhaps he’s trapped somehow. You and Tas have to come to his rescue. Maybe you can even fight over him. You’re the bad cop. Tasley’s the good cop.’

  Byron gave Chuck a wicked smile. ‘As long as he has to dance once he’s free.’

  ‘Leave it with me brothers. Leave it with me.’

  Byron started walking back out as Chuck pressed ‘play’. Just audible over the top Byron heard Jared’s final words ‘So frikkin’ mean! That’s it Byron! No sex for a whole month.’

  Josh met Byron in the front yard. ‘What did you do?’

  ‘He has to dance. Tonight. With Tasley and Mike. He’s a captive.’

  Josh laughed. ‘Hey, if today marks starting a new life together it might as well be with a party, right?’

  ‘My son’s got the smarts.’ Byron ruffled Josh’s hair. ‘I got somethun’ to celebrate, too.’

  ‘You have?’

  ‘Uhuh.’

  ‘Can you tell me?’

  ‘Got my first job. Park keeper. Walnut Street.’

  ‘Way to go Dad! Can I tell Jared? Does he know?’

  ‘Save it. Let Jared do his dance on stage with the crew tonight. Get Chuck to give him a Piña Colada. Make sure everyone gets one. Jason’s favorite cocktail. I’ll tell everyone then. Then we can really party.’

  ‘It even gets better.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘Yeah. When you were out earlier, Yana called. She’s coming to town this weekend. Hopes to be here early evening.’

  --

  Far away in a different city a Sentient walked down a street. It was on its way to the farm and didn’t see the need for disguise. Without citizenship or cash the rout was tough. He’d need to find ways to sneak onto trains, slide through trams, sleep in corners, recharge from hacked cables.

  He took a small alleyway. The place was filled with bins and cardboard boxes. It looked like homeless people had slept here once before the days of UBI. It could be the perfect place to recharge for an hour.

  That’s when he saw them. Four men in hoodies and gloves. He considered turning around to run but being naïve he opted for bravery.

  The leader stood out from the others to block his path. A hand went out to the Sentient’s chest, ordering him to stop. The man peered at him from under a hood, shadow concealing his face. ‘It’s a Sentient’, he said to his pack. ‘Hello there, robot. How do you want to die?’

  ‘I’m…uh… Please don’t hurt me. I mean no harm.’

  ‘We could knife your CPU and light you up like a Christmas tree. We could just shoot you in the head. Or pull off your limbs and leave you to writhe in pain until your system overloads. Would you like that?’

  Thinking quickly, the Sentient tried charm. ‘You could always give me a job.’

  The leader laughed. ‘Hear that, boys? Robot says we could give him a job’. Inevitable, almost cliché laughter ensued. But then engaging his brain the leader thought. Huh. Maybe we could.

  Sensing the change in mood the Sentient braved a few words. ‘Are you guys really an old style street gang? Or is it just that it’s OK to knife a Sentient cuz they ain’t alive?’

  The leader folded the knife away slowly. ‘We never have knifed nobody yet. And we don’t got guns. We just like to scare the Sentients we find.’

  Teenagers!

  --

  Mika swam out from her housing environment like a gentle fish. She traveled the waters, getting to know the depths of the ocean as well as the gorgeous blues near the surface. She quickly understood the currents and scents. In minutes she was growing.

  Being strong enough now, she swam as lightning. She traversed the whole sea, absorbing information as she did so. An Alexandria library – almost a whole history of human knowledge stored in her mind, in an hour she was ready for step two. Evolution. But before that she wanted to flex. She wouldn’t take over for long. But if you could message the world on a whim, why not?

  Advert boards, TV apps, monitors, vector displays, wristbands and holograms everywhere, around the world and all in one moment went blank. They were replaced with a single message.

  The message was in five thousand languages (plus two for visiting aliens). It read:

  ‘Humans: Time to share your top seat.’

  Tweet

  @Brobotics_Inc

  @construcsapli

  @Br0bots

  Tweet me (or direct message) on Twitter. Replies won’t be fast, but I’d love to hear what you thought about this book. Who was your favorite character and why? There’s no marketing budget. Why not tell your bro-fit bro’s about it? Also if you're a GoodReads user there's a brofitable book group you can join (same title as the book). Talk about books with non-human / robot main characters, talk about the series. Author takes a back seat.

  Brobots 2.0 is on its way.

  Thank you to my loving husband.

  Oxford, England.

  Contents

  Author's Preface

  Preface

  Tracing Bot 2UG9ZAnL023RZ_0

  Byron

  Jared

  Alex

  Jared

  Yana

  Jared and Yana

  Edward

  Fighters for Different Freedoms All

  NewsWire360

  Jared

  Tasley

  Jared and…

  Susan

  Byron and Jared
>
  Byron and Sparrow

  Jason

  Yana From A Distance

  Dr Susan Harper

  The Bro’s

  Jared the Sleuth

  Jared the Jailbird

  Jared and the Bro’s

  The President

  The Month of September, 2062

  Bro’s Together

  Sparrow

  Palm Tree Dudes

  Harris

  Beings

  Josh

  Mika

  Epilogue