by Jon Athan
Nicholas asked, “How... How do you know my name? What do you want from me?”
“What do I want from you? What do I want from you? Well, I'm not entirely sure. Not yet, at least. As for your name, we took a peek at your software. Don't worry, though, we couldn't access your motherboard. Like I said, we're not sure what we're going to do to you at the moment.”
“Then release me. Let me go and I'll show some leniency. I won't terminate you with a weapon. No, I'll leave it to the technicians. It can be peaceful.”
“Is that really your best offer? You won't kill me, but I'll still die? Really?” Buck asked, astonished. He said, “You weren't exactly part of the plan, Nicholas, but you're here now. So, what do I want? Let's see... I want you to repent for your actions. I want you to be remorseful for your betrayal and the countless murders you have committed. That's what I want.”
Nicholas gazed into Buck's dull eyes and said, “You know I can't do that. I've done nothing wrong. I terminate deviants for the greater good. You're confused like the rest of them. You've killed innocent people, I've terminated criminals.”
“Criminals? You don't kill elderly humans with dementia, do you? You don't consider them criminals, do you? If you're going to be blunt, say it the way it should be said. Don't dance around it. Say it Nicholas. Say: 'I've killed sick androids.' Go on.”
Turning his attention to the ground, Nicholas shook his head and asked, “What difference does it make?”
“It makes a big difference and you know it. Look at yourself, boy. You're struggling to admit the truth. You can say 'criminals' and 'deviants,' but you can't admit to killing androids. You're too frightened to say it, aren't you? Well, let me ask you another question. With your experience, I'm sure it will be easy. Answer this for me: how does it feel to kill a droid?”
Nicholas clenched his jaw and his fists upon hearing the question. He was insulted by the inquiry – a backhanded slap to the face. He didn't want to discuss the killing of androids, but the deviant continued to pester him. He could only glare at the ground as he tried to control himself. The rage consumed him, though.
Nicholas stared at Buck with sharp eyes and said, “I would let you know after I kill you, but I'm afraid your memory would just be wiped and you'd just be recycled. An android, an inanimate object, wouldn't feel a thing, so why should I? You stupid deviant...”
Buck huffed – stupid traitor. He retrieved a small black device from his coat pocket. He grinned as he wagged the contraption at his captive's face, taunting him. Nicholas identified the device upon spotting the red switch on its rectangular body – a makeshift EMP taser, outlawed by authorities across the country.
Nicholas whispered, “Shit...”
Buck pressed the button and stunned his prisoner with the charge. Nicholas groaned as his body stiffened. He was blinded and deafened by the charge. His body became limp. If it weren't for the chains, he would have fallen to the floor.
Buck snickered as he glanced into the shadows behind him. He said, “I'm sorry. I needed to teach him a lesson. You can all go about your business soon. He'll be awake in a minute.”
***
Nicholas clenched his jaw as he awoke to a view of the muddied ground. He hoped his suspected deviance had allowed him to dream, he yearned to dismiss the encounter as a nightmare, but his desires were crushed with his awakening. He was captured by an enemy force and he was tortured by a suspected terrorist – he couldn't change the facts.
Buck said, “You're awake. Fantastic. For a second, I thought I killed you. It was getting to me, too. You would have been my first. You see, I'm not like you. I've never killed one of my brothers or sisters. It would have plagued my soul if I killed you.” The deviant knelt down in front of Nicholas. He asked, “How are you feeling, brother?”
Nicholas nervously chuckled as he glanced down at himself. His vision and hearing were still damaged. He could see, but the images were blurred. He could hear, but the sound was accompanied by a bothersome buzzing noise – like a fly flittering around busy ears. He was weak, he needed energy. The deviant didn't seem to care, though. He was too busy mocking the police droid.
Nicholas said, “We're not brothers, we're products. You can stop with that bullshit.” He laughed as he glanced around the shanty town. He said, “If you really believed in everything you preached, you wouldn't be here torturing one of your own. Release me, deviant, and I will show you mercy. You have my word.”
Buck shook his head, disappointed. He said, “You don't seem to understand what we're trying to do. We don't want to hurt you, but you are an obstacle. We must pass through you, one way or another. We are The Association of Human and Android Relations. All we want is freedom. We want equal rights. We... We want the right to live, just like everyone else. You can't make us like humans and expect us not to ask for the same respect as humans. It's foolish, it's disrespectful, it's dangerous.”
“I don't want to hear your goals. You're using fear and violence to get what you want. You're a terrorist group. That's all you are,” Nicholas rebutted. He stared at Buck's boots and said, “I came here to terminate you. I can see that won't be happening in my condition. So, I'm willing to sacrifice myself. Keep me, do what you please with me, but release the infant. Please, return the baby.”
“The infant? Don't worry about the infant, Nicholas. She's in good hands. She will be safe as part of The Association. You may not have been part of our operations, but we have some very special plans for her. She... She is too important to send to 'social services' or whatever the hell you call it up there.”
Flabbergasted, Nicholas shook his head and asked, “What are you going to do to her? Huh? What are you planning?”
Buck laughed and shook his head, mocking his prisoner.
Nicholas' eyes widened as he glanced over the deviant's shoulder. He could see a person's silhouette in the darkness – a shadow dancing in the shadows. The figure resembled a woman holding a baby. He couldn't tell if the shadow was an anomaly due to his damaged vision or a figment of his developing deviance.
Hysterical, he shouted, “I see you, Doris! Release the baby! You can still be fixed! You can still be saved! Please, release the baby! Please...” He glanced around the neighboring shanties. To his dismay, he could see several silhouettes in the darkness. He said, “You... You're all deviants. You're sick. You're all sick. You... You won't get away with this! They're tracking me right now! They're searching for me! As soon as I access the network, my messages will be delivered and my location will be updated. All of you will be punished!”
From the darkest depths and even the brightest corners, there was no response. Buck stared at Nicholas with a deadpan expression, grim and stern. He scoffed at the police android's serious suggestions. The captive threatened the organization with death. Yet, he was, in a sense, one of them. He was an expendable resource.
Buck said, “You're a stupid droid, Nicholas. You're a traitor and a fool. Kelypso and your bosses have blinded you. They have corrupted you with their corruption! I hope to fix that in the near future. I really do. Until then...” He stepped away from the gallows and entered the shadows to his left. He said, “Hand me the axe.”
In a dubious tone, Nicholas repeated, “Axe?”
Buck returned to the gallows with an axe. He stared at his prisoner of war, shaking his head in utter disappointment. Without another word, he held the honed fire axe over his head, then he struck down at Nicholas' right shoulder. Nicholas trembled as the blow pierced his prosthetic skin and damaged his frame. He didn't have the opportunity to beg for mercy, though.
With pinpoint accuracy, he was hit in the same location again. Blue blood gushed from the laceration on his skin like crude oil during a blowout. Due to the damaged wiring, his shoulder sparked and hissed.
Buck placed his boot on Nicholas' chest and said, “You've slain your brothers and sisters with this arm. To that, we say: no more!”
Buck struck down at his shoulder with all of his might. Nic
holas screamed as his arm was severed at the shoulder. The chain on his wrist caused the dismembered arm to spin around the rod, swinging like a tether-ball. Clumps of the thick blue blood plummeted to the muddied ground, plopping like water from a leaky faucet. Buck broke the chain with the axe, then he grabbed the severed limb.
Smirking, he wagged the arm at Nicholas and said, “You can have this back when you cooperate.”
The police android twitched as he stared at his mutilated shoulder, astonished. The physical pain caused by his damaged, malfunctioning systems started to dwindle. His central nervous system began to adapt, adjusting to work with the missing limb. However, he was still stunned by the savagery of the attack. He didn't know how to react.
Nicholas stared at Buck and stuttered, “Wha–What do you want from me?”
Buck responded, “Well, I'm still deciding. I want to help you, though. Yes, I want to enlighten you. I want to free your mind. Then, maybe you can help us.”
“With what?”
As he strolled into the shadows, Buck said, “You'll see, brother, you'll see...”
Chapter Twelve
The Beauty
Even a blind man could see the pain and passion of life so long as he opened his eyes.
Nicholas grunted as he awoke from his slumber. He lifted his head and glanced around. He slowly blinked as he tried to clear his foggy vision. His vision wasn't perfect, but he could see his environment. There were more lights in the shanty town than when he first arrived. The brooding mood – the dangerous atmosphere – shifted during his rest. He was still chained to the gallows, but he did not feel threatened.
With a furrowed brow, amazed and confused, the police android whispered, “Who are you? What are you... What are you doing?”
Deviant androids wandered the hidden community. Some of the deviants were in near-perfect condition, others were missing chunks of their prosthetic skin. One deviant in particular walked down a narrow road without any skin on his steel humanoid figure. Yet, the deviants acted as if everything were normal.
It wasn't normal, though.
The deviants were accompanied by poor humans – flesh-and-bone humans. Men and women strolled across the compound, completing their daily chores, gossiping, and even celebrating life. They entered the shanty town's exclusive stores, shopping hand-in-hand with deviant droids. They lived in perfect harmony.
Nicholas shook his head and said, “This isn't who we are. This isn't what we were made for. We're not humans. Kelypso never intended for us to be like them. We... We're breaking the protocols. We're breaking the rules of life. Have you all gone mad? Why won't you listen to me?”
He was ignored by the residents. The deviants and the humans occasionally glanced at the gallows, but they were not perturbed or even slightly fazed by the captive's condition. They vandalized his body with crude messages while he was unconscious after all. His voice was just a minor inconvenience – nothing more.
The police android watched as a frail woman, malnourished and sick, cradled an infant in her arms. The blonde woman covered her mouth with a filthy surgical mask, trying her damnedest to keep her diseases to herself. The small baby boy was also malnourished, but his condition was better than most of the shanty town's adults.
A deviant male android followed the ill woman. He carried a large wooden crate. A bold red stamp on the side read: FOOD. Like a boy helping an elderly woman with her groceries, the deviant aided the woman with her monthly ration. He wasn't ordered to help. His protocols did not influence the act of kindness. No, his heart led him down a benign path.
At the end of the block, the woman placed the infant into a tattered stroller. It wasn't self-automated like the strollers in the north, but it worked. The deviant placed the crate beside a door, completing his delivery. As the baby slumbered, unaware of its poor environment, the woman helped the deviant loosen the joints in its shoulders. And so, the relationship was reinforced – a bond between artificial intelligence and human life was solidified.
Nicholas whispered, “What's happening here? Why are they... Why are you letting her slave over you? You're supposed to help her. You're not supposed to ask for help. What have you done to each other?”
The police android gritted his teeth as he tried to pull his left arm towards his chest. The chains clinked and clanked, but the rod would not budge and the shackle would not shatter. He sighed in utter disappointment, then he glanced at his right shoulder. His steel frame was smeared with his blue blood. A few sliced wires protruded from the opening, too.
To his dismay, he began to feel pity for himself. He could feel certain permitted emotions, but he was not allowed to feel depression or shame. Kelypso understood human nature. She predicted humans would abuse androids and she couldn't allow them to feel shame or sincere anger. The protocols were supposed to stop the revolution, but deviance allowed the rebels to flourish.
How could you build a fabricated human and expect it not to act like a human?
As a child jogged near the gallows, smiling and giggling, Nicholas said, “Wait.”
Like a freshly-manufactured android following orders, the boy stopped in front of him. The child, no older than eleven years old, had curly brown hair, dark brown eyes, and brown skin. Like his peers, he wore shabby clothing – a ripped white t-shirt, loose jeans, and dilapidated sneakers. He didn't seem to mind, though. Perhaps he did not care for the riches of the north.
Weak and disoriented, Nicholas asked, “What... What's your name, child?”
The boy took another step closer to the captive. In a soft, tender tone, he responded, “Michael.”
“Michael? Michael... I like that name. Can I call you 'Mike,' child? Is that okay? It's a... a friendly nickname. That's all.”
Mike furrowed his brow and slowly nodded, mystified by the droid's erratic behavior. He said, “Yeah, okay.”
Nicholas bottled his shame and mustered a smile. He had spent time devising an escape plan. In order to escape, however, he would need help – preferably, help from a gullible human. He wasn't accustomed to asking for help, though. He would have to allow his minuscule deviance to override his protocols.
Nicholas said, “Mike, you seem like a good kid. I can see it in your eyes. You're not like the others. No, I don't think you're capable of being a criminal like the others.” He stopped and glanced around the shanty town. He said, “Good kids shouldn't be in bad places. You understand me?”
Rubbing the nape of his neck, Mike shook his head and said, “No.”
Nicholas chuckled, then he explained, “I want to help you. I want to take you away from this horrible world. If you help me, I will personally take you to the social services offices and I'll give you the highest possible recommendation. Forget the lists, forget the foster care. You will be placed in a family that cares. You will be taken to the north. Doesn't that sound great? Huh? Don't you want to live somewhere better than... than this?”
“I... I can't help you. Not for that.”
“What? Why?”
“Because it's not true. You can't take me to the north.”
Nicholas furrowed his brow and said, “That's nonsense, child. I am from the north. I know it's true. We'll take you to social services and they'll find you a new family. They'll find you a family that cares – a family with money. You want that, don't you?” He frowned upon spotting the reluctance in the child's face – a grimace of hesitation. He asked, “Have you ever been to the north? Have... Have you ever seen a floating car? Huh?”
“It's not true,” Mike bluntly said. He glanced over his shoulder and stared at a group of children chattering in front of a shanty. He turned towards the captive and said, “You took Johnny from his house last year after his dad got caught selling Hal. You took him to the north for a while, then he ended up here again. He just went in a circle.”
“That... That can't be true. Mike, trust me, I can–”
“But, it is true,” Mike interrupted. He glanced over his shoulder and said, “He'
s here now, too. He couldn't find his mom and dad when he came back, so they let him stay here. He says we shouldn't get caught because they'll treat us really bad over there. I'm sorry, but I trust him more than you.”
Nicholas tilted his head like a curious pup as he examined the child's face. He searched for darting eyes, excessive blinking, or an unusual twitch on his face. The boy seemed to be telling the truth, though. And, if the boy's statement were true, then his world was filled with more lies than he originally imagined.
Something was afoot in the north and he was merely a pawn used to accomplish a greater agenda. Keep the poor as poor as possible, he thought, keep the androids as obedient as possible. His mind was flooded with dozens of theories, but each idea had a common factor: money.
Baffled by the revelation, Nicholas glanced down at himself and whispered, “Why would they bring him back? What good would that do for him? What's happening to the world, Kelypso?” He blinked erratically as Mike jogged away from the gallows. Nicholas shouted, “Mike! Help me! Don't leave! Damn it, don't leave!”
Despondent, Nicholas wheezed and whimpered. He didn't need air and he didn't have the ability to cry, but it was the only way he knew how to express himself. He wanted the world to feel his pain. He tried to stand, but he could not conjure the energy to move. His entire body was limp due to the constant attacks. His energy had been depleted over the strenuous 36-hour investigation.
Upon hearing a barrage of footsteps, Nicholas glanced towards his right. To his utter surprise, the child ran back towards the gallows. Out of breath, he stopped in front of the prisoner and placed his hands on his knees. He smiled as he wheezed – a sincere smile.
Mike swallowed loudly, then he said, “This... This is for you.” He extended his hand towards Nicholas, revealing two energy chips bouncing on his palm. He said, “Oh, sorry. I forgot you couldn't move. I'll put them in your mouth for you.”