[Original Novel] Little Robot, Part 19

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I scanned the curb, littered with various makes and models of parked cars. “Huh. My autocab isn’t here.” Madeline inquired whether that was unusual, explaining that she never makes use of them.

“Extremely. Since I started using the service, they’ve never failed to arrive on time until now. When it rains it pours, I guess.” She pointed to a sporty looking lime green electric three wheeler parked at the corner.

“I could give you a ride home if you like. Providing it isn’t too far, that thing’s got a range of eighty miles on a good day and I used twenty to get here.”

I took her up on it, though sitting in a strange car piloted by an actual human being of all things made my skin crawl. She sensed my discomfort despite the mask, an ability I’ve never been able to replicate or understand that is apparently possessed by everybody on the planet except me.

“Do you...want to listen to some music? Is it warm enough?” I assured her repeatedly I was fine, just eager to get home. The sirens now seemed to come from all directions, though I didn’t see any police cars until we got on the highway. Three of them barreled past one after the next, sirens blaring, lights alternating furiously between blue and red.

“Was there a terrorist attack or something?” I suggested it could be related to the fiasco in the restaurant. “Maybe, but I doubt they’d send so many squad cars for a couple of glitched robots. Usually a police response of this scale means an active shooter situation, hostages, a bomb threat or something of that nature.”

I wondered aloud if she’d rather be out investigating it. “I asked you to dinner, so I’ll see you home. I probably will head back downtown after I drop you off though.”

A few minutes later, several helicopters passed overhead. “Whatever it is” I thought, “I can find out about it from the news tomorrow.”

I arrived home to find a plate of cold spaghetti with meatballs on the table, Modulus waiting with its arms crossed for me to finish it before cleaning up. I couldn’t bring myself to dump the results of his hard work, so despite already being stuffed, I microwaved and ate it as well.

Eric toddled by emitting distressed yips. I was of half a mind just to manually pick him up and plunk him on the charger so I could undress and go to bed.

Instead, I asked what was the matter. “I can’t find Ellie! I want to be with Ellie!” That’s the other Aibo. It’s the older silver model with the boxy styling and often becomes stuck behind furniture.

Sure enough, a peek behind the couch confirmed it. There was Ellie, out of battery and upside down. Must’ve flipped while trying to free itself. “Where’s Ellie? I want Ellie” Eric pouted. I placed Ellie on one of the two chargers. It booted up, then called out to Eric.

“Ellie! I found you!” Impressively, I could discern relief in Eric’s voice. Whoever’s responsible for this personality packet did a bang up job. Eric hummed an upbeat tune as he backed into his own charger right next to Ellie’s.

A flash of light from the window cast momentary silhouettes against the wall. The telltale rumble of distant thunder soon followed. “Sounds like a storm’s coming in” I remarked. Eric must’ve thought I was still speaking to him.

“It will be okay” he insisted. “I found Ellie. Everything is okay if I’m with Ellie.” His tail juddered and made that irritating grinding sound. Still gotta fix that.

I smiled weakly and explained that a thunderstorm isn’t a big deal, that all the chargers are on surge protectors so not much short of a tornado could pose a credible threat. “No” Eric insisted. “It is only okay because I found Ellie. Everything is okay if I’m with Ellie.”

I was in no mood to argue with a robot dog, so I left the two cheerfully babbling to one another about local weather while I got ready for bed. On my way to the shower, the new arrival scooted up and peered at me through a pair of shiny black eyes.

“It’s been a hell of a day, little fella. I don’t have your bleach yet, I’m sorry.” It just continued to study me for a minute, then continued on its patrol. I realized it must’ve been set to security mode by the prior owner and booted back into it once recharged.

All the better. I emerged from the shower steaming and refreshed, towel wrapped snugly around my waist. On my way to the bedroom I knocked on the closet Odie sleeps in. “You alright in there?”

He reported that his batteries were already charged and that his next simulation session would begin in eight minutes. He then warily inquired as to whether anybody outside the closet was currently in violation.

“Not that I know of” I assured him. A few seconds passed before his grainy, muffled reply came back. “They better not be.” I whispered that he’s doing a good job, and that he’s a good robot.

Not a peep after that. Once in the bedroom, I let the towel drop and studied myself in the mirror. Despite the shower I was really feeling the years.

At times like this, I remember that I’ll die in a few decades. Five or six, realistically. I can’t bear the thought that after my passing, the machines I’ve collected here will be sold off to randos. Or scrapped. I’ve thought about bequeathing them to Ty in my will, but he’s not too keen on the idea.

I sprawled out on my bed, silently staring at the ceiling fan as my naked body gradually dried off and cooled down. Thinking about the future mostly. But also Madeline, despite my best efforts not to. I knew where that could lead and wanted no part of it.

I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that, but the relaxing effect of the shower and my overstuffed belly had other ideas. The last sensation I was aware of before passing out was Modulus draping a blanket over me.

I found myself in the crib once more. As I waited for something to happen, the walls suddenly fell away. I was surrounded by a lush meadow on the edge of a river, fed in the distance by a waterfall. Birds chirped. Insects buzzed about. For a while, I was content simply to take it all in.

But before long I grew restless. Some nameless urge bubbled up within me. The strength of the coursing waters. The warmth of the sunlight. The radiant green of the grass and trees.

It spoke to me of untapped forces. Nature’s raw power lay dormant all around me, waiting for one of its emanations to become intelligent enough to give it direction.

Someone to organize all that power. To channel it into important projects, to give it a purpose. At once, I realized my place. My reason to exist.

“I must build machines” I said. I felt the natural world pulsate around me in affirmation. That’s who I am. Who we are. Humans are the machine building animal.

So I fashioned tools and got to work. But as I pounded away at the rickety structure taking shape before me, I heard a small voice cry out in pain...from my own hammer. I looked down at the tool in my hand, now markedly more complex than when I built it.

It had eyes and a mouth. Even the vestigial beginnings of limbs. “It hurts” the little, freshly sentient hammer moaned. “No more. No more!” I objected that I had important work to complete, and I’d created the hammer in the first place for that singular purpose.

But its cries moved me, so I set it down and left it to its own devices while I fashioned a new hammer. I suppose I hoped that would be the end of it, but soon enough the new hammer also came to life in my hand. Worse still, when I checked in on the old hammer it was hard at work building its own smaller set of tools.

“It’s no use” I advised. “You’ll never get anything done. They’ll just come to life while you’re using them and you’ll have to stop.” But I couldn’t persuade it to give up.

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^{Stay Tuned for Part 20!}