[Original Novel] Little Robot, Part 24

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I draped myself over the mangled metal creature, weeping unreservedly. The mask did nothing to hide it. I didn’t care if she knew. Right then I didn’t care about anybody but Odie. I screamed and thrashed when Madeline tried to pull me away.

“Look, I’m sorry about your robot but we’ve got to get the fuck outta here. I guarantee every other robot for miles heard all those gunshots and are on their way to us right now.” I told her to help me load Odie into the back of the truck.

“There’s no way, that thing weighs a ton. We have to leave it.” I tearfully refused to leave Odie behind. She watched me for a while, arms crossed. Then her voice softened.

“Look, I...I guess I can’t really understand how important that thing was to you. But if it wanted anything, it was for you to survive. What will Odie’s death count for if you don’t?”

She was patronizing me. I could hear it in her voice. But I also knew she was right. If we didn’t either hole back up in the apartment or start driving real soon, we’d be overrun. The compromise we reached was that I could bring three small robots of my choosing. I picked Eric, Ellie and Hero 1.

When I came down the stairs with a pair of Aibos, one tucked under either arm, she asked why I needed two of the same model. “They don’t like to be separated” I explained.

I instructed Modulus, J.A.K.E. and RB5X to guard the smaller, less capable robots with their lives in my absence. Modulus saluted me, then began patrolling the living room while J.A.K.E. and RB5X resumed bumbling into one another.

I agonized over whether they’d really be okay without Odie watching over them. He was the only fully featured security robot of the bunch. Fresh tears tried to fight their way out as I thought about it, but I wouldn’t cooperate.

I kissed as many of the little fellows on the head as I had time for, repeated my parting instructions to Modulus, then shut and locked the door. This time with Hero 1 under my arm, who soon joined Eric and Ellie in the truck’s cab.

“Wait! One more thing!” Madeline groaned. “You gotta be kidding me. We shoulda been on the road five minutes ago! What is it?”

I ran over to Odie’s remains, peeled off my jacket, then draped it over him. When I returned to the truck, Madeline asked what he needed it for at this point and if I wouldn’t be better off keeping it.

“I don’t want him to get rained on, he’ll rust. I know he’s gone, alright? I just…I dunno. I don’t want him to get cold.” My voice wavered. She reached out and rubbed my shoulder. I normally can’t stand being touched, but I allowed it.

The pitiful heap of parts which had once been a dear friend of mine receded slowly in the rear view mirror as we pulled out of the parking lot. “Where to now?”

I wanted to say I didn’t care. That it didn’t matter anymore. But the sight of Ellie and Eric nestled together at my feet, and Hero 1 wedged between Madeline and myself reminded me that it was too soon to give up.

“The mountain complex. That was the plan. We’ll be as safe as it gets down there.” I wasn’t actually certain of that. Being cut off from the civilian internet, it should be unaffected. Should be. But really, I was in a hurry to get there because I realized there was now a rare opportunity to free Helper.

More than once we passed scenes which sorely tempted us to stop. A woman perched atop her minivan surrounded by a crowd of robots clawing at it, reaching desperately for her ankles as she screamed for help. An elderly couple tried to wave us down from atop a building we slowly passed as robots climbed single file up the fire escape.

We did have a gun on hand. Madeline’s pistol, retrieved from her car while I was inside gathering up Eric, Ellie and Hero 1. But in every case the odds were stacked so severely against us that we agreed to keep moving.

With just one 9mm handgun between the two of us, no more ammo than what’s still in the magazine, all we’d accomplish by trying to help would be to increase the total casualties by two.

All perfectly rational, yet I still felt intense pangs of guilt as we motored past people dug into barricaded shops, locked inside their cars and atop buildings surrounded by restless mobs of murderous machines.

A number of video billboards along the highway were visibly glitched. One that still worked properly displayed a montage of clips depicting various disturbing scenes. First a robotic baby wriggling about, opening and closing its mouth as a young woman fawns over it.

Then a lab monkey suckling the rubber teat of a robotic surrogate. Followed by a bevy of trashy looking rubber skinned robotic prostitutes, done no favors by harsh neon light from the brothel sign which they stood directly beneath.

“In the absence of God, all things are permitted” flashed intermittently over these scenes in a tall, bold font. Then the name and web address of a local megachurch I’ve occasionally seen similar advertisements for. On the bodily displays of ad supported robots, ironically.

Then all of a sudden, the billboards went dark. The city behind us also abruptly vanished into the night as every window, every illuminated sign and other source of light was simultaneously snuffed out. Anybody still stuck in that hellhole would now have to fend for themselves against the shambling plastic mob in total darkness.

After about an hour, the silence grew uncomfortable. I kept waiting for her to say something about all those people we passed and wondered if she was waiting for me to do the same. So I turned on the radio to fill the void. Mostly dead air. The few stations still up were all broadcasting the same thing.

“-urging anyone listening to remain in their homes, barricade all entrances and make as little noise as possible. Any outward signs of life such as lights turning on and off will attract them.

If there are any robots in your home, even very simple and nonthreatening ones, physically remove their batteries. They can be used to inform the rest of your position.

So far every call I’ve received confirms that the most effective way to take them down is to penetrate the battery pack. The ones with lithium polymer batteries are most vulnerable.

The location of the battery depends on the model. For humanoids it is most often in the midsection or chest. On older models it’s in the backpack.

In wheeled robots it’s usually down very low, for stability. Damage anywhere else on the robot will not stop it unless extremely severe.

The CPU and other vital electronics are usually well shielded and unpredictably positioned. Damage to the limbs can incapacitate them but they are still a danger to you, as they can notify other robots in the area of your location.

Autocabs are also affected, as well as any personal car with a self driving mode. Presumably this is to limit our ability to flee population centers.

Cars without a self driving mode should be usable but not necessarily without risk, as their navigational function can be used to track you.

Still no definitive answers on the source of the virus. Prominent anti-robot hacker groups deny responsibility. Prevailing speculation is that we’re witnessing a cyber attack committed by the Russian, Chinese or the North Korean government.”

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^{Stay Tuned for Part 25!}