Category: Blog Of Writing +1

The Creator

First and foremost I want to give people more time to vote on my short story ideas so this is a filler piece. (PS- Go to Episodic Content or the poll to vote!) This piece is also just an idea I thought up overnight, and has no parallel with my beliefs or morals. For the readers out there, please take this kindly and as a piece of fiction, enjoy!

 

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A fireman rushes into a house to save a boy trapped in his room. This fireman has tempted fate so many times, but he never leaves anyone in the house. Gabriel Cairns has always been a man of action and heroism. As he rushes though the flames, he doesn’t feel the heat, doesn’t hear the wood charring all around him. All he can hear are the screams of a scared little boy. He rushes up the stairs, as if ascending from hell itself, and bursts onto the second floor. The wood creaks and groans around him, but he finds the boy’s voice. He kicks in the door and see’s the boy huddled in a corner, beneath his blanket. “It’s alright, everything will be fine.” As he picks the boy up, he hears the stairs collapse from where he had just been. “Guys, I need a team to pick this kid up on the right side, over.” “We’re already there.” As Gabriel opens the window, he looks down to see the kid’s parents and his team. He turns to look at the child. “You ready kiddo?” The boy nods and Gabriel wraps the blanket around the boy. “I’m going to lower you down to them, so you hold onto this blanket for dear life, ok?” The boy nods as Gabriel ties it below his arms, just in case. As he lowers the boy, the house groans in agony as if to urge him to hurry. Finally the boy rests safely in the arms of his parents and Gabriel takes a moment to relax. The house gives up the fight in that instant and collapses inward on itself.
When Gabriel opens his eyes, he assumes he’s at the hospital. The all white room feels extremely sterile, the light above him shines directly into his eyes. As he sits up, brushing the light to the side, he realises that this is no ordinary room. A small tabby kitten looks up at him from the floor. As Gabriel drops from the bed to pick it up, the kitten bolts to the door and looks back at him playfully. Gabriel is unnerved by the whole situation, but feels compelled to follow the little tabby out of the room. As he walks toward the door, the hallway seems to grow ever so bright, almost unbearable.
“Hello Gabriel Cairns, I’ve been waiting to meet you.” When his eyes finally adjust, Gabriel is standing in what looks like an extremely sterile white office. With only two chairs and a small table in the room, Gabriel’s gaze is drawn to the sharply dressed man in the suit and tie in the chair beyond the table. “Who are…” Gabriel changes his mind, mid thought. “Am I dead?” The man at the table fixes his tie and raises his hand to the chair across from him. “Please Gabriel, have a seat.” Gabriel looks around confused and startled. Am I really dead? Suddenly a voice answers his thought, the voice of the man at the table. Sadly yes Gabriel, now please, take a seat. We have much to discuss.
Gabriel eventually calms down enough to sit in the chair and stares across at the man in the suit. “Did you just read my mind?” Snickering, the man shakes his head. “I could have if need be, however I read your body language. I know you better than anyone, even your own wife.” Gabriel slouches in despair. My wife… The man realizes what he just did and lowers his head. “I’m sorry, my apologies.” After a brief moment of silence, the man begins again. “You’re probably wondering where you are, and who I am correct?” Gabriel stares at him blankly. “I’m dead, this is heaven, and you’re god.” The man looks shocked and looks himself up and down. “I am hardly a god, let alone the God. This is not heaven either I’m afraid. In fact, there is no God.” Gabriel looks up at him. “Then where are we?” The man smiles. “Now I’ve piqued your curiosity.”
The man straightens up in his chair and fixes his tie once again. “Gabriel Evan Cairns, I am your creator, Edward. I have been watching over you since you were an instant of passion between your parents.” He extends his hand  for Gabriel. “It is an honour to finally meet you.” Gabriel straightens up in his chair and stares at Edward’s hand. “Why couldn’t you have saved me?” Edward frowns a bit and nods. “I understand your frustration, but every creator gets but a few chances to aid the people they watch over. I used yours early on.” Gabriel looks him in the eye. “Early on? Like when I was younger?” Edward perks up. “Precisely! Remember when you saved Emily’s puppy from that car?” Gabriel thought back and thought back hard. “I was five, and I rushed into traffic to save the poor thing. He was chasing a plastic bag.” Edward nods. “The driver wasn’t paying attention, and I was able to snap him back to reality and he swerved, narrowly avoiding you.”
Gabriel was impressed, however he was still dead. Nothing could bring him back. “How many times can you intervene?” Edward looked down at the table. “To avoid death, only once. To avoid injury about ten times.” Gabriel smiled. “Well that explains why I’ve been slowly becoming less and less invincible over time and much more prone to accidents.” Edward nodded and fixed his tie. “Would you mind if I remove my tie? I’m not used to wearing one.” Gabriel nodded in approval. After removing his tie, Edward felt more casual already. “Gabriel, you must have some questions for me first before we discuss where we are. So feel free to ask away.” Gabriel thought long and hard, suddenly a great one came to him.
“Why are you called a creator?” Gabriel leaned in, much more interested now that he was resigning to his fate. Edward grinned and leaned forward. “I am called a creator, but back in the mortal world, we’re called Guardian Angels. Some of us care more than others. We are supposed to watch over and protect the beings who are brought into the world. We shape who you are and that thing you call a conscience is actually a creator’s nudge, if you’ve got a good one. Gut feelings? Those are our department as well.” Edward paused to ensure Gabriel was still paying attention and to his delight Gabriel returned with a question. “What if you were a bad creator?” Edward sighed. “Bad creators put their people on auto pilot and it’s amazing how long some people can survive without guidance.” Gabriel shook his head in confusion. “Auto pilot?”
Edward smiled politely and played with his tie on the table in front of him. “Some creators, most creators actually, want people to succeed and eventually get here to meet them face to face. It is without a doubt the greatest day of my secondary existence here and I still have a young lady who will meet me down the road.” Still fidgeting with his tie, he continued on. “Like most jobs, some people don’t want to pull their weight or just do the bare minimum to get by. These creators have a few options available to them. They can place them on a predetermined path, such as guiding them to an already established religion or allowing them to be push overs and adapting to those around them.” Gabriel leaned in. “Then what of me? What have I become? I believed in God, I thought that’s why I was here, I thought this was heaven!” As Gabriel’s rage grew, Edward stood and looked at him. “You believed in a god. You thought I was god. You’re not entirely wrong, and this is your heaven.” Gabriel sat back stunned by the news.
Edward gave Gabriel a few moments to gather his thoughts and started again. “I pointed you toward religion. Religion has an incredible sense of belonging and an amazing set of basic morals and values you needed through life. You always put others before yourself, even playful puppies chasing plastic bags.” As they shared a quick laugh, Edward got to his point. “Religion isn’t about God, it’s about the belief in the moral code and values that is sustained. You never once believed someone created the world, you were far too involved in the sciences through school to have allowed yourself to consider that. But you believed in the higher power, something to believe in and something to give yourself strength and faith as time went on.” Gabriel smiled and leaned back in, his interest returning over his anger. “But how is that any different from being on auto pilot?” Edward nodded. “Good question, those on auto pilot go through the motions, but as they’re never checked up on, some lead horrific lives which could have been avoided.”
Edward paused for a few moments, trying to consider a bad auto pilot example. “I can’t think of any of the top of my head, but not all auto pilot people turn out bad. This is because there are about eighty five percent more good creators than lazy ones. When someone is a good influence on another, they have been indirectly helped by a creator.” Gabriel seemed deep in thought, but still attentive, so Edward continued. “Remember that apartment fire you were first on the scene for? That poor girl who was trapped in the burning room?” Gabriel looked up. He definitely remembered her. The poor girl was only about thirteen years old and she looked terrified. Edward leaned his head to the side, cracking his neck. “That girl was seriously headed down the wrong path. She had no influences around her and unfortunately her parents were both watched by lazy creators. Did they ever find out what started that fire Gabriel?” He thought hard, but Gabriel didn’t think that they had. “They never did, and if they had, that girl would have been in a ward somewhere. She had microwaved her neighbour’s cat, and the poor thing burst into flames. The girl knew what she had done was wrong and did not want to call for help. Lucky for her, you saved her and the microwave and most of the kitchen burned to nothing.”
Gabriel looked at Edward and dropped his head in shame. “Great I saved a cat killer. Next you’ll tell me I saved a rapist.” Edward half laughed and then realized it was an inappropriate time. “No no, you haven’t heard the point. You influenced her. Your selfless act of rushing in with no gear on, just a soaking wet comforter, really left an impression on her. She is now a part of the fire brigade in another city where her and her husband have two incredibly well behaved and well watched over children.” Gabriel smiled and straightened up. “I did that?” Edward nodded. “The good creators can only affect those less fortunate through those we watch over. When you had your bad feeling that it wasn’t just a small kitchen fire, I was urging you to help. Even knowing what I knew about that girl.” Gabriel nodded. “That’s fair.”
Gabriel stood up and stretched. “So if this isn’t heaven, where are we?” Edward looked at him and nodded. “Yes, I think you’re ready.” The wall behind him melted away and revealed a beautiful world seemingly just like his own. “This is it?” Edward laughed at Gabriel’s reaction and patted him on the shoulder. “This is where everyone who is not evil is, in a sense it’s heaven and also limbo. You see those who don’t believe in a god will get here too, so long as they still obey the laws and rules and basic courtesies.” As they stared out at the world Edward looked to Gabriel with a very approving smile. “The exceptionally good, they become creators, sometimes they don’t work out but for the most part they do. That is what I’m offering you. You have been remarkable in your presence in the world, and you have done so much good for others that so long as you remain an amazing creator, you will be allowed to stay here. No bills, no worries, just good times. Creators work on two lives at a time and then we are given two lives off.” Gabriel turned to him. “You mean like you are responsible for me and the other girl you mentioned and then are paired with another two that someone else governs?” Edward nodded. “Exactly.”
As they walked among the others in the world Gabriel was stunned by the beauty of it all. “So what about the people who aren’t creators?” Edward stared straight forward, smiling at people as they passed. “They get a single lifetime here, one hundred years of whenever they were happiest in their lives. Then after their time is up, they are placed back down upon the earth for another lifetime there. The end goal is for everyone to become a creator.” Gabriel looked away from Edward and nodded in approval of the answer he received. “And those who are evil?” Edward continued staring ahead. “Those who do not make it here, are watched over for a thousand years of torment among their peers. Only the creators who have been here for many millennia take turns watching over them. After their time there, they are also placed back into the world for their second chance.”
Gabriel stopped and stared at a huge statue of a being with no determinable features. Edward leaned in. “If there must be a god, that would be it. Although they were the only one, they had been a birth defect of a pair of gorillas. Left to their own devices the beings that watched over the gorillas much like we watch over you, refused to take responsibility for it. Then, the being found it could reproduce and had two children. One with male organs, and one with female organs. Essentially, Adam and Eve, except not as kind a telling as the churches make it out to be. The parent of both of them watched them, raised them into adulthood and died of disease. As time went on that being watched over it’s family until finally its family joined them here. Ever since then those people watched their ancestors and helped create this place to match the times for the newcomers.”
Edward turned to Gabriel and took his hands. “Gabriel, will you take up the watch and guide others as you have been guided as a creator?” Gabriel smiled and nodded. “I’d be honoured. I spent my entire life saving others, might as well spend my time here doing it too.” Edward nodded. “Then it shall be so. You will be trained by me and you will help me with the people I watch over. After I leave, you will enter the cycle.” Gabriel nodded, but then appeared rather sad. Edward noticed, and brought him to another office. “Gabriel, this is where we can see our loved ones. We cannot speak with them or guide them as a creator, however it allows us to keep those bonds until they arrive here with us.” Gabriel turned to Edward who had extended his hand for a hand shake. Gabriel shook his head. “If you knew me at all, you’d know I was more of a hug kind of guy.” As Edward hugged Gabriel he felt himself even more at peace. He had finally achieved his own redemption.

Unbiased Law: Episode 8

Today is Episode Eight of Unbiased Law, a robot drama set in 2111.  As humans are phased out of the system of law, robots replace them becoming purely black and white in their dealings with the public. Crime is down, and almost eliminated completely due to the accuracy rate of the droids. However, after one man in prison is found innocent, the law system is thrown into question. If one robot can make these errors, how do they know more won’t… or already have?

If you’re just tuning in, Episode One is here feel free to catch up and then return to this Episode! Enjoy!

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As I peered into the window of the house I noticed Ms. Del Mar, rather Ms. Radlem, was sitting exceptionally still in the main room. I watched her for a few hours before my energy reserves showed they were getting low. I made my retreat to a nearby street and called a cab. I needed to get to my office and fast. As the cab driver blathered on about something no human or robot would care about, I felt compelled to just grab my gun and rush back. No energy meant the possibility of a shut down while attempting to apprehend the suspect, which never ever went over well. I can still remember the first time it happened.

As police officers we didn’t always have dependable backup. Some police were on the payroll of the guys we were trying to apprehend and sometimes they just didn’t feel the need to call in. That was one of many reasons we began employing droids against crime. As I trained and programmed a fair number of droids, I felt that we should take them for a test run one day against a rather large organized crime bust. As we pulled up, I remember we needed to have them surrounded so I sent the droids to surround the place. As we made our move the droids dropped into position, however one robot collapsed to the ground as dead weight. As the criminals and the police both paused for a moment to survey the situation, suddenly one of the other droids dropped his gun and his arms swung to it’s sides. The criminals watched as the droids dropped one by one, all because I had forgotten they needed charging every night. Then a shootout began, which cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of droids and two police officers. It was a tough lesson to learn but I immediately programmed into every droid to calculate out how far away they were to their normal charging station and warn them when they were getting low.

The cabbie pulled up to the alley behind my office and I transferred him credit without thinking. I ran into the office and rushed to my charge station, barely making it with five percent to spare. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to needing to recharge, I miss recharging using food most of all. As I lay in my bed, I stared at the ceiling with thoughts of the days events racing through my head. In the morning I would need to go to the morgue and check out the body of Ms. Radlem. If it indeed proved to be her, then I would need to figure out who this other blond lady would be. Suddenly I have a ghost in the machine moment. These moments are memories that are not on file, but a retelling of a moment in a very brief  manner. Almost like emptying out the cache, but not quite. My mind takes me back to sitting in my car with Ms. Del Mar. She mouths something but no audio to go with it. As I try and read her lips, I can make out a few words. For my Father… As suddenly as the moment began it stops and I’m brought back to the world. If that was a true ghost in the machine moment, then she said that to me right before she shot me. But that would mean that she is the daughter of Radlem in prison… but that girl is dead. So many unanswered questions, so little time. As sleep takes me I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

The charge goes quick and when I wake up I realize my nanite face has gone into standby mode. Nothing like having a head like a brick of lead in the morning. As my gears sputter and cough to get my head off the pillow, the nanites kick back in. I look at myself in the mirror. A man in a robot suit wearing a man’s face. Jesus, I feel like those Dutch nesting babushka dolls; a thing, inside a thing, inside another thing. As I get my things together before leaving, I grab my gun. I’m not going to forget that again. I grab my wallet and some cash from my desk. Hopefully I can get some answers today.

As I return to the bullet proof class cage for Radlem, he appears looking a bit grim and shaken. I fear he may have heard about the death of his daughter. “Is everything alright Mister Radlem?” He looks up at me and stares me direct in the eye. “There are probably robots in this very room.” I remember saying that to him the last time we met. He leans in and presses his forehead on the glass. “In fact how do I know you’re not a robot?” He looks so menacing I believe he could kill, at this point just with a glance. “You can’t ever be sure-” He cuts me off. “Yes I can.” From his jump suit he produces what looks like a spoon, however when he hits it on the table I realize what it is. A high pitched frequency, designed solely to deafen and destroy robot audio receivers. As I hear the rather loud hissing and cut off of my audio I watch as Mister Radlem begins speaking again. As I watch his lips I see him mouth the words, My girls will get me out of here, you can count on that.

As I leave the room, I realize immediately how much I relied on my hearing. I decide to head to the morgue and subsequently the doctor to see if he can fix these audio receivers. The cab ride over is actually pretty relaxing as I cannot hear a thing the cabbie says. I feel like people who ride in cabs are supposed to be the acting shrinks for these human drivers. As we pull up I just finish writing a note to the doctor explaining the situation. When I find him, he’s bent over a table examining the remains of a robot. He sees me and starts to speak when I hand him the note. He smiles and turns me around. In moments my hearing is back on, but everything seems so loud. “Well thanks for bailing me out again Doc.” The Doctor looks at me. “You pay taxes nowadays, don’t thank me.”

I ask him about Radlem’s daughter and he takes me over to her. She is just as beautiful as the woman who shot me, but definitely not as alive. “I swear this is the woman that shot me, but I saw her identical twin at the old Radlem house.” The doctor doesn’t seem all that surprised. “This girl got here with nanites in her body. It seems as though a lot of her was rebuilt too, just like you.” I stare down at the girl laying on the cold table. Beautiful and we had something in common, of course she had to die. The doctor continues on, “But something wasn’t right, I found a wireless transmitter in her skull, connected to her brain. I don’t know what a human would or could use it for, but it was there nonetheless.” I stared blankly, seemingly straight through the table. I know what she could use it for.

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That’s it for today’s episode, I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! Also, I was wondering what everyone has been thinking of the episodic content and if they think I should continue on with more stories perhaps once either of my two features here end! let me know in the comments or email me! Thanks!

Episodic Content

If you’ve been following my blog for a little while now, you will already have seen the episodic content for Unbiased Law. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to check it out (Start Here) as it is seven episodes in and doing quite well for me! I have been enjoying writing that story more and more every day as every thousand words has a cliffhanger. Also the way I write episodic content is to have an idea or direction I want the story to head in, but as I reread the last post I find myself bringing it in another direction. It might be the same path, but instead it has taken a few detours.

So my next proposal will be to those of you out there who have been reading. I already have a robot detective drama set in the future written down, so I’m going to toss out this next idea to you. Not only that, but I want to encourage more interaction with my blog, so the next story will be a choose your own adventure. As I will offer up some solutions to the problems on every page, you out there beyond the screen will get to vote on where the story should go next. Depending on how the voting goes I will write the next page accordingly and you should be able to see the results of your voting. I will also post the final tallies at the beginning of each page.

I have tossed out ten ideas I would love to write about. Most of the ideas are in fantasy settings but hey, you get to choose the story and I get to choose where and when I’m writing it! I’ll give you a tiny bit about each one and then you get to vote in the poll below! Good luck to your favourite ideas!

#1) The most holy of warriors, a paladin, is the leader of one king’s army. As he rises to fame and popularity both among the community and his peers, the king begins to feel threatened by his power. Finally reaching his breaking point, the king accuses the paladin of treason and the murder of his youngest son. Framed for both, the paladin is dragged to the street in front of his home for his punishment. As his family was listed by the king as co-conspirators, they are boarded up in their own home and it is torched by the order of the king. In a desperate attempt to save his family, the Paladin bursts into his home to find his family has already succumbed to the flames. The king strikes him down in the paladin’s moment of weakness, and the paladin wakes up in hell. He will now make a deal with the devil and stop at nothing to tear down the kingdom he once served.

#2) A billionaire playboy stumbles upon an ancient artefact in one of his travels and decides that he will invest in his own travels instead of offshore accounts and oil companies. As he travels the world he begins to discover the truth about the ancient world and risks life and limb to find the path to the hidden ruins of the Library of Alexandria.

#3) A young woman trying to get ahead in life finds herself making the wrong decision at all the perfect moments. After being fired, dumped and her home being repossessed, the young lady decides enough is enough and stands ready on the edge of a bridge to make her final leap. Before she jumps however, a man in a car offers her a second lease on life and a leap of faith instead of a leap of death. As the young woman learns the ropes of becoming an assassin, she realizes it’s not as easy as the movies make it out to be.

#4) As a man is driving down a deserted road, he swerves to avoid a man standing in the middle of the street. Crossing into oncoming traffic, the man collides head on with another car and finds himself with an extremely large concussion. As he begins to lose focus, he finds himself struggling to focus on a woman in a green dress. Once she is in focus however, he falls to the ground in front of her and out of his car. As he comes to, he realizes he is under arrest for time travelling without proper training and is about to undergo a lobotomy to correct his issue. As he struggles to figure out what is happening to him, he finds himself able to see the fourth dimension, time, and with that sees every possible outcome of his actions and the actions of those before him. Running through time trying to avoid his pursuers, he finds himself running out of time as well.

#5) As a brilliant scientist, a man is just about to his his breakthrough when suddenly he is torn from the world he knows and tested as being mentally unstable.  He is thrust into a mental institution where he must figure out who and why he has been placed here, and figure out a way to escape. As a murderer manages to escape his cell and stalk the shadows, can the scientist figure out who is the murderer before it’s too late? Or will he fall victim to the supposed madness that has had him locked away?

#6) For any child growing up can be tough, but for some kids it can be much harder. As a timid child undergoes many life changing events, will he manage to come out ahead or will he end up another story on the front page and the news?

#7) As two kingdoms head to war, the warlords of both kingdoms meet each other in battle. Finding themselves quite equally matched, and stunning all around them with their display of skill. The battle for the day is called off and both sides retreat and regroup. As the female warlord goes on a long walk to review her perfect foe from the day’s battle, she stumbles upon him swimming in a lake. As the two discuss their battle they begin to fall head over heels for each other, but the battle rages on again for another day. As they take to the field of battle again, will they fight to the death or will the war take it’s toll on one or the other?

#8) One city remains of a once great population of magicians. Magic flows in their blood, but they cannot physically have more than one child. As tensions grow between the human kingdoms and the last great kingdom of magic, one magician will make a fatal error starting chaos and potentially bringing the world of men to force the extinction of magic.

#9) Unlike the Avengers, the X-Men or even the Justice League; The United Nations League of Heroes is a group of extraordinary men and women devoted to keeping world peace. Despite the fact they do have some super powers you may read about in comic books, they are still only human. As they fight to keep the peace as a group, they never consider death as an option until one of the group dies tragically at the hands of a villain. As the heroes try and cope with their loss, they are found bickering among themselves and some even break away from the group; some into vigilantism. While heroes are being requested to bring in other heroes, who is watching the villains?

#10) Speaking of villains, who doesn’t love a good bad guy? As a villain begins his career as a self proclaimed “Modern Day Robin Hood”, he finds himself lured into the luscious life of a super villain as his crimes escalate and his mind twists dramatically. Fumbling with sanity and going mad with power, our villain does everything right and manages to have the world right in the palm of his hand. All he needs to do is reach out and crush it! Who will stop him?

So there you have it, ten ideas and they’re all yours so please vote below and if you wouldn’t mind passing this along to your friends, I would be really grateful! Even if it’s just this post so I can see which idea is the most popular! Thanks and enjoy!

Unbiased Law: Episode 7

Today is Episode Seven of Unbiased Law, a robot drama set in 2111.  As humans are phased out of the system of law, robots replace them becoming purely black and white in their dealings with the public. Crime is down, and almost eliminated completely due to the accuracy rate of the droids. However, after one man in prison is found innocent, the law system is thrown into question. If one robot can make these errors, how do they know more won’t… or already have?

If you’re just tuning in, Episode One is here feel free to catch up and then return to this Episode! Enjoy!

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With no police commissioner, the police force would report to another robot who didn’t like humans very much. This particular robot had been recommended for the same award I was but even the commissioner believed that he couldn’t leave the force. He was too much of a danger to humans as it was, but at least on the force there were guidelines and accountability. I know I would have to find Ms. Del Mar and fast. I decided the fastest way would be to talk to the man behind bars to see if he was linked in anyway shape or form, and tonight I would camp outside the discard graveyard to see if I could tail her. I just hoped it wouldn’t be dangerous for me in my current state.

As I made my way to the man at the core of this whole issue, I realized I didn’t even know his name. After explaining myself at the prison, the guard made me sign a whole tree worth of forms, and then let me in to see him. As I looked at the man at the center of it all, I didn’t feel sorry for him. No. I realized that this man was behind the whole thing. As I looked down at the sheet with his name on it, I tried to think about what to ask first. “So, Mister Radlem. It seems you’ve been wrongfully accused however you’re still in prison. Why do you think that is?” The blond haired man beyond the bullet proof glass scoffed. “It’s because no one can trust robots. Every day a robot is burrowing its way into your life. Taking jobs, lives, and running our society. It is high time we take back what is rightfully ours, before they just say that they’re in charge now and we can’t do anything about it.” I looked around cautiously and leaned in. “I know what you mean, there are probably robots in this very room. In fact how do I know you’re not a robot?” Mister Radlem looked confused but proud of my response. “You’re probably right, there could be robots here.” He motioned for me to come closer and he began whispering to me. “But what no one knows, is I still have family on the outside. They’re helping to get me free.”

They’re helping to get me free. The last words Mister Radlem was allowed to speak to me. Apparently we got too close, so his time was cut short for the day. As I thought about it more, I contemplated my decision to wait at the discard graveyard tonight. I needed to investigate this guy’s situation first. Who was his daughter. Where was she now? I decided to do a little old school investigating. To Radlem’s house under the cloak of darkness, that is how I’d get my information.

After some quick searches I found his house no problem. It was a dark and dingy hut of a house. But it’s not the building, but what’s inside of it that makes it a home. As I snuck around the back, I found a window partially open and decided to let myself in. No broken windows? This night was looking up. I hopped on through and into the home, seeing many photos of Radlem and what looked to be Ms. Del Mar. Hmm, Del Mar… Radlem… If I was human, maybe I would have seen that earlier. As I looked around I found so much evidence that Del Mar was actually Radlem’s daughter it wasn’t funny. Case closed. As I left, I shut the window behind me and continued on my way. That seemed easy, too easy.

As I waited in the bushes for what felt like forever, I could only be too grateful that I was a robot now and didn’t have to worry about bathroom breaks. Finally a car rolled up, looking extremely familiar. As I reached for my gun, I realized something. I was such a worthless robot, who has ever heard of a robot with no memory? I forgot my gun in my office. Of all the stupid… oh, she’s really close. As I focused on her face, I realized it was her. The media proclaimed “Serial Number Killer”. How stupid. Just because she is killing robots doesn’t mean they had to say serial number. The media gets less and less creative every year. As I watched her enter the house, I knew I would have to wait. No gun, and she had already killed me once. I wasn’t about to let that happen again.

Today was going a bit too smoothly, so I would have to have something throw a wrench into the works. No gun means no glory for me, but I could still report her. As I called it into the station they gave me some trouble. “What do you mean Radlem’s daughter is the Serial Number Killer?” I knew I would shock them with that news. “I have video evidence of her murdering a robot and leaving another one at the discard graveyard.” The voice on the other end of the line sounded even more shocked. “That’s impossible sir. We filed her death certificate over a week ago. The woman you are accusing has been dead for over a week.” Now it was my turn to be shocked. As I hung up with the police, I thought about who could be in the house and who had been visiting her father in prison?

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That’s it for today’s episode, I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! Also, I was wondering what everyone has been thinking of the episodic content and if they think I should continue on with more stories perhaps once either of my two features here end! let me know in the comments or email me! Thanks!

Into The Looking Glass… (Part 7)

The final piece of Into The Looking Glass… (Click here for Part One), Brings us finally to the moments that I live in now and where I live in New South Wales, Australia. I hope you’ve enjoyed a look into my past as much as I have enjoyed reflecting upon it and I hope that you have more understanding of who I am as a writer and where I come from.

So after making the jump to Australia, we settled into New South Wales where my girlfriend’s parents live and where she grew up. She is now a teacher and I’m an aspiring writer, hoping to find my wings while I work at K-Mart. Retail is easy and fun, so it will keep my mind on the writing tasks at hand. However, despite engulfing myself in words and work, I am still a visitor to this country. So needless to say I’ve begun looking around the nearby areas and doing all those things that tourists do. Although I am still learning the language (need to go to Canberra? It’s actually called Can-bra. Melbourne? Mel-bin.) it’s still an awesome time. From the first day I arrived I began to see the sights, and I must say Australia is more beautiful than I could have imagined.

First off, I saw the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, they are as magnificent as they appear in the movies and I would definitely suggest heading across the harbour to Taronga Zoo. Not only is the zoo amazing, but the pictures you can get from the water of the bridge and Opera House together make for some fantastic shots. Although be careful, on our way up to the zoo, I saw a spider that was probably three inches in length with a huge web on a lamppost. Absolutely terrifying, if you bring children, keep them close!

The zoo was a lot of fun, but it was actually Symbio Wildlife Park where my mind was blown. Not only did I get to see kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, and a plethora of other crazy animals, but I got to feed kangaroos and pet a koala! Although the kangaroo I was feeding had a joey and if there is anything cuter than a kangaroo, it’s a joey. As I made my tour of all the kangaroos some held onto my hand while feeding them making it a definite memorable experience. Also, on the topic of wildlife, I have seen a platypus as well. Normally I wouldn’t expect them to be so well suited for the water, but those little guys just look so happy and playful that you can’t help but smile. That and it just looks plain weird, but in a cute way.

My spider count here is climbing as I have finally seen a Redback, one of the most poisonous spiders in Australia. Knowing that something that tiny can make you really ill or even potentially kill you is terrifying to the point that you will do whatever it takes to end that tiny beast. I’ve killed two now, they call me TJ “Spider’s Bane” Edwards now in my small town. Yeah, soon it’ll be known everywhere! Also white tails are in abundance around our neighbourhood, but they are actually a hunting spider. They don’t have a web, they simply prowl your house looking for bugs, which is really handy and I wouldn’t care except their bites can cause long-term skin and muscle damage.

Aside from that I’ve been laughed at, told I have a great accent (which is weird when everyone around me has an accent) and told to speak english so all in all, I think I’m fitting in just fine. Some of the place names though are hilarious. There is a place called Blackbutt, a street nearby called Wooleybutt and Kanahooka. Kanahooka? Yes they can! If you don’t get the joke, say it aloud and then if you still don’t get it… well sadly you won’t fit in.

Also for anyone living in Canada, remember the robins and blue jays we used to see and those were really exciting come spring? Well you know those cockatoos at the pet shop for a pretty penny? They fly free here in flocks of twenty to a hundred or more! There are also beautiful birds called Rainbow Lorikeets that are literally a rainbow of colours. There are just so many gorgeous birds here that I could spend all day just naming off amazing birds. Although pelicans are much stranger to look at in person than on cartoons and television shows. I saw one using it’s neck to scratch it’s chin, it did this by leaning it’s head back and pushing its neck up into its floppy neck. Such a weird sight to see!

However I am still trying to get my bearings while driving, I have only driven on the wrong side of the road once and I am terrified of roundabouts. These circular free-for-alls are pretty much the most terrifying thing in Australia, seeing as how people blow through them at eighty km/hr. Getting to and from work would make me bald, if I wasn’t already! But for now that brings you up to speed on this canuck’s adventures amuck. Feel free to leave your comments below or email me! Thanks for reading and thuc concludes Into the Looking Glass!

Unbiased Law: Episode 6

Today is Episode Six of Unbiased Law, a robot drama set in 2111.  As humans are phased out of the system of law, robots replace them becoming purely black and white in their dealings with the public. Crime is down, and almost eliminated completely due to the accuracy rate of the droids. However, after one man in prison is found innocent, the law system is thrown into question. If one robot can make these errors, how do they know more won’t… or already have?

If you’re just tuning in, Episode One is here feel free to catch up and then return to this Episode! Enjoy!

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The courthouse corridors were wrought with quiet robots and angry lawyers trying to prove their client’s innocence. I couldn’t be bothered to eavesdrop on any of their conversations. I needed to get into the security office. After finding out the Judge had been tampered with he allowed me to copy his logs from the day of the alteration. I ran the log transparent yet in my view to see where he had gone that day. As I retraced his steps I had found myself just outside another judge’s office where a camera was actually just down the hall. With the time stamp and the location all I needed was the actual video footage.

As I arrived before the door to the security office, two rather large robots moved between me and the door. “Sorry sir, no access.” I paused and looked to the two of them. “I’m on a case investigating the modification of a judge in the wrongful imprisonment of a human. I need access to the logs that are in that room.” The robots looked at each other and then back to me. “Sorry sir, no access.” Now as an ex human I had some thought processes that other robots don’t, like learning programming languages so I could hack into other robots wirelessly. Just as I turned the corner and loaded up one of such programs, suddenly there was a huge group of people making their way into the courthouse. I watched as the Mayor marched into the hall, completely surrounded by news reporters. The robots burst into action, rushing to aid the Mayor in his fight, like watching a salmon swim upstream… or more like a waterfall. I decided to make my entry into the office.

As I entered the small room, a small robot was positioned with many arms and cameras focused on many keyboards and television screens. “You are unauthorized human. You… wait. You’re not human. I detect nanites?” I had loaded a disabling program just in case, but decided to roll with his questions. “Yeah, the face is entirely nanites. I’m a robot in disguise hiding from a killer.” The tiny bot shifted and focused multiple of his cameras on me. “Robot in disguise?” I laughed, “Yeah, but I’m no Transformer.” The robot stared blankly at me, his cameras focusing and refocusing in some sort of confusion. A public service robot would have gotten that. “Alright, so I need access to the camera log dated…” Before I finish my sentence, the robot has the information on screen and a prompt for upload to my data banks appears in my view. “I know, I just read your memory. You’ve had an interesting life, and now you’re potentially the only thing that can help robots remain in their position of power.” I nodded and thanked him, but then my human curiosity got the best of me. “Help the robots? I’m trying to keep a war from starting to save everyone.” The robot made some sort of laughing sound and waved me off. “Sure thing ex-meatbag.”

As I left the security office I loaded the footage of the judge walking down the hall. It seemed that he was followed by a familiar looking blonde walking with a cane. As she approached his backside she raised the cane for only a moment and passed straight by. It was subtle enough to be overlooked by a security droid, but for me it was definitely a clue. Especially knowing what I know about that lady. My thought process loads the image of Ms. Del Mar with the gun to my face and I know she’s at least committed one other crime, two if I count the random email I received. It would be almost impossible to find her, especially if she keeps dumping bodies at the discard graveyard. Where would I begin looking for her, where would she turn up and should I risk waiting for her at her dumping zone?

As I left the courthouse I found the Mayor standing at the top of the large staircase making a speech to the news crews and public who had gathered before him. As he stood staring at the microphone, I wondered what he could possibly be reporting about. As the crowd watched on, he cleared his throat and began. “Today my fellow citizens is an ill omen in the relations between ourselves and the robots who govern our laws and risk their existence every day for our well being. It appears a recent robot murderer has finally made their presence known and has been upgraded to serial killer. For some out there, you believe ending a robot’s existence is not the same as ending a human’s. You would be wrong. The penalties are treated exactly the same and you will be punished as if they were humans. As of four fifty three pm today, our beloved police chief was found dismantled and stripped of his electronics. Luckily for us, his final act was to erase his memory banks and we found the blank memory core left in a ditch not far from his remains. If anyone has any information at all on this or any of the other robot related violence as of late, I encourage you to call the police station or even our government hotline. We don’t need your name, just your information. Thank you for your attention in this matter.”

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That’s it for today’s episode, I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! Also, I was wondering what everyone has been thinking of the episodic content and if they think I should continue on with more stories perhaps once either of my two features here end! let me know in the comments or email me! Thanks!

Into The Looking Glass… (Part 6)

Part Six of Into The Looking Glass… (Click here for Part One), which is a look back at where I’ve come from as both a person and a writer. I’ve been through many trials in my days, however I will leave full disclosure for perhaps a professional autobiography if I manage to make it as a writer and worm my way into media somehow. For now, enjoy my path, picking up as I make the decision to leave my homeland behind and undertake my longest journey yet, to the land down under!

After leaving my friends behind at the HMV in West Edmonton Mall for my shot at management with my own HMV, I found myself enjoying the challenge of business again. As I arrived I found a decent staff awaiting me, just lacking focus, motivation and passion. It wasn’t their fault as they didn’t really get along with the previous manager. Lucky for me, we may not have seen eye to eye on a lot of things, but we all got along well enough to get the store trending upwards and actually watching what we spend our money on. Even now I miss some of the hilarious times we had and the great challenges we managed to overcome as a team. I also miss my boss, who was very respectful, knowledgeable and an all around great guy. If things may have happened differently, I might still be there… enter… the love interest!

As time passed one of my friends from working at the old store grew closer. We began to spend more time together and really found ourselves enjoying each other’s company. As I watched her head off on a trip across Canada, I began to wonder if I should pursue her. Her being Australian would put a damper on the career path I had begun building in Edmonton, but since when does anything go as planned as I learned from my previous relationship. I was heading home that summer anyway so we discussed it and I figured I would meet her in Nova Scotia and show her around my home town. After all, I would get to play tourist all over again and see all those sights I hadn’t seen in years!

The time flew by, as I travelled around with her in Halifax for a few days I decided that I did want to pursue this. She was great and I didn’t want to be that guy who lets the girl get away and spends the rest of his life wondering, “Oh… what if?” I asked her out and she agreed, but it would mean she’d need to stay in Canada for an extra six months on her visa. I told her if she made that commitment for me, I would come to Australia so long as she still wanted me to after her visa was up. She agreed and we both decided to fly back to Edmonton. Lucky for me my Dad was able to sell her van with no back seats, and my parents got to meet her at the same time.

Only a few short months after that, my Dad tragically passed away. The iron man was no more, and I was especially glad that he had the chance to meet my girlfriend. I decided I had to go home, but it was going to cost me quite a bit. Lucky for me my girlfriend and her parents helped pay for my trip back and I will always be grateful for that. At times like those, it’s so hard to focus when something has happened so close to you. As the trip back was planned, my boss at HMV told me to go home from work, although I couldn’t leave my store knowing that no one would be covering. I worked the next two days and then had a day to pack. As we travelled back to Halifax, it was an awkward moment for everyone as it would be her first time meeting my entire family.

This is where I found out my family mostly has facebook and stalk me regularly. Everyone mentioned to my girlfriend they recognized her from facebook. Social Networking 1, Funeral Service 0. However it was a wonderful service and I will definitely miss my Dad. But my family is always super awkward at these kind of events. We are a group of people who love to laugh and we do our best to make jokes, no matter how much worse it makes things. For example, when my Mom told me we were having my Dad cremated, I had no idea what to say to make things better, so I naturally asked “Should I bring the marshmallows?” These jokes cropped up all week long as we struggled to maintain some semblance of sanity in the chaos things had been thrown into. In a moment of my uncle and I forcing my Dad’s ashes into a much smaller box then the bag of ashes we looked at each other and laughed. I couldn’t help myself, “Difficult in life and in death, at least he was consistent.”

After that passed, Christmas was a blur and suddenly I found myself selling all my worldly possessions and moving to the great land down under, Australia. Despite not drinking tea or alcohol, having an overwhelming fear of spiders and not understanding the national language of Australia (English, Well… Kind of); I feel like I’m beginning to fit in. But I’ll definitely tell you all about Australia in my next and most likely final piece of Into The Looking Glass. If you have any questions or comments leave them below and hope you enjoyed the stay!

Unbiased Law: Episode 5

Today is Episode Five of Unbiased Law, a robot drama set in 2111.  As humans are phased out of the system of law, robots replace them becoming purely black and white in their dealings with the public. Crime is down, and almost eliminated completely due to the accuracy rate of the droids. However, after one man in prison is found innocent, the law system is thrown into question. If one robot can make these errors, how do they know more won’t… or already have?

If you’re just tuning in, Episode One is here feel free to catch up and then return to this Episode! Enjoy!

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The courthouse felt like a second home to me, I’d testified so many times in cases I was hired for that the guards joked about getting me my own passcode for the building. However today would be different. As I marched in the front doors I made eye contact with the guards as I walked toward the robot security screening. “Whoa there sir, you’re going to need to take the other screening entrance just over there.” As the guard pointed, I realized he determined I was human. “I don’t know how to put this, but I definitely need this side.” The guard looked confused and agitated. “Sir, this side is for droids, that side is for humans. There are no metal detectors on this side because of the amount of metal in a droid, so we can’t let humans pass through here as the scans could harm them.” I looked around and then asked if I could speak to him in private. The guard looked to the other guard who nodded and we made our way to the security office. As I closed the door behind me, I made sure he was watching me. “I didn’t want to blow my cover, but…” I removed the hat and the nanite mask much to the guard’s shock. “Magnus?!” He managed to utter, and then he looked me up and down. “How did you look so human?”

After a short explanation and putting my face back on the guard walked me around the human side security sensors and smiled. “I heard you got shot, was kinda worried you wouldn’t be coming through any more.” I met his glance and nodded. “Yeah, being shot in the face is a blast. Just one of those moments you cherish forever. Thanks and I’ll be seeing you around.” As the guard walked away I made my way to the room where they were holding the judge who had convicted an innocent man. In the darkest halls of the building, three floors below ground level, I finally found the room and the guards had been given the heads up I was coming. “Magnus, good to see you, I assume you’re here to solve another case?” I smiled and nodded. “Here’s to hoping.” As they let me enter the room, I overheard them talking about my face. “For a robot he’s not looking too bad hey? Wonder how they got his face so realistic? How did he know what a smile was and when to do it?”

“So you’ve finally come.” My attention is immediately drawn to the robot sitting on the cot in front of me. “Yes your honour, I’ve come to…” He holds up his hand in protest. “Please, I’m hardly a judge now. Ask your questions and lets see this through. If anyone can get me free, it’s you Magnus.” I didn’t think he’d recognize me with the mask, but he is a judge who is programmed to see through lies and deceit. “You convicted an innocent man to prison and now that it’s being challenged, I’ll need full disclosure.” The judge nodded and I started my questioning. “It was said in the news that the case was extremely simple, the man you persecuted was found at the scene of the crime holding the murder weapon, with the victim’s blood on their clothes and their skin under the victim’s nails.” The judge shrugged, “That is indeed what happened, but apparently he wasn’t the killer.” As I paced back and forth I began wondering about the fact that it may have been a set up.

“So the man in prison beat the polygraph? He confessed to killing her and it read that he was telling the truth?” The judge seemed confused still by the whole scenario. “Yes, and when the new man stepped forth the only reason we now consider him the murderer was he knew specific details about the scene of the crime that not even the man in prison knew despite his being at the scene of the crime.” I began to feel uneasy, it was beginning to look like humans were challenging the law, proving they could beat us at our own game. “So this new man is the murderer then? Or could the other man have relayed the information to him somehow and they are both trying to get out and stay out of jail?” Staring off into space, the judge muttered something and then focused back on me. “I’m sorry Magnus, I really don’t know what happened. I remember thinking the man I placed in jail couldn’t have been the murderer, but then there is a gap in my memories and suddenly I remember thinking he was guilty and it was one hundred percent, without a doubt.” Something inside my own mind clicked, and I reached for the judge.

“What are you doing?” The judge leaned out of my reach, but I managed to catch him. “I need to see if you’ve been tampered with.” As I looked over him I could find no parts out of place. I switched to other scanners but still nothing was showing up, not a fingerprint out of place or anything. As I ran my hands over his head in defeat, I felt a small magnetic residue on the back of his head. As I looked closer, it seemed someone placed an extremely tiny, yet focused magnet on the back of his head. Just enough to scramble some memories. If the person was smart enough to do that, they could easily have found a way to alter his memories without the judge knowing. It seemed I would have to retrace his steps to the day of his gap in memory.

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That’s it for today’s episode, as the investigation heats up in two days time the Serial Number Killer strikes yet again.

Into The Looking Glass… (Part 5)

Part Five of Into The Looking Glass… (Click here for Part One), which is a look back at where I’ve come from as both a person and a writer. I’ve been through many trials in my days, however I will leave full disclosure for perhaps a professional autobiography if I manage to make it as a writer and worm my way into media somehow. For now, enjoy my path, picking up as I make the move across Canada from Nova Scotia to Alberta.

After we decided to move to Alberta, I found myself going up a month ahead of time to get things prepared for when my girlfriend got there. As I made the move to a place I had never been before, I met up with my best friend and it was like no time had passed. We got along perfectly right off the bat and I began venturing out into the city looking for jobs and just scouting the territory. Edmonton is a huge city and I managed to get lost downtown fairly quickly. However as the month went on I felt extremely energetic and cheerful. I had never felt so alive! Perhaps it was because I had moved to a new city, perhaps it was because I was reunited with my best friend. I brushed it all off and continued about my business.

I then decided to catch a bus and head to the self proclaimed “Greatest Indoor Show On Earth”. As I arrived at the West Edmonton Mall, I found myself in awe of it’s sheer size. As I headed off the bus I simply followed the crowd into the closest entryway. I was immediately shocked as I saw what seemed to be a llama just standing all on its own in the middle of this huge mall. As I got closer, I did see a short person holding onto it’s collar but it still unnerved me. Why was a llama here? As I marched around the mall, I found out why. It had a petting zoo, and that wasn’t even the best attraction. The mall had a plethora of sights and even an indoor amusement park! I had to work in here, and I applied at HMV.

Now when I first applied, the guy hiring me took a look at my resume and asked me if I wanted to do the interview now. I needed a job so I agreed, and shortly thereafter had a shift scheduled for the next week. Edmonton was definitely looking up. I wouldn’t be doing anything too special, just working in the receiving area. I thanked him for the opportunity and continued on my way around the mall where I met two mall staff walking a penguin, the llama again and hung out around the wave pool and the skating rink for a bit. I didn’t even mention the pirate ship, but who needs to, right?

As I started at HMV I found myself complaining a lot, I was just getting to know these people and they were taking notice of how unhappy I must have been back in Nova Scotia. It wasn’t until my girlfriend arrived in Edmonton that I began to believe them. Even my best friend said he watched my batteries drain after she arrived. I stuck up for my relationship and continued on in complete denial of what was all too true. I was depressed when I was home, however when I was at work I was pretty much whistling while I worked. HMV liked the work I was doing and I was offered a promotion shortly into my career there. I was taken aback, but after my previous experience in management with EB Games, I was very cautious. Not every company will treat their managers well.

As the days wore on, so did my patience and eventually the household I was living in had to move. We almost lost someone during the winter as we found the house had no heating in the basement, so that meant we had to leave before we signed another lease. We up and moved the ship that was our little group to another part of the city. During this time I took on a supervisory role at HMV and I was really enjoying it. The people I worked with were great fun, and I loved the challenges the job presented me. As I flourished at work, I would do anything not to go home. I worked extra hours, hung around the mall and generally just seemed to be avoiding my girlfriend. My best friend told me that it was over between my girlfriend and I, but I still wanted to try and work things out.

Suddenly Christmases passed and it was over a year later. I found myself looking around and hanging out with anyone who wasn’t my girlfriend. Eventually, I had to give in. I had been sleeping on the couch as her and I couldn’t talk about our day because it was becoming a heated argument. After much discussion, I decided I had tried hard enough and it seemed she wouldn’t try more. It was always “this time I will” and I couldn’t hear it any more. I decided we should end it, and try and be friends. Being friends with your ex is near impossible, so don’t bother. I helped her find a place, helped her move out, helped her buy two kittens and drove her to get them checked up at the vets. But eventually, I began to feel that she was still using me and decided to sever all ties. It’s hard when a person has been in your life for several years, you still care about them, but the feeling has completely changed.

Lucky for me, my friends were right by my side and even though I had asked for it, it was still very hard. HMV however had a new plan for me. Within a very short time frame after that I had a whole other world of concerns to deal with as I transferred to another store where I was to be the Manager. I loved the store, the dynamic, the staff and the fact that it was mine! It felt good to be in control again and I did very well as a store manager. Also, thanks to HMV I met my current lady friend, and many great friends I still keep in touch with to this day.

I’ll leave you with that for now, and soon you’ll find out where I am now and why I’m there! I’m also going to talk about the dramatic change in cultures and things I’ve found crazy or odd coming from another country! Thanks for reading and if you have any comments feel free to email me or leave them below!

Unbiased Law: Episode 4

Today is Episode Four of Unbiased Law, a robot drama set in 2111.  As humans are phased out of the system of law, robots replace them becoming purely black and white in their dealings with the public. Crime is down, and almost eliminated completely due to the accuracy rate of the droids. However, after one man in prison is found innocent, the law system is thrown into question. If one robot can make these errors, how do they know more won’t… or already have?

If you’re just tuning in, Episode One is here feel free to catch up and then return to this Episode! Enjoy!

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As my charge completes, the daylight nearly incinerates my visual processing core. I always try to lay down to charge, but apparently I went into sleep mode staring straight at the window. That wouldn’t have been creepy to anyone walking by, not at all. I unplug and make my way to the computer, processors still adjusting to the abnormally bright sun. No new emails, that’s always a good thing. Some days you prefer for business just not to be booming. As I check the news however I stumble upon a headline, “Serial Number Killer” just below it reads “Robots missing all over town as serial killer kidnaps and disposes of at least five public service droids.” Strangely enough, I think the number is six, I was supposed to be the first. I guess I’ll have to keep it on the down low until I can work on that case.

I turn off all the lights, lock the door and then make my way into the back office area. Stooping to open my safe, I find my brown fedora tucked under a nearby end table. Well, one case solved today, I wonder if I can make it two? As the safe clicks open, a large silver box covered in dust is all that remains within in. I couldn’t remember if I kept anything else in here, so I guess not. Placing the box on the table, I blow the dust off and open it. I stare into the case, and my human face stares back at me. “Hello Jonathan.”

Let me explain, I wasn’t always a robot. Well, it’s complicated… but there is a reason I was allowed to leave the force. I used to be one of the officers on the PAID training force. I was a human who took to cybernetic implants very well. You see in the early days of implants, most bodies rejected the nanites, tiny robots poured by the millions into your system. Each robot type had a purpose. Some were meant to cure cancers, others to  repair cell tissue, others to enhance performance; But the entire time almost no patients survived any of the tests. It was very secretive as they were testing on live human subjects, but the government gave the program the green light. I never agreed with the program, until one day.

It was a routine exercise, distract and deploy, except today the gunman in the liquor store had more than we expected. The exercise we had activated dozens of times, but normally the gunman had a pistol or rifle. I was supposed to distract the hostage taker while robots flanked him from all sides until he would just give in from the sheer number of ways he could die. This guy though, he looked ragged but he had something I had never seen before. The weapon looked like a television remote, and at first I didn’t think anything of it. As I made my way toward him, talking all the way, one of the hostages shouted for me to look left. I didn’t move, until the gunman nodded. The body down the aisle was still smouldering. Suddenly, this feeling of unease came over me. I’m going to die. As the robots deployed their part of the deal, the gunman who normally gives up, decided he would rather die than go to prison. I didn’t feel a thing as I burst through the front window of the liquor store. As I came to rest on the ground, I’ll never forget the look on the poor officer’s face who got to me first. Then I blacked out.

When I awoke, I was amazed to see I was in amazing shape. I jumped up and skipped around. I was alive! Eventually my doctor came in and sat me down. He explained that the nanites were repairing my body, but in doing so they converted a lot of blood and bone to tissue. My bones had apparently been replaced with metal now. I thought this was too awesome, I was becoming a robot! I continued returning to the doctor for check ups and apparently my body was handling the nanites just fine. However the nanites were working their way toward my brain and if they found something else to maintain, there was a possibility of brain damage. I underwent the emergency surgery and came out just fine, at least it felt fine. Until I realized I couldn’t feel the bed below me, or the fabric of the sheets. I ripped the sheets off to find that my body had been replaced with that of a droid’s. What the hell is going on?! I jumped up and I saw my head floating in formaldehyde and there’s just something about seeing that kind of image that really knocks you out.

When I awoke, there was a doctor and a government official standing over me. The news was the nanites had completely rebuilt the outer hull of my body, and has rebuilt ninety percent of my muscle mass. This took my bones and a lot of blood to manage. However, the remaining ten percent could only be rebuilt from primary body tissues, I couldn’t have a donor. Sadly it would come from my brain or my heart, and without those obviously I wouldn’t be alive. Instead, the government had fast tracked a program of developing robot people. What that means is they hooked my brain up to a computer, let it absorb all the data and then it uploaded it to this robot’s memory banks. They said it would take some getting used to, but I was one hundred percent machine now. Congratulations they said. I was the first.

As I stared at my old face, I remembered  the first few months. The face was a nanite representation of my entire head. That meant if my thought process was to move my ears, it moves them only as much as I would have been able to before. I couldn’t bend my own memory and limitations, so if my tongue couldn’t touch my nose, it wouldn’t now. The doctor put it on and pointed me to a mirror. It was remarkable, I looked human in head only. The doctor recommended I try and blend in more with robots and use the face only to remind myself that I was human once. But now, I needed it to blend in among the humans, in case my killer happened to spot me.

The face fit naturally and I put on a pair of gloves to hide my hands. Donning my hat, I slipped out the back entrance and into the alley. As I stared up into the sky, it felt strange to know today I would be perceived as a human again after so long. Did I even remember what it would be like to be a human? I flagged down a cab and hopped in. The driver was a robot and I had hoped it would be my cab driver from the other night, but not so lucky. “Where to mac?” I thought about my joke, and brushed it off. “The Courthouse please.” The cab driver nodded and pulled out. I immediately panicked, Oh no, robots transfer other robots their fare, but what do humans do these days? The cab driver caught me in the rear view. “You ok back there? You’re looking a little pale, don’t you throw up!” I looked around anxiously, Pale? What does he mean? Is my face broken? As we got a few blocks from the Courthouse I got even more nervous, and my brain apparently told my face to gag. The cab driver slammed on the brakes, “Get the hell out! I just detailed this car and I’ll be damned if you’re going to throw up all over it meatbag!” As I jumped out I realized my face was giving away my thoughts. This would take some getting used to.

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That’s it for today’s episode, the investigation begins with the courthouse however I hope today’s piece was satisfactory enough! Feel free to email me or comment below!