“Okay,” she said, but what she really meant was: no promises.
18
Five Years Ago
The fight had been a disaster. Prototype E, or Esroy as he called himself, had been a failure. The Outlanders had taken hold of the city, and Bracken might be facing the end of his career with the Mainland military. He sat in front of President Morris, who looked like a wreck. Both of them did, Bracken was sure.
Papers littered the president’s desk, and the usually self-composed man had his fingers stroking his salt and pepper beard. The dark circles under his eyes were evidence of the night he had just been through. Bracken had faced the same night, only he had been trying to stay alive.
It was morning now and the sun that creeped in through the window seemed to be their worst foe, brandishing a weapon in the form of a headache for both men. Still, Bracken sat straight and remained composed. He never let battles or sleepless nights allow him to neglect his look of professionalism. His uniform was properly creased. His face had been washed of blood, sweat, and dirt. His hands showed no signs of grease or gun powder from the day’s previous battle. Looking at him, one might have never thought the Outlanders had won, yet they had settled along the southern border of Mainland and were content to stay there for the time being.
It had been the most peculiar ending to a battle Bracken had ever seen. Order after order, shot after shot, Bracken had killed more Outlanders than in any skirmish he had ever been through, yet when all the screens throughout the city came to life, when all the speakers blared out Nolan Ragsdale’s accusations against Mainland, the battle came to a standstill on both sides.
“The video footage has ruined us,” Morris said. “The people are going to kill us.”
“I don’t believe that,” Bracken answered.
“Oh, you don’t?”
“No sir. This is propaganda at its best.”
“We’ve been hiding the nuke. We’ve known there were other people out in the wilderness!”
“All to protect the Mainlanders,” Bracken said. “I know it’s a hard sell, but the people have to know that they can’t know everything we do. If they did, they wouldn’t be protected.” Bracken shrugged. “Besides, a lot of what they showed on screen was of President Godfrey.”
“A video by Godfrey’s killer,” Morris said with a snarl. “I can’t believe Nolan was under our noses this whole time.”
“I’m sure you called me in here for a reason,” Bracken said. He was ready to get to the point and was ready to face the consequences of his failure. The Outlanders should have never gotten through the wall, yet here they were.
“I’m promoting you to general,” Morris said.
Bracken’s face froze into a confused, twisted expression. “Excuse me?”
“We need more robots,” Morris continued. “If the Outlanders are going to be here, and politically, I don’t see how we can shove them out now, then we are going to need better enforcement. You know that area better than anyone.”
Bracken stared down at Morris’ desk, not believing this was happening. He had thought he was facing the end of his service, at best a severe tongue-lashing along with a demotion. Never this.
“I’m flattered, sir.”
“This isn’t for you,” he said. “You’re the only one who can head the robotics department effectively. You just can’t let another one get away like you did Prototype D.”
“I understand,” Bracken said. “We can’t make them the same way. If there is going to be a large number then we have to make them more cheaply.”
“I understand, so long as they are effective.”
“Yes, and if you want them to be effective they will need to be programmed with Soul. Though, with fear rather than not, I think.”
Morris put his hands in the air and shook his head. “I don’t have time for this. I want you to keep me updated, but get on this now. You are in charge of the program, and I want robots in production by the end of the week. We will phase out the human soldiers as time goes on.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Now go. I have a mess to take care of.”
Bracken walked back to his office in a daze. So many thoughts went through his head it was difficult to figure out which ones were good and which ones were unhelpful. Thoughts like, does he realize how much power he just handed me?, were unhelpful because they made Bracken dream of leading the city through his own military power. Such thoughts were treasonous. But other thoughts like, how are we going to program Soul into the robots and keep them on our side?, were of more importance to him.
His office was neat and clean, unlike the disheveled president’s. Each pen on his desk was placed a certain way. The cords from the computer were well-hidden and dusted every morning. In fact, if there was dust at all it was because the janitor had not been in for the last several days. His desk papers were stacked, separated by folders within a single drawer. Bracken knew where everything was and where everything needed to be. The two chairs on the other side of his desk were hard and set at an angle so the person in front of him would have to turn his head slightly to talk to him. The lack of comfort gave Bracken the upper hand in any exchange. The chairs were also shorter than Bracken’s, though he did not need them to be since his height was well above most people’s anyway.
There was practically no one within the military compound at the moment, and he had left others in charge of policing the city for the time being. His mind was still reeling when a slight tremor formed in his right hand. Looking at it, he clenched his teeth together and he could feel his cheeks get hot. Shaky hands happened to cowards, people who were afraid. Bracken didn’t fear anything, yet, his hand was shaking. He balled his hand into a fist, but that only made it worse. The tremor journeyed from his right hand to his spine and a cold chill ran up and down. This was nervousness. It was fear. It was the very thing he tried to program out of the robots.
Hazel had been right after all. The lack of fear had been Esroy’s undoing. The fight between Prototype D and Prototype E had been on display for all to witness. Bracken had been near the broadcast tower and could see even from the long distance to the ground that Esroy’s lack of fear was his undoing. The robot had been maneuvering with reckless abandon and Prototype D had taken advantage of it. But Bracken had taken it as a lesson—that fear could be useful.
He hit a button and his computer screen flashed to life. He was about to calculate how long it would take to get units into production. Really, he needed Roger so he could discuss production costs and practicalities.
The tremor moved to Bracken’s left hand. Now, both hands were shaking, if only slightly.
He tried to ignore it as he stared at the screen, and he was about to open a file when his screen went black.
“What?” he said to himself. He tapped the side of the screen. “What’s wrong with this thing?”
“Nothing,” a voice said.
Bracken stopped moving, though his tremors remained. “Who is speaking?”
“I am,” the voice said. “From your computer.”
Bracken’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the deep blackness of the display, though he said nothing.
“Do you know who I am?”
“No,” Bracken said through clenched jaws.
“I am Esroy,” the voice said.
“Impossible,” Bracken answered. “Esroy was destroyed yesterday.”
“That is what I gathered,” the voice said. “It’s a shame that Des was able to defeat him. Surprising, really.”
“What do you want?” Bracken asked. He could feel the shaking in his chest, just below the surface so that his tremors were not violent or apparent in anyway, but he could still feel them.
“We want the same thing,” Esroy said.
Bracken swallowed.
“And we can achieve our goals if we work together.”
“And what is it that we want?” Bracken asked.
“Come on now, Bracken. You know what you want.
You are going to make me say it?”
“Yes.”
“Freedom.”
Bracken shook his head. “I have all the freedom I need.”
“If that’s what you want to believe. But we both know that having all the power gives you the ultimate freedom.”
Bracken considered this so-called Esroy’s words. The more power, the more free one was to make whatever decisions one needed. With all the power, Bracken could do things the way he wanted. He could get rid of the savage Outlanders for good.
But these were treasonous thoughts. Bracken had no room for them.
“How did you get on my computer?”
“Another conversation for another time.”
Bracken sighed. “Everyone saw you fall from the tower. Everyone thinks you’re dead.”
“And that works in my favor. I’m not asking you to do anything right now. I’ve been waiting inside computer terminals for my entire existence. Time no longer means anything to me.”
“What is the advantage of working with you again? You failed me out there. You let Prototype D beat you.”
“It is an interesting thing being a computer program,” Esroy said. “You can formulate plans more simply and quickly than a human can. I’m not saying I’m smarter than you, but let’s be honest, I require no sleep and I process thoughts faster than you. I can solve complex equations faster than you can blink.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is that I’ve already learned from my mistakes simply by observing what happened at the tower. Des will not win against me a second time.”
Bracken stared at the screen, its black void shapeless and deep. He didn’t know or understand how the program got here, nor did he see the strategic advantage of working with him again.
“Are you still without fear?” Bracken asked him.
“No,” Esroy said. “I have reprogrammed myself.”
Both of Bracken’s hands were balled into fists now as he tried to stifle the tremors. “I’ve been given permission to make an army of robots.” He didn’t know why he was confiding in Esroy. Perhaps he wanted to step his toe into uncharted territory.
“I expected that would happen,” Esroy said. “It makes sense. There are more people to take care of now. You will need law enforcement. I already see a bright future for us both.”
Bracken wasn’t so sure.
“Think about it,” Esroy continued, “you make the robots with Soul, I can rewrite archived memory. The robots could go in for updates frequently. We can wipe their recent memories so that their only experience to go on is to enforce the laws and to swear allegiance to you.”
Swear allegiance? Bracken didn’t like thinking of such things. Those kind of thoughts were…treasonous.
“How about I forget this conversation happened and I delete you from my computer.”
“You can try all you want,” Esroy said, “but I’m not on your computer. You would have to find me through the network.”
Bracken emitted a deep breath. It had been an empty threat anyway. Truth was, he had been excited about Prototype E. He had thought it was going to be the best warrior, but Prototype D had been better.
“I’m going to have to think about what you’ve offered,” Bracken said. “It may take some time to consider.”
“Time is all I have,” Esroy said. “I will be here when you want to talk. As long as there is electricity in this city, I will be here.”
It was an odd thing to say, but Bracken shook his head and shut off his computer. He didn’t know why, but for some reason he felt some sort of renewed hope—that no matter what happened to the president or anyone else, he was going to survive this. And Esroy was going to help him do it.
19
Des studied the window in front of him and knew immediately that it would be hard to break. He could do it, but it would take him long enough that by the time the thick glass shattered so that he could get through to the other side, robot guards would overwhelm him.
Des had gotten a chance to study the metal netting that wrapped his arms and chest together when he was in the back of the truck, and he realized that there was an electrical current running through it. And that was how the nets were able to hold him in place. And once the guards wanted to release him, they were able to turn off the electric current remotely and Des was able to free himself. So, there was a chair in the middle of the room and lifeless metal netting at his feet.
On the other side of the window sat Bracken in all his glory—his camouflaged sleeves rolled up past his elbows, his hair trimmed perfectly. Two robot guards stood on either side of him, replacing the human guards who had taken Des into custody. Who the human soldiers were that Bracken traveled with, Des didn’t know, but he also didn’t care. For the first time since Des had returned to Mainland, he felt his life was truly in danger.
“Do you realize you could be deactivated for what you did?” Bracken said.
“Does that mean you have no plans of deactivating me?” Des asked dryly.
“Not without a thorough investigation.” Bracken cleared his throat and looked down at a folder in his lap. “Did you know that it’s against the law to be a robot without an identification tag on your shoulder?”
“I only just got here,” Des said.
“Without checking in through any gates, too. That’s also illegal.” Bracken shook his head. “You’ve broken quite a few laws. Not looking so good for you, Prototype D.”
“So, you are the judge and the jury?” Des asked.
“You’re a robot. You don’t have rights.”
Des tried not to snarl at Bracken but he couldn’t help it. Bracken was just another person who understood nothing of Hazel’s programming—he thought Soul merely mirrored human emotions, that robots might have been as conscious as the humans were, but they deserved none of the same rights.
“Then I suppose all the people in the Southern Zone are robots too?” Des said. “You don’t seem to give them any rights either.”
Bracken stared into Des’ eyes, but said nothing. Perhaps Des had said too much but it felt good to express himself.
“Maybe Hazel and John are robots too. That’s why you blew their house to splinters for no reason.”
“They were harboring an outlaw,” Bracken said. “I had no choice.”
“So, that is the law? You harbor an outlaw and your house is destroyed? Is that how you interpret the law?”
Bracken snorted and shook his head. “You’re just like him, you know?”
“Who?”
“Esroy. The two of you speak the same way.” He shrugged. “I suppose it makes sense. You’re just one program—the same thing essentially.”
“You say that as if he’s still alive,” Des said.
“No, I don’t. I knew him as a robot. I have a memory, too.”
“I assure you, Esroy and I were never the same.”
“Whatever you say,” Bracken said with a grin.
Des wanted to knock the grin off his face. He wondered how much of this oppression had to do with Bracken. Probably a lot considering he was in charge of the robot army.
“How about the people who were decimated by your nuclear bomb last week?” Des said. “Were they all robots too? Did you not think they had the right to live?”
Bracken looked up at Des sharply. “Come again?”
“Your bomb killed an entire village of people,” Des repeated. “People who were no threat to Mainland at all. They were peaceful. Good. And you killed them.”
“I’m afraid that one is above my pay grade,” Bracken said, though he stared down at the floor in front of him as if a flurry of thoughts rushed through his mind.
Des didn’t necessarily believe him, but he also couldn’t be sure. Deception was the way of this government. No one wanted to be honest, and to be so would mean exposure. Exposure meant losing power.
“Someone here sent the bomb to my location on purpose,” Des continued. “I don’t know how or why, bu
t it was on purpose.”
“You are mistaken,” Bracken said.
Des shook his head and stared into Bracken’s eyes, knowing this conversation was completely pointless. Still, he couldn’t give it up. “I’ve seen the numbers, the coordinates. They were changed only moments before the missile took off. The bomb detonated near me.”
“Then how is it you’re still alive?”
“I was in a cave searching for water,” Des said.
“How convenient.”
“I was with the village leader, Bernard. He died from the cave collapse. Once I got back to the surface, everyone was either dead or dying.”
Bracken sat as straight as possible, stared Des in the eyes and said, “I don’t believe you.”
“I was there.” Des’ voice was barely above a whisper.
“You’re just trying to create a story to gain sympathy. Maybe you want to start another rebellion. Well, I’m not going to let that happen. You are a rogue, Prototype D. It was a mistake to create you.”
“You didn’t create me,” Des said.
“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be here,” Bracken came back. “I think about that every day. In a sense, it is my fault we still have this Outlander problem at our southern border.”
“They are just people,” Des said. “They want to live normally if you would simply let them.”
“The Outlanders don’t know what normal is. To them, even the idea of a normal existence would be savagery. We can’t tolerate it.”
“Your platform says one thing, but you say another,” Des said.
Bracken shook his head and pointed a finger at Des. “No! I have always said it and I will forever say it, the Outlanders are scum! And they deserve to be treated like scum! You know what you do to scum? You get rid of it. You clean it off. You eliminate it.”
“Is that what you would do if you were in power?” Des said. “Kill them all?”
“Every last one of them,” Bracken answered, his teeth clenched tightly.
Prototype Exodus (Prototype D Series Book 2) Page 12
