The Machinist Child
You stare at into his lifeless eyes, waiting for him to speak. He says nothing. You wait longer. Still, he does not speak. He just stares at you from atop his mechanical creature. On closer inspection you notice the platform atop the mech is a glowing circular circuit board. You figure he controls the machine through this circuit platform. Your not sure what to do, you have your pistol, you could take a shot at him, but you know he allowed you to have the gun. Maybe he wants you to speak first.
“What have you done with my friends?”
He stares blankly at you, almost like a confused dog.
You turn back to the wall where the stuffed tiger was, and begin to approach it again. The same reaction occurs; the Machinist Child commands his mech to slam one of its claws down, crushing concrete. You stop. Obviously the stuffed animal is of some importance to him. Strange you think for a cyborg who apparently has hunted humans to near extinction within the sphere. You turn to face him again, another stare down ensues.
This time, he breaks the silence, but not with words. His black eyes flicker and flash blue, somehow activating your wrist computer. The hologram of your wife and son playing outside your house begins to play. He watches the images as you cock your eyebrow in curiosity. The image of your wife and son playing repeats about four times, this is becoming disturbing to you.
“…Family…” He speaks in a digitized voice. You nod.
“Yes…that’s my family…”
“Are…they here?” This question really creeps you out.
“No…They are back at my home…” A pause.
“What have you done with my friends?”
“Friends…” He almost scoffs at the word.
“I….” He begins, much more cocksure now.
“….I create my friends. The ones I have not created will maim and destroy.”
“I don’t want that. All I want is to go home…back to my family…with my friends. That’s all I want. My job is to keep things safe.” Your almost stammering, this boy is terrifying.
“…Ssssafe? Protect…the ones you care for?”
“Yes…”
“You….you are not safe here….” You swallow hard. Beads of sweat are forming.
“Here…I am master. I created sentient life from ruins of warrrr…” He leaps from his platform and swings on rafters and pipes to a conveyer belt with deactivated robots on them.
“Each one…I give life…a spark of myself. They obey me. Fight…for me. Here you cannot be safe, for I am God. I decide what happens.”
Your sick of the intimidation, if you’re going to die, you’re going to speak your mind.
“Bullshit. Your no god…half of these robots you created don’t even think you exist! They think you are just some myth; a fairytale.”
Expecting an angry reaction from the Machinist Child, you get none. He seems somewhat calm about your outburst.
“Tell me human…Have you ever hovered over an ant? You could care for that ant, feed it for a lifetime, protect it from enemies and the environment, yet it will never know you are there. The….ant is…so occupied with its own life it fails to recognize the looming powerful force keeping it safe…or intending to destroy it.”
Oh boy, you think.
“If that ant has no belief in me or does not know I exist….how in anyway does that diminish… my power?” He extends his arm toward you, expecting a reply.
“I would guess that it doesn’t.” You say.
“Correct…Understand human…No matter what the unbelievers will tell you, I am still… their creator, their protector and destroyer. Sphoros is my domain…”
“ Quit calling me “human”! Look in the mirror kid, your human too! You just have cybernetic implants!” He leaps down from the conveyer belt onto the ground with a metallic thud. That pissed him off. He charges and halts right in front of you. He is about half your size, pale, the scars over his head and body look old. He gazes into your eyes.
“I AM NO….HUMAN! LOOK…AT ME! THIS IS WHAT HUMANS DO, THIS IS WHAT THEY DO TO CHILDREN!” You realize it now. This Machinist Child still has the mind of a young boy. He hasn’t developed past that. He may have all this power in Sphoros, but he is still a child. A child who is angry at the people who did this to him…who killed his family, who took everything away he ever loved. He can’t deal with the hatred so he has created his own utopia of robots.
It’s not enough though. Cold ,calculating robots could never love him. So he developed a sentience program with emotions to allow his creations to choose to love him. He is using the Chronocon as a means for his creations to be faithful and care for him. This murderous cyborg child…Just wants to be loved.
“Oh my God…you poor kid…What did they do to make you think this way…”
He stares at you. You look at the stuffed tiger again.
“Who did that belong to? You? Was it your toy?”
“It…was…my sister’s…”
“What happened to her?”
He pauses and almost whispers it. “…Humans.”
His hatred controls him. You can’t think of anything to say that will alleviate a pain that has cultivated over hundreds of years. You take a heavy breath.
“What do you need me to do…”
His eyes flicker blue again, causing various visual screens to pop up all throughout the room. On them are screens of people, fighting robots, blowing up buildings, running from Bishops and Prophet Hover droids. You notice many close ups of a dark skinned man in particular.
“These are the last of the humans…They continue to fight against my followers. Every time I learn of their location they run….and survive. They are planning to release something….horrible on all of Sphoros.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Go to them…tell them you have found me…Killing me would end their extermination. Lead them here so I can finish off the human resistance for good.”
Your stomach turns at the thought.
“If I refuse?”
The black eyes flicker once more. Sliding panels on the far sides of the walls to your left and right reveal eight clear tubes, containing the six remaining scientists, Prinevo and Mora. They bang on the tubes upon seeing you. Muffled screams echo through the cavernous assembly room. The Machinist Child cackles with glee as he leaps back onto his insect like mech.
“If…you refuse…I will pour corrosive acid into your friends containers! So believe me when I say….you must do this.”
You are itching to blow this little bastards head off now.
“I…I’ll do as you ask….Let me take them along though, for support.”
The Machinist Child cackles again; he is enjoying his little game now.
“Noooo…nooo….I don’t think that will work. You can take along Prinevo and the human girl if you wish, they will help you the most. The other humans will stay here until…you return.”
You cringe but accept his terms.
“No harm will come to them?”
“As long as you obey…then no.”
“I will do as you ask. I’ll bring the rebels here.”
“Good….I have given you the location of their hideout in your wrist computer. I’ll….be waiting.”
The rusty doors open behind you indicating the Machinist Child would like you to leave now to fulfill your mission of death.
“What have you done with my friends?”
He stares blankly at you, almost like a confused dog.
You turn back to the wall where the stuffed tiger was, and begin to approach it again. The same reaction occurs; the Machinist Child commands his mech to slam one of its claws down, crushing concrete. You stop. Obviously the stuffed animal is of some importance to him. Strange you think for a cyborg who apparently has hunted humans to near extinction within the sphere. You turn to face him again, another stare down ensues.
This time, he breaks the silence, but not with words. His black eyes flicker and flash blue, somehow activating your wrist computer. The hologram of your wife and son playing outside your house begins to play. He watches the images as you cock your eyebrow in curiosity. The image of your wife and son playing repeats about four times, this is becoming disturbing to you.
“…Family…” He speaks in a digitized voice. You nod.
“Yes…that’s my family…”
“Are…they here?” This question really creeps you out.
“No…They are back at my home…” A pause.
“What have you done with my friends?”
“Friends…” He almost scoffs at the word.
“I….” He begins, much more cocksure now.
“….I create my friends. The ones I have not created will maim and destroy.”
“I don’t want that. All I want is to go home…back to my family…with my friends. That’s all I want. My job is to keep things safe.” Your almost stammering, this boy is terrifying.
“…Ssssafe? Protect…the ones you care for?”
“Yes…”
“You….you are not safe here….” You swallow hard. Beads of sweat are forming.
“Here…I am master. I created sentient life from ruins of warrrr…” He leaps from his platform and swings on rafters and pipes to a conveyer belt with deactivated robots on them.
“Each one…I give life…a spark of myself. They obey me. Fight…for me. Here you cannot be safe, for I am God. I decide what happens.”
Your sick of the intimidation, if you’re going to die, you’re going to speak your mind.
“Bullshit. Your no god…half of these robots you created don’t even think you exist! They think you are just some myth; a fairytale.”
Expecting an angry reaction from the Machinist Child, you get none. He seems somewhat calm about your outburst.
“Tell me human…Have you ever hovered over an ant? You could care for that ant, feed it for a lifetime, protect it from enemies and the environment, yet it will never know you are there. The….ant is…so occupied with its own life it fails to recognize the looming powerful force keeping it safe…or intending to destroy it.”
Oh boy, you think.
“If that ant has no belief in me or does not know I exist….how in anyway does that diminish… my power?” He extends his arm toward you, expecting a reply.
“I would guess that it doesn’t.” You say.
“Correct…Understand human…No matter what the unbelievers will tell you, I am still… their creator, their protector and destroyer. Sphoros is my domain…”
“ Quit calling me “human”! Look in the mirror kid, your human too! You just have cybernetic implants!” He leaps down from the conveyer belt onto the ground with a metallic thud. That pissed him off. He charges and halts right in front of you. He is about half your size, pale, the scars over his head and body look old. He gazes into your eyes.
“I AM NO….HUMAN! LOOK…AT ME! THIS IS WHAT HUMANS DO, THIS IS WHAT THEY DO TO CHILDREN!” You realize it now. This Machinist Child still has the mind of a young boy. He hasn’t developed past that. He may have all this power in Sphoros, but he is still a child. A child who is angry at the people who did this to him…who killed his family, who took everything away he ever loved. He can’t deal with the hatred so he has created his own utopia of robots.
It’s not enough though. Cold ,calculating robots could never love him. So he developed a sentience program with emotions to allow his creations to choose to love him. He is using the Chronocon as a means for his creations to be faithful and care for him. This murderous cyborg child…Just wants to be loved.
“Oh my God…you poor kid…What did they do to make you think this way…”
He stares at you. You look at the stuffed tiger again.
“Who did that belong to? You? Was it your toy?”
“It…was…my sister’s…”
“What happened to her?”
He pauses and almost whispers it. “…Humans.”
His hatred controls him. You can’t think of anything to say that will alleviate a pain that has cultivated over hundreds of years. You take a heavy breath.
“What do you need me to do…”
His eyes flicker blue again, causing various visual screens to pop up all throughout the room. On them are screens of people, fighting robots, blowing up buildings, running from Bishops and Prophet Hover droids. You notice many close ups of a dark skinned man in particular.
“These are the last of the humans…They continue to fight against my followers. Every time I learn of their location they run….and survive. They are planning to release something….horrible on all of Sphoros.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Go to them…tell them you have found me…Killing me would end their extermination. Lead them here so I can finish off the human resistance for good.”
Your stomach turns at the thought.
“If I refuse?”
The black eyes flicker once more. Sliding panels on the far sides of the walls to your left and right reveal eight clear tubes, containing the six remaining scientists, Prinevo and Mora. They bang on the tubes upon seeing you. Muffled screams echo through the cavernous assembly room. The Machinist Child cackles with glee as he leaps back onto his insect like mech.
“If…you refuse…I will pour corrosive acid into your friends containers! So believe me when I say….you must do this.”
You are itching to blow this little bastards head off now.
“I…I’ll do as you ask….Let me take them along though, for support.”
The Machinist Child cackles again; he is enjoying his little game now.
“Noooo…nooo….I don’t think that will work. You can take along Prinevo and the human girl if you wish, they will help you the most. The other humans will stay here until…you return.”
You cringe but accept his terms.
“No harm will come to them?”
“As long as you obey…then no.”
“I will do as you ask. I’ll bring the rebels here.”
“Good….I have given you the location of their hideout in your wrist computer. I’ll….be waiting.”
The rusty doors open behind you indicating the Machinist Child would like you to leave now to fulfill your mission of death.