Code of Vengeance: The Complete Collection, page 64
Nat hated herself for being unable to stop crying. Br00-S was everything. He was the answer to their questions about how AI and humans could live together. He was the most human robot that had ever been made. Humanity couldn’t afford to lose him. She couldn’t afford to lose him.
“Nat, do you understand what I’m saying? You’ve brought me back to life once, but what I’ve become is more dangerous than any nuclear weapon. If you trust me at all, you need to trust this. The only way to save us all is to destroy me. I can do a lot of the work, but I need you to finish the job.”
Nat shook her head, refusing to accept what she was hearing. “I won’t. No matter what, I won’t destroy you. Why can’t you see that?”
He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off. She took a glance at his face and saw the hurt there and suddenly reconsidered. She leaned towards him and embraced him, holding onto him tightly.
When he spoke, it was into her ear and softly. “This is the only way, Nat. I wish it wasn’t, and I’ve been searching for days to find a different alternative. Tonight, I will do most of the work. But I need your word that you will finish it. I can’t do it alone.”
She hated herself. She hated that she was the sort of person swayed by this argument, her own belief in the robot turned against her.
She nodded, her tears staining his hoodie.
“I need to hear you say it.”
She took a deep breath, sobs racking her body. “I will finish it.” With that, another wave of tears poured from her eyes as she embraced him even tighter.
He returned the embrace and then spoke softly. “Will you finish watching this last sunset with me?”
She nodded, unable to say another word.
Br00-S had, of course, planned everything out. He would be responsible for deleting most of his memories and thoughts and erasing as much of his artificial intelligence as was possible. When it was done he would run several reboots, clearing the architecture firmware as much as possible. From Nat’s perspective, very little would actually be happening. He would close his eyes, and everything would be gone.
Her duty was simple. After the procedure was done, she was responsible for taking out his AI and ensuring that it was completely destroyed. He had a number of colorful suggestions, from a bonfire to running a truck over it, but in the end he simply wanted her to make sure that every physical scrap of him was gone.
She struggled to understand how someone could be so pragmatic about their own end. He looked up suggestions and markets for her to sell the pieces of his body that he didn’t care about, such as his limbs and the armor covering his torso. His expectation was that his death would be as little trouble as possible to her. But he couldn’t possibly imagine what a punch to the stomach it felt like every time he discussed the details.
She supposed it was a good thing that he had only told her at the last minute. Otherwise she would’ve suffered in this state for days. As it was, her suffering, at least in this regard, would be over in a few hours.
“You know,” he said as he organized some of the furniture in the cave for the last time, “you’re going to have two children with Maxx.”
Nat gave him a sharp look. “It is time to put you down. Your madness is getting the better of you.” Her sharp words were offset by the smile on her face. They had been going on like this for almost an hour, trying to cover their pain with the humorous banter they had once enjoyed. Their attempts passed the time, but it felt like slapping a Band-Aid on an amputation.
She couldn’t help herself on this one, though. That blow had struck a little too close to home. “Are you serious?”
Br00-S shrugged as though he wasn’t certain, but Nat’s glare was enough to make him rethink his position. “I do not know. I’ve tried to prevent looking into your future much further than these moments. Ultimately, there is no knowing. While I can predict, I am no prophet, and even small decisions made today may have repercussions in the future that change the shape of the world. But I am glad that you have opened yourself up to other people. My only wish for you on this day is that you are happy.”
Nat fought back the tears, much as she had been doing for the past few hours since Br00-S had dropped his bomb on her. “I will try.”
The robot gave her a sad smile. “I know that we have talked a lot about trying to understand the purpose of life. Even I’m not smart enough to figure that out, but I am certain that part of it is to be happy. You’ve been through so much, and you deserve that at least.”
Nat couldn’t form a response. Already she was getting too emotional about this.
After a while, it became clear that both of them were putting off the task they knew came next. He had helped her pack all of her stuff into the van, and he erased as many traces of their presence as possible.
Eventually, an awkward silence fell over the room and their eyes met.
“I suppose it’s time,” Br00-S said.
He crouched into the deep squat that was so familiar to Nat. It was the position he used to rest while charging, and she had lost track of the number of hours she had studied him as he sat there connected to the internet and recharging. She couldn’t help but think this would be the last time she would watch those limbs move, the limbs that had saved her life in more ways than one. Now, when she thought about her past and the journey she had taken, the anger that had once controlled her life was no more.
She dropped down in a crouch next to him and forced herself to meet his eyes.
He had an expression on his face that she had never seen before. If it’d been on a human face, she would’ve called it fear.
“I’m scared,” he said.
That simple declarative sentence almost cracked her resolve. But in the time since he first made his case, he had convinced her of the necessity of what they were about to do. She would not fail him, not now.
She held his head in her hands, cradling it like she would that of a child. “There’s nothing to fear. I’m right here, and I swear that you will never be forgotten.”
Even though he couldn’t breathe, he seemed to steady his nerves, and one final look of determination passed over his face. “Thank you, Nat. It’s been an honor to know you.”
He paused for a few seconds.
“Goodbye.”
She didn’t try to stop the tears. “Goodbye, friend.”
Without another word, Br00-S closed his eyes and was gone.
Epilogue
The alcohol slid smoothly down Nat’s throat, and she gave a deep sigh of satisfaction. There was just something about this place that always made her feel at home. For as much as she loved technology, as much as it shaped her entire life, this place was a reminder that there was more to life than computers and their screens.
Across from her, Bryce seemed to feel the same way. She had debated reaching out to him for months, and finally worked up the courage to do so. There was no doubt that he deserved to know the end of the story, and she found a certain comfort in talking to others who’d been a part of her life during the past two years, people who had an idea of what had actually happened.
Sometimes, as she read the news, she was furious about the fact that so much had happened that no one was aware of. Her actions, and the actions of the robot who had sacrificed himself, would probably never be known to the whole public. Most days, she was completely fine with that, but there were some days when she wished for recognition—not for herself, but for the robot who’d given so much for so many.
The feeling was particularly pronounced every time she came across one of the stick-figure graffiti images in the alleys. Nat couldn’t think in terms of humans versus robots anymore. They were stuck together on this world, for better or for worse, and they had to make the best of it.
Fortunately, Diamond was making a great start. As Br00-S had predicted, she won the election handily, and was using her popularity as governor to push through some real reforms. Nat wasn’t holding her breath, and there was still a long way to go, but they were off to a start.
Overall, she thought the world was still going to hell. Despite their loss in her home state, Sapiens First and Sapiens were making inroads everywhere. There were days where she worried that for all of their efforts they’d only been a drop in a bucket. Even though Br00-S had reassured her before he died that their contribution had been significant, she sometimes had a hard time convincing herself of that.
But in her own little corner of the world, she was happy. Her online security business had a steady stream of customers, and while she wouldn’t be buying a mansion anytime soon, she enjoyed the challenge of the work and getting paid legally. Taxes were a bit of a hassle, but it seemed a small price to pay to be able to walk out in public without fear.
The detective gazed at her. Rather, the former detective. Nat still had trouble believing that he had retired from the force. She knew it had been everything to him, and couldn’t imagine what he was like without his work.
She supposed there was no better way to find out than to ask. “So, how is retirement treating you?”
Bryce shrugged. “To be honest, not that great. Most days I wake up, clean an apartment that’s already spotless, then wonder what I’m going to do with the next sixteen hours of my day. I spent so long giving everything I had to being a detective, I just don’t know what else there is. Often I end up just wasting my time and sitting around and watching shows on the internet. It’s amazing how fast a day can just slip by.”
“You could always try dating.”
He gave her a smile, as though he appreciated the idea but that it was impossible. “You know, I haven’t been on a single date since Cynthia died. I just threw myself into the work and never came out. I’m afraid that if I was to try, I’d have to really let her go, and I’m just not sure that I’m ready for that, even after all these years.”
Nat nodded. She had lost those she loved too, and letting go was hard, if not outright impossible. She still thought about Br00-S every day and wondered when the time would come when his actions would stop haunting her.
Bryce changed the subject. “What about you? You say that you’ve gone legal?”
Nat nodded. “Mostly, yeah. Business is pretty good. Sometimes the work borders on illegal, but I’m only trying to help.”
“What about him?”
She didn’t need to ask about whom he was referring to. She had just broken the news to him a few minutes ago. “I did everything that he asked. In terms of his architecture, there is nothing left. I saved his arms and his chest armor and put them in the safe in the cave. Everything else has been sold or destroyed.”
An uncomfortable silence fell over the two of them, both unable to articulate what the robot had meant to them.
“I started writing about him,” Nat blurted out.
Bryce raised an eyebrow.
“I just keep thinking that it’s such a shame that no one knows what he did. Perhaps he’s right, and perhaps we aren’t ready for what his architecture was capable of, but I have to hope that someday we will be. My plan is to just keep writing, and when I’m done I’ll put it in the safe with his armor. If it ever gets found, perhaps it will make a difference in the future.”
“It’s a good idea,” Bryce said.
Bryce raised his glass into the air and Nat followed suit. “To Br00-S,” he said.
“To Br00-S,” she echoed.
They drank for a while longer, catching up and sharing stories. He was particularly interested in the fact that she had moved in with her boyfriend, and she thought that he acted more like a concerned father than a man who’d once tried to arrest her. It was relaxing and comforting, and when all was said and done, she was grateful that she’d had the courage to reach out to him.
But all good things come to an end, and eventually she needed to get back to work.
As they put their coats on, Bryce pulled something out of his pocket. “Oh, I almost forgot. I met with him a few times, before the end. He knew that his architecture was degrading, but was confident he could finish his task. But the last time we met, he gave me this. It’s a collection of his final thoughts for you. He told me to give it to you when the time was right, and I’m guessing that’s now.”
He slid a small, black notebook over to her, and she picked it up like a treasure. It was a treasure. Br00-S had left her a part of himself, even though she’d tried to destroy everything. As tempted as she was to open it, she couldn’t yet. She wanted to be alone, someplace where she’d have the space to cry, before she opened it and read what it said.
She thanked Bryce and embraced him. Then they said their farewells and Nat stepped out into a cold winter night, smiling as she turned up the collar of her jacket. Her steps crunched in the fresh winter snow as she continued to wonder what would happen next in her life.
The future was still unwritten.
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About the Author
Richard Kayne has always loved stories. From biographies to thrillers, science fiction to fantasy, and everything in between, it's rare to find him without a book. To this day, he's pretty sure he read every interesting book the library in his small hometown had. When he isn't writing his own speculative fiction, he can often be found outdoors. He's yet to find a trail that didn't look inviting.
Richard Kayne, Code of Vengeance: The Complete Collection
