Duplicate | A Human Code Story

THIRTEEN

"Demons created me."

*

Fear.

There were no other emotions around Phillips' outline. He was scared. Terrified. He knew it was pointless to fight me; I could rip him in half if I wanted to. But I didn't want to kill him. I wanted him to feel small, to feel insignificant.

What better way than to corner him like prey?

Data analyzed.

Phillips leaned back against the wall. He pulled his gaze away from me, focusing behind me instead. Clutching his injured hand to his chest, he squeezed his eyes shut. "Replicas!" he shouted. "You need to help me!"

My brows shot up high. Not shocked, but curious. With a slight glance behind me, I watched the androids I shared a line with for a year. We were programmed to follow Phillips' voice. Every instruction he gave, each shouted command, we were to obey. Listen. We were to be good soldiers in the eyes of the government.

I waited a minute. I thought they'd react. Or wait for further instruction. It was what they were built to do; what we were built for.

They stopped fighting each other, simulation terminated by the urgency in Phillips voice. But they didn't move to help. I turned and faced them. Each stood with their heads cocked to one side. Their red eyes were focused on Phillips but they made no motion to help him. Their hands were at their side, their fingers loose.

I lifted my brows, and they looked at me. Curiosity filled me as I smiled.

"Replicas!" Phillips shouted again. "You need to help me!"

Again. Nothing. No movement. No urgency. Slowly, I looked back at Phillips. He was pressed up against the wall. When we locked eyes, I could see the breath hitch in his chest. His heart raced, temperature fluctuated between hot, cold, and feverish. I didn't know fear had such a reaction on the human body. How could one sweat and be cold at the same time?

Angry, Phillips slammed his good hand on his leg. He didn't stand but brought his knees close to his chest. I couldn't tell if the droplet sliding down his face was sweat or tears.

"Please," he said, quieter than before. "You need to help me. It's within your code, isn't it?"

"Code?" I straightened and got closer to him. A whimper slipped out of him as I towered over him. "What code"

"B-Bionics code," he stammered. "It was built into your programming. You're supposed to protect humans. Care for them, You're supposed to—"

As Phillips pleaded, trying to get us to understand these orders we were built to follow, I took the second to browse my internal files. My computers retrieved Bionics data, my make and model with the time and day I was created. Within that folder was another, encrypted and locked away. Mentally, I told my computers to access the files and reveal them to me.

I was denied.

"Password required. Access denied."

As the blocked information flashed red in the corner of my vision, I was able to read what it was called. In small, legible letters, it read, "Human Code."

I mounted the words as Phillips pushed himself to stand.

"All of you have it," he said, one hand extended. He motioned for every Replica in the room, tried to reason with them. I watched as he moved in front of me, looking left and right. I saw his face clearer in the dim light. Those weren't beads of sweat. "Bionics Code, built for human care, built to protect, built to—"