Bits & Pieces

[Short Story] Legacy of an Engineer

The day he came across all those blueprints, schematics and plans comes to his mind each and every day as he wakes up every morning to the company of Skippy, his fellow companion. In seventeen years the life in England changed drastically. He still holds Charles Cooper as his hero for what the man has done to his nation. He brought to them something no one else ever could.

The clinging of metal and the sound of gears rotating rapidly wakes up Scott each and every morning coming from Skippy, the mechanical robot companion he created himself. It was Charles' research what made the impossible happen. Although looking like a steampunk monster, Skippy, along with many other creations all around the kingdom, was just a creature of artificial intelligence. It didn't even resemble any animal, unlike the first ever created by Mr. Cooper himself, this was just a round, a bit rusty copper body held together by four cursorial legs resembling the shape of a spider's. There was no head attached to it what-so-ever, it was purely functional and oriented by the sound receptors built into it's body.

If Skippy, of course, wasn't an A.I., it would have most likely been discarded or dismembered just like all the rest of Scott's creations, however, this one could think and act on it's own, that's why he kept it as a pet, even though it was his first ever creation and kind of sloppy.

What came later, however, was much better and advanced. Thanks to Charles' research and Scott's innovative mind of a pure genius, England's capital is protected by insectoid metal creatures, vehicles are automated and some households keep a mechanical pet instead of a real one. And this is just the beginning.

Given the fact that the only person alive that can create such beings is Scott himself, there aren't many of these creations around the kingdom. Only the capital has the insectoid guards, vehicles are only owned by the wealthiest people and pets are only something he does on his spare time. "It's not about the fame or money," he says whenever he is asked why not share the knowledge, "it's about the hard work, months upon months of research and the soul itself. Not everyone can do it."

Many would say Scott even uses magic to create these things. Engineers and so-called scientists around the globe have been trying to take these creations apart piece by piece, extracting the copper contraptions out of it, however, there was nothing inside that even powered them.

After a while, Scott got the nickname of "Warlock" for his creations as more and more people believed he used magic, even though he dissed the concept.

Every day he would receive letters of orders to create certain mechanical creations for a reasonable price, but the money wasn't something he was after. He used the money gained from his work to buy more materials for it. He did it for fun.

However...

Buried in the fame and honor everyone provided for his work he became obsessed with it. Locked in his basement for months he did not respond to any letters, did not see any people. The only time he would see the light of day was when he would need to eat. Even then he'd avoid people and hurry back to his lair.

One day he just stopped coming out. The authorities of Stagford broke in to his basement just to find his body ripped to shreds all over the walls and furniture. If they hadn't known it was him in there, the possibility of finding out the identity of the remains wouldn't even exist. Blood, flesh everywhere. And of course, a dormant copper contraption about the size of a human being. Two part body held together four arms, each with it's own palm, holding different types of bladed weaponry, six natorial legs holding it up and two eyes, held up by long antenae. He had created his own end.

As the authorities surfaced, utter carnage was found in the streets. The artificial intelligence creations rampaged, killing all in sight. Even two insectoid guards reach this place all the way from the capital. Over two dozen people were murdered in Stagford alone, the capital was utterly destroyed. That was the end of England's finest invention. It was never spoken of again, even after England got back on it's feet. This incident was forgotten, blueprints were burned and the research destroyed. Although many believed it wasn't the last time they saw artificial intelligence...