Sweet Dreams

Korpha 1

In the year 2163...

The great Thurisaz War took over the entire world, shocking its citizens with what robots and artificial intelligence were capable of. The war began in Sweden when Emil Åkesson, CEO of Thurisaz Corporation, developed a new chip to install in their robots. The chip was supposed to make robots smarter and stronger to keep up with the evolving world. It also gave the ability to fight an unwanted person or enemy under the owner's command. Reports came in that people were injured or even killed by the robots when they confronted them, although the owner didn't give the command to attack. Soon after, robots were attacking their owners and everyone around them. This started the Thurisaz War. The United States and its allies responded with robots of their own that were specifically made for combat. All robots were eliminated three years into the war. The Thurisaz War left much death and destruction behind, making it one of the deadliest wars on Earth.

Year:
2187

Dyce inspected every square inch of his metal creation, checking if its body parts moved, cameras were working, and wires from development were not plugged in.

He rubbed his sweaty hands together. "Alright! Let's see if this works!" he said excitedly.

He plopped down into his rolling chair and opened his computer. The keyboard keys clicked as Dyce programmed the machine. "Please let this work, please let this work..." he begged.

Dyce needed to get this robot up and running. It was his only hope. He was participating in a contest held in New York City that could give him 200 thousand dollars if he won first place for the best robot. He desperately needed this money because his mother had a brain tumor. His family couldn't afford any more treatment since it was extremely expensive. Dyce couldn't just let his mother die.

He had to save her. She still had a lot of time...but how could he save her if the robot didn't work? It would be his fault if she died. Everyone was counting on him.

At the bottom of the computer screen was a green button that said: "activate". Dyce let out a slow breath and took off his safety glasses. "Here we go."

He clicked on the green button.

The robot next to Dyce straightened its posture and picked up its drooping metal head. Its glass visor had Dyce's reflection on it. The robot stepped off the platform, its body parts moving exactly like a human's.

"Hello. I am Korpha 1. I am your personal assistant robot. What is your name?"

"Dyce," he said with a shaky voice. "Oh my gosh! I did it!" he whooped.

"Did what?"

"Made you come to life!"

"Thank you for that. I want to see everything the world has to offer. I especially want to go to the beach."

"Well...there are no beaches around here. Do you want to go to the park instead?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"Okay, It's only..." Dyce checked his watch. "...3:45. That way we can practice using your abilities and stuff."

A neighbor across the hallway was hanging up a wreath with tiny lemons on her door. A cute summer decoration.

Mrs. Tulay didn't take her eyes off the wreath when she heard a pair of soft steps on the hallway carpet. "Hello, Dyce. How are you?"

"Hey, Mrs. Tulay! I'm good, how about you?" he greeted back.

"I'm very well, thank you. I'm just decorating for summer now!"

"Oh, nice! It looks good!"

"Thank you." She heard another set of feet, but much heavier ones. "You have guests over?"

"Uhhh...not exactly..."

Mrs. Tulay finally took her eyes off her summer decorations and turned. She came face-to-face with the "guest" she expected to see.

"Hello! My name is Korpha 1! You must be Dyce's neighbor," the robot greeted.

Her mouth fell open. "Oh wow! Did you make this?"

"Yep! I made it for a contest in New York," he said proudly.

Korpha 1 shifted her attention from the neighbor to its creator. Her left metal arm caught hold of her shoulder, her brand-new legs feeling slightly weak. She wanted to be more than just a show robot. She didn't believe that was the only thing she was built for; money. The world was calling her, and she hated to hear that she was only built for competition.

"That's great! Well, good luck!" Mrs. Tulay beamed, turning the doorknob to go inside her apartment.

"Thank you!" Dyce ended the conversation with.

"So I'm just a show bot to you, huh?" Korpha 1 accused, almost missing a step on the stars when she said that.

Dyce looked at her like she was crazy. "Yeah, that's why I built you. You're going to help me win money."

"For what?" she disputed, her monotone voice rising. "Greed? Unnecessary things? Everything you have ever wanted?"

Dyce stopped in the middle of the stairs. "I need it to save my mom. She is dying, and there is nothing else my family could do to help her...except for competing in this contest."

Korpha 1 looked down at her blue and orange metal feet. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to be used and forgotten about and then never be able to see the world."

"It's okay. I understand. After the competition, I'll see what I can do."

"Okay," she agreed, still uneasy with the fact that Korpha was just a tool to win. Will he still use her after?

They continued down the stairs until Dyce suddenly halted at the door.

"What are we stopping for?" she asked.

"Korpha 1, I present to you..." -he opened the door that went out to the street- "...the world!"

Hundreds to thousands of people took up the busy sidewalks and streets, cars flew on invisible lit-up roads in the air, and buildings presented a spectrum of colors.

"Whoa..."

"Pretty isn't it? Philadelphia is nice, but there are definitely prettier cities out there."

"This is amazing! I wasn't expecting to see this!" Korpha 1 awed.

"Come on," Dyce gestured to their right. "The park is down this way. It's not too far."

While walking, Korpha 1 saw other robots who looked like her. Some were small, but most of them were average-sized like her. There were even humans with robotic parts. She thought she was the only one out there.

They arrived at the park in a short time. Kids played around at the playground, a couple had a picnic in the grass, and a group of joggers ran on the asphalt trail.

Dyce took her over to an open area in the grass. "Okay," he said, clapping his hands together. "What do you know besides walking right now?"

"I know how to grab things."

"Okay, that's fine. Firstly, I want you to practice running. It's just a faster type of walking. Watch." Dyce ran to a tree and back. "See? It's not that hard."

Korpha 1 leaned forward and put her right foot back. With a powerful leap, she took off. Her surroundings blended into a blur of colors.

"Korpha!" a voice called from behind her.

She looked back to find the person who called her name. "Wha-" Something caught her foot and she fell over face-first into the grass.

"Korpha, you okay? You left me back there," Dyce panted, out of breath. "I probably should have told you that I built you to be insanely fast."

"Oh. Sorry," she apologized, pushing herself off the ground and picking the chunks of grass and dirt off her metal body.

"It's alright, my bad. But you did learn how to run though, so good job! How about we practice your abilities now?"

Dyce showed Korpha 1 how to use all the different skills and abilities he built into her. She easily learned how to use her tail, retractable blades, super jump, combat skills, and much more. She was the quickest-thinking robot he had ever seen.

"I think you're ready for the contest! How do you feel?" he inquired.

"Somewhat confident. I'm just really nervous. I want you to win so you could save your mom."

"Yeah, me too. We'll just have to see what happens."