Caretakers 2.0

The Astronomer

Tobias

Night had fallen, and I raced into the darkness, sprinting from the warehouse toward my apartment, the location chosen simply because I had nowhere else to go. Streetlights created pools of illumination along the way, and to keep my mind from the unpleasant thoughts, I concentrated on getting from one to the next. This worked to occupy me until I reached home.

I jogged to a stop in front of my building and sank onto the bench outside. My mind raced, full of jumbled thoughts, incapable of settling on one alone. Panic rose, and I leaned forward, cupping my head in my hands to help me focus.

What am I going to do? I can't wake up any more robots.

That much I knew. I cataloged what I could do, and of all that I listed, there was one unique thing: I could create spark. That would be the best way for me to contribute to society. I wanted to check with Mike and see how the portable spark container creation was going, but I knew it was too early for him to be finished. It was also too early to check on the power station. It wouldn't need more spark for several days.

I need something else to do.

"Tobias?" I heard Gary's hesitant transmission. "Are you okay?"

I sighed. I had to be honest. "I don't know, Gary."

"Hannah and I created the database, and she's gone to check out Mike. I—I don't know what to do. Can I come to see you?"

I rubbed my chest. I really wanted to be alone, but Gary sounded lonely. "Yes."

I saw movement in the distance. Gary was already on its way. I watched as it rolled closer and then moved over so it could take the seat beside me on the bench. We sat in silence, listening to nature around us for a while.

"Hannah thinks we should wake up more robots. I do, too," Gary said.

"I know. I will create all the spark you need," Tobias assured.

Gary rolled its ball back and forth for a moment. "We want to wake up another android. Rollerballs don't have the circuitry needed to create spark. Androids do. We're going to need more androids."

"I don't know, Gary." I protested, rubbing my chest. "We don't know that creating spark is something that just any android can do. What if what Adrianna did to me was special? What if I'm the only one?"

"Well, we're not going to know until we wake one up, are we?"

I had to admit, my friend had a point. I considered, weighing the options. "I will create the spark to wake an android, but that's all."

Gary paused, and I assumed it was transmitting to Hannah. It nodded. "Yes. Okay. We agree to that. When do you want to do it?"

I checked my power reserves. "I need to recharge. Let's do it in the morning. I'll meet you at Warehouse 1000 at nine."

Gary rose but didn't roll away immediately. "There was nothing you could have done, Tobias."

My heart felt heavy. "Maybe. Maybe not. How do we know? We have no idea what waking someone up actually does to them."

Gary placed a hand on my shoulder. "We're giving them choice, Tobias. Free will. The consequence of that is that we have to allow them to use it. That's what being alive is."

I shrugged his hand off and stood. "Whatever, Gary. Go on back to your greenhouse. I'll see you in the morning."

~~~

Warehouse 1000 was completely different than the generic rollerball warehouse. It housed only a hundred androids, with the rest of the space dedicated to their creation, maintenance, and storage. They were kept in sealed pods that were constantly monitored. It looked more like a human hospital than a storage facility.