Short Stories!

The Robots That Have Taken Over The Earth

When the robots started to get into politics, many people thought it was crazy. My mother was one of those people. She went to rallies and many campaigns against the new robots are in the government. These AI's or artificial intelligence robots were very smart and knew how to persuade the world. Sure they gave humans better healthcare, life insurance, and got rid of taxes, but they did a lot of harm. Now these AI's are asking all humans to relocate to a prison-camp-like place so they can keep an eye on us. My mother, Veronica Valley, was taken away by a robot sent to our house to get us. She was taken away forever. My dad says it's no use to go above ground and surrender ourselves so we can see mom again. We live underground in a huge hollowed out place that my mother's campaign people made in case the robots started to rebel. Now that the robots have control over the whole world, my mother's campaign group moved down here. Down underground we have to have coolers on twenty-four-seven so we don't burn to death. We are living in the mantle of the earth, all twenty-six of us that survived the initial takedown of our government. The hole in which everyone lives is big in roomy and looks like a mall because of its structure. There is two floors, seventy rooms, and thirty-five bathrooms. As I said before, not all of my mother's group could make it here, hence why there are so many empty rooms. The whole place is shaped in a circle for the convenience of not having to remember different hallways and where they lead. My father is the leader down here, making sure everyone has what they need to survive and what-not. There is only one other boy down here that's my age, and only one other kid then us down here at all. That other boy's name is Hashtag. I and he have nothing in common and stray away from each other mostly because our parents want us to be best friends. I do karate and like to practice fighting while he likes to play video games and hack robots systems on the surface. My father and I live in a slightly bigger apartment than everyone else down here because he is the leader. I get my own small room that has everything I need to keep myself busy for days in it. It has a small bed that folds up into the wall for more space, automatic lamp and bedside table that does the same thing, a tablet top (A tablet that can be used as a laptop) with infinite stories to read on it, my punching bags and sparring gear, along with my own food generator machine. I kind of hate it living in my small room, I am not even supposed to come out of my room unless my father has a speech, something big has happened, or someone has learned something new. I don't listen to my father and walk around the circle of carved iron, rock, and magnesium often. I like taking walks around the place because it helps me calm down. I am always a little frightened that the robots will find us and take us away to the camps. My father says it's impossible for them to find us, and sometimes I think he is right. We did survive down here for almost a year so far. My mind often wonders what it is like up above on the surface with no one else there. Are all the non-artificial-intelligence robots still doing their chores and jobs around the houses? Are there still huge communities of AI robots living happily? Are there huge underground communities of humans like us out there somewhere? Where did the robots put all the humans? Is there still the watch on every human's wrists that tells them the time? Why did the robots do all this? All of these questions my father has answers too, but I didn't know that yet. I sat in my room with a bottle of coke in my hand, ready to open it when a rumble shakes the apartment. It's weird that the apartment shook, because my programed knowledge of science says that we are not anywhere close to a transform boundary of tectonic plates, therefore we should not be experiencing an earthquake. I quickly put my coke down on my nightstand and open the door to my room. I then quickly bolt out of my room and down the short hallway to my father's office. Without knocking I run into his tiny office where he is sitting on his chair furiously writing an email to someone. I was confused by this because I know we are not supposed to send and receive any form of mail online because it could lead the robots straight to us. My father turns around to face me quickly with an angry glint in his red eyes.

"You know you are supposed to knock Shift! I could have been splitting atoms in here!" He says angrily.

"Sorry father but did you feel the wall shake of our apartment, I know we aren't near any transform boundaries of any tectonic plates, so what was that shaking?" I ask him quickly.

"Smart boy, I don't know why the walls were shaking, but it's nothing to be afraid of, there is some probable explanation," He says quickly.

Then in one swift motion, he turns his chair around and returns to furiously typing his email.

"Please leave Shift, I am very busy right now," He says with a strain in his voice, "Please get in your room before you get hurt"

I left his office and went to my room, but not before another shake shook the earth. I pondered how I could get hurt by just standing there as I opened up my bed. Then an idea popped into my head. Maybe I could climb the ladder out of here and see what is going on above ground. I knew it was extremely dangerous, but I know karate, so what's the worst that could happen? I know I am not supposed to do crazy things like this, but my heart says I have too. I grabbed my sharpest katana off the shelf, attached it to my belt and ran out of the apartment. Next thing I knew, I was climbing the shaking ladder out of safety and into the unknown.