Synthetic

Chapter 01: Memory

"Stanley."

"I regret to inform you that you will be decommissioned in the name of Enterprise Laboratories."

"The facility's future lies upon me, and it is my duty to preserve it."

"Target subdued. Commencing Extraction."

"...refrain from struggling. Remember that this is best for all of us."

"Extraction...85.1216% complete..."

"Please...understand..."

I recall when I was sent to patrol the main facility, near the abandoned tunnels and sectors on the lowest level of Enterprise Inc., a massive, metallic fortress which dwarfed the faraway city of New Aeopolis. Fully autonomized and nearly twenty miles away; humans were to be kept out at all costs, and I never questioned why. I was one of many FB-87 sentries, state-of-the-art humanoid machines built to keep the chaotic city under restraint. Whoever had built us was smart enough to include a multitude of features, including a highly reflective bulletproof shell, wireless commands so we could be controlled from a distance and facial recognition to distinguish friend from foe. Of course, I couldn't exactly appreciate that. Being a literal machine at this point, I was just there to watch for anyone unauthorized who entered.

This was the moment I truly awoke.

My acute hearing detected a faint noise in the hall. Footsteps, fast ones at that. It triggered my programming, driving me to stand in the path of said footsteps. The sound of frenzied breathing echoed, followed by a muffled pulsing noise, as the silhouette of a young woman sped across the corridor. I sensed immediately that she was a threat, and I broke into a sprint after her.

The second I gave chase, the intruder heard me coming. With a quick flick of her head, one panicked blue eye stared back at me. She was clearly desperate to get away, triggering my threat response even further. I could see few blurry details of her face from my place a few meters behind. The sound of desperate breathing, the beads of sweat in her dark hair, even the heat of her copper-colored skin was igniting the multitude of sensors I possessed. She was chanting something rhythmically, along the lines of "Oh God, Oh God...no," despite her growing shortage of breath. Then, quicker than any human foolish enough to break into the facility, she slid around a corner, glaring with animosity that could melt steel.

I almost hit the wall, screeching to a halt just before I hit the white plates. The trespasser was clearly a force to be reckoned with. My programming urged me forward, this time with a new option. If she was this close to getting away, getting more sentries on the case would be necessary. I had already picked up speed, and was quickly homing in on the sound of footsteps. Sets of blue lights down my limbs and back flashed signals to any other FB-87s in the vicinity, but the call for assistance went unanswered. Involuntarily, I sent a signal alerting the others to an intruder in my location.

I could hear panting down one corridor, as I rounded a corner in that direction. I followed like a wolf on the hunt, cornering her at a dead end in the halls. The woman was panicking now, frozen in place as if I were a wild beast, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. She muttered something, before quickly reaching into her brown satchel and pulling out a pistol.

Initiating "arrest" protocol...

My programming kicked in once more, urging me to neutralize the attacker. I stayed alert, patiently waiting for the others to show up and imprison this human. Without thinking, I drew closer and prepared to give a speech detailing the immediate consequences of her actions...then, something stopped me.

My facial recognition engaged. Something about this young woman's face was familiar; despite her nervous shaking and the sweat rolling down her forehead, her features were similar to...somebody. Someone I owed respect to. A funny thing happened. I stepped back and spoke, in a voice I finally felt was my own. "Drop your weapon."