Robot's Redemption

Chapter 1: T3X//0079

Rec hopped off the robot’s back. He looked up with an almost inaudible whirr of motors. Rec grinned at her handiwork.

“There, you’re happy now,” she commented. The robot stared at her through the red visor-like slit that was his eye. It was also the only feature on his boxy, angular ‘face’. Apart from the two metal spikes that came out of the back of his head like a pair of cat’s ears. The speaker he used to talk with was hidden under his plating, yet still easy to understand.

“Nickname: Happy. Please Confirm?” it asked in its synthetic voice that sounded kinda like gargling gravel. Rec giggled.

“Yeah, it suits you.”

“Processing ‘yeah’... match found, Yeah [informal]: Slang variant of yes. Nickname confirmed. Vocabulary updated.” Rec rolled her eyes at him. “Scanning primary objective.” Happy glanced at her. The robot took in her tall, slender build, her shiny blue eyes and her long black hair that she let fall loose past her shoulders. Rec, in turn, studied him. Below his odd head, which held the interface panel at the back, he had a solid structure made completely out of strong metal. He had a small mini-gun mounted on his right shoulder, and a long titanium blade that slid from a slot beneath his left wrist. His body was not made to look human, although it did take on a humanoid persona; it was made to be an armoured killing machine. It had human-like hands on the ends of his bulky arms, perfect for picking up human weapons and using them against his enemies. “Scan complete, Rebecca Shore, age sixteen, confirmed as primary target.” Rec put a hand on his shoulder, the one that didn’t have a gun on it.

“Call me Rec. All my friends do.”

“Nickname: Rec. Please confirm.”

“Yup.”

“Processing ‘yup’... match found...” Rec shut out the rest of his processing and sighed. He wasn’t going to be easy to live with.

Rec trotted alongside her new companion. They were headed down the ‘Super Bridge’ that connected New Zealand to Australia.

“Now entering new country: Australia. Searching data-banks... one important message found,” Happy droned.

“Let’s hear it,” Rec urged.

“Inhabitants may possess hard to understand accents.” Rec shook her head. The nerve of some people... who programs a robot to make racist comments?

“Remove that,” she commanded.

“Data removed.” They walked along in silence for a while after that. Feeling awkward, even though she knew Happy was not a real person; she decided to keep the conversation going.

“So, do you do anything else? Or do you just tell me stuff?”

“I am ‘Happy’. Model: T3X. Commission date: 12/01/2037. Serial number: 0079. Variant: Bodyguard/mini-gun variant. Tactical blade included at half-price. Designed to be an infantry bot, or more commonly used to guard important people. I am much more tactical than my rocket launcher variant as I can do splash damage at a faster rate and do not require reloading. My fast rate of fire enables me to take down multiple enemies in short periods of time and my advanced sensors allow me to pick up threats at up to twenty metres.” If she had not been talking to a robot, Rec could have sworn he was bragging. Alas, he was just answering her question.

“Can’t you be a bit more human? Isn’t that what you were designed for?”

“I was designed to protect important peop –”

“I know,” Rec cut him off. She realised it might be easier on him if she asked him one question at a time. “Can’t you be a bit more human?” she repeated.

“Humans contain many abilities that a robot must not possess. They would become dangerous.”

“What kind of ‘abilities’?”

“Example 01 of 13: Humans have opinions. If robots had opinions it may affect the way robots react to certain orders. Example 02 of 13: Humans have emotions. Emotions can lead to irrational decisions and may cause a robot to go rogue. Example 03 of 13: Humans have free will. If a robot was to be able to do whatever it wanted, it may desire –”

“Ok. I get the picture.”

“Processing irrelevant phrase: ‘I get the picture’... match found. ‘I get the picture’ [Expression]: I understand, I do not require any more information. Vocabulary updated.”

“Do you have a ‘shut up’ mode? I don’t need to hear every single thought you have!”

“Silent Processing Mode activated.” Rec thought about what the robot had been saying.

“Is there any way for you to act like a real person without slaughtering me?” Happy cocked his head at her.

“Calculating... 87% chance T3X//0079 will go rogue if given freedom.” Rec glared at him and sighed.

“Thanks for trying, I guess,” she said with a sad shake of her head. Happy considered this.

“You are welcome Administrator ‘Rec’, Identification Sierra Alpha Foxtrot Echo.”

“Dude, call me Rec.” Something whirred in Happy’s head. He was obviously processing the word ‘dude’.

“I will call you Rec, babe.” Rec whipped her head around and stopped walking. Happy turned to face her.

“Babe?” she demanded.

“Babe, common response to being called ‘dude’ by female companions. Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=dude&responses=1267&bin=229&site=Q01/ion.”

“Never call me that again.”

“Preference saved.” Rec, after her relief at hearing this, continued walking. Happy was quick to follow.