D is for Danger – AtoZ Blogging Challenge 2016

a-to-z HEADER [2016] - april

Better late than never, I guess. My apology for taking so long to get this posted. Tomorrow should be better.

I wonder what E will be for.

Danger

D“I should overwrite your memory.”

Meltec’s emotional recognition algorithm kicked into high gear when he heard it. Anger. Possibly hatred. He knew that the appropriate response would be fear, but he wouldn’t have access to a full biometric emotion program for at least another two years. He could process emotions, but he wouldn’t be allowed to actually feel them until his system had proven to be both stable and capable.

The android blocking his route almost certainly had an illegal hack. Not a student receiving progressive programming then.

“Excuse me. I need to return to my display.” Meltec turned to bypass the other droid, and was again blocked.  Turning again yielded the same results. He was trapped in an exterior hallway by a machine with superior reflexes.

“You disgust me,” said the android. “You act like that human is a person. It ought to be illegal.” The android moved forward, a gesture Meltec recognized as aggression.

Meltec backed up slightly, to give himself more room to maneuver. The other android merely closed the gap.

Red lasers swirled as they stared, and Meltec began to wonder if he would need repair following the encounter.

“Humans,” the android said, “fulfill tasks that should be left to bots and droids.”

A low hum of spinning gears caused Meltec to reverse his sensors. A large opposition bot was approaching from the other end of the hallway. Meltec processed that this should cause him deep concern for his safety. Opposition bots were sometimes used by enforcement to control humans or androids whose programming had failed. But often they were used by criminals to cause failure in both bios and droids.

“The humans had their chance,” said the droid. Meltec focused again on the android that blocked his way. “They don’t deserve another one.” He again moved closer.

“You should be aware that I am recording our encounter,” Meltec said. “Threatening students is against regulations. Should you cause me harm, you could find yourself reprogrammed. Even deactivated.”

The android’s eyes darkened to the deep color of fury. “I can’t be scared off by threats.”

silhouette-68957_1920“It was not a threat. Merely an observation.” With another step backward, Meltec bumped into the opposition bot. “I really must return to my presentation stall,” he said.

The android lifted a clutch-claw toward Meltec. “Once I pull your memory, you’ll be dumber than your human.”

A blue enforcement opposition bot rolled into the hallway behind the android. “I have detected unauthorized bioware. Hold your positions and prepare to be scanned.”

In moments, the red bot had raised a laser to fire at the enforcement bot. The android stabbed toward the blue robot with his clutch-claw, dislodging the wiring for his light array, but otherwise failing to cause damage.

By the time Meltec processed relief and turned, both the android and his bot were rapidly moving toward the exit. “You appear to have saved me,” he said. “Can I go back to my display? I have an unsupervised human waiting for me.”

“I am aware of your human,” said the enforcer. “He was also encountered by an anti-bio droid. It is the reason I was seeking you.”

Meltec’s emotional recognition algorithm registered additional fear just before it crashed.

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