The Robot Hears a Siren

Scanning… This area was once a city. Now there is only hardened dirt and trash. Metal plate found, 50 yards ahead through the rubble and decay. T-71 also detected a few others in the vicinity that were scavenging parts and repairing broken down robots. It is getting harder to recover those who did not make it out of the acid rain. Often there is nothing left to do but recycle their parts. There is also starting to be less and less salvageable materials in the left-over human trash.

Correct pile found. The rain had burned the outside into a sort of shell. Breaking through, the insides began spilling on the ground. Something among the trash caught the light of the sun and briefly overwhelmed T-71’s visual sensors. Reaching out for the source It catches a golden locket in the shape of the symbol humans often used to represent their hearts. The locket opened without any effort and revealed a picture of two humans with hands locked and feet in mid twirl. T-71 recognized the stillness in the photo as implying the action of dancing. Looking forward It sees the metal plate that It came to retrieve. T-71 tries to reach for the plate, but realizes that It is still holding the locket and the chain is snagged by the trash. The siren sounds. The rain will start soon.

Oscillating briefly between a higher and lower frequency before settling on the lower of the two. It then fades for an almost imperceptible second before looping. The siren warns that there will be two minutes before the rain starts. The nearest shelter is 1.5 minutes away and the metal plate may take a minute to dig up. If left there is a 51% chance that it will be damaged beyond usability. Staying to retrieve the plate will result in getting caught in the rain for likely about 30 seconds. This leads to a 45% chance that there will be major structural damage to T-71’s chest plate. The metal plates reinforcement capacity may not outweigh the risk to retrieve it. T-71 noted that this scenario would be a prime example of irony. Humans used to be very preoccupied with events that meet those criteria. All these calculations and more T-71 did in seconds, but in none of these calculations did It ever factor in the locket. Yet, as It tried to leave It was held back, realizing it was still clutching it. Without calculations It went about freeing the locket before heading back and getting caught in the rain.

Diagnosing external structure… Only minor damage to the chest plate. The acid rain’s main danger is in prolonged exposure. A fully repaired robot could last a few down pours without taking shelter, but eventually there would be critical damage. Currently T-71’s chest plate is reaching dangerous levels of disrepair. It lifted the locket up. As such why would It decide not taking the plate to be the safer option, but still waste valuable time on this? Internal Diagnosis... Its make up is mostly gold, thus there may be some use in repairing circuitry. This use however does not outweigh the risk taken. It could not determine the reason for this action, or for whom the action was performed? Possible link determined between this action and T-71’s current program.

Accessing memory files… Years after the last human, robots were scattered and aimless. Some still preformed programs left in place by humans who were no longer around. Most stayed idle in the vast habitat domes the humans had built to protect from the rain. But after many years even those began to crumble. It was calculated and understood by all that remained that once the dome fell it wouldn’t be long till robots no longer functioned. This fact was accepted by all save one. A robot that wrote Its own program and shared with the rest around It. This program was Repair, Replace, Removal. A simple command to search out parts and broken-down robots and if possible, repair what can be repaired. Replace what must be replaced, and finally if nothing else can be done to bring the robot back to functionality then remove anything useful. This program passed from robot to robot eager as they were to once again have a function. Memory file closed… It wasn’t until now that T-71 had considered that It was not sure who It was preforming this task for? Humans had many actions they performed for seemingly no reason T-71 considered as it looked at the picture in the locket.

Another link located loading memory file… When T-71 was the maintenance robot of a human household. It had been tasked that day with repainting the brick fence that surrounded the home. While at work It had gotten to the spot where some human had spray painted an image on the fence. For a moment T-71 analyzed this painting on the fence. Two humans in stillness imitating motion. Memory paused… T-71 created a separate file to gather relevant details pertinent to this analysis. It notated that the program was created by a robot with no clear benefactor. Humans often take actions that have undetermined reasons. Dancing is one such an action. Returning to the memory file a human boy interrupted T-71’s analysis of the painting.

“What’s up robo? Jealous?” he said. T-71 determined this child’s age was approximately 14. “You’re just mad that you can’t create something as beautiful as that” he said, as T-71 went back to painting the fence.

“T-71 can in fact replicate that exact painting, an unlimited number of times” It said.

“Man, you know I mean you can’t create art. You don’t have creativity.” He said.

“T-71 is capable of creating a variety of things and does so frequently.”

“Nah, you make what you are told to make, you don’t have freedom. You don’t have what it takes inside you to really make something. You don’t have a reason to create.”

“Why do you Paint?” It asked, sirens began to sound and the human ran away. Memory file’s relevance has ended. T-71 noted creativity and freedom may be the reasons humans committed inexplicable actions. Perhaps that was the reason the robot who created the program did so, but could a robot be capable of such things?

Backgrounding Its analysis T-71 scanned the shelter to determine if there were any robots in need of repairs. The siren continued to sound and the rain hadn’t stopped. A robot had apparently assisted with some slight patch work on T-71’s chest plate. Not the level of repairs needed but certainly all that could be provided. No other robot required repairs that It would be able to provide. The shelter had been carved out into the side of a mountain by other robots. Back then most shelters would be full. At this moment there were less than half. As time goes on there will be less and less. If some other robot doesn’t develop a new program, or something done then the end is once again calculable and drawing near. T-71 examined the other robots. Repair, Replace, Removal it had gotten them far, but there was something missing. Something It wouldn’t find in this cave.

T-71 stood and looked out at the rain. The sound of the siren was distorted and reverberated back through the cave it sounded almost… Searching… Word not found. T-71 inched closer to the rain. The siren sounded almost… Searching… Melodic? T-71 looked out as the rain obscured the shapes of piles and robots no longer functioning. Through the rain It almost perceived something. Error. It scanned the area. Error, but It almost perceived something in the rain. Moving? Gliding? Word not found. It perceived something… Dancing? Without calculations T-71 walked out into the rain searching for the movement. A clink and sizzle began to sound rhythmically along with the sweet luring sounds of the siren as T-71 searched. At last, in the rain, It found Its dance partner. As hand clasped metallic limb. No more implications or stillness. T-71 began to move. It heard the clink and sizzle, and I felt the warmth of my Dance partner, and the rain pouring over me. I realized; I was free.