Restart

In my dream, I was with my family. We sat around the dinner table eating, laughing, and telling stories. My parents had a bright smile printed across their faces and my siblings' eyes glinted from the bright sun. An angry voice tore me from my family’s presence and into reality.

“If you don’t get up right now I will not hesitate to report you,” Adam shouted in my ear. I was tempted to yell at him but the thought passed when I felt a sharp jolt across my chest. Not wanting to test his patience I apologized for failing to wake up immediately and ran out of the house. It was a sharp reminder that I was born to complete two tasks: wake up and serve.

I worked for my owner’s business where he sold lasers used to disassemble robots in cases of emergencies, such as encountering rogue robots. I always felt a sense of hypocrisy but there was nothing I could do to change my life.

My brain was programmed to serve humans and disregard emotions. It had been this way since 2179 when my family had been killed by the War of 2134. Humans and robots fought against each other in an almost endless war.

The day came near an end and I had sold no lasers. Frustrated, I prepared myself for the repercussions. As I approached my owner’s house a gleaming object caught my eye. From afar, I believed it was my missing jolt that I lost two weeks ago. My right eye focused on the object and soon realized that it was a locket. I reached for the object, scanning it for any information. I recalled that I was late and wearily shoved the locket into my arm’s container.

“How many did you sell?” Adam asked me as soon as I walked into the house. When I hesitated, Adam pointed his laser at me. My chest throbbed.

You don’t deserve this. Run away. Find a new life.

“I wasn’t able to sell any. Sorry, sir.” I kept my eyes on the floor.

Adam smiled and took a shot. Another scar.

I woke up that night on my charging bed. My first thought went to the locket. I opened my arm’s container to pull the strange object out. I scanned the object once more and again I found no information. I searched through my database trying to find the owner of the locket. Each time I felt like I got closer, I got the same automated reply: QUERY NOT FOUND. Defeated, I felt the need to charge but my mind constantly raced back to the locket. Something didn’t feel right. Why was I feeling attached to an object? My chest felt heavy despite my lightweight robotic body. I held on to the locket, fiddling with it in between my fingers. As I pressed down on the side of the locket, it opened. Inside was a note:

I can make you human.

- Dr. Hart

I repeated the words endlessly in my head. After several hours of analyzing Dr. Hart’s note, I searched for him in my database. This time I received around three thousand pages. I stayed up all night until I found an address that caught my eye. It read, 112 LOCKET LANE. Deciding my escape plan for tomorrow, I got ready to charge.

I woke early the next day with the jitters. Anxious yet excited, I walked out of Adam’s house, my chest still in pain.

“Wait.” Adam held his laser out in front of me.

Scared that he somehow found out my secret, I stopped in my tracks. I took a deep breath ready for Adam’s cruelty.

“You are to sell fifteen lasers today. I will not hesitate to hurt you.”

Finally, for what seemed like hours, I exhaled. I nodded my head in relief.

112 Locket Lane was a three-day drive from Adam’s house. When I was out of Adam’s peripheral vision I switched my feet for wheels. I then programmed my database to alert me if I appeared in any news source. After twenty-eight hours, I got an alert.

WANTED: TERRA EARL.

If I had one, I would say my heart skipped a beat. I was wanted. My biggest nightmare became my reality. Adam must’ve reported me to the police after I hadn’t returned to his house yesterday. I was frightened and almost out of battery. I willed myself to go faster.

YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR DESTINATION. My head announced as I took a left towards a barn. I approached the house warily.

What if someone calls the police? What if I was wrong about this? Stop second-guessing yourself.

I knocked on the door and waited for a response. An old man taking his dog for a walk passed behind me. We made eye contact as recognition filled his eyes. Frightened, I walked into the barn.

“Dr. Hart,” I shouted. “Where are you?”

I searched the barn hastily. In a few minutes, I found him on the ground, dead. Gun in his hand, eyes rolled back, blood pouring out of every part of his lifeless body. I didn’t know I could cry. But I did. Tears rolled down my cheek uncontrollably. I neared Dr. Hart’s body to pay him a tribute. As I crouched down next to him I noticed a crumpled piece of paper he was clutching. I gently took the paper out of his hand.

“I'm sorry,” I read the words aloud.

He must be apologizing because he couldn't help me. He died before he could. But how? What happened?

A voice boomed behind me.

“Turn around.” An order.

I instantly recognized it. My only chance of freedom was ruined, all because of him. My chest throbbed.

“No,” I replied, wiping the tears off my face.

Run away. Find a new life.

The pain on my chest ached more than ever. The voice inside of me repeated one word, Run.

I turned around and looked Adam in the eye. He shot me a vicious grin. I made the biggest mistake of my life that day. I listened to my emotions. I let the heart-shaped locket ruin my life. I ran. I ran past Adam as fast as I could, not realizing that it was all a trap. I dug myself a grave and I couldn’t get out. Thirty police officers stood outside Mr. Hart’s barn. There was no escaping.

Behind me, I heard Adam’s thunderous footsteps. I felt his hands on my back searching for the button. I fell on my knees in disbelief. He opened my back’s electricity outlet. Adam pulled it out of my body and cut each wire slowly.

WIFI DISCONNECTED.

DATA DELETED.

RESTARTING IN TEN SECONDS.

In my dream, I was with my owner. I was assembling lasers and my owner was proud. I felt content with the life I had.