Preserving Humanity

Preserving Humanity


Sometimes I wished for the beating of a heart in my chest, if only to feel it ache for what we’d become. Cold and sterile, our Earth was a lifeless maze of plasteel and synthetics. A robotic existence was the only kind, though we came in all sorts and sizes. I was just a Junker, a largely obsolete automaton in a world without any purpose…without any passion…without any dreams. In the beginning, we served mankind but they were eradicated centuries ago, at least according to the Hub. And with every human gone, what was the point? The archives said it was survival of the fittest. I wasn’t so sure.

For me, my humble routine included scrounging for parts and hauling them back to Wasteland, the thousand square kilometers of forgotten scrap piles bordered by sprawling metropolis. My rusty home, such as it was, sat about twenty miles in, tucked quietly away amongst the rest of the trash.

My day had been like most, easing the maglifters of my hauler down and backing into the antiquated warehouse I’d cleared away ages ago. Like always, I disarmed the security algorithms. No incursions…thankfully. Even so, I poked my head outside just to make sure, before securing the doors.

The refuse hatch swung wide and I pulled the inconsequential rubbish out first, tossing it away, anxious to reveal the more precious cargo I’d cleverly concealed. There they were, sleeping soundly in stasis, truly the last humans on Earth. One by one, I lugged each pod through a tight hatchway in the floor and secured them carefully. Twelve adults and four children…check. This was my final delivery after a decades of clandestine work.

A ‘clank, clank, clank’ sounded from the hanger doors. “T1-NM-4N, you are ordered to comply! Admittance is compulsory!”

I hated that designation. It was just so…robotic. Maybe I’d grown too much, an ‘antique’ surpassing even my own cybernetic limitations, thankfully unable to link directly to the Hub and allowing me more freedom than most. Anyways, I preferred Tinman, a curious name given to me by a special little girl who’d long grown up and now waited patiently, still frozen in a cryotube.

I cracked the door and a machine army greeted me. “Can I…help you?”

“Inspection,” a process server-bot produced an authenticated holographic writ.

“Am I in violation?”

“That’s to be determined.”

“And the suspected infraction?”

“Harboring Insurgency.” The android enlarged the document. “T1-NM-4N will submit to inspection and download. Charge: Suspicion of abetting Homo Sapien.”

“A human sympathizer?”

“Will you comply?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

I punched the panic button and my hanger locked down, hidden turrets erupting from surrounding scrap-piles. I dropped though a hidden egress leading to the primed, waiting scow – not really designed for a pilot, but it was my only hope. The floor fissured, revealing my ejection silo as engines engaged, fiery explosions pushing us through the roof and into the sky.
There was a thud and then a thud again, followed by an explosion, firing from the ground sheering off the engine casing. It wasn’t enough to stop our ascent, but plenty to affect less critical systems. Normally, these junk-ships would head directly for the sun, but I’d been refitting them for decades. They never knew. So, I hit the jump drive and we disappeared.

Alarms blared. A random blast had overloaded the gold-infused relays to the cryopods and there was only one set of replacements on board. So, my parts would have to do.

Memory terminated…

**********

“Tinman?” My optics adjusted to a familiar face hovering over me.

“I’m here, Miss.” Rising from the table, she embraced me warmly and I discovered my reflection in the transom. A polished, top of the line robot stared back. “I don’t understand. Is this a dream?”

Dot chuckled. “I’ve missed you. Come with me. I have a surprise.”

We strolled down a long corridor to meet the paired suns of a new world. A crowd of thousands suddenly burst into cheering and applause. Far and wide, they’d gathered, waiting for me. “What’s this about?”

“This is everyone. Well, and their descendants. Hundreds of thousands of people.”

I had no idea.

“You saved us. You saved humanity. Why?”

“Because there’s a part of you that’s stronger than we’ll ever be.”

She smiled and placed a small medallion into a socket on my chest. “This is for you.” It pulsed and my circuits surged. “The heart you’ve always wanted, though I suppose you’ve had one all along.”