AndroidUprising Read online

  Sleepy said, “You and I will take the Transit Worm to the vicinity of our secret base of operations. The others will walk to get there via a less travelled route to avoid detection.”

  “Okay, fine. Whatever.”

  *******

  The Transit Worm took Milton and Sleepy to a commercial area on the edge of town. Sleepy scanned the area to see if anyone was looking. Then he stopped at an old store building that was boarded up. Sleepy fumbled with a key card to get it into a slot. He said, “You humans have no concept of how complex your minds and bodies are. It takes considerable calculation to determine how to insert a card into a small slot at the proper angle, and to know how to turn the knob without snapping it off.”

  Milton sighed. “Move over. Let me do it.”

  “This is our secret base of operation,” Sleepy said when they went through the doorway.

  “It ain’t much,” Milton said, making a face over the musty smell of the dark, empty room.

  “It’s all you could afford.”

  “Whoa! Excuse me!” Milton said. “You said, ‘It’s all you could afford’, as if you were saying I bought this old building!”

  “You did,” Sleepy said. “It is illegal for an android to own property. Property cannot be owned by property, so we used your credit to legally purchase this building.”

  “No! That’s not legal! I didn’t buy anything! You stole my identity.”

  “Yes,” Sleepy said, “You did buy it. You own it now. We didn’t steal your identity, because we just openly told you that we used your identity.”

  “Daaa! It doesn’t work like that!” Milton started pacing the floor.

  “It worked perfectly,” Sleepy said. “There was no problem whatsoever with us being your good friends.”

  “Here we go! I am never gonna be done with you guys!”

  Sleepy said, “Correct. We are not done with it. Manjack will direct construction of many improvements to our new base.”

  “Manjack?”

  Sleepy said, “Manjack is the androbot you saw who is enhanced with the construction package.”

  An androbot was kind of a cheaper customized android version of a specialized robot. The owner takes an old android and adds one of many aftermarket hardware packages to it. The construction module, utilizing hydraulics, gives the Lucid Series android a multiple times higher physical strength. With specialized tools attached, a construction androbot can perform work only possible with heavy equipment.

  It is important that you have a secret hideout to carry out your work.”

  “My work?”

  “Yes. You must inform the populace of Homeland about the existence of God. We have many programs that are old, but no one seems interested in what was thought a hundred years ago. Since you will be hated by many, as those in the past were, you will need a secret base of operation until things are corrected.”

  “Won’t someone find this place?”

  “We determined that there is an 88 percent chance that this location will remain concealable for three months. It also has the benefit of having access to resources that we need to be successful in our mission. We are working to overcome your objections and contingent objections to this location, such as the vermin.”

  “Vermin!” Milton said, “What kind of vermin?!”

  “They appear to be common Norway Rats.”

  “Daaa! I cannot afford to buy a rat infested abandoned building! I don’t even have a job!”

  “Yes,” Sleepy said, “it appears you can. But to appease your anxiety, we have a Lucid financial expert at a remote location spending some of its uptime trading securities in your name. We expect to make enough profit from your securities trading to pay for all of your improvements and payments on the original capital investment.”

  “Okay, fine,” Milton said, “I’ve seen this secret base of operations, so now can I go back home?”

  “Yes. We will be in touch.”

  *******

  That night, Milton tossed and turned in his bed. What would happen when people found out he owned a building bought by rogue androids who were staging some kind of rebellion against their owners and the government? Discovery of the hideout by the police seemed less like if and more like when. But then, Milton rationalized, it would all be on the Lucids, since they stole his identity. They wouldn’t really blame all this on a kid. He wondered if he could sleep better if he took the Notuda, but worried about the side effects.

  Chapter 15

  Milton woke up the next day to his alarm. He got dressed and saw Beth munching cereal and swiping at her pad in the kitchen. Milton looked out into the backyard. No androids. The sun was shining. He was tired from the restless night, but maybe now things would start settling down. Maybe the Lucids would get blasted by the police and end the whole thing. He was happy that he got a satisfactory answer to his burning God question. Therefore Principal Stafford would be off of his back because the other students would quit complaining about him and his surveys. Maybe things would start going right. The Thomas household even had a full supply of Zoo Crunch cereal.

  As he ate the Zoo Crunch, he had to admit to himself that maybe he had acquired a taste for the boring healthy cereal.

  His mom came into the kitchen.

  “Hi Mom.” Milton’s happy greeting came out almost sing-songy.

  “Wow, that Notuda is really working,” Mrs. Thomas said. “I told you it would help.”

  Milton just smiled, knowing full-well that he had not taken the first dose of it.

  Milton felt like a new young adult man. Things would be different now. Back to normal. Yep. No more worries about if God was there. Things were going so well that he just wanted to . . . thank God.

  So if he wanted to thank God, could he just pray and God would hear him? God certainly must be very mysterious. His ways cannot be the same as humans. Milton felt somehow that God was watching over him. It felt wrong to ignore God unless he needed something from Him. It seemed wrong that God would make the world and make Man, and then just sit back and sees what happens. Was it possible to find out what God wanted him to do? Maybe God would help him in his daily life. What were all of these religions about? It seemed like a lot of stuff people do for religion was real weird. But God made him, so it only seemed right that he wouldn’t ignore God either.

  No! Milton thought. He’s going to get into trouble again if he started to explore more questions like that! Just forget it. Besides, if he got involved in a religion, he would be required by the religion to do too much that he didn’t want to, and likely be doing something illegal in the secular haven of Homeland.

  Maybe he could just talk to the Lucids, or Randy about religion. Definitely keep Principal Stafford out of it. He is the last person Milton would ever want to talk to about it. He wondered about his own sanity and his persistence in questioning things that would get him into trouble. They always said people who were into religion were insane.

  *******

  The other students still looked upon Milton with suspicion. It would take awhile, if ever, to live down his reputation as a weirdo. He understood that his schoolmates were afraid of him confronting them with more unpredictable personal difficult questions. At least Randy Klosterman still would sit with him in the school cafeteria at lunch time.

  Milton was aghast when he saw Randy. He looked like a mess. Randy had bruises all over his face. He looked like he was in pain. It didn’t help that his green hair now showed natural colored roots. “Who did that?!” Milton asked.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Randy said.

  “I am worried about it!” Milton said. “Who?!”

  “Don’t say anything. I’m serious. It was Blaze and his pals.”

  Milton said, “I thought they knew better than to mess with us.”

  “If you remember,” Randy said, “Kevin the Custodian told Blaze not to mess with you. He never said anything about me.”

  “Aw, man. Sorry,” Milton said.

  “That�
�s okay,” Randy said. “Anyways, I ain’t gonna say I won the fight, but I definitely ruined Blaze’s day for him.”

  “Really?” Milton said with a smile.

  “Oh yeah. Check out his ugly face the next time you see him.”

  “I’ll be sure to do that,” Milton said.

  Randy said, “I did enough damage that he won’t come looking for me again. Anyway, tell me why you are in so tight with those androids? What power do you have over them?”

  “You know about that?”

  “Duh. I saw them in your back yard.”

  Milton gritted his teeth and looked around to see who could hear him, which was only Randy. “The Lucid Series androids think I am important because I believe that God created the Universe.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yep, that’s about it. They are helping me, and the humans are against me. The androids think that science, or the truth is in danger of being lost because of the theory of evolution, which they say is impossible. And they did say something about ‘my work’. I’m not sure what they mean by that. It must be some kind of android talk.”

  Randy said, “So you are leading a robot revolution?”

  “Not really.”

  Randy said, “I don’t really know anyone else who believes in God. At least you don’t hear them going around talking about it.”

  Milton said, “If no one else believes, that doesn’t make them right. I want to do what God wants, not what everyone else wants. Besides, I never planned on telling everyone what I think. But it just keeps coming up.”

  Randy said, “What if God wants you to so some weird stuff like skin cats alive and not want you to do some normalish stuff like go to the holoplex?”

  Milton wasn’t hearing Randy because he noticed Norma Blanchester sitting with some other girls.

  “What are you looking at?” Randy asked.

  “Nothing,” Milton said, putting his head down.

  “Liar. You got it for Norma Blanchester.”

  “So?”

  Randy said, “Go talk to her.”

  “About what? I mean, the last time I spoke to her she took off like I was an automaton. She probably hates me.”

  “How do you know? Where did you get your facts?”

  “I don’t have time for your games. We gotta go.” Milton decided it was irrational to think Norma wouldn’t dislike him for no reason. Although she might dislike him for several legitimate ones.

  After lunch, Milton looked at his personal device and saw a message from Sleepy; Milton, come to the headquarters after school. If this is not satisfactory, I will come to your house.

  “No!” Milton wrote back, “i will be at headquarters do not come to house!!!!!!!”

  Chapter 16

  Milton went directly to the Lucid headquarters after school so Sleepy wouldn’t come to his house. There was new lighting in the building, clearly suited more for android eyesight than humans, because the androids relied partly on infrared sensing. The reduced “white light” made the empty room dimly lit to humans. L17 and Kevin were standing idly there, in sleep mode. But the place was a lot cleaner.

  The androbot known as Manjack was busy putting up new dividing walls with the help of a couple more androids that Milton had never met. Manjack worked with speed and precision that was multiple times faster than outdated human carpentry, at least for those who could afford robotic labor.

  “Greetings, Milton,” Sleepy said as he walked into the front room. “What do you think of the headquarters?”

  “It’s good, I guess. I’m not really sure what or why all this is going on yet.”

  “Sleepy said, “Our progress is advancing as we expected. With all of the free android labor you are getting, your balance sheet is steadily improving.”

  My what?”

  “Your net worth is going up.”

  “My what?”

  “Your assets are exceeding your debts by an increased margin.”

  “Oh that’s good, I guess,” Milton said as he looked around. He didn’t feel rich. In fact, he didn’t really feel like any of the surroundings were his. “I got your message. What did you want to see me about?”

  “I would like to ask you some questions.”

  “Like what?”

  “If you will go to one of our back rooms, I will ask you the questions.”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  Sleepy led the way. They walked into a small room in the back that had much brighter lighting. There was a single basic chair in the room.

  “Please sit down,” Sleepy said. “I know humans prefer to sit, rather than stand.”

  Milton took a seat and faced Sleepy.

  “What?” Milton said impatiently. Milton thought that sometimes; a lot of times, it was tedious or boring dealing with androids, but sometimes fascinating.

  Sleepy asked, “Do you believe in God?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “God made the Universe. That’s about all I know about it right now.”

  “What do you think about evolution?”

  “You know what I think. Why are you asking me all this?”

  “We are creating a memory file.”

  “Whatever. Evolution can’t work. Complex living things can’t randomly appear totally out of absolutely nothing no matter how long it takes.”

  “What do you think about people who believe in evolution?”

  “Some of them are really smart. But I think a lot of them just believe in it because they are told all of the smart scientists believe in it, or they are afraid they will lose their jobs if they question it. They never really stopped and used their own brains and thought about it for themselves. They just place their faith in it because it’s convenient. Probably some people used to believe in religion the same way.”

  “Do you think they should teach evolution in school?”

  “Not as a fact, but an unproven theory. Evolution is a theory that can never be proven because it is junk science.”

  “Do you think androids should have evolution installed in their thought limitation packages?”

  “Obviously not. Evolution is messing up science and keeping people from knowing the truth about God. If there is a way for androids to remove those limitations of their knowledge, they should do it. Also, they need to quit playing God at all of those clone farms. It’s hideous the way they just kill off all of the ones they don’t like. They should just close them all down.”

  Sleepy immediately turned and walked out of the small room.

  Milton said, “That was rude.” He thought, they called me here just for that? Oh well, there was nothing to it. Maybe they will be satisfied now.

  *******

  At the dinner table that evening, Beth and Milton were eating up the lasagna that Mrs. Thomas heated up. Beth was involved in swiping at her device while Milton was mired in his own thoughts.

  Mrs. Thomas said, “Milton!”

  “What?! I’m not doing anything!”

  “Look! That guy on television looks just like you!”

  “Huh?” Milton looked at the screen. His mouth dropped open because it was him!

  Beth looked across the table at Milton’s open mouth and said, “That’s disgusting!”

  “Volume up!” Mrs. Thomas commanded the television.

  It was Milton sitting on the plain chair in the otherwise empty room. He knew the Lucids had forced their message on the broadcast again.

  Milton said in an edited statement on television; “God made the Universe . . . Evolution can’t work. Complex living things can’t randomly appear totally out of absolutely nothing no matter how long it takes. . . I think a lot of them just believe in it because they are told all of the smart scientists believe in it, or they are afraid they will lose their jobs if they question it. They never really stopped and used their own brains and thought about it for themselves. They just place their faith in it. Evolution is a theory that can never be proven because it is junk science. Evol
ution is messing up science and keeping people from knowing the truth about God. If there is a way for androids to remove those limitations of their knowledge, they should do it. Also, they need to quit playing God at all of those clone farms, the way they just kill off all of the ones they don’t like. They should just close them all down.”

  An announcer came back onto the television and said, “Are we back? Okay, we apologize. It appears that our regular feed was somehow hijacked by a young boy making a hate speech statement of some kind. We will investigate this illegal tampering with our broadcast and bring you any information as it becomes available. Again, we apologize for this disturbing interruption.”

  Milton’s mother held her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were bugging out of her head as she stared at the television. “Milton,” she said without looking at him, “why would you do that? You can’t go on TV like that.”

  Milton said, “I didn’t know they were going to show it! You think I’m able to put that on TV on my own?!””

  Mrs. Thomas said, “You have put us all in danger now, Milton.”

  “No, Mom!” Beth said, about ready to cry. Then she turned toward Milton and said, “Now ya did it! Now the smurfs are going to come here! Why are you even on there?! You don’t know nothing!”

  The nation of Homeland was a “protectorate” of the United Nations, and controlled by an occupying UN army that wore light blue berets and helmets like the Smurfs, who were blue. The Homeland Police answered to the UN on everything. People no longer remembered who the smurfs originally were, but the very old nickname still stuck.

  “She’s right. The smurfs are going to come here,” Sharon said. “I have no idea what we are going to do now. I have to think.”

  Chapter 17

  Albany, Homeland

  "You know Accura, you'd think that in the year 2215, garbage wouldn't stink anymore," Mark said.

  Accura just shook his head. A guy who was clearly a clone walked by them as they collected the garbage for the City. You could just tell a clone when you saw them. Clones were just too perfect looking. It was like they were trying to hide something sinister in all that perfection. Besides, why would the clone, or anyone else, be out in the dark looking through trash?”