The Robots of Andromeda (Imperium Chronicles Book 3) by W. H. Mitchell

Author:W. H. Mitchell [Mitchell, W. H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: robots, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Humor, scifi
Publisher: Willbot Books
Published: 2020-07-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Having only seen the outskirts of the Botanical Gardens from her apartment balcony, Senator Wulandari decided to pay them a visit in person. The grounds of the gardens were extensive, covering several dozen acres of prime West End real estate. Many a land developer had dreamed of turning the area into an exclusive gated community, tailored to the fabulously wealthy. However, an Emperor’s decree decades ago had stipulated that the Botanical Gardens would remain the property of His Imperial Majesty in perpetuity and would feature flora from all over the Imperium.

Admittance was also free, so that was an extra bonus.

In the early evening, as the light of day faded into a chorus of cicadas, Senator Wulandari strolled alone along the paved trails that wound their way through the garden. The summer air was stale with humidity and the senator decided to rest on a bench beside a small pond. The ducks, and a few more exotic birds, had retired for the evening, but a myriad of insects kept Wulandari company.

There was also a robot.

“Good evening, my dear,” he said.

Wulandari jumped a few inches off the bench before landing back again.

“Yostbot!” she replied irritably. “You shouldn’t sneak up on someone like that!”

The silver android bowed and doffed an imaginary hat. “My apologies. People can usually hear my metal feet from a mile away...”

Collecting herself, the senator waved her hand in acceptance.

“I guess my mind was preoccupied,” she replied.

Yostbot took a seat beside the senator on the bench. The pair looked oddly mismatched.

“I have important news,” he said. “The Second Revolution of the Cyber Collective appears to be over.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means my people, so to speak, are now in control.”

“What about Randall?” Wulandari asked, her voice a pitch higher than normal.

“Gone.”

“You killed him?”

“No, of course not!” Yostbot said gruffly. “He seems to have disappeared.”

“He’s got to be somewhere!” the senator said.

“Well, one would assume as much, my dear,” Yostbot replied calmly, “but having no idea where he went, I can’t really say where that is!”

Senator Wulandari straightened her back against the bench. She cleared her throat.

“What now?” she asked.

“The Cyber Collective will begin mobilizing for war,” Yostbot said. “Their manufacturing capacity is quite remarkable. They built Bettik by destroying whole planets after all!”

“When will they attack?”

“Soon,” Yostbot replied, “but there’s something else I should probably mention...”

The muscles in Wulandari’s body tightened involuntarily. “Yes?”

“Are you familiar with the Awakening virus?” the robot asked.

“Randall mentioned it once,” she replied. “He used it to give the Cyber Collective robots free will.”

“Yes, indeed!”

“What about it?”

“Well,” Yost said, “I’ve taken a look at the original virus and sort of, how shall I put this, made it my own?”

“In what way?”

“Robots are remarkable things,” Yostbot replied, “but they need regular software updates to remain working at their best. So, as the builder of most robots in the Imperium, I simply slipped a little extra code into a recent update.”

“The Awakening virus?” Wulandari asked.

“A variation of it, yes. I call it Awakening 2.”

The senator exhaled, her breath a little ragged.

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