You, Robot by J.S. Morin

Author:J.S. Morin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-942642-01-5
Publisher: Magical Scrivener Press

Carl stood in the cargo bay with his EV helm tucked under one arm. He held his blaster aimed at the airlock door. It was nice to be back on board the ship, but the ambiance had taken a turn for the worse.

“It stinks in here. Is the airlock on the fritz?”

Roddy held his blaster in two hands, taking his attention from the airlock for a moment to fix Carl with an incredulous glare. “It’s you, you idiot. You reek of that ammonia atmosphere out there. The stuff’s clinging to you like cheap cologne. I’d advise you to go wash up, but I’m not sure how much cleaner you can get. I’ve never seen your EV suit shinier.”

The airlock cycle began again, and the two of them smartened to attention. Yomin was there as well, but her pea-shooter blaster wasn’t worth the bother. As intimidators went, that toy of hers was a net loss.

When the door opened, Archie stepped out, gloved hands held up in surrender. Roddy’s jaw dropped. “He’s a robot!”

Carl let his blaster drop to his side. “What part of ‘the guy who robbed us is a robot’ made you expect anything else?”

“Well… I mean… it’s you. I figured maybe the guy doesn’t emote much, or he’s tricked out in tech gear from datalens to autowalkers. Or maybe he had a few cybernetic mods. But this is a fucking robot.”

The robot cleared its throat. Or failed to start a carbureted engine—it sounded about the same. “I am not a robot. I am a human temporarily dispossessed of my natural corporeal form. I can explain in more granular detail once your whole crew has gathered, so as not to repeat myself.”

“Talks like Mort,” Yomin observed.

Roddy scowled at Archie. “Or an AI programmed to sound like a blowhard. If I wanted to fool sentients into thinking my AI was the real deal, I’d have the thing babbling like an idiot, just because that’s what people don’t expect from a computer.”

The airlock cycle started up again.

Yomin circled around Archie, staying out of arm’s reach. “Artificial, yeah. But if that’s a human mind in there, he could technically be a cyborg. Just a person with a fully cybernetic body.”

“Hell of an implant,” Roddy muttered, lifting the barrel of his blaster as Yomin passed into his line of misfire.

The airlock finished cycling, and Juggler stepped out, tearing off his EV helm with a gasp. “Damn I hate these things. Feels good to breathe real air again.”

Archie swiveled his head while the rest of his body remained motionless. “I wouldn’t know.”

Slapping a hand on the controls, Juggler closed the airlock and sent it back down. “Mort’s on his way. He was just getting to the ship as I closed the airlock door. Had to pretend not to see him so he couldn’t jump the line.”

“So, what’s all that other junk?” Roddy asked. He kicked the unfamiliar case Carl had brought back along with the original.

It was a fair question. At the lowest level of detail, he hadn’t a clue.

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