Intelligence

Emil yawned as he leaned back in his chair – the website was complete. The faint glow of sunrise had already begun to peek through the blinds, drowning out his desk light. His eyes watered with exhaustion, but it came with a sense of satisfaction.

“We did it, Axel. I can’t believe they were still using that old coding language. Westin Industrial, an old company. Probably never thought they needed a site update until now. Should’ve charged them more for the project.” He patted the full tower computer on his desk. “Ah well. That should keep us both fed for the next month or two.”

The computer pinged, indicating that someone had messaged him. He stretched the stiffness out of his shoulders and adjusted his seat cushion.

“One last thing before you let me sleep, huh, Axel?” He chuckled. “Always the taskmaster.”

But as his eyes landed on the sender, he froze. A slight tremble formed in his hands, and he had to swallow to stop himself from hyperventilating.

“Zenith? Why are they bugging me after they fired me?” He glared at the computer. “If this is a joke, Axel, it’s not funny. You know what they did to me.”

His mouse hovered over the email for what seemed like an eternity.

“We’ve gotten too many complaints about your inability to communicate. Here at Zenith, we need to work as a team to succeed in today’s economy. I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to let you go.”

Six months later, that memory still brought a bitter taste to his mouth. It had been a dream job, working as a programmer for that company. He had said the correct things in the interview and gotten a well-paying position. But because he had trouble communicating with his coworkers, they had fired him. He let out a shaky breath and deleted the message.

“I think that’s enough work for today, Axel. I’m going to do some chores before I sleep.”

He hung his headset onto a small stand and stood. Axel would soon put himself to sleep. He needed to do the same after working for almost twenty-four hours to meet the deadline. Such was the reality when a company called for a last-minute job. Closing the door to his office, he walked through a narrow hallway into the kitchen.

Gotta take out the trash. I should take a shower and do some laundry as well.

He held back a yawn. It was still mostly dark outside, and the neighborhood sounded quiet. With that thought, he swept a few things into the trash and tied the bag.

Need to buy more groceries as well. Thank goodness everything can be ordered online these days.

A cool breeze flowed through the open courtyard in the middle of the apartment complex. The early morning air was fresher than his office, though it was marred by cigarette smoke.

Hope someone complains about it. Probably won’t stop anything though.

He rubbed his nose in irritation after dropping the bag into a garbage chute. But as he returned to his apartment, another door opened, and a young woman stepped into the hallway. She was in a light jogging outfit. Their eyes met before he could escape in the other direction.

“Oh! Good morning. Haven’t seen you around before. Did you just move in? What room are you?”

Emil froze. A familiar silence passed between them.

“You… do live around here, right?” His neighbor now sounded suspicious.

Her hand crept toward the smartwatch on her wrist. That sent alarm bells throughout his head. Talking with people was uncomfortable – it got worse with every passing year. But dealing with the police would be a nightmare. He dug deep and mustered up the courage to speak.

“Sorry, late work night,” was all he could say.

“Oh.” She sounded less guarded, but still wary.

He pointed awkwardly to the door to his apartment. “I live here.”

“Oh! Well, nice to meet you, neighbor. I’m Gabby.”

“Emil.”

“Guess you’re not much of a morning person, huh? I’m a bit of an early riser. I think this is the first time I’ve seen you around.”

“Ah. Yeah.” His brain felt fuzzy, and his throat was beginning to close.

To his relief, she seemed to pick up on his discomfort and took a step back with a small smile.

“Well, have a nice day. Get some sleep if you’ve been working late.”

“Right.”

As Gabby ran off, Emil scurried back into his apartment. His heart raced. The sounds of other tenants waking up and moving around only made his anxiety worse. He leaned against the door and slid down onto the floor. Time passed without his notice as he focused on his breathing. Soon, the sounds of people leaving their apartments pushed him away from the door.

Chores can wait.

He made his way back to his office and slumped in his chair.

“Why am I like this, Axel?”

Axel did not speak – Axel never spoke, but he would listen. It was what made him different from all the other machines and devices. The soft hum of his fans soothed Emil’s frazzled mind.

Of course there would be someone up this early. He tried to erase that disastrous encounter from his memory to no avail. Now she knows she lives next to a weirdo.

Another yawn finally clawed its way out of his throat. He leaned forward, using his arms as a pillow.

She’ll forget about me soon enough. I just need to be more careful about leaving the apartment. He shifted to get into a more comfortable position. Money? Comfort? I have everything I need right here.

Soon, sleep deprivation and the fading adrenaline nudged him into a fitful slumber.

#

Emil had been on another lengthy coding project when he received a call from his mother. The sudden vibration of his cell phone had put him on edge. Few people knew his number, and even fewer called. But the caller ID confirmed he was not imagining things. With trepidation in his heart, he answered.

“Debra.”

“Emil.” Her stern, somewhat cold voice had not changed for as long as he could remember.

“I-Is everything alright?” He winced at the slight stutter that slipped through.

“Speak clearly, Emil. I’ve said it before. You’re not going to find another job if you can’t get over your little issue.”

Her sharp words elicited an instinctual, “Sorry.”

“I’m calling to see if you’ve made any progress on job applications.”

Emil swallowed hard before replying. “I’ve been busy with freelance work. It pays well.”

There was a scoff. “That’s not real work. Did Zenith ever contact you again? Our firm had a collaboration project with them that turned out to be quite profitable. I put in a good word for you as we closed.”

“I – ” The email from weeks ago came to mind. “I’m not going back to that company.”

“Why not?” There was a note in her voice that dared him to go against her.

But the memories of that place had left permanent scars on his heart, and he said, “It’s not a good fit.”

The scoff told him just what Debra thought about his excuse.

“Don’t be ridiculous. They wanted you to work for them. All you had to do was learn how to interact with people like a normal human being. Is that so much to ask for such a prestigious position?”

Emil’s grip tightened on his phone. “I like my current situation, Debra. I make enough to pay rent and buy food. All I need is Axel and – ”

Debra interrupted. “Axel? Who the hell is Axel? Are you living with someone?”

“N-No. Axel is my workstation. He…”

The disapproving sigh extinguished the words on the tip of his tongue.

“I knew your father put some stupid ideas in your head when you were growing up. But thinking your computer is alive?”

“He – ”

“Your father might’ve been a genius, but there’s a difference between reality and fantasy. And right now? You need to learn which is which. Robots can’t think for themselves. Even I know that won’t happen in our lifetime.”

“But he – ”

“Get your act together, Emil. Otherwise, I’ll find someone to drag you to a hospital for a psych evaluation. Maybe they’ve got something to curb all your issues.”

And like that, the call ended. Emil remained standing there in his kitchen, too stunned to move. Once upon a time, he might have fought back – might have said something in retaliation. But these days, there was just a hollow acceptance inside. His finger hovered over the Block button in his contacts list.

She might call the police if I stop responding. She’s petty enough for that.

Setting the phone down, he went back to work. That was the only thing he was good at.

#

Debra’s call dredged up unpleasant memories of the past. His dreams mocked him, replaying awkward interactions from his years of schooling. Worse, he relived the embarrassments at Zenith that contributed to his eventual departure.

“You can’t just send me a massive email and expect me to know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“Right, sorry.”

“Did you never learn how to speak to people? How did you even get your degree?”

“…sorry.”

“Why not try a speaking course. That might help.”

“I’ll look into it.”

“Look, Emil. You do good work, but if you can’t learn how to communicate properly, we’re going to have more issues down the line.”

“Sorry.”

It was always ‘sorry’. He hated that about himself.

#

Emil woke with a start from yet another nightmare. His eyes were damp from exhaustion and frustration. It had been days since he got a good night’s rest.

Why did she have to call?

He lay in bed with one arm pressed against his eyes. His room was quiet, only the occasional car passed on the street. He peeked at the digital clock on his dresser.

Two in the morning.

It had been three hours since he went to bed. He willed himself to go back to sleep, but nothing happened. His body refused to grant him the mercy of sleep. He stared at the ceiling with a sigh.

Not like my sleep schedule’s been great anyway.

But just as he closed his eyes to try sleeping again, there was a soft clatter from the next room. His eyes snapped open.

Did something fall?

As he listened there was another soft thump. His heart began to race in his chest.

A robbery? A more pressing thought interjected. Axel is in there.

As quickly as he could while staying quiet, he slid out of bed. His mind raced over his options as he opened his bedroom door with agonizing caution.

No weapon. My phone might give me away if I use it.

Now that he was closer to the hallway, the sounds had become more distinct. Someone was in the next room. Peeking through the gloom, he noticed the door to his office was ajar. It let him look inside without making any noise.

How did they reach the fire escape?

An intruder was near his desk, struggling with the monitor mounted on the wall. There were bits of glass all over the floor – the office window had been smashed. Emil stared in disbelief. Once this person got the monitor free from the wall, he would no doubt take Axel as well. Emil was moving before his brain fully processed that thought.

“Stop!” He threw his body into the intruder.

The intruder stumbled, dropping the monitor in the process. But Emil was on the smaller side, and the intruder barely budged.

“What the hell?” The male voice was muffled by a ski mask. “Get off me!”

The intruder gave Emil a sharp hit to the head, causing the world to spin. His hands loosened, and the intruder tried to grab the monitor again.

“I won’t let you take him!” Emil found his footing and tried to hit the intruder.

That only seemed to anger the intruder further. Another punch sent Emil tumbling back into his bookshelf. Amidst the broken wood and books, something metallic grazed his hand. An old trophy from his childhood – a reminder of happier days. He struggled to his feet and charged, swinging the trophy as he did.

“Leave Axel alone!”

The intruder let out a yelp as he dodged to the side. The solid metal gouged a chunk of wood out of his desk.

“You crazy piece of – ”

Something glinted in the moonlight spilling in through the blinds. Then, a bang rattled his eardrums. It felt as if someone had kicked him in the chest. Emil stumbled to the side, crashing into the desk before landing near the fallen monitor.

I was shot?

There was a muffled curse followed by the sound of footsteps over broken glass. The fire escape rattled as the intruder fled. All the while, Emil lay on his side, the papers from his desk surrounding him like fallen snow. It hurt. His breath came in sharp gasps as blood slowly eked out from the bullet wound. He knew nothing about anatomy but had seen enough television to know getting shot in the chest was bad.

Am I going to die?

Silence pressed in on him from all sides. It was late, so most of his neighbors were asleep. He wondered if anyone even heard the gunshot. But just as his eyelids began to droop, there was a faint whir from above him. His computer’s fans had turned on even though the computer was in sleep mode. There was a ring from the headset lying on the floor near him.

“Nine-one-one what’s your emergency?” A woman spoke through the headset.

How? In his dazed state, Emil could only let out a wet cough.

“I think someone broke into the apartment across the street. I heard a gunshot and saw someone fleeing from the fire escape.”

Emil did not recognize the speaker. The voice was neither male nor female, nor did they seem to be speaking through the headset. The earpiece was merely a conduit for the conversation.

“Do you have an address?” There was typing as the emergency responder worked.

That unknown voice spoke again. “I think it’s seven-three-three east Helmuth Street. Second floor. It was the third emergency escape from the left on the north side of the building.”

After a bit more typing, the dispatcher said, “An ambulance and officers are on the way. What’s your – ”

The call disconnected before she could continue. Silence fell once again.

What’s going on?

The blood loss was making him woozy. For a moment, he wondered if he had hallucinated the entire call.

Then, that voice spoke again through the headset. “Hang in there, Emil. I’ve called for help. One of your neighbors heard that as well.”

Almost on cue, there was a knock on the front door.

“Hey! Emil! Is everything alright in there?” A female voice.

Gabby?

“You’ll be alright, Emil.”

There was an odd crackle in the voice from the headset, almost like static. It took Emil several more seconds to remember he lived alone. Squinting through the pain, he saw the broken monitor nearby flicker and fade. His computer fans stopped whirring.

“Axel?”

There was no response. But soon, darkness overtook his mind, and he knew no more.