Robotic Natures

In the early mornings of the hour, a sunrise casted over the tall, silver buildings, painting them in shades of red and yellow. In the penthouse of one of the skyscrapers, a young woman with golden blonde hair stepped into the bathroom. She glanced into the mirror and tucked a hair behind her ear. Her golden eyes were hidden behind a pair of thin glasses with lines of code running in the corners of the lenses. She reached out and grabbed a sticky note hanging on the corner. It read, ‘Hey Caroline, I went to get repairs on my car this morning, so breakfast is in the microwave. Have a good day at school!’ 

Caroline rolled her eyes, “I know you did, there’s no need for the note.” She reached up and fiddled with the buttons on the side of her glasses, causing files to appear across the lenses. She flipped through them until reaching one that read the current date. 

The first document read, ‘Stevens Stoll will leave a note saying that he left for repairs on his car. Caroline Stoll will say, “I know you did, there’s no need for the note.” Caroline Stoll will then go to her bedroom and pick out a white turtleneck and remark, “Today feels like a crystal clear morning.”’ Caroline switched the glasses back to their default state and walked over to her room. She flipped through the shirts before pulling out a white turtleneck.

She said, “Today feels like a crystal clear morning.” She pulled off a shirt and slipped on the white turtleneck, hiding the silver circular device that beeped away with the seconds. Braiding her hair, she walked over to the kitchen and pulled out her eggs and bacon from the microwave. 

Eating away, a message appeared in the corner of her lenses, ‘Bus will appear in five minutes.’ Taking her final bites, Caroline rushed to clean her dishes, threw her silver bag over her shoulder, and ran down the steps. Five minutes later, she managed to reach the bus stop, spotting the bus pulling up. 

Caroline ran on the bus and joked, “Knew I was coming, didn’t you, Miss Lynda?” 

 “You act like you aren’t  late every day , Caroline. Go on in, your seat is waiting for you.” Caroline nodded, readjusted her bag, and walked past the driver. Every seat on the bus appeared to be taken, save for one spot in the far back, next to a boy with ashy hair and cobalt eyes.

The boy greeted her, “Hey Caroline. Ready to get a B on the math test today?”

“Are you talking about me or yourself, Nicholas?” Caroline asked. The boy stuck out his tongue. They rode the bus through the streets, taking the most efficient route to arrive exactly ten minutes early. 

They ran into their first hour just as the bell rang above them. The teacher appeared unfazed as he stood up and picked up the stack of papers, “Today’s the day. I will congratulate those who will pass this test, and I will set up study sessions for those who decided to sleep in and will fail. And Jacob,” He looked over to a man in the corner, “I know you’re planning on cheating off of Ms. Sophia. Meet me after class.” Jacob rolled his eyes. What stood out most about Jacob wasn’t the faint smell of smoke coming off his leather jacket, nor the scar on his skin that ran underneath his damaged device. Instead, it was the lack of clear glasses, the only one in the whole school who never wore them. There never was any law against someone not wearing their glasses, but they provided such an easy advantage to life that everyone basically wore them anyways. To willingly disable oneself, it appeared alien to outsiders. 

At lunchtime, Caroline approached Jacob, “So how did you do on the test?”

Jacob shrugged, “I don't know, how did Sophia do?”

“Why not just study? You’re certainly capable of passing if you-”

Jacob cut her off, “I’m not wearing those bloody glasses, C. I would get rid of this device embedded in my neck if it weren’t hooked up to my vital nerves.”

C pointed out, “That didn’t stop you last time you tried a couple months ago.” They both remembered that day all too clearly. 

Caroline received a call in the middle of a Saturday, warning her that Jacob would try to cut out his device that evening. She arrived just in time to see him ripping out the device, blood spilling freely down his neck as he collapsed onto the sink. She ran over and yanked his hands from the device, grabbing bandages to wrap up the wound as the ambulance arrived a minute later. After he received the proper treatment, Caroline remembered scolding him, “What were you thinking?”   

Jacob replied clearly, “My dad was poisoned. He knew it was coming, but ate the food anyway. He said that if that was what he was destined to do, it was only logical to go through with it. How can anybody live like that? Knowing their every move has been predicted, laid out, and just follow through with it willingly? That’s not living, that’s acting like a robot!”

In the present, Jacob clutched his bag, “I don’t care if people call me crazy. I don’t care if I’m referred to as disabled. I’d rather live life without knowing what will happen because that’s what it means to be human.”

Caroline sighed, “I knew you’d say that.”

“Because that’s what the device told you?” Jacob chuckled.

Caroline punched his shoulder in mock offense, “Because I’m your friend, jerk. Let’s get food.” They stepped out into the courtyard, which faced a food court across the street. 

Jacob offered, “I’ll get us food, you get us a seat.” Caroline nodded at him as the two split apart. She scanned over the people of various ages and looks. She settled on a table closets to the street. Setting down her bag, she pulled out her calculus book and watched Jacob look back and forth before crossing the street - an action long forgotten years ago that only he keeps up. Taking a deep breath, she resisted the urge to check her glasses to see what he would get her. 

A minute passed before she finally gave in, flipping through the documents to see what he would return with. To her surprise, she found herself struggling to find the document that would satisfy her curiosity. Fear began to bubble in her chest as she packed her bag quickly and hopped to her feet. She walked over to the food court as a message popped in the corner of her lens, ‘A car will speed down the street and hit Jacob while he is returning to retrieve his wallet. Nobody will warn him.’ Tears pricked the corner of Caroline’s eyes as the realization of her friend’s death hit her. At least, until one line surfaced in her mind. 

“...How can anybody live like that? Knowing their every move has been predicted, laid out, and just follow through with it willingly? That’s not living, that’s acting like a robot!”

Caroline dropped her bag, I’m… not a robot! She sprinted towards the street, her glasses slipping from her nose and getting crushed under her feet, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the predestined car swerve around the corner and begin to speed down the street. Her eyes settled on Jacob, who ran towards her, an embarrassed look on his face. She picked up speed and tackled him out of the road; the wind from the car ruffled her skirt as it flew past. Both laid on the ground, Caroline panting over him. 

Jacob reached up and touched the corner of her eyes, “Your glasses… are gone.” He smiled, “Your eyes are like suns. I never noticed it before.” They stood up and looked back across the street, only to see everyone staring at them like they just saw a ghost. 

Their calculus teacher gasped, “What… did you… do?” 

Caroline replied, “Code can only predict those who fall in line.” On their necks, the lights on the silver devices flickered and went dark.