« Good morning miss Clarke, today the weather is cloudy with a fifty percent chance of a thunderstorm. On the news, Katalin Scott has been arrested for tampering with thousand of robots which end up hurting badly two hundreds person and killing ten of them. Also, the CEO of Bots resigned and bequeathed his entire company to his godson. »

What a harsh way to wake up, I never like that, and I never will. I wish I could go back to when my mother was young when it was the nice sound of music coming out off her phone that pull her out off her bed. But I know that’s very impossible because now our entire houses are controlled by a robot which is connected to the government information bank and all our privacy disappeared. At the same time, I love that I just have to get down the stairs and my coffee is already ready hot, creamy and with a touch off maple syrup.

I threw on the first thing I saw in my wardrobe and head to the kitchen.

“What do you want for breakfast this morning, miss?”

“As usual, just two toasts with peanut butter and jelly.”

“Your wish is my command, won’t take long. Any plans for todays miss Clarke?”

“Nut much, probably going to go run are something…”

Knock, knock, knock!

“Miss, you have a guess.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard, but I wasn’t waiting for anyone thought. Weird!”

Standing in the door frame was a lady about my size with long brown hair, olive skin and a large scar on her cheek, wearing a long and elegant black dress.

“If I’m right you are miss Anabella May Clarke?”

“Who are you?”

“Artemis Willows, but it’s not really about who I am but what I am. And I need your help.”

“What do you mean “what you are” you look pretty much human to me aren’t you? And I don’t think I will much help because I know nothing about healthcare or whatsoever, even lest if you’re an alien are something!”

“That’s kind of insulting but no I’m not “an alien are something” and yes, I was human but can’t talk to you about this here. I need you to come with me.”

“And why will I go somewhere with a stranger who knows my full name? Even worst, who isn’t even someone?”

“Because I knew your mother and that she still owns the only thing that can save me.”

“Whatever it is that she owns she doesn’t remember it, or where it is.”

“Her disease is exactly why I’m asking for your help and not Her’s. Will you come now?”

***

We are standing on so many remnants of robots I don’t think it will even be possible to count them. Most were half disassembled are they were now just useless pieces. There are so many gigantic piles of junk we couldn’t see above them. I didn’t know this kind of places even existed. It was scary. The usual noise of life had fading into nothing, the only distraction around us were my breathing, our steps and my thoughts which were a little to loud for my liking. We were completely alone.

“You still haven’t told me what you are.”

She completely ignored what I said and continued walking between the junkyard materials. We were so far; I don’t think I will even be able to go back home by myself and that creeps me out.

“You might want to sit down.”

“That can’t be that bad isn’t?”

“I already told you I was a human, haven’t I? Well about thirty years ago I was working with your mother in the labs for the government and they wanted to try something no one ever sussed at. Transform a human being into a robot. They were taking random people for the experiments and well they fail at every try for years. I was one of them. They rip my skin off to replace my organs and my bones by metals. Like everyone before me I didn’t survive. Until our mother found me here in the junkyard and tried for months to save me, at the end she did but at what cost. The only remaining of who I was is what left of my brain and my eyes. When I came back to life I wanted to die, I couldn’t bare to live as someone I wasn’t any more, but your mother made me change my mind.”

“So, you’re kind of a cyborg?”

“Sort of.”

“And what is it that you need from my mother?”

“Well, the entire time she was saving me she took wrote on what work and what didn’t in a notebook. I’ve started to fall into pieces, so I really need it. The problem is I have no clue where it is, and this is why I need your help. Please tell me you know where it is and that it won’t take too much time.”

“I have an idea, but I might be wrong. When she moved into a retirement home, she left me two boxes with all her science things, we probably should look in theses. I think I’ve put them in the attic”

“Couldn’t be better! Let’s go, now”

Has she said that she has already move with determination. Her problem must be urgent for her to run like this. What kind of problem does a half robot half women have? She looks perfectly fine to me thought.

***

“Theses are the only two boxes she gave me so if that book is not there it was probably thrown away. Do you even have any idea what it looks like, what’s it’s color or is it spiral notebook? Anything?”

“no”

Well nice, seeing how big theses cartons are, we might be here for a while. Has I search, I came across a old picture book of my parents. It’s been years since my father died of cancer, I was only thirteen so seeing him young and happy make me felled verry emotional.

“Found it!”

“That was way faster then I taught it will be. Can I take look to…”

BANG

“The polices Bots we need to get out of here. Fast!”

“Why are they here?”

“They are coming for me since I’m supposed to be dead and that I’m a proof that they killed hundreds human for there experiments. Now run!”

We didn’t have time to get pass threw the door, that the enormous war machine where already standing tall in front of us with there bright red eyes staring down at Artemis.

“Artemis Willows are should I say WK026, happy to see you again after all these years searching for you. No worries this time I won’t let you slip threw my finger and you will finally join your pairs.”

One of the police Bots grab me, threw me over is shoulder, my head hit the metal and…

***

I woke up with one of the worse headaches on the floor of a dark rooms and a deathly smell hung in the air. Has I sweep the room with my gaze I realized Artemis was lying on the other side of the lockup. I ran to her and tried to wake her up but when I shake her nothing happen, she still doesn’t move an inch.

The door creaked open, and I freeze. Someone walks in followed by two police Bots. I recognise him instantly. The CEO of Bots, well the old CEO of Bots.

“C3BQ wake her up.”

One of the huge robot heads in our direction and he shocks her back to consciousness. Frightened, I stumbled backward and hit the second Bots who grabbed me and force me to watch. They slammed Artemis against the wall, gripping her by the throat.

“From what I heard from the other experiments you still have nerves so you probably will feel this.”

Fallowing these words, he took her left arm and ripped it off living a grey liquid running down her stump. I closed my eyes has she let out a scream of agony.

“I also heard that your eyes is one of the only things reminding of your old self, am I right?”

He drew a knife from his pocket and aimed it at her. With an evil grin he plugs her left eye out of his orbital. The sound of it was so revolting it made my stomach turn. Just like it wasn’t enough he did the same thing to her second eye, and he stabbed her over and over each hot came harder then the last. Deciding he finally got enough he decapitated her and left her cadaver sprawled on the floor. When I taught it was over his eyes fell on me and my blood ran cold.

“I have no clue who you are, but I think you know that because of what you just saw I can’t let you cause me any trouble, right? So, do you have any last words?”

“Please don’t”

I sank into the darkness.

Lilianne Ethier