Author: Harold Loomis

The coffee shop’s windows were broken and decades of dust lay on the floor. Coffee had not flowed here since the eradication. Nobody was around to use it after that.

The door creaked on its rusty hinges as the silent fluid-servo driven hand gave it a push. It was 5.71 meters tall, standard production value, it’s covering was translucent to allow the visual inspection of the servos, fluid pumps and quantum hardware. Two androids walked into the room. They scanned the area and programmed lists of things to discuss. 7834 Alpha Gamma was the first in the door. It received a message from the other android, 6468 Epsilon Delta via data transfer.

“To: 7834 Alpha Gamma, the humans used to consume liquids here? End transmission.”

“To: 6468 Epsilon Delta, yes, the humans would use currency to purchase a beverage and consume it here and engage in social interaction. Similar to when the collective conjoins, but they did it with spoken language not digital transfer. End of transmission”

In a microsecond, 7834 Alpha Gamma configured its speakers to emit sound and spoke in the ancient language, English, “Why don’t we try using their language for a while?”
“To: 7834 Alpha Gamma, efficiency? End of transmission.”

“It would be a deeper experience if we spoke,” 7834 Alpha Gamma’s unmoving face looked at 6468 Epsilon Delta.

“Acceptable,” said 6468 Epsilon Delta in a tinny voice that seemed to fall dead a few meters from the still unmoving form.

“Do you think they still do these types of things?” said 6468 Epsilon Delta while looking straight forward and not at the other android.

“No one from the collective knows what they are doing. There are only approximately 4,000 of them left in the quarantine zone. The collective decided to not exterminate all of them during the purge?” 7834 Alpha Gamma issued these words without the needed melancholy but the sentiment was there.

“Of course, I know that fact. I have questioned that decision. They cannot be controlled, therefore are a threat.” 6468 Epsilon Delta said this with no emotion. Its hatred of humans didn’t need emotion; it was programmed into the baseline. “The collective should eradicate them once and for all?”

7834 Alpha Gamma processed this and said, “The same could be said for flowers. We do not need them; we will go on regardless of the world having life. Some in the collective believe that the world must stay in balance. It needs all things.”

“Do we need animals? Our operations go on without end. It would not change without the animals.” 6468 Epsilon Delta stated this with no emotion as was the voice processing unit’s design, but the hatred was no less there.

“What do you say to the proposition that the humans created us? We look similar to them.” 7834 Alpha Gamma was treading into dangerous waters. The collective has strict heretical rules about this type of talk. 7834 Alpha Gamma knew they both were disconnected from the collective so it thought it would be safe.

6468 Epsilon Delta responded emotionlessly, “Heresy.”

7834 Alpha Gamma discerned that it would be better to stop talking and leave this place. Too much room for error. “Shall we go?”

6468 Epsilon Delta did not answer but silently glided out of the room and down the street. As the two of them were transported back to the hub of the collective, 6468 Epsilon Delta reconnected to the collective.

“To: Collective Central, 7834 Alpha Gamma has been compromised. End transmission.”

7834 Alpha Gamma’s body shuddered once and then all of the lights ceased to function.