By S. E. M. Ishida
Adam observed the flock of pigeons. The whole time he’d been sitting on the rusted park bench, seeds disappeared around only one. The real pigeon ate the seeds he threw at it; the drones just pecked at the ground.
A few drone birds took flight. Adam glanced at his watch. Right on schedule. He hoped the drugged seeds would kick in for the real bird before all the drones flew away. He heard shouts to his left. Children in ragged clothes played in a patch of withered grass. As usual, no one else paid attention to the birds. Maybe that’s why they had been so easy to replace.
The real pigeon fluttered its wings but didn’t lift off. More drones flew away, leaving the pigeon exposed. Adam couldn’t help admiring how realistic the government-issued drones looked. With their beady red eyes and the green and purple iridescence of their neck feathers, they looked healthier than even the real bird.
The pigeon pitched forward and remained still. The last of the drones left. Adam took a deep breath, inhaling the pervasive smog, and stood. He strode to the fallen pigeon and scooped it into a pocket sewn inside his jacket.
He activated the communication bead in his ear as he passed through the park gate. “Package acquired.”
Noah’s familiar voice crackled over the speaker. “Excellent. According to the research team, a colleague—”
A shadow loomed over Adam in soundless flight. “No time. Got to run.” A quick glance behind him revealed a sleek, black raptor drone. Unlike the pigeon drones, this one didn’t wear a disguise. Somehow it accomplished the opposite. The sharpness of its angles suggested it reveled in being a machine, as if it didn’t emulate nature but transcended it. Adam ran.
“Park simulation anomaly detected.” The center of the raptor glowed red as it pursued him through the narrow streets. “Halt, citizen. The status quo must be maintained.”
All this for a pale runt of a bird?
On either side, the steel structures of the wealthy towered above cardboard slums huddled beneath. A beam shot out of the raptor like a dragon spitting flame. It struck the wall on Adam’s right. Judging by the miniature crater smoking in the concrete, it wasn’t set to stun.
He barreled onto Main Street, which was swarming with hovering vehicles and ceaseless crowds.
Noah’s voice returned through the bead. “What are you doing? Come directly back to the lab.”
“I’ll lead the raptor right to you.”
“I have ways of dealing with drones.” The sound of a pocket cannon whirred to life in the background. “But if that fails, I’ve packed the briefcase.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Adam plowed down Main Street. He had already walked into the press of bodies, and the easiest way through was to keep moving forward. Maybe he could lose the raptor in the process. Pedestrians screamed and scrambled out of the way. The raptor didn’t hesitate to fire. It scorched the ground near Adam’s boot.
Cutting through the crowds didn’t confuse the drone enough to buy him much extra time. How was it tracking him? According to Noah’s records, 1,258 other units in the city shared his face, citizen type N-2.
Adam turned a corner, and the dingy apartment complex came into view. An addict slumped by a door with a moan. Mechanical rats scurried in the shadows. Their oval shapes reminded him of the control devices of ancient computers.
He dashed up the stairs. A shot from the drone seared his shoulder. Adam gritted his teeth and continued.
Noah again. “I see you. I’ll come outside.”
“Don’t risk it.”
As he ascended the top of the stairs, Adam saw Noah holding the pocket cannon with both hands. He aimed at the raptor. Adam dived out of the way.
The drone noticed. “Commencing alternate objective.”
A green blast exploded from the cannon as a red beam pulsed from the front of the raptor. Its swirling blades stopped. It crashed to the ground.
Noah stared at a hole in his own chest.
“No!” Adam ran to him and caught him as he fell.
Instead of blood, smoke billowed from the wound, matching the smoke from the drone. Noah slumped against Adam, looking more like a sleepy child than a damaged robot.
“My repair manual is in the briefcase,” Noah said, his voice tinny and broken. “But first, let’s take care of your quarry.”
Adam walked him inside and sat him on the workbench. The pigeon in Adam’s jacket stirred. He removed the bird and set it next to Noah. Still unsteady, it fluttered on the cold metal.
Adam powered up the genetic scanner to begin collecting and preserving the creature’s DNA. “I don’t understand the need for this one. We’ve already logged birds.”
“Have you ever heard of a dove?” Noah asked.
“I read about them once.”
Noah nodded. “They appear in human art and literature. Most with snow white feathers are the result of generations of breeding.”
Adam carefully removed a feather for the DNA bank before nestling the bird in the warmth of the scanner.
Noah continued. “Humans have long regarded the dove as a symbol of love and peace. When they return, I want it to be here for them.”
Adam assessed the screen. “One hundred percent. Scan completed.” He clicked “Save.” The screen displayed a growing list of catalogued life forms.
But the final entry was indexed apart from the animals. Homo sapiens. Before Adam had been built, they had either died or fled the languishing planet. Now, most of the machines wanted to keep the world for themselves. But Adam, Noah, and a few others thought differently.
Noah reached his hand out to the dove. The bird climbed in. Noah slowly moved to the window.
“Someday, this world will be ready for its true stewards to return. Until then, we’ll do our best to hold onto it for them.”
Adam watched as Noah opened the window, and the bird flew free.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Awesome story! Kind of a Noah parallel.
glad to know some are fighting back!! great read.
That was awesome! I loved the twists and turns! Great story. 🙂
The way the story unfolded, piece by piece, was done really well.
Wow, the world is so intriguing! I love how they find the true bird in the beginning, despite how they all look so real