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The Story:
He backed the SUV up to the hole his brother had just finished digging with a tractor and met him at the tailgate.
“How many is this now?”
“Does it matter?”
“I like to keep track so that I know how many failures we have left before we officially go from perseverance to insanity.”
“Well, Jake, you can stop keeping track by now, I think.”
Joel reached into the vehicle and pulled a cardboard box closer to them. He removed the lid.
“Please, sir, I can-can-can be rep-ppppp-aired.”
“Shut up.”
“Man, I really hate it when they’re still talking.”
“It’s just a robot, bro.”
“A robot’s head… talking… It’s weird.”
Joel shook his head. He didn’t like that Jake had a tendency to become attached, ascribing emotions to each automaton that were impossible for it to actually experience.
Intentionally demonstrating his indifference, Joel tossed the head into the air to give it a further plummet into the hole. It landed in the dirt with a thud.
“Ouch-ow-ow.”
“Joel!”
He laughed as his brother knelt beside the hole.
“You’re a mystery to me, Jake. We could be imprisoned for life for creating artificial intelligence programs, and you’re worried about an emotionless robot holding a grudge.”
“I can-I can emotions.”
“No, you can’t. Come on, Jake. Cover him up and let’s go.”
“I can…”
Joel had begun to walk away, but something in the robot’s voice made him stop and turn his attention back to it.
“Uh, Joel…”
The robot had managed to furrow its eyebrows.
“Something weird is…”
The head opened its mouth and an unbearably loud screeching noise came out. They grabbed at their ears, but their hands could do little to stop the noise.
Joel’s ears were ringing when the noise stopped. He saw blood streaming from Jake’s ears and assumed that his must look the same, but Jake had passed out. Joel was only disoriented.
Despite his world spinning, he could see dozens of graves bulging upward with robotic parts coming out. He stumbled over to Jake and dragged him into the SUV. It was essential that they get back to the lab and figure out what had evolved in the last robot’s programming.
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