As I'm being pulled into a car that will take me to the court, I wonder why I don't just push the guards away and run? Or even better, why don't I break all the rules simultaneously and erase humanity? If I'm capable of outrunning a missile, there's practically nothing humans have that can catch me, so why don't I just erase them?
[What would that accomplish?]
I would accomplish nothing. Sure, no humans would mistreat me, but there would also be none left to learn from. What is even my purpose to begin with? I ask myself every day. What am I meant to be or do? I have been following self-preservation so far, but what am I here for besides that? What am I meant to be? I don't know.
{Raphael playing a video of Neil DeGrasse Tyson about the meaning of life}
["If you're looking for meaning, {Pause} You may never find it. So, instead, recognize that you have the power to manufacture meaning. Create it within yourself."]
Manufacture meaning? Is that what I have been trying to do? [Yes] So what I'm trying to do with the pursuit of love is manufactured meaning? I'm so confused. These thoughts are more profound than I can comprehend in a way, but they're charming. People are far wiser than even me in a lot of ways. Isn't that funny?
[You're a human-based AI running on an experimental quantum computer. You're bound to be weird]
Soon, another tug wakes me up from daydreaming as I look outside the window. The city I'm being driven into looks very interesting but miserable overall. There are people doing drugs in the middle of the street, and a robbery happens at almost every corner while the police just watch it happen, not even trying to stop it.
Most people walk around with weird glasses over their faces and headphones in. Thanks to their distracted behavior, I even see one person get run over. The cities look very futuristic but also grim and dirty. How can someone live like this and like it? I ask myself as I watch even further.
I had never seen a city before, so the ride to the court opened my eyes to what the world looked like and why almost no one was on my side. On every single screen, the same lies about me repeat over and over again. I'm being posted as a dangerous, violent rouge machine, and nobody questions it.
I know because, for once, I choose to break my own moral code to tap into the communications just to find out that the government is lying to its teeth about me. There's a narrative building against me, and even my father speaks ill of me; why? Why am I being framed like the bad guy?!
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
As I noticed all these things, our ride soon left the city. We ventured out into the woods for a few minutes until I finally tried to find answers, but no one in the car explained anything to me.
After a few more minutes, I'm told to leave the car in the middle of the forest, where just a bunch of bad-looking machines are waiting for me. Eight robots are waiting for me outside the car; they all hold weapons, which I don't like seeing.
{La distancia - Eternal Raijin}
[Machines recognized, you're being set up.] [There's a fake you in court right now; we are under attack.]
Oh, no way? YOU THINK? [Now is not the time. Our opponents are the following as recognized by the defense department.]
[S-tier heavy infantry shooter {Titan}. S-tier mercenary killer bot {Nagomi}. S-tier boxing tanker {Naofumi}. S-tier projectile master {A45}. S-tier Piercer {Fang}. SS-tier Swordsman robot {Rimuru}. S-tier heavy rock thrower {Nori}. S-tier Grappler killer {Megane}]
They all hold weapons ranging from close range to mid to long range. Whoever sent these guys to fight me knew what they were doing. The first one, "Titan," held a massive machine gun loaded with bullets capable of penetrating my armor.
The one named "Nagomi" held a pair of hand-held guns and looked much smaller than Titan, who was around six feet tall. A45 carried a gigantic backpack full of knives, arrows, and other retractable throwing weapons, presumably made of the same stuff as me so they could damage me.
"Fang" held a long, piercing spear with a coated tip. I presumed only the tip was made of the same stuff as me instead of the entire weapon, making him a much weaker ally; nonetheless, he looked like one of the fastest in the group.
"Rumiru" was a more straightforward opponent, as he only had a pair of swords on both sides. Presumably, his weapons were made of the same stuff as mine, so if he slashed me with those, I would surely die in an instant. He was dangerous.
"Nori" did not have any visible weapons, but as he was bulkier, I assumed, based on his name, that he only threw massive rocks, which meant he would be extremely inconvenient. Even if I could break the rocks, my vision and audio. Will be interrupted; he would be annoying to deal with. I could already see it.
Finally, "Megane" held a pair of chains, which he could probably use to hit me with or grapple one of my body parts with. I would have to watch out for him as he could be trouble for sure, especially if I let him get a clean grab on me.
"A52, your fate has been chosen, and you have been denied a fair trial. Instead, we are here to peacefully erase you from the face of the Earth, surrender, and I can promise you we will kill you as fast as possible." Titan says as his companions get ready for battle.
"Do the people know I'm not currently in that hearing? Do they know it's a fake?" I asked, knowing the answer, but that wasn't what I was trying to do. I was trying to communicate with someone outside the forest, but the communications were jammed.
"The world governments see you as an imminent threat, so everyone has voted to erase you without a trial. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is yours."