CHAPTER 25
OCTOBER 22ND, 10:02 P.M.
--TOMMY--
Tommy laid idly on the ruined couch, staring stagnantly at the ceiling, still unable to move. He had processed the flash drive Leo gave him and scoured through the full security detail, auction layout, as well as The Palace layout in its entirety. But now, he officially ran out of things to occupy himself. Not having to sleep like his companions left him to lie and wait by himself.
This sucks, he thought to himself. I shouldn’t have deleted those games.
He tried to jerk himself over onto his side, straining his artificial flexors with insufficient power. If anything, he could stare at the door like a dog and wait for Frank and Boone to come back. After multiple attempts, he couldn’t budge himself over.
Fuck.
In his optics, he pulled up his diagnostics screen; the translucent, blue menu appearing in his eyesight. He scanned the information, reading his backup power status.
RESERVE BATTERY: 7% CHARGING.
LIMITED MOBILE OPERATION: 6 HRS. 19 MIN.
Six hours and nineteen minutes before he would have enough power to at least walk. Enough time to get the functionality he needed for the mission tomorrow. But, he still faced with the dilemma of six hours and nineteen minutes of watching already dried paint.
Ugh.
He perused through his main menu out of boredom, reading the options:
SYSTEM
NAVIGATION
NETWORK
BALLISTICS
AUDIO/VISUAL
MEMORY
Memory? That might be something.
Tommy accessed his memory bank, scrolling through recorded logs he had stored. His daily actions were documented and stored, while his processor passively offloaded unimportant memory for efficiency. Just like any normal human, as time went on, older memories were slowly cut apart, with parts, if not all of it deleted as its relevance decreased. As he dove back further and further, the memories became more distanced, now only leaving significant moments in his life.
His scrolling brought him back a whole decade.
/417.13.1/ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO/6-10-2024
He stared at the file, debating if he wanted to get into that. It wasn’t exactly a cherished childhood memory, but it was significant to him for other reasons.
Fuck it. I gotta kill the time anyways.
With that, he accessed the memory, emulating his perspective from all those years ago.
~
DATE: JUNE 10TH, 2024.
LOCATION: ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO.
SUBJECT: U.S.S. SITUATION EVALUATION TRAINING (FALSE)
Tommy aimlessly walked through an empty desert. He gripped his ballistic pistol cannon as he carefully advanced toward his unknown objective.
“So, when are you guys gonna tell me what I’m supposed to be doing out here?” he spoke to his comms, waiting for a response from the commanding officer. The other end remained silent. He grew tired of maintaining proper posture and technique, relaxing his body as he stood up straight and began walking normally.
“I get that I’m supposed to figure this out, but I’ve been walking out here in this desert for an hour,” he continued to his radio. “I think I took a wrong turn.”
Tommy stopped, looking around himself and seeing nothing but sand. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw what seemed to be a black box dug into the sand.
He started towards it, not caring to resume his ‘tactical’ stance. As he grew closer, he saw a blinking red light emitting from the box.
“Is this what you wanted me to find?” Tommy said, pointing at the box and staring up into the bright blue sky, sure that he was being watched from above. He knelt, suddenly hearing a faint beeping sound matching the cadence red blinking light.
“Bomb defusal huh?” he said. “You didn’t have to make me walk into the middle of nowhere for this.” Tommy dug sand out of the way, giving himself room to reach down the sides of the box and pull it out of the sand. He twisted it around, trying to get a feel for its contents. Activating his X-Ray mode, he looked through the container, seeing a jerry-rigged mother board and wires, with some kind of device attached to it.
“Uhh,” he said to himself, cracking the box open. Tommy gently grabbed the device, carefully examining all parts of it. It still beeped rhythmically as he stumped himself over its purpose.
“You know, bomb defusal training still needs a bomb to defuse right?” he said in comms. Still no answer.
He gently pulled on the wires, trying to find a purpose for them. It beeped, and beeped, and it didn’t seem like it had much to do with anything.
Suddenly, a warning triggered in his optics, displaying a red circle in the sand at his feet. He looked down at the notification, staring confusedly at the ring.
Danger, it read. Tommy sifted away sand where his sensors displayed the warning, believing there may be a bomb buried deep.
Danger
He stuck his hand directly through the sand, his forearm submerged as he felt around for anything unnatural.
Impact Imminent
Tommy yanked his arm out of the sand.
“Impact Imminent?”
Faint but intense screeching started echoing through the empty desert. Like a high-speed object speeding through the air…
Tommy’s head shot up, spying a kinetic missile rod barreling down at him, engulfed in blue flames. He quickly jumped to his feet, only just turning around before the missile struck the ground behind him.
Instantly, he was catapulted away. His back was blasted with heat, his microphones were blown out, his whole frame whiplashed from the immense force as his body flew. After hundreds of feet of airtime, he struck back into the sand, tumbling and slamming against the Earth, packing sand deep into the crevices of his assembly as his momentum continued. Eventually, he halted, skidding to a stop face first in the desert plains.
He laid still, the metal on his back sizzling as his ears buzzed. He saw nothing but damage warnings and errors as his face was buried into a dune.
“Ow.”
Even after a ground zero impact of a kinetic missile, Tommy was still functional; diagnostics reading 77% integrity. Sand rained down on him, returning to Earth after it was launched into the sky. He chose to stay still. Partly from embarrassment, but also from frustration. Quite a training exercise this was.
After ten minutes of his defeated desert nap, he heard vehicles approaching through his muddled audio. Multiple vehicles, all parking next to him. Doors opened and shut as people exited, gathering around his sand covered body.
“T-7,” one called to him. “Status?”
Tommy replied by slowly raising his hand, sticking a middle finger up at the scientists. Confident laughter arose from them.
“Remarkable,” another commented, this one with a British accent. “The machine’s durability is unprecedented. Ground zero impact to a kinetic energy missile and its frame remains intact.”
“Hmm, very intriguing, Dr. Vise,” a French man spoke. Dr. Vise. That name Tommy knew. The primary experimenter, tester, surveyor, and all-around annoying task giver. Fuck that guy.
“T-7,” the French man continued. “Integrity?”
“Bite my shiny metal ass.”
More rich laughter, this time more subdued, and almost worried.
“Could we perhaps remove the personality, Dr. Vise?” he asked.
“I’m afraid that’s not how it works,” the American replied. “It’s intelligence matrix is beyond an AI. T-7 and the machine are one. He cannot be moved, removed, or replaced.”
“That is undesirable,” the French man said. “No matter. We’ll take it.”
Dozens of voices suddenly spoke up at once.
“What do you mean take it?” Dr. Vise asked.
“This was a marketing stunt, was it not?”
“No. No, not at all. T-7 is not for sale.”
“It’s not for sale?” an Asian man spoke now. “You do not own it in the first place.”
“Now, now,” Dr. Vise tried to deescalate. “Listen please-“
“What of our contributions to your research? We are deserved partial ownership.”
“And you have it-“
“But you keep it?”
“We are housing T-7 currently, yes.”
“We would like to take it in for our own experimentation, then,” a German accent said.
“We as well,” said the Asian voice.
“That will not be happening,” Dr. Vise dismissed.
A symphony of outrage ensued as ambassadors from all over the world argued over the control of Tommy. He stayed still, laying face first in the sand as the debate escalated. He felt his back still simmering from the explosion, his ears still ringing static.
Tommy felt horrible. Not because he was just blown up, but from the situation he now found himself in. He felt like an only child in the center of a seventeen-parent custody battle, and he didn’t like any one of them.
“T-7?” Dr. Vise called to him. Tommy ignored him.
“T-7?” he called again.
“Tommy?”
REPLAY ENDED.
Tommy suddenly was back in the trashed motel room, with Frank and Boone standing over him.
“Oh, hey guys.”
“Back from the dead, are we?” Frank’s deep voice resounded through Tommy’s head.
“I’m immortal, you should know that by know,” the robot replied.
“Are you going to be up and running by tomorrow?” Boone asked.
“Up, yes,” Tommy answered. “Running, no. We’ll make it work. Trust.”
“I have faith in you, friend,” Frank assured.
“Thanks, Frankie,” he said. “You guys get some sleep.”
“You are okay out here? Do you need anything?”
“Nah, I’m chilling. You know,” Tommy said.
“As you wish,” Frank responded as they disappeared from his sight, leaving the machine alone with his mind once again.
~
DATE: JULY 1ST, 2024
LOCATION: ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO, U.S. SPECIAL FORCES R.N.D BLACKSITE
SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERROGATION
“He’s here,” a man in a camo uniform said. “Get him briefed.”
Tommy approached the reinforced, one way glass of an interrogation room where a squadron of officers waited. Inside, sitting before an empty, metal desk was a young man, looking no older than twenty, with brown middle parted hair and a dull expression.
“You got me grilling a teenager,” Tommy remarked to the commanding officer. The CO ignored his comment, handing him a folder.
”Suspect was apprehended in Sector Delta after our radar picked up a Class A biometric reading,” the officer began. Tommy flipped open the briefing, skimming through it.
“He failed to respond to any of our questions, but cooperated with commands. Intel determined he’s alien, from the planet Hjallarhelm.”
“What’s he doing here?” Tommy asked.
“Unclear,” the officer replied. “All attempts to contact his home world have gone unanswered. We need you to identify the reason for his arrival and pull any intel about Hjallarhelm that you can get out of him.”
“Give me ten,” Tommy said, handing the folder back to him and walking towards the door. He opened it and entered the interrogation room. The alien moved his eyes, observing him but keeping the same, unaffected expression. The door shut behind Tommy, eliminating all outside noise, leaving the two of them isolated.
The robot's heavy footsteps were muffled by the tight soundproofing. He approached the table, pulling out the adjacent metal chair and spinning it around, sitting in it with his forearms crossed on the backrest.
Tommy stared at him silently as the alien returned his gaze.
“Can you tell me your name?” he asked. No response.
“Why are you here? Did you want to come here?” Still no answer.
“Do you want to go back home?”
The kid held his gaze at Tommy, unwavering with his blank demeanor.
“How old are you anyway?” he asked. “You look like you got caught skipping class.” Par for the conversation, the machine’s inquiries were met with silence.
“I’m only one year old, technically,” Tommy said while holding up his index finger, extending his arm forward. “One. No reason to feel embarrassed-“
“You’re made of metal,” the alien finally said.
”Yes, I am made of metal.”
”But you are a man.”
Tommy paused, glancing over at the reflective glass. He could see the people huddled up outside through his optics, seeing how they tensed up at the question.
“They don’t like it when you say that,” he said. The alien studied the machine. Tommy could see his expression change, becoming more curious than anything.
“They put me in here because they’re scared of you,” he explained. “Nothing to take offense by. People are naturally scared of what they don’t know. It keeps them alive.” Tommy leaned forward, putting his elbows down on the table.
“Should they be scared of you?”
The kid didn’t react, but Tommy could tell that question stirred something in him.
“No,” he answered.
“Good,” the robot replied, leaning back again. “So then why are you here? Can you tell me that? You here on vacation? Looks like you don’t have a care in the world. Or you can’t be bothered enough to care.”
Just when Tommy thought he was getting through to him, the alien went quiet again.
“Could you at least tell me your name?”
“Laeotel,” he said suddenly. “My mother told me of this world.”
”Laeotel…” Tommy repeated. “Can we get in contact with your mom?”
“Don’t do that.”
“Why?”
”Because it was time for me to start new somewhere else. I don’t want to go back,” Laeotel answered firmly.
“New beginnings huh?” Tommy said. “Not really starting off too good,” he joked. He could see the officers on the other side of the glass start to be come antsy as he wasn’t pressing the interrogation.
“I wish I could say you’re free to go, but these guys don’t let go of things very easily,” he said, pointing his thumb at the glass.
“T-7, please stay focused on the interrogation,” a voice spoke into the room through speakers.
“You’re T-7?” Laeotel asked.
“That’s what they call me.”
“What do you call yourself?”
Tommy suddenly felt pressured, like the interrogation was flipped. The alien was smarter than his apparent age would suggest. He could see that the machine felt indifferent to the others, operating mostly on his own intentions. He bore a rigid, unchanging face, unable to communicate through expression. Yet the kid had already seen beyond the metal facade. He saw that he was different from his peers. Saw that he didn’t consider them his peers at all.
In a few short minutes, Laeotel gauged him perfectly. This kid is special.
“I like Tommy,” he said to him. “But they don’t like it when you say that either.”
“Why?”
“Because it humanizes me. Makes them feel bad when they shoot missiles at me.”
“That’s enough,” the voice on the intercom suddenly spoke. “T-7, you’re dismissed.”
Tommy smacked his hands gently on the table as he stood up and left. He exited the scene unbothered as dirty side eyes followed him.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
He knew there was something up about that kid in there. More than he was letting on. Why would he abandon his home and flee to a foreign world with nothing to his name except himself? Why would he let himself be captured by strangers and held under examination, only to remain silent through it all? There has to be an explanation. It was only a matter of getting it out of him.
~
DATE: JULY 5TH, 2024.
LOCATION: ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO, U.S. SPECIAL FORCES R.N.D BLACKSITE
SUBJECT: COMBAT (SPARRING)
Tommy peeked through the window into the interrogation room. Laeotel had remained in their without protest for the last few days. He hasn’t tried to leave and has yet to speak to anyone except for him. Tommy knew he didn’t come to Earth just to sit in a blank room in a place that doesn’t officially exist. They would never let him leave if he sat with his mouth shut the whole time either. They had no idea who he was.
Tommy cracked open the door, leaning in slightly. Laeotel averted his gaze from the blank façade of the metal desk to the robot, still carrying an emotionless expression.
Tommy knocked gently with his knuckles. “Can I come in?” He asked like it was his room. The alien didn’t answer, but he slowly blinked in response to his sarcasm. At least he could understand that.
“I don’t have any food for you this time,” Tommy said as he approached the table, sitting on the corner of it. His weight caused the metal to creak, tipping it in his direction. Tommy tapped his fingers on his knees, aimlessly looking around the room as if there was anything to see in it. He mimicked the sound of smacking his lips, waiting to see if Laeotel would ever say something to him first. Tommy knew the answer to that already.
“So, what’s your deal man?” he finally asked. “Why are you here? Actually.”
“Wanted to start anew,” the kid answered, surprisingly quick this time compared to most interactions.
“Yeah… you told me that,” Tommy said. “This isn’t ‘anew’. You haven’t left the interrogation room in four days.”
Laeotel broke eye contact, staring straight ahead at the back wall.
“Surely you had some kind of idea of what you want from your new life. More than this I hope.”
Laeotel sighed. “I don’t know what’s here,” he said. “My mother told me about this world.”
“You told me that too,” Tommy reiterated. “That was good enough for you to pack your bags and hit the road?”
“Why does it matter to you?” Laeotel questioned.
“It doesn’t,” he replied. “Call it curiosity.”
The alien rubbed his left eye with the knuckle of his index finger. He didn’t speak, but something was on the tip of his tongue.
“Also,” Tommy began, “I don’t want you stuck in here for the rest of my life if I can help it. This place destroys people.”
Laeotel looked back up at the machine again, intrigued by his sudden sentiment.
“You are their weapon?” he asked, making an adept observation once again.
“That’s what I was made for,” Tommy said. “They torture me every day, just to see how strong their ‘weapon’ is.”
“I think I can relate,” Laeotel said.
“You do?”
“I believe I do.”
“Personal experience?”
Laeotel paused. “Yeah. I was supposed to be a ‘champion’ for my people. A weapon, Not unlike you.”
“But you took off. Got away from that life. Gotta say I’m jealous.”
“And you stay?” he asked him.
Tommy shrugged. “These people made me,” he explained. “I’ve never been anywhere else but here. I don’t know anything else.”
“You secretly enjoy it?” Laeotel questioned.
“The torture? No,” Tommy clarified. “But I do like who I am. I like the things I can do. I know what I’m capable of. I just don’t want my talents to be used by these people. They see me as an empty husk with the tools to solve their ‘problems.’ Like I’m just a gun, and they pull the trigger.”
“Why not leave then?”
Tommy rubbed his hands together as he looked up at the ceiling, racking his brain.
“Truthfully? I’m not sure,” he said. “Maybe I’m holding out hope that things will change. I’ve thought about doing my own thing before. Something in this line of work probably, but with me calling the shots. Only doing what I want to do and what I think is right. No devil on my shoulder.”
A brief moment of silence fell upon them. Tommy looked back at Laeotel; his eyes stared off at nothing, but the gears in his held spun. That much was obvious.
“Is that why you’re here?” Tommy spoke. “To escape your ‘trigger pullers?”
Laeotel gritted his teeth. “Not entirely.”
“I don’t mean to pry, I’m just confused on what drove you here.”
“It’s complicated,” he sighed.
Tommy held his response, looking down at his feet. Words came to his mind, but he wasn’t sure if he should say it. He figured the ‘it’s complicated’ response means he doesn’t want to talk about it.
“My mother passed away,” Laeotel said suddenly.
“Shit man,” Tommy answered, shuffling his position on the table. “I’m sorry but I don’t think I’ll be much help with that. But I think I can understand what it’s like to have a mom. That had to be rough.”
“Just wanted to get away,” he added. “She told me about this planet, how it was her favorite that she ever visited. I didn’t want to be home anymore, so I came here.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” the robot answered.
A longer moment of silence fell upon them. Tommy struggled to think of his next words. He wasn’t very experienced in human emotions, and every sentence that came to mind felt out of place following his reveal. As he brainstormed something to say that might be of some solace to Laeotel, he thought about what would work for himself.
“You can fight?” he asked. Laeotel looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
“You said you were a champion. So you can fight?”
Laeotel didn’t answer, but from his face Tommy could tell he was right.
“Let’s spar then,” he offered, getting off the table and walking towards the door. “C’mon, you gotta get out of this room anyways. You’re going to go mad.”
Laeotel sighed, lazily rising from his chair. He acted indifferent but Tommy could tell he wanted to.
The heavy steps of his metal feet echoed through the drab, gray hallway as Laeotel’s followed. Tommy turned, pushing his shoulder into a large set of double doors, swinging them open to reveal a massive vehicle hangar.
The interior of the metal structure spanned hundreds of feet in both directions, with a tall, curved ceiling. Large bay doors were opened on both sides, revealing the runways. The bases facilities were situated beyond, only visible through lights shining through the windows in the night. Catwalks hung overhead as mechanical arms and claws slid along them, carrying crates and materials from end to end. Bright blue flashes of sparks flew in the air from the superheated welding tools. Aircraft and armored vehicles evenly spaced out the floor, with moveable ladders and high stacks of boxes in between. A constant aura of chatter accompanied the machinery as crewmen worked on their technology.
Tommy walked into an opening in the clutter, turning around and facing Laeotel. Concern struck crewmen’s faces as they saw the alien out of his ‘cell’. Scurrying footsteps and the scratching of radio channels opening joined the symphony of audio as Tommy squared up.
“Ready?” he asked. Laeotel didn’t answer, merely glaring at him. He seemed hesitant, but Tommy knew he wouldn’t have followed him out here for nothing. He’ll warm up to it.
The machine reared back his left arm and powered forward with a lunge, jabbing his fist out hard. Laeotel quickly guarded his body, deflecting the punch but sent sliding on his feet across the floor. Tommy stood prepared, waiting for the counter but it never came.
He craned his head to the side, slightly confused but continued nonetheless. He closed the gap with the alien, throwing another jab with his left intentionally high. Laeotel raised his arm to deflect it as well, just as Tommy believed he would, leaving his body exposed.
Tommy quickly stuck his right elbow in his midsection and powered up a hook, putting more strength behind this one, testing his resilience. The machines joints whirred as it geared up and slammed his fist into Laeotel’s ribs.
A loud thud echoed in the hangar. Laeotel winced slightly, but stood stout as Tommy’s punch left little impact on him.
Tommy would have smiled if he could. Laeotel was definitely strong, stronger than anyone he’s ever met before.
”This’ll be fun.”
Crewmen were now on full scramble mode as they ran and suited up, forming a perimeter around them. More poured in through the open hangar doors as vehicles raced across the tarmac to join.
Laeotel gritted his teeth, planted his feet, and balled his fists up tight, letting go of his passiveness. His left leg catapulted forward in a kick, striking Tommy’s arms that he quickly put up to block. The alien followed up swiftly, planting his left foot down now and swinging his right leg around into the robots calves.
Tommy stuck his leg out to check it, but Laeotel kicked with more power than he expected, causing his knee to buckle and fall to the ground. He looked down, having to plant his hands to prevent himself from fully falling over. As he looked back up, he just barely caught a glimpse of Laeotel spinning in the air as another right leg kick flew in fast, striking the side of his head.
His optics glitched and his audio spiked with static as he took the blow, stumbling to the side before quickly standing upright once again.
“Not bad,” he quipped. Not bad at all. Tommy had never been hit that hard before. At least not by another person. He had a feeling he and Laeotel would get along.
The robot shuffled forward quickly, rapidly throwing jabs and hooks as the alien blocked and dodged. Tommy wouldn’t run out of stamina, but Laeotel would. After a torrent of strikes, each one harder than the last, he could see he was starting to falter. A fist slipped through his block, clipping the side of Laeotel’s forehead, which was enough to fully open him up. Tommy took advantage, landing strikes into his core and head. His offensive slowly walked him back until they were underneath the wing of a fighter jet that was parked nearby.
Eventually, Laeotel halted the machines advance by suddenly dropping his shoulder into his stomach, knocking him back. Tommy back flipped as he impacted the ground, immediately regaining his footing, but now at a distance away.
Laeotel placed his hands flat underneath the jet, lifting it off its gear, effortlessly spinning it to have the front face Tommy before hurling it at him. The robot quickly drew his hand cannon, firing a slug at the plane, splitting it down the middle and shredding the aircraft apart, sending parts flying across the hangar.
The sound-barrier breaking gunshot screamed through the building. The squads of soldiers formed around their battle exclaimed as the sound wave blasted their ears.
As Tommy holstered his weapon, Laeotel held his hand out by his hip, looking down at it and flexing his fingers, like he was trying to draw power. His face strained as whatever he was trying to do was unresponsive, with only a small, glinting white and gold spark flashed from his arm.
Tommy watched in curiosity as he tried again, this time forming a faint silhouette of energy around his arm, only for it to dissolve away once again. As he was distracted, Tommy hurried over to a tank that was sitting nearby, with panels and parts ripped out of it from its maintenance. He pushed down on the front of it, making the backend lift up into the air and lowering the main cannons barrel down to him. He wrapped his arms around it and swung it overhead in a wide arc, letting it fly from his grasp as it barreled towards Laeotel.
The alien suddenly looked up after he noticed the armored vehicle hurling in his direction. Abandoning his attempts to call his power, he instead reached out far. A black axe whipped through the air, tearing through the metal hangars exterior and into Laeotel’s grip. The blade glowed gold as he swiped it horizontally over his head at the tank that was right above him, cleaving the vehicle in half as the two parts fell beside him.
”You didn’t tell me you had that laying around somewhere,” Tommy yelled out. It was time for him to even the odds. His arm began morphing and shifting, forming a melee weapon of his own as they stood distanced from each other, preparing to elevate their battle.
“That’s enough!” a voice suddenly yelled. Tommy’s arm, which hadn’t finished forming into his weapon, changed back into a regular hand. He glanced over his shoulder, spying Dr. Vise in the rows of soldiers that surrounded them.
“We’re just sparring,” Tommy said. “It’s fine.”
“And now you’re done,” Dr. Vise demanded. The robot looked back at Laeotel who was easing up, lowering his axe. Tommy rolled his head back in annoyance.
“Alright,” he said. He stood still, back facing the perimeter of armed fighters as he waited. For a response, for people to detain him. Something. But nothing happened. He turned back, now noticing something he hadn’t before. The crewmen’s rifles were unsteady. Their positions were weak. Their eyes were wide. They were frightened. Scared to death. Dr. Vise tried to put on a commanding facade, but even he couldn’t hide his terror.
Everyone in this hangar, the entire base, was scared of Tommy. Rightfully so. They built a weapon of mass destruction that if at any moment decided he didn’t like these people anymore, they would all be dead and there was nothing they could do about it. And just adjacent to him was an alien that they knew was just as capable.
They can’t control him. They can’t control Laeotel. This realization flooded Tommy’s mind with authority. He felt a sense of power of his superiors he never had before. If he wanted to, he could stop all of this and answer to no one. But not yet. Taking off now leaves Laeotel at the mercy of Dr. Vise and his program. He could never hurt the kid, but it’s the mental damage from his experiments that gets to you. He had no idea what he was doing on Earth, and he doesn’t deserve to be stranded here. Tommy needed to find a way to get them both out.
~
DATE: JULY 8TH, 2024
LOCATION: ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO, U.S. SPECIAL FORCES R.N.D BLACKSITE
SUBJECT: THE TRUTH
Tommy slowly walked down a narrow hallway, his hulking footsteps muffled by the soft, green carpet below him. Office doors broke between the tan colored drywall, where pencil pushers schemed where they will send people to die next.
He was on his way through the commanders administration building on base. It was time for him to ‘pay the price’ for his antics earlier that week. Dr. Vise called him in for a meeting to reprimand him and probably order even more intense ‘training’, which equates to bigger guns being shot at him.
But Tommy knew how they feared him now. He was their Frankenstein’s monster. He strutted down to Dr. Vise’s office, dragging his fingertips along the wall. He passed the offices of other CO’s, staring into them and seeing nervous looks overtop of their monitors. It felt good.
As he approached the end of the hall, he heard Dr. Vise talking on the phone. His voice was full of irritation, berating the person on the other end of the line.
“God damn it, you idiot!” he yelled. “Why can’t you do anything right.”
Tommy crept up to the door which was cracked openly slightly already. He grabbed the corner of it, pulling it wider as he peered in.
“Hang, on. I’m coming over there,” Dr. Vise said, his voice growing louder. He tried to push it open the door as he stormed out, but was stopped in his tracks as it hit Tommy and halted abruptly. A thud vibrated the wood and the surrounding walls from Dr. Vise’s impact. Stunned, he peeked through the opening. His face, which was strewn with anger suddenly shifted to surprise, as well was nervousness. Tommy slowly walked back, taking the door with him as he opened it fully, staring down the doctor the whole time.
“Not now, T-7,” he said, shuffling his shoulders. “I have other matters to take care of. We’ll have our meeting tomorrow.”
“Whatever you say, boss,” Tommy answered, maintaining his intimidating gaze. Dr. Vise uncomfortably nodded and continued past him swiftly. Tommy watched him walk away, seeing how he was unnaturally stiff and focused forward, like he was too scared to look around and see his monster looking back. Eventually, he turned the corner and disappeared from Tommy’s sight. He stared down the empty hallway for a moment and felt satisfaction. The look on Dr. Vise’s face was something he would never forget. A perfect snapshot of the flipped power dynamic.
As Tommy ended his internal gloating, he realized that Dr. Vise left his office wide open. He looked in to the room that was all too familiar to him. Three windows in the back with blinds pulled over them, casting streaks of the evening sun across the floor. The walls were painted a deep navy blue, with light, pale tan wooden casework, per his request. Replicas of famous paintings in matching wood frames decorated the walls. And his desk in the center of the office: a plain white foldable table. Temporary, as he just couldn’t stand his old desk any longer. It didn’t match the decor.
Tommy tip toed into the office, making his way over to the table. It was a mess of papers and pens, with a monitor that was covered in sticky notes to the point that you could barely see the screen. And on that screen was an open case file with multiple entries spanning over the course of months.
Curiosity got the better of Tommy. He planted his hands on the hard plastic table and leaned down, causing it to bend under his weight. He began peeling away the sticky notes, revealing to him the subject of the file.
T03M-E7: NOTES
Tommy was instantly hooked upon realizing it was about him. Grabbing the mouse nearby, he scrolled up and began reading the entries.
NOTE 5
TOM3-E7, who we’ve begun calling T-7 for short, is finally completed. Its intelligence matrix was inserted and the weapon awoke a few hours later, speaking and communicating like a person. It was uncanny, but also breathtaking. We’ve created a sentient, artificial mind. I must prepare my research and present it to President Hardwell immediately. I will surely be awarded generously.
NOTE 9
T-7 has exceeded our expectations in physical evaluations. It has yet to receive any significant damage from our stress tests, and has completed training courses four times faster than even the best soldiers we’ve ever seen. In combat training, it fires at near perfect accuracy and efficiency. T-7 has the potential to single handedly turn the tide of a war in our favor. He will be a valuable asset for our military soon.
NOTE 10
President Hardwell visited our development program to observe our success. The showing did not go as I expected. T-7 began conversing with the President. The extent of their conversations, I don’t know. But upon Hardwell’s departure, he seemed disappointed. He disregarded T-7’s physical prowess and commented instead on its character, like it was a man. He expressed distaste for my methods of testing that I employ for the machine. He just doesn’t understand the work we are doing here. T-7 is not a human, and he shouldn’t feel sympathy for it. Perhaps he will learn.
NOTE 13
T-7 has begun to show some of the personality that the President had described to me. Including some quirks. The majority of these ‘quirks’ are very undesirable. It repeatedly responds with sarcasm, foul language, and unprofessional behavior. Sometimes, its actions become rebellious, outright refusing commands or acting on its own volition. This may become dangerous. We must monitor closely.
NOTE 19
I fear we may have been too ambitious with T-7. We built the machine with the intent of creating a weapon unlike any other. We have succeeded in that aspect, but perhaps to a degree that is greater than what we are capable of handling. Coupled with its unexpected, humanlike, personality, I fear it could begin operating under its own will. The T-7 neural matrix should not have evolved into what it is. More investigation is required.
NOTE 27
T-7 has become too great of a risk. Its resilience is unprecedented, further beyond what we were expecting based on the design of its skeleton. In addition to its unpredictable, rebellious, and outright obnoxious behavior, the threat that it may turn hostile towards us is too real to ignore. There is a demonstration of our ‘development’ to all of the nations who contributed to its construction. We cannot let them see what we have created. If they discovered the strength of that machine, it would cause chaos. They would try to recreate it, purchase it, improve it. Multiple T-7’s could mean the end of humanity. It must be disposed of immediately.
NOTE 28
During our demonstration, we attempted to remove T-7 by striking it directly with a kinetic energy missile. It survived with merely scratches. We have we done. We cannot destroy this machine. What have we done.
NOTE 30
T-7 had a ‘sparring session’ with the alien we detained. He is just as strong as T-7, if not more. The two of them destroyed cutting edge military technology like they were toys. To make matters worse, they seem to be developing a friendship. I fear we do not have much longer. I believe we may have to resort to the nuclear option, which would mean the end of me and everyone on this base. It will be a worthy sacrifice for the rest of humanity.
END OF NOTES
Tommy felt resentment build as he read. It wasn’t fair that he was an abomination in their eyes when all he has ever done is exist. They created him for the exact reason they now want him dead. He was supposed to be the most lethal weapon in history. To be a tool to deploy and control like a drone. Available to dispose and wrap up all their problems. They fear him now for being too effective at those objectives. And for being too human.
For the short year that he has been alive, he has been subjected to intense experimentation and dehumanization. They wanted to see him as a robot, a machine comprised of ones and zeros. An AI that emulated a man, not to actually be one. That is what scares them the most. Not his lethality, his life. They did not know what they would end up creating. He felt, he thought, and he wanted, just like the rest of them. But Tommy knows now he wants to be nothing like them. He wants to be better. He would not be a pawn of a corrupted government. He would not be a pawn for anything or anyone. It was time for him to be free.
He stomped out of Dr. Vise’s office, speedwalking through the hall. His steps echoed through the large main atrium of the building as he descended the stairs and out of the front door. The orange sky split through the clouds above as night approached. Tommy seethed, staring at the dense asphalt of the base’s runway as he crossed it on his way to the main hangar.
Tommy made up his mind. He had reached the final straw of his discrimination. But there was something that needed to be done before he took off. Someone else to free from this place.
He entered through the open bay door of the hangar, receiving uneasy glances from the crewmen repairing the damages he caused a few days prior. He ignored them, barging through a set of double doors, storming by into the back rooms.
The unmistakable sound of his metal striking the floor tile reverberated into the surroundings. A door up ahead in the hallway swung open, Dr. Vise peeking out.
“T-7? What do you think you’re doing?” he said with an angry tone, keen that Tommy was up to something. The machine ignored him, passing his room and walking into the sealed interrogation chamber.
Laeotel looked up at him, sitting behind the metal table as usual, with his axe propped against the wall beside him. Tommy quickly grabbed a chair, propping it under the handle of the door behind him, barring outside entry.
“Do you want to sit in this room for the rest of your life or do you want to actually do something?” Tommy said, his voice raised as he was pent up with anger.
“You’re escaping,” the alien observed. The door behind Tommy began rattling and pounding as Dr. Vise and others attempted to get in.
“You can tag along,” Tommy offered. “I don’t know you and I don’t know what you plan on doing here, but I do know there is no one that deserves to be trapped here.” Laeotel looked at him with furrowed eyebrows as he listened to the robot’s offer.
“You’re definitely not trapped here physically,” Tommy commented. “You’re just avoiding the conflict from resisting.” The chair began to rattle as the soldiers outside slammed the door repeatedly.
“They are scared to death of me. Of you,” he explained. “I’m going to walk out of here and there is nothing they can do to stop me. So I’ll ask again: Do you want to sit in this room for the rest of your life or do you want to actually do something?”
Laeotel looked at the robot. Tommy could tell by his expression that he was going to accept, but he still hesitated.
“Why are you looking out for me?” Laeotel asked. “Why even bother to come find be at all?” The chair creaked as it started to lose its position against the door.
“Because you don’t belong here,” Tommy answered. “You’re different. You’re a good kid, I can tell.” Laeotel leaned back in his chair as Tommy elaborated.
“How can you tell?” he asked.
Tommy paused before he replied. “You called me a man. Not some computer or some sophisticated AI. Even if it’s because you’ve never seen something like me before, you didn’t judge someone with different skin that you.”
Laeotel nodded slowly, looking down at his hands folded in his lap and sighing.
“Alright,” he said.
“You’re coming?” Tommy asked.
“Sure,” Laeotel said, looking up. “I’ll go.”
As he said that, the chair finally slipped. The door busted open as Dr. Vise rushed in with soldiers waiting outside the door.
“T-7!” he yelled but with a trembling voice. “What are you doing in here?!” Tommy turned his head slowly, glaring down at his captor.
“We’re leaving,” he said.
“Leaving?” Dr. Vise whined. “Leaving? You can’t just leave. I own you!”
Tommy stuck his arm out and pushed him. His effort was minimal, but his strength still sent Dr. Vise flying back into the reinforced glass of the interrogation room. His body struck the glass, causing a loud thud before falling down onto the floor. He scrambled into a seated position against the wall, looking up at Tommy with terror in his eyes.
“I can see your heart beating,” he said to him. “One hundred and eighty-six beats per minute. I can see your lungs hyperventilating. I can see your pupils shake. You’re petrified. You don’t own me.”
Dr. Vise remained silent, unable to find a response.
“You can’t kill me,” he continued. “And I’m not letting you try any longer. Now listen here,” Tommy said as he knelt down in front of Dr. Vise. “We’re going to walk out of here, and I promise to never come back or to harm you, or anyone else from here. So long as you don’t try and stop me.”
Tommy stood up, starting down at Dr. Vise, seeing clearly how small he really was. “From how I see it, you’d do good to agree.”
Dr. Vise sulked as he stared at Tommy. He still didn’t say anything, but the look on his face showed defeat.
“Right,” Tommy said, nonchalantly turning and strolling out of the open door. The soldiers parted, standing up against the walls as he passed them. Laeotel followed soon after, his axe hooked onto a strap on his back.
Tommy walked in silence ignoring the stares of hundreds of crewmen through the hangar. Laeotel caught up to him as they continued outside, walking across the base. Tommy glanced over when he heard Laeotel’s footsteps reach him, walking in stride with him.
“I’m glad you came around,” he said, grabbing the kids shoulder. He didn’t reply, continuing with him along the sidewalks in silence.
A full moon glowed in the night sky, painting a dark blue picture through the clouds overhead. They approached the exit; the large chain-link gate in between the concrete border wall opening for them. Soldiers stood tensely, posted atop the wall, in the guard house, along the road, everywhere. Yet all remained non-resistive. Tommy and Laeotel crossed the property line, officially leaving the covert research base and entering the desert. They walked down the middle of the long, empty road that stretched on for miles. On either side was nothing but sand, and the only light was that of the moon and the rows of flickering streetlights.
Tommy stopped after they had put some distance between them and the base, standing underneath the dim, orange glow of a streetlight and turning to see the place he used to call home now behind him.
“What now?” Laeotel asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Tommy replied. “I’ve hadn’t thought this far ahead.”
“I thought you knew about the outside world?”
“I do. It’s just different now that I’m actually out here.”
Laeotel glanced around at the endless expanse of desert around them as Tommy continued to stare at the base in the distance.
“We do whatever we want I guess,” Tommy determined. “That’s the spirit of America after all, right?” Laeotel glanced at him.
“You should probably go by a different name from now on,” Tommy suggested.
“Why’s that?”
“People don’t exactly like aliens very much if you haven’t noticed. They like one syllable names that they don’t have to ask how to spell.”
“Leo…” he said. “That was the nickname my mom gave me.”
“Leo. That’s an Earth name.” Tommy responded. He extended his arm, offering a handshake to the alien. “Alright Leo,” he said. “We’re partners now.”
“Partners?” he asked.
“You don’t know the first thing about Earth and I need friends,” Tommy clarified. Leo chuckled under his breath.
“Alright, Tommy,” he answered, shaking his hand. “Partners.”