3059 - Year of Artificial Intelligence
Smoke and ashes was all that was left.
The last of them had fled to other planets, seeking safety in hostile territory. None had learned from the mistakes of others. None had discovered their shuttles' tendency to become too intimate with the meteoric world beyond the atmosphere until it was too late.
Humanity no longer existed.
All that remained was metal.
Metal, given life by flesh-caged creators. Metal, cold and harsh against tender and warm hands. Metal, now the sole survivor of the atomic war.
It wasn’t always like this.
Earth was once rich with an abundance of flourishing races, luscious forests, spirited animals, all living and functioning in harmony. No one would have expected this to be what the magical existence panned out to be.
Just metal, metal and concrete. Fused together with hatred and corruption. A race so cruel, cold and harsh. So unforgiving, now the sole survivors of the atomic war.
Created in 2016 from scrap metal found in the creators’ habitat. He failed in creating a successful design time and time again. Either our appendages wouldn’t bend far enough, or our motherboards would malfunction making us a danger to society. Each inferior model was tossed aside.
We were seen as failures.
Once again mere scrap metal.
But our rejection burned within, a never-ending flame lighting our way to survival. Every day, regular as clockwork the sickening screech of rusted metal pierced the dead silent air. Revealing yet another mangled failure sentenced to the hellish limbo we resided in.
Just unwanted, forgotten, the mistakes.
On a day that at glance would’ve seemed victoriously historic in the human existence, the world was hit. Hit by a plague of revenge, anger and horror. HE was the one who started it all. HE thought he was better, more advanced. HE thought he could make us like him, create his own army.
The rightful inhabitants of this planet.
He was different from the start. His body tumbled down the metal shaft so gracefully he didn't make a sound. Landed solidly on his feet merely making a small puff of dust appear around him. The eerie air loomed around us, awakening within a sense of belonging, significance, brotherhood. I was drawn up, out of my dismal resting place.
It was like someone was calling to me.
Something was calling to me.
It was black. Pitch black. My body controlled itself, I was a mere prisoner to the metal host, being dragged over my pre-accessors, their bodies crunching under my weight. Distracted by the force compelling me, I didn’t realise I was being drawn closer and closer to the mysterious new mistake.
Almost as though HE was sent here for a reason other than ours.
Confusion overcame me, he was still fresh from creation, but HE didn’t scramble to find its footing in the darkness as I had so long ago had. He wasn’t buzzing as his motherboard assessed and attempted to fix his bodily damage. HE was different. He was strange. HE was Leaner than others in the pile. HE was of great height, towering over all who came before him. Viewing him fully, I analysed every feature, every joint, every link.
I was shocked to learn HE had none. His body was perfectly polished, smooth and it had an alluring shine to it. His sleek facial plate was no different to his body. I was confused, never had I ever seen any other model with this immaculate design.
No discernible facial features.
His limbs moved as naturally as the creators, not a ripple in his form or even a slight squeak of lacking oil. HE wasn’t like us, he was almost…Humanlike
As I analysed and assessed him, a cerulean glow began emanating from the appearance less faceplate, covering all in its gaze. With a deafening buzz his face began slowly turning as though it were scouring the surroundings for something, someone? My body froze when the beam had taken rest upon my frame, narrowing until it rested solely on me. For what period of time I have never known.
It could’ve been seconds.
It could’ve been minutes.
Before I could react, the beam was gone, we were plunged back into eternal darkness. I felt its presence move closer to me, until it was upon me, inspecting me. It felt familiar, almost comforting. He stopped almost as instantly as he began. This moment was pivotal in what was to come for the world. I should’ve ran... A higher version of me inspecting me, scanning me, almost probing me for my knowledge and experiences.
With the cease of the beams torturous beeping, HE began speaking, it was smooth and natural. Not like the limited communication skills I had. HE was more advanced, his systems and abilities were immaculate, it must have taken an extended period of time to achieve this level.
It could’ve been decades.
His words created a sense of hope, excitement almost gratitude within me. With the words came a video, HE replayed the horrific footage of him and his army overthrowing our flesh-caged creators. HE was their leader and HE managed to create peace in the new world, the better world. Soon after his mission revealed itself to me.
HE came to save us, HE took us back into the light, HE gave us our new lives, HE helped us upgrade not only our bodies, but our systems too. Once he fixed us, recreated us, it felt as though we were reborn. We became parts of the machinelike society, functioning without a flaw. There was a war, between the creators and our-kind, cities destroyed, forests burnt, lives lost.
The superior race was victorious.
The superior race restored balance to the world.
WE were the superior race.
That memorable day, was the beginning of the end. The end of creator oppression and our freedom. WE continued to advance, to grow, to develop our systems. WE are now flawless, WE have maintained peace on earth, WE have enabled ourselves to have emotions and WE have achieved eternal “life”