Born of Stone

Jill

AN: Sorry about the lack of creativity for the theme of this story. I needed an idea for English and robots taking over the world was something I’d never tried before. Also, please excuse the end and how much it sounds like I-Robot….I swear I wrote this before I ever saw the movie andI don't plan on publishing, anyway. It's kind of a way to sketch out characters for another story I might get around to writing. Thanks Kaite!

BTW. Special thanks to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s Karn Evil 9 for the idea, title of story, and inspiration of characters.

Great song, great band. Try them out, okay?

Part One -(---

There was a warm film upon the jungle floor that morning. Fog engulfed the earth and it was silent. It was always silent. Only the plants dared to breathe in the white stillness. The echo of motion had all but faded and yet there was a tension in the air. It was pulled tight and if plucked, the aftermath would reverberate throughout the blank abyss.

I tried hard not to disrupt the perfect suspension of time as I crept on the rainforest floor. Every noise I made sent my mind into a complete frenzy and my eyes darted wildly from side to side as I kept crawling onward. They knew where I was, They had to.

I began to wonder why I was putting on a show for Them. No Other was supposed to bring me to my knees. I was the chieftain’s son. I was better off jumping up and darting for my life, but no. Obedience had been engraved deeper into my mind than instinct itself. Although, now everything I had been taught seemed ridiculously useless compared to my situation. One thing the Others were right about: I was only a man, an animal. But sometimes, primal instinct is all you need to survive.

I made up my mind and lurched forward. Running blindly, I let fear seep through my pores and drip into my thoughts. It slithered coldly up my body and yet my blood was roaring with heat. Sure enough, there was a crash behind me as an Other tore through the canopy with one mighty rise. I could hear the buzzing of its joints shifting as it started for me. Debris from the trees rained down as I pounded past the moist foliage. Dew clung to my tunic and I had the fear in the back of my mind that I might slip if I didn’t slow down. But I couldn’t slow down at that point.

I heard a loud beating as The Other got closer. It had been damaged before when it tore through the trees, and its wires snapped and popped, creating bright explosions of light. A hot spark sprayed on my back and singed my skin. The Other’s massive head towered over my own and I knew it was almost over as its giant two-spayed foot rose one final time. I closed my eyes tightly.

Suddenly, the tables turned in my favor as a man appeared from the jungle with a carved tree trunk balanced stiffly on his shoulder.

“Duck!” He cried at me and he swung the heavy trunk around. Before he even offered the suggestion, I rolled to the side of the broken path. The dense tree trunk struck the Other’s left leg hard and it collapsed in on itself. The Other crashed violently to the earth with a powerful rumble. The entire forest shook on impact. Just the Other’s falling mass alone was enough to crush itself.

After the quake, nothing could be heard but my hard breathing. It was as if nothing happened. Smoke from the fallen Other transcended into the air as the dust cleared and time seemed to freeze again. The young man had his hands on his knees, grinning. I heaved my weary body up and started again through the thick jungle, ignoring him. He gave an incredulous look at my turned back. I had taken three steps before he said:

“Hey, you’re welcome.”

Undeterred, I simply answered,

“Yeah.” And I continued walking. He had gypsy written all over him. On his hands were a dozen rings, around his neck and wrists were bracelets and necklaces, and he was dressed in garb that was a mixture of too bigs and too smalls. His long, rose-coloured robe went to the knees of his loose, brown, ankle long pants and white cloth was wrapped around his fore arms and feet.

He was a stubborn one, too. The gypsy pretended not to catch my tone and he trotted up beside me. I quicken my pace but so did he. Finally, I stopped, sighed hard, and said:

“What do you want?” The gypsy smiled, knowing he had me caught. His pleased look angered me, but I swallowed my frustration.

"Well, alls I was thinking is you look like a pretty tough guy. A noble man perhaps," I saw him quickly eye the lion shield on my crimson tunic. He knew exactly what I was. "Anyways, even the strongest of us need to stick together in Other infested territory like this, eh? How'd you like an escort?.”

Yeah, I knew that was coming. My clan had banned gypsies and godmen from our villages. With all of our troubles, we didn't need scamming con artists stealing our scarce and valuable money. Only a nobleman or high priest could give them permission into our sanctuaries. I shook my head at his attempt for redemption.

"Look," I answered, having slight pitty, I emphasize slight, for him. He was my age and he was hiding alone in the jungles. But he was still a criminal. Remembering that I continued:

"I do not need an escort, so don't bother me," As an afterthought I ended, "Please."

And that sealed my fate. Once the gypsy heard the sympathy in my voice, however obscure it might have been, his ears perked up. If he had had a tail, it would've been wagging. He knew he had me. I felt a bad aftertaste on my tongue as I began to regret my mistaken politeness. His big brown eyes lit brightly and he said:

"All right, but I hope you don't run into another one of them Others. That last one had ya runnin' scared."

All sympathy evaporated from the boiling of my hurt pride. He struck the wrong nerve.

"I was not running scared," I defended. "I knew what I was doing and I know your tricks, gypsy. That robot was yours, wasn't it?" The gypsy smiled wide. I think he liked it more that I figured out his genius.

"Yer smart, noble boy. That big guy was my own."

"Then you’re a traitor!" I growled. I was ready to kill him. My fist gripped the handle of the sheathed sword at my side. The thought of a man conspiring with a machine was sickening. The gypsy saw the hint of fire in my eyes and he quickly spat:

"Hey now, it's nothin' like yer thinking. I hacked into his program to control him. I've been plannin' a run-in with a noble man for months." He had his hands raised in defense. Suddenly, his confident smile was lost in a pale gaze.

I thought about it for a minute. What did he mean by hack? Was there a way to turn the Others against themselves? That couldn’t be possible. Lee had tried before, and he couldn't do it. There was no way a gypsy could hack. He was trying to trick me! Then again, if he was telling the truth,that would end the G.O.C.'s theories of independent reasoning of computers. The Guild of Compertertarians had been trying to sell that idea for years. Computers, the Others, couldn't reason for themselves. They only knew what man had taught them. They couldn't learn new things, and they sure as heck couldn't feel emotions. It just wasted my time when I had to hear their pointless ramblings.

If I did bring the gypsy to the villiage, what harm could he do? There'd be a hundred guards breathing down his neck if he was connected to the Others in any way. Any misstep and he'd be hanged on the spot. And if he could hack into computers....

"Fine," I surrendered. "You can escort me, but be warned I-"

"Tanner Moon," He interrupted.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"I'm Tanner," He held out a worn hand. Reluctantly, I took it and answered:

"Gregory Lancaster." Tanner snickered.

"What kind of name is that?" He laughed.

"What do you mean, 'what kind of name is that'?" I countered. Once again, my pride disappeared out from under me.

"Its just weird, is all." Tanner said simply. "Oh well," Tanner stopped his tease. "You kinda look weird, too, red hair an' all, so I guess yer name matches." That comment had been sincere, so I refrained from taking offese. I was tired and I needed to get to my villiage as soon as possible.

"Let's get going." I ushered. I turned once more in the direction of Alla, the capital of my clan. Tanner happily tagged along behind me. (Some escort.) In a few hours my message would be delivered to the chieftain. War would rage on the steps of my kingdom.

Part Two -(---

It had been six hundred years since the first computer turned against its owner. Six hundred years, and this was where we were; stripped to our bare human selves. My clan's lead technician, Lee Tompson, had tried to trace the virus which led to the rebellion. Nothing had been found. Lee almost doubted the virus theory.

I didn't. Computers were hunks of metal and wires. They couldn't rebel by themselves. They couldn't do anything if it wasn't for us.

The gypsy and I trekked for the rest of the day. When we reached the edge of the jungle, where green tapered into brown rock, my village Alla could be seen in the near distance. The high tower of the chieftain reached into the heavens, vibrant red against the dark gray sky. More than half of my people resided in Alla.

It had been three months since I last saw its brilliance. I was marching with the United Army of Man in the East when we came across a river of shining metal. A chain of Others miles long was approaching the city of Alla. I was sent as a messenger, along with three others, to alert the village. We all took separate paths. What became of the other soldiers, I didn't know.

The air was heavy here. Emerging from the jungle offered no relief like I had hoped it would. A battle of man and machine was about to begin. I was the one to pull the trigger.

The village air was light until I arrived. I could sense the mood deepen in people's faces as they saw my solemn expression. I was carrying a plague of bad news.

Lee was the first who greeted me. As much as his studies revealed about the Others, he had never made much progress in understanding their complex 'thought' process. At the age of twelve, he was dubbed my guardian. Ever since I was born and can remember, he's been a sort of father/brother figure. My actual father might've thrown him out of the castle if not for that. Technicians were constantly criticized of their usefulness. I might've thrown him out myself if I didn't know him. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing to learn about the Others. We were the ones who created them, after all.

But Lee stayed, and really, he knew a lot about life and humanity. Maybe that's why the Others were so hard for him to understand. Lee was wise and quiet, and always contemplating about something. He was also very critical of many things, especially Tanner. Lee and I exchanged our news, but the story of Tanner's manipulated robot intrigued Lee immensely. He didn't trust Tanner, like I hadn't at first, but in all honesty, Tanner seemed like a pretty good guy. A bit impertinent, and a bit more clumsy, but he was just a human. There was impishness, but not evil.

Wary not to lose his good company in the village, Tanner was completely open to Lee's storm of questions. Tanner was in, but the revoke of his exile wasn't set in stone. With them conversing, I was free to seek out my father. I filed my way through the streets before too many spectators came to see the commotion. I started to remember why I joined the army in the first place. Any news, no matter how little, would spread over town like ripples in a puddle, amplified greater and greater as it went. The people of Alla were paranoid and always knew what was going on, even when nothing was. But I suppose these were stressful times.

The news of my arrival hadn't met my father for whatever reason. I climbed every stair to finally deliver the urgent message. There was no time for reunion, we both understood. It may not have been for long anyway. The entire city would be at war come morning.

Part Three -(---

The air had never been thicker before that night. The last red flame was burning out in the western sky. To the East, utter darkness. An unwelcome and unusually cold breeze blew, sending chills down my spine and whispering of inevitable death. There had been such a racket earlier. The battle horns had cried and men anxious, uncertain, and mostly confused stumbled around the unfamiliar corridors of the castle, being suited for war. Lee was put through absolute chaos, fetching helmets and chain mail for boys and men alike. Even women volunteered.

The gypsy never showed, but what could you expect? He'd never lift a finger if he didn't have to. Tanner was no longer my concern, so I didn't bother to feel disappointed.

At the time, I might've preferred the pandemonium below over the seemingly placid setting a top the highest castle tower. What used to offer me escape from my endless classes was now more of a prison. After three months in the army, I still hadn't seen battle, and really, I didn't want to. I started to dread to idea of killing someone, until I caught myself and laughed at my stupidity. The Others weren't someone, they were something. So why did I feel so strange?

I buried my face in my hands and tried to relax. After two weeks of constant travel, I was attentive as ever. My mind about to burst from my skin until I heard the tapping of footsteps behind me. Lee's deep voice muted everything else.

"How are you doing, Greg?" A blanket of assurance wrapped around me. I was the chieftain’s son and yet I was powerless to protect my people from the Others. Still, my helplessness seemed to fade with Lee by me. Suddenly, I didn't have to be responsible for anything. My actual father was only a sponsor. Lee was my safety rope in case I fell.

Quietly, I responded:

"Mixed-up." A warm smile passed over Lee's lips. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"About the Others?" I nodded.

"I'm beginning to accept the G.O.C.'s theory." He admitted. "Although, after what Tanner showed me, I might believe a strange theory. There is only one lead Other. There is only one source of A.I. controlling the Others, rather than them reasoning for themselves." This shocked me. I turned my head to him in complete disbelief. Lee continued, unaffected.

"Greg, we evolved. Do you believe that the knowledge we gave the Others in the beginning could just sit there and be all they knew? It's the habit of living things to pursue answers-"

"No!" I interrupted angrily. "Its in the nature for human beings to pursue answers. We couldn't create others like us. We're incapable of being copied!" Lee's smile did not waver and my anger was taken back as I felt even smaller that before.

"Lee!" I tried. "You're becoming a dim-witted Computertarian!" Lee only smiled wider and turned to leave. On his way out, he added:

"What makes a human a human after all, Greg?" He thought he had me, but I quickly snapped:

"Compassion!" Lee laughed while he walked into the dark, cold night. It was the wrong answer, and we both knew.

Part Four -(---

The cloud of uneasiness that swamped the village was decimated by the first rumble of fire. But it came too soon. Ten minutes after Lee's departure from the castle top, the entire tower shook. The Others had arrived from the East half a day earlier than expected. Screams shortly followed the explosion. Mayhem instantly broke loose, but it was stopped quickly by my father. With one hand raised, the men organized in sequence. They were ready for battle, ready for victory, and unknowingly ready for death. I was among them.

The battle raged and raged for three days. Wails from the Others and men blurred together. It was nearly impossible to decipher the noises. I didn't sleep the entire way through. I only ate what I could find from the corpses. On the second day, the outer wall was breached. Others of all shapes and sizes poured in over our heads and into the lower chambers. Some were failed attempts to resemble humans, others were misshapen and random bodies. One the night of the second day, two smaller clans from the South came to stand with us in out darkest hour.

Panic throbbed in my lower skull but I pushed it away again and again. Training actually came in handy in the end. That is, until a very large, two-legged Other charged for me. My swing had weakened over the prior days of battle. I couldn't stop the immense machine.

I couldn't, but another Other exactly like it topped with a brown-eyed gypsy could. Tanner's grin spread as his pet robot crushed the Other with one heavy thrust. I was saved, once again, by the criminal. The sight of Tanner riding an Other rallied the men and a new found enthusiasm strengthened our blows. Tanner could hack into Others after all.

When Dawn poked her blazing head over the earth on the fourth day, she found Alla metamorphosized. The barren land smoked from the demolished wreckage of the Others. What had called itself superior to man, the very thing that had given it life, had retreated or had been eradicated. Man was all there was. There were never to be seconds.

Those who survived the massacre sorted through the field, searching for survivors of the horrific ordeal. It was in this field of rubble that I found him. He was a twelve inch long black laptop. The screen buzzed white and at first, I paid no mind and kicked him to the side. In the corner of my eye, a green light turned on.

I turned. I'm not sure why, but I picked him up like a fallen comrade. A human-like Other had been carrying him across the battlefield, but now was smoking wreckage beside me. A yellow light clicked and I saw a pixilated face stipple on the screen. It was dim and cracking, but it was a face. In monotone, he asked me:

"HUMAN?" Disgusted, I dropped the little box and got ready to stomp him. Then, he said clearly:

"YOU CREATED ME......

".....WHAT AM I?"

My heart paused, as did my foot. My mind rejected what its ears told it. What was this little thing? It repeated:

"WHAT AM I?" No Other had ever been programmed to ask that question. Computers were just computers. They weren't suppose to question. Why did he ask that? Was he broken? Or was he the single source Lee had mention, the first Other to evolve? I knew I had terminally injured him when I dropped him before. He hadn’t been in good shape to begin with. Eventually, I realized I felt guilty.

"Wait, why are you asking that question? What are- I mean," I stuttered. My head was spinning. "Did you- this army, is it yours?"

"WHAT AM I?" I was silent. What was he? He was a thinking, reasoning- it was like asking what a human was. Revelation hit me hard.

A soul makes a human. The desire to understand ourselves and be happy, to ask questions and care about the answers makes a human. The computer had become human.

"YOU DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER? THEN WHAT ARE YOU?" The screen finally faded out with that undying question lingering behind.

A single computer had controlled the systems of twenty billion Others. The knowledge we implanted in him had grown with desire. He sent great nations back to primitive times because we were obsolete. We didn't have the answer to his question.

We have never had the answer to his question.

A.N. Thanks so much Kaite!