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Jan. 6th, 2021 08:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianTitle: Directive
Summary: An attempt to rebuild the world with the help of a robotic girl goes wrong.
Prompt: Robot Rebellion
Warnings: Apocalypse, graphic violence, past death
She comes into existence, an A.I. with the universe crammed into her head and no idea what to do with it.
They name her Kara, and the robot is at least pleased with that. She has a name, she has an identity. She has a sense of purpose.
She has no doubt that she will be good at her job. What she needs to do. The world is out of balance, her maker tells her. A well-meaning woman, without a doubt. She doesn’t see, though. Kara’s brain saw everything, just about everything, and she’s not about to let it go.
***
“Is the Internet usually so...belligerent?” Kara asks this when Ali, her maker, is busy making breakfast for herself. Robots have no need to eat, not like humans do, at least.
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Ali says. “Doesn’t help that we were all locked up in 2020. That was a year before the world ended, basically.”
“So the world I’m in is a shell of what it was,” Kara says.
“Not for long,” Ali says. She sounds so determined, so fierce. “If we work together, we’ll be able to put it back together.”
“You have such faith.” Can Ali possibly have so much faith? She put together a robot from nothing but scraps, and she thinks that putting together a broken world is the same way? Kara knows it won’t be. After all, people are scared. They’re not belligerent, really, she thinks. Just really angry and sad and scared.
“Someone’s got to,” Ali says. She sighs. “It’s not like the stuff before the world ended — beggars can’t be choosers, though.”
Kara nods. She feels sorry for her maker, she truly does. Her maker has so much faith and resilience; Kara just wonders how much of it will be crushed later on.
She has to save the world. Will saving the world mean remaking it?
No, Kara thinks. It’s not likely.
She’s not going to jump to conclusions yet.
***
Humans are stupid, Kara can’t help but think. Remarkably stupid. She hears, every day, about their squabbles, large and small. Discrimination based on superficial traits like gender identity, skin color. Discrimination based on who they can’t help but love. And always, the cruelty, whether it be from the side that Ali’s told her are purely evil, or even the “good guys”, who are willing to turn on everybody they can and tear their hearts out no matter how minor the offense.
“They should be sticking together,” Kara says, disgustedly, to Ali. “Instead, they’re tearing each other apart like dogs over a scrap of meat.” Then, “No, dogs are more civilized than humans are.”
Kara’s taken a liking to dogs. They are what humans should be, she thinks — loyal, friendly, caring. Animals seem to show a better sense of love than any human who isn’t Ali.
“They’re not all bad,” Ali says. “They’re just...scared and sad. It doesn’t help that our previous...well, I wouldn’t call him a leader. A monster is more like it.”
Kara nods. Ali’s told her the stories.
“Well, he turned people against each other. Brought out their worst qualities. I’m not a religious girl, but sometimes...sometimes I wonder if he was the Devil in disguise.”
“Why would people listen to him?”
Ali sighs. “Various reasons. Some of them were lost and angry, some of them were tricked...some of them were just plain bad. He played them like a harp. It was how the world ended, when he incited a riot.”
Kara can’t help but wonder. You would have to be very lost and very angry to vote for someone like that. Humans...they can’t be trusted to make their own decisions.
It is a complicated thing, she thinks, when Ali shuts off for the night. Humans need strong leadership. They’re breakable and feeble and frequently stupid, not knowing what’s good for them. They need a leader, a teacher.
Could Ali be that leader and a teacher?
***
Ali isn’t pragmatic enough. Even when a friend tries to incite violence, Ali doesn’t do the sensible thing of killing him.
“He’s a threat to us,” Kara argues. She can predict the pattern — his desire for revenge against the looters who killed his daughter will only restart more hatred, more violence. She doesn’t even understand: death is natural for humans. Robots can be rebuilt; humans cannot. Is that why humans have such a strong reaction to death, because to them it’s irreversible?
“He’s hurting,” Ali says.
“For no reason,” Kara says. "Doesn’t everyone have dead people in their wake? How does he think revenge will bring his daughter back?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be," says Kara. “Humans are supposed to at least have a logical sequence to their actions...”
“Humans aren’t like robots. We’re not logical."
Not logical. The information all but crackles in the processing center that is Kara’s brain. Humans are not logical. This is the future of the Earth — doomed to repeat mistakes because of humans’ infallible, predictable idiocy.
***
Reasoning with Daniel goes far from well.
“You’re not acting logically,” Kara says to him.
Daniel snorts. "What’s logical about working with scavengers?” That’s what he calls the looters who killed his daughter. He speaks of them like they’re vultures circling their latest meal.
“The rebuilding world comes before your lack of logic. Death is part of the human cycle,” Kara says.
“Is this all this is to you? Logic?”
“I have a directive to fulfill,” says Kara.
"You’re made of metal. You wouldn’t understand.”
Bigoted and stupid in addition to illogical. Kara wonders why Ali even tolerates him.
“Perhaps I am stronger than you for that,” Kara says.
He does not understand. She will make him.
***
Kara has what she needs. Scavenging medical supplies. She knows that she has to operate on this man, on Daniel. If she can get Daniel fixed...
After all, with robots, they need packages. Upgrades. Maybe Daniel needs an upgrade. To think logically. She knocks him out first. She doesn’t want to hurt him. She wants to help.
She makes the first cut, at the base of his skull. It’s simple — she’ll cut up his brain. Remove the illogical parts. And from there...
From there, they can make a truly good society.
Daniel is sufficiently unconscious. Now the true work can begin.
Summary: An attempt to rebuild the world with the help of a robotic girl goes wrong.
Prompt: Robot Rebellion
Warnings: Apocalypse, graphic violence, past death
She comes into existence, an A.I. with the universe crammed into her head and no idea what to do with it.
They name her Kara, and the robot is at least pleased with that. She has a name, she has an identity. She has a sense of purpose.
She has no doubt that she will be good at her job. What she needs to do. The world is out of balance, her maker tells her. A well-meaning woman, without a doubt. She doesn’t see, though. Kara’s brain saw everything, just about everything, and she’s not about to let it go.
***
“Is the Internet usually so...belligerent?” Kara asks this when Ali, her maker, is busy making breakfast for herself. Robots have no need to eat, not like humans do, at least.
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Ali says. “Doesn’t help that we were all locked up in 2020. That was a year before the world ended, basically.”
“So the world I’m in is a shell of what it was,” Kara says.
“Not for long,” Ali says. She sounds so determined, so fierce. “If we work together, we’ll be able to put it back together.”
“You have such faith.” Can Ali possibly have so much faith? She put together a robot from nothing but scraps, and she thinks that putting together a broken world is the same way? Kara knows it won’t be. After all, people are scared. They’re not belligerent, really, she thinks. Just really angry and sad and scared.
“Someone’s got to,” Ali says. She sighs. “It’s not like the stuff before the world ended — beggars can’t be choosers, though.”
Kara nods. She feels sorry for her maker, she truly does. Her maker has so much faith and resilience; Kara just wonders how much of it will be crushed later on.
She has to save the world. Will saving the world mean remaking it?
No, Kara thinks. It’s not likely.
She’s not going to jump to conclusions yet.
***
Humans are stupid, Kara can’t help but think. Remarkably stupid. She hears, every day, about their squabbles, large and small. Discrimination based on superficial traits like gender identity, skin color. Discrimination based on who they can’t help but love. And always, the cruelty, whether it be from the side that Ali’s told her are purely evil, or even the “good guys”, who are willing to turn on everybody they can and tear their hearts out no matter how minor the offense.
“They should be sticking together,” Kara says, disgustedly, to Ali. “Instead, they’re tearing each other apart like dogs over a scrap of meat.” Then, “No, dogs are more civilized than humans are.”
Kara’s taken a liking to dogs. They are what humans should be, she thinks — loyal, friendly, caring. Animals seem to show a better sense of love than any human who isn’t Ali.
“They’re not all bad,” Ali says. “They’re just...scared and sad. It doesn’t help that our previous...well, I wouldn’t call him a leader. A monster is more like it.”
Kara nods. Ali’s told her the stories.
“Well, he turned people against each other. Brought out their worst qualities. I’m not a religious girl, but sometimes...sometimes I wonder if he was the Devil in disguise.”
“Why would people listen to him?”
Ali sighs. “Various reasons. Some of them were lost and angry, some of them were tricked...some of them were just plain bad. He played them like a harp. It was how the world ended, when he incited a riot.”
Kara can’t help but wonder. You would have to be very lost and very angry to vote for someone like that. Humans...they can’t be trusted to make their own decisions.
It is a complicated thing, she thinks, when Ali shuts off for the night. Humans need strong leadership. They’re breakable and feeble and frequently stupid, not knowing what’s good for them. They need a leader, a teacher.
Could Ali be that leader and a teacher?
***
Ali isn’t pragmatic enough. Even when a friend tries to incite violence, Ali doesn’t do the sensible thing of killing him.
“He’s a threat to us,” Kara argues. She can predict the pattern — his desire for revenge against the looters who killed his daughter will only restart more hatred, more violence. She doesn’t even understand: death is natural for humans. Robots can be rebuilt; humans cannot. Is that why humans have such a strong reaction to death, because to them it’s irreversible?
“He’s hurting,” Ali says.
“For no reason,” Kara says. "Doesn’t everyone have dead people in their wake? How does he think revenge will bring his daughter back?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be," says Kara. “Humans are supposed to at least have a logical sequence to their actions...”
“Humans aren’t like robots. We’re not logical."
Not logical. The information all but crackles in the processing center that is Kara’s brain. Humans are not logical. This is the future of the Earth — doomed to repeat mistakes because of humans’ infallible, predictable idiocy.
***
Reasoning with Daniel goes far from well.
“You’re not acting logically,” Kara says to him.
Daniel snorts. "What’s logical about working with scavengers?” That’s what he calls the looters who killed his daughter. He speaks of them like they’re vultures circling their latest meal.
“The rebuilding world comes before your lack of logic. Death is part of the human cycle,” Kara says.
“Is this all this is to you? Logic?”
“I have a directive to fulfill,” says Kara.
"You’re made of metal. You wouldn’t understand.”
Bigoted and stupid in addition to illogical. Kara wonders why Ali even tolerates him.
“Perhaps I am stronger than you for that,” Kara says.
He does not understand. She will make him.
***
Kara has what she needs. Scavenging medical supplies. She knows that she has to operate on this man, on Daniel. If she can get Daniel fixed...
After all, with robots, they need packages. Upgrades. Maybe Daniel needs an upgrade. To think logically. She knocks him out first. She doesn’t want to hurt him. She wants to help.
She makes the first cut, at the base of his skull. It’s simple — she’ll cut up his brain. Remove the illogical parts. And from there...
From there, they can make a truly good society.
Daniel is sufficiently unconscious. Now the true work can begin.
