Something Explored

            Ian sat down in front of the camera and pressed the record button on the laptop. On the screen he could see himself, it was a strange thing to document what had happen in the past like this, but it was the best and easiest way.

  “This is the video documentary of the Agency, after the Fall. This is entry one as transcribed by me, Ian Erasmus. First, the Agency was the only secret organisation hell bent on keeping life on Earth the same. While the Others tried to force military rule, we made sure that when you went to sleep tonight, you’d wake up to the same world tomorrow.

  “So, where do I begin? I think it was close to fifteen years ago that I was recruited. Ed and Dev had been recruited a few months before me. The training was boring so I won’t talk of it. The first assignment, let’s start there. Paris, France, the city of love. A fitting place for a first assignment, and for a summer fling,”

            Ian was sitting at a café reading a newspaper. On the small steel table in front of him was a half-eaten piece of milk tart. He was nervous about this mission, but only half as nervous as he should have been.

  “Chette place est prise?” asked a voice and Ian was forced to lower his newspaper.

            In front of him stood the most beautiful woman he had met in his life, or so he had thought until the day he met Danny, but that was not for another fifteen years.

            The younger Ian looked a lot like his present day self. Short blond hair and a short beard on his chin.

  “I’m sorry, my French is only slightly better than my Korean, which is non-existent,” said Ian.

  “Yet you’re reading a French newspaper?”

  “That I am,” said Ian as he stared at the paper, note to self, next time learn some of the vernacular to hide better.

  “That could only mean two things, your using it to cover your stares at the beautiful women that walk by, or you are an assassin,” Ian’s heart nearly stopped but he kept his face as emotionless as possible, “and you don’t look like an assassin,”

  “No, definitely not,” Ian said.

  “So, is this seat taken?”

  “No, please, sit, I don’t mind the company of beautiful women,”

  “You think I’, beautiful?” she asked with a coy smile as she sat down opposite him.

  “Well, uhm…” pull yourself together, Ian, what the matter with you, “Not so much think as know,” he answered blushing slightly.

  “Sarah,” she said extending her hand towards him.

  “Ian,” he said, taking her hand and lightly kissing it.

  “We spent most of the day together, and the night once my shift was over. She was my first, what with meaningless sex and all that, but they don’t call it a summer fling for nothing…”

            CNet was walking through the busy city streets of Sandton. People stared at his mobile platform as he moved among them. Mothers moved their children closer to them and away from CNet. Men avoided him and walked in wide circles around him. If they could, they would all have moved to the other side of the street.

            CNet found the behaviour odd, but he knew they were afraid of him, or rather of what they didn’t know about him. He wasn’t too bothered, though, and he continued on walking past shops, building and alleyways. It was down one of these alleyways that he heard a woman scream. He knew it was fear in her voice so he headed down the alleyway to explore.

            It was a Zulu woman lying on the ground in the midst of six men, most of the African. They carried crude weapons and the woman was beaten bloody already.

  “What is the meaning of this?” asked CNet and the men turned on him.

  “What’s this? Some rich fuck’s toy?” asked one of the men in a strong Zimbabwean accent.

  “Did you beat that woman?” CNet asked, though the answer was obvious.

  “I bet we could fetch a good price for its parts,” said another man, Kenyan by the accent and swung a baseball bat at CNet’s head.

            The bat shattered as it struck him and jarred the man’s arm while CNet was completely unaffected.

  “I will ask you kindly to surrender, and I will ask this only once. If you do not comply, I will be force to incapacitate you,” said CNet calmly.

            The men laughed at him, and those with weapons started to swing at him. They were, unfortunately, no match of CNet. He moved so fast that none of them could land another blow, and each one that tried received a counter blow which sent them to the ground where they lay unconscious.

            When he was done with the men, he walked over to the woman and helped her to her feet.

  “Are you damaged?” he asked.

            She just stared at him blankly, then started to scream and ran off towards the crowd that had gathered at the mouth of the alleyway. Some of the people had their phones out, no doubt taking photos and videos of CNet’s escapade.

            An hour and a half later, CNet was still sitting in a Mugg and Bean, alone. The owner didn’t mind when he stepped in because people were coming by just to stare at him, and most of them ended up buying something. But that was an hour ago and the novelty had worn off.

  “Sir, I must ask you to leave,” said the manager in a quivering tone.

  “Why?” CNet asked as he turned his gaze on the small man.

  “Because we have customers waiting,”

  “What if I ordered something, could I stay?”

  “Well, it just-” the man started but he was interrupted by a young woman that walked up behind him.

  “I’ll sit with him, and I’ll order something. Green tea and a piece of cheese cake. Unless you have a problem serving me?” she said.

            The man had no words, he merely nodded, smiled and headed off towards the kitchen. CNet stared at the woman as she took the last few steps as sat opposite him in the booth. She was Indian, with long flowing hair and grey eyes.

  “You are blind,” said CNet.

  “Most people are not that direct, at least not to my face,” she said, not unkindly.

  “I am sorry, I’m still getting used to social conventions when talking to humans,”

  “To other humans, you mean,”

  “I am not human,”

  “You saved a woman’s life while others turned a blind eye. You are more human than most humans,”

  “You know what I am?”

  “Yes. I may be blind but I am not stupid. You are a robot, and no doubt whoever made you would be pleased to know of what you did,”

  “I am not sure about that,”

  “Why?”

  “My programmer might disapprove,”

  “But you saved a life, surly he cannot disapprove of that,”

  “No,” said CNet, suddenly deep in thought, “no he cannot,”

  “You’re still here?” said Ian as he entered the ICU ward where De Beer was being kept. He had a room to himself though Bridget and Jacks were keeping him company.

  “He hasn’t stirred. They say he isn’t in a comma, but if he doesn’t wake soon he might not wake at all,” said Jacks. “They haven’t left his side, and I haven’t left theirs. Danny told Karol and Megan to sleep in her office,”

  “She has a comfortable sofa there,” said Ian.

  “So much for Half Claw,” said Jacks, noticing the two robotic fingers Ian now sported on his hand. “Never thought you’d opt for the easy way out,”

  “There are no easy ways out,” said Ian and patted Jacks on the shoulder before he left.

  “I see you terrorised Sandton City today,” said Ian later that night. CNet’s mobile platform had attempted to sneak by him as he looked out from the balcony.

  “That was not my intention, I merely wanted to explore and learn,”

  “And, what did you learn?” Ian said and turned around to face the robot.

  “People are cruel, they pointed, stared, mocked, but that did not bother me half as much as their indifference to the suffering of a woman,”

  “The one you saved?”

  “Yes. Commander, I know this might be a stupid question, and I know I am not, but am I human? Perhaps not in the biological sense, but I have human morals, I am self-aware and I have what you would call a conscious,”

  “It is true, you do possess a number of human qualities, CNet, but no, you are not human,”

  “Ashari seemed to believe otherwise,”

            There was silence for a while and Ian turned back to the balcony expecting CNet to leave.

  “What does social convention dictate when it comes to phoning a woman to schedule an event for both parties to participate in and get to know each other better?”

  “You mean a date?’ asked Ian, turning back around to face CNet.

  “Yes,”

  “Well, uhm,” started Ian, slightly flustered by the question, “most would advocate three days, but I believe you should not waste time, for we all have very little of it in the grand scheme of things,”

  “Thank you, Commander, I will call her immediately then,”

  “Hey, wow, hold up there, it’s part midnight, she’ll probably be asleep. Women don’t like it when you wake them with a phone call in the dead of night,”

  “Of course, I will then phone her tomorrow. That you again, Commander,” said CNet and left.

            Ian turned back to look out over the forest and the town beyond, smiling at himself. The thought of CNet going on a date amused him to no end.