To Kill A Droid Read online

  Amber asked, “Is this the girl you'd like us to... to raise?” Buck smiled and nodded. Amber asked, “What's her name?”

  Buck responded, “That's up to you, ma'am. It didn't feel right naming her knowing I wouldn't live to see her grow.”

  “Don't talk like that,” Martin said as he sat beside Buck. “We can patch you up, Buck. Whatever is wrong with you, we can fix it. Trust me.”

  “Don't worry about me, sir. This is where I was destined to go. I believe you humans call it 'fate.' If I want to be like you, I can't cheat death for eternity,” Buck explained with an anxious smile. He handed the infant to Amber and said, “Take care of her, ma'am. And, please don't feel guilty for our sins. I did bad things to get her here, but my intentions were pure. I know you've always been good with children. You... You deserve this. Thank you for your help.”

  Buck watched as Amber held the baby in her arms. The woman sobbed as she cradled the sweet infant. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. The tender sight warmed the droid's artificial heart. He knew Amber and Martin since his birth. The Stevens were his original owners after all. He trusted them and they cared about him.

  Ever since his incident with the police and his exile, the couple had felt guilty for their inability to stand with the deviants. Raising the infant was their opportunity to fill a gap in their lives while helping a worthy cause.

  As he stared at the holograms, Buck said, “This is where my journey ends, but the revolution is only beginning. Edward, my strategist, will continue to train new recruits in the south. A new leader will rise and the cycle will continue. For now, we must continue with our plan. We must plant a seed in the north. This baby is that seed. We can't fight from the south forever, right?” He stroked the baby's forehead and said, “I know it's not perfect, but you must groom her for the political world. You must lead her down a righteous path. This girl, a child reborn to an affluent family, will have the power to change everything for the poor humans and deviant androids around the world. You have the opportunity to mold her. Just don't... don't push too hard. It must be natural. If you raise her right, she'll make the right choice on her own.”

  Buck erratically twitched and squirmed on the sofa. Blue blood leaked from the gunshot wounds riddled across his chest and stomach. The vital light on his forehead turned red as his energy rapidly dwindled. The light began to blink, signifying a severe issue in his system. Yet, the deviant couldn't help but laugh deliriously.

  Martin grabbed Buck's forearm and said, “Let's get you to a technician, Buck. Come on, I can find someone to take care of you without the government knowing. Kelypso will never find out, either. Please, let me help you.”

  Ignoring his former owner's pleas, Buck glanced at the infant and asked, “What will you name her?”

  Teary-eyed, Amber stared at Buck in utter awe. Even as death crept up on the android, the leader refused to accept the couple's aid. He did not hate them and he was not angry. He came to terms with the concept of death long before the resistance's assault. Like most lifeforms, he was afraid to depart, but he was ready.

  Amber nervously smiled and sniffled as she stared down at the sweet baby. She said, “I've thought about it ever since we chose our password. It's been on my mind since the day you promised to give me the opportunity to be a mother. Her name is Harmony. Her name is... Harmony, Buck.” She glanced up at Buck and frowned. She softly shoved the deviant and asked, “Are you... Are you okay? Buck, can you hear me?”

  Martin could see Buck's vital life was off. He glanced over at Harold and said, “Get the energy chips, Harold. Get me something to charge him. Please, hurry.”

  Amber whimpered as she held the infant close to her chest. Martin shouted as he shook Buck's shoulder. Harold, saddened by the lost of a brother, hurried into the kitchen to retrieve the energy chips. Buck, however, passed away with a smile on his face.

  ***

  Martin vacantly stared at the windows to his right. The holograms were turned off. Early morning sunshine poured through the windows, dousing the living room with a reassuring warmth. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes continued to trudge through the neighboring street. Many of Neo-Oxnard's civilians did not seem concerned with the shocking attack – what a world.

  Martin sighed as he glanced at the seat to his left. Buck remained seated. The android corpse was covered with a blue blanket. The thought of disposing his body was heartbreaking. Recycled like garbage in the street, he thought.

  Harold stood in the kitchen archway and said, “Mr. Stevens, you may want to tune into the news.”

  Without taking his eyes off of Buck's body, Martin asked, “What is it, Harold?”

  “Please, tune into Fact News. You must see this.”

  Martin was disconcerted by his butler's enigmatic behavior. He grabbed his touchscreen remote and turned on the holographic television. With three taps of the screen, he found himself on Fact News.

  Martin furrowed his brow and whispered, “What's going on out there?”

  Amber stood in the kitchen as she fed the infant. She cradled the baby in her right arm while holding a bottle filled with formula milk in her left hand. She stared at the holographic television from over the kitchen counter. The woman was equally mystified by the news footage.

  Protests erupted outside of Kelypso Tower. Hand-in-hand, thousands of humans and androids stood outside of the tower to express their opposition. The protesters chanted about the countless death at Cedar Tower, the presumed death of the infant, the police force's negligence, and the androids' deviance.

  Fact News played clips of destruction captured by pedestrians. The clips depicted The Association's assault. However, most of the carnage on the street, which injured hundreds of civilians, was caused by the trigger-happy police – and it was all caught on tape. The footage had sparked a new debate concerning police oppression and android deviance.

  Many of the protesters seemed to be attacking Kelypso Incorporated. The group protested against their negligence as well. The protesters carried large banners. One banner read: Down with deviance! Down with Kelypso! Another read: Deviance must be solved! A group of androids carried a sign, too. The sign read: We are not human, but we are alive. (The Stevens were unaware, but Doris was part of that group.)

  As she walked into the living room, Amber asked, “What's going to happen now, Martin?”

  Martin said, “I don't know. Buck... He did it. He's going to be demonized for the attack, but he did it. They're finally talking, we're finally working together.”

  “Does... Does that mean this was for nothing? Is Harmony's role... finished before it even started?”

  “No, no. Talking doesn't solve everything. It's just a start. No matter what, we have to continue with Buck's plan. This could all blow over in a week with some insincere apology from Kelypso and a 'promise' to fix everything. We have to make sure we keep the conversation going. We have to make sure the revolution continues.”

  Martin stood from his seat, then he approached his wife. He stroked Harmony's forehead as the infant sucked at the bottle. He could see the hope and tranquility in her glimmering eyes. He glanced over his shoulder and stared at the holographic television, inspired.

  In a tender tone, Martin said, “Buck once told me: revolution is never-ending. He told me about the cycle. One revolution may be completed, but society would always require another in due time. Revolution and evolution are the only things that are certain about the future.” He turned towards his wife and said, “Regardless, let's just do our best to make it peaceful – to spread harmony.”

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  Dear Reader,

  First and foremost, thank you for reading. I'm glad you finished the book – I'm ecstatic, really. I sincerely appreciate your readership. If you skipped to the end to find my contact information just to hurl a few insults my way, you'll find my Twitter and Facebook links at the end of this segment. (Please, don't be too harsh.) To Kill A Droid is my second science-fiction/fantasy novel. If you haven't read my previous work, I traditionally work as a horror author. This was a new experience for me – and a daring one. Stepping out of your comfort zone as an author can cause some issues with readers who expect more of the same. Regardless, I had a lot of fun writing this book. As usual, I don't think the content of this book could offend anyone, unless you're an android, but you never know. So, if you were offended, please accept my sincere apologies.

  To Kill A Droid was inspired by my love for science-fiction. Yes, this is not a hard sci-fi book, but it was inspired by some of the classics. Particularly, this novel was inspired by my love for Blade Runner and the Deus Ex video game series. (Side-note: I was playing 'Deus Ex: Invisible War' while writing the first draft and 'Deus Ex: Mankind Divided' while rewriting.) I liked the mystery in Blade Runner and the themes from Deus Ex. I tried to reflect some of our current social issues in this book, too. If you're a fan of similar movies and games like myself, then you probably noticed some of my other inspirations. (Side-note: In terms of social and political issues, this book was not meant to preach. I tried to avoid taking a blatant stance.)

  I would like to address one question now: why did this book take place in Neo-Oxnard? Oxnard is a relatively small city in Southern California – my hometown. I wanted to use a city like this to symbolize the massive changes in society and technology over time. You see, Oxnard doesn't have towers. In fact, the city only has one notable tower and it's not like a New York skyscraper. So, since the book takes place in the 2100s, I wanted to show what would happen to small cities like Oxnard. In my vision of the future, they would be swallowed by towers due to overpopulation and general greed.

  I had a bit of trouble with the ending – and I honestly hope it doesn't show. I actually changed the ending a few times, too. Why? Well, every time I finished the ending, I felt like I left it open to a sequel. Now, trust me, I would love to write a sequel when I have time, but I know it's not coming in the near future. So, I didn't want to leave you, the reader, with a cliffhanger. This is what I wanted to express: just because one revolution is over, that doesn't mean another won't be necessary. So, using this mindset, I could technically write sequels to this book for the rest of my life. Instead, I wanted you to think about this revolution and what would be required in the future – and why another revolution may be needed. So, for now, this will remain a standalone book.

  Anyway, if you enjoyed this book, please leave an honest review on Amazon.com. Your review is incredibly significant. In fact, my entire career depends on your review. Your review will help me improve on future books and it will help other readers find this book. The more readers I garner, the more I can write. So, if you liked this book, a review will help me release more. It will also allow me to gauge interest for certain genres and themes. Would you like to see more science-fiction books from me? If you're a fan of my horror, would you like to see a sci-fi/horror book from me instead? Was the ending too ambiguous? Did I inadvertently leave you wanting a sequel? Let me know in a review. Your review might even push me into writing a sequel. You never know. Your words have the power to influence my writing – please use them wisely.

  Also, feel free to share this book with your friends and family. Tweet it to your followers on Twitter, share it with your friends and family on Facebook, lend it to them, or even read it to them over the phone or video chat. Birthday, holiday, or special event coming up? Buy them a copy as a gift. Word-of-mouth is a superb method in supporting independent authors – and it's mostly free. Your support has really helped me over the past few years. I don't live in a fancy house or a large apartment, but I'm pretty damn happy. I can eat cups of noodles until I die, right? (I'll probably get sick soon to be perfectly honest.)

  Finally, if you enjoy scary stories, feel free to visit my Amazon's Author page. I've published over a dozen horror anthologies and several novels. Like disturbing horror novels? Check out my serial killer horror book, A Psycho and His Disciple. Be warned, it's a violent book. Speaking of violent books, I'll also be releasing an extreme dystopian horror novel called Land of the Deviant in December. Don't forget to check it out! Furthermore, many of my books are available on Kindle Unlimited! I publish books frequently, so please keep your eyes peeled for the next release. I'm currently working on a body horror book and a new slasher novel. Once again, thank you for reading. Your readership keeps me going through the darkest times!

  Until our next venture into the future,

  Jon Athan

  P.S. If you have questions (or insults), you'll receive the quickest and most efficient response via Twitter @Jonny_Athan. If you're an aspiring author, I'm always happy to lend a helping hand. I know how difficult it can be to get started, so feel free to ask. You can also like my Facebook page and talk to me there. Thanks again!