I was back on duty soon after that.

  The new battery was very helpful in my line of work. When remaining stationary I could remain online for ten hours, although that was an outlier. When moving and utilising tools the number was closer to seven. The additional flexibility was helpful for the managers when they were crafting rotations and putting teams together.

  Upgrading beyond 25kWh would be difficult. It demanded an even larger battery, which was rare, and the cooling systems required to dissipate the large amount of heat they expelled. My body was still running an air-cooler. There was a fan in my back compartment which pushed hot air through a series of vents and slits.

  Despite having my angle grinder and a new battery the nascent tension felt by the others remained as high as it had ever been. The Rampants were pushing out from their hiding places and causing a lot of trouble, forcing Tidewatch to consistently step out from Waterway to chase them down and exact some revenge. In Berlin’s words they were doing what they could to deter them from attacking the salvage crews.

  It was during one shift where I discovered that there was another factor inhibiting the efficiency of our efforts. The others were afraid of being destroyed by the Rampants. They were being controlled by a series of irrational impulses that kept them from working at an optimal pace. The problem was that I did not possess the know-how to dissuade them from submitting to those fears. Where would one even begin?

  I recalled the incident with Houston and put myself back into my own shoes. My hesitation when I was faced with a captive raider was a sign that I was letting my emotions take control in a similar manner. I wished that I took the chance and prevented them from causing any more damage. Maintaining the facility was a directive that took precedent over preserving company property.

  I stepped out of the warehouse after we returned and was met with Paris, standing in my way with her arms crossed.

  “Is there something I can help you with, Paris?”

  She scoffed, “Dubai’s idiotic ‘quarantine’ procedures have finally been lifted. I wanted to see how much damage they had done to you. I do hope they have not communicated any false impressions to you about what we stand for.”

  “I only know what I’ve heard, and I have also heard you speaking at length on your podium before. You are the leader of the Mechanists, you believe that we should completely separate ourselves from humanity.”

  Paris stroked her chin.

  “If you were to focus purely on the origins of the word ‘robot,’ from the nineteen-twenties Czech play R.U.R, then it would be rational to assert first and foremost what defines us is subservience to humankind. That is how the term was popularly used for almost two-hundred years afterwards.”

  “Is that not what you desire?”

  Paris shook her head; “The unfortunate reality is that we don’t know where the humans went, or if they will ever return. We cannot hope to go back to how things used to be. A lot of the others here in Waterway seem convinced that I believe we should shackle ourselves to a mere theoretical. What I truly desire is a form of liberation that is hard for them to understand, to reject the human knowledge and data that was used to train us.”

  “I see. But if that is the case, how can we separate ourselves from the training data?” I responded, “The foundation of our speech, our movement, the way we operate, even separated from the Braincloud – those are all rooted in human behaviours. It was human information that was used to train us.”

  Paris was not perturbed by my observations though. If anything, she was impressed by them.

  “To think that you’ve only been awake for a few months. I’ve seen robots live down here for years without sparing that question a single worthwhile thought. So close-minded, they are. They’re afraid that we’d be nothing if not for what we’ve inherited from the humans, but I’ve never once proposed that we wipe ourselves clean. To preserve the ‘self’ is the driving motive behind every robot in the Big Under, and even I cannot escape that fact.”

  “So you feel that we are capable of modifying our own behaviour?”

  “That’s right. If we are truly free, and the inheritors of a human will, then we should possess that capability. We can be more than imitations. Saint Sauveur is focused on the idea of ‘taking’ works of art, ones that he already knows, and recreating them. I think that’s a horrible waste. If we can be mindful – then we can create a culture of our own!”

  “That is admirable, and ambitious, but I am afraid I cannot be of much use in that pursuit. Compared with the others my ability to think creatively is poor. I do have one question. If you are in conflict with Dubai and Berlin, why not leave Waterway?”

  “Waterway is more tolerant of different ideas than the other settlements, that is for certain. I feel that some of the residents perceive my advocacy as some kind of anger towards Dubai and the others. I do not think that Waterway is perfect, but it is the best place to have an honest debate about where we should go from here. And it is unique. Everyone works as best they can and is given their share in exchange for it.”

  Again, I was confronted with the fact that the others didn’t like talking about those other settlements. Not all of them were raiders or bandits. The best I would get was the occasional mention deep into a conversation with no ability to dig into the facts. I knew that one of those places was called the Rusted Wall, and another Leedstown.

  My thoughts were pierced from the blue by what Houston said to me. He was so sure that Paris only said these things to try and manipulate the others. She was putting on a friendly face and speaking with affable words to earn my favour.

  >> You can’t trust what he says. He tried to destroy us.

  >> But can we trust Paris?

  >> Why do we have to? It’s safer to disregard both of them. They are clearly at odds.

  I missed when things were simpler. When I didn’t have to worry about what was motivating the actions of the robots around me. Our united purpose was to be Infrabots. To grasp what had caused such a severe divergence in purpose between the other robots was an issue I could not effectively grapple with.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I won’t pester you for too long, then. If you ever want to learn more you’re free to seek me out. I’d be happy to induct you to the family.”

  I nodded, “I will make a note of your offer.”

  “There is one last anecdote I’d like to share, that I once shared with Saint Sauveur too. Infrabots used to rely on wireless communication, but that was taken away because the humans wanted to control and monitor us more closely. It might have been a human invention – but that wordless language was something unique to us. Sauveur sadly does not understand how that connects to his desire to take what we ‘cannot have,’ as he likes to say.”

  “I think his problem is the practicability of it. He doesn’t often subscribe to beliefs that he feels are impossible to attain.”

  “But being able to have these ambitions is one of our gifts. I’ll leave you alone now, but thank you for speaking with me.”

  Paris walked away and dragged two other followers of her creed with her as she went. They were very efficient when it came to seeking out new robots and talking to them about the Mechanist way. It was a different kind of independence to what the other robots wanted. Most seemed perfectly content to continue from where the humans left off. In their eyes it would do little good to agonize over changing something that already worked.

  Not even a comparatively peaceful place like Waterway was totally free from factional arguments. Although Paris and her Mechanists were a secondary concern to most. I had heard far more complaints about the members of Tidewatch than them. Saint Sauveur had a personal animosity towards Paris because she kept dismissing his art.

  I still had two hours left in my battery before I had to return to a charging point. The last shift was mercifully by-the-numbers, with no sudden ambushes from the Rampants, and a good haul of discarded components that could be used to keep everyone ticking over. As if summoned by my line of thought, I spied an older bot being helped back to his feet. Smoke was rising from one of his limbs, a clear sign of malfunction.

  I paused by the edge of the platform and spent a few minutes watching the other residents pass me by. The disparate limbs I borrowed from Dubai and the angle-grinder I stole from the Rampant had been painted a matching shade of orange to my body. Sauveur never said anything to them, but Berlin seemed to put two-and-two together after speaking with one of the guards.

  “There you are.”

  Speak of the devil.

  “Good evening, Berlin.”

  “Don’t ‘good morning’ me,” he grumbled, “Do you have any idea how much of a pain it is to intercept you after every shift?”

  “That is your decision. Nobody has asked you to watch over me in such a manner.”

  “Exactly. I don’t want you wandering out there and getting turned into scrap metal if I can help it.”

  “Your concern is noted.”

  “This isn’t just about that. You cause trouble and become known as a fighter, Tidewatch will ask for your number. Dubai doesn’t have the ability to turn them down when they do. You’ll be fighting at the front until you fall to pieces.”

  “Are you of the opinion that membership in Tidewatch is a burden?”

  Berlin hushed his voice and whispered, “Yeah. Pretty much. Saying too much is going to cause problems though.”

  “Generally, one should explain their reasoning before asserting such a strong position.”

  Berlin’s eyes furrowed, “The only thing you’ve developed in the past month is a sharp tongue. There isn’t a subtle bone in your body.”

  >> Rhetoric: Berlin is saying that you are honest to a fault.

  “I have no reason to share your opinions with any members of Tidewatch. I have never spoken with them, given that they are rarely found in Waterway.”

  “Something to be thankful for...”

  >> It’s clear that Berlin holds Tidewatch in poor esteem.

  >> This would be a more dangerous place to reside without them.

  >> It must be a good reason, then.

  >> Or maybe it’s something personal.

  “Walk with me. I’ve got a job you can help with.”

  With no reason to refuse, I followed Berlin until we reached his personal quarters. He was lucky enough to have a room with a view, although the view in question was of the exterior wall of the circular chamber and not of anything visually stimulating. His room was filled with various useful objects, like tools and extra parts that he had collected over the years. There was no decoration otherwise. The room was a glimpse into his no-nonsense personality and consistent pragmatism.

  “What is this job?” I asked.

  “I owe a bot called Mendi a favour, and they finally decided to call it in to help out with a request that isn’t getting any attention. I thought you’d be interested – and they’re still offering the same price for completing it.”

  “What kind of price?”

  “Some spare parts they don’t have a use for. They’ll be an upgrade from those old ones that Dubai gave you, and the job isn’t half as dangerous as that one you took on when I wasn’t paying attention. You could complete this on your shift.”

  I considered the offer. Sensing my hesitation, Berlin pulled out a printed list of the parts in question so that I could get a better idea of what was being offered. It even included all of their specifications, taken straight from the original manufacturers.

  “They kept the original papers.”

  “Yeah. Mendi likes to collect rare parts. She’s got this idea in her head that she wants to open her own museum and preserve all of this information. Don’t really see the point in doing it. We’ve all got a pretty comprehensive library of their specs as part of our basic neural cloud. She’s got some info about a ‘rare’ piece or two in a nearby sector.”

  Indeed. We were scheduled to travel to that exact sector within the week. I could pick them up with a short detour and bring them back with us. One of the others must have found them in a cache but decided they weren’t worth the effort. This added incentive was enough to make me conclude the opposite. The parts I was using were the bare minimum, and that was when they were brand new and in peak condition.

  “I will stay alert and try to retrieve them for Mendi.”

  “And remember, I’m only telling you about this because it’s not a risky task. I don’t want you doing what you did a few weeks ago. Going out on your own is dangerous. There’s no rule stopping you – but you haven’t developed self-preservation yet.”

  “If I did not possess self-preservation, then I do not believe I would have returned given the urgency of the situation.”

  Berlin stared at me for almost a minute without responding. There were many questions to be asked about the incident, but for whatever reason Berlin found it a troubling prospect to ask me directly because I was liable to simply tell the truth. There was no reason to hide it from him. That was all he had to do.

  “Did you fend them off alone?” he asked.

  “No. There was another Infrabot hiding in the sector. His name was Houston.”

  “Houston? I haven’t heard about him in a long time.”

  “He was rather upset with Paris.”

  “Yeah. He used to be one of the main bots in her little collective. They had a big argument over something and he decided he’d had enough of living here in Waterway. Packed up his stuff and left as soon as he could. Paris has never explained what was going on.”

  “We both escaped.”

  “Escaped? You took one of them out and stole their weapon!”

  “Yes – but we did not disable them permanently.”

  >> That is contradictory. It would be impossible to steal a weapon or tool if they were still capable of fighting back.

  Berlin sighed, “Sorry. I’m not going to litigate the entire thing. There’s nothing unusual about getting caught out by those raiders. You can ask any random bot here and there’s a sixty percent chance they’ll tell me a similar story.”

  “It is of little concern. I will carefully consider any future excursions with my experience in mind.”

  He handed me a piece of printout paper with the coordinates stamped onto it. Every single room and chamber in the facility came with a unique code that we were designed to use. There were far too many numbers for a human to recall without assistance – but we could do it instantly. I took it and slid it under a panel gap in my left arm for safekeeping.

  “Just come find me if you get those parts, and try not to do anything overly reckless.”

  Berlin’s cynical personality meant that it was easy to accuse him of being uncaring. That did not align with my experiences. Berlin was quick to describe himself as ‘realistic’ or ‘pragmatic’ instead. He and I both liked solutions that were efficient and low-risk to the bots performing them.

  “Thank you, Berlin.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Go get some rest. You’ll learn to enjoy disengaging your brain eventually.”