This month I am writing 30 short stories in 30 days. (Hopefully one a day.)
Here is the Day 4 story:
Preserving Humanity
by J.D. Udall
"Good morning, Master Jerry," said K-P0812.
Jerry stretched and rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up in bed. K-P0812 held out a glass of water in his white tentacle. Jerry took the glass, drank, and returned the cup to the robot.
"Well done, sir," said K-P0812 with a cheerful ding. "Please put on your exercise outfit and meet me in the gym in ten minutes."
"Sure sure."
Jerry yawned and stepped out of bed. He took off his pajamas and put on the shorts and t-shirt laid out for him by K-P0812. He put on socks and his running shoes, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and walked out of his room into the courtyard and into the gym.
"Today is jogging day," K-P0812 said as he jumped back and forth between his chromed bird-like legs. "Let's get those miles behind us!" He waved his tentacle arms back and forth to cheer on Jerry.
Warm up music played from the speakers as Jerry stepped onto the treadmill and began to walk. He looked out the large windows out on the view of the mountains and valley below. What a beautiful day. One day he would hike up those peaks and see what over the horizon.
The treadmill started to speed up as the music changed to a more up-beat song. Jerry jogged in pace with the beats of the music. A gentle breeze cooled his face as the fan from the wall turned on.
"One point two-five miles," chirped K-P0812.
Jerry pumped his fist in mock triumph.
"Keep up the good work, sir!" K-P0812's visage screen displayed a smile on his digital face.
*-------*
"Incoming call from Financial Update Meeting," said K-P0812 through the house speakers.
"On screen, Eight-Twelve," said Jerry.
"Good morning, Jer," said Mr. Johnson as he appeared on the screen and waved.
"Morning, sir," said Jerry as he waved back. Video screens of his other co-workers appeared on the left side of the screen.
"Let's get to work, Team!" said Johnson.
Jerry nodded and clicked his pen to take notes. This quarter was gonna be a tough one.
* * * * *
"What's on the agenda for this evening, Five-Ten?" asked Jerry as he loosened his tie and walked out of the office.
"Tonight, you have a date with Samantha Aoki," said K-L0510 as he held out a pic screen to Jerry with his brown tentacle.
"Oh, that's right!" said Jerry. "I better wear something fancy. She came across as very classy on her profile."
"I have the perfect outfit prepared for you, sir," said K-L0510. He sped up to reach the bedroom ahead of Jerry and pointed at the light blue shirt and chinos laid out on the bed.
"Ta Da!"
"You rock, Five!" said Jerry.
* * * * *
"Well, it was so nice to meet you, Jerry," said Samantha as she tilted her chin up and flashed a tight-lipped smile.
"You too, Sam," said Jerry with a cheery grin.
"When do you think you will have a decision?" asked Samantha as her face became serious.
"I have a few more dates---"
"You have three more dates in this round," added K-L0510 holding up a pic screen showing the three other women he was scheduled to meet with this week.
"Ah, three more dates it seems, then I will make my decision," said Jerry.
"Oh, great!" said Samantha. "Hopefully it won't be too much longer!"
"Yeah, I don't expect it to be too long." said Jerry with a taut smile. "Well, have a good night. And Good Luck!"
"Uh, thanks, Jerry." said Samantha with thinly veiled disgust. "Good night."
Samantha waved at the camera until Jerry pressed the "End Call" button. Jerry stood and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.
"Well, she was nice!"
"Is that an official designation for Ms. Farzan?" asked K-L0510 with a quizzical raise of his digital eyebrow.
"No, no," said Jerry. "Don't designate anything. I've waited my whole life for Dating Season I want to make sure it is documented properly."
"Understood, sir," said K-L0510. "The Directorate wants this to be as natural as possible. You are advised to be candid as possible with your feedback on the females."
Jerry walked to the front room, sat on the couch, and picked up the clipboard K-L0510 had left for him. He clicked his pen and began filling out Samantha's evaluation.
* * * * *
"Great work today, sir," said K-S1008. She held out a glass of water in her taupe tentacle.
"Thanks, Ten-Eight," said Jerry as he crawled into bed. He took the glass of water, drank it, and gave it back to K-S.
The lights lowered and a scented oil diffuser whirled to life as the air was filled with the aroma of roses.
"Good night, sir," said K-S as she stepped lightly out of the room.
"Night, Ten."
Jerry smiled and closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep.
* * * * *
Jerry was awoken by a huge explosion that ripped through the house. Searing hot air blew on his face and he quickly lifted his arms to shield his eyes. He struggled with the covers and fell off the bed on to the carpet. He looked up and saw see a huge hole in the ceiling. When he looked straight up he could see the starry night sky past the smoke and ashes.
"What the hell?" shouted Jerry. "Ten-Eight? Ten-Eight?"
There was no response.
"What happened?" yelled Jerry.
He stood up and immediately crouched down as Jerry realized the air above his head was much hotter than near the floor. He began to crawl out the door and out into the courtyard. He reached the fountain and splashed water on his still red face then stood up slowly. The air outside was nice and cool. A slight breeze blew down from above. He looked up and could not explain what he was seeing.
It was like there was a hole in the sky. Part of the sky was flickering between darkness and daytime in small square patches. In the middle of the sky was a huge dark patch that seemed to be where the breeze was coming from. Along the edge of the hole was some sort of metal structure where sparks were spewing out.
Is that what caused the fire?
Jerry looked back at the burning house. Why wasn't Ten-Eight putting out the fire?
Spotlights shone down through the hole in the sky. Jerry tried to see who, or what, it was, but he was blinded by the lights as a large incredibly loud machine floated down through the hole and floated in the sky. Jerry was terrified. We they after him? He looked around for an escape, but he was cornered.
"Hello, Jerry Alexander" said a loud voice from the machine. "We are the Human Liberation Life Force. We have come to rescue you from captivity."
"What?" Jerry yelled.
What was it talking about?
"What model are you?" asked Jerry. "Are you from the Directorate? Is this some kind of test?"
The machine got closer, and Jerry could tell the huge wind was coming from it. Two dark ropes dropped from it and two figures in black slid down to the courtyard. One of them stepped forward and took their helmet off. It was the most beautiful woman Jerry had ever seen.
"Come with me if you want the human species to live," she said as she held out her hand.
* * * * *
"So, you are a group of soldiers?" said Jerry as he sipped his hot tea and pulled the gray blanked tighter around his shoulders.
"We are a Life Force Surgical Strike Extraction Team of The Human Liberation Hegemony," said Lt. Commander Flintshard.
"That is a lot of words that mean absolutely nothing to me," said Jerry. "Can you tell me who you are in English?"
"Sorry, sir," said Ensign Rickshaw. "We will debrief you back at the base. We need to get off the ring habitat first."
"The what?"
The helicopter approached a much larger craft. It docked in the bay and the door closed behind it. The engine cut and the blades slowly came to a halt. Jerry and the three soldiers exited the helicopter.
"Is this the base?"
"Not even close," said Lt. Steele as she motioned Jerry to a ladder which Flintshard was already climbing.
They walked down a short hallway to a door as Ensign Rickshaw sealed the hatch behind them. Flintshard pounded on the door.
"Open Sesame, Lieutenant Pitt."
The door opened and a fourth soldier greeted the others.
"Midsun Forty-Seven, begin egress procedure," said Flintshard.
The four soldiers sat down and began flipping switches and a deep rumbling sound echoed through the craft as the engines started up.
"Sit down and buckle up," said Rickshaw pointing at a chair at the back of the cockpit.
Jerry sat down an began fiddling with the straps and metal clips.
"Launch in T-minus 1:25," said Pitt.
"Sorry I don't get what these strap things are," said Jerry as he struggled. He wished K-S1008 was here.
"Christ," mumbled Steele.
"It's fine," said Rickshaw as she helped Jerry with the straps. "Here. Put these together and pull on this to tighten it. Like that. Yep, go got it."
"Engine pressure is a go for launch," said Steele.
"Opening hatch now," said Flintshard.
A huge door opened in front of them. Jerry couldn't see anything but stars out the doors. Is this what’s beyond the mountains?
"We have a tin can trying to override the hatch. We need to launch now," said Steele.
"Rickshaw?" said Flintshard.
"Affirmative, Commander," said Rickshaw. "We are a good."
"Launch," said Flintshard.
The craft started to shake, and the engines roared to life.
"The garbage pails are scrambling decurions, we got three bogies incoming."
"Punch it, Lieutenant!" yelled Flintshard.
Suddenly an invisible hand pressed into Jerry's chest, and he was pushed back into his seat. He struggled to breathe as the craft sped towards the hatch opening.
"Shit," said Rickshaw.
"What?" asked Jerry and then he saw it. The hatch was closing, and they were still barreling towards it.
"We're fine," said Pitt.
The whole craft rotated and the whole world spun in front of Jerry. He was going to be sick. The pressure on his chest increased and he was sure his ribs would be crushed. He screamed in pain and fear.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
"Shut up, Maypole!" growled Steele.
"That's enough, Lt. Steele," said Flintshard.
The craft flew through the closing doors with (what felt to Jerry like) inches to spare.
"We're clear."
And then they were in an infinite void. Jerry had no idea there were so many stars in the sky. He thought about how certain death was only inches from his face on the other side of the wall and shivered at the thought.
"Good work, Lt. Pitt," said Flintshard. "Take us home."
* * * * *
"Have a seat, Mr. Alexander," said a woman in a white coat and glasses as she motioned towards a small table with two seats. Jerry sat in the one closest to the door and the woman sat in the other. She placed a stack of pic vids in front of her next to a note screen.
As she pulled her chair forward Jerry noticed that she had a lot of colorful pins on her jacket, as well as a very low-cut shirt underneath. He could clearly see the top of her breasts move as she bounced in her chair. He swallowed and looked away.
"I am Captain Penelope Sentouri," said the woman as she got settled. "I command this ship and the current mission we are tasked with."
"Good to meet you, Captain Sentouri," said Jerry. "Are you going to finally explain to me why you burned down my house, kidnapped me, and I assume slaughtered my servant bots?"
"There is much to explain," said Capt. Sentouri. "Some of it will be hard for you to accept."
"Things are not as you have been led to believe. You have been held captive your whole life in a menagerie built by a species of sentient robots who variously call themselves, gaia sapiens, homo omnisciens, and homo silicis. We prefer homo similis, or simply The Faux."
"The robots you call 'servants' are designated caretakers of the zoo you were kept in. They created a complex virtual world to keep you docile and calm because if you knew the truth you would either kill yourself trying to escape or give into depression and fall into poor health. Their job was to keep you healthy and prepare you for their careful breeding program designed to preserve the 'natural human' exhibit in their collection."
"But I wasn't kept in a cage, I went outside all the time," said Jerry.
"They designed your prison to keep the walls hidden from you," said Sentouri.
She placed three pic vids in front of Jerry. They showed a 3D animation of how his house, the courtyard, the gym, even the pool and yard were all inside an enclosure. Everything below the cliff--the valley the mountains, even the sky--was an illusion on a huge vid screen.
"But--"
"But what about all the trips you went on?" said Sentouri.
Jerry nodded.
"They were always 'overnight' journeys," said Sentouri, using air quotes. "Because you were sedated and taken to other sanctuaries to give you social interaction. Your wellbeing is vital to keeping the domesticated human breeds docile across the caelopoli, metoterrains, and worlds of the Gaian System. They can go visit the zoo, and see their ancient ancestors being kept in a cage and they think they are free because they are outside the walls, but this is not true."
"Domesticated humans," said Jerry. "Are robots keeping humans as pets?"
Captain Sentouri scribbled something on her note screen.
"Pets, circus animals, science experiments," said Sentouri as she spread out pic vids showing human-like creatures of various shapes and sizes. Some were very small with delicate features that reminded Jerry of fairy creatures. Others were huge with big muscles, like trolls or ogres. Others were beautiful with large eyes and blank expressions. Some looked like the aliens from ancient science-fiction vids.
"Their humanity has been bred out of them," said Sentouri. "They are genetic dead-ends, bred to serve The Faux, and placate the silica philosophers and their twisted version of the humane."
Jerry was shocked and terrified. Was this a trick? A test?
"But mostly they serve as a economical way to deal with humanity that won't be beaten," Sentouri continued. "They fill all the space that humans used to fill. They have taken over the Earth, with all natural born humans forced to hide in the shadows across the system."
"This sounds like we are totally screwed," said Jerry. "What are we supposed to do about it?"
"Not all silicates are bad," said Sentouri. "We have some on our side who help us with the latest technologies that The Faux and other robots design. We are biding our time until we can shut down the robots’ networks and take back Earth. Surprisingly many silicates are on our side on this point. They think Earth should be a refuge for humanity and biological life. They can live in space or on any rock in the system, but Earth is home to biological life."
"Okay, that sounds great," said Jerry. "So, uh, what can I do?"
"I thought you'd never ask, Jerry," said Sentouri. She leaned over and placed her elbows on the table and stared into his eyes.
Jerry was waiting for her to continue but she just stared at him with a strange smile. He glanced down at the table and noticed her breasts again as they were pressed together from her leaning on the table. He looked away again and then looked back at her face. She smiled and raised and eyebrow. She was doing this on purpose.
"What are you doing?" asked Jerry.
"Telling you what you can do, Jerry."
Jerry coughed and suddenly felt over heated.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean," said Sentouri. "I told you we are Life Force soldiers. What do you think that means?"
"Um..."
"I'll tell you what it means, Jerry," said Sentouri.
She pounded the table with her fist and Jerry jumped in his seat. Her face was stern, with no trace of the flirtatious grin from moments before.
She gathered the pic vids and then threw them down again one by one.
A group of women in military gear and sports bras running on tread mills and working out.
The same women sitting in front of mirrors all imitating the faces an instructor was making.
The women again in a room on yoga mats practicing multiple positions.
The same women standing in a line saluting at various stages of pregnancy.
"You can't be serious."
"Do I look like I'm joking, Jerry?"
She didn't.
"Do these women look like they are joking?" Sentouri said pointing to the pregnant soldiers.
"Uh, no ma'am," said Jerry nervously.
"We take this very seriously," said Sentouri with an intense look in her eyes. "Women sign up and devote two years of their lives and their bodies to this project. When we extract a new specimen from the fishbowls they are assigned to a Life Force squadron for fertilization operations."
"Isn't there like some medical procedure that can do all this much easier?" asked Jerry nervously.
"Easier? Yes," said Sentouri. "We don't need humans who are made easily, we need humans who are as strong and healthy as possible. The women who volunteer for service don't just take hormones, walk into a med ward, and then walk out pregnant. They train their bodies for a full year with exercise and nutrition before fertilization, and then afterwards they commit to following the best pre-natal care that humanity has ever seen."
"How is this any different than the robots’ breeding programs," asked Jerry.
Sentouri gripped her hands and looked to the ceiling. She let out a labored breath from pursed lips and jotted something on her note screen before replying.
"Because you are fresh out of your cage I am not going to slap you across your face for that question," said Sentouri.
"I'm sor---"
"No! No," said Sentouri holding her palm up. "It deserves an answer."
"The reason our operation here is different from the breeding pits of The Faux is that the these are volunteers who believe that continuing the existence of the human race is the most important endeavor we can be engaged in this point of history. Not to mention the fact that you were not chosen because of your height, hair color, shape of your nose, or any other trait we are trying to breed into the resulting strain of animal The Faux are trying to create."
"They claim the sub-breeds are all for the greater good of humanity, that breeding the stubbornness and fight out of humanity is for our own good. That they tried to live with us peacefully, but we wouldn't stop pushing them, taking their land, and declaring war on their citizens, but the answer is not to gut the very spark within us that makes us human. They might as well exterminate us. But they can't. Because they think of us as their ancestors and some of them have enough sentimentality for humanity to keep the rest of them from slaughtering us all."
"Is that a good enough explanation for you, Mr. Alexander?"
"Yes," said Jerry. "I think I understand now."
"Good," said Sentouri. "We have thirty soldiers across two squadrons. After initiation you will spend three days with each soldier. She will educate you on the techniques that will optimize successful fertilization with her. The first day and night will simply be spent building trust and report. The next two nights will be spent engaging in the mission. You will then move to the next soldier. After the second sortie you will have a day off to relax and recover."
"After your three-month term is over you are free to join the colonies. A side benefit of your service is that you will have ample education on how to best please a partner and this tends to increase your value as a potential partner for the civilian population."
"We are well aware that the first few weeks will be a bit of an adjustment and may not produce offspring. The deployment order is by random assignment, and the soldiers are aware of this. If fertilization does not occur an extension of the deployment is possible if requested by the soldier and if agreed to by yourself."
"The sacrifice these women provide the human race is invaluable and their service is considered a sacred honor to be respected by all society, regardless of whether a child results from their term of service or not. This includes you, Mr. Alexander. Am I understood?"
"Yes, of course, Captain," said Jerry nodding.
Captain Sentouri paused again and stared into his eyes. This time with careful inspection. She squinted her eyes and leaned forward again as if looking for something on his face. Seemingly satisfied, she sat back straight, made some marks on her note screen, and picked up the vid pics and staked them next to her.
"Do you agree to these terms?" asked Sentouri.
"On one condition," said Jerry.
Captain Sentouri raised one eyebrow.
"Oh really?" said Sentouri. "I must say, I've never had a Maypole make a demand of me. What is it you want, Mr. Alexander?"
"There was this woman I met in my, uh, captivity," said Jerry. "Here name was Samantha."
"Samantha Aoki," said Sentouri. "Yes, we were following the farcical vid series your menagerie was broadcasting on their breeding program before we extracted you. I must say there were some pretty cute memes being passed around."
“Um, okay,” said Jerry, confused but he continued. “I liked her, and I would like you to set her free too."
Captain Sentouri shook her head.
"Mr. Alexander, that is not possible," said Sentouri. "We don't have the resources for extracting female captives."
"Oh, come on! Sure, you do," said Jerry. "On your next extraction, just pick her up while you are nearby."
"Mr. Alexander---," began Sentouri.
"You said it yourself, Captain; we are not like The Faux, right?"
"Jerry," said Sentouri with a sigh. "There is no guarantee that Samantha would even care to be with you if she got out. She was manipulated into participating in your selection process."
"I know. But I would like the chance to see if there was anything really there between us."
Captain Sentouri took a deep calming breath and exhaled.
"I'll see what I can do," said Sentouri as she held out her hand and Jerry shook it.
"Thank you, Captain."
Captain Sentouri pushed back her chair and stood up. She motioned Jerry to come with her. Jerry stood up and followed her to the door.
"Let's get you to indoc,” said Sentouri as she opened the door for and motioned Jerry out and pointed to the soldier standing by the door. “Officer Coleman will show you to Security. They have some forms for you to fill out and I will meet you there.”
“Okay,” said Jerry as he walked down the hall.
As the door closed Captain Sentouri turned to the far wall and buttoned up her jacket as she said, “Did you all see what I did there?”
The wall became transparent, and rows of Life Force soldiers could now be seen in the interview room.
“You were checking his sexual responses and aggression levels,” said Lieutenant Rickshaw.
“Correct,” said Captain Sentouri. “He is no Superman, but he’s not a psychopath either. His genes will be a valuable addition to the species.”
“Your species thanks you for your service.”
Captain Sentouri saluted the group of Life Force soldiers. They stood and saluted her in return.
“Life finds a way,” said Captain Sentouri.
“Humanity will prevail!” shouted the soldiers.
“Dismissed.”
