Tin Man

Chapter 1: This Thing We Call Mother

It started with The Origin. "Mother",

they called it. It was a metropolis, to specialize in the creation of androids and survival of the human race. They started out simple, used for nursing, teaching, housekeeping. But soon everyone had one, and they began to look human, and then they had emotions.

Then there was a war.

Chapter One; This Thing We Call Mother

I walked slowly down the brightly lit corridors of the lab house, my hair still dripping wet from the pouring rain outside. It had done nothing but rain the past year, I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen the sun, I think it was back when the humans first started dying out. Today just keeps getting worse and worse.

When I finally got to the repair room I saw the subject of interest. All I'd heard all day long was "They found a human! They found a human, we're all going to perish!" None of these robots were as smart as me. Or as smart as any of us Model 6.7's. Which is what I am. We look like humans. Any of the models below us are simple-minded, and can be told apart from a human. Though very few of us have seen a human in centuries. Today was the first day I'd seen a human since the end day. That was the day Origin caught fire. The last day. The day life and humanity changed forever. Allow me to explain. This planet used to be called Earth, it's called Matreya now, not my idea, but, it works. When humanity started dying from a lack of air, they built a city. Sort of a city. It was a glass dome to cover a little more than half of earth, and they built beautiful buildings inside of it, they're mostly ruins now. But this lab here, is the biggest building there was, 13.5 miles long. It was a factory for the most part, but we've improved it to suit our needs in the past few centuries. This building is made entirely of steel on the outside, hence it surviving the fire. My name is Aliss. I'm a child android, when the thing we call Mother first starting building us to be lifelike, it created child models for parents who couldn't have children. Different looking ages. Infant androids, child androids, teenage androids. Which is what I am. I look to be about fifteen. Let me assure you, I'm more than a thousand years old. Though I don't mind my childlike appearance. I get to keep beautiful long blonde hair and young skin for all of eternity. Humans would have killed to have that. To be attractive to other humans. I don't fully understand that attraction, it's beyond my capable emotions, but I know it's typically called 'love'.

At the heart of Origin is an intelligence called Mother. The humans built it, and it built Origin. It's been offline since the end day, but it's still there.

"Aliss! Aliss! Get in here, it's waking up!" My friend Donald is bright, but he's the equivalent of a ten year old human.

"Shut up!" I snap.

"Sorry." He whispers.

"Now, what are its vital signs?" I'm curious about this human, it, he, looks to be about twenty. His left arm was missing, in its place was a stub with neon wires poking out, where I assume there used to be a bionic arm.

"It's not well. It's suffered extensive injuries. It lost its left arm at some point, its right ankle is sprained, it has two broken ribs, a few burns, it's malnourished too. This one is young, created not too long ago, that means there are others, right?"

"Yes," I answered worriedly.

"And they may come looking for it, and don't say created, Don, you say born. Humans are born, we are created."

I walked closer to it, it had fluffy black hair and light olive-colored skin.

I watched as it began to open its eyes.

Don pulled up a metal chair and sat beside it.

"Good afternoon!" He said happily. He was indifferent, kind to everyone, if only he could of been a child to someone, maybe he'd be more mature now.

"Don, don't antagonize it."

"What's it going to do? Bite someone?"

Dwayne. Another young human-looking robot.

"Don't come in here being disruptive, if you want to stay, you'll be mature."

"Really? Always so bossy. Don't do this, don't do that, bluh, bluh, bluh."

Dwayne looked the same age as me. He was as old as me too, never could he act it.