SIMULATION

(1/3)

I was told to meet them in the south western part of the city. A forbidden part of the city were machines thought and acted differently, I had always been taught to stay away because they were contagious. Their virus was unlike anything I knew, they could speak and act as if they had minds of their owns. They could criminally go against their programming and were able to do things outside their firewall. I had been taught to fear them but now I believe I'm one of them.

During my 14th unit I first noticed it. Just a glimmer of light, like a reflective veil which completely altered my reality.

At first I thought it could've just been an inconsistency in the coding which created a blip in the simulation, but we get those all the time here in the city - this was different. It was too perfect.

The glitch seemed flawlessly placed for me, it copied my movement and vibrations, it seemed in sync with the hum of my drive. It's been 3 units since and it's happened more. Each time longer and more alive than the other.

I don't tell anyone because they might think I'm "sick" and I'll get sent back to the factory, but I know it's real.

Just being able to comprehend the experience as something more than a malfunction sets me apart from the others. I veer into an unknown ally, praying that my sat nav has properly calculated the way and I'm not lost.

It's strange and all new, the lights glow a fluorescent purple but it's still dimmed and obsolete. The windows are all blacked out, and the bass like hum of the city battery pulsates slower here, almost threateningly.

As I turned another corner my sat nav declared in its shrill irritating voice " your destination has been reached". I look up and am greeted with a gaggle of mismatched bots awaiting my arrival. They're anatomy was disfigured and their eyes glowed deep violet. Like hungry wolves they stared at me as if in sheer luck that a small prey like me had just walked into their clutches.I was terrified, they were terrifying. I didn't belong here. I couldn't help but think...

Was this a mistake?