(GET READY FOR THE FUCKING FEELS TRAIN. No seriously please pack some tissues because I am literally in tears after writing this. I have never cried so hard before while writing something and I really hope you guys like this. I just realised there may be a lot of errors and I'm sorry but I was too busy being emotional to correct them.)
Harry's POV
I remember the day clearly, the day that spurred my love for machines and AI into motion. The boys are still talking to me but after I gave up YouTube, they had less and less to do with me. I don't blame them to be honest, they wouldn't understand. I've spent years of my life creating this little robot. The one Robot that would be able to do the impossible. I wanted to create a robot with a soul. Though for the life of me, I'm not sure how to. I've spent years toying around with it's circuitry, increasing and decreasing it's Intellect woe playing around with it's functions. That was until I half gave up and decided to go with a simple yet practical small storage unit. I created the machine with AI to the point where it could learn new things while listening to conversations around him, yet he would never be able to achieve total sentience and that bothered me. I've spent years working on this. And yet now here I was, trapped in this room with next to no way out.
Vik: "Why did I agree to this?"
Harry: "Because you love me, and you knew I was on to something big."
Vik: "I'm a Youtuber Harry, you know that thing that you use to do before you threw it all away for a fucking machine."
Harry: "YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
Vik: "He can't fucking hear us you dick head."
Harry: "But he can go and get fuel for himself and clean himself up, I made it so when he reached a certain level of filth, he would seek out water and dip a small rag I had placed in his storage compartment to use to clean himself. He can also forage for oil to protect himself and keep himself running."
Vik: "HE IS A FUCKING ROBOT!"
Harry: "He's not just a robot Vik."
I looked my lover in the eyes as I felt the tears starting to fall. My poor Vik, I dragged you along because I needed the help and now... Now we were going to die. And it was all my fault.
Harry: "Vik he isn't just a robot, he was my pride and joy. I had created him to the point of perfection, you know that. We could have mass produced more of them, smaller and more convenient sizes of him so everyone would be happy and it would be easier to live for some people. He would eventually be able to help with human tasks, Vik I was on to something brilliant and world changing, and yet I dragged you into this because I knew I would need the help. I'm so sorry for what I've done, I never would have brought you with me if I knew this would happen. Vik please I'm so sorry."
I looked up at him and I knew he was angry with me. I loved m more than anything, more than my robot, more than my own life. I wanted nothing more than to keep him safe... And now here we are. I guess I'm really good at keeping my loved ones safe huh.
Vik: "What did you call him?"
Harry: "Huh?"
Vik: "What did you call your friend? Your robot friend with no concept of self awareness, he is still an AI controlled robot who is just remembering certain codes you have placed into him. What did you call him?"
Harry: "I uh. I named him Vari. I know you like the name and if we adopted a little girl you would have wanted to name her, I thought about everything that happened. And so I wrote in a code to where it would remember it's name. And if anyone asked for it's name than he would know."
Vik: "You named your male robot, a female name that I came up with?"
Harry: "Vari has no concept of gender, it's a robot after all. Vik I promise you, I never meant for this to happen. I love you so much."
Vik: "Harry, I know you do. I love you too baby, I always will. Even though we never got to get married. Your still my beautiful husband no matter what. And I love you more than anything, I guess I was just angry at the idea of death being in front of us. Just let me crawl up next to you, I don't want you to let me go until it's time."
Harry: "I'm so sorry."
Vik: "Enough of this talk, we have less than three days before dehydration takes us. Let's sleep Harry. I want to stay in your arms."
Harry: "I promise I will never let you go."
Vik: "Funny,"
Harry: "What?"
Vick: "We will never get to show Vari what dinner is like for a human, I know he was fascinated whenever he heard us talking about it. He actually learned about the idea."
Harry: "I'm proud of that you know. Teaching him about learning and how to learn. Vari really is incredible. Come on Vik let us sleep. I love you."
Vik: "I love you to."
Time Skip
Vari's POV
My goodness it feels like I am getting dirty again. I'm quite happy master Lewis has allowed me to clean myself. I have become quite disgusted with dirt now after so much time cleaning. But I guess that what happens when you are told to wait outside for them. He said he would be back soon and it is ok. I am quite interested in this "Dinner" that they spoke about. I wonder what it is like?
????: "Hey little guy."
Vari: "Oh hello young man how are you today?"
????: "Hey you can talk."
Vari: "Oh no I am simply programmed to be able to respond to a countless amount of verbal gestures, like the intrigue that was in your voice when you found me."
????: "Your a smart little robot aren't you? Do you have a name?"
Vari: "Name? That is the label of which humans go by correct? In which case my master called me Vari, he said it was a name that his Lover had chosen for another human girl they wanted to acquire."
????: "Wanted to acquire?"
Vari: "Oh yes, the human did not belong to them but Master Lewis assured me that it was ok and that She would like me very much."
????: "Oh I get it. They wanted to adopt a little girl."
Vari: "Precisely, I have been here for a time and I can not wait to see them again, Master Lewis promised me that we would go and see what this dinner thing is that you humans are fond of. I am excited to hear about what it is and how it works. It seems to be very important as Master Lewis use to let me stay in his room while he went to achieve this dinner."
????: "You are smart for a little guy aren't you. When were you made?"
Vari: "Well I do not know, but I know that I was first booted up at 1:26 Am on September the 18th 2016. Oh it was such a lovely day, I still remember the white coloured walls and the black chair that master Lewis was sitting in as he turned me on, I wonder if he is ok? He said to me that he and his lover were going to go inside and will be back momentarily. I am rather excited to see them."
????: "Am I the first Human that you have seen?"
Vari: "Well if we do not include my Master and his lover than yes I do believe it is. Humans are such magnificent beings and I do wish that Master Lewis would tell me more about you. But he said that he needed to upgrade my memory storage before I would be able to learn more."
????: "Can you learn little things?"
Vari: "It depends Human on what is a little thing."
????: "Oh my name is Simon."
Vari: "Oh I am familiar with that name. My master use to tell me stories about when he would function with his friends. He said their names and Simon was a name he said. He would tell me he was a nice human and would be happy with Master when he returned. I do hope he is ok as well."
Simon: "Are they just behind here?"
Vari: "Oh yes sir. They walked in not too long ago and then when they were about to walk out the door had closed behind them, but it is ok I am just waiting here for them to open the door back up so we can go and I can learn about this dinner."
Simon: "When were you made again?"
Vari: "I was made at 1:26 Am on September the 18th on 2016."
I noticed the human had started to leak. I remember when Master Lewis use to leak sometimes, and sometimes he would leak and he would over heat. When his voice meters use to be turned up all the way and he made very loud sounds when he was over heating, but then he would turn himself down and leak some more. But it was ok, I know my master liked to stop functioning and do the sleep, where he would be mute for a long time and not move.
Simon: "Vari let's get this door open."
Vari: "Oh it is alright, I am just waiting for Master Lewis to open the door. He said he will be back soon and He has never been late."
Simon: "Vari I don't know how to tell you this... How do you keep yourself functioning?"
Vari: "Oh my master was very clever, he built me with a solar panel for the sun and he also wrote into my code how to look for fuel to reboot myself, when I was placed in the sun I would begin to get hot, but it filled my power meter so I was functioning again. After many years he taught me how to go outside on my tracks, that is what my master called them. So that I could refuel myself every day at 8 Am."
Simon: "Oh Vari. Come on, let's open the door and see what your master and his lover are up to."
Vari: "Ok, I am excited for dinner. It shall be fun."
Simon's POV
This poor guy, Vari has been here all this time and no one had even noticed him? No one else had come by and seen what it was that was here. I mean yeah he was small compared to the robots today but still. He was so old. No robots now. A days use solar panels, they abolished solar energy as a credible source in 2074. I remember reading about it in History classes. Now they are self refuelling, self functioning and even have their own intelligence and self awareness, but Vari was so old that he was not with it's own thoughts yet. Vari has been refuelling itself and keeping itself clean for 138 years. That is such a long time that I'm surprised it had managed to keep itself in tip top shape. I mean granted it looked like he had rusted but aside from that he was still clean.
Vari: "Master Lewis would always tell me to wait somewhere and that he would be back soon."
Simon: "How did you learn about that?"
Vari: "Master Lewis said that he had written in many code for my systems, this has allowed me to do many things but I would always listen to Master. He would always be nice to me."
He sounds like This Lewis guy was a great father to him, of course as a robot he would never know about that. I didn't really want to enter this door, the poor robot would be destroyed. But I told him I would open it for him. So I did, I pulled out my herring gloves that had not long been invented. These were amazing as they were an upgrade from the Hannor gloves which allowed us to be on par with robots. Allowing us to lift and pull weights and objects that far exceeded that of human standards. As I walked up to the door I just thought about what we would possibly find in here. Maybe I should have brought my husband Joshua along with me. We are both collectors for the past. And I guess finding this Dune was something that was a stroke of luck. As I lifted the door that had been shut back up. I threw it open so that it would not fall again. The light spewing forth into the room, lighting up a room that had not been touched in what could seem like 100 years.
Vari: "Thank you Mr Simon, but I'm sure Master Lewis and his lover would have been able to leave at any time. Master Lewis are you here. I made one of those friends you tell me about that help you and make you look like one of those clowns that you would tell me about."
I guess he means when Lewis use to smile. This guy was stupidly intelligent. I wish I could take Vari back with me home so I could see what makes him tick, maybe even find some upgrades for him.
Vari: "Oh my master Lewis and Master Vikram you are both quite thin today, it is ok I will go and find some of that food you boys talk about."
I loved around the corner to See human bones in the corner of the room. The bones were laying on the floor with the head propped up against the wall. With one head just slightly higher than the other one while facing the one laying down, I guess Master Lewis and brought his Lover along for something, I could only assume that was Lewis's good bye kiss for Vikram.
Simon: "Vari. Uh Master Lewis and Master Vikram will be unable to eat any food or refuel."
Vari: "Won't they. Oh that's ok that just means they are doing the sleep. Master Lewis told me about it once. He would tell me about how humans would need to lay down and be mute for a long time, and that they would barely move during this time. He told me this after he rebooted again. That is fine then I shall wait for them here now for them to reboot and finish the sleep."
This poor guy had no self awareness, but also no concept of death. I don't know how I was going to tell him. I thought about it deeply. In my mind I knew what I had to do. And that was tell Vari the truth so that he would not be alone in this world anymore. Then I would take him home and hold onto him. Making sure that Lewis would be happy. But something stopped me. I almost didn't want to say anything.
Simon: "Vari, they are not sleeping, they won't reboot ever again. Vari do you know what Death is?"
Vari: "Death? I believe Master Lewis told me about that one time after he had fixed his leaking problem. He told me that his mother had gone to do the sleep but that she was not going to reboot. He said that humans have a time when they would sleep and then never wake up. He said that is was peaceful and a happy time that should be celebrated to show them how much the human loved the one who had gone to sleep. Maybe that is why Master Lewis wanted dinner. He would always have dinner with Master Vikram every night at 8 Pm. Master Vikram told me that Master Lewis really liked the dinner, and that He leaked for a very long time. But they did it every day."
Maybe that was the time that the Lewis guy was able to grieve the loss of his mother. No one would ever want that.
Vari: "Dinner was a thing that would consist of eating food. Which is something I have always wanted to see."
Simon: "Vari look carefully."
Vari: "Yes I see. They are not white anymore, the pale colour has turned to yellow and they are much thinner than they use to be."
Simon: "Vari, Master Lewis and Master Vikram are dead. What you see is called bones. And bones are what makes up the inside of a human. It allows us to stay together and it allows us to move and jump and run and even talk. Bones are kind of like Your circuitry. They hold you together, allow you to do many things and are what keeps you going."
I watched the little robot with mystery and intrigue, he was completely silent as if computing what I said.
Vari: "That is what the death is, is that also what had happened to Master Lewis mother?"
Simon: "Yes Vari."
Vari: "That is ok then. I shall stay with Master Lewis and Master Vikram and keep them safe, they will not do the death alone anymore. Master Lewis told me that his mother was alone in the death. I do not wish to let them be alone together. Oh deary me I hope they were not worried about me."
Simon: "Your such an intelligent little robot, I'm sure that Master Lewis was very proud of you and what you are."
Vari: "Oh thank you Master Simon, I hope your Lover is also very nice to you like Master Vikram would be to Master Lewis."
I watched Vari wheel itself next to the bones of his deceased Masters as he looked at them one more time before turning to look at me.
Vari: "Master Simon it has been a pleasure to meet you but I shall be staying by them so they will not be alone in the death."
I watched the little robot begin to curl itself into a perfect cube but it had stopped half way through its transformation. I had gotten worried after a minute of Vari not fixing itself.
Simon: "Vari?"
There was but no reply. I looked down at the little guy as I kneeled beside him. I placed my hand on top of him but felt no electricity, I felt no jolt or spark. I felt the tears falling from my eyes, realising that he had now malfunctioned and had ceased working. The tears flowed freely as I picked up little Vari and folded his wheels in carefully so as to not break him, I pushed his arms into the little slots so they were a perfect square before closing the lid on top of him. I walked over to the bones and saw a master Lewis and Master Vikram as they held each other. I placed little Vari in front of them. But place the smaller mans hand on top of Vari's top.
Simon: "There you go little guy. No matter what you will always be beside them and they will never be alone anymore."