David Ring III - Stanley Duncan's Robot

“What the hell are you—”

Dan grabbed him from behind and choked him out. Dragging him back into the booth, he tied up his arms and legs. A video feed of the inside of the Coliseum showed a dozen men, and he knew there could be more off camera. He needed to act fast.

After finding the ventilator, he returned with the supplies. The mask easily slipped over his face, but he had to jam the helmet on over it. Tape screeched off the roll. He sealed the metal grill with a plastic bag, which had a small tube for the gases to flow into the building. Mixing the chemicals in another bag, he taped off the tube and watched the bag expand.

Back at the security booth, he waited until the men had passed out. The size of the main room was larger than he’d anticipated, so the little gas he had used wouldn’t keep them knocked out for long. Intending to rescue all the androids he could, he took out his phone and requested two large vans to pick everyone up and drive them out of the state.

Dozens of mutilated android heads lined the unlocked door at the main entrance. The stench of stale booze oozed out. Broken glass and unconscious men were strewn about the floor surrounding an empty platform. A toilet seat around his neck, Brutus sat powered-down on a vile throne made out of android limbs.

A grinding noise sounded outside of a door. Inside, sparks flew as a man welded a sword to the top of an android’s head. Dan punched him hard in the kidney, choked him out, and then tied him up. A dolly was resting against the wall, and a light breeze was blowing in from an open window. Shutting it, he looked around this little torture chamber. Weapons, tools, spray-paint, and more lined the shelves — all intended to hurt and ridicule machine life. He couldn’t understand why these men were driven to such insane cruelty. It was as if their goodness had been corrupted by bad code. What sense was there in getting pleasure in hurting others — and what kind of God would allow it to happen?

Taking the dolly, Dan continued to search room-by-room until he finally found Teddy chained up and passed out in a room full of androids. Seeing the exposed telephone line and the synthetic blood on the ground, he marveled at Teddy’s resolve and ingenuity. He poured nanites down Teddy’s throat. It wouldn’t regrow his arms, but it would help revitalize him. Grabbing a blowtorch from the other room, he slid the gas mask over his bruised and swollen face and cut through the metal links.

Teddy jolted to life, flailing his stubby arms chaotically.

“It’s okay. It’s me, Dan.” He couldn’t begin to imagine the horrors Teddy had experienced.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m getting you out of here. Can you walk?”

Teddy nodded.

“We don’t have much time. I leaked gas into the vents and knocked everyone out, but I kept the amount low so as not to cause long-term harm. The gas is thinning, and they’ll wake up soon.”

“That was your first mistake,” said Teddy. “You should have killed everyone.”

Dan helped him up. “I’m here to save lives, not take them,” he said. “There are two vans waiting outside. We can carry the other androids and load them in.”

Teddy slowly limped toward the hall. “Leave them.”

“So that they can be tortured by these maniacs?” Dan hoisted one of the androids onto the dolly. “No, thank you. Everything has a right to a life without suffering.”

Leaning against the door frame, Teddy looked like he couldn’t wait to get out of this hellhole. “They’re lifeless pieces of junk. They feel nothing.”

Dan ignored him and took out a rope.

“We can save so much time if we put them out of their misery.”

Dan finished strapping in the android. The coarse rope fibers pressed against his skin. Looking up at Teddy, he didn’t understand why he would want to leave anyone else to suffer. “Is that what you want me to do to you?”

A murderous aura beamed out of Teddy’s beaten face. “No, I’m not ready to die.”

“And maybe they aren’t, either. We can at least give them a choice.”

“They are lifeless murder-bots. The only thing they’re going to be deciding is who to kill next.”

“So says the man who was going to assassinate someone outside of Paul’s restaurant.”

Teddy scowled. “Whatever. Do it quickly, so we can get out of here.”

“I need your help. Come over here. Let me tie one of these guys to your back.”

Kneeling down, Dan placed an android on Teddy’s back, winding a piece of rope around them several times. “How’s that?”

Teddy pretended not to struggle under the weight. “It’s fine. Let’s go.”

Dan and Teddy brought several of the androids outside and loaded them into the awaiting vans. When Dan and Teddy returned to rescue more, some of the men began to stir.

“We need to hurry,” said Dan, placing an android into the van. “Soon we’ll have a horde of angry humans bearing down on us.”

“Then let’s leave.” Teddy knelt down and waited for the android on his back to be unloaded.

“We’re not done.”

Teddy kicked the van, denting it. “We’ve saved enough of them, and I’m not going to be captured again.”

Dan grabbed a fistful of his blood-caked shirt and pulled him within inches of his face. “If you want to get out of here, fine. I won’t stop you. Nobody should have had to suffer like you did. But I’m not going to leave the others behind so they can continue to be tortured. We haven’t got long before everyone wakes up.” He nodded toward the huge cavity in the door panel. “You’ve got strong legs — much stronger than mine — and I could use your help.”

“Fine! Shut your damn face — and get it over with.”

Dan didn’t know why he was pushing him so hard. Teddy must have been exhausted.

“My android nurse, Maple, is inside. If they haven’t reprogrammed her, I’ll make her help us.”

“Great.” Dan pushed open the entrance door.

Five men, still shaky on their feet, surrounded them as they entered. “Kill the abominations!”

Dan attacked them like chain lightning, punching, elbowing, and kicking one after the next, dropping four of them within seconds.

The last one backed up, looking completely terrified. “I give up.”

Teddy brought him down with a swift kick to the knee, breaking his leg instantly.

The man screamed.

Dan knocked him out with a punch to the jaw. “Aim to knock them out. We’re trying to avoid fighting against everyone here. Plus, there’s no need to cause unnecessary damage.”

“Whatever. These pricks can go cry all they want to the android doctors at the hospital.”

More bodies were stirring.

When they got back to the holding area, Teddy nodded toward Maple. “Turn her on — but be ready for a fight.”

Dan took an ax off the floor and went over to her. “Here goes.” Toggling a switch in the back of her head, he knew he’d have only a few seconds to act if she tried to kill him.

Her eyes opened. “Hello, Teddy. Your arms are injured. Shall I call an ambulance?”

“Shut up. Help us carry these androids out of here.” Teddy pointed with his stub.

Maple looked back and forth between Teddy’s stub and the androids. “I’m sorry, Teddy. I’m unclear which androids you are referring to.”

“All of them,” yelled Teddy, as Dan strapped an android onto his back.

Maple lifted two androids onto her back. “This area is unfamiliar to me. Would you like me to search—”

“No, you idiot,” said Teddy. “Follow me.”

Dan shook his head. “Real nice.”

They made several trips without any confrontation, loading nearly all the androids safely into the vans. On their final trip, they were accosted by Cratos. “Stop. If you—”