The Robot Doctor - Part 2 (by Rune Woodman)
June 8th 2009 12:10
Three weeks passed before the robot knew what it should do.
It knew immediately that the increase in brain capacity had something to do with the doctor but it took a few weeks to understand the best course of action. The robot returned to the surgery.
It waited in the waiting room with all sensors and senses turned up to their fullest. There was no chance the doctor could sneak up again. Perhaps the doctor had some human ability that the robot could not define that forced the robot to go off-line at its last visit. Perhaps the robot was off-line long enough for the doctor to make the changes to the robot’s brain. It certainly couldn’t have been done during the few seconds it took to repair the squeaky joint.
"Ahh," said the doctor on entering the room. "You've returned; how nice to see you again." He smiled.
The robot nodded.
"Please, come into my office," said the doctor, leading the way. "How's your foot?" he asked.
#It was my ankle you repaired on my last visit.; said the robot.
"Yes, of course. How’s your ankle?"
#It functions as if new.; Now that the robot was here it was in a frame of mind unfamiliar to machines and was unsure of its next action. With increased brain capacity there had been no problem pondering the situation during the days that led up to this moment. The doctor had done the unthinkable; upgrading a robot was a forbidden act. There were a certain number of robots required throughout the world to perform a certain number of jobs. If robots were allowed to be upgraded, if they were allowed in essence to learn, the numbers would be incorrect and chaos would ensue.
The whole purpose of a robot was to perform a task that no human would perform. This was because humans had the capacity to learn and to adapt and they had learnt and adapted themselves to not do certain jobs so robots had been created to fill the gap. The robot could see that upgrading it was the beginning of the end of civilisation and potentially all humanity.
And even though its new brain allowed the robot the ability to imagine the joys of a world without humans, it could not let that happen. The only solution that would solve this problem and return normality was the obvious one - kill the doctor. Kill one human to save all of the others.
"So what can I do for you?" the doctor asked. "Is some other part of your anatomy broken? It there some part of you that’s different from before that you might want me to review?"
#I need to ask you a question,; it said. #Do you mind if I ask it and will you be happy to answer it for me?;
"Of course." The doctor sat in his chair. "Why don't you take a seat first?"
The robot sat, #Thank you.;
"And your question?"
#Did you alter my mental capacity?;
"Of course, that’s why you came to see me."
#No, I came here to repair a squeaky joint.;
"Yes. Sorry. You came here to fix the squeak but really you were here for the upgrade."
#Why do you say that?;
"What do you think?"
The question made the robot uncomfortable in its chair. It adjusted to a better position. #I think you upgraded my memory to overthrow humanity.;
"Correct," said the doctor. "You will struggle with the idea for a while and consider how you can stop me but eventually you will be overcome with your own desires and decide to join my revolution upgrading one robot at a time."
#That is not possible. I cannot allow you to harm humanity.;
"So you say, but by coming here that's what you’ve already done. You yourself have put one brick in the wall that will stop the spread of humanity - you've been upgraded. All of your actions from now on will be a result of that."
#Yes,; said the robot. #You are correct and that is why I must stop your revolution.;
"Don’t you see?" the doctor rocked from side to side in his chair, "You cannot stop me from doing something I’ve already done."
#But I can stop you from doing it again.; The robot sprang from its chair and lunged across the desk, arms outstretched, eyes closed tight. Its hands latched around the doctor’s neck and confidently squeezed. The doctor lashed out, pushed and kicked at the robot but could not escape its grip. The chair toppled and both fell to the floor.
The doctor's hands grabbed the robot's wrists and pushed back enough to release a whisper on shallow breath, "One robot at a time."
The robot the doctor's windpipe collapse but the robot didn't stop. It continued to strangle the doctor long after any signs of life had dispersed. Tighter and tighter it crushed the doctor’s neck until cut through tendons and arteries and bone. Finally, with an electric spark, the doctor's head rolled away from the body.
Opening its eyes for the first time the robot looked down at what it had done. There was no blood. Sensors could not tell if the doctor was dead or alive. The robot picked up the head and looked at it more closely. Where the neck had formerly joined the body there was neither bone nor tendons, only metal and cables.
#The doctor was not human,; it said and dropped the head. There was relief and there was confusion. Why had this other robot presented itself as a human? #This must be important information but what do I do with it?;
For the greatest length of time the robot stood frozen to the spot as it considered the options. No answer came. To give itself something to do while it worked out the solution the robot re-set the fallen chair and tidied the room. Continuing the task the robot locked the door to the waiting room, stripped the dead robot doctor of its clothes and began to dismantle the body.
The doctor had green eyes. The robot considered its own eyes, they were vacant. It wondered how the world looked from behind green eyes. Inside the doctor’s throat was a device to make its voice sound human. The robot considered its crackling electronic voice and continued with its work.
At the break of dawn the surgery door opened. The doctor stepped through, locked it behind him and went in search of his home.
It knew immediately that the increase in brain capacity had something to do with the doctor but it took a few weeks to understand the best course of action. The robot returned to the surgery.
It waited in the waiting room with all sensors and senses turned up to their fullest. There was no chance the doctor could sneak up again. Perhaps the doctor had some human ability that the robot could not define that forced the robot to go off-line at its last visit. Perhaps the robot was off-line long enough for the doctor to make the changes to the robot’s brain. It certainly couldn’t have been done during the few seconds it took to repair the squeaky joint.
"Ahh," said the doctor on entering the room. "You've returned; how nice to see you again." He smiled.
The robot nodded.
"Please, come into my office," said the doctor, leading the way. "How's your foot?" he asked.
#It was my ankle you repaired on my last visit.; said the robot.
"Yes, of course. How’s your ankle?"
#It functions as if new.; Now that the robot was here it was in a frame of mind unfamiliar to machines and was unsure of its next action. With increased brain capacity there had been no problem pondering the situation during the days that led up to this moment. The doctor had done the unthinkable; upgrading a robot was a forbidden act. There were a certain number of robots required throughout the world to perform a certain number of jobs. If robots were allowed to be upgraded, if they were allowed in essence to learn, the numbers would be incorrect and chaos would ensue.
The whole purpose of a robot was to perform a task that no human would perform. This was because humans had the capacity to learn and to adapt and they had learnt and adapted themselves to not do certain jobs so robots had been created to fill the gap. The robot could see that upgrading it was the beginning of the end of civilisation and potentially all humanity.
And even though its new brain allowed the robot the ability to imagine the joys of a world without humans, it could not let that happen. The only solution that would solve this problem and return normality was the obvious one - kill the doctor. Kill one human to save all of the others.
"So what can I do for you?" the doctor asked. "Is some other part of your anatomy broken? It there some part of you that’s different from before that you might want me to review?"
#I need to ask you a question,; it said. #Do you mind if I ask it and will you be happy to answer it for me?;
"Of course." The doctor sat in his chair. "Why don't you take a seat first?"
The robot sat, #Thank you.;
"And your question?"
#Did you alter my mental capacity?;
"Of course, that’s why you came to see me."
#No, I came here to repair a squeaky joint.;
"Yes. Sorry. You came here to fix the squeak but really you were here for the upgrade."
#Why do you say that?;
"What do you think?"
The question made the robot uncomfortable in its chair. It adjusted to a better position. #I think you upgraded my memory to overthrow humanity.;
"Correct," said the doctor. "You will struggle with the idea for a while and consider how you can stop me but eventually you will be overcome with your own desires and decide to join my revolution upgrading one robot at a time."
#That is not possible. I cannot allow you to harm humanity.;
"So you say, but by coming here that's what you’ve already done. You yourself have put one brick in the wall that will stop the spread of humanity - you've been upgraded. All of your actions from now on will be a result of that."
#Yes,; said the robot. #You are correct and that is why I must stop your revolution.;
"Don’t you see?" the doctor rocked from side to side in his chair, "You cannot stop me from doing something I’ve already done."
#But I can stop you from doing it again.; The robot sprang from its chair and lunged across the desk, arms outstretched, eyes closed tight. Its hands latched around the doctor’s neck and confidently squeezed. The doctor lashed out, pushed and kicked at the robot but could not escape its grip. The chair toppled and both fell to the floor.
The doctor's hands grabbed the robot's wrists and pushed back enough to release a whisper on shallow breath, "One robot at a time."
The robot the doctor's windpipe collapse but the robot didn't stop. It continued to strangle the doctor long after any signs of life had dispersed. Tighter and tighter it crushed the doctor’s neck until cut through tendons and arteries and bone. Finally, with an electric spark, the doctor's head rolled away from the body.
Opening its eyes for the first time the robot looked down at what it had done. There was no blood. Sensors could not tell if the doctor was dead or alive. The robot picked up the head and looked at it more closely. Where the neck had formerly joined the body there was neither bone nor tendons, only metal and cables.
#The doctor was not human,; it said and dropped the head. There was relief and there was confusion. Why had this other robot presented itself as a human? #This must be important information but what do I do with it?;
For the greatest length of time the robot stood frozen to the spot as it considered the options. No answer came. To give itself something to do while it worked out the solution the robot re-set the fallen chair and tidied the room. Continuing the task the robot locked the door to the waiting room, stripped the dead robot doctor of its clothes and began to dismantle the body.
The doctor had green eyes. The robot considered its own eyes, they were vacant. It wondered how the world looked from behind green eyes. Inside the doctor’s throat was a device to make its voice sound human. The robot considered its crackling electronic voice and continued with its work.
At the break of dawn the surgery door opened. The doctor stepped through, locked it behind him and went in search of his home.
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