Robots.
Machines gifted with intelligence and the abnility to move via control or on their own. While still budding in our world, in the one this world takes place in, they were and are very real. And so real, that they've rendered most jobs obsolete. In some cases, this is good, no more deaths in dangerous environments were always a good thing.
However, one young man wasn't going to just sit around and let machines do all the work. Humans still had plenty of integrity and determination in them to get things done themselves.
The man had dark almost black hair and a skinny build. He had a camera around his neck and was dressed in a black jacket, blue and white undershirt, blue jeans, and black boots.
"Alright, the Carvers should be around here somewhere...I know for a fact their deals happen around this area.
Red, as he went by, was a snitch for both sides of the law. Growing up poor, Red had learned that while money couldn't buy everything, it certainly helped. His parents had been good people, always providing for him and caring for him, even after they'd lost their jobs to machines.
Having spent a big part of his childhood helping them make boxes for companies too poor toi to afford bots, Red had taken bribes from some employers to delay other deliveraries so that he and his parents could eat and plan. Eventually, they'd saved just enough for Red to attend Police Academy.
Shame he'd washed out, due to learning that the law, justice and rights don't always line up. But as it turned out, a good stool pigeon/snitch is hard to find, so when demand came…?
He'd rather solely call the police, but sadly crime does pay and said pay is very well. So, if no one was placed in danger or hurt where they couldn't afford to, he'd tip of robbers, thieves and gangs.
He was currently investigating the Carver Gang, a group of notorious criminals wanted for a list of crimes as long as Red's arm.
As luck would have it, a deal seemed to be going on between the leader of the Carvers and one of his backers. The Carvers were composed of both humans and robots while the backer was a type of pimp with a female robot lovingly standing beside him.
"So, you got the goods, mate?" The Carver Gang Leader asked.
"You know it." The pimp smirked as he gently patted his assistant, who nodded and brought out a briefcase, opening it up to show $100,000,000 in cold, hard cash.
"Did you whack that asshat who was causing my gal problems?" The pimp asked, not giving the money unless he had what he wanted as well.
"Don't worry, that goody-two-shoes cop ain't gonna be tailing you no more." The leader smirked as he snapped his fingers, his own robot partner tossing the decapitated head of a police officer, his face frozen in one of agony. "And trust me, we made the pig squeal."
Red frowned at the gruesome sight. He may have played both sides of the law, but never to the point of anybody getting hurt. Taking out his phone, he prepared to snap a picture. Guess it was time to help the police this time...
Only for a metal hand to grab his shoulder and lift him up. Turning around, he saw a robot with a broad-shouldered build, a bald head with horns, a visor for eyes, and three slit vents for a mouth. Before he knew it, he was thrown to the ground in front of the Carver leader and the pimp.
"Found a rat scurrying around, Boss." The robot said to the Carver leader.
"I think I recognize this little turd." The gang leader smirked, stomping his foot hard on Red's chest, making him cough. "You've been causing a lot of trouble for my boys, you know that? Some of my best places went up in smoke because you squealed to the cops."
"You're selling drugs to kids. I just made sure you ran out of business." Red snapped defiantly.
"Hey, it's not our fault kids these days are too gullible!" The gang leader scoffed. "Now, if we were getting into child trafficking, THEN I would be drawing the line. Criminals gotta have standards, y'know?"
"You think that makes you innocent?" Red said. "You're making a lot of families suffer regardless of what practices you make."
"Look at the rat trying to preach, boys!" The leader cackled, his gang all joining in. "Look at you, just a little nobody scurrying the line between right and wrong. We know you play both sides of the law as long as the pay is right for ya."
"I don't have much of a choice. I do everything for my family!" Red glared. "We were pretty well off until your damn robots took over everything."
"Hey, don't go dissing Z's people!" The gang leader said, patting the horned robot on the back. "He's my best friend in the whole world. Need a bank robbed, guys busted out of jail, he's always there for me."
Z nodded. "I don't take kindly to a scrawny meatbag insulting my people. We robots do everything for you humans and yet you still treat us like second-rate servants."
"You'd have my sympathy if you weren't disobeying Asmiov's 3 rules." Red smirked. Z smacked him for that comment; it was frowned upon to bring up 'I, Robot' around robots.
"Why the hell are you smiling?"
Red smirked.
"You think I haven't called the folks in blue already?"
Some in the crowd began to panic, the pimp and his robot girlfriend disappearing in the chaos before
"BANG!"
The gang leader had fired a round into the air to calm everyone down as he glared at Red.
"Oh...you made a BIG mistake, you little shit." The gang leader snarled. "Z, if you please."
"With PLEASURE." Z growled before stomping on Red's shoulder and then turning his arm into a shotgun, which he then used to blow off Red's entire arm.
The shock was so much that Red didn't even register the pain. Z then picked up the boy and threw him into the car before the Carver Gang took out various guns and aimed at him.
"You won't be squealing to any more pigs now, rat!" The leader smirked. "Any last words?"
"Buddy..." Red breathed out, even as blood gushed from his arm stump. "I think you're SLIME!"
"Defiant to the end, I can respect that...TOAST HIM, BOYS!"
With that, the bullet fire began. This time, Red couldn't keep himself from screaming as white-hot lead and buckshot tore through his entire body. All the while, the Carver Gang laughed at his suffering. Soon, their guns ran out of ammo and they put them down.
"Hey, I think he's still alive!" One of the human members of the gang noted.
True enough, Red was still standing but writhing in agony, his entire body looking like it was put through a shredder. The gang leader shook his head and patted Z on the back.
"Want to take the last shot, buddy? He dissed your people, remember?"
"Of course." Z said, taking out a shotgun and aiming it at Red's head. "Good night, sweet prince."
Before he could pull the trigger, a bullet tore through Z's head, oil splattering everywhere as his body went limp. The gang leader gasped in horror at his friend's demise before running over to him.
"Z! NO! COME ON, MAN!"
Another gunshot rang out and this time, the gang leader joined his robot companion in death, half of his head blown off. The rest of the gang turned to see the police arriving, guns blazing. Since they had wasted their ammo in their sadistic torture of Red, they were unable to fight back.
When everything was done, the gang was all wiped out. As the police were investigating the scene for any evidence of their deal, one young officer was looking for whoever gave them the anonymous call.
"Guys, look!" The rookie called out when he saw a large splatter of blood as well as the remains of an arm on the ground.
"Dear god..." The captain muttered. "I pray for the poor soul who got on their bad side."
A robot member of the team picked up the phone and saw the message, confirming it was the anonymous source they got the location of the Carver Gang from.
"Poor guy...he risked his life so that we could put the screws to these scumbags."
The police all made a silent prayer to the brave soul and then went to bring the bodies to the morgue. What none of them realized was that Red had stumbled away, despite the intense pain he was in, and had washed up in the river, his body floating along...
EMMY
Ted Delaire and his wife Angela were driving home from the hospital together. They had just given birth to a wonderful baby girl named Madeline and were in good spirits all around.
"Nine months and eight hours…but it was worth it." Angela cooed as she kissed her baby's nose.
"Our little Maddy." Ted smiled, admiring his wife and daughter for a moment. "She's going to be amazing, I just know it."
"Well, she IS a Delaire, after all."
Madeline stirred for a second, wiggling in her mother's arms. Angela kissed the baby and she calmed down, just before all of a sudden, the mother's eyes widened in shock, and turned urgently to her husband.
"Ted, stop the car!"
Ted did as his wife asked and looked confused, only to see what he saw and quickly parked the car, getting out, and making his way to the river.
In the river was the body of a young man, probably no older than a high school senior. His body was mutilated as if he had just been shot several times with every manner of gun in existence. One of his arms was missing and what shocked Ted the most was that he was still breathing, albeit barely.
"Dear god, he's still alive!"
Angela quickly took out her phone and dialed an ambulance as Ted brought the boy's body to shore, absolutely shocked that he was still alive. From the looks of it, he was put through an honest-to-god meat grinder.
Soon, the ambulance came and loaded the boy's body into it. Angela stayed with Madeline, making sure her baby didn't see the gruesome sight as Ted talked with the paramedics.
"We've managed to ID him; Redmond 'Red' Tenpenny. He comes from a below-average family and has a record of making contact to both the police and certain criminals if it pays well. From the look of things, a deal must have gone wrong."
"Will he survive?" Ted asked.
The paramedic shook her head. "Honestly, it's a miracle he lasted this long. I don't know how much time he still has. Hours, at best."
Ted frowned before an idea came into his head. He was a marketing executive for Sterling Robotics, one of the lead robot manufacturing companies that dealt in high-quality robotics as well as household appliances and electronics. However, he had been hearing from the higher-ups that they had a project planned, something they believed could help bridge the gap between humans and robots.
"I work for Sterling Robotics as a marketing executive. They're working on this project that I think can save his life." Ted said.
"If anything can be done to save this boy, we'll take it." The paramedic nodded.
EMMY
"W-Where am I...W-What is this place?"
All Red could see was a white ceiling with bright lights. A kindly looking African-American man in a labcoat looked worriedly over him before a female doctor who appeared to be some kind of surgeon stepped in.
"Geez, this kid went through Hell. It has to be a miracle that he's still alive!"
"You want to keep him that way? Prep him for surgery!"
"Bring in the core! That'll stabilize him for the procedure."
"W-What's going on?! W-Why can't I feel my body?! Why can't I move?! MOM?! DAD?! ANYBODY?! HELP!"
"His heart rate is skyrocketing! Put him under!"
"Someone! PLEASE! HELP! Help..."
Red couldn't do anything as he felt himself being put to sleep...
EMMY
"How is he, Doctor?"
"He's stable, Mrs. Delaire. That's the important thing. But of course, we've found him to be the perfect candidate for the procedure." The doctor explained to Angela as she and Ted had come to check up on the young man they had rescued from the jaws of death.
"He'll still be okay, right?" Ted asked.
The doctor nodded. "Trust me, Ted, the procedure will make him BETTER than okay. Sterling Robotics already has done great work with its Nandroid line as well as the Android Ethics Code. Besides, considering we've ID' him as someone who has connections to the police, even if he did play both sides of the law to survive, we'll make sure he's the first in line of a special unity of humans and robots."
"But...will he still be himself?" Angela asked.
"Don't worry, he'll still have plenty of things that make him human." The doctor said. "But with the technology we've made and applied to him for this procedure, he will become something truly extraordinary as well. Like something out of a comic book, I dare say!"
"Just as long as he isn't used as some weapon." Ted said. "Trust me, I've seen RoboCop."
The doctor laughed good-naturedly. "So have I, Ted, so have I."
EMMY
"Hey, he's coming to!"
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!"
Red returned to the waking world to see the white ceiling and bright lights again, this time to see the doctor and nurse from before smiling warmly at him. An older doctor stepped in, clearing his throat.
"Mr. Tenpenny, was it? We're glad to say that you're on the way to making a full recovery. However, considering the nature of your body when it was found, we had to perform...intensive surgery."
The African-American doctor cleared his throat. "Don't worry, you're gonna be okay, pal. My name is Dr. Webb."
"Why does my body feel heavy...where...what's happening to me?"
"Just take it easy, son. You're going to be just fine." The old doctor said. "My name is Dr. Bennet and right now, you're under the care of Sterling Robotics."
"Oh great, Sterling Robotics and all their fancy high-tech robots..." Red grumbled in his head.
"We want you to take this one step at a time. First off, congratulations, you are the first person to be appointed to the Cyber Body Initiative. And dare we say, the procedure to save your life was a complete success."
"C-Cyber Body Initiative?"
"When you come to, you'll be even better than normal. Dr. Bennet said. "But for right now, you need rest. You're still recovering from the procedure."
"Procedure? What procedure?"
"Take it easy, kid." Dr. Webb said, patting Red's shoulder, which made a strange sound like he was touching metal. "I promise things will be okay."
"D-Did they get me prosthetics or something? Shouldn't they do that after I'm out of the hospital? Ugh...so tired..."
With that, Red drifted back off to sleep...
EMMY
Ted and Angela were waiting anxiously in the hospital. It had been almost a year since they found Red near-death and mutilated in the river and they were looking for any news on his recovery.
"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Delaire, I'm glad to say that the procedure was a complete success!" The doctor said.
"Oh, thank god..." Angela sighed. "How is he?"
"He'll be fine, for the most part." The doctor explained. "We've tried contacting his immediate family but...sadly, they died a short time ago."
Angela covered her mouth while Ted shook his head sadly. Even if he was now fully recovered, Red had no home to go back to.
"Thankfully, what with the Cyber Body Initiative and his 100% compatibility with the procedure, I dare say we can help put the lad to work." The doctor said. "How would you two like to have him in your neighborhood as a sort of police officer upholding the peace."
"As long as he has consent to what it entails." Ted said. "He's still human, even with what was done to save his life."
The doctor nodded. "Quite right. He'll be monetarily compensated for his services and I'm sure he could live with you since he has no home to return to."
"It would be nice to have someone watch over Madeline." Angela noted as Ted nodded.
"Just make sure he's okay. What happened to him might...well, it might be a shock to him."
EMMY
Red moaned as he felt consciousness fully return to him. He saw Dr. Webb watching over him as well as Dr. Benett.
"Congratulations, Mr. Tenpenny, you're clear." Dr. Benett said in a calm professional tone.
"What happened to me? I remember being shot...it hurt and now..."
Red tried standing up, only to hear the whirring of high-tech machinery as he stood upright. He felt strange but strong, like he could bench press a monster truck.
"Whoa, easy there, sport!" Dr. Webb said gently. "Take things one step at a time. This might come as a bit of a shock but-"
Red then looked down at his hands to see not flesh...but metal. He remembered losing an arm but he was positive he hadn't lost both of them when he was riddled with lead. Getting up to his feet, the whirring of machinery resumed as he looked at his surroundings, seeing not a regular hospital room but something out of a sci-fi movie where someone is being given high-grade medical treatment with robotics.
"What's going on? Why is my body..."
His words died in his throat when he turned to the mirror and began to shakily approach it. He almost couldn't recognize what he saw.
The reflection looked like him but there was so much different about him; he was wearing a hospital gown but he could see that most of his body was replaced with cybernetics, flowing blue data lines patterned the parts and a pulsing blue core placed around his heart could be seen. He was taller, slightly more muscular, and his eyes seemed to glow with a cybernetic light.
"W-What is this...This seems so real..."
"This IS real, Mr. Tenpenny." Dr. Benett said. "It's not a dream, it's not drugs or anesthetics."
"Most of your body was pretty messed up. What we couldn't save, we had to replace." Dr. Webb explained, being as gentle as possible. "It's the Cyber Body Initiative. Sterling Robotics was working on using their technology to enhance humans, mostly to save those who were in near-fatal accidents, like what happened to you."
"The procedure has proven most successful. You are better than you were before." Dr. Benett said. "Do not worry, you haven't lost anything that makes you human; bones, vital organs, those are still there."
"What have you done to me..." Red muttered, looking at his reflection, desperately trying to wake up. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!"
EMMY
Ted and Angela were waiting in the lobby of the hospital along with Madeline to greet Red after he was cleared. They were hoping against hope that he would be okay with what happened.
"Are you sure he'll be okay?" Angela asked her husband.
"I'm positive. The doctors said he's perfectly stable and healthy."
Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the hospital, followed by a loud crash as Red burst through, Dr. Webb trying to hold him back as he held Dr. Benett by the neck tightly, the older doctor struggling to break free.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"Mr. Tenpenny, please! You have to understand you were going to die if we did not do this!"
"Calm down!" Dr. Webb pleaded.
Many of the people in the hospital fled and ran for cover but Ted and Angela quickly stood up, the latter holding their now-crying daughter close to her chest as Ted approached Red.
"Hey, kid! It's me you want, let them go!"
Red put down Dr. Benett and turned to Ted, Dr. Webb letting go as well. The cyborgized young man approached Ted as he stood his ground, despite his nervousness.
"Listen to me, my name is Ted Delaire. My wife and I found you and brought you here. You were dying but I convinced the people here to save you."
"You made them turn me into this..." Red said, looking at his metallic hands. "I'm...what even am I?!"
He then recalled the last name
"Wait…Delaire?"
"…Y-Yes." Angela said.
Red calmed down ever so slightly. That name was familiar to him…But he couldn't quite place why.
"W-well…Thank you for saving me."
He might not like that he was a mesh of flesh and machine, but it beat being dead at least,
"Un! Unnn!"
Red then looked to see a baby girl reaching for him with a concerned look on her face.
Yes concerned.
Not scared.
Not grossed out.
Concerned.
Ted picked up his daughter, who kept reaching for Red. She then patted his cheeks, as if telling him to cheer up and not to worry.
And for some reason, that was all that the cyborg could take.
The dam broke for Red and he fell to his knees before burying his face in his metal hands, sobbing loudly. Fresh saltwater tears spilled out of his eyes and through his fingers as Ted and Angela held him close, doing their best to make him aware they were there for him.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
Hope you liked this first chapter! This is me and Mrotrax' take on the webcomic 'Emmy the Robot', which we highly recommend you check out!
And don't worry, the titular Nandroid herself will show up very soon! That, we promise!