Code Lightfall and the Robot King by Daniel H. Wilson Read Free Book Online Page B

us,” said Code.
    Gary froze. Abruptly, his right arm broke in half and a cannon slid out and locked into place. The gun cocked and a warbling hum of electricity began to build.
    â€œWhere?” whispered Gary.
    â€œWhere is what?”
    â€œThe dangerous road?”
    Code smacked Gary on the leg. “Ahead of us in time , Gary! Not in front of us right now!”
    â€œAhead?” asked Gary, scanning the path with his cannon.
    â€œWe’ve got a dangerous road in the future ,” replied Code.
    Gary retracted his cannon and relaxed. “Why’d you say ‘ahead,’ then?”
    Code scratched his head. “It’s just how humans talk. When something is going to happen in the future, we say it’s ‘ahead’ of us. And when something already happened in the past, we say that it’s ‘behind’ us. It’s kind of weird, now that I think about it.”
    Gary reached down and lightly cupped the top of Code’s head. He turned it from side to side, inspecting it carefully. “I’ve got it. Most of your sensory organs are located right here in your head area. Your eyes and ears and that other thing in the middle of your face.”
    â€œMy nose.”
    â€œRight. Your eyes, ears, and nose are all pointing the same direction—forward.”
    â€œSo what?”
    â€œThat must be why you humans think the future is ahead and the past is behind. Because you go through life always following your eyes and ears and noses.”
    Code thought about it. “And robots don’t?”
    Gary’s chest swelled with pride. As he spoke, he began to practice little karate chops in the air, positioning himself defensively in front of the tall grass. “Not really. I’ve got sensors pointed in every direction at once. I can access satellites floating in space. My range finders are pointed front and back. Maybe something’s sneaking up from behind?”
    Gary jumped and spun around, midair. He swung a hefty paw and scissored a clump of grass in half with one serrated forearm. “ Pow! Slaughterized!”
    Code sneezed and brushed several blades of grass off his shoulders. “That’s nice, Gary. You’re a real piece of work, you know?”
    Gary’s red eye visor pulsed with sudden emotion. He stopped walking and looked down at Code. In the setting sun, Gary looked to Code like a hazy building looming overhead. Light-emitting doodlebugs danced around them in the twilight and the metallic grass tinkled gently in the evening breeze.
    â€œThank you, Code,” said Gary. “That means a lot.”

7
Robot Heroes and Criminals
    The Great Disassembly:
T–Minus Four Days
    After walking in the dark for several hours, Code and Gary set up camp beneath a grove of eerily quiet trees. Ever the helper, Gary laser-ignited an emergency flare to create an instant campfire. During the long evening, the two sat leaning against logs with their hands behind their heads. Peep settled down on Code’s knee to clean herself. A few moments of comfortable silence passed.
    Then, with the firelight dancing in his visor, Gary cleared his throat and began to tell a story. He said that it was his favorite story of all time and that it was about the biggest robot hero—and criminal—who had ever lived in the land of Mekhos:
    â€œOnce upon a time, in the dirtiest, darkest factory of the Drudge-Bottom Slums, lived Charlie, a robot worker of the lowest order. Charlie toiled nonstop for shifts that lasted a thousand years. After each shift, the workers were allowed to emerge from the depths of the factory for a one-hour break and a rapid solar recharge. Charlie’s job was to paint yellow happy faces onto pieces of cardboard, clothes, or anything else that happened to pass by on the assembly line.
    â€œBecause Charlie had such a simple job, he was designed to be a simple robot. All Charlie ever thought about—all that he could think