The Hero
Squalls
of water fell upon the rain stricken window as the small red car slid helpless
toward an out of control creek bed. The metal barrier emplaced to halt such
incidents barely slowed the turbulent vehicle, only causing it to flip side
over side and disappear into the torrential flood that was overtaking the once
small creek. Yet, even though the car had stopped its chaotic journey, the
young, blonde woman inside was still in great danger.
She
flicked and poked every button she could think of to try and help her escape
this stormy nightmare but nothing would alleviate the stress or muddy water. It
was spewing in from every crevice of the car, through the door seams, the
trunk, and even the venting. She had to think fast if she wanted to salvage at
least her life. Before she could manage another move though, the car jolted
hard and slammed her head into the steering wheel. She slowly lost
consciousness, even though she was screaming and fighting from inside her own
head. Then, all went black. No more cold water, no more panic, and no more
pain.
The
blonde, petite woman exploded awake as the cold and reality shocked her back to
life. She was blinded by rain, and a very bright light. An unnaturally familiar
voice startled her as her eyes tried to adjust. A firm, strong hand gripped her
arm and lifted her up as if she weighed nothing, even in her drenched clothes.
Emergency lights and sirens distracted her as her rescuer carried her to the
ambulance. As she slid onto the stretcher, she strained all her being to catch a glimpse of just who
had saved her from that watery grave.
He
stood before her, the blue and red emergency lights bouncing around his
perfectly built body. She recognized him now, knowing now why she thought the
voice familiar. He was a H.E.R.O., a Human Emergency Response Operative robot.
Built to be quick, strong, and more efficient than any normal human could ever
be. He had proved his name this evening, saving another innocent from an
untimely and excruciating death. Tonight, he was her hero.
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"Great
job tonight, H!" a man in a police uniform exclaimed to the robotic hero
as he passed by. But, H did not feel like a hero. H felt more like a tool. He
quickly engaged his built in thrusters and took off into the stormy sky,
knowing all in that area were no longer in need of his services. His services,
a demeaning word to explain his purpose and existence. H was built to save people
from disasters, death, and despair but that was a luxury now. Now, thanks to
all of the other H.E.R.O. bots, the world was rarely in peril. No more war, no
more fighting, which in turn meant no more H.
He
landed on the edge of a building with a light thud, adjusting his leg and feet
sensors to balance him on the narrow ledge. H stared out at the city, scanning
it for anything exciting and amazing. He found nothing more than a cat stuck in
a tree and an old lady who had spilt her groceries while slipping in a puddle.
H simulated what it would be like if those elements were magnified, events more
suiting of his abilities, of his services. The cat in the tree would be an
escaped lion from the zoo that was on a rampage, maiming and killing abroad
with no stop in sight. H would fly down and do battle with the no free
imprisoned beast, perhaps even taking battle damage himself in the mayhem. In
the end, only one of them would walk away with all their circuits intact. As
for the puddle, it could be a sinkhole out of control! Swallowing everything in
sight! H would have to devise an elaborate plan to rescue all the people in its
path all the while trying to ascertain how to slow the expansive crag. He would
have to fly down into the planet and blast underground pathways that would fill
the hole with lava, where upon he would find a water tower and dump it on the
magma pool, creating new earth and saving everyone in turn!
A man
screamed out as H broke the man's gun wielding arm during his mesmerizing day
dream. H quickly scanned the man and his damaged limb then punched a hole in
the face of the building, pulling a piece of rebar from it. H then tore the
man's shirt and made a temporary splint for the arm. H then grabbed the
deranged man and leaned in close to his face.
"REMEMBER, CITIZEN. IT IS BETTER TO BE DAMAGED THAN TO BE DEAD.
NEXT TIME YOU THREATEN TO SHOOT YOURSELF ON A LEDGE, I MAY NOT ARRIVE IN TIME
TO STOP YOU."
H took
the suicidal gun jumper to the street level and secured his apprehension. His
praise was less this time, however. This time, the paramedics stared at H with
questioning glances, whispering about the treatment H had placed upon this man.
H took note but was too preoccupied with his next mission. This crisis, as many
like it before, were merely a job for the lazy creators that gave birth to H.
This H.E.R.O. model was destined for great things, to overshadow all of the
other units built like him. H flew off from the gathered crowd of police and
pedestrians, ignoring their calls for reprogramming and repair. H was off to
find his destiny, as the humans called it, and nothing was going to stop him.
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H
rocketed through the night sky as the storms raged on, hurling bolts of
lightning down up the world. H simulated a bolt of lightning coming into to
contact with munitions factory. That simulation was quickly put on pause as an
incoming video message filled his visor screen. It was a warning that a rogue
H.E.R.O. unit was causing accidents and carnage, and that all Operatives were
to engage and apprehend the malfunctioning bot. H processed the message and was
elated. FINALLY! Finally, H would have his challenge. He would face this rogue
Operative and dismantle it! He would destroy its erroneous adventure, in turn
becoming a true hero!
H
stopped his simulations due to an incoming airplane, one of the computer
piloted versions. Without hesitation, H bolted over to the large craft, landing
on the nose of the aircraft. "WHAT. IS. YOUR. PURPOSE?" the piloting
interface messaging H asked. "I AM HERE TO PROTECT YOU. THERE IS A ROGUE
OPERATIVE. YOU ARE A PRIME TARGET FOR ATTACK SHOULD IT BE IN THE AREA." The plane only responded with silence. H
computed this as a sign of compliance as he walked along the top of the craft.
"UNIT 747 ALERTED US TO YOUR LOCATION, OPERATIVE H-7."
a familiar voice announced on H's visor.
H had
been too occupied with simulations to notice the approaching Operatives as they
landed on automated air bus. "MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!" H exclaimed
excitedly. "HAVE YOU COME TO INTERCEPT THE ROGUE OPERATIVE TOO?" The
other Operatives delayed in their response but then began to approach H
quickly. "YOU ARE THE ROGUE, H-7" the middle one stated as the three
rocket leapt upon H, pinning him to the roof. H was confused. He processed the
variables and deduced the correct answer quite quickly. There was more than one
rogue Operative! Of course! Perhaps some kind of virus or manufacturing error
in the newer units. H's simulation was coming true! He would have his excursion
and become a champion.
H
flattened himself against the surface of the plane and, using the rain as a
natural lubricant, slide his feet up under the middle Operative. With his foot
boosters at maximum, H burned the tainted robot in half, his circuits charging
and exciting as the others fried and deteriorated. With his feet free and the
boosters at maximum, H carried the other two impostors into the tail of the
plane, knocking them loose of his arms. Before H could compute his next move,
one of the corrupt Operatives slammed into him, careening them both on top of
the left wing of the plane.
The
robot was wrapped around H from behind making it hard for H to gain an
advantage on it. His boosters were running low and they were still very high in
the air, he would need them should they come loose of the plane. The rogue bot
was trying to overextend his limb capacities, crippling H if it succeeded. H
chose to preserve himself at all costs, regardless if the plane or people
suffered. If this virus was serious, then they would need him to save them.
H's
arms were being pulled back, so he would have to use his feet first. H reared
back and kicked hard into the top of the wet wing, knocking a small hole into
it. The virus driven villain switched its tactics and began attack H's legs.
With his hands free, H thrust down and tore a piece of steel, crushing it in
both hands so it would resemble a spike. Then, he jabbed backwards. He needed
only do this once since the face visor of the evil robot shattered in the first
stab. Now offline, the unresponsive Operative
slide off the wing, catching in the engine and exploding as its energy
cells burst open.
"IT
APPEARS THESE PEOPLE NEED A H.E.R.O." the last Operative messaged H as he
boosted into view. H was narrowly hanging on the edge of the now destroyed wing
by his left arm, his right arm unit damaged from the explosion, as was his
visor cracked. H tracked the traitor as it flew beneath the plane and began to
correct the unstable aircrafts trajectory. H knew this was a trick. This unit
was merely altering the course so that it would hit a school or an endangered
zoo, or worse! This unit would "save" these people and take the
glory, condemning H and causing him to seem the perpetrator.
H would
rather these people die than be pawns it a rogue Operatives evil scheme. Using
the small amount of boosters he had left, H let go of the wing and checked the
malicious machine from its position. The hit used the last amount of his fuel
but it was enough. He had stuck his fist straight through the visor of the
other unit, shutting it down in an instance. Now, he was freefalling. He was
spinning out of control, with each glimpse being either the ground below or the
doomed plane above. He deduced it was best to use the other Operative as a
cushion, absorbing some of the shock in the process. This would increase his
survival chances to fifteen percent, should he hit ground.
Even
through the damaged visor, H could measure the distance to the earth below. The
intervals were longer because of his out of control rotations but he could
still adjust to it. Impact would be in TEN...EIGHT...SIX...FOUR...TWO....
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