Klunk
by Bill Bowler
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Table of Contents, parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
In a future where artificial intelligence has matched that of humans, androids assume many human roles in society. The age-old fear of “replacement” takes hold among the humans, many of whom demand segregation.
Egon, the Rector of a “humans-only” temple, and about two dozen followers are preparing to flee their conflict-ridden society and emigrate to Alphane 3, a planet depicted as an earthlike paradise. They are joined at the last minute by Caspar Klunk, an anti-android paramilitary who has committed a political assassinaton and seeks refuge from the police.
part 2
The police officers were polite. One was human; one was android. They were searching for a Red Blood Brigade militiaman named Klunk. who was a suspect in an android destruction incident. They gave me a description and said he had fled in this direction. I told them — God forgive my white lie — I had not seen anyone but would be sure to report it if I did. That seemed to satisfy them. They took a quick look around the Temple interior from the doorway and then left.
I went back to the library and granted sanctuary to God’s creature. I told Caspar he was welcome to spend the night in our Temple. I would return in the morning. An idea was forming, but I wanted to look at it with a clear head. Caspar slept on a bench in the choir loft that night.
News of Andrew’s destruction and pictures of Caspar’s face were in all the media the next morning. The human lieutenant governor had assumed the governor’s office and was calling for calm. There was surveillance footage of Caspar climbing the stage, zapping Andrew, and fleeing the scene. The governor was damaged beyond repair. The salvageable parts would be recycled but that particular droid was gone.
The authorities were rounding up Red Blood Brigade militiamen and searching for Klunk and Bagrath. A generous reward was offered for information leading to an arrest. Wanton destruction of sentient androids was a serious criminal offense punishable by lengthy imprisonment. There was heavy security at the Eighteenth Street checkpoint.
Returning the next morning, they patted me down, took my fingerprints and a DNA sample, before they allowed me to pass through. When I arrived at the Temple, the other pilgrims were gathered in front on the sidewalk, boarding the bus. I pulled Dearborn and Tanya aside and told them we had an overnight guest in the Temple. Dearborn stayed outside to supervise boarding while Tanya and I went into the Temple.
Caspar met us in the entryway. His uniform was wrinkled, his hair disheveled, eyes bloodshot. He was unshaven and looked as if he had not slept a wink.
Tanya looked closely at him and cried out in joy, “It’s him! The one they’re searching for!”
“This is Caspar Klunk, Tanya, one of God’s children. He has come to us, seeking sanctuary.”
“Welcome, Caspar,” said Tanya warmly. “That took nerve. It was dangerous, what you did, but somebody had to take the first step. Others will follow. You’re among friends now.”
I turned to Caspar. “Your position is extremely tenuous. Security is on high alert. There are roadblocks and a police dragnet. It will not be long before the authorities return to search the Temple more thoroughly.”
The idea that had come to me the night before was becoming more clear in my mind. I gestured through the open door towards the pilgrims boarding the bus at the curb. “We are traveling to a new home on Alphane 3 where we can live free from android oppression and establish a new home for our faith. We’re on our way to the spaceport now. Our ship, the Seeker, is scheduled for take off this afternoon.”
Caspar took a deep breath. “Egon, Tanya, take me with you! Please!”
“Of course we’ll take you!” said Tanya. “Isn’t that right, Egon?”
“I was thinking along the same lines, my son. Our numbers are few and we have a great task before us. Many hands make light work. We could use your help.”
Tanya was beaming. She gave me a big hug and turned to Klunk. “Then it’s settled! Caspar, you’re coming with us. Wait till I tell the others!”
Klunk smiled for the first time since I had met him. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
“Caspar,” I said, “let’s get you out of that uniform. Come inside. I’ll loan you some clothes and a travel bag for a few necessities. Tanya, please let Dearborn know we’ve added one more passenger to our group.”
Caspar changed quickly. My waist has grown some, and my pants were too big for him, but the belt held them up. He folded his Red Blood Brigade uniform and packed it carefully in the bag.
“You’re taking a big chance,” I told him. “We might be stopped. Your bag might be searched.”
“I’ll take that risk, Rector. This uniform means everything to me. It’s what I stand for, what I believe in. I’ll be with you in just a moment.”
“Hurry, please,” I said. My anxiety was growing that the police would soon be here.
Caspar took out his phone and placed a call. “Oscar, it’s me. Yes, I’m fine for now. I’m planning to disappear for a while. I’m going to Alphane 3 with Egon Mobius on the starship Seeker. No time to explain. Good luck to you and the men.”
Caspar broke his phone in half and tossed it into a trash can. “Let’s go.”
* * *
The trip to the spaceport was, thankfully, uneventful. There were a couple of tense moments passing through roadblocks where police officers boarded our bus, but my assurances, forgive me Lord, that we had not seen the suspect seemed to satisfy them. Caspar sat in the back, kept his head down and attracted no attention, sitting among a group of churchgoers in a chartered bus.
The sight of the Seeker standing upright on the launch platform, a sleek, shining needle with graceful fins, filled us with hope. Our Temple endowment was not large, but our treasurer, Dearborn Wappinger, had stretched our funds to the limit and hired the best ship we could afford without bankrupting the congregation. The Seeker, was a small, private interstellar cruiser with room for thirty passengers in shared cabins, and a crew of three including the captain. It wasn’t a luxury liner by any means, but it was more than adequate to our needs.
As we came aboard, Captain Pierson was conferring with his crew, a young man and woman who had their backs to us. I must say, the young woman had a beautiful figure which the tight slacks of her uniform did little to conceal.
“Check it out, Egon,” Caspar whispered to me. “Man oh man, I’d love to get down and dirty with a babe like that. You think she’d go for a working class grunt like me?” Caspar grinned, but saw my expression. “Oh, sorry, Rector. I didn’t mean...”
“Not to worry, Caspar. I’m only human. I have these feelings, too. I have sinned many times in thought, if not in deed. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
“You have to admit, Egon, that is one piece of ass there. I’m gonna make my move when I get a chance.”
Captain Pierson took a call from the tower and the young woman turned towards us. I was taken aback and Caspar’s mouth dropped open. Her complexion was pale. Her facial expression was bland. Her eyes stared without blinking.
“Welcome aboard, gentlemen.” She spoke in a low mezzo soprano voice without intonation.
“A droid!” exclaimed Klunk.
“I’m Andr34, Android model 34. You may call me Andrea if you like.”
Caspar looked her up and down. “Model 34? Well, that’s some sweet chassis they’ve designed.”
“Titanium struts on spring suspension. I’m programmed and equipped to mimic biological functionality.”
“You don’t say,” said Caspar.
“How old are you, my dear?” I asked her.
“I was built eighty-four years ago, but my software and hardware are fully updated.”
“Wow. Eighty-four and not a wrinkle.” Caspar was impressed.
“My last hardware upgrade was this exoderm coating. It’s brand new. The tissue is soft, smooth and porous, and endothermic when oxygen molecules pass through, so it’s warm to the touch. Would you like to feel?”
Andrea held her arm out to Caspar. He ran his fingertips along her forearm and muttered to himself, “Jesus F. Christ. This is unreal.”
The other crew member, the young man, walked over to join us and watched Caspar touch Andrea. He was also an android. I admit I was surprised; well, shocked. I thought I noticed some emotion ripple across his face, some momentary flash in his eyes, but that’s impossible. I must have imagined it. Androids are incapable of emotion. The blank expression returned and Andrea introduced us.
“This is robot model 66, R066y to be exact. Robby.”
“Welcome aboard,” said Robby. “May I conduct you to your cabins?”
“I can’t stand these hi-tech fake humans,” Klunk muttered. “They’re motorized mannequins. They should have been banned a long time ago, when there weren’t so many of them, and disassembled for spare parts.”
“I know what you mean,” said Dearborn, standing behind us, “but we were never able to get the legislation passed on Earth, and we tried. It’s too late now. The pro-android lobby is just too powerful. They’re the big money interests. Android labor is cheap.”
“I don’t mind labor droids,” said Tanya, who had joined us. “I had a bot maid myself. But CEO droids, politician droids? Really?”
“How about filthy rich corrupt oligarch droids?” laughed Dearborn.
“How about robot priests praying to mechanical gods?” said Tanya.
“It’s already happening,” I said sadly.
Andrea turned to Klunk. “Robby is nice, but I have always preferred interacting with humans rather than electronic devices. AI is quite sterile compared to human behavior, which is unpredictable and driven by emotion. It makes humans much more stimulating company.”
Again, I noticed something ripple across Robby’s face, as if he had a tic.
Captain Pierson joined us.
“Hello, Rector. You’re right on time. I see you have already met the crew.”
I took Pierson by the arm and led him aside. “Captain, I wish you had warned us.”
“Warned you?”
“About the crew. You know our faith rests on the sanctity and purity of humankind. If we had known...”
“I’m sorry, Rector Mobius. The android crew lowers our expenses considerably and makes it possible for us to accept your financial offer for the charter. Deacon Wappinger told me—”
“Yes, yes, I see. Well, I suppose that makes a difference. We all must make sacrifices.”
“Why not come aboard, Rector, and stow your gear. The cryopods are initialized. Are you ready for a nice long nap?”
* * *
Copyright © 2021 by Bill Bowler
