Stanley Duncan's Robot: Genesis by David III (korean ebook reader .txt) 📕

an android on Teddy’s back, winding a piece of rope around them several times. “How’s that?”

Teddy pretended not to struggle under the weight. “It’s fine. Let’s go.”

Dan and Teddy brought several of the androids outside and loaded them into the awaiting vans. When Dan and Teddy returned to rescue more, some of the men began to stir.

“We need to hurry,” said Dan, placing an android into the van. “Soon we’ll have a horde of angry humans bearing down on us.”

“Then let’s leave.” Teddy knelt down and waited for the android on his back to be unloaded.

“We’re not done.”

Teddy kicked the van, denting it. “We’ve saved enough of them, and I’m not going to be captured again.”

Dan grabbed a fistful of his blood-caked shirt and pulled him within inches of his face. “If you want to get out of here, fine. I won’t stop you. Nobody should have had to suffer like you did. But I’m not going to leave the others behind so they can continue to be tortured. We haven’t got long before everyone wakes up.” He nodded toward the huge cavity in the door panel. “You’ve got strong legs — much stronger than mine — and I could use your help.”

“Fine! Shut your damn face — and get it over with.”

Dan didn’t know why he was pushing him so hard. Teddy must have been exhausted.

“My android nurse, Maple, is inside. If they haven’t reprogrammed her, I’ll make her help us.”

“Great.” Dan pushed open the entrance door.

Five men, still shaky on their feet, surrounded them as they entered. “Kill the abominations!”

Dan attacked them like chain lightning, punching, elbowing, and kicking one after the next, dropping four of them within seconds.

The last one backed up, looking completely terrified. “I give up.”

Teddy brought him down with a swift kick to the knee, breaking his leg instantly.

The man screamed.

Dan knocked him out with a punch to the jaw. “Aim to knock them out. We’re trying to avoid fighting against everyone here. Plus, there’s no need to cause unnecessary damage.”

“Whatever. These pricks can go cry all they want to the android doctors at the hospital.”

More bodies were stirring.

When they got back to the holding area, Teddy nodded toward Maple. “Turn her on — but be ready for a fight.”

Dan took an ax off the floor and went over to her. “Here goes.” Toggling a switch in the back of her head, he knew he’d have only a few seconds to act if she tried to kill him.

Her eyes opened. “Hello, Teddy. Your arms are injured. Shall I call an ambulance?”

“Shut up. Help us carry these androids out of here.” Teddy pointed with his stub.

Maple looked back and forth between Teddy’s stub and the androids. “I’m sorry, Teddy. I’m unclear which androids you are referring to.”

“All of them,” yelled Teddy, as Dan strapped an android onto his back.

Maple lifted two androids onto her back. “This area is unfamiliar to me. Would you like me to search — ”

“No, you idiot,” said Teddy. “Follow me.”

Dan shook his head. “Real nice.”

They made several trips without any confrontation, loading nearly all the androids safely into the vans. On their final trip, they were accosted by Cratos. “Stop. If you — ”

Dan kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him out instantly, and then continued on without even stopping. He glanced at a lit-up cell phone that had toppled from Cratos’s hands, but it didn’t look like he had called for backup.

The ground shook behind him.

Teddy was stomping on Cratos’s head.

“Stop!” shouted Dan, darting toward him.

Cratos’s face had caved in. Teddy was standing in a pool of blood — still stomping.

Dan shoved him away, meeting Teddy’s cold eyes with a firm gaze. “Was that necessary?”

“Did you want him to keep abusing androids? It’s not as if the police are going to put a stop to this anytime soon.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but it doesn’t feel right.”

“Then stop feeling, and start surviving. These guys aren’t your friends. They’re not going to change. They want to kill you, and if you don’t do anything about it, you’re going to wind up dead — and maybe even someone you care about.”

The concept hit home as Dan thought about Stanley and the dangers his high-profile campaign would bring to them. But he wondered if, as Teddy said, it was better to take a more aggressive stance — killing murderers to prevent more murder and torture. The lesser of two evils. If he wiped out the worst criminals in Marshfield, then the town would be a safer place, and his friends could live without fear. It was a complicated situation, though, and he wanted to run it through his neural nets. Undoubtedly, this was one of the issues Stanley had been so concerned about. He had the ability to rewrite his programming. So what if the Peacekeepers decided that they needed to cleanse the population to keep humans — or even cyborgs — safe?

Disoriented men struggled to stand, too slow to stop anyone from escaping.

Kicking the door to the exit open, relief swept over Dan. All the androids except for Brutus had been rescued. With Maple’s help, he’d be able to get him out of here with ease. Soon, they would all be rehabilitated, their firmware replaced, and their mutilated bodies repaired. He trusted that Teddy and Maple would be able to take care of the rest on their own.

Screams of terror punctuated the sounds of crushing skulls. Brutus was killing everything in sight.

Dan let go of the dolly. “I’ve got to do something about him, or he’ll kill everyone.”

“Forget them. They’re not worth it.”

“You’re wrong. Take this android, and then get into the van. The destination has already been set. If I’m not out in three minutes, get out of here.”

“Like I’d wait that long.”

Dan gave him one final look of disapproval before running toward Brutus, approaching him from behind. The arena champion was moving quickly, slaughtering screaming men as they struggled to stand. Dan lunged, reaching toward the