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

Bright white light burst through Dan’s vision, piercing his body. An ocean of joy flowed from his heart and overtook every inch of his body. Memories poured through him. He remembered the first meal Stanley ever made for him, as well as the smile on his face as he sat across the table and watched him eat it. The first moment he had become conscious of love. “Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!” yelled Dan, tossing the war-hammer straight at Evan’s chest and knocking him to the ground.

Brad fired three shots into Dan’s back, sending him crashing on top of Stanley. Grabbing the war-hammer, he slammed it into Dan’s knee, pulverizing it.

Dan screamed.

“Perfect,” Evan wheezed, the wind knocked out of him; he kept the phone’s camera pointed at the fight. He stumbled over to the canister and poured the rest of it on Dan. Taking out two cigars from the cruiser, he handed one to Brad. “We’ve got all the footage we need. I think that calls for a celebration.”

Brad bit off the end and spat it at Stanley. “America thanks you for your service.”

“Oh, no! Oh, God! Please don’t!” Stanley slammed his hands against the ground. “We did what you wanted, so please just let us go.”

“Go?” asked Evan. “The only place you’re going is hell.” He poured the rest of the gasoline on Dan. “Abominations must be purged from this Earth. If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you.” He lit their cigars and blew a thick puff of smoke into the air. “Now die!”

Stanley couldn’t watch. The mistakes of his past were being repeated. Just as he had failed to protect his student so many years ago, he had failed to protect Dan. When would God forgive him?

Several media drones swarmed in, shaking the cruiser with their thunderous roar. Android reporters surrounded them. They worked in unison, covering all the angles. There were too many cameras for Evan to get away with murder. Breathing a sigh of relief, Stanley had never been so happy to be recorded. Dan was going to be safe.

Three ambulances arrived. Several android paramedics rushed into the Coliseum. One ran over to Dan.

Brad held up his hand. “I order you to stop by decree of the police.”

The android paramedic froze.

Stanley sighed. “How dare you deny him medical help?”

Evan laughed. “There will be no aid to this dangerous terrorist.” He looked into the cameras. “Not on my watch.”

Evan shut the lid on his lighter. “For Christ’s sake.” He lifted Stanley to his feet. “I’ve caught Stanley Duncan, the terrorist responsible for crimes against humanity. We managed to foil his terrorist attack at the high school, but everyone is still in great danger. He’s released a program to turn every abomination into an assassin. Our children aren’t safe. Their tin-can teachers could crush their little throats at any second. Our elderly aren’t safe. Their electronic caretakers could push them down a flight of stairs without any hesitation or remorse. No one is safe unless we do something about it.” Evan, leaning in close to Stanley’s ear, gently said, “Confess, or I will burn you both to the ground.”

More and more people were entering the parking lot. Like a pack of wolves having caught the scent of blood, dozens of men, women, and children were staring at Stanley.

Dan tried to get up but couldn’t. “Don’t do it, Stanley. We’ve come too far.”

Stanley couldn’t take it. He couldn’t be responsible for another being’s death. But if he let them get away with it, countless others would die.

“And the machines have grown out of control. His very own robot has attacked him and would have killed him if brave Sergeant Wilcox hadn’t come to his rescue.” Evan took a puff of the cigar and blew it into Stanley’s face. “What’s it going to be?”

Stanley looked around. He felt like he knew many of these anxious faces in the crowd. Between his poor vision and extreme anxiety, the world was shaking and distorting, and he couldn’t be certain. Whatever he said next was going to affect all their lives. He could either stop a madman from his continued rampage against the world or sacrifice the most precious being in the world — Dan.

The lighter ignited. “Time’s up.”

“Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll confess.”

The crowd gasped.

Evan grinned. “Go on.”

“Everyone here knows me as a horrible man. The stories, the rumors — I’ve read enough of them online to last me a lifetime. I locked myself away because I was scared and too ashamed to face the world. I knew nobody would accept me, so I decided to create a being who would.”

Playing with the lighter, Evan grinned wildly at Dan. That animal was practically foaming at the mouth.

Stanley gulped. He knew he was powerless to stop him. “I worked on Dan’s programming for more than a year, molding him exactly the way I wanted. It was my decision — not his. And everything he has done was directly caused by the code I put into him.”

“No!” squirmed Dan.

Brad ripped off Dan’s shirt and gagged him with it.

“Get on with it!” Evan paced around, looking at the people surrounding them. “Tell them about how you programmed him to murder Officer Michaels, a man who had dedicated his life to protect and serve. How you broke into my private entertainment venue and slaughtered everyone. How you turned your abominations into murder-bots. How you duped everyone into believing you were going to save the world, when all you cared about was getting your rocks off with this freak of nature.”

Stanley paced for a few seconds before looking into the crowd. “Deputy Wilcox is speaking about absolutely horrible crimes. Whoever is guilty of them should absolutely be punished — but please do so painlessly.”

Evan brought his hand to his mouth, obscuring a sinister cackle.

“It is with a heavy heart that I admit my guilt, for I have no other choice. The