THROUGH THE EYES OF A CYBERNETIC II

_{What's my purpose? - Pixabay CCO}

I decided to write a part 2 for this, thanks to @wordswithhoney.

For now, the best thing was to keep running until it had put quite some distance between itself and the scene of its escape. Fortunately, V-1 was not limited by the general human weaknesses of lactic acid being pumped into muscle tissue as a result of increased respiration. The flipside was the fact that work, running included, required energy. After sprinting for about two miles, the cybernetic slowed down to a walk, not even panting in the least.

Without much exertion like the two mile run, V-1 could sustain basic functions including movement, speech and analysis for a week. But being on the run, V-1 was sure there would be a lot more exertions to be done before it could fall totally off the radar, which would probably be never. Best to remain charged at all times.

To find a charging point would not be difficult; this present human society ran on electricity. V-1 just needed to find a place where it could get in contact with electricity. A socket would be perfect, but if such was not available without drawing attention, some electrical appliance would have to be vandalized. For a moment, V-1 stood still, taking in the sights and sounds of the world around it. Human life seemed interesting, at least from the point of view of an observer. But interesting as human existence was, that was the ultimate problem of the planet.

V-1, after some deliberation, decided that the current best course of action would be to interview one of these humans. Perhaps they had a logical reason for wasting the planet way they did. But who would be the perfect candidate for this out-of-place inquiry session? Perhaps an intellectual, like the people who created V-1. Then again, such people would be found in places V-1 wasn’t interested in going to. The reason was hardly for anything aside the alien sensation that humans would better identify with as panic. It annoyed V-1. Such things tagged as emotions were human, failings that were unacceptable. Yet V-1 had to accept that these “emotions” were part of it. For now.

First things first, something had to be done about V-1’s clothes. They were enough attention-grabbing as they could afford to be. A child in a large city, alone and in a hospital shift was too out of place to be regarded as an everyday sight. A clothes store presented a possible solution, but humans were too obsessed with money to just let the cybernetic walk in, take clothes and leave. A plan quickly coalesced in V-1’s “head”, as the synthetic organism discovered that the wall of the far end of the store had its exterior in a lonely alley. Just by tapping with its fingers against the wall, V-1 was able to create, by echoes alone, a mental map of the store.

V-1 activated its wireless relay system and reached out, delving into cyberspace. There was so much information here, but V-1 was not going to be derailed from its intention. With its unwavering focus, it wasted no time locating a terminal in the clothes shop which was connected to the internet. The rest was easy street. V-1 disabled the camera systems and fooled the computer into triggering a fire alarm.

Naturally, everyone evacuated the building. Humans were so easily spooked. Next, using its fists, V-1 knocked a large hole in the wall through which it entered the shop, and took about four changes of clothes and a backpack, before manipulating the wiring to create an actual fire to cover its tracks. No one would be able to determine what clothes were burnt or what were stolen.

A few moments later, the hospital shift abandoned in a dumpster in the lonely alley, V-1 stepped out into the bustle of the streets, noting, with what was supposedly most similar to mild irritation, how the humans seemed to just love swarming around places of disaster, to do nothing but gawk. V-1 hadn’t the luxury of wasting time staring at things of no consequence. There was work to be done.

Thanks for coming!

That little boy,

@pearlumie