Chapter Six: Falling into the 21st Century
561 Words
“Alright,” Fang Qing muttered, giving up on her outfit. She’d just wear it as it was and buy a new one later. A woman still needed to look good, after all. She couldn’t go without decent clothes. “Let’s go,” she said, hugging Awu tightly and walking away. Someone would clean up the wreckage soon. Though she hated to call her spaceship junk, that’s exactly what it had become. It was beyond repair—fixing it would cost as much as buying a new one. She had no choice but to abandon it.
But as a warm sensation touched her face, she looked up. There, in the sky, was a bright, yellow, blinding object. “That’s strange. What is that?” She shielded her eyes with her hand. She felt warmth on her face, even though her clothes kept her body at a constant temperature.
Awu looked up too. “That’s the sun.”
“The sun?” Fang Qing frowned. “But our sun doesn’t look like that. Could this be some new scientific experiment?” She pointed at the so-called sun. Their sun was always shrouded in haze, giving off no real light. People relied on artificial suns to create the illusion of seasons. Day and night cycles were a rarity, since most people worked at night.
Awu stared at the sun, its main processor whirring rapidly. Strange symbols flashed in its eyes before disappearing.
“No. This is a real sun,” it finally said.
“That’s impossible.” Fang Qing waved her hand dismissively. “That’s just not possible.”
“I’m a robot,” Awu reminded her bluntly. “Unlike you humans, I don’t lie, deceive, exaggerate, or succumb to anger and greed. Those are all negative emotions. Remember, I’m a robot. Robots don’t experience negative emotions.”
Fang Qing twisted Awu’s ear. “So, no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness for you. No heart, either.” As she spoke, she realized how foolish she sounded, discussing feelings and emotions with a robot. It was like talking to a wall.
No matter how advanced their programming was, robots were still robots.
She looked up again, staring blankly at the vast expanse of blue sky and white clouds. She’d only ever seen skies like this in photographs. They said that, before the 21st century, Earth had blue skies and white clouds. But after centuries of environmental disasters, such sights had vanished.
“I need to take some photos!” she exclaimed. “Awu, take some pictures for me!” She tossed Awu aside and struck a series of dramatic poses.
Awu shook itself, preparing to take the photos. But just as it was about to, its main processor began running at high speed again.
“Something’s wrong. Very wrong.”
“What’s wrong?” Fang Qing asked, holding her pose for far too long. Still no click. Her expression twisted into a pout. “You’re wasting my poses and my emotions!” She crouched down, grabbing Awu’s ear. “Awu, are you malfunctioning? Is your program glitching?”
Awu’s internal systems continued to whirl and process data frantically.
Fang Qing pouted, despair creeping in. This was it. She was doomed. Her spaceship was destroyed, her clothes had expired, and now Awu was malfunctioning.
That’s when she remembered—Awu was a discounted robot.
- Writer
