Investigator and Robotic Protection Service
In the shadows of the backstage, Marshall walks slowly, his hat pulled low over his forehead, to the emergency exit.
The walls trembled with the roar of jazz from the ballroom. In the back he heard silly giggles of the drunk showgirls, sniffing the raw velvet. Small lamps on the walls cast golden light onto the red wallpaper.
Marshall stopped when the heavy iron doors opened and in the hallway entered Madlene – the symbol od Willington’s high technology and, as they said on level 6 and 5, walking propaganda.
The humanoid robot, with gray skin, dressed in chic, sleeveless, bright pink dress that reached just below her knees, matching gloves, and a low-sitting hat atop her head, appeared unsettlingly human in the dim hallway light. Thousands of Madlenes roamed the streets of Willington, serving as a kind of “citizen safety oversight.” Willington was like a vast labyrinth, and its inhabitants were said to always need a trustworthy figure—loyal to the system, ready to help at any moment, according to the propaganda. In truth, the Madlenes ensured that citizens stayed strictly within their designated levels, constantly scanning their surroundings with a single glowing eye that missed nothing.
“My pleasure, investigator,” greet the robot with her ordinary cheerful tone. “Please, show me your identity card.”
With a perfectly rehearsed motion, Marshall drew an ID from the pocket of his blazer. Madlene, emitting a faint hum from her neck, aligned her lipless, noseless face with the card, and a hologram flickered to life from her single glowing eye, displaying the data extracted from the card she was reading:
Albert Marshall, 34, level 10, employed: Willington Police Department (formerly), raised in: Ernestia Mori Education Institute.
“Everything’s clear! The message is ready to play,” said the machine.
“Go ahead.”
After his words Madlene’s plain face opened like double doors and shows the complex mechanism inside. A short needle emerged from the front, and Marshall placed his thumb against it. The needle pierced his skin and drew a drop of blood for further identity verification, because with all the cybernetic upgrades, it had become possible to mimic both face and voice with uncanny precision—indistinguishable from a real human.
The needle retracted, and from Madlene’s head a hologram of the Osirion logo shimmered into view before him.
“Greetings, Albert Marshall,” came a mechanical voice from the recording. “This is Osirion himself. I have chosen to employ your services because my algorithm has determined that tonight an event will occur—one that will soon destabilize the balance of Willington and lead to a takeover by certain corporations deemed hostile.
There is a planned assassination in this building tonight. The target is your former superior, Inspector Jameson Burrow. He has been informed of the threat, but he requires your protection—because the ones threatening him are his own.” The voice of the artificial intelligence continued: “I know you, Marshall. You’re not the kind to take on this kind of job willingly. I know you don’t crave advancement through Willington’s levels. But I ask you… as the peaceful eye watching over the entire metropolis… You are the only one who can carry this out.
Take this assignment for Willington’s highest tier. Do it for city. Inspector Burrow must not die tonight. If he does, millions of lives will be lost.”
After that words Madlene’s face closed. “The message has just been destroyed. I wish you a pleasant evening!” With that, Madlene turned and walked out through the doors with elegant, fluid steps.
Marshall stood motionless for a moment. He didn’t need to think to know what was right—that had been instilled in him long ago, back when he was just a child in the upbringing facility, the very place where the algorithm had selected him as a suitable candidate for special investigator position of the Willington Police on level 12. What he needed to consider now was whether doing the right thing was still the right thing to do.
You’ve just reached the end of the first chapter of my short story in the world of Willington. This was a preview from a tale I’m currently working on. If it caught your interest, feel free to let me know—I’d truly appreciate your thoughts and impressions. They mean a lot to me.
