A series of science fiction stories, set in the same universe. They can be read independently. Some characters may repeat themselves in different stories
The large auditorium of the Occinox company, located in Silicon Valley, was packed with people. It was the most anticipated day, the annual presentation of the robotics company. Karl Mathison was planning to introduce the new model, the XPT-3000. The last year they had worked in secret to make the definitive model, the perfection of human replicas created by a team of scientists, led by Dr. Alexander Zamesky.
The security measures were very strict. FBI officer Melinda Sterling was working with Occinox's head of security, Vladimir Sucarov, a former member of a Ukrainian separatist organization. There were strong rumors of a possible sabotage attempt by the anti-robot terrorist organization. Melinda wanted to be close by, in case Mark Wilson or Dillon Baker showed up at the scene, she would not hesitate to shoot to kill.
In another of the corporation's buildings, where the laboratories were located, two special transports were waiting for the order to bring the android up. Only those who worked on the model had seen it. They were keeping it in a special box. We're 20 minutes from the start of the conference! Start the transfer! The transporters received the order, the operation was launched. Four men checked the weapons of war they were carrying. The first transport started and the second followed, this was the one carrying the android.
One of the young men attending the conference received a message on his mobile phone. He immediately got up and went on stage, shouting slogans against the company and the use of robots in daily life. Alarms were set off, and a group of security personnel subdued the young man. Sucarov alerted one of the men on the team and ordered him to protect Karl Mathison. He received no response. He then contacted the transport, asking them to stop. Stop the transfer of the android, now! Sterling ran out into the corridors, something strange was happening, the life of the company's CEO was in danger.
The atmosphere in the auditorium was getting out of control. Other young people began to protest the aggressive way the boy who jumped on stage was stopped. Sterling arrived at Mathison's dressing room, found him on the floor, unconscious. He saw a man running across the hall, the feisty detective went after the suspect. All the security was at the scene, the young man's protest seemed to be a distraction. The detective pointed the gun, the man fell to the ground. When she got close, she realized it was Dillon Baker, the wound was fatal, he would be dead within minutes. Baker dropped the device in his hand, it was a scanner. The terrorist was about to die, but he had a smile on his face.
-You're late again... detective... we got what we wanted...
Sterling called Sucarov on the radio transmitter, but the signal was dead. Everything had been a distraction. He had scanned the master keys embedded in the chip that Mathison had embedded in his head. Now, the movement had control of the building's access doors.
The transport stopped halfway to the auditorium when they got the order. The weapons the men were carrying were synchronized with Occinox's security system. They were neutralized from a remote control. The guys who were driving the two transports took out some analog weapons they were hiding inside the vehicles and killed the four security guards. The cargo had to be destroyed! Said one of the transporters, pulling explosives from another compartment. But before they were able to activate it, they were shot. The war veteran, Vladimir Sucarov, was carrying an analog machine gun, he wouldn't let the terrorists destroy the android.
The young man driving the transport vehicle seemed to doubt the order he had received. His name was Patrick Allen, he was a criminal who did contract work, a specialist in all kinds of vehicles. This robot seems to be very valuable! He activated the device that had access to the operation of the company's doors and left at the exit. The colleagues who were also hired to do the job were being shot by Sucarov. The exit doors were open, fifteen security guards were trying to shoot the guns, but they were not working. Patrick accelerated the transport, running over several of Occinox's men. On the control panel, he wrote the command for the transport's autopilot and disabled all tracking devices in the box that had the android inside. I'm gonna get a lot of money for this!
It took half an hour to subtract the security keys and create new ones. It had been a major blow to the company. The NSA assigned officials to investigate the robbery.
Agent Sterling's phone rang, it was a private number, she signaled them to trace the call.
-You failed again! I'm always one step ahead...
-It's you, you wretch, I'll stop you next time for sure. We'll soon find out where you took the android. You can't escape!
There was a long silence.
-What's going on? -Why are you being quiet?
-Dear Agent Sterling, I think you have bigger problems to solve now... I wasn't planning on stealing the android... goodbye.
The police were left thinking. I didn't understand what Wilson meant. Sucarov approached her.
-Agent Sterling, the body of the terrorist you assaulted Mathison on, it's a replica. It's not the real Dillon Baker.
Melinda called the chief to inform him. Mark Wilson was using androids to carry out the attacks. He was using the same weapons. That's why he took Karl Grubert, so he could make replicas that would follow Wilson's orders.
The leader of the anti-android movement was three miles from Silicon Valley, next to him was the real Dillon Baker. They both looked worried. The mission was to destroy the new model of robot to be unveiled in the auditorium. Now, one of the guys they hired for the bombing had stolen it.
No one imagined that if the android got into the wrong hands, it would be the beginning of the end of humanity
