Iris on Rainy Days: Dismantling- 5 Days Before
Five Days Before
On the day after maintenance.
I continue to sweep the floor and wash the clothes as usual, but I have a lot of free time after noon. Well, it’s the fault of my personality because I just feel uncomfortable if I don’t quickly finish all the housework.
— then.
The approximate time for Professor’s return is twelve minutes after four.
“Hmm, remote, remote…….”
I cry out “Found it,” lie down after picking up the remote from the table, and turn on the television. It would be much more convenient had I hidden a remote inside my body, but it’s a pity that I don’t have that function. Professor once said “If I installed such a meaningless thing, doing maintenance would be much more troublesome.”
The large screen is showing today’s news. Political scandals, the situation of the army in the north, and a murder case somewhere. I blankly stare at the mouth of the female broadcaster that was moving nimbly.
— Mnn, it’s so boring.
I retain my current position and press the buttons on the remote, which gave out clicking noises. The videos on the screen change periodically, but there aren't any of the cooking shows or game shows that I like.
I reluctantly change it back to the news, and ‘that’ suddenly appears before me.
“About one this afternoon, a robot suddenly went on a rampage at Oval Station in the Venus Fountain Plaza.”
Venus Fountain Plaza is the place where the goddess statue that looks extremely alike to Professor is at.
The content of the news broadcast is as follows. A large robot that worked in a second hand parts shop nearby suddenly went on a rampage after a shout. The robot hit and smashed the wall of the shop, then shifted to the fountain plaza. There, the police who accepted a complaint came over to handle the trouble.
“Then, here’s a recording of the incident.”
After the broadcaster finishes talking, the television screen changed.
It’s probably the recording taken from a surveillance camera. In the screen, a gray cylindrical robot came over and swung his arms around. He repeatedly hit the walls of the shop, looking like a young, energetic person in the movies with young, passionate actors, and felt quite human. A few clear scratches that looked like lightning bolts could be seen on his broad back.
Lastly, the robot shakily walked to the plaza.
— ahhh, that can’t be.
I pray in my heart.
— you can’t go there.
Even so, my wishes cannot be transmitted to him. The robot stepped into the crowded plaza. As expected, his actions created a huge disturbance as the elderly people who were talking, the noisy kids, and the couples expressing their love scattered.
After the people left, the robot was alone. Only the fountain was dancing in rhythm behind the robot standing blankly there, forming countless droplets of rainbow-colored water. Looking at this, it’s a deceptively harmonious scene.
But at the next moment.
A few blue spots appeared on the body of the robot like still fireflies. The robot lowered his head slowly to look at the spots, then a beam of laser suddenly pierced through the air. The laser ray penetrated the heavy, metal skin of the robot, and it turned into steam flames that erupted as violently as lava when it touched the fountain.
It was the laser gun of the police.
And then, the second shot came. The laser emitted a deep sound, passed through the air and cut off the right arm of the robot from the arm. To pick up his right arm that fell onto the ground with a clunk, the robot bent his back, and the third shot hit him squarely. His outstretched left hand was surrounded by blue radiance, expanded like glassware, and emitted cruel sparks.
Not long after that, the forth shot robbed the robot of his right leg, causing him to lose balance, then the fifth, sixth and seventh shot hit him—
— ahhhh, stop it, I don’t want to watch anymore!
You could say that he’s completely annihilated. Approximately thirty seconds after the first attack, the face that was severed in half became the largest part of the robot’s body.
The robot fell into a silence, and five people wearing a metal helmet like a fish bowl rushed to the scene. They are the special police unit who are fully equipped with silver armor and are called the Waste Clearing Troops. They were holding the laser guns used just now. A sharp, sphere shaped magazine, about a meter long— this is the special gun used by the unit against robots.
When they started to collect the scattered robot gears, one of them picked up the ‘head’ of the robot and raised it into the air like a war spoil. Then, black machine oil flowed out of the head like blood, splattering the ground with spots.
Seeing this scene, I feel very unhappy. A repulsive feeling and a sense of wanting to puke start to rise from the depths of my throat.
After the recording stopped, the face of the broadcaster appears again on the screen. According to the broadcaster, that was the third robot crime in Oval City this month.
Robot crime. This is the name for crimes by robots.
There are two main types of robot crimes. The first one is a crime that is caused by the human using a robot, the other is a crime caused by the robot going on a rampage himself. But as for differentiating between a robot that went on a rampage because of technical failures or by his owner’s orders, it cannot be differentiated by the officials or the ‘judiciary dissection unit.’
The times of a robot rampage incident occurring is not even one percent of car accidents happening, but the news would always exaggerate it. Because of public pressure, the robot manufacturers might have to reclaim the company’s products. The process of handling the matter is actually similar to other home products, but as the price of a robot is about the price of a high class car, it is a heavy blow to the manufacturers. Cases of manufacturers going bankrupt because of reclaiming their products too often aren’t uncommon, too.
— I shouldn’t watch this.
I turn off the television and lie down on the mat in a ‘大’shape, closing my eyes.
When robots want to calm themselves, they would close their eyes. Temporarily closing down the visual senses would have the effect of rest on the stimuli processing function of the mental circuit.
Unknowingly, rain is falling outside. Only the constant sound of the rain rang in the room.
The video of a wretched robot starts to surface behind my eyelids. The parts of the robot would get into the second hand parts market, or would be thoroughly melted, becoming a metal source. After all, he suddenly went on a rampage, destroying public facilities and the peace. Becoming scrap metal can’t be helped.
— but.
A question still remains in my heart.
Why did he suddenly go on a rampage?
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