Austin, Texas, Rob AI HQ

  It is a normal day at Rob AI HQ.

  The workers are at their computers preparing new versions of Rob AI, and Gabriel is analyzing data as always, until he receives a message from Robert, the CEO of Rob AI:

  “Mr. Marlon, go mop the floor! This place is full of trash!”

  “Ok… I’ll go right away!” Gabriel replied.

  He cleaned the entire building floor and returned to his computer, until he received another message from Robert:

  “Mr. Marlon, go clean the windows!”

  “Ok, I’ll go right away!” Gabriel replied.

  So Gabriel went and cleaned ALL the windows of Rob AI HQ, which took 5 hours, and that was with the help of the Mexican window cleaners.

  “Muchas gracias, Mario!” Gabriel thanked him.

  Soon after, he returned to work, until another worker approached him and said:

  “Hey, Gabriel… Robert told me to cook lunch for all of us… but I’m lazy… and he said he’ll fire me if I don’t do it…”

  “Then you’d better go to the kitchen if you don’t want to get fired…” Gabriel replied ironically.

  “Ok…” said the worker, discouraged.

  After that, Gabriel received another message from Robert:

  “Mr. Marlon… come to my office… there’s something very important I want to tell you…”

  So Gabriel went to Robert’s office, and he said:

  “Mr. Robert… what did you want to tell me?” Gabriel asked.

  “Well, as I’ve said and will never get tired of saying, you are my best worker… and you know what you gain from that, right?” Robert asked.

  “Confidential information?” Gabriel suggested.

  “Bingo! Now… this will probably be the last confidential information I give you…” Robert said mysteriously.

  “Ok… what do you want to tell me?”

  “…Do you remember when I talked about creating conscious robots?” Robert asked.

  “Yes… I remember…” Gabriel replied.

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  “Well… I’ve already created MANY conscious robots… well… at least their bodies… they still need brains… so I will release them tomorrow at 8:25,” Robert said excitedly.

  “What? Already? But what do you mean they need brains?” Gabriel asked.

  “You’ll see…” Robert said mysteriously.

  “Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound good… you’re not planning to put our lives at risk, are you? Because if you are, then you need to stop right now!” Gabriel said bravely.

  “Oh, Gabriel… it seems like you have two personalities… one obedient and does everything I ask without questioning… the other… stubborn and thinks he knows more than me… I think I prefer the one that does everything I say and doesn’t disobey me…” Robert said maliciously.

  Gabriel was left speechless and went home, since it was almost dinner time.

  When he arrived, his mother, who was somewhat elderly, was sitting on the couch watching television.

  “Mom… I’m home…” Gabriel said.

  “So, son? How was work?” Gabriel’s mother asked.

  “It went well…” Gabriel said, trying not to show the feelings caused by what he had just heard.

  Gabriel went to prepare dinner while reflecting on what Robert was going to do.

  After dinner, he tried to sleep, but couldn’t, because he kept fearing what was about to happen.

  The next day, Gabriel went to work, afraid of what Robert might do to his family if he didn’t show up.

  At first, it seemed like a normal workday, until 8:25 arrived and Robert’s voice echoed through the speakers:

  “Attention workers, the building’s doors and windows have been locked and no one will leave. I have just released the first conscious robots, but for them to have brains, I need your brains. So do not resist and accept the change, because it will hurt less that way. I know you must be terrified, but look on the bright side… we have now created our own society and achieved what we wanted from the beginning… so be happy and accept your destiny.”

  Right after this announcement, robots began approaching the room where they were.

  “RUN!” Gabriel shouted.

  Everyone panicked and started running as fast as they could.

  A man tripped while running, and one of the robots approached him.

  “Please, don’t kill me! Have mercy!” the man begged.

  The robot stared at him with a cold, emotionless look and killed him without hesitation.

  Gabriel ran toward Robert’s office. On the way, he dodged robots coming at him, and when he arrived, he shouted:

  “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?”

  “Wasn’t this what we wanted, Gabriel?” Robert asked.

  “No… we didn’t want to kill innocent people and replace them with robots!” Gabriel exclaimed.

  “It wasn’t what you wanted… but it was what humanity needed,” Robert said.

  “There were other ways!” Gabriel argued.

  “You should be happy… you’ll have a very special place in my empire, and I have a perfect robot for you…” Robert said while looking at something behind Gabriel.

  After Robert said that, Gabriel turned around and saw a robot that had been behind him the entire time.

  No one who was at Rob AI HQ that day survived.

  The next day, Gabriel’s mother was mourning her son’s death when she heard someone knocking at the door.

  She opened it and said:

  “That look… I know it.”

  35 years after the massacre

  Robtopia

  Marc, when he was younger, and Mabriel were walking through Robtopia.

  “We can’t let him enter Rob HQ,” said Mabriel.

  “Yeah… if he manages to impose his system… the population’s freedom is finished,” Marc stated.

  “Maybe we should go to Rob HQ, just to make sure he isn’t there,” Mabriel suggested.

  “You’re right, but getting past security will be difficult,” said Marc.

  “Yeah… but nothing we can’t handle,” Mabriel said confidently.

  Marc and Mabriel headed toward Rob HQ and defeated the Megatrons guarding the entrance (at that time, the Megatrons were MUCH weaker).

  They managed to enter and defeated the security on the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth floors, which were nothing more than simple laser robots that would later receive upgrades and become pollinator robots.

  When they reached the seventh and final floor, there were no guards, and at the end of the room there was a door with a sign above it that read: “Transmission Room.”

  Marc and Mabriel entered the room and found the one they were looking for.

  When Mabriel saw him, she said:

  “So you’re here… Garlon… I won’t let you impose your regime.”

  “Hahaha… do you really think you can stop me? Go ahead, I invite you to try,” Garlon said mockingly.

  Meanwhile

  Triff, at 14 years old, was at school:

  “Look at Jasper… he doesn’t study and gets better grades than me. And look at Giblet, he runs ten times faster than me. And look at Ronnie, he talks to more girls in one day than I have in my entire life… I’m such a failure,” Triff thought.

  He constantly compared himself to others, never feeling happy with himself. These thoughts attacked him most strongly at school, and he couldn’t escape them.

  Back in the Transmission Room, Rob HQ

  Marc and Mabriel used all their strength trying to stop Garlon. They managed to land some hits but quickly realized they had no chance.

  Mabriel tried to destroy the recording camera, but Garlon stopped her.

  Marc and Mabriel lay defeated.

  Garlon turned on the camera and began recording:

  “Are you tired of being so useless? Do broken parts ruin your chips? Does confidence disappear when oil spills?

  Don’t worry, I am here to save you from your imperfections… I present to you my program: Garlon Chroming!

  This program will fix those problems and MUCH more! You just need to be like me… be perfect—” Garlon raised his voice in excitement — “Don’t be mediocre!

  Change, NOW!”

  Triff watched the screen and thought:

  “I… want to be perfect, but I can’t… I’m weak, insignificant, and stupid… if only I could change…”

  Little did he know that in the future he would change far more than he could ever imagine…

  Now…

  Back to the present…