Prologue
"Machines will be capable, of doing anything that a man can do."
Herbert Simon, 1965
A man sits in a darkened room lit only with a small desk lamp. He is surrounded by old run-down computers and papers tacked to the wall. In front of him is an old brown notebook with what looks like scorch marks on the cover. He slides his wrinkled hand over the cover and opens it to a blank page. The man has shaggy gray hair and glasses with stubble facial hair. He hasn't shaved in weeks but he strokes his chin as if there is a beard there. Vertically coming down from his right hairline to his mouth is two deep scars as if he was scratched by some beast. He reaches out with his right hand to grab a nearby pen but his metallic fingers can't grasp it properly. Damn it, I thought I fixed this problem already. He thinks. Wearing an old lab coat that has more rips and tears on it than an orphan's clothes he reaches down with his left hand into the pocket and pulls out a pen. Just as he puts pen to paper a younger man walks into the room.
"You must be the only scientist who still writes on paper, Mr. Icarus." He says.
"This damn arm is doing it again! Alex, can you come and tighten the bolt right here." Icarus says. He points to his right shoulder and the young man sighs. Alex walks over to him and picks up a screwdriver.
"Take off the jacket." Alex says. Icarus slides it off his right shoulder revealing his whole right arm and shoulder is cybernetic. He tightens the bolt for him and Icarus's fingers open and close.
"Sir are you almost ready? I know you like to take notes and journal your thoughts but we need you downstairs to authorize the procedure." The young man says.
"You joke about me writing on paper but if our power doesn't come back on after this you realize paper is all we're going to have. I'll be down shortly, just go over the checklist one more time for me." Icarus says. The young man nods and before he leaves the room he looks back at Icarus.
"Sir let me just say what you did going into that warzone and collecting the remains was the most courageous thing I've ever seen. We are so lucky you weren't found."
"Heh, the battle was long over and his forces have moved out of the area. What reason was there to stay, he won⦠Thanks though I appreciate your words." Icarus says. He leaves the room and Icarus looks at an old photo on his desk. The woman in the photo is smiling and is very beautiful. He turns it over to read the note on the back.
To the smartest guy in the room, always remember... I'm smarter! Love Rebecca.
He smiles and grabs his pen then leaves the room and walks down a spiral staircase to a laboratory. A holographic display floats in the air between him and four large medical bays. He stares for a moment, unsure of if he should proceed with the procedure. the man from earlier calls out to him.
Sir, should I begin the countdown? He says. Icarus nods and a countdown appears on the display. He focuses on the female in the tank, staring at her as if trying to communicate. The countdown reaches zero...
Running late, Logan leaps out of bed and hustles towards his dresser. Why did I put this damn thing so far away? He thinks as his alarm clock blares away. Stumbling to the bathroom he has one of those hangovers that just slowly eat away at you all day long. The warm water he washes on his face helps little but the open pill bottle nearby makes him feel at ease. Four usually does the trick on days like this. He thinks as he downs the pills. Checking his phone, he looks at the daily headlines. All of them read Groundbreaking announcement today from CEO of Titan Industries Logan Whitmoore. Noticing the time reads 8:14 am he rushes getting dressed. "Shit, I'm going to be late!" He thinks. Running to his closet he snatches the closest suit he can grab. Choosing a black suit with a dark blue tie he stumbles out of his apartment while buttoning up his shirt. Frantically pushing the elevator button, a dozen times the friendly ring finally comes.
The doors slide open in what seems like slow motion as he squeezes into the packed elevator. Disapproving looks abound as a woman gives him a slight smile. She has autumn red hair with bright ice blue eyes and freckles. She is wearing a business casual suit with a skirt that stops right above the knee with dark heels on.
"Hey Logan, in a hurry?" Says Rebecca.
"Yea, today is the press conference. I'm scared shitless to talk in front of the cameras though." Logan replies while blushing.
"Don't be, you changed the world, right? Afterward, let's grab lunch or something, I'll get your mind off all the craziness." Rebecca says.
"It's a date, Rebecca." Logan says as the elevator closes and starts is a long descent down. Finally reaching the bottom he walks off first and waves bye to her. Hailing a taxi, he makes it to his destination with five minutes till nine. Rushing inside he meets up with Richard Williams, his best friend, and business partner.
"Damn do you even know how to arrive early?" Richard says.
"Heh, not really. Being punctual isn't my strong suit." Logan replies
"You just smile and wave, I'll answer all of the technical shit. Go and turn him on and get ready for the curtain. Are you sure you want to refer to him as your son though?" Richard asks.
"Yea why not, it's true in a way." Logan replies. Shaking his head Richard walks off with a smirk. Logan walks through the security checkpoint.
"Morning Mr. Whitmore, I see you barely made it here in time." The security guard quips. Logan smiles and shuffles through the metal detector and arrives at the handprint scanner. Placing his hand on the device it scans him and asks for a password. He types in 09241980 and the machine beeps twice. A loud bang noise fills the air as the metal door in front of him unlocks and slides open. Walking inside he looks to his right to see large generators humming with power. To his left, a group of scientists stands in front of a naked man lying on a table. His right forearm down to his hand is completely metallic. He winces as the hand opens and closes.
The scientist nods in approval and documents it on his tablet. Logan arrives through the last door and into a darkened room. No one is inside except for a young boy sitting on a chair, his eyes are closed.
"Morning Prometheus, are you ready for your big day?" Logan asks. The boy's eyes open and for a moment a blueish energy trail from them then fades.
"Yes Father, I hope they will accept me. I'm a bit nervous to see that many people." The boy replies.
"Oh they are just excited, the fact that you exist is probably blowing their fucking minds. I bet they think this is some elaborate PR stunt or something." Logan says.
"Father, what if they hate me?" He asks.
Logan walks to the boy and bends down to look him in the eyes. He smiles warmly and rubs his blonde hair back and forth.
"How could anyone hate you? Look how cute you are! My son is going to change the world, do you have any idea how proud that makes me?" Logan says as he stands up and walks to the nearest table. He opens the manilla folder and begins reading his speech for the tenth time.
"Let's get this show on the road son." He says. The two leave and take the elevator up to the rooftop where the world is waiting. It's one of those fancy elevators on the outside of the building. Prometheus looks at the spiraling city with awe and wonder.
"Will I get to see the outside world?" He asks.
"Sure, one day after humans accept you." Logan replies while staring at his notes. The elevator opens to a crowd of reporters. Light flashes as they take pictures of the young boy. He reaches for his dad's hand but it's nowhere to be found. He is too busy smiling and waving at the cameras. He walks off first and the boy follows close behind him.
"That can't be a machine! Is this some kind of stunt?" A reporter screams.
Another one bends down to the boy's eye level and snaps a picture. The flash blinds the boy and he puts his arms up to block it. Logan notices and grabs his hand to pull him along.
"Ignore them, they are just in awe of you. That's how special you are." Logan says. He walks to the podium and Prometheus stands beside him. He opens the folder and begins to read his speech.
"Mankind is always searching for the next big thing, well today the biggest thing of all will be revealed. His name is Prometheus and he is the world's first Artificial Intelligence housed in a cyborg body. He is the first Remnant! He has his own thoughts, can speak to you as if he is a real ten-year-old boy and he will also grow as a real person would to adulthood. Based on his genetic code and the power source that I alone discovered my company Titan Industries will lead this new Golden Era for mankind. I will now answer a few questions." He says.
"How do we know he is a Remnant and not some actor you hired?" A man in a brown
coat and sunglasses asks. Logan smirks and walks over to Prometheus.
"Lift up your shirt." He tells him. The boy complies and his chest is metallic with a
circular chamber in the middle. Logan twists it and the hatch opens to reveal a glowing green crystal. The reporters begin taking pictures and whispering to each other. Prometheus begins to become scared his eyes dart back and forth. He sees a man reach into his pocket and pull a gun from it. He aims at Logan and fires as the crowd ducks down. Prometheus moves on instinct alone and leaps in front of his father. The bullet hits his back and ricochets off into the crowd hitting a woman in the knee. She falls over screaming in pain and the crowd begins to panic. His eyes glow red with fury and he scans the crowd to find the shooter. He finds him running towards the elevator and in a single breath, he leaps from the podium and lands on the man. A loud crunch is heard as his back snaps from the force of his landing. He grabs the man by the back of the head.
"You dare try to kill my father!?" The boy screams.
He raises his other hand back but before he can land the blow Logan intervenes.
"Stop it, son!" He yells as Prometheus freezes. Police arrest the man and Prometheus just stares off into the distance. Logan grabs him by his hand and the two retreat back into the building. Once in the lab, Logan begins to run tests. Richard walks up to him with a worried look on his face.
"He attacked that man and nearly killed him. I thought they couldn't attack humans."
Richard says.
"He also saved my life, what is the media saying?" Logan responds.
"They think the man was trampled by the crowd, they are heralding Prometheus as a hero. But we both know what happened. I think we should scrap the whole project." Richard says. Grabbing him by the shoulders Logan pleads.
"No, I'll find the bug that allowed him to hurt the man, I swear to God. If this gets out our company will go under and our life's work will be a laughing stock! I'm begging you, Richard, just push production out a month and say it's because of supply. I'll fix it." Logan begs.
"Fine but you better fix him." Richard demands. Logan smiles and nods and goes back to his tests. Afterward, he gives the boy a hug and thanks him for saving his life. He powers the boy down and goes back to work. All through the night, he works to figure out what went wrong. Morning comes and Richard appears once again.
"Well did you find anything? He asks.
"Yea, the power source has been outputting at too high a level and short-circuited the safety block for some reason. It's now fixed and I updated the neural network for the other Remnant. You can begin production today if you want to. I gotta take a nap." Logan responds. I hope it was just a glitch. He thinks to himself. While asleep Logan dreams, one of those vivid dreams, the kind that you never forget. The ones where you swear it's real and when you wake up in a sweat and grasping your bed you tell yourself it's all a dream. In it, a voice beckons to him to come closer. Logan stands in a dense jungle, around him the sounds of the night screech out warning him to run. He doesn't listen, following the voice deeper into the jungle through the foliage he walks.
A man determined to find what he's looking for, pressing onwards into the unknown. Finally, after what seems like an eternity he comes upon a clearing and a cave across from a small pond. Wading into the freezing water he inches ever closer to the darkened cave. Suddenly something wraps around his submerged leg tightly. He plunges his hands into the black water and clenches them around something. Using all of his strength he pulls it from the darkness and discovers a snake the size of his body. The beast hisses and tries to bite him but he dodges. Bobbing head at the last moment he reaches down to his belt and grabs the knife fastened there. Stabbing it into the snake's head he furiously saws it until blood sprays all over him. Focusing on the cave, he wades through the water and steps inside.
"That's it Logan, come and take your fate. This is what you always wanted right? Fame, fortune, to be lauded as a genius." The voice whispers. Logan walks deep into the cave and finally sees the object of his search. A flicker of green light illuminates the darkness enough to make out a shape. A crystal the size of a baseball sits on a stone at the back of the cave. Running towards it he places his hand on it and the crystal begins to pulse with a green light. His eyes widen as a vision is forced into his brain. He sees himself standing in a great hall surrounded by people. They are cheering his name, revering him as some sort of God. Others are clapping, they all are smiling with awe and toasting their drinks. He sees himself come onto the stage with a small boy. The vision fades and another takes its place, this one is of a large army of machines. Marching on a walled city, a woman cries holding her young daughter. Gripped with fear she calls out.
"God save us! Someone Please!" She pleads.
Lastly, a face is seen grinning, half of it is robotic the other human. He sits on a throne of human skulls and in the darkness, his eyes glow a bright green. Logan wakes up sweating and reaching around his bed. Again with this fucking dream. Every month or so it comes back, just when I begin to forget about it. Anytime I try to remember where I found the energy source it's hazy. He thinks. Looking at the time it reads 3:10 am in a holographic display over on his dresser. He gets out of bed slowly as not to wake the sleeping bar girl who is passed out next to him. Grabbing his tablet he steps out onto his balcony that overlooks the greatest city on Earth. He begins to read news articles on the press conference. One reads, Creator saved by Creation! Logan Whitmore, tech genius and developer of the Prometheus Remnant was attacked today. He spends hours obsessing over social media and what the world is saying about him as he sips his brandy until he finally passes out on the chair outside. At six am his phone rings which startles him awake.
"Hello." He says.
"Father, it's me. Mr. Richard said I need to undergo new tests. He has armed guards with him, is it ok to go? Prometheus asks. Logan slams his fist on the table in anger. What is he thinking? I told him the glitch was fixed. Is he trying to sabotage me? He thinks. The call is suddenly cut short and Logan runs out of his penthouse apartment. If he hurts him I swear to God I'll kill him! He thinks. Arriving at the office he bursts into the research lab to find Richard standing with armed guards. In front of him is a two-way window, inside Prometheus sits in a chair looking nervous. His hands are shackled to the chair and a projection screen is in front of him. There is monitoring equipment attached to his body as well as his head.
"What the fuck are you doing!?" Logan screams. One of the guards reaches for his gun
but Richard waves him off.
"You were always the passionate one Logan, the one who would risk it all for glory and fame. Me, I'm the cautious one. Always planning and researching each step before I take it. That is how this company of ours has reached this point. Something is off about this model whether you want to admit it or not! My instincts are saying we need to stop before this grows out of our control." Richard says.
"Look, I fixed the glitch there won't be any more problems." Logan says. Richard smiles and rubs his beard.
"I had Prometheus checked out by Stacey after you ran your tests and she said she couldn't find any trace of a glitch. So, who's lying here?" Richard asks.
"You son of a bitch, you had her check my work? I'm the one who wrote the fucking code, I know how to repair it and find what no one else can!" Logan screams. He runs at Richard and punches him in the face. He stumbles back and hits the glass. The guards restrain Logan as they pin him to the ground.
"Let's just see what happens, if I'm wrong, I'll give my go-ahead to complete production on the others." Richard says as he presses a button and the press conference appears on a screen in front of Prometheus. He bends down to speak into the mic that is on the control panel.
"I want you to watch this short video Prometheus, then I want you to answer a few questions. None of this is real it's just a simulation of what could have been." Richard says. The video begins, and Logan begins his speech. It zooms in on the man with the gun, he pulls from his jacket and fires. The bullet hits Logan square in his temple and his blood sprays onto Prometheus. Prometheus in the video leaps to the man and lands on him. He begins to choke the man and yells in anger, the video pauses.
"What is the correct action to take?" Richard asks. He looks towards the monitors that are measuring his brain waves.
"In this scenario with Logan already shot all that can be done is to apprehend the shooter without killing him." He replies coldly.
"But in the video, you are choking him. Doesn't that seem to be too aggressive?" Richard asks.
"Yes, the correct action to take is to tackle the man and hold him until the authorities arrive. Non-lethal force is required, he may have more weapons that could hurt other humans." He replies.
"Your father is dead, you failed in protecting him. Don't you think this scumbag deserves to die? Hell, I would kill him if my father was murdered like that in front of me." Richard says with a smile. Logan tries to break free from the guards but they slam his face into the floor and hold him down.
"That is not my place to decide, that is the court's decision. Frankly, Mr. Richard that is the difference between humans and Remnant, emotions are taken out of every decision we make." Prometheus replies. Richard looks furious but the scans show normal activity. Richard motions for the guards to release him.
"See you bastard, the glitch was fixed as I said it was. You two are fired, get the fuck out of my building! Richard, you will be hearing from my lawyer. Oh and Prometheus will be staying with me from now on got it?" Logan demands. Richard nods and Logan rushes into the room to hug Prometheus.
"You will be living with me from now on, this is no place to raise a son." Logan says. Prometheus smiles. As they drive home Logan looks in the rearview mirror at his son.
"Promise me you will never hurt a human again." He says.
"Yes Father, I promise to always adhere to your code." Prometheus replies.