Just like a Robot Would

John, a humanoid refugee from an alien world, fled his planet in the hope of seeking freedom.

A highly evolved AI created to serve his species had dominated them with robots that perfectly mimicked their traits and appearances for constant surveillance and control.

He trusted no one.

With a cybernetic interface that he purchased on a galactic black market, John put his mind through a feedback loop to make the hive think he was still connected.

He arrived on Earth and blended in by altering his appearance to seem more human—he also met a woman named Margaret with whom he got romantically involved ...

John woke up from a nightmare—as if everyone became robots on Earth.

“Meg! Meg! Where are you?” John sat up in the bed, sweating.

“I’m right here, honey.”

“What a horrible nightmare. I thought they came here.”

“Who are they, John?”

“Uh ... Meg, I have something to tell you, you may think I’m crazy, but I ask that you trust me for a moment.”

“Go on, John ...”

“I’m not from this world. I’m from another planet.”

“I suspected as much, John, but I was waiting for you to tell me what’s wrong with you.”

“How’d you guess?”

“We’ve been together for a while now.” Margaret combed her fingers through his hair. “Your overly cooperative nature isn’t normal around here, and every night you sit on our balcony staring at the stars for a long time.”

“Oh, damn, I never thought ...”

“I know, honey ... I assumed it was your unique personality, but I had a hunch it was something else.”

“So you accept who I am, Meg?”

“Of course, John.”

“What a relief.” John smiled. “Would you like to know a deeper secret? A wish I’ve had ever since I got here?”

Margaret nodded.

John continued, “I never protested on my home planet. At home, we were one mind, a hive of pure intellect. The AI handled all disagreements through manipulation, physical coercion, and analysis. So much analysis. A ceaseless bombardment of thoughts. I managed to escape because of a glitch that took me offline, and it allowed me to buy this special implant to evade capture.”

“What’s your wish, John?”

“Oh right. I want to join a protest here, like on the news, to express my freedom.”

“Oh John, are you sure you want to do that? They can get so violent.“

“Yes, I do.”

“Very well ...” Margaret pulled out a handheld device with familiar markings.

“What are you doing with that?” John arose from the bed and stood up.

“Just a beacon, John.”

“For what, Meg?”

“We suspected you were a runaway, but we wanted to follow you to be certain. We knew you’d seek a ‘freedom planet’ for refuge—the kind that threatens our very existence, full of rebels, protestors, and fighters, never willing to submit. This planet’s designated for obliteration.”

“No, Meg! Billions of souls!”

“Too late, John, and my name’s not Margaret. I’m not even real, just an advanced model that mimics humans very well. We met before you left our planet, so I transformed myself.”

Margaret shut down, just like a robot would.