Disassembly. That was my job, along with a few others. We worked at Angarto Labs and Technologies, the first company to mass produce A.I. for security and watchdog programs. The full-sized androids that were made were tested severely for two months before being sent to whoever bought it. A.I. was new, and it was dangerous. Many times a machine would cross some wires and decide it’s owner was security threat number one. My job was to take apart those rebels and send their pieces to the main factory to be remade into a new machine. Then I have to take the rampant A.I. Matrix, and flush it in the Incinerator, our nickname for the gigantic laser-powered machine that reduced anything to its basic atoms. 

Today seemed like any other day at the factory. I usually averaged five robots a day, and today I had just finished burning a rogue Anti-Litter Machine’s matrix. Apparently it had decided that shoes were pieces of trash stuck to people’s feet. 

My next machine was rolled in on a dolly, a six-foot humanoid Imperial Type 12-37. One of the most dangerous our company ever produced. You tell this thing to shoot a target the size of a pin from four-hundred meters, and it will miss maybe one out of two hundred times. These guys were fire-walled to the extreme, so I wondered what could have made it malfunction. I pulled the piece of paper off of its chest, which was the “Accident Report” mandatory for us to know in case of law suits.

“To Disassembly Worker,

This Imperial Type 12-37 has been powered down and scheduled for Matrix Termination 

as of 10-13-28, due to a malfunction in the A.I. Matrix. Former Property of 

State Representative Albert Malhallonon, it was shut down after an incident during 

10-12-28, where it accosted guests at a party, fatally wounding two and injuring three

others. Albert reportedly called Civ-Police, but was struck in the face by 12-37, breaking his 

upper and lower mandibles and causing serious brain trauma. 

Thank you, 

Geoffrey Helmez,

CEO of Angarto Labs and Technologies”

I set the paper down and wheeled 12-37 to the worktable. Hydraulic arms lifted him from the dolly and laid him on the table. I picked up my weld goggles and reverse-soldering gun, and turned to the machine lying on the table.