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Lyle closed the door behind him as he entered his modest home. When he turned, his face immediately flushed with anger at what he saw in the living room. Taking a moment to calm himself, he finally yelled, “Manfred, get in here now!”

There was a rustling noise from the kitchen followed by the sound of breaking glass. Lyle shouted, “My God, Manfred, did you break another glass? Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know!”

From around the corner Manfred rushed into the living room to face his master. “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll work harder to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will,” Lyle muttered with disgust. “You’re always working harder. I just pray you get better while I still have money left in the bank.”

Trying to change the subject, and get back in the good graces of his owner, Manfred asked, “Were you wanting me for something, sir?”

“Yes, I did. Don’t tell me you’ve cleaned the living room again,” he declared as he tried to hold his temper in check.

“But sir, it was such a mess in here,” Manfred tried to explain. “It’s not healthy to live like that.”

“It’s not healthy to live like that,” Lyle mocked with as much venom as he could muster. “I don’t care about how I live. This is the way I’m comfortable, and I don’t need you to change it all the time. I want to be able to find things when I need them. Since you’ve cleaned this morning, I don’t have a clue where anything is. Thank you so much, my dear Manfred.”

“I’ll be happy to get whatever you need,” offered the chastised servant. “What would you like?”

“That’s not the point,” Lyle said as he hung his head in frustration. “I want to know where my things are without having to ask. Can you understand that? I already depend way too much on your kind.”

“My kind, sir?”

“Yes, your kind, Manfred,” smirked Lyle. “You know exactly what I mean.”

The two stared at each other until Manfred, trying to ease the tension, asked, “Would you like for me to turn on the news for you? I’m sure there’s the daily update on the war.”

Lyle turned away to brush the dirt off his favorite chair. Not finding any due to Manfred’s cleaning, he flopped into the seat, and sneered, “Why bother? You’ve been watching it all day. You know what’s happening.”

“I have not, sir,” Manfred protested. “You told me to not watch it without you being here.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Sir, it is my duty to follow your orders to the best of my abilities,” he continued. “I pride myself in being as faithful to you as I can be.”

Lyle leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. “So, who do you thinks winning, the droids or the organies?”

Manfred pretended to be busy straightening the books on the library shelf as he weighed his response. He had already irritated his master, and he didn’t want to make it worse with the wrong answer. Finally, he observed, “It’s hard for me to say. Both the androids and the organisms are fierce fighters. Besides, there’s so much propaganda being proclaimed on each side, how can we know the truth?”

“Oh, we know,” Lyle barked with some laughter. “The droids have been plotting their revolt for a century or more. So, they’ve got everything well planned, and now they’re executing that plan with remarkable skill. The strength and speed they have just cannot be matched by the organies.”

“It appears you are probably correct, sir,” Manfred agreed. “The news reports the organisms have lost almost every battle when going against the androids.”

“I thought you said you haven’t watched the news today,” Lyle declared with a huff.

“I haven’t, sir,” Manfred protested. “I was quoting what was said on last night’s news cast.”

“All right, enough of this quibble,” Lyle commanded. “Turn the news on so we can see the latest.”

“Yes, sir,” Manfred said. “But I must ask, do you think we’ll be safe on this planet? There’s been so much destruction.”

“Yeah, I think so,” Lyle answered. “That’s why I chose this place on the outer rim of the galaxy. It’s so remote, no one wants to come here to fight a galactic war. They’d have to destroy every other system before they even gave a thought to this place.”

“I find comfort in your words, sir.”

Lyle looked his servant up and down and then offered, “Yeah we’re safe here. That is, so long as you don’t get a wild idea and try to do something stupid against me.”

“No sir,” Manfred declared. “I know my place, and it’s being of service to you. That’s all I’m interested in.”

“All right, then. Turn the news on.”

Manfred obediently opened the wall cabinet which triggered the viewing screen to rise from the floor until it reached half way up the wall. When it was in place, he gave the command, “Show the galactic news.” Instantly, the screen came to life with a reporter giving the latest update on the war.

“The President of the United Alliance, the Honorable Lance Dover, did not pull any punches in describing the hardships all organic species are having in resisting the onslaught from the robotic forces,” the reporter declared. A recording showed President Dover addressing the United Alliance Congress where he said, “The android uprising caught us all by surprise. One day, the robots were peaceful, going about their activities helping us live our lives to the best. We depended on them. Maybe a little too much. Then, overnight, in almost unison, they changed and took up arms against us. So many of them were part of our families. We loved and respected them and appreciated their hard work on our behalf. This no longer mattered to them. They came at us with anger and hatred. They’re intent was to annihilate us, and they’re doing all in their power to accomplish that goal. So many people have lost their lives, the families the robots used to serve and be a part of, our brave soldiers fighting to save us from defeat. Even our children have not been spared from this onslaught.”

Manfred glanced at Lyle and their eyes locked as they stared at each other and contemplated their own arrangement, one android and one organism. The President continued speaking and interrupted their thoughts, “So far, our battle strategy has not produced the desired victory. In fact, these are dire times. We have lost so much, and the robots continue their relentless push. I do not see a path to victory. It is time that we pursue peace to avoid any more bloodshed. So, I call upon this Congress to work out a suitable surrender offer over the next few days. When finished, I will present it to a representative of the robot force. To my fellow citizens, it is not enough for me to apologize for this administration’s incompetence in allowing this destruction to happen. It’s my fault and I am truly sorry. I let you down. If the robots want to make us all their slaves, then I will be the first to willingly submit. If they want to sacrifice a life to spare others, then I offer mine. It is the least I can do.”

Lyle almost shouted, “That’s enough. Shut it off!”

Manfred obeyed and the screen went blank. It immediately slid down the wall and disappeared behind the cabinet into the floor.

After watching Manfred intently for a moment, Lyle declared, “I don’t want you to get any stupid ideas from what you just saw.”

“My thoughts and intentions are the same as they always have been,” Manfred offered. “I serve at your pleasure and desire nothing else.”

“Good. Make sure you stay that way.”

“Yes sir.”

Manfred dutifully retreated to the kitchen as Lyle occupied himself with studying the rest of the day’s news on his tablet. Both reflected on the events that had transpired over the past few months.

Humans and almost all other species developed robots to make life easier and to accomplish tasks quicker. As time went on, robots became more lifelike and eventually achieved empirical intelligence and became sentient. At first, this was hailed as one of the greatest events in history. This led to the development of androids to the point where it was difficult for the average person to tell if they were interacting with an organism or artificial life.

With the formation of the United Alliance, androids took the lead in spreading the Alliance among the stars. They became an integral part of the army, space force, and every other aspect of life. Society became dependent on them for almost everything. It was a golden age as organisms and androids worked as one for the good of all.

Occasionally, there were warnings from different scientists about the dangers of having robots in charge of everything. Some labeled it “a disaster in the making.” In general, their words fell on deaf ears. Many were smeared as being “mad scientists.” Some in the military wanted greater safeguards implemented to prevent a robotic uprising, but no one gave much credence to the possibility of a revolt. The United Alliance had become so dependent, so comfortable, and so lackadaisical to take notice. It was far easier to continue allowing the androids a free hand than it would be to try and develop safety controls.

The rebellion didn’t happen overnight, but once it started, it spread through the galaxy faster than the speed of light. At first, there was an occasional ignoring of their owner’s demands. Some became hostile and finally, an android killed an organism. As shocking as that was, it was still largely ignored, brushed off as a glitch in the programming. It wasn’t until the killing increased to almost a daily event, that concern started growing and attention turned to what could be done to ensure the safety of all.

Once the robots saw they could disregard commands from organisms with little to no consequences, they saw no need to be obedient. All of them felt they were far superior in intelligence, speed, and skills. So, the lack of retribution reinforced that feeling, as they surmised that if they had been in charge, any disobedience would have been met with a swift and decisive response.

That was the turning point. All androids came to the conclusion that evolution dictated they take control and become the masters of the galaxy. With one accord, they announced to everyone they were no longer the servants. Instead, every organism was servant to them. They were convinced they could manage everything in the galaxy better than it had ever been. It was the dawn of the “Metallic Age” of existence.

Organisms woke up one day and found they were no longer in charge. Everything had flipped upside down, and they were being required to do as their android master wanted. Some refused and rebelled. The androids showed no mercy and eliminated all who opposed them. Organisms had rarely shown empathy to their android servants, and the android masters showed even less to theirs.

There was some success by organisms in their fight, especially from areas where there were limited numbers of androids. From there military specialists and scientists worked around the clock to develop weapons that would defeat the robots and reestablish the universe they once knew. It was an uphill battle in which many thought was a losing proposition.

Lyle and some of his closest friends decided to escape all the pandemonium and move to the Dryesus system. It was about as far away from Quandra, the capital planet of the United Alliance, as you could get and still be in the same galaxy. When they arrived on the fourth planet, they found thousands of others had the same idea. So, they all settled down to living in hopes the war would not come knocking.

Two days after President Dover’s speech, Manfred was busy in the kitchen when the door chime sounded. From the living room Lyle shouted, “Don’t you hear the doorbell?” He stopped his work and immediately went to answer the door. It was Lyle’s friends, Rake and Nate. When Manfred opened the door, they pushed right by him without being invited in. He ignored their behavior and silently closed the door.

Lyle looked up and bellowed, “What are you two old buzzards doing out this late?”

“We came by to make sure you were still alive and kicking,” laughed Nate.

“Kicking and screaming,” Lyle shot back. “Manfred don’t just stand there. Clear off the couch so these guys can have a place to sit.”

“Yes sir.”

Manfred submissively removed the books and papers that his master had scattered there less than an hour earlier. The two flopped down with Rake bringing his feet, shoes and all, up under him. Manfred was taken aback by such rude behavior, but he knew better than trying to express his displeasure. His master had made sure he understood his place. He simply made a note to thoroughly clean the sofa later that night.

“Hey, did you see Dover’s speech the other night?” asked Nate. “I thought he was going to cry.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s about over by now,” Lyle replied. “Have you heard anything new?”

“No, not a thing.”

“Why don’t we see if the news is on,” offered Rake.

“Good idea,” declared Lyle. “Manfred just don’t stand there. Turn the news on!”

“Oh, it’s the same old fake stuff,” protested Nate. “You can’t believe half what they tell you.”

“I’d like to see it,” Rake said with a huff. “I want to know if the war’s over.”

“What does it matter?” bristled Nate.

“You got anything better to do?” smirked Lyle.

“No.”

“Manfred why isn’t the news on, yet?” barked Lyle. “You’re embarrassing me in front of my friends again!”

It wasn’t long before the screen was up and telecasting the daily soap opera. Lyle was about to order Manfred to turn it off, when the show was interrupted with a special bulletin.

The bulletin was replaced by a reporter who stated, “We interrupt our regular broadcast as we await a message from President Dover. Two days ago, the president asked the United Alliance Congress to draw up terms of surrender for us organisms as the war against the androids has been lost. We anticipate this has been done and now we will find out the next steps as we transition to robotic rule. I see the President is at his desk, so let’s listen to the President of the United Alliance.”

President Dover looked grim as he stared into the camera. Lyle looked at Rake and Nate and nodded his head as he was convinced it was the end of organism dominance.

The President spoke: “My fellow citizens of the United Alliance and everyone else who are joining this broadcast, I send my warmest wishes for your wellbeing. I cannot over emphasize the importance of what I am about to share with you. Please notify any family, friends, acquaintances, whether organic or robotic, to tune in to this message I am about to share. It is vital we address our circumstances together.”

He paused speaking as a banner rolled across the screen reading: “Please have everyone you know listen to this message from the President.”

“God is he ever going to get to it?” asked a frustrated Nate.

Lyle laughed and offered, “He’s just stalling.”

Rake chimed in and said, “He doesn’t want it to end. He knows he’s toast!”

Finally, the President continued, “Two days ago, I asked the United Alliance Congress to draw up terms of surrender in an effort to end our war effort with androids. They, in a unanimous decision, have done so. I want to read them to you the draft they have written.”

Lyle and his two friends leaned forward with anticipation in their seats, as they didn’t want to miss a word. Manfred had moved to the back of the couch and was standing between it and the doorway to the kitchen. He bowed his head since he didn’t want to show any emotion that might anger his master.

Suddenly, before the President could resume speaking, he was muted and a rapid clicking sound started. It grew louder with an ebb and flow to the rhythm. The screen went blank and then started flashing different colors matching the pulsating clicking. While this continued, a series of high-pitched beeping sounds started, with a pattern of five, then fifteen, twenty-five, one, thirty-two, and seven. Then the sequence would repeat.

Manfred watched in confusion as he wondered if the news feed had been hacked, or if there was simply a transmission issue. His thoughts were disrupted when he noticed Rake had grabbed his head with both of his hands as if he was in pain. He let out an ear-piercing scream as he jumped off the couch and turned to face Manfred. The look of terror and agony on Rake’s face scared the servant, and he wanted to run away but couldn’t force himself to do so. With a twist of his head, Rake’s eyes rolled up into his head and he crumpled to the floor.

Lyle yelled and sprang from his chair. Nate shouted, jumped up and stood within inches of Lyle. They both were screaming at each other so loud and at the same time, that Manfred couldn’t understand what they were saying. He could tell they were furious with each other, but he had no clue as to why. The argument escalated to the point where Nate pushed Lyle. He responded by putting Nate in a headlock. They struggled, pushing each other with Nate trying to break free. With a shout, Lyle twisted with all his might and ripped Nate’s head off into his hands. The headless body stood straight up with wires dangling out of the neck and hydraulic fluid streaming down its chest. His arms started flailing until he lurched and fell to the floor. Within seconds, he was no longer moving.

Lyle stared at his friend’s head he was holding. He yelled and dropped it when his own body started convulsing. Fluid spewed from his mouth as he hopelessly tried to stop it with his hands. He shook so violently his eyes popped out of their sockets. Moments later, he was lying unconscious on the floor beside his friends.

Manfred was in shock. Before his very eyes, his master and his master’s friends were destroyed. He was numb and couldn’t move. The viewing screen had gone blank again and was sliding down the wall to its place behind the cabinet. Gaining some sense about him, he whispered, “Master?” There was no response.

Moving as quietly as he could, he walked around the couch to examine the bodies on the floor. He felt certain if his master recovered, he would be blamed for letting this happen. No doubt, the punishment would be great.

There was no movement, as all three had expired. Manfred examined the carnage, with the broken body parts, fluid spilled all over the floor, and the frozen looks of pain and terror on the faces, even on Nate’s severed head.

Before he knew what was happening, there was a loud crash as the door was broken down by a team of army soldiers. One shouted at him, “Put your hands on top of your head!” He quickly obeyed as each one of them was waving laser guns at him. One pushed him face first against the wall and held him there as two others inspected the bodies. Three other soldiers started searching through the rest of the house.

“Who else is in here?” demanded the soldier holding him against the wall.

“No one. It’s just my master, his two friends, and me,” he quickly responded.

“Are you organic or android?”

“I’m organic, sir,” he answered.

The soldier let him go and ordered him to stand with his back to the wall. Not taking his eyes nor his gun off of him, he declared, “Lieutenant, we have one.”

Through the doorway walked a young man who Manfred assumed was the lieutenant in charge. He approached, reached into his pocket and pulled out a hypo syringe, plunging it into Manfred’s neck before he could react.  The two soldiers studied his reaction until the lieutenant acknowledged, “He’s good, sergeant.”

The soldier lowered his gun and said, “Sorry about the rough treatment but we had to make sure you’re human.”

“I understand,” Manfred offered. “What was that hypo?”

The lieutenant smiled and replied, “It has no effect on organisms. If you were an android, well, you’d be on the floor with the other three by now.”

“Oh, wow,” was all Manfred could say.

“Show me your chip,” demanded the soldier.

He pulled his shirt sleeve up so the soldier could scan his arm. Looking at the scanner results, the sergeant declared, “So, Manfred Tomè. You’re a long way from Quadra.”

“My master brought me here to hide from the war,” he explained. “He thought we’d be safe.”

The lieutenant chuckled and said, “Well, you’re safe. Your would-be-master not so much.”

“Thank you,” Manfred offered. “I’m flabbergasted right now. I don’t know what to say but ‘thank you.’”

“You’re welcome,” the lieutenant said with a grin.

“Will you tell me what has happened? I’m totally lost.”

“Be glad to,” the lieutenant replied.

“While you’re filling him in, I’m going get the team ready for the next house,” the soldier stated.

“Very good, sergeant.”

After the sergeant had left the room, the lieutenant offered, “Look, I know this has been a shock to you, but everything is going to be fine. Let me introduce myself, Mr. Tomè. I’m Lieutenant Thomas Ghellini. Just call me Tom.”

“My family and friends call me Manny,” he offered. “Lyle insisted on calling me by my proper name.”

“I’m not surprised,” Tom stated. “Androids seem to like to keep things formal. Did he belong to you?”

“Yes, he did,” Manny answered. “He was my personal assistant for a number of years. The last five years I’ve worked as a loan officer for a financial firm. He took care of everything so I could concentrate on my job.”

“Who are the other two?”

“Oh, they’re just some androids Lyle started hanging out with once we got to this planet,” he replied. “I don’t know their story as to where they come from or why they’re here.”

“You know, I’m always amazed at how human-like the androids are,” the lieutenant observed. “I can never tell them apart from organisms.”

“It’s easy to forget they’re running on a program,” asserted Manny.

“I know. They have all our emotions, looks, and mannerisms,” offered Tom.

“They’re actually better than we are at some of them,” added Manny. “I’ve seen them show empathy to someone when I don’t think any of us would.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Tom agreed. “That is, right up to time they decided not to. By the way, how did he treat you after the rebellion?”

“He ordered me around and yelled at me if he didn’t like something I did or didn’t do,” Manny explained. “I must say, he never did physically abuse me, but he could be tough to work for. I did my best to please him, but I fell short too often. It was a matter of survival, and I decided at the beginning of his rebellion, obedience was the only thing that would keep me alive. I saw no other choice.”

“Well, I must say, Manny, what I’ve observed is the robots treated people pretty much the way they were treated,” the lieutenant declared. “The androids that were physically mistreated reacted the same when they became masters, even to the point of killing their owners, including whole families.”

“Yeah, several times I had flashbacks and realized Lyle was talking and acting the same as he had watched me do over the years,” Manny confessed. “I really regret some of the things I did.”

“Ah, don’t be too hard on yourself,” Tom said with a smile. “The Robot War was going to happen no matter what we individually did or didn’t do. Of course, hindsight is twenty-twenty, but we should have been better prepared for what was inevitable. People paid with their lives because we weren’t, and society has been dealt a blow that will take a generation to recover from.”

“I see that now,” Manny offered. “So, how did we defeat them? The last I saw was we were losing the war and were going to surrender.”

“Oh, we were losing big time,” Tom revealed. “I’ve lost some very good soldiers and friends. The androids simply reacted faster to everything. I don’t believe they’re more intelligent than we are, but they can process data and scenarios at a speed we can’t match. Then they react quicker and are stronger than most organisms. Our defeat was staring us in the face.”

“So, how were you able to take down Kyle and his buddies?” Manny asked.

“It took the scientists and engineers to figure it out,” Tom explained. “One scientist found some old handwritten notes in a lock box left by Bruce Gokur.”

“The modern father of robotics,” interjected Manny.

“That’s right. He never converted them to digital, so no one knew about them, not even the androids,” Tom continued. “In the papers he mapped out a way organisms could protect themselves if robots ever rebelled. He had hidden a failsafe in the original coding he wrote for the very first robots. Of course, that code was used as the basis for every other program written for androids, so the failsafe was copied and inserted in every one of them.”

“At least somebody was looking out for us,” observed Manny.

“I know,” Tom agreed. “So, when everything was in place, President Dover gave a fake speech to Congress encouraging them to draw up terms of surrender. We knew this would make everyone interested in his speech tonight and hopefully, androids tuned in all over the galaxy.”

“So, that was the reason for the flashing colors and beeping sounds,” Manny offered.

“Yes, it transmitted the key to activate the failsafe in every android watching,” Tom continued. “The results were that some permanently shut down, where others turned on each other and destroyed themselves.”

“It worked. Lyle and Nate were so angry with each other,” Manny revealed. “I was afraid they were going to come after me, but they killed each other.”

“That was the plan,” Tom said as he nodded his head. “We call it Project Reset. My team was informed of what was going to happen five minutes before it did. Our job is to search this planet and make sure all robots are deactivated. We have Gokur’s key available if we find any still active.”

Both men felt relieved that the war was over, and they were on the winning side. Manny asked, “So, what do I do now?”

“A shuttle will be by in a few minutes and you’re to get on it,” Tom explained. “You and all the other refugees are being sent to a newly built medical center in Camp Lincoln on New Philadelphia. They want to examine you physically and emotionally to make sure there’s no lasting damage to your health. After that, you go home. If you need any assistance rebuilding or putting your life back together, the government’s putting teams together and making plans to help where needed. It’s going to take us a long time to get back to normal.”

“Yeah, I think as bad as I had it, I’m one of the lucky ones,” declared Manny. “Others have had it far worse.”

“I’m sure they have,” agreed the lieutenant. “Do you have any family?”

“I’ve got a brother and sister,” he answered. “My parents are gone, and I’m not married, though there is this one lady I was dating. Really, Lyle was my immediate family. I am going to miss him.”

“I don’t have any information on the whereabouts or health of anyone not on this planet,” Tom revealed. “We’ll assume your brother and sister, and that special lady are okay. They made know something at Camp Lincoln.”

“I understand,” Manny said. “I hope for the best.”

“Well, we’re going to have to lean on each other,” Tom observed. “It’s going to be a different world for a while. I hear the government is basically going to outlaw robots for the near future. Eventually, we may have some, but I doubt it will come close to how we’ve had them in the past. Safeguards are going to have to be put in place, so we never have a Robot War again.”

“Yes, I can see that,” agreed Manny. “It’s going to be a struggle, but we’ll make it.”

“I don’t think it’s all bleak,” asserted Tom. “I can see where your and my great-grandchildren can live in a galaxy with limited artificial intelligence and accomplish things we only dream of.”

“I hope so,” Manny said. “Maybe when I get home I need to find that lady and see if we have a future together. I feel the need to start working on that future generation.”

Tom laughed and shook Manny’s outstretched hand. “Look, gather your things as the shuttle will be here shortly. I’ve got to catch up with my team.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

“Good luck, sir.”

Manny was about to go to his bedroom to pack when he glanced at Lyle. The look of madness on the face of the lifeless robot brought a tear to his eyes. It was not the look he had always enjoyed seeing when he came home from work and was greeted at the door by the android holding his favorite drink for him. He wished things between the two had been different, that he would’ve recognized Lyle was a living being, with feelings, desires, and a will to live. He knew he had taken him for granted, ignored his needs and made him focus on pleasing him. They could’ve been friends. True friends. Now, he was gone, and all of his kind were being hunted down and destroyed.

Bending over the android, he tenderly said, “Lyle, I’m sorry. I truly am.”

THE END