Good day at Greenrock

Rick, a smart kid, is, without knowing, on his way to re-create the technology that could save Earth.

Good day at Greenrock

Chapter 1: Not according to plans 

 

One month without rain didn’t scare anyone at first. People thought it would be just one of those long and hot summers when the sun would break temperature records, air conditioning sales would spike, electricity would fail and news about people fainting on melted streets would paint the quotidian picture. Nothing really new after all. 

Three months more without a drop of water got them wandering. The crops were starting to take a hit. Summer was halfway through and everyone hoped for a drop of rain. August passed with no change. September, which was supposed to bring salvation, failed to deliver. Then came October, November, December. By the time they reached New Year’s, their lives changed. Everything changed, except the weather. 

New Year’s Eve officiated the instalment of a new world. A world nobody asked for, but all had to live in. In ten years, the rising temperature dried oceans, rivers, springs, destroyed crops and turned water into gold. From a resource taken for granted, it turned into the most sought-after prize. Supermarkets stopped selling it, it could only be found on the black market at high prices and tap water became a story of the past. Scientists tried to filter the last remnants of the ocean, but governments controlled most of what reserves were left.

The changing climate pushed the economy over the edge. Companies filed for bankruptcy, spiralling down one after another. Electricity generation plummeted, leading to drastic limitations in the use of technology. Education systems weakened, leaving the future of learning in the hands of private tutors. Agriculture turn to waste and dragged the entire humanity along with it. Soon, life was no longer living, but survival. People changed jobs and some invented new ones. 

Among these, stood out a job with rather mystical implications. Neither priests, nor shrinks, these people were seen initially as purveyors of hope. They were called water seekers. Modern day shamans, their story went that one day a water seeker would come and lead humanity to an immense underground lake, located somewhere under the known continents. Then, with pristine wisdom, the water seeker will offer guidance and help re-establish the natural course of water, bringing back rain.

It didn’t take long for this story to capture the imaginations of millions. Flocks of believers followed them to various places where water was supposed to be found. People, in their despair, offered money to be part of select groups led by water seekers who promised to be the real Messiah.  After a while, after useless holes were dug all over the globe and nothing was found, what started as a fast pace religion crumpled. Water seekers fell from grace. People labeled them as charlatans and moved onto the next beacon of deliverance. But not all water seekers were fake.

Surprisingly, some of what constituted as the old way of living persisted. People in big cities and those in small towns, like Greenrock, continued to play the lottery, gather for barbecues, sleep, listen to music and celebrate birthdays. As they sought happiness, many stumbled, but few got a little closer. Some still did that by spending money on useless things.

Chapter 2: A rough day

On that Sunday in April, people were starting to head home. It was a busy day at Greenrock’s weekly local market. Merchants gathered from vicinities and mixed with the locals. The canned food cuisine counter was most popular, the the vinyl records store was next and Mo’s metal scraps attracted rebel builders. A band of klezmer musicians sustained an atmosphere of leisure. And this is how For about 5 hours a week, people of Greenrock remembered what is was like to browse through stuff and satisfy the whims of spontaneous shopping. 

It wasn’t as blooming for Rick Miller though. His stand was in a good position, towards the middle of the second isle, but no one was even remotely interested in the three pint-sized robots that he had for sale. These mechanical creatures stood on his table, unmoving, like metal golems, resembling creatures of a digital age. If one would take a closer look at them, she could see the intricate mechanical skeletons powered by miniature hydraulic pumps and their peculiar ovoid heads bearing a strange air of humanity due to what seemed to be a pair of eyes and a thin mouth line. Their color was white. For the uninitiated, they could easily pass by as decorative creations, or some sort of a twisted vision for a trio of midget butlers. Perhaps this kind of impressions held people in their tracks when it came to buy from Rick’s little wooden stand. He felt like an outcast.

No one even suspected that the robots’ purpose was to predict the weather. Or at least that’s what Rick engineered them to do. If someone would ever ask, his sales pitch would tell them how these were weather predicting robots that could announce, a week in advance, when rain would come. A pretty fair advantage in a world short of water, he thought. And a good idea to not only help bring food on the table, but to rekindle humanity’s use of technology with simple, practical steps. 

Rick could not get this kind of thinking without influence from his mother. Once an owner of a grocery shop, back in the good days, Mrs. Miller lost her business during the crisis. After being unemployed for a while she decided to make use of her skills in economics and become a private tutor. Her education made Rick develop an appetite for entrepreneurial ventures. 

The science part and the understanding of the language of robots he inherited from his dad, a math teacher at Greenrock High-School. For the Millers, there was no surprise their son turned out to have an inclination for science. They were proud to have the good kid in the classroom; the one the other parents would give as an example whenever their kids messed up. Unfortunately, that attracted the aversion of some of Rick’s class mates.

Rick grew up listening to stories of a more abundant world, but since birth he experienced a planet in shambles. As he learned from the stories of his parents, it all changed because of the weather. Given the unexpected appearance of these robots in his life, he now had the ambition to create something of value that would help humanity. But for now, it wasn’t quite working out as planned. 

Chapter 3: The mystery shopper

“There’s not much that’s going to happen here today” said Rick to himself. “Come on boys, it’s back to the shed with you” he told the robots and reached under the table to take his back pack and prepare to leave. As he stood up again, he noticed an unusual stir in the crowd. Every merchant jumped with a verbal offer only to attract one interesting passerby. 

Dressed simply, wearing jeans and a black jacket, an old man was coming through. Eyes covered with sunglasses, he was taking his time, greeting everyone with a silent smile and inspecting every stand. With his right hand, he dragged a wheeled bag, the kind elder persons use to carry groceries. His polite interest tricked everyone into seeing him as their last client of the day.

Rick was a bit sour and didn’t give much hope, not even to this apparent potential chance to make a sell. But the old man was coming closer and as he did, he kept starring at the robots on his table. In an instant, he directed his full attention to them and hurried his pace, averting the other merchants’ greetings and offers, just to get to Rick. 

When he reached the kid’s table, the old man stopped and rested the wheeled bag at his feet. Rick was a bit overwhelmed form this sudden rush of interest directed towards him. The old man nodded, signaling a rushed but considerate hello to the boy and leaned over to inspect the three robots. With his sunglasses in his hand, the old man uncovered a pair of sparking green eyes, embedded with an unusual spirit of youth. 

“May I… touch them?” asked the old man, focused on the robots. 

“A sure… yes, of course,” said Rick with surprise.   

“How did you get them, kid?”

“I made them” answered Rick hesitantly.

“You made these from scratch?”

“No, not really from scratch. I found them and then made them. Modified them a bit.”

“Amazing,” said the old man in a low voice as he grabbed one robot from the table. His hands checked the joints of the mechanical robot as if checking for its sturdiness, just like when you buy tomatoes. 

“They can predict the weather,” said Rick with a hint of courage.

“Is that so?” asked the old man somehow more for himself rather than expecting an answer. 

“Yes, you see, if you start it and place this…”

“All three of them?” interrupted the old man.

“Well, that’s how they are. I thought that if…”

“Impressive mechanics for just forecasting the weather,” interrupted the old man again.

“Thank you. When I…”

“Kid, I don’t think you’re aware of what you’re selling here. Can they communicate?” asked the old man abruptly.

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean can they be aware of each other?”, said the old man.

“No. They haven’t been… At least I don’t know…” stumbled Rick.

“Then they’re worthless,” said the old man. 

“I can make you a good price?” said Rick, almost questioning himself. “If you get two of them…”

“No, thank you, I’m not interested,” said the old man, as he masked sudden disinterest and placed the robot back on Rick’s table. Then he put his sunglasses on and grabbed his wheeled bag. 

“You seem like smart kid. Take a closer look at what you have there and take them a step further. No one is going to buy them if they just predict the weather. You’d have better luck selling them as lawn mowers,” said the old man before he grabbed his bag and walked away. “I’ll be back here in one month” he said right before he disappeared into the crowd.

Chapter 4: The longer way home

He kept pedalling quicker so he could charge the slope in full speed. Right at the top he pulled his legs back and leaned forward to go faster. It was always worth for Rick to take the longer way home when returning from a night out with friends. The road next to the forest ran across two hills, and at nighttime cars were rarely driving. Rick had the road for himself. 

For a moment, streetlights on the side of the road quivered, blinking before coming back to normal. Rick didn’t notice that in his downhill revelry. Trees passed by one after the other, the air got colder against his face. He could almost scream of joy, but there was also fear in him, telling him “shut up!”; the night gave him a gift, but if he proved unworthy, darkness might bite. 

The slope ended and Rick lost momentum. It was uphill again. One final push and he would roll down right up to his home. Another blink of the streetlights. This time he noticed and it struck fear in his heart. It all grew silent, only the crickets chirping. When he reached the top of the hill, the light went off for good. Complete darkness. It was time to jump on the bike and get out of there.

But Rick felt the bike got heavier to push. The back tire screeched against the asphalt. He froze. Afraid to look, he knew something was blocking the back wheel and it wasn’t good. Shivers climbed up his spine. Maybe if he continued pushing, it would go away, whatever it was. But it didn’t. Something caught his bike. Rick turned around, fear mixing with curiosity. A small humanoid shape held his back wheel. Rick shook the bike. “Let go!”. The creature was not deterred. “Let go of my bike!”. Looking closer he distinguished a small humanoid robot with a stern ambition to stop him. Just that moment, he heard something rustling the leaves behind him. Too scared, he let go of the bike. Stricken with panic he ran, ran as fast as he could down the slope towards his home and he didn’t look back. 

Chapter 5: Unexpected guests

The next morning, Rick woke up later than usual. It was 9:30 am when his dad asked him if he’s ok. The bike! He quickly ran a recap of the strange happenings last night. The ride home, his bike, probably now lost, and that strange creature after him. Was it all a dream? After his dad left his room, he jumped out of bed and quickly ran to the garage to check. The bike was there. That worried him even more. Who brought it back there?

“Honey, breakfast is ready” his mom called from the kitchen.

“I’ll be right there” said Rick. Who brought the bike there, was it really a dream? Could it be that he brought it and imagined the whole thing? He went to the kitchen wandering. As he was approaching, he heard his mother:

“And Rick, when you come here, would you mind explaining who is your new friend?” 

Rick entered the kitchen, saw his parents sitting in their usual chairs, his was empty and the fourth chair, which no one ever used, pulled aside. On it stood a pint-sized white robot. 

“What? What in the he… What is that? How did it get here?”

“You tell us. We found it in the kitchen this morning.”

The robot just stood there on the chair, rotating his head slowly, following their conversation. 

“To be honest, it’s pretty cool” said his dad. “Did you bring it home last night?”

“No! I actually ran away from it. On my way back, it was trying to grab my bike” said Rick.

“Where did that happen?” asked his mother.

“Right up the last hill on the road home.”

“It doesn’t seem aggressive at all” said his dad. The robot looked indeed more domestic now and a bit funny, small sized and serious, concerned about the conversation.

“No. But last night it was pretty fierce when it grabbed my bike” said Rick.

“Apparently it wanted to get here” said his mom.

“And have breakfast” continued his dad.

“What are you? What do you want?” asked Rick stepping towards the robot.

“It doesn’t speak much. But you bet I’m not going to throw him out” said his dad. 

“It does look friendlier by daytime. I’m guessing it doesn’t need anything to eat. Do you?”

The robot just stared back at them, each at a time.

That morning was the first of many. Just like you one day wake up with a dog on your doorstep and decide to keep it, the Millers held on to their robot. They explored its mechanics whenever they had the time, learning the ins and outs just like it was their own creation. Days went on and slowly, the mysterious robot became a member of the family. Nobody ever claimed it and it didn’t want to leave. 

 

Yet the Millers never stopped asking how did this robot got to them and what was it? Until one day, some unexpected news broke the harmonious chain of events. 

Chapter 6: Bad news

“I can’t believe they changed it” said his dad, while holding a piece of paper in his hand.

“Found it on our doorstep today” said his mom. 

Rick just entered the house and untied his shoes in the hallway. It was evening and he returned home for supper. While he was there, with his shoes in his hand, he listened. The robot walked around and spotted him. Rick hushed him.

“Is this even legal, to change the date like that?” continued his dad.

“I don’t think their operations are governed by law” said his mom. 

“Oh Christ… we didn’t need this right now” said his dad.

Rick kept still, not to interrupt their conversation. The robot kept staring at him.

“I don’t see how anyone could help us. We don’t even know someone with this amount of money” said his mom.

“And they only give us six months? That wasn’t the deal… Who knows what they did and now we have to cover for it” said his dad.

“Whatever they did, you know once they set their mind onto something, there’s no chance of changing their way about it. And now, they want us to pay in advance.”

Money, thought Rick for himself. It’s something about money. But who can scare them so much, and why? He put his shoes down silently and approached the door to hear better. 

“We can’t just disappear” said his dad.

“No, they’ll find us. They’re not the kind of people to tolerate initiatives like this. Get it out of your head.”

“Then I don’t see it. Another loan? We must find someone to help us with another loan.” continued his dad.

“In this economy, no one will be crazy enough to finance such a thing. No, we have to make the money somehow in these six months we have.” said his mom.

“They’ll go for the house if we don’t pay them. There’s nothing else of value they can take. They’ll go for the house. I know it” said his dad.

“Calm down, calm down. Let’s go prepare something to eat until Rick comes, home. We’ll have to find a way. No, this is just something temporary, we’ll find a way.”

Then his parents moved into the kitchen. Rick knew they would never want him to know about their troubles. But he had to do something. So many times, he was grateful for what they did for him. And now, with this, it was clear they hit a rough patch. He couldn’t just sit and watch them struggle. He had to help.

Chapter 7: A curious place

They couldn’t just lose their home. Solutions came up every time he had to solve a math problem. All he had to do was think a little. This problem was a bit different than a math problem though. Ok. Then that meant he just had to think a little harder. 

Up until now it seemed each time he sought solutions, answers came from somewhere inside. “Just put your mind to it”, his mom encouraged him when struggling against a hard quiz. Where was this mind though? When thinking he knew something was happening in his brain and he felt something above his stomach. 

He needed to make a deeper sense of this. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Maybe if he focused really hard, he could come up with an idea. For now, he could only hear the ticking of the clock on the garage wall. Another exhale and the doors of the elevator closed in, revealing a mellow light inside it. A gentle music emerged from the tempo of the clock. With a ding, the elevator announced its departure to another floor. Rick leaned in front, getting closer to the buttons, trying to spot the destination. They were all black, un-numbered. It scared him a little, but knowing he could get out anytime just by opening his eyes, got him curious. 

Now the elevator was descending. Ding! This announced a destination. The doors slid open and an empty corridor lay in front of him, with grey walls and a shiny floor. Rick stepped out, then heard the elevator doors closing behind him with a ding. As he crossed the empty corridor in the sound of his footsteps, he reached a reception desk with two waiting chairs next to each other. No one was there. 

He approached the desk looking for someone. “Hello?”. No answer. “Is someone here?” said Rick. 

“In a minute!” said an awfully familiar voice. “Be right there!”. The voice almost sounded like his own. Then, when he saw himself approaching the counter from the other side, he was amazed. What was this place, he thought to himself?

“Oh, this? You’re in the headquarters of Inner Corporation LLC” said the other Rick from behind the counter. “And yes, we can hear your thoughts around here, I know you were wondering.”

“What is this place?” asked Rick.

“Oh come on, don’t act like a stranger. You’ve been here a million times before. We’ve got records of your every visit.”

“But why does it look new to me?”

“Well, maybe because it’s the first time you thought about us this way.”

“And you… are… me.”

“Ok now, really? Who else did you expect. You should see the other guys.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the other guys working in these offices. Don’t get a panic attack when you meet them. But now that we’ve done the official introductions, what can we help you with today?”

“You can help me?”

“Or at least try to help. We’ve managed to give you a few good tips during our existence. And since your recent success in understanding the mechanics of that robot you found, the stock price of our company has risen quite nicely. So, what’s on your mind? Well, that, I know. But what’s your problem? Ok, that I know too. It’s something related to your parents. But I’m no God, so you have to help me out here.”

“Yes, my parents are in trouble and yes, I want to help them. Basically, I think it’s a money problem. How can I make the money to help them get out of their debt?”

“Ok, well. For that you would have to visit offices seventeen and nineteen. There are the guys working in finance and innovation. They’ll give you some pretty good proposals. I hope.”

“And where can I find these two offices?” asked Rick.

“Continue down the corridor and at its end, you’ll find them on the right.”

“Ok, thank you.”

“Ah, don’t mention it.”

Chapter 8: Knock, knock, knocking on the office’s door

Rick walked down the corridor to office seventeen, which was first. He knocked.

“Yes, come on in, it’s open.”

Rick pushed the door. A bit more comfortable now, after a first conversation with himself, he was still astonished to see three more of himself, all dressed in striped suites now, working each at his desk. The one closest to the door, greeted him.

“Oh hi, you must be Rick.”

“Rick Miller, yes.”

“Hmmm… Miller, you say? We were expecting for a Donaghue. Rick Donaghue?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I can wait outside” said Rick, a little embarrassed.

“No, come on, I’m just messing with you. We’re all Rick Millers in here. And, guess what, we’re only expecting Rick Miller. Nobody else ever shows up. So, Rick tells me you’re here to solve a finance problem. Is that it? 

“Yes, you are right.”

“Then I’ll tell you a quick fix: go sell something.”

“Sell something? But what? I need quite some money, and I don’t have really anything of value to sell” said Rick.

“Really? Nothing of value? What about the robot?” asked the finance Rick.

“The robot? I don’t want to give that away.”

“Don’t be clingy. You got to make some sacrifices to earn something. Look, you have to sell it.” 

“But not even my parents would want that” said Rick.

“Well, find a turnaround. The guys in office 19 do innovation. They will tell you how. If you wonder too much about it, doubt will come and get us out of business.”

Rick thanked them in his shy manner and closed the door of office 17. Office 19 was right next to it. For a moment he thought where was office 18? And how many offices where there after all? What goes on in all of the others? But he felt his focus power loosening up. He knocked on the door of office 19.

“Yeah, come in, but watch out, there’s no…”. The voice behind the door didn’t get to finish as Rick opened the door and got sucked into an office where everything was floating. Inside he found two other versions of himself, one who was floating sitting at his desk and the other freely. 

“Yeah, there’s no gravity in here, I meant to say that. You ok? Can you handle floating?” said the Rick floating with his desk.

“It’s pretty strange” said Rick, trying to grab onto something.

“Yes, you’ll get used to it in no time. Just relax, don’t try to hold on to anything and it’ll be all right.”

“How can you guys work like this?”

“Without gravity? It gives us freedom to move, and freedom to think. Otherwise it would get boring like hell in here. Now, how can we help you?”

“Guys in 17 suggested I sell my robot, but I don’t really want that.”

“You still need to sell something. Make another!” said Rick from his desk.

“Another robot?”

“You just figured how it works. Build another one.”

“Or more” said the other Rick floating freely.

“And then give them a twist” continued Rick with a desk. “Say Rick, what do you think he should do to the new robots?”

“Make them look into the future. People love knowing the future” said Rick who was floating freely.

“And get them to be the first ones doing something. Make them see into the future and help people do something for the first time. Does that ring a bell?” said the Rick with a desk.

“A little” said the visiting Rick. “Though, what will they want to look into the future for?”

“Something to make them win more money. They’ll spend money on robots that can help them win more money. What if they can sell something valuable?”

“Like water?” asked Rick.

“I like how you think,” said the Rick with a floating desk. 

“What if they can predict the weather?” said the other. 

“Weather forecasting robots so that they can predict the first rain. Hear that? That’s your idea right here” concluded Rick, from behind his floating desk. 

They all kept swirling inside that little office. Rick begun to feel a little nauseated. 

“I can try this, I guess.”

“Careful now, you’re gonna get sick if you stay here for too long. I suggest we meet on another occasion, Rick Miller. Watch it on your way out. Gravity might give you a bump.”

“Ok, thank you. All.” And then he tried to swim through the air towards the door. Once he opened it, the air pulled him out forcefully and smacked him on the ground. He opened his eyes and looked around to find the familiar circumstances of his garage. A little shaken by his strange encounters he looked at the robot. But he now had an idea. He was to build others, turn them into weather devices and then try sell them at the Greenrock fair. 

Chapter 9: Homework

What did the old man mean when he told him to take the robots a step further? Rick would have asked more. Yet the stranger was to return in a month, so apparently answers must wait. Until then Rick was left with this question, a question posed by someone who knew something. The way he looked at the robots. The way he explored them. They were not new to him. But how come he knew of their real potential and didn’t share any insights?

For now, Rick could only pack his three robots and head home. His idea of cloning the android and turn it into a weather predicting device was not welcomed as he hoped. Now that’s a feedback he could share with the people of Inner Corporation LLC. But they were a limited liabilities company after all. Yet the old man saw something in his robots. Did he know of the original android? There was clearly something behind his words. That night Rick fell asleep thinking about it, and wandering how could he take the robots further. 

The next day, after his education hours, Rick retreated to his forest shed. It was a special place he built with his dad in a time when he perceived the forest as a scary place. Slowly, after the construction of the shed, the forest turned to be a mysterious protector of the kid, an ally, alluring him with its silences and encouraging him to think in solitude. It’s here where he began studying the small android and alone or in the company of his father, he deciphered its anatomy. Time has come to study it in more detail.

He grabbed his original android and decided he must make the three replicas behave just like it. They were just exterior copies of the robot. The first time he didn’t push to recreate the interior, the core, he just aimed for lookalikes. Maybe that’s what the old man really meant, that he needed to push in his constructions. But to do that, he had to take the risk of de-activating his robot and study it in more depth.

Rick was so involved into getting at the core of his robot, that one night he had a dream. He saw his three replicas walking, inviting him to an operating room. It was all happening in an empty hospital building, with sterile white walls. As his replicas ushered him in, at the center of the operating room he saw himself bent over the table, performing the operation. On the table lay his android, de-activated, asleep. His perspective changed and he was seeing himself through the eyes of the sleeping robot. He felt his own tools scrambling inside his chest. He closed his eyes and distinguished a pulsating trio of colors, one red, one green, one blue, all in the center of complete darkness. He approached the colors and got engulfed in their cores, only to discover how easily he could jump from one to the other. At last, the colors separated and each disappeared inside each of his three robot replicas. Then he woke up. 

He was getting closer to understanding something knew. He could sense that, but could not yet verbalize it. There was just one week before a month would pass and he could meet the old main again. If he kept his promise and return. So, he tried harder to uncover the secret of his android. 

Chapter 10: A familiar face

Rick’s conclusions were not complete, but that long-awaited Sunday, a month after their encounter, has finally arrived. Rick was keen on going to the fair, hoping to meet the old man again, but he could not bring the three robotic replicas, he must bring something else, something to stir the old man’s interest and justify his curiosity. He would bring the android itself. 

After setting his stand at the Greenrock fair, Rick considered whether to reveal his android to the people. He knew it would attract them in great numbers, and while not willing to sell it, he also knew it could lead to protesting behaviours. But how else to make the old man notice him? After much self-debate, he pulled out the active android and placed it in the middle of his stand. 

In a blink of an eye people crowded around them. Questions came from all over the place. Wow, what is this? Can it jump? Amazing! Look at it! Can it run? How much is it? In order to please the crowd, Rick made the android perform a routine, showcasing walking and equilibrium skills. That only attracted more and more people. Where was the old man though? He didn’t want the attention of all these people. Not for this robot at least. 

About noon, from behind the crowd, a long-awaited face emerged. The old man winked at Rick and then remained fixated on the robot. He too couldn’t believe his eyes. Rick greeted him joyfully. Out of surprise, the old man signalled him to grab the robot and move together towards a quieter corner of the fair, where they could talk. 

“Kid, where did you get this one? Last time you had three, but they were different from this” asked the old man. 

“Yes, I modelled the others after this one” said Rick. 

“How did you get it?” insisted the old man.

“Frankly, we just woke up with it on our doorstep. In our house actually. We found it in the kitchen one morning” said Rick. 

“My God… Why did you bring it here? You shouldn’t sell this. No one in their right mind would sell a robot like this.”

“I don’t want to either. You told me last month, the others I had can do more. How did you know they were replicas?”

“Kid, what’s your name?”

“Rick.”

“I’m Fred. Fred Mansell. Rick, I created this robot.”

“What?”

“Look, I was impressed with your replicas. But I had no idea you had the original” said the old man.

“We call it SIMO” said Rick.

“Well SIMO right here is codenamed AV04.” 

“How do you know?”

“It was a secret project of the army. I was a commander, but I retired. Not before I sabotaged the whole project and let AV04 escape the laboratory. Their plans were… different” said the old man.

“Different? What plans?”

“The army initially wanted to make these robots as life saviours. My team and I designed them for medical purposes, but no one expected us to recreate human abilities with such great precision. When they realised their potential to become weapons, their plans turned 180 degrees.”

“I’ve been studying SIMO since it reached our home. It’s very sophisticated indeed.”

“Thank you. It took the effort of some of the top minds in robotics.”

“I am steps away from deciphering how SIMO works. Then I think I can replicate its core and give life to the other three as well. I need your help. I still need to understand a few things.”

“Why do you want to do that, kid?”

“It all started because I needed to help out my parents. They’re in money trouble and I had to do something. I couldn’t sell SIMO. Besides the wonder of it, even my parents are attached to it. So, I tried to replicate it.”

“Rick, how serious are you into understanding how it works?” asked Fred

“I have to show you the advancements I made with the other three” said Rick.

Chapter 11: It takes at least two to build a cathedral

Rick introduced Fred to his evolved replicas. The old man was impressed with the kid’s passion and commitment. Joining minds and skills in recreating the robots, they’ve exchanged knowledge and Fred shared some of the secrets that made SIMO such a special invention. It was clear for Rick that he could never have had a breakthrough without Fred’s help. In his wheeled bag, the old man had valuable tools that he used to create and calibrate SIMO’s core. They were not quite groceries as Rick initially thought. The old man carried them with him always because those were his most prized possessions, memories of his more glorious past. He really enjoyed the kid’s enthusiasm and Rick was fascinated by Fred’s mastery of robotics. The kid couldn’t wait to bring life into his three replicas and Fred couldn’t yet believe he found AV04.

Each was immersed in a personal journey with the robots. Rick wanted to create them so he can finally sell them and get his parents out of trouble. Fred had a bigger plan which he did not share with the young one yet. 

“At the rate we’re advancing, it will take us less than two weeks to power up your first replica. Then the others will be online in no time” said Fred.

“I know. Unbelievable, right? There are still some things I have to figure out. But yes, we moved pretty fast, didn’t we?” said Rick.

“You’re pretty smart, kid. But there's something else I plan to do with the robots. Do you still want to sell them?” asked Fred.

“Well, yes… I guess so… I have to…”

“Do you know the corn field behind the last row of houses in town?”

“Yes. I do. Isn’t that the Montgomery field?”

“That’s the one. There’s water there, kid.”

“Underneath the cornfield?”

“Uhumph” answer Fred. 

“How do you know?”

“You heard about water seekers, haven’t you?”

“I did, but not too many good things” said Rick.

“Well, it’s not all true. Some were not scamming. Some of us really knew what we were doing” said Fred. “When I left the army, there was not much I could do without a laboratory. I grabbed a few of the tools as you can see, took all the hard disks with data and my journals. Then I had to slowly adapt and discover new means of living. One day, I discovered a small water source outside the town I lived in, somewhere in the forests, uphill. Then I found two more in neighbouring areas. I didn’t plan to become a water seeker, but it so happened that I used those water springs to help the community and make a living, until they too dried out.”

“And now you’ve discovered water here, next to our town?”

“Not sure. There’s a high probability. To find out, we need to dig, and dig really deep. When I first detected the first signs, I could only get to wet soil. But to get to water, one has to dig much deeper” said Fred.

“And how deep are you thinking about?”

“Two miles, two miles and a half.”

“But that’s… that’s colossal. It’s like building an enormous skyscraper, but upside down” said Rick.

“Almost. I like to think of it as a cathedral. An upside-down cathedral piercing the ground to bring back water.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“Well, if we’re on track with our work, we’ll have four of these AV04. SIMOs, how you named it. And if we successfully connect them, then they can communicate and synchronise functions.”

“What are you saying? To dig with the robots?”

“Look at their limbs. What do you see?”

“Hands and legs… But then if we modify those…”

“Exactly. I knew you were bright. If we modify their limbs they can dig continuously and synchronised. So, are you in?”

“Well… that’s far away from what I planned…”

“It takes at least two to build a cathedral. Will you join me?”