Servo 26:1
Servo 26:1
It was after midnight when we arrived in New Philadelphia. We’d been on the run for nearly a week. Rory and I were exhausted. The ducking, dodging, and hiding from authorities required far more energy than anticipated. Not to mention our food supply had dwindled the last day and we were ravenous.The train stopped at Frankford Junction, we quietly climbed off and Dad did his best to figure out which way was “home.” We used to live in the Society Hill area. That meant a five mile hike through the city in the dark. And just to make it more miserable: it started to rain. “Just our luck,” Rory said as we slogged along. “We had to arrive on a day they made it rain.”“Sorry,” Dad replied. “I haven’t been able to pick up any of the Wi-Fi broadcasts.” “Dad?” I spoke up. “Why are we going back home?”“Because Suz would go there. That’s where her friends are.”“What if she’s not there?”“Then we’ll keep looking.”“And if we don’t find her?”“We’ll still continue with my plan.” He stopped in front of a building with a large portico. “Look, an update panel.”“Is that such a good idea?”“Jonah, I need to find out what’s going on here.” He flipped open a small door on his right forearm and preparing to deploy the interface probe.“But what happens if the program sees you as a hostile threat? It could attack you with a virus.”“Why would it?”“Because you’re a model that hasn’t been made in decades and the software might not recognize you.”“Mmm, good point.” He retracted the probe. “Did you bring your tablet?”“Yes.”“And a connection cable?”“Of course.”“Can you download the files?”I opened my backpack and rummaged through, producing the tablet. “I can try.”“Just be very careful and make sure you have a separate partition for the data. You don’t want the mainframe scanning your device and finding all the files on me.”“How do I do that?”He gestured; I handed over the tablet and watched while he worked. His golden fingers were a blur on the integrated keyboard. After a few minutes, he handed it back. “That should do it.”“Okay.” I plugged the cable into the tiny port and approached the update panel. With the advent of broadcast Wi-Fi, these service outlets were few and far between. It actually surprised me that we stumbled upon one; let alone a functioning one. They were originally designed to provide system updates to service bots in the area. Now, all bots were manufactured with Wi-Fi receivers and updates sent over the airwaves. “Look, the rain’s stopping,” Rory commented.“Good,” I replied, connecting the tablet to the portal. “We didn’t bring much clothing for rain.” The tablet beeped three times and a login screen appeared. “Dad? What do I type?”He looked over my shoulder. “Hmm, curious. They never used to be logged accounts.”“What do I do?”“Let’s try something.” He stepped in front of me and turned his back, scrunching down. “The manufacture plate on my back…”“What about it?”“Try typing in the model number for the username and the serial number for the password.”“Okay.” I followed his instructions and clicked Enter. A little spinning wheel indicated the computer was processing. We watched and waited for several minutes. Just as it seemed that we were going to be shut out, the portal beeped. A message appeared on the tablet:
Upgrades for Model 106 no longer supported by this portal. Request upgrades with Servidyne Headquarters, Red Lion Rd. Philadelphia, PA.
“Well, that’s not helpful,” Dad said as he stared at the screen. “Let’s keep going. I’d like to reach the apartment building by dawn.”I disconnected and put away the tablet. We slung the packs over our shoulders and we carried on. Dad took the lead, his enhanced vision allowed him to turn night into day. Rory and I could only follow blindly behind. As I surveyed the area, I noticed it was darker than normal. Only one out of every four streetlights was lit. And there were very few cars on the road. Was something going on in the Inner States? After another hour of walking, we’d reached the Society Hill area. It too was dark. And what lighting that shined, seemed dimmer than I remember. I began to wonder if my suspicions would ring true. Is their technology-fed, meticulously clean, and morally controlled society beginning to crumble? Had they reached the pinnacle and were wondering what to do next? I remember grandpa telling me stories of the earlier days of the Inner States. How a select few GEEs took over the government and started deciding what was good and what wasn’t for the society they oversaw. Having been born into that culture, I never gave it any thought. We ate what we were told to eat, went to schools specially designed for us, and already knew what job we’d most likely have by age ten. There was little to no crime, everyone had enough to eat, and technology made our way of life comfortable and informed. Everything we needed was a finger touch away. The dirtyside of industry was walled away in the Outer States. That’s where the iron was smelted for making cars and trains, the nuclear power to run the cities, and countless other businesses deemed too pollution-making to be safely allowed within the sanctity of the Inner States. “How much farther?” Rory said, his voice sounding tired.“Not sure, but I think we’re close,” I replied, feeling his exhaustion. Somewhere there had to be a bed we could lay our heads on for a few hours. And I hoped we’d find it soon. We rounded a corner and were met with a familiar sight: a park that was near our apartment building. The three of us children had spent countless hours playing here; under the watchful eye of one of the service bots, of course. “All right, we’ll stop here for a while,” Dad said, heading over to a bench. “You two stay here; I’m going to the building to search for Suz.”“Why can’t we come along?” I asked.“No need. Just stay here and rest.” He looked up. “Should be no more rain; look, the stars are coming out.”Gazing to the heavens, I saw pin-point glimmers of white gracing the inky black sky. The moon was trying to fight through the clouds. I could see it reflecting off the billowing pillows of water vapor, creating a creamy yellowish contrasting haze. There was ever-so the slightest hint of a breeze. I watched a single leaf flip lazily across the concrete walkway not far from where we were standing. “We really want to come with you,” I reiterated. “You’re not supposed to be here, remember?” he answered. “You’re supposed to be in Nebraska.”“But there’s no law saying we can’t come back to the Inner States.”“True, there isn’t. But at this point in time, I’d like you to stay somewhat concealed—for your safety.” He led us through the park to a massive tree. On one side was a carefully constructed treehouse. “If you stay up there, no one should see you.”“All right,” I said bluntly. “We’ll go there.”Rory and I had spent many hours in that old treehouse discussing the finer points of bio-technology while other children followed less lofty goals of play. Now it would be our temporary home. We climbed the ladder and peered in. I’d taken the liberty of digging out a small flashlight to see what we were getting into. The treehouse looked much the same as the last time we were in it. In one corner I spied a large spider web, something that we’d try and avoid. “Well, it’s not too bad,” I said, climbing in and dropping my pack. “I guess it will have to do for now,” Rory replied, following my lead. “I’m so tired!” “Me too.” I looked out the “window” and watched Dad disappear into the darkness. A large part of me wanted to be with him, searching for my sister, and exploring the world around me. But exhaustion was taking its toll and I needed sleep. I hoped Dad would be successful in his mission.
It was after midnight when we arrived in New Philadelphia. We’d been on the run for nearly a week. Rory and I were exhausted. The ducking, dodging, and hiding from authorities required far more energy than anticipated. Not to mention our food supply had dwindled the last day and we were ravenous.The train stopped at Frankford Junction, we quietly climbed off and Dad did his best to figure out which way was “home.” We used to live in the Society Hill area. That meant a five mile hike through the city in the dark. And just to make it more miserable: it started to rain. “Just our luck,” Rory said as we slogged along. “We had to arrive on a day they made it rain.”“Sorry,” Dad replied. “I haven’t been able to pick up any of the Wi-Fi broadcasts.” “Dad?” I spoke up. “Why are we going back home?”“Because Suz would go there. That’s where her friends are.”“What if she’s not there?”“Then we’ll keep looking.”“And if we don’t find her?”“We’ll still continue with my plan.” He stopped in front of a building with a large portico. “Look, an update panel.”“Is that such a good idea?”“Jonah, I need to find out what’s going on here.” He flipped open a small door on his right forearm and preparing to deploy the interface probe.“But what happens if the program sees you as a hostile threat? It could attack you with a virus.”“Why would it?”“Because you’re a model that hasn’t been made in decades and the software might not recognize you.”“Mmm, good point.” He retracted the probe. “Did you bring your tablet?”“Yes.”“And a connection cable?”“Of course.”“Can you download the files?”I opened my backpack and rummaged through, producing the tablet. “I can try.”“Just be very careful and make sure you have a separate partition for the data. You don’t want the mainframe scanning your device and finding all the files on me.”“How do I do that?”He gestured; I handed over the tablet and watched while he worked. His golden fingers were a blur on the integrated keyboard. After a few minutes, he handed it back. “That should do it.”“Okay.” I plugged the cable into the tiny port and approached the update panel. With the advent of broadcast Wi-Fi, these service outlets were few and far between. It actually surprised me that we stumbled upon one; let alone a functioning one. They were originally designed to provide system updates to service bots in the area. Now, all bots were manufactured with Wi-Fi receivers and updates sent over the airwaves. “Look, the rain’s stopping,” Rory commented.“Good,” I replied, connecting the tablet to the portal. “We didn’t bring much clothing for rain.” The tablet beeped three times and a login screen appeared. “Dad? What do I type?”He looked over my shoulder. “Hmm, curious. They never used to be logged accounts.”“What do I do?”“Let’s try something.” He stepped in front of me and turned his back, scrunching down. “The manufacture plate on my back…”“What about it?”“Try typing in the model number for the username and the serial number for the password.”“Okay.” I followed his instructions and clicked Enter. A little spinning wheel indicated the computer was processing. We watched and waited for several minutes. Just as it seemed that we were going to be shut out, the portal beeped. A message appeared on the tablet:
Upgrades for Model 106 no longer supported by this portal. Request upgrades with Servidyne Headquarters, Red Lion Rd. Philadelphia, PA.
“Well, that’s not helpful,” Dad said as he stared at the screen. “Let’s keep going. I’d like to reach the apartment building by dawn.”I disconnected and put away the tablet. We slung the packs over our shoulders and we carried on. Dad took the lead, his enhanced vision allowed him to turn night into day. Rory and I could only follow blindly behind. As I surveyed the area, I noticed it was darker than normal. Only one out of every four streetlights was lit. And there were very few cars on the road. Was something going on in the Inner States? After another hour of walking, we’d reached the Society Hill area. It too was dark. And what lighting that shined, seemed dimmer than I remember. I began to wonder if my suspicions would ring true. Is their technology-fed, meticulously clean, and morally controlled society beginning to crumble? Had they reached the pinnacle and were wondering what to do next? I remember grandpa telling me stories of the earlier days of the Inner States. How a select few GEEs took over the government and started deciding what was good and what wasn’t for the society they oversaw. Having been born into that culture, I never gave it any thought. We ate what we were told to eat, went to schools specially designed for us, and already knew what job we’d most likely have by age ten. There was little to no crime, everyone had enough to eat, and technology made our way of life comfortable and informed. Everything we needed was a finger touch away. The dirtyside of industry was walled away in the Outer States. That’s where the iron was smelted for making cars and trains, the nuclear power to run the cities, and countless other businesses deemed too pollution-making to be safely allowed within the sanctity of the Inner States. “How much farther?” Rory said, his voice sounding tired.“Not sure, but I think we’re close,” I replied, feeling his exhaustion. Somewhere there had to be a bed we could lay our heads on for a few hours. And I hoped we’d find it soon. We rounded a corner and were met with a familiar sight: a park that was near our apartment building. The three of us children had spent countless hours playing here; under the watchful eye of one of the service bots, of course. “All right, we’ll stop here for a while,” Dad said, heading over to a bench. “You two stay here; I’m going to the building to search for Suz.”“Why can’t we come along?” I asked.“No need. Just stay here and rest.” He looked up. “Should be no more rain; look, the stars are coming out.”Gazing to the heavens, I saw pin-point glimmers of white gracing the inky black sky. The moon was trying to fight through the clouds. I could see it reflecting off the billowing pillows of water vapor, creating a creamy yellowish contrasting haze. There was ever-so the slightest hint of a breeze. I watched a single leaf flip lazily across the concrete walkway not far from where we were standing. “We really want to come with you,” I reiterated. “You’re not supposed to be here, remember?” he answered. “You’re supposed to be in Nebraska.”“But there’s no law saying we can’t come back to the Inner States.”“True, there isn’t. But at this point in time, I’d like you to stay somewhat concealed—for your safety.” He led us through the park to a massive tree. On one side was a carefully constructed treehouse. “If you stay up there, no one should see you.”“All right,” I said bluntly. “We’ll go there.”Rory and I had spent many hours in that old treehouse discussing the finer points of bio-technology while other children followed less lofty goals of play. Now it would be our temporary home. We climbed the ladder and peered in. I’d taken the liberty of digging out a small flashlight to see what we were getting into. The treehouse looked much the same as the last time we were in it. In one corner I spied a large spider web, something that we’d try and avoid. “Well, it’s not too bad,” I said, climbing in and dropping my pack. “I guess it will have to do for now,” Rory replied, following my lead. “I’m so tired!” “Me too.” I looked out the “window” and watched Dad disappear into the darkness. A large part of me wanted to be with him, searching for my sister, and exploring the world around me. But exhaustion was taking its toll and I needed sleep. I hoped Dad would be successful in his mission.
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