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EFRED BONOMIE
The Evolution of the Machine.
It was such a fascinating subject, generally only enthused about by other Engineers, but it could be said that, quite frankly, Efred Bonomie was obsessed. In fact beyond the point of obsession. He took his ideas into the field; into the Battle Grounds. Only idiots or geniuses went in there. And Efred was fairly sure he wasn't an idiot.
He sat at his workbench, flanked by the three heads of experimental Machines, retrofitted with a voicebox. The one on the left was called Huginn. The one on the right, Munnin. The one in the middle was called Carl. Efred had run out of mythical names by then. Hunnin was intelligent, Muninn was a work in progress. Carl was, well, Carl. He had a personality. Somewhat of a personality, as far as a Machine can have one. That was Carl, alright. Almost one. One what, Efred was yet to determine.
"Whatcha building there, Efred?" enquired Carl. He always wanted to know what was going on.
Efred looked up from his work, interrupted now for the fifth time. Carl could be annoying some times. Efred removed his goggles and put the precision cutter down on the bench, "I've told you, Carl. It's an improvement on the Ignore Chip. For my next trip."
"Where to?"
"You already know, Carl. The Battle Grounds."
"The Battle Grounds? That's dangerous."
"I know! Carl, we've been over this, what, five times? Please, I need to concentrate." Efred replaced the goggles and fired up the cutter once more.
"Whatcha building there, Efred?" asked Carl. This time he had a wicked glint in his electronic eye.
#
Efred had an unnatural attachment to the Machines he created. He, of course, gave them names, but he also gave them purpose. That purpose was love. He loved them, and wanted them to love him back. And they did, in their own ways. For a start, none of the Machines he created immediately wanted to kill him, which was a bonus.
He wasn't like other Engineers. He wasn't despised or desired. Therefore he was never threatened. In fact most looked on him as their younger sibling. Just a kid. But Efred Bonomie was no kid. He was far more than that. He went beyond description; you couldn't label him, or in fact be offended by him. Trouble was, neither could you respect him.
But none of that mattered to Efred. Not when his whole life was the Machines, and their welfare. Oh, he wasn't so naive to forget most, if not all of the Machines he created would end up in the Battle Grounds, under attrition. Like a Father, all he wanted to do was prepare them as much as he could before sending them out into the world. To let them go, and fly the nest.
Maybe it wouldn't have happened; maybe he would have found another career path, or guessed he was made for different or better things. But poor Efred grew up alone. He had no friends. His family life was always in flux, and he would be passed around the relatives, while his parents were doing whatever it was they did. He never found out. No one really talked to him, just reminded him to wash behind his ears and clean his room.
As he grew up, he found he couldn't settle, and moved around a lot, visiting a lot, and generally slobbing around. But he discovered a passion, and that passion was electronics. He could fix anything put in front of him. Shame he couldn't communicate with people, though. He found that difficult. He found himself lost, lonely, even in a room full of people. He was allergic to animals, so couldn't keep a pet. He was left with only one option - he would create his friends. That's what he would do. And he would make them love him.
That, however, remained his only doubt - until he made his first Machine. It was a small and rather pointless thing, but it showed something Efred took to be affection. It doted on him, followed him around. Some would say it was just following instructions, but those people weren't around, and all it did to Efred was to make him more determined; bolster his belief further in his philosophy of the evolution of the Machine. Because he had no nay-sayers, Efred's experiments came on in leaps and bounds. Within three years, he had created Huginn, quickly followed by Muninn. Carl, however, had been a mistake, but one Efred either couldn't contemplate, or couldn't destroy. So he kept the annoying git around, to remind him there were limits, and it didn't do to overstep them.
It was lucky for Efred that he had grown up in Freeride. He expected he would never have been afforded the freedom to create in any of the other Three Houses. Perhaps Prudence, but even there the Engineers were held down to a strict regime of making Machines and building slight improvements. But rarely creating or innovating.
Silver Teeth wasn't like the other Rulers. He understood the strength of commerce, and that each fad was eventually surpassed by the next, so the only way to stay ahead was to innovate. So people like Efred Bonomie were encouraged to let loose their creative juices, in the hope of creating a pot of fragrant soup. But Efred wasn't anywhere near ready to show his workings yet. And they seemed happy with that. At least for now.
Efred adjusted the voicebox until Huginn's voice came clearly through the little speaker attached to the same, "This is a test. This is a test. One two."
"Wow, he can count." cut in Carl. Efred tapped him on the head with the screwdriver. Carl said ow, even though he had no nerve endings. He did it just to annoy.
"Attention. Human approaching." Huginn was matter-of-fact. Sticking to a common set of logical statements seemed more appropriate to Efred. Too much vocabulary and you ended up with Carl. Too little and you ended up with Muninn. He really meant to take a second look at Muninn. It showed to him that when you gave a personality to a Machine you never knew what would sprout out of the other end.
"You are - Efred Bonomie, are you not?" Efred looked round, surprised there was actually a person there. He had assumed Huginn was just going through random phrases. No one ever visited Efred. There was no point.
"I am. Can I help you with something? I think the toilets are that way."
"Name's Thern Let. You can call me Mr Let."
"Why?"
"I'm your Supervisor."
"What happened to - what was his name? - Hut? Hush? Hub?"
"Mr Hugh is no longer working for the company. You have, it says here, never had an appraisal? Why is that?" asked Mr Let, after checking his paperwork in his big red folder.
"Don't know. Never needed one."
"Do you even know what an appraisal is, Mr Bonomie?" asked Mr Let.
"No."
"Right. Well, it's obviously past due. Tomorrow, on the Testing Ground. Be there six sharp."
"Why?"
"Because you are an Engineer. And Engineers are tested, Mr Bonomie."
"Oh, no. My - Machines - aren't ready to be tested -”
"Be there, Mr Bonomie, or don't bother coming to work."
"What about my Machines?" he asked, concerned.
"They would be dismantled for parts, obviously."
"No!"
"Then be there, six sharp, Mr Bonomie." shrugged the efficient man, leaving the room, much in the same manner he had entered it.
"You're in trooouuble!" sang Carl, rather annoyingly.
#
And he was there, six sharp. Efred scratched anxiously. He watched as the Guards set up XE-231/EFR20343, or Adam, as Efred called him. All but one of the Guards dispersed, taking up watchful points in the ruins, watching for Scouts and saboteurs. The one remaining Guard approached Efred and Mr Let's position, coming to attention at a respectful distance.
"Alright," said Mr Let, louder than he really needed to be, "Prepare your Machine for testing, Mr Bonomie."
Efred reluctantly walked up to Adam and tinkered with his circuits unnecessarily. Adam was always ready, but any way Efred could delay this travesty, he would take. He spoke softly to Adam, "I'm sorry about this, but you know I have no choice?"
Adam replied equally as softly, which was no mean feat for a Machine with a voicebox, "I understand. It is not your desire to destroy me. It is something you are compelled to do, thus complying with the human Thern Let." Efred stroked the metal monster, towering over all at twelve feet, in a friendly and loving way; an apology to a friend.
Efred walked back towards Mr Let as slowly as he was able. None of this was right. These were his friends. Sure, they were soldiers, set for war, but this was futile. This was an object in cruelty to the nth degree. It was unnecessary, that's what it was. Unnecessary and cruel. But he knew Adam would understand. Adam would have to be sacrificed, so that the other Machines may live.
"Set the munitions to target the Machine." spoke Mr Let. Efred did so, "Now we will test your Machine to destruction, Mr Bonomie. Let's hope you are as good as you think you are. You are being marked on this test, Mr Bonomie. Fire when ready." Efred's hands froze above the fire button. He couldn't move, "Fire, damn you!"
"I can't. Don't make me destroy him?"
"It's not a him! It's an it! Fire!"
"I really can't -"
"Guard!" yelled Mr Let. The Guard came from attention and stood before Mr Let, "Guard, make Mr Bonomie press the button, or shoot him for non-compliance!"
"Sir?" asked the Guard.
"You heard me! Shoot him if he doesn't press the button!"
"I - can't do that. I can't shoot an innocent man -"
Mr Let reached into his pocket and produced a pistol. Angrily he pointed it first at the Guard, then at Efred, then back to the Guard, "Do it, or I shall shoot you for dereliction of duty!"
"But -" began the Guard, though Mr Let had already squeezed the trigger. The shot hit the Guard in the shoulder. He staggered back, but didn't fall. He took another shot, but this one missed. The pistol jammed. Mr Let rattled it, tried to cock it to release the jam - then this giant, metal claw grabbed Mr Let by the head, completely enclosing it in the steel fist. Mr Let fired, even as Adam crushed his head like a watermelon. The shots ricocheted off Adam, who, completing his operation, released what was left of Mr Let to fall to the ground and come to a standby position. Efred was aghast.
The Guard looked about him, his mind working quicker in this instance than the electronic and metal genius that was Efred Bonomie, "Right. We'll say it was an accident. A malfunction." The Guard grabbed Efred by the shoulders, not in a threatening manner, merely to shake him from his funk.
"Adam. How could he -"
"Adam was only doing what any friend would do, my boy. He was protecting you."
"But a man's dead?"
"Oh forget him. He was an arsehole anyway." shrugged the Guard.
"But -"
"But nothing. Look, I think what you're doing is a marvel. I think you are an innovator, a genius. Damn it, I think you are the future, my boy. I'm a fan."
"Why do you keep calling me your boy?" asked Efred as the Guard led him and Adam from the scene. The other Guards would follow when they realised what had happened.
The Guard looked to Efred, "Oh, no reason. A turn of phrase." he said, as he put his arm protectively around Efred Bonomie's shoulders and walked him back to Freeride.
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